19 posts tagged “photography”

I often think that there is a misconception out there that photography as an art form is easy, especially as there is an excellent range of cameras which do a remarkably good job even set to auto where we can just shoot away to our heart’s content. Now, it’s true, in my opinion, that the top of the range digital cameras do a fantastic job but I also feel that the photographer needs to know what they are trying to actually achieve in the photograph and it is another form of art after all where the person looking through the lens has to consider composition, lighting, focal point, background, colour, texture, mood, personality, focus etc before pressing the shutter. You will understand that I’m not talking about quick snapshots in this article but photography as an art form.

I have included this post due to my current photography competition which I am running entitled “New Year Garden Guests” which is open to amateur photographers like myself .  I am not a photography expert but I do have professional training in art and design.  I thought that these examples I am about to show you and discuss might give you some tips and inspiration for the competition.

Ok, this is a real example of a mini photo shoot I had with a garden guest - the fantastic stick mantid which has personality plus!  I have only ever seen two and this series is from my second sighting and he appeared quite out of the blue when I was in the bathroom, believe it or not, and I happened to see him on the outside of the window.  Now, I have to confess at this point that I am particularly “obsessed” with any form of wildlife in my garden since I purchased my camera and it has opened up a whole new world that I never knew existed to the point where I do not want to weed my yard for fear of killing some of these critters I have photographed.  How’s that for the ultimate excuse in not working  in the garden!

Shot 1 is the very first photograph I took (outside my bathroom window) simply to show you that this is a real photo shoot.  This is what I consider a to be a “snap shot” and a picture that is taken quickly, without any thought, simply to capture the moment or evidence of what you saw. The only bonus is that he happens to be looking right at the camera. I was using an additional macro lens to take these photographs.

Shot 2 is an improvement as I have zoomed in to get rid of the ugly, unnatural background of the window but there is still the ugly brick background with some strong shadows which detract from the mantid.  He is looking up at the camera which is good and his head is a focal point but still not the ideal shot.

Shot 3 is much better as I have zoomed in further on the mantid’s face which is nice and sharp and has minimised the ugly brick wall background but it’s still not the ideal background due to the lines  and distant brick wall.

In "When it's Safe to Cross", my stick friend started to travel away from the window, onto the concrete path.  This shot has some interest as he is crossing from a man made environment to more natural environment and there is a bit of character about him, pausing to reflect which way he will go, like crossing a road,  so I called it “When It’s Safe to Cross”.  This is where you can introduce personality into your shots and come up with some clever titles to express the moment.  I have also slightly darkened the background which detracted from the insect and created a soft halo around the mantid’s face.

Now the best ones from the shoot and I love the photograph which I have called "Tip Toes" as it really portrays the praying action they have and he almost looks like he’s playing the piano with his head semi tiltled saying “Am I doing alright?” I like the composition and there is the rule of thirds which is important in composing an image.  The soft background makes the stick mantid really pop  and become the focal point plus the personality aspect has been brought out.

Checkin' You Out

"Checkin' You Out" works because it purely focuses on the mantid’s head which is what I was interested in and he is looking straight at me.  To help minimise and softly darken the background I have used a vignette effect or filter which goes in a circular direction in this shot and basically creates a soft black border which blends nicely into the existing background.

Shot 4

2 comments

Shot 4 I love for many reasons - the detail of this wonderfully prehistoric looking creature and he appears to be washing his face with his tiny talons or whatever they actually are.  I love the composition as he is placed diagonally across the  frame and again off centre.  The background is soft and natural, making the stick mantid really pop out and that eye just seems to be looking at you the whole time.

I hope you have found this helpful and what I didn’t mention before was patience and having lots of it while you wait and wait for the critters to get into different positions without scaring them.  This guy just LOVED the camera though and was so slow moving that he was a great model!  I took lots of shots from many different angles as well which you simply must do - try profile, from above, down low, close-up etc. One thing I never ever do is to remove a creature from their natural environment for the sake of a photograph - if it’s not meant to be then there will be other days.

Remember, if you want to enter the “New Year Garden Guests” Photo Competition please sign up for my Newsletter (look for the chimp on the side bars of my website).  You will also get 3 free wallpapers to download and lots of other tips and goodies in the newsletter plus more info about the competition, the prizes, closing date etc.
 

I have always loved dragonflies but have never been able to get up-close & personal with them until I started photographing them using a macro lens. I really adore this lens and taking shots with it is my favourite passion in my photographic endeavours. As an artist, I get such a buzz when I look at the macro images on my computer screen and visually indulge in the patterns, textures and colours nature has to offer. It doesn’t get any better than this and it is also very educational as I am learning about all the creatures with whom I share my garden. Here are a few of the dragonflies and damselflies I have managed to capture so far.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have entered photographs for the first time to JPG Magazine in categories "Fresh" and "Man's Intervention"

This is an extremely beautiful and unique project created by Gregory Colbert. The show has already been shown in Venice, New York, Santa Monica and Tokyo and opens in January 2008 at the Zocalo, Mexico City. Hopefully, it will be shown in other cities throughout the world as I would love to see this.

  

“In exploring the shared language and poetic sensibilities of all animals, I am working towards rediscovering the common ground that once existed when people lived in harmony with animals. The images depict a world that is without beginning or end, here or there, past or present.” —Gregory Colbert, Creator of Ashes and Snow  Website: http://www.ashesandsnow.org

The title Ashes and Snow suggests beauty and renewal, while also referring to the literary component of the exhibition—a fictional account of a man who, over the course of a yearlong journey, composes 365 letters to his wife. The source of the title is revealed in the 365th letter. Colbert's photographs and one-hour film loosely reference the traveller's encounters and experiences described in the letters.

It’s been a while since I’ve featured an artist/photographer on my blog and this photographer, Dennis Bromage, caught my attention recently after seeing his stunning photograph Lost in a Warming World (below). Dennis has taken other photographs of this adorable family of polar bears.

You can see this talented, young photographer’s gallery here - http://www.ephotozine.com/u63973/gallery

I stumbled across this photograph and thought that it was adorable - unfortunately I cannot acknowledge the photographer as I do not know who took it.  I did not see it on this site but it is available at http://www.photoshot.com/home.jsp

Mike posted a few days ago about "Spring Butterflies" and even although I have seen a few butterflies in my yard, there are lots of moths around and they are getting into the house.  Now, these things freak me out but I would never be cruel to one - they are very large brown moths called "Granny's Cloak Moths" and I discovered this poor critter behind a cushion when I was dusting.  I decided to take some macro shots of the insect and on closer inspection, they are actually quite beautiful with a distinctive patch of iridescent purple/blue on the stripey brownish, black wings and I love the name of them which seems so apt.  They have big long tongues by the look of it as well and this one's tongue was rolled up.

When I see these insects, they always remind me of the movie "Silence of the Lambs" and the scene where Jodie Foster first enters the killer's house where they are flying around everywhere!

Steve Bloom is a photographic artist who specializes in evocative images of the natural world. Born in South Africa, he first used the camera to document life there during the seventies. He moved to England in 1977, where he worked in the graphic arts industry for many years. In the early nineties, during a visit to South Africa, his interest in wildlife photography emerged, and within a short time he had swapped his established career for the precarious life of a wildlife photographer. Such a move demands an added measure of uncompromising passion and commitment.

He has won awards for his work and his pictures are seen around the world in calendars, posters, advertising, editorial features and a multitude of other products. His books have been published in fifteen languages. Professional Photographer Magazine described him as a 'photographer at the leading edge who sets the agenda for the future'.

Steve’s concern for the environment is strongly evident in his images. In his book, Untamed, he writes: “I am humbled by the opportunities I have had to witness the diversity of life in so many places, and I hope to share such experiences. Photography is the means by which I strive to engender in others a feeling of unity with the natural world. There remains the ongoing challenge to portray life in all its manifestations, and create images that reveal the very essence of what it is to be a living being.”

 Steve Bloom's Website

I am enjoying three weeks holiday at the moment and I have had the chance to get out and about as an artist and photographer for awhile.  I visited a local ’spot’ that I had read about which is about a ten minute drive from my house.  This place is beautiful and is off the beaten track in the Redlands area of Brisbane.  This place has been featured on TV and in magazines so I thought I had better go and check it out!

Now, I have to explain at this point that I am an art teacher who spends most of her time with her students in her art room and this is my first time in about a decade since I have gone out on a “photo shoot” so I was feeling a bit apprehensive about taking photos in a public place especially as I am still learning the “art of photography”.  Pushing my fears aside,  I packed my camera gear including lenses, tripod and a freshly recharged battery, sketch book, pens, nibblies and drink, cash, etc and set off on my photographic journey….

When I arrived, there were very few people around which was good and as I was taking all of my photographic equipment out from the boot of my car, I thought that there must be an easier way of carrying all this gear - the dear old tripod for instance, is a necessary evil but does not make for easy trekking through bushland!

This is what I saw once I stepped into this beautiful oasis … a garden area by a lily pond and covered multifunction area for Wedding receptions, concerts, guest speakers etc.

As I started to wander through this “nature’s paradise”my first thoughts were “what a spectacular setting to get married in”.  If my husband and I could do it all over again this is definitely where it would be.  Throughout my wanderings I could hear a cacophony of bird and nature sounds which is a sign that I was a guest in a very special wildlife habitat.

This place is enchanting and very special and as the day progressed I got more confident with my photography to the point where the surroundings took over and other people were incidental.

Here are some of my favourite photos which I took:

I was getting hungry and decided to have a break for a short while - this was my view from where I sat on a
wooden seat, sipping my milkshake and munching my cookies.

Feeling recharged after lunch I retraced my steps to where I had seen some interesting flowers but I got sidetracked and saw the most amazing animals I have ever come across, grazing in a neighbouring paddock.  I had seen these animals when I first arrived but they were over the far side and I thought that they were horses. They had obviously decided to try the grass at the other side and luck was on my side as I quickly swapped lenses to capture these gorgeous animals.

I have never seen alpacas in the flesh and at first they struck me as looking like camels, only smaller and cuter.  There were two white and one brown one in the field.  They were surrounded by a wire fence but allowed me to get very close with my camera and did not seem phased, infact, the brown alpaca was a real ’show off’ and he just “knew” that he was being photographed and did the whole head tilt thing and every time my camera focus noise beeped, he would adopt a new pose.  I totally fell in love with him and I want an alpaca in our back yard - boy do they munch grass big time and huge mouthfuls at a time are devoured.  You just never know what wildlife you will encounter and this was a magnificent bonus.  I have one more surprise left though …

I was feeling very weary from all my photographic encounters and after taking a few more shots of flowers on my way out, I decided to head off home.  On my way down I caught site of an animal moving in a property on the left-hand side and pulled over to get a closer look.  Facing me in the distance was a red-necked wallaby.  I grabbed my camera and tried to get as close to him as I could but it was private property.  I took a few steps closer and he was perfectly still, looking straight at me so I grabbed a few shots and then he bounded off - this photo is not very good quality but it was the perfect ending to a fabulous day.