Monday, May 28, 2007

Brain Map




-- from Brain Map - (?)
I don't know how other people work, but for me, sometimes the idea comes before the understanding and I have to dissect my own thoughts to figure out what I mean. In this case, I knew I wanted to photograph my face and hair submerged within two liquids, different enough to be told apart, to signify some kind of duality. Initially, I thought of milk and red food coloring but then found oil in my cupboard and suddenly nothing else would do. With a single high-watt bulb pointing down at me and my camera on a tripod in front of me, I began the disgusting process of dipping my face and hair in a pan of milk and oil. Looking at the image now, I see a person who has a contradictory nature but is looking toward the light of a wiser place, though at the time, it was just gross. But this shoot was actually very important for me because it's when I first started to appreciate getting messy for the sake of art.


-- from Brain Map - (?)
This was a great day. A group of friends and I drove out into the middle of nowhere, off the highway and toward the mountains until we were completely secluded, surrounded by dirt and starving plants. We shot a lot that day - using both guns and cameras; my first time with the former. After watching the destruction of a computer monitor, some jugs of colorful soda, and a couple television sets, I got out the box of broken mirror pieces which I had brought with me (originally created for a separate project I still haven't finished) and began setting them up in a spontaneous design at the foot of a bush then asked my friend, the lovely Ari, to pose for me in an attempt to, pretentious as it sounds, experiment with the idea of shattered self-perception and seeing yourself reflected in unexpected places. Afterward, I left the mirror pieces there for someone else to find.

1: How long have you been involved in photography?
I never really thought much of my relationship with the camera until my high school photography teacher, Mr. Kerr, took an interest in my work. There was one photograph in particular, of a child's playground submerged in water after a strong rain, that he believed in enough to secretly enter in a minor competition within the school. After winning that, the photo went on to win a district-wide competition and a small article was written about me in a local paper. If not for that teacher's psychological influence I don't know what would've become of me in terms of photography. I like to think I would be pursuing it regardless, but sometimes it takes someone else seeing your potential before you're able to open your own eyes to it.

2: Equipment you use?
Several months ago I purchased a Nikon D80 after getting by for years on point-and-shoots and an old Olympus film camera that stopped working long ago. As far as lenses, I use a Nikon 50mm f/1.8 and a Nikon 24-120mm (the latter being my general preference). And as far as light, my collection is sorely lacking. Beyond my SB-600 Speedlight, I'll sometimes borrow an old light stand from a friend or use cheap flashlights and my good friend the sun.

3: Mac or PC?
I currently own a mind-numbingly slow PC but prefer Macs.

4: What inspires you?
I'm not sure there's any way to answer this without sounding terribly pretentious, but the truth is that, well, the muse can spring from any thing at any time but, no matter what the medium, what has noticeably inspired me the most is pain. When happy there's nothing to purge, nothing I want to get rid of, but when in pain - that's when I do most of my thinking, that's when I require an outlet, that's when I'm overflowing, that's when The Need is at its strongest. Not that I can pretend - or even want to pretend - that every image has deep meaning. Sometimes I'm just indulging my silly side, and there's value in that, sometimes pressing that button is all the release I require, but I think every art form is at its most powerful when the person who created it needed to.

"A bird does not sing because it has an answer. It sings because it has a song."

5: Preferred subject matter?
Emotion.
.
6: Name one thing you haven't caught with the camera that you REALLY want to capture.
Real tears.

7: When in doubt about your art, who do you confide in?
There's a few close friends who I'm able to confide in, but there's one memory in particular I always remind myself of when I need to talk myself out of giving up: Prior to my birth my mother was going to school to become a fashion designer and, throughout her life, had always drawn. After becoming pregnant with me she quit college and never went back. As a child, I used to bring her pencils and paper and beg her to draw but she never would. Years later, I asked her why she stopped. She simply said, "I lost my confidence." It sounds silly but I decided, after thinking about it, that no matter how insecure I got I wouldn't let it stop me because, ultimately, it doesn't matter if I'm any good as long as I'm sincere.

"The woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best."

8: Qualifications/training in anything? ie: Photoshop
Beyond that high school photography class (which really didn't benefit me at all on a technical level), I have no official training and, in all honesty, little knowledge. Fortunately, a beautiful friend of mine, also the model reflected in the second image above, is going to Brooks Institute of Photography and recently gave me my first lesson in Photoshop. In this day and age, it opens up a whole new world to understand software and I can't wait to learn more.

9: Plans for the future?
This is the most difficult question for me to answer because the absolute truth is I just don't know. Ideally, I'd love to be able to just bring all the ideas in my head to life and to somehow be able to make enough money doing so, that I can spend my time on this earth living freely. But it's the rare person who gets to live that kind of life, and it can't be expected, but I'm afraid that if photography became a job it would cease being a passion so I'm hesitant to pursue anything professional, anything beyond me expressing my own ideas. So I don't really know what to aim for yet but I'm generally optimistic that someday I'll figure it out.

10: In one word, describe your photography.
Breath.

Monday, May 21, 2007

Dale72


blue and green should never be seen....

This is one of the most beautiful sites I’ve seen. This day the bay not only looked amazing, but was doing amazing things. The normally dangerous, deep channel that is the mouth of the river at Carrum was amazingly ankle deep, and boats were having trouble coming in.
This young guy was having a great time on his skim board, but stopped to check out a boat trying to get past...

Supergirl

One of my faves, reminds me of all the great hours we spent on the beach this summer. My then 2 year olds favourite activity was for her Daddy to help her fly through the air and the water. This is the first time I shot RAW and I loved the processing options it gave me.

1: How long have you been involved in photography?
I loved photography as a kid and did some classes in high school. I worked at a US Summer camp for 3 years from when I was 19 as the camp photographer, which was back in the days of film and dark rooms. When I came back to Australia life got in the way and I didn’t get back into photography in a big way until about 18 months ago. I started my business about 6 months ago.

2: Equipment you use?
About a month ago I got a Canon 5D and a 24-70 2.8 lense. Before that I used a Canon 350D with the kit lenses and a 50mm 1.8..

3: Mac or PC?
PC

4: What inspires you?
My little girl inspired me to take up my photography again, wanting to capture all the real and wonderful moments of her growing up. Now I am inspired by all the wonderful photographers and people I have met along the way, including on flickr. The talent is amazing! I am also inspired by the knowledge that I can turn this passion of photography into a career and am working towards that now..

5: Preferred subject matter?
Kids, families, sunsets, landscapes, night shots, I just love taking photos of everything.

6: Name one thing you haven't caught with the camera that you REALLY want to capture.
It’s my dream to capture the sun rising on every continent  Better start saving for the trip!

7: When in doubt about your art, who do you confide in?
Usually friends I have made through photography who will understand. I find my family don’t get it, they just think everything I take is nice of course, as families do.

8: Qualifications/training in anything? ie: Photoshop
No qualifications, just learning by experimenting and giving things a go.

9: Plans for the future?
Continue with my child / family photography business here in Melbourne and hopefully move into some commercial work eventually.

10: In one word, describe your photography.
Joyful

Monday, May 14, 2007

BACKROADSHUTTERBUG

Misty Morning Moose
Misty Morning Moose
This photo is where a sleepless night made my day, when I came across this cow moose around 5:45am,I waited till almost 7am when I had to take the shot or miss getting the photo.Taken with my 35mm Minolta and 1200mm lens,the in camera light meter was barely showing but I took the shot and this was the results.Scanned photo that really doesn't look like the original but is dear to my heart

Here's Looking at You Kid
This little fellow caught my eye the morning I saw him on my window screen.I din't realize how pretty insects can be until this guy.
Taken with my Sony TRV-730 in the still mode.

1: How long have you been involved in photography?
I have always loved photos but started taking pictures when I was in my teens that would be 1973 with a 110 camera,got my first 35mmSLR in 1982 and haven't looked back.I now have a Sony Digital TRV-730 Camcorder that I do all my photos with thanks to my brother who gave it to me a little over a year ago.So I would say 34 years would be quite accurate.

2: Equipment you use?
I have a 35mm Minolta x370s SLR with a 800 to 1200mm lens,70-310mmlens,35-70mmlens,closeup lens set and 2x converter that I use once in a while but now use as my main camera my Sony TRV-730 Handycam until I either can afford my dream camera a Cannon 30D with all the goodies.LOL So I'll be using my humble little handycam for quite some time.

3: Mac or PC?
I have a Wal-Mart special.HPPavilion a 705w

4: What inspires you?
The need to do better with what I have and now my flickr friends inspire me also.

5: Preferred subject matter?
My preferred subject matter is Maine Wildlife and Nature but will take photos of whatever catches my eye.

6: Name one thing you haven't caught with the camera that you REALLY want to capture.
The one thing I have been trying for years to capture is the elusive Cougar in the Maine woods.I have seen them,almost got the camera on them but have yet to get a shot of one.

7: When in doubt about your art, who do you confide in?
I turn to my friends and family for their thoughts about the photos I take.

8: Qualifications/training in anything? ie: Photoshop
I am self taught everything I have learned or done is mainly through trail and error.I do have a few photography books that I read every now and again to get some ideas but mainly just do my own thing...no rules.

9: Plans for the future?
I plan on just doing what I'm am doing now only hope to have a real nice SLR camera to do it with someday.

10: In one word, describe your photography.
Spontaneous

Sunday, May 06, 2007

Kktp



Untitled
A very simple subject matter, but with right color combination, dof and subject placement, I like the result.
Myra
A lot of friends know me because of macro photography, but I also do some other types of photos too. for example this portrait, I really enjoyed working with this little model and happy with the result.

1: How long have you been involved in photography?

When I was a little kid, i always like to play with my dad's camera. Will that count? :) Anyway, after on and off with photography for some times since my film days, I'm very serious about it in the last two years.


2: Equipment you use?

Nikon D50 with various lenses. My favorite lenes are 50mm f/1.4, 85mm f/1.4 and tamron 90mm for macro work. I love fast prime lenses.


3: Mac or PC?

I use PC with Adobe Lightroom, Photoshop CS2 as my main tools.


4: What inspires you?

Since I joined flickr last year, a lot of inspiration came from great friends around here.


5: Preferred subject matter?

Beautiful nature around me. I love to bring out beauty that was hidden from plain view.


6: Name one thing you haven't caught with the camera that you REALLY want to capture.

No spectific thing, but I always love to challenge myself to get all kind of different photos with different technics from the same subject.


7: When in doubt about your art, who do you confide in?

My great flickr friends.


8: Qualifications/training in anything? ie: Photoshop

Self-taught in both photography and photoshop. My first version of photoshop is version 5 so it's a very long trial and error until now :)



9: Plans for the future?

No particular plans, but I would love to get better with photography and have better equipments in the future.



10: In one word, describe your photography.

It's all about composition.