thePhotoZoo

FEATURED PHOTOGRAPHER: The PhotoZoo





1: How long have you been involved in photography?

i'm a self taught photographer. i've been involved with photography for about three years.

2: Equipment you use?

i started out with a canon point and shoot. then to a canon rebel. now i use the canon 40d.

3: Mac or PC?

PC. but i would LOVE a mac.

4: What inspires you?

music and poetry mainly inspire me. i can hear a lyric from a song, or a line from a poem and instantly get a picture in my head. it's amazing. i love it when a photo is able to be translated from head through my lens.

5: Preferred subject matter?

i love anything and everything. i love people. i love to story tell through my photos. i started off with nature, because nature is so patient with you. but love to do portraits.

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

i would love to travel and capture beautiful landscapes and mountains.

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

there is another person on flickr that i confide in. she is amazing, and often struggles with the same issues i do. she always makes me feel better.

8: Qualifications/training in anything? ie: Photoshop

no qualifications. no training. i actually use picnik to process my photos. i find photoshop to be too difficult for me.

9: Plans for the future?

no plans for the future. just taking it one day at a time.

10: In one word, describe your photography.

whimsical

JLM Photo

FEATURED PHOTOGRAPHER: JLMPhoto


"Backlit Chicks" -- This was one of my first digital captures. I was
actually shooting other nesting birds when I noticed these feeding
egrets behind me, mostly backlit but with deep shade further behind them. I got exactly two shots off before the light changed. I used my first digital SLR, a Nikon D70, with my then-new Nikon 80-400mm VR zoom lens, shooting in RAW format, to take the shot.


1. Polly Want Some Bokeh?, 2. Captive, 3. Small Fall Fall, 4. A Small Feast, 5. Yosemite Falls by Moonlight, 6. Snowy Egret, 7. Lone Sentinel at Sunset, 8. Past
Perfect, 9. Fields of Green, 10. Pink Water Lilly on Black Water, 11. Raven Cliff Trail Falls, 12. Channel-Billed Toucan

"A Mixed Bag" -- I hope this isn't too much of a cop out, but I'm
terrible at picking favorites so I'm cheating here. This image is a
collage of images I posted last New Years' Eve and represents some of my favorites posted on Flickr during the previous year. The links belowthe collage will let you view the originals in you want to see them larger.

And then it was question time
1: How long have you been involved in photography?

I've been a weekend hobbyist for about 18 years, with some long gaps in there when I wasn't very active. After a somewhat difficult and traumatic(!) transition to digital, I've found that the new technologyhas actually reinvigorated my interest in photography.

2: Equipment you use?

I have always used Nikon equipment. I currently shoot with a Nikon D300 body and I have a half-dozen or so Nikon lenses, including a 12-24mm wide angle zoom, a 24-70 f2.8 zoom, an 80-200 f2.8 zoom (my all-time favorite lens), an 80-400 VR zoom and a 105mm macro. I also ALWAYS use a tripod, which many consider a hindrance, but it grounds me, helps me compose better and definitely helps me produce sharper images. Oh, and I've never seen a new camera-carrying system that I didn't have to try - vests, shoulder bags, fanny packs, rolling bags, back packs, utility belts -- you name it, I've tried it! I'm beginning to think that a personal Sherpa is the only solution.

3: Mac or PC?

PC for sure, but I use an Apple Cinema Display monitor so I guess I have a foot in both worlds.

4: What inspires you?

The natural world. And some unnatural things as well. Wait, that doesn't sound quite right. I think I'll stick with "the natural world." Final answer.


5: Preferred subject matter?

Nature, especially landscapes and wildlife. Lately I've rekindled an interest in macro work. I also enjoy photographing historical and abandoned structures. The only thing I don't really like to shoot is people. I admire good documentary and people photographers and enjoy seeing their work, but I learned early on that I have no talent for that. I've twice temporarily lost my sanity and shot weddings for friends, but I now understand there is medication for that so hopefully it won't ever happen again!

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

I have a "life list" of places and things I want to photograph but I'm confident I will never be able to do them all. High on that list right now are the Galapagos Islands, the Svalbard Archipelago and the landscapes of Tuscany.

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

I NEVER end up with a photograph that I am completely satisfied with and I ALWAYS have doubts about my photography. For me, photography is very personal and I tend to be my own harshest critic. I do, however, get plenty of inspiration from others (especially here on Flickr) and I always appreciate constructive feedback. One thing I've learned over the years, though, is that if you shoot to please others you will do yourself a real disservice (unless, of course, someone is paying you for your services, in which case it is your job to please others!).

8: Qualifications/training in anything? ie: Photoshop

I have taken a few photography classes or one-day seminars over the years, but consider myself largely self taught. I use Lightroom and Photoshop, but consider myself a real novice at both. Someday I'm going to learn how to use them more proficiently, but for now I'd rather spend more time taking pictures and less time in front of a computer screen.

9: Plans for the future?

I enjoy traveling and searching out great photographic
opportunities.

10: In one word, describe your photography.

Striving. As in always striving to be a better photographer.

PetiteChose

FEATURED PHOTOGRAPHER: PetiteChose


the dreamer

this is a dream I have often : being light !
no seriously, I've been to Thailand in May, and I fell in love with the elephants. They were so happy in the water that I thought about an image like this...

The kids

a couple of kittens in their Sunday clothes. A classic, and so French !!!
I like this image because they still make me smile when i see how elegant they are... a real kitten in that sort of clothes. It won't last a minute !

1: How long have you been involved in photography?

Since I was a child I've liked photographs. When I was younger I was taking photos during the holidays. Then « the disease » became more serious !

2: Equipment you use?

I’ve got an old Panasonic bridge-DMCfz30. I’m dreaming for a better camera…

3: Mac or PC?

A Mac. What else ?:-)

4: What inspires you?

Mainly animals and antique things. But I also love taking photos of « real life » when I visit a country. My work is mainly with animals because I think they have so many expressions and they allow me to use imagination, creating personnages with them.

5: Preferred subject matter?

Surrealism

6: Name one thing you haven't caught with the camera that

you REALLY want to capture.

It’s difficult to say… In fact I take the camera with me and then, I take photos… it could be anything, but nothing I dream of.

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

Paul. He’s my best friend, he knows me by heart and… he’s a super artist with a great eye and a severe sense of criticism !

8: Qualifications/training in anything? ie: Photoshop

I use photoshop which I learnt with Paul, and later through online tutorials and some books.

I use it every day and I still discover hidden possibilities. It’s an endless pleasure to use.


9: Plans for the future?

I would love to have more of my work published in the industry and why not make a book!

I will have another photographic exhibition in west France (Nantes) at the end of this year. This is the main thing for now.


10: In one word, describe your photography.

Awwwwww !

Helenabraga

FEATURED PHOTOGRAPHER: Helenabraga

Um artista__________my father


Happy Saturday!


1: How long have you been involved in photography?

I was born in a home of photographers: my parents. The marvels of the world outside came to me in black and white photos… this is how I learned to see nature, the beauty, the interesting things. My father used to go on trips all over the countryside of Brazil in the fifties, sixties, seventies… He brought animals, landscapes, houses, people and their lives to us. He is both a photographer and a painter and when he was 22 years old he founded the Plastic Arts Society in his city – one of the founders.
He also designed some tools, cameras too. My father was a creator, an inventor, and my mother fell deeply in love for him.
I learned to photograph without photometers, because he wanted to develop my sensitivity for lighting… And I agree with him, he was right… I love the light, and its opposite, the shadows. It´s from the shadows that the light is born, or it is noted. During my childhood and my college days, when I was in Medical School, there was a laboratory in my house, and we, my brothers and I, used to do black and white photography. All the chemical solutions were developed by my father, with the best results.
Then I began my professional life as a doctor, soon got married and had children, and my job and family took all the time, so the photography became just a dream for the future… I didn’t have any spare time, I worked a lot, even on Saturdays and Sundays!
Now, my future has arrived!


2: Equipment you use?
I use :

Camera Canon XSi

Lenses: Canon 50 mm, 1.8
Canon 70 – 300 mm IS
Canon 28-135mm IS, f 3,5 – 5,6
Canon 10-22mm
Sigma 105mm, 2.8
UV filters Hoya and Tiffen
PL filters Hoya and Tiffen
Extension tubes Canon
Close-up Hoya +1, +2, +4
Tripod and Monopod Manfrotto
Flash EF-500 DG Sigma ST

Camera Canon G9

3: Mac or PC?

PC.

4: What inspires you?

The light and the beauty inspire me. The eternal light-shadow duet is a fascination for me, they give shape and volume to all things, and colors to life. I´m a nature lover, and since my childhood I’ve been seeking for the light, I love the beauty. Then, I photograph nature. Flowers and fruits are inspiration and passion. The flowers are the perfection…I love them. I like landscapes too, and I walk over the world looking for lakes, mountains, canyons and rivers. Another passion is the sea and its mysteries, the deep waters, the waves… Very attractive and dreamy. Poetry lives in nature. The desire for beauty and photography inspire me to travel, to go to places that could be near or far from my city… I go on holidays, or I dream about it. The pleasure to visit a new city, an unknown place is wonderful… I feel like a child, I experience great happiness.
I´m inspired also in many members of Flickr, where I’ve made great friends and met excellent photographers.


When I was a Medical student, I liked to do microphotography. This is a very interesting world, cells and tissues are amazing, the colors and shapes are stunning.

5: Preferred subject matter?

I prefer: macro photography and landscapes.

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

The submarine world… A great dream.

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

I confide in my brother, Renato Braga, and some friends.

8: Qualifications/training in anything? ie: Photoshop

Curso de Extensão em Fotografia Ambiental, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul.
I´ve also taken some workshops in still life, Photoshop, Lightroom, etc.

9: Plans for the future?

I want to improve my photography and travel throughout the world, seeking for beauty and poetry. This is my life…

10: In one word, describe your photography.
One word? - PASSION!