pagespicsAn Apology to Landscape Photographers!
Posted on July 16, 2020
It’s an odd thing, how we can mentally beat ourselves up over something we said ages ago, and certain words come back to haunt us. My latest mental rumination comes from a comment I said about landscape photography. I said it was easy. In fact I went further than this, stating that if you lived somewhere that looked good, all you had to do was step outside your door and take a photo. Now I’m in New Zealand, and my current accommodation is a stones throw from some of the most beautiful landscapes in the world. I’m talking about a misty township set amongst rolling green fields, and rows of grape vines leading to snow-capped mountains. It should be easy. It’s not…. Landscape photographers, I am sorry and I was wrong. It turns out landscape photography is quite a challenge!
Why Landscape Photography?
When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. I am currently recording my time spent in New Zealand’s South Island, and will continue for however long this may be. This ‘project’ will hopefully cover travel, street, and portrait photography. In addition it will inevitably include close family. To document NZ without recording the majestic ‘Lord of the Rings’ landscapes, would surely be remiss. I am also getting pulled towards this genre by Thomas Heaton’s excellent Youtube channel (google it – you will be entertained and informed!).
So it’s Harder than it Looks?
My most recent attempt at landscape photography took me up the Wither Hills, which are situated about 1km away. I got there on my mountain bike and proceeded to peddle up the hill. Actually I ended up pushing the bike. Here is the first problem, getting to a spot that looks good can take a lot of work! As with all genres of photography, lighting makes or breaks a photo, hence my early-morning start. Note to self: spectacular sunrises do not always happen, and I seemed to be in the wrong place at the wrong time for the shot I had planned! The third challenge is post-processing. There is a LOT of post processing undertaken with the landscaping crowd, far more than with the conservative approach of Street Photography. Shooting RAW means that some level of post processing will always be needed, but I am still finding my feet when it comes to developing a ‘style’. Luminar 4 is one programme that helps bring the most out of even the poorest landscape photos. However, this genre is sure to stretch my photoshop skills.
Try it Yourself
Landscape photography definitely provides something new to try, and studying this genre will make me a better photographer. Any time spent studying light is time well spent! If you do try this yourself, you will probably need a tripod, particularly if you aim to shoot in low light. In common with street photographers – a strong pair of shoes will also come in handy!
If you do have tips or resources on landscape photography please let me know below. I’m learning!
What Next?
Documenting a quieter place is a challenge. The anonymity of a city is lost, and the candid snapshot feels more of a threat. Asking permission and seeking interesting characters may be a way forward. On a wider scale, the opportunities for far-flung travel photography appear to be receding, or at least becoming a greater challenge. Photography on the doorstep is to be one current path forward. Either way, a day spent with a camera in-hand is sure to bring some peace and joy.
Peace, and take care wherever you are taking photos, Chris.
Fleeing India, Luminar 4 and shooting flowers (and potatoes).
Posted on May 1, 2020
This post is being writing from New Zealand whilst under ‘supervised lockdown’. This comes from the NZ Government’s superbly planned emergency exit from India. Supervised lockdown is turning out to be a life of luxury in a very nice hotel in Christchurch. The meals are so good I am considering taking up food photography. Freedom is limited for the next two weeks, putting street and travel photography well out of reach, so brace yourself for photos of an empty carpark!
On fleeing India, I did manage to take a few snaps of the airport, deserted streets, and Covid 19 signs. I also managed to bust the focus joystick on my Sony A7iii. This trip is going to be expensive.
Luminar 4
If you look carefully at the photo of the Covid 19 sign, you may see something is not quite right. The photo is a ‘cheat’ as I changed the sky. I have also done this in the photo below. Changing the sky is a difficult task in Photoshop, and something I am unlikely to try. But this task is a breeze when using Luminar 4. Doing this feels like cheating, and is not something I intend to make part of my everyday workflow. For the two photos included in this post (the second image is posted below), the skies used are not even my photos. I guess for travel photography I may start collecting fantastic images of skies for use with Luminar 4, we will see. However, I can’t see this practice as something that can be undertaken for Street Photography. At the moment the juries out on how I feel about replacing skies. But it is a fun tool to play with whilst under lockdown!
Nothing But Flowers (and Potatoes)
Well to round of this extremely exciting blog post I will fill you in with my current project. Flowers. Not normally a flowers guy, but I’m walking round a garden everyday and that is what I see, so that is what I will shoot. There are people, but there is an odd atmosphere around the place and I have not yet become courageous enough to ask the people guarding the facility for a snapshot!
One competition that has caught my eye is the Potato Photographer of the Year Award. This is judged by non-other than Magnum’s Martin Parr. The competition raises money for the Trussell Trust Charity and costs a fiver to enter, so a bit of a bargain. There is also a chance to win a camera, which would be useful since I bust mine on the journey to NZ!
Well that may well be the first and last photo of a flower you will see on this blog, but who knows, everything is changing at the moment! Next week I may have a photo of a potato to share. While you are here, please take the opportunity to support this blog through ‘buy me a coffee‘, a platform that helps support artists and bloggers. Details at the end of this post.
That is all for now folks, now I’m off to find a potato.
Keep Clicking, Chris
If you enjoy following this blog, the feel free to buy me a coffee! Support is appreciated.
Quarantine, Eric Kim and more…
Posted on March 26, 2020
“If you want to be a better photographer, stand in front of more interesting stuff.” — Jim Richardson
The Cao Dai
The above images are of the Cao Dai, in Vietman. The photos were taken in 2013, a time when my interest in Street and Travel Photography was just starting to bloom. The location definitely falls under the category of ‘interesting’. The women all wear white, which is always going to provide a repetitive theme to any photograph. In addition, the worshipers are set in beautiful symmetric geometric patterns. If you are thinking of a location for travel photography, the Cao Dai can be found in Tay Ninh, which is 4-5 hours outside of Ho Chi Minh City.
Travel and Quarantine.
Thinking about travel, and re-visiting old photos is about all we can do at the moment. I am currently one of the 1.3 billion people in India under lockdown. Fortunately, people are allowed to walk around their compounds, and allowed out to shop for essential items. My photography is focused on recording everyday life at home, and it is challengeing to make anything look particularly interesting (anyone want to see a photo of the 3rd cup of tea I have made today?).
Photos from my recent travels to the kitchen. Future travel plans include the bedrooms and lounge…
Eric Kim
I love Eric Kim, and have downloaded all his free stuff and subscribe to his blog. However, I disagree with his latest advice re Covid-19. I have paraphrased his email below.
We are currently going through a very epic time in human history. The question: SHOULD I be out shooting photos right now? Some thoughts:
First of all, if you don’t want to go out and photos, don’t. Only go out and shoot photos if you want … of course, legal laws permitting. Right now is history in the making!
Right now is a decisive moment in human history. It can be your unique chance to make some truly epic photos. Your duty as a photographer — not just a snap-shooter of random stuff. No — you are a documentarian, a historian. Someone who is creating something epic for future generations of humans. Your photography is legitimate, important, and great.
Sorry Eric…
…but this may be an epic time in human history, but it is also a tragic time when people are getting sick and losing loved ones. The health advice is clear – staying inside is going to save lives. We can make the world a better place by sitting on our sofa and watching TV. Yes, the photos coming out of areas that under quarantine are awesome, but these images should be taken by people who are meant, or need to be there. Remember we are photographers, not doctors or paramedics and our photos are not going to save the world.
On a Positive Note
If you are stuck at home, then there are heaps of free courses for you to work through. Here are some of the offers that are out there for online leaning.
- Skillshare have photography courses, and are offering 2 months of free membership.
- The PPA (Proffesional Photographers Association) are offering free courses. However, these look more like business courses for photographers.
- MIT are offering a course on documentary photography and photojournalism. It looks awesome and I may have a go at this.
- If you have no one to photo but your family, you could try this family portrait course. It is free at Bluprint.
- https://photographycourse.net/ also appears to be offering free tuition courses.
If you know of any other courses worth looking at, please share them in the comment box. That’s all for today folks.
Take care and keep clicking, Chris
Photography and Covid-19
Posted on March 10, 2020
Wow – what a click-bait title, obviously designed to create panic purchases of memory cards and lens cleaning wipes. Like it or not, the Corona Virus is now having an impact on many people, and it may be time to think about keeping yourself safe when out taking photos. Obviously, I am not writing as a medical expert, so don’t take anything too seriously!
My home in Bangalore is now affected and primary schools have been closed. India is obviously not immune and new cases are popping up daily. Looking further afield, Sony has reported that it is struggling to make new sensors. Fujifilm are having issues manufacturing parts for its new camera line up, and Canon are unable to fulfil orders for some of their latest lenses. Finally, numerous photography conventions have been cancelled. It looks like 2020 could be a year not to purchase new gear.
On a personal note
I was due a trip to Bangkok for a convention this month. This has now been cancelled. My plan was to photograph the iconic Central Train Station, which would have been a progression from the Bruce Gilden style of photography I usually practice along Soi Cowboy and the like (getting over that phase now…). At home, the advice has been to avoid crowds, so I will not be heading to the downtown markets for the foreseeable future.
Covid-19 is no reason to quash our passion for photography, so without final ado, here are 5 ways we can survive the Corona Virus.
5 Alternative Photography Ideas
- Work on a home studio.
If you already have a flash for your camera, then it does not cost much to build a home studio. A simple backdrop, light stand, softbox and umbrella will cost less than $100. Stay at home and work on getting photos of your family. The photo below was created using one speedlight and a softbox. When I finish with my studio it all packs away and fits under the bed.
- Head out of town, not into town.
This is my current plan. Heading out of town means less crowds and more space. In Bangalore there are 100’s of locations within an hour drive. My market project is now on hold. The image below is of a Holy Bull Walker. The bull was born in a temple, it will be dressed and decorated, then used to collect offerings.
- Product and Macro Photography
This has never been on high on my list of priorities. One exception is the classic photo of a piece of fruit splashing into water. I may go for a strawberry splashing into milk if I get quarantined for long enough. This option is for when boredom seriously sets in. I also need to create a new selfie for my social media sites.
- Enter competitions.
Every cloud has a silver lining, and not going out is going to save lots of money. This money could be spent on competition entries. Is this an opportunity to focus on winning an award or photography grant? F Stop magazine features a comprehensive list of available challenges for various photographic genres.
- Work on a blog site
I cannot help but notice my own blog site is starting to look dated. In the next few weeks I may get time to delete older, and out of date posts. There are photos in my project collections which need to be re-sized. I still need to move my site from wordpress.com to wordrpess.org (which I tried with Bluehost, who were a huge pain in the bum). Blogging is a rewarding experience, and something I believe all photographers should try. Most sites will have a free, or very cheap option to get you started.
Bonus Idea – Read Books!
Stuck for reading? Here are three books that may get your photographic juices flowing…
- Photography Masterclass. Creative Techniques of 100 Great Photographers, Paul Lowe, Thames & Hudson
- Fifty Paths to Creative Photography, Michael Freeman, Octopus Publishing Group
- Larry Fink, On Composition and Improvisation, Larry Fink, aperture
Are you affected by the Covid-19, and if so, how are you keeping sane? Feel free to drop me a note below.
Take care and keep clicking, Chris
5 Pieces of Street Photography Advice You Should Ignore.
Posted on March 4, 2020
Street Photographers are not known for their reserve. We are happy to give advice on gear, framing and technique. But I believe the best photographers are those who also seek advice and look to learn from others. But not all advice is equal, and some ideas are outdated, narrow minded, or just plan wrong. In this article I am going to go question some of the advice that has almost become folklore in Street Photography, and pose the question, is it time to move on?
Angalamman Festival
Posted on February 27, 2020
A Festival of Pain
The Angalamman Festival is held Kaveripattinam, a smalll town in Tamil Nadu. On the day after Maha Shivratri, the festival sees tens of thousands of people from the town converge to worship the deity Angalamman. Obviously, this was not a festival to be missed, and I knew from the start it would be a special event to photograph. Shiva had one night to sleep, and things were going to get wild when he awoke.
Editing a Photo Collection
Posted on February 19, 2020
For the last few weeks it appears I have been doing nothing but editing photos! But first, let me define what I mean by ‘editing’. What is it you thought of when you read the title to this post?
- Using Lightroom or similar editing software
- Photoshop
- Using a darkroom (v. old school!)
- Other
If your choice was ‘other’, then full marks to you! When I refer to editing photos, I mean going through our archives and selecting only the best images. There are many reasons you may wish to do this, which include photo books, competitions, upgrading social media feeds, or writing an article. For this blog post I have chosen some of the photos for an article I’m preparing on the Central Flower Market in Bangalore, locally known as KR Market.
Portrait Competition
Posted on February 5, 2020
This month LensCulture is running a portrait photography competition. There are only a few ‘pay to play’ photo competitions I will participate in, but LensCulture is one of the best. At $35 for 5 photo entries, I thought it would be worth delving into the archives and selecting my strongest images. For a photo to be a winner, it really needs to be a little quirky and have that something extra. Today I am going to share the images I shall be entering, and discuss a little of the back story behind each photograph.
The Cobbler
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