Thursday, March 15, 2012

Constant Inspiration


As a photographer, and especially a photographer without a job, one of the most valuable things you can get is inspiration. I've said this time and time again, because it remains as true as ever. It doesn't matter how well you can craft and create a photograph, if you don't know what you want to create. Occasionally one just walks into a situation that beckons to make art out of it, but most of the time one needs to go out and find it themselves. One of my largest sources of inspiration is my family's cottage outside of Grand Bend. I had a miniature holiday there this past weekend (before spending the rest of the March Break working) and made several new images. Noteworthy of those being these two, Tundra Swan Migration and Drift.
Archipelago Photography- islands of thought and image, connected with a name

It's All In The Details


When it comes to cameras, the difference between a DSLR and a Point-and-Shoot is growing smaller. The technology in a DSLR is getting better, but on a much slower curve than the technology in Point-and-Shoots. But there are still many examples of photographs where it is clear that the photo is made with a DSLR. I find that many of these photos show their origin through the amount of detail they contain. A DSLR photo almost always holds scads of detail (provided of course the light balance is kept and the appropriate lens is used). So with that in mind, here are two photos I would not have been able to make without a DSLR. The first being I, a macro shot of my girlfriend Rachelle's eye, and the second Rio Grande, a macro of my dog Rio.
Archipelago Photography- insulae de cogitum lumenque, maritus cum nomen

Skills


Two weeks ago, Fanshawe College hosted The London level of the Skills Ontario competition. The competition is comprised of about a dozen categories in the digital and physical trades where high school students compete so they can move on to the Provincial level (there are also prizes when one gets to higher levels). So the students take a day off of school and spend all day competing their respective competitions. This year, I was asked to go represent L.S.C.I. and so a good friend of mine Alexandra Eppel (the subject of the second photograph) and I hopped on a bus before the sun rose March 29th headed for Fanshawe. We spent the day editing a photo for a "client", making a thumbnail contact sheet and above all shooting photos. The criteria for the photos were: they had to be made that day, they had to incorporate the theme "point-of-view" and they all needed to include one of three household objects. The object choices were 1) a feather, 2) a piece of tubing or 3) a water bottle. I chose the latter and had to incorporate it into all of my photos. At the end of the day we needed to have a contact sheet of 24-28 of our photos from the day, one portrait and one 'everyday life' photo utilising the theme and object. At the end of the day, I had these two photos.
Archipelago Photography- islands of thought and image, connected with a name

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Spring has Sprung

Finally, after one peculiar winter, it seems as if Spring is here. This is a photo of the first of the crocuses that have popped up in my yard. At my house, crocuses are the very first sign of spring and we always have about a dozen of them come up underneath the tree on my front lawn. As an announcement of spring, and the presentation of a photograph I am happy with, I give you Crocus.
Archipelago Photography- islands of thought and image, connected with a name.