Landscape, Nature And Travel Photography

Recently in conjunction with a few random meetings, conversations and photography outings I’ve had an epiphany or two in relation to my outlook on photography. This is the first of five posts that inter-relate. The preface or teaser to this if you will, was a quote by Elliott Erwitt that struck a nerve with me and was posted just the other day. With that being said here is the first of a five part blog entry series…
You Are Here: The Ultimate Compliment

Photography can be a very introspective activity. There are so many challenges to overcome and the interpretation of the output is so subjective it often leaves photographers feeling quite insecure. I for one have had the natural reaction of experimenting and researching as much as possible to improve my photographic skills. It’s been a fun process and I’ve continually kept my ear open for feedback.

Interestingly enough two things happened recently that got me thinking. First I got a great if not ultimate compliment that got me to secondly see an evolution of my perceptions regarding my photography. I’ve only been serious about photography for about 10 years now so I can’t claim to know if my evolution of perception about photography will be the same for everyone.

My first goal when I started photography was to learn how to consistently and accurately Read more…

A very rare sighting during trip through the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, a prematurely born Caribou calf migrating with a small herd to the coastal plain. Normally calfs are born on the coastal plain. This small herd was looking to cross the Kongakut river which was quite wide and fast moving at this junction. They eventually opted not to cross. The herd easily had 30-40 miles to go to make it to the coastal plain where hundreds of thousands of female Caribou normally give birth and nurse their young. With fast moving currents in the river and the constant threat of predators (bears and wolves) this calf faced long odds of surviving the migration to the coastal plain.

Click here to view a larger version and other Arctic National Wildlife Refuge photos

On a side note I’m happy to report this photo was recently selected as a photo of note in the 2007 Environmental Photography Invitation. If you’re interested in learning more about this photo and the Arctic experience as a whole check out the following podcasts: EXIF & Beyond: Wildlife Photography In The Arctic (Part II) and EXIF & Beyond: Wildlife Photography In The Arctic (Part I).

Technorati Tags: Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, arctic refuge, caribou, Rangifer tarandus, Kongakut river, coastal plain, photo, photography, EXIF and Beyond, podcast, wildlife, nature, migration, Porcupine herd

To date I’ve made two posts on Flickr:

* The Dark Side of Flickr: Photo Phishing By Corporate America

* Flickr + _Rebekka + Availability of High Resolution Images = Nightmare

Today I read about two more stories of photographers images being stolen and used for commercial purposes.

* A fourteen year old’s self-portrait being lifted off Flickr for use on a porn DVD

* In Germany a political party lifts a photo of a Flickr photographer’s sister as a cover to their political magazine
(Thanks for the heads up on this Nils)

Yet PDN’s story focused on the positive side of Flickr with the opportunities it has provided for some very talented photographers.

* Your Friend Flickr?

So which is the real Flickr? Clearly stories that can be sensationalized will get more press, but these stories about improper use of images keep coming.

Out of todays reading I did discover a new Flickr group “Copyright in the Works // Fight For Your Copyright“. I’ve joined and will be taking an active part. If you’re on Flickr and this interests you don’t hesitate to join. If anything it should be a good read as more people learn about it and report their experiences.

Update: Even better is the Licensing Awareness Working (LAW) group.

This weekend I attended a photography workshop put on by Art Wolfe here in San Francisco dealing with creativity and creative vision. Note: I’ll have a recap and review of the workshop posted soon. During the workshop a quote by Elliott Erwitt was displayed and it really struck a nerve.

“To me, photography is an art of observation. It’s about finding something interesting in an ordinary place… I’ve found it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them.”

Elliott Erwitt

Why this struck a nerve is that my outlook on photography has been in transition the past few months. I’ll be posting about that in the coming day so take a look for it. In the mean time wrap your brain around this quote. It’ll provide a brief glimpse into my thinking as of late.

Technorati Tags: Elliott Erwitt, photography, quote, workshop, Art Wolfe

An abstract view of the landscape at White Sands National Monument in New Mexico. A late morning view before the storm clouds cleared. Various forms, some more recognizable than others, creep out of the landscape with shifting light. I’ve been told people see various things in this photo. What do you see?

See previous blog entries with other White Sands National Monument photos or access my gallery for more landscape photos.

Technorati Tags: landscape photo, photography, New Mexico, White Sands National Park, nature, abstract, dune, storm

I rediscovered this photo of Coit Tower recently and it has me yearning to get out and do some more night photography. It’s been a while since I’ve gone out for such shots, but seeing this reminds me not to put it off much longer.

Technorati Tags: Coit Tower, moonrise, moon, lunar, San Francisco, night photography, photo, cityscape, Telegraph Hill

Greg Lato added something on his blog shortly after my post “Has the Photo Market Been Irreversibly Altered?” that extended the topic in an interesting direction. For those that don’t read his blog, but read mine I thought you might find his post “Photography Times…They Are A Changing” of interest. Taking the chain of thought even further Jessica Grieves on her blog, in response to Greg’s thoughts, inquires from her readers what occupational background they’ve come from before pursuing photography as a more serious endeavor. See her blog entry “Internet Bubble“. So for those reading what is your background?

I posted a comment to her entry that was a little lengthy, but I’ll also copy it here… Read more…

The results from the “Favorite Photo and Background Story” Photo Blog Project are in and the results should keep you entertained for sometime.

Since initiating the project on May 14th I’ve been introduced, and in some cases re-introduced, to some great photographers. The subject material, photographic styles and skill levels of those submitting may vary, but the one constant shared by all is a passion to capture and share the world as they see it.

Reading the stories behind each photographer’s favorite image has not only been entertaining for me, but inspiring. It’s been a great experience to glimpse behind the scenes of each image and share a sliver of the charge of enthusiasm held by each photographer. To those that submitted thanks for taking the time to participate and share not just your photo, but a piece of your artistic soul.

21 Favorite Photos And The Stories Behind Them

“Under the Weather“ by Brian Auer – Epic Edits Weblog

“Zabriskie Point” by G. Dan Mitchell – G. Dan Mitchell | Photography

“Lost” by Guy Tal – Scenic Wild

“Florence Surprise” by Greg A. Lato – Latoga’s Motion Blur

“A Final Gift” by Michael Brown – Macro Art In Nature

“Something Different” by Jenni Brehm – Changing Perspectives

“Whale Shark and Film Crew” by Tony Rath – Images of Belize

“Thoughts of a Dying Athiest” by Andrew Ferguson – goldengod

“Smoke on Route 413, Through the Windshield” by Kathleen Connally – A Walk Through Durham Township

“Waiting” by Avelino Maestas – Live From Silver City

“Death Valley Dunes” by Sean Scanlon – redinkphotography

“vogel ROK“ by Joost Burger – JoostBurger.NL Photography

“Shapes and Abstractions: #10 Scaffolding” by Joe Szymanski – Mostly Photography

“Muzungu” by Rafa – Why Yet Another Photo Place

“The Light Inside” by Laurie – Photine

“Old Toy Camera” by Rohn

“Untitled” by Sameer Vasta – Eloquation

“Gam Saan, Land of the Golden Mountain” by Richard Wong – In the Field

“The tale of a lost sole…” by Robert Coomer – Robert Coomer Photography

Paul’s Favorite Photos by Paul W.

“Celestial Wind” by Jim M. Goldstein – JMG-Galleries

Technorati Tags: favorite, photo, story, photography, photographer, blog project, photoblog, image, stories