I have often argued that for such a small nation Australia has some of the best photographic talent in the world. In all genres, if you look carefully at the who’s who of the influential photographers of our time, there’s bound to be an Australian or two in there, kicking butt on the world stage.
In the field of Documentary / Reportage photography the Australian collective ‘Oculi’ has fast become the go to destination for current local based (and International) content. Featuring the work of 10 local photographers each with their own slant on local events and culture, the Oculi site offers an inspirational narrative on current events as seen through the eyes of our great photographic artists.
A few weeks ago we posted a story about the EOS Photo5 competition , by now those of you who registered should have received your little brown box and your mind is working overtime trying to come up with the winning image.
With more awards than you can poke a stick at and a client list longer than a 600 f4, Simon discusses what keeps him inspired and who are his personal inspirations. He also shares some valuable hints and tips to set you on your way to create that winning image.
TIP #1 – Flickr
Flickr is a great place to find some inspiration with millions of photos available and thousands more being uploaded each minute. There is a place on the site which presents the most interesting things posted in the last 7 days. To be honest, it’s an amazingly good way to kill half a day as wonderful images just keep coming. TIP #2 – Start taking your camera with you (if you don’t have a camera on your phone
Have at least one camera with you at every waking moment so that whenever you feel inspired or see a photo opportunity you’ll be ready to photograph.
This tip is much easier these days now that 99% of us have camera phones.
Also, make sure ‘everywhere’ really means everywhere. This means taking your camera along to work, going to the shops, or in the car. Seeing the perfect photo opportunity but not having a camera with you is a horrible feeling.
TIP #3 – Enter Competitions
Entering a competition is a great way to get motivated and stay focused on photography, we often post information about upcoming and current competitions so keep an eye out! TIP #4- Make Prints of Your Photographs
If you’ve never made prints of your work, then now is the time to start. Whether it’s making prints of your negatives using an enlarger in a darkroom, or sending your digital files to a photo printer, printing is a huge part of photography that most people underestimate.
If you think printing is as easy as uploading your images to a photo kiosk, then you’re missing out on all sorts of exciting and painful things. Things like:
-Color management
-Choosing what kind of paper to print on
-Matting, mounting, and framing
In addition to all the things you’ll learn through the process, you’ll end up with tangible photographs that you can proudly hang on your wall, or give to family and friends.
Setting yourself specific projects.
I have found that setting myself a specific project always keeps me motivated and inspired. I pick something I’m interested and then set about researching the subject further, using the web or any means available. During my research ideas usually start flowing, which then spurs me on to get out and photograph.
Many photographers say it, it’s written in blogs, in books and in magazines, one photographer named Chase Jarvis has taken it to the next level. Chase has reinvented the term “The Best Camera Is The One That’s With You” and has created a iPhone app, a website and a book dedicated to inspire people all around the world to shoot with any camera, in particular the iPhone.
From the iPhone app you can upload your photos directly to the photosharing website Chase has also put together the best camera book which is available to pre order at Amazon – It’s the world’s first photo book featuring exclusively images from a mobile phone.
I have already installed the iPhone application, uploaded photos from my iPhone which then seconds later appear on the website and purchased the book from Amazon – I have pre-ordered the book and may have to wait 4-6 weeks for it to arrive! (yes I was excited about the whole concept)
If you don’t have an iPhone then don’t worry, I’m sure you have a phone with a camera in it!
Great post Jose!
I have long been a staunch advocate of using ANY means to capture the image. I’ve downloaded my best camera app and am now happily snapping away with my iPhone. Remember, the camera is just a tool. The eyes, brain and heart are what makes a great image.
Happy iSnapping!
Welcome to the wonderful world of the plastic camera. If you like surprises and an unusual look to your photos, the Holga may be a great addition to your kit.
So, what is a Holga? It’s a medium format camera that happens to be all plastic. Yes, even the lens is plastic. They are a very basic camera with one shutter speed of approximately 1/125 and bulb, two f/stops of approximately f/8 and 11, a 60mm PLASTIC lens with adjustable focusing, Built-in flash and uses 120 colour or black and white film.
You never know what you’re going to get with your Holga and no two Holga’s are the same. It’s a great camera to experiment with.
After trawling many Holga websites for the best deal, as well as checking out as many holga “fanatics” websites I could find, I finally ordered my first little toy, in fact is was the first film camera I had ever owned.
As soon as it arrived in the post, I ripped opened the box, loaded some film and grabbed some black tape, yes black tape and started sealing all the joins and cracks, anywhere where light could get in.
This camera is about fun, the unexpected, and the unusual. What you get is a look you can’t really achieve any other way and it is always a surprise to see your images when you get the prints or files back from the lab
It’s now been a couple of years since I first opened the box to my shiny (ok the plastic isn’t really that shiny) new Holga 120s, I haven’t used it in a while, but after writing this post, I think I have just inspired myself to roll on some Kodak 120 ultra colour 400 UC!
Oh and one word of advice – DON’T FORGET TO REMOVE THE LENS CAP!
Well known wedding photographer Graham Monro from GM Photographics has been known on occasion to pull out his holga, giving his clients the choice of something different.
Graham has a shiny new website where you can view all his fine art images, some of them using the plastic fantastic camera!
Life Saver by Jose Fernandez
Boat to Cat Ba Island Vietnam
Palms by Jose Fernandez
by Graham Monro
by Graham Monro
For more information on the holga and an endless amount of reading and inspiration check out these websites dedicated to this little gem. lomography holgamods Flickr Holga Inspire
Some think that still life photography is easy. Plonk an object on a tabletop and away you go. Personally, I feel that it couldn’t be further from the truth. Still Life photography requires a tonne of patience, an incredible understanding of light, a bucket full of finesse and a vision that goes way beyond the ordinary.
Blue Moon Jelly - Chuck Bradley
Chuck Bradley is a master at extracting beauty from simplicity. From a simple wine bottle to crushed and corroded found objects, I always find his work intriguing. More recently with his Fishy, Fishy and Blue Moon Jelly series, Chuck has vivified the still life, bringing his usual tenacity and flair to moving objects. For a little while now I have been quietly drawing inspiration from his effortless compositions which are definitely worth a look.
RedBubble is a web site dedicated to providing independent and individiual artists a place to collect, show off their artwork, photography, and writing, and interact with one another. Artists can easily sign up for an account to sell t-shirts and other clothing items with their designs on them, or wall art and postcards featuring their original work. They can also connect with an entire community of other artists who are looking to show their pieces or sell their merchandise. Those who want to support those artists and encourage their work can buy their wall art and photography and purchase clothing that you won’t see anyone else wearing.
Launched in early 2007, the site aims to deliver for aspiring artists what blogging has done for aspiring writers and what YouTube has done for aspiring directors… with one exception: it wants the artists to get paid too.
The site is free to join and anyone can upload images, making them available for sale as prints, posters, calendars and cards, and on t-shirts too. RedBubble sets a fee to print each item and artists are then free to set their own mark-ups above the cost price.
RedBubble’s offices are mainly in Australia, although they have branches in San Francisco and the UK. While part of the site’s focus is selling original art to buyers, the site’s other mission is to provide an online art gallery and social network for artists to collaborate, communicate, and share feedback and information.
So if you’re not already on redbubble, then sign up and who knows, you could be making money selling your favorite images as a framed print, on canvas or as a poster.
Check out RedBubble for inspiration and learning and earning!
ok well this is pretty awesome! I’m sure most have you seen or heard of “painting with light” this technique involves leaving the shutter open and using a light source whether it be a torch, lighter or even a sparkler to create words or shapes!
Aissa Logerot has now taken this technique that one step further. From Aissa’s site:
halo is a handy light-writing tool, preserving the techniques and gestures that graffiti artists use with spray cans. It is possible to change the colour and the brightness of the led to change the graffiti’s styles. If the light doesn’t have enough battery, users simply have to shake it to have energy again.
the prototype:
Hold off! put the Credit card away, Halo is not being produced commercially just yet, Aissa Logerot is in talks with companies to develop this little gem. We’ll keep you posted with any developing news!
September 29th, 2009 at 10:49 am
Setting yourself specific projects.
I have found that setting myself a specific project always keeps me motivated and inspired. I pick something I’m interested and then set about researching the subject further, using the web or any means available. During my research ideas usually start flowing, which then spurs me on to get out and photograph.