How do you see yourself?
Lately there has been quite a bit of discussion on the internet about what is acceptable in photography and what is not. There has just been an excellent post on Art Wolfe’s blog (which you can read here) where he stated a great point in his interview with Jim Goldstein. He said, that it depends on how photographers see themselves.
Photography means something different to all of us. That’s what is so wonderful about it. It is an expression of ourselves on how we see a subject. Some of us like to do so with as little post processing as possible, others create incredible pieces of art with the help of photoshop. Just the choice of lenses, filters, angle of view give us so many different ways to look at a subject. What matters in the end is that you are happy with you own work. As long as you do not enter it into a competition and have to adhere to certain rules, it is up to you to decide what works for you. We all need to find our own style. I am certainly still trying to define mine. Yes, seek inspiration from great photographers, have your images critiqued (which is very helpful), know the rules but don’t be afraid to try something different.
I took this picture last year in a workshop with Art Wolfe. It is an image I am sure I would not have gotten before. I would not have even thought about it. I was walking along the edge of a pond when I noticed the reflection of a dead tree in the water. I liked the color combination, but the rest was quite boring. The water was almost calm and just the straight reflection did not make a good image. I remembered Art’s words in one of the lectures: “Sometimes just try throwing a rock at it”. So I did. Several actually until I achieved the result I was happy with. Afterward the image was flipped upside down to make the composition even stronger. So did I alter reality? Do you like it? I do, but you might hate it. It is up to you. Everyone will have a different opinion on your images. In the end it matters what works for you. We all learn through trial and error. Jay Goodrich just wrote a wonderful post about this recently. You can read it here. So don’t be afraid to experiment and try something new. Go out and take some pictures, make some images, and most important, have fun doing so!
Monochrome
I have experimented with some more monochrome conversions for a few of my Kenya images. Your comments are much appreciated.
Giraffes at Lake Nakuru National Park
Giraffes early morning at Lake Nakuru National Park
Water buffalo on the shore of Lake Nakuru.
Abstract reflection
A couple of days ago I went for a walk along a pond early in the evening when this abstract reflection caught my attention.
My first canvas print
Yesterday I received my 16 x 20 canvas print from ZaZa Gallery. I had always wanted to try a print on canvas so I could not resist their offer on Twitter (@photocanvas). It turned out wonderful! The colors are very accurate, the picture is nice and sharp. I should have planned in more room for the gallery wrap, but that was my fault, not theirs. I received a 1 1/2″ thick gallery wrap and I really should have planned in two extra inches on each side for it. They also offer some options like mirror wrap, a black or a white wrap in case you have a picture that does not have enough room for a regular gallery wrap. My canvas arrived carefully packed in bubble-wrap via FedEx. My main concern before ordering had been about color and it turned out great. I will definitely be using them again in the future.
The long and winding road
This picture has gotten a lot of response from friends that have seen all my photos, not just the few I have posted on the blog. I have received emails and comments like “it just draws me in – I don’t even know why”. I think it appeals to our imagination and curiosity. We wonder where this road will lead us, what is beyond those hills in the distance. The picture was taken early evening in Samburu National Park on our way back to the lodge.
And there could just be a little analogy to life here. A lot of us would not mind being able to see down the road a bit to see what is in store for us. There were certainly a lot of unexpected twists and turns on my road. Some I really could have done without, but some of them led to opportunities I might have missed otherwise. One of those revived my passion for photography a couple of years ago. I had always enjoyed photography (my father had given me a Minolta SLR for my 15th birthday together with a signed copy of a book on wildlife photography by Heinz Sielmann, a famous German wildlife photographer), but it has now become a much larger part of my life. Something that I would like to explore and develop much further. It will be a life-long journey.
Sometimes it is better not to know what the road ahead will be like. You might be afraid to go ahead and miss out on some great experiences along the way.
P.S.
I had just finished writing this post (but not yet published it) when I learned about the floods in Samburu. I watched a video of the beautiful Samburu Serena Lodge (where we stayed), now greatly damaged by the flood waters. This lodge provided employment for the local community. It is hard to believe that Kenya just went through the worst drought in decades and now suffers from this flood. Even harder for me to believe is the fact, that there are still people who do not believe that climate change is real. I don’t know what it will take for them to realize that this is a reality. The evidence is everywhere.
Abstracts
It can be fun to photograph abstracts you witness in nature. It makes the viewer stop and think.
So here is one I took in Kenya. Anyone willing to take a guess? I will post the answer in a couple of days, but would really like to see what people think it is.
Update:
There have been quite a few guesses, so here is the answer:
It is a close-up of a vulturine guinea fowl in Samburu, Kenya.
A different angle
While we were on Safari, we were all hoping for pictures of wildlife actually somewhat facing the camera, or a nice profile shot. That sounds a whole lot easier than it is. It had gotten to the point were one of my safari mates stated: “We will go home with a hard drive full of butt shots and lone trees”. The “lone tree challenge” was already covered in a previous post, so here is my take on the “rear view” . While I was working on my images, I found some shots that I quite liked, even so the animal was facing in the opposite direction and I thought I would share them with you. I particularly like the first one, since it shows the white markings on the back of the ears, which leopards use for communicating with each other.
These two young elephants walking away from us just were too adorable.
As always, your comments are much appreciated!
The experience
When you go on a photo safari you certainly have expectations. I remember sitting up in bed one night before the trip, thinking “what if I don’t get any good images?” A moment of panic. At that moment I envied those non-photographers that just go there to enjoy the experience, no matter what kind of pictures they come home with. So I vowed to enjoy the trip no matter what (there were a few times along the way I had to remind myself of that). Be open to whatever happens. Sure, there are images you would like to get (we all had some in mind), but most of them just did not materialize. We have all seen great images in books and they most certainly were not gathered all at once on a 10 day safari. I have returned with a renewed respect for all those great wildlife photographers out there! It is not easy! Sometimes a safari can somewhat resemble an easter egg hunt. The area is huge, everyone is on the look-out for wildlife. Yes, you will see wildlife, but of course there are no guarantees which. And when you find it, it might be hiding in the brush or the light is awful. We had plenty of wonderful wildlife moments when the light was just not right for photography. And you have all kinds decisions to make – what lens, tight shot or wide, etc – while your subject is not just sitting there patiently waiting for you to make up your mind. On top of it, you have three other photographers in the vehicle with you. The slightest movement of any one of them would cause enough vibration to mess up your shot. Fortunately everyone in my van was very considerate and we tried our best to stay quiet and give each other notice ahead of time. Thank you!!! Going through my images now has been a bit of a roller coaster ride. There were plenty of times when I was scratching my head, wondering what on earth I was thinking taking the picture the way I did. I guess sometimes the excitement of the moment just got the better of me. And then there were wonderful unexpected moments. I had never thought I would get to see a leopard as close as we did. What an amazing animal!
The people were just wonderful. So welcoming with huge smiles. All together it was a great experience. The landscape was breathtaking. I will not forget the incredible view we got of the Great Rift Valley on our way from the Masai Mara back to the airport. I am ready to do it all over again.
Lone trees
One of my safari mates – Sabrina Henry – suggested a “lone tree challenge” in her blog. We certainly saw a lot of lone trees during our safari and obviously you try to capture them in a new way each time. So I decided to share a few images that, even so they have the common denominator “lone tree” (or almost lone), are still very different from each other.
In this first image I liked the relationship of the larger and the smaller tree, how they were spaced. By turning it into a sepia image it brings even more attention to their shape and the isolation.
The other option was to find an interesting sky and I had a couple of opportunities. One was early in the morning, just before we were ready to board the hot air balloon. This beautiful pink cloud formed in the sky above the tree.
On our last game drive in the Masai Mara a storm was brewing on the horizon. Everyone in the van seemed to be focused on a lion cub in the brush, which had no interest whatsoever in getting photographed. So I turned around to see what else there might be and I noticed the storm approaching. Quite a dramatic sky. Always check what is going on behind you!
All aboard
While at the Masai Mara we had the opportunity for a hot air balloon ride. Granted, it was not cheap, but how often do you have the chance to do that?! Just about everyone else felt the same way, so very early (before sunrise) one morning we headed out to the launching site. Once we arrived there, we received a briefing from our pilot and then they started to inflate the balloon. Before long we were ready to board.
Really, the time to do this is during the great migration, when you are able to observe large herds of animals. This time of year the herds of zebra and wildebeest are in Tanzania, so there was only the occasional wildlife. But the landscape was incredible!
From the balloon you really were able to experience the vastness of the Masai Mara. There were wonderful peaceful moments, when nobody spoke a word, and we were quietly floating along at the mercy of the wind. It was over much to soon. So – would I do it again? Absolutely! Even so we had been hoping to see more wildlife, it was still an incredible experience.
Beate Dalbec's Blog 