Hacking Photography - one Picture at a time
Have you ever thought about the term ‘fine art landscape photography‘ and wondered what it means?
Do you feel that a photograph can be a form of art in the same realm as painting, drawing, or sculpture?
Some styles such as photojournalism or commercial photography are actually the opposite of fine art, as they exist to record events or literal reality or to advertise products or services.
For my latest project, “we are the dead“, I decided to build a room in which to shoot my pictures. I had absolutely no idea how to do this, but there were some facts I needed to consider:
A lot of people seem to think I have this giant space. I do not. I actually never had more space than those 2 converted bedrooms I work in now and not so long ago I rented a small, bedroom-sized commercial space. And even before that, I used to work in my studio between my bed and desk. And going even further back, I had to sit on my bed to even be able to shoot a half body. I started working with clients in the time I had a one-room living studio space. Good times.
Christmas has gone. We’re almost to the new year. In a few hours, we’ll be there. But it’s never too late for a festive wintery themed photo shoot. Winter’s still going to be here for a while yet. In this video, photographer and educator Gavin Hoey walks us through his process to create this festive fine art composite portrait in the studio.
It’s not unusual for photographers to be inspired by other types of art. Melbourne-based photographer Bill Gekas draws inspiration from the Old Master painters like Rembrandt, Caravaggio, Vermeer and Velazquez. And while he masterfully recreates the light, atmosphere and tones of the classical paintings, he adds some family fun to it.
The main protagonist of Bill’s portraits is his daughter Athena, who first posed for the photos when she was only three years old. And now, almost seven years later, the project is still going strong and these amazing portraits are popular all over the world. Bill has shared some details about his work with DIYP, along with some of his beautiful photos.
Most photographers nowadays capture aerial photos and videos with a drone. But Los Angeles-based photographer Jin-Woo Prensena prefers being up there personally. This daredevil photographer dangles from a helicopter, suspended over 7,500 feet from the ground. No matter how scary it may look, it’s totally worth it, since his photos are spectacular.
I more than often hear landscape photographers complaining about “bad” weather and then say it’s chugging down. Honestly, I don’t know what they’re talking about. I thrive in stormy weather. Rain, strong winds, and what can sometimes be a bit of a problem, low hanging clouds – yes it’s next to nearly impossible to keep your camera dry, it’s next to nearly impossible to keep the lens clean and it requires extra energy to keep up the spirit – but “bad” weather is not bad weather, it’s amazing. For two reasons: One, you can photograph during daytime instead of hitting odd hours during sunset or sunrise. Two: And most importantly, it can create some amazing dramatic photos with a lot of atmosphere.
People frequently ask me what exactly is fine art photography? Before I answer, I usually take a big breath and brace myself to answer the question in the time it takes to ride a few floors in an elevator as they usually expect a quick answer. And, despite my apprehension to answering their question, I have come to realize that most good answers are the ones that are simple and direct. Hence, I begin by clarifying that fine art photography does indeed have objective criteria despite falling in the subjective and vast realm of art.
The battle between those who support photo manipulation and those who don’t is probably never-ending. I believe both are right, and I think photo-manipulation is an art for itself. But Slovak photographer Michal Zahornacky brings these two worlds together in a way. He creates dreamy, surrealistic photos – but free from digital manipulation.
Folklore and tradition have inspired many photographers. The photos that come out of such inspiration may or may not leave an impression. But a Russian artistic couple Yakovlev and Aleeva have definitely created something wonderful that will leave an impression.
His videos have over a hundred million views, have been extensively published by news outlets, and has even received recognition from a few film festivals, such as International Ocean Festival
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