Hacking Photography - one Picture at a time
I very often have this strong negative reaction when a newsletter arrives in my inbox or I see an online article where the heading, for instance, reads: “5 rules to follow when composing an image” — or something to that effect.
I would have been far more positive if the heading read: “10 approaches to consider when composing a landscape image”.
I have plenty of personal preferences when it comes to photography. However, I try to avoid making rules or laws based on what I prefer.
A little more than 10 years ago I had a realization that would one day change my life forever. During an evening stroll in the local woods with my camera in hand, I became aware of just how much I love photography and what it means to me; it was at that moment I knew it would be a part of me for a long time to come.
There weren’t many online resources when I began investing time in learning how to better utilize my camera equipment. Neither was there too much buzz about it on Social Media.
A smartphone can be a great companion when you’re shooting landscape photos, and it’s not just because of its camera. There are some apps that can help you plan ahead and make the best of your photos. However, some of them are not user-friendly or they offer you too much unnecessary information.
So, in this video, Mark Denney suggests five apps that landscape photographers should have on their phones. They are simple, easy to use, and accurate. And almost all of them are free. Do you already use some of them?
Photography can help you make it through difficult periods of your life. And in his series Focus on Mental Health, photographer David Dixon meets photographers who have inspiring and encouraging stories to tell. One of them is Chris Nowell, the only registered blind landscape photographer in the Peak District, U.K. And in this video, Chris shares his story of how he was injured and how this severe injury led him to discover his love of photography.
When editing your photos, one of the important things to know is when to stop. But while you know that too much editing will ruin your images rather than enhance them, the question remains: when do you know that you’ve gone overboard? In this video, Mark Denney talks about editing landscape photos and shares with you five signs that will tell you when editing has become over-editing.
Aerial photography gives us an entirely new perspective and a new view of the world around us. I always find it exciting to see this new perspective, and so does Australian photographer Leah Kennedy. So, she took her gear and flew over vast landscapes of Namibia in a helicopter or a small aircraft. She played with the aerial view in search of abstraction, and this has resulted in some fascinating, painting-like images.
I believe we all now and then are envious of others’ photography — their skills, the conditions they experienced, the epic locations they visit, the accolades they receive and so on. We can either let this emotion make our lives miserable or we can channel it into something positive where we strive to improve our own skills and develop our talent. In other words, we turn envy into inspiration and motivation. May the tremendously gifted photographers featured in this article inspire you just like they inspire me. Each of the photographers has written a few words about themselves.
To shoot medium format has been a yearlong dream, but I have to admit I didn’t know it would be such a mind blowing experience. The Pentax 645Z (51,4 mega pixels) arrived on the market in 2014 and was the first camera to ever exceed 100 points in the DxOMark sensor test. For some unknown reason the score and review wasn’t published before 2017. There is plenty of info to be found on the internet concerning the camera specs so I won’t cover that in much detail. What is of greater interest to me and hopefully the reader is the medium format experience.
I can’t help but notice all those articles proclaiming mistakes we should try to avoid in order to become a better photographer. Admittedly, I have issues with such an approach. First of all: I hate the word “should”. Basically we “should” nothing. Secondly, there is not much learning in avoiding mistakes — we learn best from our mistakes and the more bittersweet they are the more carved into our memory they become. So here are some mistakes I genuinely recommend you to commit. I cannot promise they will make you a better photographer but the likelihood of you making those mistakes again will hopefully be reduced.
It was in August 2013 that I by accident stumbled upon the red cabin and its surrounding lake. I assume the location has been photographed before my first attempts at capturing its inherent beauty and charm. Owing to the fact that the lake is a drinking water reservoir for a whole community I am very reluctant to disclose its exact location — also in the hope of protecting it from Instagram trophy hunters.
You can find out more about John on his website and follow his adventures on YouTube and Facebook.
can change a lens mid-rappel, swap a memory card while treading water, or use a camel as a light stand.
To see more of his work please visit his studio website blurMEDIAphotography, or follow him on Twitter, 500px, Google Plus or YouTube.
JP’s photography is available for licensing at Stocksy United.
Find my work on My website or follow me on Facebook or My page
