Photography

Moments in Time: I Am Photographer

Jeff

Photographer Jeff Hirsch has created this one minute video to explain why photographers do what they do. As he notes, photographers can “seize the moment” and “freeze time.” As I once explained to one of my photography students decades ago: “In the picture you create, there is a world that will never again appear in that exact juxtaposition; ever!”

This is a fast moving video, but watch all the beautiful pictures fly by and admire the sights and “captures” that Jeff Hirsch has seen and made.

Words & Images by Jeff Hirsch: http://www.jeffhirsch.com
Music: “The Time To Run” by Dexter Britain. www.dexterbritain.co.uk
CC (Creative Commons) License

Photographing Squirrels at Play – Vadim Trunov

Jeff

It is often said that “timing is everything” and in my life I have found this to be true on many occasions. When viewing the photographs below, we can note that timing was probably an important factor, but patience, persistence and skill were also on strong display. We owe a big THANK YOU to photographer Vadim Trunov for capturing these whimsical photographs of squirrels acting in many ways much like other living creatures.

“Squirrels

“Squirrels

“quirrels

Via

You can view much more of Vadim Trunov’s work on his 500px page

Shooting in the Streets – Photography

Jeff

Eric Kim is a street photographer from Berkeley, CA. For those who aren’t familiar with the term “street photography,” it refers to those photographers who use the streets and public byways as their inspiration and motivation to create pictures of the people, places and events happening in the natural and real world. It is like finding the poetry in every day life. This is my simplistic definition, but it will do for now.

Mr. Kim has put together an interesting website about his passion and he shares his philosophy and insights with his readers.

Recently, he posted a series of street photography aphorisms, heuristics, and sayings which he has placed in cyberspace to inspire and motivate others. He has generously offered a downloadable version to his readers at the link below.

The sayings are broken down into categories and by way of example, I am including the categories in bold with one quote from each particular section. Many of them are specific to photography, but quite a few can be brought to bring meaning to a number of life’s avenues.

I hope you enjoy the quotes listed below and that you are motivated to visit Erick Kim’s site. There are many more than those that are noted below. Eric Kim’s photography blog

 

Street Photography Aphorisms, Heuristics, and Sayings

From the Blog of Eric Kim

 

Life/Philosophy: It is really complicated to make a photograph simple.

Overcoming your fear of shooting street photography: With physical proximity comes emotional proximity.

Creativity/Inspiration: Having fewer options in photography makes you more creative (think of the benefits of shooting with a prime lens).

Motivation: Going out to shoot is like going to the gym; leaving is always the hardest part. But at the end, you’re always glad that you went.

Aesthetics: “Grain is the brush stroke of photography.”- Constantine Manos

When shooting on the streets: “When in doubt, click.” – Charlie Kirk

Photography books: There is a difference between looking at photo books and reading photo books. One is to just see; the other is to analyze.

Equipment: Don’t judge a photographer on the quality of their camera, but the quality of their images.

Success: To double your success rate in street photography, double your failure rate.

Definitions: Don’t ask if your photo is a “street photograph” or not. Ask if it is a meaningful photograph.

Feedback/critique: It is more useful to ask people what they don’t like about your shots, rather than asking them what they like about your shots.

Editing: Editing tip: When in doubt, ditch.

Fame: Rather than creating photos to please your audience, find an audience that will be pleased by your photos.

Happiness: The only key to happiness and satisfaction as a photographer is to not have your happiness depend on others.


Eric Kim’s photography blog

Birds of Arizona – Curve-billed Thrasher

Jeff

The Curve-Billed Thrasher is an interesting bird, especially in the mid-to-late spring. They often “claim” a saguaro as their own and stand guard over the ripening seed pods which mature into sweet, tasty treats. Native Americans would collect these and make some delectable edibles out of them. If you want to collect them today, you need to be prepared because the Curve-billed Thrashers are patient and when the fruit is ripe, they dive right in.

These Sonoran Desert denizens are prevalent and can be seen throughout the year. They have a very distinctive call which is easy to discern. I especially like the very rich orange-yellow color of their eyes.

“Curve-billed

“Curve-billed

The pictures above were taken on February 9, 2015 during a hike at the Jewel of the Creek Trail, Cave Creek Arizona. The “Jewel” is a riparian habitat with a number of birds taking refuge there at various times of the year. The water runs most of the year and provides a home for frogs and other water-loving creatures.

You can read more about the Curve-billed Thrasher at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Why Do We Take Snapshots? Let Me Count The Reasons…

Jeff

This animation project done several years ago captures the true spirit of why photography and taking pictures is so important. They may be called snapshots, photographs, pictures, selfies or pics, but they serve a very important role in the lives of many. I think you will appreciate this even more after watching this short animation.


Photographs from B.Ki.Animation on Vimeo.

Our undergraduate animation thesis film, made at Loyola Marymount University in LA.
By Brendan Clogher and Christina “Kiki” Manrique

A picture is worth a thousand words and thousands of dollars too!

Jeff

You might have heard of the blog Humans of New York by Brandon Stanton. He is a street photographer who takes pictures of people he encounters on the streets. He has made a number of appearances on television and has a book showcasing his work.

Nobody could have guessed how is chance encounter with Vidal Chstanet would change the lives of so many people.

Watch the video below to see how photography can help change the world and how a dedicated educator and photographer can send ripples of hope far and wide.

“The blog has touched people around the world. Ellen met the man behind the camera and two incredible people he featured.”

Via

A good reminder: “Always have a plan. Gear breaks. It’s part of life.”

Jeff

A good reminder: “Always have a plan. Gear breaks. It’s part of life.”

I never take an important trip or plan an important photo excursion with only one camera, set of batteries, etc. Also remember Murphy: “If anything can go wrong…” I try to be a bit over prepared just in case.

Read the entire article here:

Get Consistently Sharp Pictures with your DSLR or Similar Camera

Jeff

Many of today’s cameras are advanced pieces of technology with a multitude of options available for both the enthusiast and photography professional. One would assume that with all this technology and the advanced features it would be almost automatic to get very sharp pictures all of the time. As many of us have found out, that isn’t necessarily so.

Phil Steele presents five ways to use your DSLR to help you achieve sharpness in almost every shot. I use a couple of these techniques, but there were also a couple that I didn’t appreciate and I will try to incorporate them in future photographic adventures.


Thanks to Phil Steele and Picture Correct for making this available to the photography community.

Originally viewed on PictueCorrect

Photography-Video Fun

Jeff

I think anyone who is interested in Photography or Videography will enjoy and appreciate this short video. It is catchy, fast-paced and delightful.” For more information and to understand how it was made, see the original website posting at PetaPixel

I have always been fascinated by Kaleidoscopes and, as mentioned below, this video employs similar techniques!

“Photographer and film director Naren Wilks created this mind-bending music video by arranging DSLRs around a circular green screen room. When the perspectives of the cameras are combined and synchronized, a ‘rotationally symmetric, kaleidoscopic world‘ is created… Only 5 people were involved in the production of the music video.”

The Majesty of Trees

Jeff

As readers of JBRish know, my wife and I enjoy hiking and one of the things we appreciate is the beauty of trees. Trees have always fascinated me. To think that there are trees alive today that have been on earth during some of the most historic periods such as the American Revolution, The Renaissance, etc. is awe inspiriing.

Beth Moon has created a wonderful book detailing a good number of these stoic trees in her book, Ancient Trees: Portraits of Time.

(Above)“Avenue of the Baobabs. Elegant in shape and form, these strange and magnificent baobabs seem to rise effortlessly to heights of 98 feet, found only on the island of Madagascar. Beth Moon”

Kapok Tree, Beth Moon, Ancient Trees: Portraits of Time

(Above)“Kapok Tree. Palm Beach, Florida, 2004. Kapoks of this size usually inhabitant the rain forest, but Moon found this one in Florida on a private estate, with roots that rise 12 feet above the ground. Beth Moon”

More modest appreciation, however, comes from the beauty and majesty we have witnessed on our walks and hikes. We often wonder how a few of the trees we saw managed to survive in some of the most unusual ways and perhaps in less than ideal conditions.

Even in death, trees have a majesty about them. The picture below was taken at Monument Valley, UT.

dead tree, spooky, Monument Valley, Utah

While hiking Point Reyes National Seashore, CA last summer, we came across this Bay Tree with a cluster of branches and roots at the base. I was interested in the unusual girth.

“Northern

Another tree we found of special interest this past year was at the Grand Teton National Park. Trees will often gain a foothold and because of their “ill-chosen” location, the earth around their roots is washed away. These are sometimes called “walking trees” because it does appear as though the trees have legs.

This tree, as you can see, lost its foothold and will probably not survive too much longer although it is hanging in there.

tree Grand Teton National Park Walking Tree Tree roots exposed

Read More about the book and Beth Moon at the Huffington Post: The Most Ancient and Magnificent Trees From Around the World. More of Beth Moon’s pictures can be found at the above link.