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Tales by Light 4-6

Tales by Light

My favorite photographer was Art Wolfe in both episodes 4 and 6. First off, he has a cool name, but mainly, his photography shows the less civilized parts of the world. Many people can’t really imagine what happens outside of our settled, civilized cities. Wildlife can be amazing and it can be grim. Not even just animals, but people that live in tribes live so differently than we do. He shows how animals interact with each other in the wild and the cultures of tribal people. It can be a dangerous line of work to photograph these things.

The coolest location they shot in episodes 4-6 was definitely Antarctica, the wide expanses of white snow gives an open, uninterrupted background to your subject. Also, the wildlife there is different than the rest of the planet, so it’s very unique. The aggressive nature of the polar bears and seals is very contrasting to the loving, clumsy nature of the penguins.

My favorite event that was captured was the grizzly bears hunting for salmon in the shallow stream. Their hunting methods are very primitive and goofy looking, but it is effective. This is a cool event to photograph because the bears all interact differently with each other. Also, the rushing water and rushing bears can give some cool effects when using a high shutter speed.

I did learn a few things from these photographers, after all they do have a lot more experience. I learned that if you don’t bother wildlife, then it won’t bother you. Same goes with the human world, if you don’t bother anyone around you while shooting, then they won’t really care. Also, I learned that when shooting wildlife, it is necessary to plan ahead and allow plenty of time. To get good pictures of these animals you must be very patient, they won’t pose for you like humans do. The most important part to landscape and wildlife photography is planning. You need to know what to wear, how much time you need, what you’ll need to get there, etc.

What surprised me the most is how little the bears seemed to pay attention to Wolfe, they were completely focused on the task at hand and didn’t even seem to see him.

The tribal people that Wolfe photographed are so different than how people in the modern world act. They have deep, rich cultures, but their very outdated lifestyles threaten to end all of that. They can’t survive very much longer as a community with how the world is changing. It can be dangerous to shoot stuff like this, because there are many dangerous groups of people around these areas. Nomadic tribes that kill people, cannibals, etc. You have to know what you’re shooting and how to get there safely.

But usually the coolest things in life are either dangerous or illegal, so this category in photography produces some of the most interesting images. Especially because not many people will ever get close up to a bear in person, so it’s up to photographers to do that for them.

Tales by Light 1-3

Tales by Light

My favorite photographer was Richard I’Anson, he was a travel photographer. He mentions that travel and photography is a great combination and I agree with that completely. If you can travel and bring back pictures with meaning, then it really gives everyone else a deeper view on what they don’t get to see everyday. I liked his colorful style and the way that he would capture the emotions of people and animals alike. His photography style isn’t the only reason he is my favorite though. I’Anson does photography because he truly loves it, and that’ll never change. The fact that he loves what he does really drives him to a higher standard and quality which shows in his work. Two examples are the Holi festival in India and the tracking of the Snow Leopard. He really gets into what he does. I’Anson tracked a Snow Leopard for days just to try and get a few photos, without any results, which shows a lot of dedication.

My favorite subject that was shot in episodes 1-3 was the underwater plane from WW2, shot by Darren Jew. The mystery of the ocean always creates cool images, paired with a man-made creation especially. To add a touch of creepiness and creativity, Jew shot at night using a flashlight to illuminate the plane with the shutter open for a long time. It was interesting, because he took an uncommon subject and paired it with an uncommon photography style to create his own piece of art.

My favorite event that was shot was the festival of Holi in India, shot by Richard I’Anson. Like I said before, he really had to get in the middle of anything to get the right shots. These photos show the happiness and excitement on everyone’s faces while they celebrate the coming Spring. To be able to bring emotion through a still image is a very difficult thing to do properly and I’Anson was able to do it. I did learn a few things from these photographers including skills and philosophies. I learned how to use a long shutter and artificial lighting to create the lighting that I want in an image. That’s a skill I’ll definitely be using in the future. Some philosophies I learned are that if you enjoy something, then why not go to the ends of the Earth to get it done properly? Also, don’t settle for something if it isn’t the best you can do.

Something that surprised me is that with the right gear it can be easy to get an underwater shot. To get a good one takes some practice, but if you have a live subject underwater to photograph, then you can produce very surreal images. People never really get to see the scale and life of what is underwater. A good picture of something as huge as a whale can really change your perspective.

The most interesting thing I saw in episodes 1-3 was the use of light manipulation. Artificial light used in the right way can look natural, but it can also be manipulated to look exactly how you want it to.

In the end, photography is all about enjoying what you do and telling a story through your pictures. Like showing the bond between a whale calf and its mother or showing the fear you have to overcome to slackline across a 2000 foot drop.

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Website Reviews

Website - www.jbellatx.com

Name - J Bell

Location - Austin, TX

3 Pros - Very Simple, Easy to navigate, Shows a lot of examples

3 Cons - Not much info on the photographer, Some stuff is off center, Nothing else

Tabs - 11

Photos - 12 sets

Website - www.hjohnstonphotography.com

Name - Heather Johnston

Location - Austin, TX

3 Pros - Home page cycles through portfolio, Very easy to navigate, FAQs

3 Cons - Not a lot of variety, have to wait for portfolio slides to change, too much hipster styling

Tabs - 9

Photos - ?

Website - www.morganlynnphotography.com

Name - Morgan Lynn

Location - Houston, TX

3 Pros - Custom logo, Minimal pages, Reviews

3 Cons - Hard to find portfolio, Hard to understand what a few pages mean

Tabs - 14

Photos - About 450

Website - kathrynkrueger.com

Name - Kathryn Krueger

Location - Waco, TX

3 Pros - Colorful, Well made, Lots of info

3 Cons - Hard to navigate, Inquiry section, Easy to find social media

Tabs - 16

Photos - 50 sets

Website - www.kodydianephotography.com

Name - Kody Diane

Location - Texas

3 Pros - Good design, all kinds of examples, easy to access social media

3 Cons - Slow website, A little bit cluttered, Repetitive pages

Tabs - 14

Photos - About 300

Website - seniorportraitsaustin.com

Name - Dustin Meyer

Location - Austin, Texas

3 Pros - Easy to navigate, Simple design, lots of info

3 Cons - Some weird additions, Bad contact system, Too many videos

Tabs - 6

Photos - ?

Website - www.jennydemarco.com

Name - Jenny DeMarco

Location - Austin, TX

3 Pros - Modern design, Fast, Easy to navigate

3 Cons - Small font, Portfolio is too split up

Tabs - 13

Photos - About 80

Website - www.fredericschlosser.de
Name - Frederic Schlosser

Location - Frankfurt, Germany

3 Pros - High quality, Simple, Good portfolio

3 Cons - Not enough info, Hard to render, Nothing about photographer

Tabs - 3

Photos - 45 sets

Website - www.koreyhowellphotography.com
Name - Korey Howell

Location - Austin, TX

3 Pros - Fluid site, Modern design, lots of variety

3 Cons - Some low res images, bad proportions, cluttered

Tabs - 7

Photos - 76

Website - www.burrard-lucas.com
Name - Will Burrard-Lucas

Location - UK

3 Pros - Very informative, everything you'd need to see, professional site

3 Cons - Hard to navigate, Site isn't creative

Tabs - 21

Photos - 19+ sets

Website - www.coryryan.com
Name - Cory Ryan

Location - Austin, TX

3 Pros - Well proportioned, Unique portfolio, Easy to find what you're looking for

3 Cons - Slow, Busy Design, Some unprofessional aspects

Tabs - 13

Photos - 7 sets

Website - davidheisler.com
Name - David Heisler

Location - Austin, TX

3 Pros - Simple, Modern Design, High res images

3 Cons - Pictures are too big, Weird placement, Slow

Tabs - 9

Photos - ?

Reflectors: Before and After