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.