It’s no secret that soft, diffuse light is often preferred for great photos unless you’re going for a specific style, look, or feel. This quick video shows one reason why soft light is preferable. not only is the location of this village in Mali complex in terms of the many rooftops and structures, the conical rooftops themselves are textured complex pattern. Add in a busy landscape of brush and trees, and there is quite a bit going on.
Shooting this scene in more direct lighting would create a high contrast graphical image that might be interesting, but you would lose the detail that informs the viewer of the context of this location. Most of the materials used to construct this village are from the landscape it’s built upon. Showing the even tones, hues and cohesive nature in which everything blends together helps capture the symbiotic relationship between the people and the land in a way that a high contrast image with dark shadows and bright highlights simply wouldn’t deliver.
Welcome to another technique Tuesday! Today we revisit creating compelling compositions focusing on wildlife that also give context to their environment. Often times just centering up your subject isn’t the most interesting way to present it, even if your focus is on an animal or person. Unless your goal is to inform the viewer about the specific detail of the subject itself, there is often more to be learned about it’s nature by including the world it lives in.
I also give some tips on how you can ‘break the ice’ with wildlife and increase their interest and comfort level, ensuring they stick around until you get that well-composed shot you’re looking for!
Tomorrow I’m heading south to the Washington-Oregon border for my Columbia River Gorge workshop – stay tuned to the blog for new photos!
Argentine Gray Fox, Torres Del Paine National Park, Chile
Even in an environment with an abundance of interesting detail to focus on, like the Pancake Rocks of the South Island of New Zealand, sometimes stepping back with a wide angle lens to give context to those details is the best way to capture them. It can be easy to get caught up in the surreal nature of an unfamiliar landscape and focus too much on the alien details of something you won’t find anywhere else in the world, but it’s that contrast with the more familiar surroundings that can make them feel even more unique.
Here I’ve used a 16mm wide angle lens with, at the time, my Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III. A shutter speed of 1/60th froze the waves in the background while an aperture at ƒ10 ensured the subject of the pancake rocks were captured in full detail. The bright day allowed for a low ISO of 100, so very little noise infiltrates the image.
Blue Earth Alliance, in partnership with PhotoWings, presents its 5th annual conference, Collaborations for Cause, to be held May 5-6 at the Seattle Downtown Library. I will be giving the keynote on May 5th. Early-bird tickets are on sale now, and you can get an additional 10% by using the code ARTWOLFE10.
Collaborations for Cause is a two-day event that brings together cutting-edge content creators and front-line organizations for an exploration of how to harness the power of the evolving media landscape
This fifth annual conference builds upon the organization’s 20-year history of facilitating issue-driven visual storytelling. With a mix of presentations by leading experts including Annie Griffiths and Helen Cherullo, and in-depth case studies showcasing real projects, insightful arm-chair conversations, and break-out sessions, participants will leave inspired and armed with fresh approaches, an expanded network of contacts and new resolve to build lasting positive change.
The conference will include interactive, small group discussions hosted by experts on topics such as innovative marketing, funding, image social media and non-traditional publishing. Opportunities for optional private portfolio reviews will also be available.
Who Should Attend:
• Nonprofit program, marketing and communications staff
• Directors and account supervisors at public relations firms
• Communications and education staff at government agencies and universities
• Program directors, exhibit designers and curators at institutions (museums, aquariums, etc.)
• Photographers
• Filmmakers and producers
• Graphic and sound designers
• Concerned citizens, activists and changemakers
If you missed my CreativeLive course two weeks ago, you’re in luck. They will be rebroadcasting it beginning Sunday, March 26th at 9:00am PDT. Set your reminders!
How images were collected in the past has changed and the world has become closer in terms of access thanks to the advances in travel and technology. As a result, change seems to accelerate and keeping in step becomes a necessary skill. I will share how I research, plan, and execute as well as review and edit for projects. With over 100 book titles, television shows, exhibits, presentations – how does one manage it all and how do projects transition from an idea to achievement? In this segment, I will review my processes for efficiency, economy and how I chart the course to a successful outcome.
2. Ways Technology has Improved my Work
The truth is that technology has been giving artists new ways to share their work for a very long time. Tools and art have evolved together, becoming intertwined. Cameras, software, lenses, even drones – they are all tools for the photographer, the artist, the storyteller. I will share how I have incorporated technology to enhance and redefine my work.
3. Preview to Photography as Art
“Photography as Art” is a groundbreaking seminar created for individuals who want to spark their imagination and discover how to make artistic statements through photography. I will share an excerpt from this seminar created for the creative professional to see and make art in exciting new ways. With art history as a reference point, I explore avenues to maintain inspiration, foster personal style, and discover ways to distinguish your own photography from others.
4. Live Critique
At the end of the program, I will critique viewer-submitted photographs. These photo critiques provide viewers a great opportunity to look through the eyes of a professional photographer and learn by constructive feedback on what makes an image stronger.
Since I can’t be everywhere, all the time, and all things to all people, I have recruited several colleagues for USA-based trips in 2017. These Art Wolfe Pro Tours are led by exceptionally able photographers and travelers Gavriel Jecan, Sean Fitzgerald, and Yuri Choufour, who are well versed in my curriculum and teaching style. Who knows, you will probably have more fun without me!
I’m excited to bring Photography as Art to Denver in just over a week! Space still remains to join me as well as other like-minded artists and photographers and explore the ways we can expand our visual imagination, and discover the amazing artistic elements all around us!
Sign up today and guarantee your spot at this event!
We are also about a month away from my visit to Los Angeles to present this seminar, so if you’ve been waiting on reserving your spot, now is the time! I will also be visiting Denver, New York, and Indianapolis to close out the year.
Photography As Art is a culmination of my life’s work in the field as well as my studies of the art world, and is about creating beautiful images regardless of the subject matter itself or the accessibility you may have to exotic locations. I have been blessed to have had access to vistas and wildlife the world over; however there is an endless amount of both accidental and intentional beauty all around us, wherever we may be. My goal is to share with you the vision to create and capture interesting and visually immersive images, and to couple the limitless expanse of the human imagination with artistic fundamentals. I aim to unlock the potential for we, as photographers, to capture a compelling image at any time, in any place – and to truly change the way you see.
I’m genuinely excited to bring something very dear to me to your cities. Stay tuned for additional locations for the second half of 2017!
Oregon is home to one of the most scenic and beautiful coastlines in America. Two spots remain to travel with Art, where you will not only explore the location but also your creativity as he describes new ways to visualize and compose your images from a conceptual perspective that will make your captures unique and personal. On top of experiencing this stunning locale, you will take away techniques that will enhance and personalize your photographic endeavors to come.
