Back in 1975, I graduated from the University of Washington with Bachelor’s in Fine Arts and Art Education – and this is the foundation I’ve built my career upon, traveling the world and capturing images utilizing the tenets of my traditional art background. Teaching has always been a passion of mine, and Pathways is the cultivation of 45 years of these pursuits.
The feedback I’ve gotten for the first two episodes of Pathways has been wholly positive and I can’t thank you enough for checking it out. I love sharing what I do, and to be able to combine that with the affinity I have for teaching is the perfect way to share it.
If you’re looking to be inspired to take your photography to the next level and consciously create beautiful shots that artistically emphasize your subject to it’s fullest extent – look no further!
We just wrapped up this week’s Tequila Time, and there were so many comments about wanting to see the images that I wanted to get them up ASAP!
Don’t forget to also follow @EarthIsOurWitness on Instagram and join us again tonight at 7 PM PST for an interview with Australian photographer Darren Jew who specializes in underwater photography, but as discussed on our EIOW preview earlier today, does, in fact, breath oxygene!
Lastly, just a reminder that Pathways to Creativitylaunched last week. It was a quiet launch because of more important things happening in the world, but for those who have checked it out, the feedback has been fantastic.
Pathways to Creativity has arrived! Actually, the first episode arrived last week – which was simply not the right time to post about it. However, we did have a robust pre-registration list and several anticipatory inquiries, so it’s time to get the word out!
“Art, what the heck is Pathways to Creativity?”
I’m glad you asked! I’ve poured over nearly five decades worth of images to bring together a collection that illustrates my various points of view as a life-long artist, photographer, teacher, and traveler. Through the first 12-episode season, I’ll cover topics like composition, using various qualities and sources of light, and challenging conventions. Along with thousands of visual examples, I’ll also provide context to hundreds of images with commentary about the circumstances of their capture, a bit of culture, and more.
“Neat! But what IS it? A book? A video? A workshop?”
Pathways is an online streaming lecture divided into 12 roughly 1-hour long episodes that can be streamed on demand ’til your heart’s content from my Vimeo channel onto your smart phone, laptop, tablet – you get the idea! Episodes can be purchased individually, or as a complete package for a discounted price. Complete package purchasers will also receive a bonus 13th episode! Episodes are released weekly every Tuesday, beginning June 2nd, 2020.
“Got it! So – who will get the most use out of Pathways?”
The beautiful thing about the lessons I’ve constructed is that the information here is evergreen, and it’s cliche to say – but there truly is something here for everyone! From the hard-core travel photographer to the smartphone user, from the fine-art painter to the nature enthusiast who just wants to see images of wildlife and culture and hear my stories and the thought process of my work – it’s ALL here.
“Do I need to be an expert with my camera to get the most out of Pathways? How do I know if it’s for me?”
The vast majority of what I have to say in Pathways has much more to do with training your eye to see than it does training you to use a camera. Although some episodes deal with things like shutter speeds and depth of field, these are simply tools to meet that end.
To find out what Pathways is all about, check out the free 15-minute long preview below, with excerpts from the first 3 seasons of Pathways to Creativity. Enjoy!
Happy Technique Tuesday – I shot this one down on South Georgie Island a while back, but good design is good design! Technology and style may change – what captures the eye does not! Staying on the topic of learning and teaching, stay tuned over the course of the next week or so to my social media and the blog, some exciting announcements about my new streaming lecture series, Pathways to Creativity are coming soon!
Here in Seattle, the days are getting brighter and longer so I figured I would share a quick tip on maximizing that bright, direct light that can be difficult to deal with – but can in fact be turned to your advantage. Enjoy, get out of the house if you can, but by all means stay safe!
Continuing the series of images I have created in the last fifteen years, May is a wonderful month for photography. The colors are bright, the air clear, and the subjects varied. From the Galapagos to Borneo to the temperate forests of the Pacific Northwest, take a visual journey around the globe in MAY!
It seems like an eternity ago, and in a sense it was. In February I traveled with Kevin Raber and Rockhopper Tours to Antarctica. So much has happened in the relatively short time since then that I very nearly forgot about this trip, filled with abundant wildlife and stunning landscapes.
A highlight was a massive iceberg we cruised by at dinner time. Everyone was deep in their dishes when I jumped up, grabbed my camera and ran off. A krill-red smear announced the presence of Chinstrap and gentoo penguins. Against the blue of the iceberg, it was a rich sign of life in this arresting landscape.
Seals, orcas, petrels and some minke whales also came to escort us along our cruise aboard the ship. Enjoy the photos – if you have any questions about them, join me on Thursday for another live episode of Tequila Time with Art and ask away!
What better way to celebrate Earth Day than to vote on the New Big 5 of wildlife! British journalist & photographer Graeme Green has been hard at work creating this new international initiative to create a new Big 5 of wildlife photography, bringing awareness to the plight of wildlife everywhere.
And what are my Big Five? You’ll find out if you listen to this quick podcast!
And there are many others to listen to as well from other top nature photographers from around the world.
Canon EOS-1D X, EF200-400mm f/4L IS USM EXT, 1/6400 ƒ/5.6 ISO 5000
If you’ve been paying attention to the blog or caught last week’s livestream, you already know I’m keeping myself occupied lately working on a new series of educational videos releasing very soon. If you follow me you know that I’m an artist first and a technician second – I learn to use technology as I need it, but unlike many photographers my background lies in fine art.
That being said, my upcoming lecture series will touch on many of the technical aspects of photography as well, for example using a high shutter speed to capture water droplets around the high-speed movements of this small painted bunting.
Freezing the action here requires a fast shutter speed – in this case I’ve chosen 1/6400th of a second. I’ve achieved my goal – the droplets and the bunting are sharp! However one problem you may run into depending on the available lighting is the high ISO required to get enough light from such a brief exposure. In this case my ISO was bumped all the way up to 5000 – well beyond what most photographers are comfortable with.
Personally I have always pushed my use of ISO; if the photo truly requires a high number to get the effect and freeze the action like I want it to, I am okay introducing a bit of noise. Much of that can be removed later in post. As an example, here is a close-up of this image with one side using Topaz Denoise AI, and the other the original image:
As you can see, Topaz does a great job of removing much of the noise in the image while retaining details. I highly recommend that regardless of the software you use to remove noise, that this is your first step in your edit. As you tweak levels, colors, and other attributes of your image, they may overly enhance the noise making it harder to retroactively remove. After you remove the noise, you can then go back and re-introduce some sharpening where needed, selectively avoiding areas with large swaths of color that will just end up looking noisy.
That will have to be a lesson for another day – enjoy your week, stay safe and healthy!
Happy technique Tuesday! Hopefully everyone is healthy and using their time to practice their photography at home. While I’m currently working on my Pathways to Creativity series of lectures, I figured it couldn’t hurt to give some tips for those of you looking to pass the time.
Photographers of all levels know just how useful a tripod can be. Myself and others have touted the necessity of choosing a good brand and not skimping on a cheap one. That being said, sometimes you need to ditch that thing. While the stability a tripod offers is essential for many shots, it’s not always the most maneuverable tool to use.
In this video, I illustrate that by losing the tripod and getting down low, I can capture these chinstrap penguins in such a way that enough background is included and in focus to give true context to their environment. This is an angle and perspective I wouldn’t have been able to achieve without the spontaneity and maneuverability gained by freeing myself from the tripod.
Use your body, the ground, and objects around you to stabilize your shot – don’t forget, any three points of contact, not just tripod legs, will make for a steady shot. Now, unless you’re super lucky, you don’t have penguins in your back yard – that’s okay! Get down low and photograph your familiar surroundings from a whole new perspective.
It’s Tuesday – that means a new episode of Pathways to Creativity is available!
