Creative Juices: Giveaway

It seems I have inadvertently taken a leave of absence from this blog. The past few weeks have been pretty busy; most of my after-work-time has been towards training for a sprint triathlon and catching up on everyday life. My creative juices have been sucked into the wonderful/dangerous world of the iPhone camera and my Canon 5D Mark II camera has taken a backseat. I don't think this is necessarily a bad thing; using different "mediums" can be both refreshing and eye opening. It's incredible to have such an impressive camera on something you carry 24-7. I'll still wish for my camera when I've left it at home for one reason or another, but now I at least have a semi-decent camera that gives me a brand new way to create. I know, welcome to 2012 Lindsay, but this is the first time I've had a phone capable of creating images I can actually be proud of. Speaking of creating images on iPhones, I am now on instagram (lindsaydanielsphotography) and also twitter (lindsaydaniels3) so check out my profiles and follow me on my photo adventures!

With the days getting shorter and daylight after work getting tighter and tighter it's been harder to get somewhere and shoot before the sun goes down. This next weekend with daylight savings time ending is going to make getting any kind of daytime/sunset shots nigh impossible on weekdays. I've made a plan to keep things local, to make the most out of the little window of daylight between work and sunset I'll have during the next few months. Weekends will still flourish with plenty of photographic opportunities, but with the holidays coming up, those too will be eaten up by family and holiday traditions. I have several goals for the coming months to keep the inspiration coming and motivation high. I figured I'd share them on the world wide web to entice me to keep my word.

1. Keep this blog full of interesting and engaging content. I've got some ideas I want to implement including interviews of other photographers, guest writers (let me know if you're interested), equipment reviews, travel tips and more. Tell me what YOU want to see on the blog. I'd love to get your feedback and please my readers!

2. I've already got a few "long" travel plans for the winter, but I need to plan some short local plans as well. I've had Lucin and the sun tunnels on the brain lately, but I'd also like to plan a winter camping trip in the good old Wasatch Mountains. Anybody else have some exciting winter plans?

3. Create workshop videos and offer workshops to photographers wanting to improve their craft.

4. Create. Build. Produce.


That's it for now. I'm sure I'll come up with more, and when I do I'll be sure to let you know. I am eternally grateful to those who read this blog. I hope you have enjoyed reading and viewing it as much as I have had creating it. I'd like to show my gratitude by giving away a 4x6 print on 8x10 photo rag paper, for archival quality and room for framing. Just leave a comment below and I'll pick the winner at random. Tell your friends and leave a comment today!

I will announce the winner Wednesday, November 7, 2012, so get commenting!

*I'll contact the lucky winner for mailing info on the announcement date. Good luck!

Canada: First Impressions

Self Portrait overlooking Johnson Lake in Banff National Park

My expectations of Canada have been met and exceeded on my first day. It is abundantly beautiful. I seem to have a difficult time deciding where to point my camera! I spent most of yesterday hanging around Johnson Lake in Banff National Park and was able to get some diverse imagery within a rather small area. It's amazing what you can find meandering through the different pathways in the dense forests around here. I found several locations I had scouted for sunset and in the last two hours I was running between all of them, chasing the light. I've been reading the recent article in Outdoor Photographer on Galen Rowell, and I find our philosophies to be fairly similar. I enjoy mastering the technicalities of a photograph and being able to conquer difficult lighting with my photographic knowledge, but there is something to Galen's most famous quote: "f/8 and be there." No photographic genius will ever be a "great" photographer if they don't get out and explore this world we live in. So much of photography is about the content in front of the lens. We can change our composition or settings a hundred times, but if the content is boring, it will most likely turn out to be a boring image. Personally, I got into photography because it seemed to go hand in hand with my philosophy on life. I want to be a part of it. Whatever it is. I enjoy documenting the adventure or event and telling the side of the story only I can tell. The key is to be there. It doesn't matter where. If you want to be a great photographer put yourself in the right place at the right time. Some people confuse this with luck. But there is so much more to it. Besides the planning and the watching and the research, the experience is what's going to set you apart. Being there is so much more than just being present. Being there is about experiencing it and living the adventure. If you live on the edge, your photographs will reflect that lifestyle. I am continually trying to better my photography, but I think this is one of the most important concepts to hold on to.
Johnson Lake had become my lake by the end of the night. Everyone had left to go have dinner in town just before the sky exploded with color. I felt so blessed to be able to witness such beauty and I continue to feel that everyday I am able to be in nature. It was an amazing night and I can't wait to continue my journey in Banff. Luckily, I found a quaint little cafe in town named McDonald's that provided wi-fi. I will hopefully be able to get a few more posts up while I'm on the road. In the mean time I hope you enjoy these teaser images of my first day in Banff National Park.

Johnson Lake in beautiful Banff National Park

Mushroom on the forest floor in Banff National Park

Johnson Lake Panorama

Alpenglow on the mountains near Johnson Lake in Banff National Park

Rule #32 "Enjoy the Little Things"

Sometimes we forget about the little things. We can be so focused on the grand scene that the details tend to be overlooked. To quote rule #32 from the movie Zombieland, "Enjoy the little things". The end goal may be the focus, but those little things can create an entire picture sometimes more powerful than the initial goal. At least this was my experience last week as I headed up Big Cottonwood Canyon. The end goal was sunset at one of the small lakes in the area. Something similar to the shots I was able to capture at Cecret Lake one canyon over. Maybe a yellow tree here or there, some dramatic storm clouds, but it just didn't happen. I worked the scene for what it was and still ended up coming up short. It was a beautiful night, but I wasn't able to capture my vision in the final scene. My images of the hike in, however, were able to sum it up beautifully. I didn't need to capture that grand sweeping vista to convey the beauty that evening. I often forget this "rule" and can get distracted by the grand landscape. I'm not saying the grand landscape isn't, well, grand, but it is important to keep your eyes and mind open to the details and "less grand" scenes, too. Sometimes you just need to stop and enjoy the little things. 

Spirit of America: Canyonlands

To continue my 'Spirit of America' series I've included this shot of Mesa Arch at sunrise. Canyonlands National Park is the ultimate American Southwest landscape, with arches, deep canyons, red rock, and sweeping landscapes that stretch for miles. This is what I imagine when I think about the American spirit.

*Prints available upon request. See 'Prints' tab.

Spirit of America: Monument Valley

When I think of America I think of places like Monument Valley.  There is something about the place.  Maybe it's all the films showcasing the buttes behind a tough heroic cowboy, maybe it's the remoteness, or maybe it's just the pure beauty of the desert.  Whatever it is, it has inspired me to create a series of photos entitled, "Spirit of America".  I've included the image below to start off the series.  Tell me what you think.

Craft & Vision: Free eBook

 

If you are looking to improve your photography don’t buy gear, buy knowledge.  Or better yet, get it for free.  I’ve purchased a few of the eBooks offered through Craft and Vision and have loved reading through them.  Not only do I learn a ton every time I read through one, but I’m newly inspired.  Now, Craft and Vision and the creator, David duChemin, is offering a free eBook filled with nuggets of knowledge from several successful photographers.  It’s new.  It’s fresh.  And it’s free.  

I would feel comfortable recommending anything from Craft and Vision and urge you to check it out.  David duChemin has a very informative and inspiring blog he updates regularly and has also written several books.  I’ve been able to pick one up at the library, VisionMongers: Making a Life and a Living in Photography, and I have to say it is an excellent read.  I couldn’t put it down.  It’s a book I would definitely consider buying, especially when I take the leap to full-time photographer.  So, if you are looking to get into this craft, read some eBooks.  Soak in the knowledge. Get inspired and get out shooting!

Get the free eBook here

Documentary: Carnival

I've read different articles in photo magazines about how carnivals and fairs are great places to photograph, but never really sought them out.  Last week I went to the Utah State Fair to see what all the fuss was about.  Initially, I thought the rides at dusk with slow shutter speeds was going to be the recipe for the night (which it partly was), but I found myself drawn to the small vendors and everyday carnies even more.  The first guy I spoke to was running a 100 shots for 5 bucks game.  Shoot out the middle of your target and you get to take home a giant stuffed Scooby.  I have to say I was tempted.  I gracefully declined but asked if I could take his photo.  He straitened up, took off his hat, combed his hair and smiled.  He told me he felt like a picture gave a person a kind of immortality, as a photo can last a whole lot longer than we can.  This stuck with me the rest of the night and I couldn’t help but thinking he was right.  He reminded me of the whole reason any of us really start taking photos.  For myself it was to document.  Every photo I take for one reason or another is to document.  And really that's what any of us are really doing when we take a photograph.  I took his photo proudly, hoping I had done him justice even if I had only spoken with him for a moment.  He tried one last time to get me to play his game but the sun was setting and pictures were waiting to be taken.  

Experimental Photography

I have always been interested in what a camera can do.  How it can capture light and how it shapes it with different exposure techniques.  My interest grew when I started playing with light and long exposures at night, and ever since then I've been finding new ways to capture a photograph. 

On the road awhile back I did some photographing out of a moving car.  Realistically and photographically this is usually a bad idea.  Nothing ever really comes of it except perhaps a reminder to come back to a certain area and stop for a real picture.  So, I took on a challenge.  I wanted to see what I could get from a moving car and how unique I could be in my approach.  In this case it was more of an accident than purposeful experimentation.  We drove through a wooded canyon with snow dusted trees with the morning sun coming though the clouds.  I rolled down the window to see if I could get some of the beauty when I shot this picture.  I had accidentally used a slow shutter speed making the photo come out nearly completely blown out.  In Adobe Lightroom I brought back the detail and turned it black and white and this is how it ended up.  Not sure what I think about it, but it's kind of cool looking.

Another experimental shot taken with a Holga toy camera using double exposure.  When composing this shot I knew I wanted to do a double exposure to really get the corners dark to focus on the subject and to put two simple images together to make a more complex one.  It makes an ordinary shot of empty beer bottles on asphalt a little more interesting. 

I like experimenting with film, because sometimes you don't know how the picture is going to turn out until it's developed.  With this picture I was getting adjusted to my dad's old Minolta camera.  A few of the photos had a white stripe going through them.  I'm not sure what happened to the film, but on some of them the effect was kind of cool looking.  

I love trying new things with a camera.  If you want to get better at photography get out and experiment with different effects. 

World Press Freedom Day

Photo courtesy of Magnum Photos

Today is World Press Freedom Day, and in honor of the journalists and photojournalists who risk their lives to tell amazing stories from war zones and dangerous places, Slate Magazine has put together a slideshow you can see here.

Where Inspiration Comes From

Most of the time when I go out and take a picture I have an image in my mind that I want to capture.  I preplan the location, the time, the angle. But most of my inspiration comes while on site.  And sometimes I think that is the best and truest form of inspiration.  The preplanning and pre-visualization gets me there to the location, gives me an idea before going out, but once I’m on site that’s when the true inspiration comes.  That is when I can say I came back with my own unique image instead of trying to copy a photo I was initially inspired by.  I want my true vision, not someone else's.  My inspiration while on site can come from several things that inspire me on a daily basis.  

Yesterday, I headed out for some kind of modern architectural photos and started at the Salt Lake City Library.  Such a great building, architecturally, photographically.  I knew this would be a good start.  I’ve photographed this building several times and have mostly come back with mediocre photos in comparison to the actual building.  So I set out again to find some kind of new angle.  I arrived on scene, tried the door and was informed by security that the library had closed at 6 o’clock.  I was a bit disappointed, but decided it would be fine and to focus on the exterior of the building.  Not being able to go inside turned out to be a benefit for my images.  Looking through the windows of the library gave me the inspiration and new take on the building I was hoping for. 

A few weeks earlier I set out to take photos of the Salt Lake City and Council building.  The photos were nothing new, but when I turned around from the location I was focusing on I was instantly inspired by a scene of lit windows looking into three separate levels of a building.  Like looking through a window into someone’s life or a building’s life.  

ISO 100  39mm f/22 25 sec

At the Salt Lake City Library that same kind of looking through the windows feel gave me the different angle I was looking for.  The interior design along with the modern architecture reminded me of the AMC television show Mad Men.  A clean cut, 60’s inspired, timeless, modern look.  The lighting drew out long shadows of the furniture and architectural lines, giving the scene a little more drama.  Looking through the windows also reminded me of the digital renditions architects use in their drawings.  Like what they would show a client to illustrate how great their building could look. 

 ISO 100 40mm f/8 1/125 sec Singh-Ray Warming Polarizer

 ISO 100 40mm f/8 1/50 sec Singh-Ray Warming Polarizer 

 ISO 100 40mm f/8 1/40 sec Singh-Ray Warming Polarizer 

 ISO 100 40mm f/8 1/200 sec Singh-Ray Warming Polarizer

I set out with an image and subject in my mind and came back with a different kind of image representing my subject in a different way.  I went out pursuing modern architecture, black and white, dramatic skies, clean lines, wide angle views and came back with my own unique images.

Inspiration: Lynsey Addario

Photo by Lynsey Addario, National Geographic

As of Tuesday morning, Lynsey Addario and three other journalists have been missing in Libya.  They were covering the recent protests and revolution in Libya.  Lynsey Addario has been covering the Middle East and the issues there for the last decade.  Her stories on Women in Afghanistan, Women on the Frontlines, and Talibanistan have recently won her the MacArthur Fellowship Grant.  She has been one of my favorite photographers and a major inspiration for me and my interest in photography.  I am continually inspired by her work and the stories she continually produces.  Journalists and photojournalists around the world embed themselves into dangerous areas and situations to inform the world.  Their line of work is dangerous and things like this can happen quickly.  We should remember that these journalists risk their lives in these hostile areas to get us the news we freely take in.  I pray for their safety and hopeful return. 

You can see Lynsey Addario's work here

Architectural Lines

I've always gravitated toward simple, clean, classic design, whether it's in my photography or my attempt at fashion and design.  I find inspiration in clean lines, pattern and simplicity.  Architecture has always fascinated me and though it's not my photographic specialty I do enjoy photographing it and am often inspired by it.  So I've decided to start some kind of project of architectural lines and attempt to portray it  as I see it.

Reflections of the sky in a modern building downtown Salt Lake City, Utah.

Downtown Salt Lake City Library.

Simple, architectural, clean.

Inspiration: Impromptu Photography

I have been a little uninspired lately and decided to turn to my own images.  I found a few images that reminded me that a photo doesn't have to be perfect or planned to be a good image.  Just getting out and shooting can produces good pictures.  Sure preplanning and previsualization are important too, but just getting out with your camera is what's most important.  So, I've gathered some of my favorite impromptu images that get me inspired to always have a camera on hand.

Camera Gear: Canon EOS Rebel XS, Canon Powershot SX100IS, Canon 55-250mm f/4.5-4.6 

Orthodox Jews racing to the Western Wall for Friday night prayer.  Old City Jerusalem. 

Cathedral of the Madeleine.  Salt Lake City, Utah.

Caught this shot right outside my cabin door.  Halong Bay, Vietnam.

Early morning surfer at Newport Beach, California.

Old Vietnamese man fixing his well used bike on the streets of Hanoi. 

Making masks at the Peace Village for Halloween.  Hanoi, Vietnam.