“One of a Kind” – Zhangjiajie National Park, China–Thomas Dawson- Featured Photographer
Zhangjiajie National Park was China’s first national park in 1982. These tall pillar formations are seen throughout the park shrouded in fog, giving it an authentic feel of China. Thomas’s image really captures the height and depth of the formation as well as the surrounding park. I think the sheer cliff in the foreground really adds dimension to the image. Remember foreground and background can be just as important as the subject for turning simple snapshots into spectacular photographs. To view more of his amazing two month photo excursion through China please visit his gallery below or join him on Facebook!
500px: http://500px.com/ultimateillusion
Prints available at: http://www.redbubble.com/people/isladethomas
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThomasDawsonPhotography
Enter Thomas:
I’m a travel, nature and landscape photographer from Vancouver Island, B.C., Canada. Photography has allowed me to combine several things that I love doing which includes being outside amongst the wilderness and nature, exploring, traveling and capturing special moments in time by way of my camera.
In mid 2011 I was trying to make up my mind where I wanted to go for a major photo trip. It came down to colorful South America or exotic China / South East Asia, however, the more I researched scenic places in China the more obvious my choice became and so it was off I went to China for the months of November and December.
My first two stops of the trip were in Hong Kong and then Shenzhen where I had some great experiences via ‘couchsurfing’. From Shenzhen I traveled North via train and bus to the old town of Feng Huang where I captured a few nice images. I learned a few basic phrases of Mandarin and had a few written down but that’s about all I had for communications which certainly made things interesting and sometimes challenging. I also found myself to be the only ‘westerner’ / foreigner on all the long distance trains I traveled on (and most of the buses) and just to make it a little more interesting, many of the train stations and bus terminals besides Shenzhen had little or no English signs or schedule info in addition to no English speaking staff, however, it seemed as though whenever I really needed help I’d come across a helpful person who could speak enough English to help me out and then I’d be back on track.
After a few days in Feng Huang I had to take quite a long bus ride to the place I was really looking forward to seeing, which was Zhangjiajie National Park. This is the place where I took the photo you’re viewing. While at a guesthouse in the small town near the park I was fortunate enough to meet a couple of really nice, easygoing young guys named Nico and Marc (from Germany and Switzerland) who had been studying and learning Mandarin. I asked them if they’d mind a photographer tagging along with them and they said sure which made my trip to the park more enjoyable. From the first moment I set foot in the park on that chilly, misty November morning, I was in awe of the unique beauty of the mountains and it was actually on day one that I captured ‘One of a Kind’. As soon as I saw that particular formation towering towards the sky while doing it’s delicate balancing act I knew it would be a spot that would be hard to beat due to it’s fascinatingly cool shape and sure enough, it turned out to be my favorite image. I can say without a doubt that Zhangjiajie National Park is the most amazing place I have been to thus far when it comes to spectacular mountain scenery and I hope to return again someday soon!
Equipment and settings used for this photo:
Canon 5d Mark ll
17 – 40mm L series lens
Singh Ray color combo / polarizer
Singh Ray ND 3G
SS: 1/13 sec
f/14
ISO 100
Bixby Bridge
“Bixby Bridge By Moonlight” – Big Sur, California – Matt Granz – Featured Photographer
Highway 1 through Big Sur in California is known as one of the most beautiful drives in the world. Bixby Bridge is one of the many highlights. You have probably seen this bridge before even if you have never been to California. It is very popular with car commercials and TV shows in the U.S. Matt’s version is very unique because it is photographed at night using only the available moonlight and the car’s speeding headlights. Please read his story below then check out one of his portfolios for more intense night shots of California.
Enter Matt:
To those who haven’t seen my work before, my name is Matt Granz and I am a Fine Art Photographer, who is trying to achieve intensity in imagery, an obsession that has been driving me daily for the past five years. I am fascinated with night photography, light painting, storm chasing, and both seascapes and wilderness landscapes. You can find my images at:
http://mattgranz.zenfolio.com/
http://www.fluidr.com/photos/mattgranz
https://www.facebook.com/mattgranzphotography
The story behind this image is that I have had the goal of photographing the Bixby Bridge for three years, but being a person who wears many hats, life just kept getting in the way… until this night. I actually passed over this bridge without noticing in the dark of night but was lucky enough to glance in the side view mirror and see it.
I arrived to find myself alone except for my friend who I was out photographing things at night with. We immediately started finding interesting ways to shoot this bridge, and this image was from the last spot I shot from.
The only trouble with shooting this bridge was that I really wanted to get some light trails and in the middle of the night there are very few cars that travel Highway 1. The good news was that I had time while waiting to perfect my exposure. After around a half hour a car finally came around, going southbound. This is that image.
I am constantly out shooting and updating my sites (except for the facebook one which is undergoing some transformation). I hope you enjoy the imagery as much as I enjoy going out and finding and then shooting them.
Nikon D90
Tokina 12-24mm
Exposure 96 Seconds
Aperture f/6.3
Focus 20mm
ISO 40
“Embracing the Wind” – Masai Mara, Kenya – David Lloyd – Featured Photographer
Here is one for all of you big cat lover’s out there. I love that it is in black and white (B/W). It adds more drama to the scene. B/W doesn’t always work for wildlife, but the master photographer’s seem to always get it right. Here is another image (CLICK HERE) by Mitchell Krog that illustrates this point. Please visit David’s website at http://davidlloyd.info to see more of his wonderful wildlife photography and read below to find out about his next visit to “The Dark Continent”.
Enter David:
I took this one early one morning at sunrise on the last day of a trip to the Masai Mara in Kenya in August 2009.
Lions are active mostly at dawn and dusk, and when the light shines at its best too. One morning when there did not appear to be too much on offer, we came upon this male lion and his lioness partner. He was one half of a mating pair, shortly after a kill, a little after sunrise.
He is not roaring or yawning, but scenting the female nearby. The light breeze and morning light played out some nice texture variations onto his flowing mane.
I often try to photograph as low as possible, this time I was scrunched up on the floor of the vehicle trying for the very lowest point. In processing, this was a photograph that leant itself better to black and white than it did of colour. Not every picture translates well to black and white, but this one did.
Nikon D300 with a 200-400mm lens at 400mm, 1/750th, f/5.6 and ISO 200.
If you are interested in Photographing in the Masai Mara, I am hosting a photographic tour there this coming August, and you can find more info about this at http://davidlloyd.info/photo-tours/masai-mara-2012/
Big Laugh
“Big Laugh” – Amsterdam, The Netherlands – Frank Doorhof – Featured Photographer
When I saw this image, I thought “she is having fun, big fun”. Then I read the title and knew I got what Frank was trying to capture. Frank’s amazing ability behind the lens is not limited to shooting gorgeous fashion models. He captures the beauty and emotions of life in his images no matter what the subject. Please read his story below then check out his wonderful website at http://www.frankdoorhof.com
Enter Frank:
The shot was an interesting story.
A lot of photographers will always try to find size 0 models but I think it’s very important to find the right model for the job. In this case the model approached me for a session and I was thinking about something that would really let her stand out, I did not have to think long because a friend photographer knew a great location (the model and her knew each other and worked together a few times before). When I heard about the location (a circus museum) I immediately was enthusiastic.
For this setup I tried several different expressions, mostly more sad, however when I said “Laugh hysterical” it clicked and we ended up with this shot, which till today I still like a lot.
Japanese Garden
“Japanese Garden” – Portland, Oregon – Tom Schwabel – Featured Photographer
Japanese gardens are amazing places to visit as well as photograph. Everything seems to be just in the right place. As if it is waiting for someone to come by and snap a photo. Don’t believe me. Then Check out Tom’s image of the “tree of fire” otherwise known as a Japanese maple. Tom talks about being in the right place at the right time to capture this photo. I think this photo is a bit more than that. Check out how he places the bridge between the branches and draws your eye all the way through the image. This eye for detail takes a cool photo of a beautiful tree and makes it a spectacular dream like scene that you just want to step into. Maybe even grab a book and sit under the tree for a while. That’s ok if you don’t have time to relax now… come on back, Tom’s scene will be waiting for you. Perfect as usual. Please check out more of Tom’s photographic art at either one of his portfolios below.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/65316636@N00/
http://500px.com/TomSchwabel
Also follow him on Facebook at:
http://www.facebook.com/tomschwabelphotography
Enter Tom:
Portland’s Japanese Garden is a magical place for about a week each October when the foliage explodes in autumn colors. Having been to gardens in Japan, I can vouch for the authenticity of this garden and am lucky to have it right here where I live. Unknown to me at the time, this was one of the first shots I have taken of what I now know is the famous Japanese maple tree in the garden. It isn’t a particularly large tree and many non-photographers walk right past it without giving it too much of a look. In fact, it is probably no more than 6 feet tall. But underneath the canopy is pure magic, as I hope the photo conveys. Each year I return to the garden to challenge myself to find new ways to shoot my favorite subjects such as this tree. However, this shot will always be a favorite due to the vibrant color of the tree and the wonderful carpet of fallen leaves I was able to catch on that day. Usually the gardeners rake up the fallen leaves promptly. Thus, sometimes the secret to a good photo is just being in the right place at the right time!
Camera: Nikon D300
Lens: 12-24mm f/4
Shutter Speed: 1/6
Aperture: f/11
Focal Length: 12mm
Fairytale Lake
“Fairytale Therapy” – Budapest, Hungary – Adam Dobrovits – Featured Photographer
Adam named this really cool image “Fairytale Therapy”. Which fairytale do you think it represents? This is one of those images where the reflection is so still you could flip the image upside down and it would still look normal. The photo is warm and inviting I wish I could jump in for a swim. After checking out the specifics of the image below head over to Adam’s Facebook page (CLICK HERE) and website http://www.adamdobrovits.com/ for some more relaxing imagery.
Enter Adam:
The photos were taken in Hungary near to Budapest early in the morning.
The air was so still (clear reflection) and sunny like in a Hungarian dream.
Camera Model Canon EOS 50D
Lens 10-20mm
Firmware Firmware Version 1.0.7
Shooting Date/Time 2012.04.20. 6:32:49
Shooting Mode Aperture-Priority AE
Tv( Shutter Speed ) 0.5
Av( Aperture Value ) 22.0
Metering Mode Spot Metering
Exposure Compensation -1 1/3
ISO Speed 100
Focal Length 10.0 mm
White Balance Mode Color Temperature(7700K)
Wedding Photography
Shooting a Wedding: 3 Critical Steps to Preparing for Your First Wedding – Tutorial
Below is a great, quick tutorial from Lara White on PhotoMint.com. She is a well respected wedding photographer and offers a variety of resources for amateur and professional wedding photographers. Lara also has published an E-Book focused on the Business of Wedding Photography that is really worth the time to read. Click here to view more details
Here is Lara:
You’ve been trying to break into the photo business for a few months now. After many dedicated months of studying the business of photography, playing with your equipment and convincing family members to model for you, you finally have your very first gig!
This could be shooting a wedding of a friend or co-worker who didn’t have the budget for a pro, or you could be tagging along as a second shooter. Doesn’t matter. This is your first wedding and you want to make it count!
Not only do you have the opportunity to get some great shots for your portfolio, you have the opportunity to begin networking with other professional wedding vendors.
The more time you can spend preparing, the more you will get from this opportunity. When you are just starting out with weddings, there are many things to learn and understand.
If you show up without understanding what the most important shots are, where you will take the couple for portraits and the overall timeline for the day, you will spend most of the day running in circles and missing much of the action.
Study the Key Moments of a Wedding Day
Study important wedding day images so that you start to know what types of images you might be able to create. Wedding days are filled with moments filled with joy, excitement, anxiety and everything in between. When you’ve been around the block a few times, you begin to have a sense for anticipating these moments before they occur, which allows you to position yourself to best capture that moment.
While all weddings are unique in certain ways, there is also a flow to them that you will begin to anticipate after shooting a number of weddings. When you first become a photographer, it might all feel like a whirlwind to you, but after a while you’ll begin to sense the flow 
of the day and how each part of the day unfolds into the next part.
Scout the Location
Having an understanding for the location of the event will make your day go much smoother and is well worth the time. Merely understanding the layout of the venue and what is happening where is important in itself.
The other benefits to scouting the location prior to the wedding include having an understanding for where the ceremony will take place and what perspectives you’ll want to shoot from, the lighting conditions, a great spot for family portraits and some key spots you want to use for the couple’s portraits. Seasoned pros typically find location scouts to be less critical, although it’s always nice.
Review the Timeline
Once you’ve studied the key shots to capture and scouted the location, it’s time to put everything together. Having and reviewing a timeline prior to the wedding is CRITICAL. Otherwise, you are likely to wind up with no time for the 45 family portraits they were expecting done (in 15 minutes), much less any time with the couple. Even if you have to work with the bride and put together a timeline yourself, it’s worth it to avoid a disaster on the day.
Once you have reviewed the timeline, you can put together your photography plan. Will there by time for bridal portraits prior to the ceremony? Will you have a chance to photograph the reception room prior to the reception? How long will it take to com
plete family portraits? How much time will be available for the couple’s romantic portraits? How many spots did you pick out? If there isn’t enough time to get to all of them, which location is the most important backdrop for bride and groom portraits?
As you can see, there is a great deal of planning prior to the wedding day in order to ensure a great shoot. Take your time and get it right. Shooting a wedding is something you want to be prepared for. It will be time well spent.
Once again… here is the link to Lara’s E-Book that provides a much more in-depth view of the business of wedding photography: Click here to view more details
Scuba Diving at Night
“Diving Under the Stars” – Blue Lake, Caucasus, Kabardino – Balkaria, Russia – Viktor Lyagushkin – Featured Photographer
Judging by the views counts and comments, you guys love these split level shots just as much as we do. Well here is a new twist we have never seen before. An underwater split level shot at night with full star compliment. Talk about technically difficult! I wouldn’t know how to begin to do this. Fortunately Viktor does and he explains below. After giving it a good read head on over to http://www.flickr.com/photos/samebody/ for some more truly inspiring underwater images. His underwater Beluga whale images are truly unique.
Enter Viktor:
Blue Lake (Chirek-Kel) in Russia, the Caucasus, Kabardino-Balkaria, is the deepest karst lake in the world. It is situated at an altitude of 800 meters and is surrounded by mountains. The air is very clear and there is no stray light from cities. Here I came up with idea to make a shot which will combine my love of shooting stars and underwater photography. It was the hardest shot in my life.
I found a solid place on the bottom, where tripod would not rise silt from the bottom. In the afternoon we put the weights with ropes to bind the model and the lighting man and exposed length of the ropes. When night had come, I set the box with the camera on a tripod; the model and the lighting man attached themselves to the ropes. I set a long shutter speed, and flared up the flash in manual mode. Lighting man had 2 strobes which worked on EV Controller. The model and the lighting man hung in the darkness and the light under the water was only from the strobes. Slow shutter speed and tripod have helped me get a light from the stars.
Photo – Viktor Lyagushkin
Model – Eduard Huazhev
Light – Bogdana Vashchenko
“Beauty and the Beast” – Budapest, Hungary – Sarolta Ban – Featured Photographer
This shot could be straight out of a children’s story book. Maybe “Goldilocks and the Three Bears”? When I was a kid, I always had a strong bond with animals of all species. However I must say I never had a true “bear hug” fortunately. Now before you start to call child services, remember Sarlota is a master photographer and photography can be deceiving. She does have another bear image in her gallery where he is reading a book to a little bird. If you believe that one then I have a bridge for sale you might be interested in. Please check out Sarolta’s website at http://saroltaban.com/ and if you are as big of fan of this image as I am then you should think about stopping by her store (Click Here) and getting a copy for yourself.
Enter Sarolta:
The image from the bear was taken in a bear farm in Veresegyháza, a small village near from Budapest, the little kid is my niece. When I made the picture I had very strong headache and I felt the bear has the same kind of headache and the little girl’s care eases this headache.
Emperor Penguin
“Polar Porthole” – Snow Hill Island, Antarctica – David C. Schultz – Featured Photographer
Happy Birthday Mom! Our mom turns the big 60 today and I bet she is thrilled to know we just told the whole world (or maybe just the 10,000 people that follow this blog) So for her birthday David presented us with an amazing penguin (her favorite animal) image.
David has been to Antarctica so many times I think he has started collecting mail there. If not he surely is collecting an amazing portfolio at www.westlightimages.com . Please read his story below and find out that photographing penguins can be pretty difficult to reach, but they are more than willing models once you arrive!
Enter David:
The photograph was taken during a voyage to Antarctica’s, Snow Hill Island which is located along the peninsula in the Weddell Sea. This was my fourth trip to the continent but the first time to this particular location. The emphasis of the trip was reaching and photographing the Emperor penguins. To do so an icebreaker, The Kapitan Khlebnikov, along with two helicopters and a bit of hiking across the sea ice was required.
Once we arrived the ship is parked in the fast-ice as close to the known location of the rookery. In this case it was about a ten mile helicopter flight to reach our base camp set up among the massive icebergs which had been frozen in all winter. From there a hike across the ice brought us to the penguin colony. Several days were spent here in a wide range of weather conditions, none being warm.
On the fourth day out I noticed a brilliant blue and well defined hole in a relatively small iceberg about fifty yards from one of the penguin rookeries. I knew it could be used to frame a shot if the penguins would cooperate. Yah, right. It was the wrong time of day with the light coming in from behind me when I first discovered this opportunity. I knew the blue of the previously melted ice which formed the hole would record much more intensely if the light was not direct. I returned late in the afternoon, much better light, and I proceeded to see if I could coax some penguins into the shot.
Fortunately Emperor penguins, especially the gray, black and white fluffy chicks, are very curious. I laid down on the ice near the penguins and each time they approached me I slid back away slowly making my way to a pre-determined spot in front of the hole. At one point I had about thirty penguins, both chicks and adults, following me across the ice. I only wish I’d set up my video camera ahead of time to record the procession! What an incredible experience!
It took over an hour but once I’d reached my mark I slowly stood up and made my way around to the opposite side of the iceberg where I had one of my cameras set up on a tripod ready to go. At first there were too many penguins framed within the hole. I took a few shots and then just waited around for them to get bored. After about twenty minutes I had what I was after, a profile view of a single penguin perfectly framed by Mother Nature.
Here are links to images which show the group of penguin chicks that started to follow me and a front view of the actual iceberg.
http://westlightimages.com/gallery/Penguins.htm#7 chicks
http://westlightimages.com/gallery/Penguins.htm#13 iceberg
http://youtu.be/rLcpYeiQ_DQ Video I shot of the Emperor penguins
Nikon D700, Nikkor 80-200mm f/2.8 @185mm
Gitzo Carbon Fiber Mountaineer, Really Right Stuff BH-55 ballhead
I’ve been to Antarctica seven times now and have two more trips coming up in November. I’ll be taking clients down with me this time on photo tours. Information can be found on my website, www.westlightimages.com
“Flaming Gauntlet” – Mid North Coast of NSW, Australia – Drew Hopper – Featured Photographer
Since reading “Trick Photography and Special Effects…” from our E-book selection, I have really gotten into painting with light. Today’s image is a spectacular example of what you can do with a bit of creativity and patience. Drew’s image reminds me of “The Time Warp” from Rocky Horror. It really is some of the best light painting I have seen. Although he doesn’t give up too many “secrets” he does have some cool examples at his website and portfolios. So check them out after reading his story below and maybe you will find a great print to hang on that empty wall of yours. “God’s Canvas” would look nice on mine.
Website: http://www.drewhopperphotography.com/
Blog: http://www.drewhopperphotography.com/blog/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Drew-Hopper-Photography/162875140443472
Google Plus: https://plus.google.com/u/0/118055814112266323118/posts?np=1&hl=en-GB
500px: http://500px.com/DrewHopper/photos
DeviantART: http://drewyboy.deviantart.com/
Enter Drew:
First things first, I am a fine art landscape/nature photographer situated on the beautiful Mid North Coast of NSW, Australia. You are probably looking at this image thinking ‘what is he talking about, this isn’t a landscape?’… Well yes, you are correct. This image isn’t exactly a landscape. It’s far from my comfort zone of the natural world. I wanted to try and find something a little more radical with my photography, something bold and unique. I have noticed a lot of people have been picking up cameras and getting out and shooting the coastlines, rainforests and landscapes on the Coffs Coast. A lot of those people have been following my work for quite sometime now, so I do feel rather horned to have inspired them to have a crack at it too. I just feel it’s my time to expand and explore some new territory for a change. I guess this is one of the reasons for this new series of images. I wasn’t sure which path to take my photography, so I spent a solid couple of months online looking for new ideas, and that’s when I stumbled across some light painting photography, which caught my eye straight away! I decided to start making some of my own homemade lights from different household tools I had laying around the house. I wasn’t exactly sure if it’d work or not, but that was all part of the experiment that inspired me to challenge myself. The longest thing involved in light painting photography is preparation, often days, event weeks I’ll spend experimenting with new light tools at home until I perfect the desired effect I’m after. Not only are the tools important, but the weather plays a strong role which can either make or break the images.
I refuse to give away all my little secrets to creating this psychedelic effect, but I’m happy to offer advice on lighting and other helpful tips you need for light painting photography. Below you can see the camera’s exif data for this featured image. I hope this doesn’t offend some people, and I will say this now I am not the first person to do this effect before. I had a hard time finding out this technique myself, so I’d like to keep it on the down low for a little bit longer. I will be posting a full tutorial in the next couple of weeks on how do this, so if you’re interested in learning more please subscribe to my blog or follow my photography on Facebook. All other updates will be posted from my website, so if you keep checking back regularly than I’m sure you’ll find what you’re looking for.
Canon 5D Mark II
Canon 17-40mm
Exposure; 30sec @ f/5.6
ISO; 200
Other tools used; Tripod, cable release, steel wool, matches or lighter, battery operated Christmas lights and of course a tunnel for the location.
“Orchid” – London, England – Bread and Shutter – Featured Photographer
We are truly stoked to have an amazingly unique image from today’s featured artist Bread and Shutter. He is an extremely talented artist who specializes in beautiful and engaging above and below water portraits. Orchid is of a stunning young woman morphed with a beautiful flower. To keep up with his latest work please like him over on Facebook (CLICK HERE) or go straight to his portfolio at http://www.breadandshutter.com
Enter Bread and Shutter:
My inspiration is the Orchid flower blended with a beautiful woman’s features.
Shot on a Nikon D700
Nikon 50mm 1.4
This was shot in my studio using studio flash heads and softboxes.
