Blog #62 Shooting [from] A Plane
Blog #62 Shooting (from) A Plane
July 4th is the unofficial start of summer in the USA. In Hong Kong, 1 July is HKSAR Establishment Day. This year, the event marked the 20th year of the infamous 1997 Handover [of Hong Kong from the British back to China (sniff!)]. Big Boss Man President Xi from Beijing was in town to oversea the transition from Chief Executive CY Leung to Carrie Lam, Hong Kong’s first woman Chief Executive. There were lots of protests and rain (as usual) so venturing outside to brave the crowds and photograph the fireworks was a PASS (no thanks!) for me, this year.
However, as the regular school year and summer are ushered in by the heavy rains, my thoughts are drawn to making images now more than ever. Summer is the time for travel. In May I went to Denver (for my other work) and then Miami for a few days to visit my family. Of course I wear a camera so I was happily snapping away pretty much the whole time. In two days from now, I will start my summer travel plans with a brand new destination (for me). That place is Hanoi, Vietnam’s capital city.
Over the the next few blog posts I will reflect on travel and making images along the way. In this blog, I will post some images that I made en route to these places, from the plane. I usually carry my cameras, lenses, film, and gear onto the plane since the temperature and conditions are generally more hospitable for sensitive equipment compared to the freezing cold belly of the plane. I generally request a window seat since there are really cool things like cloud formations [not to mention the earth from 35,000 feet] that I don’t get to see on a regular basis. Plus, I’m admittedly addicted to making images, so it goes.
The images here I think work well to give a fresh perspective and pilot eye’s view of the world.
There are those that advocate for buying experiences through travel and photography books rather than gear. Of course you need all three ultimately but every dollar spent on travel and photography books is worth ten (or more) spent on gear.
Where are you going this summer? Will you bring a camera, smartphone? How about your imagination or photographic vision or plan? Don’t leave home with that.
The light is always right.
jhg
Blog #61 On Assignment
Blog #61 On Assignment
All creatives in various fields face similar challenges. As photographers, to continue to create or to be motivated to continuously create can be quite a challenge. What project shall I work on next? How do I know if my current project(s) is done? These are typical questions that most of us will face and to varying degrees, struggle with, over time.
Avoid the trap of buying another camera or lens since this is not likely to lead to improvement in any measurable way. Sure, you can eBay any new camera or lens, unpack the box, smack a roll of whatever film and head out to the wild blue yonder but that’s a false approach to creativity. It’s bogus and unlikely to result in any real personal growth let alone artistic progress.
National Geographic has assignments that anyone can submit to for free. There is a plethora of sources for contests and assignments online through many sources. Ted Forbes (YouTube) holds photo assignments every other Monday that are worthwhile and free. Friends are great for this sort of thing as well. During those “in between” times between personal or commercial projects, it is critical to continue to hone one’s skills with the camera as well as with their eyes and creative mojo.
For example, a friend and avid photographer, Mike Epstein and I went on a self-imposed assignment this month. There were some pretty strict rules: we would shoot different brands of colour film (and later develop it at home ourselves), and use a 35mm focal length lens on one roll and a 50mm focal length lens on another roll. Mike suggested that we shoot images using the theme of transportation, and I obliged. So after our obligatory coffee we went out with our bags filled with colour 35mm film and camera loaded, and we got to work. Mike was kind enough to give me a roll of Cinestill 50 as well so of course we burned that one as well. The target rolls were Kodak Ektar 100 (shot mid-day with the 50mm lens) and Kodak Portra 400 (shot afternoon with the 35mm) lens.
The fairly strict rules forced us to work within these parameters. Actually, there are still quite a range of subjects that one can shoot on the streets of Hong Kong within this set of rules. There are tons of bright red taxis, road signs, trams, busses, bikes, and road signs. Having limits is actually helpful because we immediately eliminated more than half of what was going on. Without buildings, people, nature, rubbish, or things in general, our choices of subject were narrowed considerably.
The images herein were the result of that one-day color film two-lens self-imposed challenge. It’s a good experience and I would encourage any photographer to use the “On Assignment” mantra in between their other assignments or just for the hell of it.
The light is always right.
jhg
Special Workshop Announcement
*Special Street Photography HK Workshop Announcement*
Please e-mail me payment receipt and/or questions.
Lunch Included! Come and Learn how to make better [street] photos.
Blog #60 Atmosphere
Blog #60 Atmosphere
Have you ever looked out a window that has direct sun light pouring through and notice the specks of dust that dance around in a random fashion? Have you ever noticed and appreciated the grain associated with the film photographs and thought about the grain as though they were individual photons [particles of light]? There's an aesthetic there that is unique and special. I’m talking about the quality of a two-dimensional image that presents as a three-dimensional image. In other words, depth. When you can see and feel the air in a photography, it’s got atmosphere.
If you look at the Editor’s Favorite’s on the National Geographic website, you’ll know what I mean. There, you will find many excellent examples. Atmosphere is a special quality of an image that really makes it *POP* Sometimes this is due to the light. Sometimes this is due to the tones, or texture in the image. Atmosphere may be achieved through the gentle focus fall off that isolates the subject within the frame and allows everything else in the image to melt away. Grain or digital noise usually ads atmosphere to an image without degrading the quality or otherwise distracting from the subject.
Atmosphere is the proverbial cherry on top of the image that is already good, already works, and achieves greatness. It’s the holy grail of photography. This is equally as difficult to achieve conscientiously as it is rare. Look for fog, lighting, or some tangible aspect in the air quality to capture. One of the ways that you can put the viewer into your image is through the addition or inclusion of atmosphere. It’s a real challenge to achieve this but the results are well worth the effort.
The light is always right.
jhg
Blog #59 Hanging [with] Art
Blog #59 Hanging [with] Art
Spring is the season of art in Hong Kong. In March there is Art Basel which is followed shortly by the Affordable Art Fair in the month of May. These are wonderful shows that feature many types of art from artists all over the world. There are sculptures, paintings, drawings, and of course framed photographs of all sizes. The pieces are affordably priced hence the name. It’s wonderful thing to be surrounded by art, especially at home. A recent article in the South China Morning Post described this and offered some suggestions (SCMP).
Some insightful person once said:
A room without books is like a body without a soul.
I think that the same could be said about art in the home. After all of the talk and arguments about gear, pixel-peeping, paper weights, and printer profiles, just print and frame the damn photo! It’s an amazing thing to view a properly framed photograph on your wall. To walk by it each morning on your way to having your coffee and on your way home from a long day of work.
Print and frame your images for friends and family. Give it away or sell it if you must. All amateurs, hobbyists, and professionals should aspire to do this.
A photograph doesn’t exist until it is printed, said, Constantine Manos
The light is always right.
jhg
