Great photo project where the McGuffins go in search of the landscape locations from the Group of Seven paintings.
Now that’s my kind of treasure hunt: Lake Superior, beautiful country, hiking through the bush, taking photos of these national treasures.
I’m Matt Lockwood and I currently live in a small town in the northeast corner of Indiana. I’m a business professional with a very enjoyable career in the data and content analysis field.
I started gaining a strong interest in photography after I graduated from college in 2012 (Oakland University, Go Golden Grizzlies!) with a BA in Cinema Studies. A lot of my inspiration comes from some of my favorite directors such as Ingmar Bergman, John Ford, David Lynch, Alfred Hitchcock, Andrei Tarkovsky, Carl Th. Dreyer, Charlie Chaplin, and Federico Fellini.
Some films that have inspired me include Seventh Seal, Onibaba, 8 ½, Ivan’s Childhood, Night of the Hunter, and Vampyr.
What I love most about my work is the many ways to explore natural lighting, composition, exposure, and different types of film stock. I’m currently a huge fan of Ilford Delta 400 and Ilford HP5 Plus 400.
The themes I like to explore in my work include realism, neo-realism, and avant-garde expressionism.
I plan on starting a portrait project. There isn’t really a theme for it, but more of an exploration of different individual expressions and moods.
Check out more of Matt’s photos at his Flickr gallery.
Ann Arbor, Michigan
My new “commute” in the morning: walking past the student union and on to the Museum of Art.
If I had one wish for photography right now, it would be for talented photographers to publish more books.
Publish 5 or 1000 copies, but get it out there. Share what you’ve learned, even if the lessons you have to teach are lessons we’ve already learned. If they’re valuable, we need to hear them again and again.
Too often photographers consider their end product to be framed prints or one-off Instagram posts.
What would change about your photography style if you were forced to think in terms of a creating books? It would force you to think as a storyteller. That’s the greatest skill a photographer can cultivate.
Two thoughts.
One is that making a book is not easy. Although there are tons of companies out there who will help you make a photo book (and at a decent price), it’s still a project. There’s editing, and organization, and thematic thinking, and quality control.
And two, it’s so much fun, and such a great expansion of an already-fun hobby. Making a photo book will be one of the highlights of my creative life. In fact, it’s kind of addicting, because now I want to make all kinds of books. I’ve already got one baking in the oven.
Starting a new still life project. This is one of the outtakes – just something fun and fresh.
They call me “Jake” on the streets… because… it’s my name. I am located in the Pacific Northwest, which is just about one of the greatest places ever… if you travel around inside of it. I do things. I like to take pictures (surprise!), ride my bike, sleep, sulk, and eat. You know, human stuff. I have a bachelor’s degree in psychology, and work at a hotel… so you know… living this dream.
I was a curious child. My mom used to take a lot of photos of our family with old point-and-shoot cameras, and I would always chew o n them…. or try to eat them or something. Once I became a teenager, I stopped trying to eat cameras, and started using them for their intended purpose. I took a few (film) photography classes at my school, and really enjoyed all the processes involved with taking photos and printing them.
I don’t really like. I think it’s a little dramatic. I think I’m good at being dramatic with my photos… but do I like that? Ehhhh… The things I like about my photography are the things that people don’t get to see. Photography is and will always be (hopefully) cathartic for me.
I tend to be a fairly reserved, quiet, non-confrontational person… and so I suppose photography is my form of therapy/anger management. I feel like I’m venting when I’m rummaging around out in the freezing cold taking pictures. I feel the same when I’m editing my photos. It’s my time to be in control.
I think most of my themes (for me) are emotional in nature (get it!?). Obviously, nature is a big part of that. I consider myself an environmentalist, so a lot of my photos end up being some kind of dissonant personification of nature reflected off myself. I hope that makes sense.
My work is kind of inhibiting when it comes to making future plans. I do have plenty of locations I am planning on visiting (with a camera) when I get some time. The Bruneau Dunes and Payette River are certainly within my grasp.
Check out Jake’s Tumblr, and check out his other photography Tumblr, @activeoblivion for more good work.
Goodbye Hedgerow – Pulaski, Michigan
A sad sight – lots of farms in south central Michigan are removing their hedgerows. The reason is probably straight economics, since the tree line limits a farm’s arable land.
But still: hedgerows are what makes my country road commute so lovely, each and every season. Now there are just flat fields from horizon to horizon.
To be a photographer, one must photograph. No amount of book learning, no checklist of seminars attended, can substitute for the simple act of making pictures. Experience is the best teacher of all. And for that, there is no guarantee that one will become an artist. Only the journey matters.
Harry Callahan
(via theglasschild)
Amen.
My advice to new photographers is always this: You’re going to suck for a while. And that’s okay. Keep shooting. One day, you won’t suck as much.
Last year I shared some photos from around the house, where the light comes through the windows in lovely ways.
This year, I took an earlier look at the winter light that comes in. As the season changes, so does the light, and it’s fun to chase it around the house when the sun comes out.
On weekend afternoons like this, the house is pretty quiet. When the sun is out, it almost teases you to start thinking about spring. All these windows. It’s a great tableau.
Seth Duimstra is a Jackson, Michigan-based photographer, and good creative friend of mine. Seth and I (along with his lovely wife Aynee) have shot together a few times, but what I appreciate about Seth is his good advice.
By the way: that’s me in the first portrait shot above. Part of our fun urbexing trip.
I’m Seth Duimstra, a husband, dad-to-be, and I guess I’d consider myself as a “creative” so how’s “creative photographer” sound? Aside from photography, I paint, do graphic design, and recently I’ve been exploring video among other random creations.
I’ve always enjoyed taking a good pic but I started really messing around after I got out of tattooing. I still needed an artistic outlet and I had a DSLR that i never figured out how to use properly. so I jumped down the proverbial rabbit hole.
What is there NOT to like about photography? It’s like seeing through other people’s eyes, reliving a memory or a feeling, and so much more. Not to mention the human element in itself just is so interesting to me. People are weird and I love it.
I feel like a dabble with a little bit of everything. I have my favorites but they all fit into one of two ways for me, documentary or artistic. I think keeping things mixed up keeps me from getting bored. I love product photography because I generally work with local artists; so not only do i get to get a first hand private viewing of some pretty amazing work, but i also get to have a small part in their own success.
Landscape and urbex are all about the adventure to me. I generally do this with other photographers, so not only are we hunting for those great images but I get to document the adventure as well. Street photography is also a blast when I get the opportunity to visit other cities. Portraits/candid photography has to be my favorite though. People in general fascinate me… no two alike (even twins), your personality shows through… not to mention just the random expressions we all make in the moments that are only there for a split second and they’re just oh so wonderful.
I just recently started messing around a little more with themed type shoots, Its fun but I’m just getting started so the jury is still out on that. 🙂
Always pondering something, as of late I’d say testing my newsletter concept. I’m itching to get outside more now that color will be back here in Michigan soon. The best way to know what I’m up to would be follow my Instagram or blog. 🙂
For more of Seth’s work, visit his portfolio page, his Facebook page, or follow him on Instagram.
Warren Richardson and His EOS 5D Mark II Win World Press Photo of the Year
He probably would’ve won using a Canon 5D classic, too.
Just goes to show you – to make great work, nothing beats an artistic eye, being in the right place, and a bit of luck.
Jamie MacDonald is an everything photographer – the guy just makes and makes. Jamie and I have shot together a few times, and I always respect his sense of experimentation and adventure.
My name is Jamie MacDonald and I am a professional photographer for Olympus Imaging North America, podcast host, and workshop leader. My position with Olympus takes me all over the place doing workshops and promoting not only their equipment, but also my work, and my podcast focuses on the world of mirrorless cameras.
I got started in photography when I decided I needed a camera for a family vacation back in 2007. I had never owned a camera, and thought one of those fancy interchangeable lens cameras was just what I needed. Once I started shooting I realized it wasn’t just the camera that I needed, it was a reconnection to my past life as an artist that I abandoned after high school.
I like that my photography is not subject limited. I like that when I walk out the door the world is my muse and I feel as comfortable shooting an impending storm, as I do a senior portrait session or an eagle in flight.
That is such a difficult question to answer, but I’ll try my best to put it into words. When it comes to inspiration I guess I should say that I am always in this weird state of wonderment about the world around me. The best way to explain it would be to ask you to remember a fond childhood memory, and when you have one picked out, think about how it makes you feel. I have that same sense of excitement and yearning to drink up life as I did when I was a kid. I even tell people that my soul has not grown up yet. So I guess I try to explore things visually in a way that shows I am still in a state of wonder about the world I live in.
Life. That is the theme I explore. Life is everything, and comes in every conceivable color and shape and form. I get the same level of excitement discovering a patch of weedy flowers growing through the cement, as I do standing atop a mountain shooting the sun filling the valley below me. I imagine that sounds crazy, but it is a part of who I am and how I see my world.
I sincerely wish I had a glamorous answer for that question, but I do not. I have never once had a project come to mind, and yet I think I need to do some sort of series of photos as a way to grow myself. But I just haven’t had anything come to mind.
I DO however have a lot going on in the way of photography workshops and events this year. I will be presenting at the Out of Chicago Conference in June. There I will be doing a class titled “The Art of the Dramatic Landscape” where I discuss my approach to landscape photography, with an emphasis on my particular post processing methodology. I am also co-leading an astrophotography workshop in the mountains of Arizona in May, a weekend workshop in Philadelphia, and a few events here in Michigan. It is going to be a busy year!
Find more of Jamie’s work on his portfolio site, at @sl33stak on Tumblr, and on Flickr.
- Sunsets
- Fireworks
- Waterfalls
- Trails
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner
- Lattes
- Leaves on branches (even in autumn)
- Dew-covered flowers
- Anyplace with a gift shop
- Anything with its own postcard rack
- Portraits of wrinkly faces (just because they’re wrinkly)
- Concerts with more than 25 attendees
- Rain on windows
- Celebrities
- Area 51
- Anything that’s popular on Tumblr
- Anything that’s popular on Instagram
- Anything popular
- Anything the pros are doing
Use all the extra time to create something awesome.
Add to that list: Iceland.
