To do it right you have to make every day count.

http://www.richardarran.com/

I found this panoramic landscape photographer. I think his images are stunning, but not quite what I want to go for when I shoot for my project. I do not want to make my images so edited and colourful. I will be using my little automatic panoramic film camera to take my images, and I like the grainy and distorted quality of the finished image.

Edinburgh

Tomorrow I am going to Edinburgh for a few days, which I am really looking forward to! It'll be a great chance to take more pictures, and work on my project, as well as see more of Scotland! I think it'll be such a fun opportunity. I've heard from so many people that Edinburgh is a lovely city, and I'm looking to finally seeing that for myself! :)

Just found this quote. Definitely something to remember.

"Take advice and suggestions from others, but be confident of your vision. Everyone in your team looks
to you to achieve the final product—the photograph. You may have a client, an art director, or an editor to turn to for opinions, but you must know deep down inside that you're the creator of your work."
        -Zhang Jingna

Annie Leibovitz: One of my most favourite photographers of all time. The way she has become so famous and well known over the years, and worked for all kinds of magazines is so inspiring. Hard work, perseverance and patience can get you far. I love the way she shoots, and how she works with people. She has had so much experience working with people and celebrities over the years, but she makes it look effortless. I love her elaborate photoshoots, they must be so much work and the sets and costumes are so amazing, but the photos turn out perfectly everytime. She is a genius. She is my hero.

This is taken in Tofino, British Columbia. One of the best places to visit in BC. I took this with my little panorama camera last summer. I brought that camera with me to Scotland, and am thinking about maybe using it for my landscapes project. I love working with wide angle lenses, and this camera gives the ultimate wide angle. It creates a beautiful scene, and blurs the edges, which is an effect that I really love and adds something different and interesting to the image. I have taken a roll so far with that camera in Scotland, now I just need to get it developed and see if it will create the look I am wanting for this project.

Landscapes from Home

My first step of research is looking back at my own photography of landscapes from home. They are from around British Columbia. Looking back is a way for me to see what I have accomplished before, and what I felt worked and didn't work within each image.

 

Dougan's Lake, Cowichan Valley, British Columbia. 

This image is completely unedited. Taken December 30, 2010.

I like the darker areas of the image and the colours of the sky are very nice and subdued. The silhouettes are very effective, but find the foreground a little cluttered with too many reeds. A more effective image would have been to move the camera angle a little, to eliminate some of the forground. Or else more in the foreground would have been better.

Cobble Hill, Cowichan Valley, British Columbia.

This image is completely unedited. Taken January 9th, 2011.

This is one of my favourite areas in the Cowichan Valley, although I find the image looks too cluttered, with trees and shrubs. The house is a little too hidden. There would be few ways to change this image from looking too cluttered as the landscape can not be altered, but for a better image, taking the photograph at another time of year might have been more effective.

View of Saanich Inlet, British Columbia.

This image is completely unedited. Taken January 1st, 2011.

I dont really know if I like this image or not.. maybe there is not enough colour? The overhanging tree branches also are distracting from the scenery of the image. Taking this image from a lower persepective and closer to the edge of the water would help to eliminate the branches. The log in the middle of the water is really effective as it creates a point of interest in the photograph.

So these are my most recent landscapes. Soon I will dig into the depths of my hard drive, and find some from the last few years.

These photos are amazing. Some sad, some stunning, some have a painterly quality. 
http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/6fNPrZ/justpaste.it/3ky

Just stumbled across this.. so awesome!!! 

http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/6mqavU/www.youtube.com/watch%253Fv%253Dd6egUsZvWu4

My favourite photographer is Lara Jade. Being in her early twenties, she is such an inspiration, already having work published in magazines, and working with big clients. I was lucky enough to get a spot in her workshop in London in April! :)

http://www.larajade.co.uk/book01.html

Flickr

Check out my flickr account. http://www.flickr.com/photos/samrosephotography/

Its a place to put my snapshots and photos from around Aberdeen and Scotland. 

Landscapes

Project idea: Landscapes. To be more specific: Scottish Landscapes.
I know this will be challenging to create an original image of the Scotland landscape, but I am ready for it!
Here is my first attempt. Well kind of. At least its a recognizable one for all you PEM people!

My main photography project last term was an excellent learning experience for me. I learned a lot about working with people, finding locations, working with a makeup artist. I chose to do a more fashion based project. I had one dress, which each model wore in a different location and situation. Over the course of 3 months, I arranged 6 photoshoots to complete my project. I felt I really improved throughout the term and learned alot about working with my equipment and how to improve my over all image.

A New Blog!

One of the fun things about the photography program in Aberdeen, is having to do a blog for class, so here goes! A place to dump my images, inspirational images, thoughts/ideas, and research. I have tried to keep a blog before, but kept loosing motivation, but here goes with keeping this one up to date and interesting!
A term away from UVic to study at Gray's School of Art in Aberdeen will be so great to learn new things, meet new people, and most importantly take fantastic images! I am looking forward to the next few months to see what inspiration and challenges await me.