Started working int he visual arts and then developed at passion for photography. He mainly focuses on photographing animals which takes up the majority of projects. He has one project called 'Affinity' that I really enjoyed looking through due to the multitude of animals that he photographed, with a multitude of different angles and varying in closeness. All of his shoot however are very interesting and have some aspects of close up photography. His projects also mainly focus on the fine art side of photography.
This has got to me my favourite photograph of Brad Wilson's from his 'Affinity' project. The way that he manages to get such an interesting close-up highlighting the texture on the skin of the elephant. The way that he has managed to light the entire scene is also really effective as it emphasises the creases around it's eyes/ The entire photograph all works together really well. The way that the eye corresponds with the idea of the rule of thirds, is also really interesting, making the image a lot easier to look at as well. The way the only aspect in the image that is in colour is the eye, is also highly effective. It almost looks as though the elephant itself is in black and white itself, which adds to the realistic nature behind the image. The way that the eye is very simply brown compared to the black, makes it pop out of the image, drawing you directly to it, which I think is a brilliant way to make someone interested in a photograph.
This is another image that I thought was really interesting. The way that Wilson has managed to get the monkey to look directly at the camera for the shot is beyond me. The monkey also has a sense of sadness with a bit of a pose in the image, which makes the entire image a lot more effective. I also think that the way the light is reflecting in it's eye adds to the overall look of the image. The fact that the image is so close up, means that you can see the detail and the texture of the skin around the eyes and mouth. The detail in the entire image is also very intriguing as everything looks so sharp. I also think that the slight colour in the eyes and on the mouth is really unique and adds to the overall feel of the image. This is one of the aspects that draws an audience into looking deeper into the image.
I mainly like this image due to the angle that the photographer has used, capturing the animal looking up towards to the camera, rather than straight on or from the side. I think it is a lot more advanced and it makes it clear that a lot more thought has gone into the way that the animal is going to look being photographer. I also think that the way that the zebra is actually looking towards the camera, looking upwards, is a lot more effective than if it were to be looking straight ahead. I think that the black and white stripes on the zebra on the very plain black background works perfectly with the idea of a black and white photograph and I think that the general idea behind the photograph is really intriguing and interesting.
This photograph, I thought was the most intriguing. I was thinking about how the photographer would have managed to actually get the shot, wondering how he could have got the image at the exact moment that the tiger would have done this. I think it highlights the photographers photographic skill and also how he able to capture some very advanced shots in dangerous situations. I like how the tiger is only taking up a small area of the entire image so we get the sense that it is looking off into the distance. I think that the lighting in this image also adds to the overall effect because of the way that it very simply just lights everything up. Without this technique in lighting, I don't think that the image would have looked as good.
Influence
Brad Wilson was one of the first photographers I came across in regards to close-up animal photographer and I was automatically captured by his work. He manages to capture some truly beautiful photographs that have inspired and influenced me to go out and try and do the same. I have already experimented with some animal photography, using my telephoto lens at the zoo to try and get some interesting angles of animals as best I could. I have also used his ideas and methods as influence in regards to nature photography and the wild nature side of photography as a whole. Not only his project affinity, but his other very interesting portfolios, also intrigued me greatly and I just love the vibrancy in his images. Everything is so sharp and well thought out, with interesting stories behind them, which I think adds to the impact that his photographs have on people. This is why how he has managed to influence me to go out more and experiment with the wild, capturing stories behind the obvious.
Summary
All in all I think that despite Wilson having a very clear interest in animal photography, he also likes to experiment with ideas that are not immediately obvious. He likes to challenge what can actually be photographed, which I think is an important aspect of photography, especially if you want to get people interested. This is why he has been one of the photographers that I have mainly looked at for close-up animal photography. His other work is beautiful and I have enjoyed looking at it, but it does not relate to the theme of close-up which is why it was hard to include some of his other work.
Ross Hoddinott
Ross Hoddinott is one of the Uk's most prized wildlife and landscape photographers capturing a lot of beautiful close-up images that have appeal to thousands of people. His passion for the natural world, inspired him to go out of his way to capture the beauty in nature. He also contributes to a number of wildlife photographic magazines including Wild Planet and more overall magazines such as Digital SLR Photography. His photography has got him recognised mainly for close-up specialist, photographing mainly insects and wild plants. He is also a well known landscape photographer.
This photograph is a very good example of close-up photography due to the strong shadows and highlights. I also like the way that it shows the detail in the dragonfly's wings which I think is really effective and adds to the overall look of the image. I think it adds to the effect how the lighting is essentially coming in from behind rather than being lit from behind the camera. It adds to the depth of shadow that we can clearly see in the image. I think that the water droplets on the insect as well also adds to the close-up effect. I think that the droplets on the top of the head of the insect and along the back add to the texture of the insect, making it look almost furry against the weaved like texture of it's wings. The most prominent part of this image would have to be the fact that the majority of the subject in the image is black, creating a harsh contrast on the background which is a gradient of white and grey. The overall look of this image is really interesting and unique and I just think that the way that the photograph has been lit, adds greatly to the effect that it gives to the audience.
The reason I chose to look at this image is pretty much the same reason as the previous image. The fact that the image is lit from behind the subject rather than from behind the camera, adds to the overall look and feel of the image. Especially the fact that it in this image it is the sun instead of artificial lighting, adds more of a dimension to the image, that I think works really well, especially with the colours that we can see in the photograph. I like the way that the sun particularly outlines the individual subjects, in particular, the dragonfly's head and legs. There is some sort of frost or hair on them and the sun emphasises them making them somewhat glow around the insect. This effect looks very effective and the technique adds to the overall look of the image. I also like how the background is extremely blurred so that we cannot even make out what is going on, indicating that there is nothing else that we should be really looking at. This technique is designed to make the audience 100% focused on the subject in the foreground.
This image really stood out to me because of the detail that we can very clearly see in the mushrooms. I like the way that in the top right hand corner the sun is essentially shining through the mushroom, showing us that the majority of the lighting in this image is coming from behind them. I like the shadow that this has created on the image as I think that it adds to the overall detail that we get to see. The sheer closeness of the image is also very capturing and I like the way that it is angled from beneath rather than from the side or above as I think it adds to the image make the audience look as though they are standing underneath the mushrooms looking at them, which is what I think Hoddinott wanted us to think when looking at this image.
This is another image that really stood out to me, due to it's brightness and the way that the image has been composed. I like how there are two main colours in the image, consisting of white and yellow to make the middle of the flower stand out amongst the white of the petals. I also like how there is almost a radial blur to make the surrounding area around the yellow, all very blurry so that all of the attention is on the middle of the flower. I like how it is almost a very shallow depth of field, but also how there is a clear focus in the image without making everything else seem really far away. I think that the fact that there is almost a green colour in the background adds to the feel that it is actually a plant and a flower. It makes it seem a lot more realistic that if the background were to be a solid colour, which is something else that I really liked in this image.
Influence
I have taken a lot of influence from Ross Hoddinott as I think that his photography emanates exactly what I would regard as close - up photography of insects and plants. I love the way that he pushes the boundaries with the close- up photographs that he can get, such as the way that he lights his photographs to make the shadows and highlights add to the overall detail in the image. This is something that I have been highly influenced by and have tried to include in my own work. When I have tried to add this type of technique into my own work, I have found it extremely difficult, which influences me more to look at more of his work an to get more ideas to impact my own photographic skills. He has greatly influenced me in developing what I as a photographer can actual achieve, which it think has been very important to me.
Summary
I think that Ross Hoddinott has really developed what close-up photography can actually be, pushing the boundaries and making all of his work very unique and intriguing. I think that he mainly does this through pushing what we would regard as close - up. He also does it through his colouring and the way that he lights his photographs. Not just his close - up photographs but his landscape ones have also enabled me to understand more the idea of landscape and close - up photography which will help me develop personally. Overall, I think that Hoddinott is a very interesting and unique photographer who generally tends to push the boundaries on what he can photograph and define as close - up and landscape photography.
Michael Dykstra
Michael Dykstra mainly focuses on taking portraiture photographs such as fashion and editorial shots. A lot of his work is studio based but there is also a large majority of it that is set on location. The work that I have mainly looked at, is his personal work that he does for fun, rather than the work that he gets paid to create. I think that through looking at the work that he personally creates, shows his true passions and creativity. It is clear through his work that he enjoys taking fashion photography but his personal work, looking at the close-up of interesting features such as water and smoke, indicate that he would probably be a lot more interested in capturing things that are fast moving and require focus and patience. This is one of the reasons that I have chosen to look at Dykstra as a photographer as a lot of his photographs are really interesting to look at and all have a sense of fine art closeness to them.
I thought that this image was really interesting and different, due to the way that the small bubbles above the initial drop are sort of hovering up out of a hole in the water. I think that the effect that this gives off is really sci - fi looking and it makes it a lot more eye capturing. I also think that the use of the green in the image, makes it look a lot more vibrant and adds a certain etherial look to the entire image. I like how he has managed to get all of the surrounding area to remain still and calm. I imagine that this would have been done through a blurring technique within the image itself, rather than through editing. I also like the smoothness of the actual water droplet and it makes it look almost like a metal, rather than it being water. I also think that it is effective how the top half of the image is almost completely black as it makes the green stand out a lot more and makes it it look a lot brighter than if the entire image was to be green.
This is another one of my favourite images created by Dykstra, due to the fact that the image is made up of lots of different colours. I like how there is not one main colour in this image, like the previous, as it adds to the quirky feel of the image. as this image is taken from more of a bird's eye view, it almost looks as though the water droplet is climbing towards the camera. The effect that this gives off is really unique and clever to have captured. I think that it would be fun to experiment with this type of photography to try and create some similar water droplet photographs. I also like how there are particular areas that look like they are disconnected from the actual water droplet itself. Again, I also like the smoothness that we can see in the water that adds to the overall look of the photograph. I think it's clever how the photographer has managed to make it look like the colours are slowly blending out and changing the closer they get to the edge of the image. This gives off a sort of tie dye effect that looks really unique.
This is another image, from another personal project called 'Smoke', that I thought looked interested and slightly etherial. I like how there is a clear focus in the image, but there are also some aspects in the background that make you think that there is more depth in the image. I also however like how the photo is basically lit up completely red. It is almost like there is a red filter over the image, but it would seem to me that there is a red light somewhere positioned behind the camera to make the image look this way. I like how the bottom of the smoke is very thin and then spirals out at the top of the image to mimic the smoke idea that we all think of when picturing an image of smoke. I think it has captured the idea of smoke really well and is really well lit so that it stands out on the page.
This was another one of my favourite images due to the simplicity behind it. The simple whit background make's the black smoke stand out to give it an almost blue/grey colour that I think works really well. I like the way, much like the other photograph, that the smoke fades out at the edges to give off a realistic idea of smoke that people tend to think of. I like the fact that it is not a stereotypical image of smoke, for example, a black background, showing white smoke in front of it. I think it adds a different type of twist to the image that has really paid off. I think that he could have made the image better if he would've positioned it so that the image would contain more of the smoke, such as going further to the left with the camera to get more of the actual smoke involved. This would have been a good way to develop the photograph more than it already is.
Influence
Michael Dykstra has influenced me a lot with mainly his personal photographic work, however a lot of his fashion photography has given me some ideas as to how I can incorporate these ideas into my close-up project and also how I can do my own personal projects with his techniques. I particularly like the way that he has created a lot of very different work within fashion, mainly his location shooting. I think that I am going to use some of his ideas to develop a shoot looking at faces with a busy lifestyle in the background, to highlight a contrast between the still and the moving in the background. I am also going to blur the background so that everything works well together. The main idea behind this shoot is to get the face in full focus and the rest blurred. This is an idea that I am taking from Dykstra and developing in my own way to correspond with my close-up topic. A lot of his personal work that I have looked at above has also influenced me to experiment with the type of photographs that I can take with smoke and water and I am going to develop some ideas that I already have with a few test shots and an initial shoot.
Summary
Michael Dykstra is a highly developed photographer who mainly focuses on fashion photography and I think that he has developed a really individuality for it, along with personal work that has allowed him to express his more creative side. Despite being influenced by his more personal work, I have also taken a lot of inspiration from his fashion photography as he develops very different techniques of photography that I think looks really interesting. Overall, I love the work that he creates and am inspired by all of his work. It all has very different meanings that I think he has developed over a long period of time.
Cyril Cattin
Cyril Cattin is a close-up photographer who looks at macro in particular in a lot of detail. He mainly focuses on aspects of nature such as dandelions, leaves and flowers. He is based in Annecy in France and has been a photographer on the Behance network since 2007. All of his work contains many different styles of close-up photography, looking at very basic macro shots and more advanced shots such as using depth of field in some of his images.
This is my favourite photograph by Cattin due to the fact that it highlights all the different features of a dandelion. I like how he has chosen to only show part of the dandelion, rather than the entire thing as it adds to the overall look of the image. The way that he has made the texture on the outside of the dandelion, look somewhat fluffy, adds to our idea of the dandelions floating in the wind. I also think that the photographer has managed to capture the dandelion perfectly, as we can see where the dandelion's individual heads join up to the bud in the middle. This is when I think that the black and white effect works really nicely to draw in the audience to make them look deeper into how the dandelion is formed. I like how the light is hitting the individual heads, lighting them up and making them stand out from the rest of the image as it makes them look somewhat seperate from the rest of the image. This is something that I think Cattin has done really well in capturing. Along with the general subject in the image, I think that the idea of a very short depth of field is very apparent the further you look into this photograph. It is clear that there is a lot of blurring behind the dandelion, which would lead us to believe that there are either more of the dandelions or something else that the photographer did not want us to see, adding a sense of mystery into the image.
I like the fact that Cattin has decided to keep all of the colour in this image, maybe saturating it a little to add to the vibrancy of the image. The lighting in this image has been mainly directed onto the hanging part off of the leaf, which I think works really well alongside the depth of field. The brightness of these hanging areas, mean that a lot of the focus is taken to this particular area. This is something that really stands out when you initially look at the image, which is really important, as without a focus area of the image, then an image can not necessarily be formed around it. The short depth of field in the image adds to the overall effect of the hanging areas as it puts more focus on a specific part of the area that is brighter than the rest of the image. This effect makes the image look a lot more professional and adds to a more believable 3D effect.
This is another one of my favourite images by Cyril Cattin, due to the colours in the image making it look somewhat aged. The image almost looks slightly like an oil painting, which is something that has worked really nicely with these types of flowers. The colour in the images almost look as though they have been desaturated with it's vibrancy increase to still stand out. This is due to the fact that even though there are clear colours in the image, they are not as saturated as they would most likely be if you were to see them in the flesh. Despite this, I think that the image works really well and the colours work perfectly with the type of flower that looks quite hawaiian. Again, much like the other images, the depth of field in this image works really well. Although it is clearly a very short depth of field, the blurring in the background is not so deep that we can't make out what is actually there. It is clear that the photograph has been taken amongst other subjects, such as a forest or among some trees. I think that the way the light is shining in the background, works really well with the white flowers in the foreground.
This is another image that I thought was really effective. The vibrant purple taking up the majority of the image, as well as being almost centered in the foreground of the image, works really well. I also think that the way the flower sort of feathers out towards it's edges makes the center of the flower stand out a lot more, rather than having the entire flower in focus. Cattin has managed to do this so that it does not completely blend into the blurred background, which I think is really effective, as it would be hard to do this getting the correct amount of blending. I also think that in the background there is a slight amount of desaturation to make the purple colour in the flower stand out more in the entire image. This is another aspect that I thought was very thought out along with the depth of field that he continues to use throughout his work. This depth of field adds so much more impact to the image, rather than keeping the entire image in focus. I think that the depth of field idea in this image and throughout his work is something that he likes to include in everything.
Influence
Cyril Cattin has given me a lot of influence in regard to positioning my subjects, making sure that I am including depth of field. The depth of field effect that he uses all the time, is something that has influenced me to do some shoots purely inspired by the technique. It adds a lot of dimension and has influenced me in this respect. He has also influenced me to look more at the colours in my images as an area for improvement. He has a lot of vibrancy in his image, even though a lot of the time his images have a slight amount of desaturation, which I think is something that I would like to experiment with. He has also influenced me to experiment with how close I can get to my subject, using a standard lens, working with what I've got. I think that this is important to make sure that I can get the most of the camera that I own.
Summary
Overall, I think that Cyril Cattin is a very skilled macro photographer that has a lot of skill when it comes to deciding how to place subjects within an image. I also think that he looks at photography really interestingly, as he includes a lot of depth of field in his work, which adds to the dimension in the images. As a photographer he like to look at nature and I think that this is a good area for him to focus on as he is very good at getting close up to his subject, giving the right amount of blurring to make the image look more professional and interesting to look at. His photography is very basic, but I think because of the things that he chooses to photograph, it pays off, meaning that he doesn't have to do much, in order to get a significant looking photograph. This is something that he manages to do really well.
Robert Thompson
He is an accomplished natural history photographer and an acclaimed macro and close-up photographer. He focuses a lot of photographing small animals such as insects and bugs. He also looks as some aspects of nature photography, mainly lakes and forest areas. He has a particular interest in dragonflies, butterflies and moths for which he has specialist scientific knowledge. It is clear that he has a clear passion for the nature side of photography, which I think he shows very well throughout his work.
This was one of my favourite photographs from the shoot because I think that the colours on the bug all work well together together against the green leaf and the black background. I also like how he has managed to show the detail on the bug, without being extremely close up to the actual subject. He has also made this insect look really interesting by positioning it slightly off centered and also so that it looks very close to the edge of the leaf, giving the insect a character that engages the audience looking at the time, which is usually quite a hard thing to do. I like how the background is almost completely black with flecks of green in it, because it highlights how there is probably something actually there, but the depth of field created in the image is blocking us from knowing what is there. This adds a sense of mystery to the image that intrigues the audience more into the image, without even realising it. I really like the subject itself, having really interesting looking details on it's shell, looking very colourful and standing out amongst the bright colour of the leaf.
This image greatly stood out to me when looking through Robert Thompson's work. This is due to the fact that the caterpillar is the main subject in this image. The closeness that Thompson has managed to get with this photograph, really engaged me the moment I saw it. I thought that through managing to get the caterpillar in this particular stance, has worked incredibly well for him. The image is so close up that you can actually see it's legs clinging onto the twig, which I thought added to the overall look of the image. The single leaf on the twig is also effective as it looks as though the caterpillar is trying to get a hold of it, giving the subject a sense of character. The short depth of field that we can clearly see in the image, also makes it look a lot more interesting than if it were to be a solid background. Again, much like all the other images with short depth of field, it adds a further sense of mystery to the image that intrigues the audience.
Thompson's clear love for photographing bugs and insects has really come across in this image. He has captured the detail on the moth to an extraordinary level. The detail on the wings and the fact that you can see the texture in the fluff on it's head adds to the overall look of the image. I also think that the way he has managed to show the moth's legs holding onto the bark of the tree, adds to the definition in the image. This is another aspect that I think works really well in the image as it gives a sense of environment to the audience, which I think adds to the look of the entire image. Again, the short depth of field in the image, increases the mystery in the image, that the audience always wants to see.
The vibrancy of this image really appeals to me, especially with the frog popping it's head out of the water. The closeness of the frogs eye, also adds to the image and I think it makes a lot more intriguing to look at, due to the fact that one eye is the main focus and the other is blurred in the background. The tiny green lily pads that are surrounding the frog and also covering him slightly, contrast with the colour of the frog, which I think works really nicely. The short depth of field that is apparent in the image, is also very intriguing because I think that it makes the frog stand out more amongst the green in the image.
Influence
Robert Thompson has had a lot of influence on me and the type of photography that I am going to look at in the future. The way that he manages to photograph small insects and bugs, is quite astonishing, especially when it comes to photographing bugs that can fly, such as moths and butterflies, as they would most likely try to fly off when the photographer got close to them. He still manages to get the detail from the bugs and insects, which makes his photography highly influential to me as I find it hard to capture this type of detail in my own work. He has also influenced me, much like some of the other photographers have, through the use of depth of field, which I think makes the subject stand out a lot more in the image and brings the subject closer to the person looking at it, which is highly effective.
Summary
Robert Thompson is a very passionate photographer, especially when it comes to photographing bugs and insects, which is highly apparent when looking through his portfolios. Even so, he manages to capture these bugs and insects so extraordinarily that his photographs i'm sure have inspired many into attempting to photograph similar subjects. This is something that I think is very important about professional photography, is that it needs to inspire and influence others into create and developing work to make it look intriguing. I think that this is definitely something that we can get from looking at the likes of Robert Thompson and the work that he produces.
No comments:
Post a Comment