ANSWERS | Q + A | photography

featuring photos from last Sunday - an evening walk on the beach.

What is it you love most about photography?

Photography enables me to hold memories and live in the moment, grasping every tiny aspect of what ‘now’ consists of by carrying it in one photograph.  Every photograph tells a story; I love watching that story-telling process emulate as I take, edit, and look back upon photographs. 

What is your favourite blog to gather inspiration from?

 Different blogs inspire me for different reasons.  I love Inslee's work; she frequently inspires me to watercolour (I often use her work for inspiration in my paintings).  I also admire Gillian Stevens’s work, which I find to be simple, fresh, honest, and deep.  Hannah Nicole invigorates the ‘inner writer’ within me.  Her poetry and descriptions are really touching and most often make me want to go away, sip a steaming cup of spiced chai latte, and write, write, write.

Do you wish to take photos of Hawaii someday?

Ooh, I’d love to.  Someone pay for my plane ticket and I’ll be there.  Hawaii is an awe-inspiring place and I’d love to visit someday and capture the beautiful ocean scenery.  

Do you plan on publishing a journal/photography book?

Do you read minds? I was actually just asking myself the same question before I did the Q+A post.  Honestly, I would love to.  Any thoughts on if I should?

What kind of camera do you use?

Maybe you’d be surprised to hear that I use one of the cheapest Canon dSLR’s — a Canon T3 (1100D).  Because a camera is not complete without its lens, I should mention that I use the 50mm f/1.8 lens (only $100, but it offers a beautiful depth-of-field and perfect portrait shots).  The 50mm is widely used by portrait photographers (and I completely recommend it!). I also use Canon’s kits lens (18-55mm) but I rarely use it unless I need to shoot a large group shot or a wide-angle landscape shot. 

Current favorite photographer and favorite editing style?

I love using a very light and natural approach with a hint of film.  And Olivia Rae James is probably one of my current favourite photographers. :) 

Where do you edit your photos and could you do a tutorial on how you edit pictures?

Certainly!   I’ll go thorough a quick example of how I edit…  

I use VSCO film Pack 01 (Modern Film) in Lightroom 5.

• Adjust exposure, add contrast (if needed), re-touch areas that are too dark or light  
• Apply an edit from VSCO — normally I’ll use 800 HC or Kodak Portra 400.
• Maybe try black and white?  I normally use Ilford HP5.
• Often, I ask myself ‘Does this photo edit reflect my photography style?’.  

Another point: please don’t copy my edits (or those of others) simply because you like the way the photos look, and not necessarily because they're your style.  I believe in experimentation, being you, and creating something honest, beautiful and unique.  Browse through photographers’ portfolios and websites and read blogs with good photography; find your niche and stick to a style that’s all your own.  Support others’ in their photography work and most likely you’ll be supported in your photography journey.

Here is something I created which goes through me editing a few photos on Lightroom...



To see the words clearly on the video, please click settings in right hand corner of the video and adjust to HD .   I also recommend putting the video in full screen.  (And, annoyingly enough, I couldn't figure out how to add a voiceover.) 

Lastly, I have a question for you: What is your favourite thing to photograph (people, objects, nature, clothing, animals, etc)? 

Happy almost-weekend!

xx

PS Life and art-related questions will be posted soon(ish).