SirCampalot
Adventurer
Phenomenal shots! I'm very impressed with your work. 
Seattle to Death Valley
- Thread starter Photog
- Start date
Photog
Explorer
Thanks again everyone.
We entered 7 images from this trip, into a professional photographers competition held last week, and 6 of them scored high enough for merits towards professional certification. Our next goal is to refine our portrait work to a similar level of expertise. We have no problem pleasing our clients; but shooting for competition is a completely different task. The journey to that goal has already improved the product we deliver to our clients.
Now if I could just squeeze enough time out, to finish the photos from this Death Valley trip (mostly Mono Lake & Bodie).
A few of our local photographers have asked us to lead a week long, photography workshop in Death Valley. I think this would be fun; but I have never done that before, and need to work out the details for lodging, liabilities, appropriate class fee, etc., etc.
We entered 7 images from this trip, into a professional photographers competition held last week, and 6 of them scored high enough for merits towards professional certification. Our next goal is to refine our portrait work to a similar level of expertise. We have no problem pleasing our clients; but shooting for competition is a completely different task. The journey to that goal has already improved the product we deliver to our clients.
Now if I could just squeeze enough time out, to finish the photos from this Death Valley trip (mostly Mono Lake & Bodie).
A few of our local photographers have asked us to lead a week long, photography workshop in Death Valley. I think this would be fun; but I have never done that before, and need to work out the details for lodging, liabilities, appropriate class fee, etc., etc.
T.Low
Expedition Leader
Great work. I must admit, as much as I love the outdoors, scenery shots devoid of animals, kayaks, bikes, or rigs, usually bore me. Blacklock's book on Lake Superior is one that comes to mind that intriques me and makes me want to investigate the area.
Your work does that too, also makes me want to be in the pictures, but also hang them on my wall. Beautiful.
Your work does that too, also makes me want to be in the pictures, but also hang them on my wall. Beautiful.
Photog
Explorer
T. Low,
Thanks for the props. I do make an effort to produce images with people and rigs to give a feeling of "attendance" in the landscape.
Along with that, I enjoy working a landscape image down to a set of very basic shapes, and limited clutter. I work to compose the image, such that it allows you to walk in and move around. Many images tend to block you out, with a poorly composed foreground.
I'm happy that so many folks are enjoying these images, including the PPA (Professional Photographers of America) judges. It is a real motivator to keep improving our skills.
Thanks for the props. I do make an effort to produce images with people and rigs to give a feeling of "attendance" in the landscape.
Along with that, I enjoy working a landscape image down to a set of very basic shapes, and limited clutter. I work to compose the image, such that it allows you to walk in and move around. Many images tend to block you out, with a poorly composed foreground.
I'm happy that so many folks are enjoying these images, including the PPA (Professional Photographers of America) judges. It is a real motivator to keep improving our skills.
Photog
Explorer
This is a thread I started over a year ago. The photo tour was not complete, when I ran out of photo editing time.
So, I will pick up where I left off (leaving Death Valley, headed for Lone Pine, CA).
Stopping in Lone Pine to pick up a fleece jacket for Cindy.
We stayed the night in Lee Vining. This placed us near Mono Lake and Bodie ghost town.
Mono Lake at sunrise. These are salty towers jutting up from the ground, in and around the lake.
So, I will pick up where I left off (leaving Death Valley, headed for Lone Pine, CA).
Stopping in Lone Pine to pick up a fleece jacket for Cindy.
We stayed the night in Lee Vining. This placed us near Mono Lake and Bodie ghost town.
Mono Lake at sunrise. These are salty towers jutting up from the ground, in and around the lake.
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Kodachrome
Observer
I'm a little curious here, as a full time professional of 20+ years who shoots primarily outdoor subjects for advertising / editorial, I have never heard of "Professional Certification" in landscape / outdoor subjects. Can you elaborate a bit on this?
It just seems kind of "Dog and Pony Show" for a sector of the industry in which niche identification and market penetration is *vastly* more important than a photograph having a "USDA" label of sorts on it.
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Photog
Explorer
Thanks for asking. I understand your confusion. Let me clarify a bit: Photographs submitted for judging to PPA national judges, that earn a score of 80 or above, become part of a portfolio of proficiency. Add this to a few years of class work, and other efforts, can earn you a piece of paper and a lapel pin. Something like the one that hangs on the wall at my doctor's office, saying something about him being qualified to make recommendations on my health.
Most of our PPW / PPA certification will be based on portrait work. There are 3 other basic categories, and being proficient in each, makes attaining that certification easier. Portrait, Wedding, Commercial, and Unclassified are the categories. We have produced images that have achieved national merit in Portrait, Commercial and Unclassified. A few of the Death Valley images in this thread were the basis for three of those in the Unclassified category (3 others merited at state level). Since we limit our wedding work, that will probably be our last hurdle to clear. Portraits are a tough category too, but allows much more control than weddings.
We started out in landscape photography, but our experience with other landscape photographers has made it clear, that teaching workshops and leading photo safaris, becomes the main source of income, not sales of the fine art photographs. Commercial growers (farmers) will often commission work that is Landscape variety. With name recognition, book sales can become lucrative.
We are studying and working towards being properly skilled to create portrait art for clients requesting our services, instead of working on speculation with fine art landscapes.
Much of what we learn about lighting in the portrait sector, applies directly to our landscape work. The light sources are much larger, and we are strapped to the solar schedule. As you know, that is all part of the effort most people are not willing to invest, to get decent landscape images.
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Photog
Explorer
Our next stop is Bodie, CA. This place has had it's up's & down's. There were folks living here well into the 1900's. A couple different fires burned down most of the town. It seems big today, but it was much, much bigger.
We are here during mid-day. The light is very harsh, and creates major contrast in the photos, between the shadows and sunny areas. Not my first choice in lighting, but these are the cards we were delt. This limited the images I chose to make and present here.
Looking over the hill, from the parking area.
The view, as you walk into town.
This is a view, looking at the first few building on the main drag.
It was a mining town. There was/is gold in the hills. Here is a view of the mill. The mill crushes and grinds down the ore, into a useable form.
It is now a state park. The ranger's building has an easle in the windo, showing last year's weather (2007) and yesterday's weather (Mid-Nov 2008). It gets fairly hot, and very cold.
We are here during mid-day. The light is very harsh, and creates major contrast in the photos, between the shadows and sunny areas. Not my first choice in lighting, but these are the cards we were delt. This limited the images I chose to make and present here.
Looking over the hill, from the parking area.
The view, as you walk into town.
This is a view, looking at the first few building on the main drag.
It was a mining town. There was/is gold in the hills. Here is a view of the mill. The mill crushes and grinds down the ore, into a useable form.
It is now a state park. The ranger's building has an easle in the windo, showing last year's weather (2007) and yesterday's weather (Mid-Nov 2008). It gets fairly hot, and very cold.
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Photog
Explorer
There are plenty of things to photograph, around the town. We only had a couple hours, before we had to get back on the road. I would really like to come back, and be here for a few mornings and evenings.
There were both cars and wagons used in Bodie. Here is a wagon wheel.
Here are a few of the homes, looking in the direction of the mine.
I think this was a "white picket fence", at one time.
There were both cars and wagons used in Bodie. Here is a wagon wheel.
Here are a few of the homes, looking in the direction of the mine.
I think this was a "white picket fence", at one time.
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Kodachrome
Observer
Interesting stuff Brian, makes more sense I guess. I just wonder about the future of PPA with the way the market is going, you really can not teach a person how to become brilliant at seeing, either you have it or you don't. Digital wonder-cams, workshops, photoshop, they can not give you a great eye, you have to have it inherently to a degree and then it can be honed.
Case in point, a friend of mine works in weddings based out of Southern California. He has a photojournalism background, not a member of PPA. He totally buries most of is competition in terms of raw talent, so he gets anywhere from $8,500-$21,000 per wedding, shoots a fair amount of film as well to give his clients something different in terms of medium.
I shoot a lot of landscapes, taught a couple of workshops a few years back but found that all people wanted to do is copy my work, find out how I make my living, who my clients are, where my favorite spots were, so I bailed on it. I find I do better income wise without teaching workshops because I keep shooting, keep in the field, keep getting better at what I do. But the big increase in income in fine art ( before the crash ) came when I ditched digital for fine art work. I now hand print from 6x6 black and white negs in a real darkroom. These prints fetch at least 4 times if not more than computer generated prints. And this is a trend that is emerging more and more as people get tired of paying for what is essentially computer art, most galleries echo this sentiment. Real is the new fake, the old thing is now new again...
Personally I think that with online photo communities like Flickr and others, group workshop settings are going to go the way of the dinosaur. I mean, who is going to want to pay thousands of dollars to go out to the same location everyone else goes out to with half a dozen photographers getting the same shot? If I were a newcomer to photography and wanted to really get something out of a workshop, I would hire a really well known shooter to do a one on one in an exotic local. If you are going to pay a couple grand for a group workshop, why not pay double that and get something really unique?
Photography has changed a lot in some ways, then not at all in others. You still have to have loads of talent to really make it anywhere, no digital camera, no workshop and no organization will change this....ever.
By the way, I am not trying to give you grief, just put things in perspective in terms of what goes on in the craft across the entire spectrum. Just get out and enjoy without worrying about the destination, for the journey is over before you know it..
Case in point, a friend of mine works in weddings based out of Southern California. He has a photojournalism background, not a member of PPA. He totally buries most of is competition in terms of raw talent, so he gets anywhere from $8,500-$21,000 per wedding, shoots a fair amount of film as well to give his clients something different in terms of medium.
I shoot a lot of landscapes, taught a couple of workshops a few years back but found that all people wanted to do is copy my work, find out how I make my living, who my clients are, where my favorite spots were, so I bailed on it. I find I do better income wise without teaching workshops because I keep shooting, keep in the field, keep getting better at what I do. But the big increase in income in fine art ( before the crash ) came when I ditched digital for fine art work. I now hand print from 6x6 black and white negs in a real darkroom. These prints fetch at least 4 times if not more than computer generated prints. And this is a trend that is emerging more and more as people get tired of paying for what is essentially computer art, most galleries echo this sentiment. Real is the new fake, the old thing is now new again...
Personally I think that with online photo communities like Flickr and others, group workshop settings are going to go the way of the dinosaur. I mean, who is going to want to pay thousands of dollars to go out to the same location everyone else goes out to with half a dozen photographers getting the same shot? If I were a newcomer to photography and wanted to really get something out of a workshop, I would hire a really well known shooter to do a one on one in an exotic local. If you are going to pay a couple grand for a group workshop, why not pay double that and get something really unique?
Photography has changed a lot in some ways, then not at all in others. You still have to have loads of talent to really make it anywhere, no digital camera, no workshop and no organization will change this....ever.
By the way, I am not trying to give you grief, just put things in perspective in terms of what goes on in the craft across the entire spectrum. Just get out and enjoy without worrying about the destination, for the journey is over before you know it..
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