PixelatedImage Blog

I wanted to introduce you to Dave Delnea this morning. On Friday we’re releasing his eBook, Below The Horizon, and it seemed only right that you meet him first. Dave is a friend of mine, and a photographer whose craft and creativity I deeply admire. I know few photographers who have as much passion for actually going out and creating images just for the sake of their creation and engagement in the process.  You can find his work at DaveDelnea.com, and read about his career in VisionMongers. Below the Horizon launches early Friday morning, depending on your time zone, and will have a very limited time discount.

I was 22 when I made the decision to commit myself to pursuing the craft of landscape photography. Having no real clue how to go about this I did what any young, somewhat irresponsible, adventure-starved kid would do; I quit my job, jumped into my car and headed for the mountains.  I spent months living in my tent and car, eating instant noodles and hiding from the park rangers (I had a bit of an aversion to paying for campsites).  I found that the shots that I would get the most excited about were the ones that came from the very edges of the day.  I loved shooting long dusk exposures and seeing how the water and clouds would move through the frame, I would run around with my headlamp and use it to lightpaint rocks and trees in the scene, I would hike hours in the dark to get to a location to set up a star-trails shot where I would sleep beside my camera while it rendered a single image.

I have such fantastic memories of those times – and the skills I learned then are what helped to start my career in photography and continue to be an integral part of it.  I now shoot primarily for commercial clients and have applied the concepts I discuss in this ebook on photoshoots for resorts, hotels, architecture and tourism clients, ad agencies and design firms.  I still have simple shoots that are just me, my camera and a tripod – while others incorporate a whole crew of people along with elaborate lighting set-ups.  Still the concepts I use are based on the same skills learned from my park-ranger-hiding, instant-noodle-eating, time in the mountains.

I hope this coming ebook inspires you to head out with your camera at some ridiculous hour of the day so you can experience the same excitement I do at seeing these sorts of images appear on your camera’s LCD.  As I say in the book – it’s not always easy to get yourself out at those hours of the day, but I’ve never once regretted the effort.

happy shooting
dave.

Image 1:
A 6 hour exposure of the stars over the “Giant Cleft” a unique
geological feature in Cathedral Provincial Park, BC, Canada.

Image 2:
An evening twilight shot of where the the Coquihalla River meets the
Fraser River (Hope, BC, Canada)

This is Corwin. Corwin meet everyone, everyone, Corwin. Corwin’s my manager, friend, and Fire Put-er Outer. In my absence he thought he’d grab the microphone and fill the dead air. Corwin is a sharp mind who gets professional creatives like no one else I know. He’s the author of Growing The VisionMonger, the most recent eBook on offer from Craft & Vision. Highly recommended. Anyways, that’s the intro. Corwin will post while I’m gone. Look for a post from me on the 15th.

Ever had the awkward feeling that you’re standing on stage, wearing nothing but black socks? Well over these past few days I’ve lived on a stage of sorts. Last week saw the launch of the first collaborative eBook on Craft & Vision and, sure enough, it was mine. Not only am I the first non-duChemin to put it out there, but I’m also the first non-photographer to do so (that’s where the naked part comes in—the socks are just a bonus). I wrote Growing the VisionMonger in hopes of providing a helping hand to weekend warriors and pros alike, but there was a lesson in that eBook for me too: move quickly on a good idea, regardless of the risk.

That’s what I’ve learned from being around David; when a good idea comes along, he jumps all over it. As his manager, I’m privy to David’s schedule (his tasks, his clients, his whims and stressors) and I see all that he has on his plate. What always stands out to me is how he’s always looking for a big idea and how prepared he is to make it a reality. When he gets inspired, he moves fast. Take, for example, this whole Craft & Vision thing. When hiking with him this past August, David says to me, “Hey, I’m thinking of writing an eBook, what do you think?” We chatted about it for a few minutes, as we scrambled through a gully, and that was that. Well, within a few days, wham-o! eBook out the door (and 4 more followed shortly thereafter).

So what’s his secret? Well, seeing how he’s out of the country and less able to defend himself, let me tell you. David makes small, attainable goals and then works very hard to complete them. Those initial steps happen within a day, if not within an hour. And, when inspired, he tells people about it. He doesn’t sit on a good idea; he shares it. This gives him enough feedback to make the tweaks and changes he needs to feel confident about moving forward. He also gains the support of those his trusts and enjoys working with.

So what about your ideas? Which ones have been percolating for far too long? Which ones do you want to make a move on and see become a reality? Why not take a risk, jump up on stage, and put some action to your inspiration? I would, however, recommend keeping your clothes on.

Growing The VisionMonger is available, with all the Craft & Vision titles, for only $5 from CraftAndVision.com

As a staff-shooter for a humanitarian aid organization I hear from a lot of photographers who want to know more about pursuing a career in humanitarian photography.  Most are a bit puzzled about how to get their start, and I can understand this.  It is definitely an elusive “market”, if we can even call it that, and I certainly don’t have all the answers, but here are a few thoughts of encouragement for those who may be interested…

In the beginning, we all became photographers because we desperately wanted to shoot “something”.  And that “something” was our passion.   Maybe this “something” has evolved over time. Or maybe it’s the same as day one.  But whatever “it” is currently, I think it’s safe to assume that most of us dream of shooting “it” professionally.  At least we should.  After all, that’s what brings the greatest career and life satisfaction, and that’s when we do our greatest work.  Our passion might be to Save Darfur,  it could be to stop global warming, or perhaps we just love to document everyday life as we find it.   My point is that we all dream of exploring SOMETHING with our camera for the purpose of telling the world how we feel about it.   This is what we were created for as artists.  But how do we achieve this goal professionally?  How does one get paid to shoot their passion?

Usually my advice is to show THAT work in your portfolio.  Show the work you really WANT to get, not the work that you just happen to have.  (And yes, this goes for style as well as substance.)  But naturally, this advice presents a dilemma for those whose true passion lies in traveling to and shooting in distant locations- much less when that place is dangerous or inaccessible.   If we include the need to support a family while doing this, well then the odds are surely stacked against us.

And a classic Catch 22 follows:
“How do I get assignments to these locations without a portfolio to show in the first place?  And how do I get images for that portfolio without an assignment to take me there originally”?

My next response is to start where you are…

If giving a voice to those in poverty is at the heart of what you really want to do, then go to your local food-bank or homeless shelter and volunteer to do just that.  If documenting the plight of refugees in foreign countries is what fires you up, then focus on asylum seekers in your nearest city and look at their plight through your lens. If you dream of telling stories about our environment in peril, then find a local conservation organization & volunteer to do stories for their campaigns.   In fact, I recently did just that.  And it worked out better than I could have imagined.  Here’s my experience…

Through my local newspaper I learned of an initiative to designate a 25,000-acre National Scenic Area near my home.  This was an effort to halt a large logging project in a very sensitive area.  As a concerned citizen, I looked up the campaign website and noticed a serious lack of visuals.  I decided that a nicely produced video could really help get their message out,  so I volunteered to produce one for them.   I did this for two reasons:  1) Because I had been wanting to gain professional experience in video production.  And 2) because I am PASSIONATE about conservation & outdoor recreation-  it has always been a dream of mine to shoot that professionally.

It being my first attempt at producing a documentary meant that the final product was no award winner, but the organization was more than thrilled to have it.  Plus, I gained the production skills I wanted.  But perhaps most importantly, and the moral to my story, is that because of the exposure from that project I’ve landed a contract producing a series of videos on outdoor recreation for my local Tourism Development Authority.  Kind of my dream job- and this one isn’t just volunteer work.   Who knows where this one might lead?

So why did you become a photographer in the beginning?  What do you dream of accomplishing through your work now?  It’s good to dream global, but you’ve got to start local. Name your dream assignment, then figure out what you can shoot locally to put that same passion to work immediately.

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For the past 7 years Matt Powell has been a documentary photographer for the Christian aid organization Samaritan’s Purse.  Based in North Carolina with his growing family, he is currently learning the ropes of video production and pursuing his reason for living.  View his portfolio at www.mattpowellphoto.com where he also keeps a blog aimed at inspiring other photographers to put their talents to work for good.

I’m over at Scott Kelby’s blog calling for a revolution, so go check it out THERE and bring your revolutionary spirit. See you back here tomorrow.

Disclaimer: This is a peaceful, non-political revolution and we neither endorse, nor are endorsed by, Che. He’s got his own thing going on elsewhere.

Matt Brandon is hob-knobbing it in London this week and asked me to do a guest-blogger spot over at The Digital Trekker blog. So rather than write twice, I’m sending you there for your dose of photo-wisdom. I’ve written a piece about the Illusion of Free and the need for photographers to better manage their time and money. So if you’ve ever been asked to shoot for “free”, head over there and give it a look. I’d love your feedback too, as I know this is a topic that hits us all in the pocket.

Gavin Gough and I are trading posts today. You can find my post HERE on Gavin’s blog and his post below. Please extend a warm Pixelated Image welcome to Gavin Gough.

Inspiration – A Beginner’s Guide

“Photographic technique is no secret and, provided the interest is there, easily assimilated. But inspiration comes from the soul and when the muse isn’t around even the best exposure meter is very little help. In the biographies, artists like Michaelangelo, Da Vinci and Bach said that their most valuable technique was their ability to inspire themselves, This is true of all artists, the moment there is something to say there becomes a way to say it.” Ralph Gibson

You know when you’re feeling inspired. Whether or not we’re photographers, we’ve probably all enjoyed that feeling of having a definite purpose combined with the energy to pursue it. It’s a great feeling, the mind is cleared of distractions, obstacles shrink to nothing, the path ahead becomes obvious and, very quickly, there’s nothing easier than taking steps towards achieving your goal, your vision. We are inspired! (More after the jump.)

Read the rest of this entry »

Travel Photographer Gavin Gough and I are switch hitting today. We’ve chosen a topic – Inspiration: Standing on the Shoulders of Giants – and are exchanging blogs for today. You can read my take on this subject on Gavin’s blog HERE. But before you head off there, take some time to read Gavin’s take on the subject.

Standing on the shoulders of giants

Photographers! We’re a lucky bunch. Not only do we have a rewarding occupation or satisfying pastime, we’re able to learn from those who have gone before us for free.

Other photographers’ work is readily available and close examination of it allows us to stand on the shoulders of those photographers we admire and to see much further than we would from ground-level. It’s a tricky balancing act, no doubt, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you’ll be rewarded.

And if you’re prepared to stand on a giant’s shoulders then the view will amaze, engage and inspire you. I want to tell you about one or two giants whose shoulders I have hitched a ride on in the past.

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