PixelatedImage Blog

Shortly after I started Craft & Vision I approached some of the photographers from whom I myself get inspiration and I asked them to work with me to bring what they do to my readers. My friend Dave Delnea, whose work and career you can explore in VisionMongers as well, is the first photographer out of the gate and I’m thrilled to be able to release his eBook, Below The Horizon, in the next week or so.

Below The Horizon, Understanding Light at the Edges of Day is an inspiring 40-page PDF ebook, much like others in the Craft & Vision line-up. It was reading Delnea’s rough drafts before going to Kenya that pushed me to create some of my favourite work in a long time. Here’s what I wrote in the Foreword:

I shot the image on this page while on safari in Kenya this January. It was reading the rough notes that eventually became this book that finally opened my eyes to the possibilities to be found in shooting at the far edges of day.  Like so many great learning moments, it was the inspiration I took from Below The Horizon that pushed me to get out and play with this stuff.  The information in this eBook is valuable, but as David himself points out, it’s not rocket science.

Shooting at the edges of day and learning to see the interplay possible between light and time, and how that affects the aesthetics of the image, has opened a whole new world to me. I came back from Kenya with images that excited me more than any I’ve shot in a long time, in part because playing with this stuff, and learning to understand it, creates images that do what I want all my photographs to do: create mood and the feeling of being there. I want my work to say “It felt like this…” not only “It looked like this….”

Take the time to absorb this stuff, but when you’ve done so, shut the computer or turn off your tablet, and go out in the growing or fading light and play. Learn, as David suggests, to see the light that’s only here for a few minutes every day. Everyone shoots when it’s easy to be awake and handhold the camera above 1/60, shooting in the near darkness will invigorate you, inspire you, and produce images with uncommon mood and visual pull.

We’ll be releasing this in the next week or two. When we do there will be, as there was last time, a limited-time discount offered for both single books and a bunch of them at once, as a thank you to my readers. This is an excellent addition to the growing line of ebooks at Craft & Vision and one that has personally inspired and energized my own work. I’m really proud and excited to offer it and the moment it’s up it’ll be announced here.

On Monday I posted images from the safari I did this January. It was an incredible trip, even if I’d never created a single frame I’d have come home excited. Being out on the Serengeti is an experience; being among the big cats, elephants, giraffe – just too cool.

It was my first safari and there was a learning curve, but I’ve often found the best images come at the steepest inclines of that learning curve because we’re pushed beyond the edges of what’s familiar and we begin to see things differently.

I packed way too much for this one, treating it like a usual travel assignment. I could have brought much, much less stuff. Our safari guide, not a photographer, had one small bag for his clothes. I had 2 carry-ons a peli-case and a large North Face duffle. Next time, half the clothes, and half the gear.

I shot primarily with a 300/2.8 IS lens, often with a 1.4x or 2x on it, and a second body with a 70-200/2.8 IS lens at the ready. This was a great combination. A single body with a single lens would have been a greater challenge.  

I began shooting with my 300/2.8 on a Gitzo carbon fibre monopod, but it was unwieldly and got in the way. By half-way through the safari I’d swtiched fulltime to my Kinesis beanbag, I think they call it the Safari Sack. I love that beanbag and if there’s one thing I’d recommend for anyone doing a safari, it’s the Kinesis beanbag. It’s big and solid and far sturdier and softening than a monopod. Arrive with it empty, then put 10lbs or more of lentils in it. And put a piece of tape with your name on it so you don’t lose it.

I don’t know what other safari vehicles are like but ours allowed us to stand up and where the roof separated from the pop-top there was a strong metal lip all the way around the passenger area where we’d put our beanbags. Next time I’m bringing a Super-clamp and extra ballhead to secure my second body to this. Would make managing a second body really easy. As it is several of us just hooked the tripod mount on our longer lenses over this lip and it worked nicely.

Not shooting from a monopod also gives the advantage of getting low and shooting through the lower windows. When you stand up in a safari vehicle and shoot down on the critters you don’t get nearly the wild perspective you can when you get closer to eye level. I was up and down a lot trying to vary my perspective and often the best one was the lowest one. I’ve said it before but it bears repeating. In your photography if you want to change the viewers perspective on things, you must first change your own.

The Gura Gear Kiboko bag gets raves on this and I’ll do a whole other review on it later. As I’ve said before I’m a huge fan of Think Tank Photo and their gear goes with me everywhere. But for this trip I wanted the advantages of the Kiboko and it did not disappoint. Highly, highly recommended. I just got back from Senegal and the Kiboko fit perfectly, fully loaded, into little CRJ and Embraer 170 overhead bins. Well done, guys.

I knew going into this trip that I would have a hard time adapting my vision and my usual way of expressing that, to something so different. Buffaloes and birds, for crying out loud! And I’d resigned myself to trying to create a series of really close pictures of really beautiful animals, even if they weren’t, per se, really compelling images themselves. But animals in the their context are not so different than people in their context. You look for contrasts, moments of humour, and for gesture. Jay Maisel says “everything has gesture” and he’s absolutely right. Don’t settle for a close shot of an animal anymore than you’d settle for merely a close shot of a person. Wait for something, a look, a gesture. Or seek scenarios in which the animal is themselves a great foreground in front of a great background.

I learned wildlife photography is hard. Really hard. And my estimation of the best wildlife and conservation shooters went up immensely. Of course I feel the same way about great wedding photographers too. It’s not easy, and there are fields of mediocrity out there, but the best ones? They amaze me.

FInally, safari lifestyle is a thing all it’s own and if you’re looking to shoot some great lifestyle/adventure images there is plenty of occasion to do it. One of my highlights was a hot air balloon ride early one morning. Beautiful light, and a chance to shoot something I don’t normally. Safari is more than just lions. There are long full days to shoot in, and the landscapes are stunning. The lodges are beautiful, and if you’re looking for local color, you’ll find lots of it. Models for portraits? You’ll find those too.

I’m counting the days until the next one in January 2011. Who’s coming with me?

I’ve been sitting on these for a while, wondering what to do with them and finally got off my butt and decided to put them into a slideshow. It could be a while before they make it into my portfolio as I’m still figuring out a complete re-build, so here’s a glimpse at what I shot. It’s a rough edit and to my horror I saw that I’ve left a couple dust spots in there which I’ll remove as I do a final edit, so consider this a glimpse at my sketches rather than the final work.

This trip was a lot of fun for so many reasons, not the least of which was the company and the learning curve which I find invigorating, if not at times frustrating (the learning curve, not the company!) Thanks to those that travelled with me on this trip. If you’re reading this and have some of your images you’d like to share, drop a note and a link into the comments.

Click HERE to open that slideshow in a new window.

It’s been a long trip. Senegal was amazing, though as always these things take on a life of their own and present more challenges than you anticipate. What a lovely country. We spent hardly any time in Dakar, and were almost immediately driving out to the Gambian border where our shoot locations were. Dusty, sandy, and hot. The first few days were about 40 degrees Celcius and then it started to get warmer! The people were so gracious and patient with us. Our demands on location are always a little nutty, and the patience with which the Senegalese handled us was remarkable. It’ll be a while before images get posted. Only fair the client sees them first and these things just take time. Until then I’m aiming to get images up from my Kenya safari last month and I’ll aim to do that soon. Between client needs, a book deadline, and the need for some personal time, I’ll do what I can to post when I can.

We flew back to Washington, which right now seems mostly recovered from all the insane flight delays, though we got in late enough that I missed my flights and I’ve decided to take this chance to re-route and stay off the radar for a few more days, get some work done, and keep my iphone and email program off for a little more silence. You always plan to have time for this stuff when you travel, but it’s always a ridiculous expectation. So, with my apologies, I’m going to be quiet for a little while longer.

The image above was shot on the island of Goree, just off Dakar. Lovely place, though haunted by its past as slave quarters in the slave trade. Gary and I spent a couple hours there, wandering and shooting, and generally hoping to avoid getting arrested as a friend of mine did while shooting there a few years ago. See you when I get home and settled.

In 20 minutes I leave for the Vancouver airport, fly to San Francisco where I meet up with my producer and friend, Gary. From there we overnight to Washington DC, have a 12 hour layover, then head to Dakar, Senegal. I’ll be shooting about 10 hours out of Dakar in what is technically beyond the middle of nowhere. I return late-ish on Feb 13. I strongly suspect there will be no opportunity for me to check in here while gone, and that’s probably a good thing. Long days and lots to do. While I’m gone please make yourselves at home, browse the archives, head over to Craft & Vision and get the eBooks you don’t yet have, or better yet, just shut the computer and go shoot something you love.

See you soon.

Here’s the February 2010 wallpaper in both 2560×1600 and 1280×853, shot on the Maasai Mara this past January. I ran this through NiK Software’s fantastic Silver Efex and added a texture, which is a little out of the usual for me, but 2010 is the year for me to play and try new things. Sometimes they’ll work, other times not so much.

Be back from Senegal on Feb 13.

Click the image above to get the small wallpaper, and HERE to get the large one. Enjoy!

Mti 1, Burning Bush. Kenya 2010

There’s a great Peter Gabriel song about the tension between the desire to be home and to keep travelling. He begins with “Lost my time, lost my place, in sky blue,” and goes on in the chorus to say, “so tired of all this travelling / so many miles away from home / i keep moving to be stable / free to wander, free to roam.” Man am I feeling that right now. It’s good to be home but I’m jetlagged and not trying too hard to fight it because on Thursday I head back out again, this time to Senegal.

I’ve got a desktop wallpaper for you for the end of the month, I’ll post that before I go. Other than that my time back home has been too short and too full to even think about doing much more than putting the latest book out there for you (If you didn’t see that release, check it out here – The Inspired Eye, Vol II ). Add to the list of skills a photographer needs: an ability to manage time and get more done than possible.

Kenya was amazing. It was hard and I learned alot. I spent time with a great team of people whom I really enjoyed. But many of us struggled to shoot against our expectations. You go to a place with expectations and they can blind you. But they can also be the veil that hides some great surprises. I went for example, thinking I might get a few shots of majestic male lions or something. Didn’t come close. But I got some landscapes I love. And I learned a lot. It comes back to the idea that as creatives we must focus first on the process itself and not the product. Focusing on the product can blind us to what the muse is pointing at, and that’s a dangerous place for a creative who’s in the business of seeing and themselves pointing at things for others to see.

So now I’m up to my knees in gear that needs wiping down and checking, batteries that need re-charging, new harddrives to install for the coming year, and all the concerns related to getting what’s needed to do the job packed and out the door.

The highlight of my week was in seeing the reception to the last eBook. You guys blew the doors off my hopes and within the first 24 hours the classrooms I wanted to build for the school in Kenya were completely paid for. Thanks so much for participating in that with me. It’s yet another thing that sets this community apart from others. Y’all may not be big, but you’re big-hearted. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart. I intend to return next January, to see the classrooms, hear more stories, and ask the same question I asked this year, “what’s your greatest need?” I hope you’ll be part of it again then too. As an aside, when I was 8 I walked to school worried about having not done my homework well. These kids walk to school worried a leopard will eat them. It’s a very real concern and happens often. Kind of puts things in perspective.

Lastly, when I arrive in Senegal I almost immediately jump into a Land Crusier and drive 10 hours into the bush, so it’ll be quiet around here. But I’ll be thinking about you, promise

The Inspired Eye, Notes on Creativity for Photographers, Vol I has been one of the most well-received eBooks we’ve put out. When I first wrote it I had in mind a second volume. Hence the clever business about it being Volume I. Well the sequel is now here and while I toyed with calling it The Inspired Eye 2, Revenge of the Muse, or something dramatic, I took the high road.

The Inspired Eye II picks up where the first one ended and is a further exploration of the creative process. 32 pages long, it’s illustrated with my first film images in over 10 years, themselves part of my own pursuit of the creative process.

If you’ve been wanting to begin the New Year by jumping some creative ruts, then this is a great place to begin.

I am releasing this today, January 22, and for the first 2 days – Jan 22 and 23 – am offering two discounts.

The discount code inspired4 will allow you to buy the book for $4 instead of the usual $5.

The discount code inspired25 will allow you to buy 4 or more books from the Craft & Vision Store for 25% off.

Only one coupon can be used at once, so choose wisely. Buy the whole set or just buy the ones you don’t have, but both these codes will expire at 1am PST on January 24th. You can buy the book at the bottom of this page, but if you want more you’ll find the full collection at CraftAndVision.com.

I’m launching this only 24 hours after my return from Kenya. While there I spent time at a little school just outside of the Massai Mara National Park. Their biggest need was a new wing with a couple new classrooms, and the first 1000 sales of this eBook will pay for that. Just thought you should know that you’re part of something bigger Thanks again for all your support of these crazy plans of mine.

This is a 32-page downloadable eBook in Adobe PDF format.

Take Me to CraftAndVision.com for the full collection of eBooks.

Dusk at Karen Blixen Camp just outside the Maasai Mara National Park.

I’m writing this at the Amsterdam airport. Been here since 5am and my flight leaves at 5pm, another couple hours. Another 12 hours from now and I’ll be home. Had a fun layover in Amsterdam but my wifi just ran out. So I’ll post this from home.

Can’t wait to update you on the trip to Kenya, my first safari. I travelled with an exceptional group of photographers with gear ranging from iPhones to pro-cameras and big glass with multipliers, surrounded by beanbags and monopods, and it’s been a fantastic trip. We’re already in the initial stages of planning for 2011 and I can hardly wait.

I’m not a wildlife photographer, but this trip re-awakened in me some deep conservationist leanings, and a new appreciation for how difficult the work of some of the best wildlife shooters is. I came away with a head full of lessons, African savannah air that lightens the chest and the spirit, and a heart full of possibilities. One of those possibilities is a school for Maasai children. Tomorrow the next eBook launches and the first 1000 copies sold are going to build a new wing on to a school just outside the Maasai mara. I got into the kind of photography I did because I saw it as a possible agent of change, and this is a great example of thinking  a little outside the box – something at which Africans are exceedingly good. At some point I’ll post a slideshow of images from that school, but I want to thank you in advance for being part of the future of these incredible kids.

Stay tuned tomorrow (Jan 22nd) for the launch of The Inspired Eye, Vol II. There’s a discount – in fact, TWO of them to choose from – and the first 1000 copies sold go straight to this project; the construction will be overseen by GIVE International and 100% of those funds will go to building this wing. It’s our project, so spread the love and tell the world.

I’m around until the 28th, will be blogging until then. Then it’s off to Senegal and I’m sorry to say it’ll be quiet again around these here parts until the 14th of February.

It’s good to be home. I’ll post more soon, including some images. Just give me a little time to catch my breath.

A week from today, on January 22, the sequel to The Inspired Eye, Notes on Creativity for Photographers, Vol I, will be released. I’ll make the announcement on the 22nd and for the first 48 hours you’ll be able to buy it for $4 instead of the usual high-ticket price of $5.

I’m excited about this one. I know, I say that about all of them, but these two are really close to my heart (ahem, what does that even mean?). The subject matter is important and writing these two books has taught me a lot. That’s one reason. The second reason is that this book is illustrated with some of the first images I’ve shot on film in 10 years and I had a blast rediscovering this medium.

The Craft & Vision Store is growing, and with it our commitment to getting solid photographic education into your hands for about as much as a Starbuck’s latte. Books from Kevin Clark, Dave Delnea, and Gavin Gough are on the horizon and I can’t wait to bring them to you. But I have to because they’re still writing them. In the coming months we’ll have a couple more of the best resources available anywhere for $5.

Some of the images from the first few batches of film I ran through the 500C/M. Man I love shooting film again. The magic of seeing a new strip of transparencies on the lightbox? I feel like I’m 16 all over again!

If my travels have all gone to plan I am now in the last 4 days of our photographic safari in Kenya on the the Maasai Mara. I get home on the 20th, in time to release the book on the 22nd, do my laundry and head out to Senegal on the 28th. Hoping to have time to post some images from Kenya as well. See you then!