Shooting landscapes

I remember as a kid (don't you love it when articles start like that?), a 'good' photograph was one that captured the landscape really well. 

And so, no matter what my camera was, I always pushed for capturing a good landscape. 

Recently, however, my pictures have been of a more documentary style. It comes from the belief that I have about pictures capturing reality and freezing it forever. Manipulating the picture to make it seem like something else is manipulating reality, and so I was dead set against it. 

Just yesterday though, while I was editing my pictures from Ladakh, I happened on a technique that truly opened my eyes to something new. I've been following this Instagram accounts for a while now - accounts that edit their pictures so well, the pictures seem other worldly. 

A part of me has always been skeptical of it because of that very belief i talked about above, but a part of me was both envious and in awe of it all because it's truly beautiful. 

And while I was editing, I chanced upon the technique on how to do it. 

Suddenly, my perspective on it all has changed. I still believe landscapes cannot truly ever be captured on camera because of their raw beauty, but from an artistic perspective, landscapes provide the most room for experimentation. 

Now, my recent trip was a mixture of many different kinds of pictures - landscapes, people, street, animals etc. and I never imagined I would have gained such a new outlook on photography as a whole. 

It's an exciting time for me where I can experiment around with a new style of photography and see where it takes me. 

Cheers

Spotlight #11 - Marshall's big adventure

I'm very excited to bring this week's spotlight forward, because it involves a friend of mine.

Marshall Chen is a guy who I've known for a long time. Back in college, I almost immediately associated Marshall with a camera. This guy was extremely enthusiastic and was constantly out there doing his thing. 

As I started getting much more into the hands on aspect of photography, it was almost instinctive that I talked to Marshall. I had noticed that his Instagram feed had started to become a lot more professional, and his pictures continually improved. 

The picture below is one I found on his Instagram that I absolutely love. 

"I took this picture on my way back to LA from Laughlin, Nevada, and yes -- while I was driving.

I saw this billboard on my way to Laughlin and kept it in mind. The other side of the board was blank. It just sat there in the desert to rust. 

The road for the most part is smooth. There are some curves here and there but mostly straights.

Rugged tarmac surface creates plenty of noise, but at the time it makes me feel like I was riding a horse through the desert. 

And my 1.4 liter straight four Chevy Cruze now feels like a V8 Camaro." - Marshall

Besides the composition of the picture, I really love the colours and the open space. To me it clearly shows the spirit of adventure and the long road leading to nowhere. This idea resonates with me, and this picture shows me that every time I see it. 

What are your thoughts? Do you like this picture as much as I do? Leave a comment below and share your perspective!

Spotlight #10 - Mike Schwarz Returns!

In this week's spotlight, Mike Schwarz is back with  another brilliant photo. The picture below is one of his more recent ones, and I remember looking at it on Instagram and feeling small. 

Love them or hate them, drones are here to stay and this picture shows you why. Capturing landscapes is now a whole different ballgame, and Mike's photo below shows you exactly how to do it if you're a drone noob. 

I absolutely love the framing of this picture. Combine that with the green and shades of grey and you've got a really, really solid shot. 

"This is Webb Memorial Park near Boston.

It's about 20 minutes south of the Quincy, and has the best views of planes flying toward Logan Airport/the city skyline. I just got a drone for my birthday, and have been using it non-stop. I decided to go with the DGI Mavic Pro due to its small size (smaller than a water bottle) and high-quality performance.

If you're thinking of getting a drone, I can not recommend DGI more strongly. Get one!!

My family and I were walking around the tip of the peninsula in Webb Park, and I knew I had to snag the shot. A massive storm cloud was rolling in from the west however, so I knew I had to be fast. The drone was unpacked, assembled, and in the air in about 3 min. I raised it to about 490ft (its max altitude) and grabbed the shot just as the first rain drops were starting to fall.

Within a minute it was back on the ground, and in my bag. Nothing like cutting it close."

Find more of Mike here - mschwarzthekid.com

https://www.instagram.com/mikeschwarzthekid/

Share and leave a comment or two if you liked what you saw!

Spotlight #6 (with second special guest)

Continuing on with the trend from last week, I've got on another friend who's venturing into the rabbit hole of photography. 

Funnily enough, Doug was my roommate for an entire year, and I had no idea that he was such a visual person, and yet now almost a year after moving out, we've reconnected over this simple common interest. 

One look at the picture, and you can see why I as interested in finding the story behind it. Here's what Doug has to say:

"So this is a photo I took while my family was traveling around Cinque Terre, back in September. There is a hike between the five cities that make up the Cinque Terre coast, we had been hiking most of the day, and we approached Manarola right around sunset. 

I shot the photo on my iPhone 6s, using the panorama function, and only lowered the brightness before taking the photo. I take a lot of sunset pictures, like too many, but there is something incredibly beautiful about this photo, it captures something beautiful, but it also captures a memory, which is how I feel every photo should be taken."

-Doug Lappe

Listening to what he had to say about it was awesome, because it's exactly how I feel about the pictures I take. It's the memory that makes up most of it, and invoking an emotion in the viewer is the best part about photography. 

Follow Doug here.

What are your thoughts on the picture? Do you have another view on photography overall? 

I would love to hear it. Leave a comment or two below. 

Cheers

Aman

Spotlight #4 - The eye in the sky

It took me a while to capture this picture perfectly. 

The landscape is photogenic, which is easy enough to capture the vibe, but what really makes this picture what it is is a really subtle part of it. 

Check it out below.

Can you spot it?

It's a massive part of my life - keeping out a keen eye for birds, especially raptors. Ever since I can remember I've always been OBSESSED with all birds of prey. 

When I was looking up at the mountain side, I noticed this bird, which I guessed to be an eagle and I just knew I had to get it. 

Can you tell what bird it is? Leave a comment or two below and share your thoughts on the picture as a whole

Cheers

A