What we see and what we get

Many people who want to devote themselves to photography or just enjoy making photos don't know that what we see is not always what we get as a result. Some have the ability to see something simple and make it extraordinary while others sometimes fail to capture the best picture of what their eyes see.

We must transform our eyes on lens, we need to understand what will be the vision of our camera.

I will show you some simple tips that some may consider obvious:

- We have a beautiful landscape in front of us, but it can be rebutted if we take it completely. Which is the most attractive frame of all we see with our own eyes? So, pay attention to the capture that has the best composition of elements.

- We may have found the shot that best represents what we want to show, but has this the proper light? Maybe there's another shot that doesn't have such a good composition but whose light causes a more attractive effect.

- When it's about moving objects, that's one of the most difficult kind of photographs. The shot can't be before or after what we need, besides that it must be a clear and accurate capture and not a blur one.

- Be focused... (yourself, not just the camera).

We find many beautiful pictures that actually  could have been wonderful if the photograper had taken into account a few details.

Today, I want to show you Chandra Nyleen's work. This artist shows us how to take the details into account for a perfect picture. She has many photographs in movement that excellently capture the scene, as well as different landscapes which she has managed to make the most.

Click on the images to know more about Chandra Nyleen. You can also see her works at : http://1-chandra-nyleen.pixels.com/index.html

When the magnificence of nature is shown through a camera

We have a camera and the desire to capture beautiful images but that is not enough. There are many ways to take pictures, and those who do not perform this task in a professional way can consider that it is easy, but it's not...

We can gather 100 people with the same type of camera in the same place and none of them will take exactly the same photograph. It's about "eye", talent and creativity. Some photographs not only show the object that has taken the camera but beyond, they pick something that goes beyond words and explanations and that is inherent in what has been achieved through the image, a particular image that is different though thousands have seen it before, because it has its own soul. 

Some photographers specialize basically in nature, everyone can take a picture of a flower or an animal, but some of these specialized photographers have the ability to show it splendidly, simply through the eye of their camera, their own eye, which can see what nobody else can.

There are photographers who make art and are able to show nature in all its magnificence as no one else can do it. Capture the beauty and complexity of nature requires great sensitivity and only a true artist can do it.

Today, I want to show you Evie Hanlon's work. She is an Australian photographer and artist that delights us with her wonderful photographs that capture the essence of what she wants to show. She is a true artist who shows her vision of nature beyond what the simple eye can see.

You can click on the images to see her complete gallery, and I suggest you to pay attention to her drawings as well, which have a magical touch.

If you want to know more about Evie Hanlon you can visit this link: http://www.redbubble.com/people/eviehanlon?ref=account-nav-dropdown

The pleasure of being an artist

Back to oil painting. There are several ways of using oil and each one gives us the opportunity to show something different. Whether it's of realism, surrealism, conceptual, abstract or impressionism, among others, each serves to express ourselves in different ways and, moreover, fits our personality. Sometimes it's not easy for those who begin with painting determine the style that best suits their needs.So we should ask the following questions:

 - What I want to show?
- What it is the most important of what I want to show?
- Are lines what should prevail?
- What I want to show is best achieved with spots?
- Are contrastsrelevant in the subject?
- Is the softness of shapes and vanishing which enhances the idea?
- Are colors important or I prefer to enhance the central figure?

Once we have answered these questions we find it easier to know how to start and where we're heading.

Today, I want to show you Marla McPherson's artworks. She is a painter and photographer as well, but I'll talk about her paintings now. Marla express herself in vibrant colors and conveys the peace and beauty in her artworks basically through an impressionist style that characterizes her. She has no doubt about the above questions since she gets exactly what she wants to show. It seems natural to her the use of colors to capture the idea of beauty as well as a splendid use of shadows and lights that enhance her works.

 As Marla McPherson says in her biography: "I find each time I work I take a spontaneous journey into the unknown. Every time I pick up a brush, palette knife or shoot photos with my camera, I experiment with the power and relationships of color, line and form. I feel very fortunate to be an artist because of the pleasure and excitement I get to experience from this process of continual rediscovery. "

Painting and create are real pleasures, no one can be an artist without feeling it. Recreate the world according to our own look is a privilege. So, let's be as Marla, let's enjoy our work knowing that comes from the depths of our soul.

 Click on the images if you want to see more:

An amazing way of expression

Every good artist has something to say, which can be done in different ways and sometimes amazingly. This is Andy Young's case, he expresses himself through the digital arts in an unconventional way and style. Most artists start with a blank canvas, but he begins with a black one highlighting shapes and colors on it. 

It is really interesting, because the first time I saw his work at first glance it seemed to be very attractive by the forms, lights and contrasts, but there was something else. His artworks, that we could call "abstract" (but not only "abstract"), are characterized not only by creating textures digitally (what is extremely difficult), attractive figures, contrasts and striking lights, but it is distinguished by a deep content that whoever sees it can't ignore. The viewer is trapped by the image and can only get into it to discover the subtle details that make it unique. Subtle symbolic details can be discovered only after abstracting ourselves in the image more than once surprising us every time we return to look with a new discovery of what the artist has captured in his work. Andy Young's works are not simply abstract, they go even beyond.

I let you some of his wonderful works here, which I never get tired to see. I suggest you to click on the images to see his complete gallery and visit his personal website: http://www.strangecarrots.com/art-gallery.html

When delicacy, softness and femininity are summarized in a photograph

There are as many types of pictures as photographers, even one photographer can develop different styles, but there are some who leave their mark on their work with a style that highlights them and makes them recognizable. This is the case of Anna Sheradon, her photographs reflect delicacy, softness and femininity in an exquisite way. No matter whether it is landscapes, flowers, buildings or nature, she portrays them with supreme harmony and balance.

Her art also includes digital paintings created from her own photographs and abstract images using a variety of creative techniques. 

I invite you to see Anna Sheradon's photograph and click on them to know more about her.

Abstract and colorful acrylic

Today I want to show you Jeremy Aiyadurai's artworks, he is is an acrylic creationist from Canada that paints on canvas and wood boards. His art is modern, mathematical, universal and poetic, like music and invokes energy projected from the brush. 

This artist shows us wonderful colors in abstract creative paintings that allows us to navigate in our own imagination, as abstract has to be. He conveys the energy of his mind through his work.

You can see more if his work clicking the images or here: http://www.universalthroughput.com/site/

What a digital painter and photograph can do

As I mentioned in other posts there are many forms of contemporary art. Following with photography and digital art, we can work with post production and photographs or create our own works through digital tools. 

Lines, spots and constrasts are the determining elements of this style when we try to make it modern and not a simple recreation of a traditional painting. Some may say that digital art is simple to perform, the question is: Do we all have the imagination, creativity and skill to do it? Of course, not.

Regarding this, I want to show you Maciej Mackiewicz's artworks, he is a digital painter and photographer and shows us how to create a great work from a photograph or just with our creativity.

You can see more of his work in his gallery (just click on the pic).

Three important tips on photographs

Three important tips on photographs

There are lot of important issues regarding how to take a good photograph, but we'll focus on three of them right now.

The first one is the kind of shot we want to make. We can make a panoramic view, a close up, among others... Depending on this we'll give a different meaning to the photograph.

The second item is about composition and elements. We don't need many elements to compose a good photograph. Sometimes only a couple of elements give a better idea of what we are trying to express while a variegated and confusing set of elements only distract the attention.

The third and final. What is the focus or center of the photo? Whether dealing with just a couple of elemementos or more, we must define a spotlight, a specific point at which the view is directed. Otherwise we run the risk that the viewers disperse their attention.

As examples of these tips, I want to show you George Martinez's photographs, in which you will see how these principles are respected. George Martinez's photographs are totally correct and take us directly to the idea of what the artist wants to express, he doesn't distract the attention, he perfectly knows which is the best shot and he is able to express his idea with a couple of elements without disturbing the viewer's attention.

You can check his gallery to see more of his artworks.

What about digital art?

What about digital art?

One of the most representative contemporary artworks are digital arts, more than what we can assume. Since the technology on which it's based is really new we can only talk about this style from the recent decades. 

One of the most important details of digital art is to highlight contours, contrasts and spots, becoming some kind of abstracts at times. Personally I would say that we should create a new category for this type of creations. Moreover, the world is divided in two, between those who are fans of this technique and those who reject by not considering it traditional. Like all new things, it will require time to take their own personal space.

Regarding this style, today I want to show you  Keshava Shukla's artworks. He is an artist that offers us in his digital works a recreation of shapes and contrasts, similar as we could get with acrylic. Simple and complex shapes that transmit the idea of the figure without any noise that could disturb the main concept.

Here below we have some examples or his digital artworks. On the other hand, Keshava Shukla works with traditional techniques as well and I could not resist to share with you one of his artworks made with pastels, which has a symbolic style that seems to me, personally, extraordinary.

You can visit Keshava's gallery clicking on the image.

The right moment for the perfect photograph

The right moment for the perfect photograph

Some photographers perform compositions for their photos while others specialize in searching and waiting for the best time to shoot. It's a real art to look for the right scene at the right moment, neither a second earlier nor a second later, but just at the right time and shot. 

A great knowledge and experience about photographic technique are necessary for this kind of photographs. We all see things around us but we not always know how to recognize the details that make what we see in a work of art.

As an example of this type of art and photography, I want to show you Randy Dyer's work. He is a clear example of what every photographer should take into account when making  photos. He looks for the right thing and the right moment and and he has the ability to capture images highlighting the beauty.

Randy Dyer has been into photography for over 25 years and he specializes in railroad photographs, however his work is still much wider.

You can visit his gallery to learn more about his work.

When photography highlights the concept

When photography highlights the concept.

Here we have an artist who has no doubts about how to stress the importance of the concept in a photograph. Allen Beatty, a versatile photographer, who perfectly knows which is the best image to show beauty, feelings or emotions. He creates interesting abstract works with digital tools, one of the most prominent manifestations of contemporary art since this tool didn't exist until a few decades ago. 

As Allen Beatty says in his biography: "Images are much more than a simple record. Photography speaks to the best and most generous part of our human nature--the desire to share what we find beautiful and interesting with others. Photography allows us to express ourselves through an art form. We notice a beautiful landscape or a sunset and we want to capture it. Each of us will have a different reason to do so but, essentially, we want to create something that speaks to our spirit. A well executed photograph grabs our attention and speaks directly to our emotions. Photography at it's best, is a powerful language which evokes emotion. It allows us to tell our story and show others our framing of the world around us. And for the photographer who trips the shutter, it feels good. "

Check out these photographs and you'll find his complete gallery.

Sensitivity in artistic photography

Sensitivity in artistic photography

Today, I want to show you Melissa Fague's pictures which stand out because of their tenderdenss, subtlety and symbolism. As Melissa says in her biography:  "My goal as a nature and landscape photographer is to create art out of the natural world that surrounds us and exhibit the fine details of the objects that are normally overlooked in the daily grind."

You can visit her gallery and see more about her.

What about photographs?

What about photographs?

Contemporary art is not just about paintings. There is a wide range of means for an artist and photograph is one of them. Of course, this way of expression is totally contemporary and there are great artists in this area.

Today, I'll talk about Shawndelle Kurka (Sleeping Giant Photography).This artist has an accurate view of shapes and contrasts, which enhances the beauty of the image.

These below are just examples of her wonderful work, you can visit her gallery and see more images. I chose these just because of my special interest on this style.