INSPIRATION » Chastidyi Photography

Category Archives: INSPIRATION

Monday, November 29, 2010

Book Review 2: Expressive Photography: The Shutter Sisters’ Guide to Shooting from the Heart by the Shutter Sisters

As I’ve said before, I think that if you are really passionate about something you should want to learn as much as you can about it. That being said, I recently read another book on photography that I found particularly interesting so I thought I’d share.

The name of this book is: Expressive Photography: The Shutter Sisters’ Guide to Shooting from the Heart by the Shutter Sisters.

From Amazon:

Product Description

When a photograph captivates you and stirs your soul, you know it instinctively. You not only see the image, you feel it. But how do you capture shots like that with your own camera? How do you make your photographs worth the proverbial thousand words? From portraits to landscapes, still-lifes to documentary shots, Expressive Photography will not only show you why certain images sing, but will also teach you how to create your own compelling photographic images-one click at a time. Visually stunning, and unique in its collaborative approach, this book brings the spirit of the immensely popular Shutter Sisters’ blog to the printed page through the voice and photography of its founding members.

* Written by the immensely popular Shutter Sisters, Blogger’s Choice Award nominees for best blog * Themed chapters containing the voices of several photographers give artistic insights into any shooting opportunity * Evocative imagery that captures the emotion of the moment *Compositional tips and recommendations throughout

From the Back Cover

Product Details

Paperback: 176 pages
Publisher: Focal Press; 1 edition (September 3, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0240813472
ISBN-13: 978-0240813479
Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 9.4 x 0.6 inches

My take on this book:

This one was different from most of the other photography books out there. It doesn’t tell you so much about the technical side of how to use your camera. Instead, it focuses more on developing your eye… suggesting ways to look at your subject that will make your viewers see it in a new and interesting way… ways that subtly show or evoke emotion in the image. Honestly, the text was not as helpful or as interesting to me as some of the photographs were, but it did stimulate my creativity and give me some great inspirational ideas. All told, I would recommend it. You can also purchase the book through the Shutters Sisters blog/website or just find out more about them by reading some of their posts.

Posted in BOOK REVIEW, INSPIRATION

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

My Favorite Photographers – Clarence Sinclair Bull

It seems I haven’t had time lately to do any inspiration posts so here goes…. One of my favorite photographers – one who I draw inspiration from – is Clarence Sinclair Bull (1896-1979). He was fascinated by photography at a young age so he moved to Hollywood to pursue his interest. He was lucky enough to be hired as an assistant photographer at Metro Pictures where he was able to shoot stills of the stars during production breaks. He later became head of the MGM stills department and was the sole photographer of Greta Garbo for around 12 years. His images of her are soft, romantic, and beautiful. He and George Hurrell pretty much invented celebrity photography as we know it today. Let me share some of his images with you…

To see more images by Clarence Sinclair Bull, click here: Art of Illustration

Aren’t they gorgeous? Ah, that old Hollywood glamour feel.

Posted in INSPIRATION, PHOTOGRAPHERS

Saturday, September 25, 2010

Book Review 1: Digital Wedding Photography Capturing Beautiful Memories by Glen Johnson

Let me start out by saying that I’m one of those people who thinks that you should always strive to keep learning about subjects that are important to you. Since I make my living with my photography, I think it is wise to try to keep expanding my knowledge of the subject. (It helps that it’s fun to learn about!) To that end, I picked up the book below.

Digital Wedding Photography Capturing Beautiful Memories by Glen Johnson

From the back cover…

Capture unforgettable moments of that special day
Professional wedding photographer Glen Johnson knows there’s a huge difference between being able to take good pictures and being a good wedding photographer. In this exquisite, full-color book, Glen dispenses sage advice and solutions for taking impressive digital wedding images — posed or candid, in any weather, in any setting, at any locale. You will also learn the secrets of creating a successful digital wedding photography business, and much more. Whether you’re an aspiring professional or an amateur who wants to improve your skills at digital wedding photography, this book will help you succeed.

Discover what makes wedding photography a unique specialty

Find out how to make people feel relaxed and comfortable while you’re shooting
Explore ways to capture the emotion as well as the moment
Understand different photographic styles and adapt to your client’s wishes
Prepare for all types of lighting situations
Learn appropriate etiquette for shooting in dressing rooms and during the ceremony
Know what to take when traveling abroad
Set up the perfect digital studio to process your images
Find out how to price your work realistically
See why your business skills may be more important than your photographic talent
Beautifully illustrated with full-color photographs, each showingthe camera settings and other details used to create the image

My take on the book…

The author’s writing style was very enjoyable–he had a conversational tone to the book so it didn’t seem like he was trying to talk over your head. He gives excellent examples with the suggestions he makes. He includes some wonderful facts about the different photography business models which would be helpful to someone starting out in the field. It has some great advice about transitioning from photography into wedding photography. His suggestions on how to work with black and white clothing in different lighting situations is very informative. I think this book would be great for a wedding photographer at any level…

Posted in BOOK REVIEW, INSPIRATION, PHOTOGRAPHY

Thursday, September 9, 2010

My Favorite Photographers–Ed Westcott

So… I thought it would be nice to let you know a bit about some of the photographers who have influenced me. I decided to start with Ed Westcott, the only photographer of Oak Ridge and the Manhattan Project from 1942-1946.

I should probably start by saying that I was originally introduced to his work while I was working at the B. Carroll Reece Museum on the ETSU campus as a student worker. We were lucky enough to be approached about having an exhibit of his work, and I was the student who was chosen to put together the flyer for the exhibit. Because of this, I spent some personal time with his images. My favorite thing about them is the fact that he used very careful posing to make the photographs look as natural as possible. Take a look at this photo as an example.

You can see how natural this looks, but he was careful to position everyone so that he could get the full story in one image. Also, he has everyone in the image involved or active in some way. Obviously, not every image he photographed was able to be set up in this way, but many were. Here is probably the most famous of his photographs.

As D. Ray Smith, a writer for The Oak Ridger, has said, “Ed’s photographs are more than a documentary of our history. They are an artistic statement by a rare artist who has created a body of work that can be increasingly meaningful to future generations. Without Ed’s photographs we would be hard pressed to comprehend the magnitude of the Manhattan Project, much less tell the stories of the workers who lived here.”

Although my images are very different from his, I find inspiration in the beautiful imagery he has captured and preserved for us.

Posted in INSPIRATION, PHOTOGRAPHERS, PHOTOGRAPHY

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