Monday 28 June 2010

POTW for June 20-26

Three wonderful portraits were chosen for this week's POTW! If you enjoy these photos, please click through to let the photographer know!

Soft airport. 171/365 Gaucho

Thursday 24 June 2010

Congratulations to Owen Law (Naked Eye Photography)

Congratulations to Owen! He completed his 365 Project this week! Owen answered the following questions for us about his experience, and below are some of his favorite photos from his project. A slideshow of his project is also below. His final photo is a fabulous self portrait that so wonderfully conveys the feeling of finishing! Congratulations again!

What inspired you to begin your 365 Project?
I was looking for a challenge and I found out about this type of project right here on Flickr. I had been thinking about doing it for a while but wasn't sure if I would be able to stick with it and I didn't want to start it and not finish. One day last June, out of the blue, I decided to just go for it - not fully knowing what I was getting myself into.

How would you describe your photography in just a few words?
Tough Question. I would say that I am an observant photographer. What the heck does that mean? I have always enjoyed just watching people do their thing and I love capturing it to look at later and wonder what that person was thinking at the time I took the shot. Basically, my favorite type of photography is shooting people - that doesn't sound too good now does it ;)

What surprised you the most about doing the 365 project?
How demanding it is trying to be creative EVERY day for a year. Some days I didn't think I would be able to pull it off, especially during the winter here in Northern Canada.

What did you learn during the course of your project?
I'm just gonna say it as cliche as it may be - I have learned how to see the light. When I first heard this I had no idea what it meant - see the light, what in the world, how can I not see the light it is all around us, of course I see the light - I think?? It took me almost the entire last 6 months of my project to get it but when I did, a light bulb when off - tee hee:) I am by no means a master but I am way more knowledgeable on the subject than I was a year ago. Practice makes perfect and shooting everyday gives you a whole lot of practice in a relatively short period of time. A big thank you to Strobist and Zach Arias for the schooling.

Do you have an interesting story about taking one of your 365 photos that you would like to share?
Another tough question, I have 365 interesting stories (too me at least) but I would rather let the pictures speak for themselves. I have been yelled at, almost arrested, kicked out of places, smiled at, thanked, and my favorite is I made people cry tears of happiness. If I get an emotional response, good or bad, from my art I am a happy camper.

What are your future photography plans?
I am currently re-branding my photography business. As much as I liked the name - Naked Eye Photography, it doesn't truly reflect who I am and the image (no pun intended) I want to portray. Plus, for some reason people do not take too kindly to the word Naked. My site does not load in many places of work and forget about it when it comes to schools. There have even been instances where clients have not received emails from me due to filters picking up on the word naked in my email address. I decided to rename my company - Owen Law Studios. My goal is to be the number one environmental portrait photographer in Edmonton so I have my work ahead of me as there are quite of few amazing photographers in my neck of the woods.

I have thoroughly enjoyed myself beyond my wildest dreams with this project. Will I do it again? Unfortunately I would have to say, probably not in the near future. As much as I loved it, the time it takes up needs to be put to a better use if I am going to achieve any of my photography goals. I would recommend it in a heartbeat to any photographer that has not done a 365 before. The confidence, knowledge, and enhanced creativity gained from it can't be bought on the internet or from a one day seminar. The best photography advice I have heard and I will pass along to you is: look at as many pictures as you can and shoot, shoot, shoot and then go out and shoot some more.

Thank you very much to all of you that have shared the adventure with me by viewing and commenting on my images over the past year. There are too many names to make mention of and I would hate to offend anyone by leaving a name out by accident. This isn't the end for me on flickr, I will however not be renewing my pro account under this name but will be moving everything over toOwen Law I would love it if all of you added me as a contact under the new name so that we can continue the great Flickr friendships I have gained over the past year for many years to come.

Thanks again everyone, now get off your butt and go shoot something ;)

Owen


I'm a Lucky Guy

Set Free

G'OH Canada

Make a Splash Canada!

Monday 21 June 2010

POTW for June 13-19

There were so many wonderful photos nominated for POTW this week! Congratulations to these members for their stunning images.

Day 164 / 365 - Chances one sixty nine | creepy crawler... [171/365] The Pier I

Monday 14 June 2010

Congratulations Svetlana A!

Congratulations to Svetlana! She completed her 365 Project last week. Her year was filled with wonderful photos and her stream is well worth a visit! Svetlana answered the following questions about her experience completing her project.

What inspired you to begin your 365 Project?
I was watching people doing this project and it was very great and inspiring. So I decided to start it myself.

How would you describe your photography in just a few words?
That's hard. I just take photographs of everything around me.

What surprised you the most about doing the 365 project?
That for me it was rather easy to do it.

What are your future photography plans?
I'm still taking photos everyday. And I think I'll be doing that for a very long time. It's just for fun and to document my life. Not something very serious.

Congratulations again to Svetlana! Below are some three of her favorite projects from her year, including one portrait that is one of her favorites because she photographs people so rarely. Below are also an admin favorite, her final shot of the project and a slideshow of her entire project.

243/365 “Happiness is not the absence of problems but the ability to deal with them.” 230/365 Smena 8M
328/365 jump-shot 256/365 lights through the snow
365/365 the end...

POTW for June 6-12

Congratulations to another trio of wonderful photos this week!

Day 159 - the cast ~ The miracles of nature do not seem miracles because they are so common. If no one had ever seen a flower, even a dandelion would be the most startling event in the world. ~ [41/365] Swing of blues [Explored]

Wednesday 9 June 2010

Congratulations Elliot Norwood!

Congratulations to Elliot! He completed his 365 Project recently and finished uploading the end of his project onto flickr this week! Elliot's project contains great images in both color and black and white; during the course of the year he has taken many wonderful macros, food shots and street scenes. Elliot answered the following questions about his experience with his 365 Project:

What inspired you to begin your 365 Project?
I was inspired by a friend of mine who had told me about the 365 project before. I wanted to challenge myself and improve my photography skills so I decided to start my own.

How would you describe your photography in just a few words?
I'm not sure I have a particular style of photography, I really enjoy architectural photography and studio work with objects and food, for this project I've had to expanded to include a lot of street photography.

What surprised you the most about doing the 365 project?
What surprised me most was how much my photographic and post-processing techniques improved. I felt there was a noticeable difference from having to take a photo every day, and to try to make it something interesting.

What did you learn during the course of your project?
I learned that it's hard to keep coming up with new photos toward the end of your project :). Also just in general better photo technique, framing, interesting subjects, finding a picture where you may not normally look. It really forces you outside of your comfort zone.

What are your future photography plans?
I am a hobbiest photographer now and probably will be for a while, although I have thought of pursuing it as a career. I'd be interested in doing architectural, or perhaps product photography. After this 365 project I'll likely just focus on specific projects for a while, though I may do one again in the future.

Below are some of Elliot's favorite photos from his project, an admin favorite, his final photo and a slideshow of his entire year. Congratulations again Elliot, for finishing your project with so many stunning shots!

Emotion. Compact fluorescent.
Spiral staircase below. Satsuma III.
Hustle. 365 complete.


Monday 7 June 2010

Wednesday 2 June 2010

POTW for 23-29 May 2010

Our three photos of the week! Woot!
5.25.2010Slugging in the RainDAY 178: Into the Light


Thanks to those that helped nominate their favorites this past week. And hope to be back here before the end of the week with some fun blog posts... been awhile!