June 15, 2024 was North American Nature Photography Association’s (NANPA) Nature Photography Day. Out I went to partake. My location was Oak Creek in Sedona, AZ. Here are my results of enjoying nature and exploring features on my OM System OM1 camera.

ICM (a.k.a. Intentional Camera Movement)

Intentional camera movement can allow for creative interpretation of a scene. I lowered the shutter speed to purposely blur the scene. In this case, it was 1/6th of a sec. In order to get consistent blur throughout, I started moving the camera before pressing the shutter button. After a number of passes at different speeds of camera movement, I ended up working with these two in post using Photoshop. I applied some additional contrast, color adjustment, and dodging and burning.

In-camera ND filter

Playing by the creek called for setting the camera into neutral density to allow the water to render a bit softer. The resulting image was still not quite as soft as I like because it was bright midday light. A little bit of processing in Photoshop allowed me to get closer to the vision I was trying for.

Black and white conversion

Many nature images can benefit from the simplicity of black and white. This allows the shape, form and tones to stand out without the distraction of color. Here are a couple before and after versions. I really like NIK Filters Silver EFex Pro for conversions. After the conversion, I used the Soft Light Mode in Photoshop to dodge and burn. For the final touch, I added a sharping ing layer to help increase the sharp contrast where I want you to look.

Gear for the Nature Photography Day

I wanted to stay lightweight while wandering the banks. That called for packing the Platypod gear. I used the Platypod eXtreme as the base. A Benro IN00 ball head offers plenty of support for the micro 4/3rds OM 1 camera (I linked to the OM1 Mark II cause it’s just a little more with deep features) with the M.Zukio 12-100mm f/4.0 Pro lens (24-200 full frame equivalent field of view). When I needed more height a velcro strap and a tree worked well.

Get out and shoot

No, don’t leave this article. I am encouraging you to spend time out in nature. Share your images and enjoy the world that we get to inhabit and explore through photography.

Yours in Creative Photography,

Bob

For many photographers, flying low under the radar—snapping pictures from a clandestine corner, remaining unseen while they shoot—is a key part of the vocation. Perhaps no photographer knows more about maintaining anonymity than Vivian Maier, a French-American, Chicago-based nanny who picked up a camera in the 1950s and began documenting the streets and people of post-war America. But none of the 100,000-plus images she shot were printed during her lifetime. Her immense photographic archive was stashed in her storage locker, which the historian (and flea market merchant) John Maloof purchased in 2007 at a Chicago thrift auction. To his surprise, those lockers—which were auctioned off due to delinquent payments—contained Maier’s treasure trove of undiscovered works: over 12,000 negatives, 40,000 Ektachrome slides, and 700 undeveloped rolls of film. He eventually directed and produced an Academy Award-nominated documentary about the project in 2013, Finding Vivian Maier—but compiling and displaying the full scope of her oeuvre has proved a years-long task.

Now, the next phase of uncovering Maier’s photographs has arrived at Fotografiska in New York City. Vivian Maier: Unseen Work explores the photographer’s work from the early 1950s to the mid-1980s. There are about 200 pieces on display, ranging from the black-and-white street photography that first earned her notoriety, plus color works and even Super 8 films. The retrospective, which first showed at the Musée du Luxembourg in Paris in 2021, captures how ahead of her time Maier was; many of her signature images are proto-mirror selfies and street style photography. But her archive hasn’t even been fully reconstructed—there’s still about 10 percent of it left to catalogue. Below, scroll through some of Maier’s more obscure works—before the next round of her groundbreaking and previously unseen imagery hits another museum.

Chicago, May 16, 1957.

Untitled, 1958.

Grenoble, France, 1959.

Central Park, New York, September 26, 1959.

Self-Portrait, New York, 1954.

“The Beauty of Innocence” photo series is coming to Le Gosier, Guadeloupe

Guadeloupean photographer Maurice-Alain Lima will be holding an exhibition of his latest photo series, “The Beauty of Innocence,” which challenges social norms about LGBTQ+ people in religious spaces. The exhibition will be held at the Arawak Beach Resort hotel in Le Gosier, Guadeloupe from June 28 to July 13, with the support of singer Carole Venutolo, a patron of Voix-Arc-En-Ciel, which helps LGBT+ people with questions or problems. The event is also supported by the organizations Stop Homophobie, Amalgame Humani’s, and Koumbit Fanm Karayib.

Lima shared his thoughts on his exhibition with the French-language website Stop Homophobie in an article that is translated below.

Maurice-Alain Lima: Photography is an art form that has to tell a story, and the exhibition was born of universal societal questions about the place of LGBT+ people in spaces of faith and spirituality, particularly within the Catholic Church. This questioning seemed all the more glaring in a pious and religious society like Guadeloupe.

As far as I’m concerned, people are born as they are, with their sexual orientation, and God doesn’t discriminate. So I’ve been lucky to live in a world where I’ve never faced rejection, but I know that’s not the case for everyone, especially in an island environment.

So for my project, I was inspired by Christian LGBT+ people here in Guadeloupe who continue to persevere in their faith, despite feelings of rejection from the Church, while some parents express bitterness towards their homosexual children because of their religious convictions.

And it’s to deal with this hypocrisy that I use photography and images as an artist, in order to raise public awareness, without necessarily seeking to combat Catholicism. In this sense, I have remained faithful to God, but I have differences with the Church.

See Also

Finally, I think that Pope Francis’ recent pronouncements on the blessing of homosexual couples should be seen as an attempt to stem the hemorrhaging within the ranks of the Catholic Church, but I think that even in Guadeloupe this must raise questions for the ecclesiastical authorities, and it would be good if they could take a stand locally, if the visibility of my exhibition can help (Editor’s note: Monseigneur Philippe Guiougou, bishop of Guadeloupe, spoke to the press last February about the blessing of Catholic couples in an irregular situation).

Finally, I’d like to say that of the 30 works in the exhibition, I’ve based my work on eleven models, only five of whom are homosexual. This is my way of affirming that there are no differences, and that we are all children of God through faith in Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:26).

Photographer Malcolm Jackson has built an international reputation and brand with his photography skills. While working with major companies like Netflix, Nike and more, he has always stayed true to his roots in Jacksonville. As an old soul, he takes pride is sharing the history of the African American culture in his hometown. His latest exhibition is a collaboration with Weldon Johnson showcasing American Beach in Fernandina Beach…the only beach African Americans could visit for hundreds of miles. The exhibit will be on display until September 6th at the Ritz Theatre and Museum. www.ritzjacksonvlle.com www.malcjax.com

What if the conventional rules of composition aren’t the key to great photography?

Coming to you from Alister Benn, this thought-provoking video challenges the traditional views on photographic composition. Benn critiques the common advice found online and in educational materials. He dismisses the idea that rigid rules like the rule of thirds or leading lines are necessary for good composition. Instead, he emphasizes that true composition cannot be learned by following these rules. Benn believes that following such guidelines often results in generic, uninspired photos.

Benn shares his personal journey, highlighting how he initially followed these conventional rules. For years, he produced technically correct but uninspired images. He recounts a moment of realization in his studio when he recognized the repetitive nature of his work. This epiphany led him to question the value of these rules and to seek a more personal and expressive approach to composition.

Benn argues that composition is about discovery, not learning. He advises pointing your camera at things that genuinely interest you. By doing so, you start to develop a personal style that reflects your unique perspective. He also suggests focusing on the emotional impact of your images rather than conforming to traditional standards. This approach encourages you to think about how each element in your frame contributes to the overall feeling and message of the photograph.

Understanding composition involves recognizing the role of every pixel in the frame. Benn advises thinking about transitions rather than leading lines, such as transitions from dark to light or from cool to warm colors. This method helps in creating images that are cohesive and emotionally resonant. He also discusses the importance of excluding distractions to create a concise and impactful image.

Benn’s perspective on composition is further detailed in his book “Luminosity and Contrast,” where he explores the nuances of expressing emotions through photography. He emphasizes that creativity comes from within and is not about adhering to external rules. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Benn.

Pie Aerts lives the sort of life most can only dream of. Originally from the Netherlands, Aerts works as a documentary and wildlife photographer. As his globetrotting portfolio suggests, Aerts’ career has brought him across many a continent. From abandoned farmsteads in Patagonia and the lush forests of Rwanda to snow-covered Siberian encampments, Aerts has seen — and captured — some of the world’s most sensational sights.

These cinematic surroundings compose only half the project, however. The photographer finds inspiration in a sweet spot “where people and place have a shared narrative.” In other words, the subjects and the scenery are inextricably linked — and their personalities, actions, and interactions afford newfound depth to every image.

“I always take on a hopeful approach to that situation: coexistence over conflict and hope over tragedy or hope over despair,” Aerts tells Book For Men. “I’m finding stories that don’t necessarily scream for attention, but have very personal, small, intimate angles that represent a bigger narrative. I always call it ‘whispering stories over screaming stories.’ In essence, it’s always focusing on the positive side — the fabric between human beings and the origin of where they come from, and a hopeful approach to issues of our times.”

It’s easy to pick up on this; with a mere handful of images, Aerts tells dozens of stories. As he walks me through each photo, Aerts recounts the details — of climates, cultures, and companions — with striking intimacy. So, though the settings range from steamy South Pacific islands to frigid Russian peninsulas, every picture feels inexplicably familiar.

Villager in Indigo-Dyed Garment (Bali, Indonesia)

“I made it my little personal mission to see if I could photograph as many ancient places and practices as possible. This, for sure, is one of them. This valley is historically known to be very fertile, very pristine, and the plants that grow in the area deliver some of the best natural indigo dye paste in the world. In a lot of Indigenous communities, you see lots of traditional and authentic crafts, and I’ve always had a weak spot for exploring those avenues.

So, when I was in Bali, I was doing research and I bumped into a man called Sebastian Mesdag. By origin, I think he’s half-Dutch and half-Spanish, but he’s been living in Bali for the last 30 or 40 years, running a natural indigo studio. He uses dye paste made from indigo plants to colour fabrics — the fabrics you can see in this image are coloured by the Mesdag studio.

Mesdag has his own little valley of indigo, where he harvests the plants and goes through the entire process — 100% organic and natural — to create the pastes that he uses to colour the fabrics. I did a story for him about his dyeing studio, and how he integrates Indigenous Balinese beliefs into practising this centuries-old craft. We ventured into the local villages and photographed some of the local village people wearing these naturally dyed garments. So, this image was shot in the context of doing a story about that — that craftsmanship of using indigo plants.”

Gaucho and Horse (Southern Patagonia, Chile)

“This is an image — not only an image, but a whole story — that is very dear to me. I’ve been working on this story for five years in the southern Patagonia region of Chile, and it’s a subject that I could speak about for a long, long time.

This particular photo is almost like a poetic document, for the fading identity and disappearing lifestyle of the gaucho — which is like a stoic, over-romanticized cowboy. It’s also part of a multi-platform, multidisciplinary, long-form telling of this story with a team of filmmakers. We’re trying to unravel and unpack the image of a “cowboy,” and see if we can find intimate portraits of what actually happens within this culture.

Southern Patagonia is an incredibly stark region — very remote and desolate. These guys live in complete isolation. So, for the past five years, we’ve been filming a group of these gauchos who live in abandoned farms in the south of Chile. We’ve been trying to understand how they’re dealing with losing this identity, with knowing that they are the last generation of gauchos who will live this way.

It’s very multi-dimensional, and one image could never get across the whole story. It’s going to be my next book, which will hopefully be released sometime in mid-2025. And, at the moment, this is for sure my most important, and my most crucial story. My approach has always been one of long-term commitment to the subjects, and this, for sure, is a good example of that.”

Changpa Nomad (Ladakh, India)

“This image, from India, is shot in a place where I’ve been doing work for almost three years — it’s a place called Ladakh. It’s an area in the north of the country, between the Pakistani and Chinese borders. Because of that, it’s a very high-tension area, for obvious reasons. It’s Indian territory, but it’s also a state with a very deep and rich history.

The people I’ve been working with in this area are called Changpa nomads — the woman in this image is a Changpa nomad. In essence, they are kind of refugees who first came into the country from Tibet after the exile [by the Chinese government] in 1959. Now, they’ve been welcomed into the parts of India where they settled. This is now the third generation of Changpa nomads, and the story I’m doing here is about the fading identity of this semi-nomadic tribe.

The woman in this image belongs to one of the villages — villages that are currently going through immense pressure from the outside world. All different kinds of sources are having a negative impact on the Changpa nomads — from capitalism to religion. And, as a result, they believe that their relationships with the spirits are being disturbed. This story is mostly about the disturbance of that spirit and how they believe that climate change is the result of the disturbed relationship between them and the guardian spirits. I could talk about it for days, or weeks, but that’s a short introduction to this image.”

Woman Carrying Flowers (Hà Giang Loop, Vietnam)

“This photograph was commissioned for a story about a road trip in the north of Vietnam, a route called the Hà Giang Loop. We took the photo — of a woman carrying flowers — in the Hà Giang area. We’d been doing human interest stories on the people living along that loop, and how they perceived the boom in tourism that’s happened there during the past 10 years.

It’s an area all the way up north, by the Chinese border. It’s very rural, but still quite developed if you compare it to many of the other places I’ve been to. But I keep going back because the people are incredibly welcoming and it’s a beautiful, diverse region. You can feel the influences of China, you can feel the culture coming from Laos and Myanmar. It’s kind of a mix of all these South Asian places in one region.

Vietnam is very dear to my heart. A couple of weeks ago, I received a beautiful email from a woman who was from Vietnam, but was living in Europe and didn’t have the means to get back to her home country. It was about another image of mine that taps into the nostalgic spirit of Vietnam as a country, and also Hanoi as a city. She said in the email that the photo provoked a strong sense of belonging to a home country in her. Seeing the image almost made her cry, and brought up memories of her childhood. And that shows the true power of storytelling — of visual, photographic storytelling — on an emotional level.”

Member of the Nenets Tribe (Yamal Peninsula, Russia)

“This image was shot on the Yamal Peninsula in the north of Siberia. I was there in March 2020, in the last four weeks before international airspace was closed due to COVID-19. We spent weeks with these semi-nomadic reindeer herders called Nenets, who pack up everything to migrate from their summer to their winter grounds. There’s heavy external pressures on this culture, from illegal deforestation to heavy mining and oil drilling by the Russian government, all of which have a very destructive impact on the migration patterns and well-being of these people.

I was lucky enough to spend a few weeks living with them in some very small communities in the middle of winter, travelling on the back of snowmobiles. The tent you see in the background is called a chum, which is around 10 metres in diameter, but incredibly warm inside due to a stove in the middle. Outside, temperatures can easily drop to -30ºC.

But these people have developed an entire culture built on knowledge and values that are essential to survival. Anything that is non-essential has not developed. For example, their language doesn’t have words for emotional conversations, as they are non-essential to survival. But the people were incredibly welcoming, some of the sweetest people in the world living in crazy conditions. It always blows my mind to see, especially in these places, that people have the most welcoming spirits and attitudes. They’ll always want to share what little food they have.”

Tea Picker (Nyungwe Forest, Rwanda)

“This image was taken in Rwanda, when I was on assignment for an organization called African Parks, an NGO that does a lot of work at the intersection of humans and wildlife. Their philosophy is very much a “people first” approach to nature, and they believe that if you want to save nature, you should focus on people. I agree. If people feel safe, appreciated, and respected, only then will there be space to consider the protection of nature.

African Parks is operating on the front lines of that belief and, in Rwanda, they manage two national parks in that way. Here, you’re seeing the hand of a picker — one of thousands — who works in the highlands on the border of Congo and Rwanda. They pick tea and then the villages in which they live are supported by the sale of the tea leaves. It’s mostly exported, and it’s happening in a region that borders national parks, so there’s lots of wildlife. But, as it’s also an ex–conflict zone, there’s also a lot of tension.

The people there told us stories and talked about what it meant to live next door to one of these protected national parks, and how they have benefited from African Parks’ presence. The stories are really amazing. We learned what happened to these people, how supported they feel, and how African Parks has caused economic participation. There are so many beautiful things happening there. Once again, it’s a hopeful approach to a bigger story.”

All photos courtesy of Pie Aerts.

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