Pick-A-Something ---- Tree Bark

           I decided to make my theme about mostly nature since it is my favourite thing to photograph. It didn't take long for me to decide that bark would definitely be most interesting. Each photo has a small aspect that was different for each. Different textures and different styles. I tried to get all different trees as well but I don't know the difference between some of them. I edited every picture to brighten it and make the colours pop. Some are black and white because they just looked a little cleaner that way. Me and my friend Brianna went through some dense forest, just so I could find amazing trees to capture. 

The little moss in this picture reminded me of a flower. It is the perfect tint of blue. The small splotches of yellow moss also draws me in. I love the cracks in the small sections of bark. 

The background for this picture is definitely my favourite. An orangey-green makes it catch your eye. I love the knobs in wood. It seems to tell a story of its past trials.

Brianna loved the background for this one too. It was white and green before editing. She called it "a Logan Carter worthy photo". 

I like how the light from the sun is reflecting off the moss on one side, making it a firelike red. I also believe that some red moss and died the tree a light pinkish.

This isn't exactly a picture of bark but it was taken off of a tree. The thick layer of moss really makes this photo more interesting than the others. 

My favourite part of this photo is the cobwebs on the thin branch. I thought making it black and white would help them to pop out better rather than having colour. 

This tree to me looks painted. The reds makes it surreal and it caught my eye while we were walking. The small strip that was torn off really makes this picture worthwhile. 

Photography Review

Logan Carters work influences mine in a lot of ways. We both really enjoy traveling to capture the perfect photographs. I would definitely aspire to become a successful photographer like he is. He mostly likes to work with nature and his favourite thing to photograph is waterfalls. He really cares about how the reflections works in many of his water photographs such as the Thailand one in my examples post. He has gone to many countries in search of the perfect photo opportunities. His strengths are definitely for nature such as reflections in lakes or waterfalls. He uses the GoPro so he never knows what will come out of the picture. Normally it's used for underwater photos but he uses it to broaden the horizons and such. I think his other strength is whenever he uses the panorama settings. Every single panorama he has done has turned out beautifully and it really pushes out the deepness of the places he has seen. All of his images are really strong and I see no flaws in them.

Logan Inspired Pictures

Logan Carter Biography

            Logan Carter is a young photographer from Calgary, Alberta. He was born on January 16th, 1991. At a young age his family traveled the United States and him and his little sister, Jenna, was being home schooled. They both spent their last four years of high school at Upper Columbia Academy in Spangle Washington. He graduated there in 2009. He later went to Walla Walla University in Walla Walla. He more recently became interested in photography when he made videos for his University film class. He now is a freelance filmmaker/photographer and gets hired to film and edit events such as student mission trips or even home renovation videos from local churches.
            Logan recently came back from a big trip with his friend Devin in December. They visited China, Thailand, Nepal and Bangladesh. He was called to Thailand and Bangladesh to create promotional videos for their Adventist schools and communities. He brought back images from orphanages and Universities and they all came out completely beautiful. Once they were done taking pictures and videos, they had vacation time in Kho Phi Phi Island and spent days their rock climbing with old school friends and riding mopeds around the island. In Nepal, They climbed the Annapurna Mountain Trail.
            At the moment, He is working as an independent contractor (freelance) for ROW Adventures, an outdoor travel company that takes adventures all around the globe. He isn't performing any photography for his travels but he is creating a series of promotional films. He will only use pictures for personal interest. He will be working until September and will travel to Ecuador, Peru and the Galapagos, Idaho, Washington, Oregon and BC, and perhaps Europe and Africa. 
            Logan hasn't won any awards for his work, but he has been a finalist two times in his "Best of College Photography" competition. Two of his pictures have been published in their books. Everything he uses for photography is digital. He preferred editing use is Photoshop CS6 and the plug-in that goes with it called "Camera Raw".

All the Equipment used in his Career:
Nikon D40
Nikon D7100
Nikon D7000
Nikon 18-105mm kit lens
Nikon 50mm f/1.8 prime lens
Nikon 55-300mm telephoto lens
Sigma 10-20mm f/3.5 wide-angle lens
Manfrotto 546B tripod legs with fluid video head
4 Class 10 SD Cards of varying sizes
GoPro Hero3

Logan made a small video of all his best filming moments. Including Africa and local shots:

                                                    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Ckxd2nlUnk&feature=player_embedded

May 17 - Spring Time

I took these with Macro setting on my Canon Rebel T4i. They were in my backyard after a few minutes of rain and sunshine mixed. :)

Logan Carter Photo Examples

Metlako Falls, Oregon - December 20th 2011

Prayer Wheels in Kathmandu, Nepal - November 13th, 2012

Namibian Plains - April 14th, 2011

Mount Robson, British Columbia - August 29th, 2012

Skeleton Coast, Namibia - April 14th, 2011

Koh Phi Phi, Thailand - December 18th, 2012

Sossusvlei, Namibia - April 14th, 2011

*All pictures taken from Logan's website: www.logancarterproductions.com

All pictures shot with the Nikon D7000 and the Canon Rebel T4i*

May 10 - Shoes that tell a story

These shoes belong to my best friend and boy, does he have stories to tell. :)

Urban Camouflage Assignment

 

"The Garden Boy"

 I used face paint and stuck my little brother in the garden. It was definitely entertaining. But this was a simple and small idea for my first time doing camouflage.

"The Canadian"

I also got my older brother into it. My face painting is a bit terrible, I'll admit that, but this one is still my favourite. It turned out pretty good and if you squint a little, he's almost imvisible. :)

Aaron Larney

             Aaron Larney was born and raised in London. He has graduated out of Central Saint Martins with a Masters degree in BA Graphic Design. He works with many different kinds of art. Mostly digital and motion graphics. I especially enjoy his prints of stamps and his artwork around that. I like how he used molds of the whole alphabet using letters that were in labels of car names or random fridge magnets. 

            Aaron has made a couple Urban camouflage projects and they include the urban setting of graffiti. I think this was an amazing choice because when I think of the word 'urban', I think of graffiti. And I believe a lot of other people would think that as well. His other urban camouflage project was noticeboard camo. He wrapped someone in newsprint and then stood them against the billboard that you find at workplaces and schools. I think this was creative because he used something that you see in every modern day life. And if someone was camouflaged behind it, it would be very relative in a small way. 

           All of his other work is mostly graphic design with videos. In one video he recorded two guys talking about buying something expensive. And then he added pictures of words or a representation of what they were actually saying, at that exact speed. It was like a lyrical collage and I really enjoyed it. I would like to see more art designing like that. 

          His influence on me makes me want to go out and do more graphic designing and collages like he did. They are modern and fresh and funny. I would enjoy trying out the graffiti camouflage that he did as well. It seemed like an interesting project. I also think his letter moulds would be really fun to make because then you can make a different kind of font using funky, and well known labeled letters. 

          I would enjoy to do more work this way using computers with photo editing and other designs. I am definitely inspired by Aaron Larney's work to pursue more new types of art such as Urban Camouflage. And I hope he has inspired others to do the same. :)

May 3 - Creep in Close

This is my beautiful mother! I figured this was appropriate considering Mother's Day is coming up soon. :)

April 26 - Segments of 3

I took this in the school library.

I was in photoshop today... Mistake?

You tell me. :)

April 19 - Go somewhere you have never been

This was the back alley of the EPM Museum and I love the variety of colours.

We also went to the Chihuly Glass Museum! It was right beside the space needle. It was the most beautiful place I had ever seen. These are some of my favourite pictures from the trip.

April 12 - Find your image in a shiny metal surface

This reflection was taken in a really muddy puddle. I did not think it would work out because it was pretty shady and the puddle was dark. But I was wrong. This is probably one of my favourite pictures I have ever taken. :)

April 5 - Repetitive Pattern

I am really proud of this picture. To take something so simple and make it look interesting with the floor reflection and the different range in colours. It really turned out pretty.

Dreams Of Flying Critique

"The Apple Raiders"

This one is my favourite because it truly looks like the boys are picking apples and carrying them around. The branches really make the picture more realistic and believable. The apples truly pop out of the background giving it a sort of depth that is enjoyable to look at. 

"Strong Men"

This one troubles me in a way. The bright yellow shirt with the light background makes it tough. The yellow makes me want to look there first instead of the flying rock. It also took me long to understand what they were doing in the first place. 

"Cliffhangers"

The angle on this picture is just flawless. Everyone looks like they could tip off the edge at any moment. I like this photo because it shows you've thought about the lighting, and then increased contrast adds to the overall impression of the amount of time you put into lighting it. 

- Photo Credit to Jan Von Holleben

Jan Von Holleben

Jan was born in Cologne, Germany and lived  in the countryside. He identifies the connection between the way his parents raised him and the development of his photographic work. He began following in his dad’s footsteps towards photography by the age of 13 and experimented with “magic tricks” and using imagination and skills with his friends and family. He pursued studies in teaching children with disabilities and moved to London to get a degree in the Theory and History of Photography and fell in love with the London scenery. He worked as a picture editor, art director and photographic director. His work has been exhibited internationally and published widely throughout the world.

March 29 - Notice folds in bed sheets

This was taken in the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas. I was unable to post it exactly on Friday like I intended because we were driving home and I wasn't able to get internet the whole time. :S

March 22 - Minimize the Horizon

I took this picture in Clayton Park during my Spring Break walk. I was expecting sunshine and spring flowers but not this year. I like the rain anyways. It was really relaxing and I love wavy grey skies. Off to Vegas I go! :)

Make our own CD covers

We had to get pictures of ourselves and put song lyrics or just a written password on a black 1000x1000 background on Photoshop. Put the picture on top and and then delete the writing. Go Select-Colour Range and select the black background. Then press Ctrl-D to deselect. Then you can make the colours stand out my going Image-Adjustments-Brightness/Contrast. You can also make a label by making a new layer and placing it on the Horizontal Line Tool. You can mess around with the blending styles until it looks right for you. :) Good Luck!