Photo Journey

Judah in the style of Jessica Strickland

I am a fan of Jessica Strickland. Some photographers don't like her, but the truth is she is quite a famous and successful photographer. I visit her site and blogs quite a bit. I do that because she inspires me, but also because I learn by looking at her work.

In fact, I was looking at her work today. I was trying to figure out what makes her work so unique. Here are a couple of things I noticed.

• She saturates colour, probably using the 'clarity' and 'vibrance' function in Lightroom or Adobe Camera Raw.
• She uses prime-lenses mostly
• She uses the lenses wide-open, with a very narrow depth-of-field.
• She likes to add vignettes to her pictures, using them frame the picture
• She does not shy away from weird angles.
• She will crop people - but she also shoots people in their entirety.

My son Judah was sitting at the dining table, drawing. I decided to try some of these techniques on him. I photographed him with my 85mm/f1.4, 50mm/f1.4 and my 60mm/f2.8 lenses. All pictures were made either at ISO 200 or 400.

I'd be interested to know what you think...

Pictures of rain

I know, it sounds boring. But here are some fantastic pictures taken in very rainy circumstances (not by me!). I can't wait for summer when I can do lots of photography again. I always think that you cannot take good pictures when it is rainy and drizzly. These pictures prove me wrong — and I should know better. Have a look...

Walabala tribesman

Every now and then I like to post an amazing picture I come across. This one caught my eye this morning.

Warakala snakemen gather for the opening of the 46th annual singsing (cultural show) in the frontier town of Mount Hagen, 18 August 2007. Tribes from all over Papua New Guinea -- the world's most culturally diverse nation -- gather in the Western Highlands each year as a celebration of each tribe's unique traditions and as a way of curtailing tribal warfare. AFP PHOTO/Torsten BLACKWOOD