Travel Photography

Ever wondered about where you would like to take yourself....?

Sometimes we come to a point in our lives were our creative thoughts or our very souls have an unquenchable thirst for LIFE It is the one aspect of growing as a person, to seek out adventure, new friends, new culture, new places of interest. 

It is a natural process to want to migrate to other countries in the quest for knowledge or discovery, it is the fundamental point of which makes a person get to know yourself. It is also a fantastic innovative way of creating new thought processes of viewing the world. 

When our eyes are subjected to new sights and our noses are made to discover new smells, the brain behaves in a unique manner of literally soaking up the atmosphere, it is the best way to learn about life around us. 

Travelling

So travelling really should be on everyones' agenda, even if it is just visiting an undiscovered or never before seen part of your own country, it is essential to learning. I regularly travel around the United Kingdom to discover people, people who may lead entirely different lives to myself. 

I have also had the opportunities, to travel to other countries in Europe, America , Asia and some Arab States. It was a fantastic time for myself on a road of discovery, learning new languages and eating some exquisite cuisine. Travelling offers a fresher perspective for photography, you really do become much more creative, your eyes begin to dart everywhere as though you are an explorer taking in all that new information. 

Their many companies out there, that offer around the world trips for students, or post graduates or even someone who has come to a point in their life and wants a voyage of discovery. So where to go where to start?

Locations 

Many aspiring travel photography will think of the Asian or European continent, then they may think of the southern hemisphere, the southern hemisphere offers a different view on life. So many countries out there covering the southern hemisphere, in fact their over forty countries that are considered to be mostly in the southern hemisphere. 

So from Angola to East Timor to Brazil to Rwanda, one photographer who has visited over 43 countries in six years is of course Sebastiao Salgado, another worldly wise photographer is Steve McCurry. Both shoot documentary photography, have collated unique collections of inspiring portraiture, landscapes and news items.  

So if you're looking for an adventure and fancy yourself as a travel photographer or even a digital nomad do some research on the places you would like to visit, find out what the situation is for working abroad, if you require a working visa with a holiday company such as STA Travel. 

Or if you are thinking of working in the northern states of USA, you may want to look here for more information. Here if you want to keep up with travel news with Mozambique. 

Remember locations can have civil wars, and unless that is the specific reason for your documentary photography, do take caution. 

©Dook

Mozambique has some of the best coastline in Africa, offering the photographer access to some local people who travel daily wearing traditional dress. 

Very fascinating stuff I am sure you'll agree, what about other locations may be South America. 

South America is home to many colonial cities, places such as Arequipa, these places offer up museums, religious sites and hiking and trekking. So if you have a head for heights and are quite the adventurer you may like to visit Machu Picchu. So you can imagine the breathtaking views from such dizzy heights and a fairly introductory trek leads to a magnificent world heritage site. 

So many different places offering so many different cultures to learn from, isn't it just that, that makes your feet twitchy for discovery?  

Let's just take a look at some inspiring photographs from around the world...

Island roads Travel / Florence / Italy These marvellous photographs come from the Cuba Gallery on Flickr and the guy behind these magical photographs is Andrew, a photographer and designer from Auckland, New Zealand. You can follow him and his work here. Andrew has a very good idea of interpretation of architecture, I guess that comes from being a designer and having such a wonderful passion for his surroundings and spatial awareness.

©Cuba Gallery

©Cuba Gallery

So do take a look, and if you want to follow him and his work, subscribe to his posts on his blog, Lightroom Tutorials. I have to say I find this piece very inspirational from a composition point of view, in this frame we see great use of scale, the organic aspect is the single man jogging through a seemingly foreboding dark concrete jungle. 

The aesthetic is very pleasing though to the eye, remember not all travel photography is about traditional dress, sometimes it can be the very architecture, that conveys a message of wander and enlightenment. 

Andrew knows his stuff, and shares his knowledge of photographic manipulation within the Adobe Lightroom experience. These Presets can be purchased on his page or if you are already quite savvy with Lightroom, you can create your own. 

Though if your also into street photography or even lomography you will know of the wacky effects you can create using analogue technology and good old celluloid film, I love shooting film and I know how to create elaborate works simply by re-exposing the film again, or even using this neat trick to create a very purple haze effect. 

A neat trick, not for everyone. But nevertheless; it is very experimental. 

Experimentation is key to your development as a photographer.

The Photography Show

Well 

it looks like it's that time of year again, and everybody is getting over the big bird in the oven by now, and thinking about how successful was your Christmas, did you turn over a new leaf did you even produce some great work and convert that work into a calendar or even a book or maybe just a fantastically framed photograph now hanging on your wall? 

For those in the know, especially in the UK you will no doubt have travelled up the M42 motorway and found your way to the Birmingham NEC Centre at some point in your life or career, I have visited the place many times now, its a massive complex and it features several shows in the year, including shows on dentistry and high performance cars, and of course not forgetting the caravanning and camping show, (people think about holidaying at this time too). 

However for us creative lot, the most important date especially if you like me are studying or are just as passionate about photography like myself. The NEC Birmingham will be hosting the one show you will definitely will be interested in The Photography Show 

The Photography Show is the brand new exhibition dedicated to the world of photography.
Taking place from 1-4 March 2014, this is the perfect forum for professional photographers, enthusiasts, amateurs, mobileographers, retailers and anyone who operates within the photography industry.
The Photography Show provides an unrivalled platform to get hands-on with the latest gear from over 200 exhibiting brands, including industry giants Nikon, Olympus, Fujifilm, Hasselblad, Epson and Sigma. So when you have finished exploring what the brand names have on offer for the forthcoming year, you can explore further and take in a show or two. 

On each day the they're many professionals who will show you how to take great pictures if you're just a beginner or even an intermediate and just want to progress further and make your chosen field stand out that much more. 

Not only that but they have great photographers who will be talking about their work, one such photographer who has made countless contributions to photographic media including his library of bibliography photographic extraordinaire is Steve McCurry . We all agree that Steve's work as a photojournalist is outstanding, his work ranges from the most subtle form of portraiture to vast landscapes depicting war torn countries and unique insight in to little known corners of the Indian and Asian Continents, to the astrid beauty of the mountainous landscape of Afghanistan for which most of his work is credited for. 

Steve McCurry will be giving a talk on his techniques and the story behind his photographs on Monday 3rd March 

Rankin 

Will be making an appearance too, the iconic fashion and portrait photographer who has established himself as one of the worlds leading influential fashion portrait photographers will be sharing his trade secrets and why he is still current and very much inspired, Rankin of course had a very inspiring exhibition recently with alive in the face of death The subjects having varying degrees of hardship and their story telling made compelling viewing. 

As some of you may know fashion photography can be a very rewarding and lucrative career, it also incorporates to some degree Wedding Photography This subject will also be a key talking point at the exhibition so if your like me and shoot the odd wedding or shoot weddings on a regular basis, then there is something for everyone whatever your level.  

Not only that but there is much more in the way of fashion, there will be a catwalk too, so some head turning stuff so remember to have your camera at the ready!

Get your tickets here... 

Save yourself money and make your own book

Hi all

I just felt I needed to share this offer with you all, so please like David Rothwell Photography on Facebook and benefit from this Blurb

Blurb is a great way of producing your own photo book with a very professional outlook, if you have an Adobe account and use Lightroom 4 onwards you will know that you can then export your finished edits into the book making software and generate your own style of layout or use a template based version.

It really is that simple many people who use the photographic social site 500px will know of the high calibre and yes high contrast, vibrant photographs they have on the site. Those users including myself have produced books on blurb using the link through on Blurb with very interesting results whether you use Adobe In-Design or you use Blurb BookSmart® You will find the software relatively straight forward and not only that but when using  Blurb BookSmart®  your book is 'always saved' as when using the save prompt you will endeavour to find that out.

The site also has a blog for hints and tips about how to get to the best out of creating,  marketing and selling your very own book. There is also a handy link for  if you so require it, ISBN Container information this will enable you to sell your book in stores, with a scannable barcode. 

Blurb

So if you want to make a straight forward book here is the link for just that, online photo book or if you prefer Lightroom or if you are really savvy with the whole creative process, try this indesign-plugin 

Plenty to go at there but what about choosing your subject matter, or your speciality, well why not jot down what your favourite things in life are, i.e what do you like to do with your creative time? What do you prefer to photograph? 

Some people love to photograph food; some people love to bake their own cakes and photograph them too, so now you can see the limitless possibilities of photography and your own photographic processes. 

©David Talley Photographer 

365 Day Project

How about a project you may be working on or have just started shooting, if you cannot commit to a 365 day photo project, then maybe you would find it easier shooting a 52 week project or even one photograph a month. It's entirely up to you, but a twelve page book doesn't really seem to be worth all that effort, you may as well shoot double the amount of photographs to get different viewpoints.  

Remember its your book, you can do with it what you want the important thing is, you would have created something so much more meaningful than just an album with prints stuck inside, am not saying that's a bad thing,  but if you want to show your work to prospective clients someday then perhaps you should start thinking laterally about what you want from your photography. 

You may remember when I mentioned a certain photographer who had accomplished just that with a 365 day photo project. Amazing work really it is, and it makes me smile knowing there are like minded individuals who love shooting 'selfies' and being really creative when shooting them.  

It really is a creative world out there, on the right hand side of this very page, you will find my own creative work, a book I completed last year. The book We The People was a fantastic milestone to have worked on, I got great pleasure from shooting, compiling and editing all the images in the book. 

You could say it was my own 52 week project although it does have 157 pagination, the book focuses on Britain and a few seaside resorts and city centres. I gradually became aware that shooting landscapes with people in view was much more interesting than shooting a landscape without people, I had in fact crossed over a bridge in my photography, a stepping stone if you will. 

I had come full circle, I was now photographing people, and I was beginning to enjoy photography a whole lot more besides. So you like me can see your own potential when you achieve even the smallest of steps, it eventually becomes a big leap and you realise that you have made bigger waves too, people will become more interested in your work, the more you appreciate others who are doing the same as you. 

This is very gratifying knowing that if I appreciate someone else's photographic art, that they too, will appreciate mine, and so the circle of creative process, expands you learn more from your peers and you learn how to grow as an artist. 

Go ahead and try it! 

Why we should avoid Social Media...

Well put it another way, how beneficial is social media to your own art, your style or interpretation of photography or the medium in which you photograph your subject.

Whilst we are now evolving into yet another year, I cast my memory back to those heady days of glitzy colour, or rather the colours used to highlight the historical event known as the Millennium.

Many photographers or even graffiti artistes would of witnessed first hand the symbolic alphanumeric 'Y2K' emblazoned on many walls around the world, and to emphasise also that the new millennium was going to be impending doom for all of us.

Yet nothing has really changed, it is only the mechanical and kinetic perpetual workings of a clock that serve to remind us that we are not free of who we truly are or what we can be. Today I watched a documentary film about the work of Sebastiao Salgado with a very significant interpretation of the work by photographer and writer John Berger.

In retrospect we can ask ourselves a question, which could be construed as an rhetorical question, "Have we learned anything of ourselves, have we learned anything of humanity?"

In the film we hear the descriptive introduction of the photographer, and we learn that he trained as an economist,  this raised my eyebrows somewhat, I was intrigued how someone who was obviously well educated could turn to art and in particular photographic art, the transition was certainly on a par with how Joel Meyerowitz came into photography by following Robert Frank on an assignment around New York.

In all honesty I have learned about this through the medium of literature, but what about digital media, if you want to improve your skills on subject matter and composition should we stay away from social media.

That very point was raised by my own tutor, before the Christmas break, try and read more about photographers in books rather than use the Internet to grab a few pointers, however I follow another photographer and blogger who also touches on this very subject.

He also shoots a lot of street photography, Eric Kim is certainly known to those in the know of the very fine art, we indulge in. His unique informative style of blogging helps us to learn and to grow as photographers; we should be doing this all the time.

I love a challenge as a street photographer, I have come across those that would argue what your doing is not right why photograph the street. I was challenged by such a man outside a restaurant one time in Liverpool, was by all accounts a complete and utter fool.

By suggesting I cannot photograph in a public place, was ridiculous. We live in a democracy; Don't we?

They're those would disagree, in a film I have also watched the photographer Joel Meyerowitz openly talks about the fact that the then Mayor of New York, Rudy Giuliani had ruled and had ordered New York's finest to stop anyone taking photographs of one of the most horrific events in human history, 9/11.

Of course the photographer, smiled back politely realising that this decision was absurd. How could we not record history, in a ways looking into that very book of the 9/11 aftermath, I remember a decision by one Americas' Presidents that would blow Mayor Giuliani's decision out of the water.

Dwight D. Eisenhower could not believe his eyes when he witnessed the horror of the holocaust and so with that ordered many to document the event so as to prove to the world, that the horror of the second world war had truly happened.

Those events or rather the images of those events have inspired many photographers amateur and professional alike to go and hunt for a story, to create a new perspective. To document world history, or to document your local town or city, in the belief that something no matter how insignificant or extraordinary should be photographed.

The Internet is a great tool for finding out about human history, it's just such a shame that some of it becomes distorted and meaningless. People nowadays or I should say those who were born in the new millennium would have been taught a different history than the one, I learned when I was at school.

Certain factors are kept a secret, so by that statement we should ask ourselves, why was Mayor Giuliani, trying to prevent people from photographing the aftermath of such an horrific event in Americas' history?

I would like to know why, as would others. Is this why we should avoid the Internet as photographers so we can learn from books? The Internet is there for everyone, we do learn from social media too. We learn of how someones time-line can become an incessant noise of "oh silly me, I tripped over my husbands arse, as he playing blind drunk yet again", to "my cat died and am so sad". These events become futile and meaningless, but to those involved it can be something which defines their very existence.

I have become bored of Facebook purely because that incessant noise, is just that incessant noise. However, sometimes we discover such events that can lead to a full blown story, take for example the scathing attack on the outstanding British diver Tom Daley; who was attacked online after the loss of his father.

He was also the subject of yet another hate campaign when he came out, shame in reality. But that is just the point the social media outlet has become just that, it is a vile and disgusting place for anyone.

So that brings me to the point of exercise, as photographers should we avoid social media, I don't think so it's a great way of getting your work out there. However do try to get your work into an exhibition, or even create your own book.

For now though am going to leave with this piece of music, I love the rhythm of the guitar and the kick of the drum. Great for listening too on your way to a street shoot.

Bad River; Endless Boogie

See ya laters!

A new order...

Well that was very brief indeed...just picking up where I left yesterday. I mentioned the two books that I have been reading so far, with regards to photography and visual language. One point I should of also mentioned is this Susan Sontag has also written books on the subject, so for those that follow me, that may or may not have access to John Berger, can pick some valid points from work of Susan Sontag.

So if your into photographic literature and you want to know more here is a link to another of her works, entitled Against Interpretation The more I read on the subject the more I seem to absorb more creativity, the more creativity I seem to find and absorb my own mind begins the creative process all over again.

Do you ever get those sudden urges to do something radical...to do something really positive in your day with the time that you have to be more creative, to get away from the dull grind of life, the daily toil on the soul and just be...YOU!

Of course you do, your human after all...

Creative Process

I attend another class, one that is more involving with an artistic technique; one that I have to apply by a free hand to draw. When am drawing the first thing I notice is how relaxed I feel, am a practical person and I like to be free from the distraction of life once in a while, just so I can get put down on paper how I feel or how I perceive life in the street or farther away in the wilderness of some far distant land. 

The land doesn't even have to be exotic it could be cold for all I care, it just needs to be relevant to how am feeling, when that relevance hits me, I begin to explore my mind and conjure up all kinds of creative thought process, and just sometimes that process enables me to be free of my ties, in other places. 

I like to challenge myself, the one aspect of my very nature is to evolve, like other people around me they evolve too. We are constantly moving forwards. I will be posting some new work of my own, which has focused on the street, to try and portray a portrait of life.  As am trying to hone my own photojournalism skills, of finding or rather capturing a story. I have been watching films of photographer's, and those which are featured from LIFE magazine.

I have also been watching photographic films too:

I have been shooting over the last few weeks, and I hope you all had a festive and merry Christmas. We are now looking in to 2014, with renewed hope; hope that will also evolve into reality and help those less fortunate than ourselves; this film which was created for the work of renowned photographer Sebastiao Salgado is truly a unique perspective on the world and supported by the eloquence of John Berger.

A truly fascinating insight in to one of the world's most revered photographers.
So do please enjoy this film, and I wish you all a happy new year and a brighter future. 

Back in the saddle...

Listening to Endless Boogie...

viewing countless photographs from street photographer Bruce Gilden and I can feel the energy pulsing through me. This guy is fucking awesome! So much energy...so much going in the frames, and his humanistic approach is not too dissimilar from Dougie Wallace, aka (Glasweegee). 

They both use off-camera flash and if you have seen neither photographers' work, well you should get yourself out there and start looking! If your into street photography, you probably have heard of these guys before. Let me tell you Dougie Wallace travels around a lot he's a proper photo-journalist with a very humanistic approach, it may seem agressive like Gilden's but that's because you have never tried that style, and you really should get out there and photograph some more...

For the past few weeks I have been a very busy guy with avoiding floods...engine dying...crappy trains, assignments, assignments...let me tell you trying to sort things out whilst holding a job down and going for a degree in photography, not to mention still the possibility of finding a great deal more material for a new book; yeah I been busy alright.

Alas though it will all be worth it in the end, cos the one thing I do believe in is hard work equals big rewards...ten fold!
So what exactly have I been shooting then? Well apart from some graffiti backdrops and listening to umpteen John Cooper Clarke poems and reading them of course and the latest book from John Berger which looks at visual language and photographic work by photographers such as Henri Cartier-Bresson and W. Eugene Smith, through the eyes of award winning author Geoff Dyer.

If your studying photography as an art form, this book; is well worth the investment. it helps move on from Berger, John Ways of Seeing (London: Penguin Books 1972). And if you have read that then you will have an idea of where I am going with this, it looks at the one aspect of photography few beginners will understand, unless your an avid reader of photography literature. 

It's a great tool for those who are looking at the art of photography as a visual language, for those who are really wanting to learn more about the art from an academic perspective. 

  Now that I have shared that with you, I thought I would share some photographs of Bruce Gilden and other New York street photographers and a link to everybody street. Great film if you have not seen the piece.

Enjoy viewing!

Sleeper noun (person) ˈsliː.pər

My current project is a study of the person asleep; I have collated a series of images through a series of trips around the city centres in the UK. The majority of the images were taken during an exceptional warm summer, not just that but the images were shot on separate occasions.

 

I shoot street photography around the UK and through careful editing and assimilation I noticed a pattern emerging from my work, and I was intrigued by what I had actually recorded that I then decided to focus my attention on just that subject.

 

What became apparent was certainly the temperature was a key factor in all circumstances, not just that but the time of the day these photographs were actually taken.

 

I was quite astounded at what I had actually found, I found that these people seemed so far removed, displaced from their natural surroundings that they became comatose in appearance. For all intents and purposes they were asleep, but why?

 

Why were these people asleep openly in public, was it the heat? Was it alcohol induced or a combination of both? I have witnessed people travelling fall asleep especially on a long journey, it seems quite acceptable to see this as a journey on a plane, ship or even a train can induce a relaxed state of mind as to the point of restlessness and so the body begins to shut down essential motor behaviour’s and further induce sleep.

 

So I understand how this can happen but openly outdoors and in the full glare of the sun, surely this factor would prevent you from falling asleep in such a hot heat outdoors.

 

The people in the photographs amazed me as they were totally immersed in their sleep, for myself as a photographer I decided to explore more, and apparent states can be recognised for what they are.

 

The subject of photography is always a topic of conversation where ever I go; I meet people from all walks of life, though it does make me more attentive when I do meet like-minded people who are into art whatever form it takes, people in everyday situations influence my own state of mind and so I begin to document these ‘events’ and capture some essence of the human spirit.

 

Photography has opened up an amazing world for me, and for like-minded individuals it can be very exciting and is a unique way of meeting people, I enjoy meeting people from other cultures and finding out what makes these people tick.

 

Those people have influenced my work over the past two years or so, and I have moved away somewhat from just shooting landscape photography, though I do like to shoot this from time to time.

 

It is actually people who I now prefer to capture on digital or analogue format, shooting film is a fantastic way of capturing the world, the cities and its streets. There is so much to capture, so from reading this blog hopefully you will gain some inspiration and go out and capture people going about their business in an extraordinary way.