Outstanding Photographers

Photographer Tony Dailo, where photography is an art! “If you can’t enjoy it,then you are wasting your time!”

Posted by Arnaud | Filed under Landscape

Introducing Tony Dailo (forurglory), our 111th featured artist in the Hall of Fame! There’s no doubt of Tony’s exceptional skill as a landscape photographer but as he says in his own words, “I desire to dabble more in other areas of the art. I am just overwhelmed before my very eyes, of the wonders of God’s creation”. Looking forward to more stunning photos Tony and good luck in all your endeavors!

Artist’s statement:

I am Tony Dailo. I live in the beautiful city of Cairns, Queensland Australia. My passion for photography was re-kindled when my wife bought me a Canon Rebel XT. Prior to that, I was really into photography during my college days.

My images comprises of seascapes, sunrise and landscapes. Cairns has an unlimited supply of beaches and the sunrises are magnificent.

My photography is my art and vice-versa. Photography for me is about enjoyment. If you can’t enjoy it,then you are wasting your time. I get up early for a shoot whenever I can, before work or not. The only way to learn and improve is to go out there and do it. I read anything about photography. I try to learn more about my camera. I use Photoshop for editing and I am constantly experimenting with techniques and workflow.

Fortunately, I derive inspiration and motivation from looking at the works of all these creative and talented artists in Flickr and Photographer’s Choice group.

I would like to to thank my family for their support. To Arnaud, for inviting me to this awesome group. And lastly, to give glory to God, our creator.

Storm brewing

Rocks-Second Beach,Cairns

Sunrise-Ellis Beach,Cairns

Barr creek-Machans Beach,Cairns

Good as Gold

Northern Beaches,Cairns

Red Clouds-Trinity Inlet,Cairns

Sunrise at Ellis

The kingdom of the Yabby

Red Sky in the morning,Sailor’s Warning

Sunrise-Northern Beaches,Cairns

Palm Cove Jetty,Cairns

Buchan Point,Cairns

Northern Beaches,Cairns

Trawlers at rest-Trinity Inlet,Cairns

Sunrise-Northern Beaches,Cairns

Four Mile Beach,Port Douglas,Australia

Rain Clouds-Northern Beaches,Cairns,Australia

Northern Beaches-Cairns,Australia

You can contact Tony at:

Use of these images on websites, blogs or any other media without the explicit permission of the artists is absolutely prohibited. © All rights reserved. It is prohibited to download, copy or use a photo in any other way without the express permission of the photographer.

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Tags: Australia, forurglory, landscape, Tony Dailo

Read more | Comments off | March 28th, 2011

Take your mind on a stimulating voyage through color, form and light with photographer Jean Day!

Posted by Arnaud | Filed under Landscape

Our 110th featured artist is Jean Day (2boys2day), an enchanting, down-to-earth photographer from Grass Valley, USA! Jean definitely has an aesthetic awareness, her eye=catching images are visually enchanting and her photos are an inspiration to anyone! If you’re willing to take your mind on a stimulating voyage through color, form and light, Jean’s photostream is absolutely worth the trip!

Jean-winter-Yosemite

Artist’s Statement

I have been in love with landscape photography since I took my first photograph at the age of nine from Crescent Meadow in Sequoia National Park. That single slide had me saving for my first camera, a little plastic Kodak Instamatic, which I continued to use through high school. In my early 20s I purchased a Pentax K1000 and took the rare opportunity between life and motherhood to get out and shoot, when I could afford the time as well as film and processing. Only two short years ago, my boys grown, I regained some independence and rediscovered my passion for landscape photography with the help and support of Flickr, my friends, and contacts.

I now use a Pentax K-7 digital and two Pentax lenses, a Hoya Circular Polarizer, and a Cokin Graduated ND filter as my main arsenal. I am still learning to use Photoshop, Lightroom, and some Nik software to process my shots and achieve results that bring the image as close to the actual scene (to my eye) at the moment of capture. I am not a purist in any sense of the word and will use blending or HDR if necessary, though I prefer not to work that hard at the process and consequently, most all of my shots are from a single image.

For me, it is not all about the pursuit of capturing beauty from a moment in time at a particular place, nor do I attach any political motivations to my images. It is more in the adventure of being in the moment as a singular element to the scenes I feel privileged to witness. I am often humbled when I find myself without another soul around, often listening to no more than a quiet stillness, feeling the solid earth beneath my feet while gazing up at the stars. If I can convey that kind of feeling through my images, a oneness with the world, of giving the viewer the feeling of being there, albeit vicariously, I am both honored and pleased. It’s been a long road getting here and I still have so much to learn, but oh, I am so loving the adventure.

My photos on Flickr

Burney in White

The Bridge

Earthy

Sweet Sunset

Reflecting on a Classic

A Small Slice of Burney Falls

Horseshoe & “S” Bend

Waves of Time

Taffy Pull

Sierra Buttes at Upper Sardine Lake

Return to Cataract Creek

A Fall Mist

Morning’s Magic on the Owen’s River

Bristlecone Sunset

Tuolumne Meadows

Sacramento Delta Sunset

Too Many Photographers!

Badwater Blues

You can contact Jean at:

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Tags: 2boys2day, Jean Day, landscape, United States

Read more | Comments off | March 26th, 2011

Photographer Don Hall can photograph just about anything with exquisite beauty and elegance from all that this world has to offer!

Posted by Arnaud | Filed under Landscape

With over 1,550 incredible photos in his flickr stream Don Hall (NWPhotoGuy) can photograph just about anything with exquisite beauty and elegance from all that this world has to offer. He captures the essence of any scene and composes it masterfully just like the photographer who has been shooting since the “Brownie” was on the market. Welcome Don Hall everyone to the Photographer’s Choice Hall of Fame.

As a native and resident of the Pacific Northwest, I’ve had an opportunity to grow up in one of the most picturesque places on earth – a veritable treasure trove of photographic opportunities. Waterfalls, beaches, rainforests, mountains, farmland, and desert – they’re all here in my backyard.

Over 50 years ago, my father lent me his Kodak Box Brownie. Although very simple to operate, I still remember that I unintentionally double-exposed my first roll. The shutter release was a small lever that you could move up or down to take the shot but my father had only told me to move the lever down to take a shot. I guess that I took him a bit too literally, so after taking a shot by moving the lever down, I would move it up again to prepare for the next shot – woops! Fortunately, my photographic education has improved over the years.

I graduated from that simple naive beginning to an SLR made by Kowa which I used through high school then on to a Nikon in college. I was hooked. Finally, in 2003, a hiatus from photography (I didn’t like the chemicals) was interrupted by the world of digital. I could now combine my fondness for computers (MS in Computer Science) with photography. What began innocently enough blossomed into a love affair with photography that culminated in my going full-time in April of 2007.

My two great influences were Josef Muench of Arizona Highways fame and Ansel Adams, the black and white master of landscapes. Like them, I gravitated to capturing landscapes of the Western United States. From the magnificent vistas to more intimate subjects, all are likely to catch my attention. While I started off with iconic subjects, my more recent images have tended to be minimalist in nature and are often rendered in black and white, a medium that allows me to capture more of the emotion of the moment.

I now occupy my time in the field taking pictures, at the computer processing them, or in the shop developing new, as yet unannounced, photographic equipment. Stay tuned.

First Kiss

Fence Line

Shadows

Brush Strokes

Retired

Spring Wheat

Electric Sunrise

The Spirit Within

Dreamy

Alabama Hills, Lone Pine, CA 2008

Mt. Williamson, Manzanar, CA 2008

Racing Rock

Sierra Cirque

Snake River Overlook

Field of Stars

Lenticular Stacks

Upper Ruby Falls

Mountain Spirit

You can contact Don at: Light Fantastic Photography

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Tags: Don Hall, landscape, NWPhotoGuy, United States

Read more | Comments off | March 26th, 2011

The beautiful Icelandic collection of Anna Guðmundsdóttir (AnnaAndres)!

Posted by Arnaud | Filed under Landscape, Nature

Anna Guðmundsdóttir (AnnaAndres) from Hafnarfjörður, Iceland is our 108th featured artist, a delightful photographer with a wide variety of captures in her photostream and in particular a wonderful collection of beautiful Icelandic horses. Anna, being brought up in the countryside has a special love for these magnificent animals and she perfectly captures their grace and strength. A great source of inspiration to all who visit her photostream!

Anna Guðmundsdóttir

Artist’s statement:

I’m 57 years old and I live in Hafnarfjörður Iceland. I was raised in the countryside so I grew up with nature and the beauty of landscape. I moved to Reykjavík the capital of Iceland when I was seventeen years old and am currently working for a pension fund.

When I was fifty one of my friends gave me a good camera a Canon S1 IS and I started to photograph. Five years ago I bought a Canon 350D and my husband gave me good Canon lenses EF-S 17-55 f/2.8 IS USM and EF-S 55-250 4-5.6 IS, but now I’m updating my camera and now use a Canon 550D and 70-200mm lens.

Horses and traveling are my hobbies. Photographing horses is my number one subject and a lot of fun to photograph, they are so beautiful. Also I like to photograph landscape and flowers.

I was asked to send in 18 of my best photographs, which is of course impossible to do so I decided to choose 18 images of Icelandic horses. Most of these horses are from our property. I am always trying to learn a bit more as I see other photographers’ photos.

Thanks for your visit and I look forward to learning and being inspired by you all!

Anna

My girls. Hnáta, Dögg og Fiðla

Winter in the country

Tarzann. Autumn in Iceland

Lady Hylling

Young Icelandic stallions

Fun

Foals

Icelandic stallion

My beautiful Ísold

Freddom

Young stallion

Riding tour

Tarzann

Friends

Relaxing

Curious

Hnáta og Dögg

Nótt

You can contact Anna at:

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Tags: Anna Guðmundsdóttir, AnnaAndres, Iceland, landscape, nature

Read more | Comments off | March 25th, 2011

Photographer Kate Pedley! A venture into the amazing intricacies and designs of nature!

Posted by Arnaud | Filed under Landscape, Nature

Kate Pedley is our 107th featured artist, a geologist by profession, a photographer by consequence, Kate’s photostream is an exploration into and a celebration of landscapes, animals, nature, a venture into the amazing intricacies and designs one can find in the Earth around us, a fantastic collection of patterns in rock formations and much more! A remarkable, refreshing and inspiring photographer that I am sure you will all enjoy!

Artist’s statement:

I began my adventure into photography in December 2003 when I started the 4th year of my Honours degree in Geology. For that year (2004), we were required to do a 6 mth thesis/project and so I began my fieldwork in the volcanic fields of New Zealand’s North Island with a little Sony 5 MP compact camera to record my observations. I quickly got distracted by all the fun you could have with a camera and started experimenting wildly! Having never owned a camera before but having used my parent’s film compact on occasion I loved the fact that you could see what you were doing, learn quickly from your mistakes, delete a photo and try again. No more this sending a film away to get processed, getting it back and wondering why you wasted half the film on random shots that just didn’t come out!
Mostly I just muddled round (photographically-wise) for the next 2 years, then in 2006 came the opportunity to spend 5 weeks in the USA. This provided the opportunity to upgrade and I bought a Panasonic Lumix FZ30 (35-420mm eqiv).

This was a revelation in terms of progress and I taught myself all about changing aperture, shutter speed, light conditions. Soon realized of course that what I really needed now was a digital SLR! I’ve since had a Canon 30D and now a Canon 5D and I absolutely love it. I only have one lens, the Canon 17-40mm. Have thought about getting more but actually I’ve loved the challenge of just having a wide-angle. It’s made me think a lot more about foreground detail and getting closer to your subject. It particularly provides a fun challenge whilst traveling.

I love black and white, punchy colour, landscapes and of course particularly love photographing geology related subjects and scenes. I am also a huge fan of filters and regularly use my polariser and/or graduated neutral density filters. I love Photoshop but also believe very strongly in doing the best you can with your camera in the field. I consider it hugely satisfying if I only have to do minimal processing to my RAW files, and it also keeps the quality as high as possible (for prints). Composition is very important to me also and my foray into black and white photography I believe really helped me get past the distraction of colour and pay more attention to composition, shape, contrast and awareness of lighting. I now love punchy colour but I hope that my photos could still stand up without it.

Hope you enjoy!

The break of dawn

Napenape Limestone

Changing hue

Matheson dusk

?? Itsuku-shima

Converging

Queenstown & the Remarkables

Wharariki

??? Kusasenri reflections

Alpenglow & Hops

Stirling Falls

Shag & Pile

Destination (Shag Rock #10)

Morning in the rocks

Church of the Good Shepherd

Sunrise at Thor’s Hammer

Painted folds

Idyllic

You can contact Kate at:

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Tags: Kate Pedley, landscape, nature, New Zealand

Read more | Comments off | March 23rd, 2011

Enjoy the magic of Adrians-art, an inspirational photographer you won’t easily forget!

Posted by Arnaud | Filed under Landscape, Nature, Urban

Award-winning Adrian Campfield (adrians_art) is our 106th featured artist, a prolific photographer and a true artist in every sense of the word! Adrian has been photographing for years way back ever since his first manual film camera and he has been developing his skill and own particular style ever since! Passionate about his work, Adrian is also very versatile and does not limit himself to any one area although he does have his preferences! Enjoy the magic of Adrians-art, another inspirational photographer you won’t easily forget!

This is Me Folks!!

Artist’s statement:

I became interested in photography way back in 1976 what I got my first manual film camera a Praktica MTL1000 plus a few lenses I was amazed how close you could get to a subject as well as the sharp detail and since that day I have never looked back.

I learnt how to use light, composition and framing with all different types of subjects, and as the time went on I started to use monochrome film and developing it as well as having my own darkroom I learnt printing techniques how to make an image look dramatic and moody and as I started to win competitions and trophies I knew that I was on the right track. But now that digital photography has come I no longer use film or do any darkroom printing, my film is now the SD card of CF card my darkroom is now my computer and my enlarger is now my Epson 2400 A3+ printer.

My cameras that I use now are Sony I use the Sony 550. lenses 18mm and a 200mm

I love all aspects of the natural world this includes nature, wildlife all types of weather and light, my favourite subjects are misty and foggy mornings, sunrise and sunsets and I try and combine both of these elements in the images that I take, I also love abstracts, and patterns man made or natural with vivid colours, also love shadows and silhouetted subjects My favourite habitat and locations are anything to do with water such as rivers, lakes and coastal regions because I just love how the light reflects on water.

Here in England we have a BBC programme called ” Countryfile” and every year they have a photographic competition with thousands of entries and My crowning glory to date is when I won it in 2003 with the judges vote and that year the famous landscape photographer Charlie Waite was one of the judges and it was he who picked out my image I appeared on national TV to collect my award a time that I will never forget! The image is “Patterns of Nature”!

Patterns of nature!

Alone on the promenade

Psychedelic Swimmer

Vertical curves!!

Night Watchmen!

nose and paw

Hypnotic Eyes!

Motionlessness

Morning golds

5 Little Worlds

One January Morning

Sunrise through the reeds

Morning Mists

Dawn Whispers

Tranquil moments

Mists of fire

Autumn on Lake Grasmere

Just another winters morning

You can contact Adrian at: adrian’s art

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Tags: Adrian Campfield, adrians_art, Great Britain, landscape, nature, urban

Read more | Comments off | March 21st, 2011

The colorful lake scenes, dappled lighted forests and urban colors of photographer Tim Stacks!

Posted by Arnaud | Filed under Landscape, Urban

Introducing a photographer well known on flickr both for his skill and experience in the field! Tim Stacks aka Merlin08, is an artist that has his images viewed and admired all over the net! His dreamy landscapes of colorful lake scenes, dappled lighted forests and urban colors are all striking, well balanced works of art! And when Tim adds that additional processing, he transforms every pic into something something simply out of this world!

Artist’s statement:

“I got my first camera when I was about 10, a Kodak Brownie and took pictures of anything and everything without really knowing what I was doing. Later, in Viet Nam I got my first real camera, a Pentax Spotmatic and began my slow growth in the love of photography.

While in college I took classes in Fine Art Photography. I got a Maymia RB 67, medium format camera and worked for several years in B&W only. I had my own darkroom and isolated myself with my papers, chemicals and my Ansel Adams “Zone System” book. I studied Ansel Adams and Eugene Atge, and fancied myself an artist of great b&w art photography. Reality caught up with me and I got a Olympus OM4 and shot mostly Kodak Kodachrome slides for many years. Eventually the digital move caught up with me and I began to appreciate what I could do on my computer in the same room as my wife and dog, and I didn’t have to breath all those chemicals!

Now that I am retired, I have time to travel and spend with my photography. My principle love is landscape and mainly forest but I will occasionally try other things too, but always come back to the forest.

My equipment consists of a Canon EOS 450D, Benro carbon fiber tripod with a novoflex “Magicball” head. I have 3 lens that I use; the wide is a Sigma 10-20 DC HSM 4-5.6, the midrange is a Tamron SP 17-50 VC Di II and the long lens is a Tamron 70-300 VC Di. I use a circular polarizer on my wide and midrange almost all the time and 90% of my shots are on the tripod. I shoot everything is RAW now and do a good bit of HDRI, I love the ability to get the highlights and shadow detail. That is something I could never do with Kodachrome.

There is no such thing as pure photography and I am not a snapshot shooter. I always try to get the best shot I can in the camera but I am not finished until the post processing is done. I love saturated colors and good composition but the light is where it is at!”

THE MAGIC OF LIGHT