  A Look Back at Summer 2011...A Day at the Beach Aside from its important historical roots and local parades, for most people Labor Day generally signals the end of summertime fun and leisure. Traditionally and, thankfully still in some jurisdictions, kids and parents would see Labor Day as the day before school begins. It doesn't seem so long ago that Dad would put his white slacks and shoes toward the back of his closet until Memorial Day came around the following year. The summer of 2011 brought unrelenting, record-breaking heat to a huge portion of the country. And, once again, just days before Labor Day, oppressive heat returned to many areas. But then, like clockwork, Labor Day 2011 made a less than welcome entrance with weather that, for many, was cloudy, wet and downright chilly. Waking up to this change made us here at FreePhotoCourse.com think of the colder months ahead. As we sat round the table at a staff meeting, Labor Day now behind us, we sipped the morning coffee and lamented that summer had already come and gone. Whether it's back to school or simply the end of that summery feeling, the passing of Labor Day has always engendered a mindset that it's time to put aside the thoughts of vacationing, poolside mojitos and, perhaps, beach umbrellas, and instead, put the nose to the ol' grindstone and get back to work. However, the one thing about photographers that helps us move from one season to the next, is that we tend to bank a lot of images from the previous season and look forward to working on them later. Call it a visual retrospective, a photo-essay or whatever works for you; here's our gift to you – a warm and sunny look at a beautiful summer day at the beach. So, sit back and enjoy (...mojitos are optional)! By the way, you can find these and many more updated beach pictures in our Free Images section.                 Add Comment A Change of Mind (and Heart)... 02/11/2011
 A Change of Mind (and Heart)... Back in September, we blogged about an absolutely spectacular photo that we received from a reader that we had considered posting in our Contributor's Gallery. If you recall, the picture depicted a young boy from a remote mountainous area of Chile. The boy was dressed in traditional clothing, the llama wool hat and sweater were interesting and said a lot about where and how he lived. But what stole the show was the boy's expression; one of wonder and honesty. The photographic technique was flawless; exposure, focus and composition were on a professional level. The image was National Geographic cover material caliber. We were initially excited about hosting this incredible image on our site. And then our Submissions Review Team began talking about the ethics of publishing this boy's picture. In the end, we decided against publishing it because, although it was taken in a public place and we could legally do so with editorial content, it just didn't seem right. We felt that children have a special right to privacy - one that at least their parent should have some say about. Well, wouldn't you know it...the issue came up again very recently. But this time, the photographer sending us of his work turns out to be a professional documentary photographer, but with a twist. His name is Soham Gupta and he is deeply committed to using his work to advance the lives of the people he encounters in his work - in short, he is a humanitarian. Gupta works in and around Calcutta, India, and uses his photography as a means to bring attention to the human rights abuses, exploitation and suffering that are so much a part of so many peoples' lives. Our Submissions Review Team was stunned. The depth of expression in Gupta's pictures is arresting. The authenticity unquestionably honest. The composition of the photos in his portfolio is highly insightful; he sees the symbolism in aspects of his locations and content, and uses it to make a strong point. His pictures reveal that India's booming economy is not a boom for everyone there and that a big slice of the population remains in abject poverty. We had a change of mind. From an ethical perspective, we embraced the opportunity to publish Gupta's photos because the situation is so different from the one involving the Chilean boy. Gupta has a story to tell and his story is one that absolutely needs to be told, and to be told again and again. Yes, we are thrilled to host the works of such a highly talented photographer - there is no question about that; any serious photography site or publication would welcome the opportunity. But the fact that his work is a means to an even greater end is what drove us in our easy and heart-felt decision to feature Gupta and his compelling pictures. As a photographer, Gupta is well on his way to making his mark. He has already been published in the Yale Journal of International Affairs, several other humanitarian publications and will soon participate in a major exhibition in London, UK. But after talking with him a lot over the past month, we know that he'll only feel true satisfaction in his work when it helps bring about change for the very subjects of his photography. If you've gotten this far in reading this blog post, then you'll obviously want to see the exhibit. NYC Exposed - Get Your Photos in Soon! 01/20/2011
 NYC Exposed - Get Your Photos in Soon! If you haven't already heard about it or had a chance to see it on our site, FreePhotoCourse.com has launched a new photography exhibit. It's called NYC Exposed, and it's the first in what we hope will be a series of high quality reader-submitted images from different cities around the globe. Our Submissions Review Team is looking for pictures that depict the most interesting and artistic perspectives of different parts of New York City; both the well known and not so much! What we're really hoping to do is to reveal the personal viewpoint of both travellers to the City and, of course, from people who are New Yorkers down to their very soul! As we sift through the photos that are being submitted, we're getting very excited about the wonderful diversity that's being shown in the locations and in the very different styles of photography. From the iconic landmarks such as the Brooklyn Bridge, to the fun style of the Mermaid Parade, the photos in this exhibit are illustrating just how different NYC can be and how varied different people's perspectives are. It really is a city that is all things to all people - the greatest city in the world! If you have what you think is a well-composed and interesting picture of NYC - one that captures the essence of an important element of what the City means and does so from your own perspective - then why not submit it to the exhibit? If we select your work to be part of this fantastic new gallery, your photography will have an increased presence on the web by being included in this very special international gallery. You'll also receive a personalized limited edition poster designed specially for this new exhibit; if you're an amateur photographer, this poster would look great mounted and displayed on a wall. If you're a professional photog, the poster would be a fantastic addition to your portfolio or vitae. Check out the new exhibit and consider sending us your NYC photos soon, because the Call For Submissions deadline is approaching quickly! Autumn Photography Opportunities 10/13/2010
 Autumn Photo Opportunities... Yup, it's right on schedule; the nights are getting quite a bit cooler, the leaves are changing and the smell of autumn is in the air. But beyond putting a few pumpkins on the front porch and opening the windows at night, have you given much thought to how you'll change your photography habits to best capitalize on the unique opportunities this season offers? Photo professionals say that a huge part of photography - perhaps the most important part - is how the artist "sees" his or her world. That being said, how is it that the observant and creative photographer "looks" differently at his or her surroundings while mother nature does her thing? We asked our own photographers here at FreePhotoCourse.com and we'd like to share their words of imaging widsom with you. First off, they all agreed that you really can't create truly authentic and interesting autumnal photos unless you dive into the season. This means that you need to think about doing fall-ish types of things first and then think about the camera second. (Their reasoning is that you'll be oblivious to the many beautiful visual opportunities if you're not actually participating.)  To further explain, our photog's suggest that you make it your priority to participate in various autumn activities rather than making the camera and gear the priority. Take the cam along, but keep don't make it the most important thing. They say that you should embrace the season rather than the camera and that by doing this, you'll notice a lot more that will inspire you photographically speaking. Go for some hikes on leaf-scattered trails. Take-in the beauty of a foggy autumn morning; the haze that embraces leafless trees can be just as awesome as the filtered rays of sunlight spreading along another morning's fog. Pick your own pumpkin at a county pumpkin patch. Go and get lost in a corn maze! Have a free lunch hour? Check out the nearest park and see how visually inviting leaves can be when they sit on just about anything. Get invigorated by going for a run just after an October rain and you might notice some really cool reflections in puddles on your path that reveal gorgeous distorted mirror images of trees filled with crimson and gold leaves. Go to some farmers' markets that are likely bursting with a bounty of local harvest. Go for a drive down a lonely country road and see how a decaying old barn makes you feel during this season compared to any other. Our photographers suggested that if you go out looking for photo opportunities of these delightful autumn subjects, you'll cheat yourself of many special experiences. They say you should go for the experience first and the photo second. After all, autumn is a time of pause and reflection - a time to consider where we've been and the things that winter will bring. It's a time that all of the frenetic activities that so much a part of the rest of the year seem to slow down so much that the falling leaves become the preferred movement of the day. Fall is already in full-swing. Are you ready for it? An Ethical Dilemma 09/11/2010
 An Ethical Dilemma Last week one of our website visitors submitted a truly striking photo for possible publication in our Contributor’s Gallery. The image that Enrique, our Peruvian visitor, emailed us portrayed a beautiful Peruvian child who looked about three years old. He noted in his message that the picture was taken in a small mountainous village in the northern part of his country, about 4,000 meters above sea level. We were floored. Of the hundreds of visitor photo submissions we’ve received since FreePhotoCourse.com went online, this is by far the best one, without a doubt. It would clearly win the best image of the year, hands-down, no contest! We’d love to show you Enrique’s beautiful photograph; heck, we’d like to use it as an anchor photo to support a new how-to article about travel photography. The image is in all respects perfect. It is definitely National Geographic front page caliber, in all aspects of quality related to technical, composition and content. The little boy portrayed in this image is absolutely adorable. His huge brown eyes seem to look deep inside your soul and they speak of a cautious curiosity. The boy’s beautiful warm skin tone contrasts pleasingly against his slate blue colored hat, ivory sweater and dark coat, all of which appear to be hand-made from local llama or alpaca wool. The shaded location allowed the natural light to fall gently upon most of the boy’s face, his right cheek defined more sharply by a bit of sunlight. Short depth of field blurs an outside wall in the background, creating a beautiful bokeh in which the viewer can barely discern a patche where a large piece of paint has peeled off. Beyond all of this attention to photographic detail, the boy’s eyes are the winner here. The honesty and innocence are exquisite. So, do we go ahead and post the picture? First we consider the legal. We always ask for a model or parental consent release if there is a recognizable subject in the photo. It isn’t legally necessary for our purposes, but we like to have it in any event. The photo in question did not have the accompanying release. Having said that, photos in our Contributor’s Gallery are not commercial in nature, in that we don’t use these images to sell, associate with or endorse any product or service. We also do not sell these Contributor’s Gallery images to anyone. Our gallery is merely a way for our visitors to have their best photographic work celebrated and displayed. With these facts in mind and since the image was photographed in a public place, we are as reasonably entitled to post it in a free gallery, as would be Flickr, Photobucket and a multitude of other free photo viewing sites. (Hint – search for "Peru Child" in Flickr; you’ll find over 16,000 results and it is unlikely any of those photographers had a release.) So, even though we’re reasonably entitled to publish it, why did we decide against posting Enrique’s remarkable photograph? In a word, ethics. As we discussed what to do, one of the members of our submissions team said something that left everyone speechless. She said, "Fine, so it’s legal. But just humor me for a minute. Imagine that you were at a local outdoor market with your three year old child. A tourist happens to think your child has an interesting ‘look’ and takes his picture. The next thing you know, that picture has won a contest and is posted on a photography website that gets visitors from over fifty different countries every day. So just how comfortable would you feel as a parent if that happened?" She made an excellent point and we all understood. You see, what we’ve come to realize through this experience is that it really doesn’t matter whether a child is in a remote village way up a mountain in a far-off country or in the park a block from where you live; the child should have the right to his or her privacy in a way that surpasses specific legal rights. And parents deserve to have a say in what happens with images of their own children. This is the reason we decided not to publish this picture. In the end, we’re happy with our decision, despite how much we really wanted to let our visitors appreciate Enrique’s photo work. p.s. We did send Enrique an email to recognize and congratulate him for his excellent photography. We also mentioned that we’d be thrilled to publish his picture if he were able to get a parent release to us. Let’s hope that happens! Not Another Rainy Day? Argghh!! 08/25/2010
  Not Another Rainy Day? Argghh!! You've got to be kidding! One of our photo contributors and writers, Steve Kristof, just returned from a sunny vacation to find himself mired in clouds, rain, clouds, rain... you know the drill. Problem is that he was really counting on some nice bright light and clear weather to do some landscape work he had been hoping to finish. Well, you know how the old saying goes; "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em!" And that's exactly what he did. Talk about making lemonade out of lemons. Steve, along with some other contributing photographers, shot some beautiful abstract photo art using what we usually regard as our photographic nemesis - rainfall. The article is a gem, because it explains very specifically how to use rain, puddles, reflections and light to your advantage in order to create really stunning pictures. As well, we've included several high res pics of raindrops, puddles, reflections, rainy cityscapes, rain-speckled leaves, moisture dotted spider webs and more. Enjoy our newest 2-part article on How to Use Rainfall, Puddles, Reflections and Light to Create Stunning Pictures! In the meantime, we'll continue working on new articles, lessons, free pictures and wallpapers, and more. By the way, have you checked-out our Photography Forum, the Aperture Lounge? Why not visit? Like all of our features on FreePhotoCourse.com, it's free and registration is not required. Have a photography question to ask or insight to share? Why not get in on the ground floor of this new forum! Look, Then Look Again 07/23/2010
 Look, Then Look Again One of our contributors recently shot some really sweet pictures at an outdoor festival. As he explained, he and his wife got a little overwhelmed by the mid-day 97 degree torment from this summer’s heat wave, so they took a break and sat down on a grassy hill to sip some cold lemonade they purchased from a stand. A good photographer always checks-out what has been shot before leaving the event, so in like fashion, he and his wife – our resident newlyweds - began looking through the hundreds of shots on the back of his camera. Don’t forget that a good photographer also keeps one’s eyes open and scans one’s surroundings repeatedly, because both content opportunities and personal perceptions do change and can change frequently. That’s where his wife – a self-admitted photography simpleton – had a big breakthrough! While casually scanning his pix, she looked away for an instant and caught a really fantastic photographic opportunity. What she noticed that her self-admitted photography expert did not, was a couple sitting on the grass about twenty yards away, with their backs to both of them. What first caught her eye was the fact that they were wearing matching Detroit Tigers t-shirts. She thought that was cute. And then she looked again. What she saw the second time was the Tigers tattoo on her foot. Whether it was permanent or not didn’t matter. It was a unique place for a personal expression of team loyalty and the young woman’s attractive bare foot looked really cool in the long grass. As he explained, she said to him, “Let me have the camera for a minute.” He thought that she wanted to take a closer look at one of his masterpieces. Instead, he was taken aback when she handled the cam like a pro, zoomed into what he had not noticed and then pressed the shutter to produce her own masterpiece! Now, a few days later, the image has been printed at 16 x 20, professionally framed and is hanging in the couple’s sports and entertainment room. It looks fantastic and is a truly unique and artistic addition to the other prints and posters in the same room that have a rather mass-produced feel to them. This one’s in a different class. By the way, she now considers herself a "photo opportunist" and that's a good thin to be if you're a photographer. Oh...and yes, they are both Tiger's fans!  © 2010, Gail Anderson - Detroit Tigers - Do Not Copy  New Photo to Check Out! Tropical Storm Conson over Phillipines We just received a stunning new photo from one of our readers by the name of Mar dela Cruz. The image depicts a rapidly changing sky as Tropical Storm Conson moves in over Manila, Phillipines on July 12. Check it out in our Contributor's Gallery. What we really like about this image is the wide latitude between brights and darks as shown in the various clouds. Don't miss the rainbow streaks in the photo as well...very interesting!  A Disturbing Lack of Permanence in All Things Digital... Have you given any thought to the relationship between digital technology and the ever-expanding notion that our society not only lives in - but even desires - a throw-away culture? O.K., perhaps "throw-away" is too political a term to use, insofar as it may invoke feelings of politically-incorrect waste and environmental harm. But the concept of a throw-away society really has more to do with the impermanance of all things that such a society holds dear and true. What does this have to do with digital technology? As it turns out, a great deal. Here's how it works. When you stop and think about it, everything that we do in life, our world and even the revolution of our solar system is, in fact, temporary. We all know it - at least at some level. Whether we are talking about life itself, a mortar and brick building or a political empire, we realize that nothing lasts forever. Human beings have dealt with this irrefutable truth since we became self-aware. That's a huge reason we like to build varying degrees of semi-permanence into our lives. A venerable old cement edifice with wrought-iron fences around it makes us feel like we belong because IT has belonged for so long - far more than a cheap stucco-smeared strip-mall building that goes up and comes down at the whim of an investor. We do things to our homes that bring a welcome sense of permanence. These physical adornments help to define spaces within the context of our own personality and help make a house a home. So what does this have to do with photography? Plenty. Who still "prints" photographs? More and more people are merely storing their binary "ones and zeros" on various forms of digital media storage. Some even go so far as to organize, classify and back-up their precious photo memories and compositions onto alternative drives. Store and display your images on a digital frame, computer monitor or DVD slideshow? Great gizmos, cool toys and high-tech ways to display images, but it is all so temporary. Wait three to seven seconds and the image is gone, replaced by yet another randomly selected scene. Yes, the original image will eventually come back, but when it does, it will, once again, last for just seconds. Do you see what's happening here? Tangible, old-fashioned, printed photographs held in frames not only continue to appear for years upon years (as opposed to mere seconds); they also feed the human soul. Prints hung on walls or placed on countertops define our spaces and do so in a far less temporary way than do digital displays. It's not just about printing photographs. It's also about the race to trade-up. Ask any photographer older than 35 or 40 and they will tell you how their traditional 35mm SLR or medium format film camera was a one-stop deal. Once you reached that pinnacle - one where your photo equipment matched your photographic potential - you could stop there. Now our purchase decisions regarding any digital camera are framed within a background knowledge that the equipment will be outshone by a newer and more powerful model in just a few short years. What to do? Print and hang more of your photos. Print your works into coffee table photo books and display them proudly for friends and family to see. Find different ways to incorporate photographs into other physical art forms. It's a start! These practices will not solve the digital impermanence problem, but they will help shift perspective in a very primal and positive way! What do you think? A story about street photography 06/06/2010
 Street Photography and Unexpected Reactions One of our regular editorial/photo contributors does Urban or "Street" photography for a (sort-of) living (ie. he makes some $ off it by using his street photography slideshows in live and online exhibitions which, in-turn, draws more people to his more profitable work). Yesterday, he shared a story that made me wonder about just how safe this aspect of his occupation has become. First of all, let me set the record straight - his street photography work is amazing! Candid, authentic, gritty and rich in expression. If everyone on the earth disappeared in an instant and a million years later an alien landed on this orb and happened upon his work, it would provide a very vivid and heartfelt representation of humanity. Back to his experience... This particular pair of shoppers strolling along the boulevard seemed oblivious to the photog, along with just about everyone else. These days, most people in busy urban environments either don't notice or just don't care about people taking pictures of other people on busy street corners. There are just too many cameras, cell phones, i-devices, etc., everywhere you look and chances are that the busier the "everyday America" location you're in, the more likely it is that your mug is part of the binary ones and zeros on complete strangers' memory cards. But this day was different. The pair of shoppers mentioned earlier suddenly became very much aware of the photographer's existence and seemed more than just annoyed that their picture had been snapped. Their response was quite unexpected. This street photographer has rather thick skin and is quite accustomed to the odd person asking what he's doing or occasionally explaining that they'd rather he not do anything with their image which, of course, he honors. Usually, when he explains why he does street photography and how it preserves important moments in time from a cultural perspective, people warm-up to the idea. Not this couple. No, in fact, they confronted him very rudely and agressively, firmly believing that he was breaking the law and demanding loudly that he delete their pictures. He explained that what he was doing was very much legal in the U.S., in Canada, in Germany (he went on...) and that when someone is in a busy public area, they necessarily lose a certain degree of their right to their privacy. The couple persisted, yelling at the photographer in a threatening manner. (Many of the things we take for granted in the free world are not universal and visitors unaccustomed with our way of life may be quite unnerved by it all.) Had this couple simply asked politely if he was taking their picture he would have explained what he was doing and if they were uncomfortable, he would have deleted their images. Didn't happen that way. But here's an interesting thought. Maybe, just maybe, another street photographer caught the entire confrontation on his or her camera! Wouldn't that be a slice of urban life (and a bit of karma too)?!! Moral of this story? Lighten-up! There are camera lenses everywhere you look and even more in places you don't. Just because someone's pointing a camera in your direction doesn't mean you are even in the frame (have you ever heard of a zoom lens??). If your picture is taken in a busy place, be honored that you have become part of a very small attempt to preserve a moment of time of the cultural landscape that is our society. A bit preachy? Oh well, so be it! Happy shooting! |
Perspective on Photography is FreePhotoCourse.com's official Blog. This is where you can find updates, stories, news, links to photo "finds" and more from FreePhotoCourse's contributing photographers and writers. |
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