Back to work

Whilst it has been nice to have some time off during the Christmas period, I am now starting to get a little restless. “Good News”… I now have dates and a work schedule for the next 6 months photographing across the UK at various swim schools. It will be nice to get back into the swing of things.

 

© Underwater Art by Nicola Gwyther, All rights reserved.

 

In between these shoots I will also be doing some travelling which I am very much looking forward to. My first destinations will be to France & Switzerland. I have visited both places before but I am eager to visit new parts that I have not explored on previous trips. We plan to travel to Lausanne which is located 38.5 miles northeast of Geneva, where we will be residing. Lausanne is situated on the shores of Lake Geneva (French: Lac Léman, or simply Le Léman) and I am keen to capture some landscape images here.

 

Lausanne, Switzerland © http://www.world-guides.com 

 

Other trips include, Gran Canaria & Iceland and again this will be a great opportunity to capture some images that I can add to my portfolio, as well as a great opportunity to travel and escape from it all. I will be keeping this blog up-to-date and posting new images.

À bientôt, ¡Hasta luego!, Sjáumst síðar.

Underwater Art

Another day, another shoot.

Today I undertook some more training for Underwater Art by Nicola Gwyther. I now have my breathing and my buoyancy under control but I still need to make sure that my focusing is up to a high standard. Practice, practice and more practice. I am feeling positive about the next few weeks and I am determined that I will get myself up to a high standard. I am really pleased with some of the images that I have obtained.

Onwards and upwards!

Here is a peak at the new website.

Underwater Art by Nicola Gwyther

Underwater Art | About

Underwater Photography

It has been a very intense year so far, what with all of the assignments and essays that we have been set at university but with a lot of hard work and time I have managed to come out the other end relatively unscathed. Writing essays is not really my forte and I can’t say that I particularly enjoy them but I guess that you have to take the rough with the smooth.

The end of this month sees the beginning of Semester C and the start of our Major Project that will lead up to the final exhibition in October this year. I am looking forward to getting started on this project and seeing what work I will produce for it. This will be a busy summer for me this year but I still hope to be making regular blog entries.

I have had some good news on the work front too. My boss at Underwater Art has offered me the opportunity to be trained using the underwater camera and equipment, so that I am able to help out and assist with the photo shoots and help ease her workload. This is a great opportunity, and whilst this is an exciting opportunity, I can’t help but be a little nervous about it. Those thoughts keep creeping into my head, “What if the equipment fails?”, “Will I be able to do it?”….Well I guess the only way to know is to give it a go! The training will come in two parts. The first part will consist of observing and practising going into the water with the weight belt and the second part will consist of me actually shooting. Whilst I have used the camera before for my BA Major Project, this will be an entirely different scenario, as this time I will be photographing babies and young children as opposed to an adult, who I can direct and explain how I want the shoot to turn out. Children as we all know are a little less predictable. Watch this space….

In the meantime Underwater Art’s Website can be viewed from the link below:

Underwater Art

Underwater Art by Nicola Gwyther | Cambridge

Surreal Landscapes

Randy Scott Slavin

I have found some more source of inspiration for my photography whilst surfing the internet. I came across some images by the award winning director and surrealist landscape photographer from America, Randy Scott Slavin. I have decided that I will venture out with my camera tomorrow and take some landscape images and experiment with them during post production. Looking forward to producing some new images. In the meantime, here is some of Randy’s work to enjoy.

In Dreams, Florida
© Randy Scott Slavin

Fore, Florida
© Randy Scott Slavin

Cell, Rocky Point, New York
© Randy Scott Slavin

Battery Park, New York
© Randy Scott Slavin

Big Sur
© Randy Scott Slavin

All images © Randy Scott Slavin, All rights reserved.

The Telegraph. 2013. Alternate Perspectives: Surreal landscape photography by Randy Scott Slavin – Telegraph. [online] Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/culturepicturegalleries/9211389/Alternate-Perspectives-surreal-landscape-photography-by-Randy-Scott-Slavin.html?frame=2196549 [Accessed: 7 Dec 2013].

Website:

Randy Scott Slavin. 2013. Randy Scott Slavin. [online] Available at: http://www.randyscottslavin.com [Accessed: 7 Dec 2013].

Underwater Portraiture

Zena Holloway

A big thank you to Matt MacPake for reintroducing me to Zena Holloway’s work. Zena Hollway is a self taught underwater photographer who lives in London. Her work is of exceptional quality and is something that I would aspire to achieve. Here are a sample of her images and her website is well worth a look.

© Zena Holloway

© Zena Holloway

© Zena Holloway

© Zena Holloway

Images © Zena Holloway, All rights reserved.

Zena Holloway. 2013. Zena Holloway: underwater photographer and director. [online] Available at: http://www.zenaholloway.com/ [Accessed: 7 November 2013].

Portraiture Photography

Underwater Portraiture

Portraiture photography is a genre of photography that I have only just recently been attracted to. When I began studying photography 5 years ago I viewed it with some contempt (it would conjure up images of old school photographs and photos used for identification purposes) but as time has gone on and I have done more research and experimentation on the subject, I have begun to view it through different eyes and with a new perspective.

I recently came across the work of an artist named Elena Kalis and I have to say that her work is absolutely eye catching. Elena specialises in underwater photography, something that I have only touched the surface of in the past but would like to try again in the future. Elena Kalis is based in the Bahamas so has the ideal setting for these types of images.

A small selection of Elena’s work

Elena Kalis Photo. 2013. Home – Underwater Photography. [online] Available at: http://www.elenakalisphoto.com/ [Accessed: 27 October 2013].

Images © Elena Kalis

Portfolio Portraiture Pictures

Portraiture pictures from portfolio
© Richard Brochu-Williams, 2013
All rights reserved

As part of my exhibit at the Photography Degree Show 2013 at the University of Hertfordshire I also exhibited a printed portfolio containing more underwater portraiture. These images can be viewed on my website in the Portraiture section.

I really enjoyed making these images and it would not have been at all possible without the help of Nicola Gwyther (Underwater Art) who helped me immensely and allowed me to use her expensive underwater equipment. I would like take more underwater pictures in the future, maybe in a more natural setting, such as the sea because as a photographer I really enjoy photographing animals and nature and capturing them in their natural habitat. I just need to work hard so that I can afford the necessary equipment

Please take a look at my Portraiture page and I hope that you enjoy. Also it’s worth taking a look at the work of Nicola Gwyther, especially if you have young children!

Brochu-Williams Photography

Underwater Art by Nicola Gwyther