Epic photos help preserve a family legacy. Hongcun village, Anhui Province, China. Your ancestry speaks to your background, but what relevance does that have to your current life, your worldview and your family legacy? I’ve discovered that the process of making really epic photos is a great way to explore one’s family legacy and, in doing so, help us determine our place in this world. The Human Condition is underpinned by the search for self. But to truly know ourselves we need to better understand our place in this world and our life's true purpose. Making epic photos that celebrate our ance ..read more

Moss covered trees, strewn across the forest floor at Paradise, New Zealand. Paradise! I finally made it to the blissful beauty that is Paradise near Glenorchy, New Zealand. The forest in Paradise, that many Tolkien Middle Earth fans would recognize from the Sir Peter Jackson classic movies, was a highlight of my visit to the South Island of New Zealand. Paradise is a quiet and serene forested area around 45 minutes drive from Queenstown and 30 minutes drive from Glenorchy, New Zealand. Featured in The Hobbit and The Lord Of The Rings films, Paradise is a mystical place dominated by ..read more

Incredibly vibrant colors dominate this small stand of bamboo in the city of Darwin, Australia. It's a Photo Regardless of How it's Made Over the years I've been fortunate to receive very positive feedback on my photos. And of course, over the years folks have often asked me if I use photoshop. It seems that the more they like the photo the less hesitant they are to ask that question. And, when they say photoshop, they're using the word generically to suggest manipulation of the image on the computer. Actually it's problematic to answer in the affirmative although, of course, I always do. Bac ..read more

Zoo photography featuring a Lion in profile at the Bali Zoo. Expert zoo pictures certainly require the right camera and lens. But I’ve learned that it’s organization, technique, composition and story telling that, ultimately, determines the success of your best animal photos made at the zoo. Expert zoo pictures are often taken with a DSLR or mirrorless camera and a medium to long telephoto lens. Appearance and character can be explored through close-up photos, or by incorporating elements of the enclosure to add visual interest and explore metaphor or theme in the animal photos created ..read more

Colorful winter portrait of a young woman in Harbin, China. While sorting through some of my favorite people based photography I wondered why it is we make portrait photos and why are they so important to us photographers. What I learned has clarified my motivation, focused my approach and resulted in more meaningful portrait photos. We make portrait photos to document important events and candid moments in the lives of friends and family, to explore the human condition and as a way of remembering interesting people met on our journey through life. Let’s investigate these motivations further ..read more

Black and white portrait of a young lady in Melbourne at night. Where's home for you? Is it the house you own or the flat you rent? Either way I believe in the saying that home is where the heart is. And that’s all the more reason to contribute to your people photography collection by documenting your life, through really great photos of yourself, wherever it is you currently reside. That means ensuring you come out from behind the camera and have your own photo made. Amongst all the people photography you create, whether you're a local, resident or visitor, make sure you have your own photo ..read more

Rain drops on a red rose in the Yarra Valley, Australia.   Raindrops On Roses Here’s a very simple image, made in the grounds of a winery in the Yarra Valley not far from Melbourne, Australia. The image was made with a Canon 5D camera and Canon 180 mm f/3.5 Macro lens. Despite the simplicity of this photo it’s composed of a range of quite different elements, some obvious, others less so. Let’s look at the individual elements that underpinning this image. It features a flower, which happens to be a rose Water droplets have settled on the rose that draw attention towards them Th ..read more

Glenn Guy at his Moments Of Transition exhibition at Quadrant Gallery, Melbourne. The popularity of the Selfie as grown dramatically over recent years. My own experience creating self portrait photos, and the research I’ve undertaken into the selfie phenomena, convinces me that photographing yourself is an important process for the photographer to go through. The Selfie has become the ubiquitous form of self expression for amateur photographers. Selfies often portray the photographer in more audacious and confronting poses, compared to more tradition self portraits, providing more options to ..read more

  Blissful photo of two novice monks at a monastery in Myanmar.   This post features two, very special, people based photos I made in Myanmar. Allow me to share these images with you and the stories behind how I went about picturing people in Myanmar in a way that enabled me to capture truly blissful photos. It’s a fantastic feeling to realize you're able to successfully capture blissful photos. Through the communicative power of photography you can showcase bliss, that deeply experiential state of being that enables us to transcend from a life of sorrow and sadness into a heightene ..read more

Creative photography opportunities abound in travel destinations like Antarctica. Your mindset determines your reality and pursuits like creative photography are as good for the mind as they are for the soul. Your photos document your journey through life, your own, unique worldview and how you perceive the experiences that unfold around you. Adopting a creative mindset will enable you to make better photos and have fun doing so. Photography is an artistic endeavor like no other, and the photos you produce are a great way by which you can engage your creativity and build a more positive, agil ..read more