One of the most striking images I have come across on Flickr in my time as a photo editor at TravelMuse is by Arvind S. Grover. Grover’s shot of a Red-Eyed Tree Frog clinging to a plant and looking straight at the camera was the obvious choice to represent this week’s featured destination: Costa Rica. After talking to Grover about using his image for our cover, and looking at some of his other work, I became interested in what makes this photographer tick. He is one of a new breed of talented hobbyist photographers who generously make their work available and usable for free, asking only that they are given credit. With the help of Flickr and Creative Commons these photographers are changing the face of photography.
Grover on a zip line in the Monteverde Cloud Forest in Costa Rica.
TravelMuse: Tell us a little bit about yourself.
Arvind S. Grover: I live in New York City and am the director of technology at a small, girls K-12 school in the city. I teach computer science courses as well as a digital media class (digital photography, video and audio). I am a photography enthusiast and have switched to the world of digital SLR’s and haven’t looked back. I am always trying to learn more and become a better photographer. My favorite type of photos are portraits, and New York City is a great place for it.
TM: What got you interested in photography?
ASG: My father was always (and still is) very into photography, and always had nice, 35mm film cameras ranging from a Nikon from the early 70’s, to a Canon EOS from the early 80’s, that I still have. I always wanted to use my Dad’s cool, big cameras, and he even got my brother so interested that he installed a darkroom in our basement. I’d have to say that Dad really sparked the interest early on.
TM: What kind of equipment and software do you use?
ASG: For the last two years I’ve been shooting on a Canon Digital Rebel XTi with mostly Canon lenses, but also a Sigma wide-angle lens. I generally use Aperture for some post-production on my photos and store all my photos online with Flickr. Sadly, on my trip to Ecuador this month, I was robbed by two men on a bus. They managed to get my camera with my Sigma lens as well as my 300mm Canon telephoto with image stabilizer. Luckily, I was not hurt. Now I need to get new equipment. Any suggestions? I still have Canon lenses/flashes/accessories, so will stay Canon.
TM: What is the most spectacular place you’ve photographed?
ASG: That is a tough question. I have been fortunate to travel around the world, and India is always an amazing place to shoot. My parents are from India, so it holds a special place in my heart. But generally, I don’t find the most scenic places the most appealing, but am more interested in people in their homelands. So really, any places where there are people is the right place for me.
TM: What is your favorite travel story?
ASG: Wow, I have tons. Taking a cab in the middle of the night to Fez in Morocco with a cab driver who spoke only French and Arabic, of which I speak neither, and having him drop us off on a random dirt road was pretty wild. Trying to argue with him to take us to the hostel proved futile. It wasn’t till we got there did we realize that the medina (old city) has roads that are about 1,000 years old, and only are wide enough for people to walk through. Finding someone to navigate the thousands upon thousands of streets that have no signs and that look exactly the same in every direction was some sort of miracle. Also finding a wonderful side restaurant at midnight that cooked up fresh flatbread and tagines was a great end to a pretty scary evening:
TM: How does photography change the way you travel?
ASG: Photography deeply changes the way I travel. I have been on vacations where I decide not to take my camera out, because I want to just enjoy the place and take in the experience. When I’m shooting, it’s almost like a job. Setting up shots, moving people around, adjusting camera settings, changing lenses, filters, etc. So it can be daunting. But coming home to that one great photo usually seals the memory of the trip, and it’s all worth it.
TM: What kind of feedback or response have you gotten to your photographs on Flickr?
ASG: At first, I didn’t get a lot of feedback because I was just uploading photos and maybe tagging them. Now, I upload, tag photos with many keywords, submit them to different groups, etc. I think a lot more people are thereby exposed to them, and they then come back with some great feedback. As a result, my photos have shown up in all kinds of places like an Austin city guide, your Web site, a wikipedia article and the Gothamist Web site. It’s been really fun and flattering to go through that.
TM: What made you decide to share your photography through Creative Commons?
ASG: I’m not a professional photographer out to make money through my work. I like to think of myself as part of a bigger community of photographers who just want to share what they’ve seen. Creative Commons is an amazing way for me to get credit for my work while still allowing others to use it in ways that helps them. It’s like kindergarten, sharing is caring.
TM: What is your favorite photo that you have taken, and why?
ASG: Jeez, that’s another tough one. I have some portraits of friends and loved ones that really make me feel like I’ve captured who they are as people. Sometimes silly, sometimes serious, something about their photos just makes me happy, like I snapped a millisecond of time where they were just being themselves. I have some of strangers like that as well, where a moment of expression just clearly resounds from the photo.
TM: What is your opinion on post-processing, especially enhancing photos?
ASG: I think it’s a great opportunity to rectify things that didn’t quite go right in the photos. I am not very good at it, nor do I have much patience for it, but I do some of it. As a photographer, you still have to capture the moment, frame the shot, know some basics, but postproduction can take you a whole lot farther with your photos. It’s worth spending some time learning.
TM: What advice do you have for aspiring photographers?
ASG: Shoot lots, and read. I have learned a lot by reading online. All of my photography bookmarks can be found here. But I particularly like the Digital Photography School blog.
Photo Blog : July 2008
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As a photo editor for TravelMuse, I have the privilege of living vicariously through the works of photographers that we use on our Web site. However, there are few photographers that I have come across whose images have moved me as much as the work of Steve Evans, known as Babasteve to the Flickr community. He has the unique ability to capture and convey a subject’s soul in his portraits.
Evans is a research associate, communication specialist and photographer with the International Center for Ethnographic Studies and has been to more than 90 countries throughout Africa, the Middle East and South Asia for his job. He received the 2008 Brimstone Award for Applied Storytelling for his work in Bhutan and an award for a collection of children’s stories. Below is a Q&A conducted by TravelMuse to learn more about this phenomenal photographer.
TravelMuse: As a travel photographer, what is your muse?
Steve Evans: There is a biblical proverb that says, “There are three things which are too wonderful for me, four which I do not understand: the way of an eagle in the sky, the way of a serpent on a rock, the way of a ship in the middle of the sea, and the way of a man with a woman.” It tells me that God is a photographer at heart! Or, at least, He has a photographer’s eye! ... I am astounded by this amazing world that we live in. My faith shapes how I see people, how I act toward them and how they respond to me.
In addition, I am inspired by the works of great photographers, such as Steve McCurry.
TM: I love your portraits. How do you approach people when you want to photograph them, and what is the usual response?
SE: First I try to be at ease, and I try to be friendly. It’s amazing how a smile and a friendly demeanor can cross language barriers. I usually gesture with my hands and camera that I would like to take their picture, and I am sensitive to their response. If it’s clear that the person does not want his or her picture taken, I normally don’t take it. I would say, though, that at least eighty percent of the time, people are not opposed to having their picture taken.
Sometimes it’s the context in which a person is found that draws me, that unique cultural environment that identifies someone, who they are and where they are from. This may be conveyed through a veil, turban or headdress, facial scars and markings, traditional jewelry and clothing, the surroundings of a market, workbench, or unusual architecture.
TM: What made you decide to share your photography through Creative Commons?
SE: Since I am paid for my job and don’t have to earn a living through my photography, I don’t feel compelled to charge for the use of my images, nor do I have the need to cling to them! I do however like to be recognized and acknowledged when one of my images is used. I was stunned when I saw the number and breadth of requests for my images, from major universities and museums to governments and non-profit and religious organizations. I was honored when Yahoo named me and one of my images in its top ten of 2006. Then Flickr and JPG Magazine chose one of my images for an advertisement, followed by Nikon. Recently Adobe Labs used a series of my shots to promote a new software program they developed! Click here to see a page with a compilation of these advertisements.
TM: What kind of equipment and software do you use?
SE: I feel extremely fortunate to use the equipment that I do. I have some of the best camera gear in the world.
Canon EOS 1 Mk III body
Two Canon 5D bodies
Canon 16-24mm 2.8 L series lens
Canon 50mm 1.4 lens
Canon 85mm 1.2 L series lens
Canon 70-200mm 2.8 L series lens
Canon 100-400 4.5 L series lens
Two Canon Speedlite 430EX flash units
Photo Mechanic software
Photoshop CS3 software
Let me quickly say, however, that I strongly believe that it is not the camera that takes good pictures, it’s the photographer. Anyone who works at developing his or her “photographer’s eye” and follows a few simple rules in shooting and composition can and will take better photos.
TM: What advice do you have for aspiring photographers?
SE: 1. Develop your photographer’s eye. Learn to see the world in a different light, from a different perspective. Intentionally look for that certain something to photograph.
2. Follow these simple rules and guidelines when shooting.
•Learn to read the light and remember that your best pictures will be ones taken in early morning or late afternoon.
•Go by the rule of thirds, dividing the frame into thirds both horizontally and vertically.
•Avoid placing the subject in the center, but move it to one of the four areas where the horizontal and vertical lines intersect.
•Shoot close up to avoid distracting backgrounds, or at least see to it that the background contributes to the image and what you want your photo to say.
3. Shoot, shoot, shoot! In this digital world where the expense of film and processing are no longer factors, shoot to your heart’s content, and don’t be afraid to experiment.
4. Make yourself and your work available to those who need your images. There are a lot of worthwhile organizations and causes out there that can’t afford to hire photographers or buy photos. By offering your stuff to them, you are able to build up a resume and get your work seen at the same time.
TM: Do you have a favorite story from your travels?
SE: There are some amazing photographic journeys that will always stand out in my mind, like a fabulous five-day drive from Asmara, Eritrea, to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Wow, the amazing scenery of that high-altitude country is phenomenal, and to see the people and culture there was incredible. Then there was the drive from Kabul, Afghanistan, to Mazar-e-Sharif. Another journey I shall always remember is the drive through the Himalaya Mountains from Srinagar, Kashmir, to Leh, Ladakh. When I wasn’t fearing for my life and hanging on to my seat for dear life because of the sheer drop-offs along the unprotected side of the road, I was basking in the beauty of the mountains and valleys, rivers and glaciers, and enjoying the stark change of moving from a pure Muslim culture to a pure Buddhist one. My multiple trips to the mountain kingdom of Bhutan are nearly indescribable. Bhutan and the Arab country of Yemen are two of the most unique places I ever been to.
In addition to some great photo journeys I’ve taken, there are a few incidences that will always stand out in my mind. I remember having to shoot the fatal crash of a U.S. Air Force training jet one time. … Another time I went to Angola during the height of its horrific civil war to document the civilians there who were caught between two warring factions. … I remember the Rwandan genocide and the refugee camps located in the Congo where a million Hutu refugees fled Rwanda. I was there to document the one-year anniversary of the genocide and the plight of the refugees in the camps.
TM: What is your favorite photo that you have ever taken and why?
SE: I was living in Zimbabwe and had the chance to go way out into the bush to visit with the Tonga people, who live in the remote Zambezi valley. Here was this tribal people living as they had lived for hundreds of years in their traditional clothing and jewelry, smoking their “dagga” pipes and living in huts, but they were literally starving to death because of a severe drought that had hit much of Africa during that time. We were some of the first foreigners most of these villagers had ever seen, and the children were especially curious. I snapped a shot of some young boys covered in dust and lined up along a mud wall who came out to get a look at the strange outsiders who had come to visit. As I said, the image isn’t technically all that great, but I love the haunting, isolated, melancholic feel that this picture has. It will always remind me of my sixteen years spent living in Africa and how special the people are there.
Some of the first images that come to mind when I think of summer photography are of Fourth of July fireworks. Dramatic and colorful, fireworks displays are a great summer tradition that many people want to capture. Surprisingly, it is easy to get great fireworks photos when you plan ahead. Here are some tips to help you best capture this fun symbol of summer.
1. Keep the direction of the wind, if there is any, in mind when choosing a location to shoot from, and make sure you’re ready to shoot when the fireworks start. By the end of the show there can be a lot of smoke, making for hazy photos.
2. Consider ahead of time how you want to frame your shots. Do you want a wide-angle view of the whole scene, or close-ups of the fireworks filling the frame? Remember that it can be difficult to take close-ups because you don’t always know exactly where in the sky the fireworks will be.
3. Use a tripod! You will need to use long shutter speeds to get the streaks of light that make fireworks photos so beautiful. If you don’t have a tripod, or won’t be watching the show from a location that allows for one, look for something sturdy, like a ledge or tree trunk to rest your camera on.
4. Turn off your flash! The fireworks are going to be far away, so your flash will have no effect on that part of your image. The most it will do is illuminate the smoke in the air, distracting from the main point of the shot.
5. Consider using a cable release, or self-timer mode to avoid shaking the camera when you hit the shutter button.
6. Use the lowest ISO your camera has. You’re going to want to do long exposures and using a low ISO will allow you to do that without overexposing your shots.
7. Use manual mode if your camera has it. As a starting point for figuring out exposure, set your camera to f/11 and try a shutter speed of 2 seconds. If your images are too dark, open up the aperture (set it to a lower number), and if the images are too light, close it down. If your camera doesn’t have a wide range of aperture settings, you can control the exposure with the shutter speed, but keep in mind that the faster the shutter speed the shorter the streaks of light in your images will be. You can also use BULB mode if your camera offers it. In BULB mode the shutter will stay open as long as you hold down the shutter button, allowing you to sync your exposures with the show.
8. Chances are you’ll be far enough away from the fireworks to get them in sharp focus with your camera set at infinity. If not, you may want to move farther back! Take a test shot and make sure your focus is correct, and then switch your camera into manual focus mode. This will save you the frustration of missing shots because your camera was busy trying to focus.
9. Set your white balance to ‘daylight.’ If you leave it on Auto the white balance is likely to change from shot to shot as it tries to correct for the color of the fireworks.
10. Take a lot of pictures! You’re much more likely to get the perfect shot if you take as many pictures as you can. And with digital, why not?
Union Station Fireworks by kcphotos on Flickr
There are a lot of fun ways to add a new twist to your photographs, but few are as fun as the Lensbaby. The Lensbaby is a simple lens for digital or film SLRs that allows you to achieve special effects that no standard lens can offer. It consists of a single element connected to a flexible tube that allows you to change the angle of the element with the touch of a finger. This means that you can change and manipulate how much of your photo will be in focus, and the rest of the frame will be out of focus in an interesting way. It produces images that are similar to the plastic Holga cameras of the film world.
The company Lensbabies offers a few models of the popular product:
• The Original Lensbaby has a distinct look that includes “glowing highlights, subtle prismatic color shifts and the trademark Lensbaby graduated blur,” according to the Lensbabies Web site. It has a variable aperture which can be changed with the replacement of easily accessible disks within the lens. It is ideal for portraits and artistic photography. It retails for $96.
• The Lensbaby 2.0 features an improved variable aperture, with aperture disks that are held in place with magnets instead of a rubber gasket. This model is advertised as being able to produce sharper and brighter images, due to the addition of a coated lens doublet (essentially two lenses attached together) instead of the single lens element of the Original Lensbaby. It retails for $150.
• The Lensbaby 3G is the newest offering, and has several features that set it apart. The most distinct feature is the ability to lock the lens in place, with the bellows at any position, for repeatability and long exposures. A focusing ring has also been added, allowing fine focus adjustments. This model also offers a wider range of aperture settings, from f/2 to f/22, and a sharper lens than the other models. It retails for $270.
A few examples of Lensbaby photographs:
Riding on the Metro by BitBoy, shot with an Original Lensbaby.
An Image by quinnums, shot with a Lensbaby 2.0.
An Image by End User, shot with a Lensbaby 3G.
