Posts tagged "photo tips"

It is interesting how life comes in a full circle.  My very first job was working in the movie theater.  I absolutely loved it.  I knew every movie that came out, who was playing in it.  I went on breaks to watch tidbits of them, and on my days off I would go and see them whole.  At Oscars, I would have seen most of the movies that were nominated.

I never realized back then that some day in a movie theater on a big screen, there would be my name in the credits.

Things come our way sometimes unexpectedly.  If we just follow our gut feeling trusting ourselves, we get rewarded.  There might be some obstacles on the way or sacrifices we make, but if we follow that inner knowing, it pays off generously.

Last year, my friends asked me to help out with the film, to do a still photography.  As I read a heart-warming script, I had a good feeling about it.  At the same time, our horse got sick and we lost him.  Besides hard times and schedule, I shot the scenes and making of the film, nonetheless.  But once there, I put all my heart into it.  After shooting, I spent countless hours in selecting, editing and e-mailing pictures to producers.

During filming, I fell in love with characters, especially Grandma Jini and a 4-year old Kian.

Once I was there, I was totally immersed in the making of the film.  I found the whole process fascinating.  So much detail goes into the scene:  a proper light, sound system, camera settings, scene and location setup.  It was incredible.

My most favorite scenes were beach shots.  Always love natural light.

Appearance of actors was really important as well:  every clothing ironed, every wardrobe piece selected, constant make-up, powdering and curling the hair.  Every detail was important as much as a location setup.

My most favorite part was to get into actors’ world:  feel every feeling they feel in acting, see every motion – to be one of them and capture those moments that really matter.

Seeing Kian’s and Grandma Jini’s love and their embrace melted my heart.

To find right angles, to capture the right feeling, the right body language – to give a great feel and bring a viewer an intriguing curiosity is my key.  Seeing tears of missing Grandma when Kian grows up, sweet memories of contemplation when Kian gets older had me lost in a moment as if it was happening for real.

I love to capture life.  Therefore, in capturing the scenes, I put myself right there with the actors sensing everything they portray.

Being part of the crew, I watched every intense moment of making a scene just right.  It was just like being in two worlds at the same time:  being one with the crew and being one with the actors.  I loved to capture each moment in filming, loved to capture the crew working and having fun in between.

What drew me to this film was a heart-warming storyline.  “A Lot in Common… shared memories” was written by Grandma Jini herself.  Jacqueline Serrano, Dayle J. Hoffman and Ralitsa Koleva were producers.  Jini Mount and Kian are real life grandma and grandson and the parts of the film were a real-life story.  This film will be a part of a family’s treasure.  I could watch this film over and over again and still have tears in my eyes.

“A Lot in Common” was selected at Sarasota Film Festival in 2012.  I loved being a part of this film, meet amazingly talented actors and crew and to shoot the priceless moments in it.  It was an amazing experience.

Photography is an incredible art that allows us to live in the present moment.  It fills us with wonder and amazement at the simplest things.  With photography, we capture that fleeting moment that otherwise would be easily forgotten or even unnoticed.  When capturing our world, we turn the ordinary into extraordinary.  We paint with light and make it a masterpiece.  Photography allows us to be curious and see and feel more.  It turns our world into canvas that we can fill with beautiful images, using our imagination.

Photography is like living with an open heart.  We open our hearts to the beauty in the world: flowers, smiles, pretty faces, beautiful fashion, nature, sunsets, loving couples.  We also capture a beauty of determination, beauty of age, beauty of standing up for something.  Each person, animal, bird, creature have a special feature, a special characteristic that is only unique to them.  A patient and aware photographer can capture that essence, that moment that usually escapes an ordinary eye.  In photography, each moment, each motion, each emotion is priceless.  A picture has to have a meaning, has to tell a story.  Words might be unsaid, but it must be felt within the heart.

Great photographer is a body language reader.  It takes lots of patience with people and as much with animals.  With elusive wildlife, there should be a trust established, honoring enough space, stillness and quietness.

Capturing that particular moment does not end there.  There is also an editing part: working with the picture like a painter.  Finishing touches are as much important to enhance the features that further tell a story.  In the past, I stayed away from editing part.  However, right now I find it exciting.  It is another creative way to love what I do.  When I edit, I feel like I am an artist creating a masterpiece on canvas.  Picture becomes like a precious painting of mine.  I still leave some photos alone.  If there are some imperfections, I let it be.  Nature is imperfect.  That’s why it is so beautiful.

Photography is a tireless teacher.  Not only it teaches us to look more closely, to examine things, to learn about our subjects and world around us.  It also teaches the techniques and tricks of the camera.  Knowing camera well can turn a darkness of the night into masterpiece full of magic.

Photography stops us in the tracks to admire what we choose to capture.  It is an outlet of living our lives fully, moment by moment, capture by capture.  It is an incredible way to feel alive, to see beauty with our eyes and to feel magic within our hearts.

Some photos resemble paintings.  The motion, the light bring a surprising outcome.  As if a painting comes out of camera.  I love to paint with the light and motion of a subject.  Here are some photos that I took for you to enjoy:

This one is one of my favorites.  The day was really cloudy, but this capture of the moment was priceless.

Sometimes the blurriness gives that special effect that looks like brush strokes of a painter.

These photos look like an abstract paintings.  That’s the capture of moving reflections in the water.

It is a wonder what photography can do.  It let us see what we normally would just dismiss or simply look and forget.  Photography is capturing the moments that can stay with us forever.  It is an amazing art that let us live in the now.

Do you know that when sun goes down, the water horizon becomes green for a moment?

Have you ever seen a sun halo – when a rainbow encircles the sun?

Do you know there is a bird that has a beak upside down?

Welcome to the world of photography – a fascinating world of wonder.  This is where surprises happen in the simplest moments.  It is the world filled with knowledge – through photography I see, I learn, I feel.  My camera is like a paintbrush of an artist.  With it, I compose, catch a light, create magic.  Where ordinary eye would only see a tree, my eyes catch a corner to see  a heart.

While some would see a sad fallen leaf, at certain light my camera turns it to magic.

While many would dread to be stuck in traffic in the rain at night, I see a street full of color.

How do I see all this?  How do I capture magic?  How do I see a beauty in the world?  Simply put, I capture what is in my heart.  My photography is an art form that expresses who I am, what I feel, what I see, what I carry inside of me.  Nature and animals are near and dear to my heart.  I have a special connection with them.  While capturing wildlife, first I use openness and intuition to locate animals.  Then I gain trust with them by reading their body language and using my inner knowing.  Once I gain trust, I can come near them to capture special moments.

I can even have a dragonfly land on my finger.

Pets are our best friends.  They are like our children.  They give us comfort and endless love.  They entertain us just by being them.  They give us smile even when we have a bad day.  They are our never-ending joy.  The best way to capture them is to let them be themselves.  They are the best posers and show their real personalities in their own environment doing their own thing.

Do you know that each person and each place have a certain sparkle, a glow, an essence?  What defines people are their life experiences, their lessons, their dreams, their wishes.  A passion and love for something lights up their inner fire and makes them unique like nobody else.  Using intuition, reading and listening to them, I can capture that essence.

Children are easiest to capture.  They do not have anything to hide.  Their essence shines right through them.  I let them be and capture the energy and light in them.

I also use intuition in capturing places.  I can feel the energy, love or lack of it.  Places are not only about furnishings.  It is about owner’s taste, personality, passions, history, experiences.  It is about life what it is now and dreams of what it could be.

I bring “a feel” into my photography.  I touch my heartstrings to play a music of life.  I use my imagination to capture things easily missed.  There is so much beauty in this world.  I wish people would just stop and see it.  If we all would see this beauty, there would be no violence and no hurting each other.  Because when our hearts are filled with beauty, love and care, we would only help and love each other.  There would be no war, abuse, and so much pain.  Through my photos, I wish to inspire people to be their full potential, to live their lives to the fullest, to stop and admire the beauty right in front of them, to feel, to live, to love.  Through my photos, I wish to bring people back to nature.  When they feel sand under their feet, feel sunshine on the skin, smell  beautiful flower, see a stunning sunset, touch or see a beautiful creature, they will stop poisoning the earth and destroy what is part of them.  Why to destroy our own home? Why to destroy ourselves?

Sometimes when looking in the sky, we see painted pictures.  Our imagination see animals, waves, dancing ladies, hearts, and even words.  Here is a collection of pictures where you can see something in them.  What do you see?

I see a dancing lady, and below a lady with a big hat.

I see a sun heart

I see “I’m”

I see a number “20″ or a dragon with a big tail.

I see on the right corner – head of baby elephant

I see a huge heart

I see an elephant

I see a head of the dog

I see a word “Hi”

I see a man on his knees praying.

I see a giant dog bone.

I see a mountain climber

I see a giant bird

I see Lo and with a bird forming Lov as in Love

I see an Opera Singer or Giant Dinosaur

I see a Sea Horse by the sun

I see “I” and “heart”

For more sky wonder, you can see Imagination at Play

Sometimes you can find a wonder in unexpected places.  We were visiting a friend, and in the bay he had a bright yellow catamaran.  As I went to look more closely, I was mesmerized.  The reflections on the water underneath became the ever-changing paintings that left me awed and inspired.  The fluidity of water, and small ripples made this incredible show that I captured with the camera:

This is how I got these pictures beside two catamarans.

Even a reflection of the pole in the water stood out.

Amazing, isn’t it?

I saw something incredible in the sky and it took my breath away.  There was a beautiful rainbow all around the sun.  Many people were going about their day, not noticing anything unusual right above their heads.  I stood in awe, as I captured the sky wonder.  I noticed this beauty only last year, and since then I see sun halos several times per year.

To shoot a sun halo is pretty complicated because of its gigantic size.  Plus, it is a bit boring if we capture it only on photograph, especially if the rainbow is faint.  So, how to capture this beauty that would fill our minds with wonder?  Here are some ideas:

As in every photo, composition makes up a picture.

This is my very first time when I saw a Sun Halo.

I stopped by palm trees to get some composition.

“Squeezing” a sun to make a rainbow.

Greeting the sun.  It was not easy to make this shot because I was out in the open without a tripod.  So, I put my camera down, and gently leaned it against a taller grass.  I lined it up towards the sun, but not sure 100% what I was shooting.  I came toward the camera, extended my arms and voila! I got this shot.  Experimenting sometimes works.

Bald Eagle and Sun Halo in one day! Magic of nature!

Palm tree and Sun Halo

Catching a sun in my palm.

Making a Sun Dog.

Catching a sun and a bird.

Here I aligned a glossy paper heart’s hole with a sun to get this magical effect.  This is by far my most favorite capture.

So next time if you see a sun halo, what can you create?

If you wish to learn more about sun halos and how they are formed, you can click this link.

Trust that little voice in your head that says “Wouldn’t it be interesting if…”  And then do it.” ~ Duane Michals, “More Joy of Photography.”

This powerful quote says it all.  In photography, if we trust our inner knowing, we can create magic.  We can capture what we see in most unusual ways.  It gets us creative, it fills us with imagination, and we capture that wonder in our beloved photography.

Here are some photos I captured following my inner wonder:

Wouldn’t it be interesting if I would shoot an incredible sunset reflected in theater’s windows?

Here is the magical result.

Wouldn’t it be interesting if I would shoot sunset reflections in a far away building with my zoom lense?

A building becomes alive with a golden beautiful light.

Wouldn’t it be interesting if I would align the sun with crystals?

The beautiful necklace by Dalia Koss becomes full of crystal magic.

Wouldn’t it be interesting if I would align fishing Great Blue Heron with Super Moon’s pathway?

Even though I was tripping in the dark going down the slope, I had a vision in my heart and went for it.  This picture in my Flickr was overnight sensation, totaling 1000 views per night.  Right now, it has over 2,000 views.

Wouldn’t it be interesting if I would catch a sunlight in my fingers?

Magic catch.

Wouldn’t it be interesting if I would align the sunset colors with a spider web?Here is a colorful spider web palate

Wouldn’t it be interesting if I will integrate my friend Sandy in art?

Sandy becomes a part of statue. Art Deco.

Sandy becomes a part of painting.

Wouldn’t it be interesting if I would capture sunset through the window from inside the house?

The door window becomes enchanted.

Wouldn’t it be interesting if I align a sunlight with our Princess Adora?

Princess becomes an angel.

Wouldn’t it be interesting if I will capture Princess through my car’s reflection?

The capture makes an interesting composition.

Wouldn’t it be interesting if I will try to capture moon through the blinds?

Here is a result.

Wouldn’t it be interesting if I would align a crow statue against decorative lamp?

It becomes like fairy tale: a crow against the moon.

Wouldn’t it be interesting if we would take our cameras while parasailing?

The view was spectacular!

Wouldn’t it be interesting if I would shoot rain drops on my back car’s window lighted by the car behind while waiting by the red light?

Rain drops become hundreds of hearts.

Wouldn’t it be interesting if I would “train” a dragonfly to stand on my finger while taking a picture with another hand?

Ladies and Gentlemen, Dragonfly the Acrobat!

Wouldn’t it be interesting if I would align a sunlight on the dragonfly’s wings?

Golden Magical Dragonfly.

Wouldn’t it be interesting if I would come really close to the Brown Pelican, and snap the photo?

The light was incredible.  Brown Pelican trusted me to come closely.

Wouldn’t it be interesting if I would capture the wave from the low point?

Getting a close up.

Wouldn’t it be interesting if I would use a light post for support because I did not have a tripod with me for this night shot?

It is great to improvise!

Wouldn’t it be interesting if I would take this photo of sand castle against sunset and include a person to show the size?

Here is a dreamy dragon beauty.

Wouldn’t it be interesting if I would include a sunset and shoot this castle from the ground?

Picture becomes magic.  One woman yelled at me because according to her, I took the best spot.  It was my idea all along and after me, a few people started to follow my low point of taking picture.  Love to inspire people.

Wouldn’t it be interesting if I would see what is inside this rock?

Here is a result.

Wouldn’t it be interesting if I would shoot a sunset through my car’s mirror?

I was standing by red light.  Love to use these waiting moments for my advantage.

So, what would you see if you would follow your inner knowing, “Wouldn’t it be interesting if…?” Go shoot the magic!

Wish you lots of creativity!

I Love Big Cats:  their beauty, their agility, their determination.  Their eyes captivate me.  They are huge, curious, powerful and regal.  Here are some photos I took at Bush Gardens in Tampa, FL.  Also, I included some fun facts about Big Cats:

The King of the Jungle.

Lionesses are faster than male Lions.

Lionesses are mainly the ones who hunt while male lions guard the territory.

Lion’s roar can be heard at 5 mile distance.

Tigers like water and they are great swimmers.

Unfortunately, tigers are highly endangered because of poaching and habitat loss.

Tigers live twice as long in a captivity than in the wild.

Tigers are the largest of the cat family.

White tigers are a color variation of Bengal Tiger

They have blue eyes and a pink nose.

Tigers are usually lone hunters.

Tiger stripes are unique just like human fingertips.  No two tigers are alike.

Tiger’s roar can be heard one mile away.

Not only Tiger’s fur is striped, but also its skin underneath.

Scientists recognize each tiger by its stripes.

I took the following pictures at Disney World Animal Kingdom.  These were the tricky shots to do because the enclosure was fenced in and pretty far from us.  Therefore, on a windy day, I had to align my camera with the holes in the fence, which was not easy.

At night, tiger can see 6 times better than human.

Unleashing power from within.

Sweet dreams, Tiger.  Notice a little tongue sticking out.  This shot was taken through the window.

Some of the tiger facts were taken from news-50-fun-facts-about-tigers.

I love big cats.  Which one is your favorite?

See small cat photography here

Sometimes photography is all about a color, and the most that stands out is a color Red.  It makes a gloomy day more interesting.  It gives an energy and power.  It is a color of passion, love and life.

Red color flowers stand out in the garden.

In fashion, the touch of red brings out sexiness, like these Christian Louboutin heels.  (See shoerazzi.com for more great shoe goodness)

Red brings out fun, summer feel and vacation.  This is my friend Sandy dressed in Dalia Koss necklace

Deep red color top and turquoise makes a great match. Jewelry by Dalia Koss.

Red dress in this photo makes a woman beautiful, and mysterious.

Even red light reflection on the street makes otherwise gloomy rainy night like a painting.

Red accent like this red toy makes already cute picture more powerful.

This one is an interesting moment.  I captured a giant moon right next to the red light through car’s window.  It made the sky surreal.

Red paddle boat makes this scene even more magical by giving a great contrast.

Love is in the air. Red Macaws are grooming each other.

Red sea of flowers

Red dragonfly is a sure stand out in a green background.

Sometimes a red color is a great protection for insects.  It is warning for birds not to eat them.

Red sunset adds a drama to the sky.

This Red horse statue brings out excitement to the city.

Red strawberries add a delicious touch to this yogurt.

Red bromiliad looks like a natural firework.

Red color makes the overcast day so much prettier.  It brings a sense of adventure.

Red brings out a huge contrast into a magical day.

Of course, nothing can beat a red sports car.  This Ferrari makes my heart skip the beat just looking at it.  It has a sense of dangerousness, hotness, and adventure.

The red color adds a fire and passion in our lives.  Where can you find yours?

Color Green photography