Today, we are learning from three modern masters of photography. Three gentlemen who I really look up to in the photography world for the images they create and the adventures they have.
- Banff Alberta based photographer Paul Zizka
- Oscar award winner Jimmy Chinn
- California-based adventure photographer Chris Burkard
We will be talking about four things we can learn from their photography:
- Combine Disciplines
- Sometimes, gear does matter (but your eye matters more)
- Find a Feeling
- Get in there!
Combine Disciplines
- Look for ways to combine two seemingly different photographic disciplines to create unique images that stand out
- Paul Zizka loves to combine action/adventure photography with astrophotography to create amazingly unique images.
- Check out his image Glowing Home from 2016
Sometimes gear does Matter
- As much as this goes against most traditional advice, that it doesn’t matter what camera you use, there are points where it makes a massive difference.
- Let’s think about Chris Burkard's surf photography. He is well known for his ability to capture surfers in the midst of a wave. These are impactful images, shot because Burkard was right there in that wave as well (or pretty close to it). But to do this, he not only needs a good camera capable of freezing action, but also a wide-angle lens that is a bit more forgiving (because it can be hard to aim when the ocean keeps hitting you in the face), and a waterproof housing. The gear makes a difference here.
- BUT if you don’t know how to use a camera, if you can’t foresee a shot, know what it takes to make a great photograph, understand composition and light and timing and everything that goes into one. All the gear in the world won’t matter.
Find a Feeling
- These are my own personal reads on the work of these great photographers.
- Chris Burkard creates these images that teem with joyfulness. You can feel it, his energy of a (seemingly, because I’ve never met him) joyful and exuberant person comes through in these images. He lets his emotions be seen in what he photographs.
- Paul Zizka creates these dramatic images under the aurora. They are sweeping vistas, and lots of self-portraits, that are stoic. The people in his images feel like they are in awe of nature, of their surroundings.
- Jimmy Chin, has a feeling of adventure in his images.
- He is at the epitome of being an adventure photographer and his photos show true epic moments in the mountains that are a little bit of everything that happens during an adventure.
- So what does this tell us? Let your emotions be seen. And it doesn’t have to be happy emotions. Le
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Find all the show notes and connect with Robert:
Website: robertmasseyphotography.ca
Instagram: @robertmasseyphotography
