Archive for category Nature
Evolution of my photography – Part Four
Posted by Damian in Contemplative, Nature on April 26th, 2009
Part Four – Where I am
The images that follow were all taken on Sable Island, Nova Scotia. This is a 52km long wind-swept sand bar in the Atlantic Ocean, about 300km east-south-east of Halifax. The island is fascinating in that it has a long history including numerous ship wrecks and is home to a wild population of horses as well as other wildflife. I work on the island as a seal biologist and have been visiting annually since 1997.
The images here were all taken before I discovered Miksang, so prior to April 2006. Next week (4th May) I will post images from Sable Island after I took training in Miksang and hopefully you will notice a difference in my style.
Sable Island horses
Trunk in sand
After strong wind, various stuff is exposed from beneath the sand. This photograph is very simple and yet very appealing to my eye.
Old man and the sea
When I came across this male grey seal, there was a strong connection happening between it and the sea; a connection of home.
Sand, sea, sky
A sunset on South Beach. The colour of the sea, reflections on the wet sand and the break in the clouds inspired this photograph.
Sable Island mare
This mare stood still for several minutes while I photographer her.
Sanderlings and surf
This was taken at the end of a strong storm when the surf on South Beach was very impressive. The curvature of the sanderlings flying reminds me of a wave crashing on the beach.
Horses and seals, North Beach
This photograph sums up Sable Island. Seals on the beach, wild horses, dunes in the background and big surf. I was sitting on the beach photographing a pair of male grey seals fighting in the surf when this group of horses strolled down the beach toward me.
Sunset on South Beach
I have seen many sunrises and sunsets on Sable so one has to be very striking for me to photograph it. This one was because the colours in the wet sand were hues of brown rather than typical sunset colours of blue and reds.
Next week will be the end of this series when I will continue posting images but from the period after my Miksang training.
Evolution of my photography – Part One
I recently presented a talk to the Contemporary Arts Society on the evolution of my photography from when I began in the early 1990s to my present day work on Sable Island. The talk was very well received and was interesting to me too since it allowed me to see how my photography has changed and the elements that have shaped it.
This presentation will be posted on my blog in a series of four parts over four weeks: I. where I was, II. where I went, III. what I found and IV. where I am.
I. Where I was
My interest in photography began in the early 1990s after I graduated from University of Reading with a Bachelors degree in Zoology. From then to the present, my interest has been in nature photography. When I was not working I would visit places to photograph nature and landscapes.
I became very interested in marine mammals and this work took me to some wonderful and isolated places. I always had my camera with me and enjoyed shooting pictures of landscapes.
Often my photographs were of the wildlife I was studying.
Some images were indeed quite special and remain so.
I recall the process of shooting photographs. I would see something of interest, such as a nice light, and become very excited and focused on that aspect. My eye would be against my camera and I would shoot until I felt happy that I had the shot I wanted. I didn’t really engage myself with the subject because I was too keen to get the shot.
I found photography very rewarding and it took my mind away from everyday life. It was like an escape.
However, the process of capturing images was quite aggressive. After seeing something special and becoming excited I would focus entirely on getting the shot; the shot that would capture eveything I saw amd because what I saw was so special I would do anything to get it. I would become intensely focused on this task, such that not much else mattered at the time. I find this approach very aggressive and Iexperienced it with the people I photographed with. Further, this aggression seldom got the photo I wanted. What I saw was not always on the print.
I spent 15 years engaged in this process; being aggressive and frustrated. Nevertheless, I enjoyed it all!
Next week (13 April): Evolution - Part II. where I went
Graceful birds
Posted by Damian in Contemplative, Nature on April 2nd, 2009
Here are four images of birds which show some of their gracefulness. The photograph ‘graceful gulls’ is of greater black-back gulls flying above a snow covered dune. These gulls are ferocious mean carnivores and will peck out the eye of seal pups, attack birds nests for eggs and chicks and go after some mammals such as rabbits. If one had this “label” in mind when photographing these birds it would surely influence the type of image produced. So, when I saw this image below, I threw out those labels and this image was the result.
Four perspectives of the sea
I have spent most of my life close to the sea. When I stay on Sable Island I really enjoy waking to hear the noisy surf crash on the beach. Here are four quite different perspectives of the sea…
