The Art of Photography- In pursuit of 10 000 hours

In a recent post I expressed my gratitude and excitement at being able to practice photography on a daily basis. And, there's the key-word: Practice. They say that it takes 10 000 hours of practice to become an expert at something. That's a lot of hours. In fact, you would have to practice for every single waking moment for the next 1,14 YEARS to get to that point. That's a lot of practice. And very little sleep.

It is for that reason that I have always loved Elliot Erwitt's quote about the art of photography.

"To me, photography is an art of observation. It's about finding something interesting in an ordinary place... I've found it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them".

This sums up the way that I approach my photography, and the practice thereof.

Each photographer will have his or her own style. And that style comes from the art of observation. I find my photographs coming out better and better the more I take note of ever little thing around me. While you can't smell or hear or feel the things that are captured in a photograph, I do my damnedest to make sure that there is movement, and flow, and feeling, and emotion in everything that I capture. That's when you swear you could actually smell the steam rising from the ground just rained upon. You can hear the stillness of a moment, and you can feel the crisp air that surrounds the scene.

For me, as a photographer who is always learning (and in search of signs of improvement with each closure of the shutter), that's what I aspire to doing with my images. I want those who look at my photographs to see things the way I saw them through my own eyes- and to feel the way I felt, too.

Here are a handful of my most recent practice shots. Happy Saturday!

A tasty treat for tea: I shot some of the baked goods that we offer at the lodge for a recent blog post. I love the detail of the bubbles in the cupcake, and the small flecks of lavender petals. The detail in the silver plate gives this shot some elegance, and an air of days gone by. 

I will always remember my induction working in the lodge bakery- we made light, fluffy, delicious Madeline's- they tasted as good as they look! I love the snowy look that these Madeline's have against the worn tones of the silver. Macro photography, while seemingly easy, is something that takes the most thought when composing the shot. A centimetre of movement either left, right, up or down could change the whole feeling of the photograph. 

I have a thing for contrasting textures. And dappled sunlight. 

This little sausage is so easy to photograph. She was staring into her Dad's eyes with wonder. I wanted to capture the vast difference in size between her Dad's hands and her smooshy face- protectively holding this precious little bundle. The beautiful summery evening light adds a soft glow to her hair. 

Here's an example where I really wanted to highlight the texture and grain of the stump. It would have been obvious to feature the silhouette of the Yellow-billed Hornbill, but I chose to rather feature the contrast between the living and the dead.

Upstairs and downstairs: A seeking eye and a wide, toothy grin. I love the clarity in the water, and the coolness of both the glint in the eye and the tones of light. 

A rare occassion where nature provides the perfect frame for my subject. I also wanted to capture a different perspective. 

Currently one of my favourite photos (for a few reasons). Firstly, I love Zebra- their stripes fascinate me, and I am horse-mad at the best of times. But, one of the main reasons I love this shot is because it is so different. Normally clarity and sharpness would be the main focus. Here, I think that the motion blur gives a better feeling of the moment, with the dust cloud showing the point of sudden departure. The Zebra is in mid-air, portraying his speed. The colours are so rich and full. A shot where the lack of detail provides clarity of feeling instead. 

Love and Gratitude for being able to learn and practice the art of photography in this magical place.