Tag: photographer focus

Photographer Focus Series: Sebastian Tontsch on Professional Photography

Posted on June 15, 2019 by Graham Daly

Continuing on with my Photographer Focus series, here I spend time talking with Sebastian Tontsch. Sebastian is an Interior, Architectural & Landscape Photographer who also likes shooting Astro Photography images.

Who is Sebastian Tontsch?

I’m an Interior and Architectural Photographer from Germany based in Dubai and Spain. I started out in Landscape photography. Then after moving to Dubai in 2012, I started to shoot the beautiful city of Dubai which started my interest in Architecture. Later I started shooting real estate and interiors for architects. This is what I still do today. I grew up in the countryside in Germany. My dad taught me all about the stars and star signs that’s where my love for Astrophotography comes in. Personally, if I would have to choose 2 categories in photography it would be Landscape and Astro Photography. Those are my personal favorites as I’m a nature person and I spent most time outdoors. One of the reasons I moved to Spain.

How long have you been in the photography game? Are you a full-time Professional Photographer?

I’m a full-time Professional Photographer. But I also have different online businesses running as well. A PR and Marketing company in Dubai that I started in 2014. I first got into photography about thirteen years ago. I always was a big car fan so just before I got my driving license, I started to take pictures of my car with a point and shoot trying to make it look cool. When it didn’t look cool I started to research cameras, settings, etc. That’s how I really got into it.

Apart from Interior And Architectural, what styles of photography brings you the most personal enjoyment and satisfaction?

It has to be a tie between Landscape (especially mountains) and Astro Photography. Those two worlds are my Zen zone. It’s great to drive into the mountains and just be there to enjoy nature. The silence up there is the perfect balance to the stressful part of photography which is the business side. The same is true for Astrophotography. Being out at night when everyone else is sleeping is great. Peace and quiet are guaranteed if you shoot in the right areas and for Astrophotography, you need dark locations and those are mostly far away from cities. I combine the two for my trips and go to the mountains for landscape and for Astro as well because I have a great dark sky there as well.

What kind of photography commercial/professional services do you provide?

Anything related to Architecture and Interiors. Commercial Architecture shoots as well. What I started to do recently because I had so many requests are tailored 1-2-1 photography workshops. Most people offer group workshops which are great but I found that working 1-2-1 with a client is the most efficient way to teach person photography. Of course, these workshops are more expensive but the clients enjoy the fact that I teach them exclusively. Also, the client is the one who decides what they want to shoot.

I see you founded a company called “Blowfish Media” in Dubai – can you tell us more about that venture?

Blowfish Media is a Full Media agency with its main focus being PR and Marketing at the moment. We are a boutique style media agency that works closely with the client and we offer tailored offers to the company’s liking. Which is something they miss with big PR companies. I started Blowfish Media with my partner in 2014. It was an idea that we had because we both wanted to get into the media business in Dubai. The market was, and still is, very active in that region.

What was your first camera and what do you shoot with now?

The first camera that I used was some old no-name 35mm film camera. During my time in Dubai, I was shooting for Sony, so all my gear was Sony. I had models such as the A7S2, the A7R2, the rx100 and the rx10.

Now I shoot with my old Canon 6D. But I’m just in the process of making changes to my setup. I’m building a three body setup (Sony). Basically one body for each lens (ultra-wide angle lens, a 24-70mm lens, a 100-400mm lens).

What is your favorite lens and why?

At the moment I would say the Tamron 100-400. Just for the reason that I’m shooting it the most out of all my lenses right now. I shot so much wide angle over the years that in the last three years I have focused more on compressed shots with tele zoom lenses. Also, I love the challenge to get great tele zoom framing in camera.

What is your favorite piece of equipment in your camera bag?

I would say my Ioptron Skytracker Pro because it opens a whole new world in Astrophotography. Being able to take super long exposures without getting star trails is something that makes the whole night photography more interesting and also it gives you many more creative options than without a tracker.

What has been your greatest photography achievement to date?

It all depends on what people see as achievements. Is my 3^rd place at the Epson Pano Awards 2017 and achievement? Are my features in National Geographic and achievement? Are the magazine covers an achievement or the clients I was able to get over the past years?

That’s why I don’t call myself an award-winning photographer, even though I did win awards. Awards tell you nothing about skill and dedication. They are a subjective view of a handful of professionals. Change the judging panel and you get different results.

For me, my personal achievement is that I am able to share the beauty of nature and our night sky with the world and maybe give people an idea of how great our planet is. If people see my pictures and get interested in the stars or appreciate the mountains more then I achieved my goal.

Today’s society is in a constant rush and everyone forgets what life really is about and priorities change to things that are not even important. We live on a planet that is filled with beauty and that beauty will get even better if we start taking more care about our environment. I want to motivate people to go out into nature. This is where we belong. This is where we came from. Society has lost the connection to nature we once had. And if I can get some of my followers to be more aware of our natural world then I’m happy with that, that’s my achievement.

What have been your biggest photography challenges to date?

The biggest challenge is to find new angles and stay creative. Finding spots that no one photographed before seems to be almost impossible today. I enjoy shooting new angles and finding spots that others haven’t shot from yet. Yes, I shoot the classics as well but I constantly try to find new angles. That challenge never stops.

My current approach is trying to get stuff right in camera. I see so many composites online and people love them of course but I appreciate hard work in scouting and planning a shot. That’s photography for me. Photoshopping the milky way into a different foreground is not photography in my eyes. So the challenge is to plan shots correctly and capture them in-camera!

How important is Post Processing to your photography?

Post processing is very important as I love to shoot panoramas. So stitching images and editing raw files to get more detail out of them is a crucial part, Especially as raw files are very flat to start with. For Cityscapes and Landscapes, post-processing doesn’t take extreme amounts of time. But when you get into Astrophotography, for example, the post-processing will become the biggest part. Your camera will capture the details you want but working them out of multiple stacks of raw files is the real skill.

Your Astro Photography portfolio is amazing – how do you get your images to be so clean and noise free?

I think in my case the two biggest noise removers are shooting panoramas and using a tracker. With a tracker, I can shoot at much lower iso levels. And by stitching a panorama image your end result will be much cleaner and less grainier as well.

I see a lot of Brand Ambassadors on Facebook/Instagram these days – do you represent any particular brands? If yes, which brands and how did those opportunities come about?

Yes, that seemed to be a big trend for a while. I worked together with many brands. But at the moment I’m trying to step away from that a bit on focus more on what I want, not what the sponsor wants. I’m still in the progress of sorting out my partners and sponsors.

Most of the time, brands contacted me and asked if I want to review their product and see if I like it. I personally am dead honest in my reviews. So if someone sends me something I don’t like I will state it exactly that way because I don’t want to mislead people just to make a benefit. That’s not where the money is in photography.

Outside of your Interior And Architectural work, what photographic projects do you have planned 2019?

I will continue my “Mountain Portrait” series that I started in 2017. Shooting more mountains and more close-ups. Just a more intimate view of our most beautiful peaks all over the world. The focus right now are the alps. The Italian side is almost done. Going towards France and Switzerland now. For the Astro part of my photography, I have planned to shoot a bortle class 1 sky this year. If I can fit the trip in, I would fly to the Atacama Desert in Chile which is one of the darkest skies in the world. That’s high up on my priority list.

What advice or tips can you offer to anyone looking to make a career or a lifestyle switch to that of Professional Photography?

Only shoot what you enjoy. If you have to do jobs that you don’t enjoy it will be hard to get better at it. When I started, I offered everything, portraits, products, events, etc..

I soon found out that I really didn’t enjoy any of those types of photography, So I focused on Interior and Architecture as I really enjoyed it. As soon as I did that, I improved much quicker because I wanted to get better and had an interest in it. Earning money just with Landscapes will be hard. Not the best genre to live from if you don’t run workshops all the time.

Where and how can people follow your work and keep updated with your photography adventures?

My website is www.sebastiantontschphoto.com. I’m most active on my Facebook profile right now where I post regularly – https://www.facebook.com/sebastian.hcstnot.

Over on Instagram, I have 2 accounts. My behind the scenes account is new and I will post all the stuff behind the camera in there: www.instagram.com/sebastiant_bts

My main account is: https://www.instagram.com/sebastian_tontsch/ – I don’t post there as often but the final images go in there basically.

Photographer Focus: Steven Morris Photography

Posted on July 29, 2018 by Graham Daly

Want to be excited by truly inspiring Astrophotography and Landscape Photography images? Then check out this latest Photographer Focus article featuring Steven Morris Photography.

Who Is Steven Morris Photography?

My name is Steven Morris and I own/operate Steven Morris Photography. I am thirty-six years old and I live in Adelaide, South Australia.

When Did You First Take Up Photography?

In 2014 it was announced that my job was going to become redundant. I had worked for the company for twelve years. It was during these stressful times, working out how I was going to keep paying my mortgage, that I needed to find something to take my mind off things. So I decided to purchase a telescope and do some star gazing. Something I was always fascinated by but knew very little about.

A friend of mine was capturing and producing Landscape and Milky Way imagery. I became drawn to that and wanted to give it a go. I borrowed my dad’s Nikon D300s and Tokina 11-16 2.8 wide angle lens. And I asked my friend if she would like to show me how to photograph the milky way. Well, my first images were mostly out of focus blobs. My friend was a Canon shooter and didn’t know how to set the optimum Nikon settings. After this, I bought my first Nikon DSLR which was the Nikon D5100.

The telescope that I had at the time was a Celestron 6SE. I had found out that I could connect my Nikon DSLR to this telescope. So I did!

It was that first thirty-second exposure of the Trifid Nebula that made my jaw drop. At that moment my passion for Astrophotography began. And with it many sleepless nights researching and developing my own Astrophotography abilities.

Have you turned “Pro”?

I don’t like the word “Pro”. Mostly because I’m just like everyone else who has a passion for photography. However, I do get paid for my work and running workshops, so then the answer is yes I’m a professional photographer. I turned pro about one and a half years ago.

What styles of photography do you mostly shoot for yourself?

I shoot mostly Astrophotography and Landscape Photography. Well, that is basically all I shoot!

What styles of photography do you shoot for clients?

I get requested now and then to shoot a landscape for someone as they admire my work and have always wanted a photograph of a landscape that is close to them. Other than that, I don’t have many clients as I consider my work to be art and sell it via very low numbered limited edition prints. I do have some people who keep coming back to purchase my prints to be framed for their houses though.

What was your first camera and what do you shoot with now?

My first camera was a Nikon D5100 DSLR. I now photograph with a Nikon D810a DSLR. I also use a Nikon 1 V3 for video footage for upcoming YouTube adventures I wish to create. An inspiration for this has been from Thomas Heaton. But it is strange being in front of the camera!

What is your favorite piece of kit in your camera bag?

My favorite piece of kit would have to be the Nikon D810a. It is Nikon’s first ever dedicated Astro camera. It captures additional detail throughout the milky way by picking up the H-Alpha gasses in space. Also, I like the colors this camera produces for my landscape imagery too.

I would also have to say my favorite lenses so far are the Nikon 14-24 F/2.8, Nikon 35mm F/1.8G, Nikon 70-200 F/2.8, and Nikon 300mm F2.8. And let’s not forget all my Haida Filters and Manfrotto Tripod. I guess I love all my gear!

Any new gear on the horizon that you will be investing in?

Ultimately, I would love to own two 200mm F2 Nikon lenses with 2 x Nikon D810a for some wide field deep space imaging. That is a long-time dream and something that will have to wait for now.

I see you are sponsored by Nikon and by Haida. How did those opportunities come about and what responsibilities does a Brand Ambassador have?

I was introduced to Nikon when I was imaging deep space and they bought out the Nikon D810a Astro camera. It was through this relationship of sharing images that I had taken with my D810a of deep space and Nightscapes that lead to me now teaching Nightscape photography with Nikon through Nikon MySchool Australia in various locations around Australia.

Haida had seen my Astrophotography and asked me if I would like to test out the Haida Clear Night Filter. This is a filter which I absolutely love for Nightscape photography. I use it all the time regardless of dark sky locations because it can also protect the front element of the lens during those cold dewy winter nights. After sending them some images that I had taken, they were so impressed that I was asked to be an Ambassador for the brand here in Australia which I thoroughly enjoy doing because their filters are stunning.

What has been your greatest photography achievement to date?

Greatest photography achievement…..That is a hard one because there are a few. Working with Nikon and Haida are two of my greatest achievements along with my most recent Nightscape image in which I had to wait one whole year for the right conditions to present themselves.

What have been your biggest photography challenges to date?

The biggest photography challenge was shooting a Nightscape image consisting of a hundred and fifty images stitched together. It was fair to say that my computer didn’t like handling a 20Gb file. So the image was kind of scrapped. I also don’t shoot with a robotic pano tool like a Gigapan because it just adds to weight. So in the dark shooting at 70mm focal length whilst trying to maintain a fifty percent overlap between image. It was very challenging.

What photographic projects do you have planned for the rest of 2018?

I have a few images I would still like to capture before the Milky Way season is over. The next shot I’m currently planning is an image of the Milky Way rising above some large sand dunes. I have a location in South Australia I wish to shoot at. Now it is just a matter of scouting the location and waiting for the right moment.

I’m also very excited about 2019. In April I will be in the United Kingdom for a few weeks. My brother had moved to the UK a few years back and is now happily in love and getting married. So I hope to head up to Scotland and Wales (Snowdonia) to shoot some landscapes in my spare time. I don’t know how if the weather will allow me to shoot some Astro. But it will be great if I can!

What advice or tips can you offer to anyone looking to make a career or a lifestyle switch to that of Professional Photography?

My biggest advice would be that it takes time. Don’t rush into it. I mean, don’t quit that job you may dislike and the next day begin your dream as a photographer. Build into it. Build up your portfolio and ask questions to those photographers that inspire you to live the dream you wish to live.

Where and how can people follow your work and keep updated with your photography adventures?

You can head to my website www.stevenmorris.com.au for my latest collections and print purchases. Also, you can follow my work or occasional live feeds on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/stevenmorrisphotographer or over on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/stevenmorrisphotography.

Photographer Focus: Irish Landscape Photographer Colm Keating

Posted on June 17, 2018 by Graham Daly

Are you a fan of Landscape and Travel Photography? Then check out this article. Continuing on with my Photographer Focus series, in this edition, I am placing the focus on Colm Keating, an Irish Photographer who currently resides in New Zealand.

Who is Colm Keating Photography? Tell us about yourself

I’m a self-taught photographer from Ireland, who now lives in New Zealand. I was studying for a doctorate in chemistry when I decided I had enough and quit to pursue photography full time. I loved chemistry, but I knew I didn’t want to spend my days inside a lab working on the same problem every day when I could be out with my camera instead. That was in Sept 2017 and my life has changed dramatically since then. In January 2018 I moved to New Zealand, and I now live in the Queenstown, surrounded by the southern Alps.

When did you get your first camera and what was it?

Presumably, people probably answer this question with a DSLR but the first camera that really sparked my interest in photography was the first-generation iPhone. This was the first phone I had with a camera and it is definitely the camera responsible for lighting the fire. However, after a few years of iPhone photography, I did eventually get a Canon 600D in the summer of 2013 which is where the traditional photography journey started.

As an Irish Photographer, what type of photography do you mostly shoot?

Although it doesn’t earn me a large income, I will always likely be a landscape photographer over any other genre. Living near the sea, it was seascapes in particular that I mostly shot in the beginning, but photography opened up a whole new world of other interests with it, hiking being a huge one. Now I shoot more in the mountains than anywhere else. And I have fostered a love for adventure photography involving outdoor sports since becoming an avid hiker and camper myself. This is an area where I really want to steer my business over the next few years as it combines my love of landscape photography with outdoor sports. For professionals, I think this is the ultimate goal. Many begin shooting whatever photography jobs they can when they turn pro just to keep things rolling over, however, we all would love to just shoot the type of photography we love in return for an income. This isn’t always possible, but finding a niche where you can mold that genre into a profitable product for someone is the perfect compromise, for me anyway!

What styles of photography or subjects interest and motivate you the most?

Its always been the power and beauty of nature for me. You can go to a gorgeous place over and over and it can look so different from one day to the next, all depending on the mood and atmosphere that the weather creates.

How long have you been a serious enthusiast photographer for?

As soon as I was making dedicated trips out to take photos is when I consider a photographer to be a serious enthusiast. For me, this was about six months after picking up my first camera, so the bug really didn’t take long to manifest in me!

What has been the highlight of your photography journey so far?

Meeting all the other amazing photographers I have had the pleasure of shooting with is by far the highlight. This is pretty much an ongoing thing, which is great as its something I can look forward to for as long as I am involved in photography. Many people reading will no doubt be able to relate to the friendship that can be formed with finding someone else who also has that “photography bug”. A lot of family and regular friends just cannot comprehend why we would stand for hours in the same spot, going back day after day just to catch the place at its best, but other photographers can, and I have been lucky enough to meet many I can now call very good friends.

If you could go back in time, what advice would you provide to your younger self-knowing what you know now?

Just get going sooner. I held myself back, convincing myself the stereotypical route of getting a stable career through my degree was the right choice for me. I now know it was not and I am glad I have made the jump to full-time photography. My only regret is that I did not do it sooner.

What are the hardest parts about the type of photography that you do?

The hardest part will always be dragging yourself out of bed for sunrise. Whether the shoot was a success or not, I have never once regretted getting up for sunrise. However, that knowledge never seems to make it easier to leave the warmth of your bed when it’s still dark outside and it seems you only crawled into it 5 mins ago.

What is in your kit bag?

Nikon D750 and D7100. Nikon 14-24 F/2.8. Tamron 24-70 F/2.8. Sigma 70-200 F/2.8. Haida Filters CPL, 6 stop ND, 10 stop ND. 6 batteries. Peak design strap and capture pro clip. Cable release. Rollei tripod. And last but definitely not least, a shower cap!

Most Photographers have GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome) – what gear is on your “to get” list?

To be honest I am very happy with the gear I have. My only complaint is how heavy it all is. As I do a lot of hiking, the weight can be somewhat problematic. Therefore I am considering swapping some of my fast aperture lenses for lighter variable aperture versions. I have not decided what I will do yet though. As regards GAS, I have it pretty well controlled (I think!). I have not bought anything photography related in well over a year, except for replacing a broken tripod head. Now I just have to ensure I keep telling myself that just because I have not bought anything in a year, that it does not allow me to justify a new purchase!

You come from Ireland and are currently living in New Zealand – which satisfies your photography more?

At the moment I have to say New Zealand. My second love is wild camping/hiking and so the setup for that here is just phenomenal. Of course, there are great places to be found for this back home in Ireland too but it is just on another level here in New Zealand. There is also the appeal of a new place, seeing something with fresh eyes. New Zealand most certainly still has for me as I have only been here for six months. I will always want to continue to explore new countries though, that is something I am confident that will never stop.

What is next on your photography journey?

Recently I have begun to shoot more people in my photography, particularly with adventure-related sports. This is something I really want to move into more over the next year or so. That will entail me learning many new photography skills that come with the genre so there is another steep learning curve ahead. For me though, the learning is part of the fun. Dipping into other genres can open your mind to ideas that you wouldn’t have had if you stick in the one type of photography all the time. For that reason alone I really love giving every type of photography a go. Hoping it will bring something new to my staple genre that is landscape photography.

You can view more of Colm’s Photography over on his website at www.colmkeating.com and you can follow along with his adventures over on his Facebook Page www.fb.com/keatingcolm – and his Instagram Feed – www.instagram.com/keatingcolm

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Photographer Focus: Coastal Photography with Rachael Talibart

Posted on January 30, 2018 by Graham Daly

Ever hear of Rachael Talibart or see her photographic work? Well, when you reach the end of this article I hope you will ask yourself “why have I not heard of this amazingly talented photographer before!”. In this second edition of my Photographer Focus series, I am placing the focus on Rachael Talibart who is a Professional Photographer based in the United Kingdom (UK).

1) Who is Rachael Talibart?

I’m a full-time professional photographer specializing in fine art coastal imagery. I live in Surrey, England now but I grew up on the South Coast, in a yachting family. For the first twelve years of my life, every weekend and all of the school holidays were spent at sea. Those years left me with a lifelong fascination for the ocean. Although I now live in a landlocked county, I go to the coast at least once a week.

I first became interested in photography during my teen years when I was given a little cartridge-film camera for Christmas, one where the case folded down to make a handle. The obsession really set in when I took my first 35mm camera on a 9-week solo backpacking trip around the world. I had just qualified as a solicitor in a big City of London firm. This job allowed me to take unpaid leave before settling into the rigors of practice. When I returned, I spent my first paycheck as a qualified solicitor on an SLR. And that was it – I was completely hooked!

2) A question we ask all photographers – What is in your kit bag?

My main camera is a Canon 5DSR. That is accompanied by the usual selection of Canon lenses, a Benro tripod, and LEE Filters. I’m proud to say that LEE Filters now support my photography and workshops. I like the flexibility of a DSLR and I’ve been using Canon for so long now that the cameras are like an extension of my hand. This means I can concentrate on creating without any distractions. While my preferred cameras have stayed the same, my preferred lens focal lengths have changed in recent years.

My Canon 16-35mm lens used to be the most often-used lens in my kit bag but now I use it the least. I like the Canon 24-70mm and even more the Canon 70-200mm, which is probably my go-to lens these days. Using telephoto lenses and longer focal lengths enable me to simplify my compositions, allowing me to think carefully about what I want to depict.

3) How crucial is post-processing to your photography?

I try to spend as little time on post-processing as I can. This is not because I have an attitude about it or think it’s more ‘pure’ to get the shot in camera but rather because I like being outside and not on my computer. So, obviously, I am going to be more creative in a place I enjoy. However, I do shoot RAW so I must process my images and I do almost all of that in Adobe Lightroom. I rarely need to go into Photoshop but if Photoshop helps me create the picture in my mind’s eye, then, of course, I will use it.

The other important thing for me is to try to leave a decent gap between taking an image and processing it. Sometimes, if I look at the pictures on my computer too soon after a shoot, I can feel disappointed. I’m sure we’ve all had that feeling at some point in time or another. A time gap between the capture and processing stages enables the emotion of the experience to subside and that results in a more considered edit.

4) Do you have a favorite image?

I find it hard to choose a favorite image but if pushed, I would probably pick Poseidon Rising. This image is one of my Sirens series, the set of images that has done most to raise my profile. Although all the photographs in this series were taken with very fast shutter speeds, they were a long time in the making. I had worked it out that the beach at Newhaven in East Sussex often had good surf. I had been going there almost every week all winter, capturing the sorts of images everyone else makes there. Essentially that of waves crashing against the lighthouse.

But I was frustrated because I felt I was making photographs similar to other people’s photographs, and I hate that. However, all those visits, while yielding no ‘keepers’, were very useful because I was working out exactly what sort of image I wanted to make there. One day, I captured a photograph of a wave, with no lighthouse and no other landmarks. Next thing I knew, an idea clicked in my head. I wanted to capture a series of waves that looked like monsters and name them after mythological maritime creatures. And so my Sirens were born.

I picked Poseidon Rising in particular because it most typifies what I was trying to achieve. A wave of attitude, named after a Greek god with plenty of attitudes, in an interesting light and unlike the images made by everyone else on that stormy day. I am so glad to see that my Sirens project has been well received. They have been winning multiple awards including Black and White Photographer of the Year and the Sunday Times Magazine’s award in Landscape Photographer of the Year. The series is being published as a fine art book, due to be released in February.

5) Are there any challenges to being a Landscape/Nature Photographer?

I think the most challenging part of being a nature/landscape photographer is that title! I do not really see myself as such, but that’s how I am often pigeonholed. Photography struggles to be considered as an art, in the UK especially, but to a certain degree everywhere. I think that is even worse with ‘landscape/nature’ photography. People expect images in that category to be records of recognizable places or creatures. With that sort of photography, there is still plenty of scope for artistry, skillful composition, beautiful light and subtle editing. I admire and enjoy photographs produced by many excellent photographers in this genre but it is not what I am trying to do.

I am less concerned with representing a place. When I go out on location, I am not trying faithfully to show the scene as it might have appeared to you if you had been standing right next to me. Instead, I want to show you the one thing in that scene that appealed to me personally. I want to convey how it felt to me to be there in that moment. Perhaps we should call it ‘interpretative photography’ rather than ‘fine art’ but it is all semantics in the end. Some might even argue that all photography is interpretative on some level and I can hardly disagree!

6) Any tips for other photographers?

One piece of advice I give to my workshop clients – find a place you love, and return there repeatedly! When we travel to far-flung places, that we may never visit again, we are likely to capture the obvious and clichéd shots. We become ‘photography tourists’ to some extent. It is difficult to avoid influence from photos we have seen, that were produced by others at that place. When we return to somewhere often, we can just relax. We can risk wasting time on experiments because we know that we will be back. I think that is when people start to find their own unique vision.

7) What does your photography future hold?

I have a lot of plans in the pipeline for 2018. There is the Sirens launch, several exhibitions, and I would like more gallery representation by the end of this year. My Workshops and Photo Tour business are continuing to grow. In fact, it is becoming hard to satisfy demand! I’m also starting to lead residential photography holidays/workshops for Ocean Capture, a leading fine art photography workshops business owned by Jonathan Chritchley.

I have a full schedule of speaking engagements and I will take on writing commissions whenever they come up, as I enjoy them. The category winners of Outdoor Photographer of the Year had been announced at the time of writing this interview. I was one of the judges for that competition this year and I’m looking forward to continuing in that role. Creatively speaking, I want to continue refining my compositions to simplify them, and seeking subjects in the smaller details. However, even if I knew I would never win another award, sell another print or run another workshop, I can honestly say that I would still be out there, in the teeth of a storm, having the best time ever and I hope to be able to do that for a very long time to come.

8) Lastly, where can we see more of your great work?

Photographer Focus: Laura Oppelt Photography

Posted on January 28, 2018 by Graham Daly

Several weeks ago I was contacted by Sleeklens and interviewed [ Graham Daly Spotlight Interview ]. Needless to say, I was delighted to be interviewed and allowed to share my photographic journey and insights with the Sleeklens audience. Now, I am also delighted to actually be writing and contributing content towards this very same great audience – how cool is that!

To start things off, I wanted to introduce a new “Photographer Focus” series whereby I intend to place the focus on various photographers that have caught my own attention and whose photographic work inspires me to head out with my own camera. In this edition, I am focusing on Laura Oppelt, an incredibly talented 20-year-old landscape photographer from Germany.

1) Who is Laura Oppelt?

My name is Laura Oppelt and I was born in 1998 in a small town near Munich, Bavaria, Germany. Growing up in the countryside, I enjoyed being outdoors and discovering nature. When I was younger, I got a cheap camera and started to literally photograph everything around me. The images were poor in terms of photographic quality and just snapshots really but I kept going and later decided to save money for my first DSLR. Since that time back in the summer of 2013 I really worked hard on improving my photography knowledge (a continual work-in-progress!) and I decided to focus my attention and energy on landscape photography.

The greatest step so far in my development took place in 2016 when I switched to a Full Frame DSLR. Even though the camera is just a tool for taking pictures and by far not the most important thing, it gave me a more satisfied feeling and afforded me new possibilities. But the best teacher is practice! The importance of trial and error really cannot be underestimated. During my travels, I learned a lot, discovered stunning places and experienced the beauty of our world, which is the basis for all my pictures. I still consider myself as a learner and search for my own style but I’m very curious what will come next.

2) Do you find that your passion for photography consumes a lot of your time?

Yes! I try to head away on photo trips as often as possible and especially on the weekends I’m really busy with photography. As it’s my biggest hobby, I love spending time with it, but that’s not always possible of course. A very time-expensive aspect of photography is also the post-processing. I’ve still got loads of unprocessed images and I don’t know if they will ever be processed!

3) A question that all photographers are asked – What is in your kit bag?

I’m shooting with the Canon 6D and the Canon wide 16-35mm f/4 lens. I also always carry a Sigma 20mm f/1.4 in my camera bag for night photography. Let us also not forget the Canon 24-105mm f/4 lens. Lastly, I use a Sirui tripod and LEE Filters.

4) What is your general workflow when taking pictures?

That depends on the conditions and the scene. I always use the Live View function of the camera to compose the image and try to find leading lines as well as foreground interest. Then I decide if filters are necessary or not and if yes, which specific filter (e.g. a graduated hard or soft filter). Besides that, I often take three different exposures, in case that I need them later in post-production.

5) What is the key ingredient that you always look for when producing images?

I think an interesting foreground is always a great way of strengthening your image composition, especially in landscape photography. Sometimes I include people in my images as well to add some scale.

6) How crucial is post-processing to your photography?

It’s an important issue for me because I want to make the best out of my images and with some very easy steps, such as boosting contrast or adding a vignette, you can increase the overall effectiveness of the image. But I also don’t want to spend too much time with the post-processing and I try to keep the image as natural as possible.

7) Do you have a favorite image?

That’s a quite difficult question because I’ve got different favorites due to different reasons. There are favorite images because of the experience I had when taking them and there are favorites because I’m very satisfied with the editor the composition or the light captured within the image. If I had to pick only one photo, I would choose a photo I took during a backpacking tour on the Faroe Islands in the summer of 2017 because everything just came together perfectly: the landscape (a mountain above the sea with a great view over the fjords and the villages at the coast line), the light (right before sunset) and the experience (it was pure freedom on top of that mountain peak with an incredible view). I titled the photo “Experience for a Lifetime“ because it had such a great impact on me.

8) Are there any challenges to being a Landscape Photographer?

Yes! The constantly changing weather situations and that it sometimes takes huge power and resolve to overcome your own laziness! And of course that you manage to make the people who look at your images feel the same that you felt in the moment when you pressed the shutter. That is probably the most difficult and challenging aspect of all.

9) Any tips for other photographers?

Maybe that the most important thing about photography is that you like what you do and that you have fun. Take the images for yourself and not for somebody else. Try to develop your own style which is very challenging in its own right because I think this is a never-ending process.

10) What inspires you?

Our beautiful world has so much to offer that I think inspiration can come from everywhere. Other photographers who have a lot of impact on my own motivation are Dennis Polkläser, Nicholas Roemmelt, and Bruno Pisani, to just name three of them.

11) What does your photography future hold?

A challenging question because there are so many possibilities. I would like to just improve my image making abilities further and to experience some new photography adventures. I would also really love to publish some of my pictures in magazines or to have an own exhibition someday … But that’s very far away from now.

12) Is there anything else you want to say?

Go out, explore and enjoy life! Simple, but so difficult at the same time!

13) Lastly, where can we see more of your great work?

I have a brand new website now at www.laura-oppelt-photography.de . My 500px account is https://500px.com/laura_oppelt. You can find me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/lauraoppeltphotography and my Instagram profile at https://www.instagram.com/oppdager/.

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