Maybe I am a bit nostalgic in the old ways. Maybe I wish people would give more credit to where it’s due. In this case credit should be given to understanding the origin of Photography, as it seems this is where people might miss the point as there is a lot of misuse and misunderstanding surrounding Photography and the various analog/digital processes a photographic image goes through after the photograph has been taken. This book should hopefully cover my point I’m trying to make, without diving into too many technical details. Not that I’m trying to be condescending in anyway. I just wouldn’t want to bore the few readers who actually decided to take the time to read this book.

Photography was introduced to South Africa at quite a late stage compared to countries like America and Europe where the medium was constructed, modified and perfected as early as the 1600’s.

We as South Africans completely skipped the analog phase the rest of the world endured for centuries. We moved readily into a digital world, wanting to forget the absurdities of the old analogue world. This might not be a concept as bad as I’m making it out to be. Yes, we caught up quickly with the rest of the world already Tweeting away their thoughts and feelings. But one thing was missing. Moving straight into the new phase of technology caused many people to forget the origins of such a great invention. Instant gratification was a monster unveiled at the time digital was introduced.

Most people living in a functioning environment have digital cameras. Snapping away moments to be stored and remembered forever, or at least until their hard drive crashes. The digital environment has made it easier for all of us to quickly take pictures or videos of events we wish to remember. However much I seem to like this method of keeping memories intact, I do not agree with the long term effects, or shall we call it Side Effects this mindset grips modern society. The founding fathers of Photography would surely be doing somersaults in their graves if they knew that Photography became something completely superficial.

Gone are the days of spending hours in the darkroom, inhaling the wonderful smells of chemicals and waiting patiently for that one image to finally develop. Gone are the days that limited edition prints that meant exactly that. One copy that really existed without the proper means to adequately reproduce it. Gone are the ways of seeing world through a different medium. We’ve become so used to seeing photographs being printed in media, on billboards, on our television sets and on the side of billboards that we seem to dismiss the fact that Photography, all be it a manner of displaying a picture of a product or service, lost its emphasis on creativity as a whole.

I might sound like a terrible hypocrite, using a digital medium myself. But I do however respect the art for what its worth. I agree there is still nothing quite as beautiful as film, and the digital sensor is years away from adequately capturing the same beautiful hues as a E6 Processed film. However…

Thanks to mediums such as Photoshop, one can now adequately reproduce techniques and effects used in the old darkroom days. But many people seem to miss the point there. Yes, thanks to the Knoll Brothers our lives have been made simpler and faster. But they might as well be directly responsible for the death of the traditional darkroom.

This brings me to my next point. The use of Photoshop.

I’ve seen people comment on many Photographers work, respected and otherwise, that the use of Photoshop was too much or that the mere fact that Photoshop was included at all was a crime to the original Photograph, and that digital Photographs should be taken and published as the human eye sees it. Unaltered in all its glory. I agree with that fact in theory, however, that mindset, I feel, could only be applied to film, especially slide film.

But therein lies the problem. The human eye sees twenty-four different levels of contrast, where the digital sensor only picks up a maximum of twelve. Combine that thought with the ability to use different shutter speeds, aperture, ISO, White balance and Picture Style settings, the image is already altered in camera and it’s physically impossible for the camera to capture a single image exactly as the eye sees it without it being altered. The digital sensor also cannot adequately capture and represent all the shades of colour the human eye perceives, as it brings it down to a digital average. The use of a digital imaging processor such as Photoshop is used to bring back those colours and contrast that have been lost in the process of capturing the image. And yes, this does give one the option of altering the colours to make it appear more vibrant. Maybe the Photographer had a concept in mind and he wanted his representation to be shared with others? Isn’t that what Photography should be? Art is in the eye of the beholder… Or is it?

This view of using digital software to process your photograph seems to upset many people. I’ve had many people approach me and ask me why do I ruin a good landscape with the use of Photoshop. Well the answer is simple, dear reader. If I wanted to represent the landscape as it was, in its purest form, then I will use slide film, and leave it unaltered, if that was the concept I had in mind for the photograph. But most, if not all my Photographs are concept based. I want the mood and feel of that particular setting to come through. Maybe there was an emotion I felt when standing there in front of that particular landscape and I wanted to express it in my Photograph.

The emotion one feels when comparing a Black & White Photograph to that of a Colour version of the same image one perceives it as being vastly different. Isn’t that what makes Photography a form of art? One now has the ability to show society a view perceived by an individual, as he saw it, or the emotion he felt and sharing it with others in the hope that those he or she has a chance of connecting and being able to relate to the Photographer’s emotion or views of the photograph.

In the end we all want to connect to an emotion. Photography is just a device in making this a possibility. People tend to get very technical, judgmental and perhaps threatened when they see a good Photograph and has to start nit picking on the smaller details such as use of Photoshop.

I would love for someone to approach me and instead of lecturing me on the use of Photoshop and all the other technical details instead tell me that they could connect to that particular emotion evoked by the Photograph.

I want society to wake up to the fact that there is truly more to a Photograph that meets the eye. It’s not always just a pretty picture. I’m all for chocolate box photos and their various uses on calendars and above mentioned chocolate boxes. But that’s all they’ll ever be – a photograph of a pretty scene lacking substance and originality(I do apologize to all the stock photographers out there who specialize in it, we all have our different niches, I don’t expect everyone to have pictures with a thousand messages)But these photographs sell very well in the microstock industry. Thinking back, what images have stayed with you through your life? Definitely not a Namibian desert sunset or a misty seascape with beautiful purple Cirrus clouds. No. The market is completely flooded with those kinds of images and have become watered down in such a way that even I sometimes feel compelled to stop looking for new landscapes to conquer in the hope that I might capture that one image that I can connect with an emotion at the time of capturing it. If any images that I have always held dear throughout my life come to mind, it will surely be from Photographers such as Ansel Adams and Jerry Uelsmann. Two very different Photographers, but highly skilled in their darkroom techniques. Both of these Photographers had the gift of evoking emotion with their Photographs as well as carrying through a concept or idea that the viewer could connect with.

I think people need to start thinking twice when taking a Photograph.I think I’d like to make that my closing sentence… for now. Perhaps in conjunction with the next sentence ‘People need to also educate themselves properly and charge according to their experience (experience judged by others, not themselves), and a decent governing body for Professional Photographers should be put in place in South Africa, to weed out the real Professionals from the weekend warriors.’

To Be Continued…

Fred Out.

Firstly I have to apologize for my absence from the Blogosphere, however, I am in the process of writing a new Blog that should be out shortly!

A Big Thank You!

Isochronous

In the meantime I would like to thank everyone who viewed the video I made of the band, Isochronous during their live show at Tings an’ Times, Pretoria. The video was well received on Youtube.com with over 900 views already.
Support their music! Their latest album, titled “Inscape” is out so go and buy yourself a copy, it’s definitely worth it!

View the video here

Isochronous Website

View Photos of the Gig here

In Other News

Canon 1DX

Canon has recently announced their latest flagship camera! The EOS 1D X looks like an awesome camera to be released in March 2012.
A brand, spankin’ new 18 MP, full – frame sensor, firing off at 12 Frames Per Second as well as a new 61 point Autofocus system, better movie recording specs and a few other nice additions.

Check out the DPreview.com site for the detailed review on this monster of a camera!

http://www.dpreview.com/articles/5149972341/canon-eos-1d-x-overview

Until next time!

Fred

Having just recently downloaded this fantastic application, I immediately saw that the guy’s from Blackmagic Design did not hold back on any of the key features that make this application one of the world leading software applications for video colour grading.

The master of lighting and Photoshop, Dave Hill, recently updated his website, and as a bonus released this very special video featuring a 3D flythrough of some of his photographs, revealing all the different layers he’s used in creating the “Dave Hill Effect” in his photographs.

Definitely worth a look!

Here’s the video -

http://strobist.blogspot.com/2011/07/through-layers-looking-glass-w…

Here’s his website -

www.Davehillphoto.com

After a long silence I have finally returned with some new images and updates.

The Axe Murderer

“The Axe Murderer” wasn’t a planned shoot. The model, Billy, and I were busy with another shoot and after we were done we decided to play around with concepts and this was how the domestic, axe-wielding killer was born. Maybe this should be a series of images? What do you think?

Many thanks to my friend Billy, for making this image possible!

In other news…

In an effort to broaden my digital footprint and connect with more people I have created additional accounts on Facebook and Twitter.

Please feel free to visit by clicking on the links below:

My Website
DeviantArt
Become a Fan On Facebook
Follow me on Twitter (@Fredvlphoto)

I will return soon with more content!

Thank you!

Fred

I’ve recently returned from a week long trip through Southern Namibia. It was an experience that was definitely worth the freezing nights and cold summer days.

There’s nothing quite like the vast, barren landscapes one can find in Namibia. The silence in the air is deafening, the absence of air pollution is quite evident and the loneliness creates an impact that will forever be engraved in my mind.

Everyday spent back home is another day I wish to return to the red sands of Southern Namibia. There’s so much to explore, so many images to still capture.

I plan on going back there again next year, around March/April. So far I’m counting down the days.

Website Update

I’ve finished uploading the new gallery onto my website. I’m finally satisfied with what seems to be a very user friendly, flash generated gallery. I’ll be uploading the photographs of Namibia soon, so keep an eye on my website  www.Fredvl.com

Until then, take a look at this so long.

I’m in the process of updating my website. The progress is slow, and the coffee is excessive, but I’m getting there one step at a time.

A couple of features to look forward to is:

• Easier navigation
• Brand new gallery with multiple categories
• Enhanced ordering system (through Pay-Pal)

And a few more things…

“Consumed” Series Update
Well, progress is slow, but so far its looking good. I posted two teaser screenshots of quite a barren, unfinished project last week and since then I’ve virtually completed the main part of the image. I expect the entire shot to be processed in about 20-30 days from now. The excitement is bubbling and I cannot wait to expose it to the world.

The main influence behind the next shot is most definitely something along the lines of the movie “Aliens”. A movie that has inspired me from my younger days. I will reveal more as the project moves on.

Anyway. Back to work.

Cheers

Fred

This is the next entry in the “Consumed” series as viewed on my Website.

Consumed - Coming Soon

Till next time.

Fred

Welcome to my own personal blog. I have created this blog to showcase some upcoming projects, as well as behind-the-scenes footage.

Please feel free to leave your comments, and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

Cheers!

Cheers,

Fred