BPP - !!! PORTFOLIO OF THE WEEK - !!! / Discuss

Farfarm (taking a break) says:

Let me introduce this week's BPP Portfolio of the Week by the wonderful mimbrava !
If you wish to view mimbrava's BPP Porfolio, you can find it HERE. I would also recommend taking a trip through her wonderful PHOTOSTREAM.
Here you will find many more treasures !

1. For how long have you been doing photography?
Back in the '70s and '80s, I had Olympus OM-1 and OM-2 35mm cameras, which I took on wilderness trips out West and to my weekend cabin in New York. I then took a two-decade-long hiatus and got back into photography in 2005 with the purchase of my first digital camera, the Canon PowerShot A85. Within months, I discovered Flickr.

2. Tell us a little bit about yourself and your photohobby/profession.
I am self-employed. I transcribe oral history interviews and edit and proofread books, newsletters, brochures, websites, etc. Instead of taking coffee breaks, I go out to the garden with my camera. In fact, I take a camera pretty much everywhere I go. Photography is a great stress reliever.

3. What's in your kit?
Canon Rebel XSi (EOS 450D)
Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM
Canon EF-S 55-250mm F/4-5.6 IS
Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 USM
Canon PowerShot S5 IS--This is my carry-around camera, which I still love for its versatility in being able to go from super-macro mode to 12x zoom at the touch of a button. I take it on errands around town, though I do use the XSi now when I'm doing more "serious" photography.

4. What computer/software/printing do you use?
My early Flickr photos were processed on a PC using Picasa. I've now got an iMac and use Photoshop Elements. (I've got tons to learn with that program.) My printer is the Epson Stylus Photo R320.

5. When you go out and shoot, do you already have a concept in mind?
Not really, but since most of my shooting is done in my garden or at the nature center, I know what my subjects are likely to be. My concept basically is simply to shoot close up, to capture the vibrancy of nature's pallet and to reveal details that often the naked eye cannot see without the help of the macro lens, to show aspects of a flower or an insect that make the viewer exclaim, "Oh, wow!"

Fairly recently I've begun working with textures to enhance an original photo. The possibilities for creativity are endless, limited only by imagination and, of course, time.

These days I'm also tending more towards a square format, though not exclusively.

I also take lots of photos of my remarkable Pomeranian, Zoe Bear. Here the concept is to try to capture her adorableness and intelligence.

6. What are your favourite things to shoot?
Besides Zoe Bear? Flower and insect macros. I find great joy in rediscovering the beauty in the commonplace and hope that my viewers will take away a revived, childlike appreciation for nature and a desire to preserve and protect our environment, for our own enjoyment and for future generations.

7. What has been your greatest accomplishment as a photographer up to the present date?
Besides, for an unknown reason, being recognized as one of Flickr's All Time Greats and having so many people, many of them now friends, from around the world come to my Flickr stream to praise my work, I had the honor of having a solo photo show in April of this year, entitled Drawn In: A Macro Celebration of Flora and Fauna, and over the last few years have won numerous awards and honorable mentions, links to which are in my Flickr Profile.

8. Which photographers inspire you the most?
The person whom I thank for introducing me to natural history and photography is my friend, the naturalist/photographer/lecturer/author, John L. Tveten. Another photographer friend is Deborah Cascarino, whose most recent solo show, For Just This Moment, was held in April at the Darlington Arts Center in Pennsylvania. Though I rarely shoot landscapes and wildlife (except backyard critters), I never tire of looking at the works of Ansel Adams, Eliot Porter, Galen Rowell and Art Wolfe. There are too many Flickr photographers to mention. Their generosity in sharing their unique visions, whether flowers and bugs, portraiture or landscapes, makes me honored to be part of this beautiful Flickr community.

9. What was important for you when choosing your pictures for your portfolio?
One of the visitors to my April show left this message in the visitor log: "I am breathing more deeply, smiling more fully & looking forward to seeing the world anew as I leave." This was and is exactly what I want my viewers to feel when they see my photos. I chose my portfolio pictures in the hope they would evoke that feeling.

10. What are your dreams, goals and aspirations as a photographer?
I'd of course like to sell more of my work on stock sites and one of these days will create a SmugMug gallery. But for now it is really satisfaction enough just knowing that I can share on Flickr and elsewhere online the work that comes out of my camera in metro Atlanta, Georgia, with people all over the world who enjoy my work and encourage and inspire me.


a wasp I'm not afraid of




ripening


Originally posted at 4:18AM, 21 September 2008 PDT (permalink)
mimbrava edited this topic 45 months ago.