Bryan Swan's photostream  

While I don't think of myself as a professional photographer, I would eventually like to get to the point where I could. I've always been interested in the outdoors - particularly fascinated with Waterfalls since I was 5 or 6 - and I've always loved sharing the places I've seen and photographed. I've been taking pictures in some capacity or another for over a decade now (at least in the sense that I've known what I've been doing). Since about 2003 I've gotten very serious about my Landscape Photography about it and strive to constantly better my work every day I'm shooting.

I have a strong disdain for HDR photography because I believe the computer has become too much of a crutch for those still learning the art. Relying on software to pull extra detail from where it wasn't in the first place neither allows one to learn how to use light and shadow to create depth and scale in an image, nor how to properly expose for certain lighting. I feel that it has a broad appeal for the same reasons a Schwarzenegger flick does - its loud, shiny, flashy and allows one to become easily distracted. But there is almost never any substance.

In addition to landscape photography, I currently operate the Northwest Waterfall Survey and the World Waterfall Database and am recognized as one of the worlds foremost authorities on the subject of waterfalls. I've worked as a consultant for renowned Japanese photographer Yoshikazu Shirakawa on his "Worlds 100 Greatest Waterfalls" project and I'm currently undertaking a project create the first comprehensive survey of the waterfalls on planet Earth.

----------

Those who wish to invite my photos to groups, I am more than willing to submit my work, but I feel that forced commenting as a membership requisite does nothing but promote mediocrity and establishes a 'circle-jerk' kind of community, so I will not accept invites to groups that require commenting or faving. Further, if you don't have anything to contribute to the comment field other than a gaudy "saw this image in (group)" banner, please don't bother commenting. Posts with nothing more than a group banner or "award" will be deleted on sight, NO EXCEPTIONS. If you like my image, say so, I don't care where you saw it. I WILL block egregious offenders.

Lastly, if I don't know you, please do not send me a message asking me to look at a picture of yours. This is tantamount to spam in my eyes, and again, I will block repeat offenders.