The End Is Nigh - let's see your best 6 from 2014

[Cantab]

Wow! Trace, this is a spectacular collection of photos. I can't make up my mind which is my favourite.

[PhotoByTrace]

Thanks Bruce! Appreciate the feedback

[Loose Canon]

When I first started taking photography seriously I, like many, started shooting landscapes, some wildlife, outdoor stuff. I really had no intention of ever doing any studio-type work.

After a time I realized that this approach wasn’t going to do it for me. Landscaping is cool but I can’t always get out enough, or at the right times, and I felt severely limited. More to the point I felt I was missing something important that I needed to have in this endeavor and somehow I wasn’t getting it.

I decided I was going to have to get a serious grip on lighting if I wanted to get where I wanted to go and to me that meant learning how to create, control, and mix it for myself rather than rely on Mother Nature to dole it out as she saw fit and then dealing with that! After all, in its most base form, photography is light and that is what I needed to have a better understanding of.

In 2013 I was ready to start down this road with a Speedlight set-up and off I went!

I found I was absolutely fascinated by working with lights in a controlled environment and I was learning a ton by just putting my head down and not taking “no” for an answer! And believe me I got “no” for an answer plenty! I fell flat on my butt more times than I could count and still do! I just strap a pillow to my rear and refuse to accept it! I would actually lose sleep agonizing over a problem. Very uncharacteristic for me! But what’s more important, I discovered that in spite of the pain and suffering of what was (is) for me a steep learning curve I was having a blast!

So much so that in 2014 I decided to ramp it up a notch. This meant selling my Soul to the devil and investing in some proper studio stuff and seeing what I might bring about!

2014 was, without a doubt, the best year photography-wise I have had so far. Not only in terms of what I have learned along the way, but also in terms of shots I really like. They might not be that great but they represent something to me that I didn’t know I was capable of until I took that leap of faith!

Though I have shot some other stuff this past year, my “photographer’s half dozen” are going to come from the studio. I had to pare down the shots that I was happy with for this selection.

Sometimes being banished from the Kingdom to the stupid garage for not doing your Honey-Do’s ain’t so bad!

[PhotoByTrace]

Terry, These are absolutely fascinating and make me explore and question in my mind how they were done. Bit like a magic show, but better

[DouglasRC]

Brilliant photos! I can understand your fascination for this kind of photography - as Trace says, it's like magic only much better.

[Cantab]

Brilliant photos! I can understand your fascination for this kind of photography - as Trace says, it's like magic only much better.

I agree with my compatriot here in Victoria - wonderful photos! I was particularly intrigued by the second one and how you achieved the final image.

[purplehaze]

Terry, your post really resonated with me. My motivation for learning to use my flash equipment has everything to do with learning more about light and the play of light in nature and how to bend it to my will. It is an intimidating subject for me, but having bitten the bullet, I am finding studio work a ton of fun along with being a great teacher. I don't expect I will ever have the vision, resourcefulness or patience to do anything approaching what you do, but I love that you do it, and find all you studio guys a great inspiration.

[Loose Canon]

Thank you for the comments guys.

Trace I’ve been wanting to say your 6-shot gallery is without a doubt one of the finest displays of landscapes I have ever seen. Just haven't gotten around to doing so yet!

Janis be very careful! Your work with flash could (probably will) permanently change the way you look at photography!

I hope I get to see what you are doing with it.