creative vision

Photos are everywhere, even when we’re not looking. This week’s inspiration features a photo by John McGraw that almost didn’t happen.

We learn about the importance of seeing and we learn from the most unlikely of teachers: Improve your photography composition by thinking like a child.

A photo can be many things. But most of all, a photo can be simple.

This month we explore photos featuring iconic subjects – which have been photographed hundreds of times. But these photographers offer their own vision.

Featuring the mesmerizing emotive portraits of Rey Mangouta, we discuss how a story can be painfully obvious to the viewer. Using a blend of setting, subject and post-process styling, Rey captivates us all.

Get Pushed Group Moderator, Rachel Melton, looks back at 2012 to discuss how the popular Flickr Group has helped to challenge and improve her photography. It’s a story not unlike that of the many members of the group.

This week, we learn from the work of Christoph Hetzmannseder just how important it is to consider your audience. In short, it is easier to connect with fellow photographers. But how do you connect with everyone else? One way is to tell a simple story. Christoph’s photo, “Lost Shoe”, tell’s such a story. We will explore the photo and learn from his fine example.

Taking a step back from our camera and our photographs, we explore the three main components that every great photograph should have. You may find it interesting that perfect exposure isn’t the most important element.

As we look back on 2012, and in what has become an annual tradition, we like to take one last moment to spotlight our favorite photos of the year from the Flickr Pool. We introduce to you, the 10 most interesting photos of the SP@Flickr Pool of 2012.

Several weeks ago, when I had been loaned the incredible Sigma APO Macro 180mm (OS) lens for our review, I got to play around with close-up and macro photography. One of my creations was the photo shown above, Setting of the Second Sun, which may just have been an excuse to play with my son’s LEGO Star Wars figures.  Close-up photography is, to me, almost zen-like.  While it is a an art that requires precision, discipline and a lot of patience, you have absolute control over every aspect of the shot.  The process behind a photograph like this is often misconstrued as something that is entirely thought up in the photographer’s mind and then with a quick setup, you have the shot.  It’s not like that at all, it’s a process.  Using this photograph as an example, I would like to take you through the process behind it’s creation.  In the end, I hope that you will have a better understanding of building a similar shot, and I hope that you garner some wisdom from my process. The Setup You have to start somewhere, so let’s start with a basic setup.  I used a piece of foam core as my ground …