Jamaica

Winter Escape to Jamaica

The 2015 winter has been harsh for many in in the northern US and Canada. For the the first time in my life I caved in to join the rest of the sun seekers in the Caribbean to escape our dreary winter. Exiting from the airport a lush tropical paradise awaited. Or so we thought. Jamaica is a country of stark contrast.

Abject poverty overwhelms; yet the happiness of the people is all encompassing. This is in stark contrast to the wealthy gated communities disguised as resorts. Many sun worshippers never leave the confines of the resort and see the real Jamaica. This portrays a negative image of the North American traveler. Jamaica has a lot to offer from  cultural values, photographic scenery and a population that thrives on happiness. We can learn a lot from their positive outlook on life.

To get to Jamaica is simple. Open your internet browser and select a travel vacation site. Pull out your credit card and click OK. First step is done. Now get on the plane and embrace happiness. To get you started on the happiness buzz have a look at the Jamaica Gallery.

Watsonphotography.ca creates unique images of fashion, models, travel, people and racing sports by the Toronto based photographer Peter Watson.

Are you stuck in a winter rut. Well now is the time to start your planning for your 2015 activities. I took a stab at some events that I would like to attend in 2015. I probably will not be able to attend all of them but I am sure going to give it the old college try.

Maybe this is the time you should be planning out some activities for 2015. My motto is nothing ventured then nothing gained.

Watsonphotography.ca creates unique images of fashion, models, travel, people and racing sports by the Toronto based photographer Peter Watson.

50 Shades After a nice winter vacation I came back to see the box office numbers from the movie 50 Shades of Grey which was adapted from the series of books. The domestic release of the movie was an impressive $130 million in 10 days with more than $280 million in foreign markets. Complete details of the release are at The HD Room.

Before the release there was an unusual amount of commentary, protests and analysis before anybody saw the movie. No doubt a lot of the commentary and analysis was intended to further his/her own political and social ideologies. Do I have a particular viewpoint about the movie. Not really, since I haven't seen the movie. The only thing that I can say is that sexuality is very complex and views towards certain sexual activities will vary by country and culture.

The creation of images can convey different meanings and messages. The viewer on the other hand can interpret the images in many different ways and often not what the photographer originally intended to convey to the audience. In the 50 Shades Revisited gallery you will see images that convey beauty and sexuality. Could some of them be considered to be kinky or alternative? Maybe, but this depends upon your viewpoint. 

We must always remember that when Hollywood makes a movie it quite often is made to appeal to the lowest common denominator. The summer blockbuster movies are a perfect example of this. Not much plot and weak acting with some action sequences usually generate big box office numbers. What does this say about the movie 50 Shades of Grey. I guess a lot of people need some kink and spice in their lives.

To see the complete series of images go to the 50 Shades Re-Visited gallery.

Watsonphotography.ca creates unique images of fashion, models, travel, people and racing sports by the Toronto based photographer Peter Watson.

In 2015 there has been record breaking winter temperatures and snowfall. There are a select few who relish the wintertime to race their snowmobiles. Everyone from the junior class for kids to the pro racers who defy gravity. An hours drive from my home was one of the regional snocross races. The shooting conditions were challenging with icy temperatures and fresh snow dropping later on in the day. Snocross racing is similar to motocross racing where you have a tight race course with turns, jumps and straightaways. 

What is exciting is that the races feature all classes of races. You can see the little tykes race their Yamaha and Arctic Cat sleds. Then things get exciting when you see the more advanced and pro class racers with their high performance high horsepower sleds. The days of the old Ski-Doo with a small engine are gone. Top sleds like the Polaris racing sled are not for the faint of heart. Serious horsepower and capabilities. 

If you are missing some racing action action in the winter you can go and get your fix by attending a local snowmobile race. Dress warmly and take an extra battery for your camera. Snocross racing photo gallery.

Watsonphotography.ca creates unique images of fashion, models, travel, people and racing sports by the Toronto based photographer Peter Watson.

Winter has come with a vengeance this year. Many states and provinces have been hit with harsh winter storms. A lot of people head down south to warmer climates to escape the cold wintery blast. For the rest of us mere mortals we stick it out. 

Winter is great time to look back at images and rethink some of the original editing. This week I went back and looked at some images of Crystal Baker. A model with that girl next door look with a personality to match.

This time I used a variety of editing tools to present different styles. I tend to concentrate on Lightroom, Silver Efex Pro and Topaz. If you have some spare time this wunter season why not go back and revisit some images and see what you can do. It is amazing what time and a different perspective can do to interpret your images a different way.

To see more take a peek at Looking Back gallery. More to come in the weeks ahead!

Watsonphotography.ca creates unique images of fashion, models, travel, people and racing sports by the Toronto based photographer Peter Watson.

Looking Glass As you look at body of work of top rated photographers you will notice a high degree of specialization. In other words they have found their niche in photography. You may wonder how they have made that journey in their photographic career.

In most cases it has come down to two different approaches. The first concept is to embrace experimentation with whatever your subject matter is and then seeing if organic growth develops from this. The second concept is to develop an idea and then build a body of work on that concept. This concept  is not unique and their are many web sites to help motivate you on that path. These sites revolve around the 365 day project or the 52 week challenge which features different challenge topics. 

What I am suggesting is to take this a step further and pick one subject. It should be vastly different from your area principle areas of photography. For example if you are a bird photographer pick a subject like glass bottles or fruit. The goal is concentrate on that photography subject for a month to many years. The object is to develop a body of work concentrated on that principle topic. As you develop this body of work it will help you refine your technique further and find your niche. 

One of the side benefits of this approach is that your individual images that make up you body of work may be suitable for photography competitions or your entire body of work is best suited for a gallery showing or magazine publication.

One project that I work on the side is photographing doorways. In my travels I have encountered many unique styles. Everything from the monolithic type doors of the Nasa Vehicle Assembly Building to doors built in the 18th century. Gallery on Doors

My project on doors is an ever evolving body of work that I will continue with. At some point I will consider it finished and embark on another topic. To help get you started on your own photography side projects here are some links to get you started:

Photography Challenge

Pinterest Photography Projects

Finding Your Photography Niche

Watsonphotography.ca creates unique images of fashion, models, travel, people and racing sports by the Toronto based photographer Peter Watson.

As we get older our ability to overcome life’s' challenges becomes stronger. This is achieved through overcoming previous failures and building upon our knowledge in life and education. Common phrases like "Build a strong foundation and your home will last." and "Failure is not an option" are certainly words to live by. But how do you get to a point in your photography that you can get yourself to the next level. 

Too many amateur photographers only take pictures of a subject that they are specifically interested in and they discount all other subjects. Quite often they don't diversify into other areas of photography due a fear of failure. This fear may have developed early on in their photographic journey through negative feedback on their images or by analysis paralysis critique of their own images.

As your portfolio develops and you increase your outreach in the photographic community you will encounter photographers that have strong talents on one specific niche. Did they get to this point by simply picking up a camera and concentrating on shooting fashion, macro, birds or racing cars? No, they learned to experiment in different areas of photography until they found a niche that they excelled in.

Overcoming your fear of failure will lead to greater learning as a photography and can help you diversify into other areas of photography. You may find that exploring different areas of photography you may find your strongest photographic strength.

To really overcome your fear of failure there are two main approaches. The first opinion is to face your fear head on and the second option is to embrace failure. Both options will teach you valuable skills on your photographic journey.

Which type of photographer are you? Embracing your fear or learning from failure?

The best way to move forward on your photographic journey is to equip your selves with the skills to overcome your fears. Focus on the psychology of fear and improving your photographic skills as a first step. To help you on your journey here are some web resources to get you going.

Resources to help you on your photographic journey.

Overcoming your photographic fear

Photography fears

A guide for artists

Photographic education at Ryerson University

Creative Live course

Watsonphotography.ca creates unique images of fashion, models, travel, people and racing sports by the Toronto based photographer Peter Watson.

Happy New Year!

New Years marks the end of a year and the birth of a new year. To celebrate the birth of a new year we have a picture of a young pup. Bold and full of energy to mark a new year. This young pup was photographed lying in the back of a truck waiting for his owner to come out of a local outfitter in Yellowstone. The puppy was overjoyed when his owner returned. Dogs give you love and joy and ask for nothing in return.

Each year I look back at what I have shot through the year and evaluate the images. Some I like and some I wish I hadn't taken. This year I am pretty happy with my final selections for the year. As I reflect on the images I feel happy and confident for the new year. You can view my final selections for the year in the Gallery.

Now for some wild predictions for 2015.

1. Chance of Canon releasing a high megapixel DSLR is 30%.

2. Chance of Nikon releasing a pro-level DX body in 2015 is 10%.

3. This will be the year we see a pro level mirrorless body.

This will probably be the year I don't make any gear acquisitions. 2015 is the time to take my current camera to its full capabilities and see what I can deliver. This will be coupled to investments in photographic education. My goal is to deliver high quality images across a broad spectrum of the photographic spectrum. We will see where I am in 6 months time. This is when most people have given up on their New Years resolutions. Best of luck to you on your resolutions for 2015.

Watsonphotography.ca creates unique images of fashion, models, people,travel, nature and racing sports by the Toronto photographer Peter Watson.