Younes Bounhar Photography

New photos posted

Just a heads up that I have just recently updated the “Recent Work” gallery.

Enjoy.

Posted on April 23rd, 2009 in Images | 1 Comment »

Light Chasers series: Verena and Georg Popp-Hackner

Today, I am starting a new feature on my blog where I will try and showcase the work of fellow photographers at least once a month. This feature will not be limited to landscape and travel photographers but will also include fashion, commercial and wedding photographers. So, if you know of anyone whom you want to see featured here, please let me know and I’ll try my best. To start off this feature, I would like to introduce you to the work of Austria-based large format photographers Verena Popp-Hackner and Georg Popp.

It’s very hard to find a truly talented photographer, but to find two of them under the same household is downright unfair! Yet, that is exactly the case of today’s featured photographers. Verena and Georg are exceptional landscape photographers.   Verena and Georg travel to the four corners of the world to record its beauty. However, what really sets them apart, is the unique blend of technical mastery of their tools and unique vision of the world surrounding them.

In their own words, their  “goals are to find fresh, interesting and surprising compositions and locations, while avoiding placing our cameras where others have already left their tripod holes [...] When the conditions are promising, we make no compromise in trying to capture all aspects of light, weather and seasons. Exposing relatively few sheets of film, often having to wait for days to make a single photograph, we strive for quality and uniqueness, rather than quantity. “

To see more of their work, click here. You can also find a link to their website on the sidebar of this blog. In the meantime, please join me to extend a warm welcome to Verena and Georg.

All photographs in this post are courtesy of Verena Hackner and Georg Popp.

Posted on April 23rd, 2009 in Images Light Chasers Travel | No Comments »

Guest Article – Darwin Wiggett

Darwin Wiggett and I have decided to trade posts this week. Darwin is one of the premier Landscape photographers in Canada and a great guy to boot! Today, Darwin shares his insights on how to make great photographs in one’s backyard.

How to Create Great Nature Photos No Matter Where You Live

The two most common excuses I hear for a weak portfolio of nature photos is that the photographer doesn’t own the ‘best gear’ and that the photographer lives far away from any area of scenic beauty. Neither of these excuses is valid. I know many photographers using old or inexpensive cameras, and living in less than inspiring locales that consistently create wonderful nature photos close to home. In the end, photography is about seeing the potential of your surroundings. You don’t need to go to exotic destinations or visit a national park to get great nature photos. The next great image is as close as your backyard.

• Give Yourself an Assignment

At least once a month I give myself a photographic assignment to stretch my ability to see.  For example, recently I gave myself the assignment, “Walks with Brando”. When I am home, I walk my dog, Brando, three times a day. In the past I enjoyed my time walking the streets of my hometown with the dog. Now I always take my little Canon G9 point-n-shoot and document the bits of nature I see here and there. Surprisingly there is always something to capture and the dog like the fact that I take longer walks!

• Get Outside

A lot of nature photographers shut off their shooting eyes when they are on home turf and often turn to mindless entertainment (e.g. TV, the internet, or video games) to unwind after a day at work. Instead of these activities, I recommend grabbing your camera gear and going to the local park, or visiting a greenhouse, a city garden or even a zoo. All of these places offer so much potential for fantastic images. Much of my personal best work has been captured while on evening outings to these local spots close to home. Once you are out, and immersed in photography, time and worries just melt away. What a great way to spend an evening and you will usually add several strong images to your portfolio!

• Go for a Drive

If you want a change from your immediate surroundings and need a mini getaway, then take a drive in the country. No matter where you live in Canada there will be little pockets of natural beauty nearby that are worth shooting. Most cities are surrounded by agricultural areas that can be surprisingly beautiful if you are open to ‘seeing’ them. And near most Canadian cities there are natural areas or provincial parks that hide an oasis of natural beauty. These spots are wonderful weekend day destinations that will help fill out your portfolio of stunning imagery.

• Open your Mind

The biggest stumbling block for many photographers is the ability to see the potential in the common and the everyday. Most people need to be exposed to new and exciting places to get creative stimulation. At home, everything is the same old, same old. We need to retrain ourselves to see our local surroundings the way a visitor would see them. This takes practice but can be achieved by imposing self-assignments, getting outside and actually ‘looking’ and visiting local spots with your camera. Do this regularly and you will create a powerful new body of work from your own backyard.

Posted on April 22nd, 2009 in Creativity Guest articles Photography Tips | 7 Comments »

Guest Post – Stacking the odds in your favour

Canadian Photographer Darwin Wiggett has graciously offered to host my next post, where I discuss the role of luck in nature photography and how opportunity favors the prepared mind. Check it out here : Guest post.

I would love to hear your thoughts on it.

Speaking of stacking the odds in your favor, I strongly suggest this post by fellow photographer Guy Tal.  A truly inspiring essay.

Posted on April 21st, 2009 in News Photography Tips | 2 Comments »

Seizing the moment

2:30am wake up calls don’t usually sit very well with me.

You’ve got to be slightly deranged to take a 100km drive at 3am to shoot star trails. My buddies on this trip reassured me that it was perfectly normal behavior…for some people at least.

Sh…we missed the trailhead! Did we? We couldn’t have…Turns out we did. So instead of making it at 4 and shoot star trails, we didn’t get started until 45 min later.

It’s pretty much daylight at 5, so much for the star trails!  That’s when we head out to the little lake hoping that the cold night would bring some mist along. At the lake: no mist, but some great looking tree stumps. So I am shooting away, trying to get some nice reflections and panning shots.

As I am completely absorbed in the task at hand, I almost missed the faint mist that starts to rise from the surface of the lake. I only have time to compose one shot, fire away and it’s gone as if it never happened. That was the end of the mist…gone…Funny enough that is my favorite shot of the day. Is it because of the fleeting nature of the moment, because of the inner peace that I was feeling back then or is it actually a decent shot? I will probably never know -unless you insist on telling me it’s gorgeous. Anyhow, I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

So where am I going with this you might say?

Well, there are two take home messages from this post:

1- Don’t set any expectations for your photography, just go out there and immerse yourself in the experience. It is only by letting go that you will be able to see beyond the cliche. Had I stuck with the thought of shooting star trails + sunrise, I would have never gone down to the lake, and not been able to make these shots.

2- Be aware of your surroundings and be ready to respond to the changing elements. Light changes, well at light speed, and elements that may not have been visible or appealing at one time, could be brought to the forefront in an instant. Always keep an eye on everything around you and let the light be your pilot!

Posted on April 19th, 2009 in Images | 6 Comments »

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