Younes Bounhar Photography

September 2009 Desktop Wallpaper and Calendar

Well, summer (if we can call it that) is almost over and fall more or less slowly moving in. You’d think the post-summer blues would be about to hit, yet I have to say I feel more energised than I have all year. May be the fact that I am flying to Paris at the end of the week has something to do with it, can’t say it makes me sad to pay a visit to la Ville Lumiere. The fact is though, that really it’s a sign of great things to come. Fall in this corner of the planet is about as spectacular as it gets, with some of the most amazing colour displays I’ve ever seen. I am also going to be teaching a very neat workshop in October (ONLY 2 SPOTS LEFT, so if you are interested it’s now or never! ) in the Calabogie and Gatineau areas, two full days of exciting colours, places and of course, photography! There are also a few things in the works that could lead to some great things, but more on that in due time…

In any case, to start you this month, here is the September wallpaper and calendar. Taken in one of my favorite architectural landmarks: Frank Gehry’s Experimental Music Project in Seattle.

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Posted on August 30th, 2009 in wallpaper | No Comments »

Blue Storm

One of my earlier attempts at photography just resurfaced as I am going through my archives. I chose to keep the cool white balance to accentuate the feeling of darkness as the night falls… Hope you enjoy it.

Posted on August 27th, 2009 in Images | 2 Comments »

The benefits of stability

“Do you use a tripod?”, he asks.

“My camera is permanently stuck on my tripod” is my usual answer…then again, may be I shouldn’t be so categorical all the time. I just can’t help it, too lazy to deal with nuances…

It turns out that it’s not always the best option. In this case, the rain and cool weather has brought an ever so slight mist on the valley. The quality of light had a little je ne sais quoi that I wouldn’t be able to explain. Yet, the trees in front of me weren’t exactly of the exotic variety. Instead of going for the straight shot, I opted for a little game I like to play from time to time: vertical panning.

All you have to do is set your camera for a slow shutter speed (1.6 s in this case). To achieve this, I lowered my Iso to 100, set the aperture to an ungodly f/36 and put a polariser on the lens. The low shutter speed gave me enough time to pan the camera up and down during the exposure to blur details. The amount of time you need will depend on the effect you are trying to achieve, your subject and the focal length you use. As I often say, it’s up to you to experiment and have fun. The idea here is not to be bound by any rule, but rather just go out there and try whatever your heart might fancy (well don’t go too crazy there, but ya know what I mean).

Off for some celebrations now, burying my 30th year tonight .

Posted on August 24th, 2009 in Creativity Photography Tips | 4 Comments »

A gambling man…

I am not!

The title of the post only relates to the pictures that come with it, but in reality, I want to discuss something else (as I am writing this, I eerily feel like I am breaking up with someone…not that I ever have ).  Anyhow, as you have probably noticed I have been somewhat neglecting this blog of late…believe me though, when I say that it is not with pleasure. I really love sharing my thoughts and images with you (I felt like throwing  ”widsom” in there, but who am I fooling!), but the fact is that life has been on the hectic side of late, and I just can’t get around to posting quality content on a regular basis. Which leads me to this: instead of going on an erratic schedule, I’ve decided to post less often, but to do so at a clear and established schedule. From now on until this madness dies down, I will be posting an “article” on Mondays and a picture/pictures on Fridays. I do hope that I’ll still see you around and keep getting your precious feeback!

So, this week-end, I headed down to Montreal where I finally got a chance to photograph one of the true masterpieces of Montreal’s architecture: the Casino. While I am no fan of gambling, you have got to give it to the place. This building was part of Wold Expo 67 and was in fact the French Pavillion at the expo. Granted, it does look somewhat dated, but the originality of the place is hard to beat. To make things better, my friend, Momma Nature, with the help of some less natural smog, made for a brilliant “twilighty” backdrop to complement the golden shine of the Casino.

Posted on August 16th, 2009 in News | 5 Comments »

Light Chasers: Kah Kit Yoong

Today, I have the pleasure to present you one of my all time favorite photographers. He hails from Down Under and has in a short span produced some imagery that would make the most established photographers go green with envy. Please join me in welcoming Kah Kit Yoong. Kah Kit has been kind enough to take the time to answer a few questions on this blog as well as provide us with some samples of his exquisite artistry. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

1- You went from being an MD to one of the most terrific up and coming travel photographers in a few short years, what has inspired you to become a photographer? How did you manage to learn the craft so quickly?

After 7 years of being an MD, I needed a break. That was 2005. Up till then I had no interest in either travel nor photography. My girlfriend, on the other hand, was an avid traveller and photographer. We planned a trip to Europe. As anyone who knows me can testify, once my interest is piqued, I become very intense and obsessive. Just the process of making preparations made me want to immerse myself in the destinations. Since we would be spending the most amount of time in Italy, I organized a month in Florence to take a crash course in learning the language and getting a feel for the culture. This is something that still holds - I  prefer to spend more time at a given location than trying to cover too many places in one go.

While I was organizing the ‘big trip’, I happened to be on the island state of Tasmania. In my opinion, it’s the most beautiful part of Australia and has the widest diversity in landscapes. I was doing a lot of cycling around the state. Seeing some of these awesome views, I just had to capture them somehow, so I used a point-and-shoot camera to take the occasional snap.

Since I had no interest in photography as an artform previously, it was definitely the places I visited in Europe and Tasmania that served as inspiration. During the months we were travelling, I took heaps of photos every day. I learnt how to study the light, make exposure and transition from the automatic modes to full manual. At the end of each day we would review the images and learn from them. I was starting to see why certain compositions succeeded or failed.

How did I learn the craft so quickly? Lots of practice obviously as I have mentioned, but also the desire to continue to improve. I am constantly reviewing my body of work and thinking about how I can extend myself further as an artist. On my return from Europe, I started posting images to online forums to obtain feedback. Apart from the benefits of getting and giving critiques, I was exposed to the photography of others which at that point became an inspiration for me. Seeing the beautiful work of the TimeCatcher team made me want to expore more of the natural world.

2- Given the intense competition in the field of photography, how does one make that transition from a practicing doctor to a full time photographer?

I would imagine it to be very difficult to succeed as a full-time travel or landscape photographer from scratch. Making the transition from another field is easier. For instance, I could afford to buy all the necessary gear up front. My collaboration with Canon made the equipment side of things easier too. I had no background in marketing and it took a few years to come up with a decent business plan. I was very lucky to have my work noticed on the web recognized at an early stage by clients. This led to commissions, workshops and articles.

I still work a couple of months a year as an MD which puts me in a strong position financially. I have found that the saying ‘money makes money’ rings true. Earlier this year, we put in a significant amount of funds to build a new website. Since then I’ve noticed a distinct spike in sales. One of the other benefits of transitioning from medicine is that I’ve never been under pressure to undersell my work.

Still, at some point you’re going to have to cut back on work in your chosen field or even give up a position. It’s a risk so some sort of business plan is needed where there are multiple potential sources of income which usually include publications, stock, workshops, commissions, etc.

3- You live in one of the most amazing places in the world yet your photography covers a wide array of locales. How often do you get to travel to collect such an impressive collection of images? Most importantly how do you manage (logistically) to travel so often?

I have one self-funded major trip each year. In 2009 it was Namibia, 2008 it was Northern Italy and 2007 Canada. I recoup the money spent on the trip during the year through the images I bring back. Whether I break even, make a profit or not doesn’t matter too much; it’s my holiday for the year. 2008 was great because I picked up an assignment while on the trip and ended up selling enough images and articles even before arriving back home. The other few trips I make during the year are usually commissions. While it is nice to try out new destinations, it is usually easier and less stressful to return to a place you already know when you have to get x number of shots in y amount of time. I don’t usually get to travel overseas more than 2 or 3 times a year. Since I’m planning to run workshops locally, much of my travel is now focused within Australia.

4- Your focus to date has mostly been on travel and landscape photography, yet I believe I have recently seen some attempts at fashion photography. Are you just having fun trying something different or is this something you intend to pursue more?

I’m yet to find a genre of photography that I do not enjoy. So yes I am having fun trying something different but I also want to learn and develop skills in other areas. This year I have been trying my hand  at fashion, portraits and wildlife. I’m finding that knowledge in one area can often be applied to others. For example travel is such a varied field that I can easily use skills from portrait, food and interior photography. My aim is to have enough know-how in each field to produce professional quality images. I have a larger plan in mind and that includes being able to provide a wide-ranging service that goes beyond travel and landscape imagery.

5- There is no shortage of amazing places to visit on our planet, is there one in particular that tops your list of “must-sees”?

I have a penchant for cold places rather than the tropics. Besides, I think my portfolio needs more pristine white imagery so Antactica or Iceland seem to fit the bill. At the moment my big trip for 2010 is a toss up between these two and Patagonia.

Posted on August 11th, 2009 in Light Chasers | 5 Comments »

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