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Photography Competitions, Travel & Lockdown

I have been a bit lazy with my photography blog of late due to the never-ending lockdown, each day being the same and therefore lacking any writing motivation! Having not taken any photos for months I have been delving back into old hard drives and revisiting some old favourites. My stock photography work has been keeping me busy with further image editing, uploading to Getty, and then carrying out the mundane and time consuming admin process required. I now have over 16,000 of my travel photographs available for license on Getty Images and still have several hard drives to get through! As well as the stock photography work I have also entered a few more photography competitions. In addition to potentially winning a great prize, entering photo competitions is a great way of revisiting your photos and seeing what images work well with each other. A couple of weeks ago I entered the Open Walls photography competition for 1854 photography. The theme was, ‘Then & Now’ with the artists being asked to explore the theme in many ways. Through visual imagery the photographers were asked to portray a sense of reflection and to convey the changes that time brings. Click through the slideshow below to view the ten images which I entered for this theme of ‘Then & Now’:

When entering photo competitions I normally go through my back catalogue and look out for any images that may be suitable. This normally results in a large collection which I then have to go through to eliminate the weaker images, those which I do not think quite make the cut! These omissions may be based on the photo technique and quality of the image: focus, lighting, composition and so on. In addition I will take out photographs that do not quite fit the themes, although the interpretation is often very vague and up to the photographers imagination. Before entering competitions I will first read the biography of the lead judge to discover his or her style of photography. It may not always be the best taken image that wins a competition, but instead ones that are unique, individual or unusual in some way. Photography competitions must get inundated with thousands of similar images (especially in today’s Instagram age) so if I have something that may stand out or catch their eye I may enter that over a personal favourite. The important thing is to enter in the first place, as if you don’t you certainly won’t be winning. Many photo competitions require fees to enter, but there are still some to be found that are free, or where the fees are very affordable. In addition to the prizes to be won, competitions can introduce you to galleries and other photographers as well as providing you with much needed exposure for your work. If nothing else the selection process for the competition above gave me a nice trip through memory lane, reminding me of some fantastic adventures I’ve had over the past years. It also gave me the opportunity to share rediscovered favourites through my Twitter, Facebook and Instagram social media accounts. If you are interested in purchasing a print direct, writing a guest blog or exhibiting some of my work please send an email to: geraintrowlandphotography@gmail.com.

Photojournal - Streets of Havana (Photo Essay for the Sixth Issue of Dezine Magazine)

I recently spent a week photographing the streets of Havana, the Capital of Cuba.  It is an amazing city for photography: full of colourful vintage cars, beautiful people who are full of character, and interesting ramshackle architecture.  This blog was published as a photojournal for the online magazine Dezine.  Click through the slideshow below to view my Cuban travel images from the capital:

Cuba is a country located in the Caribbean, south of the US state of Florida, west of Haiti and north of Jamaica.  Cuba is the largest island in the Caribbean, and has over 11 million inhabitants.  Havana is the capital city and leading commercial centre of Cuba.  Below is a description of the photos in the slideshow above in the order they are seen with links to the individual images on my Flickr account:

1.  Havana is full of colourful old classic cars.  Here one causes a splash after a rainfall in front of an Orthodox Russian Church along the seafront.  

2.  The city of Havana attracts over a million tourists annually, subsequently the entrepreneurial locals have figured out ways to cash in such as posing for photographs with the local cigars.

3.  The streets of Havana are full of energy and life.  Here a taxi driver stops to buy some fresh fruit, while a man on his bicycle sells freshly cut flowers.

4.  You hear music everywhere in Havana, here some street musicians play the classic Cuban song, 'Guantanamera'.

5.  Along with classic cars you will find many other forms of transport in Havana including the Horse & Cart which is used an an alternative form of taxi for the locals.

6.  Evidence of Cuban's communist past still exist throughout Havana.  Here a local poses as Che Guevara for the benefit of the tourists.  

7.  Havana is full of beautiful, colourful, old colonial buildings, many of which have fallen into ruin including these along the seafront.

I have written two previous photography blog posts from my trip to Cuba, the first being, 'Street Portraits in Havana, Cuba', and the second, 'Cuba and Cigars'.  More of my travel photography from Havana can be found on my website, my Facebook and my Flickr account.  This photo journal, 'Streets of Havana' can be viewed in full here in the sixth issue of Dezine magazine.  If you are interested in purchasing any prints, using an image online or would like further information please send me an email at: geraintrowlandphotography@gmail.com. 

Photo Shoots & Street Art in Lima

I have recently been doing some photo shoots in the Miraflores and Barranco districts of Lima, Peru.  If you are interested in a photo shoot send me an email or contact me via social media.  For part of this session with the Venezuelan Violinist Nataly Suito, I took some photos against the backdrop of some new street art in the Miraflores area.  The colourful art has been painted outside the new Wahios Miraflores Bar on Calle Berlin.  Click through the slide show below to view some of the photo shoot:

In the past I carried out some lifestyle type photo shoots for the clothing brand Sundried when it was first starting out.  I still prefer candid photography including travel and street photography.  However, this type of photography can be fun and challenging, offering new skills to learn as a photographer.  I love street art, graffiti and art in general so combining the two seems very natural.  The artwork is very colourful and includes excellent pieces of Einstein and the Mona Lisa.

The addition of the musical instrument as a prop added another element to the photos especially when using a wide angle lens.  For the images above I used a Canon 5D IV and the excellent Canon EF 16 - 35mm lens.

More of my travel photography can be found on my website, Instagram, Facebook Page and my Flickr account.  If you are interested in collaborating on future projects, or would like to purchase a print, please send me an email: geraintrowlandphotography@gmail.com.

Silhouette Photography by Geraint Rowland

I have always enjoyed taking and viewing silhouette photographs.  I think that the simplicity of silhouette images adds to their overall beauty.  And I believe the lack of detail in silhouette photography often makes the imagery more interesting by adding an element of intrigue.  I particularly like silhouette photography when there is an interesting background such as a colourful sky, dramatic cloud formation or a strong sunset.

Silhouette photography by Geraint Rowland, two surfers at sunset in Peru

Silhouette photography by Geraint Rowland, two surfers at sunset in Peru

How to take silhouette photos

As with everything in photography, when taking silhouette photos, the most important thing is the lighting.  In basic terms, you want the background to be lighter than your foreground subject. The best way therefore is to take the image at either sunrise or sunset.  At this time of the day you may also have the added bonus of colour in the sky.  The best silhouette photographs are often taken when the sun is low, for example during a dramatic sunset.  However, equally as impressive silhouette images can be taken against a blue sky.  Alternatively silhouette photos can be taken against the bright shine of a fjord in Oslo, the expanse of the ocean, or a snowcapped mountain.  Finally silhouette images can be created against the backdrop of artificial lighting such as at Lima’s Circuito Mágico del Agua, the World's largest water fountain complex.  Click through the slideshow below for more examples of silhouette photography I have taken on my travels:

Silhouettes are a great way of adding mystery and drama to an image, drawing the viewer in and letting them use their imagination.  They can transform a simple scene into one full of emotion lifting an otherwise throwaway photo into a standout shot.  There is a wealth of useful information online regarding silhouette photography and the techniques involved.  Without getting too technical here are some tips for shooting powerful silhouettes:

1.  It's all about the light: As with all photography the importance of correct lighting can not be emphasised enough.  For silhouette photography your subject (the silhouette) should be in front of the light source (sun/sky/artificial light).  You then need your camera to set the exposure on the brightest part of the image as opposed to on the subject.  This will result in your subject being under exposed and becoming a silhouette.

2.  Keep it simple: Look for locations that have a large amount of open space and are uncluttered.  The less distracting elements in the frame the better, and make use of negative space.  

3.  Don't use flash: You want as little light in front of your subject as possible, so do not use flash whilst taking silhouettes.  If shooting on automatic mode your flash may fire automatically due to the low light.  Instead switch the camera to either automatic, shutter, or aperture priority modes.

4.  Choose a strong subject: Choose subjects with a strong and recognisable shape and form for silhouette photos.  When photographing people up close, try to catch them side on so you can capture the detail in the profile.  Somethings work better than others, experiment and have fun.

More examples of my silhouette photography can be found on my Facebook or on my Flickr account.  If you are interested in purchasing any of my silhouette images or would like further information please send me an email at: geraintrowlandphotography@gmail.com.