Photography is a way to capture the moment, create memories...document a travel. It can be just a plain way to capture an event or a place in film. It is easy to capture landscape photos because in good light they always look stunning, creating a photograph is not just mere pushing that shutter button. A landscape can look simply beautiful or be something magical. A true artist looks beyond capturing the beauty but also try to capture the emotions he/she experience while on scene.

I love creating photographs that would give me my own artistic twist in it, I started my photographic journey with night photography. Photography is a complex artform to learn and I choosed doing night shots because it is a great way of learning exposure and the I am very captivated by the additional artistic elements such as flares and streaks during long exposures. It was an old friend that told me that capturing landscape photographs on bright sunny days are mere snaps, he suggested that I should find a subject that can be quite obscure and a lighting situation that can give me a way to learn exposure.

I didn't really agree to him when I was starting out because I thought that my landscape photos were stunning, after all I am very bias because I took them. I tried and soaked in his advise despite my own opinion towards the subject. I respect my friend Alfie, since he is a very accomplished photographer in his own right, he had his camera back when I was playing Hot Wheels and GI Joes. He's been in this artform ever since in grade school so he must know what he's doing, he travels around the world creating photographs and working for different clients. I was a newbie back then, when I asked for his criticisms and glad I did because I grew as an artist in this field.

I have my own set of accomplishments now under my belt, collectors that love my artworks and published photographs in various tourism materials. I still value every single critique and admirations that I get from fellow artist, I get to grow more as I hear their view on my work. I know that I still have a ton to learn, it would be always a work in progress. Even Ansel Adams kept experimenting even if he was the benchmark in landscape photography, I am no Ansel yet so even more reasons to strive to learn more. I experiment with different subjects, sometimes people just look at me and ask "what in the world is this???" and I try to explain and they reply "Ah...OK". I try and create photographs that can stir a conversation...sometimes they do but not all the time, because photography for me is self expression and not necessarilly to please other people. Other people might get some kind of meaning behind the image...sometimes close to my interpretation but more that likely something totally different, either way they get some kind of opinion on the subject.

Fine art photography can sometimes be criticized as being easy since there's no one else to please but yourself. Totally a false statement because after all you have to get to have clients loving these shots, if not it would just be a shot only you  enjoy. People should find a reason to justify wanting your photograph, for them to pay for it and publish it for their intended purpose or for them to want to showcase them on their walls. For me  some advantages are, that you are not too stressed that it is a once in a lifetime event...like wedding photography or have clients looking over your shoulders trying to tell you what they want...like commercial photography. I love the relax nature of my type of photography because I can introduce a new collection if I get the chance to gather up select shots to compliment each other. I get to create photographs on my terms with my own vision in mind. Fine art photography is such a niche since there's a lot of people selling their prints and stock agencies to compete against. To make your own name in this field sure is hard...it can take years, for my early start I am proud of where I am. I love my photographs and that what matters most...and I really don't get hurted people to hear negative opinions about them, I merely try to understand their opinions for me to improve. Criticisms are mere opinions, I've heard a lot of it through my journey...a gallery owner once said after viewing my website that my photos just don't appeal to her, something to do with the vast variety of subjects I choose. For me I want to tackle on different subjects...that I can put my own artistic twist. In the next few meetings we had she loved some sets I presented her and wanted me to build up more defined collections... I guess she just didn't have the time to select the ones she wants...maybe didn't even get to view all my albums. Photographers always have their own opinions too... that's their own take on the subject, telling you that the composition would have been stronger at this angle, that the light is not quite right...but these are my shots not theirs. I understand that photographs are highly scrutinized as an artform...since everyone now-a-days seem to go in this field thanks to the digital age.

I love film photography because you can say they came out like that rather than people always arguing over "photoshopped" images and with film I can produce way larger enlargements specially with my medium format gear. Personally I have nothing against using editing softwares as long as you are not altering the scene completely creating a digital art rather than a photograph. I know a lot of my fellow photographers that rely a lot on photoshop... like people saying "I can change the light later on photoshop"..shoot raw and worry about everything later attitude. I admit there are some of my images that I manipulated a bit to bring out the best possible image or add a bit more artistic element like selective colors or  HDR. I avoid post processing, it just takes too much time... I rather shoot than edit, I try to get it right while I am at the scene because I prefer to have my photos ready for print right after my photoshoot. Scaling images, color correcting and some unsharp masking would be some of my routine procedures for web images and enlargements. If  I rely too much on photo editing then I wouldn't be so confident shooting film and having it printed as is.  I colour correct my digital shots myself for certain applications because labs can interpret the colors a bit different than my intent.

Thanks for taking the time to read and view some of my personal faves on my "Artsy" collection.

click on the images to view the whole "Artsy" album

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DODGIE "DGZ" DATOR

©2006-2009 full copyrights on all contents belongs solely to Dodgie "DGZ" Dator, no unauthorized use of any of the contents will be allowed without the artist's consent