Big Sur | Russ Bishop Photography

March 22, 2024March 25, 2024

World Water Day

March 22nd is World Water Day – a time to celebrate the spring season and our most precious natural resource. It’s easy to take for granted when we’ve had a wet winter and a bottle or tap is always within arms reach, but we share the planet with nearly 1 billion people who don’t have access to safe clean drinking water or sanitation. That’s a hard fact to swallow when you consider that most of the earth’s surface is water.

The United Nations first began the celebration back in 1993 and it’s grown significantly over the years as a platform for education and public support. Each year, one of the many UN agencies involved in water issues spearheads a campaign to promote and coordinate international activities. The theme of World Water Day 2024 is ‘Water for Peace’, and focuses on fostering harmony, generating prosperity and building resilience to shared challenges.

On the world front, there are many ways to help those less fortunate than ourselves, and at home simple conservation can have a profound effect. I’m proud to be involved with Photographers for Good and the Plus One Collection, which has use its resources to support The Samburu Project building wells in Kenya. I can think of no greater reward than inspiring others to enjoy the beauty of nature, while helping to provide life’s most basic necessity to those in need.

Here in the west this years winter storms have helped to offset years of drought, but whatever the conditions at home we should always remember that water is a precious commodity essential for life. So enjoy that drink and spread the word throughout the year (and don’t forget to turn off the tap).

May 25, 2023May 25, 2023

Visual Drama through Leading Lines

There are many ways to create stronger compositions in landscape photography, but one of the easiest and most effective techniques is the use of leading lines. Dynamic lighting and great subject matter are the desired cornerstones of any great composition, but even when these elements are less than exceptional there is still a way to create an emotional connection with your audience. Draw them into the scene with leading lines.

The wide-angle lens (anything 24mm and wider) has numerous benefits for the landscape photographer from incredible depth of field and relatively small size to a viewing angle that really captures the big picture. But all that visual information can be a bit overwhelming without some direction.

Using the rule of thirds and carefully composing to include natural lines such as a shoreline, forest edge, stream, or mountain ridge can lead your viewers into the frame or guide them to a specific part of the image. Diagonal lines in particular create visual tension, which is a sure-fire way to add drama to your images and create an emotional response with your audience.

Next time you’re out photographing the landscape, take a moment before you trip the shutter to make sure the elements within the frame are being used to their best advantage. Think of yourself as a director guiding your audience rather than just a photographer documenting the scene and you’ll be rewarded with stronger, more exciting images.

July 28, 2022July 28, 2022

Big Sur Classic

The Big Sur coast is one of those truly special locations that never fails to impress. The rocky shoreline and misty mountains are instantly recognizable the world over, yet her mood is constantly changing throughout the seasons providing a fresh perspective with each new visit.

From the early morning fog to the golden sunsets, this meeting of land and sea is in a constant state of flux. And as you make your way along that magical ribbon known as Highway 1, each turn reveals a slightly different scene that somehow seems more dramatic than the last.

For photographers, this perpetual change is ideal and the challenge of making fresh images (common in many other popular landmarks) is all but removed. The Big Sur coast is also part of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, and its rich sea life, including Elephant Seals, otters. and migrating gray whales, provides yet another opportunity for great imagery and unparalleled wildlife viewing .