Creativity | Russ Bishop Photography

April 21, 2025April 21, 2025

Chasing Waterfalls

Chasing Waterfalls. There’s something about flowing water that soothes the soul and sparks the imagination. Mesmerizing ripples on a lake, the fluid dynamics of an eddy as it dances over rocks in a stream, or the powerful force of a cascading waterfall. It’s poetry in motion – nature’s visual elixir.

Preserving these moments of natural movement on film or sensor is a tireless indulgence for the outdoor photographer. Varying shutter speeds and focal lengths can create dramatic landscapes or freeze intimate moments of light and form. And most impressive is the fact that no two images will ever be the same!

Learning to read the flow of the water becomes intuitive with experience and helps solidify the visual appeal of each frame. Waterfalls in particular are constantly changing their course as the wind shifts, and timing your exposure for the best flow can greatly reduce editing time when reviewing dozens of images.

As with all nature photography, time spent thoughtfully viewing a scene and carefully framing your composition is paramount. It will ensure that when the decisive moments arrive you’re able to capture the dancing waters at peak performance.

October 17, 2024October 17, 2024

Beyond Technology – Creating Images with Heart

In today’s mobile world of social media and online everything we are exposed to more daily imagery than at any previous time in history. As a result, our visual sensitivity is developing at a rapid rate along with the need to mentally process these images in a timely manner.

Much the same way we have a hard time watching the dated animation from old sci-fi movies, it’s easy to become more critical of what we like (and Like on Facebook). And with all of the various processing techniques (HDR, focus stacking, exposure blending to name a few) it’s also easy to be lulled into sensory overload from this highly polished visual world. But whatever technology may hold for the future, one thing will never change and that’s the need to create an emotional response with our images.

A technically perfect image may have the wow factor of a Hollywood blockbuster, but perfection does not necessarily create heart – and that’s really what photography is all about. Regardless of the subject matter, lens used or processing applied, convey the mood and emotion in your images through lighting, weather or technique and your photography will always rise above the crowd.

“Don’t shoot what it looks like. Shoot what it feels like.” -David Alan Harvey

April 5, 2024April 5, 2024

Landscape Tip: What’s Your Angle?

Landscape Tip: What’s Your Angle? Captivating landscape photography typically includes one or more elements that make it stand out from the crowd. Magical light, richly saturated colors, and dramatic vistas can all make for great images, but sometimes we’re not rewarded with these sure-fire conditions even after the long hike or braving the inclement weather.

Fortunately there are other ways to create visually dynamic imagery when mother nature is not cooperating – namely your lens and your eyes. Perspective is a powerful tool that is limited only by your choice of focal length and framing.

A wide-angle lens with both excellent depth of field and a wide field of view can be used to emphasize a foreground element such as a plant or rock within the context of its larger mountain or desert environment. In most cases this also creates visual tension within the frame by directing the viewer’s eye from near to far elements, which in turn adds drama to the composition.

So the next time the elements aren’t working in your favor try adding a little visual spice to the scene with this simple technique. A subtle change in perspective through lens selection or camera position can entice your viewers to linger within the frame and might just turn a good image into a great one.