Photography | Russ Bishop Photography | Nature Photo Blog

June 1, 2012August 6, 2019

Intimate Landscapes

California Poppies (Eschscholtzia californica), Antelope Valley, California

Here in Southern California winter came in spurts this year and never really realized its full potential. As a result, the spring blooms were much lighter than usual in places like Antelope Valley and Anza-Borrego, but we can always rely on a few favorite annuals like the poppies and barrel cactus to make a showing even in the dry years. The trick is to shift our attention from the big picture to the small.

As a photographer, the change in weather patterns simply means we need to adjust our perspective. Instead of grand fields of endless flowers that fill our wide-angle frame with edge to edge color, there are still wonderful images to be made, but we need to move in and get personal with the flora. The grand panoramas have now been replaced with shallow depth of field and selective focus that explores the color and detail of our favorite spring-time subjects. This is the time to pull out the macro, extension tubes, or Lensbaby and get intimate!

In the higher elevations where spring will arrive a little later there is still time to put this into practice. Of course the alpine environments with their glorious peaks as a backdrop always tend to win over our visual sensitivities, but once you’ve preserved the big picture it’s time to turn your attention to the intimate landscapes.

May 4, 2012November 6, 2015

A Measure of Wealth

Back in my days at CBS Entertainment there was a saying in the studios that summed up the sentiment about some of the products being produced at the time – “It’s art if it sells!”. This was a tongue in cheek response to the fact that a lot of the shows were commercial fluff designed to sell advertising to the masses (no surprise there), but the underlying fact was that they did sell. And as a result, the desire to strive for quality lost its appeal and was supplanted by a false sense of accomplishment.

Fast forward to my current life as landscape photographer – I now wear all the hats from production to distribution, which is empowering, but does have its challenges. The Internet and the transition to digital has streamlined much of the day-to-day business and leveled the playing field though, and the ultimate reward is being at the forefront of the creative process. The art still must sell, but the satisfaction of creating something that preserves the beauty of the world and hopefully in turn helps inspire others to enjoy and protect it is priceless.

February 6, 2012November 6, 2015

Notre Dame – The Lady of Paris

Notre Dame de Paris (French for “Our Lady of Paris”) is widely considered one of the finest examples of Gothic architecture in France and all of Europe. The classic lines of this magnificent cathedral rise gracefully above the Seine River and are as recognizable as the Eiffel Tower, and in terms of visitation it is even more popular than Paris’ other icon.

Situated on the eastern half of the Île de la Cité in the fourth arrondissement of Paris it is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese, and its treasury houses a reliquary with the purported Crown of Thorns worn by Jesus Christ before his crucifixion. And as the geographical center of Paris, a marker by the main entrance represents “point zero” from which all distances in France are measured.