Research

Andrew Smith - Cuba Gallery

Andrew Smith is an unbelievable contemporary photographer! Based from New Zealand he has the most beautiful landscape to work with and using his Nikon D800 and Adobe Lightroom he takes advantage of its vast sprawling amazingness. Andrew is a creative director who developed a particular interest in photography and Adobe lightroom. His shared blog, Cuba Gallery, is a site that promotes adobe lightroom tutorials and sells the beautiful photo's he and his team take. Here are a couple of my favourite shots (which were very difficult to choose!!) 

These are just a few of his absolutely breathtaking photos! What I love most about Andrews pictures is his use of lighting and colour. He has an eye for angles, that magic quality that makes a picture great! Check out his Pinterest board and Blogs!

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/cubagallery/
LRBlog:http://lightroomtutorials.blogspot.ca/
Cuba Gallery:http://www.cubagallery.co.nz/

Self-Portrait Inspirations

By: Bethan Phillips

  

I absolutely love this self-portrait! Probably the most out of the three, because of how unassuming it is. It didn't even make the first cut for my top three, but then after seeing it again, the brilliance of it's unconventional self- portraitness shines. Because the subject has their back facing the observer, whilst blocking their head with an adorable pastel umbrella, the photo has a sort of ambiguity to it. The viewer isn't sure if it's a man or a woman, just that they chose to represent themselves as someone who captures  a serene contented feel to life. The self portrait explains who they are without actually seeing them.The setting where the picture takes place is so whimsical, and lends a charming feel to the picture, adding the sense that this person enjoys the nuances of nature, and the colour tones they used, which are all soft and subdued form a perfect mosaic. The umbrella in a way is the focal point, which could be symbolizing a personality with many different facets to their(different colour wedges). I may have totally read way to far into this portrait, but nonetheless the way all the pieces blend together creates a beautiful scene that makes a memorable self-portait.

By: Andres Thor

I LOVE this self portrait! It is so  innovative and interesting. The fact that it's not your typical take a picture of your-self taking a picture, picture is original and inspires you to push the boundaries and try something new. The imperfections of the photo give it texture and grit making it more accessible/real. You can see the marks in the mirror, the lines of his skin and all the edges and negative space lend it self to visual interest and tension. It's just a really interesting photo!! The ordinaryness of the location make it intriguing and the colour which is sort of harsh and warm at the same time are just perfect.

By:SaintBob

I think this picture is just so cute. It's encompasses the idea of a self-portrait, to capture you. In SaintBobs case, he seems to be portraying humour and merely being ordinary. Contrary to the other two shots I chose, I really like this shot because of the simplicity of it being just a self portrait that captures self doing everyday average ordinary things. It brings the mirror into focus, which kind of seems like an accident... but the tiles bring a shapes into the photo and balance the photo since he is in the left quadrent. The lighting is stark, which sort of lends itself to the feeling of an old candid shot from the 40's. its just cute:)