Nature and Landscape Photography
At one of my showings a very nice older lady in her 80’s approached me and said you’re a cloud person aren’t you. I replied yes I am and thanks for noticing. The beauty of Landscape photography is you could photograph the same place everyday with so many different outcomes. When you finally nail a shot like this, you move on and never return. This Photograph was shot along the Massachusetts coast.
We all love spring, right? Spring means better weather, outdoor activites and beautiful color. For a couple weeks Nebraska lights up with yellow wildflowers, purple and white trees. I find myself more and more looking at what’s in front of me and making it my own. The technique is placing your camera on a tripod , slow down the shutter speed and zoom in and out during the shot. Just like all long exposure shots you never know what you are going to get.
Image taken around Monterey and won’t make the cut.
I have been photographing for 7 years now and by default there’s a pattern with all of my gallery images. If an image is going to make the cut it must have at least 4 of the 8 criteria’s shown below. Sometimes that’s not enough either.
Scott Papek’s Gallery Image Formula.
What does your checklist look like?
Is 2013 heading in the right direction for you? This photographed was taken in White Sands, New Mexico.
Happy Easter and soon to be spring weather. This image was taken in Crested Butte, Colorado
Thanks Tiburon life for the love.
Scott Papek has always been creative; he just wasn’t sure how to cultivate that creativity. As a south Omaha native, he attended Assumption Grade School and graduated from Gross High School. After graduation, Scott attended college on a part-time basis while he tried to figure out what to do with his life.
Scott says a defining moment for him was in 1991 when he bought a Pearl Jam cd. That purchase totally changed his life and he made the decision to become a part of the music industry. He began interning at 101.9, The Edge in Omaha and while that station went under, Scott’s career didn’t. He landed gigs in Albuquerque, Phoenix, Los Angeles and San Diego.
While living in San Diego he worked as a Creative Services Director for a company that ran two radio stations. In 2008, while the economy began to dive, the pressure for Scott became unbearable and he began looking for a creative outlet. He bought a camera and got up at 5:00 AM every morning to take pictures of the ocean. He admits that while his mind had no idea what to do, his soul did and after six months of daily photography, he took and amazing shot titled “La Jolla’s Temple” and his life was forever changed.
For Scott, photography is storytelling. He explains that photography is a really competitive business. Today, with IPhones and Instigrams, most people can make a picture look good, but Scott explains that photography isn’t about the latest and greatest gear or the camera you own, it is about telling a story. “A camera doesn’t take a picture, a person takes a picture”, Scott says. “I love to tell stories and I believe if you spend enough time with a person or landscape you can find beauty anywhere, anytime”.
Scott is a self-taught photographer. His training consisted of being relentless and from failing. While some people have difficulty with failure, Scott finds it inspiring and motivating. He hates to lose and does not like to be told that he can’t do something. Those words create a challenge for him.
Scott’s advice for his neighbors is to do what you love. He says “if you’re working in a career you are not passionate about, STOP! Thank you for sharing, Scott, we look forward to watching you continue in your journey.
During my 10 day pacific northwest photo I covered the western part of Oregon and Washington. Lake Quinault is on the south from the heart of Olympic National Park. My brother was in the area 2 weeks prior and talked me into stopping here to check it out. I ended up staying at the brilliant Lake Quinault lodge and had the best salmon in my life at the “Salmon House” right down the road. When my kids get older I can see a family vacation destination for us. “The Right Road” is a limited edition of only 300 gallery prints and looks best at 40 x 40 with the Aluma museum mount. Visit HERE for more details.
