ViewBug community member DennisRamos, an international award winning fine art photographer, shares the small things that make his images look surreal. Follow Dennis to see more of his photos and get inspired!
1. Tell us a bit about yourself, how do you describe your photography style?
My name is Dennis Ramos and I'm a fine art photographer. I started my photography in artistic portraiture, experimenting with both natural and artificial lighting. My fascination with lights have led me to explore other areas of photography that eventually evolved into fine art landscape and seascape.
2. In one sentence what has photography done for you in your life?
Photography has given me the power to see the beauty in our environment hidden in the midst of our busy world and harshest weather.
"ViewBug is one of the few photography community that I always visit whenever I need to get inspired!"
3. When did you start taking photos and what inspired you to get started?
I started my photography in the 90's during the film days when I bought my first SLR camera. It got me inspired to shoot more after seeing the power of the photos to freeze moments in time and capturing the emotions where one can miss in a blink of an eye.
4. What has been your favorite shoot and why?
I love landscape photography. My body and mind relaxes when I take a look at the vast space in front of me while I let my mind and emotions sculpt the lights and shadows to create a much perfect scene.
5. Do you remember a difficult photo shoot session? What happened?
I don't remember a particular photo shoot but many times when I experience an artist's block during a session, everything seems difficult from camera settings to composition. Creative block is common for a photographer so I always keep a set of inspirational concepts in my digital folder.
6. What do you carry in your camera bag?
I always have the tendency to bring more than I need. But for portraiture, I make sure I have at least one in my bag a speed light, a reflector, and a 50mm lens. And for landscapes, I always have my 10-stop neutral density filter and a remote timer in my bag.
7. Do you have a favorite location and time of the day to shoot?
Yellowstone National Park has a lot of photogenic spots where I can spend many days shooting in one area of the park. On these kind of scenic spots, I start to shoot around sunset where the angle of the light in a scene creates interesting patterns, dimensions and textures.
8. Can you share three tips with your fellow photographers?
I always love mood and drama in landscapes and portraiture shots. It greatly improves your shots compared to passive and static environments. 3 tips that would add impact to your photography shots:
1. Work with different weather environments - an overcast clouds with impending rain always create a surreal mood.
2. Always look for movements - Birds flying, waves, or anything the wind blows always create a point of interest.
3. The golden hour - This is when you get the best dramatic lights that creates patterns and textures from the angled light.
9. Please share one of your favorite photos with us with a short tutorial:
This is one of my many favorite photos. The photo was shot in a open community clubhouse pool during mid-afternoon. I used an 800-watts continuous light in a 5-ft octabox right over the water on the side of the pool. The camera is inside a heavy duty pouch (digi-pac) just about 2-ft under the water. On my post-processing, the background was shot few weeks earlier during a vacation including the water waves. This composite shot of the model and the landscape background consist of four images blended together in Photoshop using layers, mask, blend options, color toning and dodge and burn techniques. In the end, I was extremely satisfied as I've achieve the concept I have in my mind.
10. Please share some thoughts on your ViewBug experience as a photographer!
ViewBug is one of the few photography community that I always visit whenever I need to get inspired! It is truly amazing and awe-inspiring to find amazing photos from great photographers around the world. ViewBug is highly recommended for both amateurs and professionals.
