Nature Archives – Page 2 of 2

Macro/Close-Up Photography

May 18, 2011 By Wendy Campbell

It has been said that nature is the ultimate form of art. It is in nature that we find an infinite array of colours, shapes, patterns, and motion, giving artists an endless choice of subject matter. This can be found especially in the art of macro and close-up photography.

The definitions of close-up and macro photography are different. Macro photography is photography that is 1x magnification(1:1) or greater. For example, an insect that is 1/2 an inch when photographed on film at “life size” , it will take up 1/2 an inch on a piece of 35mm film. The term close-up photography is usually applied to photographs that are taken with the subject closer than normal (1/10th of life size or greater). An example of this would be a wildlife photographer taking a close-up photo of a subject that is 15 feet away.

Both macro and close-up photography allow us to experience what we would normally fail to notice with the naked eye. Up close, the eye of a lizard becomes a beautiful textured landscape, a tiny dust mite becomes what could be a creature out of a sci-fi movie, the fly on the wall seems to have an expression on its face.

Macro photography is to me, an art form that reveals the inherent beauty and art that is the natural world. It inspires artists and non-artists alike to look at the world in a different way and to discover new worlds in the intimate details of the everyday.

To see more macro/close-up images, visit the “Closer and Closer” group on Flickr or see the source links below.

Sources: Flickr (Steve Wall), Flickr (Cyrus Khamak) Wired, Igor Siwanowicz, Close-Up and Macro Photography

Nick Brandt: Wildlife Photography

August 28, 2010 By Wendy Campbell

Today: the majestic photographs of Nick Brandt. Born and raised in London, England, Brandt studied film and painting at St. Martins School of Art. After college, he moved to California and became a well-known music video director for stars such as Michael Jackson (Earth Song) and Moby (Play). It was while directing “Earth Song” in Tanzania that Brandt‘s love of East Africa and its animal inhabitants began.

Brandt’s style is unlike other wildlife photographers who tend to focus on “action shots”. Instead, his black and white, fine art photos, are intimate, capturing not only beautiful landscapes, but also the personalities of his subjects.

Many of Brandt’s photographs look like paintings. He achieves this effect by getting extremely close to the animals, (using no telephoto lenses) and includes as much of the sky and landscape as possible so that the animals are seen in the context of their environment. He sometimes tracks his subjects for days to discover the perfect composition. Brandt admits his photos are unashamedly idyllic and romantic. “They’re my elegy to a world that is steadily, tragically vanishing.”

Brandt has had numerous solo exhibitions across North America and Europe and published the book “On This Earth” in 2005. His new book entitled “A Shadow Falls” will be released in September 2009.

To enjoy more photographs visit NickBrandt.com or the Young Gallery for a detailed biography.

Sources: NickBrandt.com, Young Gallery

Scott Marr: Natural Pigment Pyrography

May 27, 2010 By Wendy Campbell

Born in 1976 in St Leonards, Sydney, Australia, Scott Marr uses natural pigments collected from the bush and farmlands including ochres, bark, charcoal, sap, flowers, berries, and the medium of fire to burn drawings (pyrography) onto paper and wood. Based on a love for drawing, Marr’s artwork looks into the world of what he calls “bio metamorphics” symbiosis, energy, or the “alchemy of nature”.

In 2008, Marr won a Waterhouse Natural History Art Prize for his work “We Eat What We Are”.

“We eat what we are reveals a creature that is made up of elements of its environment – it is both dependent on and crucial to its ecosystem. The title also alludes to the human tendency to diminish ourselves by eating away at the very environments we depend upon.”

To see more of Scott Marr’s work, visit ScottMarr.blogspot.com. You can also watch videos of his process on his YouTube channel.

Sources: Satchi Gallery, National Archives of Australia

Rice Field Art: Inakadate, Japan

July 23, 2009 By Wendy Campbell

I’ve always admired the artistic and scientific marvels of Western crop circles – the time, effort, and vision it takes to plan and create the intricate designs. That being said, a level of guilt persists in admiring an artistic endeavour that creates beauty, but destroys valuable food and farmer’s income at the same time. Enter the farmers of Inakadate in the Aomori prefecture, north of Tokyo, Japan.

Every year, since 1993, Inakadate’s 8000 residents and farmers have worked together to create huge agricultural works of art in their rice paddy fields. Using green, purple and yellow-leafed rice, the “agri-artists” design and plant their rice, precisely plotting out the colours which bring the images to life. As the rice grows, the art becomes apparent from an elevated position, with the best viewing time in July.

More than 150,000 people visit Inakadate yearly to experience the rice paddy art, climbing the 22 metre high mock castle tower of the village office that overlooks the fields. Each year, residents choose a different theme – 2009’s is the Napoleon, Sengoku-period warrior, and fictional warrior and his wife Naoe Kanetsugu and Osen.

In 2008, the resident designers began using computers to plot their works, saving them time and allowing for increased detail in the images. While Inakadate is the most widely known for this art, their idea has caught on and other farming communities are creating their own field art, some with the help of the Inakadate designers who have been requested to give seminars on their methods of design and planting.

Alas, the rice field art will only be visible until September when the rice will be harvested, leaving residents to think about next year’s creations.

For more great pictures visit MMO.com and to see a time lapse video of the emerging artwork visit this link on YouTube.

Sources: Japan Times, MMO, Askanet (images)

Art In Nature: Japanese Garden

May 14, 2009 By Wendy Campbell

Living in Tokyo often means crowding into packed subway cars, being herded down busy city streets, and listening to an array of noises coming at you from all directions. In all the chaos, it’s nice to know there is somewhere I can go to escape this barrage of the senses and regain a sense of calm. That place is the Japanese garden (Tsukiyama Gardens) found in many parks and historical sites around Japan.

In Japanese culture, the garden is considered one of the highest art forms and its beauty is achieved through the composition of its plants, rocks, sand, and water, all arranged in harmony with the surrounding natural landscape. Garden components are often chosen for their artistic shapes and are used to represent ponds, islands, boats, seas, rivers, and mountains.

Japanese gardens are not only aesthetically pleasing, but are inspired by Japan’s two main religions – Shinto and Buddhism. Historically, the Japanese have regarded places surrounded by trees and natural rocks as sacred grounds – the dwelling places of the gods. As Buddhism entered Japan, it also found it’s way into garden design as representation of the Buddhist vision of paradise and later as the symbolic expression of the entire universe in a limited space.

Walking into a Japanese garden is like stepping out of reality and into a well thought out painting. The colours and composition are noticed but not contrived. An energy surrounds us that is powerful yet unobtrusive. The garden visitor is a subject in the painting, and for a brief moment in time, becomes a part of a very unique and special work of art.

Sources: Japan Interface, Wikipedia

Sakura – Art in Nature

April 10, 2009 By Wendy Campbell

Many believe (myself included), that nature is the ultimate form of art. It is in nature that we find an infinite array of colours, shapes, patterns, and motion, giving any artist an endless choice of subject matter.

I have been gratefully reminded of this as the Japanese sakura (cherry blossom) trees have come into bloom. Cherry blossom festivals are popular all over Japan and people gather in parks and other tree lined areas to participate in the custom of Hanami (flower viewing).

Witnessing the blossoming of the sakura over the last few weeks has been like walking through a work in progress, a living painting that evolves from a very basic outline sketch into a most colourful and rich in detail work of art.