Landscape photography dead end
If you have been interested in landscape photography for some years, you may notice that most photographers who do it thoughtfully and regularly do it more or less the same way. To be honest, there’s no significant difference in their works. If we look at the winners of photo contests on such web platforms as Viewbug or 35 Awards, we can hardly tell why this photographer is a winner and that isn’t. The top 100 of them do the same – perfectly balanced, professionally processed images of beautiful places while great light. Simply put, postcards. It became a standard in landscape photography quite a while ago. (And I think that’s the reason why Sony Award trying so hard to distance oneself from that.) I recently listened to a podcast with one of the lead landscape photographers in Russia. Among others, he said a very important and truly thing: everyone...
read moreSimplify everything!
If you have more or less stayed tuned with the news for the last four months, and you can watch what’s happening “from above”, you definitely noticed that there are only two points of view: one side is an aggressor, the empire of evil and all its people are vicious orcs; and the other side is an innocent victim and all its citizens are saints. Don’t you think that it is too simple? You can take any moment in the world’s history and try to learn everything about it thoroughly, and you will find out at some moment that all those events had a lot of prerequisites, many things led to it, and, finally, it was all very complicated. It’s not only about historical events – the same with everything. But people hate complexity and uncertainty. We love everything being simple and clear. We prefer to label every item...
read moreThe voice of blissful idiot
I was going to make this post, as I previously promised, about my YouTube channel explaining why I decided to abandon any schedule in uploading new videos. But our crazy life made its corrections… You know, frankly speaking, I’m surprised (and simultaneously not surprised at all) with all that flow of dirt and lies that are flooding us without any interruption. From both (I emphasize it – BOTH) sides. Do you think that Putin is a great liberator? Or you are convinced that Zelensky is a hero? If yes, for any of these two, you are living with pink glasses on your eyes. Too rare to my mind, there are voices of common sense. Too few opinions that these persons simply pursue their goals don’t even think about people. We are sinking in hate… “Imagine there’s no countries. It isn’t hard to do. Nothing to kill or die for...
read moreRidiculous people
We, people, are so ridiculous. We are firmly convinced that we matter. I mean not humanity at all but every person in particular. Everyone thinks for some reason that his (her) thoughts are unique and vital. These thoughts could be expressed in photos of a cocktail in a café or an occasional flower on the flowerbed. Also, it could be a text on the social media account full of deep insights and wise conclusions. But you know what? 99% of it is complete trash, trivial and uninteresting, filled with snobbery and narcissism. We don’t listen; we prefer to talk. Well, actually, no. We listen. To people so-called opinion leaders. If someone is famous, he is worth being heard. If not… well, bad luck. Have you ever heard the sad story of the life of a great English poet and engraver, William Blake? He wrote poems and illustrated them with...
read moreYear-end results
Well, it’s time to take stock of the year. For me, this year became unbelievably intense and changing. Precisely 365 days ago, I was only hoping to get the approval of my startup project to develop it in Portugal. Today, I live in this beautiful country. For me, this year consisted of: getting a startup visa, moving to Portugal, starting to learn the second foreign language (Portuguese), 5-months apart from my best friend, reunification with her, meeting the ocean for the first time in my life, my first photography masterclass, deletion by the Instagram Company and recovery by myself of my account, restarting my Facebook account from scratch, opening my online store on Etsy, and many less important and noticeable events. Unfortunately, I can’t tell that this year was full of photography accomplishments. (In fact, I only got to the final of one little known and insignificant photo contest.)...
read moreUnexpected life twist
If you follow my blog here or are subscribed to my YouTube channel, you may know that I made a tutorial video some time ago. (If not and you are interested, you can watch it by clicking this link.) I thought that if I ever started to teach photography to someone, it would be a landscape one for people who love nature and are eager to take good photographs. I should admit that my first attempt in this field has failed. That photography talk hasn’t interested anyone. But I am going by bus from Lisbon at the moment. Today, I gave a photography and video masterclass to real estate agents. And unlike the video on my channel, today, it was paid work. Whether I become a real estate agent tutor or do something else in photography, I have no idea. I only know that the best way to fill...
read moreFinally
Finally, something I have been waiting for already five months will happen. Tomorrow. I think that introverted people (and I am one of them) need some time to be alone. We can love someone more than ourselves, more than our own life (and it really is, that’s not pathetic words), but we still need some time to be alone. I haven’t had a friend who could understand me as good as I am, and even better at some moments. Until I met my wife. She’s my best and closest friend. And still, I need some time to be alone. (Perhaps, that’s one of the reasons why I love to do landscape photography.) But everything’s good without excessive. Even loneliness. For five months, I’ve discussed things important to me (not vital but important), imagining my wife beside me. Since tomorrow, I won’t be looking crazy. Finally. Follow me on YouTube,...
read moreLife is beautiful
Some people are convinced that life is beautiful, that this is a gift full of wonders. I envy you! You either cheat on yourself, trying not to notice what’s happening around you, hiding in your rainbow soap bubble, or you are pretty lucky! Both cases are lovely! And I do envy you! I don’t know; maybe at some moment, I have chosen a red pill. Perhaps, it was just like that. About 15 years ago, I was convinced that truth is better than self-cheating because you can do something with facts. And now it’s impossible to get it all back. Because “it never happens that anything goes back to what it used to be”. And I don’t need that, to be honest. As for me, my life has been getting better over the years. Probably, by the time when I will finally grow my beard (it will be already...
read moreDo I have a talent?
I think everybody asks this question to himself sometimes. Those of us who tend to any form of creativity repeat the question multiple times during life. And if most adult persons find some answer convenient to them and keep living and creating without doubts, the rest of creatives are suffering from that annoying uncertainty. If you are interested, I have some thoughts about that. First of all, there’s no talent… Well, actually, it exists, but that does no fundamental matter. What do I mean? If you ask most people to describe the talent, to define what it is, more likely, they will tell you about some universally recognized persons who made (or still making) masterpieces no matter in which sphere. But in fact, they describe the top of the mountain, the visible results of the skill. And don’t consider what is below: years of study, even more years of...
read moreAnother dream came true
About a month and a half ago, I posted here, on my blog, a short story about my visit to Lisbon and meet the Atlantic Ocean. At the end of that post, I wrote that I got a new dream – to see the ocean closer because, at that time, I saw it from a distance. I didn’t dare to think that this dream may come true so quickly! Yes, several days ago, I came to Cabo da Roca (Cape Roca)! You know, my life experience taught me that you shouldn’t await anything, shouldn’t imagine how wonderful something would be. Ever. Otherwise, you risk being disappointed. But this time, I didn’t even notice that I imagined, that I waited. Luckily, there wasn’t a pale shadow of disillusionment. Frankly, at some moment, I barely held back my tears. That’s how amazing it was. Of course, I shot not only photographs...
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