This is a favorite topic for photophiles to argue about. Everybody has their point of view and everybody can say with confidence, "I like photograph A in Color" or "I like style B in monochrome"…. But can they explain why? In most cases no.  And so I'm writing a book. Half science, half public opinions and half great photography. (Yes yes,,, I know the math doesn't add up…. let it slide)

To get the research for this book completed and then have it all printed I'm attempting to raise funds on KickStarter.com (a group funding site). Please come read the full description of what I have planned. Check out the great fund supporter rewards I'm giving out too. http://kck.st/wgF5XK

Costa Rica is a photographer's dream come true.  Pristine beaches, rainforest jungles, active volcanoes and one of the world's most diverse and concentrated collection of animal species on the planet.  In addition the friendly people and rich culture of the Ticos makes Costa Rica a perfect Photo Tour destination.

This 12 day/11 night Jungle Tour (starting on Sept 1st 2012) will get you up close and personal with the beauty and wonder of the rainforest.  We will be knee deep in photo adventures during the day, but you'll still enjoy quiet nights with good food, drink and new friends.

Read All the Details!  Visit "Costa Rica Photography Safari 2012" .

Highlights Include:

• Get up close and personal: photograph sea turtles hatching and nesting on the Caribbean coastline.
• Summit a live volcano (Irazu Volcano) for photographs at the craters.
• Jungle flora and fauna abound at Rancho Naturalista (Over 450 species of birds have been recorded in the area)
• Veragua Rainforest Research & Adventure Park. The park includes among other attractions, the largest indoor nocturnal frog exhibit in the world, a butterfly garden, reptile vivarium, hummingbird garden, a tram ride through the rainforest canopy
• Photography and good times at Puerto Viejo white sand beaches.
• Private boat tours and kayaking through the Tortuguero National Park.  
• All tours are guided by myself (Gene Tewksbury) and a local naturalist.  You will have constant access to professional photography advice and local nature information.
• Small intimate accommodations will let you emerse yourself in the natural experience.

My phone woke me up at 5:00 am this morning (notice that class was canceled).  That kind of bent me out of shape at first, but since I had been awoken I decided to make use of the situation.  So I put on my cloths and headed out into the bizzard (did I mention we are having a big snow storm?).  So I made it to Red Rocks Amphitheater pre-dawn for the cool sunrise on the snow.  But of course it was still snowing, so there was no sunrise.. Only white out.   Nonetheless, I managed to get a few decent photographs of the amphitheater and surrounding area.  

Then I went to Heritage Square (a weird little deserted entertainment place… no idea how to describe it),,,  but it looked cool in the snow…  All old school western looking (well, except for the kiddie rides),, but they look cool too.

I was just going through my photos from Cambodia tonight and spent some solemn moments viewing my photos from the S21 Prison and the Killing Fields. It's some very heavy material. 

Many of these photos are simply photos OF photos..as such I've never shared them; but it occurred to me that as a collection they really hit hard.. and might encourage people to bother to take a few moments to read about this catastrophe which so many Western countries swept under history's rug.

A new Google Plus (G+) daily photography theme.
#WorldCultureSunday

I really love cultural photography. So I thought I would be well suited to curate one of the photography theme days that are so popular here on G+. Since there seems to be nobody else doing a culture theme, I'm jumping in. I can't wait to see the photos which the G+ community will bring to the table. 

Eleven photographs which represent my best efforts in 2011.

It's been a busy year of photography. In part due to a new camera, in part to lots of travel and also due to an urge to simply improve. I can say with pride, that my photographs are getting better each year.. When I look back on photos which I thought were great five years ago,,, well, the subjects are still cool, but I needed work. In any case, I'm glad to see improvement since as you get older it seems a whole lot harder to improve at anything. (Getting ahold of Silver Efex this year didn't hurt… man I love that thing).

After plowing through the approximate 4,000 photographs which I kept this year (amounting to maybe 1/5 of what I actually shot), I came up with the following eleven images which I feel are my best of the year.
They don't make a great collection really. They are too different and have no rhyme or reason,, but that's to be expected since they come from all manner of locations and subjects.

I've never actually turned the camera on myself before.. and since it's all cold and snowy outside today,, I figured I'd just hang out and be a narcissist for the day and practice taking self portrait photos. 

The whole process took quite a while..  I had to go through an awful lot of photos just to get a few that I didn't hate…  Then there was doing post on the ones I could live with,,, and finally a little montage layout which takes a while (if you've ever done layouts,, you know it's oddly difficult for what seems like such a simple task).

I just used an empty wall in my office for the backdrop since I knew I was going to go black and white anyway.  And the style I used of burning out the edges of the photos makes the background irrelevant anyway as long as it's plain.  

The hardest part is focusing since you can't focus on yourself while taking the photo.  Basically I focused on the wall first.  Then went to manual to bring it in a bit (since your face is actually closer to the camera then the wall).  I just shot and then checked and then shot and changed again, until I got it right.

I used natural light from the window (blinds down to prevent hard hot spots) and used a strobe (nikon SB600) off camera pointed at the celing coming from the same direction as the window.  I used no "filler" light because I knew I wanted a hard shadown effect from one side.

Post was done in Lightroom and Silver Efex Pro.. (love that software).

Anyway,,  here they are..  

Hey folks.  I spend a great deal of time cruising the internet looking at other people's work.  It's a great way to get new creative ideas, to learn new techniques and just enjoy the beauty and creativity of your fellow photographers.  The down side of course, is that you often spend two hours browsing to find five minutes worth a really good work.  Since most of you are likely "weekend warriors" or enthusiasts as they're called by the photo industry, you probably don't have the free time to devote toward digging up all the quality portfolios.

That is where this single page is going to help you.  As I come across great photographic work and portfolios, I will add them to the list.  All you need to do is drop by once in a while and get hand fed links to really cool photographs each week.

I would go shoot photographs to improve my skills, but I've already photographed everthing around here….  I don't think there is anything interesting going on….  The weather is not so good…..   I only have a few hours free today….  etc etc etc….

This is what so often is said by people who "want" to get better, but never actually get out and shoot..  Trust me,,   I'm guilty guilty guilty myself of this same tired excuse…  But once in a while I just jump in the car,, or walk down the street with camera in hand and see what happens.  You know what?  Something always happens,,,

It's been a while since I put out any new artwork..  But after all, I was gone for two months in Asia, so I have an excuse. (check out the photography from Asia here).   Anyway, this piece "Butterfly and Urn" was shot in Korea as too was the backgrounds and script.  Hope you like.  You can see the entire gallery here: http://www.genetewksbury.com/p379416644