This Land Photography

Promoting conservation through story-telling and imagery

Welcome

Shian Tan February 3, 2017

So I've decided to start a website and blog. If you've followed me on Instagram, you'll have a good idea of how I write.

I plan to use this platform to talk about anything and everything related to my photography, from the stories behind the images to trip reports and the lessons I've learned from being out in the field. More importantly I hope to use my stories and images to raise awareness of issues that are important to me.

Featured Posts

Featured

Nov 23, 2017

Nature's Stairway To Heaven - Archangel Falls, Zion National Park, Utah, USA

Nov 23, 2017

Nov 21, 2017

My next art show and sale - Sunday Dec 3, 2017 @ The Great Hall, Toronto (Queen & Dovercourt)

Nov 21, 2017

I shot this image on a camera that my Dad passed onto me - the Olympus OM10. Its an old consumer film camera; aperture priority only, manual focus. Since getting this camera I’ve been experimenting with all the different black and white film stocks that are available and all I can say is that I have absolutely fallen in love with the process. Film makes you really think about the tones and light and how they will present themselves in the final image. It makes you work hard for your images and there is no hiding your mistakes behind layers of post processing. In fact, there was absolutely zero editing of this image; what you’re seeing is exactly how the light was recorded on the film. The feeling you get when you get your negatives back and you finally get to see the image is bordering on magical. What I love about this image is that the fog combined with the grain of the film is something that just can’t be replicated in the digital realm. This was shot in Kodak TriX pushed two stops which means that I can shoot in lower light conditions as well as adding contrast and grain to the final image. For anyone with an interest in photography I can not recommend getting into film enough. There is a connection you get to the process that is missing with digital. I can’t wait to use this camera to take pictures of my kids, just the same way my Dad took pictures of us when we were kids.

If genius is 99% perspiration, at least I’ve got the perspiration part down... and a 99% is an A+ right...? I’m heading to Vancouver Island on Monday for three weeks. I’ll be in Victoria for two weeks and then on a road trip for the third. If anyone has any recommendations for shooting locations or just wants to hang and geek out on cameras let me know!

Should there be a trend towards staying put? To dig beneath the surface and explore and understand the infinite complexities of a place through careful observation or experiences that go beyond simple observation. To be part of a place and not just a visitor. To spend time reflecting on how your interactions with the space affect what you are seeing. There is no longer such a thing as an unspoilt wilderness; something that everybody seems to be striving for in their landscape work, especially on instagram. If I can get to it, anyone can. This ease of access has led to the proliferation of similar images across this platform. At what point do we become tired of seeing the same places shot the same way? There is so much more to Yosemite than Tunnel View. There is so much more to Zion than the Narrows or Angels Landing. There is so much more to a place than the postcard pictures suggest. We have to be willing to spend time to dig beneath the surface a bit more to find our own connection with a place beyond the picture postcard or guidebook experience. My new work is a result of this thinking, and what I hope to show is my interpretation and connection with the lands I treasure the most: my home.

Passive consumption: I’m pretty sure I’m not alone on this but I found that social media, and FB especially, are completely designed to suck you in to keep you passively consuming content on their platform. I would find myself losing hours in a week with very little to show for it. My biggest productivity gain recently (which has been great for my mental health too)? I deleted FB from my phone. I still have an account, but I’ve found that getting it off my phone and creating that extra step to have to log in from my computer has really helped to let go of the passive consumption. I also find that I put more thought into my interactions with friends and family - less is definitely more sometimes!

Why I left Instagram | At some point I stopped growing as a photographer or as an artist. The determination to impress and grow my audience was holding me back creatively. Somehow the first question I would ask myself in creating an image was “how popular do I think this will be?”. I was stuck in a rut and had gotten sucked into a dangerous comfort zone of only searching for and creating images that I thought would grow my account. I found myself disappointed with an image, not because of its aesthetic value or meaning, but because it did not garner the engagement I yearned for. I realized that I was not creating work because I had something important to say, but to stroke my own ego. It’s difficult, but the best advice I can give is to post what is close and dear to you. Success will be a byproduct of this and will come when it comes, even if it’s not in the form you originally expected or hoped for.

The hiatus is over! After falling into all the classic creative traps associated with social media (frustration, loss of confidence, lack of direction etc) I decided to take a break from the pressures of posting here. I highly recommend this to anyone struggling with their work. Not only did it give me bags more time back, but it really allowed me to step back to find a new aesthetic and creative direction - something I’d been craving for a long time. Anyone that has been following along with my stories recently will have had a taste of what is to come. The comments I’ve been getting from so many of you have really helped me to feel validation in stepping outside of my comfort zone and is something that should be shared. Thank you! What is to follow is a series that I have been working on recently, which focuses on the landscape close to my home in southern Ontario and also close to my heart. To understand the lands that we all strive to travel to, we must first understand the land that we inhabit every day.

In case I don’t get another chance to post before the holidays (which is highly likely!), I just want to say a huge thank you for all your love and support this year! It’s been a insanely busy but happy year on both a personal and professional level, which has also seen me actually start to earn some money from my photography. This was a huge step for me to take and I definitely could t have done it without all your encouragement and kind words. For anyone that commented on my last post: I did read and appreciate all the comments! Like just has a way of sucking me back into reality! I have replied in my head and be sure to reply for real soon! Happy holidays!

One of the main aims of my fall trip to Zion was to search out the quieter, more intimate landscape scenes. This allowed me to explore the park at a slower pace, letting images present themselves with no preconceived expectations of capturing a particular image. You will read everywhere that you should previsualize your images before going out to shoot but I find that this inhibits creativity and limits my ability to truly stay in the moment and experience the landscape. Of course, I still wanted to hike the Narrows and the Subway to see and shoot the grand scenes for myself, but what I’m finding now is that my favourite images of the trip - the ones that give me the most satisfaction- are the ones that came about organically as a result of getting lost (figuratively!) in the landscape. They may not be as popular on this platform but if you take some time to linger on the image and let your eye and mind wander around it, you might find yourself feeling the same way too.

I can see why people return year after year to do this hike. That feeling you get when the walls of the canyon start to glow from the reflected light is something that can’t be experienced in many other places in the world. I waited for well over an hour, standing in the icy river, for the sun to slowly move across the sky into position to capture this scene. All the while wondering what would come first: numb toes or the magic glow! On another note, my calendars are starting selling out and once they’re gone that’s it; I’m not expecting to print anymore. Link in my bio if you’re interested.

(Kind of a) GIVEAWAY! I know it’s not much value-wise, but I have two VIP guest list tickets to this Sunday’s @torontoartcrawl art show that I am lucky enough to be exhibiting at. If you’re going to be in the Toronto area it promises to be a great event. Just leave me a comment below to say you would like to receive the tickets and tag a friend you would like to bring (trying to give them away as a pair but if you only want one that’s fine too!). Contest closes on Wednesday Nov 29. My online Instagram discount from my previous post will also be available during the show. Just mention that you follow me on here to receive the discount! It will be great to meet as many of you face to face as possible! #tacxmas17 #contest #giveaway