This Land Photography

Promoting conservation through story-telling and imagery

I am big proponent of using what you have got, and not needing to have the latest and greatest gadgets or camera in order to produce images that can inspire and tell a story. My Instagram feed (@shian888) to date has been an experiment in making do. For me, the camera phone is the ultimate in camera minimalism. Being a fixed focal length and fixed aperture camera, there are no aperture, shutter speed, or ISO controls to confuse you or cloud your mind. It is purely a point-and-shoot camera - and a very capable one at that. What this means is that there are only really two variables that you can use to produce a successful image: content and composition. Imposing these limits on myself has been an incredible way to improve my compositional skills, as well as making me think about why I am taking an image and what emotions I am trying to evoke.

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

EXCITING NEWS! My online store is now live (link in bio)I have released two images and a 2018 calendar for sale! Both images are first editions limited to 25 each, whilst I also only have 25 copies of my calendar for sale too. I’ll also be selling these items at my show on December 3rd so order before then to be sure that I still have them in stock! I’m not expecting to have many left after the show. I have produced all prints myself, which ensures that you are receiving the finest quality print possible. Given the amount of time it takes me to proof and perfect each print (not to mention my hectic home life!), I envision that I will only be releasing new prints a few times a year, so once these are gone, there may not be another opportunity to purchase a print for a while. What’s more, proceeds from the sale of each item will be donated to three different not-for-profit organizations that are close to my heart. Click on each item in my website to see what causes I have chosen to support. Being able to use my work to help with conservation efforts has always been my main goal and this is a big step toward achieving that. And finally, to say thanks to this amazing community, I have a 10% discount just for my Instagram followers. Use SHIAN888INSTA at checkout to apply the discount.

A thousand unfinished plans are not as good as one decent thing brought to completion... It’s hard to know what to say when so much has happened since my last post. Thanks to everyone that’s stuck around. I have so much to share after a super busy summer and fall (including bringing home our second child!). I also have some big news of my second art show and sale! For anybody in Toronto, I’ll be exhibiting at The Great Hall (Queen and Dovercourt) on Dec 3rd as part of the @torontoartcrawl Xmas market. Tickets are on sale now. It promises to be a great event with 95 local artists displaying and selling their work. Here’s an image of my latest trip to Zion to see the fall colours, a trip that will live long in my memory.

VOTING CLOSES TODAY! PLEASE HELP ME REACH THE FINAL!!! Thank you everyone for all your support! I'm currently in 10th but 11th is quickly closing in. They're only 9 votes behind. I NEED EVERY VOTE I CAN GET!!! Please take just one minute to click the link in my bio to vote! I promise this will be the last time I pester y'all for votes! Happy 🇨🇦 day to all the Canucks for tomorrow! We're bracing the rain and heading north for a little camping adventure! What are you up to?

GIVEAWAY ALERT!!! VOTING AND PRINT GIVEAWAY ENTRY CLOSES TOMORROW!!! To enter for a chance to win a limited edition archival print just click the link in my bio, click once more to vote for my image, and then leave a comment below to let me know you have done so! I'm less than 20 votes away making the final judging round. I'm sooo close! You guys have been awesome. Just one more push to get me over the line would be greatly appreciated!!! I promise after this week I'll stop harassing everyone for a vote and be back to my normal insightful self!!!

VOTING CLOSES THIS WEEK! KEEP READING FOR GIVEAWAY DETAILS BELOW! I'm currently in 13th place but only 60 votes off of the top ten! If you haven't voted yet, please please take just one minute to click the LINK IN MY BIO to vote. If you already have, why not try again! 😉 Making it into the top 10 (regardless of whether I end up winning) would be awesome for me as it means I get some feedback from pros on my image. I really appreciate all the support I've received so far! It means a lot to me! If you've been following along in my stories you'll have seen that I'm getting into printing. My first image is nearly finished and will be released soon. As a token of my appreciation I will be giving away a print to one of my IG followers. To qualify, all you have to do is to vote for my photo and leave a comment below that you've done so! Happy voting!

PLEASE VOTE!!! Thanks so much for all the support so far!!! I'm still just short of the top ten though! ALL I NEED IS TWO CLICKS - once in the link in my bio, and then once more for a vote! That's all! Please share too if you can!

Never underestimate the power of a passionate person. I have so much admiration for people that are able to do or pursue something with passion. Speaking of which I've been delving into perfecting my print process which explains my absence and lack of posts recently. Who knew there would be so many decisions to make, from paper types, to colour correction, to ink types, to presentation and protection of the final print! But I'm a perfectionist and take a lot of pride an joy from making something the best it can be. If something is worth doing, it's worth doing to the best of your ability. 🐻 with me though, I have something special in store for you coming soon!

Waterfall Wednesday! The chance to take an image of a waterfall from such a precarious angle doesn't present itself everyday... unless of course you live along the Road to Hana! My top tip: don't let go of your camera! And don't lose your footing! #waterfallwednesday #hpow

Who knew Jurassic Park was actually a real place...?! So, in my last post I sung the praises of shooting with the iPhone so I figured I would share a few of the main drawbacks that drive me nuts when out in the field (other than it being more slippery than a bar of soap!). Low light? Forget about it. Astrophotography? No chance! Bright highlights and dark shadows? Possibly, if you process the snuff out of the image! The key to getting the most out of your phone photography is to know what situations it excels in and to search out those moments and lighting conditions that will let it shine (pun intended!). The sheer portability of the thing means that you can and SHOULD have it on you all the time to take advantage of those moments when the light presents itself. There's no big secret behind this, just lots of practice, lots of failure, and every now and again, a good image! #HPOW @heatonthomas

I get a lot of questions about why I limit my images on here to just my iPhone shots. For me, the camera is a tool and you have to use it within its limitations (many of which were reached when shooting this image!). Sometimes these limitations can be frustrating, but more often than not, these limitations will set your creativity free. It's amazing how working within a set of parameters, or limiting your options can stimulate you to step outside of your regular process and think of different ways of capturing and conveying a moment. In terms of the iPhone, it's a fixed focal length and fixed aperture camera with huge depth of field. This takes a lot of variables out of the shooting process which means that you can really focus on what you're left with. What that is in this case is composition, and for me, shooting with the iPhone has been such a great tool to learn about composing elements within a frame as it has forced me to be a lot more considerate about what I include and exclude from the image. Of course you could never really get a big print out of an iPhone shot, but for this platform it's nearly perfect and I'd highly recommend anyone interested in improving their photography to try to shoot exclusively on their phone for a period of time. If anyone is looking for some photographic inspiration I highly recommend checking out @heatonthomas on YouTube. His passion for photography is infectious and, most importantly, his images are incredible. His channel is a great mix of entertainment, education, and inspiration. For someone who is all about image quality I'm interested to hear what his thoughts are on iPhone photography. #HPOW

info

prev / next