COMPLETE GUIDE TO ICM INTENTIONAL CAMERA MOVEMENT: TECHNIQUE AND ARTISTIC INTERPRETATION – PART 1

Intentional Camera Movement or ICM is a creative way of working with long exposure photography and it implies deliberately moving the camera during an exposure. ICM is both a technique and an artistic way of expression. It can be used as a tool to modify reality, with the intent of creating an emotional response in the viewer.

There is not much free information you can find about intentional camera movement online, Continue reading →

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January 2, 2016 by Julia Anna Gospodarou

ABOUT CREATING ART AND FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHY

Silence © Julia Anna Gospodarou

I have to state from the beginning, this is not a “How to” article. This is not a problem-solving article, in the true sense of the word, but more a philosophical one, of the type of me discussing with you about art and fine art photography, over a glass of wine, by the fireplace, on a cold winter night, or over a cup of hot coffee, depending on the taste.

Between us, I do think philosophizing now and then can solve a lot of problems and give many answers, when it comes to art and fine art photography, but that might be just me and my meditative nature when it comes to art.

So, if you want something practical, you may want to stop reading and do something else instead. Or wait for my next tutorial that I am writing now, and that I felt the need to interrupt so I can get a bit philosophical. I’ll publish the tutorial very soon if you don’t want to miss it you can subscribe and will receive it by email. But if you want to hear me meditating about art and fine art photography, you’re welcome, and I always like good company in these reflective moments. So, if you’re still around, pour yourself a nice glass of wine (or a hot cup of coffee) and let’s chat…

WHERE DOES ART START?

WHEN YOU THINK AND FEEL DIFFERENTLY…

I think this is where art starts. I think this is when we feel the need to express ourselves when the way we look at the world is different than how others look at it, and we see and feel this difference. That is the moment when we feel the need to show this difference to the others, we want to communicate it to them because we are excited about what we see and feel and we need to externalize it.

ART AS A WAY OF COMMUNICATING: SHARING YOUR WORK WITH OTHERS

Minor White was saying at some point that art becomes art only when you show it to the Continue reading →

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December 31, 2015 by Julia Anna Gospodarou

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2016!

White Veil © Julia Anna Gospodarou

Happy New Year 2016!

2015 has been a great year and I’m grateful for that.

I have met and worked with wonderful people: friends, students, collaborators. I have traveled with my workshops, lectures, assignments, to many places in the world and each one of them was a great experience. I was lucky to be able to express my creativity the way I felt to do it, with no restrictions, and the response to my work was more than I had wished for.

For that I thank you all: students, clients, collaborators and friends.

Hopefully, 2016 is going to be even better for everyone.

I am looking forward to new challenges in the new year, new experiences and exciting photography projects, and to meet new interesting people. I’m starting the year with a few new ideas that you will see very soon and I’m looking forward to meeting you at my workshop in New York in May and also elsewhere in the world. Continue reading →

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February 6, 2015 by Julia Anna Gospodarou

BLACK AND WHITE PROCESSING WITHOUT SELECTIONS IN LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY– SEA OF DEVOTION II

Sea of Devotion II © Julia Anna Gospodarou – Athens Porto Rafti

Black and White Processing Without Selections in Landscape Photography

Working without selections or with just a few, seems to be counter-intuitive if you consider the elaborate way I process my images generally but in this image I experimented with it to see how far I can go.

The conclusion is that, even if not having accurate selections to control the image in depth, I still had a certain level of control by using the other tools in a smart way. This kind of processing is more suited for landscape photography than for architecture, because in landscape photography one can be more permissive with outline than in architecture photography.

A very good tool I have used and I am using when I can is the “Edge Aware” function in Topaz Labs B&W Effects which is a tool that allows you to paint an effect inside an outline without spilling it outside the outline. The tool understands the edges and keeps the effect you apply inside the border. This is one of the best tools in Topaz Labs B&W Effects and one of my most used.

About the image

Shot in the Attica Peninsula, a few days ago, while scouting for my next private workshop in Athens, I tried on Sea of Devotion II a new way of processing, a black and white processing without selections.
If you want to book a private workshop with me, you can do it here: Private workshops & Mentoring Courses with Julia Anna Gospodarou.
I would be happy to teach you everything I know about black and white fine art and take you to the best locations in wonderful Athens or anywhere else in the world.

I was born a traveler and I was born an artist. You can trust me 100%, this is what I love to do most: share my knowledge and show others the best places for photography in the Continue reading →

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January 25, 2015 by Julia Anna Gospodarou

THE MEANING OF BLACK AND WHITE – SEA OF DEVOTION I

Sea of Devotion I – © Julia Anna Gospodarou – Aetoliko Messolonghi Greece

In this article, I will be analyzing the meaning of black and white through the way we conceive the photograph.

SHORT INTRO – FUTURE PLANS

I’ll be in London in a couple of weeks to film a series of lectures and tutorials on black and white Fine Art Photography for a prestigious UK photography school where I’ll start teaching very soon. More details on this very soon, but what I can already say is that it is going to be a very exciting experience that I’m looking forward to, also an honor, since this school chooses its instructors very carefully and they work only with the best photographers and authors of best-selling photography books, with international distinctions in the field of photography.

The lectures will be based on my book “From Basics to Fine Art – Black and White Photography”. Right now I’m working on a few images, some landscapes too, to present there next to my architectural work. This is one of them.

ABOUT THE IMAGE – CONCEIVING AND SHOOTING

It’s been a while since I published my last landscape, so this was a good moment to post one.

I’ve shot this image at sunset, end of summer, in Western Greece, close to the historical town of Messolonghi, in the Messolonghi Lagoon, an area where nature is magnificent and Continue reading →

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December 25, 2014 by Julia Anna Gospodarou

Merry Christmas 2014 & Holidays Offer

“Christmas isn’t a season. It’s a feeling.”– Edna Ferber-

Merry Christmas 2014!

Wishing all my friends, collaborators and all my contacts a merry Christmas and a happy New Year, with many successes, good health and much happiness. May your wildest dreams come true next year. I hope Santa was generous with you and brought you not only presents but also love, health and happiness. Be well and don’t forget to smile and be grateful for what you have.

In addition to my wishes, I’d like to also offer you, from me and my co-author for the book From Basics to Fine Art , Joel Tjintjelaar, a 25% discount for the book till the New Year’s Continue reading →

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September 5, 2014 by Julia Anna Gospodarou

First impressions Formatt Hitech Firecrest 16 stops ND filter

In Search of Lost Time (Á la recherche du temps perdu) © Julia Anna Gospodarou

My first impressions Formatt Hitech Firecrest 16 stops ND filter – the BRAND-NEW Firecrest circular ND filter

Feeling inspired…
This is my first image shot with the BRAND-NEW circular Formatt Hitech Filters Firecrest 16 stops ND filter that I have just received a few days ago, and with the T/S lens + Canon 5D MKIII, and it is a landscape!
Surprise?!!!
Yes, I’m an architecture lover but I’m in love with nature too. I wanted to work on some landscape for a long time (the last landscape work I did was at Christmas) but I was totally absorbed this year by architecture, by writing the book (From Basics to Fine Art, my mentorships, workshops and other projects.
Until I received the new Firecrest! This filter is so easy to use and it gives you such great results that it inspired me to go back in nature and shoot some new work. And I’m so glad I did it! I had forgotten how great it is to be face to face with the immensity and beauty of nature. Where you need no words because just by looking at the scenery, by Continue reading →

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December 25, 2013 by Julia Anna Gospodarou

White Sounds – Christmas Edition

White Sounds © Julia Anna Gospodarou 2013

Christmas is a time for joy, happiness. love …and presents!!

Wishing to all my friends, followers, students and collaborators a lot of all these above and many more.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone!

I took this image in the Mountains of Pindus, Greece, on a very cold winter day when I was experimenting with different effects among which ICM (Intentional Camera Movement) and NFLE (Natural Frosty Lens Effect) which is what you see here. This is not some effect added in post but the natural look and softness the frost on a lens can Continue reading →