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 →

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 →

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 →