When you start getting up early to photograph the sunrise through the mist, or stay up late to follow the calls of an owl in the moonlight then you know you have a love and passion for photography. As a photographer you start noticing details, you begin to see that you are surrounded by beauty. Every day is full of it, it is in unexpected places, your own back yard and in all the ordinary places. Beauty is all around you, all you have to do is focus and capture. When you start looking forward to spending time with your camera with every moment that you have, then you know that photography has changed your life and all of your day to day experiences. It allows you to truly live in the present and like an artist painting a master piece, photography guides you to a place of peace, it becomes a form of meditation. Photography is instant, if you have a camera you can capture any moment in time from where ever you are, it has no language barriers, you can communicate and connect with anyone who has sight from all walks of life. Click on any of the images to view large... enjoy! A beautiful sunset in Africa The amazing colours of Autumn in New Zealand Himalayan Poppy growing in a Southland garden Lovers at sunset Little River Canterbury Cold blooded reptiles of Africa & Thailand to the reflection of palm trees and shells on the beach in Thailand From the majestic giants to the minute details of insects in nature, and the beginning of five new lives. Historic Church in Gore immaculately maintained. Engagement ring ideas that make wonderful greeting cards. Natures art.. (wood worm formations in wood and pained word Art on nature's canvas) Beauty all around us in nature and made by man
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If you love photography... then do what you love... take photographs!
'Your best photograph has not yet been seen or captured. We all have access to things that no one else has access to, so capture those moments.' Since taking up photography, I see things in a new and different way. Little things I never noticed before are suddenly everywhere to inspire and amaze me... like a simple dew drop... when the sun catches it in a certain way it looks spectacular and I know that my best shot is yet to come. Photography is in a sense a time-machine, freezing a split second in time for eternity, allowing future generations to travel back to the past and experience life through a photo or video... time moves forward and that split second disappears forever, except for our photos and our memory. It is fascinating exploring unguarded moments, (candid photography)....looking for a soul peeking out and waiting for that one brief opening of the heart... finding a door unlatched into a persons thoughts and capturing the wisdom I so often see etched on their faces. I always try to become fully aware of the moment, becoming one with my surroundings, capturing emotion and feeling in a single frame... especially when it comes to people... I find the unguarded moments are often the best. Get out there and be prepared to expect the extraordinary in the ordinary... this does not only apply to photographers, it applies to all of us... the extraordinary is there if you consciously seek it. 2/10/2014 0 Comments My Journey of Passion Part 3Photography is exciting... especially to those who are passionate about it, turning nature's light and subjects into images that give the mind a framed and rich display, often with emotional connections and a deeper understanding of life. Passion and excitement are the raw ingredients that fuel brilliance in many forms of art, sports and professions. In order to keep that fire burning I constantly look for ways to keep my own interests alive. I find joy in life and power in my work. I never have drag myself out of bed, I am always happy to enjoy another day on the planet, another day to keep that fire burning and discover new things. If you are truly interested in "seeing", there's no limit to what you can take in... for example: Walk through a crowd on a busy city street and see inspiration in every passing face, every shift of sunlight, and every angle of the cityscape. Always seeking new vision allows you to be creative and we can all cultivate that vision in every day life... you don't have to be a photographer to admire and enjoy the show amazing nature puts on for us. In this day and age, there are no excuses not to take photos if you see something that catches your eye. Digital cameras have no negative consequences (Keith says I almost made a joke with that statement... lol), fill your memory card and always keep a spare one handy. The more photos you take, the bigger the selection of photos to choose from and you might be pleasantly surprised when you download the images. Having the freedom to take photos any time of the day or any day of the week is a blessing and something I do not take for granted... It provides me with the ultimate freedom... I have the freedom of possibilities that never run out. Nature, places and people are always there gracing us with their beauty, for photographers and artists we are always looking for the extraordinary in the mundane. Photography - a wordless medium of expression, a silent arena that has a visual voice. "Skill in photography is acquired by practice and not by purchase". – Percy W. Harris Photography from the Greek (phos), meaning "light", and (graphê), meaning "drawing, writing", together meaning "drawing with light". Thank you for reading my Blog, please leave some feedback, it will help me learn and improve... Children are such wonderful subjects to photograph, they do not worry whether they have their make-up on, or if their hair is brushed, they are natural and so beautiful... Waiting for the bus a few candid shots of these lovely girls... A bright sunny day and lots of colours... a great recipe for a photo... or some would say for a drink... Cardboard Cathedral Christchurch. A-Frame in style, rising 78 feet (24 m) in height, the Cathedral rises 70 feet (21 m) above the altar. Materials used in its construction include 2 feet (0.61 m) diameter cardboard tubes, timber and steel. The roof is of polycarbon, and is held up by eight shipping containers which form the walls. The foundation is concrete slab. Dandelion sprinkled with a light morning shower, revealing it's true beauty in the sunlight... Standing on a vacant piece of ground in the heart of Christchurch where a church once stood, 185 white chairs represent each of the 185 lives lost in the 2011 Christchurch earthquake. Each chair, just like its owner, has its own personality, with the installation including armchairs, dining room chairs, a wheel chair, and even a baby capsule. The 185 square metres of grass that the chairs sit on represents new growth and regeneration... The artist’s statement poetically reminds us all that the ‘installation is temporary – as is life’. Beautiful little Bee Eater in Thailand with a dragonfly... Wall art...
My mother calls me a late bloomer... I think deep down I have always had a passion for photography, but 20 years ago I had never heard of a digital camera... I was too busy being a mother, and running a small business there was no time for photography... Photography used to be all about waiting until the film spool was used up before having your photos developed... An expensive exercise and time consuming exercise, and if they were blurred, you paid for them anyway... incredible to think that we used to keep and cherish even the blurred photos... 10 years ago I saw my first digital camera, I was amazed... you did not have to wait to fill the roll of film, you'd simply download them onto your computer, and if there were blurred photos, you just hit delete... The internet has changed all that... we can now take photos, load them onto our PC, and in minutes we can literally share them with the world via email and social media sites such as Facebook, Pinintrest, Flicker, Twitter and so on... I'm hoping to add new photos to this blog fortnightly, so please join me on my journey of passion in 2014... let me share my little view of the world with you from the lens of my camera throughout the year... Gore Trots, this was my first time, a wonderful place to take some candid photos... we enjoyed the sunshine and a little time out with the family... Three months ago we were given this Rock Pigeon. It had fallen from the nest and was not ready to fledge... I fed the baby by syringe for a week then taught him to eat seed with the help of our two white collard doves. Rocky was set free to go back into the wild, he returns twice a day to eat... Nothing like mothers down to keep this little chick warm and secure... The magic of sunlight and dirt... Dahlia with sparkling dew drops, the Opium Poppy with the bumble bee... Early morning for me is the best time of day, everything seems new and fresh... Not often I get to see the Hedgehogs in daylight, this young fellow was still out and about in the early morning... the dew from the grass caught on his whiskers... he wandered off into the bushes.... The beautiful Silver-Eye / Wax Eye, in search of nectar flowers... I know that they will be here in their hundreds when the weather turns cooler... They are birds full of character and provide amazing photo opportunities. Jade... a first time Mum simply loves motherhood... I have never seen a mother hen as besotted as Jade is with her chick... she shows such emotion and feelings towards her chick, she can't stop looking at it, and if she could simile, she would be beaming from ear to ear...
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AuthorFour years ago, I was just getting started (AndreaEL Photography)..today my photos have appeared on magazine covers, greeting cards, community notice boards, wedding albums, wildlife publications, calendars and websites all over the world. I have passed 1,000,000 Views on one of my sites.. I am blown away by the positive response. Archives
July 2017
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Andrea Lightfoot
Specialising in NZ Native Bird Photography
Recipient of International Photography Awards Selected for PGG Wrightson Calendar Works featured on German Television Images used on USA Greeting Cards Featured as cover for Published Books Author of NZ Native Birds, Endangered Species Featured on Local Government Information Board |