Author Archives: Wayne Eastep

(Acanthemblemaria maria), Blennies, Bonaire, Caribbean, Fish, Marine Life, Natural History, Nature, Nature Photography, Secretary blenny, The Living Seas, book, underwater, underwater photography, wildlife

Secretary blenny (Acanthemblemaria maria). Blennies take up residence in tiny abandoned holes in coral. Most secretive, they spend most of their time hiding inside or cautiously venturing to the opening of their coral home. They are tiny usually less than 8 cm. long. Bonaire
I saw this blenny dart into a small  hole in the coral head.  Slowly I approached and sat my camera’s down on the ocean floor, slowed my breath and waited.  Over the next forty minutes I mainly did nothing but watched and waited.  The blenny would peak it’s head out of the hole and dart back inside.  I kept repeating the same idea over and over in my mind…” I don’t want to hurt you, you’re wonderful, I just want to make a picture”.  The blenny started to stay out longer.  Gently I picked up my camera waited for the blenny to come out and stay, when it did I made one exposure, the one you’re looking at.
More underwater images can be seen at: EastepPhotography.com
Art, Interior Design, Uncategorized, underwater

Let the wildlife call the shots

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Polaroid, Photograph, Image, Fine Art, St. Lucia, Interior Designers, Interior Design, Decor, Decorative Print,

Polaroid image on St. Lucia of a Rasta man and Rooster.

What camera should I use?  I’ve lost track of the number of times I’ve been asked this question.  I learned on an assignment for Polaroid that it did not matter what camera I use.  Creating an image is mostly about the way I see.  I grant that a particular lens or camera may give me a technical tool that helps craft the image.  When I photographed for Polaroid I was limited to the camera and film they provided.  The goal was to demonstrate that fine art images could be created using only Polaroid film and a Spectra camera.  These are two of many images I made for Polaroid.  The images won awards in a number of categories and proved to be successful in promoting the Spectra camera.

I learned from this assignment that creating images was mostly about the way I see and minimally about what camera I use.  There’s a saying among working photographers that “the best camera is the one you have with you”.  These days I always have my “smart phone” with me and  am pleased with the images I am creating.  I love the spontaneous feel of the images.  In coming posts I’ll share some of those with you.

Polaroid, Photograph, Image, Fine Art, Decorative Image, Decorative Picture, Interior Designers, Interior Design,

Polaroid image, Crete, Greece

Art, creativity, Design, Interior Design, Portraits, Travel

What Camera Should I Use?

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Art, Culture, Nature

Generation to Genration

Japanese cedar trees near Kyoto, Japan.

Japanese cedar trees near Kyoto, Japan.

Japanese cedar trees (Petasites japonicus) with branches cleared to develop a smooth exterior. Tree trunks are used as a feature in living room alcoves. Children harvest the trees their grandparents planted, nurture and cultivate trees their parents plant and  plant new trees for future generations.  West of Kyoto, Takao area, Japan.  To see more images from Japan visit EastepPhotogrpahy.com

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Art, Nature, underwater

Simply Beautiful

coral, Saba, Tubeworm, Underwater, Photography,

Serpulid Tubeworm (Ponastegus stellatus), Saba

This image of a Tubeworm photographed in Saba is beautiful.   Rather than saying more I’ll leave it at that.

To see more of my underwater images visit:  EastepPhotography.com

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Design, Nature, underwater

Artist’s Primary Source, Nature

Bonaire, Caribbean, Nature Photography, Underwater, Underwater Photography, Orange Sea Lily, Nemaster rubiginosa, The Living Seas,

Orange Sea Lily (Nemaster rubiginosa) Bonaire

One of the reasons artists collect so much stuff; rocks, feathers, shells, crushed cans, you name it,  is because they have a talent for seeing elements of design in everything. Shapes and forms in the natural world awakens a sensibility that we recognize as having a “sense of rightness,”  Mark Getlein, Living With Art.

Coral

Sea Rod (Gorgonian coral) Bonaire

Focusing  on the natural world engages our imagination and inspires a creative response. Design principles from nature show up in science, engineering, architecture, art, textiles and fashion.

Sea Fan Pan (Gorgonia ventalina) Grand Cayman

Sea Fan Pan (Gorgonia ventalina) Grand Cayman

The approach I took to photographing marine subjects for the book The Living Seas was to concentrate on  design within  marine life.  I  looked with curiosity at the line, light, shape and form I saw within the underwater world. Compositions  focused  on the central design feature of the subject I was studying.

A few years ago a project came along which gave me the opportunity to work with one of the finest designers  in America, Chip Reay.  Chip selected from my underwater images  ones which had  clean simple design .  He played with the photographs by making a duplicate of the image, flipping it and merging it with the original. the result was a wonderful mirror image, a delightful rorschach.  These three images are examples of his successful collaboration with my photographs.

To see more underwater images visit my Image Archive:   EastepPhotography.com

 

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Nature, underwater

Light From Within

Pillar Coral, Florida, Underwater, Underwater Photography, Image, Underwater Image, Nature, Nature Photography, Marine Life, Florida Keys, The Living Seas,

Pillar coral (Dendrogyra cylindrus). Florida Keys

When I first saw pillar coral I was  amazed by the sense that light was being emitted from within the undulating tentacles .   Coral is one of those phenomenal life forms being both animal and plant.

This image is another example of the beautiful design found in nature.

More underwater images can be seen at my image archive: EastepPhotography.com

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Nature, underwater

Nature’s Design

Underwater, Underwater Photography, coral, graphic images, nature, natural history, The living seas book, Bonaire,

Solitary Disk Coral (Scolymia lacera) Bonaire

Life underwater is a world of dreamlike images.  The surprising luminosity, electric color and intriguing shapes are what interest me. Exploring this magical realm is a transcendent experience.

To see more underwater image visit my Image Archive:  EastepPhotography.com 

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Nature, underwater

Moon Jellyfish

Marine life, Caribbean, Natural History, Nature, Nature Photography, Saba, The Living Seas, book, underwater, underwater photography, wildlife, SCUBA, ocean

Moon Jellyfish (Aurelia aurita) Saba

When Diana Nyad completed her 110 mile swim from Cuba to Key West on September 2, 2013 it rekindled memories of my encounters with jellyfish in the Caribbean.   While photographing underwater for the book The Living Seas I swam into a swarm of jellyfish. I experienced how this magnificent creäture can be threatening.

Jellyfish sting in defense and as a way to attack prey.  The tentacles are covered with thousands of cells with stinging threads.  These stinging cells shoot out like darts shooting venom with the goal of paralyzing.  This action is capable of killing smaller marine creatures.  From first hand experience I can tell you that the effect on humans is pain, skin rashes, fever and muscle cramps. Given that I was underwater when stung  I did not have close at hand vinegar, rubbing alcohol, meat tenderizer or or baking soda. I did have one of the more effective antidotes, urine.  Trust me it works.

In spite of the potential hazard I was drawn back again and again with the goal of creating images which would celebrate the otherworldly beauty of the jellyfish.

I salute Diana Nyad.

To see additional underwater images visit my Image Archive: EastepPhotography.com

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Art, Culture, Saudi Arabia, Travel

Color Beyond Description

Mada'in Saleh, the historical site of a Nabataen trading center, northern Saudi Arabia

Mada’in Saleh, the historical site of a Nabatean trading center, northern Saudi Arabia

Photography has reached a strange place when I have to explain that “yes, that was the true color” and NO I did not create this in Photoshop, yikes!

The place I made this picture is Mada’in Saleh the historical site of a Nabatean trading center in north-west Saudi Arabia.  These folks were part of a group whose capital was Petra in modern-day Jordan.  It is also the place the Ottomans had a railroad depot which T.E. Lawrence destroyed.  It is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

I made this image as part of a  feature story of archeology  for Smithsonian magazine. There are two reasons the color is other worldly.  The first is the light in Arabia gets this way sometimes, that’s all I know.  The second reason is I used a rare film Kodachrome Photomicrography which had insane saturation and detail.  The ASA is 16.  I did not add any color, the film simply  recorded everything that was there.

To see more images from this story visit Eastep Image Archive @ www.EastepPhotography.com 

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Art, Recent Personal Images

A Forty Year Love Affair

nature, tulip, parrot tulip, flower, art, photography, photograph

Professor Rontgen Parrot Tulip

New York, New York City, art, flower, parrot tulip, tulip, art, photograph, photography,

Parrot Tulips on 29th Street, New York City

I’ve had a forty-year love affair with the parrot tulip.  There are a few moments when I meet someone or discover something in nature when a connection is established that lasts a lifetime.  I’ve been blessed with a few of these moments, the first time I saw Patti’s  eyes, she’s been my wife for 45 years.  The moment I looked into Layla’s face in the delivery room, 26 years later I am still in love with my daughter.  Then there’s the parrot tulip.

The first time I saw a parrot tulip was forty years ago while walking in the rain along Madison Avenue in New York City.  A corner flower shop had a  funnel-shaped galvanized bucket full of parrot tulips among the flowers on display.  Even now I remember the response I had, it was mainly wonderment.  Looking at the tulip was like looking at a flame painted into a flower.

A few years ago I had a florist importer order direct from Holland two dozen parrot tulips.  They were delivered every Monday during their blooming period.  I would take them into my studio, study them and make new visual discoveries each week. The first image with the black background is an image from one of those sessions.

Earlier this year while walking in the rain along 29th street near my apartment in New York City I came upon two parrot tulips.  There were growing within a metal enclosure around a Ginko tree. I got down low to take a closer look when I noticed the taxis heading westbound on 29th street.  The image of that moment is the second one in this post.

To see more images visit: Eastep Image Archive

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