DIY Home Decorating with peel and stick wall murals.
Are you a little quarantine claustrophobic? Get a new view with a vinyl removable print. Visit the Seascape collection at my online store: eastepstore.WayneEastep.com
Vinyl print creates a room with a view.
Serpulid Tubeworm (Ponastegus stellatus), Saba
The beauty of nature often speaks for itself, take a breath, look, enjoy.
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 image, Crete, Greece
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
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.
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
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
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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