Neil Creek – Photographer

This “weekly” update has this time become a “monthly” one. Sorry to keep you all waiting, but as I mentioned in the previous posts, it’s been a bit of a rough month. Right now, I’m fighting through a cold, but I really want to get the ball rolling here again, so for now, please enjoy reading the group highlights! Some really awesome photos from members in the last four weeks!

Group stats

• Group Members: 313 (37 new, +13%)
• Photos: 1489 (471 new, +46%)
• Discussion topics: 59 (9 new, +18%)

Neil’s Favourite Photos

Why I chose this: This photo, titled “The Black Hole” works for me on several levels. Without knowing what the photo is of, it does distinctly remind me of the computer graphics visualisations of black holes that I have watched on many documentaries. This appeals to my interest in astronomy. The soft, slightly blurred circular lines of colour draw the eye right into the photo, as does the underexposed exposed background. When one reads the description and lean that the subject is simply a spot lit mirror ball, one is impressed from where the complex yet subtle image came from.

Reading further into the description and learning of Chrissy’s state of mind when taking the photo opens up a whole new level of appreciation for the photo, as it offers a glimpse into a world of drug and pain affected perceptions.

Meet a Member

Neil Creek
Melbourne, Australia
Flickr: neilcreek

I’ve been asking members of the group to submit questionnaires about themselves, but I’ve never actually done it myself. It’s only fair for me to answer my own questions, since everyone else has been such a good sport so far!

What got you into photography?
I’ve always been a gadget geek, and whenever anyone would let me, I’d borrow their cameras to have a go. I always wanted to have my own camera, but things were pretty lean most of my childhood. I never had the patience for developing my own photos, so it wasn’t till the digital photography age came along that I really got to get my feet wet. I got a compact camera fairly early on, but the limitations of anew technology and a simple camera frustrated me. Then one day I discovered the first affordable DSLRs. I did a lot of research, chose a Sigma SD10, and from that point on, I was hooked.

What do you think are you photographic strengths and weaknesses?
I think my strengths are the ability to recognise a good photo opportunity, and an instinct for creative compositions. My main weakness is approaching unfamiliar people. I love photographing portraits, but I have real trouble introducing myself, with camera in hand, to ask people if I may take their photo. Unless I’m in a situation where photography is expected, like a wedding, or convention, I just can’t summon the courage.

What is your favourite piece of photographic equipment and why?
My Sigma 8mm f4 fisheye lens, by far. I have had so much fun with this lens, and it’s one of the most versatile in my kit, given the different moods and looks it can achieve. For portraits it’s huge fun, for landscapes it really captures sweeping views, for still life it offers a unique perspective and when combined with stitching software, it can create totally awesome fully immersive 360 degree panoramas.

What is your favourite photographic subject and why?
Despite what I said earlier, I love photographing people most. Once you’ve broken the ice, there’s little more fulfilling and fun photography than shooting the many types and many moods of people. Humans are nature’s most beautiful and interesting subjects, and every shoot is different in fascinating ways. I still have a lot to learn, and many types of portraiture that I want to try, such as street photography and artistic nudes, so I’m looking forward to photographing people for a long time to come.

Tell us a story about a memorable photographic experience you’ve had.
One of the friends I made through the Melbourne Anime Festival had an idea for a costumed photoshoot. Annie, her friend Alex and I went to the picturesque Melbourne University with a rough idea of a story in our heads. Together the three of us worked to come up with a story that worked with their beautiful costumes, the interesting and varied locations at the university, and my newly-acquired flash lighting gear. The whole experience was very creative and exhilarating, and one I would love to repeat.

What is the most valuable photographic advice you can give?
Keep shooting, but never force it. You need to practice to become familiar with the camera, light and the creative process. However if something isn’t working for you, forcing it won’t help. Take a break, try a different approach or ask for someone’s advice.

Comment Day

The whole point of starting the group is to learn with and teach each other. All of us have things we can improve, and most of us have things to teach that others would find useful. Apart from participating in the discussion, which I strenuously encourage you to do, is to comment on others’ photos. Every week, on the day that I post the flickr group update, is Comment Day.

I ask that everyone who reads this blog to please visit the group’s photo pool and leave a worthwhile comment on at least five photos that you find there.

By “worthwhile” I mean something that clearly expresses why you like or dislike a photo, and if possible, what you can suggest that might make it better. Constructive comments are essential, and carefully thought comments are far better than off-the-cuff ones. Absolutely no “Awesome!” or “I like this photo” comments please. I want you to actually say something. :)

If you have trouble writing comments, then I suggest reading my recent post on DPS on the subject:How to Win Friends and Influence People – A Guide to Commenting on Other People’s Photos

Weekly Challenge

Each week I challenge group members to take photos to a particular theme or topic. Not every photo added to the pool must be to the theme, and you don’t have to participate, but it is encouraged. Try to be creative and imaginative with the theme, and use it as a chance to show off your skills.

Last week’s challenge was flowers. Here are some of my favourites from the photos submitted:

Why I chose this: Brian’s photo takes the challenge’s theme and runs with it. Not content with just photographing a flower, he finds quite an unusual and visually striking one. He then composes his photo to take full advantage of the unique visual properties of this flower.

The radial leaves all point to the subtly pink blossom, whose own petals reflect the same jagged radial geometry. Positioning the flower on the right third of the image works well and allows us to see more of the leaves with their interesting texture, but he doesn’t allow them to compete for attention, cleverly using depth of field to de-emphasise them. Finally, I love the complementary pastel colours.

Please tag your challenge photos with the following tags:

• lpncchallenges
• lpncchallenge12
• movement

Please limit yourself to up to ten photos submitted to this challenge.

If you would like to be eligible to have your challenge photo selected as one of my weekly picks, then please make sure the photo is added to our Flickr group. I generate the thumbnails above by adding a special tag to those photos, but I can only do this if your photo is in the group (or if we are on each others’ contact lists). So please make sure your photo is in the group, or you may not be selected to show, even though I may love your photo.

Also, if you are able to, it would be nice if you could mention in your photo description that you have submitted your photo to the challenge. This will provide a little publicity for the blog and our Flickr group, and it will also let people know about the challenge which they may wish to participate in themselves. This is completely optional.

Thank you!

You can see the photos submitted to the challenge so far here.

You can join in the discussion of the weekly challenge here.