Africa and Abandoned Theme Parks

Africa

1. Nick Brandt's photos captured the raw and simplistic beauty of nature. Brandt captures the scene perfectly by capturing the animal's profile and the natural landscape to give the photo an "untouched" vibe. Brandt himself doesn't believe in shortcuts, and as he described in his photo he has gone as far to wait days and weeks to capture one perfect moment. Brandt gets as close to the animals he photographs and puts himself right at the scene to make his photos as up close and personal with nature as possible.

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3. I chose two photos that were my particular favorites instead of one. Both these photos have one element in common: elephants, but that's not the only reason why I chose them as my favorite photos. The first photo has a simplistic beauty. The background is simple - a light and overcast sky and a desolate plain. Then, stretching from one side of the photo to the other, is an elephant herd. One leads the herb mightily in the front while the others follow. The background allows the viewer's attention to first fall on the lead elephant and then slowly make their way down the line. I like the photo because it's simple and light. There's not TOO much in the photo and that makes it great.

The second photo is quite the opposite. While there isn't much activity in the background, the shadows and the lighting make it quite dramatic and intense. However, it still doesn't draw the attention completely away from the elephants illuminated at the bottom of the photo. The photo additionally captures the landscape and the sky to give the photo a wild and fierce vibe. 

4. The first photo has the rule of simplicity and leading lines in the photo. It's simplistic background makes the subject crystal clear. The photo is captured in a way that the viewer's eyes first land on the front elephant, and then gradually make their way down the line across the frame. 

The second photo has neither simplicity nor leading lines (even though the elephants ARE in a line in the photo, it does not drag the viewer's eyes in the same way as the first photo). The rule used in the second photo is balance. The shadows and lighting come perfectly to put the elephants in the spotlight, but they also create a dramatic background to fill in the rest of the frame. 

5. Brandt uses medium-format black and white film and does not use telephoto or zoom lenses (these type of lenses would make it appear as if the photographer is right next to the subject even if they're far away from the subject in reality). The type of film and lenses Brandt uses ensures that his photos are as raw and real as possible. To get a close shot, he has to get up close and personal to nature. The black and white film means that the photo is untouched by Photoshop or any other photo-editing software, making the photo completely "real".

6. Brandt was drawn to the raw and natural beauty of east and southern Africa. He describes that, "There is something profoundly iconic, mythological even, about the animals of East and southern Africa. There is also something deeply, emotionally stirring and affecting about the plains of Africa—those vast, green rolling plains punctuated by graphically perfect acacia trees under the huge skies." Brandt wants to capture the animals existing in their natural setting.

7. Brandt hopes that his photo may bring awareness about the situation in Africa in which animal species are dwindling in numbers. He hopes that people, the authorities in particular, will do more to prevent poaching and to expand animal preserves and conservation.

8. "In 1995 I first drove the main road from Nairobi down through southern Kenya to Arusha in northern Tanzania. Along the way, in completely unprotected areas, I saw giraffes, zebras, gazelles, impalas, wildebeest. A few months ago, just 13 years later, I made the same drive. I didn't see a single wild animal the entire four-hour drive. It's not that they've moved elsewhere. It's that they've been wiped out—turned into bushmeat."

Abandoned Theme Parks

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I would want to go to the Glen Echo Amusement Park  in Maryland. The park has a rustic and vintage vibe that would be really interesting to photograph. The park is open to the public and easy to access too, and that can open up a bunch of photo opportunities. The park is still kept in good shape so that the photos can be pleasing to the eye and still display an old-timey feel.

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3. Five Other Places I'd Love to Photograph:

1. Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia

2. Mendenhall Ice Caves, Juneau, Alaska

3. The Chapel of Bones (Capela dos Ossos) in Evora, Portugal.

 

4. Glass Beach in Fort Bragg, California

5. Shewdagon Pagoda in Yangon, Myanmar

4. Salar de Uyuni in Bolvia

Many people have documented Salar de Uyuni in both dry and wet season. This particular photo was taken by Hideki Mizuta, a photographer for National Geographic. A place for natural beauty, it attracts many photographers from science magazines around the world.

5. I think this would be a very unique and interesting place to photographer because of how reflective it is. The salt flat, went covered with water, reflects the sky and anything within the lake. I think that would make a lot of great and interesting opportunities to photograph the interesting visual effects the salt flats create.

6. To take this photo, I would need to make plans for a plane to Boliva, a place to stay, and means of travel to the salt flats. I would need certain attire and possibly be prepared for a little mountain climbing. The salt flats are near the Andes mountain range and are at an elevation over 3,000 feet. To take photos, it might be better to take the picture with a tripod in order to avoid unsteady photos.