Description
Photography
Photographer:
Marc Adamus
Quick, name your top 5 musical artists.
Ok, now your top 5 landscape photographers. Tougher, huh? Most people can say "Ansel Adams", but then it gets fuzzy. You might be familiar with Galen Rowell or Art Wolfe. Or maybe you've been by an "Images of Nature" store and you recognize the name Thomas D Magnelson. At any rate, big names are few and far between.
The artist I want to share with you is a big name on the rise. I think he might be the best landscape photographer alive (my other two favorite, the aforementioned Adams and Rowell, both deceased). And he's only 28. I'm not sure if the landscape photography industry has "risng stars", but if it does... Marc Adamus is one. The LeBron James of landscape photography.
He’s won plenty of awards, and has begun to write for several photo magazines, online and in print. But his impact is, and will be, more than that. Marc is a slave to his art. He goes to unbelievable lengths in the field (think: multi-day snow-trekking) to acquire truly unique images… even if they are in common/well-visited locations. In a way, he’s changing the face of landscape photography. In addition to his commitment, he has the perfect trifecta for landscape photography: unique vision, impeccable timing, and technical mastery. Marc spends more time in the field than any photographer I've heard of, and despite visiting famous destinations his images are like nothing I've ever seen (and I look at a LOT of photographs). Thanks to his dedication and skill, we get to, as Marc puts it, “experience the beauty”…
As a last comment, I just want to reiterate that these photos are NOT mine, but belong to Marc Adamus. See more of his work here:
www.marcadamus.com
and here:
www.timecatcher.com
and for some of his recent work, you can check this photography site I'm a part of. He's just posted a few new threads:
http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/596031
http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/596834
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1. Thanks. I gave it some thought because really he's more like a rookie LeBron. I mean, you know the talent is there, but we haven't seen what kind of effect it will have on "the game". At this point LeBron might be the biggest name in basketball. Marc is definitely not there yet in photography. I thought maybe a good rookie or college player might be more accurate, but "the next Derrick Rose" didn't quite have the same ring.
2. The "running water effect" you notice in the 4th photo is not an uncommon technique. Simply put, it's a long exposure. A very fast exposure will freeze water so that it looks solid (my "A Different Perspective" post would be a good example). The longer the exposure the more fluid the water appears. Marc's 2nd shot here is more in-between... there is a slight blur hinting at the motion (in this case almost violent motion), but enough speed to keep the form of the water. If he had taken that 2nd shot with the same shutter speed as the 4th, the water would look flat and serene. For the peaceful scene of a brook flowing through a forest in Mt Rainier Nat'l Park (4th shot), he chose a longer shutter speed to blur the water adding to the calm feeling of the shot. He's shaping the water in the shot to add to the feel of the image.
In regards to my style, I certainly have been influenced by Marc's images, but not specifically in this case. As I said, it's a rather common technique. What makes Marc's image so unique is the flowers on the left (he probably would have needed the patience to wait for a windless day, as any breeze would render the flowers blurry with a long exposure), and the sunburst in the top middle. Without that added dramatic light, this image would be like many others... but that sets it apart.
I think the biggest way I've been personally influenced by Marc's work hasn't been a specific technique so much as a general mindset to pursue, plan, and wait for spectacular/dramatic light.