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AnimalsPlantsNature

Your Home for APN Photography

Hello and welcome to an interview series that will introduce you to the artists of Animals, Plants and Nature Photography - with a touch of Macro-Nature - here, at AnimalsPlantsNature ! We are excited to be bringing you an interview with a well-known Domesticate Animals photographer, to get a closer look at her photography and the thoughts behind the amazing photos she shares with the DeviantArt community: silvena .

Enjoy the interview!

Before we get started, please take a moment to introduce yourself and talk a bit about how you got introduced to the world of photography.

I am a professional wedding and animals photographer. I didin’t decide to became a photographer, it just happened. I liked to photograph since I was a child. I took pictures of my pets, at equestrian events and family gatherings. I bought my first SLR camera and I did not notice when photography filled my whole life. I finished school, passed my high school diploma and decided to start a photography business. It was obvious to me. I had to become a photographer, I did not consider anything else. I worked with my brother-in-law for the first year and photographed weddings. He lent me equipment, lenses, flashlights, but I learned everything by myself. I learned a lot from reading articles and watching tutorials on youtube.

You have been a member of DA for more than a decade, and have shared many kinds of different art. If you had to name a favorite, what would it be and why?

You’re right, I set up a DA account when I was 13 years old. I still like to write poems and draw with a pencil, but definitely the most I love taking photos. Why? Because I can stop time in this way. I am also a wedding photographer, so I engage in capturing the happiest day in people's lives. In this way I can show real emotions of lovers, their tender smiles, tears of happiness, gentle touches and kisses. In animal photography I show the character of an animal, their beauty and grace. Photography is a way of feeling, the way you see things. What you have caught on film is captured forever… it remembers things, long after you have forgotten everything.

Your gallery is filled with amazing photographs of all kinds of horses. How do you find these beauties and what role do their owners play?

Some of the photos are reportages from equestrian competitions, some of them I took during workshops. Usually, horse owners are looking for a photographer by themselves, they want to portray their pets. Sometimes they ask for a session with a horse, and sometimes they only want photos of their pupil. In the second case, they play the role of an assistant who keeps a horse and sets it for photos.

What would you say is the difference between photographing horses by themselves, and photographing them with people involved?

Huge. Photographing horses without any help from other people is a lottery and waiting for good will of the horse. The animal will quickly get bored and will ignore you. You can not take pictures at the same time and set the horse to the photo correctly. At all sessions, we need an assistant. The person who turns the horse, holds the reins, a person who will treat a horse with a carrot, that he would become interested in the session and turn his head to you. Even when photographing horses in the pasture, we need an assistant who will force horses to run in a expected direction.

The photo above has a great composition and the color palette works beautifully. Could you tell us a little bit about the circumstances and creative choices that went into taking this photo?

It was an ugly autumn day. There was no sun at all, the whole sky was covered with gray clouds. I did not expect anything from this session. The horses were impatient and moved close to the fence. It was literally one moment when a friend forced this gelding to run over the hill. The horse looked attractively on a background of the clouds – it was a perfect composition. I managed to take two photos, but I chose the one on which the horse was in the center of the frame.

You use quite a bit of black and white in your photography. Is there a deciding factor which makes you choose black and white over full color?

In some pictures, the color interferes with the reception and interpretation of the photo. On black and white photos I want to show emotions. It can be joy, sadness, elegance, strength or nostalgia, for example: galloping stallion that demonstrates his strength, sad eyes of a tired draft horse or an elegant detail during the competition.
Technically, a black and white photograph must be well-lit and have good contrast. Photo which is looking "flat" and with insipid colors will not look good in b&w.

In your photography, it's obvious that you look beyond the animal as a whole. Like the photo above, you have a lot of attention for the little details. Could you tell us a little about the process that went into taking this photo?

Sometimes I'm bored with ordinary portraits or average reportage from the equestrian events. Then I try to find a detail that will be an interesting subject to photograph. Sometimes it is a small thing, an interesting subject, an unusual angle of view, a shade or even a texture.
Just like in that case. I was looking for an interesting topic for the photo during the break in the competition. I noticed a grazing horse with a braided mane and I decided to photograph him in a different way.

You have photographed some of your pets as wel as strays. What kind of obstacles do you encounter when photographing these wild animals, so to speak, in comparison to animals that know you and are familiar with people?

Well, domesticated animals simply do not run away. To photograph a wild animal, we must first approach it. Of course, there is a huge zoom like 600mm, but who can afford such an expense. Usually we have a lens about 300mm, so we have to sneak.
Photographing wild animals is associated with very early getting up, laborious tracking, long hours of waiting ... and at the end we often come back with nothing. Frequent fruitless trips may be discouraging. So we must have a lot of patience.

Since you photograph many different subjects, could you describe the standard equipment you use when, for example, photographing horses in or around their stables?

Animals are in constant motion, especially horses, so if you want to photograph them, you need zoom lenses. To obtain a bright and well-lit photo, you should choose lenses with f/2.8. The best known and recommended zoom lens is 70-200mm.
In animal photography the most important is the speed of the camera - the number of photos taken per second. Of course, at the beginning you can learn on an amateur SLR, but at some level you will need full-frame camera.
I’m using Canon 6D with Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 Di LD (IF). I have also Canon 50mm f/1.4 and Sigma ART 24mm f/1.4, but I do not use them to photograph horses.

In closing, do you have any tips for aspiring photographers?

Take your camera and shoot. Everywhere and everything. Photography is above all an experience. Get to know your camera, discover many areas of photography. When you have free time - go and take photos. Then read articles, watch tutorial videos And when you think you are stuck and you will not achieve anything more - go to the workshop and learn from your mentors. Photography is nothing but a practice.

Now for a feature of silvena 's work!

Journal skin by UszatyArbuz
Photo by The-Panic

Description
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AnimalsPlantsNature

Your Home for APN Photography

Hello and welcome to an interview series that will introduce you to the artists of Animals, Plants and Nature Photography - with a touch of Macro-Nature - here, at AnimalsPlantsNature ! We are excited to be bringing you an interview with a well-known Domesticate Animals photographer, to get a closer look at her photography and the thoughts behind the amazing photos she shares with the DeviantArt community: silvena .

Enjoy the interview!

Before we get started, please take a moment to introduce yourself and talk a bit about how you got introduced to the world of photography.

I am a professional wedding and animals photographer. I didin’t decide to became a photographer, it just happened. I liked to photograph since I was a child. I took pictures of my pets, at equestrian events and family gatherings. I bought my first SLR camera and I did not notice when photography filled my whole life. I finished school, passed my high school diploma and decided to start a photography business. It was obvious to me. I had to become a photographer, I did not consider anything else. I worked with my brother-in-law for the first year and photographed weddings. He lent me equipment, lenses, flashlights, but I learned everything by myself. I learned a lot from reading articles and watching tutorials on youtube.

You have been a member of DA for more than a decade, and have shared many kinds of different art. If you had to name a favorite, what would it be and why?

You’re right, I set up a DA account when I was 13 years old. I still like to write poems and draw with a pencil, but definitely the most I love taking photos. Why? Because I can stop time in this way. I am also a wedding photographer, so I engage in capturing the happiest day in people's lives. In this way I can show real emotions of lovers, their tender smiles, tears of happiness, gentle touches and kisses. In animal photography I show the character of an animal, their beauty and grace. Photography is a way of feeling, the way you see things. What you have caught on film is captured forever… it remembers things, long after you have forgotten everything.

Your gallery is filled with amazing photographs of all kinds of horses. How do you find these beauties and what role do their owners play?

Some of the photos are reportages from equestrian competitions, some of them I took during workshops. Usually, horse owners are looking for a photographer by themselves, they want to portray their pets. Sometimes they ask for a session with a horse, and sometimes they only want photos of their pupil. In the second case, they play the role of an assistant who keeps a horse and sets it for photos.

What would you say is the difference between photographing horses by themselves, and photographing them with people involved?

Huge. Photographing horses without any help from other people is a lottery and waiting for good will of the horse. The animal will quickly get bored and will ignore you. You can not take pictures at the same time and set the horse to the photo correctly. At all sessions, we need an assistant. The person who turns the horse, holds the reins, a person who will treat a horse with a carrot, that he would become interested in the session and turn his head to you. Even when photographing horses in the pasture, we need an assistant who will force horses to run in a expected direction.

The photo above has a great composition and the color palette works beautifully. Could you tell us a little bit about the circumstances and creative choices that went into taking this photo?

It was an ugly autumn day. There was no sun at all, the whole sky was covered with gray clouds. I did not expect anything from this session. The horses were impatient and moved close to the fence. It was literally one moment when a friend forced this gelding to run over the hill. The horse looked attractively on a background of the clouds – it was a perfect composition. I managed to take two photos, but I chose the one on which the horse was in the center of the frame.

You use quite a bit of black and white in your photography. Is there a deciding factor which makes you choose black and white over full color?

In some pictures, the color interferes with the reception and interpretation of the photo. On black and white photos I want to show emotions. It can be joy, sadness, elegance, strength or nostalgia, for example: galloping stallion that demonstrates his strength, sad eyes of a tired draft horse or an elegant detail during the competition.
Technically, a black and white photograph must be well-lit and have good contrast. Photo which is looking "flat" and with insipid colors will not look good in b&w.

In your photography, it's obvious that you look beyond the animal as a whole. Like the photo above, you have a lot of attention for the little details. Could you tell us a little about the process that went into taking this photo?

Sometimes I'm bored with ordinary portraits or average reportage from the equestrian events. Then I try to find a detail that will be an interesting subject to photograph. Sometimes it is a small thing, an interesting subject, an unusual angle of view, a shade or even a texture.
Just like in that case. I was looking for an interesting topic for the photo during the break in the competition. I noticed a grazing horse with a braided mane and I decided to photograph him in a different way.

You have photographed some of your pets as wel as strays. What kind of obstacles do you encounter when photographing these wild animals, so to speak, in comparison to animals that know you and are familiar with people?

Well, domesticated animals simply do not run away. To photograph a wild animal, we must first approach it. Of course, there is a huge zoom like 600mm, but who can afford such an expense. Usually we have a lens about 300mm, so we have to sneak.
Photographing wild animals is associated with very early getting up, laborious tracking, long hours of waiting ... and at the end we often come back with nothing. Frequent fruitless trips may be discouraging. So we must have a lot of patience.

Since you photograph many different subjects, could you describe the standard equipment you use when, for example, photographing horses in or around their stables?

Animals are in constant motion, especially horses, so if you want to photograph them, you need zoom lenses. To obtain a bright and well-lit photo, you should choose lenses with f/2.8. The best known and recommended zoom lens is 70-200mm.
In animal photography the most important is the speed of the camera - the number of photos taken per second. Of course, at the beginning you can learn on an amateur SLR, but at some level you will need full-frame camera.
I’m using Canon 6D with Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 Di LD (IF). I have also Canon 50mm f/1.4 and Sigma ART 24mm f/1.4, but I do not use them to photograph horses.

In closing, do you have any tips for aspiring photographers?

Take your camera and shoot. Everywhere and everything. Photography is above all an experience. Get to know your camera, discover many areas of photography. When you have free time - go and take photos. Then read articles, watch tutorial videos And when you think you are stuck and you will not achieve anything more - go to the workshop and learn from your mentors. Photography is nothing but a practice.

Now for a feature of silvena 's work!

Journal skin by UszatyArbuz
Photo by The-Panic