Updates and Recent Articles on the Visual Wilderness Website

October 22, 2019 • 2 Comments

Dahlia

Dahlia, Lensbaby Velvet 56mm

Happy fall to everyone! I'm embarrassed to admit I haven't written a blog post since the spring. It was a such a busy spring and summer, full of travel and teaching at so many conferences. I had little time to breathe in between. Most notable was our Out of Longwood Conference at Longwood Gardens in August. I've been working with the Out of Chicago team since it began doing conferences in 2014, and we all agreed that the Longwood conference was our best yet. It was an incredible line-up of instructors and the most engaged group of attendees we've had. The enthusiasm, the creativity and the connections that happened were not to be forgotten. We are busy at work on next year's conferences - Yosemite, Chicago, Chicago Botanic Garden, Moab and Acadia are all in the line-up. I'll be teaching at the Out of Chicago Botanic Garden and the Out of Acadia conferences. Check them all out at outofchicago.com. More details to come.

Another reason my blog has been less active is that I was busy writing my first e-Book, published in February – Creative Flower Photography: An Illustrated Guide to the Magic of Lensbaby Lenses. You can find it on the Visual Wilderness website. This winter I intend to begin book #2. I'm passionate about teaching others to be more creative and I plan for this book to focus on my principles for creativity as well as a comprehensive guide to flower photography. I can't wait to get started - so many ideas are brewing!

I have published a number of articles on the Visual Wilderness website this summer. One article is dedicated to the Lensbaby Sol lenses – Creative Flower Photography with the Lensbaby Sol. If you follow me on Instagram @annebelmontphotography it's no secret how much I love photographing with the Sol 45mm. This little lens has stolen my heart and I am continually amazed at the ease of use and the results I am getting with this lens. It brought a spark of creativity back into my work and when I am shooting with this lens I find myself getting into that ever-important dance with the flower I am photographing - that sense of connectedness with my subject and being present in the moment. The lens produces some of the most beautiful backgrounds, blur and bokeh I have ever seen and when I am seeing that through the lens, it's easy to feel so filled with emotion and presence. I strive for this in my work and talk about this as a principle of creativity – the process of photographing our subjects is just as important as the final image!

A more recent article is on an important topic in flower photography – learning to control backgrounds. This article – How to Create Beautiful Backgrounds in Macro Photography will provide you with many useful tips for working with backgrounds. I think it is one of the most difficult variables when photographing any subject in macro photography.

I'll close with a few of my favorite images from the late spring and summer. Enjoy photographing the beauty of fall, and always feel free to reach out if you need help with any aspect of flower photography. This winter I plan to set up a formal email list, but until I get that up and running, feel free to email me at [email protected] to be added to my existing list. I hope to get information out soon about workshops and conferences for next year. I'm waiting for a very important and exciting wedding date in our family to be set before I can finalize my schedule!

Tulipa 'Ballerina' Ballerina Tulip, Lensbaby Sol 45mm