| From Photoworkshop.com Images from the Industry  CLICK HERE TO SEE A GALLERY OF MEL'S IMAGESAll images © Mel Brackstone
Double Exposure: What initially inspired you to become interested in photography? Are you an artist in other ways (painting, sculpting, etc.)? Mel Brackstone: I have always had an artistic bent, attended art school after high school, and tried my hand at a number of different things. Nothing seemed to satisfy me, and so I went into gardening, and then bonsai, and from there carnivorous plants. In 2003, I decided I wanted to take macro photos of my plants, so I bought a second-hand Canon SLR, not realizing what I was letting myself in for. The camera came with a manual in French, so I joined a local camera club to get some help to understand the process of taking a decent macro. From there I quickly moved to digital imaging, to accelerate my learning, because the film and processing costs were sky rocketing. My first Digital SLR was a Canon 20D, which I bought in October 2004, with a 28-135mm zoom and a 15mm fisheye lens, after I'd had two other compacts, Canon G2 and Canon Powershot Pro1 (which has since been converted to a full-time infrared camera).
MB: Even the camera club wasn't enough for me, so I joined a couple of online camera groups, where competition was even fiercer. This forced me to learn how to shoot more winning photos. Learning how to use the camera properly was a big step in getting those photos. My largest jump in those days was buying a lensbaby 2.0. I'd been shooting on P, and changing apertures to suit, but not really understanding a great deal of what was happening. By putting a lensbaby on my camera I HAD to learn a lot more about the camera, because it only worked on Aperture mode, or Manual mode. I chose Aperture, but then left it in that mode when I went back to straight lenses. This was when I started to improve my creativeness. I've been lucky with my choices of sites, in that there's nearly always been people there to offer suggestions and inspiration. DE: How would you describe your photographic style? MB: I'm not sure I have a style, other than "Off the Wall." I am always trying different things, and I have to say I love wide angle work, and I love shallow depth of field work. I own all three lensbabies, as well as all the attachments, and I also own a couple of hand made bendy holga lenses made for me by a lovely man in California. These help me achieve images that are a little different to the norm.
MB: I had been a student at the Brisbane Institute of Art for a couple of semesters, just looking to add to my knowledge of computer programs and (hopefully) a bit more camera understanding, but the tutor and I seemed to be learning from each other more than just me learning, so the Institute invited me to teach a course or two. I've taught a couple of workshops for beginners, where I try to enthuse the students on photography and getting some interesting results with both camera and software, and at the moment I'm teaching a semester of Digital II, which is for more advanced students. We mostly play with computers, but will also be doing studio work with models, and working with props etc. I tend to work with the students needs, asking what they want, and hopefully giving them some insights. It's very challenging, since I've never taught before. DE: Are you a full-time professional photographer? If not, what is your primary occupation? MB: My husband works from home, and so I keep him company in the office with my computer and software. I process photos, do the books for his business, and basically keep learning online every day. I'm competing at some online sites still, and networking with other like-minded people. I guess my primary occupation is mother/wife/photographer. I suffered a severe head injury in 1986, which stopped me working full time (drafting plans for surveyors), and it took me around 10 years to teach my brain to work properly again. I think logic was knocked out of my head in the accident, but it was replaced with creativity.
MB: I love seascapes, and like to get to the beach as often as possible. Nick Lagos is my friend and mentor, and we try to find the right weather conditions to get the most dramatic results. I've learnt a great deal from Nick, and treasure our time together. He has a very logical mind, and works out the statistics on where to be and when, and this has improved my photography by leaps and bounds. I also enjoy shooting anything I can with my lensbabies and holga lenses, I still find most shooting a challenge. I'd love to be able to produce beautiful macros like Terry Cervi, or fabulous scenes like Susi Lawson. The talent I see online is a constant inspiration to me, I hope to get myself up there one day! DE: Do you have any special projects coming up in the near future? MB: I'm trying to learn InDesign so I can get a book prepared for print....and there are a couple of exhibitions coming up. My husband is also building me a studio, which is very exciting! I'm not sure I'll be doing standard portraits, but I'll certainly be making good use of it! DE: Tell me a little about Redbubble, the site where you share your images. MB: Redbubble was started in early 2007 by three men with a vision. They wanted a free site where people could show their works (painting, photography, writing, and soon...books) and hopefully sell them. It's world-wide now, and one of the largest art sites online. I joined in June 2007, and have been lucky to have made friends with some very wonderful artists there, including Paul Vanzella, who is another fabulous friend and mentor. He has been responsible for extending my interests into shooting more images with people in them, and staged and theatrical types of work. His enthusiasm and expertise, as well as his help and encouragement, have been invaluable to my growth as an artist, I consider myself a very lucky person to have been taken under his wing. The range of talent on Redbubble is staggering, and I'm constantly inspired by what I see, and constantly pushed to try to improve my own work.
MB: All of the work I'm happy with is available for sale through Redbubble.com, and I also have a portfolio at www.OnExposure.net, and www.JPGmag.com. DE: Tell us what camera equipment you're using (e.g., camera, lenses, software, lighting). MB: My camera is a Canon 5D, with a Canon 40D as backup. For landscapes I have 14mm, 15mm, 20mm, and 16-35mm lenses, although I mostly use the 16-35mm because I have the Lee and Singh Ray filter sets to fit the 77mm front element. I also use a 50mm, and 70-200mm for other work. My Lensbabies include the Original, LB 2.0, and LB 3G. I'll often use an extension tube to give me shallower depth of field with both Lensbabies and the 50mm. I also have three plastic holga lenses to attach to my DSLR. Two of them have bellows to allow me to do bent blurry work. I haven't spent enough time exploring with these yet. I work with Photoshop, Photomatix, DynamicHDR, and Redynamix, mostly. I have two flashes, but I rarely use them. My studio is not set up yet, so I don't have lights, other than the 400-watt industrial light that was in the building when we bought it. See more of Mel's work at http://nee-hai.com CLICK HERE TO SEE A GALLERY OF MEL'S IMAGES© Copyright 2002 by Photoworkshop.com |
