Articles and Ideas

Tattoo art form are increasing in popularity especially in the US and European countries. Trendy and decorative tattoo designs are a choice of every next person. Moreover, the choice is not less. Tattoos are available in several design and sizes, so you need not worry about how to decorate your body. Few of the most fashionable contemporary tattoos are butterfly tattoo designs, dragon tattoo designs, tribal tattoo designs, cross tattoo designs, henna tattoo designs, and religious tattoo designs, the list is long!

Butterflies have essentially been thought of as a style statement for years together. Be it garments, accessories, baggage, or jewellery, this lovely creature has managed to form a creative idea. The vibrant colors of the butterfly sported on you would make you look hot. Butterflies tattoo designs are very colorful and have a nice blend of eye-catching colors.

Tattoos with butterfly pictures will leave you in confusion for the selection. Some of the coolest butterfly tattoo designs are tribal butterfly tattoos, fairy butterfly tattoos, lower back butterfly tattoos, animal butterfly tattoos and Celtic butterfly tattoos. Tribal butterfly tattoos are generally influenced by ancestral art from local and native tribes. The tribal art comes from the large clans or tribes from Ireland and Scotland and even some of the tribes of Borneo. Butterflies since many ages have been linked with fairies. Butterfly wings are considered fairy wings and vice versa. A butterfly really represents a multi-colored picture of Mother Nature itself. Hence, these fairy butterfly tattoo designs are even more famed especially with females and modern males.

These butterfly tattoo designs have held a special place in a woman’s heart. Amongst the preferred designs, the butterfly tattoo designs are one of the favorites. Butterfly tattoos come in wide-ranging designs and color formats, from two toned ones to multicolored. Normally, its are tattooed on the arm or on the shoulder blade no matter it is permanent or not. There are the energetic ones who have butterfly tattoos positioned on their neck or ankle if they can take the pain of the needles for lasting and permanent tattoos.

They are a subject of creative expression and the blending of colors is very unique and expressive. Butterfly tattoo designs are all about taking butterfly in the kingdom of fashion and combining it with art forms. The butterfly tattoos not only interest the lady world, but are amongst the chosen designs of the artists too. Permanent or temporary stick ones, even body painting; the tattoo designers love to play with colors that make the butterfly wings.

Some butterfly tattoos survive just a few days and can be cleaned off by any paint remover, some of them just need soap and water to vanish. Body painted butterfly tattoo designs are not very lasting and thus give a better chance of variety. Irrespective of the type a butterfly tattoo design, it is always amongst the finest designs as one can have fun with colors which are not likely with any other design.

Nature photography requires all the usual camera skills, so it is important to know how to use your camera. But really good nature photography also requires sensitivity to nature.

Have you ever met someone who has thousands of dollars worth of gear, can talk all day about cameras and lenses…but still takes lousy photos? Such people fail to understand that good photographers are not judged by the equipment they use, but by their results. Of course technical knowledge is important, but it will only take you so far.

When it comes to nature photography, it is essential to understand how natural light can trasform the impact of a photo.

There is a simple saying which is good to remember when starting out: you can’t take a good photo in a bad situation. This simply means if you approach your subject at the wrong time of day, or in the wrong weather conditions, no amount of technology is going to solve the problem. On the other hand, if you get the light right, you don’t need any technical wizardry to get the shot. Nature does most of the work for you.

As soon as light is mentioned, most people automatically think early morning and late afternoon. Any photographer with an ounce of experience soon learns that these are generally the best times to take nature photos. Although it is not true all the time, it is a good place to start.

When the sun is very low in the sky, it creates a soft, warm light that is very attractive in a photo. Shining from a low angle, it also illuminates the face of the subject more evenly. Furthermore, due to the lower contrast, the shadows you can see are less harsh than in the middle of the day. So for several reasons, early morning (up to about 9am) and late afternoon towards sunset are often the best times to take your photos.

Most people know this. The trouble is, most people don’t make the extra effort to put it into practice. Are you prepared to camp overnight to be on location at sunrise to get the perfect shot? If photography is important enough to you, you will go to these lengths and more. It may seem like a lot of trouble, but once you get that once-in-a-lifetime image you will agree that the reward was worth the effort. This is standard practice for a nature photographer.

Should all nature photography be done in the early morning or late afternoon? In a word: no.

As they say, rules are made to be broken. You would be mistaken to think that this one simple approach works all the time. So what are some of the exceptions?

Black and white photography is a little different from other photography. Instead of subjects being defined by subtle shades of colour, black and white photography makes use of strong lines and shadows. The best effect can be produced by higher contrast in the light. So when you are thinking black and white photography, you may find yourself seeking the brighter light of the middle part of the day.

Rainforest photography is another departure from general landscape photography. Under the rainforest canopy, the sunlight can become such a patchwork of light and shade that a perfect exposure is impossible. For the best results in the rainforest, I usually look for overcast conditions, with perhaps a little mist for added atmosphere. Under these cloudy skies, the best times are usually in the middle part of the day, when the light is fairly bright. This helps you avoid a too-dark image.

When it comes to wildlife photography, you can take a lesson from the landscape and a lesson from the rainforest. If you photograph your subject in sunlight, early in the morning and late in the afternoon is usually best. At these times the contrast is reduced, and your subject is bathed in soft, warm-coloured light.

However, some wildlife subjects are best captured on a cloudy day, just like in the rainforest. The muted light eliminates a lot of glare, so shiny surfaces (a frog’s skin, a bird’s feathers etc) can appear much clearer and more colourful on a cloudy day. The lower contrast of this light also means important details of the subject will not be lost in shadow.

This is by no means an exhaustive list of examples. You could go on forever identifying which subjects work best in different types of light. I simply hope these ideas get you thinking about natural light and how it can improve your photography. Once you let nature do most of the work for you, will may just find that the technical aspects of photography become a little less challenging.

Rainforest photography, like all good nature photography, is more about your sensitivity to nature than about expensive equipment. Of course you need a decent camera, and you must know how to use it. But the quality of your photos does not depend on the price tag on your camera. As long as you have a tripod, and a camera that allows you to adjust the aperture and shutter speed, you are set to go.

I make my living from nature photography, including a lot of rainforest photos, and I have never relied on the latest equipment for my work. Great rainforest photography is simply about finding an eye-catching subject, in good light, and having a creative eye for composition.

Note: The following tips are for photos of rainforest scenes, not for close-up photos of leaves, fungus etc.

Rainforest Photography Tip #1: Choose a subject. As they say in the classics, “It’s a jungle out there.” In the rainforest, you are confronted with foliage, branches, roots, rocks, vines…in your face and all around you. A really good rainforest photo requires structure, to make some visual sense of all that clutter. Look for something that is immediately eye-catching - a big tree that dominates the trees around it; a root system that leads the eye; a waterfall or stream; in short, something that you can build a composition around.

Rainforest Photography Tip #2: Use the best natural light. The mistake almost everybody makes at first is to take their rainforest photos on a bright sunny day when they are in the mood for a walk. Wrong! In full sunlight, the rainforest becomes a patchwork of light and shade that is impossible to expose properly. What you need is a cloudy day, when the light is much more even. Misty weather adds even more atmosphere to the rainforest, and can add a mysterious character to your rainforest photo.

Do not use a flash. The flash illuminates the scene with flat, white light, eliminating the gentle play of natural light and shade that gives the rainforest its character. Always use the natural light.

Rainforest Photography Tip #3: Carry a tripod. Taking your rainforest photo under a heavy tree canopy, on a cloudy day (see rainforest photography tip #2), means the level of light will be very low. You may be shooting at shutter speeds as slow as one or two seconds. You will always need your tripod, and it is best to avoid windy days so that the scene is as still as possible.

Rainforest Photography Tip #4: Use a wide-angle lens (or a zoom lens, zoomed back to its widest angle). The wide angle lens has several advantages for rainforest photography. Firstly, it exaggerates the sense of perspective in a photo, creating a sense of three dimensional depth. Viewers of your photo will feel like they are looking not just at a rainforest, but into it. Secondly, the wide-angle lens has a naturally wide depth of field. With so much detail all around you, it is important that you can keep both the foreground and the background in focus.

Rainforest Photography Tip #5: Stay on the path. There are some practical reasons for staying on the path when bushwalking. You minimize the possibility of getting lost, injured, or fined by some over-officious park ranger. The people who run the national parks are not stupid. They know what you want to see, and design their trails accordingly. Sticking to the path will not rob you of any great photo opportunities.

In terms of rainforest photography, you are able to create some distance between you and the foliage around you. It is much easier to photograph a tree when you don’t have the branch of another tree in your face. By staying on the path, you can get a clear view of your subject, without interference. You can even use the path as part of the composition in your rainforest photo. It is an excellent way of inviting the viewer to join you on your walk in the rainforest.

So there you have my five rainforest photography tips. Notice they concentrate on light and creativity, not on fancy techniques or equipment. You can make great improvements in all your nature photography this way, regardless of what type of camera you have.

Ah poetry and nature. Two things that naturally go togther. But if you’re looking for nature poems that really get it so to speak, you should look into haiku. Why? Because haiku is especially suited for describing nature. For example, take a look at these two nature poems by the author:

Nature Poem #1

egrets move

through the marsh…

morning clouds

Here we have “egrets” as our subject. A beautiful bird that most people either have seen in a picture or are familiar with. In just 7 words a picture is created. And not just any picture but a complete scene! First we have the phase “egrets move through the marsh.” Nothing special in itself. But, when we combine this with the fragment “morning clouds,” we get a picture of place and time - a sense of something happening.

What economy and word pruning this is! Nature poems by western writers may contain thousands of words but for sheer size and power, nothing beats the haiku! Here’s another example of a nature poem:

Nature Poem #2

winter shoreline –

sandpipers dart

into the water

In this nature poem we have the fragment first instead of the phrase. The fragment is like the background of a painting…it sets the mood of the poem. The words “winter shoreline” conjure an image of a quiet beach perhaps. Or it could be something else entirely. This is the beauty of haiku. It doesn’t tell you so much as show you what is happening. Interpretation is left to the reader’s imagination. The phrase that follows - “sandpipers dart into the water” complete the picture. It’s like background and foreground in a painting. Only here we are using words to color with!

Nature poems and haiku are a natural fit and have been for hundreds of years!

Spring has sprung here in South Africa and my garden is bursting back into life. On a beautiful sunny day I decided to meet my daughter in the Botanical Gardens for the most pleasant of days browsing through trees and plants from all over the world in the most glorious of surroundings. Daughter of mine, being of artistic bent travels with pencil and sketchpad and had a ball sketching away at the interesting plant life.

Then at the weekend as fate would have it there was a HUGE Spring Flower Show at the local mall. That was just delightful - the funniest was a dog made of chrysanthemums but the best for me was a huge balancing floral interpretation of “Bold and Distinctive.”

What must have been very difficult and was done in such a masterly fashion was to interpret a painting in flowers! I really enjoyed seeing how this was done as usually we artists interpret nature not the other way round…

All in all now is a great time to do a spot of botanical art work, painting or sketching and South Africa has an abundance of fascinating plant life to inspire anyone from the finest of artists to those who enjoy more chunky palette knife work there is something there for all tastes. Vincent van Gogh summed it up very well with this advice “It is not the language of painters but the language of nature which one should listen to; the feeling for the things themselves - for reality - is more important than the feeling for pictures.”

FLOWER OF THE MONTH

Victorian botanical collectors must have rejoiced when they went to South Africa for they certainly took large amounts of plant material back to Kew Gardens in London, England in the nineteenth century and much of this genetic stock from the flora kingdoms of South Africa has since been hybridized into many varietals to suit every climate around the world producing many of the common garden plants that you will probably see in your country today..

One of these plants, which is the international flower for August, is the Gladiolus, from the Latin word for a sword and part of the Iris family. Gladiolus vary from very small, fragrant spikes to spectacular giant flowers. The South African species were originally pollinated in by-gone eras by long-tongued bees, but nowadays sunbirds, moths and long-tongued flies do the business. The gladiolus also attracts butterflies so not only can an artist get the opportunity to paint a charming flower but also the flitting butterflies.

You too can enjoy a botanical drawing frenzy in South Africa

In nature photography, filters are a must for some photographers and an absolute no-no for others. Some photographers insist that everything must be captured exactly as it was in nature, while others love the effects and enhancements they can get from a variety of filters.

For my own photography, I fall somewhere in between those two positions. I always try to capture my subject in natural light without artificial effects…but occasionally conditions require that to get the best results, I need a little help. That’s why I have exactly one filter in my camera: a polarising filter.

A polariser is not much different to polarised sunglasses. It does not colour the photo, but it reduces glare and reflection. As a result, natural colours can appear stronger and more vibrant in your photos. The most obvious place this can be seen is in the sky, where a hazy sky can become a rich, saturated blue.

The difference between using the polariser and a blue filter, is that the polariser uses the natural colour of the sky, while the coloured filter adds artificial colour. A blue filter, for example would also turn white clouds a shade of blue, whereas the polariser leaves the clouds clear and white.

The polarising filter also increases the contrast between the sky and the clouds, making the cloud formation stand out more clearly against the background. An attractive cloud formation can be enriched to become a feature of real impact in your photo.

Polarising filters can be rotated on the lens to adjust the level of polarisation. It is important to practice with your polariser to get the most natural effects.

A polarising filter in the hands of an inexperienced photographer can be a frightening thing. You see, at maximum polarisation, the filter can produce some fairly extreme effects. The contrast in the sky can be so strong that some areas will become navy blue, even black. The saturation of other colours in the photo can also be exaggerated beyond recognition. These effects can certainly be eye-catching and impactful, but they go far beyond anything you could call natural.

The trick with a polarising filter is to find a level that reduces the glare and provides a nice saturation of colour, while maintaining a natural appearance. This is a simple matter of rotating the filter on the camera until you find the right level, and with experience you will get the hang of it.

There is a lot more to a polarising filter than just colourful skies. Eliminating glare and reflection can be an enormous benefit in all kinds of situations; even in the places you least expect.

One situation that might surprise you is in the rainforest. On a cloudy day under the canopy of the trees, you would not expect glare to be a problem. But there can be a lot of reflection off the glossy leaves of the rainforest vegetaion, and a polarising filter can reduce it significantly. The result will be a more saturated green throughout your photo. Just like in the sky, the effect is not the same as simply using a coloured filter; the polariser does not add artificial colour, it enhances the clarity of the natural colour.

Of course the elimination of reflections can also transform any photo of water, and shiny surfaces like the glass walls of a high-rise building. With practice, you will find all kinds of ways to employ your polarising filter.

There are some drawbacks. The filter will darken your exposures, so you will often have to use slower shutter speeds than you would otherwise (and keep your tripod handy). The effects of the filter also vary depending on the time of day and your angle to the sun. Half the time you will simply be better off removing the polariser and taking your photo without it.

I recommend adding a polarising filter to your DSLR kit bag. You won’t use it all the time. With expereince, you will learn to judge when to use it and when to leave it in the bag, but your photography will be richer for having a polarising filter handy when the situation calls for it.