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Dodho Magazine is a free independent magazine and publishing house based in Barcelona. We live, breathe and move by the passion that awakes photography in all their ambits. Since its launch in april of 2013, dodho.com has continued to be the fastest growing photography magazine, and currently has more than 500.000 annual hits.
Dodho Magazine features the best of contemporary photography, bringing together diverse bodies of work by established and emerging artists from around the globe.
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Monograph´s dual mission is to exhibit and promote the work of talented artists and to provide the public with an opportunity to see and learn about contemporary photography in a more accessible milieu than that offered by website. The Monographic focused on the presentation of only one photographer and their work. The Monograph project is committed to working with galeries, agencies and other dealers to advance the careers of the artists we published.
The photographer / Artist guarantees that he/she is the owner of the rights to the images published and that he /she has obtained all authorizations or permits of third parties in which the image appears.
ERIC
LEW
INTERVIEW
Can you tell us a little about yourself?
A famous photographer whose name I cannot recall (and whom I haven’t been able to find despite my best googling) said that everything he knew about photography he learned from looking at other photos. This succinctly summarizes my photography background in that I am completely self-taught and learned primarily by being inspired by others’ work.
How did you get interested in photography?
My love for photography began in 2004 with the purchase of my first digital camera a point and shoot Sony W1. Back then point and shoots still had some basic manual controls and I learned aperture and shutter speed from the poorly translated manual of that camera! Learning to use the camera happened to coincide with being introduced to national parks by my college friends, and the combination quickly created a deep love of the outdoors and the desire to share its wonders.
Have any artist/photographer inspired your art?
I have a wide range of inspirations, and because I'm completely self taught - I don't necessarily have the knowledge of historical photographers that someone with a traditional education might have. Like most people I'm consistently inspired by what I see online on blogs and social networks, and I'm also an avid Outdoor Photographer reader. Some of the photographers who inspire me the most today are Jack Dykinga, Nick Brandt, Paul Nicklen, Galen Rowell, Clyde Butcher, Michael Fatali and of course Ansel Adams. Visiting Clyde Butcher's gallery in the everglades was a revelation as was seeing Michael Fatali's gallery near Zion.
Could you please tell us anything about your technique and creating process?
I've been as far north as Yellowknife, Canada, and as far south as the Antarctic Peninsula to capture a small bit of the beauty of this world. My work, at its core, is about describing places and moments. When they are successful, my photos combine unique perspective, decisive timing, and technical excellence to distill the sense of a place or the significance of a moment. Finding a unique perspective in a place a million tourists may visit each year is in my opinion what separates a truly great photographer from the rest. I love reviewing photos with my friends who were often with me when I took the shots and being able to show them a perspective that's completely new to them. When I shoot, I try to calm my mind and which is critical to achieving the decisive timing that allows me to capture the exact fleeting moment at its purest. Technical mastery is a state of mind for me as much as it is a set of specific steps. It spans from planning a photo outing, to shooting in the field, to post processing, to printing, and finally to framing the finished product. My mechanical engineering background allows me to deeply understand each of the steps along that chain, and I get a thrill out of tuning my process to optimize the end result.
Describe your ideal photographic situation
INTERVIEW
For me an ideal photographic situation is one in which I have a lot of time to get a sense for place and explore its visual character. In my experience, being rushed in photography is a recipe for formulaic photos so having the chance to relax and walk around and really explore the visual opportunities of a place is critical to taking meaningful images. My trip to Antarctica was the perfect example of this: I serendipitously found a spot on the boat of a film crew making a documentary about former British Colonies and was able to tag along on the incredible locations they visited. Each day I went out with the earliest boat and came back with the last. Having so many hours to absorb and enjoy the truly stunning environment was a fantastic and unforgettable experience.
How much preparation do you put into taking a photography?
Quite a bit. Google Earth, the photographers’ ephmeris and plain old google searches have been instrumental in finding visually interesting locations that are the foundation of all of my work. When I plan a shoot I generally start with google to see what other photographers have done in the area. It’s easy to get stuck in replicating great work rather than creating something personal and original, though, so I have to be careful to not let my research cloud my vision when I’m actually there. Next I use google earth to get a sense for where the sun, moon, and stars will be and at which times.
Lastly, I’ll use brochures and trail maps to identify a few options for key times like sunset and sunrise. Frequently all this planning is swept away by unexpected weather conditions, or a chance wildlife encounter, but I find it useful to build my own knowledge of a place in case I need options when the light is changing quickly. What’s your useable-to-unusable ratio when you review images from a shoot? I’d say the majority of my photos are useable, but that isn’t really the metric I care about. I care much more about whether the photo is portfolio worthy, which means it’s one of a handful of photos that I take each year that I’ll be truly proud of for a long time to come.
What’s your useable-to-unusable ratio when you review images from a shoot?
I’d say the majority of my photos are useable, but that isn’t really the metric I care about. I care much more about whether the photo is portfolio worthy, which means it’s one of a handful of photos that I take each year that I’ll be truly proud of for a long time to come.
What quick advice do you have for someone who wants to improve his or her photography skills?
Find great locations and great light (most sunrises/sunsets qualify) and then just shoot. If you enjoy what you’re doing, the technical understanding will follow.
Too many people focus on equipment and too few focus on developing their visual communication skills.
From time to time many photographers find themselves in a creative rut or uninspired to shoot. Does this ever happen to you and if so how do you overcome these phases?
When I first got to Antarctica I found shooting penguins difficult and was quite unhappy with my results. They’re too small to easily use as foreground in a landscape, and so many people have made close-ups of them that it’s hard to create anything original.
What was helpful for me was to relax and attempt to enter a zen-like state where I’m just taking in the beauty and grandeur of the scene around me. In this state I’m not thinking about what I’m missing or what other photographers have done or how my photos compare to the other people on the trip – I’m just letting the beauty flow over me.
What future plans do you have? What projects would you like to accomplish?
I have two active photography projects at the moment. One is to document San Francisco's unique and diverse architecture on my frequent runs throughout the city. This one is just starting and architectural photography is an exciting new challenge for me. The second is to capture the stunning beauty of west-coast national parks, which I have always been passionate about.
ANTARCTICA
ERIC LEW
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About Antarctica
ERIC LEW
PHOTOGRAPHERS AROUND THE WORLD
Antarctica was by far my most unique and exciting trip. I had the good fortune of being able to join an expedition that was filming a documentary in the deep south and was able to tag along and shoot mostly independently for 28 days. The ice, wildlife, and astonishingly clear air were unlike anything I've ever seen in my life, and it was an incredible privilege to be able to photograph in such a spectacular environment. Antarctica was also my first time shooting wildlife - I purchased a 70-400 zoom specifically for the trip and fell in love with the focal length. I've come to love the unique mix of patience, split-second reflexes, and total mastery of my equipment that wildlife photography requires.
I have two active photography projects at the moment. One is to document San Francisco's unique and diverse architecture on my frequent runs throughout the city. This one is just starting and architectural photography is an exciting new challenge for me. The second is to capture the stunning beauty of west-coast national parks, which I have always been passionate about.
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How I started
ERIC LEW
PHOTOGRAPHERS AROUND THE WORLD
My love for photography began in 2004 with the purchase of my first digital camera - a point and shoot Sony W1. Back then point and shoots still had some basic manual controls and I learned aperture and shutter speed from the poorly translated manual of that camera! Learning to use the camera happened to coincide with being introduced to national parks by my college friends, and the combination quickly created a deep love of the outdoors and the desire to share its wonders.
Inspirations
I have a wide range of inspirations, and because I'm completely self taught - I don't necessarily have the knowledge of historical photographers that someone with a traditional education might have.
Like most people I'm consistently inspired by what I see online on blogs and social networks, and I'm also an avid Outdoor Photographer reader. Some of the photographers who inspire me the most today are Jack Dykinga, Nick Brandt, Paul Nicklen, Galen Rowell, Clyde Butcher, Michael Fatali and of course Ansel Adams. Visiting Clyde Butcher's gallery in the everglades was a revelation as was seeing Michael Fatali's gallery near Zion.
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Style
Since then I've been as far north as Yellowknife, Canada, and as far south as the Antarctic Peninsula to capture a small bit of the beauty of this world. My work, at its core, is about describing places and moments. When they are successful, my photos combine unique perspective, decisive timing, and technical excellence to distill the sense of a place or the significance of a moment. Finding a unique perspective in a place a million tourists may visit each year is in my opinion what separates a truly great photographer from the rest. I love reviewing photos with my friends who were often with me when I took the shots and being able to show them a perspective that's completely new to them.
When I shoot, I try to calm my mind and which is critical to achieving the decisive timing that allows me to capture the exact fleeting moment at its purest.
Technical mastery is a state of mind for me as much as it is a set of specific steps. It spans from planning a photo outing, to shooting in the field, to post processing, to printing, and finally to framing the finished product. My mechanical engineering background allows me to deeply understand each of the steps along that chain, and I get a thrill out of tuning my process to optimize the end result.
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