Sometimes, but thankfully not often, the challenge is staying inspired to continually create new artworks. Unlike drawing or painting by hand, a digital artist must rely on finding one photo or sometimes many photo components to fulfill the image in their mind’s eye.  When these components are elusive, the creative pool can become dry. When one idea is not coming to fruition, then I know that I must mentally and emotionally shift gears and devise a new concept for my next piece.

Still Life photography opened my eyes to the beauty of mundane objects by allowing me to control composition, lighting and hence mood. I become a child that is playing; finding new ways to lead the eye to where I want it to go. My images are always an exploration of how to show these simple every day objects in new ways. “The Gathering ” takes your boring Enoki mushrooms and creates a dramatic family ensemble. “Uplifted” flips our perspective by lifting up a skeleton leaf, showing its underside in a reflection.

Strong composition would probably be another aspect my viewers notice. I work hard to choose great compositions with leading lines that draw the viewer’s through the frame and emphasize certain areas of each photograph. I think composition is the real foundation of any eye-catching photograph, so it’s something I spend a lot of time ensuring I it get right. 

By Rob Browning, digital specialist, specialist in SEO Optimization and digital marketing strategist

Search Engine Optimization, SEO, is a technique which has shown impactful benefits in the industry of art, designing and photography. Although SEO is something whose mileage depends widely on your niche, there are still some useful ways in which you can increase the reach of organic traffic to your online website or storefront. However, the questions remain – How to get help from SEO for your art, photography or designing website? Or what kind of SEO strategy can work the best for you?

EWW: I am curious to know what qualities of your work would others comment on first?

Tom:  I tend to get a lot of comments about the lighting I use.  As with all photography, the lighting either makes or breaks the image and I use light to focus the viewer’s attention to what I consider to be important aspects of an image.

EWW: What qualities of your work would you comment on first?

Tom:  The play between light and dark.  Most of my images tend to be a little darker overall and that allows me to enhance the contrast between light and dark.  I feel it adds a little more interest to the image.

I go to great lengths to deliver images that people can get lost in and I would say what is most often commented on is the vivid colors and the detail in my images.

I also get a lot of “WOW’s” and congratulations and I even had one of my fans refer to me as the Ansel Adams of color, which I’m absolutely grateful for.

EWW:  The flip side of that would be your initial thoughts about your own work.

Az: I respect my work and I love that a lot of other people appreciate my art so that I can continue doing what I do.

In an average shoot, I will have a full gamut of images from what I think are some absolute rippers right through to snapshots and test shots. Shooting this way helps me improve and keeps me grounded at the same time.

EWW: I am curious to know what qualities of your work would others comment on first?

Ryan:   The quantity of works in my portfolio would be the most obvious thing people notice when first perusing my work. I’ve got a razor-sharp focus which is a positive and negative, usually equating to a 7-day waking work week, while the dishes pile and lawn unkemptly photosynthesizes. Thank goodness for the local wallaby lawnmowers, otherwise, my house would be lost to the grass.

EWW: What qualities of your work would you comment on first?

Ryan:   My work is a little quirky, I think my odd personality seeps into it aesthetically. I’ve never really had any artistic idols, so haven’t had any background influences guiding my style, I just tend to go in whatever direction feels right. My editing style (as with my choice in subjects) change from season to season, so this adds to the overall randomness quirk.