Source: 2015 Traveler Photo Contest

It’s an awesome time of year in the photo industry when the National Geographic Traveler announces the winners of their annual photo contest. It’s a great way to see gorgeous images from prominent photographers and to see emerging and creative new visions in the field. And because we love photography and videography at Wispeo, we wanted to highlight some of the winners.

According to the contest website, “The 2015 Traveler Photo Contest judges reviewed nearly 18,000 photographs, and ten pictures won top prizes. Photographers entered pictures into four categories: Travel Portraits, Outdoor Scenes, Sense of Place, and Spontaneous Moments.”

This year’s grand-prize winner is a gorgeous photo of a humpback whale, her calf, and several divers in the background taken by photographer Anuar Patjane in Mexico entitled “Whale Whisperers”. The caption says, “Diving with a humpback whale and her newborn calf while they cruise around Roca Partida … in the Revillagigedo [Islands], Mexico. This is an outstanding and unique place full of pelagic life, so we need to accelerate the incorporation of the islands into UNESCO as [a] natural heritage site in order to increase the protection of the islands against the prevailing illegal fishing corporations and big-game fishing.”

The second-place image is called “Gravel Workmen” by Faisal Azim. The caption for that photo says “[This] gravel-crush working place remains full of dust and sand. Three gravel workmen are looking through the window glass at their working place. Chittagong, Bangladesh.”

The third-place image (and my personal favorite) is a low-angle action shot of riders on camels by photographer Ahmed Al Toqi called “Camel Ardah”. The caption reads, “Camel Ardah, as it [is] called in Oman, is one of the traditional styles of camel racing … between two camels controlled by expert men. The faster camel is the loser … so they must be running [at] the same speed level in the same track. The main purpose of Ardah is to show the beauty and strength of the Arabian camels and the riders’ skills. Ardah [is] considered one of the most risky situations, since always the camels reactions are unpredictable [and] it may get wild and jump [toward the] audience.”

There were 10 total winners and you can see all of them on the Traveler website. Check them out if you want to feel inspired and awed by the beauty photographers can capture in the world.

Wispeo is a fantastic tool for photographers of all kinds, providing an easy way to send large files that don’t fit on email. Check it out and wisp your favorite images to someone today!

Wispeo is now mobile! Get the easiest way to share videos and photos from your phone in the App Store or from Google Play.

The post 2015 Traveler Photo Contest appeared first on Wispeo.

Several apps and solutions have been created to address this problem specifically. iPhone users can use Airdrop to transfer files from an iPhone to a Mac, or between iPhones. Similar services like Pushbullet’s Portal app and Filedrop make it easy to share files as long as you have a wifi connection.

Other apps are focusing on re-sizing images to make it easier to send them via email or SMS. JPEGmini is an app that re-compresses JPEG files up to 80 percent. Today TechRadar published a feature on the app, which is supposed to make it easier for photographers to compress images and retain image quality. It’s no secret that smaller image sizes make it easier to transfer and share images between devices, (not to mention epitomize the editing process.) The JPEGmini premium app is available on iTunes, and costs $19.99. Users can download the free version, but are only allowed to re-size up to 20 images a day at no cost.

The file transfer solutions mentioned above make it easier to move media, but most of them come with a catch. Airdrop, Portal, and Filedrop work best with a wifi connection, and are mostly designed for sharing smaller-sized files. If you need to re-size more than 20 images a day, JPEGmini is an expensive option. Also, the app only works with photos. So, if video is your thing, you’ll need to find another way to transfer your files while retaining quality.

Wispeo combines the best features from every file sharing solution.

You can use Wispeo for free, and you can transfer as many files as you need to at any give time. You really don’t need to resize your photos to make them easier to transfer, either. If you use Wispeo, you can send large files in their original format. In fact, you can send up to 3GB of files at a time, and they’ll reach their destination in the highest quality regardless of their size.

Want to see for yourself? Give it a try at wispeo.com.

Wispeo is now mobile! Get the easiest way to share videos and photos from your phone in the App Store or from Google Play.

The post How We’re Making “File Transfer” Far Less Complicated appeared first on Wispeo.

W: Can you tell us how you got your start?

MG: I always loved taking photos with my phone, and over time my interest in photography grew. One day, my dad came home with a DSLR, and since then I have worked on getting better and making every photo something I can be happy with.

W: What is your biggest inspiration?

MG: There are plenty of photographers and Instagrammers that inspire me a lot – Elizabeth Gadd, for example, or Cole Rise. Or my friend Dominik Martin, who inspires me a lot because he’s such a passionate photographer, and I learned a lot from him. But my biggest inspiration is and for sure always will be nature itself. It’s always my goal to show nature as beautiful as possible in my photos.

W:How would you describe your style?

MG: I’m still trying to figure out what my style is, but at the moment, I guess my style is often dark and mysterious. But when I feel like it, I make bright pictures, which are all about the colors and the light.

W: Where are your favorite spots to shoot?

MG: One of my favorite spots to go is Lake Blindsee in Austria, it’s such a beautiful colored mountain lake. When it comes to mountains, I recommend Hochgrat, a mountain with a fantastic view and really photogenic hiking paths.

W: What kind of equipment do you use?

MG: If I was not a student, I’d definitely have a full frame, but I’m shooting with a canon 1100D with which I often push my limits. I shoot all my pictures with a 50 mm lens and a 18-55 mm lens. Sometimes I also shoot with my iPhone. In the future, I plan to do analog photography because I really love analog photography and I need to try out the Jujica AX-1 I have.

W: Tell us the story behind one of the photos we’re featuring – why did you choose that photo to send?

MG: The photo of the road that leads through the woods is taken in my favorite woods. I actually photograph this road nearly every time we are there, which happens like every weekend. This scenery is such a great motif and it’s great to see how it changes.

W: What challenges have you had to overcome in the industry?

MG: It’s still a challenge for me to find my place as a photographer. There are still so many great photographers that it’s hard to fit into this industry. And it’s always hard to try to be better than someone who has more opportunities than you to travel or more time.

W: Do you have any special techniques? Do they define your style?

MG: I don’t really have something special techniques, but I try to photograph a lot with my 50 mm fixed focal length. And what defines my style are the edits I do in Lightroom. It’s awesome how you can style your pictures with it.

W: How do you see your career progressing?

MG: I hope I’ll be able to do more for my photography career after school and maybe reach out more to people who follow my photos.

Connect with Monika:

                 Instagram: @burninghaze

                 Tumblr: iamburninghaze.tumblr.com

Interested in being featured? Send your portfolio to our content team at social@wispeo.com!

Wispeo is now mobile! Get the easiest way to share videos and photos from your phone in the App Store or from Google Play.

The post Featured Creative: Monika Geble appeared first on Wispeo.

The Alchemist’s Tome | Aegir from Adam Nawrot on Vimeo.

When cinematographer Adam Nawrot filmed Aegir (embedded above), he and his team walked away from the experience with two written warnings, four tickets, and a court appearance. Adam’s game plan for filming Aegir and other pieces like it? “We’re gonna do it till we get kicked out,” he said.

Adam identifies in a lot of ways. He’s a photographer, a cinematographer, and an editor. His expertise extends to film scoring, music composition, graphic design … The list goes on. If you’re into adventure film and cinematography, you’ll want Adam on your team.

In high school he was interested in music composition and film scoring. Later, at Rutgers University, he discovered a passion for filmmaking – specifically cinematography. When Adam was at Rutgers, there wasn’t a film department yet in place, so he took an interdisciplinary approach to learning the craft and he worked on several feature-length films in college.

One experience took him to Italy, where he worked with another cinematographer on the documentary film, “Princess of Piombino,” which details the life of modern Roman royalty. “That’s such a wild story,” said Adam, when asked about the film.”It’s about these family dynasties that exist after the world of family dynasties…shooting it felt like it was a mix between ‘meet the Kardashians,’ and Downton Abbey.”

“We’re gonna do it till we get kicked out”

When Adam graduated from Rutgers with a degree in graphic design, he’d developed a love for the multifaceted art of filmmaking.

He has never been scared of a challenge. Rafting expeditions, kayaking, caving, biking, and ice climbing are just some of the risky enterprises he’s captured. When Adam shoots outdoor footage, he says it’s a “really weird half Hollywood set, half adventure expedition scenario.” But the footage he’s capturing is the real deal, and working in adventure film can be dangerous.

It’s Adam’s job to remain focused, despite his surroundings. He reflected on his role in an adventure filmmaking team, saying, “If I’m shooting kayaking I can’t go out there and focus on having a good time kayaking or a good time filmmaking. It has to be one or the other.”

Usually, Adam shoots video with a team, and often works with athletes to capture adventure footage. Adam’s in charge of directing the whole process. “It’s important to know what you’re asking them [the athletic team] to do, just so you’re not putting anyone at risk,” he said.

“If I’m shooting kayaking I can’t go out there and focus on having a good time kayaking or a good time filmmaking. It has to be one or the other.”

Once Adam has the footage he needs the next step is editing the film, which is often a rigorous process.

He looks for specific things when cutting film, with the intent of either conveying subtle messages or really jarring the viewer. If Adam wants frames to blend together, he concentrates on how the colors in each frame mix together, and makes sure that a person’s eye movement remains consistent between transitions. When he wants to convey not-so-subtle messages, he plays up the differences between frames to make it obvious that a cut’s been made.

Adam works with composers to add music to his footage. Music plays a large role in his work and Adam says that in some ways, the process of creating footage parallels music. “I really love creating things that are cohesive sonically and visually, and operating in a way that’s not unlike the way that music operates,” he said.

Adam also focuses on drone operation. “The first time I saw the shots people were getting with drones, it was bananas,” he said. After becoming acquainted with this new technology, he co-founded Protoscience Media Lab, a production company that specializes in aerial photography. Most of the footage Adam captures for Protoscience is shot on Freefly Systems drones. He said taking aerial footage on drones is congruent with his personal style.

“It ties back into this whole desire to have my hand show in the photos I am taking,” he said, explaining that drones are able to capture images from unique vantage points that  have never been captured before. Like adventure film and photography, flying drones is a risky business, “It is incredibly stressful,” he admitted, “Especially if I’m flying an 80 thousand dollar camera…All it takes is one big gust of wind.”

The post Featured Creative: Adam Nawrot appeared first on Wispeo.

The post Featured Creative: Jon Trend appeared first on Wispeo.

W: Can you tell us how you got your start?
EB: I have always been a very visual person. Ever since I can remember I was drawing on everything, painting, and taking pictures with whatever cameras I could find around the house. My mom was always buying me those disposable cameras (back when they were cheap, haha.) My parents took me to Europe for a couple weeks when I was 11 and we road tripped around France, Belgium and England. They bought me a little film camera and I took pictures of everything. When I was 13 they bought me a Sony VX1000, my first video camera. I started filming all my friends skateboarding and sold enough videos to websites to be able to buy a nice lens. Then I started filming more professional skateboarders and getting paid for it by companies that used the footage. Later on, I moved to Panama for 2 years for a service mission and gained an interest in traveling and seeing more cultures. I moved back to the states and started a production company, bennettfilm.com, but started spending all my money on traveling and I have now deeply fallen in love with the world.

W: What is your biggest inspiration?
EB: People doing what they love. Not limiting themselves to the boundaries our society has set for us. People that do whatever they set their minds on, passionate human beings.

W: How would you describe your style?
EB: I am a videographer because I love the stories you can tell through film. I also love photography because of the beauty you can capture and express through landscapes. They both have their uses and are two completely different forms of art. I can’t choose just one to define me.

#SORRYFORTRAVELING 2014 from Eric Bennett on Vimeo.

W: Tell us the story behind one of the photos/videos we’re featuring – why did you choose that photo/video to send?
EB: There is so much more to my photos that meets the eye, literally. Some of these photos took hours of driving, several days of camping out, sitting in the rain, sitting in the sun, for hours and hours, broken equipment, lots of gas money, lots of “sacrifice;” but the beauty of doing what you love is that there are no sacrifices, it all has a pay off and that’s what makes life enjoyable.

W: Where are your favorite spots to shoot?
EB: I was born in California and I am a beach person for sure, but I have been living in Utah for the past 3 years because I love the diversity in the landscape here. We have desert, mountains, forest, lakes, waterfalls, and snow all within an hour’s drive or less. The choices are endless here. I love shooting photos on the coast though, seascapes are always incredible when there is some good light.

W: What kind of equipment do you use?
EB: Lately I have just been using Canon. I started shooting on DSLRs with the Canon 60D and later upgraded to the 6D. Those are the cameras I shot all of these photos on. Saving up for the SONY a7s soon though to have as my main video camera.

W: Do you have any special techniques? Do they define your style?
EB: I use a lot of techniques but they are all things I have learned from friends or other shooters I look up to so I can’t claim them as my own, but my photography consists of lots of long exposures, frame blends, and focus stacks. I also really like to shoot my landscapes vertically a lot of the times, to add more depth to my pieces.

W: What challenges have you had to overcome in this industry?
EB: The biggest challenges are the personal ones. Sometimes I hate my own work, I go through phases where I am really stoked on my stuff and then others where I hate it all. That is how you grow though, if you are always content you will never push yourself. As far as in the industry, none really. Everyone is complaining about how accessible camera gear is now and how anyone can buy a professional camera, but I just say “paint brushes have always been affordable.”

W: How do you see your career progressing?
EB: I plan on settling down a little more and doing more video production work for companies around here in Utah and in the States. It’s just hard to keep it up when I am gone all the time, but some day I will make that transition and just grow my company and hire editors, camera operators, and sound technicians as we get more and more work. Later, we will use our money or seek funding to make our own independent films and productions and just blow up like that. I don’t know, seems simple to me. I just go with the flow anyways though and take opportunities as they come. So I am really open to anything.

Eric is based in Utah.
Contact him on Instagram: bennettfilm
Web: bennettfilm.com
Interested in being a featured creative on the Wispeo blog?
Send an email to our team at social@wispeo.com!

Wispeo is now mobile! Get the easiest way to share videos and photos from your phone in the App Store or from Google Play.

The post Featured Creative: Eric Bennett appeared first on Wispeo.

W: Can you tell us how you got your start?
CS: I’ve loved photography ever since I was a little girl and have always wanted to pursue it as a career. I love how a photograph can capture wonderful memories, take you places you’ve never been before, and let you see things in new ways! My love for photography has always been there and I’ve just continued to run with it.

W: What is your biggest inspiration?
CS: My biggest inspiration is definitely the world around me! I practically think and see everything around me in pictures. Photography helps me enjoy the world, to explore it, learn from it, and to remember it.

W: How would you describe your style?
CS: Creative, dynamic, and detail oriented.

W: Tell us the story behind one of the photos we’re featuring – why did you choose that photo to send? 
CS: I think having a personal project—a muse that you’re excited to go out and shoot—is very important. It trains you to observe ordinary surroundings with a creative eye. These two images were part of a personal series I did on the color red. I love how a color can be so bold, and bring such ordinary objects to life.

W: Where are your favorite spots to shoot?
CS: I can’t even pick one favorite location, there are so many! Overall, I love places that feel like they have a story—an old school with years of history to the shiny new glass building with the rooftop garden. Beyond that, I also look for beautiful lighting, colors, and textures.

W: What kind of equipment do you use?
CS: I shoot Nikon the most, and my go-to lens (which I am 100% in love with!) is a 50mm 1.8.

W: Do you have any special techniques? Do they define your style?
CS: I love shooting at very low apertures and in beautiful natural light—I just love the softness and depth these give. I also look for chances to capture the details of ordinary things to bring them to life.

W: What challenges have you had to overcome in this industry?
CS: I think the biggest challenge for me is not comparing myself to all the highly skilled photographers around me. It’s easy for me to feel intimidated, or like my work isn’t good enough. But that’s not true! We’re all good enough in our own way. So, I’ve learned that we only need to be the best version of ourselves instead of trying to be just like everyone around us. Ultimately, I love what photography allows me to create, and I’m not going to let comparisons stop me!

W: How do you see your career progressing?
CS: I want to continue pursuing portraiture and still life photography on a professional level, along with personal projects. But no matter what turns life takes, you’ll always find me behind a camera!

Clara is based in Utah.
Contact her on her blog: www.lookitphotography.blogspot.com
Interested in being a featured creative on the Wispeo blog?
Send an email to our team at social@wispeo.com!

Wispeo is now mobile! Get the easiest way to share videos and photos from your phone in the App Store or from Google Play.

The post Featured Creative: Clara Sumsion appeared first on Wispeo.

W: Can you tell us how you got your start?
HB: That’s a bit of a long story, but I’ll try to keep it short. I fell in love with taking photos and documenting life as a teenager and began to dream about photography as a career in college. I got married right after graduation and, with all of our student loans combined, purchasing a camera seemed pretty much impossible. Fast forward to a year ago when I woke up one morning to an email from a friend I randomly met on the Internet; she said she wanted to give me her backup DSLR and could have it in the mail to me that week. My life hasn’t been the same since…I’m still pinching myself!

W: What is your biggest inspiration?
HB: I am mostly inspired by other people. People who live brave, colorful, adventurous lives.

W: How would you describe your style?
HB: It is constantly evolving, but I am usually drawn to moody lighting and cooler tones. I am happiest when I’m taking candid, documentary-style images.

W: Tell us the story behind one of the photos/videos we’re featuring – why did you choose that photo/video to send?
HB: One of the photos was taken at my sister’s house on Easter Sunday. We don’t get to see each other very often, and I thought that our pile of shoes by the door perfectly captured that feeling of family and togetherness.

W: Where are your favorite spots to shoot?
HB: I love going to the lake, a pretty garden, downtown Raleigh. But my favorite place to shoot is indoors, especially in my home. There’s just something meaningful about shooting in a home, and you really can’t beat window lighting.

W: What kind of equipment do you use?
HB: I shoot with a Canon 5D Mark II and a Sigma Art 35mm 1.4

W: Do you have any special techniques? Do they define your style?
HB: I am still exploring so many different techniques and lighting situations and figuring out what is most true to my style. Low-light situations are always a favorite.

W: What challenges have you had to overcome in this industry?
HB: I wouldn’t say I’ve had many challenges yet, per se, but I have had to realize that my style really isn’t for everyone. Some people get it and some don’t, and that’s totally okay.

W: How do you see your career progressing?
HB: I am so excited about launching my photography business this fall. My dream is to offer documentary style sessions, but I’m curious to see how my business will evolve and change as I grow as a photographer and an artist.

Heather is based in North Carolina.
Contact her on Instagram: heatherburris
Interested in being a featured creative on the Wispeo blog?
Send an email to our team at social@wispeo.com!

Wispeo is now mobile! Get the easiest way to share videos and photos from your phone in the App Store or from Google Play.

The post Featured Creative: Heather Burris appeared first on Wispeo.

W: Can you tell us how you got your start?
SC: My grandmother was an art teacher at my high school. I grew up around photography and a dark room and decided to go to film school after I graduated. From there I took a few years to figure out exactly what I wanted to do, but photography was always the one thing I would do in my free time, so I decided to make a career out of it.

W: What is your biggest inspiration?
SC: I really like Ansel Adams since we had to study him in class, but also I really enjoy the photojournalist Brent Stirton, who photographs some heavy topics. His work is top notch and really shows why photography matters. 

W: How would you describe your style?
SC: Definitely more photojournalistic. While I will pose people, I prefer to let them be natural and hang back to document the moments.

W: Tell us the story behind one of the photos we’re featuring – why did you choose that photo to send?
SC: This was a child of a street vendor in Guatemala. Guatemala is one of my favorite travel destinations. I love how it goes to show we’re all the same. Kids are kids no matter where you go. This kind of work inspires me. Traveling, meeting new people, and being able to tell a story.

W: Where are your favorite spots to shoot?
SC: The mountains…anywhere that has mountains.

W: What kind of equipment do you use?
SC: I use Nikon gear but have a few cameras I still play with. In general I’m not a gear junkie, but do enjoy top end glass. 

W: Do you have any special techniques? Do they define your style?
SC: I don’t know if I would say I have any special techniques. I’m always trying to evolve and grow as a photographer. With that said I have used some popular methods like the Brenizier method, or prisming, but tend to not overdue those.

W: What challenges have you had to overcome in this industry?
SC: It took me a long time to get a foothold in the industry. Partly because I learned that the most valuable asset you can have in business is relationships. It took me a while to figure that one out. Before I was happy taking road trips by myself and having very few people in my circle, which definitely didn’t make growing a business easy. I’ve always been a loner at heart.

W: How do you see your career progressing?
SC: I’d like to shoot wedding and lifestyle work for a while. I’ll probably evolve to the commercial side of things as time goes on because I can’t envision myself being a 55-year-old wedding photographer – if that’s even going to be a career option at that point. 

Sean is based in North Carolina.
Contact him on Instagram: seancarrphotography
Interested in being a featured creative on the Wispeo blog?
Send an email to our team at social@wispeo.com!

Wispeo is now mobile! Get the easiest way to share videos and photos from your phone in the App Store or from Google Play.

The post Featured Creative: Sean Carr appeared first on Wispeo.

Pizza Hut recently released this video poking fun at the selfie stick trend. As you can see, the commercial’s selfie sticks keep getting longer and longer, lengthened in an effort to find the perfect shot to share with the “world…wide web.”

We might make fun them, but selfie sticks are here to stay. Although popular with the general public, videographers and photographers have found a way to use selfie sticks to create some pretty cool footage. Selfie sticks enable a much wider depth of frame, which helps create the “wow factor” in videos like this one:

When GoPro and other adventure cameras first added the helmet mount, adventurers like bikers, skydivers, and snowboarders were able to capture footage in a new way. This skiing video is an awesome example of the unique video that can be captured by a helmet mount:

While the helmet attachment for GoPro allows for a first-person view, selfie sticks give a view of the facial expressions and background. This “face to face” interaction allows for the synergy between viewer and subject that videographers strive for. This rope swing video lets us see the exhilaration on the jumper’s faces. It enables videographers and amateur video makers to capture footage from a unique vantage point, (and it gives viewers a better connection with video subjects.)

Would you use a selfie stick to capture video? If you decide to try it out, head to Wispeo to share your footage with your circle.

Wispeo is now mobile! Get the easiest way to share videos and photos from your phone in the App Store or from Google Play.

The post Capture Extreme Video Using…A Selfie Stick? appeared first on Wispeo.