Photography From a Different Perspective

Images copyright Bob Davis. All rights reserved.

​by Skip Cohen

I consider myself one of the luckiest guys in the industry, mostly because of the people I've met and worked with over the years. I'm not a tennis player, but we've all heard that your game improves when you play with somebody better than you. That's the way it is with creativity. That's also why taking as many workshops/classes as you can each year will help your skillset. It's not just about learning something new but being exposed to creativity on a different level.

Bob Davis is one of those creative buddies who never sits still and is always pushing the edge of the envelope. Together with his "partner in crime," Dawn, they're always looking for new ways to support their clients and build relationships. If you've never heard them talk about how they build relationships with vendors, listen to this past episode of Mind Your Own Business.

Every photographer is looking for ways to make their work different, especially in the wedding industry. We all know the sequence of events at a wedding, and it's tough to tell the story differently each time. But there are things you can do to make some of your images unique - find a different perspective.

That's one of the things I love about working with the Platypod team - they're giving artists the ability to capture from a different perspective. In turn, that creativity trickles up to the clients and helps create beautiful albums and memory-making images.

Bob sent me the images in this post (click on them to view in the SCU Lightbox) and wrote:

Platypod is the one of the best pieces of grip gear that goes everywhere with me! Sometimes tripods are not allowed in many public places, and when I travel it's much easier to pack this camera support over a tripod. I use remote cameras often and the Platypod is perfect for getting my remotes in position and out of the way.

He takes it everywhere, including while on Safari in Mashatu, Botswana, Africa, last April.
 
I had a vision of the Tree of Life, beneath the Milky Way and thousands of stars in the heart of darkness in Africa. It's the oldest Baobab trees estimated to be over 6000 years old, and I can only imagine what this ancient tree has witnessed.

Using the Platypod with a small Manfrotto ball head to support Canon EOS 5D Mark IV with a EF 16-35mm f2.8 vIII lens, I was able to accomplish my vision. This frame the tree is rim light using the modeling light of Profoto A1.

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Exposure Triad: F/2.8 @ 1/30 ISO 3200

Check out more of Bob's work with a visit to his website. And, if he's teaching at any conference you're attending in 2020, run don't walk to get a seat! You'll never be disappointed in what he shares. He's an artist who needs to be on your radar!

Interested in finding a different perspective for more of your images? Check out Platypod. There are some great holiday specials going on right now, and more creative tools to expand your skillset from macro to landscape and everything in between! Just click on the banner below.