Famous+Photographer

1. __History__ Philip Hyde was born and lived in San Francisco where he lived for 50 years in a house he had built in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California with his wife Ardis. He attended the California School of Fine Arts (now San Francisco Art Institute) and worked under the wing of many professional photographers such as Ansel Adams. Over the years, he took many shots for over 100 articles and more than 80 books. In 1996, he received the lifetime achievement award from the North America Nature Photography Association. Then in 2000, he lost his eyesight and therefore, could not continue taking photos, so now his son, David Leland Hyde, preserves his father's legacy and continues to use the photos in conservation efforts. Later, in 2009, Philip Hyde was made an honorary member of the International League of Conservation Photographers, and, through his son, continues to support conservation efforts in America.

2. __Influences__ Philip Hyde was influenced by his love for the Western American wilderness, which he primarily photographed, and his conservation efforts to save national parks. His great love for landscape photography may have come from his mentor, Ansel Adams. As his skills grew, his photos became even more present in environmental campaigns, which his son continues to help him do.

3. __Genre__ Philip Hyde took many American landscape photos in his love for it, in hope to help many environmental causes. He usually has a powerful central object to the photo which prove as inspiring and bring strength with it. The photos are also usually very colourful and bright, as seen in the photo below.

4. __Photos__ This photo presents a vivid colour contrast, although with a sense of balance with it - having equally enough warm colours (red, yellow) compared to colder colours (blue, purple) and equal amounts of dark brown to contrast the bright colours. The thin branches go out in diagonal lines, adding to the photo. The leaves also present themselves with a triangular shape which catches the eye. The layering with all the leaves on top of each other adds a lively, real effect, while all the stems and leaves use a certain element relationship as they all seem like the central object on a simple background. Although this photo is not a common "close-up" photo by the photographer, it does show his common use of colour contrast, apparent wildlife subject, and the lighting from above to give it a "real" aspect. As mention before, this photo uses lighting from above to give it a sense of calm liveliness, and to give different shades to the leave's colours as differing parts are hit by the light to make them appear lighter. The trunk of the tree stands out in the photo not only for its strong diagonal lines but also for its strong colour contrast to the cooler turquoise colour of the water. The ledges of the rocks give a sense of planes as the steps slowly fade away from the front. The movement of the water also draws the eyes across the picture towards the front. Little triangles are created through the flowing water and the tiny tree stump behind the two trunks. The bright tree trunks also use direction as they jut outside the picture angle and overall, use the rule of thirds as they are in the uppermost left corner. As with other photos, Philip Hyde uses the water to invoke a calm feeling. He also uses strong colour contrast and a lower perspective to create a more unique photograph. Although in this particular photograph, the direction which the light has come from is hard to tell, I believe it most likely came from above. The brightness from the reflection of light off the water creates a happier feeling to the overall photograph. In the photograph, there is a sense of symmetry and balance with the cliffs being reflected in the water. The direction of the sand draws your eyes across the image and brings more depth to the photograph. Striking blue triangles are created through the gap between boulders, especially noticeable in the reflection. The framing and colour balance the sand gives to the photograph shows the importance of the reflection as well as it gives the sand a 3D sort of appearance, as if it is about to jump out at the frame towards you. As with many other mountainous shots, Philip Hyde uses an upwards camera angle to create superiority in the rocks. He also uses reflection and colour contrast in this photo as he does with many other shots. The light from this shot comes from behind which accentuates the red colour of the rocks and the blue sky. The light also creates a darker light for the sand so that it appears a darker grey while also capturing the reflecting colours, such as green and blue. Also, the light from behind allows for a darker valley so that the reflection becomes even more prominent. The motion in this photo gives life to it. The s-shape of the creek bends around the corner while also being accentuated by the s-shaped log in the centre of the picture. The colour contrast between the dark blue water and bright autumn leaves brings a realistic touch to the photo which some photos lack. The direction the log gives as well as the rushing water makes you look across the bottom half of the photo. There is balance between contrasting sections of the photo, such as the rushing water and the calmness in the background, and the bright colours on the opposite side to the darker ones. The central objects sort of show an element relationship as both the log and central bush share the spotlight and seem connected somehow. There is also a slight sense of depth of field as the background gets blurrier as your eyes trail away from the log/bush focus. Also there are three distinct layers to the photo: the background clump of trees, the darkened tree and bush on the edge of the photo, and the foreground. As before mentioned, Philip Hyde uses colour contrast to attract your eyes and invoke emotions (cheerfulness in this case). He also again uses lighting from above and still water to create a calm feeling. The lighting from above allows for the fall colours to be reflected in the water to create a brighter, happier feeling. The bright colours in the top half of the photo creates an appearance of something great being around the bend in the river. This photo shows distinct use of planes: the rock in the foreground, mountains in the background, and the island in between the two. The rocks also gives a sense of direction and s-shape in the way they are positioned. There is simplicity in this photo and it uses a soothing colour balance between the grey rocks and deep blue water. The blue not only gives the picture balance, but frames the two rocks on the surface of the water on the right side of the photograph. The island uses element relationship among the rocks to create one object. The central object also follows the rule of thirds as it is off centre. Philip Hyde uses reflections in the water to gives it a surreal atmosphere much like one of the previously shown photos; in this case, the reflection of the rocks gives the photo a sense that the island is floating in the air with the blue water appearing as if sky. Once again, he uses contrasting colours to create a vibrant photo, although in this picture, the colours are more soothing so as to compliment each other. The lighting comes from above to achieve clearness to the reflection, and gain subtlety to the rocks underwater, which appear to fade away. Background 20/20 Influences 5/5 Style/Genre 5/5 5 Photos and Description 25/25 Total 55/55