Whenever you step outside your boundaries, inspiration and new passions are bound to strike. And this is exactly what happened to self-taught photographer Mark Tisdale when he left the states to travel abroad.
As I looked through his work, I was amazed at how Mark constantly achieves extraordinary photographs. . . it’s obviously not just about being in the right place at the right time, but also about knowing what to do with the photo in that moment.
For example, in the image below, the Bath Abbey becomes much more powerful due to the low viewpoint of the photographer, the chosen lens, and the stormy sky.
Just look at how those white clouds frame and accentuate the building’s spires before transitioning into blue sky around the edges of the photo.
As a photographer, Mark didn’t get to paint the clouds in himself—he had to wait for the right conditions, or position himself in the right place to make it happen. And his choice of a wide-angle lens didn’t hurt either.
Here’s another image that’s all about composition and patience. . .
Notice how the composition is split nearly perfectly, horizontally. The bottom half is heavy on the right due to an upsloping hill, but the top half is heavy on the left because of the massing clouds.
It’s a beautiful balance which only exists because Mark was either patient enough to wait for the clouds to float into place, or because he labored to find the right location to take this photo (or possibly both).
Mark has also recently begun capturing images closer to home, taking the same care to create powerful images from local scenery. Despite my lack of knowledge about the Fox Theater below, Mark has photographed it in a way to reveal a local significance.
Both the height and prominence of the Fox Theater sign immediately gives it iconic status. . . and of course the intense blue sky behind it pushes the sign forward to become the main focal point of the image.
Like all of Mark’s work, the colors and composition are simply breathtaking.
To experience more of Mark Tisdale’s beautiful travel-inspired photography, I highly encourage you to visit his website at www.MarkTisdalePhotography.com.