Inspired by Quietness - Water Photography

This summer season I have decided to follow the theme I started last year. I mean water and its lines and rhythms inspirations. My focus on this theme is because of being tired with more and more busy and speedy life we all seem to live. Scientists have invented computers to help people do things easier and faster. I guess they have thought their invention spare our time on doing things we must to be able do things we love.

How it is in reality we all know. Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, etc. - constant buzz, noise, talking, commenting, liking and actually do not caring at all.  That is why I seek for peace, which is a must to be creative.  Stillness inside us is a must to hear our inner voice. Observing water makes me really calm and actually very happy.

I want to share with you some images of water I did this summer, which sadly comes to the end in my country. I will be garteful for any comments you leave on my blog. Thanks in advance.

Altered Light - Seeing a different world by John Anthony

Altered Light, book by John Anthony

The gardener stands up looks kindly upon you and says, 'Welcome. The lane outside the gate where you were standing is your Life Pathway. You have been guided to this place by the joy and heartache, fun and laughter, trials and tests experienced in your life and the many other Angel Lives you have lived. This is your Spiritual Sanctuary where you come to find out who you really are, and to meet Sacred Self.

The Energy of Trees Photography Show

Opening Reception, February 12, 6:00 PM

Bydgoszcz University Library, Szymanowskiego 3, 12 February - 14 March, 2014

I have a great pleasure to inform that tomorrow there is an opening reception of my solo exhibition. The venue is new and very modern building of huge library that has been built in my hometown for our university. I highly value showing my works out of brick and mortar galleries in a spaceswhere normal life is vibrating each day. I feel that my works have become a small part of someone's life at least for the period of the show time.

I cordially invite everyone who is happen to be in my hometown and would like to participate in the show.

The Global Foto Project at Saint Joseph's University

I have the pleasure to showcase the photographic artwork produced by the students of photographer and educator Walter Plotnick at Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia, PA USA.

The Global Foto Project concept, is that students explore contemporary photography of their peers, from Asia, Europe, Africa, Central and South America. Including International Jesuit Institutions of Higher Education. Students researched images that inspire them on a visual, conceptual, spiritual or thematic basis. Students then create their own images based on their findings. Not to replicate their researched images but rather to be inspired and create new images.

Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia, PA USA

 Mr. Plotnick has shared the images his students created during this semester long project and I must admit that I am amazed at the maturity some of the works present.

Inspired by Quietness

For a person, like me, a kind of introvert loving peace and harmony, it is not easy to live nowadays, when everything seems rushing and speeding up each day. A human being can't perceive and wisely comprehend the world in which he/she lives from an Intercity Express train. But our live reminds such a speedy journey. And worse, we seem to accept it.

I often raise a question how to protect myself, my own personality,

The Global Foto Project

Global Foto Project - Collage of works by students of Montgomery County Community College PA USA

For more than 16 years, I taught Art in my country, Poland. I loved the job for one main reason. I could inspire my students and help them expand their creativity. I could teach them across the boundaries of traditional art and culture and for them to develop new ways of seeing and thinking.

The Absolute Beginner's Guide to Taking Photos Like a Pro - Recommended Photography Books

When you are an aspiring amateur photographer who wants to shoot like a pro and struggle to take better photos, you feel like you stuck and can't make progress, I strongly recommend reading the book Better Photo Basics: The Absolute Beginners Guide to Taking Photos Like a Pros by Jim Miotke, an experienced photographer, the author of the bestselling BetterPhoto guidebook series and BetterPhoto.com website founder and owner. What makes the book unique guide is its simplicity the author explains all the basic issues from camera mode shooting, learning creative techniques for choosing a right theme and composition.
I am sure that following all the guide chapters and implementing some simple solutions you may find in the book will let you make significant progress with your photographic work. 

See the book >>> BetterPhoto Basics: The Absolute Beginner's Guide to Taking Photos Like a Pro

I am curious to learn your opinion about the book after you purchase it and work with this invaluable help book.

A Gift

Roses, Photo: Danuta Antas, 2013

Beautiful roses my Andrew gave me recently. I couldn't resist to shoot them and share the photo with you. More images of the roses I will publish soon.

And below there is another flower photo I did this summer. Being so very busy with my web design work, creating new website for the presentation of web and graphic design projects I did for my clients I do not have so much time for photography I used to. I know, it needs to be changed soon.

If you like the images, just leave your comment below:)

How to Promote your Fine Art Photography and Get Extra Money

I think I do not make a major mistake writing that every amateur photographer wants to earn some extra money selling their photographic works. Your presence on my blog and reading this post may be some kind of proof. Nevertheless, that's not a sin to earn extra income from one's own creative work as each art related activity and photography in particular needs money for an artist to be able to create it.

I, like many other artists have tried to sell my works on websites like Fine Art America, RedBubble, etc. The success was rather of mere nature, I must admit. For money earned on that sites I would need to live another 200 years to buy my new dream photo camera. I have no 200 years to live and I am not going to give up my dreams. So, following an old Polish adage saying that the need is the mother of all great invention and discovery, I have invented my own ways of promoting my art, getting wider exposure and I am going to share them with you. First of all,

Define your photography core value and think who may be interested in the kind of work you create

The Garden Photographers Personal Project

Myslecinek Botanic Gardens, Poland 2012 - by Andrzej Baczkowski

My partner, Andrzej Baczkowski and me have recently launched our common website project called The Garden Photographers. We publish there photographic works we both do in various gardens of Poland. The photo up has been taken by Andrzej and the below by me. Both of them depict a beech wood we love for the trees incredible majesty. More about us working as a team, read on our website.

Our works are available as fine art canvas prints, framed and unframed, paper prints and limited edition museum quality prints.

Myslecinek Botanic Gardens, Poland 2010 - by Danuta Antas

Support Re-Imagining The World of Tomorrow Great Project by Walter Plotnick

These days almost each day new photographers appear worldwide. Lots of them are gifted indeed, shooting beautiful landscapes and other nice themes. However, it is much harder to come across a photographer, who has something important to say to other people. Such an artist is Walter Plotnick, whose great project concerning his solo exhibition and book publication is called Re-Imagining The World of Tomorrow.

My Photo Blog Featured in Shutterbug magazine

El Paradiso Mio series, Botanic Gardens Myślecinek, Bydgoszcz - Danuta Antas, 2010.

I have recently received a very nice comment on my photographic work by San Francisco based photographer Thomas Hyman. Thanks to this comment, which I let myself to cite below, I have learnt that my photography blog has been featured The Blog of The Month in March issue of the Shutterbug magazine.

Tom's Comment

Witness of Nature's Treasures

In my country, Poland, at this time of year, we usually have a Spring showing its signs in a shape of first flowers like tulips, daffodils, birds singing louder, Sun shining longer. Yet this year, it seems that Winter is not going to leave us, as now we have the lowest temperatures in this season and lots of snow throughout the whole country.

I have managed to do some shots at one of the frosty days and share them with you to enjoy and witness the treasures of nature.

Solo Photography Exhibition at The Museum of Photography

My speech at the opening reception of my solo exhibition. The Museum of Photography in Bydgoszcz, POLAND. February 14th,2013

This year Valentine's Day was very special to me. I had an offcial opening reception of my photography exhibition at The Museum of Photography in my hometown.This exhibition, called Towards Light - Mystic Landscapes, is exclusively devoted to my landscape and trees photography. It covers the period of 2010-2012. Below there are some images from the event. I am so appreciative for the very warm feedback I have received from people, lots of them I have never met in my life. That is really nice moment in photographer's life:)

Being Designer for Yourself

Invitation Card - in DL format

On February 14th there is scheduled my photography exhibition opening. All the promo materials such as invitation cards, trifold brochure cataloques, posters I have designed myself. As the exhibition title is Towards Light I tried to convey the idea in all the printed materials, too.

How to Make Money on your Fine Art Photography - Part 2

My recent website design for Angel Therapist www.krysztalowe-doradztwo.com

Some time ago, I have written a post advising photography lovers on how to make money on photography and earn either extra income, or to make photography your profession. The ideas I have written in that post had nothing to do with traditional ways for photographers, I mean wedding photography, or selling photography on stock websites. 

Despite being fine art photographer, I am also graphic designer and website designer. In my design work, I often need loads of images for websites I create for my clients. Of course, I buy photography on stock, but it often makes me feel that I use images without heart and style, images that I may encounter on dozens of other websites. I don't like it, as such websites are not unique and has nothing to do with true art. Where then graphic designers may purchase unique images? That question led me to the new idea I want to share with you.

Places Where Time seems to Stop

I have recently went on a trip to Torun, a well-known Polish city, full of medieval monuments. It is the city where I used to study Fine Arts and spent there whole five years enjoying student's life as well as all opportunities the city offers to people coming there. I have always thought that I know all its architectural treasures, but last Friday trip made me really in awe at the place we, my Andrew and me, discovered. It is the old past fort, now inhabited by people, cats and pigeons alike. Looks like a ghost with broken windows, some without panes and with people's clothes hung in other ones. On top of this, there is also satellite TV that seem totally out of the place.

Dancing Lady Triptych from Ciechocinek

Dancing Lady Triptych was taken in Ciechocinek, 2012

This year Spring I was in Ciechocinek, well-known spa town in Poland. Ciechocinek is famous for its uniquesaline graduation towers of extreme value for many serious diseases treatment, i.e. cardiovascular, respiratory, orthopedic, traumatic, rheumaticand other diseases. My stay in this town has also been connected with health curing after my accident in Summer 2011.

International Photography Awards (IPA) 2012 - 2 Honorable Mention awards for 2 series PATH and SEASONS

Path and Seasons two series of 5 works each, submitted to this year International Photography Awards IPA 2012 were awarded with Honorable Mention award. Path was submitted in Non-pro Fine Art Landscape category and Seasons in Non-pro Nature Trees category. This very special 10-Year Anniversary Edition of the competition attracted more than ever photographers from all over the world submitting 10 000 works. The jury panel comprised of over 80 international photography professionals.

5 Tips for Beginner Artists & Photographers

Nostalgic Landscape, by Danuta Antas, 2010

Go beyond an ordinary vision

One of the most basic yet important tips I would ever give a beginning artist and photographer is just Go beyond and ordinary ... whether it is landscape, flower, still nature, portrait or any other field of your interest. When you will experiment with composition, perspective, light and try to show things different, it is likely you will develop your own, unique style. When I have worked as an Art teacher, my students always were encouraged to experiment and make their own approach to common themes they were supposed to draw or paint. The most extraordinary ideas that appeared in their creative minds, even such as drawing a picture with a dotted pink elephant, met with my greatest joy, as I knew that imagination has