We are proud to announce our first ever Chimpsy featured photographer.  Today, we are putting Ashley M in the spotlight, who comes to us from Vancouver, WA.

Her image, Tunisian Man, caught our eye in the Chimpsy photo contest.  Aside from great light, interesting composition, and some skilled post-processing, the expression on this man’s face can really leave us wondering what’s on his mind, or how he might be feeling.  We asked  Ashley a little bit about her and this photo:

1.  How did you get started with photography?

In 2005, I spent two months hiking through the mountains of Uganda with a tribal group unrecognized by the western world. With nothing but my backpack and “point and shoot” camera, I managed to capture a moment that changed my life and formed my career. The image was of a young boy peering through a field of grass. Looking back on the photo, I now recognize how flawed the image is from a photographic perspective, but the eyes of this child will forever tell a priceless story of a time and a group of people that changed the way I look at the world, and my passion for photographing priceless moments.

2.  What class(es) have you taken with Chimpsy so far?

I took the DSLR Intermediate class

3. Any interesting facts about yourself?

I’m married to an awesome man, and I’m a mommy of two sweet little girls, Sophee and Eden.

Thanks so much, Ashley!

Ashley and her daughter.

For more than a decade I have worked as a documentary photographer with medical and humanitarian relief organizations in Latin America, Eastern Europe and elsewhere. But Central America, that often forgotten isthmus of seven countries linking the great continents of North and South America has called me back over and over. I have photographed its people, its landscapes, its cities and towns. I have photographed men dying and babies being born, from the tops of mountains and under the water. Every time I think I am done a new idea strikes me and the plans to return commence. I have always gone there specifically to photograph and my equipment has seen the change from film to digital and the evolution of digital equipment from marginal to superb.

Central America offers some of the most amazing vistas on the planet: thick jungle, deserts, active volcanoes, ancient ruins, some of the best reef systems in the world on the Caribbean side for divers and surfing on the Pacific coast. But of all the areas to photograph nothing quite compares to the Mayan Highlands of Guatemala. And within the highlands there is nowhere like Lake Atitlan.

You fly into Guatemala City–and if you left at 6 a.m.–you should arrive in the early afternoon. There are always shuttles waiting to take you to Antigua. They cost about $20 and the drivers take US currency so have a bill with you. There is generally little reason to linger in Guatemala City. It is chaotic and many areas are very dangerous (which is another good reason to arrive early). If you find you have to stay overnight in the capital find a good hotel in Zone 10.

But a ride of a little over an hour takes you out of the flat plains and into the mountains to the beautiful streets of Antigua. Antigua was the original Spanish capital of all of Central America. Earthquakes and volcanic eruptions repeatedly devastated the city and the capital was finally moved to its present location in 1773. For years Antigua languished, but over the last few decades its old building have been restored. It is a magical city full of Spanish colonial buildings, ruined cathedrals and a central park shaded by trees full of purple flowers. You will often see Mayan people in their hand-woven traditional clothes and other sights that seem out of the history books. It is an excellent city to acclimatize, photograph, study Spanish and base other trips around the country. Spend a few days there but don’t get trapped by Antigua’s beauty. There is too much of Guatemala to explore and photograph.

Book a bus or shuttle to Panajachel. Panajachel, or “Pana” as the old Guatemala hands call it, is the primary transit city on the shores of Lake Atitlan. There are a dozen or more (depending on who is counting) towns and villages around the lakeshore and each has its own character. The whole area is a photographer’s dream. A few hours through the mountains bring you from Antigua through the bustling market town of Solola then down into the caldera of Lake Atitlan. The sight never fails to make me silent with awe. Some 20 miles long by up to nine miles wide, Lake Atitlan is the crater left by the explosion of a mega volcano about 80,000 years ago. In Mayan mythology it is the navel of the universe, one of the world’s most holy places.

Your bus descends the switchbacks into the busy town of Panajachel. From there you can catch a boat or “lancha” from the docks to any of the towns around the lake. There is the party town of San Pedro, the traditional Mayan city of Santiago with the shrine to the trickster god Maximon, the quiet meditation centers of San Marcos or my two favorites: the unlovely but very lively Pana itself or the tranquil beauty of Santa Cruz and SCUBA diving and hiking from the Lost Iguana hotel.

Atitlan is a good example of why a photographer needs to be ready. The clouds and light change moment to moment. The surface of the lake is tranquil, mercury smooth at daybreak and every afternoon the Chocomil, a wind from the Pacific, turns the lake’s surface to a rough chop. There are the Tzutuhuile and Kachiquel Maya and every town has its own distinct manner of traditional dress. Remember, traveler, that not everyone likes to be photographed, so make the effort not just to ask but also to get to know people. It will always make your photos better and more honest and it might just result in an invitation or information on the best places to be.

I have been to almost every town on the lakeshore and many nearby, photographing the lake in all seasons over more than a decade. I have photographed the lake using a wide variety of equipment at all hours of the day and night and the place never fails to surprise me. The surface of the water changes colors from every shade of blue through greens and purples and grays. One minute the sky is clear and the next enormous towers of clouds top the three volcanoes that surround the lake. There are traditional festivals, both Spanish and Mayan and other events throughout the year.

On my last trip I spent nearly three months in the area, studying Spanish and documenting the different towns. I carried the new (at the time) Panasonic GF1 in the new Micro 4/3 format, the waterproof/shockproof Pentax Optio W90 point and shoot and a Leica M6ttl with Fuji Neopan 400 ISO black and white film. I have found that portability and weight are decisive factors in travel and documentary photography and truly believe I obtained better photos with the small Panasonic than I would have carrying my Nikon D3 and a bagful of pro-lenses. Not only is the output of the little Micro 4/3 camera stunning, but it is always with you and it doesn’t change the mood. Pull out a huge DSLR in Guatemala and you’ll see what I mean. The whole tone changes, becomes serious or even unfriendly and the moment is lost. You also won’t make yourself the same target to potential thieves and your knees and shoulders will thank you. A documentary photographer I know, who works primarily in Africa, has shot several award winning photo essays using two amateur Nikon D60s for the same reasons. They take great photos, are small and light and they don’t call a lot of attention to themselves. Take this to heart. Good equipment is important but it need not be terribly expensive or the top of the line. In fact the large and heavy professional equipment, while it to has its place, can also be a liability. The best camera is the one you have, have practiced with and have with you all the time. You never know when that magic alchemy of light and time will come together into the perfect moment. The most expensive gear in the world is no good if you don’t carry it because of its weight or you fear it being lost or stolen.

Guatemala and Lake Atitlan are some of the most beautiful, photogenic places on the planet. They offer an incredible diversity of landscape and people and they’re only hours away by plane. From the Mayan Highlands you can easily reach the Pacific coast of El Salvador, the Mayan ruins of Tikal in the Peten jungle or Copan in Honduras. There is Belize and the Honduran Bay Islands for amazing diving, the nature reserves of Costa Rica and a thousand other things. Keep your cameras ready and your eyes open and be prepared for the adventure of a lifetime.

Today, as it snowed heavily here in Denver, I decided to take Gary, the Chimpsy Mascot Doberman Pinscher out for a romp through the snow, and I brought my Olloclip to see what kind of images I could get.

The Olloclip mounts in a quick snap to the top right corner of your iPhone, right over the factory lens.

Small and compact, this hot little number won’t take up a lot of room in your coat pocket, purse (or manpurse).

I was most eager to test out the fisheye lens.  All of the following photos were tweaked using the Camera+ app, and I highly recommend that for your iPhone Photography, too.

The fisheye is certainly fun, but I had more fun playing with the macro and wide-angle lens, which is actually the same lens, but by giving it a turn with your fingers, it can switch from macro to wide.  Below:  Macro!

I was impressed by the detail obtained by the macro.  You can almost identify the individual snowflake patterns.  The above photo was used with the HDR  filter in Camera+, although toned down to about 30%

The image below was used with the macro/wide lens switched to “wide”

Gary, below, is my hardest model to photograph.  But I had fun pointing the wide angle at him, just the same.  To give you an idea of the wide-angle effect, the lens was held only about 12 inches from his nose.

Overall, I had a great time with the Olloclip and I plan on bringing it with me whenever I plan on taking serious photos with my iPhone!  I recommend!

We didn’t have a single “grand prize” winner like we’ll have in February.  So here are the 17 best shots of January.  Wow, I am really impressed by our student photographer’s skills!  The theme for this contest was:  COLORADO  The following photos are in no particular order:

1. Amanda Wickenkamp got a sweet shot of the famous Maroon Bells, some of Colorado’s most majestic 14ers.  But what I love about this shot is that she used the peaks as a backdrop, while focusing on the wildflowers in the foreground, creating a great sense of depth and a really well balanced composition.

2. Brea Olson demonstrated exposure mastery and compositional know-how with this very unique aerial photo of a hot air balloon shadowed over a field of green crops.  Definitely one of the most looked at photos in our gallery!

3. Susan Ballou’s photo was captured on her drive home one day; decided to stop and pull out her camera and snap a few photos of this scene, using the rule-of-thirds nicely, positioning the horizon on the bottom third and the white tree on the right third, and a really nice marriage of pleasing colors.  Beautiful!

4. and 5. Stephanie Laube was selected TWICE!  I love this first photo of some mountain goats (NOT Rocky Mountain Bighorns) , jut hanging out, probably between 13,000 and 14,000 feet in elevation.  They are all smiling for the camera – amazing!

5.  Another great balance of colors and utilizing the rule-of-thirds really well!  Golden fall colors are what Colorado is known for!

6. Sean Buchan’s photo of this old rustic fence takes me back to many Colorado road trips.  Barbed wire, logs and a mountain backdrop make this photo really representative of Colorado’s mountain charm.

7.  Also by Sean Buchan, what a cool shot of some jagged peaks framed by this log window.  Talk about eye-opening perspective, I LOVE this photo!

8. Rick Bolin captured the Great Sand Dunes of Colorado contrasted by the Colorado Rocky Mountains in the background and green shrubbery in the foreground.  A well-layered image showcasing three elements of Colorado’s unique terrain!

9. Laura Feehs got a great shot of some wildflowers while evergreens in the background loom in the background.  Laura found some really pretty light for this shot – great job!

10. Kimberly Martinez utilized both balance and the rule-of-thirds with this photo below with a yucca plant landing on the right third ever-so-subtly.  Great mix of colors, too!

11. Kerry Schutt came up with a classic fall image of some beautiful aspen trees.  I love the vertical elements of the trees combined with the horizontal horizon of golden foliage in the lower third of this well composed and colorful shot!

12. Ken Nielsen drawls our attention towards the fog and trees with leading lines from the dirt road in this compelling image.  The fog over the fall setting creates a really peaceful, quiet mood, that I love so much about the autumn time in Colorado.  Spectacular!

13. Justin Miller was awarded two images in January, starting with a very Ansel Adams-esque black and white image from a dramatic alpine lake.  Very cool combinations of lighting and textures.  I love this image!

14.  His other image, a long exposure right here in the city features some incredible patterns and colors and lines.  There is a lot of eye-candy in this image.  Very fun shot of our ever-popular Larimer Square in Downtown Denver.

15. Jeremy Shannon gave us another Downtown Denver Landmark.  I must say, I have seen a million shots of Union Station, but never one quite like this.  The mix of multidirectional and curved lines  give my eyes a lot of elements to follow.  The colors really pop in this photo too, which makes it even more fun.  Great job, Jeremy!

16. Chuck Huskey captured a real beauty in this horizontal masterpiece of colors, lines, and composition.  I think this image would look wonderful on a fine-art wrapped canvas!

17. Angie Derix came up with a really spectacular photo of this home hear Telluride, Colorado.  How’d you like to have a place like that?  Great angle and perspective – a beauty of a photo no doubt!

I must say, I am quite proud of our Chimpsy students.  It’s a talented bunch!!

Oh, and not only do you get to have your work on display at a Downtown Denver venue for a whole month, and not only do you get to keep your print when we’re done showing it off, but you also get a FREE delicious sandwich from Backcountry Provisions.  I recommend the Pilgrim:  turkey, stuffing, cranberry chutney on toasted sourdough bread.  It’s like the day after Thanksgiving!  So good.

I appreciate not just the way food tastes, but the way it smells, and the way it LOOKS.

My father is known for his cooking. He takes great pride in it. Food and the act of preparing it is his language of love, and he’s incredibly good at it.

A couple of days ago I landed a great food photography job from a restaurant called Argyll Gastropub in Cherry Creek. What a score – they were voted “Best new Restaurant” by Westword Magazine last year.

I thought I’d share some of my shots…

First, meet Robert, the Owner of Argyll. He’s opening up two new restaurants, including Punchbowl, a foodie’s late-night haven – bowling and incredible food. I can’t wait.  This was photographed with all natural light, coming in from the front windows.  That’s right.  No flash!

Now for some food shots. I have recently become a fan of good wings , so you can imagine I LOVED when they brought this out, right off the bat.

All of the food images were photographed with the use of a video light (from the rear left), a reflector on the right, and the “main” light was actually natural light.  I was standing outside, shooting into the restaurant.  It was nice to have an open door that went into the restaurant.  If I didn’t have that luxury, I would have used another video light with a soft box coming over my shoulder.  The brightest light was from the video light, grazing the tops of the food, which gave the food some really great highlights.

Argylle is known for their lamb dishes, so I think next time I’m there, I’ll be ordering this.

This was taken with a tilt-shift lens.  A tricky lens to use, but creates some really interesting bokeh!

Some more great food dishes…

I actually ordered this Pub Steak last weekend and yes, it’s as good as you might imagine.

And finally, dessert.

To see more of Mark’s work, please visit his personal blog

Who knew that a bunch of bricks could make for such a visually appealing image?

Me in my Michelin Man Jacket and my students.

That is one fast station wagon!  (from our exercise in “panning” and dragging the shutter)

My students are so “focused”.  Thank you thank you… I’ll be here all week.

We’re always looking for neat colors and textures.

Dramatic natural light makes for interesting black and whites!

Lines, textures…

patterns, rule-of-thirds, cigarette butt.

Multi-directional lines give our eyes something very cool to follow!

Small point-and-shoot class, but we all had a blast!

I rented Canon’s 90mm Tilt-Shift lens in anticipation of some food photography, as my father always goes big on the holidays. The others were photographed with Canon’s 50mm 1.2 lens, my FAVORITE lens in my bag!

Easter AM, had to bring the dog for a walk.  And play with my tilt-shift lens.  Notice the blur at the top and the bottom of the photo.  By changing the plane-of-focus, I can get an interesting perspective that is very subtle.

My father is the master chef in our family.  I appreciate candid photography for many reasons.  Tilt-shift.

Tilt-shift.   Photographed with available light.  ISO at 800, Aperture wide open.

The cocktail of the evening is a Manhattan, a family favorite, at least between my father, his father, and myself!

Tilt-shift, ISO 800, available light, shot wide open.

Succulent leg of lamb.  Most food photographers have “food stylists”.  My dad is a chef and a stylist all in one!

I decided to pull out my 50mm 1.2 lens and do some family photos.

ISO: 250 F3.5

Like Father, Like Son!

Taking this photo of my step-mother Lisa, I photographed wide open, 1.2, aiming my focus right on her eyes.  The downward camera angle shows off the eyes a little more and creates an interesting perspective.

Me and my girlfriend. 

My cousin, Nick.   Same camera angle, 50mm 1.2 “Wide Open).  At 1.2 you can see that his eyes are in focus, and we have some nice bokeh (blur) even on his shirt.  A benefit to shooting with a super fast lens, like the 1.2

My dinner plate (that’s lasagna, lamb, eggplant parmesan, artichoke heart, roasted potatoes and perfectly toasted bread!).  Tilt-shift, F2.8.

My view across the table.  Tilt shift.

Candid portrait of my father who as we say “got a bit of sand in his eyes”, is always overwhelmed when surrounded with his family.    I really used the tilt-shift lens, which is a manual focus ONLY lens to bring out the eyes in this shot as the sharpest focal point in the image.

The view from the back porch as an April snow shower rolled in!  Tilt-Shift at F4.

Finally, back at home, I pulled out the tilt-shift one last time this morning before I need to return the lens.  I really enjoy the effect that you can get by changing the plane of focus with this lens.  I may have to add this to my camera bag!