Interview with Danielle Miner from Geelong, Australia
Q1 Give us a brief profile of who Danielle Miner is?
I am 29 years old and I am from Geelong, Victoria, Australia. I got into photography while studying for my Bachelor of Marine and Freshwater Science at Deakin University in Warrnambool.
I started off with a basic Kodak 2 mega pixel camera but once I entered into the work force I decided it was time to upgrade to a Nikon DSLR. I decided on the Nikon D40 with the kit lenses and have not looked back on this decision. Since then I have upgraded to the Nikon D90.
I have a Bachelor of Science and I also undertook postgraduate studies in Bachelor of Science Environmental Science (Honours). After university I worked in various laboratories testing water and food samples.
I am currently working as a Laboratory Technician for a company that makes antioxidants for pet food. I was very passionate about becoming a scientist but over the last couple of years I have become more interested in photography and would love to pursue it further. Photography is my main hobby and I enjoy getting out once or twice a week to take photographs.
Q2 You have a few different styles. What sparked your interest in HDR photography?
I got interested in HDR by looking at other peoples work on deviantART and was intrigued on how to do it. I downloaded the Photomatix trial version and practised on many shots. I over did all my HDR imagines at the start but soon learnt and by gaining feedback from others on DA that it was not the way to go. I aim to enhance the scene and bring out lots of details from the shot that can not be seen in the original.
Q3 What style or subject inspires you the most?
I am inspired by many people on deviantART as there are so many talented people that use this site. I love seeing what other local photographers are doing as it inspires me to venture out and take photos.
I am inspired to take photos because I want to improve and get a better understanding of photography. I receive a lot of great feedback on DA and that keeps me going as I am glad people enjoy my photography. I hope that my work also inspires others out there to take photos.
Q4 What equipment do you use?
I use a Nikon D90 and D40 with lenses 10-24 mm, 18-55 mm, 55-200 mm, 70-300mm, 50mm 1.8f and an SB-600 flash gun.
Q5 How would you describe your relationship to the landscape?
I enjoy spending time outside taking photos and feel really happy and relaxed after spending a considerable amount of time outside. I would much prefer to be outdoors enjoying the environment than cooped up inside.
I particularly enjoy going to the beach and enjoying the sunshine. On the other hand I also enjoy venturing out in the city at night time to capture cityscapes. Having a camera has encouraged me to get outside a lot more than I would if I did not take photos.
Q6 What techniques do you use for creating HDR images?
I shoot in raw so sometimes I use a single raw photo or I take 3 shots at different exposures.
Photomatix is my program of choice and it has taken me a while to get the hang of it but it requires you to adjust the settings before you process the imagine.
Using Noiseware Pro takes away the noise that HDR creates and this is essential to some shots. I do all final adjustments in Photoshop.
Q7 What software do you use for your image cataloguing and processing?
I use Photoshop CS5 and Elements 8 for cataloguing and processing. I use Photomatix Pro 3 for my HDR and Noiseware Pro for removing noise from HDR images After I process my images, I do my final adjustments in Photoshop.
Q8 How do you market your work?
I use Deviantart to sell my prints. I have been lucky to sell a couple of images here and there. I have not really thought much about selling my photography, to be honest, as I am just an amateur.
Q9 What advice would you give to the budding HDR landscape photographer out there?
I am an admin of some HDR groups on DA and I see many errors in the HDR images, such as over done HDR and halos.
I guess we all need to start somewhere, but toning down the saturation and the strength of the HDR image is always a good start.
The purpose of HDR is to enhance the scene, not make it look like a cartoon.
When you are out taking photos and are going to process the photos in HDR think about the position of the sun and try to get interesting clouds in the shot.
Make sure that you do not overexpose the clouds, as when you process, it will just come out as patches of overexposed clouds that do not look good in the photo.
Subjects that are always come up great in HDR are old buildings, architecture and any awesome landscape or waterscape with amazing clouds.
There are a variety of programs for HDR. Whichever program you choose, just experiment with the settings until you find what looks good for the image.
Q10 What do you want to achieve out of your work?
I hope to learn as much as I can to become a great photographer. I am always open to feedback and always looking to improve and learn new skills and techniques.
It would be nice to be able to make a living from doing photography as I really enjoy it but feel I have so much to learn still.
I find it challenging and rewarding but when you capture an awesome photo that many people enjoy it makes me very happy.
You can see more of Danielle's great HDR work by following the links below.
