trending 19 The Great Outdoors SETH GEARHART S ETH GEARHART saw failing his high school photography class as a “dream-killer,” thwarting his ambition to shoot for National Geographic Magazine. Now Gearhart says, “Your initial failures won’t stay with you forever and you can overcome them.” He attended Indiana Westland University in Marion, Indiana, graduating with a degree in mass media communications. In his professional photography work, Gearhart uses a Canon T1I DSLR with a standard lens 18-55 mm and moved from film to digital. In 2009, he began iPhone photography and now uses a GoPro camera and an iPhone 5S for shooting and editing. “Ankle High” is a singular iPhone work in which a sunset, starkly distant rainbow and clean waves frame a man on his surfboard. Gearhart had his GoPro camera mounted to the front of his surfboard and turned to face his subject. The Snapfeed application is among his most used iPhone photo editing programs. “The iPhone editing allows a different perspective on everyday things,” he says. Changing the perspective and angles not ordinarily seen highlights particular parts of the photograph. Gearhart’s prints are mounted to metal to enhance the image. “Quarter to Sunset” was captured on his iPhone along a dock on the Shallotte River. It is mounted on a wooden frame, representing the wooden dock on which he stood to take the photo. Gearhart says he uses a GorillaPod or a monopod to shoot places that one can’t get on a normal tripod. He shoots expansive landscapes, natural surroundings and wildlife, using natural lighting. He says he lets the phone do the work; the apps on his iPhone allow a longer exposure. Light painting technique, a part of Gearhart’s process, is achieved when a subject has no or limited light and an exter-nal light source, like a flashlight, can paint the subject being photographed. While camera technology’s rapid updates continue to improve, Gearhart believes it doesn’t always promise a great photograph. “If you give a cheap guitar to Eric Clapton he’s still going to play unbelievably,” Gearhart says. “While technology helps, I think having a photographic eye and an understand-ing of photography techniques is more important than the equipment.” QUARTER TO SUNSET ANKLE-HIGH www.wrightsvillebeachmagazine.com WBM
Wrightsville Beach Magazine May 2015
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