Unsplash Untold. The stories behind the photos.
Edition 4
Each week we share short snippets, direct from the photographers themselves, that give a brief background to some of the photos that are available on Unsplash along with a little more about the people who took them.
This photo was taken in Talisker Bay on the Isle of Skye. Heading out to take photos of sunsets is always a gamble! You can never trust the weather forecast to tell you whether the sky will be photo worthy and more often than not you’ll probably be disappointed with the result. This was one of the rare occasions that makes it all worth it. We had been checking the sky for a week to try and get out for some sunset photos but every evening was overcast.
The day that this photo was taken wasn’t any different, with a thick bank of cloud on the horizon, but we decided to skip dinner and drive a few miles to Talisker Bay to see if the sun would surprise us. We got there about an hour before and knew it was going to be a special evening. The sun was breaking through the clouds sending rays across the evening sky and reflecting it’s golden glow beautifully across the sea. It was one of those times that I had to actually stop taking photos and just admire the moment.
About the photographer: Joshua Earle is a 22 year old based in Slough, England. In his free time he travels around the world taking photos and when he gets back home he uses those photos to make a difference: joshuaearlephotography.com/findyourphoto
In July, I visited Hokokuji, a small Zen temple in the city of Kamakura which was about an hour train ride from Tokyo. Hokokuji is famous for its bamboo grove. Although it’s quite small compare to the famous bamboo grove in Arashiyama, Kyoto, it certainly has its own beauty standard. The summer rain in Japan makes everything wonderfully green along with the sound of the cicadas. I couldn’t help but admire this colorful yukata in the middle of the bamboo grove.
About the photographer: Lan Pham lives in San Francisco and loves to travel to Japan.
As a new resident of Cambridge this summer, I used photography as an opportunity to explore and become acquainted with my new neighborhood. One particular night, I decided to take a walk along Memorial Drive and came across a pedestrian bridge which offered an overhead shot of passing traffic. After a few iterations, I managed to capture a lane switch. I was pleasantly surprised in regards to its effect in capturing a certain sense of motion in the photo!
About the photographer: Nick Jeffway is a 24 year old designer who currently resides in Massachusetts.
I was hiking up to get the best view the amazing Franz Joseph glacier on the south island of New Zealand in 2009 and got really lucky to capture this photo. Sans tripod!
About the photographer: Vincent Burkhead is a seasoned brand strategist, serial freelancer, and certified creative junkie with a studio sitting on a gorgeous canyon in San Diego, California. He runs a blog for graphic designers.
My friend Jason and I went out into the desert parts of Lancaster, CA to do a desert photo shoot. I had purchased some smoke grenades online and had this cool, old school briefcase that a friend had given me and I had been wanting to do a photoshoot that incorporated the smoke and briefcase. Jason modeled for me with the briefcase and we got some amazing shots that day. This particular capture was a result of Jason dropping the closed briefcase on the ground and then opening it up — allowing the smoke to creep out in the most mystical fashion. I kept shooting until the smoke nearly ran out. As I looked through the photos later, this one stood out to me the most — the way it captured the desolate desert landscape and the mysterious wisps and curls of smoke as they came out of the briefcase.
I’ve gotten the chance to share this capture with some of my peers for verbal feedback and the general consensus was that its concept was magically mysterious and conducive to the idea of an alternate reality. It’s very important to me how my photographs effect my viewers. Every product of my work is designed to elicit very distinct emotions from the viewer. When I’ve succeeded in producing those emotions through my photos, that’s the instant in which I know I’ve done my job well.
About the photographer: Fredrick Kearney is a 20 year old currently based in SoCal! (Lancaster, CA).
This photo was taken during a training session at the Rio 2016 Olympics in the cycling velodrome. I was looking for something out of the ordinary to shoot, wanting to run away from shooting the athletes racing around the track when I saw this British athlete lining up to start his training and noticed the tattoo on his arms. I thought it would make a nice photograph, the original picture was taken in color but I wanted to add a punch to it by turning it to B&W.
About the photographer: Agberto Guimaraes is a 59 year old, living in Rio. He’s an Olympian 800m runner with participation in three editions of the Olympic Games, 1980 Moscow, 1984 LA and 1988 Seoul. At the Rio 2016 Games he worked as the Executive Director of Sports and took photographs during his visits to the venues.
I went camping with my friends at the Öschinenlake in Switzerland. It was pretty cloudy in the morning. In the afternoon the clouds passed by and we hiked up to find a spot to camp. While we searched for the perfect place the clouds made a beautiful shadow on the lake. Luckily there was a boat on the lake, so it gave the picture the final touch. This Picture makes me realize how small we are.
About the photographer: Martin Sattler lives in Zug, Switzerland.
