mickegan
Member

About mickegan

First Name:

Mick

Biography:

Some History;

My wife Nell and I have two adult children and five grandchildren who all live in the Illawarra region of NSW south of Sydney.
I grew up on a dairy farm in the Illawarra near the coastal town of Gerringong. Gerringong has some beautiful scenery including sandy beaches, rugged cliffs and pristine rainforests. As a boy I spent my spare time playing Rugby (poorly), fishing, surfing, hunting or exploring the hills and cliffs around my home town. These expeditions forged within me a love of wide open spaces and an attraction to wilderness areas.

The origin for my passion for the art of photography probably originates from my high school days as an art student. However I had some limitations in this area as my Art Master once commented “Egan is a talented painter it’s a shame he can’t draw”!

After school I spent 30 wonderful years trying to make a career for myself and providing a good life for my family. I worked in three different Industries in a variety of occupations from Mechanic to Business Unit Manager.

In 1998 Nell and I were fortunate enough to travel to Alaska, Canada and USA so I decided I needed a decent camera for the holiday so I bought a Canon EOS film camera with 2 kit lenses. This was really the beginning of a serious interest in photography. After that trip I started hearing about digital photography and in 2000 my wife bought me a 3 megapixel Canon Powershot G2 camera.

Since our Alaska trip we have travelled to many parts of the world including South Africa, Botswana, Zambia, West Indies, Europe, Thailand, Hong Kong and Singapore and many parts of outback Australia and also Tasmania. The G2 has travelled with me to all of these places as a reliable spare camera and I still use it today. The G2 introduced me to the world of digital photography. No more waiting for film to be developed and I was amazed at the tools available in Photoshop and the endless possibilities they offered. I also became involved in a number of digital photography websites where I was able to learn more and it was free!

In 2005 I joined the St George Photographic Society and that is when my learning really accelerated and after a year in B Grade I was competing with some of the best A grade club photographers in the state and the competition was tough!
As my budget would allow I was able to purchase more equipment and today I use a canon 5D with a few L grade lenses. My favourite lenses are the 16-35L mm f/2.8 and the 70-200L mm f/2.8.

In recent years I have been successful in gaining acceptances at National and International Salons but I can assure you that I am still learning. The learning never ends.

My Approach to Photography;

To me photography is about communication. I’ll try to explain;

I want the viewer to understand what I saw and experienced when I took that shot. If I’m standing on a beach at 6; 00 a.m. with tripod etc and a storm rolls in, then I want my image of that storm to evoke the same drama I felt as the sky darkens and the thunder roars.

If I capture my 7 year old granddaughter in a candid moment when she is not posing but revealing her true emotion I want the viewer to see and feel that same emotion. For me then the objective is to share these experiences with the person who views the image.

Of course this is not easy and I don’t get it right that often but it is very satisfying when I do!

Because access to our outstanding Australian Landscape is for now at least relatively easy, I tend to produce more Landscape and Seascape work than any other styles. However I am very keen on people photography but as we all know the logistics of portraiture can be a little difficult. There are plenty of people I know who I would like to photograph but there are not that many who want to be photographed. A lot of my images are printed in Black and White and I am attracted to the monochrome style as I believe in some cases colour can be a distraction.

I am not a Technical photography expert and although quite capable of learning the science I only am interested in what I need to know to get a result so please don’t ask me to explain the science of Depth of Field – I would rather chew broken glass!

I tend to operate more on instinct rather than science especially when I start to edit. In this process I might end up with something totally different than what I started with. This is the creative process which I enjoy just as much as tramping in the bush.

City:

Jindera, New South Wales

Interests:

Photography,Art,Sport,travel,films and Tv with guts and drama,great food and wine, moderate exercise

Occupation:

Site Manager

Country:

Australia

Your Photography Specialty:

Landscape

Gear List:

Canon 5D, 20 D Canon lenses 70-200mm L, 100-400mmL 16-35L,28-135 f/3.5,macro110 f/2.8.Lots of other bits and pieces.

Newsletter:

Yes