Today we’d like to introduce you to Bren O’Malley.
Hi Bren, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Photography for me started years ago when I was a young man. My Dad bought a 35mm Fujifilm camera so I could take a photography class in high school. Almost from the moment I picked the camera up, I was intrigued by what I could capture and how I could use the camera to show others glimpses into the world I choose to share.
This led to a job as a photographer’s assistant in La Jolla where I maintained all the equipment, held filters, reflectors, and lights on photo shoots, processed film and made contact sheets, and helped out the photographer as much as I could. I learned a lot, especially how light interacts with color and how it affects tone and saturation and how to use this in an image. The guy I worked for was a fashion photographer who did a lot of beach work and always had a gig available which is something rare in the fashion world.
Regrettably, the photographer was something of a tyrant, especially to the models which really affected my views of the camera and fashion worlds and just gnawed at me simply because I was afraid, I would end up like the photographer I worked with which is something I didn’t want to become. By the time I left this position, I was spending most of my time on photo shoots drying tears, and giving encouragement to the models which just wasn’t right. I could not fathom this so I left the camera and fashion worlds. Quit the job, packed everything up, shoved it into storage, and went over to my other interest which is aviation.
I made the aviation field my means to make a living and have done everything you can in it but, photography has always been in the back of my head, almost calling me, wanting me back if that makes sense. So, one day about seven years ago, I splurged and bought one of those camera packages deals you find at a big box store and just went back into it. This led me to a totally new world that I have always seen but now appreciate more.
I also took time to read and study the popular painters and how they used color, light and tones to not only show an image but to also direct the viewer to a certain point or spots in a painting. Renoir was excellent at this, using lighter shades and tones to draw the viewer towards certain points in a painting which engages the viewer. Degas and Cezanne also did this with color and lighting to invite the viewer to travel through the image. I try to do the same thing but use more tones and lighting and leave nature alone as much as possible.
I studied all the major photography fields but stuck with primarily landscape photography for two major reasons: nature doesn’t complain when she shows her world to me. She gives me her beauty and it’s up to me to capture it and try to share this with others. Other reason is the challenge. I have no control over what nature gives me in the sense of light, weather or environment but, it is my job to take what is given, find those few spots that can be photographed and really show the location and share it with others. I guess it’s this that challenges me. Almost like mother nature throws me something of duel, asks me to make something from what she has given me. That really inspires me.
I also studied photographers from today and the past to learn from them (Ansel Adams, Takeshi Mizukoshi, Edward Weston, Peter Lik, Gallen Rowell, Tim Shields) just to understand what they see and put it to an image. This has been challenging and rewarding. It is truly rewarding to read the notes and thoughts of others that inspire you and learn from them. To apply their knowledge to what you do is one of the reasons why I keep pushing myself.
A lot has changed over the years, especially since I put my original equipment away; however, I embraced the changes, learned everything I could, and really started enjoying photography again. Because of my past experiences, I decided to not do anything involving people and a camera so I put my energy into photographing landscapes, nature, anything not directly involving people and have had a pretty good time looking at our world through the lens of a camera. I document what I see and share this through my images.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
There have been more hiccups and slowdowns on this journey than I could have ever imagined but I am truly thankful I experienced every single event on this journey.
I have had travel plans and photo shoots sabotaged by other photographers, lost images due to equipment issues and failure, weather not cooperating, everything you could imagine has happened. Probably the biggest impact for me was COVID simply because I launched this adventure professionally at the beginning of 2020 and then everything went out the window. So, to adjust, I regrouped, focusing more on learning and improving my current knowledge and techniques and put developing new work to the side. I will not say that this big bump in my journey was a good thing, however, it did force me to really evaluate my work, improve myself and the work I produce.
During COVID, I stayed nearby, especially during the first year and a half and photographed what was close just to improve myself, give myself work to learn from. I bought myself a macro lens and took photos of flowers, weeds, bugs, anything I could put in the front of my camera was a subject. I will flat out state macro photography is incredibly humbling and it taught me so much and I have had some successes with it but, I was still going a bit stir crazy inside so I did what any nutjob would do and went out and took photos locally at parks and reserves just to get something in front of my camera. Yeah, after the first year and a half at home, I pretty much ignored the restrictions, closure signs and climbed a lot of barricades and obstacles just to get the camera working again.
I will say this though, COVID forced me to slow down and really work on techniques in editing, composition and software which really benefited me in the long run. I will not say what we all just went through was a good thing but, it really did force me to pause and regroup which has been very beneficial overall.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a landscape photographer who has been practicing this craft seriously for the last seven years and as a career since January 2020. I do not go to the popular spots if I can and I try to focus my efforts on the less popular locations. I prefer the quiet of less popular locations plus, why would I want to join a long list of photographers who photographed a certain location. I set my own rules.
A perfect example is the family and I went to Holland in the summer of 2019 to just look around, see a new country, and hopefully get some photos. I brought a very old camera along thinking I would photograph Amsterdam but I never pulled the camera out of the bag while in the big city. It was just too crazy for me to get comfortable so we regrouped and looked for another location. We found this small town on the southeast corner of the country called Hoorn and had a great time. It is a working fishing-oriented town, the locals were friendly, and it was quiet. I did manage to grab a couple images which are always nice but all of us really enjoyed the location. The scenery was terrific and there were a few other tourists milling about but it was still just a small spot in the world. This was something of an epiphany moment for me. Why photograph the popular spots and fight the crowds when there are so many other places in our world that are even more fascinating so I decided then I would not follow the “trends” and instead focus on the smaller, less known locations.
My past as a photographer’s assistant and studying the master artists did help a lot, especially in regards to lighting, placing subjects, and trying to spark interest in the viewer. I don’t want to just show an image, I want to engage the viewer and have them spend time looking at the photos.
I once took an image titled “Just a Little Green” which I snapped in Elfin Forest early 2021. It shows a spot along the Escondido Creek as it winds through the reserve on a late winter morning. It is actually a series of photos stacked on top of each other to get as much as I could in focus. It is by far one of my most popular images and is also one of my favorites as well. When I showed it to my son, he said “it’s like a vacation for the eyes”. That is exactly what I hope the viewers feel, a slight pause in their world and just soak everything in.
As I have worked through this journey behind a camera, I have found that what really grabs my attention is places where water and land meet. I really enjoy seeing and hearing how the earth and water interact and are almost in a constant battle where one hits the other and there almost seems to be conflict between the two but, neither can exist without the other. It is fascinating for me and something that I strive to capture in many of my images. I do photograph locations where there is no water with land but if I can find a location nearby that meets my passion, I’ll do what I can to put this interaction in front of my camera while I am at that location.
I do clean up my images using software however, I refuse to rework an image so it is unrealistic just to make it marketable. I consider myself something of an ethical photographer. I photograph what I see and will share it with others if I can. I would much rather throw an image in the trash than totally rework it and make it look incredible just to make money from it.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
Well, I am a disabled veteran. I did ten years in the military, got seriously hurt a couple times but this is just another part of what made me who I am today. I do have some nerve damage in one of my hands and my feet are a bit messed up but I can do everything the average person does. I try to not let this slow me down. I hike, carry my own gear, do everything just like everyone else.
Contact Info:
- Website: brenomalley.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bren.omalley.photography/
- Twitter: @BrensPhotos_
- Other: Vero – @brenomalley
Image Credits
Bren O’Malley
