Famous+Photographer

*~Ricardo Carrasco~*

Ricardo Carrasco was born in Santiago, Chile, 1965. He began his career as a nature photography early in life, and documented his travelling all throughout Chile from the years 1986 - 1990. In 1991 Ricardo moved to Southern Chile and published a book called ' [|Carlos Anwandter Nature Sanctuary] '. His book showed images of all the wildlife around the area. In the year of 2000, he moved to the city and started a bimonthly issue with the Organization of America States. This gained him publicity and confidence. In 2004 Ricardo Carrasco became an activist against pollution in the Carlos Anwandter Nature Sanctuary and protested the Valdivia Pulp Mill by taking photos of the wildlife yet again. Though he helped persuade many political figures against the Mill, eventually the factory won out (like always). In 2006 Ricardo Carrasco started collaborating with articles and photographs for the travel magazine of the Chilean newspaper [|La Tercera]. These assignments have taken him to cover archaeological sites in Peru and Mexico as well as travel destinations in Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Columbia. His career has taken him on many adventures around the world and shown others the power of taking photos of the natural world around us that is disappearing.
 * 1. Historical background**

Ricardo Carrasco made his cause well known around Chile about what he stood for. He spoke up for those who protested :3 against the disappearance of wildlife not only in Chile but around the world. He was higlighted by [|BirdLife International] as one of the top two nature photographers in Latin America and among the 36 top nature photography specialists in the world. This shows how his photos share the natural beauty of the world and motivate people to protect what lives in it.
 * 2. Influences**

Ricardo Carrasco started off as a nature photographer. Later on in life, he became well known for his photos that promoted change and the protection of wildlife. Just recently, he captured images of the after math of the earthquake in Chile which raised awareness on the issue and helped bring food, water, and shelters over for the population of Chile. Though his major genre to photograph is nature, it has evolved to be anything that promotes change and spreads awareness.
 * 3. Describe their style and major genre**

- This image uses a bright splash of colour that pops out of the photo. It shows how exotic the wildlife is where he lives and how such a small animal can be so amazing. Ricardo also placed the frog off of the center line of the photo, also drawing attention and interest to the frog. This photo seems as though it was taken with a flash due to the fact that not enough light gets through the thick canopy of the forest where this frog dwells.
 * 4. Five Examples**

- The photo of the hermit crab immediately captured my attention due to how close the camera was to the creature. The detail of the shell and legs add a large amount of texture and I can almost imagine how the crab would feel as it walked across my hand. The way that the hermit crab is positioned looks roughly like a triangle, allowing the eye to view all aspects of the crab. It also creates a slight unbalance in the photo which adds to the effectiveness of it. It looks as though this photo was taken with aflash, as the reflection of light bounces off of the crab's legs.

- This photo uses the design element of layers to add an effect. The multiple layers of the sand makes it so the viewer looks through the entire photo. This image also has a lot of contrast between the sunny side of the sand dunes and the shaded side, creating a balance in the photo. Also, the 'S' curves on top of each sand dune create a nice texture and pattern for the viewer to follow, just adding to the interest of the photo. The fact the the horizon is two thirds up the photo also creates a sense of thirds. The lighting in this photo seems natural as there would be enough natural light to take this photo without the use of a flash.

- This image is balanced on any side of the photo. There is a balance of colour, texture, fill and objects in the photo creating a unique feel to the photo. In the bottom third of the image, rubble left form the bridge segregates one third of the photo and the top of the bridge completes the three separate parts of the image. The lighting in this picture is natural, seeing as there are faint lines of the sun on the side of the bridge, and that the image was bright enough to be shown in black and white.

- This photo not only is a great example of layers, but also clearly demonstrates a fine balance. The balance is between the ground and the sky, the horizon line being the divider. The reason I love this photo is because of the colour, the vastness of the sky and the lighting (or rather time) that it was taken at. The lighting in this photo is one of the main aspects of the image because it lights up the trees but is just low enough in the sky to leave the ground dark. This creates much contrast and lets the viewer look at all the different layers of the trees and into the sky.



References: 1) http://rcsgallery.zenfolio.com/p748471470/h241ec013#h241ec013 2) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricardo_Carrasco 3) http://torontocomputerhelp.com/trexphoto/index2.html

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