[Editor’s Note: This special installment of the Indie Spotlight is our contest winner for the FYP February Photography Contest. This column is usually published every Monday]
Each Monday, we’ll highlight one indie photographer whose body of work deserves special recognition. Please enjoy their photography here, and make it a point to enjoy the rest of their work on their website
The Contest Winning Image
This week The Indie Spotlight shines on  the February FYP/500px Photography Contest winner Rich Maus. Rich is from Rochester, NY in the United States. While he does not have a specific shooting style, he embraces all styles and genres of photography.
Kit:
Rich uses a variety of cameras and is a firm believer in that saying that the best camera is the one you have with you. His arsenal includes the capable Canon 95s, the Canon T2i (also known as the EOS 550D) and last but not least the iPhone 4S with its greatly improved optics over the previous model. Rich predominantly uses wide angle lenses in his dSLR based photography but also sometimes uses his Canon 95s to shoot landscapes because he finds he gets a ‘crisper shot.’
Workflow:
Wherever possible Rich makes use of a tripod to minimize camera shake as he often shoots long exposures and captures multiple shots of his subject matter. He primarily uses Lightroom 3 for his post processing but occasionally will jump into Photoshop CS4 for layering multiple captures of a subject, he then blends them together to achieve superior high and low contrast in his images.
Tips, Tricks & Techniques:
Rich advises all photographers to take their time with their subject, when possible, and explore all the possible angles for capturing the subject and to be acutely aware of the influence of lighting on your subject. Additionally, he advises that whether you are using an dSLR or a point and shoot avoid using the fully automatic mode and presets on your camera and explore the creative settings (Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority and Manual) on your camera.
Lessons Learned:
As photographers we know that not every shot is perfectly in focus but Rich has developed an interesting technique that was derived from some of these mistakes. He has a unique process in which he uses multiple images captured of a scene, all taken with varying sharpness and layers them in Photoshop to create an interesting depth of field.
Inspiration:
Rich does not have a particular photographer that he follows but appreciates all fine art and photography, he takes his main inspiration from his surroundings.
What’s Next:
Next on Rich’s bucket list is Tilt Shift photography. He is inspired by this unique technique in which the subjects appear much smaller than they actually are, also on the list is more outdoor photography because Rich enjoys hiking and being outdoors.
Links:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=1193861264
http://www.youtube.com/DrFrankenZap
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rgm-studios/
