Myrtle Beach
If you follow Carolina Bulletin on social media, chances are you’ve seen some spectacular shots showcasing the natural beauty of the Carolinas in your feed. And no, these are not stock images: They all form part of the portfolio of our illustrious photography intern, Brooke Ruhoff.
But who is the talented lady behind the lens? What stokes the fire of her creativity? Read on and allow us to introduce you.
How it started:
For Ms. Ruhoff, her love for the art of picture taking began at an early age. “I first became interested in photography when I did a photography summer camp in middle school.”, the auteur explains. “I found it was something I really enjoyed, and I continued gaining experience in high school taking photos for yearbook.”
As can be expected, one of Ms. Ruhoff’s favorite forms of the art is that of nature photography. She enjoys macro photography in particular, as it allows her to shine a light on all aspects of the natural beauty that surrounds us that may otherwise go unnoticed by the average person: The way sunlight passes through each individual leaf of a tree, the individual striations found on a log…
“I enjoy macro photography and being able to put the focus on otherwise unnoticed things in nature.”
The artist’s inspiration:
While Ms. Ruhoff doesn’t need to travel far to find subjects (she often finds inspiration in the woods behind her house), her tenure with CB has allowed her to capture a variety of fascinating locales in the area. “Recently, I took photographs at Ninety Six National Historic Site, and it was a fun experience to showcase the unique history that took place there.”, she says.
Pro tips from the expert:
Regarding her process, Ms. Ruhoff emphasizes the importance of planning and research for getting flawless shots every time. “Generally, my process involves finding a location and researching what’s there that I want to photograph.”, the artist explains. “I like to have a plan of everything I want to photograph ahead of time so I don’t miss anything, while still being flexible to get extra photos of unexpected things I find there.” Moreover, she advises anyone wishing to step up their photography game to analyze the composition before shooting, since that is an aspect that is very difficult to alter after the fact.
“A good composition is the base for a good photograph. To create an interesting composition, it is generally important to have a focal point in mind and always experiment with positioning it.”
In regard to editing, Ms. Ruhoff highlights the importance of understanding the intention behind a photo, and altering it accordingly. “For artistic photos, I find it is okay to alter it more since it is supposed to be an artistic piece and doesn’t have to be realistic.”, she says. “For photos that highlight a specific location, I like to make minor adjustments to them that enhance and emphasize the focal point in the picture. If she has a large amount of snaps to edit, her software of choice is Lightroom, while she prefers to use Photoshop to edit smaller shoots.
And that, dear reader, is the secret behind the photographic magic here at Carolina Bulletin. We feel honored to have Ms. Ruhoff as part of our team, and her talent will surely take her very far.
At least we can say we had her on our team first!