Member Monday Featuring John Dukes
Are you ready to meet another incredible KelbyOne member and see their work?! Today we’re talking to John Dukes about his work!
About the Photographer:
- Hometown: Mount Airy, MD
- Years in Photography: 7 years
- Years as a KO Member: Since a few months before the Landscape Photography Conference, which was September of 2020, so about one year. I have been a long-time viewer and participant of The Grid, which is how I found out about the Landscape Conference and KelbyOne. I have attended all of the conferences since then and I love my KelbyOne membership.
About the Photo:
- Title: Something to Crow About
- Location: Death Valley National Park, California
- Any additional description of the photograph: I was actually photographing the sand dunes at Death Valley and looked around and saw that this beautiful raven had landed in a desert bush behind me. I picked up my second camera and captured this image right before the bird flew away.
- Gear/Software Used: Canon EOS-1DX Mark II with Tamron SP 150-600mm f/5-6.3 lens. 329mm, 1/160s, f/5,6, ISO 400. Post-processing in Adobe Lightroom and Adobe Photoshop
What is one thing you wish you would have known before starting photography?
That’s an easy one! Invest in education before you invest in more gear! I’ve learned so much from many hours spent in photography education, primarily from attending photography conferences and from training courses I took on KelbyOne. I also regularly reach out to and network with other photographers to learn from them, and I study the work of the greats.
Who are some of your role models/mentors?
Rick Sammon, Moose Peterson, Karen Hutton, Terry White, Serge Ramelli and, of course, Scott Kelby and Erik Kuna.
What is your most treasured piece of photography equipment?
My tripod! I use a Really Right Stuff tripod and it’s amazing! Never underestimate the importance of a good tripod!
What’s your favorite class on KelbyOne and why?
There are so many and it’s hard to pick just one! One of my favorite classes is Rick Sammon’s class Uncovering the Magic of Utah’s National and State Parks. I was so inspired by Rick’s teaching in this class that I recently flew out to Utah and followed the same path he took in the course. I’ve learned so much from his teachings and this raven photo was actually a result of following Rick’s challenge to always look behind you, in front of you, and beside you. It was such an amazing and fun experience going to Utah and I continued into California, visiting many other national parks, too.
Connect with John
My portfolio site is https://johndukesfineart.com/
Twitter – https://twitter.com/John_Dukes
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/JohnDukesPhotography
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/johndukesfineart/
500px – https://500px.com/p/johndukesfineartphotography?view=photos
Thank you for joining us for another Member Monday! If you haven’t yet, be sure to submit your photos for a chance to receive a Member Monday feature of your own.
