About Raymond Ellwood

The Kiwi Biography: Raymond Ellwood

Hello, my name is Raymond T. Ellwood. When I was a little boy all I wanted to be was a grown up, and now I’m 25 and 6 foot 2. Yes my friends, my dream came true! It was a tough life growing up in New Zealand; my family was so poor we could never pay attention! Throughout my years at Catholic school, I had the face everyone wanted to punch! However, my life was never all that hard, just refused to fall in love every day (come on, I was at Catholic school, remember?).

You may have guessed, I like comedy; influenced by Will Smith, Lenny Henry, Bill Cosby, & Billy T. James. I employ comedy to overcome much hurt thrown my way. However, I also used my Kung-Fu, and Karate, skill to much the same effect (only when I was a very young boy faced with no other choice). Now, I battle pain through the power of prayer, and writing. No more fighting with fists; anyone can throw a punch, but not many can think with their mind (although, they should try). I am an Anglican Christian who dabbles in fiction writing, and academic essays on popular cultural trends such as the internet, and shamanism in Peru (in many ways, the two share a few common traits – wizardry magic).

Currently, I am a research student working on a media project that examines how differing cultures regenerate their identity through popular methodology such as television, and photography. My research interest stems from many differing fields of discipline: Film, journalism, literature, media, music, politics, sociology, and television.

So, how did I find the Photo-Blogging community? It was my good friend Sisila, http://sisilap.shutterchance.com [now defunct], who introduced me to this wonderful community in November 2006, in effort to enjoy other things besides research writing. Moreover, I do spend a lot of time in front of the PC monitor, so venturing outside to capture much beauty is a marvellous break from studying; refreshment for the eyes, one might say? Recording bits of history refreshes our understanding of our (post)modern life, as well as our love for family. Furthermore, to make art is to enjoy art; drawing an audience to the artist’s playground of colour, expression, history, metaphor, perspective, and surrealism. In addition, art is the love for human nature, and that is how I will capture the world through my lens – urban realism.

Photography Keywords:
• Camp
• Candid
• Christianity
• Naturalism
• Realism
• Propaganda

And, of course Surrealism.

I am a big fan of three photographers, (late) Ansel Adams, (late) Richard Avedon, and Malcolm Smart. In most of Avedon’s earlier work centred on “truthful expression”, by this he meant “real” people in ordinary situations; mechanics fitting an exhaust pipe into a Ford, coal-miners exiting a cave smothered in coal dust, a mother cradling her firstborn child etc. In order to represent these emotions of happiness, anger, exhaustion, and intimacy the photographer must make the picture tangible for the reader. Showing scores of exotic women swimming around one man scantily clad is the one thing General Joe Public cannot relate with, as it is not a natural occurrence in life. For example, we do not see our possible love interest naked on the first “how are you”, do we? It is all about fashion, attitude, and how we see ourselves and others (with a positively hip style).

I admire Adam’s Black and White compositions of landscapes, and how he played with natural lighting in his work. In my work with plants and hills, you may see a hint of Ansel Adams in it too. However, it is my friends who inspire me the most; Malcolm Smart, www.mal.shutterchance.com, is the master of emotive moods and that is another aspect of photography I wish to attempt one day. I enjoy Smart’s work so much, he has made me rethink what I want to do with my studies; it would be fantastic to be a paid photographer (I have a lot of friends at www.shutterchance.com who inspire me too; Mia, Marybeth, Nev, Louis, Jose-Angel, Ginnie, Kay, Julia, Zeb, Jose, Patrick, Ade, Suby, Alex, Martin, Sisila, Tomas, David, & Iain)! I like to promote the ideology of peace, and (popular) cultural freedom through my work. I promise not to cause any offence with Christian ideals, but if someone is offended with the premise of freedom – then I’d say we’re all stuffed!

Before I began my media project, some time ago, I worked for Channel 9 news as a cameraman. I was often sent to shoot crime scenes, rugby games, and “human interest pieces” (hip). Prior to my University lifestyle, I studied at the New Zealand’s leading school in broadcast journalism for three years. I have made over 30 short films during my time spent there; in relationship to photography, I will put composition, lighting, framing, focus, story-telling into heavy consideration for the reader.

Please keep this in mind: I’m not a professional photographer, just an enthusiast with a burning passion for story-telling, and causing people to smile and laugh along the way – so buckle up folks! Additionally, I enjoy fiction writing, filmmaking, Mediterranean food, spy novels (I’m a huge James Bond fan), and of course the sofa with a good DVD and a packet of crisps! Quite the life, would you say?

Music:
Bon Jovi
Usher
Omarion
Bruce Springsteen
James Morrison
Farrah

Movies:
I Robot
Casino Royale
Batman Begins

TV:
Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
Daybreak
Dr. Who

In contrast to my site’s name, I am not a plagiarist (comes from the Greek – kidnapper). The sound of the word fascinates me, so I thought it would make a good persona of sorts; furthermore, it is an overly used word in every college around the world. Thank you for supporting my site, please do not hesitate to contact me (anytime), or share ideas sometime. All the best and get snapping folks!!

"In the way of righteousness there is life; along the path is immortality" (Proverbs 12:28).

Lastly, Photography boils down to three things: Personality, Personal, & the Person.

So, that’s Raymond in a nutshell, and this is a fantastic website! I used to be a member of www.shutterchance.com, I left in May, so some shots will be ones that I posted there; however, there will be many new ones to follow my departure from the community. Basically, I shifted my old www.shutterchance.com portfolio to here, because of the politics. So, I hope you all enjoy my work here too.

"I can do everything through Him who gives me strength" (Philippians 4:13).

Equipment:

Olympus Camedia C-370 ZOOM: an inexpensive, but good, first time digital camera. Olympus Camedia is simple to use, and easy to appreciate. Always edit the photograph through the camera lens, although, I do use Microsoft Premium 10 (and Olympus Master) for extensive cropping, and colour advancement. I also have a Topman Tripod with my kit, and a Sanyo Battery Recharger which comes in handy due to the cost of batteries. Batteries cost 15 bucks a pop here, would you believe? It is not about what brand of camera you own, but how you use the brand you own. And of course, it is how you interpret (or react to) the "scene" that makes the better photograph. Therefore, I put the same level of passion for beautiful photography as any professional photographer out there in the wild-west. Lastly, I also carry a cheeky smile, and a relaxed personality when out and about. Smiling is the best tool to employ, when capturing the moment. However, this is subject to change, because I am so keen to get my hands on a Canon EOS 1D!

In addition, Picasa2 and Ulead Photo Express are occasional weapons of choice for a mood filled editing.

"As iron sharpens iron, so man sharpens another" (Proverbs 27:17).

Copyright Information & Legal Policies:

Keyword, intellectual property: Please do not steal, and tag your name on artistic works that are not your own personal property. All pictures were taken with the "objects" permission, and should be looked at only. Please respect the privacy, security, and protection belonging to the photographer and his subjects. They are only of sentimental value, and not Pulitzer prize-winning awards. However, the content in the photographs are worth 1000 words; in addition, a smile every time we get nostalgic about "old hangouts" and "friends". All work remains the property of Raymond E AKA Plagiarist; photographs belong in the copyright protection of the "Plagiarist". Enjoy the gaze, as I am impressed with this portfolio.

"The eyes of the Lord are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good" (Proverbs 15:3).

All text, images, photographs and art work on this site are protected by international copyright laws, and are the property of their respective photographers and Aminus3.com. No content may be reproduced, copied, stored, manipulated or used whole or in part of a derivative work, without prior written permission of its author (me). All rights reserved. Penalties may entail: Maximum of 15 years in a Turkish prison; a fine of 20,000 yen (that's about 40 bucks), and a Billy-goat. Upon your release, you will be married off to a quick-witted Sherpa in Tibet, and must work at Starbucks for eight months (this is how you pay the fine) before you are allowed near another camera and website! So please think twice before (plagiarising) stealing stuff as it is so not cool, eh? Thanks for stopping by, and enjoy the Kiwi (point of) view!

"The man of integrity walks securely, but he who takes crooked paths will be found out" (Proverbs 10:9).

P.S: Please chat to me sometime, as I would like to get to know you too!

Best wishes everyone,