Four Panel Door
ISO 400 ----- 32mm ----- f8 ----- 1/80th
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Friday, October 29, 2010
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Monday, October 25, 2010
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Friday, October 22, 2010
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Monday, October 18, 2010
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Friday, October 15, 2010
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Successive Rivulets - Get Closer
I try to shoot at least four times a week for my own personal work. Sometimes it's difficult to fit that in, but it is imperative to my mental health that I'm not always shooting for other people and other peoples aesthetics. While great photographs can be made all over the world, and some great photographs can only be made in very specific and exotic locales, I firmly believe that art is all around us if we only take the time to look for it. Many times, I often cover the same local territory over and over again, looking for something that has changed in the landscape, something I might have missed on previous trips, or something that my mood allows me to see in a different way.
There is a great section in the book Ansel Adams at 100 where prints of the same negative as Adams printed them many years apart are set on opposing pages of the book to compare the way that he handled the prints as his mood and his philosophy changed over time. "The negative is the score and the print is the performance." Adams was fond of saying. Not only does my mood and life experience change how I might interpret an image that I took many years ago, but it also changes the way I see the world around me at any given time for the very same reasons.
So many things other than just vision go into the way you perceive the world around you, and many times, it will be one of my other senses that kick in and allow me to photograph a scene that I wouldn't have been able to otherwise. On an early morning walkabout through one of the cemeteries that I frequent, I was intrigued by the sound of running water where I had never noticed it before. I got off the path and followed the sound to a small stream that was running out of a duck pond. I don't know why I had never heard it before, but I hadn't. Maybe it was muffled by foliage, maybe the water had recently risen causing this overflow, or maybe the rocks at the bottom of the drop off had rearranged to make the sound of the splashing more audible.
As I walked up and down the stream looking for the photograph to present itself, I was lulled by the sound of the water. Like listening to someone who is whispering, the water pulled me in, urging me to get closer so that I wouldn't miss a single important sound. As I drew nearer, I began to feel a light mist of water on my skin. It was cool and comfortable and reassuring and I could feel that the image was near. The water went from taciturn and tranquil above the rocks, to clamorous and coarse below. It was this transition that I wanted to capture. It was as if the personality of the water was changing, becoming more aggressive as it worked its way into the abyss. The water wasn't timid. It plunged recklessly over the ledge and splattered on the rocks below. Gathering itself in a pool below these rocks, it regrouped and continued on its way, disappearing into the ground.
There is a great section in the book Ansel Adams at 100 where prints of the same negative as Adams printed them many years apart are set on opposing pages of the book to compare the way that he handled the prints as his mood and his philosophy changed over time. "The negative is the score and the print is the performance." Adams was fond of saying. Not only does my mood and life experience change how I might interpret an image that I took many years ago, but it also changes the way I see the world around me at any given time for the very same reasons.
So many things other than just vision go into the way you perceive the world around you, and many times, it will be one of my other senses that kick in and allow me to photograph a scene that I wouldn't have been able to otherwise. On an early morning walkabout through one of the cemeteries that I frequent, I was intrigued by the sound of running water where I had never noticed it before. I got off the path and followed the sound to a small stream that was running out of a duck pond. I don't know why I had never heard it before, but I hadn't. Maybe it was muffled by foliage, maybe the water had recently risen causing this overflow, or maybe the rocks at the bottom of the drop off had rearranged to make the sound of the splashing more audible.
As I walked up and down the stream looking for the photograph to present itself, I was lulled by the sound of the water. Like listening to someone who is whispering, the water pulled me in, urging me to get closer so that I wouldn't miss a single important sound. As I drew nearer, I began to feel a light mist of water on my skin. It was cool and comfortable and reassuring and I could feel that the image was near. The water went from taciturn and tranquil above the rocks, to clamorous and coarse below. It was this transition that I wanted to capture. It was as if the personality of the water was changing, becoming more aggressive as it worked its way into the abyss. The water wasn't timid. It plunged recklessly over the ledge and splattered on the rocks below. Gathering itself in a pool below these rocks, it regrouped and continued on its way, disappearing into the ground.
ISO 100 ----- 200mm ----- f22 ----- 4.5 seconds
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Monday, October 11, 2010
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Friday, October 8, 2010
Maple Leaf - Fall Foliage at its Peak!
Fall foliage season is upon us here in the great northeast, with Columbus Day weekend commonly referred to as the "peak" of autumnal colors. While the colors are nice, I prefer to look deeper into my subjects than just the color they display. I'd rather study the shapes and the contrast. I'd rather look for the relationships that each leaf makes with the next. I'd rather look for the uniqueness of each individual, with its own beauty, and its own flaws, without the camouflage of hues and saturation that distract from these details. I'd rather discover the personality of my subject, than simply rely on surface dressings.
ISO 100 ----- 170mm ----- f2.8 ----- 1/15
I pay homage to nature, but I'd rather study the details than be caught up in the flash.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Parallel Arcs - You Have to Shoot
I don't know many photographers that grew up saying, "I can't wait to be able to shoot catalog photos full time!" Most photographers that I know used photography to express themselves in an artistic way, and couldn't figure out how to make a living at it so they started shooting weddings or senior portraits or commercial work to pay the bills. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. In fact, it's noble. You have to pay the man, so you do what you have to do. I've met a wedding photographer or two that really loved what they do, but I've met even more that just do it for the money. If you are just doing it for the money, it becomes a job, and jobs aren't usually fun.
Remember that you have to have fun. Make sure that you schedule some time every week to just go out and shoot whatever it is that you want to shoot. No deadlines, no clients, no stress. Just you and your camera. Remind yourself why you fell in love with photography in the first place, before you burn out and sell all your gear.
Remember that you have to have fun. Make sure that you schedule some time every week to just go out and shoot whatever it is that you want to shoot. No deadlines, no clients, no stress. Just you and your camera. Remind yourself why you fell in love with photography in the first place, before you burn out and sell all your gear.
ISO 400 ----- 200mm ----- f2.8 ----- 1/640
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
