debbie and sarah

Posted on by Tim McMurdo

Debbie and Sarah at the Window 2

 

It's unusual for me to capture Debbie and Sarah in the same image. Mostly because Sarah is a barn cat and not normally allowed inside of the house. Let's just say that Sara was really enjoying her very temporary house priveledges. 

 

Debbie and Sarah at the Window 1

 

It was a quiet visit. The moment seemed the perfect subject for a photo. Snap, snap… I am accutely aware that I am taking pictures, but I am always shooting around Debbie and she mostly pays me no attention.

 

On the Big Bed

 

Sarah was just happy that she could take a bath in the warm house. Sooner thatn she would have liked, it was back out side for Sarah. I took the opportunity to walk over to the barn to see the new calf and lambs. Sarah followed me and quickly became engrossed in her day job…looking for mice. 

 

Here There Be Mice

 

It was a fine day for both Sarah and I. A nice way to wrap up 2013 at the farm. As I look at the images, I am reminded that every year, I wonder how I am going to top the previous year's images. How can I possibly create photos that are one notch ahead? How can I continue to grow as a photographer?

2014, you are challenging me already.

dawn cast

Posted on by Tim McMurdo

Dawn Cast

 

Two weeks ago, I was invited to shoot photos of a friend fly fishing at dawn. The photo shoot occurred this morning, so I had plenty of time to get my thoughts together.

I always first think about the conditions. Shooting at dawn meant low light and long exposures. This time of the year, it would be cold. So, I would need to dress warm and bring my tripod.

I also think about what the shot might feel like. Fly fishing always seems to be about motion. The rod waving back and forth, the fisherman moving through the water. Dawn is about long shadows. It's about that brief period of time when its not day and its not night. It's kind of an other worldly time. Everything is soft and hard to see. It's sometimes about vivid and saturated skies, but that isn't how I saw the shoot. It should be about the fisherman on the dark river, not the sky.

So, I put the thought of long exposures, motion, and that sense of otherwordly-ness together. I could use the low light and motion to create ghostly images of the fisherman's motion and the motion of the water's surface.

We shot in the cold and after coming home, I processed the images, culling the ones that were obviously not good. Next, I culled out the ones that did not have the ghostly feel that I wanted. I made some basic levels adjustments and burned some areas.

I hope you enjoy the image.

Tim