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| Impressionist trash |
One of the very few decent photos to come out of yesterday's trip to Columbus, Ohio. The weather was overcast and dreary, making for some really horrific lighting. Still, you got to shoot in the light you're given when you are outdoors. My buddy Jim and I made the most of it and had a great time.
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| Annie Leibovitz Exhibit |
Today, I joined a friend of mine for a visit to the Annie Leibovitz exhibit at the Ohio Stake University’s Wexner Center. What can I say other than the woman’s images are incredible. I felt as though I was looking at a real master’s work. Not only did we get to see her iconic portraits, but we also got to see landscapes and still life’s. it was almost overwhelming. I don’t often gush about another photographer. However, I think you would be gushing as well if you were there to see those incredible prints.
Unfortunately, no cameras were allowed and I can’t take you any further than this photo of the gallery entrance. If it helps, just close your eyes and use your imagination. Did that do the trick?
Tomorrow is National Cupcake Day. In honor of the event, my co-worker Jen made these gorgeous and delishious dark chocolate and peppermint cupcakes. Being a firm believer in the concept of breakfast cookies and brownies, I added cupcakes to my list of approved breakfast foods and dug right in.
It's good to
be an adult by age and a kid at heart. Thank you Jen!
Step one: take the picture. I saw Debbie standing at this window and knew the scene would be a great image. So, I adjusted the camera and took the shot. I wanted to have some sense of what was outside of the window and also wanted to use chiaroscuro in the image. It’s helpful to have an idea of what results you want before you press the shutter button. I find it’s much easier to make the heavy adjustments in the camera than in post processing.
Step two: post process the image. My typical process with an image of this kind is to convert to black and white, so that I can get a handle on the tones. I can see them better without the distractions of the colors. I then switch back to color to make my initial adjustments. I could tell that I would have to lighten up the image quite a bit. I made my initial adjustments in Aperture. On the Mac.
Step three: step back and re-evaluate the image. In the case of this photo, I thought the brightness and contrast still needed adjustment. I also sought the advice of some fellow photographers. I was unsure of how far I should brighten up the image. Advice in hand, I had another go at the image. This required me to switch to PhotoShop. I would need the power of adjustment layers and layer masks.
Here, you can see the final image adjustments. I’ve significantly brightened the image overall, especially on her back. However, I was sure to keep the dark shadows under the window. This was done to force your eye upwards and away from the floor. I did leave the highlight on the floor to give some balance, I just didn’t want your eye to stay there. Notice that I used the contrast between the shadows on the wall beyond her body and the highlights on the front of her to make her stand out from the background.
I think the result is an effective image. We can’t see what she is looking at, leaving the subject of her gaze to our imaginations. We get to interpret the image, making up our own story.
I applied the same process to a second image from the same shoot. Getting two nice images from the same moment is as successful as you can hope to be. As much as I like the resulting images, I enjoyed the collaboration with other photographers even more.
You should take part in your own photo community. Chances are that there is a photography group in your area. Chances are even better that you can join a vibrant community online. Give it a try.
Also, don’t be afraid to re-visit an image. I slept on this one before making the final adjustments. Sometimes having a fresh look at the picture is what you need to take your work to where it needs to be. Most importantly, have fun all along the way.
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| Duck in the Park |
It’s been a while since we had the opportunity to enjoy a visit with one of our fowl friends. The ducks in Snyder park are conditioned to see every approaching car as a potential source of food. Indeed, sometimes Jodi and I stop to feed them. The problem is that as soon as they see a car coming down the road, they begin to waddle in the street. Sometimes there are dozens of them standing in e road. Driving becomes a little tricky as you try to ease your way through them without injuring any of the birds.
To tell the truth, it feels a little like they are highwaymen and you are riding in a coach. “Throw out the crackers and nobody gets hurt. Quack!”
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| Wittenberg View |
This is one of my favorite scenes in my hometown of Springfield, Ohio. I shot the image during a Saturday morning walk along Leffels Creek, near the white water park. The leaves are gone and the white trunks of the sycamore trees really stand out in the overcast light. All in all, a pretty typical December day. Just a little warmer than normal.
Have a great day folks. Get your week off to a good start.
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| What Happened to the American Dream? |
This is one of those scenes you see while driving along and know that you need to get a shot of it. I had to circle the block and come back. I simply rolled down my window and grabbed my camera off of the passenger seat. There is a lot of fun in this kind of spontaneous photography. If you don’t practice it, I encourage you to give it a try. Of course, you will always need to keep your camera with you. A point and shoot will do nicely. So, don’t feel as though you need to lug all of your gear around all of the time. The point is to be spontaneous and to have fun.
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| Clawed Foot Tub |
Wouldn't you like to have a steaming soak in this tub for an hour or so? I can imagine that all of your troubles would melt away in no time at all. Here in this house, there are no bath people. We are all fans of the shower. However, I could make an exception for this tub located in the Westcott house, here in Springfield.
When my son, my nephew, and my nieces were young, they all got baths in my parent's huge tub. There were lots of toys for them to play with and they all loved it. However, to them, nothing was better than getting their bath in my mom's kitchen sink. The sink had a double basin and they could play with plastic cups and bowls on one side while my mom washed them on the other. Messes were encouraged. Unfortunately, they grow fast and soon outgrew the sink. As you can imagine, there are plenty of family photos on the subject. I can tell you this much, the kitchen sink is easier on this adults back than the bathtub.
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| Lake Experiment 1 |
Do you ever get inspired to try out new techiques in your photography? I am always in pursuit of some hidden or undiscovered photography knowlege. I am convinced that after years of experience, I still have a lot to learn.
During a recent foggy morning outing, I decided to experiment with low contrast images. My goal was to create images that were recognizeable (no abstracts) while at the same time, use a minimal number of tones.
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| Lake Experiment 2 |
This is a new approach to landscape photography for me. The images certainly lack any sense of drama. On the other hand, they have a serenity and calmness to them that stands out. While they were shot in color, black and white seemed to be the way to go. I made the conversion from color in Aperture, adding 15% sepia to the images in the process.
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| Lake Experiment 3 |
Sometimes the value of an experiment is in the learning that the process triggers. Other times, it's in the end results. For me, I am pleased with the results in these images. It's taken me some time to get used to the low contrast tonality of the images. However, I am beginning to think that they can stand on their own. They certainly bring a new look and feel to landscapes. I think the emotional content has changed as well. I suppose that you could say that they have grown on me.
What do you think about the results of the experiment? Would you take this approach to your landscape images? What recent photography experiments have you conducted?
http://embed.ted.com/talks/natalie_merchant_sings_old_poems_to_life.html
I am a fan of Natalie Merchant's voice and her habit of bringing deserving, but obscure works, to life. Imagine how happy I was to find her singing songs from her 2010 effort, "Leave Your Sleep" on TED. The CD is a collection of songs created from forgotten poems. As always, her voice is wonderful.
If you don't know about TED, you are really missing out. Visit www.ted.com and you will be amazed by the incredible ciollections of speaches, talks, and performances.
On a side note, I once saw Natalie open for Sting in Atlanta, Georgia. While I do remember the concert very well, I also remember that the concert market the first time that I ever talked on a borrowed cell phone. Who did I call? Jodi of course. I had to tell her how incredible the concert was.
Do you remember the first time you spoke on a cell phone? For many of you, you might have grown up with them. For old folks like us, their introduction was like magic.
tim mcmurdo 