Accidental Images

Posted on by Tim McMurdo

There are times when you take all of your years of experience and your equipment, and you put them to work creating a stunning image. You work hard, walking around the subject, trying different angles, and different light conditions. Finally, you take the perfect image and…well, it’s really not that interesting, the focus is off just a hair and you wish you had widened the depth of field a bit.

There are other times when you are fiddling around in the dark, trying to set your camera, struggling with the low light, and your gear’s poor ISO performance. You take a test shot and move on, not giving the image a second thought…and that one accidental shot, fired off almost thoughtlessly is the one that you come back to and think, “not bad for pure dumb luck”.

Maybe spontaneity has it’s place.

working your subject

Posted on by Tim McMurdo

A common mistake made by inexperienced photographers is to not work their subject. How many times have you (or someone you are with) just taken the shot as soon as you stumbled upon the scene and then simply moved on? Instead, you should explore your subject. Try to envision what it would look like from a different angle. Walk around it. Get down low or up high.

Each of the following images was taken of the same ramp system in Atlanta’s High Museum of Art. Notice how I did take the straight on shot. However, I then started moving around and exploring the ramps from different directions and heights.

 

 

I climbed to the top floor and discovered these wonderful converging lines.

 

 

I then shifted over a few feet and discovered that I could get the line of the top rail to cross over the other lines.

 

 

I even walked into the ramps and started to see something completely different.

 

 

My point is that you need to work your subject and engage your imagination. If I hadn’t taken the time to explore this ramp system, I would have never discovered the wonderful lines and tones that it contained.

The next time you approach a scene, take the time to go the extra step. You just might be surprised by what you discover.

 

captured

Posted on by Tim McMurdo
Young woman's in period dress is looking through the viewfinder of a modern camera.
Elizabeth, the photographer

 

You might remember Elizabeth from some earlier images. It turns out that both Elizabeth and her mom are photographers. I am looking forward to seeing their work at sometime in the future.

This particular image is one of recognizing the beauty in the lines formed by her stand combined with the billowing of her dress as the summer wind flowed by her. As with so many good images, knowing that you are seeing a photo worthy scene is more than half the battle. See beauty. Capture beauty.

Lines, form, and even story combine. Who is this young woman? Why does she wear such old styles? What is she looking at through her view finder? How do the modern camera and old dress come together? There is nothing in the image that gives us answers and we are left to our own imagination.

 

blurring the edges

Posted on by Tim McMurdo

 

You might remember a post from a week or so back, in which I looked for examples of blur in my post photographs. The result was that I discovered that, by far, most of the blur that I place in my images is in the form of motion blur.

Last weekend, as I was out and about, I looked for opportunities to include other non-motion blurs in my photos. You can see the results in these images. The first was created by shooting through the condensation on a window pane. The second was achieved by shooting the reflection in a glass block.

The greatest result was proving that you can teach this old dog a few new tricks.

Have a grea tweak folks. Try to pick up a new trick of your own.

Tim

reading hour

Posted on by Tim McMurdo

That’s my sister and I using Dad as a jungle gym while he’s trying to read something technical and uninteresting to the two of us. Kelly and ire are rocking those footed Jammie’s while Dad is sporting a classic ensemble of cuffed cords, fancy socks and penny loafers. Mom has always ensured that he dressed well. After all, he is her trophy husband. Isn’t that so Dad?

Who’s idea was the hat?

looking at 2012

Posted on by Tim McMurdo
Photo book
Looking at 2012

Every year, I create a book of my favorite images from the previous 12 months. This years book Looking at 2012 is finished and off of the presses. I give the book to family and friends that have supported my hobby. It’s also a great way to protect my photos from my greatest fear… lightning taking out my back up drive.

If you are interested in seeing this year’s effort, you can download the PDF here:

http://www.ephemerallife.com/File_Storage/Looking%20at%202012%20Small.pdf

What do you do with your favorite images? Do you print them out and hang thm on the wall? Do you give them to friends and family? Feel free to share your creative ideas in the comments.

 

visiting with Annie

Posted on by Tim McMurdo
Annie Leibovitz Exhibit
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?

the evolution of a great image

Posted on by Tim McMurdo

 

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.

 

 

what happened to the American dream

Posted on by Tim McMurdo
What Happened to the American Dream?
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.