Sunset Water

 

As I've said to my photography students many times, there's nothing like that late afternoon sunlight to illuminate the imagination and reinforce the search for an original point of view. I found myself walking down the to the shore after supper tonight and just as the sun was low in the sky, thinking that the sunlight seems different, even at the same time of day, every time I go down there to "find" some pictures. The concept of "shadows" was also sitting in my thinking, and I think that may have directed me toward looking in the directions I chose. Here are my two favorites out of forty or so. I used a 75-300 mm telephoto lens.

Macros

We've been shooting some "macro" things in class, and it is always interesting to talk about design around the abstract qualities these images tend to have. Color, shape, and texture take on a different and important sense in these pictures, providing students with the resources to discuss design principles and elements.

We have some challenges at times trying to identify where the images are from and what the specific source might be, and the ideas of perception and noticing interesting compositions are well served by the "macro shots".

Welcome back from April Vacation!

Late Afternoon Sunlight...

... is often the best kind of light to use in getting photos. The color is usually warmer and the low angle of the sun produces shadows that are hard to match for drama and visual effect.

The first two pictures I'm posting here were taken in my garage with light coming in from the west in the late afternoon. The top one was something I noticed looking through windows from two rooms away. Captivated by the shapes formed on the wall and the shadows of the bicycle, I shot a dozen pictures of various compositions, balance of light and dark, and camera angles, choosing the one here as my favorite.

As I looked around the room, I noticed a pan of dahlia and gladiola bulbs that had been dug up and held over the winter that the light was playing around upon. Some of the roots were highlighted and gave an interesting visual texture of various values of the dominant brown color. I moved in close, switching my camera to "macro" mode, and captured five or six images. Here's the one I like the best.






Finally, a close up of an amaryllis blossom in the house. Gorgeous reds, try downloading this photo (screenshot would work) and looking at the "histogram" for this shot... kind of cool!

Close Up Landscape/Seascape

I went out front after supper with the idea of capturing a few images, and when I got back at my computer to download them I had shot 65 pictures. Here's one that could serve as an alternative or creative type of landscape or seascape.

Double Exposure

This process just takes two photos, but you should choose carefully which one you want on top and will make transparent. Remembering to copy your background image, copy and paste your top photo over the background to create a second layer. Then drag the transparency slider until you have the "combined" look you like. If the top layer doesn't quite line up to be where you want it, adjust it to where it fits properly and then crop the two layers together and save the image as one image. You can also play with the settings of each layer to darken/lighten, adjust gamma, or even add a filter. I like doing this best in grayscale, but some interesting color effects can be had as well.

Try it! Things like faces over landscapes or figures floating on the water make interesting "multiple exposures"! Here's my quick sample.

Long Shutter Speed

The first three photos here were done in my room this morning with the lights off and using a seven second shutter speed. This in-camera image manipulation opens all sorts of possibilities around creating a photo with "special" content. If you are all caught up with class assignments, try this... it's something else to add to your portfolio and can be a lot of fun!

You'll notice that with each pose I stood more and more still and so became more and more "solid". The last one was done in the darkroom (the TV studio would do) with the same seven second exposure.

Jackson Johnson

I know I have proudly presented images of my little grandson to you all before, but I had the pleasure of a surprise visit from him (and his parents of course) this weekend. Needless to say, I fell behind on my school work but it's not every weekend I get to see him.

My proposal to you all is this... what do you see in this photo that you might correct or do differently? Seriously, you all are so nice about what you like in these posts, but step up and tell me what you might do differently or change or add to! The process of criticism does not have to be "harsh" words, but simply a matter-of-fact personal response to an image you see. Whenever all of you ask me what I think, I am always up front and tell you exactly what I see and would "fix" in your images. I am delighted how well you all respond to that sort of criticism, and I think it has made many of you better photographers!

So, I've left some things, most of them minor, that I could see I would "fix" or change, but what do you see? No particular context here, just take it from the subject. I'll take things you like as well, if you want to "balance" your criticism! Thanks.