Vacation for the Heart and Mind

Inland

Abstraction of Light

This is my 700th blog post. That is a lot of posting. I started my vacation inland taking in the natural beauty the Earth provides with a little help from the Light of Sun.

My goal with this vacation trip was to shoot everything with natural light and my new Vivitar 70-200mm lens. I accomplished those objectives for the most part, using my Tamron 17-50mm lens for only a few landscapes.

The image to the left is an abstraction of light illuminating the leaves of a tree through the forest canopy. This was done intentionally, using the natural light bouncing off the tree leaves and a naturally darker area that fell in the shadow and I moved my camera to create the movement.

Contrast of Light and Dark

Again, using the natural light falling through the forest canopy to allow the light to fall on the subject and leave the background in shadow I was able to capture and isolate the subject.

This is a technique I have been working to master for a couple of years now. Like all things in photography, this technique requires some compromise of others choices, such as composition as the shadowed area might not always be in line with how you may want to compose the image and depth of field with adjustments to the aperture. Another compromise is exposure, in which the subject might not be as brightly lit as you would like due to the low light; see the middle image below as an example.

Delicate Fern

Lightly Lit Leaves

Bloom in Contrast

Ocean Side

Patterns

Heading to the beach, I found natural patterns as well as man-made structures.

The patterns that can be found in the sand are as varied as the fingerprints on the people in the world. All you have to do is look around with an open mind.

 Observing the patterns is as simple as looking at the bigger picture and ignoring the smaller details from the onset. Once I have captured the patterns I then move in and look at the details.

Sand Patterns

The above photograph and the photograph to the right we both shot within ten feet of each other.

Again, just by looking, I was able to find both of these photos. It takes a shift, an intentional shift, in the way I see to be able to see the patterns. It can be difficult. It is a lot like trying to the forest for the trees or trying to see the sailboat in the middle of a poster of patterns of static (popular in the early 90s).

Once the shift happens I start seeing the patterns everywhere. I see the patterns in wood, sand, gravel, asphalt and even in crowds of people. After practicing for years, I can now switch from one mode to another and back again.

It just takes time to develop the ability to switch it over if it doesn't come to you naturally.

Fossil Love

Sandcastles in Triplicate

Metamorphosis

Aquatic Adventures

The sand of time lead to the sea

I have a huge fascination for waves. I will let those images speak for themselves.

Patterns in the Waves

Green Crush

Afternoon Light

Back to Back

 The best way to photograph waves for me is to shoot in the light of the afternoon sun, but that is because I am on the left coast. If I were to be standing at the shores of the Atlantic Ocean, I would shoot early morning, an hour after sunup. This is what helps makes the waves glow.

Aloft

Subjects in the sky are always of interest for me. But I typically don't shoot things that are directly overhead because the underside of a bird isn't as interesting to me as it flying at me.

Goodnight Moon

Burning Sky

Sun Sets on Another Day

And Finally, I love it when subjects in the sky make their way to the ground.

That's all for now. Do yourself a favor, take a few days and find your artist. It is an amazing journey.

Free Texture Friday

Sand Texture

Today is Free-Texture-Friday and today's free texture is a great natural texture of sand patterns.

Nature provides some of the best patterns to use in images.

Click here to see the full resolution file, then right click and save.

Artist Versus Analyst

Following the Rule of Thirds

Let me preface the following statement with: this is not a post about how great a photographer I am. My ego is in healthy check. Now that I have said that I can say: I am generally a pretty good photographer. 

As a photographer and teacher of photography I preach the rules of photography. I preach about composition; the rule of thirds and filling the frame. I preach about exposure and the histogram. I preach about subjects needing to be interesting. I preach about light and shadow and how to make them work.

I also practice these things, some times to a point of my Analyst squashing my Artist. My artist asks what-if questions and my Analyst doesn't like what-if scenarios. My Analyst knows that 1 + 1 = 2 and that is not to be challenged, ever.

The image above was an attempt by the Analyst to make a technically good photograph. I followed the rule of thirds. The horizon is not in the center plane of the photograph. I properly exposed the subject. I did everything right. Yet the image lacks pop and impact. This image would not be able to move a turd with bulldozer, let alone move someone emotionally. I might as well have photographed a black cat in a black room with the lens cap on. If I were to post this by itself, it would have likely received a few obligatory comments, if that, but it definitely would not have moved anyone.

Following my Artist

Then there is this photograph to the right. The photograph breaks several of the rules mentioned above. Lets start with the composition. The horizon is on the center plane of the photograph. The subject, the sun, is dead center in the image. Rule of Third/Fill the Frame rule is thrown out the window.

Now let's talk about exposure. In relation to the rest of the image, the lower right corner is under exposed. This leaves a dead spot in the image technically speaking.

Technically speaking, this image is a train wreck. But from an artistic standpoint, this image moves people in spite of the rules. This photograph evokes an emotional response that the first photograph could not. Why? Because I allowed the scene to move me before I tried to capture it. My Artist saw what was beautiful about the scene and captured it shutting down my Analyst

So when I posted my Artist's photograph on social media sites it received more comments and "likes" than most of my images usually get. As a matter of fact, I had five "favorites" from complete strangers, people I don't follow or don't follow me, within fifteen seconds of posting it.

What makes one photograph work and the other not? The first photograph was a true attempt at capturing the scene of a setting sun. It was shot with a Nikon D200 using the 200mm lens with careful consideration on exposure and composition. It was edited using Adobe's Lightroom with some dodge and burn and noise reduction. A professional photograph from professional equipment.

The second image was made using my cell phone and an HDR app that anyone can buy for $3.49 from the Android App Store of your choice. The photo was edited on my phone using Instagram. Both photos were taken by the same photographer; me. So why the huge disparity between the two? Is a camera phone that much better than a Nikon DSLR? I have said it many times, it's not the camera that makes an image it's the photographer. The failure of the first was a result of my Analyst being in control and the success of the second was the difference between my Analyst and my Artist.

Trusting my artist

Sand Patterns

I think I know what happened; how my Analyst got in control at the start. When I first got to the scene I was thinking, location, shot lists, exposures and composition. I set up, pointed the lens, fired a frame or two recomposed, refocused, fire again. Rinse and repeat. I didn't let the scene talk to me and let me know what it was showing me. My Analyst doesn't see such things. I was focused on getting the specific shots I wanted or thought I should get given the rules of photography. I was hell bent to get "The Shot" even if the scene wasn't really showing me "The Shot". My Artist was buried in the world of technicalities.

I finally put my camera aside, unhappy with the results. Took in the breath-taking scene for several minutes. I saw what was happening; I wasn't seeing the sunset through the sun. I shut down my Analyst and my Artist came rising to the surface. I grabbed my phone, opened the HDR app and fired off three frames. I stuck my phone back in my pocket as the HDR app was processing the three image series. I grabbed my camera and walked back to the campfire we had on the beach to warm up. 

I put my camera away and sat on a log by the fire. I grabbed my phone, saved the resulting photograph and shared it via Instagram. I didn't dink around with lots of post processing and cropping and tweaking. The photograph didn't need much of anything to make it pop. The photograph captured exactly what my Artist saw in the scene. The photograph captured exactly what the scene made me feel when I finally stopped, shut down my Analyst and took the scene in while my Artist came to the forefront.

I walked away from this experience re-finding the value of not getting lost in the technical aspect of the process. I know the technical aspects of photography, so I need to let go of the Analyst in me more often. I need to allow my Artist to do the job an artist does best. In the end, I know how to use the tools and I know the rules, so my Artist knows how to use the tools and knows the rules. More importantly my Artist knows when to break the rules. I need to trust that more moving forward because when I do, my Artist truly shines.


How about you? When do you struggle between your Analyst and your Artist. Who usually wins? How do you overcome your Analyst? Share in the comment below.

Spinning Around The Merry-Go-Round of Life

Where did the summer go? I really do want to know.

Time apparently flies when you are having fun. Apparently time travels faster than the speed light when that fun involves a camera.

My whirlwind ride of a summer was much like spinning around the Merry-Go-Round of life.

It started with me jumping on. Our photo club does these regular shoots at the bridge. By regular, I mean that we shoot there one Friday a month like religion. We have been there seven or eight times and each time is a unique as a fingerprint and as fun as a circus. You have to know the members of my photo group to truly appreciate the "fun as a circus" analogy, but since you likely don't know them you'll have to trust me. We have main attractions, vendors that can feed just about any palette and even some side shows ( I won't use the word freaks because I do respect these people a lot).

Then the event circuit came to town. Starting with the World Beat Festival.

The World Beat Festival is a smörgåsbord of food, culture, food, creativity and art. Oh, and did I mention food?

This event kicks off the summer of fun here in lovely Salem, Oregon. So much to photograph and so little mental capacity to cover it all. But if you have A.D.D. like me, you will be in heaven.

I got a nearly a whole week off before the double-whammy.

 The morning of the 4th of July starts with a trip to the Willamette Mission State Park Civil War Reenactment.

This is a huge event put on by the Northwest Civil War Council. Over 1000 actors come to this event and boy do they put on one hell of show.

Generally this starts at 9:00AM and rolls on to 6:00PM. But this year I had to call it an early day. I shared a ride and my ride was ready to go, but I was too. See during the morning battle a large cannon, like the one on the left, fired really close to me and the concussion from the cannon shattered a filling in my mouth requiring a dental visit the following business day.

That night is the fireworks show down by the river. Of course to get the best seats in the house you need to arrive early to save your seat and then wait. Well the seat happens to be a concrete dock right on the river. Not the most comfortable place to sit for five hours, but as you can tell from the image on the right, the view makes it worth it.

The best part of this event is after long hot day in the sun, at the reenactment, you get to chill by the river and then get a great entertaining show. By chill I mean literally; this is Oregon after all. Temps go from 85 degrees down to 67 with a stiff breeze. So chill is an appropriate term. Yes, we brought blankets and jackets and yes we used them.

 Next up: Welcome to the Oregon Garden. This location is heaven for nature and landscape photographers.

A day here will mean several memory card worth of images to go through later. I think I ended up with over 100 keepers of the one thousand shots I took.

I know what you might be saying, only a ten percent keep to toss ratio. I was experimenting with a new lens and some unique angles; some of which worked and many of which did not.

Now enter the Mount Angel Abby Monastery. This is truly a place I could spent  a solid month at and still not capture a fraction of the photographic opportunities.

This is a photographer's Garden of Eden.

From vivid landscapes, to lush interiors, no matter what your photographic preference, the Abby can be your fix.

As you can tell by the photo on the right, textures, colors and views abound and this is only one photo.

If you get a chance to visit the Abby, do yourself a favor and ask the librarian to see the vault.

The vault has book from before American was even known to exist. Yes, I am not exaggerating this, one of the books was dated 1467 and they have some that are even older than that and they allow flashless photos to be taken.

Throw in a few more bridge shoots, an HDR class and some other fun photo group activities and you end up with a summer that is flying by.

The next thing you know it is August.

The next thing you know, it is my birthday.

Then off on vacation, my first break from work in seven months.

Vacation for me is about relaxing. It is not about having agendas, to-do lists nor is it having a list of places to go. I get enough of that from work.

For me vacation is about, much like the Peter Gibbons character's agenda in Office Space, doing absolutely nothing.

And absolutely nothing is what we did. We drove to the coast and for the most part stayed on the beach most of the days, in the hot tub most of the evenings and in the room each and every night. That was a true vacation. If life were just and kind, the roles of work and vacation would be reversed. We would work a few weeks a year and vacation the rest of the time. Oh what a wonderful world it would be.

 After vacation it is back to the daily grind of my day job and joys of my moonlighting gig.

I was afforded the opportunity to shoot some head shots for Bob Olin. We became reacquainted after years of not seeing each other after high school while I was shooting a civil war reenactment.

He is an actor and needed some head shots for the director of a new film he is working on. He gave me a shout via Facebook and we hooked up for a two hour shoot.

The photo on the left is one of the images I actually presented to him. Oh, and yes in case you are wondering, he signed a model release.

One would think that after a fun filled summer like this that I would be done. Oh no. Not me. I am a glutton for punishment that would be epic, even by hell's standards.

Two nights of night shoots, 9:00PM to 1:00AM. My photo group strikes again. I do love these people. Just to give you a idea of how active this group is, I did not attend 3 shooting events with the group during the summer, one of which was an overnight trip in Central Oregon.

 After this, photography activity starts to wane a bit, and this is a good thing.

I have two weeks left before I have to be prepared for a week long run at the Oregon State Fair.

Our group has stepped up to give presentations all but three days of the fair. I say our group, but alas I was the one who initiated the whole thing with the director of the fair.

So I have to prepare three presentations as well as manage the logistics of who needs to be where and when. It was chaotic, it was exhausting, but must of all, it was fun.

So now that I am looking at the calendar, I see that I am in the second week of September. One might think that things would slow down, eh; oh how wrong you would be.

I am now planning a photoshop workshop, I have scheduled and will be presenting a Lightroom 3 workshop in two weeks and I am booked to shoot a wedding on Halloween. Oh yeah, I have a shoot planned at the Oregon Zoo with my group.

Life is good. No it isn't. Life is great. Be careful stepping on that Merry-Go-Round, you never know when you are likely to have chance to get off. But enjoy that ride while it lasts because it might not come around again for a while.

Creep

When you were here before; I Couldn't look you in the eye.
You're just like an angel; your skin makes me cry.
You float like a feather; in a beautiful world.
And I wish I was special; you're so fucking special.
But I'm a creep.
I'm a weirdo.
What the hell am I doing here?
I don't belong here.
Cause I'm not special.
I don't care if it hurts; I want to have control.
I want a perfect body; I want a perfect soul.
I want you to notice me; even when I'm not around.
You're so fucking special
I wish I was special.
But I'm a creep.
I'm a weirdo.
What the hell am I doing here?
I don't belong here.
Cause I'm not special.
She's running out the door; She is running out.
She's run, run, run, running out
Whatever makes you happy; whatever you want.
You're so fucking special; I wish I was special
But I'm a creep.
I'm a weirdo.
What the hell am I doing here?
I don't belong here.
I don't belong here.
Cause I'm not special.
~Radiohead

Wind Swept Beach

This wind swept beach photograph was taken ten minutes before sunset using a Kodak 800 series digital camera.

Seagulls in the Sun

What would a trip to the coast with out some more picture of my wonderful friends, the seagulls.

This was taken in mid-afternoon just a few days ago using a Kodak 800 series digital camera. It was cold and windy, right around freezing and well below freezing with the wind chill, but never too cold for the ever hungry gulls.

Our Newest Family Member

The below images are of our newest family member during our recent trip to coast. She is a Blue Heeler Mix and as you might be able to tell, she is chocked full of energy.

We adopted her about three weeks before Christmas from one of the only non-kill humane societies in our state. This is the same facility my daughters and I volunteer at twice a month. There has been some time of adjustment, but we just love her to death. We just got back from the coast and she is now sleeping, exhausted from all the fun she had.

The first four images and the last image were shot by me, my wife shot the other three.

Stretching Out

This photo was taken using a Kodak 800 series digital camera and a slice of bread.

I love seagulls, if you couldn't tell by the number of photos I have posted of them... which is a small fraction of the total number of them I have.

The Seagull

Shot with a Kodak 800 series digital camera.

Coastal Spout

This photo was shot using a Kodak 800 series digital camera.