Summer Sunset...

"Summer Sunset" - Mascoma River, Enfield NH

For the past few weeks I have been challenging myself to try and "see" in black and white again after many years of shooting almost exclusively in color.

And so far I am pretty happy with the results.

 I know the resulting images have made me think more about what I see and how I view the world around me... and I hope they do the same for those who occasionally view and enjoy my work.

Smell All the Flowers...

One of the problems with photographing flowers is that it is so easy to get caught up in their sheer beauty through the viewfinder that it is easy to totally miss or ignore their other great attributes.

And one of these is the multitude of wonderful smells and fragrances you experience while "nose to blossom" when taking closeups like this one.

And it was this realization the other day that led me to re-think the old expression about "Taking time to smell the Roses".

In fact we should take time to smell all the flowers and experiences life presents us with.  Often it is easy to get caught up in one aspect of something and miss a lot of what life is just begging us to experience.

So the next time you start to focus in what you think is that single most important aspect of something take a step back... take a deep breath and enjoy the rest of what life has to offer!  :-)

Black and White...

Detail - Rusted Fence Post, Lebanon  NH

"Rusted Fence Post - Lebanon, NH"

Occasionally I try getting back to my roots in photography by setting the shooting menu on my cameras to "monochrome"... otherwise known as "black and white".  I like challenging myself to try and "see" in shades of grey again.  And I have to say that each time I'm not really happy with the results. Not because of a lack of vision on my part... but I think because of the technology.  It just doesn't seem to "be there".  The images - like this one - are always Ok but seem to lack the richness, depth and tonality you get when shooting with silver based film.
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When I first developed an interest in photography many years ago, black and white was the medium of choice for many reasons... but mostly because of the lower cost of film and processing.  And also because of the thrill of what passed for "instant gratification" back then.  By shooting black and white it was possible to see the results of a day spent with the camera relatively quickly.  At that time color film had to be shipped out for processing and it took days if not weeks to get back from the lab. But I could process my 35mm Tri-X film and make a few prints in my parent's basement within a matter of hours... which seemed remarkable at the time.

Needless to say photography has come a long way and I'm sure it will continue to evolve. Even as little as ten years ago many of us were still shooting film. And as someone who grew up in the business splashing around in photographic chemistry, I have to say I don't really miss those hours in the darkroom mixing Dektol and Rapid Fixer while listening to bad pop music on the radio.  But I do miss the sense of craftsmanship that was involved in making prints by my own hand and experiencing the magic of seeing an image spring to life from the surface of a blank piece of paper.

Due to it's very nature digital photography just doesn't allow us to experience the same sense of interaction and involvement in the process of creating a photograph.  It is not as hands-on.  And maybe that is why the finished images don't have the same aesthetic appeal and emotional impact on me when I look at them.  It is because they are not a part of me but rather any assembly of pixels interpreted by a computer instead of being the result of light passing through the shape of my own hand. 

Self Assignment...

Iris - Lebanon, NH

Every once in awhile I like to challenge myself.

Today's "self-assignment" was to find and photograph at least two visually interesting subjects within 50 feet of my home.

Further more... the goal was both shoot and post-process the photos within 30 minutes start to finish. 

The genesis of this challenge came from a conversation I was having with a friend the other day.  I had been trying to explain to him what it was like to work as a news photographer in the mid-19080's when you had to shoot an assignment, process your film, edit negatives, make prints and write captions under a deadline.

While the technology of producing and distributing photos over a network has changed wildly in the past 30 years... some things have not.  You still need an eye for composition and content.  You still need (some) technical skills and you need to be able to function effectively under a deadline.

This image was shot with a Samsung mobile device and processed using PhotoShopExpress.  While I'm not a huge fan of shooting with mobiles the results can be good properly handled... and since it was also raining during this challenge to myself... I didn't really want to expose my DSLR's to the wet weather.

"Umbrella 3"

"Umbrella 3"

Recently I spent a few minutes shooting a display of umbrellas in a local retail location.  And to be honest I was inspired to make these photos by the work of a very good friend of mine.

I was attracted to the different colors, patterns, textures and the mixed lighting present.

Situations like this offer endless opportunities to try shooting at different angles and focal lengths to create different compositions.  The mixed light sources (in this case daylight and industrial track lighting) can be used to enhance the colors in your photographs.

This is part of a series I did using an Android device and PhotoShopExpress.  I plan on returning with a DSLR to follow-up on my initial shooting of these colorful subjects.  

Stay tuned :-)

"Floating Leaf" - Centre County, PA

Floating Leaf - Centre County, PA

This is another one of my favorites from my "Black & White Period".  At the time I was heavily involved in trying to teach myself the "Zone System" (a system of determining exposure and film development) practiced and perfected by Ansel Adams. 

On late-fall a walk through the woods looking for subjects that would lend themselves well to experimenting with these techniques... I saw this leaf floating on the surface of a slow moving stream. 

I was attracted to the various textures and the range of tones... from a few near white grains of sand here and there to the deep blacks along the corners... all forming a frame for the remains of this decaying leaf.

Shot with a Nikon F2 with 55/3.5 Micro-Nikkor on Tri-x film.

"Mirror Image in Sand" - Starfish, St. Augustine, FL

Another image from early in my career as a photographer and a perfect example of what I've always said... "Some of your best photos will always be the result of complete accidents, dumb luck... or both".

Mirror Image in Sand - St. Augustine, FL.

This was shot made during a family vacation to St. Augustine, Florida.  I was about 18 at the time and our family had been staying at the Kon Tiki campground outside St. Augustine.

We'd been collecting shells and other treasures from the sea at the beach one day and set them all aside on the picnic table to dry out.

The next morning as we were packing up for the return trip home to Pennsylvania... I picked up this starfish and was delightfully surprised to see this image magically materialize right before my eyes.

I immediately grabbed my camera (which I think was a Yashica TL Electro-X the time) from the car and started shooting away.  It had a relatively decent quality Soligor zoom lens on it with a macro capability that I didn't use much due to the challenge of holding it steady enough to get good results.  But In this case I got lucky and was able to hand hold it well enough to capture this image on Kodak Plus-X film.  

As an aside I think this also might have been the first time I really had to make a photo under the pressure of a "deadline".  As I recall the family car with pop-up camper attached was pulling out of the campsite as I was shooting :-)

"Abandoned Farmhouse" - Pine Grove Mills, PA

Abandoned Farmhouse - Pine Grove Mills, PA 

I've always been really fond of this photograph... shot early on in my career as a photographer.

I used to drive past this abandoned farmhouse quite frequently on my way to work and was always attracted to it because of the (apparently) freshly painted white posts which stood out in stark contrast to the rest of the house.

Since I was "studying" the zone system at the time (a method of determining exposure and processing developed and perfected by Ansel Adams) this scene made for the perfect challenge to my rudimentary skills with camera, film and darkroom technique.  My goal was to capture the "glow" of the posts, the details in the shadows of each window pane and bring to life on paper what I saw in my mind.

Looking at this image 35 years later I feel like I succeeded :-)

Photographed with a Graflex 4x5 camera using Kodak Tri-x film processed in D-76 and printed on Agfa Brovira glossy surface paper.

"Sunset Stroll" - Bunche Beach, Fort Myers, FL

Sunset Stroll - Bunche Beach, Fort Myers, FL

This shot was made a couple of years ago during a casual evening of shooting at the beach.  It’s an example of what can happen with a little luck.

I had made about a dozen shots of this fairly dramatic sunset… trying to catch different patterns in ripples of water to play off the composition and shape of the clouds above.  All were good, but not great shots.  Something was missing but I wasn’t quite sure what.

However as soon as this young girl came into the left of my frame and continued walking down the beach… I knew that the missing element was the “human” element.  She added a sense of scale, motion and tranquility to the photo.

I shot 3 frames of her walking away from me down the beach… with this being the best.  The playful position of her arms, foot just catching the splash of a passing ripple and her reflection in the water make this photograph complete.

Shot with a Nikon D90 and 18-105 Nikkor lens.  

"Barnacle Encrusted Shell" - Sanibel Island, FL

Barnacle Encrusted Shell - Sanibel Island, FL

This photo was shot on an early morning walk along the "City Beach" on Sanibel Island.

I had forgotten to pick-up my cameras before driving from Fort Myers to the beach and only discovered I didn't have them when I got there.

"Midly" upset and armed with only an Android device I decided to try and make the best with what I had.

Although not of nearly the technical quality I would have gotten with my DSLR's... I still think this is a decent shot and an example of what can be done by anyone with the technology commonly available today.

"Colorful Plantings" - Old Main, Penn State University

Plantings - Old Main, Penn State University

This photo was taken on a slightly overcast day while photographing on the main campus of Penn State University.

I had already spent a fair amount of time shooting one of the most iconic landmarks at Penn State, "Old Main" which is the primary administration building on campus.

During a bit of a break I noticed these colorful, leafy plantings behind me.  They looked like they had promise, but something was lacking at the time so I went back to shooting the building.

Satisfied I had done what I could to catch some new angles on an already over-photographed subject, I turned around and went to pick-up my camera bag.  Just then the sun broke through a high overcast and created a mild back-lighting on these leaves.  That was all they needed to break into the vibrant and unusual colors you see in the photo here.

I used a Nikon D90 DSLR with a 180/2.8 ED lens close to wide-open to make this image.  This created the both shallow depth of field (which draws your eye to the main subject) as well as the vibrant and well saturated colors.  The back-lighting effect adds to the photo by creating a 3-dimensional feeling and is what really caused the colors to "pop".

And no, this was not PhotoShopped :-) 

Mt. Moosilauke - Aplenglow

M

Mt. Moosilauke - Warren, NH

t. Moosilauke - Alpenglow.

This photo of the last rays of sunshine falling on the western slopes of Mt. Moosilauke was shot on a cold and windy fall evening from the summit of Mt. Cardigan in Orange, NH.

I had hiked to the summit to witness a relatively rare astronomical event.  Sunset and moon rise were both going to happen simultaneously (or at least within 5 minutes of each other) that evening and I thought it might make for some interesting photographs.

My first thought about how to illustrate this event had been to try for a panoramic that included both sunset and moon rise in one photograph, but the brisk and windy conditions on the summit of Cardigan crushed that plan relatively quickly.  

Changing up my approach, I set up 2 cameras, one facing east to shoot the moon rising over Newfound Lake and the other facing west toward Mt. Ascutney in VT for my sunset photos.  Both cameras were mounted on "mini-pods" close to the ground to try and minimize any wind induced camera shake during what would be long exposures.

As the moon come up and the sun sank below the horizon, I managed to shoot the equivalent of about 5 "rolls of film" while laying on my stomach and trying to time my shots between 25 mph gusts of wind.

This photograph of Moosilauke (roughly 27 off in the distance), is one of my favorites. 

Shot with a Nikon 8700 at 1/8 second.

Door Knob, Enfield NH.

Old Door Knob - Enfield, NH

A few years ago while traveling I was attracted to the texture of the wood and the layers of dust on this (apparently) unused door.  It seemed like the perfect place to spend a few minutes exploring with my camera.

I spent about 10 minutes shooting various details of the door knob and wooden panels and ultimately decided I liked this composition the best.

Initially I thought this shot would stand on it's own without any post-processing but it just wasn't happening. The lighting was to flat and the range of color throughout the original image was to limited.  I tried a black & white conversion but that still didn't make the image "pop" and catch your eye the way I wanted it to...so it sat unseen in my files for the next 5 years.

Enter the age of "apps"... which didn't even exist when this photo was first shot.  Yesterday using PhotoshopExpress I experimented with increasing the color saturation throughout the image and pumped up the contrast a bit resulting in the final image above.

Although I don't feel apps should be used as a crutch in the making of good photos... they can be a useful tool.  What's possible in photography is changing almost daily and it would be foolish to ignore that.  Applying new technologies to older photos can breathe new life into images that didn't quite "make it" before on their own. 

Shot with Nikon D90 and 105 Micro-Nikkor lens.  Post processed in PhotoshopExpress mobile.

"In the Weeds"

"In the Weeds"

This image is a good illustration of the interesting effects you can get shooting in mixed lighting conditions.

Shot late in the evening along a rural roadside it combines elements of backlighting and mixed color balances. 

Backlighting is a technique that can be used very effectively to highlight the main subject in a photo from a darker background.

The rich greens in the foreground are a result of the warm (colored) evening sun backlighting the weeds while the cooler blues are a result of having no direct sunlight hitting the background, which is largely in shadow.

This image is basically "straight from the camera" with minimal post processing in Nikon CaptureNX.

Old Main Bell Tower

Old Main Bell Tower - Penn State University Main Campus

The Old Main bell tower is instantly recognizable by anyone who has attended or visited Penn State... and it is no doubt one of the most photographed sites on campus.

The challenge for any photographer is how to shoot it in a new and visually interesting way.

This photo was an experiment in trying to do just that.

While not for everyone... this photo was post-processed in Nikon CaptureNX using the "Levels and Curves" adjustment to vary the intensity, density and value of the original colors.

Purists, traditionalists and straight shooters will probably not care for the result or techniques used to get there... but there is no doubt that digital manipulation is a technique that is here to stay.  It's at least something worth experimenting with next time you're shooting the "Same Old".  The results could surprise you.

Hummingbird

Hummingbird

Hummingbird

Good luck sometimes plays a significant part in making good photos.

Despite using professional equipment and having a high level of technical skills, every (honest) photographer will tell you that some of their best photographs are the result of just "Getting lucky".

That was the case in this photo.   This was actually shot near dusk and during a light drizzle.  My expectations were not high while shooting but the birds were putting on a good show while feeding so I figured, "Why not?"  Like a few other posts this photo is a good illustration of shooting tight to maintain maximum quality while still allowing some cropping options.  The lens used was a mid-range telephoto shot wide open (out of necessity in low light) and to create the shallow depth-of-field which directs you eye to the main subject.

Shot using a Nikon DX format DSLR with a 300/2.8 ED lens wide open.  On board fill flash used. 

"Weathered Metal 1"

"Weathered Metal 1"

This photo was taken as an exercise in use of texture, color and composition to transform an everyday object into something visually interesting and different.

This is part of the handle on an old barn door.  The handle probably dates to the early 1900's and the door was obviously in need of painting. 

However both the weathering of the metal and paint over time made for an interesting composition.

Photo shot using Nikon D90 camera and 55/2.8 Macro Nikkor lens.