Mums The Word

Posted on October 26, 2011 by steve


On the way back home from a photo trip to the southern part of the state we ran across this vignette of rural Americana.  A convenience store in a small town with a wonderful front porch area.  The autumn mums illuminated by the adult beverage signs with just a trace of a sunset afterglow.  Just forces one to pull in and make an image.   Enjoy.

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Farm Yard Feline

Posted on October 25, 2011 by steve

Some times, when you are out working, things just come together for a good image.
We were out doing some autumn portraits for a class demonstration and came upon this shaft of sunlight falling right on the old plow.  After setting up the camera for the  ”Plow Photo”  this autumn colored feline walked out from behind the tree and stopped to take a good look at us.  We, of course reciprocated.  ”That’s it kitty, a big smile”  :-)

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Languid Leaf

Posted on October 16, 2011 by steve

The classes have started, the leaves are falling,  a chill is in the air,  sweaters have been brought out of the closets, and my driveway crunches with dry remnants of summer as I walk out to get the mail.  But, most important is the beauty that surrounds us, at this time of year, here in the mid-west. The light is different in the autumn and there is a stillness in the dappled sunlight that encourages introspection and an appreciation of life itself.  Nature, all spruced up to show us her best.

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Fog Jog

Posted on October 9, 2011 by steve

 

After a morning out making images in the fog.  Mostly soaked to the skin but energized by the creative energy that was still flowing through me. I crossed a bike trail where a jogger waited for my car to get out of his way.  A quick glance down the trail was all I could get as I was going about 50 mph when I came upon the cross over. But it was enough to see the fog and knowing that an image was in the making, I started looking for a place to park.  Finding a pull off about 1/4 mile up the road…..there were now 2 joggers. One on the trail and one with a camera and tripod running for the trail.   This image is the convergence of those two joggers on the trail.
This is the reason that I never put the camera away until I pull into the driveway at home. Even when I think that I am finished for the day, I leave the camera out on the seat beside  me.  I never know what opportunity will present itself along the road and I want to be ready to capture what ever might appear.
I  used this  image as a Lightroom demonstration in my Thursday night class.  Fog and mist are very soft and ethereal and need to be handled very gently.  Save some detail and at the same time preserve the feeling of the experience.  A fine line to balance.

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New Classes Starting

Posted on October 5, 2011 by steve

Ahhh,  the beginning of a new term.
The fall / winter session is getting underway this week.
Tonight is the first Beginning class.  And this morning was the first of the foggy fall mornings that mark the season in this part of the country.   The leaves are getting crunchy on the bike trails.  The light is warmer.  The air is crisper.
My favorite photo season is also getting underway.
So much material to work with….so little time.
I must make the most  of it…..get out of the studio more and back into nature.

Posted in Classes, fall color, Learn Photography, Nature, Photo Classes | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Fall Color Workshop

Posted on September 23, 2011 by steve

                                            ” I WOULD HAVE PICKED THAT ONE”

“How do you decide what to photograph?”
I was asked this question by a friend who was looking over my shoulder the
other day as I was making some fall flower images.  I thought of how to respond.
I could talk about color harmony, rule of thirds, dynamic symmetry,
depth of field vs focal length, or the Fibonacci sequence ……………
all these went through my head.
In the end, I said, “Well, it just looks right”  and the reply was,
“Wow, that is just what I would have taken!”
Sometimes, just looking and seeing is the right answer.

Would you like to learn how to “see” more effective images?
Get the “right” exposure for dynamic color this fall?
Select the “best” focal length for a great photo?
Learn to tell a visual story about what you are seeing and experiencing?
If you answered YES to any of these questions……
Then, you should check out the Fall Color Workshop.
Held at beautiful Hocking Hills State Park on
Saturday, October 8th from 10 AM to 5 PM for only $75.00.
I have limited it to 10 students in order to insure that you receive
the level of personal  attention you need to learn.
So, if this is something that you would like to do,
SIGN UP NOW !!    Use the friendly Paypal link.
You MUST be pre registered…due to the preparation of teaching materials.
After you sign up, I will send you the details of:
where to meet, what to bring, subjects to be covered,
and suggestions for gear, and course materials.
Time is short, and space is limited. Act Now!

Posted in art seeing, Classes, fall color, Hocking Hills, Learn Photography, Photo Classes | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Scenic Sun Flower

Posted on September 9, 2011 by steve

Last night the photo class met at a large field of sun flowers.
The object was to find a way to express the feeling of the flowers.
The evening was overcast and it had been raining off and on all day.
As the sun was going down the cloud filtered light became warmer
and this flower just seemed to stand out from all the rest.
The next round of classes start in October.
Sign up to join the fun and learn to get the most from your camera.

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First Fall Foliage

Posted on September 7, 2011 by steve

It is coming….just a few short weeks from now.  Glorious Autumn !!  The special time of year for most photographers.  After an all day rain I found this precursor of things to come in my yard.   Time to inspect the gear and maybe get some new things for use with all the wonderful scenery to come.
Also time to maybe take that photo class you have been thinking about.  The next term begins October 5th with the Beginning class.  Such a great time of year to learn to take good photographs.   You can sign up with Paypal in the right side bar.

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Bucolic Bench

Posted on August 30, 2011 by steve

I found this vignette just down the road from my house as we were out for a bike ride.
We had ridden past it several times over the past week but it was not an image until the light was right.

The photo classes are going well.  Everyone seems to be learning a lot.
We have been working with the basics of Portrait lighting and posing for the last several weeks both on location and  in the studio.     Fun Stuff.
If you are interested in learning photography remember that the new term begins the first week in October.  You may sign up by using the Paypal link in the  right side bar of this blog.

Posted in art seeing, Canon G 12, Classes, Photo Classes | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Dual Diagonal Canon G12

Posted on August 15, 2011 by steve

Another image from the Canon G12.  Not quite as sharp as I would like but I think that is my fault since I was working hand held in bad light.  There should be a bit more “bite”  around the edges so the built in Vibration Reduction has limits.  Well, I always knew that it did but I wanted to find out just what they were. For me at least, a good solid 2 1/2 stops.  This was at 3 stops below what I normally hand hold and it is just a bit off. So, I will be happy with 2 stops.  Again, for a camera this small that is very good. I have always found that,  for the way I hold a camera,  a heaver camera is more stable.  This image is just tweaked a bit in Lightroom. About 20 Vibrance and 65 Clarity to help the sharpness problem.  At 8 x 10 it looks all right as a print but I would not go larger with this image.

Posted in Canon G 12, Lima, Nature, Parks | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment