Amazing Shot in the Dark ~ Night Photography

Recently while attending a campout, I had the opportunity to capture an image of an 1839 Mountain Howitzer firing in the dark. There was one shot and only one chance to capture the image. Using my Night Photography knowledge, I was able to make a reasonable guess as far as camera exposure. Oh, and I didn’t have my tripod with me. Take a look at how I did it >>>

iPad viewers click here

If you’re interested in learning more about Night Photography, signup for  my next eClass. Photographing after dark can be one of the most rewarding times to capture images and offers the opportunity for you to intimately learn your camera’s exposure process. Join us, your photography may never be the same.

Wordless Wednesday

Some of What We Will Be Learning:
   • Saving Images for the Web
   • Six Lessons on Understanding Layers
   • Removing Unwanted Items in a Photo
   • Selecting Elements in an Image
   • Converting to Black & White
   • Learn How to Make a Dynamic Collage

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Add your image to the Wordless Wednesday gallery below >>>

Since I’ve already made this a Non-Wordless Wednesday…In case you’re wondering about this moon photo, it was not luck. Well, the clouds were, but knowing where the moon would be and how it would appear is critical for every landscape photographer to know. I’ll show you exactly how to calculate this in my Night Photography eClass. Join Us!

Show off your latest image and grab a WW button down in the footer and help spread the word. Thanks!

Are You Letting Your Photography Be Framed?

Many years ago at an art show, I was tending my photography booth and people watching. Across a walkway I spotted this lady. She was quite easy to notice with a couch pillow under her arm and holding out fabric swatches high in the air at arms length. I watched as she moved closer and then it became clear what she was up to. She was actually looking for artwork through the filter of needing to match her new couch.

Luckily she didn’t come near my art, as I was lining up a string of possible comments that I do think I would have unraveled on her. I couldn’t help but think, ‘What would someone like Picasso say to her?’ Or perhaps Homer, VanGogh, Hopper, or Dali. Oh, Dali would probably make a beautiful piece to perfectly match that couch with the most unbelievable hidden and hideous messages for that poor woman.

The whole experience got me thinking, while not as bad as the swatch welding art consumer, photographers do the same thing very often. You know how it all starts, ‘Well I have that frame over there that I’m not using’. And before you know it you’re in Photoshop cropping a perfectly good image to make it fit that frame. Or worse the print has already been made and the scissors come out to make the fit.

It all seems harmless enough. Perhaps, but as an artist I think we need to look after our creations with a little more care and importance. Our ideas need to be the foremost message to the viewer. And as a matter of fact, the frame should only be there as a compliment to the art, never as the art itself. And never dictating the size or proportion of our image. Or at least that’s how I feel about it.

If we wander around thinking our images need to fit in an 8″ x 10″ or 16″ x 20″ frame we might as well just go buy a pretty picture perfectly sized and ready to go. On the other hand, if we go out to make a creation that meets our imagination and satisfies our artist soul and that creation just happens to fit in an 8″ x 10″ frame, then that’s a different story. That is the difference between letting your art be framed and creating art that happens to be framed.

This has all come to mind lately as I’ve had the opportunity to create some pretty satisfying pieces of art that could be called anything but traditional. Perhaps you’ve seen my infrared black and white photographic life-sized horse, or the custom elliptical collage of ‘My Tree’, neither creations come even close to having a standard frame.

And most recently I’ve designed and produced another infrared black & white image to be displayed in a client’s home on their window. Well, let me make that clearer, it is their window. This room has very little wall space and they wanted the window, at the center of attention, to be converted into a work of art.

Our community does an arts fundraiser call “Artist Within” where an artist is paired with a community leader and they work together to produce a piece of art. I’ve participated and worked with some fantastic people through the years. This year, my longtime friend Laurie, stepped forward to have the opportunity to work with me.

The original idea was to find the perfect antique armoire and create photographic panels to blend with the cabinet. As time ticked by and no armoire appeared, it was clear we needed to go a different route. We downsized the cabinet portion, which I built, and focused on the photography. We decided on a high-end commercial photo shoot look for the photo panels and a simple sleek design to the cabinet. Several weeks (and numerous bottles of vino) later the cabinet was complete with blue LED lights custom installed by my oldest son. Later at the fund raiser I was told by Laurie’s recent college grad daughter that the piece looked like it was straight from a bachelor pad. Yes! What a compliment! I’ve still got it. LOL

Now with all that huffing and puffing, of course there will always be the need for a traditional frame. But remember, it’s the photography that must come first and be allowed to sing. Everything else comes second. Whatever border or container holds your creation, it needs to harmonize with the overall melody.

So, now tell the truth, have you been guilty of making your images fit in a frame instead of having a frame fit your image?

Wordless Wednesday
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Adobe Color Lava Tutorial for Photoshop and iPad

As you recall, we’ve reviewed Adobe’s Eazel and Nav iPad apps which work in cooperation with Photoshop on the desktop. Now we’ll take a look at Color Lava.

The Adobe Color Lava App for iPad integrates with Photoshop allowing quick, organic color picking for Photoshop documents. Touch, swirl, and blend colors on the iPad and then transfer the swatches to your Photoshop document. Super simple and super fun. Check this out >>>

Wordless Wednesday

Show off your latest image and grab a WW button down in the footer and help spread the word. Thanks!

Less Can Be More ~ Photo Composition

When’s the last time you listened to someone go on and on about a topic until either they were blue in the face, or you started zoning out? Unfortunately it can happen from time to time and it helps illustrate the point…just get to the point.

When we are composing images, we can do the same thing. As photographers we need to think about the end results and ask, “what do we want to tell the viewer?” Once we understand that, we become storytellers and it’s clear that we are in charge of the show. Many times we can simply reduce the amount of information and tell a more concise and efficient story.

Here’s an interesting panoramic image, above. But if I want the viewer to see wind power-generators, why don’t I remove some of the extra information and get to the point? Like this…

Here’s another example that is pretty typical. I started out looking for a shot of this carousel. My initial images were not refined or very story like. Instead there are filled with clutter and elements that take away from the story.

After some time evolving, looking, and seeing I created the image below. Now, which of these two looks more like a refined story?

Understanding the rules, elements, and fundamentals of photography composition is important, but you also have to include your personal ability to cull and efficiently tell the story in the overall photo composition equation.

So what story are your photos telling?

Are you ready to unleash your inner photographer/storyteller?

Join us for the next Photography Composition eClass. Starting SOON!
Your photos won’t be the same!