Spring again…….

Friday Night Photography Quote:

Having and camera makes you no more a photographer than having a hammer and some nails makes you a carpenter.
— Claude Adams

________________________________________________________________________

I don’t know if it’s just a lack of understanding of proper exposure?
Maybe!! But I’m starting to see more images of flowers this past week.
No creativity! Showing way too much background and or nonsense with the actual flower/plant nature thingy…….
Then again I’ve seen some wonderfully creative close ups of colorful flowers in such a way that it looks like a watercolor painting!

The first two images are from the same sitting/session or road trip. Whatever you want to call it. I had played with the exposure slightly to try and get a darker background to show off the petals.
Two different shots. I was going to crop it to make it look closer but I didn’t like the way it turned out. I cleaned up the negative space by cloning it to make it all look dark. A little editing really but not a big deal. I’m just trying to compare a little bit of thought and work to show the difference. I want to call the first image a “Snapshot”.
I was informed that this is some kind of a Lily but I truthfully have no idea. I Know Nothing about flowers except the very basics like a Rose or Cactus. I do not have a green thumb and have spent zero time thinking about the differences. I just like the way this looks.

Not a bad image. But with a little bit of thought and patience.
Playing with the exposure in camera a little bit. Placed most of the leaves in darkness. Possibly showing a drop more texture in the petals? I also helped the background by cloning out what little details that did show.

What do you think? I like this better. I actually did look and that shiny stuff on the petals are not from over sharpening. I did sharpen it but that’s how it looked before I did anything. I’m not sure if that’s the way it is or not? Don’t know. It could be the slightly darker exposure in camera? Notice the “Snapshot” above doesn’t show the details in the petals like the second shot. But that Is What playing with an image creates!!

Now I also found one in my archives of an Orange larger flower.
Get Close and your images can have a much more powerful statement.
Just watch your focus. Remember the closer you get the less of a plane of Focus your going to have. Play with the Aperture to make sure your Depth of Field covers the items you want.
Now from my old Science class in High School I think the long things in the center of the flower with the darker tips are called pistols?
But I think I focused on that. The far petal is sharp and the closer one is slightly soft. Controlling my Depth of Field the background looks like soft pastels giving an overall softer more delicate feel for the flower itself.

Don’t be afraid to show texture and details. I think it adds to the “Feel” of the image.

I’m going to show one more. This idea is good but I didn’t have to add anything to this. Sometimes bringing a water bottle or a spray bottle to add water droplets to the flower makes for a better image.
I barely remember this one but it was in a Hot House I believe and this Water Lily was just sprayed with water.

Have a great Weekend everyone.
Any thoughts to what you would like me to talk about next week?
I’ve mentioned it before but for some reason the person that showed an interest never got back to me. Would anyone like me to interview them and show off a few of your images? You can contact me here in the comments area and I’ll see it. Or you can email me.
Just make sure you put “Interview” in the subject area.

I’m adding spaces so the Spam Bots wont pick it up.
Take out the spaces and I’ll get it.
mgottes @ verizon . net

Thanks,
Mark

#springflowers, #springphotography, #springartphotography, #nikon, #nikond80, #nikond700, #artphotography, #stilllife, #shapescolorcontrast

Spring

Friday Night Photography Quote:

One must be able to gain an understanding at short notice and close range of the beauties of character, intellect, and spirit so as to be able to draw out the best qualities and make them show in the outer aspect of the sitter. To do this one must not have a too pronounced notion of what constitutes beauty in the external and, above all, must not worship it. To worship beauty for its own sake is narrow, and one surely cannot derive from it that esthetic pleasure which comes from finding beauty in the commonest things.
— Imogen Cunningham
Wilson’s Photographic Magazine in March, 1914.

Spring – Reborn – Renew

Whatever we choose to call it. The long Winter months are now Officially over. Happy Spring Everyone!

Going out and forcing ourselves to shoot in the storms and cold. Wind and Wet is Not Fun. I did go out. But we got lucky this year. Not like previous years where we would trudge out and battle knee high Snow.

Note the nice weather and colors will be here soon. I just would like to take this time to try to influence you in some way and hopefully try to get you to “See” a bit differently.
You see I always had problems with shooting flowers! Even when young I was like, OK it’s there! Whats the big deal. We all see them. Nothing new and exciting here. Move along ………
But at the same time I did appreciate nature! My mind through all it’s learning and practicing. I could never get my head around “Abstract”..
Never really!! Colors and Shapes just by itself meant nothing to me.
I was always looking for something that I never got. Understanding of emotion through shapes, shadows and colors. But why? What am I missing that others see when it comes to “Abstract”? The answer is Nothing! That’s the whole point of abstract…… It’s just an appreciation of Light and Shadows. Shapes and Textures. By design and composition. Sometimes as a student of “Art” I’ve seen the absurd. Where people are standing around a large Canvas on a wall of a Museum and everyone is raving and carrying on like idiots because someone had the misgivings of putting one single Dot on it.
Is that is supposed to be “Art”? One lone Dot? You go and ask the Old Masters if they were still alive what they would think of this… What do you think?

Photographically I obviously had a hard time wrapping my head around this whole concept. It’s Not Me, or something I would normally do. but I put my ego and fears aside and gave it an attempt. Shadows and Light. Shapes and Colors. Some people actually liked it. At first inside My Head I was attacking it like any other problem I face. Diving right in and getting as much information about the situation as possible. Looking at other photographers work where they shared pictures of “Flowers”. It’s more a mood really of how one feels about the floral parts of the world around us. How can we show a flower in a different way than the average person sees it? Concentrate on the flower itself. Don’t show a whole lot of background in the image. Keeping it simple. Get Close! Then Closer still and try to show the texture and the purity of what the Flower represents.

Have a Great Weekend Everyone!
Mark

#stilllife, #flowerphotography, #abstractphotography, #artphotography, #photographyinspiration, #nikond700, #nikcollection

The Excitement

Friday Night Photography Quote:

We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are.
— Anaïs Nin

If I have any ‘message’ worth giving to a beginner it is that there are no short cuts in photography.
— Edward Weston

Whatever our situation. From working with a Portrait indoors to walking around trying to “See” for a Landscape. When we have something in front of us that we Understand is a once in a Lifetime situation and that we need to capture it. The situation presented itself to us and we have the understanding that it Is the “precious” one. Thee Moment that we’ve been studying for! Our Hearts start to race.
Our fingers going over the settings on the camera start to shake!
Sometimes it becomes difficult to breathe! We know that we are at that right time and right place to capture thee moment.

The Thrill! The Excitement!
Can we do it? Can we have every option set correctly to make this look exactly what we envision? We double check our settings. We check the focus “What do we need to focus On”? Can we hold the camera still enough to get a sharp image? Do we need to brace the camera or get a Tripod?

All these things run through our minds as we are composing. Looking for the elements in the scene before us to make it interesting to the Viewer who will look at our “Image”! Will this be more than just an Image? Will this be a “Work of Art”?

This past week I ended up being in the audience for two separate musical performances. The first one was in a small Restaurant that prides itself on the Home Cooked and Home Friendly Atmosphere. Wonderful little place. On Friday and Saturday Nights they will have a small group of musicians that come in and play. Usually different each week. Food and drinks are still being moved about so it’s more of a Dinner Theater Atmosphere. If your in the area I Highly Recommend it.
It’s a half block off the Floral Park Train Station called:
“Swing the Teapot”.

Now I can’t remember the last time I had gone to a major venue to see a Concert. Through the years I’ve grown testy of large groups. Too noisy and rude for my tastes. But I was presented with a situation that I couldn’t pass up. An Old Coworker that I’m still in contact with called me and asked if I was interested in going to a Concert? Discount Tickets and All I’m thinking do I really want to do this to myself?
The travel alone takes its toll. We all know it’s going to be late by the time it’s all said and done right? Wait? I don’t have to go to work the next day! I’m retired remember?? LOL
So Off we went. Our Adventure to Madison Square Garden to see “Weezer” is now going to happen!

I can’t imagine what was going through the Artists minds when they walk on stage looking to the crowds getting ready to perform?
The thrill? The excitement must be overwhelming.
There were 3 warm up groups!! I’ve never seen more than two groups opening before. I’ve been to a good amount of concerts in my years but 3? Seriously?
Like usual we got to take our seats as the first group was already off the stage. The second group was about to come on. To be honest I’ve never heard the name before. I do remember I had liked one or two songs but overall that wasn’t my favorite Genre of music. I can listen to “Thrash” when I’m in the mood. But seriously throwing in a “Thrash Band” is not fair to the Group nor the audience. Were they a Thrash Band? Not even sure. Sounded like it to me.

Third Group comes on stage. OK I’ve heard of the group. I actually knew some songs and they had the feet stomping and the audience in the palms of their hands. That is what the whole thing is for. To Get the Audience involved in what they are doing!!

Finally Weezer comes out on Stage!
From our vantage point we are pretty high up and can see almost everything. The Large Spot Lights above the stage start to move and go through the audience. Granted I’ve been to the Garden on several occasions. Here in New York we expect a packed house for a Sporting Events. Selling Out the Garden for the Likes of Billy Joel we can understand.
Looking around we were like “Whoa”!! This place is packed! I’m in full blown awe! My friend jumps on the net to check and yeah. Madison Square Garden Announces that the “Weezer Show” is “Sold Out”!!

As Artists how do we compare to that? Can we Compare to that?
Probably not. But let’s place this in proper perspective. First it was a Great Show! I’ve been a fan of Weezer since the early 1990’s. Am I a Big Fan? Nah!! But I’ve been listening to them off and on throughout the years. Do I own any of their music? I actually did own one digital song but that was years ago. I don’t even see it floating around in my hard drives anymore it’s been soo long…

My point is the Level of Fame! Is Weezer a top Famous Group?
Nope! Do they have Fans? Obviously yeah. Obviously enough to pack in Madison Square Garden Yeah!! Do you know the name? Maybe or maybe not! Are they a household Famous name like “Michael Jackson” or the “Beatles”? Could it be a dream that the band mates want to be as famous as “Jackson” or the “Beatles”? Of course they do.
See my point here? Fame! Fame doesn’t happen overnight.
Fame! Fame is hard work! Fame is knowing that as Photographers we have something special in front of us and knowing what to do with it.

In Honor of St. Patrick’s Day I’m going to share an image I had done in Ireland. Here’s the setup. I was out early at sunrise after spotting a Mare and her colt the afternoon before. I wanted to make an attempt at capturing them grazing in the early morning light/fog whatever happened to come my way.
It’s Cold! It’s Summer time in Ireland and at Sunrise it was Cold. Morning Dew wetting the grass. I’m not dressed properly! I can barely make out the Mare in the distance hiding behind some trees. Reluctant to come out with her colt while it’s still dark. I’m waiting. I’m on a time limit. I have to go back to the Hotel to wake my wife so we can go down for breakfast soon. I’m Waiting! I’m looking around keeping an eye on the Mare.
First thing we learn. Keep an opened mind on our surroundings. Look at your scene in front of us. But pay attention to what’s going on around us. We just never know. The Sun is starting to come out to my left.
Oh there is a slight Rainbow starting to appear to my right.
Mare is not moving! Oh come on! I’ve been good. It’s starting to get close. Maybe a half hour left??
Turn to my right and now the rainbow is starting to get bigger and more pronounced. This looks promising now. Check the exposure. Check the view in my camera. Hmm only ok. Nothing outstanding.
Now the rainbow has colors overflowing on the bottom by the horizon line. Take the shot, Take the Shot!! Not good!! Line up with this stupid fence I’ve been trying to not touch. Better but oh wait. Get on my knees. Oh Man!! Why is the Grass still wet? Get Down low to let the rolling hills frame the scene with the Fence… My heart is pounding in my chest! There it is!! Thee Moment You’ve waited your whole Life For!! Double check the settings. Check the angle of the fence and focus. Take the Shot! Check the Shutter Speed and take another Shot!!

Fire in the Sky

Turn back to my left to check the Mare. Now she starts to come out from the trees. Look at the time and it’s 2 minutes before I have to go back. Sure are taking their time to come into the sunlight. Look back to my right. Rainbow is now gone! Look back and the Mare is now moving directly into the sunlight. Little Colt is moving now as well but still not quit right. Time check and gotta go Now!! Geez!
One last glance and the Sun is now licking the faces. Take the Shot!!

Grazing
Mare and Colt

Hope you enjoyed this!
Have a Great Weekend Everyone!
Be Safe! Don’t Drink and Drive!!
Mark

#fame, #travelireland, #travelphotography, #nikond700, #stpatricksday, #weezerconcert, #artphotography, #artiststhrill

Mood……

Friday Night Photography Quote:

Visual ideas combined with technology combined with personal interpretation equals photography. Each must hold it’s own; if it doesn’t, the thing collapses.

— Arnold Newman

Mood —
All our training! Everything we’ve read from learning proper exposure. To the understanding of Composition and learning everything about what and how to get the Camera to do what we want and when.

Doesn’t prepare us to be able to capture the “Mood”!
Emotions are easy! From Laughing and Crying. To all the way to Wonder is from the expression of our subjects.

But Mood? How do we capture the Mood of whatever we are looking at? That my friends is a joining of the skills. The working of the Camera and the Darkroom together to give us the results we envisioned!

Sometimes capturing the mood seems easy! But at the same time what we thought would have been easy after we click the shutter doesn’t always give the results we want!! Then after trial and error we realize that it still needs something. But What?

I had this very same problem from an image I had shot a few years back. No matter what I did in the digital darkroom. It wasn’t doing what I had envisioned when I clicked the shutter. But in my mind this image was only OK! I left it for a few years. Every once in a while I would pick it up and try my hand at it again. From trying the pastel look to creating a B&W Conversion. But I still was missing the “Mood” I had felt at that time. Years had gone by. Then all of a sudden I ended up playing with the image again. Frustration was mounting. No matter what I had done. I wasn’t happy with it. I tried a B&W Conversion again but this time I was playing with some of the sliders in the Layers column. You know on the top left where the Pin Light, Soft and Hard Light sits. I forget the name of that Menu. Then it was like a Bolt of Lightening hit me.

First Version I was happy with for 4 years.

Sun was going down. The details from the shops and the lone walker.
But the mood wasn’t right.
Here is my worked image that had taken me 4 years to complete. Granted it wasn’t a steady all the time kind of thing. I would pick it up and try my hand. But for 4 years I wasn’t happy.
Here is my result:

“Streets of Venice”

Notice how the “Mood” is different? This comes from being able to play with All the Editing Tools. If your Not sure of the results then Play! Play till your happy.

Sometimes we do get lucky. Here is a shot I had taken early one morning walking around in the back of one of the many Castles we had stayed at during our Adventure in Ireland.
This was mostly an in camera thing. I had seen it and pretty much was able to capture the Mood right in front of me.

Grazing in the Fog

Last Weeks Exercise was to go out and force yourself to Use One Lens for a couple of days. Preferably at least a week. Try to Capture the Mood of your surroundings.

Let me add another just to show that it is possible while shooting a room. Here’s another from our amazing Trip to Ireland. This was in a Blacksmith’s Shop in the Wonderful Ulster American Folk Park. Ulster County Northern Ireland.
Have a Great Weekend Everyone and Happy Shooting!
Mark

Blacksmith’s Shop

#veniceitaly, #irishcountryside, #moodinphotography, #capturingthemood, #photographyexercise, #ireland, #italy

It’s Time!

When I’m ready to make a photograph, I think I quite obviously see in my minds eye something that is not literally there in the true meaning of the word. I’m interested in something which is built up from within, rather than just extracted from without.
— Ansel Adams

The negative is the equivalent of the composer’s score, and the print the performance.
— Ansel Adams

March 1st, 2019
It’s time to put into practice everything that we’ve discussed.
Happy March People!
The weather will be changing. It’s time to go out and work on some exercises to help us train our Minds Eye to “See”.

Food for Thought:
Get it Right in Camera!
If it doesn’t look right? Move! Move to your right! Move to your Left!
Move Closer!
Can you get a higher perspective? Can you get Low by placing your camera on the Ground?

Exercises:
If you have a New Lens? Or a lens that you still feel your Not Comfortable with using yet? Or just want to train yourself to “See” from a different perspective. Use that “One Lens”. Use it for at least a week!
By limiting ourselves we force the mind to be able to struggle with the concept of forcing the creative juices. Go out with this on your camera. Walk around and force yourself to shoot with it.
Or do the same thing on your Zoom. Set it for your perspective. Maybe 35mm, or possibly the 135mm perspective. Pick something and stick to it.
Look in the many camera stores to see the Lenses available. Pick one and use that millimeter for a Prime Lens.

When I was first starting out in photography the camera I was using didn’t have the capacity for changing the Lens. My real first camera was a 35mm rangefinder. It had a 50mm Lens attached and was not able to be removed. Unless of course I used a hammer but we wont go there…. LOL

That 50mm was the Standard of which All cameras came with. Even the 35mm changeable reflex camera’s or SLR’s. We were stuck using the 50mm until we happened to get our hands on something else. This perspective is the “Normal” Lens. Normal is that it’s the same perspective as the human eye. Why do people make a big deal out of the “Nifty Fifty”? Probably because it IS a Fade! People talk about it so others now have interest. Is it special by itself? Nope!!
On the medium format side thee “Normal Lens” is the 80mm which again gives the same perspective as the human eye. Do those people rave or carry on about the 80mm? Nope! Because they know all too well that it’s the standard lens.

Now we go out to shoot. We see something that sparks the creative “Mode” that says to us we need to shoot this!! Why? Something about the scene says it is “Wonderful”.
I usually can remember what my mindset was when I shot something. I can remember certain things and “Usually” it comes back when I’m looking at it on my hard drive when I’m searching for images to work on when I return home. This particular scene looks enticing. Repetitive shapes and colors.
I tried several times. I tried everything including a conversion to B&W. That didn’t work or make it outstanding in my mind.
All of a sudden this afternoon it occurred to me. The most basic of editing tools. Crop!
Try cropping it! You see after trying a One Lens for a week or two. The next basic lesson or teachings is to crop. If your in the Purist Mode then you will probably say “That’s against Our Mindset”. I had learned from a very early stage in my training that to print a good image. We need to leave room when we are shooting for processing. What size will the final print be?
Since we won’t know when pressing the shutter we have to give the darkroom person room to make adjustments later. Maybe ourselves or another person doesn’t make a bit of difference. If the situation calls for an Off Size and that particular image can’t be properly made then what good is it? So we leave a little bit of room upon pressing the shutter for the final image to be sized or enlarged a little bit more than the actual paper to fit properly.

I was walking down a staircase to a beach. I had glanced to my right and noticed a sea of umbrellas. But my angle or height wasn’t good. I started walking back up against the traffic of people. Still wasn’t working inside my mind. I remember walking all the way up and trying to slowly come down to get a better view. I had taken the shot and remember that maybe this would work. Not a whole lot of time to worry about the angle of the sun or waiting for the Light to change. A memorable moment in time? Perspective or action? Colors or lines? The feeling is better in the crop but it still doesn’t convey the wonder of the moment that still eludes me.

Here is the SOOC (Straight Out of Camera) for those that might learn from this conversation. The second image is the crop.

Shooting Info:

Nikon D80
Nikon 18-135mm (Kit Lens)
@ 50mm
ISO: 200 Manual
Shutter Priority
Shutter Speed: 1/250 sec
Aperture: f:16

Editing:
1st: Crop
2: Noise Reduction
3: Viveza – Increase Structure, Increase Contrast, Increase Shadow Details
4: Slight Overall Sharpening
5: Color Efex Pro 4 I used a Recipe called “Triple Contrast”. Tonal Contrast, Contrast Color Range and Dark Contrasts

Nice, France
Mediterranean Sea

Looks OK but nothing in my mind says it IS Special.
Next is the same image but edited.

Nice, France
Mediterranean Sea

Is this better? Maybe! But nothing to write home about or to have it printed and framed. Or even shown off in one of the many Tog Groups on the net.
I am just trying to show that the first level idea of how to try to improve an image by cropping works. Or should work! Cropping is a tool in our toolbox of choices to help work an image.

Go Out! Go out and bring your Cameras with you. You see something take the shot. You never know that you might find that One thing that says “Special”.
Use One Lens for a week or two. Force yourself to move to get a better shot!
Get Closer! Then get closer still to give you a choice of something that might make you go “Whoa”!

Have a Great Weekend everyone!
Mark

#exercise, #photography101, #basicphotographyskills, #forceyourselfphotography, #learningphotography