This week I am going to post photographs from my trips to North Carolina. For those who are regular followers of my other blog, you will have seen most of them, and I'm sorry for the redundancy but they haven't yet graced my photography blog, and I figured it was time. :)
So, there will be a new place featured each day, and in the meantime I will try to figure out a route to this crazy balloon glow thing going on this Friday so that I have some new pictures to post.
Also, check out this article on the top 10 foliage destinations in America. OMG - Lake of the Ozarks is on the list!! This means I must plan a wacky day trip down there early next month. (It's a good three-and-a-half hour drive. Need lots of music)
Hope you enjoy the pictures. :)
9/13/10
9/12/10
Old.
You will learn over the course of this blog that I love old, decrepit buildings; some may even say unhealthily. While downtown taking the graffiti shots a few weekends ago, I came across this building and had to snap some shots. I was leaving my idling car to do this, so I couldn't take as many as I wanted to, but look at how many different colors and textures there are - a dream for a girl like me. :)
If anyone knows of some good old, abandoned building spots, let me know.... *salivates*
If anyone knows of some good old, abandoned building spots, let me know.... *salivates*
Scattered thoughts.
Last night I took the plunge - I entered my very first photo contest, Kodak Picture of the Day. In the Winning Digital Photo Contests book I told you about last month, many of the pictures featured in it had won this particular contest. After perusing the archives and getting a good idea for what kinds of pictures made it to the top of the stack, I submitted my favorite Cathedral Basilica photo; it's the very first one in the post here.
I submitted it because of the unique nature of the subject (you just don't see cathedrals every day, at least in America), the amount of detail and color, and the creepily almost-perfect balance I achieved without trying. I especially love how the feet of Jesus on the Crucifix are, asymptotically, juuuuust about to touch the bottom of the picture but don't.
So, if I hear anything back, I'll let you know!
Another photo contest that featured prominantly in Wignall's book was Steve's Digicams. You should check out the whole website - it has a TON of information and a TON of incredibly useful articles. I wish I had known about it before I made my post about photo websites. Also, I urge you to read the article by Suzanne Williams, Becoming a Great Photographer. Best article I've read on the subject, and all of her articles are well thought-out and well-written.
I've been thinking lately that while I love how cute and small my photos are on my blogs, I kind of wish I had a different layout so they could be huge. As far as web design goes, I have neither the time nor patience to figure out a new blog layout, so in the meantime, I am going to start sizing my pictures up a bit to make them more impactful, and at the same time they'll still fit within the post frame. Liiiiike this one:
Good times. Lastly, don't let me forget to go to that Balloon Glow this Friday.
I submitted it because of the unique nature of the subject (you just don't see cathedrals every day, at least in America), the amount of detail and color, and the creepily almost-perfect balance I achieved without trying. I especially love how the feet of Jesus on the Crucifix are, asymptotically, juuuuust about to touch the bottom of the picture but don't.
So, if I hear anything back, I'll let you know!
Another photo contest that featured prominantly in Wignall's book was Steve's Digicams. You should check out the whole website - it has a TON of information and a TON of incredibly useful articles. I wish I had known about it before I made my post about photo websites. Also, I urge you to read the article by Suzanne Williams, Becoming a Great Photographer. Best article I've read on the subject, and all of her articles are well thought-out and well-written.
I've been thinking lately that while I love how cute and small my photos are on my blogs, I kind of wish I had a different layout so they could be huge. As far as web design goes, I have neither the time nor patience to figure out a new blog layout, so in the meantime, I am going to start sizing my pictures up a bit to make them more impactful, and at the same time they'll still fit within the post frame. Liiiiike this one:
Good times. Lastly, don't let me forget to go to that Balloon Glow this Friday.
9/10/10
HDR revisited.
I wanted to give just a touch more space to this concept of High Dynamic Range. I felt it would only be fair to show a few images that really make use of the effect the way I believe it should be done - when the pictures don't end up looking like paintings, but still make awe-inspiring use of the full dynamic range of the setting.
To explain again briefly, the convential way to HDR is to use the auto-bracketing feature in your camera (available in most DSLRs, except mine of course) and take three or more exposures at increasingly higher exposure values; usually something like -1, 0, and +1. When you combine the exposures in an HDR program (like Photomatix Pro) it will make use of the best lighting from direct sunlight all the way to the shadows. Here's a great before-and-after example:
(photo via www.scottkelby.com)
Now, the key is to not overdo it...I think the HDR results that turn out like paintings are just taking it too far. It's incredible that we now have technology (which will only get better!) that allows us to render photographs extremely close to how our eyes saw them, so where exactly does the painting aspect fit into that? I'm sure it was just an unexpected result of the HDR process, and now people try to do it. Not to beat a dead horse, but come on.
As I said, my camera doesn't auto-bracket and besides, I don't have an HDR program. I could just take several exposures using a tripod (to make sure each picture lined up exactly with the others) and then use a free-trial version...but nah.
Anyway, here are two examples of HDR that I think were executed perfectly:
(photos via www.smashingmagazine.com)
These two photos and 33 others like it can be found via this link.
To explain again briefly, the convential way to HDR is to use the auto-bracketing feature in your camera (available in most DSLRs, except mine of course) and take three or more exposures at increasingly higher exposure values; usually something like -1, 0, and +1. When you combine the exposures in an HDR program (like Photomatix Pro) it will make use of the best lighting from direct sunlight all the way to the shadows. Here's a great before-and-after example:
(photo via www.scottkelby.com)
Now, the key is to not overdo it...I think the HDR results that turn out like paintings are just taking it too far. It's incredible that we now have technology (which will only get better!) that allows us to render photographs extremely close to how our eyes saw them, so where exactly does the painting aspect fit into that? I'm sure it was just an unexpected result of the HDR process, and now people try to do it. Not to beat a dead horse, but come on.
As I said, my camera doesn't auto-bracket and besides, I don't have an HDR program. I could just take several exposures using a tripod (to make sure each picture lined up exactly with the others) and then use a free-trial version...but nah.
Anyway, here are two examples of HDR that I think were executed perfectly:
(photos via www.smashingmagazine.com)
These two photos and 33 others like it can be found via this link.
9/8/10
Photography on the web.
Being a working woman again, I no longer have long days at my disposal in which to laze about and dream up another photo opportunity (let alone execute it). So it seems I may have run out of photos for a minute. I am looking forward to attempting to attend the balloon glow in Forest Park next Friday evening, but traffic during the Balloon Race weekend is notoriously heinous and hellish, so it all depends on several factors.
Anyway, I thought I'd share some of what I read around the web about photography, or blogs/sites I visit to be inspired by photos.
Light Stalking Photography Blog - they have articles on just about every photographic issue you can think of, and while some posts are a bit short (or short on promised info), the aggregate knowledge you can gain is amazing. They usually include relevant photos from the cream of the crop. Plus, it is the only blog in which the "other posts you might like" feature is actually useful to me. You could peruse the site for hours without noticing the time pass, so arrive ready to learn!
Craig Photography by John - I've perused Google many a day for personal photography blogs that inspire me, and this is really the only one that succeeds. He's a photographer and a writer, just like me; he philosophizes and gets carried away by ideas, just like me. I only recently found his blog so I have lots more to read, but I admire him, I really do. Plus, it seems he's married to a photographer, which is totally my goal in life.
The Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest - everything there is to learn here is spoken through images. When I lost my job and decided to really focus on photography, this was probably the very first website I came to. And I go back, again and again, to be inspired.
Back Porch Musings - when I was new to my first successful blog (in that I didn't abandon it two weeks in), Pat's blog was chosen as a Blog of Note, and that's how I found it. She's an on-the-go retiree who has quite the knack for interior design and something known as "tablescapes." She also has a pretty nifty camera. Her photographs are a masterclass in simplicity and clean lines and allowing the subjects to speak for themselves. Every now and then she also posts photos from the Lake of the Ozarks, like this gorgeous set here, or other day trips around the bi-state area. Even though I don't do a lick of designing or table-setting myself, I keep coming back to her blog, and I am so happy she has come over to see mine! (Hi Pat!)
Walk Into a Moment - a union of poetic thoughts and photographic images. I sure do wish they'd post more often.... *sigh* (and more pictures!!)
Ken Rockwell - he is a fiend. He shoots straight from the hip. He does not apologize. He has reviews of what looks like every single camera and piece of equipment on the market - done by him. And he has long, rambling, repetitive posts about how being a true photographer is all about YOU, not the camera. You walk away breathless and revived. When you have an hour or ten, stop by.
Digital Image Cafe - they have a daily photo contest (among other things) and I like to check in every now and then to keep an eye on the photos that win.
Kodak Picture of the Day - ibid.
That's all for now.
Anyway, I thought I'd share some of what I read around the web about photography, or blogs/sites I visit to be inspired by photos.
Light Stalking Photography Blog - they have articles on just about every photographic issue you can think of, and while some posts are a bit short (or short on promised info), the aggregate knowledge you can gain is amazing. They usually include relevant photos from the cream of the crop. Plus, it is the only blog in which the "other posts you might like" feature is actually useful to me. You could peruse the site for hours without noticing the time pass, so arrive ready to learn!
Craig Photography by John - I've perused Google many a day for personal photography blogs that inspire me, and this is really the only one that succeeds. He's a photographer and a writer, just like me; he philosophizes and gets carried away by ideas, just like me. I only recently found his blog so I have lots more to read, but I admire him, I really do. Plus, it seems he's married to a photographer, which is totally my goal in life.
The Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest - everything there is to learn here is spoken through images. When I lost my job and decided to really focus on photography, this was probably the very first website I came to. And I go back, again and again, to be inspired.
Back Porch Musings - when I was new to my first successful blog (in that I didn't abandon it two weeks in), Pat's blog was chosen as a Blog of Note, and that's how I found it. She's an on-the-go retiree who has quite the knack for interior design and something known as "tablescapes." She also has a pretty nifty camera. Her photographs are a masterclass in simplicity and clean lines and allowing the subjects to speak for themselves. Every now and then she also posts photos from the Lake of the Ozarks, like this gorgeous set here, or other day trips around the bi-state area. Even though I don't do a lick of designing or table-setting myself, I keep coming back to her blog, and I am so happy she has come over to see mine! (Hi Pat!)
Walk Into a Moment - a union of poetic thoughts and photographic images. I sure do wish they'd post more often.... *sigh* (and more pictures!!)
Ken Rockwell - he is a fiend. He shoots straight from the hip. He does not apologize. He has reviews of what looks like every single camera and piece of equipment on the market - done by him. And he has long, rambling, repetitive posts about how being a true photographer is all about YOU, not the camera. You walk away breathless and revived. When you have an hour or ten, stop by.
Digital Image Cafe - they have a daily photo contest (among other things) and I like to check in every now and then to keep an eye on the photos that win.
Kodak Picture of the Day - ibid.
That's all for now.
9/6/10
People!
There's no telling when my cousin will be able to do the photo shoot, since her only days off happen to be days I work. So, at the barbecue yesterday I took advantage of the ladies making nice on the patio and practiced photographing the living. :)
(In Photoscape, I applied the cross process film effect and low to medium contrast enhancement.)
(In Photoscape, I applied the cross process film effect and low to medium contrast enhancement.)
9/5/10
Canon.
I went to my aunt's house today for a pre-Labor Day BBQ. She recently, within the last year or so, purchased a camera, after much research and reflection settling on a Canon EOS 50D.
She let me try it out today. I already knew that the mark of a professional-grade camera was the ability to manipulate settings such as metering, shutter, ISO, white balance, etc. without having to go into an LCD menu. The buttons are on the camera body and come in handy when, after you've familiarized yourself with them, you are able to make selections and changes without looking - good for when you're working with a fast-paced environment or subject.
She also purchased an 18-200mm lens to go with the camera body, which means it has a wide-angle to telephoto focal range. So she's working with a great lens.
Anyway, it's very true that you cannot simply pick up someone else's camera and start making magic with it. My handy Nikon has a whole LCD menu screen that tells you just about everything you need to know, and it's extremely easy to toggle back and forth. On my aunt's Canon, there's just a small screen on the top of the body and a dial, so more familiarization than I currently had was required to figure out how to select even simple things, like a slower shutter speed.
When I got back to my camera, I laughed at how relatively lightweight and small it seemed. The Canon is large, sturdy, with obviously thicker casing, and the shutter itself is hardcore - it felt like rocks slamming together compared to mine, really, it did.
All in all, my aunt will be able to do some great things with her camera - there's a reason the Canon series is so loved - but I realized I'm very happy with mine. I love everything I can do with it and the only things I'm planning on spending money on in the forseeable future are lenses.
And maybe a better tripod. And a bigger camera bag. And....
She let me try it out today. I already knew that the mark of a professional-grade camera was the ability to manipulate settings such as metering, shutter, ISO, white balance, etc. without having to go into an LCD menu. The buttons are on the camera body and come in handy when, after you've familiarized yourself with them, you are able to make selections and changes without looking - good for when you're working with a fast-paced environment or subject.
She also purchased an 18-200mm lens to go with the camera body, which means it has a wide-angle to telephoto focal range. So she's working with a great lens.
Anyway, it's very true that you cannot simply pick up someone else's camera and start making magic with it. My handy Nikon has a whole LCD menu screen that tells you just about everything you need to know, and it's extremely easy to toggle back and forth. On my aunt's Canon, there's just a small screen on the top of the body and a dial, so more familiarization than I currently had was required to figure out how to select even simple things, like a slower shutter speed.
When I got back to my camera, I laughed at how relatively lightweight and small it seemed. The Canon is large, sturdy, with obviously thicker casing, and the shutter itself is hardcore - it felt like rocks slamming together compared to mine, really, it did.
All in all, my aunt will be able to do some great things with her camera - there's a reason the Canon series is so loved - but I realized I'm very happy with mine. I love everything I can do with it and the only things I'm planning on spending money on in the forseeable future are lenses.
And maybe a better tripod. And a bigger camera bag. And....
9/4/10
The world is not enough.
Back toward the beginning of this blog, I did a post about photo editing, kind of making a case for it while still pondering the merits of opting not to do it.
The more I search the web for images and photography blogs and photo contests, the more I truly feel the photographic environment created by many in the professional community is one that transmits the opinion that our world is simply not enough. Nature and landscapes must be saturated, and contrasted, and brightened, and tone-mapped, and color-corrected, and sharpened, and stitched together, and run through an HDR program, before they are worthy of being viewed by the masses and given a blue ribbon. And I don't even know what tone-mapping is.
In my photo editing post I was leaning toward making a case for art photography, and I still do believe firmly in the genre and hope it never dies. But it just seems that so much of the market is (pun alert) saturated with images that aren't truly art - how do I put this...it's like pop art. Unoriginal. Everybody's copying everybody else. And it leads to a lot of people doing things that they think make good photos, and they're wrong.
I know. Who am I, right? Well, I'm not an idiot, that's for sure, and I think it's okay for the peanut gallery to have an opinion every now and then. ;-) (Not an uninformed opinion, though)
I think the biggest reason for all this copycat photography is photo editing itself. Everyone has to have Photoshop, and now Lightroom. Peruse the comments sections of your favorite popular photography blogs and you will find, without a doubt, those who are always name-dropping the latest gear, gadget, or software. I'm pretty sure that about two days after Lightroom was released, some geek was talking about it like he'd already had it for ten months. "...all I do is run it through LR to get the result I'm looking for."
Now everyone believes that their photos can be made better - nay, professional - with extensive photo editing. Techniques ebb and flow like seasonal fashions. And photog friends are more than happy to lavish each other with praise that is many times unmerited. How many times can I see fourteen "soooo beautiful, Terri Lynn!" comments in a row for a photo in which massive over-sharpening has rendered trees nearly alien and the sky halfway apocalyptic?
To say nothing of the proven fact that results-driven amateurs, and even some new professionals, believe that taking great photos in the camera is no longer necessary because of the "magic" of post-processing. Look, if you don't know how to freeze action, nothing is going to reverse that giant motion blur. If you take all your pictures at high noon, have fun trying to fake the colors of sunrise and sunset.
To bring it all home - if we as photographers don't think the natural world is already beautiful enough, then what are we doing taking pictures of it in the first place?
Now that that is off my chest, some qualifications. I love a well-edited photo. One in which the right choices have been made and clear discretion has been imposed. I believe that the camera has its limitations no matter WHAT brand and how much money you spend, and so sometimes a little tweaking is required to get the photo to match what our amazing eyes have seen. I have had a ton of fun trying to get certain pictures to look "old." I have edited photos before, I will edit them again. But the more I do, the more I look at the originals and realize that they're great just the way they are.
In my photo-editing post, I stated that in order to be competitive, editing is basically required. I believe that now more than ever. But I just can't in good faith go through all those mechinations just to say I won "photo of the day" on some website somewhere. I would like to continue taking the best photos I can in the moment, and if they are never good enough for the big biz hot shots, then that's just the way it's going to be.
The more I search the web for images and photography blogs and photo contests, the more I truly feel the photographic environment created by many in the professional community is one that transmits the opinion that our world is simply not enough. Nature and landscapes must be saturated, and contrasted, and brightened, and tone-mapped, and color-corrected, and sharpened, and stitched together, and run through an HDR program, before they are worthy of being viewed by the masses and given a blue ribbon. And I don't even know what tone-mapping is.
In my photo editing post I was leaning toward making a case for art photography, and I still do believe firmly in the genre and hope it never dies. But it just seems that so much of the market is (pun alert) saturated with images that aren't truly art - how do I put this...it's like pop art. Unoriginal. Everybody's copying everybody else. And it leads to a lot of people doing things that they think make good photos, and they're wrong.
I know. Who am I, right? Well, I'm not an idiot, that's for sure, and I think it's okay for the peanut gallery to have an opinion every now and then. ;-) (Not an uninformed opinion, though)
I think the biggest reason for all this copycat photography is photo editing itself. Everyone has to have Photoshop, and now Lightroom. Peruse the comments sections of your favorite popular photography blogs and you will find, without a doubt, those who are always name-dropping the latest gear, gadget, or software. I'm pretty sure that about two days after Lightroom was released, some geek was talking about it like he'd already had it for ten months. "...all I do is run it through LR to get the result I'm looking for."
Now everyone believes that their photos can be made better - nay, professional - with extensive photo editing. Techniques ebb and flow like seasonal fashions. And photog friends are more than happy to lavish each other with praise that is many times unmerited. How many times can I see fourteen "soooo beautiful, Terri Lynn!" comments in a row for a photo in which massive over-sharpening has rendered trees nearly alien and the sky halfway apocalyptic?
To say nothing of the proven fact that results-driven amateurs, and even some new professionals, believe that taking great photos in the camera is no longer necessary because of the "magic" of post-processing. Look, if you don't know how to freeze action, nothing is going to reverse that giant motion blur. If you take all your pictures at high noon, have fun trying to fake the colors of sunrise and sunset.
To bring it all home - if we as photographers don't think the natural world is already beautiful enough, then what are we doing taking pictures of it in the first place?
Now that that is off my chest, some qualifications. I love a well-edited photo. One in which the right choices have been made and clear discretion has been imposed. I believe that the camera has its limitations no matter WHAT brand and how much money you spend, and so sometimes a little tweaking is required to get the photo to match what our amazing eyes have seen. I have had a ton of fun trying to get certain pictures to look "old." I have edited photos before, I will edit them again. But the more I do, the more I look at the originals and realize that they're great just the way they are.
In my photo-editing post, I stated that in order to be competitive, editing is basically required. I believe that now more than ever. But I just can't in good faith go through all those mechinations just to say I won "photo of the day" on some website somewhere. I would like to continue taking the best photos I can in the moment, and if they are never good enough for the big biz hot shots, then that's just the way it's going to be.
9/2/10
Old Salem.
(My apologies at the outset to those who have seen these photos before)
Old Salem was settled in the mid-eighteenth century in North Carolina by Moravians who made the passage over from Europe. Known then simply as Salem, it was a congregation town in which every settler learned and practiced a trade, and in which a robust Moravian faith was practiced. Today the town stands as a living memory.
Though the majority of the homes you see as you stroll the streets of Old Salem are lived in, and have been largely rebuilt, the architecture still speaks to an earlier time and the facades are maintained beautifully.
As a part of the attraction, many homes are open to visitors and have been restored, inside, to their original furnishings based on meticulous historical research.
Actors and actresses play the parts of business leaders, teachers, and doctors that once lived in Salem, and speak to you about the way things were. They even practice their trade a bit.
The Salem Tavern is still open for business and serves lunch and dinner daily; in summer evenings you may even catch some acoustic music on the back porch.
On the outskirts of town sits their cemetery, God's Acre, a quiet and very lovely lot of land in which residents are still being buried today.
(photos taken in June of 2009 and 2010)
Old Salem was settled in the mid-eighteenth century in North Carolina by Moravians who made the passage over from Europe. Known then simply as Salem, it was a congregation town in which every settler learned and practiced a trade, and in which a robust Moravian faith was practiced. Today the town stands as a living memory.
Though the majority of the homes you see as you stroll the streets of Old Salem are lived in, and have been largely rebuilt, the architecture still speaks to an earlier time and the facades are maintained beautifully.
As a part of the attraction, many homes are open to visitors and have been restored, inside, to their original furnishings based on meticulous historical research.
Actors and actresses play the parts of business leaders, teachers, and doctors that once lived in Salem, and speak to you about the way things were. They even practice their trade a bit.
The Salem Tavern is still open for business and serves lunch and dinner daily; in summer evenings you may even catch some acoustic music on the back porch.
On the outskirts of town sits their cemetery, God's Acre, a quiet and very lovely lot of land in which residents are still being buried today.
(photos taken in June of 2009 and 2010)
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