skip to main |
skip to sidebar
I read a lot about photography. I also listen to photography podcasts while driving for work. This provides quite a bit of information to take in and as you can imagine, a lot of it is repetitive, some contradictory, some garbage, some really useful. In a small portion I pick up some gems.
I was reminded of one of the gems recently, while going through my images selecting candidates for this year's Christmas card ... and then again a short wile after while I was reading an online article. It has slight variations, basically the suggestion is to go through your images some time after they were made. Some say not to look at your images for a few days, weeks or even months because the emotional attachment from the experience, holiday, event, etc. will fade and you will be able to look at the images more objectively. Others suggest that you should not bee too quick to purge those unfocused, slightly off, badly composed or exposed disappointments, that you should return to the photos sometime later. The thought here being that your processing skills or creative vision could change or improve and alter your opinion of a previously discounted image.
This was somewhat the case for me as I was reviewing images for the card. Here's the background from the time as I recall it today.
Almost a year ago, heading to the cottage with a couple of friends for a few days of winter photography, we were driving on Grey Rd 3 approaching Hwy 21. It had been dull and heavily overcast for our morning drive until the sun broke through and kissed the ice covered branches of the trees out across the field ... we stopped the car and scrambled to get our shots before the magic disappeared.
As luck would have it, I wasn't able to get into a position to compose and "hide" the utility lines running through the image. These kinds of visual disturbances in an image bother me. The light lasted only a minutes at best and the magic was gone. On my initial review of the files I was very unhappy that the lines were there and discounted the image as a candidate for any further consideration.
Roll the clock forward almost a year, and as I was scrolling through the image catalog I stopped and looked again. With different emotion, I decided that I could and would do something with it. Some quick Photoshop to touch up the upper wire (now gone) and a distant communications tower and I'm OK with this. One lower line is still there but not so much of a distracting intrusion as I once felt it was.
 |
| sun kissed |
DJE
This year, snow has come early where I live, even earlier and in greater amount to one of my favourite places in this province, the Bruce. Lynn and I were treated with a fresh covering of snow and crisp air when we arrived at the cottage late Friday night.
For me this does not mark the "end" of warmer weather, it marks the "start" of refreshing morning walks, invigorating hikes and quiet peaceful times at the cottage. As usual, I was up before daylight both Saturday and Sunday, putting on the coffee, opening blinds to be greeted by the darkened canvas that would slowly brighten to develop the scene outside. A light blanket of snow, swaying trees, blustery wind and the rough cold water of the bay stirred anticipation of an early morning walk down the road. While others might grab a blanket and settle in to a spot by the fire, or some even return to bed, I was eager to get out and make some images in the snow covered freshness of late fall.
Once Lynn had risen to join me and Murphy had clearly indicated he wanted to get out, we traded the warmth of the cottage for the gentle nip of dawn under heavy skies. Breathing deeply in the clean crispness of the air, we all silently acknowledged how we love to experience the change of seasons. I don't know what I would do if I were elsewhere on this orb, away from natures changing moods.
 |
| in the bush |
Though I was keen to make some images showing the first (for us) snow on the Bruce, it was a scene tucked away beside the road, were waters from fall rains still drained away, that pulled me to make an image in the bush.
DJE
It's Movember !
... and Matt was home to visit his mother for her birthday with a furry addition. Since I've been wanting to work on my portrait lighting skills, I couldn't let him get away without grabbing a quick "one-light" portrait while he was here.
 |
| Mo Bro' Matt |
He had a running start with the moustache for Movember and everyone who's seen the image says he looks like a throwback to the '70's. Me too ... I think I can remember the 70`s ;-)
 |
| Mo Bro' Me - day 7 |
Since I was happy with the results of Matt`s portrait and the lighting gear was still out, I decided to document my Movember moustache progress as of day 7. The goal is to get to the end of the month without trimming any of the length. We'll see how I do .... scratch, scratch, scratch.
For the lighting setup, I used one light 45* off subject and slightly above eye level, feathered across the face with slight reflector fill from opposite side. Lighting styles can be the subject of much discussion and critique. A few years back I posted a self portrait made with one light and I received a number of suggestions for fill light, hair light, background light etc, etc, etc. All of which were valid, had I been looking for a different result.
Conventional
wisdom says you should know the rules and be proficient with them before
you decide to knowingly break them but I'm pleased with the results
here. And I'm becoming fond of this style of lighting for headshots.
I'm always open to suggestions and help to improve my images, but I still find it interesting that most unsolicited "help" is offered without knowing what I was trying to accomplish. More often than not the suggestions are aligned with creating image according to some formula with little if any consideration for individual creativity or a different look.
DJE
I got away to the cottage for a night to take care of a couple of things I wanted to get done in case the snow arrived early. One of those things was getting the snowblower that I had serviced in Ferndale. I made this trip solo to have room in the vehicle to pick it up on the way.
Tobermory and the cottage is a quiet place once Labour Day weekend is over, even more so after Thanksgiving has come and gone. This trip it was beyond quiet, with Lynn and Murphy at home, it was just me, alone with my thoughts.
On Sunday morning, those thoughts turned to the Photo of the Week and "what was I going to choose this week?" I poured another coffee and went to sit by the window in my favourite chair to give it some thought. After a while my mind wandered off ...
... and when it came back, I decided to try and capture what had just happened in an image.
DJE
