Oct 26, 2013 |
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Looking at this photo you might think I’ve just come back from a relaxing retreat in the middle of the woods. Must have been such a serene experience, you might imagine, sitting nearby a beautiful waterfall and just waiting for the camera to finish its 30 second exposure.
It’s believable… right?
Although now I see this image and I can feel the peace I was trying to portray, this was in no way an easy, breezy photoshoot.
I was struggling to find the right angle for this shot. I wanted the swirling pool AND the waterfall to work together compositionally. I probably tried three different spots, and fired off dozens of photos at each. Nothing looked right.
It was while crossing the stream at the pool’s base that I realized where my camera had to be. Naturally it was in the middle of the stream where I found the best angle.
Now imagine me balancing on two slippery rocks, my tripod balancing on three, and you’ll have a clearer picture of how this photo came about.
It was all worth it though, because now I can lounge around, look at it, feel the tranquility, hear the raging, yet soft, white noise of the water, and have some deep reflections.
Oct 13, 2013 |
Photography and writing have always seemed to be in a battle to the death for my attention. A camera on my left shoulder and a pen in my right hand.
Even though they seem like perfectly compatible obsessions to have, you might be surprised to find out that’s just never been the case for me. It was always one or the other, never both.
I used to write poetry all the time. My poems went from mushy, gushy, inexperienced love to deep, dark depression. Back then being content never fostered enough emotional charge for poem writing.
Didn’t matter though, there was never an apathetic second in my life. Every moment was so dramatic because every experience was brand new. Every feeling so grandoise. Everything was always so all or nothing to me.
I’m going to be a writer! No! A photographer! Yeah, a photographer… ugh my photography sucks!! I’m going to be a writer… ugh my writing sucks even more.!!! (Well that’s the long story short – which I’m sure you appreciate ;-D)
I’m just realizing now that it wasn’t my photography and my writing that sucked… it was the photography and writing they told me I had to do if I wanted to make a living out of it. What royally sucked was being told to write about school politics and photograph bitchy women in white dresses. So I gave up.
Like a bad addiction though, they always crept back up on me, I just so happy that now they are playing nicely together.
Making this calendar was the first time I’ve ever put my two obsessions together. It was fun, it flowed, and I didn’t even realize what I was doing while I was doing it. I can have both? I can!
Not only can I do both, but I don’t need the desperate emotion to write something meaningful. The mundane can be interesting under the right lens, I just need to make someone look through it.
So I’ve been thinking about starting a weekly post featuring a photo and a poem. What do you think? Would you be interested in subscribing to this?
If you haven’t already, download my fine art calendar for 2014. It’s free!
May 30, 2013 |
I’ve been playing with close up photography and off-camera lighting for 3 whole years now… where does time go exactly?
There have been many times I’ve gotten an awesome photograph and thought that I could share my set up for anyone interested, and every one of those times I broke down my set and put everything away, realized I’d forgotten to take a photo of the whole picture, and slapped myself firmly on the forehead while reciting Homer Simpson’s mantra.
Well this time I remembered to snap a few quick shots of my set up and I’d love to show you how I came up with this latest batch of fine art photography! These photos are basically the result of a Michael’s shopping spree. What can I say? – inspiration struck!
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These stones are super shiny meaning they are super reflective. I crumbled up two pieces of aluminum foil, uncrumbled them, and formed a dome over the top of my stones. I cut a hole in the front piece that was just big enough to squeeze my lens through. There was just a bit of space in between the foil on each side to allow the light into the dome. The lens of my camera did show up in the reflections so I did a few minutes of photoshop work to retouch them out.
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I’ve always had a fascination with water droplets and reflections, but water is far harder to manipulate than these clear bath beads I found at the craft store. Naturally I jumped at the opportunity to photograph something that looked like a perfect droplet and came with none of the issues I’ve faced with water. I was able to play around with the reflections until I got the perfect combination of blurry flower backdrop and sharp, full reflections. My set up ended up looking like this.
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I did something similar here, only I filled up the tray with pink bath beads and went for a different angle. I also changed the lighting so that the light was bouncing off the ceiling instead of being directed at the flower. I call this one Black Swan Eggs and it is my favorite of this batch.
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Then, I just went crazy! I’d have to say this is the first abstract I’ve come out with that I’m really proud of. But is it still abstract if I tell you what it is? Eh, who cares it’s so kewl! I took dozens of shots moving the tray of beads up and down above the shimmery stones, not one of them came out the same. It was so much fun to just play around again… I’ll have to make time for another play date with light real soon!
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Jun 26, 2011
I’ve added over 30 new images of flowers including, periwinkles, tulips, and coiling ferns. There are natural looking photographs taken outside, but there are also contemporary and colorful flower compositions that were made in my studio.
Just click on the photo to the left or check out the Fine Art link above.
Most of the studio images have a lot of purple and pink, perfect for your little girl’s room.
You may not want giant spiders hanging on your wall, but take a look at the spider I found as he was capturing a fly… with only one strand of web. You 
can’t see it, but I swear this little jumping spider was a quick one!
These photos were taken in spring, but I already have more fine art in my camera, just waiting to be let out. Lillies and roses are coming soon. Subscribe to this blog so you don’t miss out.
Apr 25, 2011
Spring has finally sprung! If you’re anything like me you may have thought it would never come again after this winter. The lion never seemed to be tamed in March. Now it feels like summer… so I’m done complaining and ready to capture all the beautiful things bursting into bloom outside.
Check out my Fine Art Folder to see over 20 new floral photographs. There are several shots of a magenta mum (a daisy-like flower) from all different angles, and also a few photos of a yellow spider mum. You can also find petals and flowers floating in water glasses and close up shots of submerged stems with clinging air bubbles.
Check it out, and stick around because I’m processing more springtime photos now and they will be posted soon.
