Into the Light

Last night I decided to mess around with a flashlight to see just what sort of effect it would have on my photographs. Below are what happened. I think I still need to work on it, but I like what I have so far. Into the Light is definitely my favorite of the three.

Edges

Shades of Bright

Red

I'm just experimenting right now. These photos were taken last night, after I bought some burnt red and orange Gerber Daisies. I'm a bit disappointed because the photographs didn't turn out exactly as I had intended them too. It is always amazing to me how the images don't always look the same when you click the shutter, than when you see it through the lens. But, at this point, I'm tired and am only posting these as a record of my continued growth in photography (or lack thereof).

Lighting

Revisiting the Past

No new shots to post today, but I did go back and revisited some past images. I mostly tweaked them and created poster prints, but thought they were worth posting onto this blog.

The Shelter

Go With the Flow

Reach for the Light

Standing Above the Rest

Celebrate the Differences

Slippery Slope

I did more experimenting with flowers and water today. Bought a couple of gerber daisies and thought I would have a go. Not as vibrant as the mum shots, but I'm getting there. Unfortunately, there wasn't a huge selection of flowers to choose from at the flower shop. I guess that is what I get just after Memorial Day.

On the Fringe

On the Bend

Gerber Daisy

Yellow Petals

Precarious Landing

I've spent part of today dinking around with some still-life shots instead of going outside to find the flowers. I purchased a few giant, brilliantly white mums and thought I'd have a go. I haven't done enough of these "studio" shots, so I need the practice. I'm inspired by British photograph Anna Ridley, who uses drops of water in a lot of her shots - especially with flowers. I thought I would give it a try and this was the result. Not too bad, but not good enough. I'll keep practicing.

Petal Power

This is a special effect called "Dry Brush." Unsure if I like it yet, but experimenting with filters never hurt anyone.

Paying Attention

Delicate

Memorial Day

Remembrance

Remembering the Fallen

Rhododendron

Snowy Petals

Lilacs

Lilac Power

I've been a bit neglectful in my postings. My apologies. I've been busy snapping away this weekend, but my predominate subject seems to be flowers. I have to admit, if I never see another rhododendron again - I won't shed a tear.

Moss

The Old Dock

Flexibility

I’ve been a bit absent from posting anything because I’ve just been generally swamped. Work has taken a firm hold of my time, and with the end of May comes the end of the school quarter so I’m trying to get as much done as I possibly can. I do have some unique photos, though.

The grass shot is taken around the Bay, along with the boats and old dock. The moss is actually a shot from my crumbling chimney. In case many of you didn’t know, moss is actually the REAL state flower – not the rhododendron which is what state officials would rather you believe.

Spring Cleaning

This shot was taken at our local garbage dump/recycling center. I had gone there to unload the rubbish I managed to sort out during a bout of spring cleaning yesterday morning. This recycling pile has some visual appeal (at least to me) with all the colors, textures, and precarious piling. There were a few moments when I thought the next load tossed onto the pile would tip the scales and this mini mountain would have a serious landslide, but it was not to be (at least while I was there).

Where the Buffalo Roam

This weekend I thought I would go in search of wildlife and see what sort of shots I could manage. Unfortunately, except for the odd cat and dog, the wildlife were nowhere to be found. So I went back to a little ranch in Laurel where there are about 6-7 buffalo. The buffalo were in the mood to vogue - deciding to pose for the camera. However, I didn't anticipate they wanted to get up-close-and-personal with yours truly. These beasties are not small. At 5-foot-11, I'm far from tiny but these hairy heavy-breathers were significantly sizeable compared to me and I was intent on keeping a safe distance. I have to admit, though, I was tempted to reach out and touch the one who was oh-so-eager to check me out but I refrained. Best not to tempt the situation any further than I already had.

Good Ole Days

I did do some alterations with the colors in this shot. I wanted to play up the antique sitting in the field, so I toned down the greens and amphed the reds a smidge.

Horse County

Drove out to the northeast section of the county and found plenty of horse ranches, with Clydesdales being quite popular. While it was difficult to get up close and personal with the beasties, I did manage to get this shot. I thought the red barn and green grass played off the dark hair and white legs.

Ashore

Lawn Ornament

The Art of Industry

Shelter

Steel in Wood

Watery Dusk

More experimentation with color. This time I was going for a sepia look. I took this shot yesterday while driving around Bellingham Bay when the sun was about to set. While I couldn't quite get the sepia the way I wanted it, I do like the effect on the islands in the background.

Reinventing the Wheel

I took this shot yesterday, and so I thought I would experiment with hues, saturation, and lighting. It didn't turn out as I had intended, but practice makes perfect and I believe this is a good start.

Bamboo Stretch

Fallen Giant

Upstream

Whatcom Falls Park

Being Artistic or Just Plain Cheating?

I was admiring a landscape photograph I saw in a magazine today - wishing I could take shots like the photographer. In my head, I was scheming how I would position the camera, would would be my shutter setting, which lens would be more appropriate, etc. and then I flipped the page to read the article which accompanied the photograph. Bloody hell! Seems the photograph was a Photoshop creation where the photographer to three different photographs and spliced them together. The building was from one photograph, the sky from another, and the ground from yet another.

Is this photography? I'm sure many would argue this is being artistic. Taking pieces of something to put together and create something new; however, I cannot help but feel like it is cheating. If the shot isn't there, the shot isn't there. Why fake it?