D:14 It's In the Air

I drove up into the mountains today to scout locations for fall landscapes. The leaves have only just begun to change, barely showing the transition into light-orange hues. Although it was too early to find the deep reds among the trees, the approach of Fall was palpable in the air.

I snagged a few good shots, and you get a double feature for the 2nd day in a row. A friend of mine tagged along, and he was eager to learn. He loves photography, but he feels inept since he only has a point & shoot. I took some time in-between shots to show him that he can take great pictures with any camera. My goal was to get him to think a little more about composition and lighting.

Ha! It's humors me that I was playing the role of the teacher when I am still very much the student. It was a good feeling though, imparting some of my wisdom upon an avid hobbyist.

I was talking with a friend tonight and mentioned the upcoming Help-Portrait project. His girlfriend is an amateur tog so I asked him to pass on the info to her. So far I am the only person trying to organize this event in my town. I am normally not someone who excludes people, but I made the decision not to ask any of the big names in town to participate. I know it sounds childish, but many togs here would only want to use it as a means of self-promotion. That is simply not what the program is about. If any of them approach me about it with sincerity, I will be happy to have them on-board. Damn that sounds pretentious. Oh well.

Manual: Page 62 - Choosing a Shooting Mode
Again, a learning experience. I had no idea my camera displays how many shots the buffer can hold, when I have the shutter-release pressed half-way. I normally shoot in continuous mode, so it's interesting to me that I never noticed that.

Images: Veronique da Silva - I really like her portraits. She does a great job at capturing people in their element, without them looking posed. That is something I've been working on lately. How do all of you put your clients at ease when shooting candid portrait shots?




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D:13 Easy Like Sunday Mornin'

With the sun just starting to peak over the tops of the mountains, I headed out. On the way to my destination I stopped for a much needed cup of coffee, and a newspaper.

There is a small chunk of real estate next to the county fairgrounds, full of trees and flowers. The sign describes it as an "All Abilities Trail", and I drive by it every week.

This morning I decided to stop by and check it out.

Small trails wind in & out of trees as you immediately realize what this slightly-hidden gem has to offer. There are many different varieties of flowers, along with some surprises. Pumpkins and corn! Maybe an anonymous community garden? Further investigation will be required.

The sunflowers seemed to be basking in the sun, almost as if they were yawning after the end of a long cool night. I had a hard time choosing between this shot, and the one at the bottom of the page, so I give you both.

Manual: Page 95 - Flash sync modes
I've never used the rear curtain mode. I think I'll play around with it tonight. Which reminds me, I have an SB-600 that needs some TLC.

Images:Listed only as "Natalie from Montana". She has a great gallery of homeless people. With each person, she didn't just ask if she could take their picture. She sat down and had a conversation. Great images, and amazing stories.






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D:12 What Moves You?

Two night shots in a row. Well at least I'm trying, right? Going to bed really late and then getting up really early made for an afternoon crash. Right into bed for a nap. I can't remember the last time I took a nap. How on Earth do kids not like naps?

I read a good article today from David Weintraub about success in the photography business. He feels that every photographer should write a mission statement to define what they want to accomplish with their work/business. He goes on to say that doing so may help you realize your goals quicker than going into it blindly.

That got me to thinking. What is my mission statement? What do I want to achieve with my photography? Professionally, I want to hone my craft to the point that it affords me the life I so desire. Personally, I want to create images that move people. My hope is to find a balance between the two, perhaps even bringing me balance in the process.

There are many avenues of photography that do not interest me, and many that I am not good at. I will continue to explore these avenues, pushing myself every day. I don't EVER want to get to a point where I feel ALL of my photos are excellent images. I love taking absolute crap photos now and then. It keeps me grounded. The day that I believe I take 100% perfect photos is the day that I quit.

Manual: Page 166 - Dust Ref Photo
Well apparently you can take a reference photo similar to a customer white balance photo, to aid your camera in "dusting off" photos in Nikon Capture. I'll have to play with this a little, as I'm curious if will affect Photoshop or Lightroom. So great to learn new things!

Images: Johnna Brynn - I don't know what it is, but I love really high-contrast shots. Johnna not only takes great pictures, she also is wonderful with compositions featuring a wide contrast in colors. A few shots had DOF's that make me kick myself for not having a prime 50mm. Soon.


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D:11 Friday Night Social

The town I live in has a large hill in the middle of the university's campus, named "Red Hill". At the top, there are huge concrete steps, upon which sit equally large Romanesque columns. It's a pretty popular spot for locals, offering sweeping views of the city and surrounding valley.

Tonight there were about a half-dozen people up there. Some were couples, likely looking for a little romantic outing, enjoying the last of the late-summer nights. Others were college students new to the area, looking for something to do.

In an on-going effort to push myself out of my comfort zone, I befriended a group of 3 students and struck up a conversation. We talked, we laughed, we shared a few beers. I answered a stream of photography questions, and I think I left them with a little more knowledge than they came with. We can hope.

Manual: Page 168 - Image Rotation
Remember the days before automatic image rotation? What a pain in the ass. I'm definitely a fan of the continuing techie upgrades our industry gets.

Images:Looked at a local photographers collection today. I will keep them nameless, as to protect the innocent. This tog had a few great shots, but the majority were really run-of-the-mill shots. I don't know what came over me, but I started going through their gallery, over-critiquing EVERYTHING. What was with this sudden attack?

I think sometimes I get in a funk where I'm feeling insecure about my own work, so I criticize other artists. It's petty. It's childish. It's annoying. This is supposed to be a culture of artists that share ideas and help each other grow. So why do I sometimes feel all alone?


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D10: Creeping Out The Neighbors

Why is it that when you pull over to the side of the road in a rural area and start taking pictures, EVERYONE looks at you funny? I know they didn't see a booger hanging out of my nose as they passed me doing 40mph in a 30. Or did they?

Not much post-processing. I brightened up the shadows in the background, due to the fact that I was a little late getting set up. I take a lot of sunset/evening photos. It seems to be a perfect compliment/example of my procrastinating nature. I had to crop out about a 1/3 of the picture. I didn't think the neighbors would like the strange man in the street, walking through their field.(not enough time to ask permission)

As I was driving back down the canyon I saw this old dilapidated tractor just off the side of the road. I had to stop. I pulled just off the road, in the entrance of someone's long country driveway. After I finished snapping pictures I glanced at the house I was parked in front of. It looked abandoned, like someone defaulted on their mortgage and skipped town in the middle of the night. BUT, there was a rabbit pen with healthy-looking LIVE rabbits inside, about 30 yards down the driveway. It was one of those houses where the main entrance is on the 2nd floor, and there is a sliding glass door where you would expect a garage door to be at ground level. The door was slightly ajar, and everything inside looked dark. I couldn't really tell if someone was just letting fresh air in, or if the house was just left that hastily.

There was a car in the driveway, which lead me to believe SOMEONE had to be there. Probably even alive. The whole experience just had a creepy curiosity to it. It's that moment in the movie where you think "THEY CANNOT POSSIBLY BE THAT F*@#ING STUPID! DO NOT GO INTO THE HOUSE!"

Good thing I agree. I promptly got into my car and drove off.

Manual: Page 162 - Mirror Lock-Up

I fear that I have a small speck of something evil on my sensor. I risked cleaning the sensor directly about a year ago. No problems so far. Am I daring enough to risk it a second time? Sadly, yes.

Images:Juan Pons - Good outdoor shots, just another reminder that I'm not going to Portland this weekend. Damn responsibilities.

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D9: Page Turners

I used to read. A lot. In fact, I almost lost a job due to my literary fascination.

Tom Clancy. Stephen King. Michael Crichton. These men took me to worlds more fascinating than my own. These men pushed my eternal "what if" button, time and time again.

I miss that. Staying up until 4 am with my nose buried in a book. Page after page until your neck is ridiculously sore. I need to get back in the saddle. Maybe that would help my creative block.

Manual: Page 124 - The Playback Menu

I didn't realize how much customization there was with slide shows. You can customize which pictures show up! Wow, it really is embarrassing how many little things I don't know about my cameras.

Images: Moose Peterson. Great outdoor work! I have the chance to go on a weekend road trip to Portland tomorrow, if I can find quick accommodations. What a great opportunity for great scenic shots! I need to get my happy ass out of town.

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D8: What I know

Shoot what you know.

I keep hearing that. What I know is the outdoors. I must have shot hundreds of clouds during my senior year of high school. I loved it because every shot is different. I love how the light may only be perfect for a matter of minutes. When it leaves, it leaves you wanting for more. A thirst.


Well, I've decided that I'm going to shoot what I know, but I'm also going to challenge myself. Isn't that what this is all about? I'm going to push myself to get shots that I would never normally think about. Really get outside my comfort zone. I used to have a camera with me more than not. I need to get back to those days.

Manual: Page 6 - Control Panel

I knew most of this. The "flash sync mode" reminded me of how much I have to learn when it comes to creative lighting with flash. I'm thinking I need to visit the world of Zac Arias.

Images: Zac Arias. I would absolutely love to attend one of his One Light Workshops. But they're always sold out. And they're always across the country. Maybe I'll have to settle for his DVD.

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