Essay #13: Green

I love old bridges. Who built it? Who has crossed it? Where does it lead?  

Specs: 45mm 1/60 f/13 ISO 200

Topic: Color

This week I'll be celebrating color in all hues, tones and shades. Like sprinkles on a doughnut, color adds pizazz to life. 

Specs: 41mm 1/20 f/5.3 ISO 100

Essay #12: Action

 

Having the time to amble about town has led me to contemplate the physics of walking. Perambulation is a simple skill, one of the first a young child learns. But it's also complex: a controlled fall harnessed for propulsion. In the moment weight shifts from one foot to the other, the strider tumbles from balance to descent. It doesn't feel like a fall becuase the next foot lands on the ground a moment later, restoring balance--unless there's an unexpected plummet off a curb or step. 

Life is a lot like walking. A series of spills that we use to move forward, catching ourselves, and propelling into the next step. Of course, it helps to be walking on solid ground.

Specs: 14mm 1/30 f/9.0 ISO 100

Freestyle: Corn

I know, I know: week two and I'm already breaking with schedule. I promise that tomorrow I'll do the "action" post I'd planned for today.

Perspective can reveal new facets of a familiar sight. From below, rows of corn look like an inviting path.

Specs: 22mm 1/80 f/8.0 ISO 200

Essay #11: Landscape

I did rural architecture, so why not an urban landscape?

The fair city of Madison, WI.

Landscape is another trying style for me. It should be simple: the subject doesn't fidget, blink or squint. But rarely does a scene translate to film (or sensor?) the way I envision it.

Specs: 45mm 1/40 f/20 ISO 200

Essay #10: Portraits

Portrait sessions are fun, especially when the models are game for anything. It's less about making people look good and more of making people look like themselves. It's about capturing that look or spark that showcases the subject's personality. I usually begin with a few "traditional" poses to get the model(s) comfortable with the camera and my direction, then improvise. Sometimes location lends itself to innovation, but I savor most the shots where the subject really comes out to play. Many of those pictures could be taken anywhere--the person  is the captivating factor.

Specs:(top) 19mm 1/30 f/11 ISO 200 (bottom) 17mm 1/40 f/11 ISO 200

Essay #9: Architecture

I learned something today.

I knew architecture would be my greatest challenge this week. I love good architecture photography, but I can never seem to emulate styles that I admire. I have a plethora of truly terrible photos of urban buildings. They seem cold, flat, awkward and uninspired.

I went out today intending to get a nice landscape, and instead discovered the beauty of rural architecture.

The color and texture of the wood beckoned me from the car. I was more pleased with a dozen frames of these simple structures than the shots I've attempted of even the coolest-looking spots downtown. I still have leagues to improve in this area, but I'm excited to explore more places to practice.

See more on my flickr page.

Specs: 27mm 1/00 f/13 ISO 200

Essay #8: Macro

This image is more of a "close-up" than a marco, but I couldn't find any obliging insects.

I enjoy macro the same way I enjoy a good book: It provides a glimpse into a different world. A dragonfly's eye, the heart of a flower, light dancing on the surface of a water droplet. Macro looks closer, appreciating detail and magnifying complexity. The smaller the scale, the more intricate the design, and the more breathtaking the sight. It's all there, waiting for discovery, but I'm often too blind or too busy to notice.   


Specs: 45mm 1/50 f/11 ISO 400

Topic: Genres

I've devised a schedule of sorts for this blog. On Sunday I will announce the new topic for the week. Monday through Friday will have entries related to that topic. Saturday is wild card day (as all weekends should be) to post whatever I please. I may break from schedule occasionally if I come across a fantastic photo opportunity that doesn't fit with the current theme, but I anticipate maintaining this pattern for a while.

This week I'll explore different genres of photography; e.g., portrait, action, architecture, etc.

What do tomatoes have to do with photography styles? Nothing. I could attempt some pretense of doing a study in still life, but really, I just like pictures of produce. When I see a beautiful display, like this basket of cherry tomatoes, I can't eschew the opportunity.

Specs: 45 mm 1/40 f/5.6 ISO 200

Essay #7: Concert Lighting

Joe, the drummer for the band NEEDTOBREATHE

I enjoy concerts, both for the music and the lighting challenges they present. Although darker and much noisier than I prefer in my concert photos, this is my best shot from a show I attended last night. The light in the venue was terrible. My usual workflow is to shoot in color and convert to black and white in Photoshop, but without that option I tried shooting a bit in black and white, with mixed results.

Specs: 92mm 1/60 f/4.1 ISO 800

Essay #6: Sunflower

I went for a drive out in the country this afternoon, one of the perks of not having a job to report to. A park had some lovely red-orange sunflowers.

When I decided on the photo-a-day format, I didn't comprehend what an ambitious undertaking it would be.

It's not easy to produce an image every day that I feel comfortable sharing with the world. I'm never entirely satisfied. A unique challenge I'm grappling with now is a lack of post-processing abilities. I'm blogging from a borrowed laptop, sans photo editing software. Any effects I want have to be achieved on-scene with lighting or performed in-camera.

While frustrating, it's forced me to stretch as a photographer. I've grown so used to clicking away with the mindset of "I'll fix it later" that I've had to change my approach significantly. I have to be more intentional about composition, framing, lighting, exposure, white balance, etc. In a routine dependent on edit, undo, back and rewind, it's rewarding to do something right the fist time.

Specs: 34mm 1/50 f/4.9 ISO 200

Essay #5: Ellipse

Melts in your mouth, not in your hand!

My first time playing with an "infinite" background--in this case, a piece of white printer paper gradually curved up against the wall so there's no seam. I've always liked the effect but never had reason to use it myself.

Specs: 45mm 1/160 f/7.1 ISO 100

Essay #4: Rectangle

A male friend recently inquired why the majority of women he knows cite Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice as their favorite book. Before you Austenphiles can become too vexed, he has read it. He just didn't see much literary merit in it--does social commentary on 1800s England hold any relevance today, however wittily written?

I know there are scores of critical texts lauding the brilliance of Jane Austen, so I'll avoid any panegyric here. I can only attest to my own reasons for listing P&P as one of my favorite novels. Yes, it's a love story, but it's really about, well, pride and prejudice. It's a story about the disillusionment of two people accustomed to thinking themselves superior to those around them. The center conflict for these two characters comes when Elizabeth realizes that her judgment about two men was entirely mistaken, a failing she would have laughed at in someone else, and Darcy realizes that he has been arrogant and rude, traits he finds abhorrent. These revelations allow them to relate better not only to each other, but also to others in their social circle. It's a timeless study of hubris and judgment. Plus, there's comedy, scandal and yes, romance.

Specs: 33mm 1/60 f/4.8 camera-mounted flash bounced off ceiling

Essay #3: Triangle

I hate ironing.

It's not the most despicable chore, but I avoid it when I can. Like a lot of other things that are good for me.

Irons heat fabric until the fibers actually are coming apart at the molecular level-or at least until the bonds are softened. Then it's pressed into submission so that the fibers' bonds reform flat and smooth (or in the perfect pant-leg crease). Stubborn fabrics, such as linen or cotton, require more heat to coax the molecules into loosening. Others are more acquiescing, like silk.

Maybe I hate ironing because I can identify with the fabric. But it's more likely that I'm just lazy.

Specs: 45mm 1/160 f/5.6 ISO 200

Essay #2: Squares

While going through some old boxes, I unearthed these bits of history.

Remember these? Back before discs replaced disks?

You may notice that the label on the top center disk reads "Photos." Yes, each of these plastic squares holds up to 1.44 MB of files dating from my first foray into digital imagery. At the time, I was primarily shooting black-and-white film on a Canon Rebel G. Then I got my hands on something marvelous: a Sony Mavica, a wonder of photographic technology that recorded 0.3-megapixel images (no, I did not transpose those digits) directly to a 3.5-inch floppy. Never mind that the image quality was poor and the camera was slower than a drugged slug. It took pictures! And it was digital! And you could pop the disk right into your computer without needing a pesky negative scanner!

I no longer have anything capable of reading floppy disks, but today I'm wishing I did. I'd like to open these up and reflect for a while, not only on how far digital photography has progressed, but on how my perspective has changed. Looking at these images, would I even recognize them as my own? Would I laugh (or cringe) at how poor the photos are, or would I be challenged to revisit the basic skills I first explored so enthusiastically with a low-res clunker? Would I approach those scenes the same way now? Did I see things then that I would pass over now? Answerless questions...unless someone has an old disk reader somewhere?

Specs: 43mm 1/100 f/7.1 ISo 100

Essay #1: Circles

What better starting point than basic geometry? So this week, I'm doing a study in shapes.

Photography is not just about playing with light, shapes and color--although that's where the bulk of the fun comes from. To me, photography is about perspective: seeing the world in new and beautiful ways. It's looking twice at that old plastic Slinky (everyone's favorite toy!) and imagining the possibilities.

Specs: 26mm 1/60 f/11 ISO 100

1000 Words Project

Welcome to the 1000 Words Project, or my egotistical assumption that my photography is something for others to care about.

Like so many others in the economic tumult of 2009, I find myself unemployed. Now weeks into my unplanned extended "vacation," I've decided that I need to spend my time doing something other than watching Inspector Gadget on Hulu while waiting for any kind of response from the myriad of employers I've beseeched.

Enter the 1000 Words Project. My goal is to post a new photograph every day until I start a new job. It could be something from my day, or a challenge that you submit, or just something I like. I plan to write a bit about each photo as well, although it may not always be necessary--some stories only need 1000 words. This is my first blog, so you'll have to show me a little grace as I play with layouts and such.

Thanks for reading!