While observing the light around you, it is always good to keep an eye out for shadows. Maybe it is the middle of a bright sunny day and it is not so good for capturing what you had in mind. Look around, there may be something fun in the shadows. The two stairway shots here were the last images I captured on an outing to a sewage pump station (more on that at a later date). As we headed for the stairs to exit, I saw these fun shadows and stopped to work with them a bit. As always, I try to look for both horizontal and vertical framing compositions. Sometimes a subject can lend itself well to both.

The images were processed with Nik’s SilverEfx Pro.The edges were burned (darkened) to keep the viewers eyes in the frame. I used local adjustment points to selectively lighten/darken and add contrast to specific areas of the images – areas where I wanted to draw the viewers eye.

When faced with the scene before you, there is always the question of how you want to interpret it. Here are two takes on the same scene taken when we had another snow recently. Both represent an orchard in the snow, but there both have a different feel.This first is a very literal interpretation documenting the receding visibility of a foggy winter morning in an orchard. The later is a more whimsical interpretation that is less harsh and only gives the impression of an orchard in winter.

Which do you like best and why?

One of the beautiful places I have the privilege of living near is the Columbia River Gorge. It is a little over an hour away from my home. I don’t go there enough, but when I do, I am always in awe of the beautiful landscape there: falls and meadows, mountains and ravines. From thick forest in the west to golden brown treeless terrain in the east. They can all be found in the gorge. If you have never been there, I highly recommend it The photographic opportunity is endless.

On the left is one of the many falls in the gorge – Latourell falls.

Below is a wetland meadow that you will find behind you when you visit Horsetail falls. It can be found just across the railroad tracks (watch out for trains!). Late afternoon sunlight gave the grasses and trees a wonderful golden hue.

I received the results from a juried exhibition on Friday. Much to my disappointment none of my images were selected. The same was true in the fall for another juried exhibition. It can get discouraging. But as in the past I reviewed the images selected by the juror and tried to learn something for the future. 

After looking at the images that were selected, I can see that I was a bit off the mark in the images I submitted for the targeted theme, “In Your Dreams”. I should have submitted some other images that might have done better.

I did do some quick review of the juror’s work before hand but I didn’t really study as I should. Here is a pointer to the selected images – PhotoPlace (In Your Dreams). They are quite good. Take the time  to look and them and evaluate the overall style of the images selected.

Blog image – this is one I probably should have submitted. It would have been a better match than most of those I did. This image is an B&W HDR image shot at Pittock Mansion with a radial blur blended into the edges using Photoshop. The ghost (me) was blended in using layers as well.

When unique events occur we need to be ready. This past week I made a point of getting out to shoot given the extensive flooding in the area. This presented an opportunity to create images that aren’t available every day. I set out to create an image I missed last time it flooded. The water was not the same as before so the image I had in mind was not there. Driving around the area, I did end up finding some opportunistic images as the sun rose and lit up the mist and fog.

In the lead image, corn stalks sticking up out of the water in a flooded field add interest to this image of the sun rising above the early morning fog. In the image below, oak trees in the water surrounded by golden grasses presented another unique scene you can’t capture everyday.

Is there a unique environmental condition taking place where you live? Record snow, floods, drought or fog? While these may not be good things, they do present the opportunity to capture images that may not be available for years to come. Images taken at times like these can set yours apart.

Allowing yourself to fail is one of the keys to creativity. Trying new things, experimenting and not caring if you will be successful. If you are working with a new camera, try all the modes, push the edges of the settings, see what it can do. For post processing software move the sliders all around from end to end, explore the menus, try the different presets and see what you like. As a friend of mine likes to say “Nobody gets hurt.”.

Recently I was reading an interview with a commercial photographer. He believed that being willing to experiment was his edge in getting assignments. He indicated that most commercial photographers are afraid to take risks and play it safe. The art directors that picked him wanted something different – they knew he would push the envelop.

Right now I am trying a new technique (new to me) I learned from Harold Davis’s book, Photographing Flowers. This technique involves the manual blending of HDR image sets as applied to flowers that are backlit by a lightbox. I am finding it challenging to recreate his exact “look” (it is okay to start with imitation and let it evolve to your own style in time). I am also combing these images with texture overlays. The blog image is one of my first attempts. I am not totally happy with it yet, but thought I would share it with you.

I will go over this technique in a more detailed fashion in a future blog.