Cal Rice Photography

Antelope Canyon

Photographing in the slot canyons of southern Utah and northern Arizona is an amazing experience.

Antelope Canyon

People often say a picture looks better than the real thing.  In the slot canyons that is definitely true.

Antelope Canyon

The canyons are quite dark – most of my exposures were from 1/2 second to 30 seconds.  When it is dark our eye does not see color well.  However a camera, by using a long shutter speed can absorb color.  So, within the canyon, one may be able to tell whether the color of the rock is somewhat red, yellow or purple, the eye does not see the brilliance that can be captured by a camera.

Antelope Canyon

These images were recently captured in Antelope Canyon (both Upper and Lower) near Page, AZ.  The beauty of an image can make one forget that all of it is solid rock.

Photographing Furniture

Wildwood-Rustic.com is the home web page for Duane Shoup, a master rustic furniture craftsman located in northern Minnesota.  He selects wood, that is what many people reject, and lets the wood shape lead him into wonderful creative furniture.  If you happen to be in the Bemidji, MN area this month, he has some pieces on display at the Bemidji Community Art Center.

When photographing any three dimensional object be sure to turn it at an angle so the depth becomes visible.  Then look for what is the unique aspect of the piece to highlight it.  The cantilevered sofa table has a very unique under structure.  Duane found a piece of wood the right shape to provide the cantilever support.

The most unique aspect of this rocking chair is the rocker.  They are made of alternating dark and light species of wood.  So we want to be sure and show them off to an advantage.  The background for both pieces was solid black to minimize any distraction for the furniture itself.

The photoshoot took place on the porch of his house.  The porch has a roof but is open on the sides.  We hung a black cloth, set the furniture in front of it and then used a large reflector and/or two flash units to fill in the areas that needed a little extra light.

Before long, I am sure these, along with several other pieces, will be appearing on his web site.