Star Trails Set in Stone

I find this image very peaceful.  My first interpretation was this appeared to be looking at star trails, that one might get with a long exposure photograph (on a clear night) with a hill or mountain in the foreground.  The North Star would be out of the image to the lower left and there would be a very low light on the horizon in that direction.  Another meaning to this picture, for me, is “Monk at Prayer”.  I see a Monk kneeling at the altar in the foreground with the sweeping cathedral arches in the background.

Petrified Mummy

It was only after altering this image to black and white that I saw the mummy image.

Rock of Ages

This formation near the end of Lower Antelope Canyon is one of my favorite images.  From a purely technical artistic standpoint the eye enters from the left and flows down the curves.  The bottom is slightly darker than the top of the image so our eye tends to move from darker to lighter – thus moving up through the image.  When we get to an edge we need something to keep our eye from flowing out of the image.  At the top, right where the image becomes lightest, there is a black rock (shadow) pointing down, right down the center “slide” of the image to take our eye back to the bottom again.  From an emotional standpoint I named this Rock of Ages from the old hymn of the same name; Rock of Ages, Cleft for Me, Let me hide myself in Thee.  These rocks have evolved over millions of years when this was under an ocean, a bog with dinosaurs walking through it (dinosaur prints are still visible in the area) and a tremendous upheaval.  So clearly this is truly rock of ages.  One definition of “cleft” is fissure.  Truly this is a fissure where the rock has opened up.  As I stood there all alone in the quiet canyon it was easy to think that this spectacular fissure was truly created for me.  Although I entered the canyon another way, a person could certainly descend into the canyon down this wall.  There are certainly opportunities to hide within this fissure.  The rock at the bottom provides a perfect hiding place.  Finally, considering the total hymn,  hiding behind the rock one can look up and see the heavenly light.

When you see a piece of art, especially if something about it appeals to you, take some time and think what its meaning is for you.

In the second image you get a better feel for the height by seeing the photographer up on top and close to the edge.  Color differences occur from shooting until dark one evening and then returning early the next morning.

The third image is from a different horseshoe bend.  This one is in Dead Horse State Park near Moab, UT and the Canyonlands National Park.

Dead Horse State Park

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.

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.

Be creative and see how you can position multiple rides to make an even more interesting image.

Finally, the real fun is to take a long exposure when the lights are in motion.  This exposure was 2.5 seconds.  To capture this type of image there are several things to do.  First, you need a good support for your camera, such as a tripod.  Second, set the ISO to as low a number as possible (probably around 100).  Third, set the aperture to be as small as possible (this is the largest number, such as f16 or f22).  Finally, I recommend setting your camera on manual mode (where you set both the aperture and shutter speed).  With the aperture set, select a shutter speed.  The beauty of digital is now you can look at the image on the back of the camera.  If it is too dark, set the shutter speed longer, if too light set the shutter speed shorter.  Very nice, lights in motion, pictures can be captured with shutter speeds of 2 seconds and longer.

Go enjoy the fair and stay around to take some night pictures of lights in motion.

Another approach is to photograph individual bursts.  Last night I had my camera ISO set to 100, aperture to 4.5, shutter speed to 1/20th of a second and focus distance to infinity.  Then I recorded individual bursts.  Even this is challenging because you want to get the burst when it is brightest, which generally is right after it explodes.  This means you have only a fraction of a second to make a decision to push the shutter button.  Fortunately, with digital photography there is no cost to shooting extra frames.

Then, if you have a photo manipulation program such as, Photoshop or Photoshop Elements you can combine the individual bursts into a single image.  Import an image, which will be the background layer.  Import another image and make it the next layer.  There are several ways to combine images, but the one you want is “lighten”.  This method looks at each pixel location,  on both layers, and selects the “lightest” one.  So if one layer has a bright fireworks pixel at a given location, and the other layer is black, the merged image will have the bright pixel.  You can continue to do this with as many bursts as you please.  While this may not represent the sky at any one instant, it does represent the way I often feel when many bursts happen very close together.

If you have some fireworks pictures from last night, and have a photo editing program, give it a try.

Fireworks

1/60th of a second exposure

One of my favorite objects to photograph is flowing water.

We were at Drake’s Bay on the Pacific Coast at the southern end of Costa Rica.  The shore of the resort was rugged lava rocks.  By going out on the rocks one can watch the waves move by and then flow back into the ocean.

Here are two pictures; the first one taken at 1/60 of a second and the second at 2 seconds) taken at the same spot about three minutes apart.

Flowing Water - 2 sec. exposure

Using a fast shutter speed (1/100 of a second or faster)  freezes the water droplets in position. Using a slow shutter speed will show the flow of the water.  The slower the shutter speed the more it smooths out the water flow.

Yellow Lady Slipper

ow Lady Slippers, Columbine, Marsh Marigolds and Indian Paintbrush in bloom.  Riding a bike slows one down so we can be more observant than traveling in a car.  I stopped at this clump of two dozen Yellow Lady Slippers.  I walked down close enough to have the clump fill the frame, and managed to avoid the poison ivy.

However, the exciting part of the trip was as we were returning suddenly 3 small chicks ran across the trail.  I slowed up to let them get to the other side, then I stopped to observe.  Then were quickly lost in the tall grass.  But then, the mother Ruffed Grouse came out of the grass towards me (from less than 6 feet away) to let me know that I was not welcome that close to her chicks.  I grabbed my camera from the camera bag.  She moved in and out of the grass, then across the trail and back, making lots of noise trying to gather her brood of little ones to her.  I certainly have never been that close to a ruffed grouse before, especially for plenty of time to take her picture.  Keep your camera handy for when the special opportunity arises.

Ruffed Grouse

Camera literature, and sales personnel, talk about megapixels, the current cameras (basically) all have plenty of pixels.  I prefer cameras which have a viewfinder.  That is, you hold the camera up to your eye to compose the picture.  Many of the lower end P&S cameras  do not have a viewfinder, so you hold the camera out from your body and view the image on the rear screen.  The disadvantages of no viewfinder are: it can be difficult to see when you are outdoors in bright light and it is difficult to hold the camera steady.  With the camera up against your face, your elbows can be against your body to help steady the camera.  Another important function is zoom range.  For some people being able to zoom from wide angle to a long telephoto is important.

I will suggest that the two most important characteristics and the size and feel.  Go into a store where you can actually hold the camera in your hands and see if the buttons and menus seem usable for you.  If the camera feels good when you shoot it and the various functions seem intuitive then you will undoubtedly enjoy the camera.  The final, and most important, item is size.  There is an old adage: The way to get a great picture is to be there and have your camera.  Pick a size that you will have with you.  It does no good to have the best DSLR and leave it home.  Think about how you will carry the camera; shirt pocket, jacket pocket, purse, fanny pack or back pack.  Then get the user friendliest, best quality camera that you will carry and can afford.

1. Include multiple colors
2. Make the lines of color run at an angle, rather that directly horizontal or vertical in your image
3. Look around the edge of the viewfinder to direct your attention to everything that is being included

May you enjoy the beauty of spring and capture it in some memory images.