Category Archives: in the yard

Grass

Posted by Mike on

In The Yard – ITY09

I am still waiting for the Spring to arrive and change all the brown to fresh green.  I wanted to go looking for a beautiful sunset but with still barren trees I did not want to have yet another image of naked trees silhouetted against the setting sun.  I had not been out much this week and was itchin’ to use the camera.  I thought back to my resolution last week and decided there were plenty of opportunities in my own yard.  I just needed to get out and see them!

I know I have mentioned my penchant for photographing grass.  It was with me during my initial learning stage and I have always been fascinated with the various elements available for subjects of an image.  I have been a bit negligent in exploring this abundant subject matter.  Tonight’s sunset gave me the opportunity I needed.

This first image is a single blade of grass at the edge of my lawn.  Laying down in the driveway and shooting into the sun with my 60mm macro lens allowed me to capture the light of the sunset on this solitary blade.  I also used a very large aperture (f/2.8) to isolate this blade of grass from the rest of my lawn.

 

MLCreations Photography: Blog Post Related &emdash; Blade Start

Blade – Start
Olympus OM-D E-M1, M. Zuiko 60mm f/2.8 Macro, 1/800s, f/2.8, ISO 200

 

Before I got up from the driveway I remembered a few rules I have read about composition and image subjects…

‘If your photos aren’t good enough, then you’re not close enough’ – Robert Capa

I wish I could remember where I read this next one but I have seen/read it numerous times…

Fill the frame

Although I liked the image I captured above I moved in closer and captured the image below.  It might only be a subtle change but for me it does increase the impact of the image.  I see more of the detail in the blade of grass.  There are no distracting elements at the bottom of the frame.  There is just the blade…

 

MLCreations Photography: Grass &emdash; Blade

Blade
Olympus OM-D E-M1, M. Zuiko 60mm f/2.8 Macro, 1/500s, f/2.8, ISO 200

 

Long time readers will know that this next image comes as no surprise from me…  the dandelions are starting to appear!  Following the same advice I got the macro lens as close as I could.  This is slightly out of character for me as I would typically fill the frame with the dandelion without cropping some of it out.  I sometimes feel I need to show the whole subject not realizing that there are times when less is more.

I also tried something a little different with the processing for this image.  I added a little texture to enhance the mood.  Although the original exposure was nice I felt a slight over-exposed look would work with this dandelion.  By over-exposing the highlights the darker details in the dandelion show through.  I played with the color tone as well for a little muted look and then topped it off with an overall texture and a little light leak.

 

MLCreations Photography: Grass &emdash; Dandie

Dandie
Olympus OM-D E-M1, M. Zuiko 60mm f/2.8 Macro, 1/320s, f/2.8, ISO 200

 

This group of images reinforces in me to look beyond the grand landscape vistas and explore everything that captures your eye.  Even the simple subjects in your yard can produce visually interesting images.  Now get out there and show me what you find…

Remnants

Posted by Mike on

In The Yard – ITY08

What I love about this image is the various contrasting elements. There is the crisp, focused head of the goldenrod contrasted with the blurry, unrecognizable background. And then there is the light to dark contrasting layers of the background.  Once I tell you the background is the pasture and barn next door you can make out the shapes but before that it is a blur of colors.  This is the type of image I use to capture when I started photography and one I don’t return to often enough.  Another in my In The Yard series…

 

MLCreations Photography: Blog Post Related &emdash; Remnants

Remnants
Olympus OM-D E-M1, M. Zuiko 60mm f/2.8, 1/80s, f/5.6, ISO 200

Bokeh Barb

Posted by Mike on

Squared – SQ89
In The Yard – ITY07

While I was away on a business trip I had some extra time in the morning before I needed to head over to the supplier I was visiting so I was able to read a few more articles every morning. One article in particular at Digital Photography School lead me down a path and has me thinking a little more about how and what I photograph. It was Do Visual Push-Ups Everyday to Grow as a Photographer by Valérie Jardin.  This of course brought me to her website and now another photographer I will be checking in on to read more articles.

What really struck me was the projects she uses to keep herself learning and exploring.  The I thought about all the various projects or themes I have started over the past few years and how I do not keep them going.  I get caught in trying to capture the big, beautiful sunset or the expansive landscape and forget about the little images all around me.

Last night after I got home from the trip and unpacked everything I grabbed the camera for a walk around the yard.  There were quite a lot of opportunities and I decided I need to work on my In The Yard series.  Images I capture while walking my yard and fields around the house.  Of course, the first one I really liked was from the barbed wire fence.  I guess you can’t break with tradition…

 

MLCreations Photography: Squared &emdash; Bokeh Barb

Bokeh Barb
Olympus OM-D E-M1, M. Zuiko 60mm f/2.8 Macro, 1/250s, f/2.8, ISO 200

Shadow Lines

Posted by Mike on

In the Yard – ITY04

The other night after dinner I went exploring in the yard again. The difference this time is I was looking for details. I didn’t want to beautiful flower or the wonderful landscape image. I wanted to find images of small details. I was looking for patterns, texture, interesting light, etc. I found some really cool stuff at the end of my driveway in the sand. Looking at the second image I wish I had increased my DoF to capture more of the details… next time!

Shadow Lines Nikon D7100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, 1/320s, 70mm, f/5.6, ISO 200

Shadow Lines
Nikon D7100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, 1/320s, 70mm, f/5.6, ISO 200

Shadow Lines Two Nikon D7100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, 1/400s, 70mm, f/5.6, ISO 200

Shadow Lines Two
Nikon D7100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, 1/400s, 70mm, f/5.6, ISO 200

Shadow Portrait

Posted by Mike on

In the Yard – ITY05

My brilliant plan to walk around the yard and neighborhood yesterday didn’t not turn out too well. I do not like being cold! It was a beautiful sunny day but the wind and colder temps had me running back to the house before much exploring was accomplished. Moving to warming climate will not get here soon enough.

The long shadows of late afternoon prompted me to capture this shadow portrait. The blue tones in the snow and warm sunset light in the trees had me experimenting with some split toning for this B&W image. I could have left it as the color version but I was in the mood to play. I added some yellow tone to the highlights and blue to the shadows. Still need to play more with this style but the learning is part of the fun.

Shadow Portrait Nikon D5100, Nikkor 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5, 1/400s, 24mm, f/8, ISO 200

Shadow Portrait
Nikon D5100, Nikkor 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5, 1/400s, 24mm, f/8, ISO 200

The Fence

Posted by Mike on

In The Yard – ITY04

Another image from last Friday when we had that rare sunny afternoon. I thought I would include a little more of the landscape to show what a beautiful day it was. This is the type of winter day I can get behind, not those grey, cloudy days. 🙂

The Fence Nikon D5100, Nikkor 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5, 1/50s, 35mm, f/8, ISO 200

The Fence
Nikon D5100, Nikkor 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5, 1/50s, 35mm, f/8, ISO 200

Frozen Field

Posted by Mike on

In The Yard – ITY03

I might be taking liberty with my definition of “in the yard” for this one but since I walked across the road into the pasture to get this image I’m calling it part of my series. LOL After quite a few days of gloomy weather a brilliant sunny afternoon carried me home from work so I quickly suited up in my winter shoveling clothes, grabbed the camera and ventured outside. I could live with a little warmer temperatures but the sun was nice. I really liked how the shadows of the grass were playing across the whole field and I tried to focus on that as I composed this scene.

Frozen Field Nikon D5100, Nikkor 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5, 1/320s, 35mm, f/5.6, ISO 200

Frozen Field
Nikon D5100, Nikkor 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5, 1/320s, 35mm, f/5.6, ISO 200