Category Archives: learning

Patterns or Repetition

Posted by Mike on

The theme this week is patterns or repetition. I had a few ideas for capturing this around the house and then I was sure I could get outside to find something interesting. At least the weather cooperated with me this week. I was able to go exploring on more than one evening after work.

This first image is the result of my recent experimenting with flash in the house. You might have noticed a few images from my current Game Pieces Project floating through my stream. This one was captured the same way.

Dinner Tines Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, 1/200s, 200mm, f/8, ISO 200

Dinner Tines
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, 1/200s, 200mm, f/8, ISO 200

The next two images are from my exploring one evening at Bellamy Harbor Park at the bottom of Rome, NY. I might have mentioned this park before as it is another favorite location for me to play with the camera. It is interesting to me what I ‘see’ when I go with a specific purpose in mind. Here is what I found with patterns on the brain…

This is an image of the support columns for the bridge over the barge canal as you enter Rome. I really liked the multiple layers of patterns on this image. Not only are the columns repeated but the light/dark pattern is what initially caught my eye.

Columns Nikon D5100, Nikkor 55-200mm f/4-5.6, 1/500s, 200mm, f/8, ISO 200

Columns
Nikon D5100, Nikkor 55-200mm f/4-5.6, 1/500s, 200mm, f/8, ISO 200

This is probably my favorite for this post. I have tried numerous times to capture these benches along the canal but have always felt like I fell short. I like the low perspective and shallow depth of focus. My only struggle was the final processing. I’m still torn as to if this is better as a monochrome image but my thoughts from when I captured it are of the warm light from the setting sun. I think I’ll include the monochrome and let everyone decide for themselves…

All in a Row Nikon D5100, Nikkor 55-200mm f/4-5.6, 1/1000s, 200mm, f/5.6, ISO 200

All in a Row
Nikon D5100, Nikkor 55-200mm f/4-5.6, 1/1000s, 200mm, f/5.6, ISO 200

All in a Row - B&W Nikon D5100, Nikkor 55-200mm f/4-5.6, 1/1000s, 200mm, f/5.6, ISO 200

All in a Row – B&W
Nikon D5100, Nikkor 55-200mm f/4-5.6, 1/1000s, 200mm, f/5.6, ISO 200

Dominos

Posted by Mike on

I sat at my desk during lunch the other day creating a list of photography projects for this winter. I was focusing on indoor projects since the weather and lack of light after work has hindered my exploring with the camera. Surprisingly I was able to create a fairly long list which I hope will keep me occupied as we head into the snowy, cold part of winter.

This is what I am going to call my Game Pieces project. I have seen numerous variations on Google+ and the strongest influence would be Steve Johnson’s Black and White Games gallery. I read Steve’s book The Minimalist Photographer last year and have been following his blog ever since. My goal is to explore monochrome images with the effect of light and shadows. I will also be playing with depth of field so I can more quickly select the right aperture when I am out with the camera.

Game Pieces – GP1

Dominos Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, 8s, 70mm, f/8, ISO 200

Dominos
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, 8s, 70mm, f/8, ISO 200

Follow the Yellow Brick Road

Posted by Mike on

One aspect of Disney photography that has eluded me is dark ride photography. Getting images inside an attraction while the ride vehicle is moving with minimal light and ‘no flash photography, please!’ just was not something I was able to accomplish. The very first group event at Photo Magic 2013 was riding The Great Movie Ride at Hollywood Studios. Oh boy! I listened to the advice being offered by members of the group. I switched to my fastest lens (35mm f/1.8) and thought… ‘I can do this!’. OK, maybe I didn’t actually think that. I was still unsure of myself but what the heck, it was only space on a digital memory card and the delete button would be right there.

The fixed lens did present a few challenges. I know there were a few scenes I was not able to capture and some close up opportunities that escaped me but I did manage to come away with a few good images. I learned a few tricks, got a better appreciation for using the higher ISO settings on my camera and figured out how steady myself as the vehicle was moving. In the end it was a great experience. It was fun riding the attraction with such a large group of photographers and listening to the click of the shutters as everyone was trying to grab their view of the ride. Heck, I might even spend more time next visit trying to get those scenes I missed…

Follow the Yellow Brick Road Nikon D5100, Nikkor 35mm f/1.8, 1/200s, f/3.5, ISO 6400

Follow the Yellow Brick Road
Nikon D5100, Nikkor 35mm f/1.8, 1/200s, f/3.5, ISO 6400

Details

Posted by Mike on

Some days it isn’t about the grand sweeping landscape or incredible sunset. Some days it is about the details that catch your eye. It can be color combinations, patterns or textures. All I know is since I have started using a camera more I definitely see the world differently. It seems more in focus, like there is more available to see. Maybe I am finally using my eyes as they were intended to be used and not living with the blinders on. I enjoy the journey more now that I truly see everything around me.

Keeping it Together Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, 1/250s, 55mm, f/8, ISO 400

Keeping it Together
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, 1/250s, 55mm, f/8, ISO 400

Yellow Decay Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, 1/200s, 55mm, f/5.6, ISO 400

Yellow Decay
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, 1/200s, 55mm, f/5.6, ISO 400

The Story

Posted by Mike on

This here’s a story about Billy Joe and Bobbie Sue
Two young lovers with nothin’ better to do
Than sit around the house, get high, and watch the tube
And here is what happened when they decided to cut loose

Wait… that’s a song, not my story. My story goes like this…

Come home from work and start the process of closing the pool. First time doing it without any help from the kids. Actually goes better than I anticipated. I changed the method of attaching the winter cover to utilize weighted gallon jugs in place of the wire cable. I think it is going to provide better protection from the wind. We’ll see…

End up working for two hours but I get everything done in one evening. Dinner is waiting when I come in the house which is great since I didn’t have to cook it. Gobble my food down quickly, jump in the shower and then head out with the camera because the sun is setting through some haze which is calling my name.

I drive over to my favorite state park to catch the last few minutes of light over the lake. Well, that was the plan anyway. Today was an abnormally hot and humid day for September in Upstate NY. We reached 90 degrees and very high humidity. I opted to run the air conditioner in the car on the 10 minute drive over to the lake. It was just enough to cool down my camera and lens so that when I walked down to the beach the lens had fogged over.  Everything I needed to clear the lens was back in the camera bag in the car.

The sad part is this isn’t the first time I have done this… hopefully next time I’ll remember this lesson. Here is the sunset through the condensation on the lens.

Lens Haze Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, 1/8s, 28mm, f/18, ISO 100

Lens Haze
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, 1/8s, 28mm, f/18, ISO 100

Minimal

Posted by Mike on

When I started exploring photography beyond the requisite vacation photos and pictures of family/events I was looking for everything I could find on the subject. I read a few books, I played with my point & shoot and started to grasp what I had read. Not too long after this journey started Google+ was launched and I was fortunate enough to get an invite from a relative shortly after the start. It opened my eyes and widened my journey into photography faster than any amount of effort I had put in up to that point.

A big turning point was the discovery of photography themes on G+. I was not very confident about my images but I started participating in a few themes; Grass Tuesday, Floral Friday, Ministract Monday, etc. These were once a week themes and allowed my to search out some interesting subjects for each of the days. The responses I received (limited as they were) did a lot for my ego and my confidence. The next leap forward for me was the poker games. Very similar to the themes but not limited to a single day. I loved Grass Poker, Dandelion Poker, and a few others. The participants in these poker games seemed much more involved than the theme days. Maybe it was the almost instant feedback and the ability to post multiple images that has slanted my view, but these poker games really brought out the photographer in me.

I’m not sure what kind of a photographer I am, I’m still playing with different styles and forms. I love to photograph landscapes. Capturing the light as it plays across the land just sits well within me. It allows me to explore the world around me and create images that capture the wonderful vistas. I’m very much enjoying the creation of monochrome images. I’ve gotten much better at recognizing the conditions in the field that will help me create the best B&W image I can. This was greatly helped out by my Monochrome Winter series.

Different image formats fascinate me now. My Squared project has really helped me see differently when I look at a scene. I compose differently in the camera and I look beyond the obvious for the more subtle image that will be enhanced by a square crop. I have also found that I am a fan of the widescreen 16×9 format. Most of my landscapes end up that way which to me helps increase the grand scale of the image.

Going hand-in-hand with my square project is a resurgence of another style of photography, minimalism. I discovered it early on from a photographer on G+. Tom McLaughlin curated one of the daily photography themes, Ministract Monday. Ministract is a creation of Tom’s which combines minimalism with abstract. If it is something you have not experienced before I encourage you to check out his website ministract.com. Once you visit this site you will see some of his influence of the images I have been posting lately. I’m still playing and learning but that is really what makes it fun for me.

Another influence, one I discovered in an interview with Tom McLaughin done by Nathan Wirth for his a slice of silence website, is Steve Johnson, The Minimalist Photographer.  A happy coincidence to this discovery is that I had purchased his book The Minimalist Photographer a few weeks previous and had not found the time to read it. Needless to say I have read it and I’m still processing some of the concepts. Hopefully I will have some more thoughts once I do.

Maybe I’ll never settle on a style or maybe I have one but have not recognized it yet myself. For now the journey continues and at the moment it is influenced minimally by the photographers I mentioned above…

Contained Nikon D5100, Nikkor 35mm f/1.8, 1/100s, f/4, ISO 200

Contained
Nikon D5100, Nikkor 35mm f/1.8, 1/100s, f/4, ISO 200

Light and Dark Nikon D5100, Nikkor 35mm f/1.8, 1/250s, f/4, ISO 200

Light and Dark
Nikon D5100, Nikkor 35mm f/1.8, 1/250s, f/4, ISO 200

Handle in Concrete Nikon D5100, Nikkor 35mm f/1.8, 1/160s, f/8, ISO 200

Handle in Concrete
Nikon D5100, Nikkor 35mm f/1.8, 1/160s, f/8, ISO 200