Creative: Panorama Excercise

This week for Creative Photography, we had to shoot panoramic images. I have been doing panos for awhile now and continue to love them. I sometimes think back and wish I had done more in a particular area. Not only do yo uget a wider field of view, but you also get a huge file with tons of detail. My Canon 5D has opened up my abilites even more in regards to quality.

My technique for panoramas varues depending on the situation. I try and shoot vertically which allows for higher resolution, but this is not always the case. I find that I line the images more level when hand holding than I do when using my tripod. There is an apparatus that is specifically used for making panos, but it is very specialized and expensive. I of course shoot RAW, and the lowest ISO that is acceptable.

The images below are a mixture of all the above mentioned techniques. Hope you enjoy!

MT

 

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Getting Creative

I took some images on Sunday that are somewhat unique but seem to contain artistic value. I hope you find pleasure in viewing them. Here is what I did.

I was in the passenger seat of a vehicle with my Canon 5D and was thinking about how I could make an overcast day exciting. I have done a hundred shots from my car, but they all have looked the same. You have a road with streaking lines and maybe some lights from cars in the image. A pretty typical shot. Well, I mixed things up a little by panning horizontally with objects alongside the road. Slowing the shutter enough to capture motion, but just short enough to contain some sort of sharpnes. I really enjoy the emotion of these images and I hope they stimulate some sort response from you too.

I am off to Kansas City with my buddy William now. I have some real cool ideas that will hopfully turn out how I imagine them. I believe we will be hitting the Nelson Atkins Art Museum, but probably won’t even go inside. The architecture around the museum is outstanding! I highly recommend a visit there. I am thinking we will have to get under some lit up buildings and shoot the lights at night. Be ready for some HDR madness!!! 

MT

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Knob Knoster Sunrise

This morning I traveled the short distance to Knob Knoster State Park. I was fortunate enough to have beautiful clouds and lighting. Instead of writing in past tense about my expedition this morning, I will share excerpts from my journal. I hope you like it.

            “…Beautiful. I think to take a picture, even though it won’t compare. How can it? The viewer won’t feel the slipping ice or the wind down their back. They wont see the leaves frozen in time. Why do I try then?…”

          “…The wind hits my journal and passes on to the shuttering leaves. Glowing like ambers of a fire, the leaves vacillate on their branches. The air is brisk and cool. Each gust cools my fingers ever so slightly. I sit at the base of a tree I dubbed “The Lounge Chair…”

          “…To my left is the lake. I watch as dozens of dried and frozen leaves slide their way along the ice….It seems I am perched on a peninsula that contains the right formula of earthly elements to create a vast area of moss. Even in the dead of winter, the moss contains pigments of green. I pause a moment to capture an image…”

          “…I don’t want to go. I don’t want the trees to think I am not loyal. I love them, I really do. I will stay a little longer. I close my eyes and ease my head back against the tree. It has been a magnificent morning I cannot forget. I will not let myself forget…”

 

MT

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Pisgah, IA: Part 4

When shooting in Iowa this last weekend, I was surrounded by black and white photographic opportunities. There was enough snow to create harsh contrast, but not enough to create excessive contrast. The snow accentuates the textures and shapes in a landscape and especially a close up shot. A great characteristic of black and white photography is its innate ability to exhibit detail. Eliminating color is one less step our neural network must process when viewing an image.

If you look closely at the image to the left, you can see every granule of snow and every speck of dirt. The middle image has excellent contrast between the shadows and the highlights, characteristic of black and white. The image to the right has examples of the previously mentioned traits of black and white. Why am I discussing this? I am pointing out in a round about way that snow is an excellent element for photographers, especially combined with black and white processing. The thing to remember with snow is that it is not easy to photograph in. When done right, it is great. But when done incorrectly, it can wreak havoc on our memories of how we saw the scene. Here are a few guidelines to follow.

1) Overexpose: You must remember that with any camera whether it be a piont and shoot or a DSLR, the internal meter attempts to create an overall equal exposure. In a more technical explanation, the camera tries to create an 18% grey exposure. We all know that snow is white, therefore grey is unnatural. In your menu settings there is a setting usually labled “EV compensation”. When shooting snow I would set this to +1.0 to start. Many modern point and shoots have built in modes including a snow mode. I would experiment with both.

2) Work the angles: With water in any form, there will be angles that display more or less relfectance. Use this to your advantage. You might be able to get some refraction images if you are lucky. In other words, colors refract all the time and its up to you to find them. Here is a little info on getting rainbow shots. Fun fact: rainbows are located 42 degrees off the axis of the sun.

3) Minimalism: Many of the best shots we see are ones that have a single subject and minimal distractions. Look for the single twig, or the lone tree on the horizon. Remember, with black and white the details really “pop”. Keep it simple and intimate and I know you will get some winners. This applies to any camera and any photographer.

Well, I hope this has helped at least one person. I will say one last thing: This last weekend in Iowa was a successful photographic trip for me. The main reason being that I was out searching for images for hours every day. Light is changing every second and therfore creating new opportunities constantly.

MT

P.S. Sorry that this not dicuss my Iowa trip in great detail, I had some things on my mind and now they are in words. Thanks.

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Cool Colors

I processed this image so that it would reflect  more of a cold feeling. Considering it was 8 degrees, this is a more accurate portrayal of the scene.

 

 

I will be heading to Iowa (weather permitting) and look foward to some more cool (literally) images. I hope to have a good collection come Monday.

MT

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Second Day with 5D

Going out for a daytime expedition, I was able to put my 5D to the test a little more. Needless to say, I had an awesome time and came away with a few decent exposures.

Ending an evening of photography with single digit temperatures, I pause once more for this final capture. 

MT

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Turmoil on the Horizon

Taking photos of landscapes combined with unique cloud formations is something I feel I live for. When I stood out in this field, I was almost jumping with glee. I was in the right spot at the right time. I had the elements(lone tree, water, clouds, and field) to come away with some excellent images. Using a tripod and my Canon 30D, I bracketed each composition. Having the ability to take your hands off the camera and observe from different angles is crucial to my success. Many times I turn my head and look away from the sun and realize, the best shot is behind me. Having the most maneuverablity possible is very important.

I shot this at a friends farm just south of Warrensburg. I embrace the fact that exquisite photos can be taken out almost anyones back door. I have posted numerous shots on my flickr site from last nights trip. Please look at those as well. You can find a link to my flickr at the bottom right of this page.

MT

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Leaving a Trace

No matter how hard people try to not leave a trace of themselves behind,

it is impossible to think that we will in deed be invisible.

MT

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Where I Am

Even when not wetting a line in the North Fork, that is where I am. If it isn’t the river, its the woods bordering it. It is my sanctuary, my home, and my place of solitude. Nothing can get me when I am on the river or in the woods. Only the animals that frequent the woods will sense my presence. If I am lucky, not even they will recognize me. I want to be forgotten. Motionless, slowly breathing I will become a tree, become a rock in the river, or simply become nature itself.

I do my best to blend in, it is a pitiful atempt in all reality. I am not apart of nature. The Earth has become a sanctuary for humans and not so much for the creatures that originally were here.    “I know I am intruding but please let me stay”, I cry. They reject me at first. I am an intrusion. I don’t belong here. “Please, I want to stay”, I say again. “I will be quiet, I won’t even move from this tree”, I reassure them. Shhhh…..Don’t move, they are accepting me. They are curious, just like myself.

I once was a part of nature. Mankind was a part of nature. Relying on the land, self-suffiecent, respecting the earth they stood on. Where is that today? When do you stop and look at a leaf, think about the veins of life running throught it just like yourself, and appreciate the beauty in it. Simplicity. A word commonly ignored today. Well, tomorrow I head to simplicity. I will walk amongst the trees, walk along the rocky river bottom, and I will be where I should be. It is my life. Nature is the blood that runs through my veins.

MT

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Simple

Sometimes I feel that I should just let my photos do the talking. Here is one of those times. What I get from the photo may be completely different than you, so if you feel inclined to share your thoughts, by all means do. If not, enjoy it for what it is.

MT

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