DigaPixBlog

Nature photography requires preparation, persistence, luck and skill.  You don’t walk into the forest and get the perfect image of a bald eagle.  It takes preparation or darn good luck to even get close to a wild creature of nature.  As you have seen on National Geographies these photographers will go out and live on the ice for weeks to bring back that hart stopping shot of the polar bear.

While the subject of this photograph is not a denizen of the jungle it is a creature with quick reflexes and an aversion to human presence not to mention the monstrous eye of the macro lens.  The photographer was able to capture this Fancy Lizard in the few seconds before he was off and running.  The focus is excellent, the head and face are sharp as a tack.   The natural background tells us this was not some poor animal trapped in a glass box but one of nature’s free and wild citizens.  Like cactus reptiles are survivors of the extreme and this image tells of their fascinating and raw beauty.

The only comment I would like to make is there may be some value in moving the focal point of the image off the center of the composition.

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We have talked about the epiphany element in some photographs.  The one detail that if it were not there it would be a different image with a different message.  Not every composition has an epiphany element; in fact very few are altered with the removal of a single small detail.  But the works that have this turning point are often taken to a higher level.

Normally the subject in the photograph submitted here would be the tulip with dew drops.  The single hanging tear drop captured seconds before its plunge into oblivion changes the entire subject matter and story.  We are drawn into this macro reflective world of the single drop and see a different world.  Our eye and our imagination dive into this single point of interest while the composition and graphics of the rest of the image complement our passage into this other reality.

The only detail that concerns me is the quality of the green stem.  Rather than being in soft focus it has the texture of a slightly pasteurized surface.  This may have been caused by the digital capture techniques in the camera.

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I have seen subjects that I knew had a good image in them but try as I may I could not bring it out.  Then I would give up and go onto another potential photograph.  Months later I would see a shot by someone else of the same or a similer scene that was what I was trying to accomplish.  The difference was usually the light in the other person’s interpretation and the angle of view they selected.

This is a resubmitted of a scene we saw a few days ago by the same photographer.  I would like to commend him for hanging in there and trying some different interpretations.  I like the fact that you have done more to isolate the subject that interested to you.   By using the foliage as a backdrop you have simplified the background and allowed the pipe valve to standout with less distraction.

There are a couple of things I would like to suggest.  When I look at the photo the first thing I notice is that the image does not appear to be sharp (see sample Sharpened photo below).  If you were using auto focus and a tri pod you may want to get you camera checked out.  The selection of the time of day has given you harsh shadows that go beyond the limitations of the digital process.  Try shooting either in the first or the last hour of the day to get a softer cross light.  This time of day will also bring out more color in the pipe and rust, similer to increasing the saturation on the computer (see Modified image below).

On the right edge of the frame near the top as a small portion of the tree trunk entering the frame, you may want to remove this by either cropping or cloning.  And finally you could do a little more cropping to remove most of the material on the ground and the distant tan background (see Modified image below).

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Last month there was a program on television about what the world would be like if humans suddenly disappeared, how long would our manmade structures survive.  How much time would elapse before they crumbled in to unrecognizable dust without us to maintain them?

This image of a derelict building brings that program to mind.  The photographer has tried to capture the feeling of abandonment, of lost hopes and dreams.  It’s not an easy subject to do, conveying feelings.  I feel the use of the color against the drab hues of the structure helps to get the point across that this was once someone’s home or place of business, someone’s life.

I would like to suggest to the photo-artist that sometimes less is more.  He may want to consider the removal of the bottom floor of the building with its red color and leave only the one colored window to stand in contrast with the rest of the low key structure.

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When does a work become art?  I’m sure an academic could answer this with ease, but how many academics do you know who are artists?  Art is a relationship between the artist and the viewer.  The artist plans, creates and presents their interpretation of the world and the viewer does or does not relate to the result.

The photo-artist has made this subject their own.  They have visualized this composition (planed), manipulated the image to meet their visualization (created) and seared this work with us (presented).  Now it is up to the viewer to react and respond.

This image leaves me breathless.  The overwhelming graphic of the red leaf dominating the composition, dividing it vertically while its base ends in the  water and is repeated in the reflection like a window into another dimension (ones of light and dark).  The illuminated edges of the plant with the subtle textures are remarkable.  This is a work I would like to have hanging on my wall.

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Southern California has one of the greatest resources for photographers in the world.  Yet it is not even know about by most non-pro photographers.

This is the land of the movies, and what do movies need? Props, and who supplies the props, prop houses.  I have spent hours wondering around these places and they are wonderful. For a small rental fee you can find anything you can imagine for use in your table top and still life photographs.

This antique microscope must have captured the imagination of the photographer the instant he saw it.  What a find, what stories it could tell.  It looks like it was taken in the original lab or classroom.  You can tell by the dust on the work bench and the old wooden cubby holes in the background.  It appears that the photographer used a flash to illuminate the scene.

This is a nice photo as far as it goes.  But I would recommend that the photographer work the subject a little farther.  The overall shot tells us that this is an old microscope but little more.  The subject could be approached in two ways.  The first would be to set up a more interesting environment with props and create a planed still life composition.  The second would be to get in close and see some of the graphic detail of the instrument and eliminate the background.  I know your time may have been limited but if we want to take the subject out of the curiosity category more artistic planning may be needed.

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Light accentuates texture.  This sounds like a simple statement but I have seen enough photographs of nicely textured subjects that were taken on overcast days to know that we don’t always remember this axiom.

The image of the undercarriage of this train has three things going on concerning texture.  The first is the strong overhead light that should bring out the texture in the lighted areas.  The second is the shadow areas that would not display the texture because of the lack of a direct light source.  But the photo-artist has added a third element, a textured computer filter to accentuate the appearance of a pitted surface throughout the composition.  Though the filter is obvious it is scuttle enough that it does not distract from the image and helps to get the point across that we are looking at a weathered piece of equipment.

There is one area that the photographer may want to take a look at.  At the bottom center of the image is a hose apparently on the ground that leaves the frame and then reenters.  Perhaps this could be removed.  At the same time the horizontal line of the track is acting as a one sided frame which could be removed by cropping.  Also note this line is about 1/4 degree out of horizontal.

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The Descanso Gardens located in La Canada California was originally a commercial Camellia garden run by the owner of the Los Angeles Daily News, E. M. Boddy, until the county took it over in 1953 and developed the 25 acres into the public facility we enjoy today.

This time of year the tulips are in bellum and just asking us to photograph them.  The image presented here is an excellent example of what you will find at Descanso.  The photographer has captured this fire on a stem in all its spectacular hues.  I like the choice of background with its dappled shades of green.  The decision to not show the entire flower and crop the left side adds a little interpretation keeping this from becoming a record shot. 

The photographer has also supplied us with the same image that has had a posterized filter applied.  I think I prefer the original without the alteration.  I would like to make one small suggestion to the photo-artist.  If the saturation were increased a little we would get even more brilliant color in the flower peddles. 

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It must be spring.  This is our third bee photo in a week. 

This is an interesting comparison to the other two bee images we have seen.  The first on March 19th is a similar composition with the notable exception of  the shutter speed used.  This photographer elected to use a slow supper speed and thus the wings of the bee appear to be moving a high speed, the March 19th shot was fast enough that the wings do not appear to be moving.

I find the plane of focus to be interesting in this image.  You will note that the bee and two of the flowers; the one on the right and the one at the top, are in sharp focus and a portion of the branch is also sharp.  The lighting is nice with the bee almost translucent with the back light yet the three important flowers on the right are in just enough shadow that they to not become to burnt out and loose detail.

The photographer may wish to consider cropping out the portion of the stem at the bottom that is in focus.  I think it may be competing for our attention.

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When working with still life compositions we should keep in mind that we are in control of the situation.  The objects in the scene are not going to fly away.  We are their masters and as artists can move them, rearrange them and change our angle of view, multiple versions of the composition can also be tried.

This found still life has a nice quiet feel to it, an old world mood with the handmade stool and the hand crafted broom.  I like the negative space of the white textured wall with the soft cross light giving it detail.  The leaves on the ground add a touch of spontaneity to the environment.  There is a puzzling thing going on here.  The brick wall to the right is vertical yet the line between the wall and the brick floor has a defiant slope.  I don’t think this is an optical illusion, I believe that is the way it was constructed. 

There is one observation I would like to make.  Graphically the stool, the broom and the green plant all stand alone, there is nothing bringing them together as a whole.  It’s difficult to express but it’s as if they are each their own subject within the same frame.  Perhaps if the broom were leaning more in the direction of the plant it would help to tie all three together.

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When we photograph a subject that has captured our imagination we need to keep our viewer’s attention on that selection.  Sometimes if we are not careful we have distracting elements in the scene that cause the eye to wonder.

I believe this photographer was very much aware of what he wished to capture in his composition.  The subject, the bee, is very prominently place within the scene in the lower fourth of the frame.  The depth of focus works well from the bee with flower to the branch which is just a little out of focus to the background which is completely obscured.  The lavender hue helps to tie everything together.

There is one suggestion I would like to make about this composition.  At the top of the frame above the bee is a cluster of buds entering the frame.  They appear to be in competition for our attention.  We know the insect is the focal point but the buds keep drawing our eye away.  This could be resolved one of two ways, either cloning our cropping. 

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There’s an old adage in sales “When the customer gives you the order stop talking and leave.”  In other words when you have what you want don’t say any more you might screw up the deal.  The same thing is true of photography.  When you have what you want in the view finder you don’t show anymore, release the shutter or you might show too much.  Keep it simple.

This photograph is an example of simplicity.  The photographer has only shown us a portion of the six soccer balls and nothing more.  There is no background; we don’t even see an entire sphere.  But we know what we are looking at without being given any more information.  By only showing us this limited view he leaves it up to our imagination what else is going on around the scene.  We have to imagine how many more balls there are; two, ten, a hundred, who knows?

The shot is clean, with nice focus and lots of color.  The fact that the light is mid day sun does not take anything away from this image.  Note the reflections of red light on the left hand white ball which has a mat finish and the reflections on the right hand gray ball which has a gloss surface.

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Death Valley is a Disneyland for photographers.  It covers 3,000 square miles from the salt flats of Bad Water to the moving rocks of The Race Track, from the ghost town of Rhyolite to the sand dunes of Stove Pipe.  There are more iconic photographs to be taken in this National Park than any other I have been too.

The image submitted here is of the great sand dunes near Stove Pipe Wells.  This is the place you want to be at sunrise.  This photograph has the rich textures and soft light you can only get in the first 45 minutes of the day.  I like the graphic of the slopping sand dunes repeated three times starting with the foreground.  The plant life between the foreground element and the middle ground helps to tie them together. The removal of the sky and showing only the mountains was a wise decision. 

There are a couple of suggestions I would like to make.  The sand dunes are the subject and therefore the mountains have less importance than the amount of composition space they make up would warrant.  The photo-artist may want to consider reducing their prominence by cropping.  The second suggestion would be to darken the mountains.  This will make the sand dunes appear to be brighter.

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“When you take a photo of your child and you like it it’s a snap shot.  When your neighbor truly likes it it’s a photo.  But when the world likes it it’s a photograph.”  This is how I look at photographing people and things we love.

This contented cat I assume is the photographer’s family pet, an animal that is treasured, as seen through the eyes of the loving owner.  No drought this image is important to the person that took the picture.

I would like to make a suggestion to the photographer.  If you want others to appreciate the cat as much as you do you need to capture an image of it doing something unique or funny to the viewer who is not familiar with the personality of this particular animal.  You might also try getting in closer and eliminating the background and surroundings too concentrate on the subject without distractions.

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Macro when combined with high shutter speeds can let us see the world around us is ways our normal human senses are incapable of perceiving.  Think of the photos we have seen of the balloon being pierced by a dart or the apple flying to fragments as the bullet passes through it.

This photograph falls into that category.  The photographer tells me he was photographing the poppy and the bee got in the way.  (I think his tongue was in his cheek.)  This shot took planning and expert implementation.  He may have even used an automated trigger device, such as an inferred beam, to get this shot.

I believe his selection of a profile composition of the flower allowed the bee to be separated from the nicely softened background without environmental clutter.  The insect has the appearance of being frozen in mid air.  Note the detail in the wings.  The focus is perfect and the timing remarkable.

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When you photograph landscapes you must be there when the light is there.  And I am not referring to high noon.  That first hour in the morning and the last hour at night is your time to shoot landscapes.  I am not saying you can’t get a decent image any other time of day, but I have known nature photographers that would put their equipment away for most of the day rather than waste film.

This golden hour shot has tranquility and stillness.  There is something about the cloudless lavender sky that creates a hush over the scene.  You feel that the dear are just inside the shelter of the forest about to emerge to graze the meadow. 

There is a certain grandeur to this work.  The composition brings to mind the landscape paintings of the late nineteenth century.  Note how the leading lines of the tree tops guide our eyes up the pasture to the distant mountain.    

My only recomendation would be to remove the tree top at the far end of the meadow.  Its current placemant makes it quite promenate in the scene.

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We have seen many images from this and other slot canyons.  The trick is to find a way of photographing the wonderful colors and light in a new way.  In a way that makes the viewer say “I’ve never seen it shot like that before”.  This is true of many often seen subjects.

An abstract image was selected as the subject of this composition.  This image is interesting in that it is pure color.  It’s almost an optical illusion.  The two shades of orange may appear to change place, which one is in front of the other?  It would even be possible to reorient the composition and still have a nice image.  I am not saying you should but you could.

There is one detail that gives me pause.  The lavender triangle in the lower left hand corner is a bit out of place to my eye.  I am certain the photo-artist intended it to be there but he may wish to consider allowing the image to just consist of the two orange hues.  Or if possible could this feature be larger and have a more prominent identity?

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I love shooting rust and weathered wood.  There is something about photographing the texture and patterns that make me want to bring out the detail and hidden graphics.

This photograph could fall into that category.  There are possibilities within this scene that must have drawn the photographer to the subject.  But in addition to the textures we need to combine them with other elements such as interesting light, patterns and graphic lines.  More often than not we need to get in close, almost macro photography, to find the intriguing detail.  If the photograph covers too much information we end up with a record shot, a photo that has lots of information but no interpretation.

I would like to recommend that this photographer returns to this same scene and tries to find five other close-up detail images within this setup.  Try shooting up close, try shooting at unusual angles and see if the lighting can be changed to a lower angle to enhance the shadows and texture.  It’s like a treasure hunt.  Sometimes you find the prize and sometimes there is not treasure.  But you won’t know unless you do some digging.

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The Topa Topa Mountains rise above the Ojai valley in Southern California.  The name Topa Topa comes from the Chumash Indian word for village.

This image attempts to cover a broad vista.   The photographer has made the low hanging sky the primary subject in this scene.   I like the low horizon and the feeling of a storm about to pass over the landscape.

The human eye and brain work in combination to take in majestic scenes.  These are difficult to capture on a two dimensional element such as a photograph.  One way of achieving this is by having a reference point in the foreground to give the scene scale and proportion.  Think of some of the photographs you have seen of the Grand Canyon.  The good ones have something in the foreground such as the near rim of the canyon to give them scale.  The average ones try to capture a wide expansive view but fail because they have no foreground anchor.

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The photographer’s eye can sometimes be distracted by a shape, a color or a subject that, thou interesting in itself, will not make a suitable subject as first observed.  Often there are images within the overall scene, but it takes work to root them out.  When you see something that turns you on decide what it is and then take everything else out of the picture.

The photo presented here has possibilities.  There are interesting color combinations, shapes worth exploring and lots of rust (one of my favorite textures).  I imagine the person that took this shot was attracted by one or a combination of these possibilities.  However I believe they tried too get to much in one shot.

I would suggest that the photographer, if possible, revisit this subject and get down and close to the detail and find elements that have graphic appeal.  Find colors, shapes and textures that attract your eye and focus on them.  I think there a number of possibilities in this scene but they are to be searched out and developed with close examination. 

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I believe in breaking the rules.  More often than not it results in an inferior photograph.  But when it works you have something wonderful, an image to remember.

This simple candied shot captures two little girls sharing secrets oblivious to the rest of the world.  They are so into each other they don’t notice what is going on around them, just each other.  I particularly like the fact that only a portion of one girl’s face is exposed.  This gives us the feeling we are intruders in to their world.  This composition uses the traditional one third rule with the subjects face placed at the intersection of the upper left junction.  The line of the black and white wall passes through their heads, graphically it forces their heads together and making them that much closer to each other.

The rule braking, can you see it? 

The little girl’s ballet slipper’s heal is tangent to the edge of the frame.  Normally I would consider this an infringement of the rules, but it this case it adds to the story.  I get the feeling this extended leg is holding out the intrusion of the rest of the world and trying to keep us at bay.

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Big Sur on the central California coast south of Carmel has been a Mecca for photographers for the past hundred years including Edward Weston.  The Santa Lucia Mountains rise abruptly from the Pacific to form one to the most rugged coast lines along the California shore.  There is something magical about the area.

This sunset highlights a complexity of cloud formations to from a backdrop to the massive silhouetted rock formations.  The sun is on the cusp of leaving us to the night.  I am particularly attracted to the satin like qualities of the wet sand and its undulating patterns.   The silhouetted rocks give depth to the scene and frame the departing light of life.

Another possibility for this image would be to crop to a square format thus placing the sun on the center line and changing the large rock formations to what could be a land mass; funneling our attention through the channel made by the silhouettes.  I am not saying this format is better just another concept.

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What is a subject in a photo? It sounds like an easy question but perhaps not.  To my mind a subject is something that attracts our attention and keeps our interest in the scene.  Not all photographs have to have a subject in the normal scene.  They could be attractive to us because of the light, the environment (mood), our just the color.  This is what I refer to as a proxy subject.

The photograph submitted here has a very simple landscape composition with a foreground (rocks), middle ground (sand) and distance (water).  The colors are bright and alive with interesting detail.  There is a nice feeling of movement caused by the two different areas of wet sand and the small waves.

It is my feeling this image needs a subject to complete it.  The layers in the sand and water are acting as leading lines that take us nowhere.  Perhaps an interesting subject on the beach would make this composition more interesting.

There is one thing I would like to suggest to the photographer.  In the top right hand corner there is a strip of land and rock that you may want to remove.  There is not enough information to tell us what it is and thus it appears to be an over site and not intended to be in the picture.  I like the rocks in the foreground but would like to see some more flowers, it’s not important just my opinion.

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We have just seen an image (Cherry Blossom) which was an example of patterns.  This photograph of Cholla Cactus is similar in style but has no partner.  The plants and crests are arranged in a random pattern.  What do you think is the subject?  Is it the patch of cactus, the light on the crests or perhaps it is something bigger?  This is what I refer to as a chaos subject.  It has no particular center of interest yet it holds and appeal to our eye. 

The photograph was taken about thirty minutes after sunrise giving us the brilliant high lights on the crests of the plants.  Their diminishing size creates the illusion of depth.  I like the fact that the photo-artist cropped out the sky, creating a semi-panoramic image.

I would like to point out to the photographer a small detail, which may or may not be important.  In the lower left hand corner there is a small portion of a bolder that could be removed.  It almost looks like the tip of a finger.

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Look for repeating patterns.  They are all around us.  Repartition of the same subject, the same shape, the same color can result in an interesting image.  They don’t have to be all exactly alike; the mind’s eye needs to interpreter them as the same.

This image was taken last week a Balboa part in Encino California.  The cherry blossoms are spectacular this time of year.  The low morning light adds shape to the branches of the trees while illuminating the strong colors of the flowers.  There is a pattern of trees that leads us back into the scene.  The photographer has elected to look through the grove rather than full face along a front which we have seen so often.

I might make one suggestion to the photographer.  There is a small, skinny tree along the right hand edge that takes away from the pattern of the other trees.   Perhaps this could be cloned out.  This will allow our eye to follow the natural path of the patter to the left.  You might also experiment with the saturation of the color.  It is nice the way it is but with our expectation we can enhance even nature’s best efforts.  As you can see I am not a purest.

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Color can do more for setting the mood of a photograph than any other single element in an image, yellow are warm and happy, reds exciting and blues are low key.  Before we even see the detail within the composition we are often effected by the overall hew if the illustration.

This photograph because of the dark blues off set against the whites has a lonely feeling.  The posture of the man adds to this interpretation.  The traveler is alone, shoulders bent forward, head looking at the ground.  He appears to be isolated in the blaek landscape.  The colors also give us another worldly feeling, the night of the traveler’s mood.

The composition has the man located in the left hand quarter of the image.  This combined with the perspective of the tapering path tells us he has a long way to go before his jury is complete.  But he has no chose, he must go forward.  This image tells a story

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With the advent of computer software to manipulation photos in the late 1980’s a new art form was created.  For the first time the average photographer, for a reasonable cost, could manipulate their images in ways only the expert dark room technician could achieve.  That’s not to say that all attempts at altering photos is good art but we are able to create interesting compositions.

The photograph presented here has a nice abstract feel along the lines of the early nineteenth century painters.  The filter used gives movement to the scene with its elongated swelling lines of distortion.    I like the dark path going up the center of the frame at an angle.  It helps to accent the angle of perspective of the flowers on the right while the flowers on the left are a massive anchor of color.

The original photograph, while colorful, was probably a rather ordinary image.  The computer manipulation was able to take a mundane scene and transform it into something more dramatic, if you don’t suffer from vertigo.

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Southern California is fortunate to have so many wonderful beaches, in some places mile after mile of sand.  And if you know the right spots you can have a beach almost to yourself.  I have a friend that has a house in Hawaii.  The shore near his house is covered with rocks.  He says it is sand it’s just that the grains are the size of grape fruit.

This photograph has a nice combination of elements; the flowers, the rocks, the sand and of course the water.  There is nothing dramatic going on it’s just meant to be a peaceful, present scene.  The soft focus gives it an additional feeling of tranquility.  

There is only one suggestion I would make to the photographer.  Along the right edge in the corner there are three fingers of rock entering the frame.  This could be cloned out if the photo-artist wished.  There is not quite enough information about them to add to the composition.

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It’s that time of year, the wild flowers are out.  They attract photographers like a magnet.  There is no better way to spend a spring day than shooting in the field; it gets the hart beating and your senses on full alert. 

This image of California Golden Poppies which were shot in Arizona (would that make them Arizona Golden Poppies?) expresses one of those days.  The air is clear the sun is bright and for a few minutes or a few hours our mind can be distracted by nature.  I like the gold offset against the rich dark blue sky.  It allows the flowers to pop in the image.

There are a few suggestions I would like to make to the photographer.  When shooting something beautiful watch out for the background.  The sky works well but the dark tree abruptly transitions to a less appealing scene.  In the lower left hand corner there is an out of focus plant that does not harmonize with the patterns of the poppies.

It’s OK at the time of the shoot to remove items you don’t want in the image and it’s legitimate to move your angle of view to eliminate background distractions.

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Photographing portraits in mid day sunlight is hard, hard, hard.  The overhead light works against you; deep shadows and bright highlights.  If this is the only time and place your can shoot your portrait subject you should have a reflector of some type, white board or aluminum foil, to bounce light back into the shadows.  Sometimes a fill flash will work but I like the reflector better.

The Charlie Chaplin impersonator in this photograph appears to be participating in some sort of contest or Hollywood pageant.  I like the way the photo-artist has distorted the background to make his subject standout.  There are nice ketch lights in the eyes though they appear to be coming from two different light sources.  Under the circumstance the photographer has probably gotten the best exposure they could.

The over head light has cast a shadow across the subject’s face giving them a raccoon appearance.  A reflector or fill flash might reduce this situation but it would not completely eliminate it.  I think it would be nice if the hat did not have the sticker, it is a bit distracting.

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