DigaPixBlog

Looking for detail in found objects can lead to some interesting results.  Rather than photographing the entire object look for hidden subjects that can tell the story without exposing the viewer to the entire scene.  This will add a little mystery to the image and let the viewer add their own experience and imagination to the photograph.

Our photographer found this detail on the surface of an old weight.  The surface is pitted with time and has a promising texture that can be exploited with a strong cross light.  The photo-artist has placed the numeral high in the composition to give the graphic more interest. 

I would suggest that the photographer try to get a stronger light to skim across the surface when photographing textured surfaces.  This can be bumped up a little on the computer to bring the ends of the levels curve closer to the center which will give more contrast to the surface patterns.

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Man in nature is an important theme.  This sort of subject is generally best carried out when man is interacting with nature, has a purpose in the composition.  Too often we see people placed in photographs of this type that have no animation, no particular relationship to their surroundings.

The image we see here is a good example of how to use a human subject in a man in nature photograph.  The subject has a direct relationship to the stone arch.  There is an invisible, yet prominent, line leading from the lens of the subject’s camera to and through the hole in the rock.  The viewer can imagine that they can see what our subject photographer is seeing through his view finder.

The late afternoon light is spectacular.  This low golden light brings out the texture of the sandstone arch while the shadows give natures sculpture shape and contoure.  I like the fact that the subject is in total shadow and silhouetted against the graduated blue sky.

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Leading lines are an important element in guiding the viewer through a composition.  Sometimes they are subtle and other times they hit you over the head and say this is how I want you to see this subject.  They are also useful to tie elements of a layout together.

With the bold white line cutting across the tarmac to the feet of the walker I don’t think you could call this leading line subtle.  It is bold and in your face.  Without it there would be no composition.  I like the early morning light and the way the photo-artist had limited our field of view so we have to use our imagination about the pedestrian in the shot. 

Notice that the horizon, in this case the sidewalk edge, is nice and striate.  This line is located at the feet of the subject thou we can see they have not reached the curb.  With the horizon one fourth of the way down from the top of the frame the viewer has a feeling of being insignificant, almost a hidden voyeur.

My only complaint is that I wish the person in the composition were more interesting.  This would give our imagination more to work with when creating a story about the subject.

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Most people with a camera are drawn to taking pictures of animals, particularly when they have the opportunity of shooting wild animals.  These subjects are exotic, hard to come by and something you don’t see every day.  Unfortunately almost all of us don’t have  the time or we don’t take the time to study the subject and find unique ways of capturing the image.

This little fellow is accustomed to people being around and posing for the visitors.  The large wood beam he is resting on makes a good contrast to the textured rock all around.  This image does not have the look of a zoo shot even with the manmade objects in the composition.

I would like to suggest taking this shot as the photographer has done and then look for other possibilities for images that are more interesting and have stronger graphic elements.  This may be difficult if not impossible but the goal when photographing is to get compositions that are different from the norm and capture the imagination of the viewer.

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Patterns can make an interesting subject but they often work best when they are used as a backdrop or a primary subject.  This allows the subject to standout amongst the repartition of their surroundings.

This photo-artist has found the ultimate pattern of waves and color.  The primary subject is placed far to the right allowing room for them to move through the frame, in this cast at high speed.  The expressions of joy on their faces add to the feeling of the fun on the ride down an exhilarating slide.  I particularly like the way the photographer has tilted the graphic to add even more tension and movement to the composition.

I played a little with the color saturation and when I increased it by 100% there was no discernable change in the hues of this rainbow of color.  The artist could have named this image ‘Riding a Wild Rainbow’.

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Some images give us joy the moment we see them.  This masterpiece has done that for me.  The moment I saw the fantastic subject and the extraordinary light my heart was lifted and I wanted to hear his music.

The single source light skims across the subject picking up key points of interest from his eye to his arm to the fingers.  The flute itself carries the light like an arrow along its shaft.  There is just enough subtle detail in the shadows so the viewer can peer deeply into the darkness. 

This image has captured my imagination.

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When I was working as a professional photographer one of my specialties was industrial photography.  I shot a lot of products as well as people doing the manufacturing.  Welding was always fun to shoot because it could be so dramatic and at the same time easy to do.  By using a slightly slow shutter speed you could capture some dramatic images with all the sparks flying.

This photographer has captured the weld with the exploding drama of flying bits of molten metal.  Like fireworks they sparkle and pop. The overall exposure works for this particular shot.

I would like to make a couple of suggestions.  The point of our attention has been placed on the center of the layout.  This might work better if it was moved to the left and up so the sparks were emanating from the one third intersection of the composition.  I have found these shots become more interesting if the welder is show in the shot.  It helps the viewer understand what is happening and adds a little human interest.

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A funny thing happens when we introduce humans into a landscape photograph.  They invariably become the focal point of the composition.  It does not matter how small the human figure is in relation to the rest of the scene they draw the viewer’s attention. 

This shot has a group of hikers that are contrasted against the immensity of nature.  This gives us a good scale of reference as to the size of the canyon.  I like the way the photo-artist has used the river as a leading line into the scene.  The viewer can almost hear the sound of the moving water and feel the early morning chill.

The canyon is in shadow and shadows have a tenancy to shift the colors a little to the blue side of the spectrum.  The photographer could have used a warming filter on the camera at the time of the shoot or alter the saturation on the computer to warm up the image a little.  The people have been placed right at the center of the composition.  This may have been a little more interesting if they were more off center.

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One of the benefits of macro photography is the ability to see what we ordinarily pass by without being aware of every day.  They let see how the world works.  This is very important in documenting a subject for educational and scientific purposes.

This photograph of a spider at work has excellent detail and depth of field.  The viewer can see every hair and fiber of this arachnid and its web.  The lighting, thou not dramatic, captures every detail.  The photographer’s selection of the graduated gray background is dark enough to allow the fibers of the web to standout in every detail.

This would be a prefect image to be included in a scientific journal or text book.  I can see this shot in ‘National Geographic’. The execution of this documentary image is excellent and brings the subject to life.

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Getting out of your comfort zone is what growth in photography is all about.  By trying new techniques and failing or succeeding expands the photographers quiver of tools and helps them to create their own style.  My advice to all photo-artists is to try something new, become familiar with all sorts of visual arts, and grow.

This image is something new for this photographer.  The image evokes the feeling of a flight through a dream or swimming in an imagined world.  The blur of the cross stocks is like a viscous material she is trying to pass through.  The cropping is interesting in the way the photographer has left so much space around the subject.  I tried re-cropping the composition but found the photographer’s original selection was the most satisfying.

The pastel tones of blue and tan with the smooth transition has a quitting feeling, completely non-threatening.  This abstract image can tell many different stories to the viewer, all of which are pleasing.

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When you think about it shooting images through a water drop is like using a filter on the camera.  It is in effect a medium that the reflected light from a subject passes through which alters the scene through the spherical contours of the surface of the translucent material. 

This water drop image was taken of a wedding photograph that appears four times in the foreground droplets.  I like the ghostly shape and texture of the white background  bride in the photograph.  I think this technique works best when the original subject matter is so far out of focus that it is difficult to determine what it is.  That makes it even more of a surprise when the viewer recognizes the resulting image held within the water drops.

The placement of the foreground subject follows the traditional rule of thirds rather than placing it on the centerline of the composition.  The sipia tome of the original photo adds a nice antique feeling.

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Landscape photography is one of the simplest types of image the photo-artist can create provided we understand a few simple rules.  The first is light.  Golden hour is the premium time to shoot.  The second is having an interesting subject, and the third is the rule of layers.

The rule of layers states that a landscape should have foreground, middle ground and distance.  This adds depth to the image, leads the views eye into the scene and gives scale to the composition.

The photograph presented here has an interesting layering of light and shadow.  This shot was taken early in the morning which has allowed good exposure and contrast in the fog, sun light and shadows.  The viewer gets the feeling of a day just starting in the outback.

I would like the photographer to consider that this image is missing one element, foreground.  Without something in the foreground; a rock, a tree, an element of some kind there is nothing focusing the viewer’s attention.  This is why so many shots of places like the Grand Canyon are disappointing.  Photographers forget that small two dimensional images will not capture the scale of the scene without a foreground anchor.

Also the contrast and color saturation could be bumped up on the computer to give the photograph a little more snap. 

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Night is a great time to photograph.  The results can be stunning and surprising.  Finding the correct exposure has become a lot simpler with the advent of the digital camera.  With film you had no idea what the results would be until days later when you got the film back from the lab, but now we instantly know if the image is acceptable.

I like the way this photographer has placed the vertical column in the frame giving the composition a sense of place while acting as a graphic that leads the view up to the heights of the Farris wheel.  Without this element it could have been just a record shot of the wheel structure. 

It would have been nice if this photo could have been taken a little earlier so we could have had some light in the sky for texture.  The photo-artist may wish to burn the left hand corner to lessen some of the intensity of the lower portion of the column.

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The human eye is extremely sensitive to visible light.  We have the ability of see detail across a wide range of light and shadow.  The camera however can only record about four to five stops of detail in a scene.  This means that dark shadows have a tendency to block up and highlights to burn out in other words no details at the extreme ends of the exposure when the contrast is too great.

I think the photographer of this image had a good idea using the tree to frame the lone gazebo overlooking the water on an overcast day, giving it a feeling of aloneness.  The low horizon and negative space add to the mood.

The photographer may want to consider a few observations.  The exposure for this composition is difficult with little detail in the shadows or highlight while at the same time making the center of the gray scale look flat.   Another thing to consider is the slight tilt of the water’s horizon.  This may be due to the angle of the land on the horizon but it is a little distracting.

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Composition is the relationship of graphic elements within a scene.  These can be geometric shapes and how they relate to each other, lines and how they intersect the layout or color rudiments and their comparability. 

This composition has an interesting diagonal line running from top to bottom along a sixty degree angle.  On this line rests the subject, a water drop about to run down this surface.  I find the way the blade of grass divides the frame interesting.  It is placed in such a way that the area of the background to the left and right are of equal size.  This gives a stationary feeling to the graphic.

In this image the focus in nicely placed on the subject with the background soft, however I do feel that perhaps the bright green to the left of the foreground is a little distracting.

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The quality of light changes over the cycle of the day.  In the morning (the first hour after sunrise) and late afternoon (the last hour before sunset) the photographer gets their best light.  The sun is low in the sky, the contrast between highlight and shadow is within the capabilities of the camera and the textures of the subjects are strong.  This is often referred to as the golden hours.

This image of a small river has red leaves in the foreground helping to frame the scene.  I like the photographer’s choice to crop out most of the sky and concentrate on the river and the foliage.

I would like to suggest that the photographer experiments with this scene if possible by taking the same shot at different times of day under varying lighting conditions.  The midday light has washed out much of the color in the composition.  Some increase in hues can be achieved with the use of photo software on the computer.  Another thing I would like the photographer to consider is trying to find a stronger subject.  The river by itself does not have a strong attraction for the casual viewer.

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This will be the last year for an event that has been attended by photographers from around the world for over thirty years. Wilma Roberts held the Rock Springs Ranch horse drive in Bend Oregon every year since the mid 1970’s.  The Rock Springs Ranch has sold to building contractors and will be closed as of the 15th of this month.  This year some percipients went home with more than photographs, they took a few of the last horses that need a home.

This photograph was taken at the Rock Springs Ranch last week.  As you can see the opportunities for wonderful western action images was outstanding.  The drives were held during the late afternoon when the light would be right to pick up the rim lighting through dust raised by the movement of the stock.  The men on horseback were attuned to the needs and desires of the guest photographers giving everyone an opportunity for that perfect image.

The Rock Springs Ranch drive has created thousands of excellent photographs over the years.  I should know I have had the pleasure of seeing may of them, thank you Wilma.

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One of the things photography can do is show the viewer contrasts; light and dark, big and small, near and far.  This allows the viewer to see the world through the vision of the photo-artist. 

The image presented here takes us into the world of contrasts.  The small spider appears even smaller when seen against the mass of the tulip’s sphere.  The photographer has captured this small creature as it is just about to move off the surface and into the void along its thread of web.  If the spider were in mid air we would not get the same feeling of contrast in mass.

Graphically I like the cropping with the curve of the surface indicating than the tulip is much larger that what we see, but we have no idea just how far it extends.  The bright green in the background highlights our subject, the spider, letting it sand out more than if it had been against the darker hues.

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Architecture is an art form like sculpture.  To photograph it in an artistic way the photo-artist must find a way to interpret it and make it unique and their own vision.  This takes it out of the realm of merely recording an object and into graphic art.

This photograph of the Jefferson Monument could have been taken from across the street showing this magnificent structure just like a thousand other tourist photos we have seen.  But the creator of this image selected to accentuate the detail and combine that with a strong graphic style.

The photo-artist elected to take this picture when the light was low on the horizon so that the shadows would be filled with reflective illumination to balance the contrast between shadow and highlight.  The strong blue sky creates a nice color contrast to the golden tans of the stone.

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We may be drawn to photograph other’s works of art, and there is a time for being true to the original artist’s work when photographing it.  However if the photographer is to create an image that goes beyond recording someone easels art form we must find a personal way of expressing our feelings about the subject.

This bronze oriental statue has wonderful potential.  I like the glow of the backdrop and the cross light that brings out the texture on the surface of the sculpture.  This would make a nice catalog photo displaying the quality of the original work of art.

The photographer probably did not have much control over the lighting or the setup of the subject.  This limits how it can be creatively interpreted.  But if the image is to reflect the photographer’s insight it needs to be captured in a way that the casual viewer would not envision.  A new angle, different lighting, graphic detail are all ways to see a work of art in a new way.

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The fundamental principle behind photography is capturing light on a recording device.  The quality of that light determines the viewers perception of the subject recorded.  The same model will be perceived differently depending on how the light strikes it on how that light is reflected and recorded.

This photographer allowed a single point source light to pass over, around and through the subject to give this plant a strong crisp feel.  Against the solid black background the subject has a three dimensional look with strong textures and subtle shifts in hues of green and gold.  The viewer will note the rim light on the edges of the leaves and the top of the flower.  If the position and intensity of the light were to change the character of this image would not be the same.

The composition is based on a diagonal line graphic which gives an uplifting feeling to the scene.  The horizontal leaf across the top acts as a stop to this upward travel like a lid, preventing our eye from wondering off the page.  This would be an entirely different composition without that leaf.

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It’s a rear talent to make other people smile through photography, particularly when the photographer has preplanned the setup and deliberately captured the hummer. 

The moment we see this image we get the point.  The placement of the bubble so close to the tip of the dog’s muzzle without touching tells the story of our friends questioning nose.  The photographer’s timing was perfect.  The selection of the pink background picks up the same color in the muzzle and around the eye of the dog.  I think it was a risky choice of color but it worked out very well. 

This image has great commercial probabilities.  It puts me in mind of the old RCA logo of the dog and the Victoria entitled “Hearing His Master’s Voice”.

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Little kids are fascinated with the world around them perhaps because everything is new and unknown.  Many photographers have this same child like wonder.  They find the world fresh and new through the view finder.  They are seeing for the first time in years.  What a wonderful feeling to see like a child.

This creature out of Alice and Wonderland may not be to everyone’s taste but it caught the eye of this photographer.  The focus is sharp on the subject while completely soft in the dappled background.  The photo-artist has elected to not show the entire length of the caterpillar.  This leaves the viewers imagination to determine just how long this little fellow really is.

A suggestion I would like to make is to crop the image so there is less of a horizontal feel to the scene.  By rotating the frame we could get a stronger diagonal graphic which may add a little more interest to the image.

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We can get some interesting effects with moving objects under low light conditions.  We have all seen photos of lines of red tail lights taken on the highway at night.  This same principle can be used to make moving objects appear transparent.  The effect is caused because a stationary object receives all the light while the moving portion is only partially exposed.

This example of movement under low light exhibits this translucent quality.  We get the feeling of movement in the flapping wings while the head and body appear to be stationary.  The single point light source has been exposed for the torso of the bird and the wings being light hues reflect enough color to illustrate their movement through the image.

I like the placement of the subject against the black background in such a way that there is room in front of the bird for perceived forward movement.  This is a very effective use of light and movement.

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Record shots are excellent for text books or showing our friends and neighbors where you have been.  But as photographers we need to photograph the exotic in ways that makes the uninvolved viewer interested in our images.  The art photograph does not just tell us what the photographer saw but rather how he saw.

This aquarium shot displays an interesting species of jellyfish.  It shows good detail of the creature in motion.  I like the placement of the subject in the lower right one forth quadrant which keeps it from becoming stagnant.  This is a nice specimen shot.

If we are going to get photographs of aquatic creatures without getting wet we need to make sure that there is nothing in the image to indicate the picture was taken through glass, such as reflections.  In the lower left hand corner there is indication of a water spot on the glass.  This could be removed with just a little computer cloning.  Better still try to catch this sort of thing before taking the shot.

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Finding new ways to express common subjects is one of the challenges the photo-artist faces every time they present an image to the public.  This can be done by finding a new angle of view, a different crop, tighter shot, better light, computer manipulation, etc.  If our images are to standout they must have something new to say about familiar subjects.

The photographer of this common image elected to use the computer to create his vision.  By converting sixty percent of the image to black and white and selectively leaving a portion in color the layout takes on a new feel and meaning.  The photo-artist came in close to eliminate background distractions.  This particular type of plant has very graceful curves to the leaves that have grace and flow.

I like the way the creator of this image elected to have the green wash on the surface behind the protruding cone.  The photographer may wish to take another pass at removing all the unwanted color down in the lower left hand corner, there is still a hint of green in that area.

PS: This plant is not a cactus, its a succulent.

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One of the things cameras are good at is recoding pictures.  This sounds simplistic but the photo-artist needs to go beyond recording events and start interpreting them, making their images unique to their vision, their eye.  The photo-artist wants to be that one photographer in ten whose images are different and standout.

This is a quite mobile, a humorous toy.  I like the bright color and simple background.  The photographer has composed the image with space in the front of the subject giving some room for it to move into.

The viewer may note that the image appears to be a little soft.  With a subject like this with its relatively shallow depth we would expect it to be extremely sharp.  Perhaps the shot was hand held and a little shake was introduced.  Above all I would like to see a little more of the photographer in the image, more creativity rather than recording a quite subject.

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The human eye is amazing in its ability to perceive light from extreme sunlight to deep shadows.  Our man made recording equipment, cameras, have limitations as to their ability to document severe lighting conditions.  When the whites have no detail we refer to it as ‘blown out’ and when the shadows look solid black it is said to be ‘blocked up’.  Most equipment has a latitude of four to seven stops.

The stained glass windows in this shot have allowed the photographer to shoot directly into the light and maintain  detail throughout most of the shadows in the scene.  The colored glass is acting as a neutral density filter which helps balance the intensity of light.  At the same time the hues in the windows have transferred some of their color to the surface of the stone.

The photo-artist has selected the smallest column in the lower right hand corner to be vertical while allowing the other columns and window to keystone.  This gives the feeling of an overwhelming power, like a wave, hanging over the viewer’s head. 

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Classic car shows are a wonderful place to photograph the graphics of line and shape.  The autos of the past had personality.  I love the reliably and efficacy of today’s transportation but many are indistinguishable from manufacturer to manufacturer and year to year.

This photograph shows interesting gradation in color as the light moves across the convex surface of the hood and fender.  The grill has the anthropomorphic characteristics of the mouth of some character from the cartoon classic ‘Cars”.  You almost feel as if it could growl out some words of warning about how tough this big guy is.

I like the layout with only one head light in the composition.  This keeps the photograph from becoming a record shot if this make and model, nice job of cropping. 

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There are two things I am continually harping about and that is letting you image tell a story and eliminating extraneous information.  This photograph does both exceptionally well.  The viewer should note that there is nothing that could be removed from this photograph without altering the story.

When looking at this composition you can almost hear the mother whispering to the child; “What is that?”,  “Isn’t it pretty?”.  This image gives me a feeling of intimacy between these two humans, bonded together with love and shearing, a quiet moment.  This is a universal story of discovery and teaching that only a parent and child can shear.

The photo-artist has elected to use muted tones in this presentation.  This gives the photograph a quiet understated feeling.  The photographer could have elected to increase the saturation which would have altered the atmosphere of the scene a little.

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