Easter lilies

Posted by Mark on Apr 11, 2009 in nature photography | 8 comments

Easter Lilies, Belle Isle Conservatory, Detroit, Michigan

Photographed today on a family trip with my wife Lisa to the Belle Isle Conservatory near Downtown Detroit, Michigan.   Since the conservatory is crowded this time of year, as well as it being primarily a trip for family photos – I was sans-tripod.   It feels very strange for me to photograph without a tripod – almost to the point of paranoia.   For those of you who photograph with one regularly – I think you know what I mean.   Fortunately I was able to crank up my ISO on my D700 and with a VR 105 mm lens  – it helped alleviate my nervousness.  This was only ISO 800.

This particular image seemed to have a certain balance to it that I liked.   It is something that can be difficult for me to achieve with often chaotic groups of flowers.

Visualization

Posted by Mark on Apr 8, 2009 in nature photography | 12 comments

I stumbled across a gem of a video just recently over on LensCulture, found from another site – I suppose it is being passed around a bit now.  We sometimes hear about the term “visualization” of photographs – essentially composing them in your mind before actually pressing the shutter.   The short video clip is of Ansel Adams speaking about this aspect of making a photograph.   I found his words quite inspirational.   Thank you to Mark Silber and the Ansel Adams Gallery for the footage.

The Key to a Photograph from Ansel Adams from SilberStudios.Tv on Vimeo.

This reminds me of a key point when perhaps a critic is questioning a photographer’s interpretation of any particular scene.  Whether it reflects “reality” or not quite frankly becomes irrelevant if the photographer is trying to recreate what was seen in their mind’s eye to start with.   Unless someone has some psychic photo-mojo powers, only the photographer really knows what it should look like.   That mind’s eye can be a fickle thing – what it should look like today may not be what it wants it to look like in the future.

So if you are ever having any doubts about how to portray your subjects – take the advice from the man himself who was certainly one of the pioneers of developing an image into what he saw in his head, felt in his soul, and not necessarily only with his eyes.

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

Posted by Mark on Apr 5, 2009 in nature photography | 5 comments

Filling Horizontal space

Stock photographers are always reminded to shoot both verticals and horizontals of their subjects because you never know which is going to fit an editors needs better.   Are they looking for cover material better suited to a vertical, or a two-page spread better suited to a horizontal.    It makes me think about how a simple matter of orientation can dictate a photograph’s usefulness for a specified purpose.   A spectacular horizontal format image is basically useless to someone needing a vertical one.

I find that it can be a rare circumstance that a subject works equally as well in both formats.  More often the geometry of the subject and other elements in the scene dictate which frame orientation works better for it.   In this example I shot up at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in Michigan, I find both ways to work equally as well.    The version someone picks for a print or stock image may depend on if they have a horizontal wall space to fill, or a vertical one.   Quite often, the orientation of the image may even take precedent in importance over the actual image itself.   So it is a big plus to find a subject that can work both ways.

Verticals - a natural fit for covers

I haven’t always shot both formats – and even in cases today I don’t because it looks awkward in one versus the other.   I know one thing is guaranteed though – if I only shoot a horizontal – I know for sure someday someone will ask me if I have a vertical of that same shot.   So sometimes I have to overcome my artistic stubbornness to think about providing flexibility for potential uses.

Going back to film

Posted by Mark on Apr 1, 2009 in nature photography | 24 comments

No place like home

Having switched over to digital capture now for a number of years, I have certainly learned a lot about the pluses – as well as the minuses. As much as the benefits are nice to drool over, in many ways I miss the simpler days. I never used to worry about backing up my slides, feel pressured to have the latest megapixel offering, or worry about the next generation of processing software bringing my computer to its knees. Who ever thought of the term “Digital Asset Management” when using Velvia??? I have felt there is a price to be paid for engaging in this digital madness – in ways much more than what hits your wallet.

So with that – I say hello to Velvia again and bring my ol’ F5 out of the drawer. I don’t have to worry about how much dynamic range I can get out of you – it is pretty much a fixed, known value. I don’t have to fret over how you will be processed – it is the same every time.   I will have the opportunity again to forget when is the last time I had to replace my batteries.  I will dust off the light table and the loupe, and look forward to the textural interface I will have again with my images. No instantaneous delete button, but the often difficult but necessary decision to banish that mounted slide to a trashcan will come back.  No need for exhaustive searches of keywords to find images .  I will simply pull a page of slides out of my filing cabinet and scanning through them in front of a light table.  I don’t even need power to do it – I can do it by candlelight.

There is so much to be said for keeping it simple.   It is time to embrace it.