The Influence Of The Past

Despite the profound effect that modern technology has had on photography, many of us are still captivated by the look of photographs from the medium's early years. I was looking at photographs by William Henry Jackson the other day, and was quite impressed with the quality of his work using equipment that is decidedly "low tech" by today's standards. Jackson started out as a talented water-colorist, and later became one of the pioneer documentary photographers of the American west in the 1870s.

Jackson's photos just have a certain "look" or quality about them that is quite different from photos produced my modern equipment and techniques. It's not that they just look old, but the photos have a beauty to them that I find hard to put into words. Many photographers who started out as painters seem to have a better appreciation off light and composition. Those are both key components of good photos also, which probably explains why former painters transition so well to the medium of photography. I found that special beauty of Jackson's photos hard to emulate as I tried to do with this photo of the Smoky Mountains that I made from Newfound Road. (Click on photo to enlarge.) Very challenging, but very enjoyable for me at the same time. As I've said many times before, it's the unlimited variations of expression possible with photography that will always keep me from ever getting bored.

My Little Brother

I seem to be shooting more people photos lately. This one is of my little brother, Matt. Actually, I should say he's my younger brother, since he's been taller than me for a few decades now. But I guess no matter how old or big he gets, he'll always be my little brother. It's older brother prerogative to use that terminology.

I shot this one in the same location as my brother-in-law's photo on the 5/26 post. It was on an outside deck in open shade, but as you can see, there was still some direction to the light. (Click on photo to enlarge.) Directional light gives the shadows that suggest depth and texture in a photo. I also gave this one a slight sepia tone to warm it up a bit.

Stop And Learn Something

We've passed this stone edifice on the main road through Smoky Mountain National Park dozens of times, but never stopped to see what it is. (Click on photo to enlarge.) Saturday, while traveling through the park to visit my brother in Pigeon Forge, we stopped to check it out. It turned out to be the Laura Spelman Rockefeller Memorial, and it is the site where President Franklin Roosevelt officially dedicated the park on September 2, 1940. (See photo below.) Roosevelt spoke from a podium in the center of the lower level terrace to a large crowd who had gathered to witness the event and see the famous and popular president.

The location of the site is on Newfound Road (Hwy. 441) at the NC/TN state line. Sometimes it pays to stop and look around. You just might learn something interesting.

Brother-in-law

My brother invited my family and my sister's family over to a cabin they had rented for the weekend in Pigeon Forge, TN. We ate, drank, ate, caught up on all the latest family news, and then ate some more. Hey, we're all from Louisiana and we like to eat! And of course, I brought my camera, hoping to get some new casual portraits of some family members.

This is my only brother-in-law, A.J. I waited until he was distracted in conversation with my brother to squeeze off a few snaps. (Click on photo to enlarge.) While talking to my brother, I don't think he was aware I was taking his photo. When using conversation as camouflage for your activities, you can't shoot while your subject is speaking or you'll almost always get an awkward looking mouth. I wait until he's listening, and then, click! As with most things, it's all about timing.

A Little Cooperation

Normally, my oldest daughter, Heather, doesn't want anything to do with my photo making activities, especially if she's the target. That is, until I offered to do some portraits of her in the garb of her new obsession, fencing.

She got interested in fencing in her first year at Appalachian State University, and has turned out to be pretty good at it for a beginner. She joined the school's fencing club, and participated in several tournaments during the school year, even scoring a few victories. As with photography, there's an entire culture that surrounds fencing, with a lot of lingo and tradition that I don't always understand, but I'm learning. For example, in the photo above, it appears that her weapon is bent. However, it's supposed to have that "bend" in it so the "blade" only flexes one way when she makes contact with her opponent.

I made these portraits in my "studio" down in my basement. A plain, white sheet was the background. I learned several years ago from one of celebrity photographer Gary Bernstein's books how to let the light falloff from your main light render a white sheet a neutral gray. Simple, and it works. Having never photographed a fencer before, I had to research online for some posing ideas. The session went very smoothly, and both of us were very pleased with the results. Of course, it helps to have a cooperative subject. (Click on photos to enlarge.)

My wife and I are proud of our daughter, and glad that she has found a healthy, competitive activity outside of the classroom. To some, her new found interest seems a little obsessive at times, but she has a Dad that understands obsessive interests!

Through The Woods

The foliage in the mountains is still displaying the bright, vibrant greens of spring. Soon the tones will turn to darker greens as we get into the summer months.

I hope everyone enjoys the Memorial Day Weekend!
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"I love to learn, but I don't always like to be taught."

- Winston Churchill

Sign and Flag

I know I've posted versions of this scene before, but I love this old Esso sign at the Mast General Store In Valle Crucis, NC. On this one, I used the "Mojave" filter in Virtual Photographer to convert from the original color photo. (Click on photo to enlarge.)
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"I wonder if other dogs think poodles are members of a weird religious cult."

- Rita Rudner

Creativity

I've been busy putting in some long hours at work, so I haven't had time to prepare a regular photo post. However, I thought I'd pass along a link to a short video on the subject of creativity that I stumbled upon recently:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-gPG9R8bAU

Enjoy!

Yellow Rose

A yellow rose, my mother's favorite kind. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

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There is no such thing as "fun for the entire family".

- Jerry Seinfeld

Downtown Clyde

The recently renovated downtown area of Clyde, NC. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

I don't know how evident it is at web resolution, but the treatment I gave this photo was inspired by looking at the website of photographer Larry Shapiro. Larry uses bromoil, bromoil transfer, and oil printing to produce the intriguing images in his gallery. Never heard of those? Neither had I, but Larry describes the processes he uses for those of you interested in the chemical darkroom stuff. There are some nudes in the "Figures" gallery, but you can skip that one if photographic nudes aren't to your taste. His site is definitely worth a visit.
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"If everyone is thinking alike, someone isn't thinking."

Gen. George S. Patton, Jr.

Are these really mountain azaleas?

If I were to submit this azalea photo for publication in a book on flower identification, I'm sure it would be rejected. I've added some soft focus and punched up the saturation just a bit. (Click on photo to enlarge.) Azaleas aren't quite that pink. Some would say it isn't "real".

So, is it real? At the risk of sounding like Bill Clinton at a deposition, I'd say it depends on what your definition of "real" is. If you mean is it a literal representation of an azalea in the wild, I'd say no. I made no attempt to reproduce the exact color and textures. However, if you mean is it real in the sense of being true to my vision of the azalea, I'd say yes, definitely. My goal was not to to be literal, but to be expressive. In that regard, the photograph is absolutely "real".

Photography is sometimes like the historical novels that I love to read. These stories are based on actual, historic events, with a little "story telling" mixed in to make it a more interesting read. Did it happen? Yes. Did it happen exactly as related in the story? No. The story has all the qualities of reality, except that the events, characters, and locations have been "enhanced". Photographs can be like that, and I find that they're often more fun when they are.

If you want to see the work of someone who really gets it when it comes to expressive images, check out Ted Byrne's amazing work at his Image Fiction site. I think of Ted as kind of a jazz artist with a camera the way he can wring feelings, emotions, and memories from an image with his visual improvisations.

Antique Rose

Sometimes it pays to take a break.

I wrote last week about my trip to Boone to pick up my daughter from college, and how I drove part of the way on the Blue Ridge Parkway. That's where I found these dwarf irises. (Click on photo to enlarge.) But I didn't see them from the cab of my truck. I had been drinking coffee since I left the house, and well, I needed to take a "break". So I pulled into one of the many observation areas along the parkway, and walked into the woods out of sight of the road to take my break. That's where I found the irises. If I hadn't stopped and gotten out of the my truck, I wouldn't have seen them because they weren't visible from the road (and hopefully, neither was I). The moral of this story: When looking for wildflowers to photograph on the Blue Ridge Parkway, be sure to drink lots of coffee and take frequent breaks.

Soft Edge

Another macro from my wife's Mothers' Day roses. I shot this one at a relatively large aperture for macro work (f 5.6) for an intentional shallow depth of field. I like the softer look that resulted. (Click on photo to enlarge.) Photographer Tony Sweet makes fine use of this technique in many of his flower photos.
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The Film vs. Digital Debate Continues

Although digital cameras have been outselling film cameras for several years now, film seems to be enjoying a slight resurgence among some photographers. Of course, it's the question of relative quality that fuels the debate. Ken Rockwell has been touting the advantages for film for "serious" photography for a few months now. I enjoy reading Ken's articles, and find him to be very practical and insightful on many aspects of photography. However, I can't buy his argument on this one. Personally, I just can't see ever returning to film.

Why can't we just agree that film and digital are different, and quit arguing about which is better? Because for some it's fun to argue and debate, and many others like to hear/read those debates. I used to chime in on these on-line debates from time to time, but not any more. What's the point? I don't see the "feud" being settled anytime soon, so I'll just keep enjoying mine, and hope you keep enjoying yours.

B&W Rose

Flowers and color photography seem to be a "no brainer" combination, but I occasionally see a flower photo in B&W that makes me reconsider that thinking. The first one that comes to mind is Ansel Adams' famous photograph from 1932, Rose and Driftwood, as seen below.

There are other good examples, but since I had some roses available to photograph, Adams' photo became the inspiration for my rendition. I didn't have any driftwood on hand, so I had to improvise on the background. Adams' lighting shows more texture in the petals, but I was pleased with the tone I was able to produce from the originally red rose. I'll work on the lighting on the next one. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Can I borrow those roses?

I ordered some roses for my wife for Mothers' Day. When UPS delivered them on Friday they were all buds. By Saturday, the buds had opened up into beautiful blooms. I know I bought the roses for my wife to enjoy, but it couldn't hurt if I borrowed them for a little while for some macro shots, could it? So while she was out in the front yard working in her flower beds, I slipped out to the back yard with the roses, my camera, and a tripod. Shhhhh!! Maybe she won't find out!

I shot the original of this one at f18, and it was sharp. Too sharp. I decide that for the effect I was looking for it needed to be softened just a bit. I used Xero Graphics' "Soft Mood" filter on a duplicate layer, and then selectively erased some of the filter's effect so that part of the original sharp layer showed through. (Click on photo to enlarge.) It took some tinkering to get it like I wanted, but I thought the result looked much better than the original sharp version.

Happy Mothers' Day!

For all the Moms out there, I hope you enjoy your special day!

The Red Door

This church was all white except for the roof, and this red front door. And I think they're proud of their red door because it's the only part of the church without peeling paint. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Taking The High Road

Yesterday, I had to drive up to Boone, NC to pick up my daughter from Appalachian State to move her back home for the summer. I can't believe her first year of college is over already! I left very early (hence, no post yesterday) so I would have time to piddle around with my camera on the way up. I drove one leg of the trip on the Blue Ridge Parkway, which certainly isn't the road to take if you're in a hurry, but as I said, I had plenty of time. The higher elevations were mostly socked in with clouds, and scenic vistas were hard to come by. I did see a few wildflowers, including this painted trillium (Click on photo to enlarge.) Even with the clouds, fog, and later, rain, I enjoyed having the time to take it slow on the high road.
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I'm In A Magazine!

Well, an online magazine anyway. An editor from The Foliate Oak, a literary magazine published by the University of Arkansas at Monticello, came across My Viewfinder, and asked me to submit some photos for a future issue. I did, and three of my photos are in the May online issue. Go to http://www.foliateoak.uamont.edu/ to check it out.

A Prophetic Sign

Best for you? Is this sign prophetic, or what? When this Chesterfield cigarettes sign was first issued by the Ligget & Myers Tobacco Company, it was no doubt unblemished and pristine, like your lungs were when you were born. Now it looks like, well, like lungs after years of smoking. Why do people do it?

When I was in 8th grade, one of my favorite teachers, Mr. Allenbach, broke it down for the class this way: "Before you decide to start smoking, just consider for a moment what smoking actually is. Smoking is the act of deliberately, and repeatedly forcing smoke down into your lungs. I'll let you decide if that sounds like a smart thing for a person to do." Putting it that way settled the issue for me, even though after living with two parents who smoked, I didn't have much interest in it anyway.

I lost my Dad to lung cancer in 2004. My Mother stopped smoking around the time my Dad passed away, but now has chronic breathing problems. So yeah, I'm a little prejudiced on the issue of smoking.

Rear Window

This is another view of the St. Matthew Episcopal Church near Todd, NC. The church was locked up when I visited, so I don't know what's in this little room at the back of the building. The shapes of the roof and the window caught my eye - somewhat different from the very plain design of the rest of the building. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Dwarf Iris

I'm probably going out on a limb by calling these flowers "dwarf" irises, but that's the name they're given in my wildflower book. I know you're not supposed to use the terms "dwarf" or "midget" to refer to little people any more, but I don't know of the P.C. people extend that to little flowers too. It wouldn't surprise me. Anyway, they look just like normal size irises, but have smaller flowers, and grow closer to the ground. I found these growing at the botanical gardens at UNC-Asheville. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Like Father, Like Daughter?

Well, she's not fully infected like her old man, but she gets periodic bouts of the photo bug. I think all parents take special pride when one of their sons or daughters shares an interest in a pastime or hobby like photography. I know I do.

A Place To Sit

Whether it's a humble cabin in the woods, or a luxury home in a gated community, the porch remains a popular place to sit and relax. A little shade, a soft breeze, a glass of iced tea - who could wish for more than that at the end of a hard day? (Click on photo to enlarge.)