Impressions

One definition of Impression is: A strong effect produced on the intellect, feelings, conscience...the first and immediate affect of an experience or perception on the mind.

Photography is heavily influenced by impression.  In essence virtually every photograph is an impression of a single moment of light. Impression in return is heavily influenced by shape, form, color, and texture. With this being the case…just how can we effectively use the idea of Impression to create interesting photographs?

In a photograph, impression implies something that looks familiar but is somehow different. When we see an impressionistic photograph…what we’re looking at is exactly that…something that is oddly familiar…but it just doesn’t quite fit that normal state of structure we demand in our lives. Our brain wants to perceive the image in one way and yet interpret it another way.

Let me show you an example.

In this photograph we see an impressionistic view of a group of trees. What we see looks familiar, yet the way we perceive it visually tends to affect our view as though it is a series of lights and darks, vertical and angled lines that flow across a dark background. Why it appears this way is because of the isolation achieved by using a telephoto lens. Visually, if we were standing in this location what we would see is a wide angle view of the entire spectrum of the scene…it would…well look like what we would expect a wooded area to look like. When we tighten the view…isolate a smaller section of the larger view…we can achieve this impresionistic capture of a group of trees.

Here is another example.

Reflections on water are in essence all about impression. Water will impart a softer feel to a reflected image…factor in a few light ripples and the light is broken into a myriad of shapes and textures. We know it is a reflection…we sense that the reflected light involves some fall-like colors…yet visually we cannot ascertain the exact nature of what is being reflected. In this case…it’s all about light, shape, and color.

When I seem to grow stale in my photography, I often fall back on the idea of capturing impressions as opposed to capturing physical likeness. By doing so, it allows my seeing to shift from what it wants to naturally lock onto, and forces it to think in terms of artistic flavors. It changes the way your mind perceives the world and allows it to isolate visual cues and shape them into a form and composition that becomes a refreshing perspective. This approach will improve your ability to see physical likeness from a more artistic point of view.

Keith

AstroPhotography - Capturing the Night Sky

5 minute Exposure Looking North East - Photographed using Manually
Operated Barn Door Tracker
Constellations: Corona Boreals - Hurcules - Bootes - Part of Draco

Many years ago for Christmas I received a small dime-store variety telescope. It was one of the reflecting types using a smallish 2 1/2 maybe 3 inch mirror and a single low power eyepiece. With that simple device another dimension of the night sky opened. I was able to easily see craters on the moon and when pointed to a dark patch of sky, new stars became visible. The moons of Jupiter spread like shining diamonds shifting their position each evening. On one evening, a particularly bright object caught my attention and I pointed the telescope toward it. After a few moments of searching trying to center the object in the narrow field of view, a small, somewhat fuzzy object appeared. To either side looped what appeared to be handles. I withdrew my eye from the viewer...then looked again. Saturn!...the ringed planet. There was no doubt what it was even to my limited knowledge.

I've never owned a quality telescope...just too expensive, but I've always wanted to own one. Oddly enough the last couple of years I've started exploring another aspect of photography I never realized was so relatively easy to do; AstroPhotography.

Photographing the night sky does not require a lot of special equipment. Almost any lense from 50mm on down to 16mm will work. A tripod is a must and for the most part a remote shutter release is all but required. What is most important is a dark sky and that requires getting away from the light pollution of the city. The darker the better. Photographing the moon is less of an issue because it is so bright, but to capture the night sky...constellations and even the Milky Way haze...the sky must be a moonless, dark night with clear skies.

500mm - Tightly Cropped

This type of photography can be as complicated or simple as you want to make it. One easy way is to mount your camera on a tripod...set the exposure to manual / Bulb using manual focus set to infinity, and an ISO of 800 to 1600. The aperture should be opened to the maximum your lense will allow (f3.5 / f/4.0 is common)...attach the remote release...point the camera toward a patch of clear sky...press and hold the release and count to thirty. You will be surprised at what you will see. Using up to a 50mm for thirty and even 45 seconds will not produce any noticeable 'star trailing' caused by the rotation of the earth. For longer exposures, you will need some kind of tracking device.

Shanty Hollow - Includes Part of
the Milky Way near the top

Tracking devices are contraptions that allow the photographer to rotate the camera on the same plane as the stars to follow the stars across the sky for an extended period of time. Of course you can purchase expensive computerized equipment to do this, or you can build one that will work remarkably well. They are called 'Barn Door Sky Trackers' and there are numerous designs ranging from simple hinge types to more sophisticated contraptions that rival professional quality equipment. Some of these are motor driver, but many of the simpler ones are driven by hand.


I recently built one and spent some time trying to make it work...with mixed results...more because of the operator than the design. I discovered that the key ingredient to make for proper tracking is an accurate setup...it has to be oriented to the Pole Star to allow for correct tracking. What started as a simple design has evolved into a system with fine tuning dials and spotter scope pole star orientation...I'm still trying to find the right combination.

AstroPhotography is a fascinating way to explore the night sky and provides another avenue of artistic expression. This summer I hope to explore this method in more detail.

Keith

Kentucky Morning Series - Farm Country Sunrise

Not far from my house sits a typical Kentucky farm on rolling country. A old gray barn sits midway on the rim of a pond. Behind the barn a pasture rolls gently toward a line of trees that ride against the morning sky. Fog often drifts across the low lying area of the pond and as the summer progresses, the sun eventully rises behind that line of trees.

The air is usually calm at daybreak allowing the barn to cast a reflection on the surface of the pond. The silence will allow the sounds of the country to fill the morning with its song. Birds aplenty, grazing cattle bellowing a greating, and even a rooster sounding off it morning wakeup call.

One morning a few years ago I happened upon this scene just as the sun was peaking over the edge of the tree line. A hurried series of shots captured the moment. This location has become one of my favorite locations as it portrays the way a Kentucky morning should be remembered.

A few months ago after a prolonged period of rain, a sinkhole opened in the bottom of the pond and all of the water drained away underground. Sinkholes are common in this area, but to have one drain a pond is not. I am releaved I captured this location when I did. Without the pond, it's just not the same.

Kentucky Morning Series - Wrong Turn

I took a wrong turn that morning, but it was a turn that ultimately proved itself as a fortunate mistake. When I backed out of my driveway a light fog drifted across the pasture across the road. The air was cooler at this time of day so I hoped fog would fill the lower parts of the Shanty Hollow lake area. Twenty minutes later as I approached the ‘Y’ in the road that would ultimately take me toward Shanty Hollow, the fog became quite thick and instead of angling to the left, I drove straight somehow missing the turn.

About a half mile later I realized my mistake, but decided to continue on down this less traveled road when I came across a medium sized pond that was covered with a light blanket of fog. The sun was still several minutes from rising so I turned around and pulled off on a side road and walked around to the side of the pond. The air was perfectly still and what ambient light there was began to glow with a solid aura that filled the sky and area with its color.

 

 

Over the next twenty minutes, this aura changed in texture and color from deep lavender to pale blue then back to a soft sunrise orange. The colors were perfectly captured on the surface of the pond. 

This wrong turn proved itself a fortunate mistake that offered an amazing moment of light that stood apart as one of the most unique I’ve ever experienced. Once again a moment displayed itself with the flavor and melody that so typifies what a Kentucky Morning can offer.

Kentucky Morning Series - Fourth of July

Nature provided the fireworks on this 4th of July morning. I was up before dawn and out the door specifically heading over to a pond I last visited maybe two years before. What greeted me that morning was another marvelous example of a Kentucky morning.

When I first arrived at the location, the sun was still several minutes from breaking free of the horizon, which allowed me some time to get setup and plan my morning shoot. Sometimes, I only have an idea of what I want to do and often wait until the specific moment before deciding what will work and what will not. To capture a sunrise effectively, you must work at a neurotic pace because once the sun pops above the horizon, it travels rather quickly. Within a few minutes it will climb too high in the sky.

One element I love about Kentucky are the calm winds. Coming from Oklahoma, wind was simply a way of life and you just dealt with it. Here in Kentucky, the wind is much less of a factor and there are times when the air is completely still. That is what greeted me that morning.

I set my exposure to take advantage of the moment using a mid-range aperture, along with an almost negative two stop exposure compensation value. This proved a winning combination as it allowed the camera to capture what I was feeling...not so much what I was seeing. The effect I wanted was to lean toward an exotic, one color look. With the sun reflecting on the water and what haziness there was created a morning glow...the exposure values generated a darker and bolder look than what was physically being displayed.

That is a mistake I see many photographers make...they think they must capture the scene the way it appears visually when in reality, in many cases you can capture the emotion of the moment more effectively.

This 4th of July, the fireworks that nature displayed proved far superior to any of the man made attempts that came later in the day.

Keith

Kentucky Morning Series - Back Road Drama

A few years ago I spent some time exploring a new area looking for potential photo opportunities. I happened across a back road that grew progressively narrower and eventually came to a dead end atop a shallow rise. It was midsummer in the early afternoon and at the time the light was rather harsh and the scenery was somewhat ordinary. But, as I stepped out of my Jeep and took a look around I began to see the potential that was actually there. Dropping off to the south were two pastures that were partially split by a spit of trees. On the far side of the fields rose a tall ridge with the Barren River flowing across the base.

Maybe twenty minutes passed as I meandered down the road taking in the sites and breathing in the fresh country air. A few cows greeted me with their mournful bellows. To the east several layers of tree lines arched along the lay of the land and somewhere between them flowed the Barren River. Everything was green and the air was summertime hot, but I knew if I could only return when the conditions were better, that maybe, just maybe something magical would happen.

I did return, several times, the first few times not much of consequence materialized, but on the third trip over there I arrived well before daylight and I discovered a bit of fog drifting down in the fields. The photo's I made that morning were so-so, but that fog encouraged me to return again. Late September, I did return, twice and both times I was greeted by an amazing display of what a Kentucky Morning is all about.

The photo shown here was captured shortly after the sun broke free of the ridge and began to burn off the heavy layer of fog that engulfed the valley below. In an instant, the top layer of fog evaporated leaving the lower layers still clinging to the folding landscape. A moment later, a brilliant sun broke through the haze and the top of the foggy ridges were set alight by the radiant glow. I fired off several shots over the span of a few moments, then, just as rapidly as it had developed, it was all over.

Finding moments such as these become the jewels that adorn a portfolio. They also do not come easy. Relying on random chance would have resulted in never producing such a photographic moment. Looking beyond the obvious and seeing the potential of a location is a skill I rely on more than I realize. Those skills become instinctive with time and experience. Most importantly, I never gave up on the potential of this location. That perseverance paid off handsomely with a display of Back Road Drama the likes of which I never encountered before or since.

Next in the line of this series...another dramatic Kentucky Morning photo from this same location...

Keith

Kentucky Morning Series...Summer Sunrise

Sleep  barely washed from my eyes, I climbed into the Jeep and headed out for a morning shoot. I didn't know for sure what to expect on this summer morning. When I came to the intersection that connected with the main road, I paused for a moment in the dull light of pre-dawn, looked left then right, took a breath, and said "that way".

Two miles down the road out of the corner of my eye I caught a glimpse of farm I passed all the time and rarely took notice of it. The sun had climbed a few degrees above the horizon and the sky was set aglow by its warmth. At each corner of the entrance into the farm two lamps were still lit and the white fence arched around the pasture. It took a few dozen yards for the my Jeep to come to a complete stop and then a few seconds to backup far enough so I could easily jump out.

I crossed the road, set up my tripod and made a quick test shot and after a few adjustments, two or three more. Then went on my way.  The rest of the morning proved uneventful and sometime later after I downloaded the images, this first quick set turned out to be the best of the day.

I can't count how many times I've made quick shots like this that turn out to be the best shots of the day. Usually that is not the case, but every so often, light, time, and place converge to allow for such things to happen.

This particular image has become one of my favorite summer morning images over the years. It possesses a symmetry and balance not easily obtained with quick shots. Light as always is what makes any image work, and for this particular one, it actually became the main ingredient.

Summer is one of my favorite times to photograph early in the day. So many things happen during that first half hour of the morning. On that day, it proved its worth once again.

Keith

Kentucky Morning Series - Coming Soon

Kentucky Morning . . . a time of renewal, a time of awakening, the freshes part of the day. As I sat this evening reviewing some older images taken during those morning moments I realized how incredibly amazing the first light of day is in Kentucky. I've written about it from time to time, shared a few images along the way, but I've never attempted to compile those moments into a series.

Always looking for additional material for this blog, it dawned on me that Kentucky had already provided an array of untapped story opportunities. Coming in the near future, I'll be including a string of articles chronicling some of those Kentucky Morning moments and share how those images were captured.

So join me in a few weeks...as we explore what Kentucky's first light has to offer. I'm looking forward to it.

Keith

The Winter Woods - Light and Texture

A few years ago I took a hike along one of the Mammoth Cave trails. The winter chill had yet to subside and the spring bloom was still several weeks away. My tripod rested across my shoulder adding to the tug caused by the weight of my camera pack. I came across an overlook that afforded a mostly unobstructed view of the Green River and much of the valley. Along its banks tall river birch trees stretched their branches toward the sky, their white bark contrasting sharply with the dull gray of the winter woods.

The sky that was overcast started to break apart and random beams of light floated across the valley illuminating the textures in the trees. I placed my 50-500mm lens on the tripod and attached the camera. Using its magnifying strength, I scanned the tree line along the river bank and discovered a remarkable visual array of textures and contrast. As a beam of light scanned across the scene I fired off several shots before moving on.

I love photographing the winter landscape because of the abundance of textures and shadows. Few of my photo opportunities are random in nature. A good percentage are planned well ahead of time waiting for the right conditions to develop, but.the results of that  one chance encounter far out weighed the normal results from most random opportunities.

 Later, when I loaded the images from that day's shoot, all the others images were rather ordinary, but that series of images across the Green River Valley stood apart because of their textures and light.

Light and texture work together to provide contrast, shape, and form, through the generation of shadow and highlights. Without the beam of light providing highlights, the photograph would have been less dramatic. Some of the best times to capture light and texture in nature is in winter when light has an opportunity to penetrate through the canopy. When trees are full of leaves, light will not penetrate as well and the leaves tend to hide any unusual shapes and forms. Trees like river birch with their white bark create a wonderful contrast against a shadowed background. Throw in some fog and you add the element of mystery to the photo equation.

Snow here in south central Kentucky is not all that common, but we do from time to time manage to receive some most winters. The magical white that filters down provides another element of texture to the winter woods. When caught in a heavy fall, the density of the falling snow provides a fog-like atmosphere and can transform a winter scene. I often look more for the effects of the snow on the textures of the woods than I do the ground cover it can provide. Snow clinging to trees adds a tremendous amount of contrast and enhances the flavor of the moment. If lucky enough to receive a late winter snow when the spring is trying to appear, the contrast-of-wills from the two events provide a wonderful vision of winters magical moments.

Think Small...to Discover the Bigger Picture

There are times I struggle to 'see' the photograph. For some reason I just can't seem to find the right mix of time and place and light that captures my imagination. What usually happens during one of those spells is that I either go home in frustration, take a series of test shots that might stir something for another time, or...I begin to look for the small stuff that defines the bigger picture.

What I wish to avoid is taking a lot of mediocre photographs. I've already got too many of those...they are easy enough to create. What my heart desires is to capture a unique moment where that combination of place, time, and light stirs the imagination. What happens is I tend to get caught in the common trap of trying to take in everything in one view and when I do that, my ability to see photographically becomes blurred and distorted, sort of like not being able to see the forest for the trees thing. It is a way of thinking that can often leads us down a slippery incline where we fall into a pit of complacency with our photography.

One trick I've learned is when I find myself unable to lock in on one of those 'bigger picture' moments, I begin to look for smaller details that more simply defines what I am looking for. Here is one example. I was in a wooded area that is quite scenic, but it can also be quite chaotic looking. There is just too much of everything to be able to capture it effectively in one wide area image. The light was quite harsh that day with bright sun filtering through the trees creating contrasts that made it difficult for any photograph short of an HDR type of image to work well.

As I scanned the area, I noticed a small clump of lacy material growing out of a notch in the side of a moss covered stump that was recessed rather deeply in a wooded area. A beam of light filtered through the canopy of trees caught the lacy growth in an almost spotlight effect. Behind the stump was a shaded area. Using a long telephoto lens I zoomed in on the location from about fifteen yards away and isolated the stump. As I framed the image I realized I had discovered what I was actually looking for. This small growth on the stump represented the essence of the larger picture I was unable to see.

Thinking small is a good way to work out of a difficult lighting situation. Even though your subject may not encompass the full spectrum of the visible situation, by simplifying the composition, the bigger picture can often be discovered in those smaller moments.

Keith

Maximize the Ordinary

One of the themes I write about consistently is the idea of photographing ordinary things in extraordinary ways, or put another way maximize the ordinary. Sounds simple enough, but putting it into practice takes a bit more of a practiced eye. I’ve never actually been asked how do you do that, but indirectly I have been asked that exact question. The question comes visually from the photographs taken by inexperienced photographers.  So let me take a minute and not only explain what I mean by Maximizing the Ordinary, but some ways to go about doing it.

Maximizing the Ordinary is a term I used to qualify the idea that even ordinary things can become extraordinary if captured in certain ways. It is based on using light in such a way as to enhance the basic uniqueness of an ordinary object. There are several factors that come into play:

1.       Color

2.       Background

3.       Type of Lens

4.       Focal point

5.       Composition

Let’s take a look at each one.

Color:

Color blending is critical when trying to photographically maximize the effect of an ordinary object. It’s a matter of using color in such a way that the entire image is affected by the blending of those colors. I tend to look for single color schemes, not necessarily a single color, but a color scheme that carries the same variation of color across the entire spectrum of the image. In many cases, your main subject contrasts with that color scheme. (This is not unlike and is related to Symphonic Melody). What I look for is something in the background that will generate a blanket color effect with enough variation to add interest, but not distract from the purpose of the image.

Background:

The use of background is directly related to depth of field. Generally speaking, a narrow depth of field, which is generated by using a long focal length lens and a large aperture, will serve to isolate your main subject against a blurred background. The blurred background is what will contain the color blend in most cases. Background must be selected that enhances your image, not distract from it. There should be nothing there that competes with what you want to show visually, and everything that is there needs to be a part of the visual story, even though it may be blurred. This may require that you change your position, drop lower, climb higher, move left  or right, or face the other way.

Type of Lens:

Although any lens can be used, it depends on the circumstances as to what lens will provide a better perspective. For isolating a subject, a long telephoto lens will do a better job as it serves to bring your subject closer and distort the background. A wider angle lens is best used when a large area is being photographed. Oddly enough, you can isolate your subject even with a wide angle lens, it’s just a matter of perspective and looking for ways to remove all those unnecessary elements that can destroy the effectiveness of a photograph. I tend to rely more on a telephoto lens than wide angle, but remain aware of the intrinsic nature that wide angle lens impart on the scene.

Focal Point:

Focal point is identifying on what to focus. It is critical for the viewer to understand what you want them to see. In many cases again, you may need to change your position to gain an angle that allows you to focus on that aspect of your subject that is most important. The idea here is to observe and locate the one single perspective that best identifies your subject. It becomes the framework around which you construct your image.

Composition:

Just as focal point serves to build the framework of a photograph, composition serves to build the overall structure of the image. Find your focal point using the correct lens for the job, position your subject against a complementary background, and look for a blend of color that serves to enhance your main subject. Always take into account the position and angle of the light, the quality of the light, and use proper exposure compensation to capture you ordinary subject in an extraordinary way.

Finding the Shot

I’ve known many photographers over the years. Some of them very good…some…well. . . maybe they are still works-in-progress. Actually, I'm still a work-in-progress as I am continually learning new techniques and obtaining new insights from other photographers. That WIP phase never really ends as I desire to improve my ability to find the shot because ninety percent of photography consists of exactly that.

Photographs created from a technical aspect may be mechanically correct, but art is not created mechanically, it comes from the heart. Knowing all the tech stuff by itself will not, except in rare instances, create a photograph with impact. 

So how do you find the shot? If I could truly answer that question and bottle it, let’s just say I could afford to purchase any camera make or model I wanted as a result. The problem with defining that answer is that everyone is different. Our world views are developed through our personal experiences and how we perceive what defines art comes from how we look at the world. What stirs one person may not affect another.

Most of us can appreciate great art. It’s one of those things where you know it when you see it, but creating it is much more difficult. Fortunately, nature has already done most of the work and provides a wonderful pallet where as photographers all we have to do is capture what she already provides. We don’t have to create anything, we just need to be able to see it and then apply enough technical skill to the process to capture it.

How to see photographically is the theme of a workshop I teach from time to time. I must admit that even though the concepts are sound, many who attend the workshop struggle to understand how to apply those concepts to their photographic endeavors. As stated previously, photography is ninety percent seeing and ten percent photographing. Unfortunately, most people get hung up on the ten percent and never truly expand outside that confined aspect. For some reason, they are continuously searching for that magic formula that is mysteriously hidden inside their high dollar camera. What they expect is for the camera to create that great image, and ignore the importance of exploring the other creative ninety percent that dwells within themselves.

Space does not allow for an in depth analysis of how to find the shot, but I would like to share with you the top three aspects I use.

1.       What do I look for?

I look for situations that generate mood and mood is generated by the quality of the light. One of the most powerful concepts I try to convey when working with novice photographers is the idea that photography is all about light and has less to do with what you photograph. Obviously we do photograph things, but the objects we photograph, by themselves do not always make great photographs. It is how we use light to capture the emotion of the moment that matters most. Simply taking a picture of a field of wildflowers in the middle of the day more than likely will lack emotional content. But isolate one plant against a sunrise or sunset to give it context changes the dynamics of the photographic equation. Look for mood generating light and define your subject within its realm.

2.       Create Order from Chaos.

Nature is full of wonderful photographic opportunities. It is also filled with a chaotic complexity that can confuse the seeing ability of even the most advanced photographer. Finding order means to eliminate what doesn’t need to be there. Isolate what is important and let the rest go. Simplify your composition where all the elements that appear are there for a reason and nothing is left that interferes with your visual story.

3.       Use Symphonic Melody (SM).

Symphonic Melody? You won’t find this terminology in any text book or photography instructional book. But, it is a concept I apply consistently when I am in the field. Simply defined, Symphonic Melody is the visual music that defines your image. Think of it like this. Most movie soundtracks carry a basic overall theme through the entire movie. There may be variations of that theme presented, but the basic musical melody is applied across the full spectrum of the musical score (remember Dances With Wolves – great musical score! ). SM as applied to a photograph creates a consistent visual effect using color, contrast, and composition where the overall color theme is carried across the image with enough variation to give it character and definition. More often than not, your main subject sits in contrast to that scheme and stands apart. SM may not apply to every situation, but it does provide a visual impact that will capture the eye of anyone who views your work.

Okay, I could provide a number of other ways I use to find the shot, but these three are instrumental in their impact to any given photo opportunity.

Keith

Nature's Favorable Way; On the Upper Colorado River

I stopped momentarily on the side of the road high above the valley below. The blue ribbon that was the upper Colorado River fluttered across the landscape cutting through the valley and disappearing around the far bend several miles away. A light breeze cut through the altitude with a warm embrace. Rugged hills, sparsely covered in pine, broke the skyline into sections of blue which in turn were broken by white clouds hovering in the morning light. The sleepiness that had prevailed across my eyes during the morning drive vanished as I surveyed the scene for I knew this day was the beginning of a new adventure . . . an adventure I had dreamed about for many years. It was September, 1995.

It is good do such things . . . visit nature at its core . . . for it opens the heart to what it desires most. What my heart desired was to spend time alone fishing and observing a part of creation that offered a respite from the stressful nature of making a living. All I had was one single day, but it was to be a day filled with new wonders that calmed the heart and reclaimed the soul.

I completed the drive into the valley and found an access and near that access was a trail that wound its way along the river for some distance. For the next several hours I hiked and fished, then hiked some more spending more time seeing than fishing. The fall colors were just beginning their transformation with splashes of yellow interspersed among the green. A perfectly brilliant day carried me on its wings of warmth, color, and clarity. I saw only one other fisherman standing waist deep in the clear moving water of the Colorado. Beyond him the hills rolled toward the sky and the brilliance of the sun caused the landscape to glow with a fresh flavor.

Through the day I would sit in a shade and simply absorb the moments of stillness. There was a cleanness here that prevailed as far as one dared to see and I dared to see as far as my heart would allow me. Within all of us resides a need to connect with nature. That is why we feel so refreshed after spending time within its realm. Too quickly we lose that connection. Work, family, trials, events, conspire to prevent us from living out those desires.

Eventually I settled along the bank where a set of rapids emptied into a wider deeper pool tucked against a steep bank on the far side. With almost every cast I felt a hit . . . no takers . . . and with each hit my anticipation multiplied. Then as a dory guide boat drifted into view with three people on board, I made one long cast into the stiff water and a twelve inch rainbow trout tided into the small spinner. He immediately leaped and spun and tugged against the current causing my lightweight fishing rod to bend favorably against his fighting nature. The dory crew dropped anchor and began to froth the waters across the deeper end of the pool.

My rainbow cast a myriad of colors in the back light as he continued to fly from the waters embrace and when finally he lay exhausted on the bank, I lifted him in triumph displaying my trophy to the three in the dory. They waved their approval and weighed anchor and continued on their journey. Gently, I lay that noble fish with its fighting spirit back into the current allowing him to regain some strength . . . in a flash he was gone.

In all too short of time, the day drifted away and I began my return drive back to Denver . . . back to the society I sought refuge from. As the last vestiges of light cast its beams across that valley. I stopped once again and bid farewell to a most remarkable day. Surely, nature was favorable to me.

Jumping Light

One day late in the summer, I was hoping to capture one of those amazing Kentucky sundown moments, but luck was not with me that day. There were plenty of clouds, just not where the sun was going down. They were all behind me to the east and overhead. I stood watching in vain for quite a while and as the sun inched closer to the horizon I realized the sundown was going to be pretty much a non-event. And then something told me…”Look behind you.”

When I turned around I noticed the patterns of clouds were lining up in such a way as to create a wonderful low angle of light patchwork across the sky. There was enough open sky showing to provide a sense of space, but the cloud cover was just thick enough to offer some interesting textures.

With the low angle of the sun, a lot of shadows filled the creases between the layers of clouds and the outer edges were tinged with slight yellowish fringes. I lined up a wide angle composition and fired off a few quick shots, but when I looked at the image on the back of the camera, I realized it just was not what I imagined it could be. Instinctively I knew that in the next few minutes the angles, the type of light, the structure of the clouds all were going to line up, and I was going to miss a great opportunity to capture it if I simply let the camera do what it wanted to do.

I tried to influence the image by adjusting the exposure compensation +/- up and down, but the overall effect remained ordinary. Then, a moment of revelation slapped me in the face.  It was a moment that changed the course of that evening shoot, maybe even how I go about taking photographs as a whole. I thought, what would happen if I pushed the white balance all the way out to 9900 from its standard setting of 5500.

I had little time before the sun dropped too low, so I quickly thumbed to the manual white balance screen and reset the value to 9900…as high as it would go. After reframing the composition, I fired off a shot and what appeared on my viewing screen caused a great deal of excitement. The average colors and temperature of the previous images suddenly exploded with vibrant color. The clouds became bolder, the fringes became stronger. The overall color scheme shifted toward an amazing light value that I knew would render the image from being average to one that excelled, almost HDR-like in appearance. What was exciting is that it all looked natural and not over cooked, unlike what some HDR images can render.

It was like the light jumped a full degree in intensity.  Jumping Light is an appropriate name for a technique that can often change the power and intensity of a certain kind of image. Since that time I have tried that technique several times just to retest the theory. It so far has proven to work for each situation.

·         Look for a big sky opportunity – use a wide angle lens – not limited to sky shots.  Early light and late light tend to work best but it is not limited to just those times.  Avoid the cliché sunrise or sunset composition. Instead, use the light from those moments to look around and see how it influences the mood of the landscape, then, photograph that.  Capture the emotion of the moment…not what you see physically…try to visualize what you want the image to become then make adjustments to capture that vision.

The idea is to get you to thinking differently about what you are doing. Don’t simply always accept what the camera wants to offer as an exposure. Use the light to your advantage by telling the camera what you want. The most powerful images are often images that are captured not as an exact duplication of what you see, but as a rendering of what you experience and visualize. 

Extra stuff…The Reason Why the White Balance Shift did what it did

Some of you may be wondering why shifting the white balance the way I did had the dramatic effect it had. Some of you may not understand what white balance is. I don’t have room to explain it in detail here, but White Balance simply put:  There are different kinds of light and each kind of light has different temperature values that are classified as a numeric value using the Kelvin Temperature scale.

Warm light actually has a lower temperature… cool light has a higher temperature. Blue Sky middle of the day daylight falls around 5200 to 5500 degrees K.  The auto white balance on your camera will function pretty well within a range that falls between 3000 and 8000 degrees K, but does tend to default toward a blue cast in certain conditions. If your light source falls outside of that 3000 to 8000 range, it can cause the color balance to be shifted either toward the blue or the orange. Most cameras will default to the 5500 degree setting which in most circumstances works pretty well. By setting your white balance to more closely match the actual kind of light you are photographing, you can tell the camera to shift the center point more toward where it should be. This can be accomplished several ways…either manually setting the white balance, or using one of the preset options on your camera like Shade, or Cloudy, or Tungsten…and so forth.

So…the lighting conditions in the direction of the sky (east) I was photographing, because it was so late in the day, had shifted toward a bluer or cooler temperature…probably up around that 8000 to 9000 K mark. Since my default WB was set at 5500…and 9000 was way up the scale, it caused the camera to capture the image a bit too much toward the blue shade. By manually telling the camera to use 9900, it shifted the center point high enough to cause it to capture a deeper and richer tone value across the entire spectrum of the available light. Was that the way it actually looked...not really…but it was the way I visualized how I wanted it to look.

Keith

Personal Vision

One important but often overlooked concept of photography I've grown to understand more and more over the years is the idea of having a personal vision for what you want to accomplish. Understandably, most people are not inclined to think of their photographic endeavors as much more than simple attempts at taking decent pictures of the family and friends. There are a lot of merits to that approach. It certainly is less stressful and easier to accomplish.

Serious photographers possess a different attitude about what they want to accomplish. Often they carry within them an artistic value that desires an outlet and photography offers to them an obtainable avenue to accomplish those desires. When we begin to rely too much on others to support that outlet is when we find ourselves being disappointed.

Having a personal vision is fundamental for all great artists. I would venture a guess that those who succeeded in their personal adventures to reach the pinnacle of their artistic talents have discovered how to effectively blend vision with action. Yet, no amount of blending will ever occur until there is first a vision and then proper action applied at the right time. Most of us never fully realize this. It's a shame really, because the world would certainly be a more beautiful place if we did.

What hold us back? I would guess there are about as many reasons as there are people seeking answers to that question. In reality, a vision comes from within and is nurtured into maturity by circumstance and desire. It is first recognizing that it exists, then making the effort to refine it, mold it, strengthen it, and focus it. By doing so, we can often discover new revelations about ourselves. Photography is a great way to open the doors to those discoveries.

I once heard it said that within all photographs reside two people; the person who sees it, and the person who took it. In photographs that capture the imagination anyone who sees it is able to place themselves into that moment of capture, and each captured moment expresses a part of who we are as photographers. Don't under estimate a personal vision for your photography, and more importantly, never allow others to deflate your vision simply because they are unable to see it.

Keith

The magic of old photo's

The other day I was thumbing through a Facebook page of an old friend of mine I have not seen in many, many years. Posted on his page were photo after photo of his family through the years. It was such a nice collection and anyone could readily see the joy and pride that glowed from within those images. I almost felt like I had experienced 40 years of his family life in just a few minutes. None of the photo's were very artistic, but they certainly captured the moments and memories.

Most of what I write about relates to artistic flavors of photography and I even at times tend to shun those more informal, yet meaningful and personal photo's.  I must admit, that approach has been a mistake I have made  for far too long, and as a consequence have failed to take anywhere near enough of those kinds of photographs.

Even so, on our bookshelves sit 8 or 10 old albums of exactly those kinds of images. Most were taken with simple disposable cameras and are not of very good quality, yet they retain a sense of spontaneity that more polished images tend to neglect. More importantly, they possess more personal value than all of the so called higher quality images I've ever taken.

I believe one day in the far, far, future, the images that will carry the most value historically will be those old family type photo's. All of the high quality images of scenic wonders will over time lose their impact except as a connection to a transitional era of ecological order. 

Yet, those simple, more personal images will resonate about who we were as a people and society, and future generations long removed from today will gaze in wonder about why that child was making that kind of face, or why did they dress up that dog, or what were all those candles doing on that cake. 

Who knows, but I believe every single person who has ever taken a snapshot photograph of someone in his family has contributed to the visual history of our era. Those histories will in time become some of the most valuable pieces of information we can pass on to the future.