So Much the Better

Resolutions...New Years or otherwise...almost never work, so the only resolution I ever make is to never make a resolution I know I can't or won't keep.  About this time of year I always seem to take count of my physical condition more than other times and usually come to the conclusion that it is way below what it should be.  For someone my age I stay reasonably active, but not nearly enough so to compensate for adverse effects of the volume of down time I seem to experience.  Off and on...mostly off...over the years, I've managed to find time for various physical activities...things like bicycling, running, hiking/backpacking, canoeing, tennis, various team sports, swimming and swimming related stuff, hunting and fishing, and weight lifting...and I even tried triathlons there for a while.  At best I never became more than mediocre at any one of those activities, but combined I suppose those adventures have contributed to at least a moderate measure of physical phitness.  My current favorite pastime of laying on the couch indulging with various types potato chips, among other assorted snacks, unfortunately has contributed to a decline of that fitness level of late.  Even so, every once in a while I take measure of the layer of flab and sag that has developed around my mid section and decide to do something meaningful about it.

For the last couple of years I've managed to frequent the gym a few times a week to grunt and prod through various levels of lifting heavier than I should lift weights.  My joints and other parts of my anatomy seem to benefit ( and suffer ) as a result.  In past years, one of my favorite workouts has been swimming, and although never at a competitive level, I obtained at least a reasonable level of competency at it.  For lack of an adequate facility and an overall general attitude of age related malaise, I've not swam a single lap in several years.  A little over a year ago Bowling Green and Warren County built a brand new state of the art aquatic center complete with a real dandy swimming hole inside...a 25 meter competition level facitlity that just happens to be only a few minutes from my office.  So, realizing I no longer could rely on the 'a lack of adequate facility' excuse, I recently purchased a membership and began my quest to start swimming for fitness again.

First time out I managed to flounder through about 600 meters...50 at a time with long periods of letting the gorilla on my back gasp and choke between each one.  By mid-afternoon I crashed and burned.  Second time wasn't quite as bad, and by the third time I felt like I was starting to get my old form back...but still have a ways to go.  I hope to soon work up to a 1000 meters in under 25 minutes...respectable for an old fart like myself.  Who knows, maybe that potato chip fed gorilla and myself might trim off some of the excess flotation around my mid section in the process.

S0...what does this have to do with outdoor photography?  Well...nothing really, except I hope to try something new this summer; underwater photography.  The plan is to purchase one of those disposable 35mm cameras encased in a plastic waterproof container and visit one of the local clear water streams and see if I can photograph some of the fish or other aquatic interesting things that lurk on or near the bottom of the shallows.  Might be kind of fun to try.

In the mean time, I plan on hitting the gym a couple days a week and hitting the pool a couple days a week, and when the weather permits, hitting the road on my old trusty and probably rusty triathlon bike for a quick 20 miles from time to time.  Throw in a canoe trip or two, maybe a hike here and there...and who knows, maybe this tired old body of mine just might come back to life.  If I happen to lose some of the sag around my middle...well...so much the better.

Keith

It's Harder than it Looks

Wildlife photography, I discovered, is much more difficult than one might think.  Not only does it require some specialized equipment, but it requires a great deal of patience and time.  This past year or so I started to explore this type of photography in more depth taking the relatively easy tweety birds at the feeder approach.  I don't know...that just didn't seem adventurous enough...so I began to expand my territory and that's when I discovered just how difficult it really was. Often, while I was waiting for something to appear, I kept wondering how the pro's were able to get those great wildlife shots...close up.  It wasn't that I didn't see anything interesting...it was just that everything I saw was too far away to take effective wildlife photos...even with my relatively large 500mm lens.

I quickly came to the conclusion that luck played a big part of it.  On one such occasion, luck played a big roll in one of the best wildlife shot's I've taken to date.  I arrived one spring day at Shanty Hollow Lake well before sunup and paddled my canoe to the upper end, about three quarters of mile, hoping to catch the sun rising over the lake.  After the initial morning program played out, I tried a little fishing eventually drifting  into one of the many coves found on the north end of the lake.  A green heron flew across the cove and sat down  behind some tangled snarls along the bank.  It was maybe 50 yards away, so I cautiously paddled in that direction hoping to get close enough for some photo's.

Green herons are interesting birds...rather small about the size of a crow...and have the ability to extend their neck out about twice its sitting length to grab a tasty morsel in the shallows.  As I drifted closer to the bank, I grabbed my camera from the dry box.  I couldn't see the heron at first then spotted him behind some cover next to the waters edge.  I was about 15 yards away when I started snapping photo's...but eventually was able to close that distance to about 10 to 12 feet.  I was able to follow the heron from that distance for the better part of a half hour.  Oddly enough, he never seemed too concerned that I was there.  Maybe, he just never thought that any threat would come from the water.

A few of the shots were decent but nothing all that great...then he hopped onto a partially submerged log and walked along its length.  A few feet later he stepped out of the shadows into the sunlight and cast his reflection on the surface.  I fired off a couple of shots before his head and neck extended way out in a quick jab where he managed to snare a minnow.  Unfortunately, he turned away from me and I was unable to get the shot.

I drifted a few feet closer and he raised the hackle on the back of his head, squawked, and off he went.  It wasn't until later after I downloaded the images did I discover just how special the reflection shot turned out.  It's one of the best wildlife images I've taken...only because of a bit of luck and being in the right place at the right time.  I suppose what I learned was that luck is simply being able to take advantage of a good opportunity when it arrives.

Seeing Photographically - Framing Light

I once said to a class of high school journalism students, "...the difference between taking a snapshot and capturing photo's that stir the imagination is understanding how to see photographically."  Seeing photographically is a complex and instinctive subject, but one of the most important and often overlooked elements is the understanding of and using composition effectively.

Light is the key ingredient for all photographs, but composition is the frame upon which light is stretched to build those amazing shots.  A simple blog could never fully cover the subject of composition...so what follows is a basic primer on a few of the fundamentals.  Using these simple fundamentals help to build the foundation of your photographic skill.

One of the best tools for learning about composition is to use one of those simple point and shoot disposable film cameras.  The only thing you can control with that kind of camera is the composition so you can spend more time concentrating on framing the image as opposed to worrying about the exposure.  Learning about composition is an ongoing adventure, but lets start with one of the most basic of the concepts:  The Rule of Thirds.

Divide your image into a tic-tac-toe grid with nine squares covering the scene.  In the middle you will see four points where all the lines intersect.  These points are important subject position locations within the frame.  You see, in order to generate more visual appeal, your subject should be placed somewhat off center.  These four points provide a good position reference.  You will also notice that your image is also divided into three separate sections both vertically and horizontally.  Generally speaking your image should also be divided into thirds with the foreground material located in the bottom third, middle ground in the middle third, and background in the top third.  You can of course use any number of variations on that theme, but the idea is to break apart your image to create a visually appealing composition.

Along those same lines of thought, framing your subject also generates strong points of interest within a scene.  Almost anything can be used...like overhanging tree limbs, fences, barn doors, clouds...even light and dark areas...you get the idea.  Just think a little creatively and let your imagination take control...the idea is to look for those things that help define the subject.

When you are out photographing, think in terms of angles...or in other words, don't always shoot from eye level.  Kneel down or sit low to the ground or rotate the camera.  Simple things like that will often give your composition a fresher look.

In an earlier blog entry I wrote about Simplicity of Purpose...or simplifying your composition by making sure that everything in your image is there for a reason and contributes to the overall effect.  It does not mean that an image may lack for complex detail, just that it tells one story.

Creative composition is vital to being able to capture memorable moments.  The trick is to look for the key elements and then place yourself where you can capture the moment effectively by placing the subject inside the view where it generates a high level of interest.

One of the biggest mistakes novice photographers make is when they shoot sunsets or sunrises.  By their dramatic lighting, all of us are attracted to those events, but I can't count the number of times I've looked at photo's of a great sunset that was made mediocre because of the composition.  Most of the time the sun is placed in wrong location...square in the middle of the picture...and the horizon splits the image down the middle.  Shots like that rarely work well.  Usually what you want to do is offset the sun area to one side...remember the tic-tac-toe grid...and then raise or lower the horizon somewhat.  Shooting over water offers great reflections and sometimes you can split the image down the middle in those circumstances...but those are rare exceptions.

Composition, like so many other standard rules of photography, is always open to interpretation.  Two of the most important things you can do is ONE: Learn about as many of those rules as you can...and TWO: Never be afraid to break them.

Keith