Connections

Many times I have photographed subjects only to have them turn out rather flat and ordinary. It

is frustrating for sure because that is not what I expect from my efforts. I am not a perfectionist by any stretch, but I know what I want from my photographs and when I am unable to achieve that level I am disappointed.

It is a struggle for most photographers to continually attain that high level of achievement. Maybe we expect too much of ourselves and need to simply chill out and get back to enjoying what we do and not worry so much about all of that. Then again, maybe it is because we do desire to achieve a high standard that we keep trying. When I view amazing images taken by amazingly talented photographers, I catch a glimpse of what is possible and that encourages me to continue striving for higher standards. Even so, I realize that I must find that avenue of expression that is unique to my heart’s desires. To do so is to make a personal connection that extends from a single element of discovery, through your vision, across time to all who may view that captured moment of light.

A successful photograph transcends simple mechanics where technical elements by themselves will not produce a great photograph. What produces one is your ability to interpret from the heart. Passion is what stirs it. Emotion is what drives it. Skill is what captures it. Being able to connect  all three is the desired result. Effectively interpreting a scene visually where the end result generates an emotional connection between you, the moment, and the viewer requires more than basic technical skills. Technique is important for sure, but this kind of approach requires a personal revelation. It requires that you give up something of yourself from inside to gain a deeper perspective of the impact you desire to capture. This does not always materialize simply from what you see visually. It requires you to see beyond the obvious and look more deeply into what is being revealed emotionally…the revelations that are truly unique moments of discovery.

Moments of discovery like this do not always appear on cue. They are rare happenings when circumstance, place, light, and personal insight come together. The personal insight part is the most difficult to interpret and then apply for it depends on your emotional state and how you react to the other three elements. 

Photography is about making connections through emotional interpretations of moments of light.

Keith

Looking for the Unseen

Occasionally I will have someone comment about an image I’ve taken and say something like this,

“How did you see that?”

Most of the time I struggle with an explanation and stammer through with a lot of… ‘uhs’ and ‘wells’ and ‘you see it’s sort of…blah blah blah.’ But that got me to thinking about that question. Just how do you see the unseen when it comes to photography? The more I think about it, it is more about how to look for the unseen than actually seeing it.

Looking for the unseen, as it pertains to photography, is first understanding the nature of light and how it affects your subject, and then understanding how your camera will react to that light.  Many times it is not a matter of actually seeing anything, it is a matter of knowing how the camera and lens combination will capture that moment and then taking advantage of those characteristics.

John Shaw who is an accomplished professional landscape and nature photographer and author made a comment one time about an image he took. The image involved one of those layered distant rolling hills scenes with fog separating the various hill layers. What he did was to meter off one of the distant hills to allow his camera’s metering to assign a middle tone value to that layer. Then, he simply let the rest of the image exposure fall where it would. His comment went like this. 

“Was that the way the scene actually looked? Probably not…but it was the way I wanted to capture it.”

What he captured was not what he saw visually. That concept is difficult for novice photographers to grab hold of. For some reason they have been indoctrinated into believing that they must capture what they see exactly the way they see it when in reality, photography involves as much artistic expression as it does technical prowess. Artistic expression is where most novice photographers drop the ball. They tend to spend too much time just trying to understand the whistles and bells on their camera and not nearly enough time…learning how to see. Artistic expression is all about looking for the unseen. In other words, looking beyond what is routinely visual and recognizing how light becomes the paint you as the artist will use to complete your work of art.

This concept is difficult to teach, but one of the best ways to learn about ‘looking for the unseen’ is to study art. Take an art class, draw a scene on paper no matter how crude, learn about color and texture….texture is what manipulates light…it bounces it around…softens it, hardens it, applies ridges and rolls, warm and subtle or cold and strong. These are 'light' events that are not so much seen, but are experienced visually. 

Photography is creating a visual experience for your viewer. When you are able to capture what they would not ordinarily see and bring it to life…then you will have finally arrived at understanding how to see photographically. There is an instinctive nature to accomplishing this, but it requires a subtle yet significant shift in the way you look at the world. When you watch the world from an ordinary viewpoint, your images will reflect the ordinary. When you watch the world expecting to discover extraordinary moments of light, well...you'll better understand what I mean when it happens.

Keith

Nine Hundred and Ninety-Nine is not Enough

I once heard Barry Switzer, the former University of Oklahoma head football coach, in an interview tell how he answered this question from one of his players....

"How come we have to do this over and over a thousand times coach?"

His answer was classic..."Because 999 is not enough."

Photography is a lot like that. It is a simple fact that you get better with practice...the more the better. But, practice must be of a high quality production before it contributes to getting better. Practicing the wrong things over and over will make you very good at doing the...well, wrong things.

Always doing the same old thing the same old way more often than not makes you very stale as a photographer and limits your ability to grow. That is why I challenge those who attend workshops that I have taught to break away from the ordinary. Only concentrating on one type of photography may make you reasonably proficient in that endeavor, but not unlike physical fitness where cross training  provides a better overall fitness level, cross training in photography will also make you a better photographer.

I tend to concentrate mostly on landscape and scenic photography, but I also do location portraits, nature/wildlife, occasionally some action/sports, night photography, astrophotography, events, floral, classic cars, video productions, Black and White, and a lot of just plain old fun snapshots. I actually enjoy all of them and as a result, I believe that kind of diversity has improved my ability to see photographically. I've learned a great deal from each of them.

From location portraits I've learned the importance of expression, light, and timing. Landscapes and scenics have taught me about how to simplify...to identify what is really important. From nature and wildlife I've learned to be more patient and exacting. Night photography has helped me read drama and story into a composition. From astrophotography I've learned to anticipate the extraordinary and to look for what is not always seen. From working events I've learned how to operate at a fast pace and make quick instinctive adjustments. Black and white has shown me the importance of shape, form, and texture. Floral's have helped me discover subtle details and how to apply light to enhance those details. Video has taught me about angles, steadiness of hand, and continuity.

There is a great deal to gain by trying a diverse approach to your photography. To become accomplished at all of those types of photographic requirements, requires a lot of practice. If for no other reason, variety helps keep your interest level higher. You know, coach Switzer was right...999 is not enough...I'm not so sure 1000 is either...when it comes to photography.

A look At Life - A Thru The Lens Moment

The past month or two I've been too busy to place much effort into keeping up with the Blog...sorry, but, it seems I tend to allow events and circumstances interfere with the rest of my life from time to time. 

This is a repost of a blog entry I made a couple years ago...seems rather fitting now that I've read thru it again...
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Over the years I've discovered that photography often lends itself well to teaching life lessons.  Most of the time they may seem simple on the surface, but when you begin to look more deeply into the possibilities, then it actually makes a lot of sense.

One thing I preach when it comes to photography is that 'Quality of Light' is much more important than Quantity of Light.  Being able to recognize the difference comes with experience and more importantly, is more often found by simply slowing down.  But, the term Quality of Light also carries with it other connotations.

Living in the country, Kris and I love to sit on the porch in the rocking chairs on a summer evening when the heat of the day is beginning subside and the air becomes cooler.  We enjoy listening to the sounds of the evening as the night critters begin their symphony.  Across and up the road a little ways is a small pond that is filled with pea-frogs who with their high pitched chirping fills the evening with their song.  As the glow from the day fades into night, so fades our stress levels and a calming, peaceful feeling begins to prevail.

From my own experience and talking with friends we hear how chaotic lives become.  Although all of us experience chaos from time to time, my wife and I have come to realize that you just have to make time to slow down.  If not by choice, then sooner or later circumstances or health will slow you down...usually when you least want it to.  Case in point being my coming down with shingles a few weeks ago...still fighting some of the effects of that even now.  Guess I just let things chew at me inside longer than I should have and my body said it's time for a rest...if you're not going to do it yourself, then I'm going to force you to...and it did.

From our dining room a large window opens outward to the front porch and we often turn on the light in that room then dim it to a soft light so it will cast a warm glow into the night as we sit outside.  It's just enough light to break the darkness without creating much of a glare.  it provides a soft, calming atmosphere to our evening.  It is also what I call 'Quality Light'.

If we were to turn on the porch lights we'd have plenty of extra light that would flood the area...but we'd also have an excess of glare.  Within a few minutes hundreds of flying bugs and other critters would invade the area and before long what started out as a quiet evening would become an annoyance.

Life I suppose is a lot like that.  More than likely because of 'Glare' we allow into our lives, we miss out on opportunities to enjoy the stillness that we need.  The more 'Glare' we allow to flood our lives...often mistakenly believing we need it...the more 'Life Bugs' tend to come around and mess things up.

I think it is much better to tone it down...use the soft subtle light that God's presence in our lives gives to us that glows from within to light your way. There would be much less glare, more than enough light, and a lot more peace and quiet.  When the warm glow from inside the house casts its light across our porch all things benefit.  We are able to not only see more clearly the things near us, but it adds to the peaceful atmosphere of the moment.  When we allow God's love into our lives, that warm glow begins to shine from within and spills over to the world around us.  It does so softly, without unnecessary glare and by doing so calms not only our lives, but the lives of those who are near to us.

Taking a photograph during the middle of a bright day will generate a well lit snapshot...but will rarely create a photograph with artistic appeal.  Running around looking for something to photograph will more often than not result in not much return for the effort.  But, sit still for a while...just wait and watch until the light is low and soft...that is when the mood changes...the scene transforms into a image that presents itself from the realm of perfection.  'Be still...and know that I am God...'words that will serve us well if we only take time to apply them to not only our photography...but to our lives.

To Heaven and Back

I could see to Heaven and back as I gazed into one of the darkest night skies I've seen in this part of Kentucky. Arching overhead the Milky Way haze spanned its silvery ribbon from horizon to horizon and the stars lit the night with a million beacons. Hovering just above the western horizon the crescent moon glowed with a golden flavor just before it disappeared leaving the realm of the night to the subtle glow of stars. For the next couple of hours I pointed my camera skyward and tracked the stars across the heavens capturing what I knew was there, all but invisible to the eye.

I've have for many years been fascinated with the universe and all of its magical glory. Until recently I had to settle spending time gazing at those wonders using photographs taken by professional astronomers. They are indeed amazing images. As a photographer, it was only natural that I migrated toward trying to capture the night sky myself. Surprisingly, I discovered just how relatively simple it is. Even so, it does require a bit of simple mechanical assistance to make those long exposures that are critical to capturing the subtle nature of the night sky.

In a previous post I wrote about building a crude sky tracker. As a first attempt, it did prove crude, but oddly enough it worked. In time I've been able to improved the design and have learned more about how to align it properly. The results have been far greater than I could have imagined.

What I was lacking more than anything was a very dark and clear night free from light pollution. This part of Kentucky can never be completely free of light pollution, but there are pockets of relatively dark locations even near where I live that offer at least a measure of opportunity. I discovered a place about three miles from my home that offered some potential. After a quick visit to a neighboring home to ask permission and to inform them that I was going be out and about in that area late at night, I arrived near midnight and was greeted with an amazing sky.

As my eyes grew more accustomed to the dark, more and more stars became apparent. The Milky Way haze as it rotated higher into the sky took on the appearance of a silvery ribbon. It was an amazing couple of hours whose silence was broken only by the subtle beeping of my shutter release timer. Fifteen seconds, a quarter turn of the tracker drive, thirty seconds, another quarter turn, one minute , two, then three. When that first image appeared I leaped into the air with a fist pump and a silent 'Yes...!' It was all finally coming together. The sleepiness I normally would have at that time of night was all but non-existent. I pointed the camera to different parts of the sky...tried different exposure lengths...different focal lengths. Several times I managed to kick the leg of my tripod knocking the tracker alignment off kelter...reset...I continued into the evening. Two A.M. came and went...I could have stayed all night...but knew it must end soon.

Astrophotography has proven itself as a challenge and fascinating form of the art of photography. There are those who do not share that same enthusiasm and I completely understand. Not everyone will carry the same levels of interest. I would suspect because of the nature of the requirements...being out late at night...would have something to do with that.

I've been wanting to start a new long term project but wanted it to be something new and different. I believe the opportunity has presented itself.

Keith

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.