Shoot What It Feels Like

by Judy

"Don't shoot what it looks like.  Shoot what it feels like." I try to keep this quote from photographer David Alan Harvey in mind when I'm shooting, but like many things, it is easier said than done.  

As photographers, we spend so much time learning the technical aspects of photography and perfecting these techniques.  I believe this to be a necessary step to good photography, but there comes a time when we must push some of the rules of photography aside to truly shoot what it feels like. 

Some times when I shoot, I'm unhappy with the way my photos come out.  They are usually technically correct, but they haven't captured the moment the way I had envisioned it.  I have found that one area of photography that I am usually able to capture "what it feels like," is through back lighting.  I was delighted when Kelly chose this to be our theme for June since back lit photos can be so magical.

Do you remember the old rule to always shoot with the sun at your  back?  (And do you have many an old photo, probably from your childhood, where everyone is squinting horribly into the sun as they pose for a photo?)  That rule needs to be thrown out when shooting backlit photos!

The backlit photo up top is far from technically perfect, yet it does capture "what it felt like." I love how back lighting can create an ethereal feel.

Back lighting can help you shoot what it feels like by bringing out the tiny details of your subject.

Back lighting can create magical silhouettes.

And, if paired with the golden hour, back lighting can create a magical golden glow over the most mundane field of weeds.  

I know that this monthly theme is almost over, but with summer's longer days and good weather to get outside and practice, I hope that you continue to capture some magic all summer long by back lighting your subjects and shooting what it feels like!

In the Light

by Linda

The last time we got together for a visit, we were talking about taking pictures at night, in the dark, remember? It's a little ironic that on the very day that post was published, 2 weeks ago today, I was taking pictures in the light. Not just any light, full high noon sunny skies light and throw in a very reflective surface and you have a recipe for disaster.

Bryan Peterson says that you should never take pictures between the hours of 10 am and 4 pm. Those hours should be spent poolside with a drink that has an umbrella in it or by taking a nap. The sun is too harsh, wait for golden hour.

yeah...

Sometimes you have to be a rebel and break those rules. Sorry Bryan. But you see, I had no choice. I was forced into the situation because...

Sand sledding! Yeah, that's a real thing. Apparently it is quite popular. You can tell by the length of the line to rent a saucer (the same ones you use on snow, you can bring your own) and the floor to ceiling stack of the saucers. I only heard about it last summer and knew it was something we were going to do. Hey, anything that gets people, especially kids, out to a National Monument is a good thing, right?

The sand sledding happened at White Sands New Mexico. You know, the place where they detonated the first nuclear bomb? The Trinity Site? The place where the sand is white, compared to the rest of the sand in the entire state, which is brown? (it's gypsum) You can see the white sand from miles away as you near the park. It is located in southern New Mexico, accessible through Alamogordo. It's pretty spectacular.

So, high noon it was because when you have to get 8 people ready to go it takes a while. Even though the best time to photograph at White Sands is when the sun is either rising or setting, I went at noon because this park is about 700 miles from my home and I don't think I could just hop in the car and get there whenever the mood struck me.  (they have tours you can sign up for and go at sunrise or sunset with a group to the best spots, this is now on my must photograph list!)

Oh, and it was hot. I'm no stranger to hot because I live in an oven but this was not the hot I'm used to. It was bright and hot. The temperature was about 80 degrees but it was hot. Bring lots of water and sunscreen. Because it's the desert and it's hot.

Taking all the known factors of this photography excursion in consideration before getting there, I decided to use my 24-70mm lens because I knew I wanted a wide angle sometimes and a close up sometimes, because of things like this...

Good thing too because this fella was kinda skittish.  I couldn't get too close without him scurrying away. I don't remember the name of this little lizard, it was on a board at the visitor center, but I do know it evolved into a white lizard from a brown lizard for obvious reasons. Pretty cool.

Also, because of the bright sun and reflective surface, I used the lens hood for my lens. ISO was 200, (could have gone to 100) f8, (could have gone to 11 or 14) white balance set to "daylight" , metering set to "evaluative metering", picture style set to "landscape". I was ready.

Seriously, it was SO BRIGHT that I was unable to see the picture in the back of the camera after I took it. I had to have faith the settings were doing a good job, kinda like the old days of film! No preview!

I was pleased with the results when I loaded the pictures into Lightroom. The most editing I did was to straighten some of the shots. I swear, I cannot hold the camera straight! Maybe I should use that level thingy in my camera!

It was a good trip, a good photography learning session. A place I want to return to.

Maybe not at noon.

Did I mention it was hot?

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Shine Your Light

by Kelly

A smile is the light in the window of your face that tells people you're at home.  ~Unknown

It's that time of year.  Everyone in our neighborhood has their Christmas lights up.  Coming home from work in the evenings is like driving through an enchanted forest of twinkle lights.  And I turn into a six-year old child with my eyes gazing in every direction.

Next door, my neighbors put up their Christmas lights too.  A humble strand of lights draped over the dogwood tree in their front yard.  Even with all the fantastical displays down the street, every year I look forward to these lights more than any other.

The reason is right here at my kitchen window.



A little bit of holiday magic while I stand at the sink doing the dishes after dinner.  And it just makes me so happy.

It also reminds me how important it is to put up our own lights, so to speak.  How important it is to  shine our light with the world...whether it's a smile, a kind word, a hug.  Because we never know whose life we might be making just a little bit brighter.

As always, thank you for letting me share mine with you.

Love, Kelly

My Kitchen Window

by Leigh

My kitchen window is nothing fancy.  In fact, the window is spotted from a recent rain and paint is peeling off the window sill.  It's not a big window and it's hard to open so I rarely get to enjoy the breeze.  But it's still one of my favorite places. I stand at the kitchen sink looking out that window day in and day out as I wash the dirty dishes in the sink that seem to pile up as soon I clean them out.  Surely you can sympathize with me!  But even as much as I dread doing the dishes….I enjoy the view out the window.  I can see the cardinals that visit the feeders and the bees, which my daughter has affectionately named Snowbell, Marshmallow and Queenie, dancing around the purple Salvia.  The grass if my favorite shade of green and the trees have all leafed out.  Ruffled Ranunculus is in full bloom so I cut a few to bring inside to fill this sweet little crystal vase.  Yes….my kitchen window is a happy place even with the sink full of dishes.

The morning light streams in softly and the afternoon light offers warmth.  It's a cozy spot and the only place I ever photograph indoors. All times of day offer beautiful light scenarios. The rest of my kitchen is….well….blah.  It's the only part of our house that hasn't been remodeled and is way too small for a family of four. I spend many hours daydreaming about my dream kitchen...ripping it all out and starting over, but one thing will remain the same.  The kitchen window will always be above the sink looking out onto the backyard.  Well maybe I'll change it a little bit….a window that opens easily would be nice.  

Focus on You

It's time to say good-by to the March Focus-Light. The gallery is filled with so many beautiful pictures! I have learned so much from your creative use of light in your photography this month! You have filled the gallery with so much light! I hope you continue to find new ways to use light in your photography!

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Stop by and leave a little love for these beautiful photographers!

1. Leanne Strilchuk, 2. P. J. Scott, 3. Lisa McCann, and 4. Rita Silva.


And don't forget to check our April Focus under the Monthly Focus tab at the top of the blog.  We hope you'll share your April photos with us here at FOL!

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Find the Magic

by Linda

As we come to the end of another month, in addition to wondering why time flies, I find myself wondering about the magic of light.

When light streams in my windows, casting shadows, I cannot resist. I have countless pictures of light falling across various objects in my house. Someday, someone is going to look at them and think I had quite a love affair with mundane things. Like this salt and pepper set. But to me, there was something magical about them that day.

When the first light of day wraps everything in it's golden glow, I find far too many things to photograph. Flowers and leaves, bugs and critters are all magical in that light.

I am fascinated at the way light creates magic in my camera. Things I cannot see with my eye are captured with my camera. There's magic inside my camera.

This past month, David DuChemin 

wrote about Vision Driven Exposures. This really speaks about letting light work for you in your photography. He then followed up with Vision Driven Exposures, a Clarification. 

Last year, he wrote  Find the Magic.  The thing that I liked the most about this was when he said that what you are really after is the moment when you say "oh my God, look at that!"

yeah,  I do that a lot. Then I take a picture. Might explain the ginormous amount of photos on my hard drive. But it's magic. I love that.

How about you?

Do you look for magic?

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Trees at Night

by Linda

Do you dream? When you are all tucked in your cozy bed at night, after you fall asleep do you dream? Do you dream about falling or your teeth are falling out or you have to take a test at school and you didn't study? Do you dream in color? We all dream, even blind people, but we forget about 90% of what we dream and not every one dreams in color. I remember very few of the dreams I have had, a nightmare from my childhood is on that very short list as well as a very vivid dream involving my MIL. 

I was riding passenger as my MIL was driving her 1970 Chevrolet. We were trying to get up a very snow packed and icy hill. With lots of slips and slides, she manages to crest the top of the hill. Immediately we begin to slide backwards, at a high rate of speed, back down the icy hill. My MIL barely flinched as she grips the steering wheel tightly and leans slightly over it and stares intently through the windshield, then hits the gas. I didn't think we would ever stop sliding backwards, I knew we were going to end up back at the bottom of that hill but somehow, through sheer strength of her determination,  we are once again safely on top of the hill. She never looks over at me or says a word, just carries on driving us to wherever we were going.

I told my trophy husband about this dream and he said "that's about right, nothing ever stopped her"  Once she decided to do something, she did it. If she encountered any obstacles she would either work around them or through them. If any one tried to tell her she couldn't do it she didn't listen. She really didn't care what anyone else thought, if she wanted to do it, she would. And she would do it well. Because, by God, she was going to finish.

With photography, I have been frustrated taking pictures at night, in low light. Inside or outside the light was so low that my pictures were not good, very bad, just hit delete.

One night while I was out back with my little dog, I noticed how the backyard light was hitting the trees. I noticed the lights installed in some trees by my neighbor. The trees looked so pretty. The light made them so interesting. Even though I see these trees everyday, I was seeing them in a new way. I needed to take a picture. So I started walking around the yard snapping pictures from different vantage points each night. With my phone. And I even put a few through some fun apps, something I have not done for too long.

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They way I see things, sometimes you have to be open to trying new things, sometimes you have to be open to see things in new ways.

Sometimes you have to just grab the wheel, look straight ahead and hit the gas.

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Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Grab the wheel and hit the gas, you might find a pot of gold!

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Follow the Light

by Linda

Our theme for March is "light" and I've got to say, I'm a little obsessed.

Because I may or may not have burnt a few suppers because when I spot a blaze of glorious light shining through a window somewhere inside the house, suddenly the only important thing is grabbing my camera and getting some shots. (just look at that rim light! swoon!)

I like a dark and moody look and I like to let the light be the star so my camera is set for spot metering and I will under expose by up to 1 stop. My lens is wide open because-bokeh! And right now my fave lens is my nifty fifty.

The way I see things- finding beautiful light is a good reason to let dinner go to heck. Or really just about anything. Because there is always take-out and too soon the light fades.

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” Embrace light. Admire it. Love it. But above all, know light. Know it for all you are worth, and you will know the key to photography.”

– George Eastman -

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Seeing Shadow in a New Light

by Kelly

Shadow owes its birth to light.  John Gay

It's one of my favorite things about my old house...the way the light spills into my rooms.  Especially in the mornings. And I've probably taken a million pictures of it over the last several years.

It used to be, that when I shot these kinds of photos, I would always over-expose them a good bit or lift the shadows in post-processing.  As a light-seeker, I wanted to focus on the light.  I wanted my photograph to tell the story of the light.  And to that end, I thought that I could best tell the story of the light by diminishing the shadow.

But here lately... I don't know if it's because I'm getting older or because I have a little more life experience under my belt.  Or maybe it's because I am growing and evolving as a photographer...who knows.  At any rate, lately I find the shadows to be intriguing - I am learning to appreciate the mood and drama they lend to a photos - and so therefore I do not work to diminish their effect.  I am learning to see shadow differently.

On a histogram, shadow is not the absence of light, but it is at the opposite end of the spectrum from light.  Opposite derives from the word OPPONERE which means 'to set against'.  It has many meanings, but these I found to be of particular interest:

• opposing
• diametrically different
• contrasting
• conflicting

As I pondered shadow, light, and conflict, it all made sense.  Conflict happens when two opposing forces are set against one another...it is an important element in any good story.  Conflict creates drama and tension in story because it adds an element of doubt.  Conflict makes a story interesting, but it's also important in that is sets up the plot.  Conflict is the root of a story and and it conveys information and engages us in ways that words often cannot.

In Greek literature, the use of conflict as a narrative structure is known as AGON - the central contest - hero vs. villain.  And the hero's ennobling struggle against the protagonist is what they believed made a story worth reading.

Conflict makes a story worth reading.

In photography, shadow serves a similar function.  Shadow is set against the light and therefore creates conflict and tension in an image. There is drama and mystery in the unlit parts of a photo.   But doesn't shadow also tell us something about light? Because there would be no shadow without the light. By its very nature, shadow points to the light.

Shadow tells the story of the light.

I am learning to see shadow in a whole, new light (pun totally intended).   And as I begin to embrace shadow in my photography, I am also learning to appreciate the shadows in my life. I will always be a light-seeker..this is my passion and a guiding principle in my creative vision. But I will no longer avoid the shadowy areas of my life for fear of them. No...from now on, I will acknowledge shadow...I will use shadow...because I know it will point me in the direction of the light.

Until next time,

Kelly

Confession of a Christmas Light Bokeh Junkie

by Kelly

It's official...

I am completely obsessed with Christmas light bokeh.

Exhibit A

Exhibit B

Exhibit C

There's just something about seeing those out-of-focus (OOF) orbs of twinkling light that feels positively magical to me.  And today I thought I might share with you a few tips and techniques so that you can capture the magic too.

For DSLR
There are a couple of simple ways to capture OOF lights with a DLSR camera.  The first way is to use manual focus. Once you have your shot composed, slightly turn the manual focus ring until the lights become little circles.  Depending on how far you turn the focus ring, the circles will become larger or smaller - it's fun to experiment with different sizes of bokeh.

The second way to capture Christmas light bokeh is to use a wide aperture setting (below I set mine at f/2.8) and focus on a light near to you.  That will cause the rest of the lights to gradually fall out of focus creating progressively larger circles of bokeh.

For iPhones
For iPhones it's just as simple to capture Christmas light bokeh - only a couple more steps.  I like to use the Camera+ app.

I've got a step-by-step tutorial below, but basically the process is: 1) open the app (which pulls up the camera), 2) tap the plus sign next to the shutter button, 3) tap the 'Macro' button, and 4) take the shot.

See how easy that was?  

It really is the simplest things that can bring the most joy.  For me Christmas Lights are one of them.

I hope you found these tips to be helpful, and if you decide to give the bokeh technique a try, we'd love to see them in either the Flickr pool or #focusingonlife tag.  But whatever you do, take a few moments for joy and whimsy. Your heart will thank you.

Until next time,

Kelly

Thoughts on Being a Rebel

by Linda

 

 

Because we are just now starting to see leaves turn, and the sky was clear!

(strange)

All my life I have felt like I was at a little bit of a square peg in a round hole. If "everybody" was doing/wearing something, going somewhere, I really didn't want to. If "everybody" really liked a song/group/show, I really didn't.

It's not that I didn't pay attention to all that, I saw it, I knew what was going on, I just chose not to follow along.

It all had a fair measure of controversy that would arise from time to time because I went in a different direction. Lots of begging/pleading/trying to convince me that I "really should" do it too. Lots of different labels attached to this "unconventional" style, "strange" "loner" "weird" "anti-social".

(loner)

I have been on many photo walks with other people and always find myself looking at whatever other people are not looking at. If everybody is clustered around something, busily taking pictures, I will take a look and turn in a different direction to take pictures. If I am taking pictures of something and suddenly everyone is around me also taking pictures, I will stop and look for something else.

(anti-social)

I don't think so, but that's alright.

I have taken millions lots of pictures of these salt and pepper shakers on my table but when the light comes in the window and shadows dance on the table, I can't help myself.

This month's Focus is such a good one-Celebrate the Moment. I knew it would be easy to walk into my living room and take beautiful pictures of my Christmas tree and decorations all lit up and sparkly, celebrate the moment with lots of bokeh and shiny things and share that. But thinking about that and thinking about writing this post caused my inner rebel to speak up.

It is, after all, the season of light. Since we have had several cloudy, dreary days and on this day the sun was gloriously streaming through the window lighting everything in it's path so beautifully, I knew I needed to take pictures of it, outside as well as inside. I needed to celebrate the moment with this gorgeous light.

It seemed like everywhere I turned I saw another opportunity to celebrate the moment! Moments of light falling on the walls, the floors, the furry things I love!

And since I'm not a total Scrooge, the evening light streaming through my windows forced me to take a picture of this.

Because everyone has snowmen guarding their advent wreaths!

(weird)

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I think everyone should listen to their inner rebel sometimes. You just might see something amazing!

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Feel The Light

by Judy

"In almost every photo, it's the quality of light that makes or breaks the shot."
Michael Freeman/Capturing Light - The Heart of Photography

We photographers often talk about 'chasing the light' or 'searching for the right light.' Light is the key to giving our photos a particular mood, or feeling.

 Light, at different times of the day, has different colors to it. This is referred to as the color temperature. The temperature of light is measured in Kelvin, with different times of the day having a higher Kelvin reading, and other times a much lower Kelvin reading. Strangely, the lower the Kelvin reading, the warmer our photos appear, and the higher the Kelvin reading, the cooler our photos appear.  (This was never my favorite topic to study in photography school, but if you want to know more about the specifics there are plenty of articles online to peruse).  It is the color temperature of our photos that give our images a cool look, or a more warm and cozy look.  

The warm glow of a sunrise or a sunset are because the color temperature is cooler. ( I know, it seems wrong, but yes, it is true).  

The photo above was taken in the midday sun.  Although this is not ideal lighting for most photos, I don't put my camera away.  It is true that harsh sunlight can wash photos out and create deep shadows. (obviously this is not the lighting that you want to use for that family portrait you've been hired to shoot), but if you keep an open mind, and your eyes open,  you will find lots of interesting shots in harsh sunlight.  The sharp contrast between light and dark on this barn door drew me in. Not only did the midday sun create a dramatic contrast, it also brought out the shape and textures present on the barn door.  

Many things drew me to this subject, above, but the first thing I noticed was the strong contrast that the shadow created.  I believe I would have walked right by this if the strong shadowing hadn't been present.  For these photos, the harsh midday sun gave them a more dramatic feel than other lighting could have. 

The strange thing about the midday sun is that the color temperature is in the middle zone.  It's not too cool, and it's not too warm.  You can obviously tell that the sun is shining in both of the photos above, but there isn't any particular warm and cozy feeling to either of them. 

Ahhh, look at the coolness to this photo.  This 'cool' feeling of the blue hour is because the Kelvin reading is higher than at other times of the day. The blue hour is the time of day just before sunrise, or just after sunset, when the sun is low on the horizon.  You can't beat the soft, blue glow at these times of the day, and if you want your photo to convey a feeling of coolness to it, then this is the perfect time of day to shoot. 

Now to my absolute favorite time of day for photography - the golden hour.  The golden hour is late in the day, just before sunset, or early in the morning, right after sunrise.  The light has a beautiful golden glow to it.  This golden glow is due to the fact that the color temperature is low, and it's the lower color temperature that makes us feel the warmth in this photo.

All this talk about temperature has me remembering that the temperature outside my door is very low - actually downright frigid lately.  I think I'll stop talking about Kelvin readings and color temperature and just leave all of you with some photos that feel warm, and golden, and maybe downright cozy.

Stay warm my friends - Spring is just around the corner!