Catching Up Again

Since the virus interrupted my happy life <smile> I have been working really hard to reorganize my trips and flights and everything else that goes into booking and organizing the workshops that I had planned.

I have also read over twenty five books on a variety of subjects including: the Wild West and the many Indian tribes and their culture, firsthand accounts of slavery in the Deep South during the 1800’s, mountain survival books and so many more…

While reading these books I feel extremely fortunate in my life. I have read some of the most deplorable things. My heart has broken so many times as I have turned the pages. The suffering of human life and the ignorance of the times is overwhelming. But still, I need to read these; I can’t explain in any great depth why I am so drawn to these writings.

I don’t watch much television. I do watch a few DIY shows and they have motivated me to spruce up my house by selling junk and reorganizing things. I sanded, sealed and painted my front door-finally. I’m not 100% happy with the color but it is heads above the peeling, chipping look that I had before. I’ve been going room by room and trying not to take on too big of projects as I don’t need any more stress in my life.

Last night I decided to watch something on TV for a change. I turned on a show called Songland; never hearing about it before, I was intrigued. I googled this to share with you so you have an idea what it is about “Follow the journey of undiscovered songwriters as they pitch their original creations to superstar recording artists and a panel of chart-topping music producers in the hopes of creating a music collaboration of a lifetime”. Anyway, it kept my interest and I loved the one artist’s song so much I can’t get it out of my head. Here is the original performance of Second Guessing by songwriter Griffen Palmer and then here is the song after the Florida Georgia Line did their adjustments. I personally like both versions. I think the original needed a touch of polishing but I liked the rawness of it.

I have also started walking again. I use to walk every night without fail but my routine changed when I started travelling. I sure hope I start travelling again…The walks have kept me busy and have helped to keep my mind off of things. The time seems to fly and before I know it my 4 miles is up.

Today I am dusting off my bicycle and going for my first bike ride of the season. Our parks and bike paths have opened up and I think a good ride will do me good-wish me luck!

Black Backgrounds

Sometimes I like to photograph flowers against a black background to create a dramatic effect. If I can find a situation where the background is shaded naturally like in the tulip image above then I don’t need to use an artificial background—but if I don’t come across a flower in a good situation, I create one (see Calla Lily image below).

I usually use a foam board with a high quality black matte print adhered to it. I don’t like reflective backgrounds for this type of work so I avoid glossy finishes whether they are printed or painted. I place my black print directly behind and very close to the flower.  I always use a tripod in these situations so that I have a hand free for the reflector that I use to illuminate my subject from the front. I use a 12” reflector when working with a single flower as I don’t want too much light directed onto the black background.  Next I set my camera to spot metering and adjust the exposure as needed for the tonality of the subject since I want to keep the background dark.

In Photoshop I use a Curves or an Exposure adjustment layer to darken the background. If you choose the latter you will see 3 sliders: Exposure, Offset, and Gamma Correction. If you move the Gamma Correction slider to the right it will darken your background and the subject. I usually move this slider only a little and use a Layer Mask to paint away the effect on the subject. You can make an Offset slider adjustment to darken only the dark tones. There are 0.0048 increments on this slider.  This adjustment is often too much. To lessen the effect you need to type in a smaller value; I often go with -0.0024 units. Either way various images will be affected differently; making small adjustments is always best.

*This is an excerpt from my eBook Bloomin’ Ideas.

A hint of Glamour Glow from Nik Color Efex was applied to this Calla Lily.

Reviewing a Comment

I received the comment below regarding my recent post titled “Inspiration”.

For me, the sensory overload of being in a new place to photograph is almost too much. What to do: the light, the composition, the new colors, the new animals, birds—it’s overwhelming; it’s too exciting! It’s hard for me to settle and find my niche. That’s why I enjoy visiting a place repeatedly if possible to savor the nuances and tease those issues out. Each artist approaches those issues differently— Catherine d'Alessio.

Catherine has been on a couple of my workshops and I consider her to be a terrific photographer. She brings up some really good points and I want to respond more in-depth to her below.

I agree that if you go to a location for the first time you my feel overwhelmed as Catherine suggests and there may be too much to focus on at one time and you may miss a lot of good material. Going back to a photo spot allows a second chance or a more relaxed photo session as you have most likely gotten all of the iconic and obvious shots out of the way allowing you to dig deeper and concentrate on the soul of your subject. As Catherine goes on to point out that this is different for each artist. I agree.

That said, I do like the excitement that a new location brings. I pack and repack my bags; I anxiously go over my camera gear and wait patiently for the travel day… well maybe not patiently! When I arrive at a new spot I scout the scene looking for my target subject. I love the blank canvas without any preconceived ideas of what I’ll photograph. To me that is the time that I most enjoy…

Inspiration

As the years flip by I find it harder and harder to be inspired by the same old, same old. In the beginning of my career as a photographer, everything I saw inspired me. I wanted my camera with me at all times and I spent countless hours photographing every single thing that I saw for hours and hours. I’ve always had a healthy buildup of artistic expression stored deep inside of me waiting to burst out, and there was not much need to look for inspiration.

Nowadays, it seems to take a lot more to keep me engaged or to pique my interest. I am happiest when I’m reconnoitering new locations, hiking adventurous trails, exploring new sights and scenes. Being able to photograph these experiences with fresh eyes is what makes me feel alive. I never tire of my adventures and I look forward to each and every one of them.

After much thought and contemplation I have come to understand that inspiration is not only about creativity, artistry, imagination, insight and vision—there is so much more to it than that. Inspiration needs a spark…

Happy Mother's Day

Being a mother and/or a grandma is one of the greatest joys in life. It needs no recognition or pat on the back, but it is certainly very nice when a child recognizes that special bond and celebrates it. A mother’s love can be so supportive, even after a mom is gone… her love remains.

I’d like to wish my mom a special day. She is with me every step of the way through my journey even though I can’t hold her, I hold her in my heart. And a very special Mother’s Day to my beautiful daughter and my sister. I love them dearly.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the other moms and grandmas.

Hugs, denise