Old Fashioned Portrait

This senior portrait was taken a few years ago and by 2010 senior portrait standards, it is dated. But I still think is is a good portrait.We were out at Lake Kampeska near Watertown but the location is irrelevant. What is relevant is the combination of soft lighting, of the bright eyes and of the genuine smile. The hat adds personality and the black and white suggests that the colors she is wearing are less important than her face and eyes. Finally, there is very little Photoshop post-processing in this photo. Those are her real eyes and teeth. That is her real skin. And those are real freckles.By today's standards, this isn't a fashionable portrait. But I still like it.

10-10-14 Nature in Black and White

I was back in my neighbor's back yard this past weekend looking for photo opportunities. We probably have plenty for me to photograph in our yard but we didn't have hosta plants with big leaves that were giving up the ghost as these were. I turned this photo to a high contrast black and white photo in part because I have been looking at the photography of Edward Weston. I'm not sure I like this photo but here it is anyway.

04-09-09 The Old Jewish Cemetery - Prague

The Jewish cemetery in the Jewish Quarter of Prague is one of the most memorable experiences of my last visit to Prague. There is something powerfully symbolic, if not ironic, in the survival of this cemetery given the fate of the Jews in Eastern Europe. Some of the markers in this cemetery go back many centuries.

Photographically, this is a fascinating place but challenging, in that creating a focal point is somewhat difficult. This photo was taken in color but I felt, as I often do, that color adds even more distraction. Thus, I created a fairly high contrast B&W image. As I look at this photo, the scene appears very well lit. But in fact, the exposure information will tell you that this is another photo that would normally demand a tripod. The trees and the cemetery walls create fairly deep shade. Again, I am grateful for the 24-105mm f/4.0L image stabilized Canon lens that I carry when I travel.

Panoramio

Canon 5D 1/25s f/4.0 ISO400 105mm (Canon 24-105mm f/4.0L)

FlickrScott Shephard Photography

03-05-09 Cold News

By Scott Shephard

On a Saturday morning a couple years ago, my wife sent me out to get the paper, which was wrapped in plastic due to a slow, cold drizzle that was falling. When I picked up the paper, I noticed that the water had beaded up on the plastic and then frozen. So, before I let my wife unwrap and read the paper, I put it on the dining room table and took a couple photos before the ice started to melt. Some people read the paper (left brained); some people take photos of it (right brained).