I am teaching a little bit about food photography in my studio photography class and that has sent me in quest of photos I've taken that might illustrate the art and practice of making food look good in photos, which is rarely easy.Bill Zubke's buns are always photogenic, however, as these detectible samples demonstrate.
Blog
11-02-12 Revisiting Iron Creek
in Black Hills, Blog, Nature, Photography, South Dakota
My friend Jack H. asked me yesterday if teaching photography has helped make me a better photographer and he had barely finished the sentence when I said, "Yes." I then went on to say that in finding words to describe thought and physical processes that are the result of 10 years of fairly random reading/looking and endless practice based mainly on intuition has made me more aware of the complexities of finding, framing and capturing my subjects.Beyond that, I am much more sophisticated in how I use software. And this photo is an example. Frankly, I have posted a nearly identical shot of this place in this blog already. The difference is that I was "playing" with software that I didn't have a few years ago and with processes like sharpening, white balance, saturation and contrast that I didn't have as of understanding as I do now.Is this a better photo? Maybe not. In fact, the casual observer may not even see what is "right" about this photo. I would like to think that my second year photo students would because I see clear evidence that they "get it": that they see and understand the 10,000 minute differences between the simple and the sublime.Here's the previous version:
11-01-12 Halloween
Several of my studio photography students spent most of the day yesterday getting face paint applied and then documenting their efforts in the studio. The makeup artist was Alli, who is also a talented photographer. The subject of this portrait is Valerie, who is a talented photographer, too. And she is a natural in front of the camera. :-)Canon 5DIII 1/125s f/8.0 ISO200 70mm
10-31-12 Mysterious
Canon 5DIII 1/160s f/2.8 ISO320 200mm
10-30-12 Rise and Shine
in Architecture, Blog, South Dakota
Warm sunlight bathes the east facade of the Terry Redlin Center in Watertown, South Dakota.
10-29-12 Straight Up
in Architecture, Blog, South Dakota
If you were to lie flat on your back in the central chamber of the Codington County Court House, this is what you'd see. I didn't lie on my back to get this photo, though I did lie my Canon camera on its back. It helped to use the 16mm-35mm lens. :-)
10-28-12 Leafy Roof
10-26-12 Aspen
in Black Hills, Blog, Nature, South Dakota
Well, how about another golden aspen tree? This photo was taken a few years ago near Center Lake in the Black Hills of South Dakota.
10-25-12 Variations On A Theme
It was on this day in 2009 that my mother died. And it was on the same date years before that that her mother and my grandmother died. So these roses are for Bernice and Ida. The "roses" are really the same rose with 4 different HDR treatments.
10-24-12 The Voice
in Architecture, Blog, HDR
Behind the altar and looking the opposite direction of yesterday's photo, is the choir and above that are these beautiful trumpet-like pipes of the pipe organ of the Basilica of St. Mary. I couldn't resist posting a third, and final, hdr image from my shoot last Saturday.I have never been in this church during a service. Generally, I've been there on a Saturday morning and it is, well. . . , quiet as a church. But I imagine the sound of the organ and a full choir in this space would be enough to inspire, even if the architecture didn't.
10-23-12 Behind the Altar
in Architecture, Blog, HDR
I took several HDR photos while I was in the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis. The photo I posted a couple days ago was my attempt at a photo that shows the whole dynamic range of the Basilica from shadows to highlights.Today's attempt used the same software (Photomatix) but I've chosen the "Surreal" filter. Why? I don't have a good answer except that it's trendy right now. And, like other trendy things, it will no doubt look outdated and odd before long. Some will say that it does already. . .
10-22-12 The Pumpkin Patch
There's something about a sunlit field of pumkins along the highway that says, "Stop and take a photo or two!" And that's what we did. Unfortunately, highway 212 west of Minneapolis isn't the best place to stop along the side of the road. Worried that I might get a ticket, I worked fast - pumpkin paparazzi.Canon 5DIII 1/4000s f/2.8 ISO200 200mm