"E Pluribus Unum" is Latin for "From many, one," which no doubt has many meanings, especially in the context of American democracy. But in this photo, the meaning is a little more literal: there is only one coin oriented and focused in such a way that it has complete meaning.So is this photo art? Or is it a mere document? It is probably more the latter than the former, though I worked hard to get the look I present here. The focus is very specific. And the lighting was the result of considerable experimentation. Here's my set-up
I am using a medium soft box on the left with a honeycomb grid. And to provide fill, I am using a Canon Speedlite and a snoot. A snoot is a nose-like attachment that focuses the light very precisely and in this photo helps accentuate the three dimensional properties of the coin, including the ridges and the feathers on the eagle's wings.The narrow depth of field allows for very interesting bokeh, both in the background and in the foreground. And for those who crave true wisdom and insight, here's a bit of a look into the lighting:The coins, incidentally, are Kennedy Half Dollars, vintage 1965 to 1970. That means that these coins are 40% silver and are worth much more than their 50 cent face value.Canon 5DIII 1/200s f/3.5 ISO100 100mm
Blog
02-26-13 Japanese Garden
Here is the chain of consciousness that led me to post this photo:
- I'm not impressed with the options available on TV
- I check my DVR for possibilities
- I find that I have recorded 9 episodes of "Lonely Planet," a travel show
- I start watching the first one, which is set in London
- Half-way through, the travel guide takes us to Kew Gardens
- I remember that I have some Kew Gardens photos
- I stop watching the TV show
- I find this photo and work on it
- I post it here
That sounds like a disciplined mind hard at work, doesn't it?
02-25-13 Tree Top Walk
I apologize to those who are subscribed to my blog posts via email: I have posted 9 times in the last 12 hours. And that means that you are getting bombarded. But don't give up on the subscription. I promise that I won't get quite so far behind in this blog any time soon.You're looking at an acrophobic's nightmare - a walkway 30 feet off the ground with a relatively low railing that takes you through the tops of a little forest in Kew Gardens, London. But if you can stand the height, it is well worth it, for it gives you a bird's eye view (or squirrel's eye or [name an arboreal animal]'s eye view) of trees.
02-24-13 Jungle Cat
This is Mac and he is a highly evolved animal. And because he is a hunter, he also needs rest. I figure he sleeps 21 hours a day. I also figured that since he seemed pretty ensconced in this red chair, I might be able to get an HDR photo of the sleepy cat. After all, one of the rules for successful HDR photography is a subject that doesn't move much. A sleeping cat was perfect.It turned out that Mac moved just enough (eyes go from mostly closed to totally closed; tail is constantly flicking around, etc) that the three exposures were less than perfect. Oh well.I did get one decent exposure using flash bounced off the ceiling. So here's Mac. Fierce, wily and dangerous? Nope.
02-23-13 Minnesota
I call this Minnesota, as if Minnesota is some how unique when it comes to winter weather. But, of course, it isn't. I just happened to be wandering around our son and daughter-in-law's neighborhood when I found these icicles hanging for a low roof of a garage.
02-22-13 Brachiation (Reprise)
TS Eliot was wrong. Februrary, not April, is "the cruelest month." At least for me. Yes, the days are getting longer. Yes, the temperature ocassionally soars into the high 20s. But it is often in the heart of February that what I think is SAAD (seasonal affective disorder) hits me. And I lose my will to post new photos to this blog.So I'm posting old stuff. . . But, in the event that you haven't meticulously looked at all four years of my posts, you've probably never seen some of these. So maybe they're not old.
02-21-13 Hand Turned (Reprise)
in Architecture, Blog
TS Eliot was wrong. Februrary, not April, is "the cruelest month." At least for me. Yes, the days are getting longer. Yes, the temperature ocassionally soars into the high 20s. But it is often in the heart of February that what I think is SAAD (seasonal affective disorder) hits me. And I lose my will to post new photos to this blog.So I'm posting old stuff. . . But, in the event that you haven't meticulously looked at all four years of my posts, you've probably never seen some of these. So maybe they're not old.
02-20-13 Chemistry (Reprise)
TS Eliot was wrong. Februrary, not April, is "the cruelest month." At least for me. Yes, the days are getting longer. Yes, the temperature ocassionally soars into the high 20s. But it is often in the heart of February that what I think is SAAD (seasonal affective disorder) hits me. And I lose my will to post new photos to this blog.So I'm posting old stuff. . . But, in the event that you haven't meticulously looked at all four years of my posts, you've probably never seen some of these. So maybe they're not old.
02-19-13 Centraal Station - Amsterdam (Reprise)
in Architecture, Blog, Travel
TS Eliot was wrong. Februrary, not April, is "the cruelest month." At least for me. Yes, the days are getting longer. Yes, the temperature ocassionally soars into the high 20s. But it is often in the heart of February that what I think is SAAD (seasonal affective disorder) hits me. And I lose my will to post new photos to this blog.So I'm posting old stuff. . . But, in the event that you haven't meticulously looked at all four years of my posts, you've probably never seen some of these. So maybe they're not old.
02-18-13 Angels In the Architecture (HDR)
in Architecture, Blog, HDR
In his song "You Can Call me Al" Paul Simon sings
He is a foreign manHe is surrounded by the soundThe soundCattle in the marketplaceScatterlings and orphanagesHe looks around, aroundHe sees angels in the architectureSpinning in infinityHe says Amen! and Hallelujah!
I've never understood the lyrics of this song, but I do like the line that refers to "angels in the architecture." And if you look closely at any building like the Minnesota state capitol building, there are angels everywhere. But in this photo, it seems that there actually is an angel. And I hadn't seen it until after I picked the title for the post.If you look at all three of my HDR capitol photos over the last few days, you will see an attempt at achieving perfect symmetry in my composition. Frankly, I'm a bit obsessive about it and I spend considerable time in framing the photo trying to get the lines perfect and if they aren't perfect, I fix them in the crop. Good or bad? I don't know. But in capitol building architecture there seems to be plenty of balance and symmetry and my photos strive to capture that.
02-17-13 The Second Story
in Architecture, Blog, HDR
I had mentioned yesterday that I didn't get enough time in the Minnesota state capitol building the other day. I made up for that by going back late yesterday morning. I knew when I went that I was going to take several series of photos with my camera on a tripod so that I could later process them into high dynamic range photos (HDR).This photo was taken on the second floor looking west. One of the things I like about the way the camera interprets this space is the way it sees color. The columns and the stairs are lit by a skylight but the space behind the columns is lit by incandescent lighting. The space behind the columns is warm and the columns are a cooler gray due to this lighting.The other thing I like in this photo is the amount of texture that is present. I think that texture can be both something you feel (such as the tops of the Corinthian columns) and can be something you see (such as the variegated stone in the columns.) And there is plenty of both in this scene.I will be posting at least two more from my "Minnesota State Capitol" series. I hope you like HDR architecture.Canon 5DIII 1/5s f/6.3 ISO400 16mm
02-16-13 Capitol Dome (HDR)
in Architecture, Blog, HDR
Some of my photo/media students and I made a short stop at the Minnesota state capitol building recently. This is the kind of place I'd spend a few hour photographing, not 15 minutes. But we were on a tight schedule.But during my time I did capture a few photos of this beautiful structure, including this HDR photo of the dome from floor level.