Through the Bus Window

I went to Sica Hollow, west of Sisseton, SD, with several of my photo students. Sica Hollow is a state park that I thought would provide unique photo opportunities for photographers. We were closing in on the park when I thought I should take a photo. What struck me about this this scene, of course, is the color and the landscape.When I took the photo, I was hoping to get the driver, Ronnie, and a well exposed landscape. The camera was a Canon SX230 HS and I was impressed with the range that this camera was able to capture in this photo - from the bright, blue sky to the subdued tones of Ronnie.This may be one of those photos I like more because of what it helps me remember about this trip than because I think it is a good photograph.For a little insight into the creative process that went into this video, watch this three minute screen cast.

On Location

Here are a few of my favorite people in one of my favorite places. The place: the old Redlin farmstead 15 miles north of Watertown. The people: Kendra, Sara, Ashley, McKenzie, Kelly, Holly and Alli (sitting). These are 6 of my second year Photo/Media students at LATI and one of my first year students (Alli). The occasion was an on-location portrait shoot.When I was doing senior portraits, I used to bring my subjects out to this old farm all the time. I liked the many looks that the buildings could give a portrait but I also liked how I could find spots with good light that were also protected from the wind. Wind is rarely an outdoor portrait artist's friend, especially with females. And in South Dakota, windy days are more common than calm ones.I had a good time on the day I took this photo but I think most of my students got better results than I did, which is what I would hope for.

Ready For Harvest

Our Back Yard

This is a volunteer tree growing in our raspberry patch that really should be cut down. I worked hard most of the summer trying to ignore this weedy treeBut, with the right light, a proper point of view and good timing, even a "weed" can be glamorous.

Yellow

My wife and I were out for our morning walk the other day and even in the relatively poor light of a street light, I could tell that this tree would be worth seeing in sunlight.So I went back yesterday morning and took several photos. I'm not sure if the people who own the house where this tree is saw me in their back yard. But I figured my camera would explain everything. . .

Textures

I wandered into our backyard looking for color in the soft morning light. I found color. But instead of subdued light, I found a couple leaves lit by the angular sun. And this relatively bright light also brought out the texture of these leaves.I say it over and over, but I like the fact that photographers have the power to get people to look at things that would otherwise be missed. These small raspberry leaves, in their last days before our long winter, would most likely be ignored.

Still Green

We are closing in on the end of September in South Dakota and that means that fall is here. While there plenty of leaves on the ground, there are also tenacious plans that aren't quite ready to give up.When I saw these leaves, what caught my attention was the subtle backlighting caused by the low western sun. When I pointed my camera at this leaf, I was hoping that I could isolate this one leaf from all the rest. In fact, when I took the photo, I was thinking of using it here with the title "E pluribus unum." But who wants to figure out Latin in a photo blog?

More Old House Geometry

Almost everything in this photo is geometric and patterned. Even the chipping paint seems patterned.Thanks, by the way for the submissions to the haiku contest. Today is the 5th day after the contest started and thus it will end. I am submitting the many excellent poems to a panel of experts and I will announce the winner in tomorrow's post.

Mercurial II

I've compared water drops to mercury before in this blog. But for those who have seen beads of mercury, you'd have to admit that these water drops, photographed from the inside of my pickup's front window, look more like silvery mercury than beads of water.A good photo? You'll make that judgement. A different view of reality? As a photographer, I try to offer that from time to time.Incidentally, this photo was taken with a Canon SX230 HS, a palm-sized point-and-shoot camera. I'm impressed with its ability to blur the background. And provide a little bokeh! Notice, incidentally, that the tree in the background is blurred but that each water drop acts as a lens and offers a somewhat focused view of the same tree.CanonSX230 HS 1/30s f/3.1 ISO640 5mm

Geometry

Even the collapsing window frame of an abandoned farm house shows a precise geometric pattern in the strong, morning light.By the way . . . I sometimes wonder if people read my posts. More probably, you aren't into words and you come to my blog to see what I've posted. From my blog stats it is more probable that you've done a Google search and all you want is a photo for your Powerpoint.But for those who read, and who love wordplay, here's a challenge: Look at my picture and turn your reactions to it into a haiku. Then post it as a comment. The prize to the best haiku posted will be a 5x7 mounted print of you favorite "A Photo A Day" blog post sent to your address anywhere in the world. Seriously. Contest ends 1 week from now. By the way a traditional Japanese Haiku has three lines with 17 syllables:First line: 5 syllablesSecond line: 7 syllablesThird line: 5 syllables

Morning Light

Mac would never pose for me, of course. So any interesting photo of him is a bit of an accident. I was actually trying to photograph the shadows of the shuttered light on the far wall of the living room when Mac jumped onto the back of the sofa and blocked the very light I was playing with.At first, I was peeved but then saw the photo opportunity. I took 8 photos but this is the only one where his eyes aren't shaded. I experimented with turning this into a black and white photo because I think there is a little too much color to distract us from the focal point - which is Mac. In the end, I liked the mix of warm and cool colors, including Mac's orangish fur. To lessen the bright color of the sofa, I used Photoshop to create a vignette.And now I like the color. I especially, like the bluish tint on the wooden shades contrasting with Mac's color. And everybody knows that orangish and bluish are complementary colors.For a little insight in to the creative and artistic side of photography, watch my screencast about how I edited this photo: http://www.screencast.com/t/YAJHszOtN

Breaking Ground

OK, so in a minor way I am breaking ground in this blog because I am A)publishing a painting and B)I am posting someone else's work. Why, you ask?The answer is that I am assigning a "Copy Da Vinci" portrait assignment to my studio photography students and I thought this might also teach you a little about how you might improve your portraits.What Da Vinci did in this painting that helped shape the future of portraiture lies in part in the way the subject is posed. Generally, portraits were full-body and in profile mode before Da Vinci. What Da Vinci did is that he angled Mona Lisa and chose to show us a view of her that focused on her face. Imagine that!Additionally, Mono Lisa is looking right at us and smiling that famous smile. The angle of her shoulders and the gentle position of her hands make Mona Lisa seem relaxed and real. Of course we try to get the same effect in modern portraits.Da Vinci did do one thing that I would tell my photography students not to do and it has to do with the way the hands are posed. These days the general rule that that the back of the hand should never face the camera. What that does is that it presents an element in the photo (due to its size and brightness) that that competes with the face. And a portrait generally is all about the face.Da Vinci gets away with this hand showing because of the neat, nearly triangular shape that defines Mona. And, of course, the face is what clearly dominates this painting.Do you want to take good photos? How about finding some great works of art and copying them. When you start to copy, you start to see techniques and compositional elements that you may not have otherwise seen.