Category Archives: Photography

U.S. Women’s Open

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A good friend of mine invited me to attend today’s practice round of the 2009 Women’s Open at Saucon Valley Country Club in Bethlehem, PA. It was a wonderful opportunity that I just couldn’t pass up. We even had access to his company’s air conditioned tent, which provided cool relief throughout the day as well as refreshments.

The players were all very friendly and more than willing to sign autographs. Of course, I took my camera and took lots of photos. It was so fun to meet the women golfers and watch them practice for the upcoming tournament.

The two things I noticed were 1) the distance and accuracy of their drives and second shots. This was nothing short of impressive. Long, accurate drives were the order of the day. 2) the consistency of their swings. Consistency is a hard thing to accomplish in any sport and almost any endeavor. Are you consistent, for example, with your photography? These women golfers are extremely consistent, which I guess is why they are on the pro tour, but witnessing this consistency was incredible. And I am going to try now to be more consistent with my photography!

A Photojournalist Approach

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Yesterday I photographed a reception for my cousin, his new bride and the ladies at the venue in their pretty Lace Flower Girl Dresses. They were married in Mexico but since all the friends and family couldn’t get away for the big day, they had a reception so everyone could party with them closer to home. It was a great day, with loads of friends and family, good food and drinks, and games.

I had the enjoyable task of trying to capture some of the flavor of the day with my camera. It was fun to just blend into the background and snap a few photos of people in conversation and laughter. Kids and adults both had a wonderful time and the photos were relatively easy to capture.

I have not had a ton of experience with this photojournalistic approach, but it sure was enjoyable. I used my 70-200mm lens so I could keep a comfortable distance and try to capture special moments as they happened. One thing I learned was the importance of staying in a spot and being patient. Just looking around and observing people in conversation and some of their mannerisms was extremely valuable. I watched for a while and then could often anticipate where the action might take place.

This style of photography often times called photojournalism attempts to caputre the natural action as it happens. Yesterday I enjoyed stepping into the role of photojournalist. It was different and it was fun.

Do you do any photojournalism?

Emotions

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My son, James, and I just watched Dances with Wolves tonight. This is one of my all-time favorite movies. It has been quite a long time since I had seen this movie and my hadn’t seen it before tonight. As we watched the movie we experienced a variety of emotions: happiness, anger, empathy, and great sadness. Obviously this movie was successful in stirring up all kinds of emotions.

Shouldn’t our photographs do the same? We take photos all the time and we attempt to capture incredible moments that tell a story. After all, the old saying is, “A picture is worth a thousand words.”

If this is true, then we owe it to ourselves and to those who view our photographs to make sure that we capture and even evoke emotion with our photos. You can view a hundred photos, most of which appear ordinary and flat; but when you find that one photo that expresses emotion you immediately know it.

So, are you attempting just to capture colorful subjects or are you willing to create photographs that evoke emotion?

Be Camera Ready

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The Boy Scouts have a great motto: “Be prepared.”

I need to heed this great advice more often. Here is the scenario: I am in a town or driving along a country road and spot something that is photogenic. My camera is tucked away in the camera back or, worse, sitting at home. This example of ill-preparedness happens much too frequently. We have to be ready at a moment’s notice to capture the action or moment. We cannot waste our time digging through camera bags or kicking ourselves for leaving the camera back home.

I know it is not New Year’s Day, but can we make a resolution or promise to be better prepared and start practicing ways to be camera ready? I am seriously going to try this. What about you?

Looking Forward

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There are a lot of things to look forward to in photography. The next shoot, the next equipment purchase, or the next photo to print. There is plenty to look forward to in photography.

I personally am looking foward to the upcoming Photo Walk on July 18th. It looks to be an exciting event and 20 people are already signed up. You can find more information here. I hope you can join us!

I also am looking forward to our upcoming Pennsylvania Elk Photography Experience in September, too. I always like to find an excuse to be out on the mountain with the elk, but joining fellow photographers just makes it that much better.

What are you looking forward to?

Out of the Darkroom

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I cut my photographic teeth in the days of film. Some people never had the privilege of loading a camera with a roll of film let alone watching a print slowly develop in a darkroom tray or smell the unique smell of developer or fixer baths. I thoroughly enjoyed my time in the darkroom from loading a tank with film to develop it, to making the contact sheets, to enlarging prints, and even dodging and burning. I have fond memories of time spent in the darkroom.

Now, things have changed. Film is almost a thing of the past. Oh, I know some people still prefer film but they are in the minority. Polaroid stopped making their instant film and even Kodak has cut their production in making rolls of film. The digital age has arrived in full force and is here to stay. It is time to come out of the darkroom.

Many of the procedures we used to perform in the darkroom can now be performed in the full light of day. A compact flash card can be “developed” by sticking it into a card reader and transferred to a computer hard drive. Enlargements can be made without worrying about light ruining the process. And dodging and burning can still be utilized but now in the light. The details of the process have changed but there are many similarities.

I do miss the darkroom sometimes myself. I miss the mystery of watching and waiting for an image to appear on an 8″ x 10″ piece of paper. I miss the sights and smells of the darkroom.  I even sometimes miss the trying task of loading a developing tank with a roll of film!

I now work almost entirely with digital images and I enjoy this process, too. It may be different but it still presents some of the same challenges that we had with film. I have come out of the darkroom and into the light. I still have many good memories of the darkroom, but I am quite happy with this new process. And now I don’t have to worry about a family member opening the darkroom door at an inopportune time!

What Gets Your Goat?

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Today I was at a wedding venue just looking around. I saw several photographs hanging on the walls representing, I suppose, those photographers who have been at this venue before. Some of the photographs were stunning. There were a few traditional poses and even the frames were of matching colors. All in all it was a nice representation.

However, there was one photograph that got my goat. It was of a newly married couple in an archway. The only problem was the archway was not straight. The photo was just slightly off kilter. At first I thought maybe the photographer was being artistic in this approach, but the more I looked at this photograph the more it bugged me. Here was a photograph in a prominent location that looked quite amateurish–not good for the venue or for the photographer.

So what gets my goat? Well, off center and out of balance photographs for one. I also do not appreciate photographers trying to be cute. Sure, Photoshop is powerful software but I’ve seen it over done way too often. Keep it as natural as possible, at least in my humble opinion.

So, what gets your goat?

Light

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It’s been raining a lot lately and when it’s not raining the sky is still cloudy. Not great days for getting out with the camera… Or is it?

Light is the most important component for photography. Without light there is no photograph. The literal definition of photography is “painting with light.” So light is a necessary ingredient for us, so what are we to do when the skies are cloudy and the sun isn’t shining?

Well, the clouds actually help us. That’s right. The clouds diffuse the light, making the light softer and more pleasing than a bright mid-day sun. Also, have you ever noticed how colors appear to be more vivid on cloudy days?

So the next time it is cloudy, grab your camera and enjoy that different light. You will be able to capture stunning photos even when the sun doesn’t shine!

Contrast

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Today I was walking through Phoenixville in a part of town that has really improved. As we walked along the street we saw many quaint little stores and buildings that were very nice. Some were repointed brick and others were a splash of bright colors. One in particular was a newly painted storefront that was teal with yellow trim. Immediately I thought, that would make a great black and white photo!

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Seeing the contrast in a subject is sometimes easy to see and sometimes it is not. This subject stuck out at me in an amazing way just because of the contrast. Light and shadows work against each other, but they also can be juxtaposed in a creative and attractive way that is complimentary.

I didn’t have my camera with me so I had to settle for using my cheesy cell phone camera. It took the photo and I couldn’t wait to get back to my laptop and create a black and white photo of this image to see how it would look. Turns out that the color contrast was far more visible than the black and white image. I thought the black and white image would be good, but it was not. The color contrasts were more vivid and punchy than the black and white rendition.

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I guess I still have some learning to do to see contrasts better. Do you see contrasts well? Do you know why some contrasts look better in color than they do in black and white?

Photo Walk

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Scott Kelby is hosting the 2nd Annual Worldwide Photo Walk on July 18th. At first I wasn’t sure what a Photo Walk was all about, but then I decided to do a little research. A Photo Walk is basically a gathering of photographers who walk a identified route and take photos as they go. The event is casual and mostly a social gathering. However, photographers will learn from each other and get a chance to see how the “eye” of other photographers see possible photographs.

I decided to apply to be a potential walk leader by listing my photography leadership experiences. This morning I received approval to be a Photo Walk leader in Stroudsburg/East Stroudsburg. Then I started working on developing the web page for the walk. It was all fairly easy and having already used WordPress for my own photo blog proved to be helpful.

Now, this evening, the web page shows that 11 participants have already signed up! Word is getting out and this is going to be a fun event. More information can be found here: http://worldwidephotowalk.com/stroudsburgeast-stroudsburg-pa-usa/

I hope you can join us!