Nature
10-02-12 Standing Out
in Blog, Nature, Photography, Seasons
By the end of the day yesterday, our driveway was covered in leaves from the two ash trees in our front yard. I had run some errands around town last evening and returned just as the sun was going out of view between our neighbors' houses across the street. I turned back to look at the non-descript jumble of leaves on the driveway and noticed a patch of sunshine lighting up a very small area.I got my camera, which still had the 50mm 1.2 lens attached from yesterday's table shoot, and looked for a suitable subject for the ray of light. Knowing that I had only a minute or two, I quickly found a single, yellow maple leaf. I knew that if I arranged it just right, the gentle backlighting of the setting sun might bring it to life.And it did. You might think that I did something in software to enhance this photo. But aside from a few minor tweaks, the color and contrast you see here are what the camera recorded. Critics might suggest that the leaf is not properly focused, and I guess I would agree. But I think that the shallow depth of field and soft, unfocused parts of the yellow leaf lend to a feeling of decadence.This photo is yet another example of the importance of being in the right place at the right instant. But it is also an example of what it means to be a photographer: seeing things that others might not otherwise see. A child might lie prone to study a single leaf. And so would some photographers.
10-01-12 After the Rain
I took 83 photos to get this. The creative process was fairly typical for me. First, the photo wasn't premeditated.I was walking by this table outside our front door with a handful of stuff I was taking into the house when I saw leaves on it. Then I took a photo of a little stone bird my wife had placed on the table. Then I put more leaves on the table and took more bird photos. Then I got the ladder and shot from above. Then I saw the three distinct planes of focus in the aerial shot. Then I set the lens to f1.2. Then I got rid of the bird. Then I got the hose and sprayed everything with water ("Rain"). Then I edited this photo in Aperture and Nik Color Efex Pro 4.Then I had my photo.Canon 5DIII 1/400s f/1.2 ISO100 50mm
09-30-12 Pastel
in Blog, Nature, Seasons, South Dakota
It looks like I'm going to be a "fall color" theme for a few days. I've been to Sica Hollow State Park near Sisseton, SD, two days in a row and there is plenty of color there.Want to see more? Click here.
09-29-12 Fall Fire
in Blog, Nature, Seasons, South Dakota
09-28-12 Furry Friend
09-27-12 Mutant
This gourd no doubt came from a long line of mutants.
09-24-12 Winter Eclipse
This is was shot in minimal light a few years ago. Having heard that there was going to be a total lunar eclipse on this night, Deb and I went driving to find a good locale to see and photograph the moon. I finally found this four trees posing nicely in front the waning moon.
09-21-12 Stare-Down
This photo was taken at the Alaska Raptor Center just outside of Sitka. I was shooting through mesh wire with a telephoto lens. I said, "Smile" and this is the look I got.
09-16-12 The Empty Nest
My wife spotted this small nest with a single unhatched egg a while back. I checked the nest again this morning and found that the bird has apparently "flown the coop." I have no idea of what kind bird egg this is and of course I have no way of knowing whether the little bird is living a successful life or not. But I do like the late summer symbolism of the empty nest. It kind of like kids going off to college. . .
09-14-12 Arachnophilia?
In a word, "no," I don't love spiders. But I don't hate or fear them, either. Given that I have posted one other spider (here) and two spider webs (here and here) in this blog in the last month, you should be able to infer my fascination with spiders.What was interesting about this particular spider is that I took several macro shots of the bark of the tree he/she is on before I even noticed him/her (how do you tell gender?). The other interesting thing about this spider is that it didn't move at all, even though my lens was only inches from it. Sleeping? Dead? Dormant? I can't say.
09-05-12 Full Bloom
As the flowers fade, the days get shorter and the nights get cooler, mundane shots of a simple flower in summer bloom start to look better and better. I took this photo in late June and the image file was gathering dust amongst the 12,000 photos in my 2012 Aperture library.Canon 5DIII 1/400s f/2.8 ISO400 100mm