79 The Potter's Hand

There is a certain brutality to the invasive assertion of a will not our own ... an infliction of necessary hurt by an unrelenting press upon our most unyielding parts ... a forceful shaping by a stronger hand. When it is man-against-man, we call it slavery ... or worse. When it is the work of God on those who have chosen His road, it is a kindness beyond comprehension. It is the love of a father for His children.

78 Tone Poems for the Tone Deaf

Where have I been? Hmmm ... clearly lost in the ether somewhere. It's good to be back :)

I've always been a fan of the photographic "tone poem". Too often, however, it is used as a description to justify a poorly focused image. But you know one when you see one. There is a rhythm and a percussion. There is rhyme and reverberation; a swish and a swirl. There are deep mysterious caverns of darkness punctuated with high noted accents . If you listen carefully with your eyes you will hear the low thrum of electric power and the shrill staccato chirp of jungle birds. What does all this nonsense mean ... it means there really aren't good words to describe a tone poem. They evoke. They don't describe.

77 The Smell of Something Artificial

Though I am still a novice photographer, I am aware of a certain deepening of artistry. A well respected photographer whose name I can't recall at the moment remarked that young photographers tend to pull in for tight shots but that older photographers learn the value of context and place (a bit of a paraphrase on my part).

It also reminded me of a time when I enjoyed hunting for collectable old furniture and a wise collector warned me then not to be overcome by the glitter of polished brass. That that was a young man's game. But rather to appreciate the beauty of joinery and grain.

One of the tendencies that I had early on was to over-process and, as I look back over some of my work, I realize the ones I love most are the ones I worked least. This train of thought came as I was selecting images for today's post. I was reviewing the last few fall foliage shots. I had run some curves on many of them but there were a few I hadn't touched. These are two of the untouched ones. They remain more natural and have a greater believability. They don't smell like artificiality. Maybe it's all in my head. We'll see.

Of course, it isn't possible to capture and reproduce a scene with perfect neutrality especially in this modern digital era.

And maybe it's a pendulum that swings back and forth until arriving at perfect equilibrium.

My post-processing technique will mature, too. And will become a more refined artistry. Then perhaps I will be able to pull out greater beauty without leaving the smell of artifice.

Till then, maybe I'll step back and take a bigger view. I'll process less and spend more time appreciating the beauty that comes naturally.

Peace friends,

Glen

75 Missing the Misty Mornings

The misty mornings are quickly passing me by. There's really nothing more peaceful and lovely than light mist hovering over grassy knolls and bubbling creeks catching golden rays of morning sun as it slices knife-like through tree branches. Geese waddling heavily over dew-laden grass while field stone storehouses and lonely willows punctuate the hillsides.

Not that I would know.

At that hour, I'm still brushing my teeth after having just finished my morning devotions and hopping around half-dressed assembling myself for another long and tedious drive down Rt 611 and work. As I drive I watch the sun rise over the stoplights and wish I could just turn aside to chase the mist. "Chasing the mist" ... maybe that would be a good name for this week-old bologna sandwich I call a blog?

This past Saturday I managed to get free early and just walked around shooting every tree I could find. Here are a couple of them. Oh, and don't worry, they all survived.

And here's another ...

Now ... for those of you, like me, who love to see the artistry of a good wedding photographer. I landed on Susan's site somehow and was grateful I did. Have a look here

Peace ... oh ... and may you have many a misty morning this fall.
Glen

64 Wedding Photographers ... Best in Breed?

Matt Powell comments in his blog his feeling that great wedding photographers are some of the best photographers on the planet. That resonates with me. Wedding photography is a wonderful blend of photojournalism, fine art photography and commercial photography.

First, let me add my support for the Wedding Photographer's Thirst Relief Project in Tanzania. Check it out here.

Are there already too many wedding photographers in the world? I only ask because it is on my mind to explore the possibility of becoming one. It seems like the perfect job. You get to shoot people on one of the most joyous (and dramatic) days of their lives. There is such diversity of people involved from babies to grandparents, from lovers to quarrelers, from business men to musicians. Every face tells a story. There is so much drama and so much beauty.

On the other side, I'm no pollyanna. There's also worrying about your calendar, arguing over payments, tight budgets, disagreeable parents, long car rides, McDonalds, bride-zillas, drunken grooms, Burger King .... well ... you get the picture. How do I know!? I confess. I watch shows like "Say Yes to the Dress" and "Bridezillas". Of course, I do it only to keep my wife company. Otherwise, it would be "Deadliest Catch" or "Top Gear" or "Manly War Stories of Gore and Blown Apart Limbs". Sorry, the last one is just a project idea of mine.

Maybe I'll offer to do a wedding or two for free to decide if I'm cut out for it. That way, the client will have low expectations and I'll get some initial portfolio shots. I'll not steal the business from anyone, though. I'll seek out poor young couples who couldn't otherwise afford any photographer at all. That would be a double blessing.

Even as I write this, I'm searching google for local wedding photographers to see whether this area is saturated. Will I be stepping on toes ... hope not. ;D

Coming soon - Wedding as War: The Photodocumentary Style

Love and peace,

Glen

http://www.thirstrelief.org/tanzaniabenefit/

http://photo.net/photographer-interviews/jeff-ascough/

62 The Non-Adventures of a Motorized Onion

Don't ask me what that title means. I have no idea. Do you see how low I have to sink to get your attention (the sound of pitiful sobbing). I guess what's scarier is that my warped mind somehow associates this blog with motorized onions. Hide your children.

One of my fave things to do has become taking random drives around the county I live in (Bucks County, PA). I grab my camera bag and my GPS and just start driving down every little dirt road I can find. The narrower, dirtier and less traveled the road ... the better! Oh, my poor poor Civic ;(

Last weekend my random drive hit upon a little hilltop airstrip - Van Sant Community Airport. They had lined up a bunch of historic biplanes along the grass strip and were taking off whenever they felt like it. Gliders were getting launched and landing there too. Not sure how they avoided hitting each other. I think they might've been using CB's or something. "Breaker, breaker ... I've got snoopy on a wire at 15:30".

Folks had come out with their doggies and their picnic baskets spending an afternoon just watching the biplanes fly in and out. There was also a lineup of historic cars

that get parked along the strip, too. It felt like I had stepped back into time. It was totally enchanting!

The shots above are from a Model-T Ford and a Triumph TR-3.

Here's a Studebaker gas cap.

Ok, enough of my non-adventures. The only point here (if you want to call it that) is that there is nothing so fun as random driving. Get a GPS, close your eyes and drive somewhere ... anywhere. Maybe you'll drive right through a time portal ... like I did.

Peace,

Glen

Ok, so you're saying to yourself, "Come-on! You mean you didn't post a single picture of an airplane after all that rambling on!?" Fine ... here you go ...

60 Why I married my 5D Mark II

Ok, the last post was kidding around but the fact that I love my new 5D Mark II is no joke. I'm a happy puppy!!

I gotta say, the "Mark II" part always sounds cheesy to me ... like it should come from Mr. Spacely at Spacely Sprockets.

Admittedly, I'm still in the honeymoon phase. I've only had it for 4 days ... but with every new thing I try, I find myself giggling like a 13 yr old school girl. I had read post after post on why Nikon useability is so much better than Canon but I must say, I'm not feeling it (pronounced in Philly: ful'en-et). I LOVE the useability of this camera! To me, it just makes sense.

This is no serious review but some early observations in no particular order and with no rhyme or reason. Stream of consciousness ...

1. The exposure compensation just takes a quick twist of the thumb. This makes Av mode almost the same as full manual mode but allows you to not have to think about exposure for the easy shots. If you realize you're in a funky light situation you just scroll the wheel a couple of clicks and ... voila!

2. Solid body feel

This is a tank. With my 85mm f/1.2 cannon ball (pun intended) attached, this thing feels like it's made of lead. The shutter button is higher grade and you can tell. It feels like an actual spring-loaded button as opposed to

the membrane (bubble) type that are part of the printed circuit board. Another beef might be the slightly light-weight memory stick door. But so far, no issues.

WARNING - DO NOT drop this on your foot! Oh, yeah, it will break your foot fer-sure ... but you won't notice ... you'll be too worried that your beloved Mark II might have gotten injured!! Bones grow back ;D

3. Gorgeous LCD display

Did I mention it is gorgeous!? Screen protector costs extra.

4. Focus point indicator

I like this but it's not for everyone. It will show a small dot on the LCD screen where the AF focused. This

gives me a quick way to check my focus.

5. Battery life

So far ... it's terrific. I haven't gone out for an all-day shoot with this yet and I can tell that I would absolutely want to have a fully charged backup battery just in case but it feels like you can get several hundred shots on a charge.

6. Compact FLASH

OK ... this is a HUGE beef of mine. I hate CF. It is all wrong and those teeny weeny little pins on the connector are begging to get bent. Come on Cannon ... put an SD slot in here too. I bet there are a ton of Canon users cursing me right now but, hey, that's my take ;D

7. .CR2 SRAW Files

iPhoto '08 and some other older SW won't process these. No big deal, just an annoyance.

8. Auto-ISO

Because this sensor has such good noise performance, I finally feel like I can shoot auto-ISO and not worry. Since I'm shooting the 85mm non-IS cannon ball, this really helps and all my shots ... even indoors at night without flash ... are sharp!! YAY!!

Does the D50 have all of these things? Maybe. Don't know. But this sensor ROCKS and full-format ROCKS and ... well ... love is blind ;D

Ok, at this point you may be thinking ... of course, for $2700 I would expect to love it! True enough. But if I had it to do again ... I would've saved longer and skipped straight to this camera.

Just my 2 cents.

Love and peace,

Glen

PS - All I did to these images was change color space.

PPS - For a fun insight into the mind of a notable contemporary photographer, check this out: http://www.whatsthejackanory.com/2009/06/inside-the-photographers_studio-6/

59 Wedding bells for my 5D mark ii ... oh, and my 85

Me: I looooove, love, love this 5D!!!! (insert sound of me humming a

happy tune)

MJ: That's good, sweetie ... you'd BETTER!!

Me: Are you kidding!? Sliced bread has nothing on this. I mean, just feel it. Feel that? Wow. And listen to this ... chickzzzt. What a beautiful sound. Here, look at this image. Wow! WOW! Gorgeous!

MJ: That's pretty. I'm glad you like it.

Me: I loooove it! mmmm ... [sounds of kissing] ... In fact, I'm going to marry it!

MJ: That's nice sweetie but you're already married.

Me: I'm going to become a bigamist ... or is that a polygamist?

MJ: It's a bigamist.

Me: right, a bigamist, that's what I'll do. [more kissing]

(a few moments later)

Me: We may have to move to Utah.

(later that evening while I'm fondling and caressing the 5D)

Me: Do you want to come to the wedding?

MJ: Wedding? ... oh ... right ... I think I'm busy that day.

Me: The head table's full but I have an opening at one of the back tables.

MJ: Will I have to see you two together?

Me: Of course, it's our big day!

MJ: Umm, yeah ... I'm definitely busy.

Me: Do you think my new lens is going to be jealous?

MJ: [stares at TV in silence]

Me: We'll have to make it a double wedding that day. Polygamist ... I like the sound of that. [sounds of kissing]

58 Sterile or soulful?

Through TOP, I encountered Jeff Ascough and his masterful wedding photography. But just as enjoyable as his photography, I found his blog to be eminently readable. In fact, like a good novel, I couldn't stop once I began.

Something that resonated in me was Jeff's embrace of imperfection. He argues that imperfections lend an image it's 'soul'. This hits home. I've been minutely mired in the malodious muck of manic perfectionism and my photography is losing it's soul. The image above is a great example.

Photoshop and ACR enable us to correct all the little technical bugaboos in our images. We can boost detail in shadows, fix colors, add local contrast, correct lens distortions ... and on and on.

Jeff, on the other hand, wields the sword of imperfection with skill ... slicing the heads off marching hordes of barbarous technical critics.

I'm reminded again of the Sir Francis Bacon quote: "There is not beauty that hath not some strangeness in its proportions". I propose that that extends to other aspects as well. There is not beauty that has not some degree of vignetting ... or there is not beauty that has not some inky black shadows ... Ok, these are all overstatements. But there is room in the cab for both.

I vow to shake the shackles of that certain stale and soul-less stench of perfectionist sterility and let my crappy photos stay crappy ... but at least they have real soul!

Peace,

Glen

57 Soft-Heeled Stealings

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Trembling and broken, the light seeking shelter

I could not find what I need

Though finding it not as important as seeing

And seeing the start of belief

I sought just a bit more than I ought

Fought just a bit more than I could

Gently teasing with soft-heeled stealings

I found the light where I should

Do I go on toward ... where?

I don't know

Or is this the light from the proper shore?

Trembling and broken in this soft, healing shelter

I know I need search no more

(c) Glen Goffin 2009

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Peace,

Glen

56 Avoiding flats-ville ... or at least bring your GPS

Two posts ago, I included a picture of a farmhouse in the late afternoon sun. It has a kitschy, flat, folk-artsy, 2 dimensional feel ... almost as if it had been painted by Grandma Jones out in the barn under her wide-brimmed, wicker sun-hat. At first, I hated it. Really. Then I tried reviving it by layering a texture hoping it would add 'depth' to the image. That helped. Over time that folky look has grown on me. Now I like the result.

I've been asking myself - what was the culprit? Bad photography? Yes, of course. Nonetheless, I plan to invent endless excuses in the next couple paragraphs :)

Flat Light

When light does NOT fall off with distance or flow and ebb across the image, it can get pretty boring. No dimensionality. Add the fact that bright sun creates shadows that are inky black with no detail. Yuck. The Grandma-Jones image was WAAAYHAYHAY like that! That mid to late day, clear-sky sun has that effect. Like looking across the desert at noon. Nothing ... nada ... just bright. Oh, barnacles ... the mind-numbing uniformity of it all!!!

Flat Perspective

Long distance photography (telephoto) removes the perspective cues our eyes depend on to distinguish depth. It's kind of like those popsicle-stick puppets we used to make as children or like those squiggly amoeba thingies you see in pond water under a microscope. Except of course they don't move ... and .... well ... they don't look anything like amoeba. Oh ... and it's not a microscope. Otherwise, it's exactly the same.

In fact, movie directors use this technique to "put" their big name actors in the midst of burning building and such. They pull way back and use a long lens. That lets the actors stand well away from the building but look like they are next to it.

Flat Composition

Rule - it's good to establish a clear foreground, middle ground and background in order to give your image depth. I hate rules.

The image in question had grass in the foreground that became a big green blob. Could've been the sewer drain had overrun and flooded the farm for all you could tell. Except, well, no cockroach canoes were floating on it at least.

Flat Focus

When the DoF is narrow so that only a tiny bit is in focus and things get blurrier as they fall away, it enhances the appearance of depth. When you focus past the hyperfocal distance of your lens (at the given aperture), then everything is in focus. No more falloff. Flats-ville. Of course, this is the most common approach to landscapes because it is often equally annoying to see blurry parts in landscapes.

So, if you pay attention to these details you will likely cure the flats-ville blues and certainly be a better photographer than I! Then again, I'm sure you already are :D

Peace out bean sprouts,

Glen

54 The value of experience and ... rubber, numm nummm

I remember just last October when I first … umm … “tried” … Photoshop. “Tried” being incredibly generous. What I really did was stare … and poke … and then stare some more … and then poke some more ... and then mutter things about the Adobe family lineage and where they should put their stupid program.

I felt as if I was trying to read a newspaper in Chinese. The pictures and the icons made sense but the words were complete gibberish. Do I read up and down or side to side? What the heck is a channel? A layer? A mask? How is an image different than a layer? Filters are for coffee ... not craqueleure. Why were there menus but then also side panels? How is it that paintbrushes can paint simple colors but I keep getting cat prints, hearts, scratch marks, fractal patterns and even blood stains!? It was all CRAZY BUSINESS!!!

Now it makes sense, of course. I just needed to see somebody actually using it.

With that in mind, I want to heartily recommend a PDF tutorial written by Mitchell Kanashkevich that is now available here at his website. Note that much of this tutorial uses Adobe Lightroom but there is a lot of PS content as well. And the LR techniques can be accomplished using PS alone.

Mitchell dared to ask if this was worth $12 dollars. Gee, let me see ... ummm ... you're going to save me hundreds of hours of experimentation. You're going to show me how you make images worthy of magazine publication and awards. You're going to save me from buying $100's of dollars of programs that I just don't need. ... hmmm ... let me get back to you on that.

This tutorial is great and worth MUCH more that $12 bucks. Just buy it. Thank me later :) Better yet, thank Mitchell!

The image at the top is an example of why you don't over-knead bread dough. If you do, it gets rubbery and doesn't feel quite right. Photoshop is great but too much is too much. One of the best messages in Mitchell's tutorial ... know when to quit! I clearly didn't apply that lesson in this image.

When your bread turns out like rubber ... make croutons. Here is my crouton version :)

Joy and peace,

Glen

53 Silent sailors seeking harbors

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Quiet corners and dusty posers floating freely through the air

Sunlit seaboats sailing softly shining brightly just for me

These silent sailors do they realize I can see them dancing wildly

Do they care, do they dare

and will they ever leave?

(c) glen goffin 2009

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

52 When to Sign Your Work

I discovered a thought-provoking article by Ted Byrne today. My thanks to him for challenging my sensibilities. Oh ... yes ... and for providing me a nice topic to write about ... hehe.

Having said that, I think I disagree with him :)

**** Author's Warning

Long term exposure to this article may cause elevated blood pressure, acid reflux and marital distress. Warning signs include:

- failure to laugh, chuckle, snort or giggle

- incapacity to pronounce the name "Glen" without foam or spittle

- uncontrolled outbursts of "that idiot!" or "clueless goof!"

******

Ted raises the question of credit and it's relation to proportion. That is to say, proportion of contribution to a final work between subject, tool maker and artist and who deserves credit for what? It is a rare work indeed that does not include some element of a real subject even if abstracted. So most, if not all works include at least these three contributors.

Let's take an easy example. If I create a faithful copy of a Jackson Pollack, should my signature be on that image? So far, Ted and I agree. The artwork is Pollack's, not mine. As Ted admonishes, it would be vulgar of me to take credit for that artwork.

Now, what if I had made that faithful copy using colored beads glued to the side of a skyscraper 200 feet in the air? Or hand-dyed dog hair and sea-glass pasted to the side of my car? It could be argued that that is craftsmanship ... not artistry. Should it be signed by me?

Is there a difference between 'taking' and 'making' a picture? How much does a photographer have to do to 'make' a picture? Or what measure of influence must a photographer exert for the work to become "theirs"?

These questions hit close to home for us macro-n-nature-photography-enthusiasts. Let's call them manaphothusiasts for short. Or, better, manic-phothusiasts. If you like landscapes, too ... well then you'd be a lanamanic-phothusiast ... uhh ... duhhh. Do LPs actually contribute artistically or simply render flowers, rocks and trees on pieces of paper and liquified crystals?

First, I recommend reading Ted's essay directly rather than my interpretation. It's located here:

http://imagefiction.blogspot.com/2007/10/when-to-sign-photograph.html

Is it worth asking - what does signing your work mean? Is it any different than giving credits to a photographer? Clearly, it is. It says, "this is mine".

Not one to shy away from controversy, I've listed some rhetorical and intentionally irritating questions -

1. Should we add credits for every subject we ever take (model name, building name, architect, etc).

2. Is photography ever true creation or always manipulation of something previously created?

3. When is there enough contribution to call it 'ours'?

Those are softball issues. Old hat. Photography 101. Let's get serious ...

1. Photojournalists often only have an instant of time to point and click. Did they really contribute to the image?

2. Some of the best photographers need little to no post-processing (other than adding their watermark, that is :) Did they really do any work?

3. Should your child have signed his popsicle stick picture frame ... even though the teacher bought all the supplies and told him everything to do? He certainly didn't make the popsicle sticks or the glue.

4. Do I want to know who took my mom's childhood photograph ... yeah, I do. I already recognize my mom.

The final analysis ... artistry is about choices. Choices include what to shoot, when to shoot, how to shoot. Just because two people might shoot the same thing the same way doesn't mean there wasn't artistry involved. It simply means that that artistry is of a more common breed.

In the end, it's really quite simple. Give credit where credit is due and add a double dose of humility.

Interestingly, as a Christian, I see this issue in a broader context. It relates to what the root of sin actually is. That is to say, mankind pridefully taking credit for the things that belong to God alone.

For more opportunity to scoff and/or foam see my other (tongue-in-cheek) article on photographic abstractionism.

Oh ... and one last thought before I go. There is another reason not to sign an image ... when it stinks :)

Peace and love,

Glen

46 Photography with a Conscience

I was going to title this: Conscious of Conscience. Say that 5 times fast and I'll buy you a seashell from that girl at the seashore or maybe a peck of pickled peppers from Peter ... well you know what I mean.

I was moved by the collection of short, 5+ minute interviews with leading photojournalists hosted by the Canon Professional Network (go here). From elephants to silver-back gorillas to Iranian refugees and Bangladesh social plights, these interviews are passionate and sobering. Don't expect to look at your pictures of flowers or streetlights or park benches the same way again.

These are photographers with a message and the message itself is more important to them than the photograph. I tend to focus on the photograph and forget what I was trying to say. Or actually, more often I never had anything to say to begin with.

Photojournalism isn't fine art photography which isn't commercial photography which isn't sports photography which isn't ...zzzz ... what? oh, yeah ... I mean these are great photojournalists and their whole gig is to go where we can't go and show us real situations, real people, real emotions, real joys and sorrows. That probably isn't our gig and I'm not saying the same shoe fits us all. But I do believe that even fine art photography is benefited when we at least ask ourselves, 'what am I trying to say?'

Coincidentally, I also layed my ears on an interview with Bob Krist by Matt Brandon (here) and was caught by his lament that the new 'ethic' sacrifices truth for aesthetics. Bob was a National Geographic photog and considers himself a storyteller ... a communicator. Hmmm ... I tend to think in terms of 'vibe' more than story. I try to express a feeling or a mood that maybe doesn't even have words to express it. That may also be why my stuff stinks!

Anyway ... as brainfood goes ... this post was bologna on a week-old pita so I hope you have some mustard ...

Peace and joy,

Glen

43 Little Boy Days

Don't you love the expressions on these little boys!?   There's something really wonderful about the faces of children.  So genuine.  PS - do you like how I made him stare at my name!?  Shameless, isn't it ;)  It's kindof like he's thinking ... "who the heck is that!?  And what is his name doing there?oh ... and I have to peepee."

~~~~~~~

Little brother, these days are ours to share

There're no cares to care, no enemies to beware 

Just dares and ice cream and little dog tails

There're trees to climb before mom calls, before light fails

There're girls to hide from and spy on and pulling pony tails

Little brother, these days are licorice and sweet

And though we don't know it now

These are days we will long to repeat 

(c) glen goffin 2009

~~~~~~~

Peace and joy,

Glen

41 Destination: unknown ... let's name it

Let's take a journey together ... to a place not only of sight and sound but of mind.  A journey into a wondrous land whose boundaries are that of imagination.  That's a signpost up ahead.  Destination: ... ummm ... crap!  I don't know the name.  Ok, let's pick a new name for this twisted car wreck I call a blog.

photopoema

Poema is latin for poem (oh, gee, really!?!).   This is one of those names that sounds cute but you can never remember it.  Ummmm ... was that photopopo ... or, uhh ... photopoma ...grrr ... no, I know ... photo-dodo after the dufus that thought of it.  Forget it, let's just go visit PixelatedImage.

glen goffin photography

Now that's cutting edge!  Nonetheless ... my leading candidate.  At least it perfectly captures my complete lack of imagination.  "Yeah, mom, I would've used a cutting edge name but they kept confiscating it at the airport."

stinky fish photography

Brilliant!  And by brilliant, I mean lame.   So why do I like it?  Wait, don't answer that.

So I tried to find an English to Gaelic translator because Gaelic is just sooo cool.   So many vowels and stuff.  I like that arthurian faery woodsy vibe.  Hmmm ...

Ok, so what are the goals for this new name ...

1. fun

2. creative (aka. fresh)

3. memorable

4. distinct 

5. makes people think you know what you're doing

6. looks impressive on business cards

7. makes your mom say ... oh, son, I'm so proud of you

8. sorts first alphabetically ... just kidding ... that doesn't work anymore

9. still available - this is the toughest one

Oh, about this photo.  I was at our local high school picnic and the kids were bouncing around in the inflatable bouncy thingies.  This little girl was drawn straight to my camera.  Her face is only inches away from my lens here, that's why the DoF is so narrow.  I tried my best to get her eyes in focus but that left the netting and even HER EYEBROWS out of focus.  Now that's narrow!  And this was at f/4.   Just goes to show that focal distance is as much a factor as f-stop.  

I did a little dodge/burn on her eyes and teeth and I'm still working on skin tones.   Skin tone was a killer.  I tried many different approaches.  In this, I used a PS action from Night Fate (#62-5) that I loaded from Deviant Art.

And to quote one of my favorite commercials ... oh, Miss Foster! ... my daughter loooves your art class!  

Peace and joy,

Glen

40 How much color or ... "Desaturated Dreams" or ... less is more

This image is a perfect example of the dilemma I face these days.  Being a relative newbie (in a middle-bie body), I struggle with very basic issues right now and this image demonstrates my clear lack of tokens for the clue bus heading to ...

how much STINKING COLOR - ville !!?!

Of course, it's the choices we make that define who we are as artists ... yeah, yeah ... and I should always wear clean underwear in case I get hit by a car.  I  know, mom, I know.   

It is Kathleen Connally's work (see the last post or go here) that has me really thinking about this.  As I continue to study her work and shamelessly copy elements of it, I realize that it varies in it's level of saturatedness (saturation being such a boring word).  The pieces I like most, however, come across as rich and full but somewhat desaturated.   My head is trying to wrap itself around this magic spot where less is more in photography.  Where pulling color out ends up releasing richness and vibrancy.  

I think color is often used to mask other problems.  It's like ... hey, this is a picture of a dead leaf ...  but if I crank up the color it kindof grabs your attention.  Sortof like ambulance flashers at a crash scene.

I think it's more like salt ... too much is nasty and too little is bland.  But the only measure for the right amount is ... well ...  'a dash'.  Ok, I guess I'm still figuring out what a dash of color means in photography.  I know that the image above is too much.  I guess I'll just have to keep tasting till I like it :)

Love and peace,

Glen

39 Kathleen Connally - A study in light

Ok, I'm infatuated again. This time with a woman named Kathleen Connally ... or rather ... her photography, that is.

A couple of posts ago I wrote my opinions on the difference between good photography and great photography and about how great photography won't let you go. It's borders are secure and, once inside, you don't want to leave. Captivating ... taken captive ... captured

Well ... I've been captured and, if you dare, go here. But remember that you were warned.

So what is it about her work?

1. Light - She likes to shoot on overcast or foggy days

2. Light - She likes diffuse light for the most part

3. Light - She likes the subject to glow

4. Sharp - she has a very steady hand indeed!

5. Almost 3D quality - I think it is her beautiful 85mm f/1.2 and her Canon 5D that have an almost magic quality. So much so, that I've begun reconsidering my Nikon friends! But she is by no means limited to that 85mm lens! Graciously, she describes each photograph and the lens and processing she uses. I have scheduled much study time :))

6. Wonderful choice of models and subjects - Her children, her family, her pets, her farm ... all are adorable and captivating subjects. In fact, she has dedicated her blog to her township and she calls it ... "A Walk Through Durham Township".

7. Gentleness - For the most part, her images are very understated. Desaturated more than saturated but perfectly so. You know that spot where the colors pop even though they have been pulled down? It's that 'magic spot' where the image comes to life. This is her gift. Finding that spot.

Please, you must go visit. But promise to come back ... even though you won't want to!!

Peace and blessings,
Glen

38 Hosting adventures and what's in a name?!

I almost called this post 'Out of time' but that would be about 1.6 inches of exaggeration... since I HAVE ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD!  Only my mom and my wife even know I'm rehosting (hi mom:) and my wife thinks that means we're gonna have another dinner party.

But in case some bored surfer (or is that surf boreder ... sic) happens on this post on their way to TOP or David DuChemin's or something ... well ... my condolences.  But here it is anyway.

My faithful readers know (hi mom;) that, after reading David's post on blogging, I started to get the bug to rehost Stinky Fish on a more professional site.  Now, don't get me wrong.  I've had a great experience with Blogger so far.  In fact, what they offer FOR FREE is quite amazing really!  I have only a few complaints and I think one of them is actually reasonable ...

1. Limited set of templates 

2. Domain name includes 'blogspot' ... (omg ... run for shelter!!)

3. Commenting support seems to only work intermittently.  Debra Trean tells me that she can never post comments on this site.  I've reset the scripts several times but no luck.  A google search shows that I'm not the only one with that issue.

4. 

Ok ... now the REALLY BIG NEWS!  I'm also thinking of renaming the site.  I chose Stinky Fish because every other name that occurred to me seemed pretentious and self-indulgent (as Simon would say).  I wanted something with whimsy and humor to encourage a spirit of fun and adventure in photography.  I actually have some friends who think that Stinky Fish is too self-deprecating (love that word).   

What I think they mean is that it is hard enough to be taken seriously as an artist with out deprecating all over yourself :)  But I've always been someone who feels that the work should speak for itself.  If it is good ... or even great ... no title or name or silly blog posts can change that.  It will be self evident.

Now, the reason I'm considering the change ... is the COMMERCIAL aspect.  Would anyone hire a wedding photographer from Stinky Fish Photography?  Would you like that on your wedding album?  hmmm ... maybe they are EXACTLY the people I want to shoot for ... decisions, decisions

If anyone does read this ... please leave me a comment (if it lets you) on your opinion of the name :)  In fact, if you would, could you go to http://stinkyfishphotography.wordpress.com/ and let me know if you like that site better than this one?

Peace out,

Glen