Fallen trees over Crabtree Creek.
[iPhone 5s]
Permalink: http://jilcp.blogspot.com/2015/02/bridge-to-nowhere.html
Showing posts with label landscape photography. Show all posts
Showing posts with label landscape photography. Show all posts
Monday, February 9, 2015
Saturday, February 7, 2015
Emotions evoked by art, and the emotions of the artist
Today was a beautiful day, moderate temperatures, and a Saturday (so that many people with "normal" jobs - unlike mine - were free). Our window of opportunity for a hike was noon to 1:30, and as you might expect, there were quite a few people, and their dogs, sharing the Crabtree Creek Trail with Ziva and me. In spite of this contrast with our trip yesterday, when we were almost alone, I made two photos that I felt showed solitude, and even a sense of loneliness.
Revisiting the site of one of yesterday's images, I was intrigued by the strong shadow of the bridge, and allowed myself to become a part of it.
Does that look like a lonely person? Maybe it just looks like a photographer with a phone camera in hand. I can't really judge the effectiveness of my own works, but I will observe this: many great composers have created music which elicits powerful emotional responses from listeners. Sometimes the feelings correlate with things we've all experienced in our lives - sadness, elation, longing, tenderness. However, the composer is no more likely than not to have been feeling those things while crafting the music. Having been there at some previous time is sufficient. I'm sure the same thing applies to great visual artists. Could Picasso have painted Guernica without being intensely personally moved by the horror of what happened? Undoubtedly not. Yet I think that in a lot of cases, a very moving painting results from an artist's memory, or wishes, or pure imagination.
I make no lofty claims about the rudimentary photos that I do to document my frequent walks, but I do think of some of them as art, simply because they are a way for me to explore my thoughts and share things that can be difficult to articulate. Today has been a very happy day for me, so far, yet I felt like creating some images that I would not describe as happy. Because I could!
Revisiting the site of one of yesterday's images, I was intrigued by the strong shadow of the bridge, and allowed myself to become a part of it.
Does that look like a lonely person? Maybe it just looks like a photographer with a phone camera in hand. I can't really judge the effectiveness of my own works, but I will observe this: many great composers have created music which elicits powerful emotional responses from listeners. Sometimes the feelings correlate with things we've all experienced in our lives - sadness, elation, longing, tenderness. However, the composer is no more likely than not to have been feeling those things while crafting the music. Having been there at some previous time is sufficient. I'm sure the same thing applies to great visual artists. Could Picasso have painted Guernica without being intensely personally moved by the horror of what happened? Undoubtedly not. Yet I think that in a lot of cases, a very moving painting results from an artist's memory, or wishes, or pure imagination.
I make no lofty claims about the rudimentary photos that I do to document my frequent walks, but I do think of some of them as art, simply because they are a way for me to explore my thoughts and share things that can be difficult to articulate. Today has been a very happy day for me, so far, yet I felt like creating some images that I would not describe as happy. Because I could!
Permalink: http://jilcp.blogspot.com/2015/02/emotions-evoked-by-art-and-emotions-of.html
Friday, February 6, 2015
Swamped
Sometimes I get so swamped with work as a violinist that I feel I have all I can do to keep up with basic chores, and there isn't time to work at photography (otherwise, I would do some photos virtually every day). I thought today might be pretty much like that, but one of my responsibilities was to exercise our dog Ziva. No, it wasn't going to be some brief little stroll, Ziva had designs. We had about two miles of the Greenway trail almost entirely to ourselves on the outbound journey. We hiked for two hours and forty minutes. When I'm wandering outside for that length of time, the only thing that could keep me from trying some shots would be the total absence of any kind of camera. I guess that makes me addicted, right? Anyway...
After crossing over Crabtree Creek, we passed a swamp that I wanted to elevate to the status, or at least appearance, of an exotic landscape.
We recrossed the creek at a second bridge, and found a peaceful view that lent itself to a quasi-vintage approach to image processing.
From there, it was a pretty straightforward return journey for me, though Ziva had the fun of seeing a few walkers, joggers and bikers.
After crossing over Crabtree Creek, we passed a swamp that I wanted to elevate to the status, or at least appearance, of an exotic landscape.
We recrossed the creek at a second bridge, and found a peaceful view that lent itself to a quasi-vintage approach to image processing.
From there, it was a pretty straightforward return journey for me, though Ziva had the fun of seeing a few walkers, joggers and bikers.
Permalink: http://jilcp.blogspot.com/2015/02/swamped.html
Monday, January 19, 2015
Y in the sky
Contrails can be interesting. I spotted this while walking toward a Greenway entrance this morning. The broader trail had spread quite a lot, but it might not have taken very long. I saw the narrow one being formed by a jet that must have been on a lower flight path than the other. Its trail broadened noticeably in just a few seconds. Why look up, Y...
Although the sewer line work on the Crabtree Creek Trail is far from completed, the workmen waved me through today, so I felt I had official permission to hike and explore. So, we headed for Crabtree Valley.
Not so long ago, this area was covered with ice.
Into the woods...
No entry this way:
Ziva, the junkyard dog? No, but how did she get in there?
She fits where most adult humans can't (and she was on her leash the whole time).
The return trip under Edwards Mill Road was impressive, thanks to reflection of a blue sky that rendered even deeper blue water.
Some of the pumping and dredging equipment is very colorful.
This might give some young kids nightmares.
It's a cyborg zombie, ready to suck the brains of the unwary.
But that oddly gruesome thought only occurred to me now, as I write. Our trip this morning was very pleasant, and put me in a good mood for the start of the day.
Although the sewer line work on the Crabtree Creek Trail is far from completed, the workmen waved me through today, so I felt I had official permission to hike and explore. So, we headed for Crabtree Valley.
Not so long ago, this area was covered with ice.
Into the woods...
No entry this way:
Ziva, the junkyard dog? No, but how did she get in there?
She fits where most adult humans can't (and she was on her leash the whole time).
The return trip under Edwards Mill Road was impressive, thanks to reflection of a blue sky that rendered even deeper blue water.
Some of the pumping and dredging equipment is very colorful.
This might give some young kids nightmares.
It's a cyborg zombie, ready to suck the brains of the unwary.
But that oddly gruesome thought only occurred to me now, as I write. Our trip this morning was very pleasant, and put me in a good mood for the start of the day.
Permalink: http://jilcp.blogspot.com/2015/01/y-in-sky.html
Thursday, January 15, 2015
Carolina Beach Sunrise
I "cheated" in creating these three photos this morning. I did get up well before sunrise to see what might develop, and I did not give up when I saw the heavy overcast. The first hint of anything interesting was about three minutes after the invisible sunrise, when a huge congregation of seabirds flew across the ocean waters just beyond the breaking surf. The "cheating" is that the light was dull, hardly any color. I have seen this kind of feeding activity on mornings with nice golden light, when I didn't have any kind of camera. So, I decided to "tweak" it in Adobe Lightroom®, and got something more like what I've experienced before. No, it didn't look like this today, except in my imagination. So I guess one could say I "played painter" for the occasion.
A few minutes later, some warm colors did appear through a thin region of the clouds, and a lone beachcomber stood admiring the view for a moment. I again greatly intensified the image, but all of the elements you see were really there.
The last shot is in some ways the most interesting color display that I observed, and it lasted only a few seconds!
A few minutes later, some warm colors did appear through a thin region of the clouds, and a lone beachcomber stood admiring the view for a moment. I again greatly intensified the image, but all of the elements you see were really there.
The last shot is in some ways the most interesting color display that I observed, and it lasted only a few seconds!
Permalink: http://jilcp.blogspot.com/2015/01/carolina-beach-sunrise.html
Sunday, January 11, 2015
Our first 10K
Tweet
Today, Ziva and I achieved a new (metric) milestone: we hiked ten kilometers. It began with a jog and walk through our neighborhood park, where "we" discerned a taunting cat behind an iron gate. Ziva got her entire head underneath, but she seems to know her body size, and doesn't seem inclined to get stuck places - whew!
After we got on the Greenway, we made pretty reasonable time until we reached sections that we've only recently begun to explore. I insisted on pauses at a few spots so that I could do artsy-phartsy photos with my iPhone. A frozen stream:
The "tunnel" under Edwards Mill Road (note the two joggers):
The "underbelly" as we headed toward Crabtree Valley Mall:
A different view as we headed back (no, I didn't take Ziva shopping):
And a wintery looking marsh:
Today, Ziva and I achieved a new (metric) milestone: we hiked ten kilometers. It began with a jog and walk through our neighborhood park, where "we" discerned a taunting cat behind an iron gate. Ziva got her entire head underneath, but she seems to know her body size, and doesn't seem inclined to get stuck places - whew!
After we got on the Greenway, we made pretty reasonable time until we reached sections that we've only recently begun to explore. I insisted on pauses at a few spots so that I could do artsy-phartsy photos with my iPhone. A frozen stream:
The "tunnel" under Edwards Mill Road (note the two joggers):
The "underbelly" as we headed toward Crabtree Valley Mall:
A different view as we headed back (no, I didn't take Ziva shopping):
And a wintery looking marsh:
Permalink: http://jilcp.blogspot.com/2015/01/our-first-10k.html
Thursday, January 8, 2015
Lonely Pair on the Greenway today
This morning, the temperature in Raleigh dropped to 10º or 11º F. I had to work, but in the early afternoon, with the temp still only in the low twenties, Ziva and I spent well over an hour wandering the neighborhood and the Greenway. We did not see another human or canine until the latter portion of our return route, when we passed a couple with another friendly dog. You would think that people were dissuaded by the cold from their normal exercise routines! Usually, we would expect to see many bicyclists, a few joggers and power walkers, and several dogs with their owners.
I'd say we were a lonely pair, but actually we were surrounded by dozens of large robins, a male cardinal and a smattering of other birds. The puddles were frozen, one large one so solidly that Ziva skated across it. She was funny to watch! Sorry, no photos possible of any of this, but I did pause just long enough to shoot this tableau of trees, clouds, and shadows. Ziva pulled on the leash, but I got the shot composed pretty close to the way I wanted.
I'd say we were a lonely pair, but actually we were surrounded by dozens of large robins, a male cardinal and a smattering of other birds. The puddles were frozen, one large one so solidly that Ziva skated across it. She was funny to watch! Sorry, no photos possible of any of this, but I did pause just long enough to shoot this tableau of trees, clouds, and shadows. Ziva pulled on the leash, but I got the shot composed pretty close to the way I wanted.
[iPhone 5s]
Permalink: http://jilcp.blogspot.com/2015/01/lonely-pair-on-greenway-today.html
Permalink: http://jilcp.blogspot.com/2015/01/lonely-pair-on-greenway-today.html
Monday, December 29, 2014
Sometimes a photograph needs a massage
After shooting the rain drops on tree twigs, I took Ziva on a nice long hike. We got all the way to Crabtree Valley via the Greenway, so to "celebrate", on the way back I stopped near my much appreciated, abandoned bridge, and photographed it from a vantage point I hadn't used before. The result was dreary and dull. Although the wet weather was part of the atmosphere of the scene, I did want the bridge to stand out from the vegetation which had almost swallowed it in the grayness. Adobe Photoshop® to the rescue. The hues have not been altered, no objects have been moved or removed, but changes, both local and global, to exposure, contrast, saturation, and other tonal effects brought the image to life, so that I see the bridge now as a viable subject.
In case you're curious, here's the original shot, straight out of my iPhone 5s. It does capture the somber light, and if the scene itself had more strength and character, I might have preferred the realistic rendering... But this was all basically playing with a snapshot.
In case you're curious, here's the original shot, straight out of my iPhone 5s. It does capture the somber light, and if the scene itself had more strength and character, I might have preferred the realistic rendering... But this was all basically playing with a snapshot.
Permalink: http://jilcp.blogspot.com/2014/12/sometimes-photograph-needs-massage.html
Wednesday, December 24, 2014
Pouring Rain, Photo Fun
This morning I was obliged to walk/run Ziva in rather heavy rain. Unlike some dogs I could name, she is not the least bit dissuaded by precipitation, or even thunder. She loves to run through water channels, such as the rush down the street along the gutter on the way to a storm sewer opening at the bottom of a hill. And if there are piles of wet leaves along the way, so much the better!
Well, after an hour or so of that, I thought I owed it to myself to go out into the rain again with a weather resistant camera. I had spotted some interesting possibilities along our neighborhood creek. This is where I say "kids, don't try this at home!" To put it seriously, if you want to keep your expensive camera gear working, and shoot in heavy rain, you should consider putting a plastic bag around the camera body, with just the hood of the lens poking out of a hole sealed around it. There are also specially made rain covers for cameras that you can purchase. Digital cameras are, in large part, computers. Any water that gets into electronics can cause trouble. Salt water is especially evil - corrosive! - but that's a discussion for another day. If you get a little rain on the outside of your camera, just be careful to wipe it off when you get indoors.
All of that notwithstanding, I wasn't worried about the camera and lens I was carrying*, because they are very substantially moisture sealed. I was careful to keep rain from landing on the front surface of the lens (lens hoods do more than keep stray bright light from hitting the lens), and just went out and shot. The results were worth it, to me, and it gave me some more experience to call upon if I'm at some gorgeous scenic site on a rainy day. Here are eight examples. I began with small things.
Here's a stage-setting view of the creek, running high.
Next are some shots of the white water action.
Note how a high shutter speed freezes the water in the foreground, where it is in focus.
A slow shutter speed perhaps gives a better sense of the many directions of flow.
Finally, a close view of leaves that were collecting and dripping rain. You can see a scattering spray behind them as rain hit a bark projection. The tree was purplish in the bluish overcast light, and I emphasized the color by increasing the saturation, as if I were shooting the old Fuji Velvia slide film from days of yore.
Well, after an hour or so of that, I thought I owed it to myself to go out into the rain again with a weather resistant camera. I had spotted some interesting possibilities along our neighborhood creek. This is where I say "kids, don't try this at home!" To put it seriously, if you want to keep your expensive camera gear working, and shoot in heavy rain, you should consider putting a plastic bag around the camera body, with just the hood of the lens poking out of a hole sealed around it. There are also specially made rain covers for cameras that you can purchase. Digital cameras are, in large part, computers. Any water that gets into electronics can cause trouble. Salt water is especially evil - corrosive! - but that's a discussion for another day. If you get a little rain on the outside of your camera, just be careful to wipe it off when you get indoors.
All of that notwithstanding, I wasn't worried about the camera and lens I was carrying*, because they are very substantially moisture sealed. I was careful to keep rain from landing on the front surface of the lens (lens hoods do more than keep stray bright light from hitting the lens), and just went out and shot. The results were worth it, to me, and it gave me some more experience to call upon if I'm at some gorgeous scenic site on a rainy day. Here are eight examples. I began with small things.
Here's a stage-setting view of the creek, running high.
Next are some shots of the white water action.
Note how a high shutter speed freezes the water in the foreground, where it is in focus.
A slow shutter speed perhaps gives a better sense of the many directions of flow.
Finally, a close view of leaves that were collecting and dripping rain. You can see a scattering spray behind them as rain hit a bark projection. The tree was purplish in the bluish overcast light, and I emphasized the color by increasing the saturation, as if I were shooting the old Fuji Velvia slide film from days of yore.
[Canon 1DX, 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS II]
When my brief excursion was done, the inside of my weather resistant jacket was wet, and my Tilley hat was soaked through. However, the innards of the camera seem unaffected. Well, to be fair, the soak-through of my clothing was a result of my hour out with Ziva as well as twenty minutes with the camera!
Permalink: http://jilcp.blogspot.com/2014/12/pouring-rain-photo-fun.html
Dull Light
Tuesday morning was drizzly and the light was dull, nor was there anything interesting like fog when Ziva and I did our jaunt along Crabtree Creek. Nonetheless, when we got to the bridge over the river, I decided to grab a few pics to compare to how different it was when I got the "Slanting Light" photo posted here.
The overall look is drab, but the wetness did bring out some of the left over autumn colors. At any rate, just to demonstrate how the light can make (or break) a photo:
The overall look is drab, but the wetness did bring out some of the left over autumn colors. At any rate, just to demonstrate how the light can make (or break) a photo:
Permalink: http://jilcp.blogspot.com/2014/12/dull-light.html
Friday, December 19, 2014
Slanting light
On the Greenway over Crabtree Creek yesterday, slanting sunlight made this scene interesting.
At a stopping point, Ziva's activity resulted in a certain slant to this photo. I'm careful to level the horizons of my landscape images, but there's no law that says everything has to be shot that way. My own rule of thumb is that camera tilt usually works best if it is sufficient to be obviously intentional. Of course, even that "rule" is violable. I wouldn't say I'm "all thumbs", but I sometimes wish that I had two thumbs on one hand for better operation of the iPhone! It can be a struggle when the other hand is on a leash that is under constantly changing tension.
[iPhone 5s]
At a stopping point, Ziva's activity resulted in a certain slant to this photo. I'm careful to level the horizons of my landscape images, but there's no law that says everything has to be shot that way. My own rule of thumb is that camera tilt usually works best if it is sufficient to be obviously intentional. Of course, even that "rule" is violable. I wouldn't say I'm "all thumbs", but I sometimes wish that I had two thumbs on one hand for better operation of the iPhone! It can be a struggle when the other hand is on a leash that is under constantly changing tension.
[iPhone 5s]
Permalink: http://jilcp.blogspot.com/2014/12/slanting-light.html
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