3/30/08 - A Morning in Maine

A Morning in Maine

The first morning of a much needed vacation. I'm up before the rest of the family. Coffee, book, and camera are in hand as I walk down to the dock nestled in a bend on the Damriscotta River, Maine. "ET Bugaboo", the boat I spent a good year building, is sitting quietly on the glass smooth water. There is a slight chill in the air, but it is warming quickly. The result is a blanket of fog covering the water. I know a photo opportunity when I see it.

This is another image taken about 4 years ago with a 3MP point-an-shoot. I like the simplicity of this image and the feeling of isolation. My only wish is that I the lobster boat to the right wasn't there. Now that I've improved my PS skills, I may try to clone it out.

3/26/08 - Lil' Dux

"Lil' Dux"

This image was taken on a foggy October morning about 4 years ago. Surprising to some, it was captured with a 3MP point-and-shoot digital. The end product is the result of my introduction to Noise Ninja. Out of the camera, the image was very grainy. However, one pass through Noise Ninja and the image was recovered.

This has always been one of my favorite images in my portfolio. I like the relatively bright yellow of the boat interior set off against the dreary mood of early morning fog. I also think the tonal qualities of the grass also works well in this image. However, it has never been one of my more popular images. I must confess that I've never understood this, but such is the subjective world of art. It is possible that my opinion of the image is tainted by the significant effort I put into capturing and finishing it.

3/4/08 - More Catch-Up

A few weeks ago, Erick Johnson and I embarked on a photography day-trip into the city (Boston). My goal was to attempt to capture the spirit of the city while avoiding some of the more touristy shots. I found it wasn't as easy as I had hoped.

Before even deciding on a plan of action, we noticed an opportunity with the unique window panes of the Park Street T station.




Next we putz'ed around the Public Gardens. Of course, being mid-February there were no flowers and little color. In fact, the only color I found was a red balloon stuck in a tree. I decided to capture it with the Berkley and Hancock Towers in the background



We then made our way over to Fanuel Hall, grabbed a coffee and then proceeded over to Haymarket to hopefully capture the sights of this energetic outdoor market. For a photographer, it can be sensory overload.



From Haymarket, we crossed under the Expressway and checked-out the North End. It didn't take us long to find a great bakery.

3/2/08 - Playing Catchup

I need to do some catching up.

In January I took a course on capturing personalities with portraits. There was more info than I care to try and repeat in this blog, but the essence of it focused alot on the eyes and waiting for the right moment. "The eyes are window to the soul" and in photography, this is even more the case since the audience does not have the benefit of engaging the subject in conversation or watching the subjects actions. As the photographer, it is our job to attempt to capture what we perceive is the subjects personality and/or mood in 2D. Capturing the eyes at the right moment is one approach.

There was also a wealth of information related to using natural light with screens and reflectors. Since I enjoy environmental portraits, this was very helpful to me. Two pieces of knowledge I can pass on are: 1) When in doubt about which reflector to use with a portrait, try a gold reflector specked with silver. This reflector tends to provide the least harsh, yet still warm reflective light. 2) You almost always what your reflector to be at a direct opposite angle as your light source for the most even coverage.

3/1/08 - SSCC Shoot

A few of the members of the South Shore Camera Club gathered at Mary Beth's house to play around with our camera's and be creative with various lighting situations and objects. Since I don't do this kind of shooting often, it was a good opportunity for me to stretch my imagination and get out of my comfort-zone. Many thanks to MB for allowing us to invade her home and pick her brain.