4/24/2008 - Humpback Whales off Race Point

My family and I went down to P-Town on Monday to see the Right Whales that were reported to be mingling around down there. Apparently, there were close to 80 of them hanging around Race Point earlier in the week. When we got down there, we were disappointed to find a few people standing on the dunes with binoculars oohing and
ahhing over the barely perceptable water shoots of a couple of whales way off in the distance.

We drove around to various spots trying to find a better vantage point to no avail. Then an older local woman divulged a local secret (to which I am sworn to secrecy... unless a $100 should find it's way to my palm). The locals know of a spot where whales are often found, but it requires trudging three miles over the dunes and through a salt marsh to get to it. We got lucky since the tide was on it's way down,
and the marsh was dry. It was more like walking through a desert.


When we finally got to the beach, there were no whales to be seen. But, the beach was really nice so we hung out for a while and let the girls play in the water. Finally, Lisa decided to go around the bend of the beach. I heard her scream 5 minutes later and looked up to see a huge back coming out of the water only 100 yds off shore.


For the next half-hour we had a private performance put on by a couple of Humpback Whales within easy swimming distance of the shore (yes, I was tempted). It was pretty amazing.

4/25/2008 - Palette of Colors

Palette of Colors

One summer day after work, I stopped by the Pembroke Herring Run to see if there was anything interesting to photograph. When I got there, the parking lot was full and a group from the North River Arts Society had their easels setup and working in pastels. This particular image of one of the artists box of pastels is my favorite from the day. I like how the pastels are arranged to create a sort of spectrum range of color. What initially appears as box of arbitraty pastels quickly becomes relatively organized and not haphazard at all.

4/15/2008 - Full Moon Rising on Cedar Point

Full Moon Rising on Cedar Point

While attending a function across the bay from Cedar Point, I looked out the large plate glass window that overlooks the Bay and noticed a huge full moon coming up over the horizon of the Atlantic. Since things were wrapping up, I herded my family into the Jeep and drove over to Cedar Point Light. I took a bunch of shots that night. However, this one was captured as I was heading back to the Jeep and was taken without a tripod. I really didn't think it was going to come out, but I was pleasantly surpised by the results. Thank goodness for Image Stability.

This is probably one of those images that means more to me than to anyone else because of how it was captured. As a result of not using a tripod, the image is a little blurry in places. However, it is not significantly obvious and actually compliments the moodiness of the scene.

4/14/2008 - The worth of Art

I have been wanting to see the photography exhibit of Dorothy Kerper Monnelly called "The Great Marsh". So on saturday I went into the city to check out the Panopticon Gallery located in the Commonwealth Motel in Kenmore Square.

Ms. Kerper Monnelly's work is very nice, but I was taken aback by the asking price of her prints (in some cases $1200 for just the print... you pay more to have it matted and framed). I am by no means an art collector, nor do I claim to understand this particular niche. But, $1200 for something that can be readily reproduced without a great deal of effort is tough for me to fathom. That said, I am aware that some photographic prints fetch a great deal more than this in the market. As a photographer, I appreciate that much of what one is paying for is the skill required to capture and finish the image. But, still...

Now, let's look at this from the opposite angle. To get to Kenmore Square, I decided to walk Newbury Street from the Park Street station and check out some of the art galleries. Now, I know art is subjective and everyone has their own tastes in what they like, but in my subjective opinion... there is a lot of crap out there.

Here's one example. I walked into the 3rd floor Newbury Street gallery and all I saw were squares. Everywhere.... squares. There were approximately 10 paintings all hung like they were to be admired and gauked at. But, the truth is that I wouldn't hang them on my fridge. I don't know for sure the medium in which this artist works, but it appeared to me to be oils and tape. It was as if he laid out various squares on canvas with tape, overlaid the entire canvas with paint, then removed the tape after the paint dried. And every piece was based on the same principle. Different colors and layout of squares, but...

Another example was at another gallery where the artist made very large paintings that were very geometrically balanced and seemed like they could have been done with oversized ink stamping kits like my daughters use. An example would be something like a flat red sky, green land (1/3 up) and far over to the right, flush with the horizon line, a square house with a triangle roof. Oh, but then the real selling quality of this art is apparently the fact that she dips the entire piece in some sort of clear plastic or latex and allows the large drip marks to remain at the bottom of the piece. You may ask why. Not to worry, the artist displays a written statement that explains that her work portrays the greed and despair of mankind (or something to that effect).

Now, one could argue forever whether these examples qualify as "art". My opinion (not that it matters) is that in all cases, it does. Somebody took the effort to produce something that was meaningful to them and we have to assume some of their heart and soul went into it.

My question is, what is this art really worth? In each case, the asking prices for the various pieces were in the thousands. Is anyone REALLY paying that for this kind of work? I suppose somebody is, but then I have to ask.... why? I suspect there is a bit of "Emperor's New Clothes" syndrome going on in the Art community. It's expensive, so it must be good. It will be interesting what collectors will be getting for this work in 100 years.

But, maybe I'm just jealous that nobody is writing me a $1k check for my work. I think I need to bump up my prices.

4/11/2008 - WAYWARD BUSH - SCITUATE RESERVOIR

WAYWARD BUSH - SCITUATE RESERVOIR

The Scituate Reservoir was created by flooding a large section of wooded land. There are times in the summer when the water is down and you can still see the large stumps of the trees that met their fate many years ago, as a result. However, one persistant bush remains. Standing in the middle of the reservoir, it is a strange sight when you drive by.

For a while, I was passing this bush twice a day on my daily commute to work. Often the lighting and/or atmosphere were such that I kicked myself for not having my camera. Finally, one evening in October my timing was on and I had my camera with me to be able to take this shot during peak foliage. The sun was setting behind me, and lit up the scene beautifully. There was little wind so the tree reflected nicely off the water.

I like this image because of it's simplicity, the contrast of bright colors, and the moodiness of the scene.

4/10/2008 - Printing

I must confess... I am now a "Do your own printing" convert. Until this point, my feeling was that the cost to buy a quality photo printer and keeping it supplied with ink and paper out-weighed the benefits of printing ones own work. The fact was that I had found a finishing lab that I was very happy with.

However, I've been reading a great deal of material on photographers who do their own printing and I found myself smittened by the idea. I did some research and decided that the HP9180 was within my budget. I spent much of last weekend calibrating my new purchase with my monitor and with Photoshop CS3. I had heard good things about Hahnemuhle Smooth Fine Art paper, so had included a couple of boxes with my printer order (at $80 per box of 25 the stuff ain't for snapshots). I was amazed at the quality of my prints... especially the B&W's. The blacks are very close to black and the tones of grey were extremely nice. More over, I found a greater sense of depth than even the prints from the lab (an outfit many pro's use).

I'm still testing papers and ICC profiles, but thus far I am very pleased.

4/3/2008 - Temptation

Temptation

A photographic cliche'?.... yeah, probably. A great composition?... probably not. However, this is one of those images that I find I can study repeatedly and am drawn to because of it's simplicity. Hopefully, others are drawn to it as well.

4/2/2008 - "Beatin' the Summer Heat"

Beatin' the Summer Heat

Two years have passed and I STILL smile every time I look at this image. My daughter had no reservations about using a large plastic bucket for an improvised pool. I absolutely love the facial expression.

I did a bit of dodging and burning to get the tones I wanted. The image has also been cropped from the original. I don't think I would change anything else. This one is a keeper... at least for me.

4/1/2008 - Powder Point on Ice

POWDER POINT ON ICE

Yet another image captured with my trusty 3MP point-and-shoot a few years ago. I distinctly remember this day as being probably the coldest of the year. A group of us were supposed to be climbing up in New Hampshire, but the trip was canceled due to the dangerous temperature. Feeling a bit slighted, I decided to make the best of the day and drove around with my camera looking for photo opportunities. When I got to Powder Point Bridge (crosses Duxbury Bay an is the longest wooden bridge in the US) the first thing I noticed was that the bay was nearly frozen. Where it wasn't, the water was reflecting the deep blue of the sky.

Even though I broke a major rule of the Rule of Thirds (i.e. horizon half-way up), I still like the composition of this image. I orginally thought about cropping it to conform... but, decided that it worked the way it was taken. This has been a popular image and has even sold a few times.

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.

2/29/08 - Damon's Point

I have been working on the post-processing of some images I captured off Damon's Point on Presidents Day. It pretty much poured the entire day except for a period of about an hour and a half when a break appeared. I happened to be home when I noticed that the rain was settling and the sky lightening. I took advantage of the opportunity to drive over to Damon's Point and see if I could catch some good lighting. I was rewarded for my efforts

12/24/07 - Morning Light

Yesterday morning was forcasted to be foggy due to the snow on the ground and temperatures in the 50's. With this in mind, I went out looking for dramtic fog shots. Unfortunately, the fog never came. However, the day was slightly overcast with light filtering through the clouds, so I took what was given to me. On the Southern side of Bluefish River is a perfectly symmetrical tree next to a million+ dollar home. Whenever I drive by, I always look for opportunities to shoot this tree. Yesterday morning was no exception.

12/17/07 - Mt Monadnock

Last weekend Erick and I did a day hike up Mount Monadnock. The trail was snow-covered and icy, but the wind was down and the temperature moderate until we reached the summit.

Erick Negotiates the Snow-Covered Trail


Steven


Erick Nears the Summit

11/23/07 - Flash Technique

I've begun expanding upon my flash technique. I own a Canon 580EX that does a really nice job. However, there is more to flash photography than turning on the flash then pointing and shooting. Aperature, shutter speed, and even ISO factor into the end result of the image, as does the exposure mode (I prefer manual). The goal of using a flash is to create an image that looks like a flash wasn't used. There are many tricks of the trade for accomplishing this (ex: bounce flash, filtered flash, fill-flash, etc.)

Here are a few of the "messing around" images I've taken while experimenting:

11/20/07 - Another New Lens

I'm on a roll.... spending $$$ I don't have on new equipment. This time it's a 24-70mm f/2.8. Like the 100mm, it is a nice piece of glass. Here are some samples:

11/9/07 - New Lens (cont.)

The other nice feature of the lens I mentioned in my previous post is it's 1:1 macro capability. This enables me to get in close for shots while maintaining a real life perspective.

A JUVENILE PICKEREL


GETTING ARTSY