No Hesitation ~ Exploration Thursday!

"Trails Ablaze"

The heat is hitting record highs here in Hamilton right now. So my brain feels a bit like mush.. well, more than normal. Short post it is!

I read a quote the other day that I really connected with. The image above, taken over at Princess Point was basically a result of needing to capture the beautiful light before it disappeared completely... and so I simply shot the scene right where I was standing. I later moved around and tried other angles but this one when reviewed conveys everything just the way I saw it no matter what I did the few minutes later. And then when I read the following quote, by one of the masters of compelling composition himself, I realized how much and how often it can be true. And releases me from being trapped at times by the "rules". It goes like this....

"Now to consult the rules of composition before making a picture is a little like consulting the law of gravitation before going for a walk"

..... Edward Weston.

Now I realize this may contradict my post earlier in the week on being deliberate, but I guess I'm saying this along with it; Shoot carefully the things that need to be displayed carefully, and shoot with abandon when something so moves you that to think any further about it would cause the magic to flee. The shot above was one of those times.

Let me know what you think of all this? And a quick thank you to my new followers by the way... Blogger's Follow app isn't letting me "see" you all right now, but it says you're out there... so thanks for reading along.

Have a great night, hope you're all finding ways to stay cool!

Sunset Walks ~ Wide Angle Wednesday

"Lovers Light"

(1/25 sec.@ F/16, ISO 250, 20mm, Exp.Comp+0.3)

Just enough light. Anyone else ever struggle with how you know you have just enough light? Enough for it to still be a correct exposure, but not so much that you can't follow your creative instinct or vision. And how subjective can the whole dilemma get, since no one can truly interpret how you saw the light for that particular subject matter anyways, or interpret your interpretation... anyone else totally confused now or is it just me?

I fell in love with this light last night while on a walk with another photog addict/friend. It stopped me in my tracks. Literally. My pal Kelly will tell you. She nearly slammed into the back of me. (Well, that could be a slight exaggeration). It was the sun bursting through the trees and lighting a slight curve in the trail. Magical looking. And I could have bracketed this shot so that later in editing I could have layered a few shots together to carefully bring out details in all the darkest areas of the frame... but I felt it would defeat the purpose since I composed to include certain dark areas within the shot so that the light was the subject, not the entire area. This time anyways. Because how you want to represent the light, especially in a landscape, really is subjective. And next time I may very well decide to make the scenery the subject... in which case, I would bracket the shot to get several different exposures that I can combine later to make the most of the light everywhere.

But for now, I like how the path is lit, and slowly fades away... it has just enough light. I think.

Back to work I go, but thanks for the ramble!

Night Lights ~ Wide Angle Wednesday

"Marina Magic"

(4 sec.@ F/8, ISO 100, 18mm fl, tripod, remote shutter, late dusk)

I love evening strolls. It's where I decompress, and become reflective. When the weather's just right, I like to come down to the bay front with the hubby or a friend... sometimes I have to make sure I don't have my camera. I know, can't believe I said that either. But it's true. If I have it with me, I can't always relax and walk, I'm so busy seeing shots that I can't pass up. But then sometimes if I don't have it I can't relax, cause I see all the things I should be getting if I only had the camera. Must it be so complex? 

This was taken on a true photo night, when my photo rambling partner Kelly and I set aside time to ramble and shoot the bay at sunset. And it's the best of both worlds... I relax AND get cool night shots.

The more I photograph at night, the more I'm learning about the capabilities of my camera actually. Anyone who knows me knows I'm more concerned with composition, lines, and design than calculating hyper-focal distance off the top of my noggin. But I also know that in order to effectively portray those elements I also need to understand how best to use my gear.

I've discovered I learn about my camera best at night. I take for granted how to photograph daytime scenes in most cases. In ideal lighting, I can anticipate how little the camera will need to work to get a shot. I know how to meter, adjust, shoot and feel confident I got it. But for the image above, it makes me take my time. I begin to understand how aperture affects the lighting, creating blazing flares or star burst effects. How no matter how low my ISO is dialed down, if my exposure is unnecessarily long, I'll get more noise or less detail, so finding the right shutter speed is a precarious balancing act. And for years I had no idea I needed to turn off the one feature that is supposed to help with camera shake or any movement if the camera is on a tripod... the Vibration Reduction feature on long lenses. Simply because it'll want to fight against what's anchoring it. It's meant to give you better control handholding. And not for anchored exposures.

The image above just seemed quiet and a bit romantic. The type of setting I like to stroll through. I made sure I kept the winking lights warm to complement the deep blue. And the extra sky gives a feeling of vast open space surrounding the marina.

For some excellent night photography tips I'd check this out once you're done reading today's post. I know I'll be getting to know my camera better all this year.. out in the dark. Relaxing AND doing what I love.

Thanks for the ramble folks, and have a good one! 

Star Burst ~ Exploration Thursday!

"Afternoon Entrance"

(1/100 sec.@ F/10, 20mm fl, ISO 160, 18-55mm kit zoom, handheld, shade)

Thought I'd post an image from one of my most favorite locations, Dundurn Castle. But because it's Thursday, I knew it had to be something with a unique element. So I chose a new one I had yet to edit till now. However, I wanted to post this because this past year I realized I hadn't experimented much with star bursts.

The norm for clear blue skies and easier exposure for a landscape is to pop a nice filter on your lens (or later in PS) and shoot away with the sun behind or beside you... except when you want a star burst effect. Then you must shoot into the sun. Then the trick becomes 'what can I use to naturally filter the sun light'. And not too much, but something to block just enough of the actual sun so that it spills out from behind the obstacle. I've discovered it takes some practice, and usually a smaller aperture than normal. I start at an F/10 and go from there... sometimes stopped down to an F/16. The smaller the aperture, the more prominent the beams of light are as they're forced to reach through the narrow aperture to get to the sensor.

Obviously the weather conditions and time of day will effect what you get. This was late morning in early November. No haze in the sky, very bright out, and low enough for it to sit tucked behind most foliage if I got down low to the ground. The other trick is to avoid compromising your composition as you attempt to get the sun to peak through at just the right spot. I liked the POV I had approaching the arch that leads to the front of the historical property, and was determined not to sacrifice the large tree in the foreground if I could help it. It took some time and some angling and hoping the trees would stop swaying in the slight breeze. But I got it.

For more tips on star bursts check out this article.

Thanks for the ramble folks, have a good one eh!