Archive for May 2008

8

Common Grackle, Quiscalus quiscula

Would you believe that this is a blackbird? Gackles are right up there with sparrows on the unnoticeable list and look black most of the time. Their feathers are quite iridescent and in the right light, they can be down right spectacular. A lot of my images have been post-processed to enhance colors and detail, but this guy was so colorful that I left the image alone. I caught this fellow in a maple tree on the North end of Lake of the Isles in Minneapolis. I was using my new Nikon 500mm Reflex lens that, though powerful and light, is starting to bug me with it's ring bokeh effects.

2

Gray Catbird, Dumetalla carolinensis

Meow, baby. This little guy was hanging out on Lake of the Isles this week. I have been hearing them and even photographed one high in a tree in another location (below). My heart was set on finding one, but he found me! As I was walking up the trail he landed in front of me and I had the good sense to stop and shoot before he took off. He was actually quite tolerant of my approach, I got within ten feet of him!

1

Herd of Turtles

A stolen peak through the reeds reveals the herd of turtles taking a momentary break in their hectic schedule of dashing about.

2

Railroad Graffiti

I couldn't decide if this was a moment of zen photo or not. That character is pretty odd. I decided to blast the heck out of this photo with a cross-processing effect and play up the other-worldly look to support this odd graffiti.

2

Railroad Abstract Photography

Railroads are a great source of abstract photos. This one was caught on the move; you can tell by the blurred grass on the far side. Everything on a train is there because it's supposed to be there. There's very little decoration, it's all working mechanical parts, which make for great abstracts. For a tutorial on abstract photography, check out my post from Monday. Basically, you are making the compositional elements prominent and reducing the realistic elements. Railroads and other industrial settings are great in the sense that these purpose-built machines are very simple in their design. Large solid parts, little detail or at least consistent repeating details.

0

Woodland Reflections

Spring thaw has come, but little traces of fall remain. This was taken in the bog at Theodore Wirth Park in Minneapolis. The frogs or toads were making quite a racket! I had to keep moving or I would sink in. It's an interesting area right in the city.

0

Linden Yards Establishing Shot

The setting for yesterday's photo, this is the Linden Yards Depot with Interstate 394 in the background. Rumor is that they are going to demolish this sad little shack and put in luxury condos here. Good luck getting all the hobo ghosts out.

2

How to: Abstract Photography

Behold, the majesty of the Grand Lighting Tower of the Linden Yard. Ok... so the yard is now a city dump and the lights haven't been on since we stopped building nuclear reactors, but still, from the right angle, it's pretty cool. There is a lot going on in this shot, and I had fun at every step:

The Composition

This is a classic pyramid composition, offset to the left to follow the Rule of Thirds. Pyramids are very common compositions in design and painting. they draw the eye in and focus it to a central point, giving depth to the image. One of the great things about photography is that you don't have to convince the viewer that it is real. This would make a lousy painting because it is abstract to the point of being incoherent — it would be dismissed as abstract. As a photo, you know it has to be something, so you figure it out. Abstract images loose their sense of space because the geometric shapes and strong lines destroy the organic real-world cues. By finding objects with simple lines and shapes, you can compose and image in which they dominate the space.

The Technique

This was shot with my Nikon D200 and the Nikkor 70-300mm VR f/4.5-5.6. Settings: Focal length 70mm, ISO 100, Aperture F/16, Shutter 1/80 sec, no flash. I placed the camera against the tower and worked out the composition. I took several photos at different settings with different compositions. One of the big mistakes many amateur photographers make is that they don't look at the entire image. They center the subject and shoot. I really enjoyed how I was able to get the top left light to fill the corner. Digital photos are free: take as many as you can. Keep moving the camera around and see what you can make.

The Processing

I love Adobe Lightroom. I can change an image in so many directions quickly without damaging the file or having oodles of layers to manage. I increased: exposure, recovery, blacks, vibrance, contrast, clarity and... Cranked the tonal curve and increased the luminosity and saturation of some colors. Add in a little Lens Vignetting and it's done!

3

Zen Night Watch Tower

If you don't have a fear of heights, this will give you it. Think of it as a bus stop 75 feet in the air. More Zen.