In a message dated 12/17/2004 9:18:16 PM Central Standard Time,
watershed@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx writes:
Care to share some of your secrets?
I big public thank you here to Donald for hosting these images and a private
one off list.
In different ways several people asked how I produced these images. It
would be easy for me to tell you exactly what I did with each and what the
subject matter was for each image. Doing so would, in my opinion, be of
little
value and perhaps steal from you the joy of discovery. So let me give you a
road map and let you decide which roads you take.
First a few specifics. These were done with digital, although they could
have been done with film capture, although it would have been more difficult,
time consuming and costly. I use Photoshop CS and there is, in Photoshop
terms, relatively little manipulation. I messed a bit with hue and
saturation,
perhaps a little with contrast and "Crimson Crossing" was cropped, however I
would say that they were pretty much presented as captured, other than those
things mentioned previously. These three are part of a group that I am
working with which are similar. This is part of what I do, as I am still
fascinated with photographing my children and their families, beautiful
scenery, small
critters, big ones like alligators and flowers to name a few of the things I
like to do.
So here goes with the road map. When Niepce made his first photograph, he
named the process heliography or translated somewhat loosely, sun drawing.
Painting with light is another appropriate description of that which we do
with
our cameras. The camera is simply the tool we use to produce these
paintings. It matters not what the capture method is, the basics remain the
same.
I have found, through training, much trial and error, reading and
occasionally through listening to what others have to say, that there are some
"rules"
which when used will enhance my chances of getting an image that is pleasing.
You guys know them all or certainly most of them. You use fine grain
(usually slow) films for many situations, lock your camera into a death grip
on
your super steady tripod, use the sharpest lenses available, pay attention to
aperture to produce whatever depth of field your desire, critically focus,
keep a lens hood on your lens at all times, carefully select shutter speed for
desired results, use the proper filter to compensated for your particular
lighting situation, shot early and late in the day, and the list goes on . . .
So if you want to produce images similar to these, forget all of the above
and just remember you are painting with light and the creative possibilities
afforded you with your camera are limitless. If you use digital with
adjustable shutter speeds you will have a better go at it. Rather than
visualizing
the perfect photo to extract from a scene, look at how the light is
interacting
with a possible subject. Study the form, the shape you are including in
your image. Visualize the colors and how they interact with each other.
Remember the basics? Forget them. Tripod? What is that? Fast shutter speed
to
reduce movement from your hands? Why? Focus? What is that? Aperture to
increase depth of field? No, but maybe to let you make a 4 second exposures or
longer. Get a form or composition you like, but the color and contrast
doesn't
quite get it? Not to worry, there may be easy fixes for that.
Do you remember when you were 5 or 6 years old and all you wanted to do was
play and have fun and there weren't many rules about how to do that? Guess
what? You get a second chance. You have heard me say many times, I'm having
a blast with my e-1. Well, it may not be an "endless summer," but is sure as
heck an "endless recess," which I say is even better. So pick up your
camera and go play. Have some fun and if you get side tracked along the way,
just
enjoy the journey. Heck, you might learn something and have a good time,
while trying to figure it out.
Let the list know how it goes.
PS: The printed images are a good bit sharper than those I've sent to the
Internet and all three were either made inside my house or within 20 feet of
it. Bill Barber
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