Winter Macro
This afternoon my friend Patrick & I headed out into the snow with cameras and dogs to see what we could find. Of course we carried waaay more gear than we needed, but it gave us some options from scenic (we’re in Juneau after all) to action (the dogs) to macro (complete with off-camera flash).
I tend to enjoy the macro option because I love to notice the details that constantly surround us. It’s amazing how you can go for a walk and miss all of the infinitesimal miracles all around.
Anyhow, here are my 3 keepers of the day that I recall taking. (We had swapped camera bodies several times, so I couldn’t tell you who took many of the other images).
I don’t consider these fine-art, and subsequently they’re just for show and tell, but I hope you’re taking the time to notice your world around you.
Studio Time
Eureka! It’s been done! I have finally spent a few hours in the studio. I’ve been prodded for months now to get into the Becoming Images studio space after it was up and running.
Before you read further… Here’s my disclaimer: I am completely ignorant! 
I think I’ve been resistant because I don’t expect to be branching out into studio-based work anytime soon, and, my own experiences lead me to feel like studio work is generally fairly static and uninspiring for the client as well as the photographer. Every time I’ve been in a studio, it was effective to get a good picture, but mostly ‘blah’. It seems that it might be a great business model to bring a client in for a shorter time with lighting already dialed in… But, before I feel comfortable getting clients in the limelight, I thought I should get a bit of practice in…
Thanks to Alex (and Cory, and Stacy), we spent a few hours crash-coursing me through a new PocketWizard setup, three off-camera flashes, and a variety of props & backgrounds. I’m not yet a seasoned pro, but I can see where the studio would help me accomplish certain kinds of looks. We’ll see where it grows. Maybe I’ll aim for more practice tomorrow. Anyhow, I thought I’d post a couple of images that we developed yesterday.
A few thoughts I’d tack on:
- I’d like to light the background of the white backdrop so that I don’t have to do any post-production to make it a cleanly white backdrop. It’d take some dialing in, but I’m sure I could accomplish what I’m looking for, if only I had a bit more space.
- The images below are basically out-of-camera so they’d be considered “proofs” rather than a final product.
- I think I need another week of practice before I feel completely confident in working through the various iterations I might use in that space. So much learning to do!
Thanks for looking!
-cb
3rd Annual Calendar
For the past couple of years, I have taken on the task of creating a photo calendar featuring some of my work from the past year. It’s a fun project for me to look back and find 12 of my favorite images, and of course my mom loves it because she can now brag about the artist, but still get’s her annual calendar from her son! :)
In reflection of my 2011 images, I didn’t think I had a strong enough collection in one particular vein to have strictly a Macro, Wildlife, Scenic, or other theme. But with Heather’s help, we were able to get it done. You can call this particular grouping, “photos that made the cut”! Ha!
For printing this year, I decided to go with one of our partners, Kodak Gallery. In the past I had used iPhoto, chosen for their fairly simple process to get a large, quality calendar. So many places offer calendars but at some minuscule size (like 8.5×11) which, to me, communicates mass-market cheapness. I’m a big fan of quality over price.
After receiving the calendars last week, I can say that I like the product. The size is more than adequate –14.25″x10.9″– (larger than the iPhoto calendar –13″x10.4″– that I’ve had previously), and the print quality gets a 7/10 ranking because while the quality of the print & paper was mostly amazing (9-10/10), the downside was that their printer obviously had some issues as there were color bands across many of the images (5/10). I haven’t decided if I’m going to chase down their quality control offices and demand a refund (reprinting is too late in the game for Christmas Gifting.) They may be expensive to make, but it’s fun to share, and most people can actually use it throughout the year!
If you don’t get one from me by new years and you REALLY, REALLY have to have one, let me know. I’m happy to order more, but you’ll cover the costs.
Here are the images (in order of how they appear in the calendar). Click for a larger view.
A Few Travel Photos
Part of the reason the blog has gone without some attention recently is that in early November, Heather and I went on an epic trip.
Click for the calendar'ized view of our travels...
Two weeks, 6 states:
- Juneau, AK
- fly to… Portland, OR (2 nights)
- fly to… Seattle, WA (1 night)
- fly to… Reno, NV
- drive to… Carson City, NV (3 nights)
- drive to… Tahoe, NV and back
- fly to… Denver, CO (3 nights)
- drive to… Bridgeport, NE (1 night)
- drive to… Denver, CO
- fly to… Seattle, WA
- drive to… Port Townsend, WA (3 nights)
- drive to… Leavenworth, WA and back
- drive to… Seattle, WA (1 night)
- drive to… Leavenworth, WA (2 nights)
- drive to… Seattle, WA (1 night)
- fly to… Juneau, AK for a vacation from the vacation!
And, while we’re here, I thought I’d use the photo blog to offer up a couple of photo highlights… take a look at some photos after the jump… (more…)
Halloween Dance
Wow, even though I know I’ve been out taking photos over the last few weeks, I haven’t really been posting any. Go figure. We’re about to head out for some travel, including a wedding, so I suspect I’ll be excited to post a few more pictures as the next 3-4 weeks roll by.
Anyhow, I decided to head out to the UAS Halloween Dance in order to practice my off-camera lighting on a dance floor. And, as another photographer pointed out, this lighting is nothing like a wedding reception dance, but even still it’s nice to practice the trade when there are no pressures of “getting the shot”.
Enjoy!
First up, Trevor & Bob. These two are a blast in their own rights. I’m looking forward to getting to know both of them better in time.
Mostly, I avoid posed shots, but every now and again, folks prompt me with a “take my picture!” and a pose. It’s hard not to turn those down (unless my settings are destined for something entirely different.)
And finally, some actual photos of dancing. No lights is still a learning curve for me. You try taking pictures of moving people in a dark room! Anyhow, I think they made the cut.
Windfall Hike
Last night, after work, I took off as quickly as possible to catch up with Paul and a few students from UAS Housing. As a “Residence Life Coordinator” he pulls together random activities which always seem like a blast, though I can’t often make. This time I was finally able to join in the fun. There were 10-15 students who were going to spend the night at the Windfall Lake Cabin, and then hike out the next day. I planned to hike back that same night, which worked out well because Bob decided to head back early so I was able to make a new friend on the return hike!
It was lots of fun, and of course, I brought a camera. Here are a few shots…
Old Man’s Beard
It’s actually a lichen, but if I ever needed to disguise myself as an old gentleman, it seems this might do the trick. This is again with my macro lens. It’s great to be able to capture the detail of such a thing that I never thought to observe at these ranges before. I’m sure I look strange standing in the parking lot, intensely focused on a piece of moss or lichen just a few inches away from my lens. I’m glad I’m just now looking.
Daffodil
Over this last Christmas I invested in a Nikkor 200mm Micro lens. The term “micro” really means “macro”, but I guess they wanted to be special. I don’t know why because the lens is special enough without any fancy naming. I’ve been enjoying capturing images that I never thought of before, and being drawn to notice details on walks that previously I couldn’t have cared less. At any rate, I’ve enjoyed it. I hope you do too.
