With the Wind

Swirl

Light is so magical! The absence of it makes things seem dark, still, stuck. The presence of light brings movement and hope.

I shot this on a beautiful crisp morning. Frost had come but the sun came out and before the warmth melted the frost, I was able to get some shots.

I used my 60 mm macro. When going out to shoot frost, that is my lens choice, every time. My ISO was 100 and my shutter speed was 1/800. I chose an aperture of f/2.8, allowing the background, which was not so far off to drop away into blur and movement. The sun and sweet bokeh created this magical swirl and feeling that just cannot be matched on a grey day.

Flight

Sometimes, choosing black and white to show texture and contrast is more effective than using colour. Here, the contrast between the solids in the geese and the texture in the grasses allows the geese to stand out a little more.

I shot at a focal length of 70, f/5.6 adn shutter speed of f/5.6. The speed was fast enough to stop some of the birds' movement yet allowed the wings to blur. Being able to show both makes this motion composition more interesting. We can almost feel the wind their wings create.

Off-Kilter

Sometimes when I feel off-kilter my images will show it. Though there is a strong structure in this shot, the ground feels like it is shifting, moving.

The moon's presence reminds me that though things seem chaotic, busy, crazy even, there is Someone much bigger who hasn't lost control, who is not off-kilter no matter what.

When I can see that by training my eye to look for it, then I can begin to see beauty in scenes like this while in the midst of chaos and uncertainty.

I took this image in a moving vehicle, which is why the foreground shows blur and movement. Making sure to focus on the poles and wires while essentially panning my camera by way of movement in my vehicle, I was able to keep the rest of the scene in acceptable focus.

I shot at a faster speed of 1/500 and used a greater depth of field at f/11.

Once on my computer, it is obvious that I played with layers in processing, adding texture and a little chaos to the feeling of this shot. This also deepened the colours and brought out the moon.

Engaging Character

When taking photos of flowers, I like to find the ones that have a special bit of character. The ones that seem perfectly symmetrical, though they are beautiful in their own way, are not the ones that I find most interesting.

Where petals are missing or damaged, where form is misshapen, there is a story, a journey, a mystery. Capturing the unsolved mystery (and leaving it as so) leaves room for imagination and engagement.

I used my macro lens to shoot this daisy. The focal point helps show that the center is misshapen by way of clarity and surrounding blur. The eye moves over the center's surface and knows immediately it is not fully round. We pause at the crevice and then continue on; we experience the movement; we are engaged.

Life Moves

Blur is Not Always Bad

Blur is not always bad. Here it invites the viewer to feel the wind and freedom of flight. The delicate etchings of the feathers are not lost to the wind; they are remarkably present. We feel the movement and see what moves, both. Contrasting the solid and still perch with the blur that fills the frame is an effective way to draw attention to the subject.

Fluid

The movement from one board of the picnic table to the other is fluid. The wood grain follows the shadow, crossing the gap effortlessly over to the next plank and continues on. It is not still.

Flame

The flames dance all around the sun in honour of autumn's arrival.

 

When showing movement, like the illusion of flames dancing in this shot, it is good to have some blur but it is also good to have spots of focus and clarity. Zeroing in on the sweet spot with a loose nod to the rule of thirds, clarity is found in the flower's center. Our eye also moves there initially because of the yellow colour - yellow draws our attention. The movement is all around in the petals' reach up and around.

Choosing the appropriate depth of field by way of aperture and a speed that blurred some movement while still enabling me to hold the camera without camera shake was key to this shot.

Don't be afraid of blur; sometimes it is a photographer's friend.