Brereton Lake, Manitoba

Sugar Coated

Everything is better with sugar! Well, maybe not everything but a little sugar coating goes a long way.

I did not use any layers for this image but did fade out the colours and bumped up the exposure in Lightroom. The strong red in the original capture was not the softness that I was seeing.

Sometimes when I take a photo I see it differently than how it actually is. Well, this is true for a lot of dud shots but what I am referring to now is seeing with my heart and possibility, not my eyes alone. The mood is present in capture, even if based on my perspective, my heart.

I wonder if this is similar to thinking in a different language than we grew up with. It is certainly thinking and seeing in a new way, a different way than the many years I lived without a camera.

Canada Day Approaches

As we approach Canada Day (and also Independence Day for my friends south of the border), our thoughts turn to celebrations and outdoor fun! This shot, taken at the Navy Pier in Chicago was taken right around this time of year a few years back.  Though not Canadian content, it has Canadian colours and was taken by a Canadian girl!

Trying to compose images that will evoke feelings or create moods is probably not the right way to go about things. Instead, I am learning to take pictures of scenes that stir something inside me right there and then. More often than not, that will translate well into print.

Rather than trying to manufacture emotion, let's show that which resonates within us.

On Closer Inspection

Look closely at the ordinary; it is exceptional.

When you are out and about be sure to have your camera, even if you are out and about in very familiar surroundings. There is always something new to see.

What you see from a distance is not the same on closer inspection. Use those feet of yours and your knees too if you have to, to get in close and see what there is to see. The ordinary weed or bloom about to burst open is really an exceptional sight!

For this shot, I used my 60 mm prime lens with settings of 1/125 and f2.8. There is an obvious texture layer over-top but I was careful to make sure it was not over-the-top - less is more and more is less, yes?

Sparking Romance

My macro lens, exceptional evening light and some fabulous layering in processing teamed up to create this magical image.

The lighting was perfect, illuminating this common weed in such a way that was so mesmerizing, much like a campfire's charm. The airy seeds seemed to dance together with the streams of light, brushing up against each other, sparking romance. It was a world I couldn't enter but I wasn't about to look away either!

Sizing it up!

Not all photography work is meant to be large-scale. Not all photography work is capable of being large-scale, depending on resolution.

Choosing the best output size for your work is important for presentation. I have some images that are best printed small and mounted on a 4" x 4" photo block. Some of my work shows best when it is on the larger side. There are a few cases where an image can manage to look pretty good in all sizes. And, of course, there are many that will never see the inside of a lab!

When printing work or planning to put artwork up, it is also important to consider the space and proximity to other pieces of art, furniture or fixtures. This will also play into how good the piece looks and at what size.

Here is my Strobe image. Below it, you'll see I've printed it on the larger side - 2' x 2' - and the image held its own at this size.

Take a look at your images and consider what size will give them the best showing and then head off to the lab!

Gentle Pause

Wait. Stop. Breathe. Pause. Soak in the beauty, the stillness, the wonder.

To keep this image looking soft and almost fluid, I used a shallow depth of field - f2.8, blurring out all but the edges of most of the petals. I softened things up a little further in processing, with a preset as well as with some manual adjustments until I was happy with the outcome.

I wanted this image to be inviting, soft, pleasing so I intentionally avoided the fine detail of the petals' surface.

Sun, Moon and Stars

This shot reminds me of all three: sun, moon and stars. Sometimes the perspective we choose and the composition of the image can push our imagination further. When you take a picture consider what else might be there. Don't lock in to what it is; allow your mind to explore what it might be, even if only in your imagination.

You may have to pull the colour from your shot in order to move further away from the origin and make room for possibility.

I Stepped Into Another Country

It was as though I found myself in another country. The poppies were waving in the fields as I peddled past them on my way to a cobblestone cafe in the next village. The sun was warm and the roads, dusty. A cold drink with a friend would be just right.

In reality, this patch of poppies was waving as I walked past them but it was in my own city of Winnipeg. The poppies grew on a boulevard, surrounded by concrete. Their invitation to another place and another time was unmistakable and so very successful.

Naturally, I had my camera with me. I got in close enough so as not to allow any indication that this picture was taken anywhere other than where the imagination can travel. Using a relatively shallow depth of field, I focused on one poppy, allowing the rest to move and wave into the blur.

Refreshingly Reflective

Ah, the fun with reflection! I could while away many hours playing with this kind of light.

My daughter brought home a glass bottle of Sprite yesterday, which I immediately asked for once she downed the contents.

Today, I placed the bottle on my dining table with the morning light behind it. Not satisfied with the initial and predictable shots, I challenged myself to think out of the box, to bring my creative thinking to a different level.

I tried focusing on many different points with my macro lens and in the end decided on this for an abstract feel.  Focusing in where the bottle meets the surface, I used f2.8 and 1/160 shutter speed.