Delicate Beauty

Gentle Snow

The gentleness of this snowfall is shown beautifully through my 75-300 mm lens. With the aperture set at f/5.6 there is a lovely blur in the foreground and background, further softening the scene. I shot at a speed of 1/160.

Allowing the posts to run through much of the image, from foreground to background, brings a sense of longevity...no hurry. For the foreseeable future, this is as it is, a winter wonderland.

Different Together

Being different together works.

Being different together is quite beautiful.

Finding things that don't normally go together, together, often presents a wonderful photo opportunity. As you look around, notice the unusual. Does it speak to you? Is it beautiful? If it resonates somehow, it will quite likely translate into an interesting image.

Discovering this pinecone (it was obviously not where it originated) was quite interesting to me. The colour of the light and the surrounding landscape were also interesting. The snow falling brought another element of movement into the picture that was somehow connective. All of these pieces came together to produce a beautiful, uniquely unified scene, one that I felt quite at home in.

I shot at a focal length of 300, shutter speed of 1/160 and aperture of f/5.6. To ensure clarity with the longer lens choice, I bumped my ISO to 200 so I could maintain a faster speed. With a longer lens, the possibility of camera shake increases immediately.

Light in Dark

Light in darkness; it radiates; it multiplies; and reaches.

Resonate

Points of View

I shot this picture looking down at my own feet but ended up flipping the image vertically as it seemed to present better that way.

The negative space adds to the subject of the boot tips. Called Points of View, we see immediately that there is more than one view, one way of looking at things. The faint lines in the white floorboards seem to agree with the one point of view. However, the one more forward takes the lead.

I shot with a speed of 1/40 and aperture of f/2.8. Once on my computer I brought this image into photoshop to add a texture layer but chose one that would not make the negative space disappear in clutter. Layers can add but they also can detract or distract from what the photographer is trying to say.

Railway Crossing

Once again, changing this into a black and white image resulted in a better photo. The bright golden yellow field in the background distracted from the flow of the pathway to the clearing and finally to the railway crossing.

When you import your images into your photo publishing/processing program, pull out the colour and see if the result brings an improvement. Of course, this largely depends on what your subject is...or is not.

Here, in this image, the subject is not the field but it presented that way with the colour. The railway crossing was all but lost with the distraction of the yellow mass. In addition, the flow was interrupted before the intended stop at the railway crossing.

I shot this image with a shutter speed of 1/80 and aperture of f/10. My ISO was firmly fixed at 100.

Manitoba Prairies

Seeds of Light

Listening

It sure is fun to imagine what these trees might think and do and say to one another. Seeing this towering tree bend down to listen to the smaller, younger ones is heart warming.

Personification can be used as a creative tool to get out of a photography rut. Look around with new eyes and see what human traits or actions you see in non-human form. You'll be surprised at how often you see this in the landscape around you.

To further play with the image in Photoshop also reaches beyond what one sees to something more. Adding texture and tonal layers can enhance and enrich the image, your story.

I used my 24-70 mm lens to shoot this scene. My focal length was 24 mm, shutter speed 1/400 and aperture f/7.1. ISO was firmly fixed at 100.