Hello to all and welcome!
I can't really say what you should expect to see here as I've never before tried blogging or anything similar. It'll have to be a work in progress. I'll probably talk about photography in general (and mine in specific) as well as point out different things that are going on that I find interesting or worth commenting on. If anyone (assuming anyone actually ends up reading this) has questions or suggestions on topics, feel free to let me know.
I'm here you're with me, here at the beginning of all things.
Roger
p.s. Comments and feedback are very welcome.
Photos of the Week - Flock of Coots
Last week I went for a walk at Lake Calhoun. The weather was gorgeous. I brought my camera (of course) hoping that some of the spring waterfowl would be around, even though it is somewhat early in the year for them.
I got lucky (but the extent of that is a story for another day).
The coots were out in force. Hundreds of them, densely packed together.
Sometimes, as they were swimming along, a group of 20-100 would race to the front. Taking flight, but no altitude.
I wanted to capture a sense of what it was like. The cityscape on the other side of the lake made an obvious background. I also knew I wanted as many coots as possible in the foreground to give a sense of the numbers. I first looked at using a smaller zoom setting (maybe 100mm) while close to the shore, but that didn't catch enough birds. So, I backed off quite a distance and increased the zoom to 400mm. This moved the birds closer visually to the city and included many more (closer to half the flock, rather than a third). I'm happy with the result.
Photo of the Week - Spring at Last
As I said a week or two ago, there are certain signs that Spring has arrived. My favorite (outside warmer weather) are when the snowdrops bloom.
What's weird about shooting them, though, is that I appreciate them more when they are actually surrounded by snow. White flower with white background, green stems standing out shouting that "Spring Has Arrived!"
But, and here's the strange thing, I only see them that way after a late snowstorm. They need fresh snow to shine. Old, dingy, dead snow doesn't do it. Growing through dead fall flowers doesn't do it.
So, paradoxically, my favorite sign of Spring is tied directy to what should be the last snow of Winter.
Now, look below and tell me you disagree.
Photo of the Week - Reality, what a concept
The title above is taken from Robin Williams' first album. And it is appropriate for how I've been feeling this week.
You see, I had a strange realization the other day...if I count time spent in college, I've been living in Minnesota over half my life (if I don't include college, half-life will hit on my birthday next year). And I have no idea how I feel about that.
I can certainly say that I love living here and have no interest in moving. If asked, I'd say that my home is in Minnesota (before my parents moved out of the house I grew up in, that was always home).
But, I don't think of myself as a Minnesotan. There are too many small things that I just don't get/understand/feel to make me one. I grew up in a different culture. Different rules and interests. Different vocabulary and mindset.
I don't think any of that will ever go away.
And I don't know how I feel about that.
Nic at NiteNicolette Avenue at night
Click to purchase.
Photo of the Week - Other Colors of Spring
It's almost Spring! Time to go out and start shooting again. Time to look for the usuals - snowdrops and other spring flowers, trees with buds, returning birds, etc.
Then there are the other things you might come across. Sights that show up for a brief time and then aee gone.
A couple of years ago, I was walking along 3-mile Drive by the Iris Pond. Looking over, I saw the runoff from the pond was different than I've usually seen it...a rootbeer color. Since there wasn't anything else about the scene that was overly interesting to me at the time, I decided to create an image that would highlight the color in an abstract sort of way. Here are two shots I took that day, showing the color and motion of the runoff.
Photo of the Week - Unexpected Images
A couple of weeks ago, I provided some examples of how cropping an image can improve its impact. This week it's time to discuss getting a new image by cropping.
Normally, I prefer to create an image in the camera. Something catches my eye and I compose and shoot to capture what I saw. If, while making that image something else occurs to me, I'll recompose for that and get that shot as well.
When processing an image, though, I'll occasionally see something unexpected. Something new and exciting.
Example 1: Wonderment
In the Shrub Rose Garden at the Arboretum, there is a statue titled "Wonderment". The first time I ever saw this statue, I captured the below image.
I really like the way the reflection is separate (colorwise) from the image. Then it occurred to me that the reflection would make an interesting image on its own. I cropped the reflection and flipped it so that it was right-side up in relation to the statue's placement. The texture caused by the rippling water makes it seem painted.
Example 2: Self-Portrait
My friend Sarah has a lot of reptiles. One day she allowed me to come over and shoot them [with a camera, obviously]. Here's an iguana I shot that day.
While processing the image, I noticed something strange in the eye. Enlarging it on the screen, I discovered myself. So, I cropped the eye, keeping all the texture and color (since they are interesting on their own). The result is a unique self-portrait.
