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.
Photography: Time (keeps on ticking, ticking, ticking...)
Time has been hitting me hard recently. One niece is heading off to college this fall. Another is turning 13 this week. It'll be 30 years since I graduted high school come June.
My favorite modern history time statistic: Sputnik launched in October 1957. Apollo 17 was December 1972. That's only 15 years between the start of the space age to the end of manned exploration of the moon (and 12 men having walked on the moon). And it depresses me that I probably won't have a chance to do so myself.
This image was taken at Glanum in Provence France. Glanum is the remains of a Roman-era city. At one point I was thinking of titling this photo "The Mists of Time" since I love the way the details fade into the mist the farther back you go, reflecting our distance in time from when the city was alive.
One last thought: Back in college I studied Old English for a while. It turns out that one of the largest amounts of Old English poetry that is still extant are riddles. And of those riddles, a good percentage are sexual puns or other "blue" material similar to what you get nowadays. I find this very comforting.
Photography: Variable Perception
For some reason, it still surprises me whenever I realize how much my perceptions about simple things change. This is especially in regards to weather around winter. Back in early November, 30F was REALLY cold, the sight of all the dead grass was depressing and the thought that there might be snow later in the week was somethign to look forward to. Today, it was 30F and my car was too hot so I was driving around with alternately windows or sunroof open in order to cool things off. I am REALLY looking forward to snow disappearing and the thought that there might be more falling later this week is depressing as hell.
It happens when talking to people outside Minnesota as well, especially during the winter. 10" of snow here is a good snowfall while the same amount around my parents or brothers is a major deal (and makes the national news). Below zero is almost unheard to them as well, where here it can be an overnight norm for weeks or months on end.
Does this relate to photography? In some ways yes. It reminds you that everyone sees the world differently. Put 10 people in the same place at the same time and you will get 10 different photos. Ask them to shoot the same subject in the same place at the same time (or one after the other) and you'll still get 10 different photos. This is what ultimately led my parents to getting separate cameras (each had different shots they wanted to make at the same time).
I'll demonstrate with two chipmunk photos from the Arboretum that were taken within a minute or two of each other. Playing with depth-of-field, background and framing makes them very similar but very different.
What have I been up to?
Not much. Reading a bunch of books and caught a movie.
Books were: Nine Princes in Amber by Roger Zelazny (reread for the first time in over a decade and now rereading book 2 in the series)
Nor Crystal Tears (for Geeks Read) - interesting twist on a first contact story
Sharpe's Fury - the next one in the series by Bernard Cornwell
Hexed - the sequel to Hounded
Saw "Jack the Giant Killer" yesterday. It was a fun popcorn movie. No huge plot holes and everyone I saw it with had a lot of fun.
I also signed up for Facebook since a lot of people have told me it is a good way to get the word out about this website.
Photography: Light
Light is the key to photography. It's right there in word (literally light writing). Digital sensors (and film before them) capture the light that is reflected onto them. Change that light and you change the photo, for better or worse.
Take this image, for instance. We all know that people aren't red. So, why is the person in this photo red? Because it was taken while a red spotlight was shining on her. Her natural coloring has NOTHING to do with how she looks in the image. It is all a question of the light in which it was taken.
The same thing happens in the natural world. The light on a subject will change based on time of day, season, weather and any number of other influences. Sometimes you may want to change these "artificially" (your shadow will change the light on a subject, as will an umbrella, a reflecter or a diffuser). Sometimes you may change the way the sensor captures the light by using filters. And sometimes you might just wait and let the light change on its own. The following two pictures are examples of that. The first one was taken during the day, the second at sunset. The composition is exactly the same (or as close as I could get it). The only difference is the light. I think that difference speaks volumes.
Moral support
While at a party yesterday I was chatting with another guest and she mentioned the problems she's having with switching careers (in her case to a technical writer). Apparently Business Analysts aren't the only ones where jobs require on the job experience that can only be obtained by having the job to begin with. I'm not sure how to put this, but it's nice to know that I'm not the only one running into this type of problem.
I also finished reading "The King's Speech", which isn't quite the book the movie was based on (since it was written afterwards), but tells that story in much more detail, being based on family letters and journals. I think what I liked best about it is that people come off as people, especially George VI.