by successfulbob | photography - art quote
Sunday Photo/Art Quote – Georgia O’Keeffe
I’m a fan of some of O’Keeffe’s iconic images of flowers, southwestern landscapes and of course flower studies. I don’t like everything she created which I found out when tracking down her images in various museums and books. But that’s OK.
Heck, I don’t necessarily like everything I create!
The fact that there are sections of her work that don’t do anything for me shows is that she was not afraid to experiment and try new techniques and explore new ideas. My guess is she would not have created the iconic pieces if it were not for her pushing through her boundaries of comfort.
“I’ve been absolutely terrified every moment of my life – and I’ve never let it keep me from doing a single thing I want to do.” Georgia O’Keeffe
Fear can keep us from being successful.
How?
In Sales, being afraid to ask for the order.
In art, being afraid of what other MIGHT say.
In life, worried about what MIGHT happen.
Our minds are trained and conditioned to play out worst case scenarios. It’s a defense mechanism that served humans well when we lived in cave-man times when fight or flight was essential to the survival of the species. We have moved beyond the need for that type of thinking as a species.
Push forward. Try something new. You never know what you might accomplish if you push through negative thinking.
This advice doesn’t mean you should ignore the ‘little voice’ that warns you of potential problems. That can save you lots of grief. Take the voice with a grain of salt and don’t let it paralyze you.
Here’s one more quote to round out this post from, I believe, Michael Jordan. “Don’t be afraid to fail, be afraid not to try.”
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
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by successfulbob | bird photography, Lumix GX85, photography gear, wildlife photography
Bosque del Apache Wildlife Refuge – Part Two
You can take a peek at part one on the Bosque Wildlife Refuge shoot here.
Made four total trips into the refuge which included a couple of sunrises and sunsets. Here’s a tip I’ve found to be handy when photographing in the same location multiple times. Download the images you capture as soon as you can for review. When you have a look, you can tell if any settings need adjustment. Nothing worse than making the same mistakes two days in a row and not finding out how you might have improved until you get back home. I’ve been a pro for over twenty years, and I still find slight improvements can be made when making images in the same location on subsequent days.
Let’s look at some tracking flight images captured handheld with the Lumix GX85 and the Lumix 100-400mm lens (200-800 35mm equivalent) Most were with the lens fully extended.
Sandhill Crane in flight over the corn stalks.
Flying into the corn field getting ready for landing.
Wings are flared to slow ascent.
Opposite synchronization of wing position. Mountains in the background with just a streak of sun add interest to the image.
Taking off from the cornfields heading toward the nighttime gathering area in the pond.
There are many ways to capture a different ‘look’ to a wildlife photograph even though the subject matter is the same. In this case, the subject is Sandhill Cranes, but all the photos have a different feel. The different look is accomplished with a change in position of the subject. Using a different background. Changing the crop can make quite a difference also.
I’ll be sharing more options and possibilities for differences with the same essential subject in subsequent posts. I look forward to hearing your thoughts as I move through this series of with the Sandhill Cranes.
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
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by successfulbob | bird photography, Lumix GX85, photography, photography gear, wildlife photography
Bosque del Apache Wildlife Refuge – Part One
Talk about a target rich environment! Possibilities for incredible wildlife photography abound. The scenery, a variety of birds, and combinations of the two make for a great time photographing in this wildlife preserve about one and a half hours south of Albuquerque, New Mexico near Socorro. Learn more about the Bosque here.
This was my first visit, and I already look forward to returning in the future. Sandhill Cranes are a favorite bird for me to photograph. I have worked with them on the Gulf Coast of Florida. I’ve never seen groups this large. Since they are tanking up from traveling, they are pretty relaxed. They are chomping on rows of corn grown for them. The ponds are just the right depth for them to overnight and makes for interesting photographs as they fly in and out at dawn and sunset.
Let’s take a look at the photos.
This was one of the very first pictures I made when we got to the refuge. I am always trying to show the behavior of the animals when making images to add interest. Because I had previous experience wit the Sandhills, I recognized that this bird was about to leap. The fact that the other two birds are at the end of its wings was serendipity. Not the best time of day for photographing but we were checking out the area.
Jumping Sandhill Crane
Sandhill Crane on a flyby through the field.
Sandhill Cranes in the corn field planted for the migration as a feed stop.
Getting ready for landing in the corn field.
Bob Coates (hey that’s me) Original photo made by my shooting partner on this trip, Dennis Chamberlain. Dennis is an incredible photographic artist. You can see some of his work here. (PS – I arted-up Dennis’s photo so don’t blame him for how it looks!)
Here’s some feedback on the gear that I used. I was testing out the Lumix 100-400mm lens with the Lumix GX85 to see how it would hold up to not being on a tripod. I’ve always tended to photograph birds in flight handheld because I could track their movement better but would often end up with more tossers than keepers due to blur. The dual image stabilization rocks! Total change with this gear. I’m very excited about the number of images I got that were keepers with this rig. You’ll see more of those in the next couple days.
Yours in creative Photography, Bob
by successfulbob | photography
Tip – Target Mode Macintosh Computer
Today’s post is brought to you by the letter “T.” The first three people who get in touch with me with the number of “T’s” that appear in this post get a 1/2 hour coaching session on the subject of your choosing.
When on the road I download images to my laptop computer to check on photos especially when experimentation with new techniques is involved. Such was the case this past week when I photographed sandhill cranes at Bosque Del Apache Wildlife Preserve in New Mexico.
When photographing wildlife, especially when tracking birds in flight, you can be capturing lots of frames from testing shutter speeds, focus, and experimentation for special effects.
Upon return from a shoot like this, rather than download all the images from the camera cards all over again I start the computer up in Target Disk Mode. When in this mode the laptop is recognized as a hard drive when connected via a Firewire, USB, Thunderbolt, and transferring the files can be done pretty quickly. Saves extra time too as I’ve already been culling the duds and misfires and lightly processing some of the images.
Here’s what your screen looks like when it is Target Mode. That little icon rides around on your screen.
Target Disk Mode is easy to do. Click the “Startup Disk” icon and click the Target Disk Mode button to restart your Mac in Target Disk Mode. You can also enter Target Disk Mode by rebooting your Mac and holding down the T key as it boots. Connect your Mac via a Firewire or Thunderbolt cable.
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
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by successfulbob | Lumix FZ 1000, Lumix Lounge, photography gear
The Range Cafe – Albuquerque New Mexico
sometimes you just find an environment that is a target rich for making fun photographs. I found one such place while in Albuquerque, New, Mexico while presenting my PhotoSynthesis program for the Professional Photographers of New Mexico.
The decor in this place is a hoot with a painted panorama that is disgorging three-D cows, trucks, and other goodies. Meanwhile other parts of the restaurant display blasts of color and neon goodness. (You know that I like neon right?)
Here are a few images from dinner last night. All were made with the Lumix FZ1000 an east comfortable camera to keep on hand that will cover almost all possibilities. I used the built-in HDR setting to help with some of the challenging lighting situations. The next camera in the FZ line is now out with even more features. FZ2500
Neon rimmed blue light clock face with a red background. Love it!
A mural that has pink and blue cows jumping out of the painted panorama is not something you’ll come across every day.
A highway comes out of the mural with multi-colored painted trucks. Way cool!
Classic neon sculpture is part of te Cafe decor
A restaurant with unique decor, fun furniture, colors that dance and light fixtures that take you to the moon and the stars can be found in Albuquerque. Oh, and I didn’t mention the namesake part of the decor which is antique toy ranges and stoves from the 50’s and 60’s.
Find the Range Cafe here
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
