by successfulbob | charity photography, photography, photography education
The phone rang. I picked up and it was the hospital calling…
We have a stillborn child and a family that needs your special touch.
With that call my stomach falls and I realize I will be photographing a very emotional situation. So why do I also feel a bit of smile and good feeling? Because I’m going to be creating a family portrait with very special meaning that there will never be the possibility to photograph again. These images will help the family through their grieving process.
“How can you know that, Bob?” you might be asking. I know because I’ve done it before and the notes that come from my families letting me know how much comfort they receive from having beautiful photos of their child.
It’s not easy, by any stretch, but being able to give back through the photography medium that has been so good to me is incredible.
Why am I telling you about this? It’s not to brag. It’s to hopefully inspire you to consider performing this service in your hometown. Please click on this link to find out more about becoming an affiliate photographer with Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep. There is a tremendous need as there are approximately 25,000 cases of pregnancies ending early each year in the United States and currently NILMDTS is only able to serve a relatively small portion of those families. We need photographers. And, as many hands make for a light load, the more photographers available the better.
NILMDTS logo.
Won’t you at least take a few minutes and head to the web site for more information? If you are like me your first thought would be, “I could never do that! I’m too emotional…” Thank goodness I found out I was wrong. It’s a wonderful way to give back to your community.
Yours, In Photography, Bob
by successfulbob | landscape photography, Lumix GH4, Lumix Lounge, photography, photography education
“I’ve looked at clouds from both sides now…” Judy Collins Play this while you read the post for some ambiance…
Popcorn Cloud formation.
During monsoon season here in Arizona we get cloud formations to beat all… The three images that accompany today’s post were all photographed during one morning hike… and I probably could have gotten more cloud combinations it I tried a little harder but I was out for the exercise after all.
Wispy cloud formation.
Why cloud photos? I shoot them for the files to create artwork. The right set of clouds can make or break a scene when you are working on images as art pieces. I have a pretty large collection of cloud images that convey all kinds of emotion. Angry clouds. Popcorn clouds. Soft wispy clouds. Colorful sunset clouds. Ominous clouds. You get the idea.
Full sky of combination clouds.
You need to think about clouds quite a bit when adding them to photos. A good selection along the horizon is imperative. A bad selection screams “DROPPED IN CLOUDS!”. If you want to make sure they are believable you need to have the clouds fit the scene. The light on the clouds needs to be from the same direction as the foreground scene. Lighting needs to be correct in the scene. If you are working on a sunset scene and drop in some clouds that are firing off in oranges and magentas you will need to add some of that color to your scene as the color of the landscape will reflect the color of the light on the clouds. As you drive around study the clouds and grab photos but also study the effect of the clouds on the landscape so you can recreate a believable look.
Now if you are trying to create an image of discordance you can throw most of the information above in reverse. Just know what you are creating and that it conveys the mood you are trying to create.
Images captured with Panasonic Lumix GH4 and 12-35mm f2.8 Lumix Vario Lens.
Yours in Photography, Bob
by successfulbob | people photography, photography, photography - art quote, photography education
Wikipedia on photography reports, “The word “photography” was created from the Greek roots φωτός (phōtos), genitive of φῶς (phōs), “light” and γραφή (graphé) “representation by means of lines” or “drawing”,together meaning “drawing with light”
Many of us have heard the term stretched a little bit more as ‘Painting with Light’. Whichever definition you use LIGHT IS WHAT IT’S ALL ABOUT… And today’s Photo/Art Quote comes from someone who knew quite a bit about light.
“Light makes photography. Embrace light. Admire it. Love it. But above all, know light. Know it for all you are worth, and you will know the key to photography.” – George Eastman
I think we become more aware and stronger as photographers when we give a language to light. Check out the portrait of Eastman from the Wikipedia web site. Can you talk about the quality of the light? Can you give a ratio to the light? Describe the lighting pattern on his face? How large is your lighting vocabulary? Why is it good? Or Not?
Photographic portrait of George Eastman from Wikipedia web site.
Once the brain learns more words for lighting it can offer more thoughts and combinations, mixing ideas and allowing you to see light in a new light if you’ll pardon the expression. I will be having more blog posts about the ‘Language of Light’ here on Successful-Photographer and I hope you’ll join in. In the meantime study the photograph of George and see what you photography vocabulary is like. Drop your thoughts in the comments here to get the dialog started. I’ll revisit this in a couple days with my thoughts in another post.
Yours in Photography, Bob
by successfulbob | landscape photography, Lumix GX7, Lumix Lounge, photography education
I really enjoy the panoramic format and I thought this scene from my morning hike called out for it. I’m always amazed at how plant life is able to grab a purchase on the rock formations.
This scene is from Courthouse Butte in Sedona, Arizona. I think this will make a pretty nice watercolor. The trailhead is about 7 minutes from my house and there are a bunch of variations for catching about a 3 mile hike in the AM.
Another trail in Sedona leads to Oak Creek at Cathedral Rock. This was some calm water where I was shooting reflections of the trees and a dog jumped in the water and added some beautiful patterns…
Images made with Lumix GX7 and the 12-35 mm f2.8 Vario lens.
I’m thinking about presenting some workshops in Sedona for limited numbers of people. Photograph at dawn til about 8AM. Have some breakfast. Process some images and work on Photoshop and other artistic techniques then photograph sunsets. Probably be a day and a half or two days. Interested? Get in touch.
Yours in Photography, Bob
by successfulbob | architectural photography, photography
Symmetry.
I like it. .ti ekil I (can you tell I’ve had a couple IPA’s already?)
The capitol building in Austin, Texas was the subject of a quick photo shoot while in town to give a program at Precision Camera. I enjoyed the look of this hallway. The light and their reflections on the floor bisect the hall almost perfectly.
It’s not quite a perfect mirror image… but that’s what makes studying this image interesting.
The capitol dome in Austin, Texas from the inside.
I was laying on the floor on my back shooting up at the dome. Wish I had taken just a bit more time to get perfectly centered to show the symmetry in all its perfection. This is an amazing, and fascinating, construction. At the very top you’ll find the star of Texas with the letters of the state in between the points of the star.
Always take time to practice different skills, ideas and techniques so that when the time comes to create a certain look in any situation you’ll already have an idea of the possible pitfalls.
Yours in Photography, Bob
