I am going to have to learn how to focus the light more on the distant subject. Actually, I think I know some things to try but I just snapped this on the "landscape" setting.
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Just a quick pic
I snapped this on my way home today. There wasn't time to get to a better location as sunsets and sunrises are both fickle subjects.
I am going to have to learn how to focus the light more on the distant subject. Actually, I think I know some things to try but I just snapped this on the "landscape" setting.
I am going to have to learn how to focus the light more on the distant subject. Actually, I think I know some things to try but I just snapped this on the "landscape" setting.
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Thoughts on Photography
Well, as I said, this blog is more than just for displaying my photos. I am interested in getting better. I want to learn new things or just figure out how to use what I do know.
So here is what I know, which I shall loosely call "tips"
Take lots of pictures. Especially if you are using a digital camera. You have nothing to lose, and by taking more photos you increase your chances of a good one. I took 52 today and only think 7 are worth posting. And really, I don't even think all 7 of those are worth while.
Experiment with lighting. Different times of day is obvious. Clouds can add interesting shadows, full overcast disperses the light, lighting everything equally, which minimizes shadows and can get light into some areas that otherwise might be hard to photograph. Also, winter time in the northern hemisphere means the sun is far to the south which could add some interesting lighting/shadows that cant be gotten in the summer.
If you can change your shutter speed, play with it and see what happens. The longer the shutter time the more saturated the picture will be. It makes color richer and deeper and can make things that are moving blurry (which might be a good thing, say if you are shooting a waterfall) My camera can take up to 64 second exposures but honestly I haven't found a decent use for such a long exposure yet.
Don't be afraid to edit. Most photos are edited. Most meaning darn near all. Many times all that is needed to turn a mediocre picture into a great photo is to crop out distracting elements. You end up with a smaller but more focused picture. Also, your photo doesn't have to be crystal clear. Some of the artsiest pics are those that are blurred a bit, or are "softer." With a traditional camera, a physical filter had to be added to the lens before the picture was taken. With digital camera you add the filter after you take the photo. This allows for you to find the right look or mood for your subject.
"Frame" your subject. Sometimes you can have things in the foreground that give perspective to your subject. It can also give perspective.
DON'T USE DIGITAL ZOOM. Ever Ever Ever. Optical zoom is what brings you "physically" closer to the subject. It is what you want to use. If after taking the pic you still want to get "closer" to your subject you can edit the picture on the computer and zoom in using software. The various computer programs will do a far better job of digitally zooming in than your camera can.
Okay, that was it. That is about all that I know. I would make a post of what I don't know or understand, but it would be incredibly long.
So here is what I know, which I shall loosely call "tips"
Take lots of pictures. Especially if you are using a digital camera. You have nothing to lose, and by taking more photos you increase your chances of a good one. I took 52 today and only think 7 are worth posting. And really, I don't even think all 7 of those are worth while.
Experiment with lighting. Different times of day is obvious. Clouds can add interesting shadows, full overcast disperses the light, lighting everything equally, which minimizes shadows and can get light into some areas that otherwise might be hard to photograph. Also, winter time in the northern hemisphere means the sun is far to the south which could add some interesting lighting/shadows that cant be gotten in the summer.
If you can change your shutter speed, play with it and see what happens. The longer the shutter time the more saturated the picture will be. It makes color richer and deeper and can make things that are moving blurry (which might be a good thing, say if you are shooting a waterfall) My camera can take up to 64 second exposures but honestly I haven't found a decent use for such a long exposure yet.
Don't be afraid to edit. Most photos are edited. Most meaning darn near all. Many times all that is needed to turn a mediocre picture into a great photo is to crop out distracting elements. You end up with a smaller but more focused picture. Also, your photo doesn't have to be crystal clear. Some of the artsiest pics are those that are blurred a bit, or are "softer." With a traditional camera, a physical filter had to be added to the lens before the picture was taken. With digital camera you add the filter after you take the photo. This allows for you to find the right look or mood for your subject.
"Frame" your subject. Sometimes you can have things in the foreground that give perspective to your subject. It can also give perspective.
DON'T USE DIGITAL ZOOM. Ever Ever Ever. Optical zoom is what brings you "physically" closer to the subject. It is what you want to use. If after taking the pic you still want to get "closer" to your subject you can edit the picture on the computer and zoom in using software. The various computer programs will do a far better job of digitally zooming in than your camera can.
Okay, that was it. That is about all that I know. I would make a post of what I don't know or understand, but it would be incredibly long.
GotG & Glen Eyrie
It snowed this morning but about 1pm it was starting to clear up, temporarily at least. My boy and I wound up at Garden Of the Gods again to take a few pictures, and before we came home we went to Glen Eyrie and got a couple of pictures there. This spring or summer I plan on getting some pics of the Punch Bowls on one of the trails in Glen Eyrie.
This first pic is from the gorgeous Mesa Drive. When you see a pic of Pikes Peak and Garden Of The Gods it is almost always from this vantage point. And so of course I had to get it from there as well.
This image is from just off the road on the south side of the park. I particularly liked this one. The way it stands out and the few trees that are making a living in the rock keep it from being a plain photo and is somewhat of a testament to the tenacity of life.
Taken from the same location as the one in the previous post, but new snow and wet rock make it look a little more intense.
This is a side view of the big formation that you can see on the far left of the previous photo.
The following three pics are all from Glenn Eyrie. They allow visitors in monday through thursday to hike and roam the property as well as visit the castle. The other days are reserved for groups and parties. Ladies, if you are ever in the area stop by and have formal tea at the castle. It will be an occasion to remember and the castle is truly beautiful, the craftsmanship is incredible.
This is a stand alone formation at the south end of the parking lot at the coach house. I didn't notice it when taking the picture but there is a lamp in the lower right. The color of this rock is particularly brilliant, more so than most of the rock in GotG.
The following two are of a hogsback ridge that I have always been fond of due to its brilliant color. Reds, greens, orange, brown and black all on the same rock and all there naturally. I am going to need a wide angle lens to really get this formation on film. The second picture has the sun faintly shining through the clouds.
This first pic is from the gorgeous Mesa Drive. When you see a pic of Pikes Peak and Garden Of The Gods it is almost always from this vantage point. And so of course I had to get it from there as well.
This image is from just off the road on the south side of the park. I particularly liked this one. The way it stands out and the few trees that are making a living in the rock keep it from being a plain photo and is somewhat of a testament to the tenacity of life.
Taken from the same location as the one in the previous post, but new snow and wet rock make it look a little more intense.
This is a side view of the big formation that you can see on the far left of the previous photo.
The following three pics are all from Glenn Eyrie. They allow visitors in monday through thursday to hike and roam the property as well as visit the castle. The other days are reserved for groups and parties. Ladies, if you are ever in the area stop by and have formal tea at the castle. It will be an occasion to remember and the castle is truly beautiful, the craftsmanship is incredible.
This is a stand alone formation at the south end of the parking lot at the coach house. I didn't notice it when taking the picture but there is a lamp in the lower right. The color of this rock is particularly brilliant, more so than most of the rock in GotG.
The following two are of a hogsback ridge that I have always been fond of due to its brilliant color. Reds, greens, orange, brown and black all on the same rock and all there naturally. I am going to need a wide angle lens to really get this formation on film. The second picture has the sun faintly shining through the clouds.
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Garden Of The Gods
I was able to swing by Garden Of The Gods on my lunch break and take a short hike around the largest of the formations. I forgot that the trail itself doesn't come back by that first parking lot and so had to walk along the road to get back. The first photo is from the west side and shows several formations. As you can see they are entirely vertical and tower above the surrounding land. So of my favorites are barely visible in this thumbnail, but it is above the fir tree on the right and are two blade thin sections. I have always thought those looked the coolest.
The second pic is a view from the west side of Pikes Peak. If you notice the Peak is a little blurry, that is because it is blurry. High winds were blowing the snow into the air which obscures a great many photos of the peak with snow on it. Sometimes the winds are blowing so strongly over the top of the peak that you can literally watch the snow being blown thousands of feet away from the mountain.
This last photo I like because of the way the tree on top seemed to line up with the ridge beneath it. And because of the color of the sky. When taking the photo I realized that the tree didn't quite match up with the ridge as I had thought when I went to get in position for it, but a neat photo none the less.
After I got back to work I noticed that my lens wasn't all that clean, but they turned out fine despite that. Actually, the only photo that it really caused a problem in was the first photo, but I cropped it down to get rid of that flaw and I rather like it the way it is now. Gives it that wide angle look.
Pikes Peak
Another reprint from my other blog.
The posted photos are of Pikes Peak with a portion of Garden Of The Gods in the foreground. This particular formation contains the Kissing Camels (top, left) But from this vantage it looks like a camel kissing an animal with Mickey Mouse ears. I shall have to get some from the flip side to post. (Taking a second look it appears more like Vulcan ears or perhaps the clipped ears of a Doberman. Just my take on it (o= I didn't create it, I just took the photos!)
The posted photos are of Pikes Peak with a portion of Garden Of The Gods in the foreground. This particular formation contains the Kissing Camels (top, left) But from this vantage it looks like a camel kissing an animal with Mickey Mouse ears. I shall have to get some from the flip side to post. (Taking a second look it appears more like Vulcan ears or perhaps the clipped ears of a Doberman. Just my take on it (o= I didn't create it, I just took the photos!)
Colorado Beauty
This is a reprint from my other blog.
For those who dont live in such a beautiful place, I thought I'd share some of the beauty of Colorado. This first pic is a sunset from a few weeks back. Note the little ones with the kites. In the first picture the kites were all down.
This next one has a kite up.
And here is just a random pic from highway 67 back in January (not much snow at the time)
For those who dont live in such a beautiful place, I thought I'd share some of the beauty of Colorado. This first pic is a sunset from a few weeks back. Note the little ones with the kites. In the first picture the kites were all down.
This next one has a kite up.
And here is just a random pic from highway 67 back in January (not much snow at the time)
Blog Purpose
I intend to use this blog to post pictures of the beauty that is Colorado. I am in Colorado Springs so the majority of my pictures will be from that area, although I do intend to get out this summer and explore some more of this beautiful land. I also want to use this blog to explore photography in its various forms. Techniques and links to sites discussing these issues will also be prevalent.
If anyone is interested in purchasing one of these pics or perhaps would like to request a picture, please send me an email and we can discuss options and pricing. I may assemble some of these images into a screen saver which could also be purchased.
This blog isn't simply to sell pics. I want to increase my skill as well as share the view from my home. All honest criticisms and critiques are welcome and encouraged. And if you have any ideas please share them.
If anyone is interested in purchasing one of these pics or perhaps would like to request a picture, please send me an email and we can discuss options and pricing. I may assemble some of these images into a screen saver which could also be purchased.
This blog isn't simply to sell pics. I want to increase my skill as well as share the view from my home. All honest criticisms and critiques are welcome and encouraged. And if you have any ideas please share them.
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