monochrome monday

I knew nothing but shadows and I thought them to be real. 

~ Oscar Wilde

I was going through my iPhone photos the other day trying to clean up a bit, 

and came across this image.

It caught my attention because I didn't recall taking it and rather liked it,

and I had just had a chat with someone who commented that

my images were generally not moody.

Intentional camera movement. ICM. 

It's a great way to generate an abstract quality to an image. 

Color, spatial arrangement, light become the primary subjects of the image, 

rather than a well focussed and tack sharp object, person, or landscape.

To do ICM, you just need low a ISO, a small aperture, and a long shutter speed.

If using a DSLR or mirrorless camera you can use polarizing or ND filters to reduce the amount of light hitting the sensor so you can employ a longer shutter speed during the day.

If it's an overcast day or nearing dawn/dusk, filters aren't typically needed.

If using a mobile device, there are apps available that allow for a long shutter speed.

Once you've got your ISO, aperture and shutter speed set, shoot and move the camera. 

Swipe the camera horizontally, vertically, add some swirly curly motions, or loops, 

and check out the image in the LCD.

Don't swipe too fast, nor too slow.

You'll see the output and know whether to speed up/down.

If it's too bright, adjust one of your parameters. 

Keep playing until you get what you're after.

Sometimes, I don't know what I'm after until I see it.

So don't stop if your first attempt doesn't catch your fancy.

I can spend hours photographing trees in the sunlight when I'm on my trail walks.

I have to force myself to stop and keep walking!

If using a mobile device, be prepared...as it sucks the life out of your batteries.

As always. Just go out and have fun.

elements

The three great elemental sounds in nature are 

the sound of rain, 

the sound of wind in a primeval wood, 

and the sound of outer ocean on a beach. 

~ Henry Beston

We spent the night at the coast this past weekend.I love the ocean.

I don't think I could ever live in a state that didn't have the ocean on one of its borders.

Not ever.

We went to the South Jetty in the Ft. Stevens State Park.

I love this location.

We were hoping for a nice sunset, but this is the best we got.

So, what do you do when expectations aren't met?

With landscape photography it's a bit more disappointing as you have traveled

a distance to be at a particular place at a certain time for the 'party',

but mother nature didn't get the invitation.

Don't cry. It's all good.

First, just enjoy the place you've found yourself...free of expectations.

Second, if you're intent on making a picture, there is always something to photograph.

Readjust your 'sights' and look around with new eyes.

You'll see something. 

Maybe even something better than what you were planning to capture in the first place!

Regarding the top image: I loved the vantage point

we had after climbing onto the rocks.

We were inline with the dilapidated wooden trestle, rocks, and the water, rather than viewing them from above via the observation tower.

If you've been visiting the blog, you know I'm a fan of long exposure water photography.

For me, the contrast between the textures of the hard rocks and wood and the 

soft water worked to create an intriguing compositional element.

I realized in researching elements of composition, that I had layers of the four 'elements'

in this image corresponding to:

Earth (rock), Wood (trestle), Water (sea), and Fire (sun).

I didn't think about this at the time I was making the image...maybe I did subconsciously...

In post-processing, I cropped out most of the sky except for the wee bit

of light at the top to provide context. 

Maybe I don't even need that...thoughts?

I do like the contrast between the warmer sky and cooler water, and keeping

the bit of sky in provides that contrast.

Below: An intact trestle near the Jetty.

Another favorite spot. We were able to walk all the way to the water's edge in the grasses.

I need to work this location more...we'll be back!

Let's round out the 'elements' theme of this post with a few links on 

elements of composition and strong imagery:

https://luminous-landscape.com/elements-principles-design/

http://www.photographymad.com/pages/view/10-top-photography-composition-rules

http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/photography-tips-12-elements-to-capture-that-winning-shot/

I especially liked this article:

http://www.photocascadia.com/blog/five-compositional-patterns-worth-finding-in-nature/#.VtMYqVKihdk

p.s. if you visit the jetty, be prepared for wind...it is always windy!

Bring plenty of microfibre cloths to dry off your lens/filters and glasses if you wear them...

the mist and splashes (yes, we were that close!) were unrelenting!

Carry a small water bottle, too...the sea spray is horribly sticky

on lens/filters/glasses.

pinhole

When I have a camera in my hand, I know no fear.

~ Alfred Eisenstaedt

My first images with my DIY pinhole camera!!

Too fun!!

The nature of the images with a pinhole camera are to be soft. 

I think with a professionally tooled pinhole you can gain better focus.

The DIY pinhole has a greater chance of rough edges that can lead

to diffraction and increased softness.

I turned my DSLR into a pinhole camera by modifying the body cap.

Very easy. The most advanced tool you need is a drill with a 1/4inch bit.

I plan to revise my making method to improve the focus/softness.

I am really pleased with my first attempt to make one! :)

See here for making tips:

http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Pinhole-Lens-for-Your-SLR-Camera

http://www.diyphotography.net/the-comprehensive-tech-guide-to-pinhole-photography/

http://photo.net/pinhole/pinhole

I took these shots "blind" in that the light was low and I had

to aim and shoot and hope I got the subject framed as I wanted.

Not too bad.

The fix to this is to take my 50mm lens (the approximate focal length of the pinhole body cap),

and "preview" the image then switch to the body cap.

Especially in low light, you can't escape a long exposure with a pinhole camera.

A tripod and remote release device are must haves.

I guesstimated the exposure time. But with a real lens I can make an image and then

calculate the time to get an equivalent exposure with the pinhole.

See here for exposure information:

http://www.pinhole.cz/en/pinholecameras/exposure_01.html

More links:

http://www.pinhole.cz/en/links.html

http://pinholeday.org/support/?pid=faq

Canon 6D ISO 400 f/125 - f/185 appx. 45" - 1'  Pinhole body cap (EFL ~50mm)

beach day

When anxious, uneasy and bad thoughts come, 

I go to the sea, and the sea drowns them out with its great wide sounds, 

cleanses me with its noise, and imposes a rhythm upon everything in me 

that is bewildered and confused. 

~ Rainer Maria Rilke

A trip to the South Jetty in Fort Stevens State Park 

near Warrenton, OR yielded these images.

It was a rainy, rainy, and windy day.

I was soaked.

I was perched on a wooden viewing platform.

Everytime another person climbed onto it it would tremble.

Not good in the middle of a long exposure.

I waited. I restarted. I stopped. Repeat.

I felt my patience was rewarded with this shot.

On the drive home I rounded a corner and saw a pop of color in the sky.

I pulled over, took out my camera and tripod and quickly...

...very quickly...

set up the shot.

I got off two shots before the color in the sky was gone.

Luck is a huge part of getting any shot.

Luck in being in the right place at the right time.

Luck in having the camera ready and attached to the tripod.

Luck in having a large shoulder to park.

Luck and patience.

I can live with that. 

more water works

In those vernal seasons of the year,

when the air is calm and pleasant,

it were an injury and sullenness against Nature

not to go out and see her riches,

and partake in her rejoicing with heaven and earth.

~ John Milton

Autumn is in the air!!

Today is the first official day of autumn!

Yay!!

To continue the 'water' theme, I give you waterfalls. These beauties are located

about 1 hour from where we live. It is a short walk to the falls in the upper image, and the

falls in the lower image were easily accessed from the side of the road.

I was lucky that there wasn't a full load of water running over, as it would

have created a sheet of white, and it would be difficult to get the correct exposure, and

it would block the beautiful rocky amphitheater visible behind the falls in the upper image.

I like the green moss on the rocks in the lower image; when there is a lot of water running over the rocks you wouldn't even know the rocks were there, let alone the beautiful moss.

I favor long exposures of moving water. I didn't have my large tripod for the top image, so did

my best to use a small, tabletop tripod. 

Lesson #1: Carry that tripod in with you. Better to have it and not use it, than to wish you had it!

Lesson #2: Bring boots! I missed my boots! I would've loved to have waded a bit into the water, 

and to follow the creek a bit. But be prudent...rocks are slippery!

Lesson #3: Carry a circular polarizer and a neutral density filter. Even though the area was "dark", I still needed both filters to allow the combination of a long shutter speed, low ISO, and small aperture I wanted. The CP allows you to cut glare, reduce light, and generate richer colors. 

Lesson #4: If you don't have a remote/wired shutter release, you can always use the 10 second timer on your camera to avoid camera shake when you deploy the shutter release.

Finally, always remember to have fun!! Whether your shots turn out or not doesn't matter.

First and foremost, enjoy your surroundings!

I get a little obsessed with capturing the shot, so I'm working hard to learn to enjoy the

place I'm at as the primary outcome of the adventure. 

Baby steps!

Happy Autumn!! Now turn off your computer, grab your camera, and go enjoy the season!

Fuji XT1 ISO 200 f/22 6 seconds (top)

Fuji XT1 ISO 200 f/18 4 seconds (bottom)