simplicity

The greatest step towards a life of simplicity is to learn to let go. 

~ Steve Maraboli

It's dahlia season here in the Pacific Northwest. The largest dahlia grower in the US resides

in Canby, OR and has its yearly festival over Labor Day weekend.

40 acres of dahlias.

Heaven on earth.

I love dahlias.

The colors, the shapes, the textures,

and mostly how each bloom interacts with its neighbor. 

The circumstances were a bit challenging:

overcast; the sky is a soft box and great for no harsh shadows 

and washed out colors, 

but it makes for a "low light" situation.

A slight breeze was present that made focusing difficult and required higher

shutter speeds to stop the movement.

Therefore, higher than usual ISO was used.

Regarding 'simplicity':

this image had virtually no post-processing applied to it.

I always try to frame/crop in camera; so no adjustments there.

A little sharpening was all that was applied in post; 

all but the edge of the petal was masked out.

No textures, no nothing. Simple.

Just dahlia.

Canon 6D ISO 500 f/2.8 1/160 100mm macro

monday blues

There is no blue without yellow and without orange.

~ Vincent van Gogh

I've had a lapse in posting.

This is from earlier this summer.

The 4 mile long Astoria-Megler bridge during the blue hour.

Awesomeness in steel and light!

I used a small aperture, low ISO, and a 10-stop ND filter to set a long enough exposure

to achieve the silky look of the water. 

FujiXT1 ISO 200 f/16 50 seconds XF16mm 1.4 (EFL 24mm)

moments

You cannot be lonely if you like the person you’re alone with. 

~ Wayne Dyer

Sometimes your mobile phone device is the only camera you have on hand - 

thereby, also making it your best camera at the moment.

We went kayaking a few weeks ago, and the iPhone camera was all I brought for capturing shots.

This is the first time I've actually processed an iPhone photo with Photoshop.

Usually I use just in-camera apps for any processing.
It worked pretty well.

As this is a photography blog, I think all cameras are game for generating images.

It's about what gear will capture the moment 

before the moment passes.
And perhaps equally important, it's about your own creative expression
and what works best for you at the time.

iPhone, DSLR, mirrorless or whatever...go out and shoot!!

iPhone 6 native camera Enlight app and Adobe CC2015

the next move

We must be willing to let go of the life we planned 

so as to have the life that is waiting for us.

~ Joseph Campbell

It took me a couple of times visiting this location to get the shot I wanted. It's not an award winning shot to be sure, but it is the best of what I took, and I was really just after the "message". 

It's a lesson I keep learning when photographing.

And rarely do you get a second chance at a subject.

Move. Move. Move before shooting.

Walk around your subject. 

View it high, view it low.

Light in front, side, or backlit.

And in the case of large subjects...find different vantage points for shooting!

This capture was a whim and an after thought. I had already taken my shots from along the edge of the river, and continued on my way. On the walk back, I passed the dock and thought to try to shoot from the vantage point of the dock ramp. I liked the composition of this shot better than the others.

When processed in monochrome, the white boat pops out from the background 

and draws your eye to it and its message. 

Did I get it right? Is your eye drawn to the boat and the message?

Fuji XT1 ISO 400 f/7.1 1/500 XF18-135mm (EFL 83mm) 

deeds

With every deed you are sowing a seed, though the harvest you may not see.

~ Ella Wheeler Wilcox

I came across these wonderful hay bales on my morning run. But, it was overcast.

Coming home that same evening, the sun was out and sunset was close at hand.

I did the only reasonable thing - I drove by the Bernet Farm to check out the hay bales.

I'm so glad I did.

Not only did I get some shots of the guys gathering the hay bales in their truck, 

I was able to capture the quickly disappearing light on the few bales remaining in the field.

15 minutes well spent.

Fuji XT1 ISO 250 f/8.0 1/80 18-135mm (88mm EFL)