by tmoffett | Nov 8, 2010 | Color, Landscape, Ramblings
Pacific Sunset
Life is full of twists, turns and complications. I frequently need to find a means of “decluttering” my mind, and I often turn to photography. My “Horizon” series of photographs are simple images that help me to refocus and eliminate the clutter. Just looking at them helps my state of mind.
Last week was one of those weeks that were more trying than most, and by the weekend I needed a release. Friday I was able to go out photographing with my wife, a wonderful experience. Just being able to search for images and enjoy great company is refreshing. I have the most wonderful wife! After the sun set and nightfall came upon us, we went out for a nice dinner and just relaxed. It was a great start to a wonderful weekend. I feel completely refreshed and ready to have a productive week. I look forward to being able to share a bit of my photographic knowledge and experiences to 150 young students, most of whom are eager to learn.
It’s amazing the difference a weekend makes!
by tmoffett | Nov 5, 2010 | Color, Ramblings
One Saturday morning a few weeks ago I was out with some friends photographing the sunrise when we came across this stand of trees, still full of leaves and even green! Everything around them were starting to change color, but for some reason these had not started the change. As the sun crept through the trees it warmed the cool Autumn air and called to be photographed. I found an angle that provided a bit of flare, but not too overpowering and set up my tripod. I watched and waited as the sun slowly rose and created a nice glow through the translucent leaves. I savored the warmth of the sun, knowing that soon winter would set in and the warmth would be replaced by icy cold temperatures and ice covered branches.
Most of the time, I photograph the landscape with front or side lighting, however on occasion I do find that subjects lit from behind can be interesting. Leaves on the trees appear to glow while solid subjects fall into deep shadow. Flare and sunspots sometimes appear, adding interest or entirely destroying the image. Care must be taken in calculating the exposure, as the highlights from the direct sun in the lens will fool the cameras light meter, causing severe underexposure. While the in camera light meters are quite accurate, it is in situations like these that I use my handheld spotmeter. This was a necessary piece of equipment in my days of shooting large format cameras, and still I take it everywhere with me. Using it, bracketing is not necessary as I know exactly what is happening in the capture. without it, bracketing becomes a necessity.
by tmoffett | Nov 3, 2010 | Color, Landscape, Ramblings
Sweet Creek
Autumn. My favorite season for photography! The colors are changing and the air, clean and crisp. It is a great time to get out in the mountains for a hike. Sweet Creek was perfect. The falling leaves were beginning to fall and line the creek with their color. The water level was perfect for photographing the falls. This is just one of many images that I was able to make on a recent morning while strolling the banks with Christeena and my two youngest children.
by tmoffett | Nov 2, 2010 | Color, Composition, Landscape, Photographic Philosophy, Ramblings
Warming Trends
I grew up, photographically speaking, on black and white. Numerous hours were spent in the darkroom honing my craft. I have become a better photographer due to my printing my own work. The darkroom hours helped me to develop my vision. Not only did I search for images while with my camera, but I spent many hours with the enlarger searching my images for the real photographs. I wish all new photographers could have those experiences. They changed the way that I view the world… in a good way.
I began photographing in color only after starting to photograph digitally. I still use my black and white mentality when working in the field, but often when I return to my digital darkroom (office and computer) I find the color to be a very important part of the images. So I started leaving the color in. It has been a fun and rewarding journey that has led me to explore avenues that I think I may not have tried before. I now see more than tones, I see the warm and cool hues that work together with the tones in an image to create mood and feeling. My life has been enhanced through the use of color.
My use of color has led me in recent months to explore abstract color photography as a means of expression. I guess that should not surprise me as I have always loved abstract art. I love the work of Piet Mondrian as well as that of Jackson Pollock. In my photographs I see more than just abstract design, I see feelings and relationships. I see warmth as the sun breaks through the clouds and and warms the sand as the cool water recedes. The water and sand mix and blend along the shoreline, just as humans mix and blend their lives throughout the days and years of their existence. There is meaning in everything, we must just search to find it. My Shorelines and Horizons series of photographs have been just that, an outward expression of innermost feelings and passions. They have become more than just photographs, they are pieces of me.
by tmoffett | Nov 1, 2010 | Color, Landscape, Photographic Philosophy
Clouds
Last week I discussed photographing ordinary subjects. I love what Edward Weston had to say about the subject. “Anything that excites me for any reason, I will photograph; not searching for unusual subject matter, but making the commonplace unusual.” He also said, “I see no reason for recording the obvious.” The obvious is a snapshot, the unusual, a photograph. Recognizing the difference is the beginning of an incredible journey!
So often the unusual is right in our own backyard. It is at our fingertips and we are not observant enough to recognize it. We want to go somewhere exotic, thinking that we will find something more exciting there, when, if we would really explore where we are now we would find exciting images all around just waiting for us. The more we learn about our own surroundings and learn to become aware and observant, the more success we will find in our photography. It isn’t about where we go or with what piece of equipment we use, it is about how and what we see. Because I have learned to see I believe that my life is richer. I see things that are beautiful and inspiring when others complain about where we are. I only hope that sharing my vision will help another to see as I see, a world full of beauty, everywhere, all the time. It is there, we must just open our vision to let it in.
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