by tmoffett | Jun 26, 2010 | Color, Landscape, Photo tips
In Flight
Ever feel like you’re going in circles and never going to get ahead? I know I have, many times! Moving from one problem to the next without any forward movement at all. That’s what I thought of when I woke up one morning while camping at Stanley Lake in the Sawtooth Mountains here in Idaho. These birds were circling the lake, round and round for no apparent reason. I guess they were working out, kind of like running laps around a track, or else protesting NASCAR because they were turning right instead of left! It was an interesting sight, none the less. I thought there was no way I would have time to get my camera and document the event, but they kept on racing for quite some time. I broke out the camera and was able to get off a number of shots as they circled the lake. In this shot, it is quite amazing how the wings of the birds seem to be synchronized. They flow from front to back in a fluid motion. It was perfect. The trees, slightly out of focus help the birds stand out and become the focal point of the image. This is done by selecting a wide aperture, in this case f2.8. This creates shallow depth of field, allowing only the line of birds to be in crisp focus. I was lucky, as well to have a nice mist rising off the water. It seemed that everything was in my favor that morning. I wish it always happened that way!
by tmoffett | Jun 25, 2010 | Color, Composition, Landscape, Photographic Philosophy
Into the Unknown
Wednesday evening about an hour before sunset I went out to the lake. I am working on a personal project where I am documenting, fine art fashion, Lake Lowell. I am a big believer in photographing your local area. Don’t get me wrong, I love to travel and photograph other locations as well, however I feel that we can create more intimate and meaningful images of areas that we frequent often. Lake Lowell has become my personal, local photographic project.
When I first started this project, it was a challenge. Many of the local don’t regard Lake Lowell as a very attractive place, so I needed to get beyond that and show my vision of what we have in our own backyard. I now get very different reactions when the locals view these images. In fact, just last night, my son looked at an image that I shot Wednesday and asked, “Is that in Oregon?” He was surprised when I told him I had just shot the image out at the lake the night before.
This image, “Into the Unknown,” is an image just created the other night while out at the lake. I had shot this staircase before, but was not happy with what I had done. An advantage to being local is that I can go back until I get what I want. The light was much better this time and the brush was also better. Just enough green in the midst of the drying weeds to create interest. Offsetting the stairs a bit helped as well. Good use of the rule of thirds. Last time I shot it symmetrically, and I didn’t like it at all. It was too predictable and boring. This is much more interesting.
by tmoffett | Jun 24, 2010 | Color, Composition, Landscape, Photographic Philosophy
Payette Lake
Simplicity. It is what I strive for in my photographs. It is how I see. It is also a concept that is very hard to teach young photographers. This is possibly due to the fact that the world today is very complex. We are surrounded by busyness. If we get caught up in it all we don’t take time to slow down and really think, meditate, smell the roses if you will. The internet has bred a generation of shallow thinkers. Those who know much about so very little, and it affects our way of thinking, which in turn affects our vision.
I like to find the simple things in the world. It helps me relax. It heals my soul.
We are surrounded by simple things, we just need to look for them through the complexities of our everyday life. This image of Payette Lake is one such example. I was with my son at his 5th grade campout. We were on the dock with about 20 11 year old kids. there were, just off the dock, 5 canoes filled with more kids, trying to figure out how to maneuver them without hitting another boat. It was chaos. However, as I looked to the south, there was this view. The lake receding and blending into the tree-lined shore, and the trees into the deep blue sky. Soft wispy clouds floated by. I blocked the sounds of chaos from my inner ears and focused on the scene that was unfolding in the viewfinder of my camera. For a moment I was in a world of my own, and now, whenever I view this photograph, I am taken back to that world.
Simplicity in imagery is powerful.
by tmoffett | Jun 23, 2010 | Color, Landscape, Photo tips
Sunset Silhouette
As a landscape photographer I am always watching the sky. An interesting sky can really add to an image. Sometimes it is the image. Such is the case here.
Something I have learned through the years is to always be prepared. If you don’t have your camera, you can’t make the photograph. I was on vacation, staying at my brother-in-laws house when I stepped out on the balcony and saw this incredible sky. Fortunately I had learned to keep a camera with me. I quickly set up and captured this scene.
When photographing the sunset, one tip is to make sure to not overexpose the image. Your in camera meter will ofttimes tell you to do just that. You must be in control and tell the camera what to do! To get really rich colors, I will often reduce my exposure by one to two full stops. That will also create the silhouette in the foreground which helps to simplify the composition. I am often asked if I manipulated the color in this photo, and the answer is no. It was all done in camera. Shooting the scene correctly will allow you to print larger and higher quality prints. The more you manipulate an image in Photoshop, the more degradation that occurs to the image, thus reducing the overall quality of the finished print. That is why it is so important to master your camera before learning Photoshop.
by tmoffett | Jun 22, 2010 | Color, Composition, Landscape, Uncategorized
Sunbathing Allowed
A crisp Saturday morning at sunrise brought calm and empty waters at Lake Lowell. Just an hour later and the lake would be bustling with watercraft and fishermen. And little later than that and this dock would be filled with swimmers and sunbathers of all ages. I just happen to catch the calm before the storm!
While walking along the shoreline near the boat ramp I found this view of the dock. The blue sky at dawn reflecting on the water seemed to give a cool feeling to the whole scene. What really makes the image for me, though are the string of orange buoys leading from the dock to the trees on the left. They provide just enough pattern and complimentary color to break up the smooth cool tones throughout the photograph. I love the feel, the texture and color. It all works together for the good of the image.
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