by tmoffett | May 20, 2010 | Black and White, Landscape, Photo tips, Photographic Philosophy
Fallen
I love black and white photographs. I grew up as a photographer shooting almost exclusively black and white film. I loved the darkroom. the smell of the developers and fixer. I think that developing and printing my own work for years has made me a better photographer. I learned to see how the camera sees. I learned to make correct exposures. If I did make a mistake my darkroom work was much more difficult. I also had to make decisions on paper types, warm or cold toned, contrasty or flat, and many others. Experimentation cost money. In a nutshell, I learned to pre-visualize the end result at the time of exposure. With the advent of digital photography, I find this is becoming a lost art. It is too easy to try everything before the final print is made.
Even though I am now shooting mostly digital, I still practice pre-visualization. At the time of exposure I already know what the finished image will look like. I can then make the correct exposure to maximize quality and minimize post-production work. This image, Fallen, is an example of this process. Color was never an option. The warm toned image also portrays the feeling of life better here than a cool toned image would. This is what I saw when I shot. A warm, inviting image with good tonal separation between the moss covered trees and the heavy undergrowth. A calming feeling of peace. When looking at this image I can almost smell the fresh, moist air. It’s almost as if I were there.
by tmoffett | May 19, 2010 | Black and White, Landscape, Photo tips
Evening Light
Photography is all about the light. In this image, the low, evening light skims across the surface of the ice, showing every bump and ripple. Instead of blasting into the tree as the early afternoon sun would do, the softer light from the sun on the horizon gently brings out the texture in the bark. Every square inch of the image is packed with detail, helping to create an inviting feeling rather than just being a pretty picture. It is the quality of light that transforms an otherwise ordinary scene into an extraordinary photograph.
by tmoffett | May 18, 2010 | Black and White, Landscape, Photographic Philosophy
Coastal Fog
I mentioned in an earlier post about my visit to the Oregon Coast, and that we were socked in all week with the marine layer. At first I was disappointed, but realizing that it wasn’t going away, I began photographing it. This is an image that would not have existed without the fog. I love the depth, softness and mystery created by the mist. As I tell my students, there is always something to photograph. We just need to open our eyes and be observant. Having a positive attitude always helps as well. As was the case here, until I decided that even though it was not what I had originally expected, there was beauty here to be captured, I didn’t find it. Attitude, vision and mastery of equipment and technique make all the difference.
by tmoffett | May 17, 2010 | Black and White, Composition, Landscape, Photo tips
Multnomah Falls
The other day I was showing my students a Dewitt Jones video on creativity. He talked about shooting Yosemite Falls, and it brought back memories of when I was at Multnomah Falls in Oregon. I started by shooting the entire falls, very postcardish. Interesting, but not very creative. I felt like it was nothing special. Anybody could do that. So I started looking for what was really interesting, as Dewitt Jones would say, “another right answer.” I found just a small section of the whole image that to me made a much bigger statement. The sharp, crisp foreground placed against the flowing water of the upper falls was wonderful! It had depth. It had mood. It had feeling. It was different.
by tmoffett | May 14, 2010 | Black and White, Landscape, Photographic Philosophy
Against The Shadows
If you were to take 100 photographers to the same location at the same time, they would come up with 100 different images. We all have our own unique way of seeing and creating photographs. That is also what keeps us improving and evolving. At least for me that is true. I admire photographers who work in different styles than I do. I can understand and enjoy their images but no matter how hard I try, I cannot create photographs like they do. The same is true, I believe, for each of us.
This particular image is a perfect example of what I am trying to say. I was out one fall morning in Jackson Hole, Wyoming with a group of photographers. Steve Winslow was leading the excursion and had been to this very location many times before. After a wonderful morning of photographing, we went to breakfast then went our separate ways. Several months later I met up with Steve at a convention where I had entered this image in competition. He asked me where I had taken the photo. He seemed surprised when I told him that it was that morning in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and he was there. He had not seen this image before, I believe, because we have different visions. Not better or worse, just different. If we truly put our hearts into our work then we will create meaningful images that are uniquely our own.
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