by tmoffett | Aug 9, 2010 | Color, Landscape, Ramblings
Sunset, Lower Dam, Lake Lowell
What is it about sunsets that we all enjoy? Each one is so different, not one the same or even similar. I have my own ideas why we all enjoy them so much. Maybe your ideas are different. I would love to hear others views.
All day long we view the world in cold, blue light. Our eyes adjust to the color and we see it as “normal.” Then for a few brief minutes at the end of the day everything changes. On the evening of a great sunset, the whole color palette of the world shifts to the warm spectrum. Psychologically warm is inviting, it draws us in, it is captivating. If nothing else it is different. I could be very happy sitting next to my sweetheart every evening watching the sun set, just watching and soaking in the warm feelings. Life couldn’t get much better.
by tmoffett | Aug 7, 2010 | Color, Landscape
Reflections in Blue
Moving water can create an interesting surface for reflections. I found this peaceful image while strolling the banks of Lake Lowell one summer morning. Soft light, blue sky and a few ripples in the water. What else can be said? I hope you enjoy.
by tmoffett | Aug 6, 2010 | Color, Photo tips
Last Light
Stormy skies can make for very dramatic photographs. They can also kill the light so that everything is flat and boring. I have learned that in order to get that perfect photograph I must sometimes fail to get any photograph. I play the waiting game quite frequently. In the case when I was out shooting this barn, I played that game and won! Just as the sun hit the horizon it popped out under the cloud cover for only a few short minutes. I was ready. My camera was set up, focused and ready to shoot. Other times, I am ready and the sun never does show up. I then quietly break down my equipment and go home, knowing that another day, when the sun does show up, I will be ready.
by tmoffett | Aug 4, 2010 | Color, Composition, Photographic Philosophy
Simply Blue
As a young child we notice everything. Our minds soak up every detail that we see. As we age we tend to ignore most everything, actually seeing less than we ignore. Then we pick up a camera and want to make photographs with impact and feeling. We must train ourselves to see those simple things that we have learned to ignore. In the fast-paced world that we live in, this can be a most difficult task. For me, I must slow down and savor the moment, oftentimes sitting and looking and thinking, taking in everything, the sights, the sounds and the smells. Then I am able to make creative decisions about what it is that I want to portray.
I like simple. I think my photographs, for the most part are simple. Life is better when lived simply. Busyness and confusion are all around us, easy to find and see. Finding the simple is becoming harder and harder, which makes it so rewarding. It is all around us, but we must search to find it. It does not present itself readily because we have learned to ignore it. When found, though, it is like a breath of fresh air, calming and peaceful. My goal in my landscape photography is to find the simple in the crazy and untamed world in which I live.
by tmoffett | Aug 2, 2010 | Color, Composition, Landscape
Texture in the Tetons
Texture is an interesting element. It creates detail in a picture that we like to explore. It can create interest where it might otherwise be boring. It can also create busyness that can be a distraction if misused. Simple composition packed with texture is most effective.
I happen to be fortunate to be at the base of the Tetons one evening during some stormy weather. The clouds lifted just enough for the suns rays to penetrate and create just enough illumination for near perfect balance between the foreground and background. The rays themselves make an interesting secondary subject on the left side of the image as well. The light quality is very important, but look at the texture here as well. we have three different kinds of texture at play. First, the foreground, the grasses and foliage are all texture, leading the eye to the log structure which is number 2. Due to its being nearly surrounded by the foreground and its different type of texture, the eye finds it as a resting place. Having a resting place is essential in an image packed with texture, otherwise we bounce from one thing to another and it becomes exhausting to look at.
Our third element of texture is the mountains themselves. By being backlit, the contrast is reduced and the mountains become less dominant, the perfect background. this image is not so much about the the building or the mountains, but more about light and texture, visually a great combination.
by tmoffett | Aug 1, 2010 | Color, Ramblings
Wintery Morning
With the high temperatures that we have been having, I thought it would be nice to cool down with winter image today. Christeena and I were on a weekend getaway and decided to brave the sub-freezing temperatures to make some images of a beautiful winter morning on the lake. We try to get away occasionally to recharge our batteries. With 5 children at home and work and other responsibilities, it is easy to get in a rut. These little getaways help to plan and proceed and remember to live life, not just complete life. We each have jobs to fulfill, but marriage and families are more than just jobs. If we don’t take time to relax and reflect together with those that we are close to, then life will just pass us by.
Today, take some time for yourself, tell someone you love them, do something that is a diversion from your everyday routine. It will make you a better person!
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