by tmoffett | Jun 12, 2010 | Color, Family, Landscape, Photo tips, Photographic Philosophy
Mountain Stream
As great as it is to be away, it is always good to get back home. I haven’t had a chance to even look at what I shot yesterday on our way home, as we got in about 2:00AM and I was too tired to even look at them, so I am posting an earlier image from my archives today. I will be posting more images from this trip in the future, so come back often!
I mentioned that we got home at about 2:00AM, and we almost didn’t even get home at all last night. We came back on Hwy 26 through central Oregon, stopping along the way to photograph. It is a beautiful drive, and I would highly recommend it. We gassed up in Eugene, thinking it would be no problem getting gas along the way. I had no idea how hard it is to find gas in Oregon after 8:00. When the stations are closed, the pumps are disabled so you can’t even purchase gas with a credit card. Anyway, the low fuel warning came on in Vail, and we made it to Ontario on fumes and found a station open there, so thankfully, we didn’t have to spend the night in the truck on the side of the road.
This image, Mountain Stream, is an Idaho photograph, shot some time ago. I have been intrigued with the motion of water for a long time. Water is powerful, however it also has a very delicate side to it. The soft flow as it winds itself down the mountainside in the evening light creates a calm and peaceful feeling. I love black and white, however in this image, I feel that using the green foliage to frame the rocks and stream were really powerful. The color has a purpose here. If there is no purpose for the color, in other words, if it does not add to the image, then I keep it black and white. I am a strong believer that every element in the image should add to the effectiveness of the final piece of art. If it does not, then it should be somehow removed.
To see more of Terrell”s photographs, see MoffettGallery.com.
by tmoffett | Jun 8, 2010 | Color, Landscape, Photographic Philosophy, Random images
Shoreline, Seaside, Oregon
The first couple of days here on the Oregon coast we did not see the sun. It was cloudy and rainy, but that has not stopped me from making photographs. It has been great to get away with Christeena and recharge our batteries. We both love photographing, so this has been a perfect vacation so far.
This image is one that will be a part of a series of images that I have been working on for quite some time now dealing with water in motion. It is evolving into a set of work that has a bit of an abstractness to it. That abstractness generates a feeling of mystery or wonder. It adds a dimension to the work that straight photography sometimes lacks. All of the motion in these images are created in camera, none of it is photoshopped in, as some tend to believe. I have been working on getting more feeling into all of my work, and this set of images has helped me to do that.
by tmoffett | Jun 5, 2010 | Color, Composition, Landscape, Photographic Philosophy
Foggy Morning on the Coast
We’re off to the Oregon coast! Yesterday was our last day of school and I finished up the grading, cleaned the computer lab and now we’re off to create more photographs. I am so looking forward to this next week. It has been a good year, however my batteries are nearly spent and need some recharging. When I need a fresh outlook on life, either of two things will do the trick, cycling or photographing. Anytime I can get some time away with just Christeena and our cameras, then that wins out over cycling, so this next week that is what we are doing.
The image that I posted today is one from my last trip to the Oregon coast. We had fog the entire week. I am not sure what it is about this image, but I like it. Shot in color, but due to the fog it is monochromatic. It has a very soft feel to it, very simple. the treeline has some interesting shape to it and draws me in. I want to see into the fog and find the detail, but I cannot. It is mysterious. It is a unique feel that is hard to describe in words, so I’ll quit trying.
I’m sure that this trip will be very different. Every trip always is. I will find new subjects and different light. I may choose to photograph the same subjects, but with different lighting conditions and vantage points. I am sure that my mood and feelings will be different, and that will affect my image making. How we feel affects our vision. I am excited to find out what I will see, how I will see and how I will interpret the world in photographs this week.
Stay tuned for a glimpse into the world of Terrell Moffett…
Technical info: Canon 5D, 24-70 2.8L@43mm, f20, 1/60 sec.
Go to MoffettGallery.com to view more of my photographs.
by tmoffett | Jun 4, 2010 | Color, Landscape, Photographic Philosophy
Lake Lowell Rocks
Rocks are like people, no two are exactly the same. Some are interesting, some dull. Some cultured and smooth, others rough around the edges. Some big, some small… What am I trying to say with this image? You decide. All I know is that while out photographing one evening along the shores of Lake Lowell, these rocks made me stop and look, then photograph. It amazes me how certain things seem to call out and say “Take my picture!” just like some people do. Rocks, and people.
Technical data: Canon 5D, 24-70 f/2.8L @ 70mm, f22, .6 sec. ISO 100
See the gallery here.
by tmoffett | Jun 3, 2010 | Black and White, Composition, Landscape, Photographic Philosophy
Frozen in Time
Years ago I created a set of images in upstate New York. This set of work proved to be very important in my development as a photographer. After completing a 15 print portfolio, I laid all of the photographs out and viewed them at the same time. That was the first time I realized that I really was putting myself in my work. It was exciting and almost scary at the same time. I could see my life, my emotions in the images. I could see where my vision was coming from. My photography was becoming very personal to me. Whether others could see it or not did not matter, To me there was meaning. To be able to express ones feelings in their work, that is art!
Today’s image, Frozen in Time, is one piece from that series of photographs. The deep meaning this image has for me, I am not going to say, however, as you look into the image, what does it say to you? Notice the interesting physical phenomenon going in within its frame. The plates of ice hanging on the tree trunks, the way the light gets brighter as you look deeper into the woods, the strength of the vertical trees within a strong horizontal composition. To me the image speaks. What is it saying to you?
To view more images click here.
by tmoffett | Jun 1, 2010 | Color, Composition, Landscape, Photographic Philosophy
Washed Ashore
This is probably my favorite image that I made on my anniversary trip to Hawaii in January. We were walking along the beach at sunrise and came across this log that had washed ashore and was being beaten down my the waves. It was amazing how a little water could move this big log so violently. I watched and photographed for quite some time… must have shot 20-30 images, all different angles and directions. I loved the motion of the log as the waves slapped up against it. Every shot was different. In this one, the water is wrapping around the log as more water flows over the top, and the rocking of the log is not so violent as in some of the others. The softness takes on a painterly kind of look that is interesting and soothing to me. Again, it is back to my belief that successful photographs are about feeling, and this image has that, at least for me it does. I feet fortunate to have been in the right place at the right time to make this image.
To view more images by Terrell, click here.
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