by tmoffett | May 26, 2010 | Black and White, Landscape, Photo tips, Photographic Philosophy
Silver Beauty
It amazes me how many times I hear students say, “I can’t find anything to shoot.” Developing a vision and then becoming aware and truly observant of our surroundings are skills that every successful photographer must have. It takes time and practice to develop these skills. Many mistakes will be made along the way, but from every mistake we can learn, and by learning we become better. The only way to develop your own vision is to get out and make photographs. Often. Daily, or at least weekly whenever possible.
Evaluating your images is the second step to developing vision. Self-evaluation is good, but critiques from mentors and peers is even more effective. We must learn to accept constructive criticism and grow from it in order to reach our potential. We become so involved in our own work that often we fail to see our shortcomings. Even to this day I seek out critiques from my associates. I want to know how my photographs make them feel. What would they do differently?
Silver Beauty is a result of all of the above. I was on a school outing with one of my boys, and I got up early, stepped outside the cabin and found this scene. Just a small leaf, but the light falling on it was wonderful. After making the original print, I asked several of my photographer friends what they thought. I considered their feedback, made a couple of changes and then watched the print go loan at Professional Photographers of America annual print competition.
by tmoffett | May 24, 2010 | Color, Landscape, Photographic Philosophy
Ocean Waves
Water. Power. Beauty. The motion of water, captured in a still image is a beautiful thing. The past few months have been intrigued with water-land interactions. This image was shot while on a vacation in Kauai in January. We were walking along the beach just outside of our hotel one evening and came upon this reef just offshore. I watched the waves for quite some time, mesmerized by the motion created as they crashed into the reef and washed over the top and flowed softly back into the ocean. I could see the beauty and feel the power of the ocean current.
A photograph, a piece of art is about feeling. Yes, it must be technically executed to near perfection, but without feeling it is only a pretty picture. I want my images to allow the viewer the privilege of feeling what I feel when I am photographing. Ideally I want more than one of the senses involved. With this photograph, can’t you almost feel the mist on your face, smell the ocean breeze, want to reach out and touch the water? What do you feel when strolling along the beach? If a stirs an emotion within you, then it is a successful image.
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 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 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.
by tmoffett | May 12, 2010 | Color, Landscape, Photographic Philosophy
Evening Waves, Ecola State Park, Oregon
There is not much better than an evening stroll on the beach with the one you love! It’s even better when you have a camera to capture the light skimming across the waves as they crest then crash into the shore. It was a beautiful, cool evening near Cannon Beach where I was captivated by the waves. Christeena and I were out shooting together and having a great time. I kept coming back to the waves. As the sun lowered in the western sky, it just kept getting better and better. Timing the waves to get the perfect lines leading to the rock formations was critical, and challenging. Waiting and watching, that is the name of the game so often in landscape photography. That is the beauty of it!
I love being in the outdoors. I could wait for hours watching, feeling, hearing, smelling. I get all of my senses involved when I am out with my camera and try to capture images with feeling. When successful, the viewer becomes totally engaged in the image. They can see what I see, hear what I hear and feel what I feel. That is my goal. Not always am I successful. When I am,though, it makes all of the effort worthwhile. It is as though I am able to share a piece of my soul with the world.
Technical data: Canon 5D, 70-200 f/2.8L @ 165mm f/8, 1/60 sec., always on a tripod!
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