by tmoffett | Jun 10, 2010 | Black and White, Landscape, Photo tips
Angry Sea, Yachats, Oregon
Yesterday was a very wet day on the Oregon coast. We had rain and angry seas all day. After a trip to the Marine Science Center in Newport, hoping that it would dry out a bit, we headed to the Bayfront to check out some galleries. Still raining, so went went to Mo’s for lunch. While waiting for our meal, the rain stopped, for a minute. We decided to head south. We stopped at Seal Rock, a very interesting place when the light is right, but not today.
Driving through Yachats, we found a place where the waves were pounding into the rocks and creating quite a scene. The whole day the sea had been rough, and this was a perfect place to illustrate that. I climbed out on the rocks and started photographing, and then the rain came again. Trying to keep the lens dry was a challenge, and I lost a couple of pretty good images due to water on the splashing on the lens. The sky was pretty dull, so I tried to keep it out of the frame. The wave rolling in made a much more interesting background, as you can see here. Timing on this image was a challenge as well. Getting the waves rolling in the background at the same time as the water from the previous wave was washing over the rocks and back into the ocean was tough, but did happen just right on occasion.
This is an example of a time when many would give up because it is wet and cold and miserable. I have seen it many times. I am so glad that I did not give in yesterday. When a challenge arises, conditions maybe not optimum, I have found that if I reach into my heart go out with determination I can still create meaningful photographs. Persistence will always pay off.
More images available at MoffettGallery.com.
by tmoffett | Jun 9, 2010 | Color, Landscape
Sunset, Seaside, Oregon
After 2 days of heavy clouds, we finally saw the sun, albeit only for about 8 minutes as it hit the horizon at sunset. This image was taken just after the sun descended below the horizon and left a nice glow in the western sky. This time of the evening is becoming my favorite time of the day to create images. The soft and colorful light is amazing. The photographs take on somewhat of an ethereal quality or feeling. Motion is very evident in these images and adds to the overall feeling. This one evening has made the trip all worthwhile.
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 7, 2010 | Color, Composition, Landscape, Photo tips
Through the Mist
I remember distinctly when I shot this image I knew I had a keeper. The sun was just coming over the horizon and the mist was rising off of the water. Just at the right moment this rowboat showed up in just the right spot. Everything was working for me that morning. This is one of my favorite images of all time, and I really didn’t have to work very hard to get it. I just had to be there and recognize that the image was right before my eyes. That, oftentimes is the hardest part of photography… recognize. We must train our eyes to see. If we can’t see a good image, we will never be able to photograph one.
How do we train ourselves to see? Study. We must look at images. Lots of images. Not just photographers, either. Search out other artists that do the kind of work that interests you. Analyze their work. How is it lit? What elements of composition are used? What is it that draws you into their images? After looking at lots of work, then go out and shoot your own images, then analyze them. Look at more images, shoot more, analyze more. As you do this, you will find yourself improving. As you improve, it becomes even more enjoyable.
More images at MoffettGallery.com
by tmoffett | Jun 6, 2010 | Color, Composition, Landscape
Golden Reflections, Lake Lowell
Golden Reflections is another image from my Lake Lowell series. Shot from Gotts Point on the Nampa side, The lowering sun skimmed across the lakes surface and fell beautifully upon this outcropping of trees. The golden yellow against the complimentary blues really make them pop. Good use of complimentary colors can really make an image work.
I know I said I would be posting this week from my trip to the Oregon coast, and I will. We spent all day yesterday driving and arrived too late to get anything ready to post this morning. The weather is not cooperating right now…rain. Hope it clears out some and gives us some good light, or at least some interesting skies to work with. Either way, I am sure we will come up with something interesting, maybe just not what I was planning on.
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.
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