LAYERS

Yes, layers in photography. I have always been attracted to layers, which I find mostly in landscapes and nature. Even though I see landscapes when I'm out and about, what I really look for is shapes, form, lines, and design. Layers are part of all that.

As my workshop students know, I majored in art for three years. I studied  composition, color theory, and design. That combination of art concepts led me to look for layers when I started "painting" with the medium of photography. Superimposed over layers are color and contrast.

It's the kind of photography where the viewer does not necessarily see layers. People just see a photo of a landscape or scenic, not realizing that I was looking for layers when I created the image. It's only when I inform viewers of the layers I saw that they say, "Oh, yeah. I see them now."
  

Let me share some examples to illustrate my attraction to layers. 

A few miles northeast of Boulder Colorado, along Hwy 52, is this huge swath of farming fields. In October, the lack of crops reveals these horizontal layers of rolling hills. I made sure I filled my viewfinder with mostly fields, with a touch of an extra layer--the sky. The UFO-looking cloud was serendipity.    

When you are in Colorado, the obvious tendency is to look for jagged snow-capped mountains, soothing creeks and cascades, lakes with awesome reflections, rivers, aspens in the fall, and so on. I do that too. One day I decided to go look for the "other" Colorado; the Colorado most people don't think about. For the most part, if you drive east of north-to-south Interstate 25, you swear you're in Kansas. It flattens out into treeless prairies, farmlands, and subtle rolling hills. 

On this particular day I decided to see what I could find east of Denver. I'm glad I did. I came across, you guessed it, layers! When I saw this scene at a glance I saw four layers. But, if you study it carefully, there are about ten layers, including the sky. Some are obvious; some are very thin; some partial; some in the distance. I loved the various complementary colors--green, burnt sienna, yellow, tan, and blue.

When I looked at these spectacular clouds at sunset, I was stunned at the surreal colors. I kept looking, and shooting, at the orange and red layers contrasted against those ominous dark layers, as the rest of the clouds slowly dissipated into the evening sky.  

In this scene, I basically saw two layers--a white layer and and a red layer (sprinkled with hints of green).

Here is a B&W rendition of the same scene.

Now, you might say, "Surely you didn't see layers in this scene?" Yes, I really did. They can be layers of shapes or color. I saw four layers here. Can you see them? I saw a layer of dark reds in the foreground, the first layer of mountains, the mountains themselves in the distance, then the sky. When I instinctively look for layers, it helps my overall compositions. 

I even find layers when shooting botanicals, as in this image. Can you see the diagonal layers of purples and greens? This is nothing other than a close-up of a plant at a butterfly pavilion.

This last example represents layers of mountains from Lake Luzern, Switzerland. I liked, not only the layers, but that the haze from the midday sun caused the mountains to recede in hue and clarity. 

I hope I have given you a variety of examples to help your eye look for layers in life, from the grand schemes to tight close-ups. They're out there. We just have to train our eyes to see them. As I mention in my book, Right Brain Photography, it helps to take take the labels off.  

Contact me if you have any questions or would like a 1-on-1 lesson to find layers in life.

  

CREATING ABSTRACTS & SPECIAL EFFECTS IN-CAMERA

Ever since I picked up my first professional grade camera, a Canon A-1, I've been interested in pushing the envelope. I first picked up ideas from the masters of the 1980s, but soon started experimenting with new techniques and approaches. My art schooling and the medium of photography quickly became one to form what I now called photo art.

I prefer to to create my abstracts and special effects in camera because it takes photographic and artistic skills, not computer software know-how, to create them.

Let's first begin with some operational definitions so we can all be on the same page. First, my definition of 'Abstracts:' Extracting from any subject only a representation of its form, shapes, or colors, without identifying the subject. By 'Special Effects' I mean any technique other than a "straight" shot,  where I am just trying to get the best possible representation of what I see.

I use several techniques for both my abstracts and special effects. I will share the highlights of those techniques as I share several examples below. I'll start with abstracts.

Leading up to Mardi Gras, home owners of a quaint historic house in Eureka Springs, Arkansas decorate the tree in their front yard with tons of 'Nawlins beads. I had fun photographing the tree--see below.

  

Once i got my "straight shot," I came up with creative ideas of what I could do with the beads, other than documenting them. This is one of those renditions. Quite simply, I just closed in on a smaller grouping and moved my camera downward, vertically, to create this colorful abstract.

Sometimes the abstract is already there; I just have to be visually open to pull the uncommon from the common. Such was the case when I saw several puddles, yes simple puddles, while hiking at 10,000 feet in the Indian Peaks Wilderness area in Colorado. Most folks think it's a part of an oil spill in a parking lot.

    

I always ask myself, "What does this moment give me?" You've been there. You go out with your camera with something in mind. You have an idea as to what you hope to see or find, but when you get there, it isn't there. The tendency is to accept your fate and maybe go out another time. Next time that happens, and before you put away your gear, ask, "What does this moment give me?"

One day I drove out to far eastern Colorado, in the prairies that look like Kansas, looking for farms, ranches, and anything old. I found something old-- an old abandoned barn. As I walked around the barn, nothing hit me at first, but I kept scanning the walls, roofs, floors, etc. 

At first, I saw this....

Then I saw this, from the same scene....getting closer to my final image, an abstract.

As I talk about in my new book, Right Brain Photography, I started seeing color, form,
texture, and shapes, which helped me see this.

I'll let you look at this next one for a few seconds first.

It's a semi frozen lake. Again, I see shapes, color, form--I don't see the lake.

In my book I talk about the usefulness of eastern philosophy in photography. This is one example.

One of the many aspects of photography I love is the fact that whatever I photograph, the viewer sees it out of context--she wasn't there with me. Therefore, unless it's obvious, it can be difficult for her to to see an image and make a connection to something with which she's familiar.

What connection, or connections, can you make to this?

These are clouds at sunset over the Flatirons near Boulder, Colorado.

Beads, a puddle, old weathered material in an abandoned barn, a lake, and clouds. So, go out and take a common subject out of context and see what you can create with it!! 

Now I'll turn my attention to 'Special Effects.' Please re-read my definition above. 

I have several techniques I apply to create special effects. I will share my most commonly used to date, beginning with my double exposures. I have three double exposure techniques I use, but today I'll only share my favorite. When I see a subject that is conducive to a double exposure, I will first take it slightly out of focus. Then, I change my focusing point, change to a smaller f/stop (aperture), and underexpose the second shot usually by a -2/3 to keep the final image from coming out overexposed. That is what I did with these tulips. I like the halo effect I get when I use this technique. 

This next one is my most difficult technique. A lot of my students are challenged when they attempt it. It requires careful hand-eye coordination. I call it my "Swirl" technique because you actually swirl the camera, while keeping from arching the camera movement.

I place the palm of my hand right below my camera (no tripod) and my right hand index finger on the shutter release button. I make sure I use a slow shutter speed, and that varies, depending on one's reactions--mine are pretty quick, so I normally use a shutter speed between 1/10-1/15 of a second. Then, when I'm focused on the main subject, I quickly and simultaneously swirl my camera counter clockwise and press the release button. It takes practice. If your reactions are too slow, use a slower shutter speed, to make sure you get that swirl effect. Don't arch your camera. Swirl your wrist, not your hand. If you do it right, it looks something like this. Usually, there's no, or very little, swirl effect on the subject in the center of your swirl, and then it becomes more pronounced toward the outer edges.

Sometimes I combine a double exposure with my swirl technique, like I did with this butterfly. The double exposure feature must first be set for two exposures.  

I saw some interesting mauve-colored plants. I decide to swirl them. Then, I hunted for the right butterfly to superimpose over it. I found one that had complementary colors. I looked at my screen to look at my first shot--I was looking for the best place to place the butterfly. Then, I refocused on the butterfly to make sure it was going to come out sharp, then underexposed the butterfly shot by -2/3. Click.

  

Historic Crescent Hotel in Eureka Springs, Arkansas has a somber history of ghostly apparitions. So, I decided to create my own ghosts. I asked a friend to be my "ghost." I asked her to dress in white--hat, dress, shoes. Roz did a great job. For this shot, I asked her to start walking extremely slow when I gave her the signal. We had to do it three times-- my definition of slow and her definition of slow did not quite match up. But, we finally got it right, with a 6-second exposure! It's that easy. Spooky, huh?

 I will conclude with this technique. You can read about my other techniques in my new book, Right Brain Photography. I will show you the image before I explain one of my techniques I use to create my Impressionistic images.

This technique is so easy it's ridiculous. Just wait until a good rain and start shooting through your windshield, while you're nice and dry inside your car. I knew I wanted to check out downtown Eureka Springs, Arkansas during a pouring rain. When I came upon this scene, I knew that was what I was looking for. I found a perfect parking spot, stopped and shut off the engine. I then went through my standard steps: compose, choose my depth of field (focus on the buildings), and take some exposure test shots. It's important not to use a small f/stop, like f/16 or more, because you will get the water droplets in focus! So, I focused on the buildings and used an f/8. Any scene shot this way will give you the look of an Impressionistic painting. 

So, go out there and stop thinking so linear. Give your left brain a rest; loosen up; get out of your comfort zone and just have fun with it. 

If you want to sign up for my monthly newsletters, e-mail me. Maybe someday we can schedule a private 1-on-1 field lesson. There's nothing better than putting know-how to field practice--that's how we learn to connect the dots.

     

   

                

PHOTOGRAPHING WATERFALLS

There are three conditions in which I prefer to go out in search of waterfalls: 1) Overcast skies or thick clouds, to minimize harsh contrasts and blown-out light-colored waterfalls;      2) Spring or early summer, when snow run-off is at its peak, unless the falls are in an area where water is always running; 3) after a heavy rainfall.

There are two messages I like to convey from waterfalls, other than the waterfalls themselves: 1) The environment in which the falls are, or the feeling I get when I'm there. The environment gives the image context and adds interest. Photographing feelings sometimes means not photographing the entire waterfall.

I don't usually share technical information about my images. My reasoning is quite simple. The settings we use (f/stop, shutter speed, exposure compensation, ISO, etc.) all depends on our intended end goal. If we want to "freeze" the waterfall, we'll need to use a certain shutter speed; if we want to create a soft dream-like effect, we'll need to use a certain shutter speed. If we can't get what we're looking for, we might need to switch to a different ISO in order to get the desired shutter speed. The list goes on. We need to know what the photographic basics give us as results and combine that with what we want as a result. 

Don't let formulas, or recommended formulas, dictate what your settings should be. Let your desired results determine what settings you'll need. If you need a formula, use a "If/Then" formula: If I want it to look like that, then I need to do this.  

With that introduction, let's start with a time when lighting was not ideal. It was a harsh bright sunny day when I was photographing Cedar Falls in Arkansas. I didn't like what I was getting. But, as luck would have it, I heard loud but soothing chanting coming from below the falls, in the shade. Sometimes Plan B works out better than Plan A. Seize the moment.     

Idaho Falls, in Idaho Springs, Colorado. I have photographed this waterfall in winter,
summer, and autumn. There is no such thing as spring in Colorado! 😊 

I have several tight shots (close-ups) of the falls, but I like this one because it shows off its unique context--the steep, near vertical mountainside and the historic waterwheel. The bonus was the eye-catching fall colors and the flags. I spend an entire chapter in my book, Right Brain Photography, on composition.

Multnomah Falls. The rainfall index in Oregon creates a lush topography, as represented by this awesome waterfall. As opposed to the image above, a vertical shot did a better job at showing off its environmental context.  

Ouzel Falls in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado. A great waterfall indeed. However, the day I was there, I was more captivated by the feeling I got more so than its visual presence. The waterfall was in its prime--gushing down loudly and proudly. Not only could I hear the loud roar of the falls, but I could feel its power. The earth vibrated beneath my feet. However, as loud and powerful as the sounds were, I felt a sense of calmness; a sense of peace and tranquility. 

Before I show you how I photographed those feelings, let me share what my eyes saw. A fast shutter speed (1/200) captured it's power, which is what I wanted for this image. However, I wanted to translate my feelings. I carefully made my way around that big boulder in the foreground--the ground was cool, damp, and slippery.  

When I got around the boulder, I found myself at the bottom of the falls, where I "saw" my true feelings--calmness; peace; tranquility. I knew that in order to translate those feelings I had to use a slow shutter speed. An artist uses the right brush strokes and angles to create a desired effect. I chose a slow shutter speed (1/6) to create a mystical feel.  

The Eureka Springs, Arkansas area had experienced several days of heavy rains. During a day drive to see what I could find, I stopped at a convenience store out in the country for a snack. I just happened to run into one of my former students who was familiar with the area. She asked me, "Have you been to Sweden Falls?" I said, "No. Never heard of it. Where is it?" She gave me the directions, told me she and her daughter were just there a few minutes and, and that, unlike other times she had seen it, it was really flowing! I had to go.

I found it. It was very cool that day, with thick threatening clouds. The ground looked extremely wet. Should I or shouldn't I? My intuition won out and I put on my rain gear and took off. Along the way, I met a couple of hikers who warned me, "Be careful. It's slippery in places." My intuition kept saying, "Don't succumb to your fears. It might be worth it." I'm glad I listened to my intuition.

They were right. It was slippery, everywhere. I could hear the sounds of the falls as I got closer. Finally, there it was--Sweden Creek Falls.I could not get a good view of the falls from the trail, so I carefully inched my way off the trail a bit. I found myself on top of a precarious outcropping. I could have got closer to the edge of the outcropping, but decided to stop at a point where I could get a decent angle, without endangering my life. I later found out from a hiker that a photographer had indeed killed himself there when he tried to get too close.

Tip: Don't just start shooting. Slowly think it through. Repeat to yourself, "What do I want the falls to look like?" I wanted a silky, smooth feel to the flowing water. A 1/8 of a second shutter speed gave that to me.  

I always tell folks around Eureka Springs that the greens in the Ozarks are "Photoshop greens."

  

I had heard of Dogwood Canyon Nature Park in southern Missouri and how beautiful it was. So, out I went on a daily excursion. I was not disappointed. 

Test: You want this waterfall to look nice, silky and smooth. It's flowing pretty fast. What shutter will you use to get your desired look and feel? How about 1/4 of a second? This is not science; it's art. So, take 2-3 shots to see what you'll get: 1/15; 1/8; 1/4; and even 1" (second). Then just see which one resonates with you. 

A huge cloud had cast a shadow on the falls. Click! 

Unlike the other waterfalls in this blog, this one did not have an interesting environment overall, which is why I went vertical and tight on this one.    

About three miles southeast of Steamboat Springs, Colorado is Fish Creek Falls. It's my favorite waterfall in Colorado. As you can see, its environment was worth incorporating into the composition.

Lower Yellowstone Falls, 308 feet to the bottom! I love photographing around my birth state. My two favorite locales to take my camera are the Grand Tetons area and Yellowstone Park. 

I also created the more typical and common shots of this majestic waterfall--both horizontal and vertical tight shots that show just the waterfall and a little of its surroundings, but I favor this one that shows the falls, where it comes from, where it hits, the dynamic canyon it drops into, and the continuation of the Yellowstone River below the falls. From Artist's Point.   

    

I hope this has motivated you to drive and hike to your nearest waterfalls. April and May are just around the corner, so make sure your To-Do list includes waterfalls. 

Experiment with your compositions, exposures, and shutter speeds. Have fun.

If you live near me, holler at me and we'll go together!   

  

A RIGHT BRAIN AT THE ZOO

I call myself a "life photographer" because I can see art in any subject, including subjects at America's zoos. I don't like to limit myself to landscapes, people, or cityscapes.

Like most photographers, I do enjoy getting those cool documentary shots of mammals, reptiles, and birds. However, my right brain is always looking for shapes, colors, form, texture and mood. All I have to do is find the right combination of factors. One of those factors is lighting--quality, angle, color.

Patience is extremely important in photography, but it escalates to the next level at zoos. There a lot of people to work around, most with loud children. I'm not complaining--it's fun watching kids having fun.Then there are the the animals themselves. I can stand there for fifteen or twenty minutes and the bear does nothing. I work on my patience because those extra ten or twenty minutes could bring some great surprises. I (patiently) wait for the animals or birds to do something interesting, funny, or cute. While I'm waiting, I decide on the best Compositions and take test shots, checking my Depth of field, and the best Exposure. If my patience runs out, I go shoot somewhere else and come back later and try again. More often than not, patience pays off.

With that introduction and baseline, let me walk you through some zoo images.

I'll start with this one. Although this theme is common when it comes to zoo photography, it is still artistic and colorful. Again, patience was required. I had to keep my distance, zoom in to get a tight shot, and just wait until he faced me. Click.

                                                         

  (300mm; f/8; 1/500; -1 1/3; ISO 640)

After I got the more common shot, I waited and watched him closely, waiting for a less common perspective. I usually have my camera on the tripod with head loose so I can pan, always with my eye to the camera, knowing where my settings needs to be, and just wait for that split second to go "click."

(300mm; f/18; 1/125; -1 1/3; ISO 500)

I like flamingos, and have a lot of images of them in various settings--large groups, reflections, wings open, long necks in the water, etc. However, what really excites me is when I can just pull out their color, shapes, forms, and texture.

 

(300mm; f/10; 1/500; -1 2/3; ISO 200) 

I like to photograph those big, muscular silver backs. They know they're respected and like to show that off for us. I have several images I like, but I thought I'd share this in-your-face rendition. You're probably thinking, "Is he nuts?" Actually, there was a thick plexiglass window for us to watch him. All of a sudden he leaned against the window and I said, thank you!

With a subject this dark, I need to underexpose the shot, otherwise it will come out over-exposed. The built-in light meter sees all that dark area and thinks it needs to lighten the scene--and I don't want a washed out gorilla! I had my camera on the tripod to prevent against any hand motion.

(200mm; f/8; 1/25; - 1 1/3; ISO 500)

Okay, I know most of us don't like snakes. I don't either, unless they're safely behind glass! When I saw this green and yellow snake (sorry zoo keepers, I don't know it's zoological name), I saw color and shapes. Although I have a really tight (close-up) shot of it, I like this one. Instead of focusing on the characteristics of the snake itself, this composition gave me a sense of environment. I underexposed the image to make the bright snake "pop." 

(60mm; f/4.5; 1/10; -1; ISO 200)

Giraffes--incredible animals to watch. Does luck sometimes play a role in photography? Some say no; I say yes. All the planning in the world could not have predicted this scenario. This poppa, momma, and their youngster came together and posed for me. Oh lucky me! Click.

  (90mm; f/4; 1/2500; -1; ISO 200)

This black bear kept staring at me. After a few minutes of back and forth pacing, he moved a little closer and just propped himself down in a yoga style position. He looked like he was praying for me to go away and leave him alone. 

Okay, a little technical information is needed here. The black gorilla was shot at -1 1/3. This bear, also black, was shot at only a -2/3. Why the difference? Answer: The black gorilla filled the frame.It would have fooled the light meter to think that it needed to lighten the scene a lot. The black bear scene, on the other hand, had roughly 1/3 of the scene in light grays. The built-in light meter would not have over-exposed this scene as much as the gorilla.

So, less black (or darks) in the scene= less underexposure required.    

 (220mm; f/7.1; 1/60; - 2/3; ISO 200)

Hippos are big animals with interesting blimp-like shapes. There are so many ways to photograph them--sleeping, jaws open, getting ready for a dip, and so on. I have all those shots in my collection. Today, I want to share a less common image. I spent several minutes observing this hippo. After several minutes of getting some good shots, he eventually disappeared into his zoo lake. I knew he had to come up for air, so I prepared for that possibility. Patience. After a couple of minutes he did come up for air--right in front of me! 

  (112mm; f/6.3; 1/250; - 2/3; ISO 320)

As you might have noticed, you don't see the entire animal in most of the images I have shared. Because we are programmed to "take pictures," we tend to try to photograph the entire animal at a zoo. Yes, I do that too if I want to document it, but the most interesting and dynamic images are those that concentrate on the animal's, or bird's, characteristics--color, shape, texture, form, mood.

This next image is definitely filled with color, shape, texture, and form. I looked for the composition that emphasized the chameleon's unique ability to camouflage itself against its environment. Don't you wish you could just disappear into the walls when you're at a miserable  but obligatory party or meeting? I see you shaking your head!

  

  (200mm; f/8; 1/20; - 1/3; ISO 800)

I will end my tip of the month with this cute image.It was autumn at the Denver, Colorado zoo, and I took advantage of that. Everywhere I aimed my camera, I looked for autumn colors to serve as complementary backdrops. Such was the case when I came upon these extremely active and colorful birds. A common impulse when photographing subjects like this is to get the entire depth of the scene as sharp as possible. Not me. I want my subjects to "pop"--to stand out. That is why I did not use a high number/small aperture for this image. I use my f/stops to convert backgrounds to backdrops.

Again, patience is required to wait until something happens. This image always brings a smile to my face. Regardless of what they are doing from a zoological perspective, they look like "love birds."   

  (280mm; f/10; 1/320; -0-; ISO 800)

I have given you several different scenarios from which to learn. Let me finish by sharing a few left-brain tidbits. I decide on left brain factors after I have decided what right brain, or artistic, results I want. My right brain goals determine my choice of left brain factors--lens focal length, f/stop, shutter speed, exposure compensation, ISO, WB. The right brain needs to know what the left brain can do; the left brain needs to listen and obey the right brain. Does that make sense? If not, please e-mail me, sign up for one of my classes or workshops, or read RIGHT BRAIN PHOTOGRAPHY (Be an artist first). Contact me.

So, as soon as the weather warms up in your hometown, head for the zoo!!