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                                         SPECTIVE        

Made you look twice, huh? That's what my tip for this month is all about--looking twice, maybe three times in order to see things differently. It's about taking a different perspective before we go "click." 

There is a tendency to see the world; to put our camera to our eye as we are standing up. My suggestion for this month is to take a different perspective; take a different view; see life from other than eye level. 

I covered this topic about a year and a half ago, but it bears repeating. So much of what I see online, and through real-life observations, seems to be taken at eye level. So, let's see what life looks like when we don't.

For decades I have followed this idiom: In order to stand out, either photograph something no one else has, or photograph what others have, but in a different way.  

Here are some examples that will hopefully motivate you to break away from your habits or to get outside your comfort zone.

A simple morning table setting can trick the eye when seen from above. There are several ways of achieving this, but let me share my technique. I increase my ISO in order to get a fast enough shutter speed to hand-hold the camera without introducing hand movement. Obviously, having a lens with vibration reduction helps, but we still need to make sure we don't get any hand movement. In this case, I shot with a 17mm lens, ISO 800, with a shutter speed of 100--well within the limits of hand-holding a 17mm lens. The rule of thumb I use, when shooting without a tripod is: the shutter speed should be equal to, or greater than, the focal length I'm using. In this case, a shutter speed of 100 is definitely greater than 17. 

 

This image of picturesque Telluride, Colorado was taken from the side of a mountain, as thee the gondola went down toward town, almost right over my head. This has been used more than once in magazines because of its unique perspective. Yes, photos taken of Telluride from street level are nice, but this adds context to the town--it tells a story. You can see the context in which the mountain ski town was built. 

I placed the camera and tripod right up against the aspen on the left, looking straight up. I couldn't even see what I was getting. I was just estimating. But, with the lens set at 24mm, I knew I was going to cover a wide enough area. 

Let me share a warning regarding this type of scenario. When you are going to aim your camera toward the sky, as in this scene, assume that the bright sky is going to trick your built-in light meter and it will surely underexpose your image! So, make your adjustments in advance. For this shot, taken at Aperture Priority (f/25), I overexposed the image, prior to getting the shot, by +2 2/3 stops! Yes, that dramatic. As you can see, it worked. So, please be careful with situations like this one. 

License plates and wheels have one thing in common: travel. So, it occurred to me that I just had to include the two together in the same image. However, the perspective and juxtaposition of the bicycle wheel and license plates on a wall, coupled with a lamp and a window, gave me a surreal subject matter to play with. Now, you might be wondering, how is the bicycle wheel so high, in relationship to the window? Well, it was actually firmly and securely locked in atop someone's car. Perspective.

For this image, I'm looking up at part of a locomotive engine, instead of taking the photo straight on where I could see the entire engine. The warning above reads: "Keep off roof." 

Can you tell what you're looking at here? This is inside the Utah State Capitol dome. My tripod was about a foot from the floor aimed straight up. Those lights in a circle and the yellow light in the middle are part of a giant chandelier that hangs from the ceiling. When seen from below, it is totally out of context and thus creates a brain teaser. The brain cannot tell us what we're looking at. 

This might look like it was taken at eye level, but my camera on the tripod was roughly two feet from the ground. I placed it that low in order to pick up the wolf reflection in the small puddle. The wolf is actually part of a mural painted on one of the support beams under a downtown city bridge. Again, not at eye level. 

This is my last example of different perspectives. I was on the ground for this shot. I was capturing, not so much the dancers, but the essence of the dance as I took this shot from an uncomfortable position on the hard walkway during the event.  

So, again, get out of your comfort zone and see life from a different perspective. It will enhance your portfolio, add new tools to your toolbox, and will help you see a different side of life. Enjoy.

I am always available for one-on-one ZOOM lessons. Contact me if you're interested.   

Eli Vega, Photo Artist

  

                

 LEADING LINES

What in the world are "leading lines?" First, I place them in quotation marks because they aren't really lines, like lines that we draw on a piece of paper. But, what are they? Leading lines are part of the composition of an image. Artists introduce them into their two-dimensional paintings to lead the viewers' eye to either the center of interest or to an important part of the painting. We, photographers, learned that from them.

So, if they're not really lines, what are they? First, I look for them as I stare out at a scene, way before I hit my shutter release button; before I even set up my camera. I study the scene and decide which parts of the grand scene I will include within the four corners of my viewfinder. I look for as many of the seven composition principles I apply to my photography. One of those seven is "leading lines." I introduce any of several elements into my images as leading lines: fences, roads, hiking paths, creeks, rivers, sidewalks, or any element (object) that can serve to lead the viewers' eye to the center of interest (the main subject I'm photographing) or to an important part of the image. 

Now, let me connect the dots for you. The following images all contain lines. Some are more obvious than others, but all serve the same purpose. 

Leading lines can be a small piece of the overall composition, but they play their part in enhancing, adding to, the overall composition. This image of a barn with the mountains and ski slopes as a backdrop is a good example. If you look closely, the fence poles on the lower left-hand side of the image lead to the barn. Again, they can be subtle but they serve their purpose.  

I saw two lines in this scene before I set up my camera. I saw the fence that leads the eye toward the old barn. The other leading line, the dirt road, actually follows the bikers along their ride. 

In this nice autumn scene, I saw the hiking trail and quickly decided I was going to introduce it to lead the viewers' eye quickly into the aspen forest. It's hard for the eyes not to follow the trail into the scene.

The most obvious leading line in this scene were the yellow caution lines on each side of the light rail tracks. They lead to a mysterious part of the scene, which begs questions, especially about the dainty lone figure, alone in a concrete jungle. 

The leading line in this scene is subtle, but I saw it as I studied the composition. In case you're still wondering, I introduced the railing on the stone steps that lead toward the house. 

In this Taos, New Mexico scene, I used the stone wall next to the horno as a leading line. As you can see by now, leading lines can be obvious, somewhat obvious, or very subtle. 

There were two elements in this scene I introduced as leading lines. One of them is the fence in the distance that leads toward the old mill. The other one is the walkway by the pond that leads back toward the area of the mill. Again, subtle, but there. 

 

For this scene, what to introduce as a leading line was obvious--the hiking trail, which leads the eye toward the hiker. 

So, next time you find yourself on a photoshoot, consciously look for leading lines. They can add interest, draw the viewer in, add mystique and wonderment, and definitely enhance your compositions. Have fun with it! 

Contact me if you would like a one-on-one ZOOM lesson on this key and important topic.

  

 

 CREATING ART FROM NATURE

So, what do I mean by creating art from nature? Well, it's easy to take pretty pictures of pretty things, like scenics, flowers, plants, or trees. However, we need to go beyond just "taking a picture" of what we see. We need to take the time to think about composition, the messages we get, perspective, lighting (amount, color, direction), mood, and even shadows. 

If you study famous paintings, you will notice that many great artists purposefully included dark corners or areas in their paintings. They create interest and intrigue and increase the mood in the painting. When I find that in nature, I like to keep those shadows.

In other words, unless I am shooting with calendars or clients in mind, I think like an artist, not a photographer. 

This first example looks like an abstract painting. I have never seen a sunset like this one. It was above the Flatirons mountains near Boulder, Colorado. This doesn't require much technique--it was there already. It was my canvas in the sky. The key is to grab it before it disappears and to preserve it for posterity.   

This monochromatic image was a result of sub-freezing temperatures in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, on the northern tip of the state. It was so cold that when I took my gloves off, my fingers went numb. Even my thoughts were covered with ice! For these situations, when everything is near-white, you need to over-expose the scene by 1-2 stops, to keep the whites white. 

This is a study in color and composition, more so than the scene itself. I placed my camera just inches from the ground to get this "field mouse" view of autumn colors and shapes.  

The key to creating art in nature is to extract from the big picture. The eyes see too much, and that reality leads us to photograph what the eyes see--too much. When I was on this trail, I was surrounded by mountains. But, it was just the side of this mountain that got my attention. I saw layers of color, and a sprinkling of greens, reds, and whites--all illuminated by late-setting sun rays. Note the shadows. It wasn't the mountain, nor the trees I photographed that afternoon. It was the art they gave me that helped me create this art from nature. 

One of the key ingredients to creating art from nature is Composition: deciding what to include    (and what to exclude) within the four corners of the viewfinder. Once I do that, how do I arrange all the elements in front of me--the driftwood, early summer flowers, the pond, the distant mountains, etc. Note, again, the shadows throughout--they add interest, mystique, and depth. 

 

I can see what inspired Georgia O'Keeffe to move from New York to New Mexico. I saw the same are she did--color, layers, design, form, texture. This scene is close to Ghost Ranch, where she lived out her life--her New Mexico canvas. 

Even the small in nature give me art, like this small orange mushroom. The angle of my camera made the small spring in the background look like a waterfall. Remember, there are no 90-degree angles in nature. It's okay to angle the camera. 

This distorted image looks like a Salvador Dali painting. I used a fast shutter speed to freeze any motion in the water. The light blue areas you see throughout are simply cloud reflections in the lake.

This last example is not for everyone. You have to think "art" to appreciate it. I was leading a field workshop in Rocky Mountain National Park. We were shooting in and around Nymph Lake when I looked to my left and saw this scene that evoked a psychological message for me: "Walking from the dark into the light." The trees in the foreground were in the shadows, and just beyond them was this open meadow receiving bright sunlight. It occurred to me to create an image while moving my camera slowly downward--thus the sense of movement in the image.

 

So, next time you're in the middle of nature, don't just photograph what your eyes see. Think like an artist. Don't look at the tangibles; look for light, shadows, color, design, form, texture, or mood. Then just drop your urge to "get it right" and just let it flow through you. It's there. Let it speak to you.

Have fun. And remember, you can always contact me if you want to learn more about the "Hows."

 TO TELL THE TRUTH:

WILL THE REAL "EXPOSURE TRIANGLE" PLEASE STAND UP

Let's talk left brain. This month I'm talking about photographic exposure. So that we are all on the same page, let's define "exposure." There are so many ways to address this technical subject. I'll keep it simple. Cameras (the film or sensor) need light to record a picture.

If the camera receives too much light, the picture will be "overexposed;" "washed out;" "look too bright." If the camera doesn't receive enough light, the picture will be "underexposed:' too dark. If the camera receives just the right amount of light, the picture will be "well exposed."--not too bright; not too dark. Bottom line: we're talking about how much light the film or sensor was exposed to light. That's where the term "exposure" comes from.

Now that we know what we're talking about, the next question is: What factors; what variables affect exposure? In other words, what makes a picture come out too dark, just right, or too bright? Let's take a look at those factors. But first, let's remember that nothing the cameras or lenses do is perfect. We will, and should, make necessary adjustments to our "exposures," as needed. I call it fine-tuning. 

This takes us to the Exposure Triangle. Although most articles refer to the  Exposure Triangle, today I will introduce a second one. But, let's start with the one that is most commonly discussed.

If I shoot in Manual Mode, I am "flying solo," i.e. I have to determine what combination of f/stop, shutter speed, and ISO I need to set to give me a properly exposed image. That's quite a task and may require some "guesstimating" on my part until I get it right.  When shooting in that mode, the "Exposure Triangle" looks like this. 

                                                                             

                                                                                                  

Here are a couple of illustrations shot in Manual Mode. 

                

I shot both images at f/8 and 1/4 shutter speed. For the image on the left, I used an ISO of 200.
It is properly exposed--not too dark not too light. For the image on the right, I doubled the ISO to 400. As you can see, it impacted the exposure; it made it brighter; lighter than the first one. 

The ISO in the Exposure Triangle, however, is not the only factor that can change the exposure. Here is yet another example where I kept the shutter speed the same (1/4) and the ISO the same (200). For this one, I doubled the f/stop, from f/8 to f/16. Notice how underexposed it looks when just that one single factor was changed.

                                                                           

Now let's explore a second Exposure Triangle, one not mentioned much in the literature. It's the 'Triangle' I use for my photography. 

If I shoot in Aperture Priority, rather than Manual Mode, there are still three factors present. When shooting in this mode (Aperture Priority), the three factors are f/stops, shutter speeds, and the (built-in) light meter, or light exposure meter. This Exposure Triangle looks like this.

When shooting with this exposure triangle, in Aperture Priority Mode, I have total control of f/stops, which is my preference. When I change my f/stops, the built-in light meter will "see" that and make adjustments to my shutter speeds. Why? Because it's designed to give me what it thinks is the "correct" exposure. It will decide on its own what the "correct" combination of f/stop and shutter speed should be in order to give me the "correct" exposure. 

As mentioned before, when shooting in Manual Mode, I have three factors to deal with and adjust: f/stops, shutter speeds, and ISO. However, with this exposure triangle, I just have one factor to deal with, which is shutter speeds. For average daytime scenes, I usually don't have to worry about ISO. All I have to do is use the exposure compensation dial on the camera to lighten or darken the image--that's it!  And, if I do need to change the ISO, the exposure remains the same; my images look the same! An example of when I might need to do this is when there's is a strong breeze and the shutter speed has selected for me is too slow to "freeze" my subject. No problem. I just change my ISO from, say, 100 to 200 or 400. Voila! 

Here are three examples of a stationary object, a clock, where all I did is increase the ISO. Two things happened. The shutter speed increased with each change in ISO, but the exposure, the overall look of the image looked relatively the same, i.e., the exposure remained the same. 

Now, you might ask, "But aren't you afraid of also increasing "noise" with each ISO increase? If you asked me that question ten to fifteen years ago, I would have said, "Yes." Today's cameras, however, have improved exponentially in their ability to create great low-noise images at high ISOs, well above 800.  

                                         ISO 100                                               ISO 200       

                     
  

                                         ISO 400                                                 ISO 800        

                        

I like shooting with this exposure triangle at play. I have fewer factors to deal with, which allows me to work faster. And I like working faster because I don't want to miss those one-of-a-kind moments. In photography, timing is everything!  

  

So, I encourage you to experiment on your own. Examine yourself as you shoot in both the 'ISO' Exposure Mode triangle and in the 'Light Meter' Exposure Mode triangle. Then make your own decisions. Experiment with three scenarios. 1) Stagnant subjects where nothing is moving,       
2) Scenarios where wind and motion are problematic, and, 3) Scenarios where changing light is problematic. 

By the way, shooting in Aperture Priority Mode, as opposed to Manual Mode, does not equate to amateur v. professional. 

Have fun with it!!! It doesn't matter how you get there as long as you get there. 

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or if interested in a ZOOM lesson, on any photography topic. 

 PHOTOGRAPHING PEOPLE

Unless it's a paid assignment, I prefer to photograph people on-site. Those "environmental" images create more interest and intrigue, and are simply more engaging. 

Sometimes, my images are totally spontaneous and candid. At other times, they are purposefully planned. When I plan, or "orchestrate" them, I usually want my models to look natural, as opposed to that "say cheese" look. 

I don't like to talk about lenses when it comes to sharing tips on the subject. "What lens should I use" is not the right question. The right question is, "How do I want this to look?" Let your answer to that question determine what lens you should use. The same goes for "What f/stop should I use?" 

Okay, with this short introduction, let me share a few examples from my collection. 

To this day, this is one of my favorites from my entire collection. This is Michael. I saw Michael as I walked around Pearl Street Mall in downtown Boulder, Colorado. He was inside Starbucks, looking over some paperwork. 

I went inside, introduced myself, and asked him if he would mind if I took his picture. He graciously allowed me. I told him he could just keep doing what he was doing. I wanted a candid look.  I kept the shadows dark, to emphasize his face, reading glasses, and beard.

This is Vince, in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Vince owns this classic beauty--a 1937 Chev.' It reminds me of those Chicago gangster cars we see in movies; those Al Capone era cars. 

I invited Vince for an early-morning shoot in front of this still-operational 1950s hamburger stand. He is quite a talented musician. Among the several instruments he plays is the trumpet. I asked him to leave the car lights on as he posed for me.  

Pearl St. Mall in downtown Boulder, Colorado has been a go-to place for me to find interesting people to photograph. I liked the dark areas surrounding this trumpet player. I liked his white sunglasses and red coat against the gold trumpet.

I get a lot of comments about this next one. Someone recently commented that it had the same feel to it as the painting, Nighthawks, by Edward Hopper.

I had to work fast to get this shot. Within a matter of short minutes, all of a sudden all the trains and people were gone, leaving this dainty figure all by herself. It's the type of image that begs a lot of questions: Who is she? Where did she come from? Where is she going? Isn't she afraid to be there all alone? 

                            

Ah, this is a fun one! There is even a country song about Luchenbach, Texas. I just couldn't resist. This is culture in the raw! Beer, overalls, cigarette, and sneakers. Life is good.

Here, I am back on Pearl Street Mall in Boulder, Colorado. These guys were actually street performers. They were, as you can see, dressed in silver; even their faces and glasses. What I do when I encounter these situations is I get my composition, make sure my exposure is the way I want it, and then just patiently wait for something to happen. When that guy in the middle, with the red lips, noticed me, he looked straight at me. Click.

This is on 16th Street in Denver, Colorado. This guy's stage name was JAMBOT. He could do some amazing illusion tricks that seemingly defied gravity. He too was painted in silver.

This is Paul, a Plein Aire artist in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. I thought it would be artistic to convert everything to black & white, except the colorful painting Paul was working on, as well as his creative make-shift palette of paper plates.   

These images represent just a small sliver of all my photos of people. I encourage you to grab your camera and head downtown, some community event, or art fair and see what or who you can find. 

By the way, it's not against the law to take pictures of people--people do it all the time. And, you can even sell your photographs, if the people you photograph are in a public place. 

Have fun!  

   

 FINDING FINE ART IN NATURE

As photographers, there is a strong tendency for us to walk around with our cameras, waiting for something to hit us between the eyes and say, "Here I am. Take your shot!" If it doesn't, we continue walking.

In my book, Right Brain Photography, I spend pages talking about how to find those gems I call fine art. 

If we only see with our eyes, we will leave behind some of the best images possible. We need to look with our eyes and see with our imagination. 

Fine art is not just pretty pictures of pretty things. It's finding artistic compositions with color,  shapes, patterns, mood, mystique, or feelings.

We can either create fine art in-camera, or fine the fine art that nature gives us; art that is already there for the taking.

Now, let me share some fine art I have either found or created from what I "saw." 

I was with a student during one of my 3-day Rocky Mountain National Park workshops in Colorado. I  pointed to a section of the lake with several rocks and tree branches at the bottom of the shallow lake. I could see the clouds reflected on the lake's surface, even through the fast-moving waves on a breezy morning. I told my student we were going to use a fast shutter speed in order to freeze the waves and capture the clouds in the water. The end result was a surreal depiction of simply rocks and tree branches at the bottom of a lake.

Mt. Elbert is the highest peak in Colorado, at 14,443.' Yes, that's pretty high. I know,  I've hiked it! On another hike up the trail, I was looking for autumn colors. It was a little early in September, so I wasn't sure I would find them. But, to my surprise, I found this "painting" before me. It was already there, without a frame, just waiting for me. The composition was perfect, with the trail that went up to the aspens, then disappeared as it continued down the hill. The trail was surrounded by white vertical lines, late-summer greens, and a sprinkling of early autumn yellows. 

Another year, still in Colorado, I was also looking for fall colors, but, to my chagrin, this time I was too late. I noticed on my way to the Crested Butte area that there were few colorful leaves, if any, still hanging on the trees. But, I always carry with me my go-to mantra: What does this moment give me? So, as I continued searching for color, my moment came when I saw this grouping of naked aspens, exposing their white vertical beauty to me! Click.

Look with your eyes; see with your imagination. I went on a hike up the Indian Peaks Wilderness area in Colorado. It had rained the day before, so I, like the other hikers on the trail, found myself hopping over small, inconspicuous, puddles of water. On my way back down the long trail, I started doing what I teach my students to do--take the labels off. When I took the labels of the "puddles," I started seeing with my imagination. They weren't puddles anymore; they were nature's art, right there in front of me.

Several hikers noticed me with my camera and tripod, as I aimed my camera downward toward one of the puddles. "What do you see?" they asked. When I pointed out what I was photographing, one hiker said, "I would not have seen that...." 

My message to you? Don't just look for tangible objects around you; look for the art they give you. It's free!

I ran across this dry creek bed. I was astonished to see what I was not expecting to see-- several smoothed-out colorful rocks sprinkled along the creek bed for several yards. They were randomly placed by nature in patterns I would expect to see along the Pacific or Atlantic shoreline. 

As I stared at them, it occurred to me that nature needed some help in "organizing" these rocks in a more artistic fashion. I started picking up a variety of shapes and colors and putting them together to form a tight collection of "canvass" art.

Sometimes I take what nature gives me and add to it an extra artistic spin, as I did to this nice array of tulips in spring, in Garvan Woodland Gardens, in Hot Springs, Arkansas. The scene itself looked good; very good, in fact. But I wanted to go from "good" to "wow." So, I decided to create my trademark double exposure technique to create this fine art rendition of what my eyes saw.

I saw a wall of trees with some autumn colors strewn about the scene. I was on my way down from West Mountain, also in Hot Springs. When I saw some yellows to my right, I stopped and pulled over to get a closer look. I saw the cool vertical lines of the huddled trees, and some yellows and greens in-between them. Emotionally, it was good. I could feel fall in the air. However, visually, it lacked that "pull" that makes me take my camera out and start shooting. My right brain kicked in. Since there were a lot of verticals in the scene, I decided to see what I could create from the scene if I moved my camera downward. I set my camera to where I got a 2-second exposure--that is very slow in photography. I then hand-held my camera and slowly moved it downward, trying my best to keep my verticals as straight as possible. The result was an impressionistic interpretation of what was just an okay scene. 

And, sometimes the whole scene before us can look like a  fine art painting, as this scene near Steamboat Springs, Colorado. My timing was intentional--I wanted that late afternoon lighting, a few minutes before sunset. I found it! When I stared in awe at this scene, I thought that if Claude Monet, the French Impressionist, had been with me that day, he would have painted this scene. It was absolutely jaw-dropping. I didn't have to do anything special to it; it was all there, just waiting for me. It is not surprising that titled this piece, "Impressionistic Valley."

So, challenge yourself to see from an artist's perspective. Look for, or create, images that would look like "art on canvas."

Feel free to contact me if you'd like a 1-2 hour ZOOM lesson on this topic. Have fun!