Some Miscellaneous Images & a Tip

I thought you might like to see the companion to yesterday's scarecrow. Here she is, but this time for the additional light I used a sheet of reflective paper that added a warm (gold) cast to the subject.

This is one of my favorite autumn images:


Koi:


In case you didn't know - DON'T throw away the little packets of silica gel you find packed with some items you buy. They're great for keeping dampness out of your camera bag, and anywhere you store lenses and cameras. I keep one in each camera bag and one in every drawer in which I have a lens stored. If you are worried about the bag getting torn, wrap it in a piece of old nylon stocking or other soft netting before dropping it into your camera bag or drawer.


The background behind the silica gel is the piece of reflective paper I used to light up the scarecrow above. Hopefully, it will give you some idea of what to look for, although any reflective gold sheet will be as good. This type is very bright and it sparkles like glitter. You can see other colors in this but if you reflect it onto a sheet of white paper, you'll see the golden glow.

"...words and pictures can work together to communicate more powerfully than either alone."
~ William Albert Allard ~

Another Use for an Old CD

If you need just a little light on the dark side of a small object, when photographing using light from a window, prop up an old CD with the shiny side facing the dark side of the object. This was taken with window light on the left and light reflecting from the CD on the right side. Keep in mind that the color of the light reflecting off the CD will have the same tone as the color of the CD. A silver, blue or greenish-colored CD will reflect a cool light and a gold-colored CD will reflect warmer light (golden cast).

This is the scarecrow with nothing but window light on the left side.



This is the scarecrow with window light on the left and CD 'light' on the right. Put the CD opposite the window light, and angle it until you get the light right where you want it.


By the way, I like the angle of the shot of the first of these 3 images best. Do you know why? Because the scarecrow's whole smile, more of his hat, and the tines on the rake are visible.

"... it takes a lot of looking before you learn to see the extraordinary."

~ David Bailey, Legendary Photographer ~

Change of Pace

Here is a small series of bird images made last winter. All of these were taken through a double-paned window with a Panasonic FZ20. (Tip: keep windows clean - *smile*)

The above and next two images are of a Junco - one of my favorite little birds.


Brrrrrrr.......


This is a female red-bellied woodpecker. The male has a solid red streak from its beak to the back of its head, while the female's streak is broken with a pale gray band.


Tufted titmouse.


American Goldfinch in its winter coat.


THE END!

"That little bird has chosen his shelter.
Above it are the stars and the deep heaven of worlds.
Yet he is rocking himself to sleep without caring for tomorrow's lodging,
calmly clinging to his little twig,
and leaving God to think for him."
~ Martin Luther ~

It's in the Bag!

I'm always keeping my eyes open for cheap but useful and lightweight little accessories to carry in my camera bag. These Velcro strips can be opened out flat and stuck together so they don't take up much room. Use them to hold a few stems out of the way of the lens, or to hold a small branch up, or down. Put 2 or more together to make a larger collar to hold several flower stems together in a 'bouquet'. They are strong enough to hold small branches together if you want a more 'leafy' close-up. The bright colors make them easy to remember to take with you when you leave. I'm sure you can think of a dozen more ways to use them!


Small, soft brushes are useful to brush a speck of dirt or a gnat off of a flower petal or some other small subject - that's much easier than getting rid of it in Photoshop after the picture is taken. A clean blush brush is another nice tool to carry and will do the job just as well as the paint brush pictured here. Your brush need not be expensive but it should be soft.


Hair alligator clips are also great for holding stems out of the way - or maybe to isolate just one flower. Sometimes the weight of one of these is just enough to pull a flower into a more desirable position for a lovely macro, yet not so heavy as to do damage to the plant. Be sure to use a clip large enough so as not to damage the stem.


When you want a little more light on the darker side of a small subject, you can sometimes use a piece of crumpled foil to reflect just the right amount. You can also use a sheet of bright white paper. I've even used photo paper for this purpose - the whitest I could find. Any of these can be folded and carried in your bag.

Everything here will fit nicely into a plastic bag with a zipper closure. Speaking of plastic bags, if going from a warm house into the cold outdoors, put your camera, lens attached, into a bag and zip it closed before going out. Once outside, give it a few minutes to become acclimated to the temperature before removing it from the bag. This will prevent moisture and fogging caused by condensation getting inside the camera and lens. Do the same thing if going from the cold outside into a warm house.

"In wisdom gathered over time I have found that every experience
is a form of exploration."
~ Ansel Adams ~

A Shot in the Dark

Sometimes it's fun to take pictures at night from a moving vehicle and make up names for them when you view them - it's like looking at clouds and seeing recognizable shapes in them. If you try this technique, it's advisable that someone other than yourself be the driver, for obvious reasons.

"The Protest"

I thought this looked like an angry mob.

"Tunnel"

It wasn't a tunnel, but it looks like it was. It was snowing.

"Frosty's Great Escape"

This was a lit Christmas decoration in someone's yard.

"The Flight"

Lights along the river bank looked like a flock of birds taking flight.

"Photography has not changed since its origin except
in its technical aspects,
which for me are not important."
~ Henri Cartier-Bresson ~

Sadie has Company

Sam came to visit Sadie. It was the first time for them to meet. Good-natured dog that he is, Sam tolerated Fearless Sadie's climbing, chewing and jumping on him. These images were taken with my trusty little Sony DSC H-2 in sports mode.


Poor Sam. Nice Sam! How gentle he was with her! Not many grown dogs would put up with this!



It was a good romp and now they're friends forever.

"Apply dog logic to life:

eat well, be loved, get petted, sleep a lot,
and dream of a leash-free world."

Same Subject ~ Different Angles

Try photographing the same subject from as many different angles as you can think of to come up with very different images of the same thing.

"I want my picture making to be a deliberate process."
~ Me ~