LEGO Lens
One thing I have learned about photography is that there often is not any direct relationship between time and effort spent on capturing an image, and the quality of the end result. In other words, someone might take a great deal of time composing a shot, manipulating the light, carefully positioning the subject, dialing in precise exposure settings, and still end up with a dud. Conversely, it’s entirely possible and often likely that quick one-off mobile phone snapshots will produce incredible results suitable for printing, framing, and sharing. Of course the inverse is true as well, and more often than not one of the best pieces of advice I give to new photographers is to slow down, take your time, and really put some time and effort into learning how to use your camera and getting the photo you want. You can probably see where this is going. At the…
Starry-Eyed Fireflies
Time lapse video of this image being created When I think about how I have learned and grown as a photographer over the years, it’s usually with regard to fundamentals like aperture, focal length, shutter speed, or compositional elements like how to use light and shadow to create a compelling image. For this picture, as grand as it may appear, my learning process compared to last week’s image was actually extraordinarily mundane: I simply repositioned my camera. This is the second in a series of two similar star trails images, and a clear example of how I strive to always find ways to expand my knowledge and skills when it comes to image-creation. The first image, which I shared last week, was kind of a shot in the dark (har!) and I didn’t really know what I was doing, where to point the GoPro, or what the end result would…
Milford Lake Starscape
Time lapse video of this image being created This is the first in a two-part series that I’ll be sharing today and next week, and also the first time I have ever taken (or even attempted) a star trails picture. Hence the series :) But first, as I sometimes do here on Weekly Fifty, a bit of background. Every year my family goes on vacation at Milford Lake, Kansas, to spend a few days playing at the beach, swimming in the pool, roasting marshmallows, fishing, and staying up way too late to catch up on life. It’s always a good time and something my wife, our kids, and I look forward to every summer. I always come home with a boat-load of pictures including several that have been featured here on the blog, but this year I wanted to try something a bit different. In addition to pictures I wanted…
The Brightness
One theme I have kept consistent over the years here on Weekly Fifty is that of continuous improvement. Kaizen, if you will, at least to some extent. I always (and I use that word intentionally) try to examine my photography, find things to learn from it, and then explore ways to improve. In other words, the images I share here on the blog aren’t necessarily the best of the best but images that show evidence of growth, change, and development as a photographer. Some are great, while others are…well, let’s just say they’re evidence. That’s this week’s image, anyway. It comes right on the heels of last week’s picture of a similar hallway in Fort Barrancas, though with a dollop of hubris on my part. As my wife and I went through the hallways of this brick and concrete structure on the southern side of Pensacola, I thought this scene…
Fort Barrancas Hallway
Earlier this year I posted an image here on Weekly Fifty that was a bit of a foray into black-and-white photography, which is something I almost never do but am casually interested in exploring a bit more. Not in a serious manner, but being open making monochrome photographs when opportunities present themselves. That’s precisely the situation that led to this week’s image, which came about when my wife and I were touring Fort Barrancas with our kids on our road trip to Florida. We were walking through the brick halls, barracks, and fortifications of the old fort on a warm morning when not a lot of other tourists were around; upon rounding a corner we came upon a long window-lined hallway lined with the morning sunlight streaming through onto the centuries-old bricks. The contrast between light and dark, combined with the rich, detailed textures of the bricks, formed a scene…
The Last Night
The final night of our vacation at the beach in Florida found all of us standing on the porch, our arms resting on the railing, waiting for the moon to rise over the watery horizon in the distance. Rather than sending the kids to bed on time, the adults let everyone stay up a bit longer, and then just a bit more, in order to see the full moon rise from the waters like Ares blazing his chariot across the daytime sky, though in place of a celestial furnace we beheld the moon, a dull hunk of rock lit to a bright flame by the same searing sun. The sky was dark, the waters warm, and the wind whispered in our ears when off in the distance the faintest sliver of light peeked out from the sea. The deep red light shone dimly at first, then grew to a bright…
Beachside Moonrise
This is another first for me, kind of a follow-up of sorts to last week’s shot of a sunset at this very same location. Until this point in my life I had never taken a long-exposure picture of the moon rising over the ocean, and when this opportunity presented itself I was more than a little excited to take my little workhorse, the trusty ol’ Fuji X100F, out to the water’s edge and see what kinds of images I could capture. I had a few ideas in mind but, as a midwesterner who has only ever been to the ocean a few times in my life, I wasn’t exactly sure what I was doing or how to go about creating a good composition. I knew I wanted a long-exposure shot to make the wavy surface smooth, and I also wanted to capture the rising celestial body in the distance, but…
St. George Island Sunset
Over the past decade or so that I have been taking photography more seriously as an artistic and, dare I say, intellectual pursuit, I have tried my hand at lots of different types of images: portrait, close-up, street, black and white, wildlife, landscape, and probably a lot more. One thing I haven’t attempted, because I honestly just have not had the opportunity, is an oceanside sunset. Those scenarios don’t come along too often when you live in Oklahoma, and most images at the edge of the water are taken by the side of a lake or pond and can’t come close to capturing the grandeur of being at the edge of an entire sea. Until now 😊 This summer my family and I were able to take a trip that we had been talking about for years–a genuine beach vacation at the ocean. I brought only my Fuji X100F with…
Withering
I was really going back and forth about what to do with this image. It’s not all that different from other photos I have taken of magnolia flowers over the years, and I’m not entirely sure it demonstrates much of anything in the way of growth and progression as a photographer. On the other hand, I like the picture from a compositional standpoint–it’s got some interesting elements all on its own, despite its similarity to other photos. I guess you could also consider it a companion piece to last week’s shot of a magnolia flower in an earlier state of bloom, whereas this one is nearing the end of its time as a flower before turning into a seed pod. Either way, I think this image stands on its own quite well even though it does have a couple minor issues that I’m not sure pleased with, and as such…
Magnolia Macro
Years ago in the spring of 2015 I took this photo of a magnolia tree flower while out walking around Theta Pond on the OSU campus, and that started a decade-long infatuation with photographing these magnificent signs of spring that show up every May here in Oklahoma. I don’t take photos of magnolias as often, and as regularly, as crocus or Indian paintbrush flowers, but they are fun to shoot when I have the opportunity. Or when I just think of it, because let’s face it, I often don’t :) Another classic is this top-down view that I took a few years later in the spring of 2017, again with my 50mm lens but augmented by a set of close-up filters. (Maybe a +4, perhaps? I can’t remember, and the image EXIF data doesn’t have any information about filters.) Both images were fine and, to be honest, quite good considering…