Category: Photography

Vision

I have been pondering just removing this blog from the blogosphere, but haven’t done that.  I have been ignoring it because I am not so sure that it is going in any direction right now.  I am going in some directions, but not necessarily the ones that created the impetus for its existence.  The result is something of a conflict, because I have been “doing” photography for a bit, and ignoring other things I really love.  The fact is, though, photography gets me outdoors more and more, and I have forgotten how much I like that.  Not outdoors at the mall, but outdoors in the wilder parts of town (i.e. places with trees and plants, not crazy drunks!).  Suburbia is sadly lacking in open space at times, and that means actually taking time out to travel and drive somewhere to be outdoors.

On the other hand, photography also means packing things to lug along.  I have always been a minimalist in hobbies.  I don’t like to need a ton of stuff to do anything, but often photography seems to require a few things more than I really want to haul around.  The trade off, though, is producing things that are better than just okay.  I also think I have reached a point where I have a fairly good handle on some of the technical aspects of photography, along with more thought about composition and light, and not just running around pointing and shooting everything I see.

In a nutshell, I have reached a point of dissatisfaction with photography.  That is interesting, don’t you think?  For me it is.  What this means that I am now at a point where it is necessary to push past the do-able to the less do-able.  This may mean making advances in technique.  It also means advances in creativity.  At this point, photography is rather boring.  Sitting at a computer to post process a picture is horribly boring – but useful.  Even that, though,I prefer to keep to a minimum.

For me, the most frustrating part of photography is that it is not as manual as I would like it to be.  Simply put, I like working with my hands.  Cameras are not especially complex when it comes to pushing a button . . . there is not a lot of finesse, as there is in painting.  It is different.  On the other hand, I do get outdoors and crawl around in the bushes.  That is kind of fun.  And I don’t do that when I paint or knit.

The question, here, is what is my vision as a photographer – person – artist – human?  Perhaps by defining my artistic vision I can open the elusive.

So, let me make a start . . .

I want to find the essential and the beautiful in the world around me, whether in nature, in a person, or in an object, whether simple or complex.

Bull?  Let’s see where it goes.

Redemption in Black and White

There is the joke that every photograph becomes “art” if it is in black and white.  The joke exists for a reason – a lot of pictures that are boring in color become much more interesting in black and white, taking on a new life.

Even though I am a magpie, and am continually drawn to bright colors, the fact is, in art, colors can often confuse me and distract me when I try to work with them.  Paintings end in disaster because of a lack of self-control, and nowadays, a lack of experience and skill.

Maybe that is why I keep coming back to sumi-e – there are not the decisions to make about color, but only gradation and loading the brush.

When I think about what I like in black and white photography, it varies.  One thing which I love in B&W is its graphic nature.  In contrasty pictures, lines can make the eye wander in and out in ways color does not.

Color is subtle, and more luxurious.  Soft B&W, with long scale and low contrast, is akin to color because it is more dreamy, and requires more emotional investment.

I like the drama of contrasts which, for me, is the same as a loud noise – startling, awakening, even traumatic.

Out and About

A whole day spent outdoors taking pictures!  A first in the photo safari department for me.

I went with a friend, another novice in photography, and for both of us, it proved enjoyable and challenging.  There is nothing worse than going out to shoot pictures with someone not doing the same – you know who I mean . . . the person who “patiently” waits for you to do whatever, “sneaking” glances at the wrist watch, sighing, texting.

The first stop was the Ventura Marina, and a walk south toward McGrath State Beach and the estuary of the Santa Clara river.  The tide was out, halfway between high and low; the beach was broad and long, mostly deserted except for a few strollers and fishermen.  The estuary is home to many birds, and provides breeding and feeding grounds.  Gulls, terns, pelicans all roost here, and others I cannot identify.  We set up our cameras on tripods, used long and short lenses, and played a bit.  In particular, we enjoyed the pelicans, out on patrol, flying in groups or in pairs, toward Ventura itself.  Often, they head out in the morning, after the first cup of coffee (some sleep in), and then return later in the day.

This really was my first attempt to catch birds in flight.  I used my Tamron SP 70-300 f/4-5.6 Di VC lens – yes, long name – but it is a great lens!  The VC stands for “vibration control.”  This element, combined with autofocus and a short, short exposure time gave me the opportunity to catch the pelicans in flight, still and unblurred.  The Nikon also can shoot up to 6 frames / second (I think); this also helped to catch them in flight, swooping in and out of the waves.  Even with my camera mounted on the tripod, I was pretty pleased by being able to pan and shoot at the same time.

When we got back to the car, we tucked all the photo gear back into the car, and went to eat lunch.  3 hours on a chilly, windy beach, trudging through the sand, makes you work up an appetite.  Some of the best fish and chips is to be had at Andria’s Seafood, so off we went a pile of fish.  Then, back to the car to change lenses – I put on a 17-50mm lens – a wander around the marina itself, into the boat yard where numerous fishing boats are up on blocks for repair and repainting.  Other areas explored were the commercial fishing area, tourist boat rentals, and down to the local museum for the Channel Islands National Park.  Fishing boats are big, some very ugly, but always fascinating as far as I am concerned.  I don’t like sailing unless doped up on scopolamine patches, or out in a brisk and wild wind on a sail boat – I get v-e-r-y seasick otherwise.

The little museum has a wonderful section of books, as well as a saltwater open aquarium which replicates tidepools, and there are windows on the floor you can peer into, meeting lobsters and flounders face-to-face, as well as looking in from above at starfish and urchins and barnacles.  Behind the museum is a small garden of plants found on the Channel Islands.  My favorite one is the coreopsis, which is odd as it has a thick trunk from which many bright yellow flowers erupt – it really looks like something Dr. Seuss might draw!

Finally, a decsion:  head to a local beach park, or out to the pier.  The pier won, hands down.  Here, just a prime 100mm macro lens for me.  I wanted the challenge a prime gives, as well as the macro element in case I saw something I really found interesting to look at close up.  (I did . . . ewww! . . . someone’s used condom.)  Once up on the pier, though, I had wished otherwise as the surfers and parasailing surfers were out in numbers.  Despite that, there was a lot to see, above the pier and below.

Gosh, I love digital!  I took about 300 pictures, just because I could!  Some had to be shot fast, such as gulls and pelicans in flight, as well as sailboats flying before the wind.  Overall, I was really pleased with the lenses and their responsiveness.  The Tamron 70-300 was fantastic in its response to distance and time and focusing.  It was the first time I really put it through some jumps, and I am really glad I got it.  The 17-50mm is also a Tamron, while the 100mm macro is a Tokina.  I have some manual focus lenses, but I doubt I could have gotten some of what I did of the birds without automation.

Covered with Stickers & Ready for Breakfast

Brrrrr!

My hands were so cold this morning!  I wandered out of the house around 6:15 into a chilly morning (for us, for me in a long time!) of 35 F – just a few degrees above freezing!    The goal:  take pictures of the sunrise.

Did it work?  Well, I got a few I like, a few that are hmmmms, and a lot that I think that the delete key is their raison d’etre.

Nonetheless, I did have a blast.  I had forgotten what it is like to be chilly or even cold – where I live, it is very temperate.  I cannot recall the last time I was actually in snow, other than when I was living in Colorado in the 80s.  I ran in and out of the house a few times before setting off – nope, a vest is not enough.  Got a jacket, got a hat.  Wished I’d had some gloves!

I headed up to Wildwood Park, climbed a slight hill, and parked myself amongst the sage and (I think) toyon and last year’s yucca.  I metered in aperture priority, and shot a few shots.  It was pretty dull stuff.  Dropped the shutter speed to underexpose a bit.  My fingers were getting very numb.  The light was nothing exciting . . . until the sun began to climb over the mountains in the east.  Suddenly, there was magic.  The light began to change, the shadows moved, Mount Clef caught the sunrise and glowed.

I had two Nikon lenses with me.  The one I began with was the 35mm f/1.8 G.  The other was an old classic, the 105mm f2.5 AIS.  The former autofocuses, the latter does not.  Both are really good lenses, for different reasons, and I brought them for different purposes.  I wanted landscape and a broader vista – hence the 35mm – but I found myself wanting an even wider lens.  The 105mm was fine, and I brought it to work on manually focusing, checking if the little dot in the viewfinder really works.  It does, but not if you are skittering about handholding the lens!  Still, I got a few nice shots.

I did not go passionately hiking up hill and down to get my photos . . . nope, I rolled around in the dirt, in the stickers, scared some birds and cottontails.  My clothes were covered in burrs and other debris.  Out for a couple of hours with a few interesting shots, and a wonderful morning.  It’s been awhile since I’ve watched the sun rise, and while there were no dramatic skies to shoot, the cold and activity, followed by a hot cup of coffee and breakfast, made a great way to begin a Sunday.