Tripods (Sigh)

I may have mentioned once (or twice or three times) that I detest using tripods. After all, I took shots like these without them:







But ... I'm starting to rethink this strategy.

I want to take pictures like the first one, without having to be dependent upon finding a flat space for my camera during the long exposures. To take that picture, I had to set down my camera on a boundary/ledge "thing". In fact, you can see it in the picture (I liked the perspective it created, so I incorporated into the shot). I won't have that luxury with other fountains I may come across.

I want to take good fireworks pictures like the third one. So far, all of my subsequent fireworks experiments with DSLR have been a total bust. That's because a tripod is a must. I love fireworks.

I like the second picture as is, and I'm comfortable shooting macro shots that are more artistic and "painting-like" rather than precise. But what if I want to shoot other subjects? I'd probably need a tripod.

So, what am I going to do about all of this? More on that tomorrow!

Dress Rehearsals

Today, I was thinking about spring and all of my plans - butterfly shots, the National Arboretum, and anything else that might be outside. Then I thought, gosh, I should stop off at the Natural History Museum again for some practice.

A practice shoot? Why would I want to do that?

Let's back up a few years. I went to Syria in 2007 and in 2010. Here are some great 2010 shots:







Compare them to these 2007 shots:



Clearly, the first set is much nicer. After I thought about it, it's because the 2007 trip was practice.

So, with that in mind, I need to practice my butterfly shots. The Natural History Museum has an indoor exhibit where I can do that. That way, when Brookside Gardens opens, I can take pictures that are even better than these pictures (from there) that I took last year:



What practice do I need?

1) Composition

2) Focus/clarity

3) Color

The Wings of Fancy exhibit doesn't open until the end of April. I'll need to practice at least once (or twice), but then I'll be ready. I can't wait! Till Monday!

Family Day

Now and then, some of my pictures appear in the public realm (ie not my blog). I'm always excited when this happens. I like seeing my work in other places besides my blog, Facebook, and Flickr - as long as my watermark is intact, of course.

Naturally, then, I was very excited to hear that my sister wanted to use some of my pictures that we took last fall. My niece's school needed them for a Family Day piece. The fact that my sister thought that these pictures were good enough to show to a bunch of strangers was great:





You may think to yourself - what is wrong with my confidence? Nothing! It's just that as someone who considers myself a macro photographer, it's nice to know that the rest of my work is useable. I'd rather be a specialist and focus on nothing but orchids, but reality sometimes takes me in other directions. I therefore have to make sure all of my work meets a minimum standard - and it did here. Macro and abstracts will always be my absolute strength, but I can do these other things if I need to. I'd rethink this strategy if I were doing this on a professional basis, but for now, it suits me.

Looking at these again, I plan to do even better next time. The first one could use some work with the lighting - it was very late in the day. I think the second is just fine as is. :)

Till tomorrow!

Joining Forces - My Friend

Yesterday, I mentioned that my friend and I took macro and abstract pictures. He had a point-and-shoot (the same one I had purchased a few months ago, actually), and I had my gear with my macro lens. So, how did that go for him?

Here is one example of a picture I took:



This was an abstract of a mailbox. While his wasn't as colorful as mine, it was better composed. It looked more like an abstract painting, in my opinion. His point-and-shoot did not limit him at all, and his creativity made a difference.

I also took this picture:



I had far more control over depth of field than he, because of my macro lens. With his picture, the background was highly visible (some grass). Here, you can only see the plant. Which is better? I can't say, but having more control is a definite plus.

However, these pictures don't tell the full story. My friend really excels at taking "whimsical" pictures. When I say that, I'm referring to the fun, whimsical ones. I don't even have an example to show you, because I'm not good at that style at all. However, watching him gave me some ideas. He learned from me, as far as being creative with mundane subjects is concerned (street signs, fences, plants, etc.). And that's why I like to team up with him - his best pictures don't remotely resemble mine, and we both learn a lot. It's a prime example of how it isn't always the camera - it CAN be the photographer. Till tomorrow!

Joining Forces - My Story

A few months ago (time certainly flies!), a friend and I took pictures together in DC. We had such a terrific time, that we decided to do it again. I was hoping we could go back into the city, but there were a few issues: 1) The Metro wasn't running too well, due to construction and 2) I wasn't feeling well. I therefore suggested to my friend that we stay in the area. I'm not sure if he thought it was a good idea or not, but he went along with me.

We found ourselves in a quiet, residential neighborhood. Our mission? To take abstract/macro pictures only. We didn't do a bad job! Here are my favorite shots:











Some comments, aside from the fact that only one of these pictures is actually colorful:

1) The first and second remind me of the futility of winter, but for different reasons.

2) For some reason, the third picture reminds me of a prison. Maybe it's because there are numbers, I don't know - but it looks kind of eerie.

3) The fourth picture is actually a reflection - if you look closely, you can see windows. Those windows were part of a house. It was really interesting, because the house itself was only windows (to a great extent).

4) This last picture (the only colorful one) was taken off of a construction sign.

I used my macro lens. How did my friend fare? Was he able to take similar pictures? Till tomorrow!

Did I Really do That?

As most of you know, I post my pictures on Flickr. I usually submit them to different Flickr groups for critiquing. Of course, I critique others' pictures, too. Some of the critiques have really helped me. Here's an example:

I cropped this, based on some critiques I'd received. The original version was this:

I definitely feel that the first one is better, and am grateful to the people who recommended the cropping.

Sometimes, I don't agree with the critiques. Here's an example:

I happen to love this picture, and I received less-than-good feedback on it. I didn't take it personally at all - it's still a picture that I love very much. I like the lines and the blurry background.

Rarely do I let such critiques affect my work. Earlier in the week, though, there was a notable exception to this. I really really love this picture:

It's soft, and it's almost maternal in look and feel. It's hard to explain, but that's my opinion. I received good critiques about it for weeks, but then last week, some less-than-favorable comments came in. Specifically, that the picture wasn't in focus.

So for some reason, I took it personally. I edited out a large number of greenhouse pictures because I over-scrutinized them. All of a sudden, 20+ pictures weren't good enough. How irrational is that?

Anyway, I caught myself doing this earlier in the week, so a few days later, I went back into Aperture, and I posted those shots. They were the following:

For many reasons, I really like these! To think that I almost didn't post them ... Well, if this ever happens again, I'll remind myself of this incident and blog post and how silly I was. And that's my advice to you - if you like your pictures, then you like them. If they're flawed for some reason, then that's one thing, but otherwise, it's not your issue. Not everyone has the same taste as you, but don't reevaluate your entire portfolio unnecessarily.

Oh, and before I forget, here is the full picture of yesterday's top half shot:

Nice, no? I almost didn't post this one, either - but changed my mind.

Till Monday!