Opinions are Like Noses ...

everyone has one.

I'm quoting something that was posted on LinkedIn. Lately, my opinion of my work has been faltering. The last shoots I enjoyed were where I took these pictures:







That was a great weekend. My pictures were crisp and everything clicked. Lately, my most recent pictures have been pretty, but blah. Burry leaves, pretty pictures, but no money shots.

Opinions are like noses ...

I flipped through the latest issue of Popular Photography, and could have sworn that my pictures were as sharp as they. Everything looks fine when I shrink my Arboretum pictures to a 5X7 size. Tiling looks quite pretty.

Opinions are like noses ...

I've decided that I need to keep pushing - I'll be happy with my work again. Perhaps a nice trip to Brookside will cure what ails me. I miss the butterflies!

More Special Effects - HDR

HDR has been around for a while, but I've resisted. It has always seemed like a lot of work to me, considering that my camera doesn't support it out of the box.

So, what is it? It's a special effect that I feel gives your pictures a more precise, vibrant look. But, it's a special effect, nonetheless.

I downloaded a tool called FDRToolsBasic to see what this would look like, and if a free tool could simulate the effect easily. Here's my before picture:



Here's the after:



Taking a look at it, it's interesting. I do see a bit more depth. A plus is that the software is easy to use. I read the manual for about three minutes, and got started quickly.

Here's another example:



This is the before - taken in DC.



The after is ... interesting. I don't know, honestly. It's fun, but I think I like my pictures the way they are. Admittedly, though, I like special effects as much as the next person. After all, I'm the one who wants a fisheye lens, and a tilt-shift lens. So what's the difference? Well, no one is right or wrong. It's just a personal choice. I'd rather use lenses to produce special effects. Others like software. No big deal. :)

By the way, maybe I could have done this in Aperture, maybe not. But that's missing the point.

There are other tools, too, but many of them seem to be Windows-centric. For me, it's not a big deal, since I don't plan to do much with this. However, it's very interesting to see others' work. An example is this link:

Some very cool work is on that page!

Anyway, I can't post tomorrow - I'm in meetings for around 12 hours. Wednesday - I'll look for other online tools that a hobbyist could use.

Last Weekend's Photo Outing, Part 2 - Cherry Blossoms My Way

I'd mentioned yesterday that there is beauty in the cherry blossoms after the peak. Here are some pictures that illustrate my point:







The first one is a very classic picture, I'll admit. However, you'll notice that the blossoms aren't exactly abundant. They've already fallen off. I like the appearance of spring "bursting through". Also, while it wasn't sunny that day, you can still see some pale blue sky. Finally, I like the curves in the picture. This tree was one of the only ones that had any blossoms left at all.

The second picture was taken from the same area, but from a different angle. I loved the "sprinkling" of blossoms, as well as the way the tree in the background drapes.

Finally, here is a set of trees after the peak. You can see a few people in the picture - this is intentional because I wanted to show some activity - but it's a very peaceful look.

Tomorrow - the kite festival.

Last Weekend's Photo Outing, Part 1 - Back to Landscapes

It's no secret that I have felt tired and less than inspired lately. I was therefore very excited about the kite festival, because I needed a change of pace. So, off I went on Sunday with my camera and lenses. The festival was interesting, but yesterday was one of those days where the unplanned went even better.

I took about 300 pictures of kites, and decided to walk around. It was fairly nice out. I found myself over by the Tidal Basin. During the peak of cherry blossom season, it's extremely popular and crowded. What people don't realize is that slightly after the peak, there's a serenity and beauty that is often underestimated. Take a look at these pictures:









There are other pictures in my Flickr set, of course, but these were the highlights. You'll notice a key theme is reflections in the water. Another theme is shapes from the trees. I focused a great deal on framing, too. While I normally like brighter colors, I really found myself drawn here. It's as though spring is waiting to come out.

Technical details:

1) I used my kit lens - which means those of you who own point-and-shoot cameras would be fine here.

2) ISO = 200, White balance = cloudy, Aperture-dependent setting - 5.8.

In other words, nothing special or complicated.

When I first began taking pictures, my focus was on landscapes. I loved them. However, after taking some photography classes, began to wonder if my pictures were special enough. I then began exploring other aspects of photography, as documented in this blog. However, though, I have forgotten a key piece of my own advice - to shoot what I like. That can be unique, too. In fact, I Googled "Tidal Basin" and did not come across any pictures that look remotely like these. I therefore do have a different perspective to offer in my work.

Tomorrow - my take on the cherry blossoms.