Boring Snapshots Can Bring Back Fond Memories

My son is going off to college next week.

I remember when he was born, and when he spent most of the day resting in his crib. What a joy to watch.

I remember holding his hand and taking care of him when he needed me. Talk about feeling important.

I remember his early steps and his first words. Of course he was the smartest person ever born in the history of the world. (Hey, he's going to Johns Hopkins, so the kid ain't stupid.)

Recently, he has not been around much - hanging out with his friends, as it should be. When he is home, he spends a few hours a day alone at his computer - IMing, emailing, etc.

I have lots of boring snapshots that I took of him growing up. I'd share them, but to you, they would be boring. Rather, I share these snapshots with you, which illustrate each of the aforementioned developmental points: resting, needing, first steps, being alone.

I sure am glad I have those snapshots of my son. They bring back great memories of a time that went way too fast.

So the point of this homily: Sure, make the best possible pictures. However, don't overlook the importance of snapshots. Take them, too.

And here's a photo tip: Always have a camera with you! My Canon G10 is my constant companion. Top two shots were taken with that camera.

Rick
P.S. I kinda like these boring snapshots. They bring back nice memories of watching a "Bambie" growing up in my back yard. (Believe it or not, I posted a "Bambie" picture recently on Facebook and got hate mail. Someone wanted to kill all the deers in my area because of Lyme disease... which I have had 2x. Please, no hate mail :-)

Reality Leaves a Lot to the Imagination

"Reality leaves a lot to the imagination." – John Lennon

When we remove some of the color from an image, or change the color in an image, we remove some of the reality.

When we add noise (grain), we remove some of the reality.

When we remove some of the sharpness, we also remove some of the reality.

When we remove some of the reality, our pictures can (but not always) look more artistic and creative.

Plug-ins help us remove reality quickly and easily. Here I used the Old West effect in onOne Software's PhotoTools, and then added a camera frame in onOne's PhotoFrame Professional.

Have some fun today removing the reality from an image with plug-ins. Many plug-ins offer free trials.

Check out the poll on the right. What's your favorite plug-in?

Wanna save some $ while feeling creative? You can get a discount on several plug-ins at The Plugin Experience.

Explore the light,
Rick

Beware of the Background!

Hi All

This is a real ad that I found in a magazine.

It reminded me of one of my main photo tips: Be Aware of the Background. Or, Beware of the Background - it can make or break a shot!

Explore the light - and watch the background,
Rick
P.S. My guess is that many readers of this blog post would have composed this picture differently :-)

Follow Up: Do We Only Photograph What We Recognize?

This post is a follow up to yesterday's post (Below.)

What do you see in these two pictures?

Hey, how 'bout you post your answers here (as opposed to twitter and Facebook) so all can see.

Explore the Light,
Rick
P.S. I'm off to the zoo today to photograph the elephants. It's hot here. I'll be wearing sandals on my feet.

Do We Only Photograph What We Recognize?

I took this picture six years ago in a place, believe it or not, called, Devils Garden, a magical area in Escalante National Monument, UT.

I took the picture because the subject reminded me of powerful image that I had seen hundreds of time while growing up. I recognized it immediately. (I wonder if I would have seen the picture if the place had not been called Devils Garden - putting the word "devil" in my mind.)

This photo got me thinking: Do we only (or mostly) photograph what we recognize - or what is familiar.

What do you think? And what would you say about this photograph? Here's what a few of my friends had to say about the image.

Dr. Richard Zakia
I connected with the image the instant I saw it. For me it is a contemporary image of the crucification of Jesus on a "tree". He hangs there in pain and sorrow, arms outstretched. The black is a reminder of his death on the cross for the sins of mankind and the bright white sun in the sky represents the resurrection. Outstanding. Powerful.

(Rick here: Check out Dr. Zakia's book, Perception and Imaging. Gets you thinking.)

Steve Inglima
It's a photographic Rorschach test....

We are hard wired to look for recognizable shapes and forms so that we can identify things that matter to us, such as either threats or treats.

So, when we can, we organize anonomous shapes into something that might make sense to us, and we might trim the extraneous information that doesn't quite fit in favor of a more plausable identity.

In the case of the tree's sillouette, to me it has an anthropamorphic prescence of outstrecthed arms on a body, with a foerboding sense...perhaps someone preaching.

A combination of a tree and preacher is a...treacher?

Mike Wong
I see the Scarecrow from the Wizard of Oz.

Mary Lou Johnson
No doubt it is Christ on the Cross. Beautiful coloring and stark silhouette! It also looks like it is taken from behind him which is a whole different and new perspective. It looks like Christ is looking into the light in these last moments. Very very interesting angle! I like it more and more as I look at it longer. Great job, Rick!

(Rick here: I did the see the "looking into the light" angle. Interesting.)

Bob Sammon
Treebeard pays homage to the sun before the attack on Isengard.

Carolyn Fox
To me, I guess partially due to the size of the main subject in relation to the background, this photograph represents some type of "celestial being" welcoming creatures, & the whole world, into its' protective arms.

Susan Black Aurigemma
Jesus on the cross.

Anna Cary
I see a tree spreading it's "wings", with a little squirrel perched on one of the wings, applauding the break of day. Also, a bird about to take flight from the upper left branch. Altogether, a very upbeat feeling!

Joe Brady
Well, the most obvious to me is a crucifixion story - hands reaching out to the heavens and the bright light above - either seeking relief or welcoming the coming light.

For a science fiction fan, it could be an alien worshipping their sun, or embracing and/or welcoming the arrival of a visiting or returning ship entering the atmosphere in preparation for a landing.

I'm curious to hear what others see!

Ride 'em Cowboy, Hi Ho Pixels, Away!

Howdy Partner,

I just finalized the details for a cool workshop in St. Augustine, Florida. Lots of great photo ops and photo learning. . . not to mention the best coconut shrimp that I have ever had!

Saddle up! Hope you can join the ride, so to speak.

Saddle up info on the workshop site.

Explore the light,
Rick
P.S. The photo here was not taken on the ranch on which we'll be shooin', but we'll get similar shots.

Don't Drink and Print

Did you know all of the following affect how you see colors:

- Drinking coffee, coke, etc.
- Stress
- Being tired
- Alcohol
- Age

The next time you set out to calibrate your monitor, make a print, or just want to work on an image in the digital darkroom, keep all those things in mind.

I gotta go. I have so much to do, which is causing me stress. I have to take a nap because I'm tired. I am 59, but I still have lots of energy – because I drink tons of Diet Coke! Maybe tonight I can relax and have a drink at happy hour :-)

Explore the Light,
Rick
P.S. This idea for this post was generated by a discussion I had with a few friends about the Colormunki - the calibration device I use to calibrate my monitor, printer and projector – before I have my cup o' Joe :-)