Opportunities are all around

One never knows what lurks around the corner when one has a camera.  I have a saying to look behind you because the better shot maybe in the opposite direction. Balance and Strength I was shooting waves, birds, rocks and this is what was facing my back. We are Champions Once again, this was to my back An intense day at the bar this was a luck shot.  Never noticed the mirror in the ceiling of the bar. Street Art Going for a walk with your camera is a great way to see opportunities that you may not have seen without the camera. Sometimes the camera makes your mind and eyes more attentive. All the above shots were taken just by walking around.  I did not go out to shoot these photos, they just presented the opportunity and I took it.  The big question is how do you make a picture into a photograph of art. To be continued. Happy...

Photographer Block like Writers Block

There are times when you just don’t know what to shoot.  Your mind is a blank as they say.  It happens to writers too.  They just can’t seem to get their thoughts and ideas together.  Here is one thing you can photograph everyday.  All you need is imagination.  It’s called FOOD.  There all kinds of angles, distances, shapes, colors of food.  Food is also presented in many different ways. Plates, pots, pans, tables, no tables etc etc.  The possibilities are endless. Here are two photos I took a few years ago, just for fun, no pressure. Deserts are also fun to photograph too. Did you know that food photography is big. It is hard to not to find food photos in a magazine these days.  We think about it everyday, so why not photograph it while we think about it. Yummy food and presentation. Yummy veggies for St Patrick Day Not too much and not too little, just a nice snack Another way to get out and clear your mind is go to a Farmers Market.  They usually have colorful opportunities sitting right in front of you.  ...

Focus Stacking_Not that hard and a lot of fun

When I started my blog, I said that would keep it simple and use photos to show what I was talking.  I will leave it up to you to research the finer details, as in using the software.  My purpose is to show you that it can be done.  If I can do it, you can do it. So here is the question?  How do you get two objects with different depth of fields.  Simple, using a tripod, take two shots of each object and then combine them in a “focus stacking” program such as Helicon Focus.  Here is an example.  I use Lightroom and Photoshop to do my focus stacking. There are other programs that do the same thing. One that comes to mind is Helicon Focus. Click Here for a free trial. Do your research.     To get this shot really good, you need to take more than two shots. You need to take a shot of the space between both bolts and the closest bolt is a little soft on the lower left side.  But you get the idea. Focus Stacking comes in real handy when photographing insects and flowers on a macro level.  When your really up close, it is almost impossible to get a well focused dragonfly front to back. Sideways yes but front to back very hard.  Ditto for a flower.  One part is in focus the other is out. Very frustrating.  The best way is multiple shots of the flower front to back, left to right.  I usually shoot in quadrants, starting from the rear and work forward or starting in...

The Rule of Odds and Using a Border

I wrote about the rule of odds. Which is to use odd number of things such as 3 rocks rather than two, or 5 puppies rather than 4 if possible. Here is a very nice example of three mushrooms that seem to work.  What do you think? We Love You Little One If I kept the two large mushrooms, it would work but would not be as effective. It maybe a little hard to see, here is the same shot only with a simple black border and key line to help keep the eye focused on the mushrooms.  A simple matte can sometimes be the difference between an average photo and a winning photo.  I usually try both ways and then make a decision. It also depends on who is going to judge the photo.  If it is a bird shot and i submit it to a bird association, I most likely will not use a border. They want it natural.  If I am submitting to a fine art competition, I may consider a border. We Love You Little One- with border and key line I submitted this photo as a macro shot with the border and key line.  I should know how it did after February...