Here's another Friday Photography post and here's a quick reminder that this is a series chronicling the things I am learning. I kind of think of these posts as a photography school, only I am the student, not the teacher. As I share what I am learning, along with a few photos each time I get wonderful feedback, advice and critiques from other more accomplished photographers.
In his books Understanding Exposure and Learning to See Creatively, Bryan Peterson says that one of the best places to take pictures is in a junkard and that rust makes for some wonderful and colorful pictures. He also says that oil slicks after a rain are a great place to find neat colors and patterns .So, today I was on my way to pick up some lunch at the SuperFresh by the church and went by this dumpster in the back that had all of these different shades of orange, and black and blue, with textures and patterns galore. I thought, why not, I bet Bryan would approve of me taking a pic of this thing, even if mine doesn't turn out as good as his does. So, I stopped and spent about 5 minutes taking pictures of a dumpster. Yes, I did get some strange looks and one old lady offered to get out and pose. I told her "sure" but she drove off. She missed her chance - it could have become an international art sensation - "Old Lady on a Dumpster." Anyway, I know it's weird but I thought the colors were neat here - it helps that it's an orange and blue pattern.
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Tags: Photography, rust
Here's my third installment in the Friday photography shool. Before I go any further let me say thanks to all of you who have commented on my last few posts. You have helped me tremendously and I am to the point of recommending that other beginning photographers ought to stop by here and read these posts - not because of anything I say, but because of the comments.
Today I thought I would simply mention a website that would be worthwhile for a beginning photographer to check out. In fact, one of the commenters in one of my other posts referred me to this site. The site is KenRockwell.com or How to Do Anything Photographic. The reason I like him is that his galleries are stunning, but he also makes photography accessible to the non-specialist. Ken says:
"Photography is the power of observation, not the application of technology."
He says that your choice of camera really doesn't matter that much. Yes, you do need to be familiar with your camera, but the issue is not the equipment, it's the person using the camera that makes a great photograph. He says it is all about seeing, and all about passion, the technique comes later.
Here's a link to Ken's galleries, and he points out that most of the pics in these galleries were taken in program automatic mode.
And, here's a partial list of the articles on his front page.
How to Make Great Photographs (multilingual)
Why your Camera Does Not Matter (multilingual)
Critical Camera Adjustments 27 February 2007
Photography is not a Spectator Sport
How to Set White Balance (examples)
So, I am enjoying Ken Rockwell tremendously as I am learning and think you will too. Now it's your turn. Does anyone have any recommended websites for beginning photographers?
And, about today's picture. I'm also reading Bryan Peterson's book - Learning to See Creatively and he says that the six elements of design are line, shape, form, pattern, texture and color. A good photo has at least one of these or a combination of them. So, I was roaming around the back yard today looking for things to photograph and saw my son's soccer cleats on the back deck. We don't let him bring them in the house because of the smell. So, I thought to myself - there's lines and shapes in shoes themselves. The red and black colors are terrific and contrast well with the dirt and grass stains. The shoes themselves have some neat patterns and you can discern the texture of the shoes, the tape, and the wood. I thought "why not?" and took a few snaps. I also like the way the sunlight was hitting them. Now, for you photo buffs out there, what could I have done to make this pic better - besides choosing a different subject ;-)
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Tags: Photography
As a beginning photographer I don't have enough knowledge to confidently recommend "the book for beginning photographers." But I do know enough to know how ignorant I have been of photography and I can recommend a book that has helped me understand some of the basics.
That book is Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson. Peterson says this about the book:
Fourteen years ago, when Understanding Exposure was first published, I made it my mission to dispel the myth that understanding exposure was hard.
And:
It's my hope that, after reading this book and putting into practice the basic principles of exposure, you'll have a knowledge of exposure that will permanently alter your approach to every picture-taking situation. Your anxiety will be replaced by a level of confidence you thought you might never achieve.
I'll just say that he has admirably succeeded in this task. After reading the first few chapters you'll gain an understanding of photographic triangle - aperture, shutter speed and ISO - that will put you well on your way to taking much better pictures.
I can't say enough good things about this book. It has dramatically improved my own picture taking. Granted, my photos aren't professional quality (yet) and I still delete a bunch of pictures, but they are much better than they were. I recommend this highly to any beginning photographer.
Next time I'll talk about a helpful website on photography, but for now, if you have read any books on photography, what would you recommend for beginners?
As for the photo - that's my son in the white about to tackle the goalie (kidding!). The photo isn't all I want it to be but it's a big improvement for me. Most of my action shots in the past have been completely blurry due. But, using the tips from Understanding Exposure I was able to set the aperture and shutter speed to stop the action, which is important for sports photos.
I have recently taken an interest in photography and have finally found some direction for taking better pictures at some internet sites and through a particular book. I thought I might start posting some of the things I am learning about photography. I'm finding that, with just a little bit of help you can start taking remarkably better pictures. So I think I'll start a "Friday Photography School," and see where it goes.
This is not a school where I am an instructor - I'm sharing my own learning as I go to school. So, this is not for professional photographers, just amateurs like me who want to take better pictures.
I thought I would kick it off by asking why people are so interested in and enthralled by photography. I read and write mostly on biblical and theological themes, but I have noticed that there are a fair number of theological bloggers I read who are into photography and who take some very good pictures. Here's a few:
Timmy Brister of Provocations and Paintings - flickr feed - his "photography" category on his blog.
Wayne Larson of Carrifex - flickr feed
Steve McKoy of Reformissionary - flickr feed
Joe Thorn - flickr feed - his "photography" category on his blog - his photoblog at photochronica
These are just a few of the bloggers I am aware of who are in to photography. If you are and want to leave a link to a photoblog or photostream please do so in the comments.
For now though, if you enjoy photography how about leaving a comment as to why you enjoy it. I'll start.
First of all I like preserving memories of the family. Secondly, after learning a little bit about how to take better pictures I simply enjoy taking better pictures, it's just fun to be able to play around with aperture, shutter speed, ISO and that stuff and get different effects on pictures. Third, it causes me to stop and notice things more and appreciate the beauty of creation more. I pay more attention to the world now and can see more beauty in it than before.
So, how about you?
Oh, I almost forgot. Here's a link to my own flickr photostream.
And one more thing. The above picture was taken in Acadia National Park in Maine when my wife and I were on our vacation this summer. We came around a bend and she said "stop the car." I had to basically stop in the middle of the road while she grabbed the camera got out and snapped this - turns out to be one of my all time favorite photos.
Last Saturday Mrs. Jolly and I were walking down the streets of Stillwater, MN, which btw, is one of the coolest towns I have every been to.
There are tons of motorcycles in Stillwater, but as we were walking down the street we saw this three wheeler we had never seen.
I asked the guy if I could take a pic and he said I could and then he said this was coming out this fall.
So needless to say I am thrilled to have a pic of a vehicle that is not even available yet.
I did a little research and found out this is the Can-Am Spyder Roadster - you can find out more about it here or here.
OK, here's one more pic of Sagatagan Lake at St. Johns College. I had to post this so I could share a couple of more stories about the lake from Austin Murphy's book "The Sweet Season." These are some of the sad stories.
This beautiful body of water, the source of so much happiness, has seen its share of tragedy down through the decades. In the fine print at the back of Barry's book can be found the sad story of Sylvester Sheire, a student from St. Paul who in 1869 unwisely taunted Murro, a domesticated black bear the monks kept as a pet. When the beast lunged at him, Sylvester fled to the lakeside, jumped into a boat, and began rowing. Murro, mightily pissed off, swam after him, climbed into the boat, "threw his forelegs around the boy and bit him in the neck. Father Wolfgang arrived on the scene too late to save the boy's life."
Here's another sad story about the lake from Austin Murphy.
In the summer of 1872, the monks began construction of the Stella Maris Chapel, dedicated to the Virgin Mary, on the south shore of the lake. "The chapel had no bell," one monk told me, repeating his version of one of the lake's dark legends, "and one fervent young monk felt it should. He took it upon himself - some say against the wisheds of the abbot! - to raise the money and buy the bell." Upon purchasing the bell, the monk loaded it onto a boat and set off proudly (sin!) for the chapel. The boat never made it. "No one knows what happened," says the monk. "A sudden wind? A huge fish? A vision from the underworld because of his pride? At any rate, neither the bell nor body were ever recovered. Every fall, on the anniversary of the tragedy, one can hear the mournful pealing of a bell in the vicinity of the chapel . . . that has no bell."
On our recent trip to Minnesota we came across this sign on the way in to St. Johns College. This was too good not to take a pic of. The red nose has to be the idea of a creative Johnnie, or maybe a Bennie (Bennies are the girls from St. Benedict's, the sister school of St. Johns)
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