Announcing something very exciting. I will be assisting photographer Phil Spitze in his upcoming photography workshop in Syracuse, New York on Thursday, April 12, 2012. Click the ad for more information and to reserve your spot today!
Click Here for More Information.
Little falls on the creek in the Taughannock Falls State Park near Ithaca, New York. Nikon D700/Tokina 11-16mm, 0.6s, f/20, ISO 200, EV 0, 15mm focal length.
I have shown you plenty of photos of Taughannock Falls over the last year. At 215 feet (65.5m), it is one of the tallest waterfalls east of the Mississippi River. The gorge the falls created over centuries contains the creek with several smaller water drops like this one. A mere 1.5 feet (0.45m) tall, it still can erode through rock over time.
I know it is now March and Karma’s Photo Hunt for February is over. I could not resist taking this photo of an unusually shaped piece of ice I found along the Taughannock Falls State Park gorge trail.
Heart shaped ice formation found at the base of a tree in the Taughannock Falls State Park near Ithaca, New York. Nikon D700/28-300VR, 1/60s, f/5.6, ISO 1250, EV 0, 122mm focal length.
Wonder if this ice was naturally shaped or had the help of a love struct human.
Nature is full of abstract photo opportunities if you open your mind to them. Using my definition for abstract photography in introducing this month’s assignment, I went looking through my photos for those with form, color, and curves rather than image detail as their subject. Sometimes I found what I was looking for within photos and used cropping to pull them out.
That is what I did for this one below. Can you guess what is in this photo before reading the caption?
Nile crocodile tails overlap each other in Disney's Animal Kingdom.
The textures, shapes, shading and colors of the Nile crocodile tails is the subject as the mid-day Sun warmed their cold bloodied bodies.
This one is obviously a plant but the subject is more about the lines which converge or radiate out from the top of the stem. Depending on how you want to see it.
Radiating or converging lines are seen on this plant found in Disney's Animal Kingdom.
This time of year in the northern hemisphere when Winter slowly gives way to Spring is a good time to discover abstract photos outdoors.
This month’s assignment is going to be a lot of fun. Abstract Photography, I am guessing, means something different to each of us. Being me, I needed a definition to wrap my creative mind around and found one (see the photo caption below) which will help me in this assignment. If anyone has other definitions or ideas, add them to the comments, I would really like to read them.
I am going to be very loose on this assignment. In camera or in post, create your abstract photos any way you want. Let your imagination go and show us what you got!
I want to thank Isa of Isathreadsoflife’s Blog for suggesting this assignment to me. It would not be something I would have considered otherwise.
Abstract photography communicates primarily through form, color, and curves rather than image detail.
This month, I will be giving away a copy to an assignment participant of Nature & Outdoor Photography by Brenda Tharp which delves into finding abstract compositions in nature among its chapters.
As in the other assignments, do not send me your photos. What I would like you to do is post them on your blog, flickr, Google+ or other photo sharing site, personal website or any other place on the Internet where you can place a link to it here by making a comment to this blog entry. Then we can visit those sites and enjoy everyone’s Abstract photos.
Please, have your photos posted on or before Midnight (your time zone), Wednesday, March 21, 2012. Might be a good time to start up a blog or join a photo community like flickr. As I have done for all the Assignments, I’ll put together a recap with my comments.
If you have any questions, leave me a comment and I will be happy to answer them. With the addition of the book prize, I would doubly appreciate it if you would help spread the word about this assignment so we can get lots of people to participate. Blog it, Tweet it, FaceBook it, Google+ it, email it and talk about it to your fellow photographers, bloggers, friends and family. Thank you!
I attended the 41st Annual Syracuse University Basketball Hardwood Club Dinner last night to celebrate the team’s season to this point, give a big send off to the senior members of the team and to raise money for college scholarship funds. The event gives fans a chance to chat with coaches and players, get their autographs, bid on a silent auction and pose for pictures.
7 foot tall Sophomore center Fab Melo signing a fan's jersey at the 41st Annual Syracuse University Basketball Hardwood Club Dinner at the OnCenter in Syracuse, New York on Sunday, March 4, 2012. Nikon D700/24-85G, 1/125s, f/6.3, ISO 2800, EV +0.3, 30mm focal length, bounced flash.
The players were very personable and it was interesting to see them in a different venue than on the basketball court. They are young men who, like their peers, find ways to have fun doing mundane tasks like signing hundreds of posters and other memorabilia.
Senior guard Scoop Jardin signing posters at the 41st Annual Syracuse University Basketball Hardwood Club Dinner. Nikon D700/24-85G, 1/125s, f/6.3, ISO 2800, +0.3, 30mm focal length, bounced flash.
As you can see, the background for the autograph table was windows. To make sure I did not get flash back from them I bounced the flash off a very high ceiling with a small card to send some of the light to fill in the shadows in the face and put catchlights in the eyes. I also got down to each players level which got their attention and made a connection with me and my camera.
After dinner and speeches by the Senior players and guest speaker, many of the players hung around and posed with fans for pictures. My daughter and niece took advantage with me as their personal photographer.
Sophomore guard Dion Waiters poses with my neice and daughter at the 41st Annual Syracuse University Basketball Hardwood Club Dinner. Nikon D700/24-85G, 1/125s, f/5.6, ISO 3200, EV 0, 28mm focal length, bounced flash.
A good time was had by all. Go ‘Cuse as they head to New York City and the Big East tournament.
to my personal journal through my viewfinder. A place where I leave the world behind and try to find the spirit of what I am seeing.
Feel free to look around at all the posts and pages. If you'd like to borrow a photo(s) for your non-commercial blog or website, be my guest. Please, do not alter the photo(s) and be sure to link back to this blog with a prominent photo credit(s). Thank you and I'm thrilled you dropped in!
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