Week 8--Reflection

Shot at Arches National Park, at dusk. I actually took two photographs. One where the exposure was darker, to better allow the sunset's soft colors though; and a second with an exposure a few steps higher to achieve the little lighting that there was on the rock face.  The person hiking was an added bonus!

 These past 8 weeks have been very beneficial to me. I started off with very little and limited knowledge about landscape photography. Living where I live, in rural Utah, there was so much around that I had wished I could photograph, and now, I know I can!

I am by no means an expert in this area (especially after defining expertise and studying what makes an expert and expert), but I have been able to become expert in certain concepts of landscape photography. I have learned the camera functions that are needed to set up a well-shot landscape photograph. I have learned about the importance of light--but also, I have learned that any light can be good light if you know what to do. I have learned the importance of knowing an area, and looking for dramatic vistas, but also, knowing how to create one. Photography, especially landscape photography, seems to pose rules but then allows those rules to be broken--if need be. Now that I know the rules, I feel as though I can experiment more, and branch out my now made schemas and scripts.

As a learner, I have seen myself evolve. I never realized how much of a tactile learner I am. As I do things, try things (and at times, suffer much trial and even more error), my long-term and working memories are kicked into play and I am able to form scripts, steps to replicate for a desired outcome. If I wanted to take another starry sky picture again, I know now where to set up my camera, the settings my camera needs to be set to, and how to best take, process, and edit that picture. I learned all of that by experimenting with scripts. I also learned that I have a behavioral side as well. Good looking pictures ("Wife approved", I call them) are a positive reinforcement for me that motivate me to continue shooting and trying.

I have enjoyed talking to "old timers" in the landscape photography community and as I read their articles and view their work, study their process, through a peripheral-sort-of-way, I have been an apprentice-of-sorts to them.

This course has not only opened my mind to how learning takes place in the world, but most importantly, how it takes place in me. By studying theories, then reinforced through experience, I have learned how I learn, from here I know how I can gain more insight and knowledge, where I can improve and how I can better myself.

Week 7--By Necessity: Night Photography

I had a horrible realization with the change of daylight saving time ... nights come quicker. Which means days are shorter. Which means light (good, bad, just in general) is gone as quickly as it comes. Which means my recent feelings of success were about to come to an end.

If was to continue shooting, it would have to be at night. Which means one thing: Star photography. Which, wouldn't you guess it, was the one thing I was trying to avoid. Why, you might ask? Well, my first attempts at star photography failed. And I mean failed in a delete-the-photos-burn-the-memory-card-and-bury-the-ashes sort of way.

But, I was uneducated, unstudied in that concept. I called a couple of my old photography teachers, and asked for their input. I read article after article, and wrote down tips after tips. All throughout these past 6 weeks I have tried this type of photography. And I tried, tried and tried again.

Then, I decided to try it out on a bigger scale. And with this whole new way of shooting, with new settings and new locations, new lighting, and new creative ideas it was a bit intense. You are literally shooting in the dark--you look through your lens and you see nothing. And then, somehow, you click and a semi-decent picture comes out! I could see myself throughout this week, building schemas, running and re-writing scripts and relying on mentors and then, much like an apprentice, taking that first blind, yet confident, step. These the only two survivors of these process:

This one was interesting to shoot. I left the shutter open for 30 seconds, and the camera was so sensitive to light, that it picked up a street lamp across the road and highlighted the summit orange.

I wanted to capture a contrast of lights--lights below and lights above sort of feel. The joys of small towns. There is a milky way every night, and stars to behold!

Needless, to say, I am getting better at this, and trying harder. In fact ... this may just be my new favorite way of photographing landscapes!

Week 6--Editing

This week has been a hectic one. But it allowed for some reading on editing. This is an area where schemas and scripts and tools and expertise all collide and form a program called Photoshop.

Previously, in my undergrad years, I had (what was then) the latest and greatest version of Photoshop.  Whew baby ... it was something. Even the bells had whistles. But then, sadly, technology does what it always does as 5 turned to 5.5, and 5.5 turned to 6, and 6 turned into money that I didn't have. Then, that computer died. Goodbye money.

We saved and got another computer, and with it, another Photoshop program. This one however, lacks all the bells, and the whistles, in fact, it's symphony is more like a middle school one: a couple flutes and a few acne-ridden tuba players.

I've always believed that an expert isn't someone who has lots of tools, an expert is someone who can do a lot with a few tools. Think of the Apollo 13 mission mentioned in Martinez's text--what made those NASA control guys experts? Knowing everything about everything? Sure. But also, being able to use lesser tools to do harder things.

I'm no NASA anything ... and I am certainly not a Photoshop expert ... but I tried this week with the lesser tools I had, and I think I did okay. Let me take you step by step for how to edit a normal landscape photograph.

The original: Flat, washed out colors, taken at late afternoon light. Composition is fine, but what should shout from this photograph are the colors, and they are just whispering.

Step one: I pull up the levels tool. This tool adjusts the levels of exposure in a photo. Shadows become darker, highlights become brighter, and midtones ... oh the midtones ... they really punch up colors (or flatten them) depending on where you take them. As you move the midtones toward the shadowy place (not the Simba-don't-go-there-Mufasa-said-so-place, but rather the darker side of the spectrum), the colors become darker and richer.

Step two: Now that things are really popping, you might be tempted to say, "Oh! That looks so much better! I'll call that good." But wait! In any photograph, some things are lost in the camera, and a photo may not look like the eye originally perceived it. I like editing that looks natural, and there is still much to do! I use the contrast and brightness tool to brighten a few darker regions of the photo, and make the lines in the rock and the stairs to be a little more defined. (Not too much, you want a that just-rolled-out-of-bed natural look!)

Step three: Saturation. Sponges do it. Why can't we? What the saturation tool does is boost colors of all hues and spectrums up a notch, or two, or five. This tool is a tricky one ... too much and it looks very, very, very unnatural. So, just adjust it slightly. Remember, you are going for natural!

Viola! What went from a seemingly okay photograph, has now, thanks to tools, knowledge (and a, one might say "expertly", combination of the two) this photograph has transformed!

Week 5--A New Mode

An expert is someone who knows "the tricks of the trade", a person who is so well-versed in his or her field that they can practically tell you anything about everything.

I found out this week that I am not an expert.

Last week's "flow" was a twinkie. Delicious, but oh so false. So false.

As I was reading through articles, magazines and blogs, there was this common factor among all the pictures: they were sharp all the way through. As I read more into the process of their shots, there was  a common denominator. All of them were using the "Aperture Priority" setting, usually designated by an "A" or an "AV" on a camera.

The aperture of a camera determine the focal length of a shot. The smaller the aperture the more "blur" you get. For example, this shot was at a 5.4 aperture setting:

In landscape photography, the sharper the image, the more appealing it is, the more it invites you in, and the better it looks. So, with something totally new to learn, I was shot down to novice mode. I had only ever shot with a low aperture setting, because generally the "blur" of a portrait image makes for a cleaner image.

After learning how to wield this new-found power (which is harder than just twist-point-and-shoot), I got some pretty decent shots.

This image was something that I wanted to remain sharp, so I used the highest setting possible.

I like the composition of this image, but I feel like a sky would be more dramatic of a background rather the mountains. But alas, such is the life we live in Utah.

Don't get me wrong, I love mountains! Without them, we couldn't have vistas like this! I used the highest setting for this image as well. I wanted to have good lines, good composition, and use a polarizing lens to darken the colors.

I am obviously still a novice photographer and have much to learn about not only the tools but also the tricks of my trade. This new mode has given me a new mode of thinking and a new mode of shooting.

Also, Happy Halloween! This is a creepy house I passed on my drive. My daughter said, "Uh Dad, you aren't going in there right? Because I can't drive home, Jemma (my youngest) is hungry and I'm pretty sure there are witches in there." Enjoy the creepiness!

Week 4--Mixed Lighting--Can't Slow the Flow!

Flow: "the zone", a moment where a person is completely immersed in an activity due to enjoyment, and disregards time and their 3 kids in the van.

Okay, okay, I didn't disregard them, I simply answered their reoccurring question of "Dad, why are we stopping now?" and "Dad, are we done yet?" with "Hey guys, Daddy is in the flow! And you can't slow the flow!"

"Sow, the fow?" My son Cooper asks quizzically in his little 2-year-old voice. "No, no, no, no," my daughter Macey chimes in, "Stow the flow." Well, as it turns out, you can't do that either. 

What started out as a simple car trip to give Mom a break from the kids turned into a major flow moment.

This week we had an incredible storm move through our valley. It created the perfect setting for mixed light. "Mixed light" is a term for a natural contrast in lights and darks. It is something that creates a dramatic landscape scene. With the rolling dark rain clouds, the breaks of sunlight, and the wet colors that rain creates, some great shots were acquired. Believe it or not, all of these shots were taken a noon (harsh mid-day light), and during an hour span. There was some flow happening. Every shot I set up seemed to go great.

This first shot was driving up the canyon. I was stopped dead in my tracks as I noticed the clouds breaking about the mountain, the lines and colors along with spotty sun-light made this a fleeting but flowing image.

In the mouth the canyon stood a tree that was late to the foliage game. Most of the other leaves had fallen with the storm, but this guy was still going strong. The sun was breaking through the clouds and lit up the tree with its already bright yellow leaves. I set my shutter-speed low, and used a tripod, to get a nice bright and dark contrast.

I found this scene out of my kid's window when I stopped to give everyone fruit-snacks. (A much deserved and needed treat.) I thought the matted leaves and the wet rocks were a different view of fall.

This next shot was a must. As I was hiking through a grove, with all my kids in tow, we stumbled upon this beautiful scene. Before they could go in and start a leaf-fight, I set up. The photo below is a "evolved" picture of the one below it. All the different reds and pinks, with the black rocks made for a gorgeous contrast that needed to be shot. I used a polarized filter, (it darkens the lens and accentuates the blues in a shot) and a low shutter speed for these two shots.

So, because of the storm the fall-foliage I was hoping for was practically gone. I read in my "Outdoor Photographer" magazine that dead and barren trees can still be interesting and dramatic. I was skeptical, my schema was more toward colors that invite you in, but I decided to try anyway. (I was in the flow remember? I couldn't go wrong!) When I looked at this photo I was still unimpressed but my wife loved this picture when I showed her, so that made it blog worthy! And you know, like in all things in life, my wife was right! I am starting to love this shot!

It started to rain again, so we hopped back into the car and started to drive. Then I saw it, all the leaves on the road I hadn't noticed on the way up. I stopped the car, hopped out and laid on the wet, muddy, rocky, bumpy, "scungy" road. It was worth it I feel. I again used the polarizing filter to darken the scene and to provide the contrast.

I've always loved cedar trees and they themselves provide a beautiful contrast in their wood. But, I decided to steer away from that temptation to photograph the whole scene. The flat sky provided a great background for the golden grass, the rustic wood and mountain in the background.

This was the "leaving the canyon" shot. I had to take it, the flow was too powerful, too intoxicating, the addiction was too much. I needed to shoot another dramatic landscape. The recently ended rain clouds broke, lowered and lit up the summit of the mountain. I was under a still lingering dark rain cloud so it made for a dark foreground and a nice contrast with the background.

Landscape photography has never provided a flow for me like it did that day. It seems that correct environmental conditions, early success, and schema-challenging tasks create a setting for flow. Also, constructive feedback (from myself and especially my wife, Lisa) aids to feelings of flow! You can't slow the flow! Or sow the fow. Or even stow the flow! 

Week 3--Lighting

In photography there is a taught-schema that there is “good” light and “bad” light. In every photographer’s schema, you’ll find a time of day that is the “golden-hour”, a time when the light is not harsh, it is even, slightly tinted (usually “golden” because of sunsets) and it creates a perfectly lit vista. Like such…

However, schemas are meant to be updated, changed, evolved, reconstructed and that is what I hope to do. I have read some articles about using harsh mid-day lighting (usually labeled as “bad” lighting) as an advantage. (http://www.outdoorphotographer.com/how-to/shooting/b-and-w-in-harsh-light.html#.VhchcbQ-DVo) (http://digital-photography-school.com/are-you-practicing-these-5-natural-lighting-tips/) (http://digital-photography-school.com/bright-ideas-for-shooting-in-midday-sun/) Especially when you use black and white as an editing tool.

 I hope that by experimenting with this lighting, I can change my semantic network of lighting. Here are 3 pictures taken during bad lighting that sort of turned out okay…

I obviously need to practice editing under this lighting circumstance but I did have a good experience, which, according to empiricism, is the first step to knowledge! The more I do it, the better I’ll know it.

Week 2--Tell a Story

Photographs are powerful things. Taken at the right time, in the right place, with the right elements, they can trigger episodic memories within us. Accessing our long-term memories, and calling upon past mental imagery, we can sense things when we see a photo. For example, a well-taken photo of an apple pie can cause us to remember a smell, a taste, and perhaps even (heaven knows it has happened to me before) cause us to salivate a little. A photo of a snowy vista may, even if briefly, make you feel a little cold. The photographs, in a sense, tell a story that you have already heard and resonates within you.

Telling a story though images is a great photographic concept. (http://www.outdoorphotographer.com/how-to/shooting/building-stories.html#.VgdbSLTFvVo)

Here are 4 images that I feel tell a story within me, but hopefully also within you. What episodic memories do these images trigger in you?

Week 1--Composition

In photography, there are certain things that every photographer knows, it is pounded into us through classes, sealed tight through experience, and then tested and proved through mistakes. It forms for us a schema, a cluster of knowledge, things that are "second nature".

Within that schema, we have a script. There are rules that need to be followed (and at times broken!) and scripts that need to be run in order to form an interesting photograph. I hope to explore some scripts and schemata dealing with landscape photography!

The first thing I learned as a photographer was the importance of a well crafted photograph. What makes a good photograph is not just how things are situated in reality (even though sometimes that happens) but how things are situated in a photograph. I looked up on some tips and rules for the composition of a good landscape photograph (http://digital-photography-school.com/4-rules-of-composition-for-landscape-photography and http://www.outdoorphotographer.com/how-to/tip-of-the-week/let-it-evolve.html#.VgeCj7TFvVo )
and came up with these 5 rules:

1. Use lines, whether natural or created. Lines draw the eyes to a subject in the photo, or just around the photo itself.

2. Find shapes! Common shapes in a picture make it interesting and visually appealing.

3. The Rule of Thirds. The Rule of Thirds is placing a subject away from the middle of the photo, either in the upper or lower third or right and left third.

4. Frame it! Finding natural framing can be difficult but it creates an interesting picture.

5. Find the real image. A broader photo maybe nice, but there could be could a really interesting aspect to that photo. The real composition could be found in cropping.

This was pretty difficult. I never really shoot images with this much room. Out of the 50 or so images I took, these are the best I could do.

Here are 5 (well, technically 6) photographs demonstrating these five rules! What do you think?

Lines:

Shapes:

Rule of Thirds:

Frame it!

The Real Image:

Broad:

The Real Image:

Composition in a landscape format doesn't always have to be "what you see it what you get". Sometimes that best part of a landscape goes by unnoticed. It was great to get out and shoot!