This photo is demonstrably “unreal.” As I’ve said before, humans don’t see out of focus light as soft, overlapping balls. And we certainly don’t see the world upside down, as it is shown here in a crystal ball I inherited from my grandma Ida.
But wait a minute. . . Our eyes are lenses somewhat similar to a crystal ball. And, in fact, all that we see is upside down, too. But our brains, for some reason, turn it “right side up.” So do I dare ask, “What is reality?”
Canon 5DIII f/5.0 ISO320 100mm
Each year I donate a photo to the Lake Area Technical Institute Foundation to be auctioned at their annual Festival of Trees, which is quickly approaching. The photo usually has a winter theme and this year’s picture is called “Spring Melt” and was photographed along Iron Creek last April.
Being a perfectionist, I rarely like my photos in print form but I have to say that this one, printed on metal, is pretty special. Of course it helps to have such great scenery. 🙂
The “golden hour” is generally defined as the hour of sunlight just before sunset. It is particularly conducive to natural light portraiture, though other things, including landscapes and cityscapes, look better in this light, too.
I also think that there is a golden hour in the morning. But to catch it on a summer morning in South Dakota means being out sometime around 4:30 am, which is not exactly “golden” for most portrait subjects. But I will say that Lonesome Lake, where I took this photo, is flattered by this light. Even my 59 year old face might have been improved by the soft cloud and fog filtered light present on this morning. 🙂
Canon 5DIII f/16.0 ISO100 85mm
I won’t say much about this photo though I will suggest that this is an example of HDR (high dynamic range) photography doing what it is supposed to do: allow the camera to render the complete tonality of a scene that varies from very dark to very bright.
Like yesterday’s post, I have a colored version of this but I prefer the black and white version, in part because the other Utah capitol photo I have posted is black and white, too.
Canon 5DIII 1/400s f/6.3 ISO400 24mm
When I walked into the Utah State Capitol building at 8am a couple days ago, I didn’t know what to expect. It was, of course, architecturally impressive. But I was even more impressed by the fact that I had the place to myself. The dominant feature of the interior of the capitol is the white and gray marble that decorates it and though this photo started out in full color, I chose black and white to help you see this.
I’m not sure that perfectl symmetry results in “art” but my architectural interiors are often characterized by this. And I’ll have to admit that I worked pretty hard at getting the two halves perfectly balanced in this scene.
Shame on me, incidentally, for not bringing a tripod on this trip. Shooting HDR series in marginal light is made much more hit and miss. I know that any photographer worth his/her salt works with one. Shooting HDR series in marginal light is difficult. From now on, I will try not to leave home without one. . .
Canon 5DIII 1/13s f/8.0 ISO1250 24mm
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During our recent stay in Salt Lake City we had a room with a view. I took several photos of the courthouse as seen from our room but I liked this one best, largely because of the way the strong sunlight helps light up the building against the distant cloud covered landscape. I walked over to visit the court house but it is much less ornate in the interior public spaces.
Canon 5DIII f/8.0 ISO125 100mm
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Anyone who knows this blog knows that I often repeat myself. I have not yet tried to re-invent myself as a photographer and, at my age and inclination, I’m not sure that it is possible. Or worthy.
So here I am again at Iron Creek. But today, when I made the trek from our family’s cabin to this spot a few miles away, I found a flow of water unlike anything I have seen in the many years I have been photographing the stream. I am at our cabin right now to clean up several fallen trees on our property. There was a major winter storm three weeks ago that dumped 4′ of wet snow on the Black Hills and that caused significant tree damage.
The Hills are a mess – it looks like a bomb went off. But the up side is that the snow melt has caused significant run-off. And thus, my trek to Iron Creek.
Astute observers will not doubt see that this photo is not quite, “real.” And they would be right. This is actually 4 separate exposures combined in HDR Efex Pro 2.
I hope you like it.
Canon 5DIII 0.8s f/20.0 ISO100 40mm
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In case you are counting, this is the third Harvest Moon photo I’ve posted in the last couple weeks. Why do I repeat myself? In part because I like full moons. And thieves, sailors, lovers and vampires love them. But the best reason is to illustrate the fact that the same subject (the moon) can have very different looks given the variables of time, place and composition.
This shot is very similar to this one. But I thought I would show you how I experimented with the leading lines that were present – in particular, the road, the fence and the horizon. Incidentally, this is an HDR photo in which I combined two exposures. Which do I like better? I can’t say. . . .
Canon 5DIII 1/80s f/13.0 ISO200 200mm
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Yes, I’m a lunatic, though I don’t howl at the full moon. I just try to take photos of it. This photo is chronologically misplaced in this blog in that it was taken about 12 hours earlier than the other full moon posted a few days ago. As you can see, the moon plays a much less prominent role in this photo. And I guess that was my intent. Here the landscape dominates and the moon just peeks in at the scene.
I have come to realize that the most interesting thing about a sunrise isn’t the sun. Instead, what makes some sunrises special is what the low, angular light is doing to the landscape everywhere except where the sun in visible.
This scene is one of several that I captured along Highway 14 in western South Dakota. Even if I didn’t get anything camera worthy, it was a beautiful September morning to be in a part of our state that some would say is flat and bland.
Incidentally, if you look at the last three posts in this blog, you will note that I have moved the horizon to the bottom of the frame. I guess I am featuring the sky in my “Western South Dakota” series because I think that our amazing skies have much to offer. Montana’s got nothing on us!
I should mention, incidentally, that the red band in this photo is ripe sorghum, which seemed to be planted in abundance in this part of our state. And did anyone noticed that the three primary colors are all dominantly present in this photo?
Canon 5DIII f/9.0 ISO320 35mm (shutter speed unknown – because this is an HDR composite?)