The more I learn about photography, the more I know that once you’ve found good light you’ve won most of the battle. If you want to hedge your bets on light you go out on the edges of the day– dawn and dusk. If you really want to put some distance between your photos and those captured by your average camera owner, you do what the others won’t do when others won’t do it– go out early and don’t be afraid to get wet, dirty, or both.

Sometimes on the weekend, I drag myself (fall) out of bed, put a hat on my tousled hair, grab my camera, memory cards, and batteries and stumble out into the dawn to capture the hell out of …something. What I’ve found on these bleary-eyed excursions is that there are some pretty interesting things going on when most people are just drooling on their pillows.

One of my favorite spots for such forays into this dew-soaked world is a small, relatively nondescript field that adjoins our subdivision (that’s it in the photo above– all of the photos in this blog post were taken in this field on a single morning).  The first thing I noticed were the dew-enhanced spider webs. You won’t see any photos of them here because these weren’t nice geometrical webs created by orb-weaving spiders. They were relatively amorphous non-picturesque creations brought forth by arachnids from the wrong side of the tracks. Time to move on.

The next thing I noticed was a dragonfly airing its wings against the rising sun. When I moved in close and took a few shots I noticed that the dragonfly didn’t budge. Upon viewing the photos later on the computer I saw that the wings were totally coated in dew. No wonder I had a stationary subject– these guys weren’t going anywhere with that heavy burden.

When I found the first dragonfly, I opened the aperture to f/4 for the shallow depth of field to isolate the sharp subject from the blurry background. To get on eye level with the dragonfly, I shot from a squat position with the lens focused on the dragonfly (every time I do this I think it’s time to take up yoga so I can maintain a more stable position– really handy when dealing with shallow depth of field). Note the dew droplets on the wings.

For the photo above I chose a different point of view. I’ve found that once you locate good light and a subject it’s good to try many different camera angles until you land on one that suits your personal perspective. I like the way the colorful highlights on the legs of this dragonfly match the highlights on the wings and body. I also like the dark background contrasted with the dragonfly highlighted by the rising sun.

All things considered, I was pretty happy with the results of this particular morning shoot.

What did I do right?

• Got up before sunrise.
• Paid attention to the background.
• Shot with a wide open aperture (in most cases here I am using f/4) to isolate the subject from the background.
• Chose a low camera angle on level with the subject.

What did I do wrong?

• Number one, I should have used a tripod. My shutter speeds were fast enough that I didn’t need one, but if I had I could have shot with a lower ISO for sharper, more noise-free photos. Also, with the camera in a stationary position it would have been much easier to nail the focus exactly where I wanted it (at f/4 the depth of field was inches, at best).  Since the dragonflies weren’t moving, the fastest object in the frame was the rising sun, and I wasn’t focusing on that.
• With the camera on a tripod, I would have been able to tweak the f-stop to ensure that the entire dragonfly was in focus while maintaining the blurred background.
• I’m sure there were other steps I could have taken to improve these captures and I will hopefully explore them more fully on the next shoot.

If you want your work to stand out, be at a place and time where others don’t go. Capture the unseen from a new point of view. Use your personal perspective to get the photos that only you could see.

Feel free to post your own experiences and observations about early morning photography in the comments.

Later,

Dwight

Yes, I finally did it. With my wife’s buy-in I finally took the step up from my Canon 40D and purchased the 5D Mark II with the 24 – 105mm f/4L lens. If you’re not familiar with the Canon line of cameras, you’ve already left the room. If you’re a fellow avid amateur Canonista you’re probably well aware of the fabled 5DmkII. It’s very well known by portrait, nature, landscape, and wedding photogs. It was also one of the first digital SLRs with HD video and has been used to film TV commercials and independent films.

Why was I so interested in this camera? I wanted a full-frame camera with good low-light capability. While I had been quite happy with my 40D for several years, the sensor was outdated. There are Canon Rebels roaming out there with 3200 ISO compared to the 40D’s 1600 ISO. The 5DMkII has 6400 ISO and can be extended to 25,600 (although I’m guessing there is significant noise at that setting).

(In case you’re wondering, yes, the photos in this blog were some of my preliminary attempts with the 5DmkII).

Why did I want a full-frame sensor? I wanted to be able to get true wide angle and I wanted the capability to make larger prints (you can print up to about 16″ x 24″ from the 5DmkII, while anything beyond about 13 x 19 from the 40D is risky without interpolation software like Genuine Fractals, now known as Perfect Resize 7 from onOne Software).

Other considerations? I was quite pleased to find that the 5DmkII seemed about the same size and weight as the 40D. The shape of the prismatic mirror housing (that’s either what they call it or something I just made up) is slightly different than the 40D, but otherwise they are quite similar. The external texture of the 5DmkII has a different tactile aesthetic (its what the engineers call “more grippy”)– I consider that a plus, probably because the camera costs more than the 40D so the texture must be better.

I know, you product line savvy Canonistas are wondering “what kinda moron buys the 5DmkII one week prior to the announcement of the 5DmkIII? Surely the Mark III will be the better camera and the price of the Mark II will drop at that time anyway.” First of all, the answer is “this kinda moron.” Yeah, I knew the Mark III was coming out, but it’s about $700 more for the body alone than I paid for the Mark II with the 24 – 105mm f/4L lens (a great, versatile, sharp, lens). Plus, I’ve heard through my reliable underground sources (bartenders, waitresses, random street people) that production of the Mark II will not cease with the advent of the Mark III.

Am I happy with the purchase? No…thrilled would be more accurate! It’s all I had hoped for and more. Although I’ve only had it for a couple of weeks, I’m really impressed with the its capabilities and functionality. Let’s face it, if you can’t make a great photograph with the 5D Mark II paired with the 24 – 105 lens maybe you should consider taking up scrap-booking instead.

Later,

Dwight

A couple of years ago I had the great fortune to travel to Vienna (known locally as “Wien”, which is where the word “Wiener Schnitzel” comes from) for a business trip. It’s a lovely historical city loaded with culture. One of the things I really love about Europe is the way the historical sections of many major cities (Paris, London, Vienna, etc.) are fairly concentrated and within walking distance of each other. On this trip I had taken an extra day off just to wander around and shoot things– it’s a wonderful place for doing just that. I set out right after breakfast that morning and wandered the city until about 9:00 that night.

I’m not sure why, but when I do travel photography it seems that my favorite photos are not the images of the major landmarks that we all know and love, but more so the triviata that I encounter on my journeys. (Note: I thought I just invented word “triviata”; but it’s a neologism that appeared in literature as far back as 1975, and attributed to Timothy Fullerton. I guess I’ll have to seek fame via other avenues). The photo above, taken from the sidewalk of a side street that the Habsburgs no doubt wandered back in the day, was just such a chance encounter. The facial expressions of the figures seemed to me to beckon out through the shop window to passersby.

More to come…
Dwight

It’s a new year and changes are in the making– new job, new dog, website changes, new projects. I’ll be hanging some photos downtown February and March. Website changes have been done and will continue. Some personal projects are in the making.

Thanks in large part to my lovely wife, Martina, the website has been optimized to load faster. The galleries have all been re-sorted and rearranged to better fit the material (click on Studies to see the rejuvenated galleries). We have midterm plans in the making to totally reconstruct the website aesthetically. Also, as previously mentioned, the ability to order photos will be added to the site. Unfortunately, the first option selected to do this was ultimately deemed unsatisfactory. We’re reviewing a couple of alternatives now. Stay tuned for that option in the near future.

Right now we have to nurse a recent family addition, an animal shelter rescue dog, back to health (apparently he had some serious dental issues from his previous misguided lifestyle and had to suffer multiple dental extractions at the vet today, poor guy).

Watch for continued weekly updates.

Later,

Dwight

My alternative? I just didn’t plan for any reformation…yeah, safe call, huh?

Of course, it’s easier to criticize the hopeful than to set yourself up for failure and criticism. Why do we criticize? Because we’ve all seen (and have been) people who wish for life changes but never seem to take the first step to make that happen. And even if they, we, do take the first step true reform requires long term commitment. What is the magic bullet to long term commitment? Wait for it…hell, who knows?!

Yes, I have achieved true life-changing reform. Fourteen years ago, practically to the day, I smoked my last cigarette after 25 years of intense tobacco dedication. I smoked cigarettes with an unrivaled passion. It was the first thing I did in the morning (before rising) and the last thing I did at night. Each cigarette measured the passing of time, a pause, a musical rest on the “staff” of life. It was the end of a meal, a mental break to solve an analytical problem, a temporary escape from a social event. It was a culture. It tied me to others who felt a bit out of the mainstream, and dammit I liked that. But it was going to kill me and I knew it.

One night I was at the computer fully engulfed in the soothing, noxious, toxic cloud of tobacco smoke, as usual. My wife entered the room, in a recently-induced state of tobacco withdrawal excitability, and justifiably announced concern that her success at smoking cessation was adversely affected by my continued dedication to the object of her recent disdain (yeah, the original transcript of that conversation required way fewer words). My response? “Ok, I’ll quit!”

The next day I smoked my butt off. I set a goal to quit on the day after; so I stayed up until 3 AM and smoked with abandon while researching smoking cessation techniques. At the end of the evening, I destroyed every cigarette left, threw them in the trash can, and dumped the trash can in the dumpster. Then I dumped all the ashtrays and put them in the dishwasher. That was fourteen years ago. I haven’t had a puff since.

What’s the secret to true life-changing reformation? It’s one big decision followed by a million tiny actions (or inactions if you’re quitting a bad habit).

What’s my resolution for this year? Quite simply this…consume less, produce more.

What are your plans for the new year?

Later,

Dwight

I hope it’s a wonderful holiday for all of you who celebrate this season!

Best wishes,

Dwight

I’ve spent some time wondering about this. When I was in college the photography majors seemed to lean very heavily against color photos. The implication was (or so I perceived) that you couldn’t do fine art photography in color. And photos employing “artificial” light were especially eggregious.  I theorized that this philosophy was born from two origins– 1) in the late 70′s the bulk of fine art photography to date had been done in B&W (and they were apparently not teaching William Eggleston at the time), and 2) it’s a lot easier to teach college sophomores how to process B&W film than color.

In the past you didn’t have a choice. But now we do. I can shoot color digital photos all day and decide in post-process whether an image is better rendered in black and white or color. Then how do you decide? As much as I have read about people having instantaneous flashes of enlightenment, I’ve found them chronically absent in my life. Sadly, discovering when to convert to black and white is one of the few epiphanies I have experienced. I don’t remember what photo it was, but there was an element I really liked but the colors in the photo were clashing with each other. I converted it to B&W and suddenly all of the chromatic dissonance in the photo was gone. I was hooked!

Here’s an example.  Which version below do you think better portrays the specific subject (hint: the subject here is the guy)? Yes, I know, most people’s first reaction is “color is better”, but look again. Which version better eliminates the visual elements that distract from the primary subject?

So, stage 1 is discovering that you use B&W when it doesn’t look right in color. I’m there, I’ve got that part. Now I’m hearing that the next step is learning to think in B&W intentionally. I understand that taking the color out of the photographs gives them an unrealistic view and allows us to perceive  them with a less reality based bias. I’d like to explore that further in the near future. So stay tuned.

(And, no, I am not ignoring the holidays, I promise).

Later,

Dwight

What can you expect to see in the near future?

• Better organized, more concise photo galleries with some photos you’ve never seen before (coming very soon).
• Added tools for linking to your social media pages (already installed, see below this post).
• There has been some increased interest recently in purchasing photos from the website. We’re very excited to announce that coming very soon you will have the capability to order prints directly off the website and have them shipped to you.
• Regularly scheduled blogposts– no more extended gaps in posting. Blog entries will now be weekly. But you have to meet me halfway by leaving comments to the posts. The site has followers from six continents and I’m sure some very interesting discussions are just waiting for someone to get it started. Also, let me know via a comment if there are specific topics you’d like to see in the blog.

Power lines– the bane of every photographer’s existence. How many times have I seen “the perfect shot” just to be foiled by power lines in the way? Sure, there are ways around them. You could move; but that always seems to ruin the perspective you had in mind (or would require you to stand in the middle of traffic). You could just remove them in Photoshop; but I refuse to spend hours cloning out power lines (life’s too short). If the lines are significantly closer to you than the subject you are photographing you can adjust your depth of field so that the lines go far enough out of focus to disappear; but that means your subject will have a shallow depth of field, and only works if the lines are a lot closer to you than the subject.

So, what do you do? Sometimes I just say to heck with it and embrace the presence of power lines. They deserve love too, right? Above and below are a few examples where I espoused this philosophy.

In this shot I liked the way the "power lines" (they were actually guy-wires) radiated from the post and countered the lines of the Pinnacle Building in the background.

The light fixtures and power lines were what actually attracted me to this street scene in Vienna. If you're from Europe these lights are probably unremarkable. I've just never seen them in the US.

Would this photo have more impact without the power lines-- maybe. I think they add a bit of counterpoint to the vertical lines in the photo, though.

Is there something distracting you from your primary subject? Maybe you should shift your focus.

Later,

Dwight

I have been fighting it for years, but I finally relented. Look, I know that the value of light is the vocabulary of the photographer– I embrace that. I value the importance of the direction, color, intensity, quality (hardness vs.  softness), the interplay of light and shadow– the elements of light. I am a dedicated student of the parameters of the proton en masse. And I am painfully aware of the mantra of the outdoor photographer, “to capture the best light you have to be there before sunrise.” But, dammit, I used to be a musician– when I witnessed daylight it was at the end of my day. And it wasn’t always pretty.

I gave it a shot, though…in New Orleans. As you might expect, New Orleans is quite the hodgepodge of humanity at 5 AM. I headed into the French Quarter at Canal Street and Royal, one block south of Bourbon Street and witnessed a blend of restaurant workers arriving for the morning shift, street cleaners, strip show workers ending their shifts, drunk fratboys, and people making the walk of shame way overdressed for the breakfast hours.

And then there were the cats.

I have no idea what the culture of this phenomenon is; but there was a substantial number of antique and curio shop windows that were occupied by cats. They posed and stretched and gawked and yawned, apparently basking in the glow of the morning sun.

For whatever reason, the morning was their domain. And what the heck, it’s not a bad life hanging out in the shop window isolated from the activities on the street but still able to watch.

Maybe next time I’ll just sit in the window with the cats and my camera and watch what the rising sun illuminates as it peeks down the morning streets.

Later,

Dwight