Using a Lens' Weakness as a Photo's Strength

Golden Light Silhouette

Believe it or not, I applied very little processing to this image. I had the 70-300mm mounted to Betty [Don't judge. -Gary] and saw the light shooting over and through the tree line as the evening wore on. What caught my eye was the "halo" effect of the light as it backlit the horses. I had planned to swap out the lens once I found my subject because it has a reputation of issues when shooting directly into the light (ghosting, flaring, artifacts, etc.), but I also thought that if I were careful, I might be able to get something like this....

I did nothing to change the color. I applied lens correction, punched up a few levels for clarity and contrast, cropped for framing, and applied a little sharpening, but processed this far less than I normally do other shots. In fact, the hardest time I had was cloning out about three artifacts.

I love the fact this shot turned out in reality the way I saw it in my mind.

Xmas, 1976

So there I was: budding GEN-ius @ 8 years old. Christmas morning, as usual for the son of middle class factory workers in the '70's, an absolute HAUL. I barely knew where to start, but finally decided to get the ol' slot car racetrack going. I put all the track pieces together, plugged in the battery pack, started charging the cars, then organized the rest of my presents into piles: play with TODAY; Play with LATER; take to school to make ALL the kiddies @ South Side Elementary jealous. I calloed and callayed (before it was cool to do so) and played with my Stretch Armstrong and Stretch Monster (well-known arch stretch enemies) while I waited for the cars to charge.

And then...right in the middle of an epic stretch battle...my mom starts screaming from the bedroom! My dad - all 6'4" 225 pounds of 'im - comes bursting through the door, telling me to get dressed because mom had to go to the hospital and I had to go to my grandparents' house. Things were getting gathered; calls were being made; parents were still running around in a panic. Of course, being the sensitive boy I was, I was gravely concerned: How the HELL was I gonna pack up ALL my "TODAY" presents to take to grandma's house!?!

However, I quickly ascertained that taking anything was out of the question...and by "ascertained," I mean my dad told me to stop screwing around and get dressed because mom was having the baby and we had to GO....

The rest of the day was a blur: the 20 minute trip to grandma's took 10; dad sped off; I cried and allegedly asked, "Is my mommy dying?" And the Gs had not a single toy appropriate for the festivities of the day!

And THAT is how my sister ruined Christmas in 1976. I'm sure you all remember....

Temporary Hiatus

The Blogspot-hosted Of Devils & Details is on what I hope has been and will be a temporary hiatus until I decide how to best host and display my photography.  Until then, please feel free to visit a Facebook page I've created for that very purpose.

Of Devils & Details, FB Edition

And thanks for looking!

Area 52: Week 7 (Doors, Deer, & Deep. Oh, My.)

These are all just scenes from a small town, crumbling at the edges.  Shall we call them RockwellScapes?  Motion carried.  Mine is a semi-benign dictatorship.

Shot o' the Week is the entrance to the shell of what was once a bustling business of some sort.

 

 And here it is in vertical landscape form:

This shot is of a padlocked and gated door on the same building.  While I love the above shots because of the naturally desaturated tones and textures, these got me because of the disconcertingly jaunty tone of RED...and the fact the wall on the left (which you can't see) is down.

And again with the vertical, because I HATE rules, man....

This small building - same shade of disconcertingly jaunty RED, though more faded - houses a small weigh station for pricing scrap metal.  While there were several interesting items inside as well, the light didn't cooperate.  So until I can get back later for interior shots:

 And what is this?  Some sort of Guard Tree?

Lovely, Dark, Deep & Cautionary

And finally, a small group of deer on the outskirts.  I shot 'em with the 50mm as my big zoom is in the shop.

Area 52: Week 6 (Project: Rescue! (Look@theFACE!))

One of my passions is helping stray, neglected, abandoned, or downright abused animals, especially dogs.  Cooper himself is a rescue, adopted from a local no-kill agency when he was about 4 months old.  I can't take 'em all in (Sweetie hath her limits), but I do what I think I can to help.  My photography, I've been told, helps in that endeavor.

This fine example of what is thought to be a Walker Coonhound was recently dumped near a friend's farmhouse.  She's probably 12-18 month old, is very sweet, and has lots of energy.  Having spent about an hour with her, I think she would make an excellent house dog, watchdog, hunting partner, or jogging buddy.  She is sweet, attentive, and energetic.  She deserves a shot at a life and someone deserves her love and loyalty.

Did I mention she's sweet?

I'm calling her BabyDarlingDollfaceHoney until she gets adopted.

Look@TheFace!

Great Lines and Markings

See What I Mean?

...help...

As to the quality of the photos: I'd say they're up there with really good snapshots.  Focus is generally spot-on the eyes, and the color/contrast is gorgeous (if I do say so meself...and I do...did...um, will?  Have?  Well, I hope you're happy as I've gone and confused myself), but you will notice the shadow in the background.  Unavoidable, as Mitch had to use the chain to keep her more or less still so I could get some good shots of her.  This was a quickie shoot, the purpose being getting her home.  I think they're good enough to be included as part of Area 52, but wanted to spotlight her.

Were it not for the expense of divorce court (KIDDING!), this little darlin' would have absolutely come home with me.  Cooper would lub her.

How about you?

EDIT: Adopted 2/8/11 and is officially a spoiled housedog with run of the farm....not mine, though.

EDIT the 2nd: Her name is now Molly.

Area 52: Week 5 (Backyards & Crackpups: All About Cooper)

Yes, you've met this subject more than once here, but never when he's in his favorite element: snow.

Self-Entertaining

Making the Final Turn

Comin' Atcha

Seek, and...

Ye Shall Find

It's the Little Things

...Squirrel...?

I add this last shot simply because it illustrates a couple of things.  First, even with the advanced auto-focus systems in modern cameras...the dog is often quicker than the lens.  Second, a great photo is measured in more than sharpness.  I love the composition and color of this shot.

How about you...?

A housekeeping note: I've decided all images I post here will be in the "large" format, as I prefer that uniformity, at least for now.  I might change my mind later.  I might not.  Oooooh, the suspense!

If you would, send a positive thought or two Cooper's way.  As I was working on the photos and blog, my wife found an oozing wound on the right side of Cooper's face.  It looks like he just gouged himself or has an abscess or maybe even just nicked a mole while scratching, but I'm taking him to the vet tomorrow to get checked.  He's just turned 3...we lost our last dog, Boomer, at 3...at about this same time of year.  It's probably nothing to worry about as Cooper is way healthier than Boomer ever was, but the symmetry bothers me.  He's not just my favorite subject, he's my little buddy and responsibility, so any little nick....

Excuse me while I tap a vein to check for compatibility....

EDIT: Little fellah's fine.  Just got a minor infection.  

Area 52: Week 4 (If Game is to Survive, It Must Have a Suitable Home)

Barns...barns and signs...barns, signs, and overgrowth, oh, my....  I never tire of these scenes, which tend to remind me of childhood rides to Edgewood to see my grandparents...or, sometimes it was a ride with my grandparents.  Old, dilapidated farm structures were a common site in southern IL while I was growing up, but, as they get older and the land passes down to younger owners, some genius gets the bright idea to tear these old, seemingly innocuous buildings down, giving barely any thought as to how the window sill became so worn or who put the doors on like that and why.

Even the old fella that gave me permission to be on the land hoped someone would eventually tear this place down.  I guess an empty lot has more curb appeal.

I disagreed.

Of highways, scenic drives, and miscellany....

 

The Big Lesson for me in this photoshoot: trust.  I have been in the habit of taking several shots of the same scene for "safety," just in case I didn't quite get what I wanted.  As a result, I have to whittle down 200 or so shots to around 50 to edit, 20 final edits and the above to post.  I've gotten to the point I know generally how the camera settings I use will treat the final shot, so I can just take a few shots of a scene at different apertures and know I have what I want.  I could easily edit around 80% of what I shot and get excellent results, but a lot of the shots would be almost identical.  Now, I can concentrate on capturing what I see in my mind, then moving more quickly to the next shot.

In other words: I am loosed. 

[All shots processed using a preset designed to mimic AGFA II film.]

BONUS SHOT:  Random abandoned....