What You See...

A painter starts with a blank canvas and adds elements to create an image. 

A photographer starts with EVERYTHING and eliminates elements to make an image.

The photographer eliminates elements through the use of framing; looking through the viewfinder and moving in, out, or around something to frame the image. Anything within the frame is deemed important, whether or not you as the photographer meant to include it.

After shooting for about 60 years, the process of framing for me is something I don't think about, I just do it. But if you're a new photographer, it can be a struggle to refine your framing to make a stunning image.

The other day I shot this photograph:

It occurred to me after I got home and processed it that it might be good to show what was eliminated from the scene by imposing the camera's frame on the subject.

 

Here's the wide view of the subject.

Here's a closer view of the subject.

And again, here's the final image.

Eliminating distracting elements by making conscious framing decisions will help you make better photographs.

"Tri-X, f/8, and be there."

Its Been Awhile...

So my last post was in December 2018. Its been awhile.

I was reminded of this in an email I received yesterday from a former student and friend.

"Just a note to say that I miss your postings on your blog. I periodically like to check in to see what you are doing. Your photographs are beautiful and your comments always interesting. I even like to refer back to your archives - sometimes for info, sometimes for inspiration."

I don't really have an excuse for not posting. I guess I thought that no one was even looking at this blog. But obviously I was wrong.

So going forward I am committing to produce at least one new post a week.

In years past, I'd spend some of Saturday mornings at the Farmers Market taking photographs. This year I've only been there about three times and have not taken a single photograph until yesterday's trip. I guess I hadn't found anything to photograph. I felt that 
I had photographed all the vegetables and the last thing I wanted to do was to produce the same kind of photographs again.

But something happened yesterday morning. And here are the results. Flowers! It just shows that when you think there's nothing new to photograph at a place you've been to over and over again, you're wrong. I think I went to the market thinking "vegetables" and because I did not want another set of photographs that I've done before, I started looking at what else was there.

This is my favorite photograph of the day.

All of these were taken with my Tamron 100-400mm. Its the lens I always have on my camera. I like it because its closest focusing distance is 4.9 feet. Now that doesn't sound like much, but at 400mm its just perfect.

"Tri-x, f/8, and be there"