Wish n' & Hope n' & Dream n'......

Shower Time!

Phriday Phun

Now THIS is PHUN!!!!
At this time of year I don't know if I'm more anxious to see flowers blooming, or to take our RZRs down to Moab.  The top photo is Jeff and me, (I'm driving), and the bottom is Dalin, (our son), and his then girlfriend, and now wife, Emily.  We had so much fun on that little get away last summer, I can't wait to do it again!

Wednesday Workday - (Interesting People in their Environment)

Street Vendor - Mexico

Here's my hat story.  We were being typical tourists seeing the sights.  It was a very hot day and my sunglasses just were not enough so I bought a hat like the one he's holding in his hand.  I wore the hat for about half an hour and having a bit more shade was a relief.  I usually don't sweat much, but because it was extremely hot, and because I was wearing a hat, and because we were walking a lot, I was sweating and wiping the sweat off my face with my hand.  After awhile I happened to glance down at my hand, and it was blue!  I couldn't figure out what it was, then I looked in a mirror and there were blue streaks running down my face.  I discovered the dye on the hat band was not water proof!  Another example of getting what you pay for!!!   I was just looking over this post before 'publishing' it and just noticed something in this picture for the first time.  It appears the person purchasing a hat from the vendor has his hand up to his face.  I wonder if he is wiping sweat from his brow??  I probably wasn't the only one ending up with blue face paint that day.  Ha Ha.

Tech Talk Tuesday

Lighting for Portraits (Part 2)

Your friend has asked you to take her portrait.  You are at the designated location, she is looking fantastic, and you and your camera are ready to start snapping.  As you begin to place her in position you should ask yourself, "what do I need to do to showcase her best features, and then make this photo come to life?"  There are, of course, many things to take into consideration, but I'm going to be talking about lighting right now because that should be one of the most important things to consider and will determine whether your friend can't stop raving about what an amazing photographer you are, (you end up with a great portrait), or if she politely thanks you then never mentions it again, (a mediocre one), or heaven forbid, she isn't speaking to you anymore!  I'm going to help you avoid that last alternative, so read on.

In a portrait, the face, most always, should be the focal point.  Think of the face as an upside down triangle with the eyes the actual focal point.  Remember that dark colors recede and light colors advance, so your 'triangle' should be lighter than the rest of the image, with the eyes the most important part of that triangle.  Portraits are bad if the eyes are not bright and sparkly!  (Of course there are always exceptions; for example if you are going for a moody, vampire look or some other artsy thing).  So, the first thing I do is look at the eyes.  If the lighting is such that the eyes are dull or lifeless, you'll have a crummy photo.  Even worse, if the only light source is coming from above and the eyebrows are shading the eyes and creating dark circles underneath (raccoon eyes), yikes....you will have a really unflattering photo.  So the first thing to remember is the light must make the eyes bright and expressive.  If you get nothing else right but the eyes, you and your friend will still be on speaking terms!!!  But of course, you won't stop there....

The direction of the light, the number of light sources, and the intensity of the light sources will determine whether you have a flat, boring portrait, or one with depth, dimension and 'pop'.  In this photo, the model is sitting next to, but not facing, a huge window.  You can see the light streaming in on the right side of her face as we see it.  She is angled partly toward the window creating catchlights and sparkle in her eyes.  As the light travels across her face, notice it is brightest on the side next to the window.   It moves across her face creating definition and shadow on her cheek.  Then it defines her nose with a soft shadow.  On the other side of her face the light begins to lessen, then ends with a deeper shadow on the other side of her cheek.  Notice how the light defines and shows her cute dimple.  (Before I go any further, here is my disclaimer.  This photo was shot quickly while Kenneth was setting up (see previous post), so it certainly is not a perfect example of perfect lighting, although there is no one perfect type of lighting.  Also, here I'm talking about simple solutions, not fancy lighting techniques with names like Rembrandt or Butterfly.)  Can you imagine how different this portrait would look if she were directly facing the window, or if a straight forward on camera flash was used?  I should have had a shot like that to compare, but I don't so you'll just have to imagine.  On second thought, you won't have to imagine because I'll just tell you.  It would look flat, boring and unflattering!  So, you must remember to have your main light source at an angle to the face.

The bottom line is this, you can make beautiful portraits with available natural light if you study the source and intensity of the light, carefully chose a location, then position your friend so the light softly wraps around her face and highlights her eyes.  Next week I'll talk about SIMPLE solutions when you need to help mother nature out a bit by adding alternative light sources, and tell you the best secret I learned at the workshop!  This will make your portraits even more beautiful and professional looking.

I'll leave you with a photo of my drop dead gorgeous daughter-in-law.  This was taken with only one natural light source.  Notice the soft shading on her face.

On an Impulse!

This morning, (Saturday), before I got into my day, I checked a couple of my favorite photo blogs.  One had a post dated yesterday about an all day workshop today that still had a couple of openings.  It was being taught by international photographer Kenneth Linge.  Kenneth has been a world renown photographer for many years both in Europe and America.  He is from Norway, but now chooses Orem as his home base, although he travels all over the world.   (Check out his website HERE.)  His workshop today was about photographing people.  The cost was significant and I had appointments today, but I REALLY wanted to go.  The website info did not say when it started or how long the workshop would last.  By this time it was about 10 am and I was sure it was already under way.  I tried to call his studio, but no one answered,  so I decided to drive by just on the outside chance it was an afternoon class.  They were just getting started, and it was an all day and into the evening workshop, so I quickly called Jeff and asked if he objected to me attending.  He said go for it, so I told him I'd be home after 7pm and called and canceled my other appointments.   It's after 9 pm now.  I'm home and my head is swimming with information, inspiration, and determination to remember and use what I learned today.  Here's the good news.  Much of what I learned I can use without purchasing any extravagant equipment.  I was most impressed with his lighting techniques.  I learned you don't need fancy in studio lights to produce professional looking portraits.  Of course, I've always known that natural lighting is beautiful portrait light (see past Tech Talk Tuesday HERE), but one thing I learned today is how versatile one can be with natural and artificial light with a minimal amount of equipment.  Knowing where and how to position your subject is also critical.  Where many photographers prefer an overcast day when shooting outdoors, Kenneth loves to shoot in bright noonday sun, as well as after the sun sets.  Here are a couple of shots from today as Kenneth was showing various techniques:

Guess what the background is, the source of light, and what kind of light was used? Where is the sun?

This was taken behind an ugly building.  Again, what was the lighting and type of day.  What focal length was used to create the soft background?  How did I get the beautiful rim lighting on her hair?

Isn't this beautiful?  Lighting must emphasize the most important triangle in the photo, and for a portrait, this is......?

Wow!  This is outside after the sun set.  How was this lit and where did the beautiful blue sky come from??

These photos are SOOTC, (straight out of the camera).  No Photoshop editing, except to crop out other photographers.  Simple techniques can create lovely portraits.  Check back on Tech Talk Tuesdays and I'll pass along some of what I learned from this fabulous workshop.  And the good news is.....
for YOU it is FREE!!!

Fantasy Wedding

Isn't new love grand!  It is a time when two people are kind and considerate and loving and think about fulfilling each others' needs before their own.  And just like spring, love blossoms and grows and is glorious because each partner adores and cares for the other.  The future looks bright, all things are possible because they have each other and their love.  The challenge is to make the Fantasy a Reality!

Phriday Phun

THIS IS A TEST!

 What does not belong in this picture??
We have a corner in our garage where we have piled junk to throw away, junk for a future garage sale and junk that we still haven't found a place for since we moved.  Michelle walked out today and was scared silly when a chicken jumped out at her.  To my knowledge we have no chickens living nearby.  Oops, I stand corrected.  I guess we now have a chicken living nearby....in our yard!

March Desktop Image

A couple days late, but click HERE to download my desktop image for March.  After it downloads,  then right click to save as your desktop.  It shouldn't be pixelated or blurred.    If you have problems, let me know and I'll help.

Tulips and Timp

This is what spring looks like in Utah.  The snow covered peaks of Mt. Timpanogos makes a beautiful backdrop for the beautiful colors of spring.  This, however, is not a great photo technically.  The foreground flowers are too soft, but I still love the shot.

P.S. I'll not have a post Monday or Tuesday.  We're off to Las Vegas where Jeff is a judge at a car show. 

Note from Karen

We will be out of town for a few days visiting my daughter's family in Omaha and getting reacquainted with our grandchildren, so no posts for a few days.  But on Wednesday look for my monthly desktop image that you can download for March.  Here is a photo of Sabrina, Vanessa and Isaac taken when we visited them the last time:

And one of my all time favorite grandchildren picture:

My favorite Photos

I hope you have enjoyed seeing a glimpse of Fanning Island this week.  I treasure that one day as unique in my life experiences.  It truly felt we were stepping back in time to a simpler life.    It must seem strange to the laid back residents living in the middle of nowhere, that on one day a week, their quiet little paradise turns into a bustling crowd of sunburned, noisy people wearing floppy hats and sunglasses, who invade their privacy for a few hours, and then leave as suddenly as they came.  For now, this tiny speck of land will remain relatively remote particularly if the cruise ship has stopped going there as I recently read.  When one of the tourists on our cruise asked the captain of the ship how quickly someone could get back to 'civilization' in an emergency, he replied about two days.  There is no place for planes to land, and it is too far for helicopters to fly.  I don't know how fast one could make it in a fast boat but it took two full days and nights for the cruise ship to get there.  So for know, this tiny speck of land will remain relatively remote, and that's probably a good thing.

My favorite photos were of the children of Fanning Island.  They were cute and friendly and seemed to love the excitement of the tourists and were curious as to what we were all about:

Drum roll please......and now my favorite photo:

 

Phriday Phun

As I've mentioned, Fanning Island is very primitive with no electricity, plumbing, and of course, no restaurants.  There is nothing 'modern' except a small picnic area the cruise line set up for the tourists and all food is brought in from the ship.   We got a kick out of this sign and wondered if the native people even knew what 'pizza' was.

Exotic Dancers of Fanning Island

As you can see, the people of Fanning Island get plenty to eat, at least the dancers.   I'm assuming they eat lots of fish and fruit with some chicken and pork mixed in and probably no processed foods.  I wonder what about their diet or lifestyle contributes to their weight.  I do know that civilization has started to take its toll.  We were told there is quite a drinking problem with the men.

Many of the people, including children were missing teeth or had rotting teeth.  We were told not to give the children candy because this is a major problem.  They have no dental care on the island.

 

Wednesday Workday - (Interesting People in their Environment)

Continuing with 'theme week' on Fanning Island,  the people learned very quickly that the tourists would pay them money for their hand made trinkets, so all of a sudden the people became artisans and salesmen!  We were told to pay with one dollar bills, mainly because they did not understand money very well.  We heard a funny story about their newly acquired selling and buying skills.  Most of the tourists pay with American money.  At first the people did not know what to do with it.  Evidently they share everything in common and had a common pot where they collected what the tourists paid them.  They knew they could trade the money for supplies from the Australian supply ship that stopped every so often, but they needed Australian money.  When the cruise line heard about their dilemma they were told that when the ship was there, they would be allowed to come aboard and exchange their money.   The first time they came aboard to do so, the cruise people were shocked when they brought in thousands and thousands of one dollar bills!  I bet it didn't take long before they figured out exactly how many dollar bills they could extract from the tourists and what they could purchase with their money! 

A lady and her son selling their wares along a dirt path.

He made a sale and we asked him to autograph his work.

The official greeter wearing traditional attire.  He asked for tips.

There was a small 'shopping' area right by the little dock where the tourists were dropped off.

Tomorrow I'll post the dancers who entertained us.  They are like nothing I've ever seen in a grass skirt before!!!

Tech Talk Tuesday (Just the Basics)

Shoot Out - Crop In!

Many photographers say 'crop' your picture the way you want as you take the photo.   This shows forethought, skill and saves time so you don't have to edit in Photoshop.  Trouble is, sometimes you don't always see 'THE' picture until after you look at it more carefully.  Maybe you didn't see the ugly garbage can on the side of the frame that detracts from the picture.  Or maybe what looked good through the viewfinder looks too far away with not enough visible detail to make an interesting photo.  (Reminder: One of the BEST ways to instantly improve most photos is to zoom in close to your subject like I discussed in an earlier Tech Talk Tuesday.)  Or maybe you like the photo so much you want to blow it up to an 8x10 but you didn't leave enough room around your subject to change the crop ratio.  For all these reasons and more I like to frame my picture with ample room on all sides of the subject so I have the ability to alter the size and shape as I see fit later.  Here are a couple of examples of how cropping in tight improved the photo:

I thought the little red crabs on the neutral sand would be a colorful picture, but after I really looked at it I realized there was too little color, too much boring sand, and you couldn't see enough detail in the crabs to make the photo interesting.

Showing a close crop on one of these guys made a much more interesting photo.  (I just noticed I uploaded the wrong 'before' photo...but a similar one.  Oh well, you get the idea!)

The sky was ever changing that day from sunny to partly cloudy to overcast.  If there had been beautiful puffy white clouds and a deep blue sky, this photo would have been perfect.  But here, a large portion of the picture is just boring white sky.

Under the circumstances, a different shape crop took out the boring sky, and the close up made this scene visually more pleasing.

Fanning Island Paradise

(Note:  Theme Week -  Fanning Island.  See previous post.)

We walked out from the palms to a sight that took our breath away.  This beautiful white sand beach was totally deserted. The only thing you could see was the pristine aqua lagoon (also deserted),  rimmed with palms, and a row of perfectly aligned blue and white umbrellas each with a beach lounge underneath for as far as one could see.  This was set up solely for the use of the ship tourists on the day the ship was there, and is deserted the other 6 days of the week.  I kept thinking this scene should be used in a travel magazine or as advertisement for the cruise line it was so perfect.  (I wasn't smart enough to take my picture before all the tourists made themselves comfortable)

The water in this lagoon was as pleasant as it was beautiful.  It was warm, and shallow and calm.    We walked quite a ways out and I don't think the water got deeper than our waist.  No noise, no cell phones, no traffic.  This gave us the real meaning of 'getting away from it all!'

Theme Week - Fanning Island

Well, I'm off on yet another tangent!  I was sorting and organizing my photographs from one of our travels, reliving memories, and recalling the adventures we had.   I thought I'd post one on the blog, but there were so many I loved that I couldn't decide whether it should be a landscape, an interesting person, etc.  Then I had a brilliant idea....well, maybe not  exactly brilliant.  Anyway, every so often I will have a theme week, where all the posts that week will be about the same place, the same subject,  etc.  The week will still include 'Tech Talk Tuesday', 'Wednesday Workday', and 'Phriday Phun', but all with the same theme, and I'll end the week with my favorite picture posted on Saturday.  (P.S.  If anyone has a theme they'd like for the future, let me know!  It could be somewhere you know I've been, or maybe additional photos of something I've already posted.)

This will be FANNING ISLAND week.  

That's great you say, but where in the world is Fanning Island????  Fanning Island (also called Tabuaeran), is a very small atoll that is part of a group of atolls called the Republic of Kiribati and sits just off the equator in the Pacific Ocean.  It is close to the Marshall Islands and in between New Guinea and Hawaii.  It is a very small crescent speck of flat land covered with palm trees and white sand beaches.  Inside the 'crescent' is a beautiful aqua green lagoon.  This lagoon is almost completely enclosed by the small strip of land circling it,  and is about 7 miles in diameter.  The temperature year round varies between 80 and 82 degrees.  (Mmmmm, my kind of place!!)   It is probably the most primitive, remote place I will ever see in my lifetime.  There are no towns, (just a few small villages), no electricity, no plumbing, no medical or dental,  no commerce, no internet, in fact, no communication at all with the outside world.  No air strips, no paved roads, no restaurants, no motels.  Do you get the picture?   There are a little over 2000 citizens living here in true 'grass shacks' subsisting on fish and tropical fruit or what they can grow.  The only way to get there is by a decent sized boat, and it takes two days from Hawaii.  To my knowledge, there is only one 'white' man, or I should say outsider, living on the island.   Over 28 years ago, a young surf bum from California was traveling the world looking for adventure and somehow made it to Fanning Island, and he has lived there ever since.  He married a native girl and lives the primitive life they do.  He does have a boat and keeps in touch with family and friends by traveling to Hawaii occasionally.  Also, there is a supply ship from Australia that stops periodically.  It has been said that Fanning Island is about as close as it gets to an unspoiled, remote, natural tropical paradise on earth at this time.........

And then came the cruise ships!!!  A few years ago we wanted to cruise the Hawaiian Islands, (our first cruse and first time in Hawaii).  The cruise included two days at sea to Fanning Island.  We learned that because the cruse line was foreign, regulations required the ship to make at least one stop at a foreign port.  How they came up with Fanning Island, I'll never know.  There is no port, the ship anchors out in the ocean and we were tendered in.  The cruise line worked with the Republic of Kirabati to make a portion of the island available for tourists.  In one small area they have tables to eat lunch brought from the ship, and a large bathroom facility.  The cruise line also worked to help the people there.  Among other things, they were instrumental in building a simple primary school, and they allow the people access to the ship's doctor while in port.  Through the week I'll give you more information about this unique place to go with the photos I'll post.  One more bit of information.  I just read that the cruise line has now stopped going to Fanning Island.  We may very well have been given a window of opportunity to see what only a few others will now get to see, and they will have to hire a private boat for the trip.

Below are our first glimpses of the land itself.  (Sidenote:  If you get dscouraged and don't think your photography skills have improved with time, just go back a few years and critique your earlier work.  I think I have improved since I took these photos.)  

This was our first view of Fanning Island from the ship.  Just a little speck of palms in the middle of the ocean.  We were tendered into the lagoon through the small inlet on the right.  This part of the crescent is only about a stone's throw wide.  I wondered if they had ever had a tsunami here, as it would mean certain death to everyone on the island, because there is no high ground for safety.

A stroll along the lagoon side.

The natives fished in canoes and primitive boats.  I believe the only motorized boats were owned by the 'outsider' who after many years on the island was granted citizenship.  On the other side of the lagoon in the distance is the far side of the atoll.

The Norwegian Wind

Phriday Phun

HOW COULD YOU............

THAT'S MY SISTER!

As soon as I saw this expression as I was editing photos from the wedding last Saturday, I knew what I'd be posting for 'Phriday Phun".   I wish I could come up with a better title.  If anyone can think of something clever, let me know!!

Wednesday Workday - (Interesting People in Their Environment)

Snake Breeder - Costa Rica

Notes from a Phickle Photographer!!

When friends or strangers find out I enjoy taking pictures, they always ask what type of photography do I like???  Hmmm, well, ummm.  There are photogs who are passionate about stunning landscapes; others get a tickle in their tummy photographing beautiful brides; others like nothing better than spending hours hiding behind a bush waiting to snag a shot of an elusive bear; others can spend hours getting a yummy piece of chocolate cake to look perfect for a picture; others are into action sports; others only pick up their camera to take pictures of their kids, and on and on and on.  My response to the above question is that I am really a very fickle photographer.  I love the challenge of many types of subjects and know I'd get horribly bored shooting the same thing over and over.  Like the saying, 'a jack of all trades and a master of none', I guess I'm a jack of many types of photography and a master of none!  The down side to my approach is that I will never excel at shooting any one thing.  The upside is that I really have fun with photography and don't take it too seriously, (which is why I enjoy it), and when I come back to shooting a subject that I haven't done for a while, I have a fresh perspective and greater enthusiasm.  Additionally, when I look back at my photos, they are so diverse and unpredictable, that I am never bored.  I hope this comes through as I choose photos to put on the blog.  From one day to the next, you never know if you are going to see a beautiful waterfall, a stunning bride, a multicolored frog, a unique house or a huge strawberry.  It works for me and I hope it works for you.

With all that being said, I'm off on another tangent and I'm going to start posting "Wednesday Workday".  I mentioned in my last "Phun Phriday" post, (last paragraph),  that I've had an ongoing project doing character studies.  That is, shooting interesting people in their own environments, often work environments,  as I see them when I'm out and about.  They are either 'working' to earn a living, or 'working' at something else.  Remember, I'm fickle and get bored easily so I'll see how long this is fun.