The Fire Within

The Fire Within

Here is the LINK to the photos I used in the FLOWER POWER class I taught last night.

Here's How I Did it!

Here's the story behind the previous post.  We were with our grandchildren at a butterfly park and I took the first photo.  I was mainly concerned with getting the butterfly in focus and didn't have time to worry about composition.  Later, as we made our way around the park, I noticed this flower with a little water puddle captured in the center.  I loved the texture, the reflections, the swirls and the dots of light so I snapped a shot with the sole purpose of using that photo to create an interesting background for another image.  I enlarged just the center and then cloned parts of it into the first image, overlapping, and making multiple adjustments along the way.  Then I flattened all the layers and cropped out all the distracting stuff I didn't like.  Easy peezy!! 

In a Butterfly's Dream

In a Butterfly's Dream

I'm preparing for a class I'm teaching next week on creating unique flower photos.  Check back tomorrow to see how I combined two images and ended up with this.

Misty Watercolor Memories

Misty Watercolor Memories

(This is what Karen Saw)

(This is what the camera saw)

Splish Splash!

Isn't Spring Wonderful!!!!!

In a Soft Light

In a Soft Light

He Loves Me...........

 'He Loves Me............'

(Do you get it?  I mean the title?)

Sometimes an image is more interesting when the subject is not perfect or it is different than what you'd expect to see,  like a repetitive pattern that is broken.  Imagine a row of blue beach umbrellas, perfectly spaced and lined up along a beautiful beach.  That would be lovely, but it would be more interesting if just one umbrella, maybe a bright yellow one, broke the pattern and stood out in the middle of the blue ones.

 I think that most photographers would be more inclined to take a picture of a 'perfect' flower rather than one that was damaged or had some of the petals missing.   In the above image, I think the flower in focus, the main subject, is more interesting with just one petal missing.  (No I didn't pull it off before taking this shot, but I might have if I'd thought of it!!)  Does it bother you that the flower, as the main subject, is not perfect?

Wild Flowers and Red Rock

Layers of Interest

Lovely wild flowers, craggy red rock cliffs, and a beautiful sky.......doesn't get much better that this for a landscape photographer!

A Peek at Zion

Zion National Park

Actually I don't know if I was in the park or not.  This was taken from a road outside of the park heading to Kolob Reservoir.  It was a beautiful drive and starts at the main road that goes through the tiny town of Rockville, just a few miles from the main entrance into the park.  There were signs along the way that said I was in the park, then out of the park, then in again so I don't know if I was in or out where I was standing to take this photo.  I am positive, however, that the rock formations in the background are in the park.

When a Photo Becomes the Canvas

Horse With No Name

I posted this photo on several photography sites and received great reviews.  Evidently the image was pleasing to some people other than myself.   

Question:  Is a pleasing image enough in and of itself, or, to be pleasing and acceptable, does the viewer need to approve of the way it was produced?   Does the artist need to reveal or describe the techniques and process used to produce the image, before the viewer can evaluate whether that image is good or not? Does a painter tell us the sizes and types of brushes he used, justify the reason why his abstract of a person only has one eye, why he painted tree leaves turquoise, or why his sunset is in black & white when his eyes see orange and red?  Does he need to tell us where his inspiration came from in the first place?   Do we need to know all this information before we make a value judgment about the finished piece of art???

Consider this situation:  Several times I have observed people discussing and admiring a photo image.   Then when one says something like, "oh that must have been photoshopped",  the value of the photo is dismissed as not being as worthwhile, despite the fact that it is a great image.  I think that while digital photography and using advanced technology to create beautiful art has opened up amazing opportunities for artists, the general public is not quite up to speed or accepting.  For many people, a photo is still just a photo and adding to it or taking away from it is cheating and devalues the finished piece of art. 

I wish these people could have been at the workshop I attended last week.  A professional photographer, educator and digital artist talked a bit about Ansel Adams and showed and discussed some of his most famous photographs.  He showed pictures of his original negatives and then what the finished, famous photos turned out to be, (which incidentally, looked nothing like the original photographs after he spent hours in the dark room)!  If the general public knew the extensive manipulation Mr. Adams did to produce his work, I would not be having this discussion since he is still one of the most famous and well known photographers of all time.  The bottom line is that photography has ALWAYS been about art, and has ALWAYS been about the artist's views and unique renditions of life and reality.   I've said this before, and this professional photographer echoed my sentiment, that if Ansel Adams were alive today he'd be an avid proponent of digital, Photoshop and every other editing program or medium that would make his work as an artist easier!

Now, even though I don't think you need to know how I produced the above photo to enjoy it,  for your amusement (I hope), I will show you my straight out of the camera shot and tell you the story and inspiration I had in going from the beginning shot to the final image above.  Drum roll please........expect to be wowed........here it is:

Wait for it.........wait for it...........here it comes.......

Is the anticipation building........

I won't make you wait any longer........

 TA DA!  What?  You're not wowed???  Didn't think so.  Probably even disappointed.  Well when I downloaded this shot on my big screen computer monitor I wasn't disappointed, in fact I was excited.  Because when I took this I already had the inspiration and vision of what my final image would look like and this was the perfect starting point.  In other words the photo became my beginning canvas.

But let me start at the beginning.  This is a roundabout (traffic circle), that I go through often when we are at our little casita in southern Utah.  The artwork of this roundabout is truly beautiful in reality.  The big rock outcroppings are all manufactured, (not real), although they look perfectly real, and all around the circle are beautiful wild stallions, horses in bronze, and on the side not showing is a handsome native American warrior galloping on one of those beautiful horses.  (You can just see a bit of him behind the right rock, that I removed in the final image because it was distracting.) 

One evening I was driving there at sunset, and in my mind's eye I could see a stunning image just waiting to be revealed.  I've had that image in my mind for several months, and finally a few weeks ago I grabbed my camera and decided I would make that vision a reality.  

Capturing the actual image was the hardest part.  After walking all around, I realized that in order to isolate one of the horses in the space between the rock outcroppings and still be facing the right direction to capture a silhouette image after the sun went down,  I had to be standing right in the middle of the street.  Of course there was no time to set up a tripod.  I had to wait for an opening in the traffic, run out and snap a few shots, then quickly get out of the way of oncoming cars.  I did this numerous times, from various angles and I still didn't get the horizon level.  I didn't worry about that or the lovely 'yield' sign I managed to include, because all that would be corrected later.  And believe it or not, because I have my camera set to shoot RAW images, there was still a lot of color left over from the sunset, that I was able to bring back when I was creating the final image.  It was still not as dramatic as the image in my mind, however, so I worked until I got the colors and mood I wanted.

That's it!  If you stuck with me through this, I hope you enjoyed my journey from beginning inspiration to end result.  For me, it is a very fun and satisfying experience!

P.S.  Here's a link to Scott's Sunset Sunday to see another beautiful sunset.

   

Zion National Park Big Horn Sheep

Big Horn Sheep

What began as a dozen desert bighorn sheep reintroduced into Zion National Park in 1973 has now become a healthy herd of over 500 that freely roam the 70,000 acres of habitat in and around Zion National Park in Utah.

It is a common sight to see them roaming around tourist areas, and they allow humans to get fairly close because they have learned they have no need to fear us.  I stopped along side the road in the early evening where a fairly large herd was looking for dinner.  I stood in front on my car and was able to take the above shots.  Soon they decided 'the grass was greener' on the other side of the road, so one after another they crossed to the other side.

 

From the look on the driver's face, I don't think he even saw this little guy moving quickly to get out of his way!  Maybe they should be afraid of humans in cars!

Scarlet Beauty - Utah Desert Cactus

Scarlet Beauty

Sun Kissed Bee

This Just Makes Me Happy!

These wild flowers were very small as you can see in comparison to the size of the bee.  I had my macro lens on and couldn't get close enough bending over, so I sat down in a tiny clearing in the middle of a small field of these flowers.  It was then that I noticed there were bees all around me.  My first thought was to get up and move, but I soon realized they were much too busy with their work  and didn't pay any attention to me.  For a while a just sat and watched them work, soaked in the warm sun and enjoyed a peaceful moment.  This was my best shot.   

Wind Dancer

WIND DANCER

Cactus Bloom at Sunset

I love cactus blooms.  I love the combination of a delicate soft flower growing amid the inhospitable prickly thorns.  We have a cactus in our yard similar to this and the blooms only lasted one day.

Easter Thoughts

Death and Life

I was thinking about what to post for Easter and I initially thought about a photo of an Easter Lily.  But today, Saturday, while on a ride in our RZRs, I saw this scene and immediately knew this would be my Easter post.

 The day started out with perfect weather, deep blue skies, puffy white clouds and pretty scenery.  But by late afternoon, we were riding through acres and acres of dead and blackened trees, remnants from a previous forest fire.  To add to the scene, the sky had clouded over with dark and ominous looking clouds.  We drove on for several miles, then rounded a bend and came across this scene, where these beautiful spring flowers had popped up among the dead trees.  Death and Life. 

God reveals His divine plan for us in many ways if we just look, listen and feel.  We can read about it in His scriptures, we can ask about it through personal prayer and receive personal confirmation.  And, we can observe the workings of the world He created for us, which in many ways symbolizes death and rebirth.  We celebrate Easter in the spring, when the earth awakens and comes alive again after a long winter's sleep that represents death.  And even when forces of nature, such as fire, kills all living things, we know that eventually life will win over death, the grass will return, the flowers will return, and the trees will return.

God has given us the greatest gift of being born again, or being resurrected, and He sent His beloved son Jesus Christ to show us the way.  It doesn't matter if we die in the Spring of life, or in the winter of life, or some where in between.  It doesn't matter what our life's circumstances have been, whether we have led a charmed life, or a troubled life.  Eventually the ominous clouds will gather and we will die.   But because of the resurrection and atonement of our Savior, Jesus Christ, we will all live again to meet our Redeemer and be reunited with our loved ones!!

'Oh what comfort this sweet sentence gives, 

"I know that my Redeemer lives!"'  

(I know That My Redeemer Lives) 

I hope you have a peaceful Easter Sunday.

P.S.  This photo was taken with my iphone.  I was sitting on the ground and had the phone resting on my foot for a low angle and to keep it steady.  I did a fair amount of post processing as well.

  

 

More Desert Beauty

Are you tired of cactus photos yet????  

The desert does not display it's spring treasures in a grand way.  In fact, sometimes one has to go on a 'treasure' hunt and look closely to find such beautiful and colorful blooms such as these.  I went on a little desert hike with a local photo club the other day, and the leader had already scouted out the route for the hike and lead us to some beautiful blooming cacti, some of which are rare in our immediate area.  I wish I could remember the names of all of them.

White Prickly Poppy

Two compositions of this desert flower.  Can't decide which I like the best.

Valley of Fire Bloom

Valley of Fire Challenge

On a recent trip home from a car show in Las Vegas, I took a detour through Valley of Fire State Park.  As is often the case when I can snatch some time for photography, it was in the middle of a bright, sunny, windy, hot, cloudless day.  So I didn't bother taking shots of all the red cliffs because the colors would be washed out, there would be deep shadows and the sky would be plain and boring.  So I found this scene with one lone bloom and used it as the focal point for my composition.  Because the flower was relatively small and not very colorful against the red sand, I used a wide angle lens and shot very close in order to exaggerate its size.

Lunar Eclipse

Lunar Light Show

I must be nuts to be posting this at 3:00 am, but I decided that I would try to photograph the eclipse and the full eclipse did not take place until around 1:30 am.  Then sleep eluded me, so here I am!  

This photo is a composite of two shots with two different lenses.  The moon was taken with a telephoto in manual: 300mm, 1 sec, f/11, ISO 2500.  The mountain was taken with a wide angle in manual:  16mm, 30 sec, f/11, ISO 1600.  I combined them in Photoshop.  In full resolution, there is quite a bit of noise.  I did not increase the saturation at all, but found it interesting that what I saw with my eyes was not nearly as orange as the color the camera captured.