Beautiful Bokeh

Dreaming In Pink

I remember way back when I first started trying to improve my photography, I discovered that my pictures had much more impact when I learned how to isolated my subject from the background.  In other words, have my foreground subject in sharp focus, and have the background a soft blur.  Wow, I really thought I had achieved greatness!  Yes, my photos did look better, but now years later, I realize I've moved past that revelation.  Maybe my tastes have changed, or I've become more critical or discerning, but now I often think that a completely soft, nondescript background is boring and really adds nothing to the photo.  Backgrounds are an important part of the overall picture, although not as important as the main subject.  Backgrounds can be used to enhance a mood, add supporting elements to a story, add visual impact.  

There are many ways to jazz up your backgrounds, but for the next few days I'm going to talk about bokeh.  In case you don't know, those large, globes of light you often see in the backgrounds of photos are called bokeh.  They can be different sizes, shapes, intensities, depending on the type of lens you are using, the aperture, the scene itself, the lighting, the distance, etc.  Bokeh isn't for every photo but can enhance a picture when you want to create a dreamy, soft scene such as with florals, weddings, or children's portraiture, for example.  Turning Christmas lights into bokeh is another example.

The other day I was determined to take some flower photos before fall arrives.  Here in Utah, we have had a very hot, dry summer, and our flowers are starting to fade quickly.  Early in the morning I headed out to Thanksgiving Point, a beautiful garden spot close to home.  Most of the flowers and/or stems were covered with water droplets, not from dew but from their early morning sprinkler shower.  I immediately thought of water reflections, light and bokeh, and so specifically looked for compositions that would enhance a bokeh background.

For the next few days, I'll show you my 'keepers' from that morning and tell you how to create bokeh backgrounds to make your photos more visually interesting.  

Sun Dance

Color Cordinated

This evening I sat beside a group of wild sunflowers in my backyard and observed and listened.  The evening sun highlighted the brilliant yellows and greens, just as if colored with a magic marker.  I watched as the busy bees moved from flower to flower, still working after a long day.  Occasionally a butterfly or other insect stopped by but quickly moved on when a bee claimed his territory.  The only sounds were the soft humming of the bees and the rustle of the breeze through the fluttering petals of the sunflowers.  There is such beauty in ordinary things.   It is amazing what one sees, hears and feels, if we only take the time. 

Look Into My Eyes.....

"An animal's eyes have the power to speak a great language."

--Martin Buber

"The eyes are one of the most powerful tools a woman can have.  With one look, she can relay the most intimate message.  After the connection is made, words cease to exist."

--Jennifer Salaiz

"His eyes are peculiar.  There is nothing in them, like an eclair without the cream filling.  It is wrong...."

--Gail Carriger

 "There are no seven wonders of the world in the eyes of a child.  There are seven million."

--Walt Streightiff

Alpine Loop - Another View

Cascade Springs - Another Petite Waterfall

Alpine Loop - Another Stop

Near the summit of the Alpine Loop (see previous post), is Cascade Springs where a boardwalk circles around a beautiful area of small waterfalls and pools.

The Alpine Loop

 Aspen & Red Berries

Still dark outside, the alarm on my phone coaxed me out of sleep with the mellow sounds of ..."it's a new dawn, it's a new day, it's a new life, and I'm feeeeeling good"  by Michael Buble.  At the moment I wasn't sure if any of that was true, but I crawled out of bed anyway, rounded up my camera gear and headed out.  

The Alpine Loop is a beautifully scenic, twisty drive on a narrow road up American Fork canyon, winding over the top of the mountains, past Robert Redford's Sundance Ski Resort and ending up in Provo canyon.  It is part of the Wasatch mountain range, which is part of the great Rocky Mountains, (commonly called the Rockies),  that stretch north and south over 3,000 miles in western North America.  

Spring and Fall are spectacularly beautiful here, with lush alpine scenes dominated by beautiful aspens trees with their white trunks and shimmering leaves flashing neon green in spring, and shades of bright yellow, and deep golden reds in autumn, and are set against craggy mountain peaks and the backside of Mount Timpanogas.  With wildflowers in the spring, waterfalls and natural springs along the way, it is certainly a mecca for landscape photographers shooting in this area. 

Since this drive begins only 10 minutes from my home, I try to take a morning off to enjoy this peaceful, beautiful place at least once during spring and fall.  Since I missed spring this year, I decided to see if I could find some inspiring scenes in the middle of a very hot summer, even though down in the valley the scorching sun has dulled spring greens, wild grasses have turned brown, and flowers struggle to survive in this dry desert climate.

After dodging runners, bikers and deer who were all sharing the narrow winding road in the pre-dawn darkness, I pulled off to the side and took a short walk though the woods where I found this lovely, lush scene.  I found my composition,  set my camera on a tripod and was ready to shoot just as the sun peeked over the mountain and cast a beautiful golden glow highlighting the bright red berries that were the focal point of my picture.  

The previous post of bees and butterflies was taken this same morning, as were the photos of waterfalls I'll post next.  I was well rewarded for listening to my alarm, and it was indeed, a new dawn, a new day, and I did feel great after my morning commune with nature!

Butterflies & Bees

 Can't We All Just Get Along??

Although there were hundreds of flowers and thistles where this shot was taken, this particular one must have been special, because the butterflies and bees were continually jockeying for a 'place at the table'!

(For those who are interested, I used a telephoto lens up close.  That put the background of foliage and flowers totally out of focus creating a beautiful pallette of soft color.  Because there is so much background visable, I added a texture using Photoshop layers to add depth and interest.)

Summer Job!

This bee decided not to share and found his own space.

Very Funny.....Is this true?????

Humm, this kinda sounds familiar!!!  
Is this just funny or can men really solve women's problems with a simple answer; or, are women's problems just simple and to the point (pun intended)??

August Desktop Image

Beautiful Belize

We sat in those chairs in front of the little beach shack we rented for one glorious week.  The amazing part was that there were no other tourists as far as we could see along the beach.  

As usual, you can go HERE to download this image in high resolution for your desktop.  It should not be blurry or pixelated.  Share with your friends but please do not use for commercial purposes.

Arches National Park

DOUBLE ARCH

There are so many photographs taken of famous landmarks, that my challenge is to try to capture nature's beautiful scenes with my own unique composition.  So often I see people walk up to a scene like this, and with no thought, snap a shot and turn and walk away.  One of the things I like about photography is that if your goal is to make a good picture, it forces you to really look at the scene from different angles and viewpoints, and take some time to really observe and enjoy what you are seeing.  For this picture I used a wide angle lens and took this shot from a low vantage point to add the dead trees for foreground interest.  Since I was shooting into the sun, (although it was behind the cliff), I knew I needed to take at least three exposures and blend them together in order to properly expose the sky and the front face of the rock which was in shadow.

P.S.  Can you see the little speck of sky peaking through the rock on the left side of the picture?  This is the beginning of another arch.  I didn't see it when I composed this shot, so I'm not sure how big it really is.

Glimpse of Zion

Southern Utah Red Rock Country

We see such beautiful and rugged country as this when we ride our RZRs, (side-by-side 4 wheelers), on the back trails of southern Utah.  Here we came upon a grand vista in all directions, with a glimpse of the rugged peaks of Zion National Park in the far distance.

(For those of you photographers who have 'photo gear envy', this was taken with my iphone.  I think if I had to choose between buying a new camera or buying a good photo editing program, I would choose the editing program.  Many photographers today feel that photography has evolved to include post processing as an essential step needed to create an image that accurately portrays the vision of the photographer.)

Fanning Island (for Suzanne)

Fanning Island, also known as Tabuaeran

is Part of the Island Nation of Kiribati

This is a beautiful little atoll, remote and primitive.  Several times a year cruise ships stop for a day and the beach and beautiful lagoon fill with tourists. 

Dreaming of Moorea

The island of Moorea, French Polynesia

We were fortunate to take two trips to Tahiti during the 18 months we were in New Zealand.  We had never heard of the tiny island of Moorea, just a short ferry ride from Tahiti.  We had heard of Bora Bora, but the locals told us that Bora Bora is very 'touristy', flat, and not as beautiful as Moorea.  We never got to see Bora Bora, but we can attest to the fact that Moorea is the most beautiful tropical place we have ever seen, (and that includes, Hawaii, Tahiti, Samoa, Fiji, Belize, Mexico, and Costa Rica).  This is where we stayed.  (Our missionary experiences in this part of the world were rough, but someone had to do it!!!!!  haha)

This photo was taken well after sunset when the water was a deep, rich combination of turquoise, aqua and coral pinks. 

AND THE WINNER IS...........

1970 Plymouth 'Cuda Convertible w/ 426 Hemi Engine

(original color paint called 'plum crazy')

Jeff's Car Story

Ever since I have known Jeff, he has had a fascination with cars.  In college, one of his buddies was rich enough to own a brand new muscle car, and it was fast and loud.  They would cruise the streets and watch heads turn.  I think that was when Jeff determined that one day he would own such a car.  

Of course as the years passed, there was no money for such a car, especially with the responsibilities of supporting a family, but he never forgot his love of cars, particularly one type of car.   More years passed and eventually they stopped making muscle cars, so Jeff knew that if he ever had the opportunity, he'd have to restore one.  

He came to know everything there is about the type of muscle car he was interested in.  As his knowledge grew, so did his reputation and people who were restoring cars or who wanted to buy cars to restore, started calling him to ask for advice or information.  He began driving down the back roads of small towns where ever we traveled, looking behind barns and garages and in wrecking yards, hoping to find long forgotten treasures on wheels.  Jeff is a 'wheeler and dealer' and began buying, selling and trading car parts that most people didn't want but car buffs did want.  He eventually built up a considerable 'car parts' business that pulled us through during some pretty tight years.  

As the years went by, the word spread about his expertise and he has become the local expert on his type of car.  I often joke that you could show him a single bolt or screw and he could tell you exactly where it fit...and that is true!  Car wholesalers from England and Australia found out about him, and for years he acted as a broker and found and shipped vintage American cars oversees.  His 'fame' for his knowledge of these cars, where to find them, how to restore them, where to find the parts, continued to grow.  He is asked every year to judge various car shows in and out of the state.  

About the time Jaron became a teenager, there was a little extra money, so Jeff found an old car and they spent many hours restoring it.  What a wonderful bonding experience.  They put his car in several car shows.  Then when Dalin was about ready to drive, Jeff found an old car for him and they spent many hours together restoring it.  Another wonderful bonding experience.  They put this car in several car shows.  While Dalin was on his mission, Jeff was contacted by a motion picture company who was shooting a film in Utah and they wanted to use a specific muscle car and when they asked around town, they were led to Jeff.  The car was in the movie, and Jeff and I went to Hollywood for the premier.  We felt so bad Dalin wasn't here for this.  And continuing the tradition, Jeff has spent equal time with Tyler restoring cars.  I used get irritated that Sunday dinner conversation almost always revolved around car talk.  Now I know this was a great blessing.  There is nothing our sons like better than to be together with their Dad with their heads under the hood of a car, or going to a car show together.  They are all best friends.  

But I digress.....Over all these years Jeff has helped his friends and his sons restore cars, but still no car for him.  Then about 10 years ago, through a series of unusual circumstances, Jeff heard of someone who owned Jeff's dream car, a rare and highly sought after car.  The only problem was, he didn't know the person's name.  He only knew the car was stored in a little town in Idaho and the owner lived in Alaska.  Jeff was not going to let that stop him, so one day he took off for Idaho.  He started asking all around town, and by some miracle found the owner who was in town visiting his mother.  And there in a rickety, old garage, covered by a tarp, under a ton of junk, there was.....another piece of junk, at least that's what any normal person would think. But Jeff knew better.  He knew that this was a diamond in the rough, and when restored to it's original beauty, it would be a very expensive car.  The owner was no longer interested in the car, they struck a deal, and driving home with that old car on a trailer, I don't think I've ever seen Jeff so excited.

 Finding the car and its owner

Jeff stripped it down to this.  Is it really a car?

 

But with family, work, and spare time spent helping the boys restore their cars, Jeff has only worked on his car from time to time, so for many years, it mostly sat in a garage gathering dust.  Now after about 10 years, it is still not complete, although almost.  (I keep teasing him that if he doesn't get it finished soon, he'll be too old to drive it!)   Okay, we are almost to the climax of this story.  One of the local car shows where he has acted as a judge for years, took place several weeks ago.  Jeff decided, finished or not, he was going to pull the car out of the garage, get it washed and polished and finally put it in a car show.   

Drum roll please.........he won the two most prestigious awards,  First Place in his Class, and Best Car of the Show.  Congratulations Jeff!  

Now the only thing left is to take it out for a cruise and watch heads turn!!!!   

(In the above photo, the purple car is Jeff's and the yellow car behind it is Dalin's that was in the movie.) 

Desert Neighbor!

We've been down to our new little casita (small winter vacation home) in the southern Utah desert, trying to get a bit of furniture moved in and working to get things organized and ready for when we want to spend time here in the winter.  I think we managed to be here during the hottest day so far this summer when the temperature hit 110 degrees F.  I've been waiting for a hot, dry summer since I've spent the past several summer seasons in rainy, humid, lukewarm New Zealand weather, which is probably why that country is so green and beautiful.  Anyway, walking in the desert a short distance from our home I found this little guy sunning himself and he didn't seem too concerned about me.  I was able to get about 4 feet from him.  Of course I didn't have my camera, and it was in the middle of the day with harsh light, but this is what I got with my iphone.  I have no idea if he is a gecko, a lizard, or something else.

Big Horn Sheep - Zion National Park

We were lucky to spot a herd of Big Horn Sheep while we were driving through Zion National Park.  There were mostly females and babies and they hung around the same spot for quite a while, nibbling on leaves and scrub for their evening meal.  This guy was the largest of the group, and had the largest horns, but was very elusive, staying by himself and usually hiding behind shrubbery and rocks.  I was lucky to be in the right spot to snag a couple of shots when he came out in the open briefly.

OH MY! WHAT HAVE I DONE!

Second Place

Auckland Photo Contest - 2012

This week is the one year anniversary of one of those 'what was I thinking' moments, that at the time, I couldn't believe I did.  They say confession is good for the soul, so here is my closely guarded secret, that for the past year I've only shared with a few.

Shortly after we arrived in New Zealand for our mission in 2011, I was delighted to hear of an annual, month long photography festival.  There were special events, classes, photography shows, renowned photographers from all over the world presenting classes and lectures on all aspects of photography, throughout the Auckland area during the month of June.  

As part of the festival there is one day designated as a contest day.  Any one can enter photos relating to the theme, 'My Day in Auckland'.  The main requirement is that the submitted photos must be taken only on that day.  Since it was a Saturday, Jeff and I decided to explore downtown Auckland, and of course, I took my camera.  It was fun to see multitudes of photographers everywhere we went, taking photos for the contest.  At the end of the day, I decided to enter a few of my photos, and as I expected, I won nothing!

Fast forward to the next year when I started receiving emails announcing the events for the festival coming in June, 2012.  I clicked the link to the festival website and looked at all the winning photographs from the last year.  I noticed many of them were not typical photos of the beautiful scenery and sights of New Zealand, but often included people in compositions that were more unusual or even quirky.

The day of the festival photo contest I was up earlier than Jeff, and as I walked past the bedroom door and glanced in, I saw Jeff in bed, with his feet sticking out, and beautiful blue sky above his head.  I immediately had this composition come to me, with his feet in focus, (showing the havoc New Zealand weather had on his skin), and the rest of him in soft focus.  I hurried and got my camera and got the shot.  I thought it was a funny photo and on a whim, asked him permission to include it with the other two photos I was going to submit that I really liked and hoped might catch the judges' attention.  

I didn't think anymore about it until a few weeks later when I received word that I was awarded second place with this photo over around 1500 other entries.  First I was shocked, then I was pleased, and finally I was horrified!  Although there is nothing revealing or wrong with the photo, this certainly is not a very dignified pose for a missionary!!!  To add to my dismay, the photo and my name were published in the newspapers and on the web.  I held my breath for about a month afterwards, waiting for someone at church, or our other missionary friends, or some one at the church area office building where we worked, to mention they had seen the photo, but if any one did see it, they never mentioned it to me.

At the time, I did tell a close friend and photographer who lives in the Auckland area.  About a month ago she sent me a copy of the brochure used to advertise this year's festival, and sure enough, they used my photo.  Sigh!  Luckily Jeff is a good sport and was not too concerned about the whole thing.  

There now, I feel much better with that off my chest.  By the way, below are the other two photos I entered in that contest:

      

Garden Bouquet

Flowers From My Garden and Mom's Tea Cup

You know, sometimes snapping the shot and trying to 'get it right in the camera', is just not enough for me.  Don't get me wrong, I love taking pretty pictures and I try to improve my 'in camera' skills, but sometimes that just doesn't satisfy my creative side.  I'm one of those photographers who love the artistic possibilities that technology has given us, and sometimes I find great satisfaction in using a photo as a starting point, and then creating my interpretation of the image.  

I was enjoying my garden this morning and decided I wanted to remember my peonies and yellow roses before they disappeared.  As I snipped a few and stuck them in a green plastic glass and set them on the counter, I remembered how much my mother loved flowers and gardening, which she did until about 6 months before her death at age 96.  Growing up in California where we had flowers year round, she would always have a camellia or two floating in a bowl of water, or a single hibiscus or gardenia, or a couple of roses in a bud vase, adorning our kitchen table.  But only a few at a time, because she would really rather enjoy them outdoors in their natural setting.  As I looked at my bouquet, I remembered a tea cup of my mom's, that complimented the colors of my flowers.  (She collected tea cups and was a china painter.)  I added the cup and saucer to my composition and took my photo.  When I downloaded it to the computer, it just begged me to add some editing pizazz, and the above photo is the result.  Below is the shot SOOTC (straight out of the camera). 

(In addition to the dust specks and light switch detracting from this composition, it is also under exposed.)

Sea of Sego Lilies

Sego Lily - State flower of Utah
Between 1840 and 1851 food was very scarce in Utah due to a crop-devouring plague of crickets.  During this time the pioneers learned to dig up and eat the soft, bulbous root of the sego lily. 

This past weekend we had a wonderful time in Moab and Arches National Park with family.  While on one of our RZR rides, (side-by-side 4 wheelers), we came upon this beautiful field of yellow wild flowers followed by another beautiful sea of sego lilies.  I don't think I've ever seen so many sego lilies in one place at one time.  As is typical when we travel, I see some of my favorite scenes in the middle of the day, and this was no exception.  Here it is mid day with glaringly bright sun creating harsh shadows and washing out all the colors.... not at all conducive for great photography.....or for that matter, even semi-good photography.  As Joel Sartore, (a photographer for National Geographic), said in a workshop I attended, "good light is good and bad light is bad"!  So true!  Anyway, I did more editing than usual to try to make this less bad!!!!