We can’t seem to escape from these cloudy grey days down here, but it could be far worse, we could be somewhere farther north where it’s got to be colder. My Friday Feet today came from an impromptu photowalk around my the block, so to speak. I was taking a very needed break from writing one of three research papers that are due by next Friday.
One of the subjects of photography I have always loved to look for are reflections. Reflections are one of the more rarely photographed views basically because you have to search them out, and then try to make the subject useable. Reflections are everywhere, and they look great when they show up naturally. We have a small pond in the back of our place that has very little water in it right now, and consequently, it’s very black and still.
As I walked around the property I found a great combination, and created the shot below of me with my iPhone. There isn’t any special filters or photoshopping done to the image below, just a little boost to the contrast to bring out the leaves (see exif metadata here). The reflection of myself comes from the water, just like the trees above my head. The color and texture comes from the leaves sitting on the mud bottom of the pond, so the shot is both translucent, and reflective. All shots in this post were taken on my iPhone. Have a great weekend everyone.
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I have been a photographer now about as long as I have been a believer, and I have spent those 15-20 years trying to figure out how to combine both in a way that glorifies God. That tends to look different almost every day, and it did on this day once again. What draws me to photography is the ability to tell a story without words. Words are generally my weakness when it comes to telling a story (or just conversing with another person), but an image can transcend language, age, and culture. The difference at least in our culture is literally everyone has a camera, but few seem to know how to engage other people in a caring way.
And in comes Sunny. I was in Auburn on one of my favorite corners doing a photo walk of sorts (that means you walk around looking for something interesting to shoot, often it’s a person with some unique character, like Sunny). Problem is, every person with a camera who showed up before me just wanted to take Sunny’s photo and run, some, he explained, literally ran. No one was interested in telling his story. So I did what I always do before taking a photo of someone. I asked him. To my surprise, he said no. He asked me why I wanted to take his photo and I really didn’t have a good answer. This post is basically my answer to that question, but in the moment, I had nothing. I knew why, I wanted to tell his story, but I was thrown by his response and mentally froze.
So how do you convince someone you have never met before that you actually are interested in telling his story, and that no, you are not like everyone else who came before. I’m still not sure how to go about doing that, but we stood there and talked about life, faith, trains, writing, and music while college kids zipped by on the street and in their cars. It’s basically what I wanted to do in the first place. One thing I wish I had done at the time was take my own photo with Sunny. In a way I did, I’m right there in his sunglasses. Glad you too could meet Sunny as well, he was quite the character.
To answer my own question in the title, you listen for 15-20 minutes and shoot for 15-20 seconds.
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I love doing the back yard photo walk, mainly because you really don’t have to go anywhere to shoot. Every time you go out in your yard you will be surprised at how many new things there are to shoot each time you try it. It doesn’t seem that way at first, especially since you look at the same setting every day, but if you look hard, everything changes as the seasons move on, and there is always something new to shoot. Yesterday I went to test out this Nikon 35mm f/1.8 DX and this is what I came back with. Years ago when I was shooting Nikon’s FX (Full Frame sensor) I loved to shoot specifically at 50mm using a fast 50mm lens. Over the last few years I have been shooting with a crop sensor (or DX), which makes my 35mm lens a 52mm. All that to say this is about the same as something like this but with a different lens.
Have a great rest of the weekend everyone.
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Yes, now I remember sneezing my head off last year now, it was when the Cedar trees started to put out all of that lovely pollen. The photo of the day today is from a backyard photo-walk, which includes tons of Cedar trees out here. All three of these photos were taken with my iPhone today while I was out walking through the backyard. There are tiny little green buds on many of the trees and many other signs that Spring is almost here.
I love the changing of the seasons but there is just something about this time of year when God manifests His beauty in such a visible way that makes everything in creation scream out with color.
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The flowers around town tell us it is Springtime but for the last week or so it has been nothing but cold and rainy so last night before it got dark I did another photo walk-through in the back yard (see part 1 Backyard Dose of Spring Flowers // Photos). There were plenty of wild flowers blooming and the Dogwood trees are still in full bloom down here. I always think that if a photo needs an explanation it isn’t very good, but… the one with the sun in the middle was a spider web wrapped around a branch and the last photo is the very center of a Dogwood bloom.
If you walk around outside long enough you can always find something of beauty, even if it is actually in the eye of the beholder.
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Have you ever heard of a photo walk? A photo walk is very simple. Usually a group, consisting of a walk leader (usually an advanced or pro photographer) and those interested in participating in the photo walk. You choose a location that can be walked in a certain time frame and then you shoot what you come across and interests you photographically in the walk. An example of the results can be seen at the DPS Las Vegas photo walk which took place during the BlogWorldExpo in September.
They can take place anywhere you want to have a few photographers get together and pound the pavement (or dirt) to get those creative minds moving. For a photo walk tutorial or more information on how they are generally done, see 10 Tips For A Great Photowalk. This basically is what I did for 2 years at UAB while I was studing photography. We would just go out and shoot at a predetermined location and all look at the results the following class.
There are a few differences but it now has a fancy name, and we have things like blogs that can be used for show-and-tell. Whatever you want to call it, it is always a good learning process and helps open your eyes to what interesting photographic elements are around us all the time.
My Own Photo Walk in the Backyard
With all that said, you can always do a photowalk in your own backyard. I have done this for many many years and it doesn’t matter if you live in a high rise in NYC or on a farm in Alabama. There is always something you can call your backyard, even if it is the MARTA station outside your house or office in Atlanta (or MTA station if you are in NYC).
I try to get in a little exercise each day, so I usually walk in my backyard but now that the sun is setting around 4:30pm each day, I have to get out there a little earlier to be able to see where I am going. Yesterday I decided to take my camera bag with me and do a fast photo walk before the sun went down. I really only had time for two different shots.
First I came across this swarm of gnats flying through the setting sun. Have any of your photographer out there tried to get a acceptable shot of a swarm of gnats? Wasn’t as easy I had initially thought, but the second shot above was the result. This was shot hand held in manual everything. At least the wash of sun gave me some good color on the fall leaves in the background.
Next I came across this feather that was stuck in the barbed wire fence that runs along the length of our property. Probably something I walked by every day and just never noticed. One of my most favorite types of photography is marco photography (or closeup), so I took out my macro lens and shot the first image above as the sun had set. The sun was all but gone at this point so depth of field was interesting to preview, but it was an image I walked by every day and never noticed until I did the photo walk.
By the way, for those writers or painters out there it works the same way. Just take your canvas or journal and get out of your office or normal environment and see how creative you can be by changing your surroundings.
Any time you think there is nothing to shoot, just try taking a photo walk in your backyard. You might be surprised by the results. Anyone else tried this?
