Dust Off that Macro Lens

My photo this week was taken with my Tokina AT-X 100mm F/2.8 macro lens which I purchased used on ebay several years ago.  I infrequently use the lens, but every once in awhile, I take it out for a walk around.  

One reason I shy away from using my macro is that it requires me to slow down and causes me to be more deliberate (proactive)  in my photography.  When using this macro lens, its thin depth of field becomes a blessing and a curse as it is difficult to manage keeping the camera and objects photographed on a parallel plane. 

Macro photography also requires a physical steadiness that is slipping away with passing years, but simultaneously makes me feel quite smug for buying a tripod that I enjoy using.  Periodically, I return to macro photography because it gives me unexpected glimpses into unique details hidden within ordinary objects, and the design of the macro lens accents those details with flowing dreamy colors and shapes surrounding the subject. 

My subject for this week's photo was just outside my front door.  Those irises which were stiff, green blades with tight buds last week, became delicate, colorful blooms today.  Since irises remain in bloom for such a short period, I photographed them to celebrate their blooming time beyond their normal brief season.

The featured photo is a single exposure that I photographed from a perspective to use the concrete sidewalk as its background.  I chose this as a background to isolate this iris from the many others around it and to create a high key effect. This was done intentionally to display the fine details within this particular flower.  

My reward was that I was able to see, for the first time,  that silky, transparent protective membrane surrounding each bloom that is much like a the wrapping of a cocoon around an emerging butterfly.  My composition created the fine art effect that I desired and reminded me how mysterious and "intrically simple" are the ways of nature.

In Praise of Seconds

How do you feel about seconds?  When we think of seconds, we may think about having seconds of a tasty dessert, purchasing seconds, as in factory seconds, which may represent a special value in clothing or matresses, etc. or being awarded a second as in finishing the competition as a runner up -- good but not the best.  Seconds can represent something positive, something that is functional which is simply good enough, but seconds may also dennote an undesirable or disappointing outcome.  

I am thinking about seconds because I am in the process of identifying my most fundamental beliefs or closely held values in the form of a short list.  One of those beliefs that will make my final "life list" is the concept of seconds as in second looks, second chances, etc.

This week's photo falls under that label of a second.  It does not meet my standard as an excellent photo or as I like to call them, "a wall hanger".   As a photograph it will remain in an obscure digital file on my computer but it has served its immediate purpose by displaying to me that I have got a lot of learning to do if I am to change my future results.

The biggest flaw in this photo is that it doesn't feel right. It is not engaging intellectually or emotionally. I believe that great photos stir a response initially within the photographer and then within the viewer.  This one clearly is a second in that regard. The "What's Wrong List" starts with the object arrangement, their proportions, and the absence of textures which create dimension.  The list grows from this point to include the following:  1. a crop that is too tight, 2. lighting is underexposed given that most objects are dark in color, 3. there is no defining reflection off the Mason Jar leaving the right side with no highlights and  4. the worn revolver provides no physical dimension or meaning so it seems to lay within the frame like the horse head in the Godfather movie scene.  Except, it doesn't even provoke shock.

What is right about this photo is that it motivates me to study and shoot a still life again.  Creating a still life is challenging and fun.  This photo contains nothing that is not correctable given a second chance and further knowledge about composing still life photos.  My next attempt may not be a wall hanger either but I will be satisified knowing that I will use my disappointment with this photo to motivate my next attempt.

I invite you to tell me how what you would change to make this photo a future keeper.  How do your failures influence your photography?

Saluting Spring Greens

This photo was taken in a local forest preserve near me that holds a treasure chest of unusual ducks, birds and critters such as deer, foxes, coyotes, and bobcat and an abundance of wild berries whose vines wrap around your feet as you try to walk through its wilder areas. I chose to take this photo because of the variety of greens and the water which will soon succomb to pond scum that will hold sway until late fall.

Before summer pushes to center stage, I wanted to speak of spring greens. Springtime is the only season of the year when nature provides us with a full palete of green unlike any time of year.  Maybe it is because winter has dulled my senses, but each spring I am stunned and rejuvenated by the array of green color that blankets the landscape.  Picking a favorite season of the year is like picking your favorite child.  I just can't do it.  Each child has their own qualities that quicken and squeeze my heart and together they give meaning to belonging and family.  I am convinced that each child contibutes special qualities adding to the fullness of my life, as does each season. 

Next Step

Within my first two blogs, I hope to provide a broader understanding for the content within the blog.  My first blog discussed the phrase "Taking a second look"which appears in the title banner.  The title for my blog is a nod to the late Dr. John Spates, "Doc John".  The complete story behind the quote, " I Like to Hear It Click" is for another time but John's words have remained with me over the years reminding me to remain curious and playful and not allow my photography to become stuffy or rigid.    The second part of his advice is that photographers, such as I,  sometimes do not know what draws them to take certain photographs.  I think it is like a moth to a flame thing.  Therefore, just hearing it click is a sufficient explanation.

This blog would not be here if it were not for the encouragement and coaching of Chris Quillen, close friend and mentor.  Chris renewed my interest in photography by sharing techniques and ideas in his photography classes and during our informal Friday coffee conversations. Some photographers act like they are a wizard and will withhold ideas and techniques because they feel insecure with their status as a wizard.  Chris has been more of a lighthouse keeper as he shares his experience to help other photographers find their own path.

You can find Chris Quillen's photos at https://www.flickr.com/photos/grumpyoldphotographer -- or at his blog, grumpyoldphotographer.blogspot.com.

Forrest Gump says, "Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you will get."  For me, this photo was not the one I anticipated taking last week.  I was hoping to get a wildlife photo but took home a landscape photo.  The late evening water reflections were vivid and pond scum had begun taking over the water's surface giving it a haze like quality.  An added pinch of gaussian blur in post processing seemed to compliment the hazy evening effect.    

The wildlife I had hoped to photograph didn't appear, and the ones that did appear kept their distance out of camera range.  Therefore, I decided to do a landscape photo with a distant Blue Heron as part of the scene.  As I was snapping the photo, an osprey came flying across my scene and he boldly captured a role as the co-star.   Sometimes, what we get isn't what we expected. So, we graciously embrace what is before us and find the beauty that is seen within our soul more than through our eyes.  

 

Sugar River Bluebells

The First Step

My first blog!  For weeks I have thought about starting this blogging adventure with the usual questions:       

What do I have to say or show that may be of interest to others?

What makes my thoughts or photos any more special or note worthy than those of others?

Will I sustain the interest or be able to generate content necessary to keep a weekly blog relevant?

Rather than being answered, those questions still roam about in my mind.   I move ahead with the encouragement of a good friend and with the knowledge that what goes into my blog is important to me -- and perhaps some readers may identify with some my thoughts.  

Writing research shows that when we write to communicate with others, we are simultaneously refining our own thoughts about the subject.  Hence, you see the phrase,  "Taking a second look"  at the top of this page.  While a work in progress, this blog will be a place for taking a second look at a photo each week and sharing a personal reflection or question prompted by the week's photo.

This week's photo features a patch bluebells.  Generally they grow in woodland areas where they carpet the floor with a soft blue haze that will not be seen at any other time of year.  Springtime is their moment to own the spotlight.  Getting that spotlight to shine on them is what made this photo challenging.  While the bluebells were in abundance, so were random trees and bushes of different sizes, fallen limbs, tree stumps, and lots of thorny wild raspberry canes poking up randomly throughout the frame.  By shooting this photo in a portrait format, I surrendered capturing the wider expanses of bluebells, but was able to eliminate many of those distracting elements giving the bluebells the spotlight they needed for their brief appearance at center stage.   

Life is short.  We all need to get better in finding ways to put others and their ideas in the spotlight at critical times so others can celebrate their beauty.