ZOOMING OUT, BETTER STORYTELLING

Elbe River, Dresden, Saxony, Germany, May 26, 2024

We had met with a dear friend in one of the lovely beer gardens along the Elbe River in Dresden, Saxony and enjoyed a great time together. On the way back to the apartment we watched mighty thunderheads developing around us and with them the low sitting sun created some spectacular light in the sky and on the river.

I took a few pictures of the scene, zooming in on the clouds, with the sun beams as my subject, but wasn’t really happy with the results. I realized that it was more about where to place the different elements in the frame, the river with reflections, the steam boat, the silhouette of the building, and of course the position of the sun in the cloud. Zooming slightly further out made finally for better storytelling about location and time.

Nikon Z6II, Nikkor Z 24-70, f/4 S,   @ 43mm, 1/500 s, f/8, ISO 100

REFLECTIONS AT LOW TIDE

Reflections at low tide in Rockaway Beach, Oregon

On our first day traveling along the coast of Oregon we scouted and explored the northern part and finally unpacked our luggage in Rockaway Beach, a small but somehow charming community. During a short walk at low tide on the beach we finally saw the sun and lots of color replaced the gray that made most of the day. What a photo can’t transmit is the smell of the ocean, but I hope you get the idea that we had a marvelous time. Fresh cod and other seafood, combined with a local India Pale Ale, are hard to beat for a dinner that followed this walk on the beach… 😊

Nikon Z6II, Nikkor Z 24-70, f/4 S,   @ 40 mm, 1/400 s, f/10, ISO 200

MINNESOTA NORTHWOODS - #9

Sunrise over Lake Shumway, Savanna Portage State Park, Minnesota

I climbed out of the sleeping bag before sunrise and walked over to the lake. A band of clouds covered the rising sun and it became clear I wouldn’t get the light on the lake as I was hoping for. It was very quiet, no noise from any traffic, neither cars nor airplanes, just a deep silence. When the sun came up above the tree line a few gaps in the clouds started to open and suddenly sun spots were reflected on the lake. I knew I had my photo, carrying the mood from this gorgeous and quiet morning.

GET IT RIGHT IN CAMERA

Ortenburg castle, Bautzen / Germany

There are different ways to fill a window and as you can see I found a few over the years. It seems to become popular to replace the sky or other elements of a picture in Photoshop. There might be sometimes a reason to that, but I still prefer what I learned during the ages of film, “get it right in camera”…

Window in Aminas Fork, an old mining ghost town in Colorado.

Prague, Czech Republic

Chicago, Illinois

INTENTIONAL?

Sometimes things take a weird twist. Quite often a click is made with a good intent but the results are just not even close what the photographer had in mind. I guess everybody who puts some thoughts in their photography can relate to that statement. But here is a story how it can become just the opposite.

Last Friday night, while sitting in a chair and some good music coming out of the loudspeakers, I made some test shots with high ISO settings. I saw the light from the lamp beside me reflected and distorted in a window across the room. The blossom of a house plant in front of the window was my subject to test focus and handholding the camera and lens in low light. There wasn’t really an intent for a good picture. While evaluating my shots on the computer screen I realized the shadow of the flower on the glass of the window and I liked this effect. The lamp is just normal incandescent light, with other words very boring, and so I tweaked the white balance of the image into the extremes you can see here. Hey, now we have an artsy-fartsy-like-shot, or not…?? 😊

REFLECTIONS - PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBITION AT THE DUBUQUE MUSEUM OF ART

During opening reception

I start today’s blog post with a quote from the exhibition brochure:

REFLECTIONS is the 7th consecutive photography exhibition by the Dubuque Camera Club at the Dubuque Museum of Art.

Reflections may be discovered in landscape, nature, still life, architecture, and portraiture. Twenty club members used digital photography to interpret this year’s theme. Each photographer brings an individual viewpoint to the click.

Qualities such as composition, color and vibrance, mood, symmetry, or choice of subject come into play to make a photo meaningful for the photographer, and hopefully, for the viewer. You are invited to reflect upon this selection of photos from our club members.

Tonight was the opening reception, which had a nice turnout. I had a picture in last year’s show and I’m proud to mention that again one of my photos is on display in 2019. You can see the photos through November 10, 2019. Here is a hint for the budget minded. Thanks to a sponsor admission to the museum is free every Thursday during 2019. If photography is not the only thing you like, the DMA has a couple other exhibitions at the moment. Visit their website for more information http://dbqart.org


MISSISSIPPI RIVER STORIES 2019 #01 - ATTEMPT TO GET THE BIG ONE

American White Pelican, Mississippi River, Mud Lake Marina, Iowa

It is an easy task to make a photo of the American White Pelican while they swim almost motionless against the current in the Mississippi River or just drift along. It is a perfect bird  to practice shooting techniques and proper long lens handling. If nothing else, our story telling with the final photo can always be about a majestic bird that is at home on the Mississippi River.

Wednesday night I saw this guy messing with something big in the water and soon it became clear that the pelican tried to swallow a giant carp. I don’t think the carp was dead, but it was definitely somehow impaired and didn’t defend itself aggressively. The story ended with the pelican giving up, not able to swallow the big fish, even after he tried hard several times. What I saw beside the the bird trying to eat, was the gorgeous light, great colors, and the reflections on the water. Just another “Mississippi River Story” that needed to be told…

YEAH, GESTURE, BUT THE LIGHT…?

Unpleasant weather, to say it mildly, this weekend. From rain and temperatures above freezing on Saturday to ice cold winds and snow drifts on Sunday. I shot a lot in the front and backyard studio again. This Downy Woodpecker was briefly resting in our maple tree and gave me a gesture I really like, but throwing even a little hint of flash towards a wet branch is not such a good idea. The water on the wood reflects the light source and this is not very desirable. The reflection on top of the branch reveals that the sun was kinda behind the bird, a little to the left, and without the flash, well, the picture would look probably “crappy-gray”. Not a photo for the record books but still a nice gesture of the woodpecker…

SUNSET FOR A SPECIAL BIRTHDAY

I trust you had a wonderful Christmas and the photographers among the readers of my blog had a chance to make a few clicks. Perhaps for some good memories, or maybe for the best photo you ever made. I hope you did!

We spent the holidays in northwest Iowa with family again. Any time when I’m on the family farm near Remsen, Iowa, I look for light, clouds, or anything that puts some drama in the scene. One of my favorite backdrops is one of the neighboring farms. This time the sunset was right at this location, on a hill across the road. No, we didn’t have a white Christmas, but the remaining old snow and ice on the ground reflected the warm sunlight and gave the scene some depth. It’s often tricky to have the full sun in the frame. Blowing out the highlights is easy and without the snow, the foreground would have been just a dark and muddy mess.

The photo was made after we celebrated the 99th birthday of Joan’s dad Joe Kass, a humble and hard working farmer, who worked the family farm for many years. Joe lives now nearby, in an assisted living complex, but I’m sure he has seen this sunset many times before on his birthday, the day before Christmas Eve.

STAYING LATE AND GETTING REWARDED

In the Green Island wetlands before sunset --------------

This photo is from yesterday and could not have been made today, because we had rain pouring down most of the day. The gravel road that goes through the Green Island Wetlands area is on the left and one of the levees that separate the different ponds and wetlands is on the right. But most important is the light from the low sitting sun that puts a warm glow on the ice and reflects in the spots with open water. It’s always worth to hang out until sunset or at least the hour before and if things line up you might get rewarded with a good picture. You don’t get this kind of shot at noon or in the early afternoon.

MORE THAN JUST A CLOUD

Lake Michigan, White Dunes State Park, Door County, Wisconsin --------   

About a week ago I wrote about how the light itself can become the subject in a photo.  http://www.exnerimages.net/blog/2017/11/20/when-light-becomes-the-subject  I wouldn’t argue if someone who looks at this picture says, the cloud is the subject. That was at least my intend, but when the water in front of me was shaded by some dark clouds right above us and the reflections of the cloud over the horizon created some magic on the waves, I knew there was more than just a cloud in this image.

WATOGA LAKE - EASY CLICK

Watoga Lake, Watoga State Park, Allegheny Mountains, West Virginia ————

The further south we went in West Virginia the less we saw fall colors. Some trees had already lost their leaves while others still showed a lush green. However, it didn’t deduct from the beauty this part of the country has to offer. Watoga State Park was our second base camp for exploring more of the Allegheny Mountain Range and Monongahela National Forest, a vast paradise of forest land and natural wilderness areas.

Just before the sun was about to set behind the mountain ridge the clouds opened a small gap and suddenly the texture of the forest across the lake came to life. The reflections on the lake had to be included. It was an easy click!...

MISSISSIPPI RIVER STORIES 2017 #1 - TURN OF THE YEAR

Spirit of Dubuque, Ice Harbor, Dubuque, Iowa, December 2016  ---------

I didn’t want the old year let go by without a last visit at the Mississippi River. The “SPIRIT OF DUBUQUE” is put to rest for the season at the Ice Harbor in Dubuque. The afternoon sun made its colors shine and the paddle boat was reflecting on the ice. A few miles upstream at Mud Lake Park the ice got jammed, although the river is not completely frozen over due to the mild weather lately. The warm colors of the limestone bluffs on the Wisconsin side create a nice color contrast to the deep blue of the ice. By the way, we started the new year today with a walk along the river again. Winter can be nice here in eastern Iowa…

Mississippi River, Mud Lake, Iowa, December 2016

LAKE SUPERIOR - THE WILD SIDE

Lake Superior, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Upper Peninsula Michigan ------

Most of the time during our trip around Lake Superior the weather was relative calm or at least moderate. This is nice for camping, kayaking, and a lot of activities, but it just sucks when you are eager to make photos with some dynamic. Towards the end of our tour, at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, we found what I was hoping for…