Last week I wrote a post about exploring depth of field by choosing f/22 on a wide angle lens. A few days later my friend in Iowa sent me a link to a You Tube video by Bryan Peterson about the very same subject. He said that his friend had sent it to him and that he had viewed the video just before he had read my post.

The cool thing was that when I watched the video I realized that the reason I was experimenting with f/22 was because I had just re-read Bryan's book "Exposure" and about Story Telling apertures. I then cc'd my friend George on the reply to Ken and he said that he had just gone through and posted a bunch of wide angle shots that he took in Joshua Tree on their last trip.

A lot of folks might say that this is a coincidence but to me I believe it goes to show just how connected we are with each other and the world around us. How many times have you felt that feeling of deja-vu or had an idea pop into your head and when you discuss it with a friend they say they were thinking the same thing. I for one believe in the inter connectivity that exists between all living things and nature. Maybe its a spiritual thing but I think that its a power that can not be ignored - but for now I am just going to call it The f/22 Connection.

Cheers!

This week I finally started playing with very small aperatures in an effort to find the diffraction point of my lense and to capture depth of field in a single frame. Typically, for wide angle scenics I have been using aperatures between f/8 and f/11 to ensure that my images are as sharp as possible. This works great if you are using split focus techniques and combining the exposures to create infinite depth of field. But lately I have been too lazy to pay attention to technique and just kind of going with whatever the moment brings. Don't get me wrong, I really like the split focus approach, but when the sun is going down or the clouds are moving fast, it becomes increasing difficult to capture a dynamic composition.

Wednesday the clouds were looking promising so I headed out to a local golf course near my home. I have returned to this location many times over the last couple of years - hoping to get the right set of clouds over the ponds and fairways. For some reason I have yet to see the clouds form over the course its self. There always clear skies over the course - with just a hint of clouds along the fringe. There must be some natural jet stream that I am not seeing that is keeping the clouds from filling in the middle - weird.

The result of my experiments has led me to believe that at least with the super wide angle lenses (14mm) the diffraction at f/22 was not too bad and the depth of field is noticeably better then add f/11. I compared this shot with one shot at f/11 and for me it was difficult to see the difference on the screen To me that is really good new because it will mean a few less steps in post processing and more time to be out chasing the clouds!

Cheers!

Last weekend I was fortunate enough to get out and shoot on Sunday. I met up with some friends from the MWCC (Don and Karen+2) and we shot the blue bells along Cub Run. The timing worked out to be near peak for the flowers but for some reason I was more interested in shooting the reflections in the water and the light on the tops of the trees.

After the weekend was over I began to start thinking about my photography and whether it is a really selfish thing to do. I am not sure what brought that on but I was beginning to think that I have sacrificed (not in a bad way) a lot of time shooting and was wondering if I should be focusing more time on the ones I love.

This all could be related to the fact that I am always darting out the door to shoot somewhere (as I give my wife a peck on her cheek and hit the door) - I am really unsure. I almost feel like I should be writing a dear Abby letter (and maybe that is what this is) but I would like to find a happy medium.

I met this one fellow from the club a few weeks back who I think has the right idea. He does his photography in the service of the lord. I really like the idea of that as it adds real meaning and purpose to his work. What I need to do is to figure out how photography can bring meaning to the loved ones in my life. Ultimately I think it is that love will be the key to peace, joy and happiness and I hope to find it in the reflections of nature around me.

Cheers!

What's your phrase? These are the words Victoria Dye repeated as she presented to our club last week. These words have always been a sticking point for me and so I listened intently as she went through her talk on travel photography.

I know that when I shoot, I tend to just go with the moment and try to become as present and connected to the moment as I possibly can. Most of the time, this is to the extent of just getting into a flow state and going with intuition as to what to shoot. Some times it works and some times it does not. But there is not a lot of thought going into the process.

I have to laugh because there are so many times that I get back after a shoot and when I begin to review my images my first impression is - what the heck was I thinking here? Maybe it is related to shooting fast and loose (and hand held) but I am often puzzled as to where I placed the horizon in my shots or where that trash can in the foreground came from. I guess some people are faster learners but I get a lot of "how not to" examples.

So I have decided to take the time to slow down a bit. To think more about the shot and to begin thinking about the meaning of what I am trying to capture before I shoot - rather then deciding after the fact. For me this was another step forward and really something that suddenly dawned on me.

The other day I was submitting an image for another TME assignment and as I was trying to decide what skill level to indicate (I always choose intermediate because I think that there is always something new to learn). As I thought about this process I was wondering if and when I would be able to choose advanced as my selection. It was then that I realized that at least one difference between an intermediate and an advanced photographer is this:

• An advanced photographer has the ability to pre visualize and create the image that they see in their mind.
• An intermediate photographer finds the image that they see on their screen.

To date, this was the way I was approaching photography. Go out, shoot and learn. There will be another day. To me a first step (hopefully in the right direction) is to slow down, previsualize and pick the phrase that the photograph represents, let the light do the work and quit playing creativity hide 'n seek!

Cheers!