Micro challenge

Putting all my macro skills up to the challenge of seeing how close I can get. Having a flat surface like this leaf makes it a lot easier.

Green on green

You know how it goes… The kettle is boiling as the morning sun hits last night’s dirty dishes laying on the bench, then you see something like this.

Serendipity

I didn’t have to do much apart from being in the right place at the right time and actively looking at my surroundings. These leaves are as I found them, my only choices were the composition and exposure. I was so caught up in the leaves that I failed to notice the bird shaped shadow until I looked at the image on a larger screen

Stream of consciousness

Structure

There is a lot to be said for building from a foundation of strength and knowledge (and using a reflector to lighten deep shadows and balance you exposure without resorting to HDR). It can be tricky to get exposure right on something this contrasty so using manual mode is a must.

Same image without the reflector just exposed for the highlights. I actually don’t mind this as there is still a hint of detail in the shadow and the diagonal line from the middle to bottom left is stronger but all that black makes it look top heavy to me. I could work if the image was square though.

Not sure who said it originally but the skills that make a good photographer require regular exercise, not just to maintain them but for any extension of ability. Ultimately it gives you creative choices and control.

Not so missing links

Having deep thoughts about the role of chains in life. I worked out I can link where I am now back to where I was five, ten, thirty years ago through a chain of events. It’s much like what Steve Jobs said here about connecting dots;

 

Then I was thinking about the function of those chains. Is the strength of those links to past events holding me in place like an anchor? Alternatively, is the inherent strength something I use to get to the next link, building a longer and stronger chain in the process?

The fundamental question from all this is, am I pushing on or be pulled by the chain?

Ripples

An old silent pond…
A frog jumps into the pond,
splash! Silence again.

– Matsuo Bashō

Took the new macro setup outside into the garden to try it out but high wind gusts made it difficult to get sharp results. I also need to find a more solid bracket to attach the magic arm as the plastic one lacks rigidity.

Nevertheless, the results are encouraging

Hokusai

–

I got to the Hokusai show at NGV on a rainy Friday afternoon and the collection of work did not disappoint. Viewing the great wave off Kanagawa, I could understand what Van Gogh meant when he said;

these waves are claws, the boat is caught in them, you can feel it”

The fishermen and their boats are dwarfed by this almost tsunami like force of water bearing down on them. It’s not something you get to appreciate until you see the original up close, as so many re interpretations of this iconic image leave them out.

It also made me think about the two other artisans involved and that relationship. To produce the woodblock prints, Hokusai’s illustrations were stuck to wooden blocks that were then carved into the different colour separations for printing. The final work shows their skills as much as the artists.

In a photographic context, Annie Leibovitz or Albert Watson work with teams who create sets, do costumes, makeup, lighting and post production. That’s important to consider when you try setting your goals to match their output but don’t have access to that team. It’s easy to be disheartened if you get sucked into comparisons.

Don’t view that lack of resources just as a limitation, rather it’s an opportunity to learn those aspects and having a hands on understanding of what those people do will develop your understanding of what is possible. It’s also an opportunity to seek out people in those fields for creative collaboration.

It’s also good to look at the work produced without the cadre of assistants and see that the fundamentals of what makes a good image are still present. No amount of additional people will save you from trying to work on a bad idea and subsequently producing a bad image.

 

A tiny studio

– doesn’t require a lot of gear or effort to set up. Here’s what I use for photographing most small objects, including the pocket knife image used for this post.

• A window with diffuse light, in my case I built a shelf under this one, as it has a day night blind.
• Timber offcuts  assembled into a upside down “T” with a small bulldog clip to hold the background paper.
• Some plain A3 paper for the background
• A small reflector to get some detail back in the shadows
• A camera and for me that will usually be a digital SLR on a tripod but this setup should work with a phone or compact camera.

Here is a hasty image of it in action. It’s a great way way to work when the outside is uninviting and takes up very little space so you can leave it up.