Three images for the March "salon"

Every month from September to May I have fun picking a few images for my photo club's monthly "salon". Though I submitted these images, due to a terrible cold last week I was unfortunately unable to attend the critique session.

This month's assigned topic: "reflections"

Penobscot Bay Sunrise

Two images for the "open" category:

Backlit Tulip

"Great Orange Tip" butterfly

Four nature pictures from the back yard

These are four images I submitted to my photo club for our February "salon".
The first two were taken with the Sony NEX6 camera and an older Tamron 90mm macro.  I just love the feel of this manual lens on the Sony NEX6 because the focus peaking feature on the Sony body is so helpful for focusing.  (Not perfect, but helpful).

The second two were taken with Olympus bodies (E-M5 for the maple leaf with the 75mm F.18; and the E-M1 for the snowy day picture with the 12-40mm zoom).

Not until after I submitted these images did I realize that:

1.  They all were taken in my yard, and
2.  They are nature scenes (no hand of man), and
3.  They represent the four seasons, in order, starting with spring.

larger images can be viewed here:

http://www.peterfraileyphoto.com/p989297934

Spring:

Summer:

Fall:

Winter:

Boston: The Old State House

I just pulled this one out of my achieves for the December photo club salon for the category "old and new".  It was taken during a beautiful and warm October weekend in 2012 as my wife and I walked down to the Boston waterfront.

This was taken with a pocket camera.  This is not an HDR, but I did make ample use of the highlight, whites, and shadows sliders in Lightroom.

The Old State House was once the tallest building in Boston.  I would have loved to have seen Boston in colonial times.  For some reason I am intrigued with what the infrastructure must have been to be able to get food into Boston on a daily basis.  I have this vision of a long stream of ox-pulled carts hauling food into the city every day from farms everywhere.  The waterfront activity must have been extraordinary.

Built between 1712-1713, this old brick building is now 300 years old. According to the Freedom Trail Web site it is "one of the most beautiful and important public buildings still standing from the original 13 colonies."

The building is now maintained as an historic site and museum.  

Close ups: Autumn on a Rocky Maine Beach

This afternoon I perused my image catalog looking for a "nature" scene to submit to Walter at my photo club, for next month's photo club competition.  The two images below popped out at me.  They were taken in October of 2012 and it seems I had basically ignored them, until now.  There have no keywords, no color labels, no stars.  I am glad I hadn't binned them, because seeing them now, nearly 14 months later, I kind of liked them.

In our photo club nature category images need to "tell a story".  At first I didn't think there was much of a story here.  No fox eating a squirrel or two grizzly bears fighting over a female. But then I realized it is the story that most attracts me to the images.  Fallen autumn leaves are all part of nature's story and the annual cycle of seasons.  And when nature mixes in a few seashells and seaweed and pebbles... hey, maybe this is a good story after all.

At any rate, I like these and have submitted the first one.  I think the red maple has a bit too much glare on it.  I think the orange birch leaf is sharper.  I had very little depth of field to work with, so the fact that the birch leaf was flat helped get it pretty sharp around all the edges.

I like this one better than the red maple leaf image below, as this yellow
birch leaf is entirely in focus.  
I am wondering if a vertical orientation would be more appealing (?)

A polarizer would have helped here due to the glare off the wet leaf.
Also the shallow depth of field left some of the leaf "soft".

Photo club pictures for October

I've submitted the following three images to my photo club for the October salon (i.e. contest/competition). 

The special category this month is "street scenes/people", and I have submitted two images for this category.  I am not much of a street shooter so I don't really know what "street scenes/people" means.  These two images certainly don't look like "street people" the way I usually think of the phrase.  But they are certainly "people on the street".  Hopefully the judge will find they fit the category.

Both were taken one morning on the streets of Banff, Alberta, Canada.

Full EXIF information can be obtained from the larger images posted on my Web site here:
http://www.peterfraileyphoto.com/p354549645

Young Photographers

Reading the Newspaper



I really like this flower image, and I submitted it for the "open" category.  Because this is a cultivated flower, it is my understanding that this does not fit the requirements for a "nature" category image.

I think orange (or red, depending on how your monitor is calibrated) and green make a very nice combination of colors.  I like the blurred background which keeps it from being distracting.  And I think I captured a good exposure on the bee, as I can even see a bit of orange/red being reflected off the underside of the body.
 


Bee on Flower



This time I think the judge was right

Last week at my photo club, the judge for our monthly "salon"  (fancy word for contest) commented on the composition of three of my images. 

The "rule of thirds" is a general rule of thumb that keeps the main subject of an image out of the center thereby providing a more pleasing and balanced composition... generally.  Just like all rules of thumb in photography, however, there is nothing wrong with breaking the rules.  Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. 

I find the rule to be a great starting point for most pictures, and I thought I had done so in both the Buck's Harbor Pier image and the Hibiscus image. But upon further examination, perhaps the main subject was indeed too centered in the frame. 

The judge suggested that a closer adherence to the "rule" would improve two of the images.  So, when I got home, I re-cropped to see what I could do. 

The Pier image was an easy project, as I merely cut off some of the top by switching from a 3:2 aspect ratio to the more square 4:3 ratio.  This put the red building in more of a 1/3rd position and moved the horizon to exactly the 1/3rd position.  The difference is subtle but I think the re-cropped image (below the original crop image) is better.

The Hibiscus was more problematic as it had already been tightly framed when I shot it.  But I was able to get more of the "weight" of the flower into the lower right side by rotating the image slightly.  This also put the stamen in a stronger 1/3rd position.... I think. 

I do like the result.  Below are the two images, "before" on top and "after" below. 



The final image is that of a yellow camouflaged spider.  Here the suggestion was to crop out some of the green at the bottom which the judge deemed as unnecessary and distracting. I agree.  The solution was easy: go to a 3:2 aspect ratio horizontal crop.  I think the second crop is stronger.





What do judges know anyway?

I definitely understand how important it is to have thick skin when allowing one of your photographs to be critiqued or judged.  After all, judging is very subjective.  I find that some judges have very strict self-imposed guidelines as to what makes a "good" image; while others can more  fully appreciate how different styles and approaches can be very effective.

The image below is one of my favorites from this past summer.  And it was a little tough to have a judge criticize if for being "two images in one".  She felt that it would be a better image if cropped horizontally to eliminate the top half.  Basically, she thought the patch of blue (top half) was one image and the storm edge and orange sky (bottom half) was the second image.  Of course this left me wondering where it was written in the laws of the universe that two-for-one was a bad idea.  This is actually one reason I like vertical landscapes and scenes.  I enjoy capturing an interesting sky by turning the camera vertically.  We should all look up more often.  Why does there need to be just one main subject.  Why not two main subjects; or a main subject (blue patch of sky amid dark clouds), secondary subject (orange horizon at the edge of the storm front); and even a tertiary subject (the moored lobster boat).

Your mileage may vary, of course.  Fortunately, I have a day job and photography is a hobby.  That means the only person I need to please is myself! 

So what is the value of a judge or critic?  Well, I guess I have learned to listen to them and (1) accept ideas and notions that appeal to me and (2) reject whatever doesn't appeal to me.

The first image is the one I submitted.  I like it better.  The second one is based on the judge's comments.  I don't like it as much.  You may prefer it.  I think a lot has to do with what size it is printed. 

Whatever.  I now have it on my hard drive both ways.



January 2012 print salon entry. Title:  Coastal Storm Front.  Score 26/30. (I'd give it 28.)



Club "Salon" entries for November 2011

These are my five November entries in my photo club's monthly "salon".  The first two were submitted as prints.  The black and white was taken on top of Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park in Maine.  A dramatic sky like this was a hint that it might make a reasonable black and white print.  The butterfly was photographed in a local butterfly house.

The final three images were digital submissions.  The Ladyslipper was in the "nature" category. In the spring I had found a patch of these in pine woods on town conservation land.  This was a real find, and I went back several times to get some good light.  The other two images were entered in the "open" category.

View from Cadillac Mountain

Glasswing Butterfly on Lantana Flowers

Lady Slipper

Maine Morning

Old Truck Hood

Club digital "salon" entries for September, 2011

This month's salon theme was "Child(ren) at Play".  This image was taken in the spring before the topic was known; so, I feel pretty luck to have captured it.  What fun to run through a field of flowers! 

(The rest of the story is that this little girl's mother was soon scolding her for not staying on the path, which you can slightly see in the background.)

Galloping Through the Dafodils

The following two images were for "open" competition.  The dafodil was in our front yard looking good on a hazy spring morning.  The butterfly in the second image below could not have been entered into the "nature" category because it was taken in a butterfly house.  It's usually hard to get a background that isn't distracting.  Though brown isn't exactly my favorite color, I think it works well here as a background.  It's actually out-of-focus brickwork on a path through the butterfly house.

Dafodil Closeup

Longwing Butterfly on Flower

Club print "salon" entries for September, 2011

The color image was taken at about 5 a.m., near Spruce Head, Maine, while on vacation earlier this summer. The camera was the Panasonic LX5 point and shoot.  I also took images with an Olympus dSLR, but for some reason the compositions I got with the LX5 trumped any improved image quality that may have come from the dSLR with its much bigger sensor.  Indeed, I have been very impressed with the quality of the images that are coming from this small camera. 

Sunrise at Low Tide

The black and white image was taken in Cape Rosier, Maine. It too was taken with the LX5. This storm came upon us very quickly at about 8 p.m. in July. You can see the edge of the front in the distance.  The storm was coming from behind me.

Coastal Storm Front

Club print "salon" entries for April, 2011

The color image was taken in Bucks Harbor, Maine, while on vacation last year.  For the Salon, I printed it square on 9x12 paper and matted it with a mat with a 8.75" x 8.75" opening.  The camera was the Canon S90 point and shoot.

It was taken in June and the high season for lobstering was beginning. I saw many lobstermen loading their boats with pots to take out to their fishing grounds. These pots don't have the class, in my opinion, that the old wooden pots had; but certainly from a maintenance point of view the new pots are way ahead of the wooden ones.

Lobster Pots at Bucks Harbor

This black and white image was taken along the Sudbury River in Concord, MA.  I printed it on 9"x12" paper to fit the 4:3 aspect ratio.  The camera was the Canon S90 point and shoot.

My thought is that the cloud reflection is the central subject and that the kayakers provide context and perspective.

Cloud Reflection on the Sudbury River

Club digital "salon" entries for April, 2011

These three images were submitted for our photo club's monthly contest.  The red Columbine was entered into the nature category. 

The second two images were entered into the open category. The ducks are sitting on what is cut grass, so the "hand of man" is evident and therefore they do not qualify as nature, at least for our purposes. 

The butterfly image was taken in a butterfly house.  Like animals at a zoo, this does not quality as a nature photograph either. 

Eastern Red Columbine

Getting Your Ducks in a Row

Postman Butterfly

Club print "salon" entries for March, 2011

Both of these were taken with the Canon S90 point-n-shoot, as that was what was with me at the time.  The first was taken at a late afternoon cookout over Labor Day, 2010 and the second was taken toward the end of a great day of skiing in February, 2011.  The first image was critcized for the overexposed church.  Had I been thinking about it (and not holding a beer or hamburg in one hand) I might have shot 3 exposures and combined them in Photomatix.  But to tell you the truth, I think it looks just fine the way it is....

The second shot is from the top of Cannon Mountain.  Mt. Lafayette is often (when there are no clouds around it) a spectacular view from Cannon, especially from the Vista Way trail.

Vermont Skyscape

Mt. Lafayette From Cannon Mountain 

Club digital "salon" entries for March, 2011

This month for our monthly photo club "salon" (i.e. competition) I submitted two "nature" category images and one "open" category image.

This first image below was taken near Crested Butte, Colorado.  I like the pattern created by the small circle of aspens within the conifer forest.  Incidentally, part of the nature story here are the Mountain Pine Beetles that have deforested huge areas in the Rocky Mountains. You can see many dead trees in this image, which were likely killed by the beetles, as they are rampant in this area.

Conifers and Aspens



The image below was taken along a stream near home, while doing a bit of fishing.  I like the image, but there is not much of a story here... other than the fact that this Ebony Jewelwing Damselfly alighted next to me and graciously waited while I took my camera out of my fishing vest and snapped a few images. 

Ebony Jewelwing Damselfly



This final image was taken at Tower Hill Botanic Garden.  It's a tulip of some kind, and I loved the orangey-red color against the green background.

Tulip

Photo club print "salon" entries for February, 2011

Both of these images were captured with point and shoot cameras.  As always, the best camera for the job is the one you have with you! 

The black and white below was taken with my 10mp Canon S90.  There was plenty of light so even large prints will look good.  This one was submitted as an 8" x 12" print.

Cumulus Clouds over the Sudbury River

 

The color image below was taken with my old waterproof point and shoot camera which I take with me when fishing, the 3.3mp Pentax WR33.  Submitted as an 9" x 12" print, this is an example of how it is "not all about pixels".  On the other hand this is an old (2003) digital camera with poor white balance and subject to lots of lens flare if the light isn't almost directly behind you.

The bright wood on the sides of the bridge is due to the recent rehabilitation of this bridge in Pepperell, Massachusetts.  The pine boards seemed to be unfinished but had a slight yellow color tint to them.

Although this was taken when the sun was harsh and high in the sky, and therefore not thought to be a good time to do serious photography, I very much liked the yellow/orange reflection it created in the ripples in the river.

Pepperell Covered Bridge

Club digital "salon" entries for February, 2011

[Larger images and complete EXIF information are availabe on my Web site, here]

I submitted two images for the nature category this month.  The first was taken in early October near the northern rim of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Colorado.  I like the layering effect of the foreground of grass, the colorful low bushes on the ridge, and the blue sky and puffy clouds.  Though we often think of images being divided into thirds, there are four distinct layers here.

I feel that there is not a lot here to give a sense of depth; but rather it is all about the colors in layers starting at the bottom (grass) and ending at the top (sky and clouds). 

High Plains Autumn

This second nature image was taken in the marshy area behind my office.  The heron had just finished preening itself, while standing on this little island of vegetation.

Heron After Preening

The final image was taken at a butterfly house so it doesn't meet our club's definition of a "nature" image. The same would go for animals in a zoo. So I submitted it in the "open" category.  Shot at F6.7, I wish I'd used F11 for more depth of field.  I would have liked the antennaes to be in focus, but the eye and proposcus are sharp.

Glasswing Butterfly

Club print "salon" entries for January

The color image was submitted as a 9"x12" print to match its 4:3 aspect ratio.  The black and white print was submitted as a 6"x12" print to match the 2:1 aspect ratio that I often use to create a landscape "panel".

The color image was taken at Cape Rosier, Maine.  It's actually a vertical panorama combined from three shots, moving the camera from the foreground to the middleground to the sky.  However, I found that for compositional purposes I cropped it back to an image I could have easily taken with one carefully framed picture, probably at the 28mm (equivalent) end of my 28-108 zoom.

Maine Coast Morning

This black and white is taken near Stonington, Maine.  I liked the contrast when converted to black and white.  It was a foggy morning, which explains why there is little (none?) detail in water in the background.  The fact that the lobsterboats are hanging on their moorings in different directions is because it was a windless day and/or perhaps there was a slack tide.

Lobstermen's Wharf

Club digital "salon" entries for January

These are my digital entries for my photo club's December digital salon:

The swallowtail photo was taken at a nearby butterfly house.  Because of limited depth of field when trying to get a good close up image, it is sometimes better to shoot when the wings are fully open so that the entire butterfly is the same distance from the lens, such as I did here.  This increases your chance of getting all parts of the butterfly in focus.

This shot was taken with available light at ISO800, 1/250th second and F8.  It was hand held.  The 70-300mm zoom was at 160mm (on my Olympus with 2x crop factor that equates to a 320mm field of view).  Because of image stabilization built into the body of the Olympus, all lenses are automatically image stabilized.  So, likely I could have taken this shot at a slower speed (such as 1/125th at ISO400) because the swallowtail seems to be motionless; but I usually shoot butterflies by setting the shutter and aperature manually at 1/250th and F8.  This freezes subject movement and gives very good depth of field.  To ensure a reasonable exposure, I then set ISO to automatic.

Swallowtail

This Great Blue Heron photo was taken in a pond near my place of work.  Though I have seen herons there for years, this was the first time I was even aware that there were fish in this shallow pond.  Same 70-300mm zoom as above, but at full zoom-in of 300mm (600mm effective field of view).  Shutter priority at  1/250th second was enough to freeze action and didn't strain the effectiveness of the camera image stabilization system.  ISO was 800 and aperature was F6.7.  I like how sharp his eye is.

Heron with Prey

Taken on the coast of Maine, on Penobscott Bay.  I liked the warm diffused light of this 7pm shot.

Classic Lobsterboat