Thursday, December 3, 2009

These five did it for me














Canon EOS Rebel XS, 75-300mm telephoto lens, ISO 320, 300mm, f/7.1 at 1/400 sec

This was my favorite bird shot.  It was partially luck, I'll admit, but I love where I froze the pelican's wings here.  A couple making the best of a rained-on date.  What could be better?





Canon EOS Rebel XS, 75-300mm telephoto lens, ISO 200, 75mm, f/5.6 at 1/200 sec

The spartan beauty of Belle View, VA as the year ends.  This is what it's like to be there.  As photography is the "honest" medium, that's what I hope to accomplish.  I simply love my hometown, any time of year, and want to share that with others.





Canon EOS Rebel XS, 18-55mm lens, ISO 400, 48mm, f/5.6 at 1/60 sec

I've been taken in with depth of field stuff.  I love the close ups with the blurred out background.  Photography class has definitely given me some new shooting ideas, and it's opened up a whole world of possibilities that I never really gave much consideration.




Canon EOS Rebel XS, 18-55mm lens, ISO 200, 55mm, f/8 at 1/200 sec

THIS is the bay on a gray, rainy day.  The oyster basket was genuinely just sitting there, as so often you'll find.  The very tip of St. Mary's Co., MD is where you'll find the natural, wild Middle Bay finally reaching civilization.  Again, I hope it's not only me, but I was hoping that others could see just how fine the sands of the bay are, running through your hands as soon as you touch them, the unique color of the water, how violent the tranquil little tides of the bay can be, and the gloomy but strangely optimistic grayness that hung overhead.





Canon EOS Rebel XS, 18-55mm lens, ISO 200, 55mm, f/8 at 1/120 sec

No comment.  This is the view from my home, Belle View.  I live right by the water, and this image shaped me as a person, growing up, learning how to laugh, love, create, and dream.  It still makes me a bit teary eyed.  I hope others were able to enjoy 1/100000 the satisfaction I do from this truly remarkable place.

Natalie Brown

Natalie Brown is a Maui-based photographer who specializes mostly in humpback whales.  She also does weddings, fashion shoots, and other local commercial ventures to make some money, but it's clear that her passion is nature's underwater beast.  Her work was quite stunning, and as I've found my favorite wildlife medium in birds, I was trying to see what I could learn from her experiences following moving subject matter.

Examples of her work

What I learned most of all is that even novice photographers do better when they are in an environment that is familiar to them.  Knowing the rhythm of the local tides, winds, and movement of the quadruped and winged local inhabitants seems to make picture taking that much more intuitive.  Natalie is a local--Maui is her stomping grounds, and I'd be willing to bet she can give even the most seasoned professionals a run for their money.

I've also thought about the end of my Nature Photography class.  I can't believe how far I've come in terms of equipment owned and how my own appreciation for photography has grown.  I still have miles to go in terms of my own picture quality, but I am hoping that will come with time.  I plan to continue to sample professionals' work frequently and see if I can keep learning as I now go forth to shoot with no master except myself.

Senior Art Show

I was able to go to the Ryniker-Morrison Gallery only briefly to see the work submitted by Krista Hoyes, Monica Geary, and Cassie Scheidecker.  As I always find art to be interesting and expressive (regardless of the subject matter), I was not disappointed. 

Hoyes uses very vibrant colors, and a good medium with what I believe was satin.  Her work focuses pretty much exclusively on Latin dancing.  Not my cup of tea, but a major function of art is to expose people to ways in which they don't ordinarily think.  Her use of color and motion through her work was stunning.

Geary seemed to be a lot more interested in fashion than traditional art, and seemed to be heavily influenced by the fashion of decades prior.  I found the vintage feel to be well-utilized and not trite.

Scheidecker's art provided plenty for contemplation.  She was apparently diagnosed with arthritis some time ago, and her paintings are an almost surreal visual manifestation of the pain she feels going through her daily life. 

All in all, a pretty good display of art and definitely worth a trip.