Waves and feeling

Photographs of waves can be fun but also difficult.  

First choose if you want it to feel intimate or awesome.  If you provide very little horizon, you create more of a feeling of closeness or intimateness.  If you provide additional horizon space, you begin to show the size or openness of the image.

Capturing the waves themselves is a choice.  If you set the shutter speed high, you capture the action.  If you slow the shutter speed, you get more blur or movement.  Most photos that I have seen like this also look more calming.

Another consideration for the waves is to have them in the 'right' position.  It is nicer to not have a wave partially cut off.  It has a feeling of 'flowing out' of the picture.  This effect is similar to cutting a person off at a limb.  

Stitching images

The following image is a series of images stitched together in Photoshop.  

When taking a series to be stitched, you want to have a reference point that you can keep consistent.  There are two ways to do this.  For a distance shot, it can be the position of the horizon.  This series of photos were to take a close up panorama as a wide angle so the horizon was maintained at the top third.  The better you are at keeping that focus consistent, the better that the stitching software can do to find the overlap points.

What I did 'wrong' with this image is that I didn't force a manual exposure.  The blend line in the middle is due to the camera adjusting the exposure automatically as I moved the camera for the next shot.

Thimbleberry

Images of plants and flowers are challenging as they continue to move with the breeze.  This requires a higher shutter speed.  

The ripest of these thimbleberries stands out strong.  There is a feeling for me that something is wrong with the image.  It follows the rule of thirds; however, normally, I would have placed the ripe berry in the lower or upper left.  

In addition the aperture is set high to keep the depth of field very short.  

Fun Candids

Sometimes it is about having a camera and taking pictures.  While I love planning photos, sometimes it really is about the number of clicks you take.  Thanks to Shelagh for sharing and letting lose.  

Great memories come from being a little bit silly.  This photo reminds me of many other silly things done during excursion.

Star light

This last summer, I spent some time at Rolley Lake and went to the picnic area at 10:00 at night.  One of the families we went with had not had opportunity to lay on their backs and just enjoy the view.  

Setting the camera to a ASA of night mode (more than 3200 ASA) and a shot of about 1/2 second allowed capture of the stars without lens shake.  In full view is the Big Dipper.

Another solution is to use a tripod and manual shutter release of several seconds; however, a minimal shake creates a blur.

Fun with light

When you have a camera that you can turn the automatic off, you can explore different opportunities working with light.  This image was made setting a Bulb exposure which means the shutter stays open as long as the shutter release is pressed.  The drawing was done with a fluorescent glow stick.  

The word attempted to be spelled is Greg.  Pretty impressive since you have to write backwards with no frame of reference to your previous letters.