Tag: Henri Matisse

A case…

for blinkies.

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Creativity takes courage.

Henri Matisse

The words of one of my mentors often creeps into my mind.

“Sheryl, first learn the rules then break them!” She’s a painter but much of it still applies as we look at composition and style.

For example…the nose and the eyes must be in focus. When photographing in snow make sure that your highlight blinkies aren’t flashing indicating that you’ve lost detail in the brightest parts of the image.

Heavy sigh…

I’m always more inspired when I take a painterly approach to my dog photography. I’m all about the moments and the emotion expressed in those moments.

I love lost and found lines and not having every detail tack sharp; a sentiment that not everyone shares.

In this image the “snow P” is taking every ounce of enjoyment that he can in his dash through the deep, freshly fallen snow.

Blinkies on? Flashing like mad!

Eyes in focus? Not a chance with all that flying snow!

Today’s thought is take every opportunity to be creative. Try things. Shoot one way then do the opposite. Don’t let the rules and your head get in the way.

Show me what you’ve got!

Shot from the heart…

as expected, in black and white.

Fourth of July
Fourth of July

“I’ve been forty years discovering that the Queen of all colors is black.”

Henri Matisse

I did warn you in last week’s post. What can I say? I love the clarity that comes with black and white. While others are anticipating a riot of colors bursting into the night sky I see a hazy red blur that is much better defined without the color.

I do love an opportunity to shoot fireworks. There is such an element of surprise as to what you might see. Each time I do it I find myself more relaxed and able to take in the show at the same time as I am photographing it. I was even able to ignore the popping of flashes behind me with hardly an eye-roll as the other spectators  attempted to capture this on various flash equipped devices.

I found this to be almost meditative too as I calculated how long to leave the shutter open and envisioned what elements I was building into each frame. Would it be one singular explosion or a longer shot enveloping multiple explosions?!

Fourth of July

Fourth of July

For those disappointed by these black and white images I offer this as an opportunity to imagine all the colors of the rainbow. Whatever colors your heart may desire…and a happy independence day America!

Step out of your comfort zone…

with your creativity and take it in a new direction!

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Creativity takes courage.

Henri Matisse

I like to write about creativity because I think it is something that many of us struggle with from time to time. I chose this image not because I think that it is the most amazing thing to exit my camera but because it is a starting point of another photographic exploration and it got me inspired!

After many weeks of overcast skies and foggy weather culminating in an abundance of atmospheric black and white images, this past week arrived with some clear nights. I decided to get out of my comfort zone and partake of a little night photography. My life in a very small town does not provide me with fabulously lit up city scenes with iconic landmarks glowing in the dark but I can get away easily from light pollution and do a little stargazing.

My first foray took me down to a little spring fed lake just as the sun was setting. Armed with a sturdy tripod and a torch complete with colored gel filters, I played with settings and soon was engrossed with what was showing up in the night sky. I realized that I had captured in my star shots the International Space Station in the three minutes that it was visible that night. As these kinds of things often do with me, it started me on a huge google search of what was happening on a daily basis in the night sky. That night was a complete fluke so I wondered if I could set up to capture it on another night’s orbit and right on schedule, there it was in another night’s images.

Further reading showed that there would be opportunities to catch Venus, Mars, and a little sliver of the moon close together. Since it was my birthday week-end, out I went again into the night to gaze into the heavens. After my fingers began to get numb from the cold, I packed it up and in we went into town for a quick dinner. Since I wasn’t driving I took the opportunity to continue playing with shots of car trails and such along the way.

And here’s where it starts…

I could hardly wait for dinner to be over to start fiddling with my camera and using its image overlay feature to layer a couple of shots together in the camera and create a new raw file. I know that layering can be done in Photoshop but I personally like the challenge of building a shot out in the field, planning it in my head as I look at the different possibilities available on that one night. This shot for me tells the story of this particular night in one image: laying bare the bones of an idea I can’t wait to take further and execute without the flaws.

Creativity does take courage and that can be a huge stumbling block for someone who isn’t willing to fail. Break out of the box, light up your creativity, and when it takes you in a new direction… you just might discover a whole new passion!