I think at this point, we might be able to call ourselves Staunton wedding photographers. This was our fifth wedding in the Staunton area! On July 28, we had the opportunity to photograph
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015 – Fireworks
Simple explanation. I was outside setting up the camera. I saw a flash and pushed the button really fast. This is what I got. It’s intense.
Usually, my lightning capturing method is as follows: 1. Set shutter to 10 seconds. 2. Set aperture to a narrow number. 3.Take photo after photo after photo, recording all of the lightning that happens each time the shutter is open.
This lightning happened while the shutter was opening, and lingered for a few fractions of a second afterwards. No more strikes happened during exposure for the remainder of the time that I was shooting.
exposure time: 10 seconds
f-number: f/9.0
ISO:160
focal-length: 28mm
equipment: Canon 5D Mark II with 28mm f/2.8
software: Adobe Lightroom 3
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Have a great rest of your week!
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015 – Silicon City
Earlier today, I visited my parents house to assist with a DIY fix for their macbook. The screen has been having issues, and my Dad believes it to be the main connection between the screen and the logic board. We got it all apart only to discover that the replacement part was not the correct version. Better luck next time.
During the entire operation, I couldn’t help but notice how much the interior resembled a city. Before the back was reattached, I knew I had to make an image of the logic board.
For this image, I utilized the 430EX II and closeup #4.The flash was off camera, pointed back towards the lens to give long shadows from the components of the logic board.
exposure time: 1/80
f-number: f/14
ISO:50
focal-length: 50mm
equipment: Canon 5D Mark II with 50mm f/1.4 USM, closeup #4, and Canon 430EX II (off camera)
software: Adobe Lightroom 3 and Photoshop Elements 6
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Have a great week!
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014 – Morning
Here is my cheap version of coffee, for the everyday. To save cost (and reduce fat), I use whole milk instead of half-and-half. I usually add 1/4 teaspoon of sugar. The coffee itself is brewed from a mixture of grounds, mostly cheap “Guaranteed Value”, but also a tiny bit of hand ground Starbucks (an attempt to remove some of the awful cardboard taste that the “Guaranteed Value” gives).
I arranged the mug, sugar, and milk around “Mr. Coffee”, where it normally sits on our fake granite counter, an amazing deal from Lowes. I then chose the 28mm in order to exaggerate the perspective, which I think makes the subject look larger than life, as indeed, at times, coffee has had control over my life. (debating on whether it still does) In post, I added some grain, increased the contrast, and converted to black and white to give a more intense look.
exposure time: 1.3 seconds
f-number: f/4.0
ISO:160
focal-length: 28mm
equipment: Canon 5D Mark II with 28mm f/2.8
software: Adobe Lightroom 3 and Photoshop Elements 6
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Have a great week!
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013 – The Fourth Dimension
Sometimes, an image doesn’t need an explanation.
exposure time: 1/40
f-number: f/8.0
ISO:50
focal-length: 50mm
equipment: Canon 5D Mark II with 50mm f/1.4 USM
software: Adobe Lightroom 3 and Photoshop Elements 6
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Have a great week!
Luna
Upon arriving home on the 4th, after attending a holiday picnic, the moon caught my eye. There were fireworks going off everywhere, as well as lightning streaks in the distance, however, the especially orange and large moon seemed more interesting to me. I made a few photos of the detailed moon, and then it went behind a cloud. I decided to attempt a silhouette of a nearby telephone pole, since the light from the moon was now diffused by the clouds. I utilized a tripod and a thirty second exposure (at a tiny aperture for maximum sharpness).
exposure time: 30 seconds
f-number: f/10
ISO:640
focal-length: 290mm
equipment: Canon 5D Mark II with 100-300mm f/4.5-5.6 USM
software: Adobe Lightroom 3
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Have a great weekend!
Shadow
For this image, I utilized a polarizing filter to darken the blue skies. The shadows of the clouds on the mountains exaggerated the three dimensional-ness of the scene. I made sure to include the tractor mowing in the bottom of the frame to add another element in the foreground to balance the image.
In Lightroom, I converted to black and white, and then used the color levels to lower the luminosity of blue a little bit more. I wanted that Ansel Adams sky look.
exposure time: 1/50
f-number: f/8.0
ISO:50
focal-length: 50mm
equipment: Canon 5D Mark II with 50mm f/1.4 USM
software: Adobe Lightroom 3
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Have a great week! Hope everyone gets their power back. Ours came back last night.
Thunderhead
I made this image several days ago while walking with my wife. We were nearly back to our house when I noticed this looming thunderhead. I thought it would be cool to get Aneila as a silhouette against a detailed rendering of the storm.
exposure time: 1/25
f-number: f/1.8
ISO:50
focal-length: 50mm
equipment: Canon 5D Mark II with 50mm f/1.4 USM
software: Adobe Lightroom 3
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Have a great weekend!
The Shop
I made this image last December during my monthlong obsession with the shop. The lighting is always so low key and mysterious in there!
Aesthetic Elements
I’m just going to point out a few things about this photo that I like. First off, the light coming through the window gets to the edges of nearby objects with lots of intensity, but falls off fast. I really like that in a photo, because it makes for very defined and obvious edges. Next, I like the restfulness of the image. The repeating pattern of horizontal and vertical lines make it very “rectangular” feeling, which to me is restful, as opposed to diagonal. I also see the entire greyscale in this image, from the bottomless void of black under the counter to the heaven-like whiteness of the window, it’s all there. There are lots of interesting textures that I see. The fan cage is nice. The smoothness of the ceiling contrasts the clutter. The closet curtain on the right is very 3-D. The clamps lined up in front of the curtain are very contrasty.
Metaphorical Elements
And then I notice the clock, hiding in the shadows on the left. Especially being in the shadows, could it symbolize that time is not considered in this environment? But why even include the clock if it’s not considered? Though time can be ignored [to a certain extent], it’s always there, happening, passing, making people and things age, whether ignored or not, like a train with no brakes. Even when full attention is given to a task, at some point it will be time to stop for the day. The other symbolism that I see with time is the location of the clock. It can be pushed off to the side of the work/play area, relocating it to the boundaries of perception, but that’s as far as it goes. To the edge, but not past, because we’re always going to be subject to it. Could life be possible without time? I don’t think so. So without time, maybe there would be no life at all. The consequence is simply this: our time bombs are ticking away.
exposure time: 1/15
f-number: f/4.0
ISO:100
focal-length: 28mm [effectively 45mm on this camera]
equipment: Canon T2i with 28mm f/2.8 USM
software: Adobe Photoshop Elements 6.0
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Have a great week!
Cooling
“Why this image?”, one might ask. What you’re looking at is my miracle air conditioning. How it works: 1. The high for the day tops 90 degrees. 2. The heat index in our apartment tops 100 degrees. 3. We hope a storm moves in. And that’s it. It’s free!
I chose a wide aperture for this image to “bokehtize” the background, but wanted the raindrops to be slightly blurry, due to motion, so I used 50 ISO in order to get a proper exposure at 1/60 shutter. Lightroom adjustments were minimal.
exposure time: 1/60
f-number: f/1.8
ISO:50
focal-length: 50mm
equipment: Canon 5D Mark II with 50mm f/1.4 USM
software: Adobe Lightroom
Click the follow button to be notified via email for the next “104 Experiment” post!
Have a great weekend!