Touching the mist

Wow, has it really been more than a year since I've posted on my blog? Well, on second thought, I guess I can believe it. Originally, I had started this blog as a way to participate in photo challenges. Then after a couple of photowalks in 2008, I started a flickr account, and I've used that more and more to host my photos (click here to go check them out!). I love being part of a photo community. And my photos have more visibility there than they do within my little island of a blog. I also realized that I don't necessarily have a lot to say about my photos. I'm a pretty private person, and while I've taken photos that are very personal, I tend to let them speak for themselves. Like this one, what a moment.

It's dark out there

It was a revelation a year and a half ago when I started taking photography more seriously and I turned off my flash. I hadn't realized what I was missing by using my point-and-shoot on auto. If it thought it needed the flash, who was I to argue, right? Well, once I started using natural light, I haven't looked back. It can produce great results, a more natural look than with flash. I fell in love with the golden hour. I played with backlighting. I positioned subjects near windows.

But now here we are in the dead of winter. By the time I get home in the evenings with free time to play, it's dark outside. I'm thinking that artificial light might not be all bad. So that leads me to think about lighting. Results from a built-in flash can be less than ideal--overexposure, harsh shadows, red eye--so what to do? Learn how to use my flash correctly for starters. I've also got a couple of shop lights as diy studio lights. I'm doing a portrait session with a friend soon which will be a great opportunity to play. But I also want to take some time this weekend for some test shots so I at least have some idea of what I want to do. I'm thinking that a shoe mount flash is probably in my future.

One step at a time, I'm almost ashamed to admit that getting the right exposure still baffles me. I have Bryan Peterson's highly-regarded book on the subject but the sticking point has been understanding what my camera is trying to tell me. Luminous Landscape has an interesting article and the newly-redesigned Digital Photography School now has all of its exposure articles and more together on one page. Guess I have some work to do!

Resolutions

I've been thinking about photo resolutions/projects for the new year; wondering if I should tackle something new/big in 2009. This time of year 365 projects get a lot of attention. There are any number of groups and streams on flickr. I heard about one project Sametime 7:15 on NPR recently. I admire their perseverance. I did something similar for a photo class this fall--taking a photo a day at the same time. My project lasted only a week and I admit, by day 6 I was struggling to find a subject. I can't imagine that I could keep it up for a year! So if that's not the project for me, what then? Well, thanks to Photojojo for a few ideas. Maybe I'll pick a new project every month. Maybe I'll make a photo book; I've made them for others but not myself. Regardless, I've already taken a first step. I was inspired by a studio space recently. So I bought some paint and some curtains for a backdrop and by the end of this weekend I'll have a photo space! I'm on the lookout for a cool-looking chair for portrait shooting; let me know if you have a chair or if you know of a good source for vintage armchairs. Pictures of the new space to come soon and also more info about whatever projects I tackle in 2009! As always you can find my photos on flickr. Happy new year!

Overlooked in 2008

Instead of repeating shots I've posted in a "best of" list, I decided to go thru all the shots taken in 2008 and look for good ones that were overlooked. Here are a few:

I want a studio

Mostly I'm posting this for myself as inspiration. I stumbled across Jay Reilly's blog today and he has some shots of his studio space here. Wow! What a beautiful, light-filled space to work in. I have a spare room in my house that I've claimed. Wouldn't it be great to turn it into, if not a studio, at least an stimulating creative workspace?! Maybe in the new year...

Come see me at flickr

Check out my photostream here.

Band on the Run

DH and his band Race Bannon had another gig on the 11th. I did bring my "big" camera, but didn't actually take that many pictures as it felt very much the same as the last gig. Here are a few of the highlights: