Looking Backwards at old photos

I decided to go back and review some of my earlier work.  Looking at it, sometimes I think I've moved a bit backwards.  All of these were shot on film rather than pixels.  I almost always used 200 speed film because it was the most versatile, carried a lot of it but still took far fewer photos than I do today.  There is a simplicity to many of the photos which I actually like.  Few of them would make it onto the wall but each has its own attraction.

This one was taken with a little disposable waterproof Kodak designed for poolside.  They were actually very good for snorkeling and I was able to get some shots as deep as 40 feet when scuba diving.  The way the fish is staring at the camera makes this an amusing shot.



                                                                                                          

 I almost never used black and white film but I am glad I did this day.  It gives the photo a place in time feeling that might not come through in color.  I took this during a break in training while on duty with the Va. Guard at Fort A.P. Hill.  There is something about how the three soldiers in the foreground are staring into the distance which makes this one of my favorites.






Golden Spike Monument at Promontory Point Utah.  The train alone was a so so photo.  same for the engineer alone.  The two together with his "this is mine" demeanor actually work fairly well.  This photo also shows a pet peeve of mine about mother nature.  The sky on the horizon at mid day is not blue, it is white.  Look up and notice it some time.  But most photos look better with a blue sky all the way down to the ground.  One of the many reasons to photograph in the early morning or evening.  also one of the reasons God invented Photoshop.

Angels' Landing overlook in Zion National Park.  The trail up here has been designated one of the 12 most dangerous in the world.  I didn't find it all that bad.  Obviously, I did not take this photo and it only took me 15 minutes to explain the composition I wanted to the patient hiker who did.  Today would stand a bit more to the left.  Standing to the right would have produced a 1200 foot "quick descent" to the start of the trail.

A waterfall near Davis West Virginia.  I was just beginning to get a better appreciation of composition and the use of interior frames.  I backed up and took the photo with the falls to one side and framed by the tree leaves instead of falling for the temptation to get out on the rock and take the photo head on.  Naaaa, I took both photos and only realized how much better this one is when I got the prints back.

 Standard run of the mill postcard photo of the Capital Dome.  But at least the sky is blue and I got the tree leaf frame right. 

 Actually taken from the window of our car on the train ride on the Durango-Silverton railroad.  A trip my mother remembers well.  I have no idea what caused the streaking and am not sure how to get rid of it.  I sort of like the composition but it would be better without the bush in front of the engine.

This photo was taken through an inch thick plastic wall at the Denver Aquarium.  All in all, it came out ok.  I like the expression on the otter's face and may take the time to clean up the scratch marks some time.

A photo with almost no artistic value but funny as hell.  Can you imagine seeing this rig going down the highway?

Not a very artistic photo but I think it has at least some potential.  I am just not sure how to bring it out.

My Uncle Gus at Stonehenge.  One came out reasonably well composed in spite of my tendency at the time to center everything, or actually because of it.  I was unfamiliar with the rule of thirds and centered the pillars in background, which put my uncle and the caretaker in the right third and made for a good photo.  Sometimes, it is better to be lucky than good.

Swans in New Hope Pa.  The right side of the photo is a bit boring but I will need to be careful how I crop this.  I need to keep all of the reflection within a rectangle rather than a square.

One of my favorites.  I really wouldn't do much with it at all.  It is already hanging on the wall of my stairs and works well.

Average, straight on, somewhat boxy tourist photo.  But it does have something of an Indiana Jones feel to it.  One of the advantages of black and white.

Ok, I have a new photography tutor to help bring out my inner artist.  Kate is a gem who has already given me many tips on useful web sites, how to download nifty photography tools, how to create a copyright etc as well as ideas about focal points and composition.

 I will be posting more of my photos here for Kate to comment on and provide feedback.  Any friends and family who want to follow along are welcome.  I also plan to provide my own commentary, mostly about the photos with some observations of my own regarding the philosophy of art or whatever else comes to mind.

 This is going to be a lot of fun!!!  I hope all of you will enjoy seeing the photos and learning along with me.

 So lets get started.

Final resting place of the 7th Cavalry.  They followed a fool into hell to force those who had never done them any harm onto glorified outdoor prisons called reservations.  Nevertheless, they were husbands, sons and brothers.  Brave men who deserved better leaders and a more noble mission, they swore an oath to serve the Army and fulfilled that oath with their lives.   May their souls rest easy and the snow fall gently on their graves.

 Wild flowers at Bear Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park.  They are so low to the rock you have to lay down sideways to get the picture but I really wanted them as a foreground element to the mountains behind.

 A possible picture postcard of the timeshare complex in Big Sky if I could get the sky right!!  Tried various sharpening levels when created the HDR.  It still needs more work in Photoshop.

 What is it about the sky that eludes me?  It should be blue rather than purple and those clouds followed the ridge line much more impressively in the view finder.

 Another one which looked better through the view finder.  The flag is ok but Washington's head just seems tiny.

 This is one of my favorites and I plan to work with it till I get it right.  I like the clouds and the line of the stream back to the mountain but the sky is still a problem and the sunspots need to go.  Nevertheless, once I get it perfected, this one is going on my office wall. 

 The sky on this one is not bad but the heads on Mt Rushmore are too small.  May try cropping and enlarging but I want to keep some of the trees for perspective.

 Ok, on this one I deliberately went for a slightly over enhanced almost cartoon effect.  It fits with the colors, which are stunning.  BTW, the temperature of that water is between 170 and 180 degrees with spikes to just above boiling in some areas.  And the center of the pool is over 300 feet deep which is what gives it that deep blue color.

 The eye of Sauron!!!!  I swear I spotted hobbits in the woods nearby.  Right after I got this shot, my tripod and camera fell over.  Broke the tripod and the cheap filter gave its life to save the camera lens but all turned out ok.

 Bear Lake with relatively good sky and dust spots. 

Other than some dust spots the sky is not bad, it is just kind of boring.  The photo divides in three, each of which is ok but it does not quite come together enough to earn a spot on the wall.



















Yeah, this one need a whole lot of work.

Almost getting there.  The sky still needs some work and it is fairly obvious where I did a not very good job of trying to fix it; but hat is why I hired Kate.  I am sure she will be able to teach me how to fix it.

Another photo which works better in theory than in practice.  Maybe if I enlarge it enough, Mt. Rushmore will be more visible.  I took a few from inside the tunnel and wanted get one like this by sitting down just inside the far end.  I also wanted to live through the photo shoot and cars coming around the far curve into the tunnel were coming just a bit too fast.  I annoyed enough of them just sitting in the middle of the road for this shot.

No, this one is not from the Black Hills or Yellowstone.  It is from Williamsburg.  It actually came out fairly well.  Other than a few dust spots, which are easily fixed, the sky works, the colors came together and it has the HDR light range without looking over processed.

Yeah, this one is going on the wall.  I like everything about it but am always open to suggestions for improvement.

Need to clean up the dust spots but this one is still a keeper.  There was something about the air and the way the steam drifted off the thermals into the morning sun that made our last drive through Yellowstone somewhat mystical.

I made it to Christmas break (11 days of vacation) and actually found time to sort and edit my pictures from 2007. I've entered 3 of them in the "Share the Experience" Federal Recreation Lands Photo Contest.

I took this one in early November while hiking Old Rag, a mountain ridge on the eastern slope of the Shenandoah National Park.



This one came from early summer on the Skyline Drive. It may have been the first time these two had ever seen a deer that wasn't animated.



You need to enlarge this one to really appreciate it. Let's just say that outdoor "recreation" is not confined to rock climbing!

Old Favorites

I've decided to try posting one or two of my favorite pictures each day or two with a discussion of what I like about them, what I wish I'd done better and a little background about where, how and why I snapped each photo.

The first one is a personal favorite from a hike in the Shenandoah National Park, which will be a fairly common theme. I've taken hiked over 150 miles of the park's trails and have well over 1000 pictures in all seasons.

This one was taken at a trail marker where the Knob Mountain trail meets the Jeremy's Run trail. I had stopped for a rest and casually snapped a picture of the marker because it seemed to stand out a little differently than most. After contemplating awhile, I decided to try a shot with my hat, backpack and monopod. Normally, I am not a major fan of overly posed or contrived pictures; but this time I thought it just might work.

I've been very pleased with the result and have 20"x30" enlargement of it hanging in a stairwell that complements the verticals, particularly coming up the stairs.

For me, the picture is about the hiker who isn't there. The photo provides multiple hints regarding the hiker's personality from the style of hat to the type of backpack and the use of a monopod instead of a hiking stick. Even the placement of the objects is meant to convey a certain amount of care but also a little whimsy. Hopefully, the viewer will come away with a desire to meet the hiker on the trail and exchange some stories about what makes the SNP such a very special place. At the very least, it always reminds me of a very pleasant lunch on a warm summer's day beside one of the prettiest streams in Virginia.

Thing I would try and do better next time are: tighten up the shot just a bit to exclude the roots in the foreground and possible use a fill flash to improve the contrast around the backpack.

The next picture is from the South Kaibab trail in the Grand Canyon.

I like the sky, but it is the trail itself that makes the pictures. Starting from directly in front of the viewer it stretches forward and curves away out of sight, with a lone hiker just ahead. I have a 24"x36" enlargement of this one in my dining room and it always appears as if I could just walk into the picture and keep heading on down to Phantom Ranch.

The Grand Canyon is very challanging to shoot. First of all, it can be very tricky to balance details in the foreground against the grandure of the background. Second, the sky can be 5 different shades of blue and all of them can end being white in the picture. Third, the shadows can make on part of the picture too dark, while another is too light. The list could go on and on, including 110 degree heat. Nevertheless, every once in awhile I get lucky and this photo is one that gives me hope i just might have some talent after all.

I am not sure what I could do better; but definately hope to go back again and try.

First attempt

Ok, this is my first entry on my first blog. Please be gentle.

I am going to start by posting some of my favorite photos. constructive ctricism and suggetsions for improvement are always welcome.

Later on, I may get into the Politics and Prose. For now, photography is a good start.