Finding Material: Waiting to Emerge
Waiting to Emerge - click to view larger on Flickr
This morning I went down to the Robertson Tunnel beneath Portland’s west hills to take some long-exposure shots of trains in the tunnels. Since it was Sunday, trains were running with approximately 8 minutes between trains, so I had plenty of time to take shots between trains.
This is one of my favorites. It doesn’t involve a train. It doesn’t involve a level camera. It doesn’t involve color. Sometimes the good photos happen when you don’t follow your plan.
So, What’s New?
Towering Twice - click to view larger on Flickr
What’s new with you?
You are exploring new things with your photography, right?
A good photographer is constantly exploring. New techniques, new equipment usage, even just shooting new subjects will reveal opportunities for creativity and improvement.
I have two things on my photography horizon. As the days get shorter and we move into winter, I’ve made it a goal to spend more time shooting at night. The photo in this post was taken last weekend. My other goal is to simply explore new areas of the city on my lunch breaks. The light sucks, but I can find areas that are worth return visits.
So, what’s new with you?
Finding Material: Where Waves End
I shot this a couple weeks ago while up in Tacoma with a friend. He has been working in the area for over a year and had wandered past the front side of the Russell Building every day. He assumed that it was just a rectangular “standard” building. Then we wandered around back and discovered an interesting wave shape on the back side of the building which makes an interesting photo. Look around and check out the sides of things you haven’t explored.
Finding Material: Look Out Your Window
Last night I walked into my kitchen to get something to drink and happened to look out the window. It was sunset, and a dramatic scene was visible with an interesting cloud pattern reflecting a brilliant orange/pink light pattern. I walked out my front door and snapped a few photos.
I wonder how many other photos could be taken if one looks out their window at the right moment?
Luck: Duck, Duck, Duckbus!
Duck, Duck, Duckbus! - click to view larger on Flickr
Despite reading photography books, learning how to operate a camera, and spending many hours shooting photos to improve one’s technique, sometimes getting an interesting photo is simply a matter of being in the right place at the right time. This photo was one of those occasions where I caught a couple of ducky things both heading upriver on the Willamette on my lunch hour.
Composition: Lemons Into Lemonade
Burnside over KOIN - click to view larger on Flickr
Last night I went out for a couple hours and walked along the Willamette River in Portland to take some night photos. Once I got there I noticed one arm of the Burnside Bridge was lifted and I remembered they were performing maintenance this weekend.
At first I was disappointed. A good bridge photo should be symmetrical, right? Either a lowered bridge, or with both arms raised? I walked back and forth a bit along the river looking for some sort of composition that would make me happy.
Eventually I settled on this… looking at the raised bridge arm, with the KOIN tower visible directly underneath the raised leaf. When you’re presented with a situation that wasn’t as you’d hoped, spend a few minutes looking at things and you will likely find something worthy of a shot.
Finding Material: After the Waters Dry
As discussed previously, the best way to improve your photography is to take lots of pictures, and learn from what you shoot. But what should you shoot?
Look around. Look up, look down. I found the subject for this photo as I casually glanced at a water fountain near a light rail station in Portland. The fountain was dry, and as water had evaporated the various deposits left behind formed a colorful series of lines and rings around the bottom of the bowl.
There’s plenty of material to shoot if you look around.
Conveying a Message: Packed to the MAX
A photo should convey some sort of message, mood, story, or feeling from the photographer. Last weekend was Portland’s annual Rose Festival and our family attended a nighttime parade in downtown Portland. Following the event I was standing at one end of a packed light rail train and snapped this image, hopefully conveying the feeling of the crowded, bustling evening ride.
