I found these sunglasses while I was out on McDade Trail the other day. I was a bit torn. On one hand I don't like to leave litter if I can remove it. On the other hand we are all in the Covid-19 social distancing era and I kind of didn't want to touch them. I stood there circling them and pondering things when I noticed my reflection. In the end, I shot the image above and left them there. I'll pick them up and throw them away another day when I'm more secure in the idea that some time has passed and if they have any virons on them they will no longer be infectious. The resulting image inspired me though. Found objects are a simple means to a creative photo. They are things that happened to be there when you happened to wander by and see them. How you photograph them depends on: what camera equipment you happen to have with you, and, how you happen to 'see' it in your head. It's all very random and I love that. Macro photography is a very easy way to get creative with your photos. Certainly you can do all sorts of setup shots, and that's wonderful, but even just walking around looking in the grasses will inspire you. It's a weird little world down there. Walk slowly and you'll see it. I have kind of a Do No Harm philosophy. I don't cause excess stress to animals and I never kill insects just to photograph them. My results then tend to be often less 'technical' but more unexpected, and I'm OK with that. Bees do what bees do. Not necessarily what humans think bees should be doing. I think it's more fun to photograph them that way. Where I roam, dead things are not uncommon. Fish, dogs, deer, muskrats - all sorts of things. My dead animal collection is a blog in itself. Mostly they are unpleasant to find, but, often they are certainly things that you do not see everyday and usually not things that most people time much to look at. Is it 'creative' to photograph dead animals? I don't know. I guess it depends on how your photograph it. Often you can extend the creative limits of your equipment with software. The image below was shot with a 24mm lens but to get wider I shot two images and stitched them together. Doing this is a great way to get more creative with your landscape photography without the need to buy or rent new lenses. Let your imagination run wild. Don't be shy. Make mistakes. But most of all, create! 10 Tips To Get More Creative Photos 1. Slow down - look at things a little longer, find the odd things in the scene 2. Take a new angle - go high, go low, look for new ways to look at the subject 3. Get close - get REAL close if you can, and then get real far away 4. Use prime lenses - they make you move your body so it throws you out of your comfort zone 5. Don't use auto settings - learn your camera controls so it sees what you want it to see 6. Be the Bee - let animals/insects be themselves, they will do more interesting things that way 7. Try pinhole photography - it breaks all the rules 8. Use whatever equipment you have - it's not technically right or wrong, it's creative 9. Bokeh - make the blur count, play with the blur, be the blur 10. Use reflections - water and windows are great for this Be sure to follow me on social media (links are in the footer), share this blog with your photog friends (links also in the footer - please and thank you), and visit my Gift Shop for wall art, coffee mugs, reusable shopping bags, and much more! Be well my friends.
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The upper Delaware River is a treasure trove of wild animals and abundant fish species. I do not go out to pursue wildlife photography on purpose but I do happen upon some of our beautiful creatures when I wander the river areas. This week I'm featuring my collection of animals that swim. A bird's eye view of fish in the Delaware River. The sunfish nest on the shallow warm waters on the banks. Those areas will serve as fish nurseries to protect from the larger predatory fish. The big carp was just passing through. A crayfish and some fish fry enjoy a sunny day. Beavers, turtles, and toads all live at least part of their lives in the water. Wildlife photography tips:
Macro Photography is photographing subjects that are often quite small in a way that creates a larger than life sized image. Macro can be for scientific purposes, or, simply a tool to explore the tiny little scenes that play out around us every day. It's a wonderful type of photography that opens up all sorts of new areas of interest but it also requires a little more patience and control with the camera. Check out my top 3 tips below! Macro Photography Tips: 1. You will need more light than you think: If it's not a bright sunny day you may need to add some light. There are a few different types of Macro Flashes on the market but if you're not quite that dedicated to macro then simply get creative with whatever you have. You just need to bounce some extra light into the area immediately in front of your lens. On on camera flash modifier can work to do this as well as a reflector. 2. The DOF can be wickedly shallow: When you are in this tightly to your subject a good amount of background blur is essential in some cases. A sturdy tripod will be a good way to deal with the very shallow depth of field you may elect to use. If you subject is moving then simply move your body back and forth instead of continuously refocusing. 3. Shoot a lot of frames: When you think you may be done shooting your subject, shoot a few more frames. These small subjects and shallow depth of fields make even a half a millimeter off a very big deal. 4. Don't take it to seriously in the beginning: Jump in there, have fun, shoot a lot, and explore the tiny scenes on our planet!
The colder shorter days of winter are upon us. This is a time when many landscape and nature photographers slow down quite a bit, or, travel to warmer sunnier climates. If you are braving the cold dark days here in the northeast, here are my 3 Winter Photography Tips to keep you productive all winter long. 1. Icicles do weird things and that makes them interesting. Icicles grow and melt on a variety of objects all winter long so explore them as photography subjects. Get in close with a shallow depth of field and see what's happening. Icicles can be found on your house, your car, plants, trees, stop signs, and in many other places that have a fun potential for background bokeh. Bonus - icicles and snow react well to flash. 2. The holidays are your friends. Explore Food Photography during Thanksgiving when all the best linens and dish sets are already out. Take advantage of Christmas decorations to play on new ideas with shapes and colors. New Years parties are friendly, fun , and photo friendly! The holiday seasonal embellishments are short lived, but, they bring us a whole new world to explore both inside and outside. 3. Winter's clear dark nights are amazing for Night Sky Photography, and, we even have a few meteor showers for your viewing pleasure! What you choose to shoot in the sky will depend heavily on your equipment, geographical area, and personal interests. YouTube is a rich hunting ground for Night Sky Photography ideas and techniques. Meteor Shower Calender 2019 - 2020 information can be found here: https://www.amsmeteors.org/meteor-showers/meteor-shower-calendar/ Don't be shy, grab a thermos of something hot to drink, grab a sturdy tripod, and get out there!
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Amelia PearnExploring photography has been a life long passion. Photography BlogArchives
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