The Importance of Having a Project

 

I love making images, but sometimes I have to ask myself why I’m making them. What’s my purpose in photographing? Will anybody ever see my photos?  Am I simply shooting to be shooting? When I start to question myself like this, it becomes hard for me to find the motivation to keep shooting.

To solve this problem, I try to create projects that have a purpose to them. This then gives me a reason to shoot, a goal to achieve, some guidelines to shape my photo explorations.

William Neill, in his recent Light on the Landscape, speaks about his practice of building collections—groups of photos around particular themes—that he’s added to over a period of years as he seeks out fresh subjects. His themes reflect subjects he finds personally interesting, such as “landscapes of the spirit.”

I try to do this as well, and I’m building collections of my best photos in a series of categories.  Among my thematic categories are fences, abstracts, macrophotography, intimate landscapes, and nostalgia.  Adobe Lightroom makes it easy to group and select collections for later use.  But having a set of themes and collections still begs the question of what to do with the photos once I’ve got them. It considers the “what” question, but not the “why.”

The answers to the question of why photograph will be individual. In my case, I’ve done several things. I’ve created calendars for friends and family that reflect some of the themes I’m working on, be it a particular vacation trip or, as I did last year, a photo essay on local fences set in scenic situations. I’ve written books on photography that use my photos, such as my Creative Composition for Landscape Photography or Shooting Iron Horses: Photographing Your Model Railroad. Currently I’m working towards building a set of note cards that incorporate some of the themes in my collection. My plan is to give them to friends and family and then, if it seems feasible, offer them for sale on Etsy and other sites.

But the ultimate importance of these activities lies not in the products, though they can be significant in their own right. Instead, it is the purpose and direction the project gives me that provides a definitive answer to the question of why I’m making the photos at all.  Then, once I’m satisfied that my images will have a landing place, I’m freed up to feed my soul with image making.  And that’s what makes it all worthwhile.

 

One of the images in my macrophotography collection, a stacked photo.  Nikon D850, Sigma 150mm macro lens, 1 sec., f/11.

A Damp Disk

I recently tried a different technique with my macro photography.  I turned a CD upside down and lit it from the right side with a softbox.  Then I spritzed it with tiny drops of water.  The result is shown below. I think it produced a very nice image.  I hope you agree.

Nikkor 105mm f/2.8 micro lens, 4 sec., f/36, ISO 100

The Only Good Stink Bug . . .

I've started making close-up photos using photo stacking.  Photo stacking is a process of taking multiple shots of the same image, each with the focus at a different depth into the image, then combining them in special software to extend the depth of field.  When making extreme close-ups, this is a valuable technique to get an entire image in sharp focus.  To make the image below, I used a mechanical device known as a Stackshot, which moves the camera in tiny increments of distance so an entire image is in sharp focus.  In this case, I made 10 photos and combined them in the Helicon Focus software before importing it back into Lightroom for editing.  This was my first attempt at focus stacking, but I'm pretty pleased with the outcome.  You can judge for yourself.

Dead stink bug.  Nikon 105mm f/2.8 lens, 1 sec., f/16, ISO 100, 10 stacked images combined in Helicon Focus.

Focus stacking is not without its problems.  It's important to be sure the depth of field from each image you make overlaps the ones preceding and following it, otherwise you'll have bands of unsharpness scattered throughout the final photo.  I discovered this when trying to make a lengthwise photo of a different insect.  But there are solutions to these issues, as I am finding out through trial and error.  I plan to report on my progress in future postings.

Norm

Extreme Close-Ups

I recently purchased an extreme close-up lens, the Mitakon Zyonghi 20mm f/16 lens.  It was on sale at B+H Photo for $149, which was too much to resist.  It's a strange looking lens, as the photo indicates.

Mitakon Zyonghi 20mm macro lens

This lens is intended for extreme close-ups and magnifies from 4X to 4.5X.  To get these magnifications, you have to position the lens quite close to the subject being photographed.   As usual with extreme close-ups, focus is quite critical and it is absolutely necessary to have the camera perfectly still.  For this reason, mirror-up or Live View shooting are essential, using either the self-timer or a remote release.

The results can be quite interesting, though, as this photo of the details of peacock feather indicate.

Peacock feather detail. Mitakon Zyonghi 20mm f/16 lens, 15 sec., f/16, ISO 100

There aren't many ways to get this level of magnification other than using a specialized lens like this one.  So, if you're interested in a high degree of detail in your macro photos, you may want to consider this lens.

Norm

Close-Ups of Household Objects

One of the fun things about macro and close-up photography is there is never a lack of things to photograph around the house.  Unlike landscape photography, where you generally have to travel to a photogenic site that may be many miles or hours from home, there's plenty of material around the house to photograph. 

The photo below is a simple composition of some colored paper clips I had in my office.  No need to buy special props or go anywhere to make this photo!  I did spend some time arranging the paper clips in what I thought was a pleasing composition and I made a number of images before settling on this one.

Photographing household objects is a good way to spend the winter months, when it may be too cold and uninviting to photograph out-of-doors.

Nikon D810, Nikkor 105mm f/2.8 micro lens, 3 sec., f/32, ISO 100, tripod.

 What do you think?  What indoors photos can you make during these wintry months?  If you made such a photo, would you hang it in your house?  Where?

Macro and close-up photography are a lot of fun.  I hope you'll give it a try.

Norm

A Venture Into Macro Photography

Recently, I've gotten more deeply into macro photography.  Over the years, I've dabbled in it from time to time, but lately I've been bitten by the bug, so to speak.  I acquired a Nikkor 200mm f/4.0 micro lens (Nikon's name for macro lenses), an excellent lens that lets you shoot a respectable distance from your subject.  Not long ago, I made a field trip to a nearby vacant lot where there are a lot of thistles growing.  I made this shot into the sun so it would be backlit.  I think it shows up the structure of the thistle quite well.  What do you think?

Nikon D810, Nikkor 200mm f/4.0 micro lens, 1/640 sec., f/11, ISO 2000.

My Most Recent Book, on Landscape Photography

My recently published book, Creative Composition for Landscape Photography, is available in both paperback and Kindle editions on Amazon.com. 

The cover of the paperback edition

• This book, which includes 170 photographs, introduce a wide variety of techniques that can easily be applied to your own photography, including:

• ·         The rule of thirds
• ·         Centered subjects
• ·         Positioning the horizon
• ·         Showing depth in two dimensions
• ·         Incorporating horizontal, curved and zigzag lines and circles
• ·         Using triangles in compositions
• ·         Showing perspective with receding lines
• ·         Using framing and overlapping to show depth
• ·         Using atmospheric layers to show distance
• ·         Showing distance by using relative scale
• ·         Focal length and focus point as compositional techniques
• ·         Using lighting and texture in compositions
• ·         Color priority and color contrast
• ·         Single dominant elements in compositions
• ·         Incorporating balance and weight
• ·         Symmetry and asymmetry in compositions
• ·         The rule of odds
• ·         Using repeating elements
• ·         Simplicity as a compositional technique
• ·         Using themes as organizing principles
• ·         Having creative fun in composition
• ·         Combining multiple compositional elements

Written especially for beginning and intermediate landscape photographers, it includes 170 color and B&W photos along with instructional captions to illustrate the concepts presented.

Using the Lensbaby Edge 80

Part of the Lensbaby Composer Pro II kit is an 80 mm lens called the Edge 80.  It's called that because instead of having a round "sweet spot" in the center, this optic makes a creative "slice" that can be moved around the image.  When the Edge 80 is pointed straight forward, it acts as a very good 80 mm lens.  But when it's tilted to one side, the image shows a sharply focused slice surrounded by an area of blur.  How much blur there is depends on the degree to which the lens is tilted and the choice of aperture.  Where the slice is located is determined by the direction in which the lens is tilted.

The image below was made with the Edge 80.  The exposure was about 1/1000 second, ISO 100, f2.8, or wide open with this lens optic so I had maximum blur.  I positioned the slice so it ran along the lower fence and roadway, which emphasized the curvature of the fence and the S-curve of the road, while throwing the less important treeline in the background out-of-focus.  The darkening sky was also rendered fuzzy, which I think adds to the brooding quality of this image.  If I'd had this image at the time my book was being written, I'd have included it as one of the composition examples.

Starting Out with Lensbaby

I recently purchased a Lensbaby Composer Pro II kit, which includes three lenses, or what they call optics.  The kit includes a "lens" that tilts and several "optics": the Sweet 35, a 35 mm lens that fits into the Composer Pro body, a Sweet 50, which is a 50 mm lens, the Edge 80, an 80 mm lens, and two macro lenses that can be fitted to the other lenses for close-up work.

I've finished reading two Kindle books on the Lensbaby and have started experimenting with the kit.  It's a way different way of working.  The Sweet 35 and Sweet 50 optics create a circular "sweet spot" that's in focus and that can be rotated via the Composer Lens body so the focus spot can be moved around the frame, with the out-of-focus zone in a place of your choosing.

The following photo was made using the Sweet 35 lens focused sharply on the stone fence and then tilted to the right so the "sweet spot" would be on that side of the frame, highlighting the fence and softening the tree at the left so it is barely recognizable.  I converted the photo to B&W in post-processing.

I'm having fun with these lenses, though I have a lot to learn about them yet.

Photogenic Subjects

John and Barbara Gerlach, in the second edition of Digital Nature Photography, describe three essential factors for making successful nature photographs.  

The first is that you can’t make a good photograph of a scene that is lacking in interest.  For landscape photography, this might normally require a site with natural beauty.

For many landscape photographers, the goal is to create images that portray great natural beauty and have a strong emotional impact.  Sunrises are popular favorites and often successful subjects for this purpose.  Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee.  Nikon D810, Nikon 70-200 mm f2.8 VR lens, at 200 mm, 1/125 sec., f11, ISO 100, tripod.

But when we speak about a photogenic subject, what do we mean?  The term has many synonyms.  Some of these do, in fact, refer to scenes of native beauty, which is what the Gerlachs intend by including this criterion.  These synonyms include the terms picturesque, pretty, beautiful, and attractive.  But others, like graphic, striking, and camera-friendly allow for less than beautiful subjects.

Structures such as this operating water mill can make up in charm what they may lack in natural beauty.  Cable Mill, Cades Cove, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee.  Nikon D810, Nikon 24-70 mm f2.8 lens at 38 mm, 1/100 sec., f2.8, ISO 800. 

Thus, not all photogenic subjects need to be beautiful.  Some interesting subjects may be notable for reasons other than beauty and others may even be downright ugly.  What gives them the potential to make photogenic photos is the fact that they are appealing for one reason or another.  In my judgment, the natural world offers far more variety and interest than can be found in the spectacularly beautiful alone.  Besides, not all of us have access to dramatic scenery on a regular basis.  That’s one reason my personal definition of “photogenic” has been expanded to include the subjects you’ll see in my book, Creative Composition for Landscape Photography, now available for Kindle on Amazon.com.