Broken Grille
Old rusty automobiles are a favourite subject for many photographers. Sometimes I run across a decaying hulk on the prairies and am able to find some interesting frames.
In the best light…
Bean Flower
The image is of the blossom of a green bean. I was intrigued by the delicate nature of the white bloom. The bright green of the leaves and stalk were distracting, so I decided to convert to monochrome to highlight the fine texture in the petals. Shooting wide open in Macro mode on my Nikon P6000 point and shoot didn’t give me the selective focus that I wanted. The pole that the bean was growing on was still too sharp for my liking, so I added a little Field Blur in Adobe Photoshop CC. Black and White conversion was done in Nik Software’s Silver Efex Pro 2.
In the best light…
Frilly Flower
Now I like flowers as much as the next guy and as a photographer, they make great subjects. My Mother’s garden is a treasure trove for blooming flowers, but I just can’t remember the name of this flower. It is late Sunday night when I’m writing this post and too late to phone. So I’ll let you enjoy the the wild randomness to the pink petals.
In the best light…
Dynamic Duo
![comp-1-400x600[1]](https://johnfuji.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/comp1400x6001.jpg "comp-1-400x600[1]")
![see-1-400x600[1]](https://johnfuji.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/see1400x6001.jpg "see-1-400x600[1]")
I actually found out that my friends Darwin Wiggett & Samantha Chrysanthou had released two new eBooks on oopoomoo.com back in March, I’m finally getting around to reviewing both of them. Although, ostensibly the books are aimed at a beginner audience, Composition Basics and Learning to See are valuable for more experienced photographers as well.
Composition Basics gets into detail on tone and color, under the heading of Primary Elements. Secondary Elements covers Line, Shape, Texture, Pattern and Perspective. They also cover Weight and Tension, both concepts that I need to work with more. Visual mapping is something new to me as well. I haven’t gotten as far as actually marking up copies of my images, but that might be next. In workshops that I’ve taken with Sam and Darwin, I’ve been lectured on Pokies, Blobs and Mergies (you’ll find out). Examples is something of a study in exploration. How you could get past viewing an icon and find more.
Learning to See is more of a companion book to Composition Basics. I see it as “get over yourself, shut up and shoot”. It’s full of Self-Assignments; which I will get around to eventually. Learning to See is a much harder book to describe. You’ll want to read it with a notebook nearby to jot down ideas from Self-Assignments to complete in the field. If you’ve ever thought about “your own style” this is a book you should study thoroughly
Composition Basics is for sale at $15 and Learning to See is $10. The best deal is to buy both eBooks at the same time for $20 and save yourself $5. They are a must have in the library of anyone learning photography. A dynamic duo of photographic education from a dynamic duo of authors.
In the best light…
Rundle Reflection
Instead of going for the usual grand landscape with the mountain and the sky, I concentrated on the reflection in Vermillion Lakes in Banff National Park. I liked the way that the cloud hung in the sky and was mirrored in the still water. The bit of color from the sunrise accents the triangles formed by the upside down peaks.
In the best light…
The Stentorian Image 
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