Monthly Challenge
Faces of Stockton
A few years ago I decided to record life in the heart of the city in both color and black and white. However, I feel black and white adds an emotional depth that color often lacks. This current series celebrates the city’s connection across cultures, backgrounds, and experiences, while focusing on essential elements like light, shadow, texture, composition, and above all, telling the story of Stockton as I see it.
I'll be showing a number of photos from this series next week at the local Arts Commission's Art Night event at the Civic Auditorium in Stockton, as well as an over 200 picture slideshow on a large laptop. Other artists/photographers/poets and creators will be there, also.
Tired of Shooting
There comes a time in a photographer's life when he gets old if he lives that long.
I've lived that long, and now it's harder and harder to get out and shoot, and harder
still to stay at it more than a few hours. Bittersweet has replaced the adrenaline rush.
I see it's been ten years since I penned my last blog post. The photo challenges
ended in 2015. I completely forgot about it, until I saw it bookmarked in an old
links listing I hadn't seen for ten years. Such is life - too many distractions and too
much busyness.
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I drove north of town this morning to photograph the racing at the Kingdon Drag Strip
west of Lodi. I've been shooting there for many years, but I can only walk around and
work it for an hour or so. At least I was able to sit down and rest a few times.
As I slow down, I'm thankful to God that I've had so many years full of energy and
stamina. I knew this time was coming a few years ago, so I'm taking it in stride.
God has been faithful in giving me a wonderful gift that I and others enjoy.
And now we both know why it's been so long between posts!
April 2015 Challenge
This will be our final Challenge post. I want to thank everyone for their participation and encouragement. We can always post photos on our Facebook pages if we don't use Flickr, Shutterfly, SmugMug, 500 Pixels, Google+, Photobucket, or Zenfolio, to name a few. After 2 1/2 years of a huge variety of pictures, it's time to move off the stage.
The theme for the month of April was "Your Favorite Photos."
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Don traveled all the way to downtown Paso Robles for an event shoot and captured the heart and soul of some classic vintage cars, as well as sidecars. He says, "I managed to sneak off to the sidecar rally in the park and got a few pics, but not much. The weather was wet early morning, and I was surprised that so many people showed. They also had a few vintage cars."
Without the sun's glare, the overcast skies provided just the right lighting to catch all the detail and color in these vehicles. Have you driven a Jaguar lately? Nice angle, Don. The low and wide angle makes this car look a lot heftier than it really is and emphasizes the front end detail of British pride.
Some of us have owned Grease Slappers if it refers to dirty, greasy cars and trucks we've had the pleasure of cleaning. Or if we used Dixie Peach Pomade back in the 50's and 60's to keep our hair slicked down. I assume this is a sidecar or gas tank logo. The American mind: it's a creative thing.
Wet and wild green thing is next up. The proverbial and ever-popular MG. Another British icon. Looks like a 1952 model to me. But what do I know?
Just what are we looking at here, Don? Is this like a surfboard that you stand on while scooting down the freeway? Isn't there supposed to be a seat attached? Must be detached due to the rain. Looks like a smooth ride.
I think Don is musing the possibility of adding a sidecar to his Harley. That was the shortest muse he ever mused. Janet is happy.
Don's last photo is accompanied by a story: "The lady in the last pic rode in from Prescott, AZ. she mentioned camping out at the Paso RV park north of town. I asked her if she was tenting it. She said no, she's 5' 3" tall and her side car is 5' 7" long. She takes all her gear out and sleeps in it. I'd guess she was in her mid 50's. The lady has some grit!"
True grit: it's a rare commodity these days. Thanks for sharing, Don.
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Dave's photos are the usual stuff - nature - local university - more nature. He can't get away from the same ol' thing. This first shot of the moon was taken during the last part of the most recent full eclipse we had. As the moon 'descended' toward the horizon, earth's shadow descended also. Taken at Cosumnes River Preserve before sunrise - geese in formation in the distance.
I stuck around after the moonset and found a pair of American avocets, foraging in the water. This bird has very striking colors, easy to spot and very active.
The rose garden at the local museum had its premier showing a few weeks ago. Sometimes the abstract is worth capturing, even if it does have an ugly fly in the frame. As I look at it now, I probably should have cut back on the cyan from the sky reflection on the lower petal, limiting it to three main colors (including white - sorry, all you artists out there). Putting an insect in your photo sets up a tension between the soft, serene and beautiful and the rough, alien and threatening. This ruins the whole picture for most people, but I like a little shock and awe here and there.
And so for you purists who love perfection, here you go: no distractions!
I competed in a Black and White photo challenge for the Stockton Record and sent this photo, along with others taken at UOP, a local cemetery and local marina. A fun project, trying to pre-visualize what your color shot will look like after converted to B&W. I so wished there had been a bit more cirrus clouds overhead, but am happy with what God gave me, anyway.
I returned to the Preserve mid-month, the day after it rained, hoping to get some nice sunrise shots, but no clouds were to be seen. But the rain had drenched everything, especially the tall grasses in the fields. Its weight bowed the grass so it looked like waves being blown about.
Watching nature's wonders is one of the reasons I like visiting the Preserve. I spotted three freshly emerged Green darners sunning themselves on the cattails right after sunrise. The were good little posers, so it was pretty easy to get as close as I could (about 5'-6'). I like the detail in this picture, the left over water drops on the reeds and the shadows. These guys won't bite and if you've got the knack, will perch on your finger. Ha!
My very last picture is taken under one of my favorite oaks at the Preserve, complete with viewing bench which overlooks a backwater filled with floating plants, reeds and critters. You can usually see an egret or heron here. This tree is massive and gnarled. It's missing some branches after all these years, but it still maintains a majestic shape. I opened up the shadows in Photoshop for more bark detail.
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And so ends this journey and adventure. I hope you learned some stuff, were encouraged, and smiled at the shenanigans. Over and out, fellow fotogs. May your best photos be right around that next bend in the road.
March 2015 Challenge - The Six S's
The March hare has scrambled back into his hole while the robin ventures farther north and Russian thistle drinks what groundwater is left here in California. Time to review the month's pictures and enjoy the changing season, where green is the color of the day. Don and I were both able to 'adventure' into the known and unknown, looking for scenes that matched the Challenge themes: SILHOUETTE, SUNSET, SHADOWS, SPRINGTIME, SHAPES AND SIMPLE. An alliterated amalgam of choices for the brave of heart and sentient of soul.
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Hey, it's spring again and time to relish the greens, the flowers and the warmth of a special sunset. Or sunrise. Dave starts out with a SPRINGTIME theme - a sunrise capture of grasses in the foreground and a nice set of clouds overhead. Hoping for more color in the sky, I was disappointed since the morning before was a blazing red here in the valley. You never know what's going to happen at sunrise or sunset - that's half the fun of shooting them. I purposely placed the sun behind the tree trunk to eliminate any glare or blown highlights. Shooting manually, I chose a couple of exposures - one for the sky and one for the foreground - then married them in Photoshop Elements to bring out the rich green of the grass and trees starting to leaf out. There's also a bit of a silhouette here, but not a 100% black subject. Nikon D90; 12-24mm lens @ 12mm; 200 ISO; f8; 1/160.
We're going to mix these pictures up this month for a little variety. Don is going to liven things up with this nicely balanced sunrise photo of three blooming daisies for another SPRINGTIME submission. It also fits the SHAPES category. Nikon D300; ISO 400; 1/2500 sec.; f10; 95mm.
Dave's annual jaunt to Knight's Ferry wouldn't be complete without a few covered bridge pictures. This one is inside right after sunrise and features the plank board shadows framing a band of sunlight, fitting the SHADOWS theme. Note how shadows rob the color of the wood and cool the overall feel of the photo. D90; 12mm; f8; 1/4 sec.; ISO 200.
Here is Don's interpretation of SHADOWS - a Morro Strand selfie of him and Janet. Pretty cool composition and color. D300; f8; 1/250; ISO 200; 18mm.
Dave's SILHOUETTE is purposely underexposed so the oak tree loses it's brightness, color and detail. When shooting a silhouette, try to render it as dark as possible while retaining the background color and brightness. I really don't like this shot, except for the shape of the tree. The contrail is really distracting, the sky isn't blue enough and there's no interesting detail in the foreground to see. D90; f8; 1/320; ISO 200; 18mm.
Don's SILHOUETTE on the other hand is beautifully composed and exposed. He definitely gets the top prize for this shot! I hope to see it on his wall the next time I visit. That's Morro Rock to the left. Wow, Don! You must have grabbed some incredible shots that night. D300; f11; 1/500; ISO 200; 31mm.
Adding to the SPRINGTIME and SHAPES themes, Dave was intrigued by this solo light colored bush lupine surrounded by the darker blue species. It may be what they call chick lupine, but I'm not sure. Taken on the old Stanislaus River bed, just west of the covered bridge at Knight's Ferry. I was struck by it's light magenta color and shading. D7000; f11; 1/500; ISO 400; 220mm.
Don's next picture reminds us that the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics is on parade everywhere, especially on vintage fences that have a modicum of moisture during the year. He didn't specify a category on this one, so we'll use SHAPES as a good guess. D300; f11; 1/50; ISO 100; 18mm.
These Yanks have been routed from their attempt to capture an artillery cache at the Civil War re-enactment at Knight's Ferry on the 21st. They're retreating into the SHADOWS of the covered bridge. This young soldier is looking back at the battlefield, wondering what happened. D7000; f7.1; 1/640; ISO 800; 210mm.
Ah! The proverbial doorknob in all of its worn and wizened glory. Don has captured its SIMPLE SHAPE perfectly and framed it with a reddened weathered door. It's always good to tell a story if you can or offer a mystery to be solved. Did someone remove the screws and try to pry the plate off, too? Or did they fall out from old age? And who and how many times did they enter here and when? God only knows. D300; f13; 1/160; ISO 100; 48mm.
Dave's final photo is another SPRINGTIME/SHAPES rendering. Ithuriel's spear is a striking floral setting. I saw these about 25' from the large Confederate cannon at Knight's Ferry. I wish I could have been there earlier, before the sun was directly overhead. There was a dark clump of shrub in the background which I positioned for the best contrast. This shot is a little overexposed, with the highlight on some of the petals somewhat too bright, but I'm not complaining. It was a fun find and a fun shoot. D7000; f7.1; 1/500; ISO 400; 195mm.
Don's almost final picture portrays the warmth of another SUNSET, a fitting way to say 'thanks for looking' and 'until we meet again.' D300; f7.1; 1/200; 90mm.
Don's final final picture is another SILHOUETTE/SUNSET entry. This oak portrays a wonderful character of age and grace in a world full of chaos and confusion. Let it remind us of the strength and faithfulness of a God who hears our prayers, forgives our sins, and puts a song of praise on our lips. "O LORD, our Lord, how excellent is Your name in all the earth, Who have set Your glory above the heavens!" Psalm 8:1. D300; f16; 1/1000; ISO 500; 42mm.
The monthly Challenge for April will be an easy-peasy, care-free FREE FOR ALL. Just go out there and have fun shooting your favorite subjects. If you want to give your pictures themes, that will work, too.
April theme:
- FREE FOR ALL (whatever you want)
February 2015 Challenge
February has come and gone --- a short month that flew by for most of us. And with the warmer weather, there were a lot of distractions that kept us from zeroing in on the challenge. Add to that the limited challenge themes: ROMANCE, RED, WORDS, EYES, and UPSIDE DOWN, and we were really in a pickle. The March challenge will prove a little more user friendly, hopefully.
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Don graces us with a number of EYE theme photos, courtesy of the local Atascadero Zoo. He writes, "We went to the Atascadero Zoo for these. I wanted to get a photo of the tiger, but he was off in a corner of his cage snoozing. Wouldn't even open his eyes for me!" Don, you needed to offer him "Steak on a Stick" during your next visit. We'll let everyone guess who these eyes belong to:
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Yours truly, Dave, found it difficult to target the ROMANCE theme, especially when mainly shooting nature. But even nature has its romance, so there is one photo that may apply. This happy couple was inseparable as they foraged in the February grass at the Preserve. There weren't any other quail around as they scratched and kept watch about 15' from me on the trail. I kept expecting them to fly off, but they just went about their business. Ah, true love!
You don't need much explanation for this Cosumnes Preserve portrait of a little tree, other than to say, "UPSIDE DOWN." Sorta looks like a fast shutter speed with the wind blowing leaves around in the air, but we know better.
A bit of red for February's RED theme is next. This guy was feeding on last season's cattails, flying from one to another, calling/singing when perched and enjoying the morning sunlight. I used a fast shutter speed to freeze the action and retain some detail in the feathers.
I didn't plan for the WORDS theme, but had taken this sign photo after driving by it a number of times but never stopping. Walnut Grove Road, just west of Thornton, CA on I-5.
The last February category was EYES. Now this shot was planned (although planned on the last day of February). I had Angel and Elizabeth stand side by side in front of the sliding glass door to get enough light. I boosted the ISO to 800 and used my new (new to me) 60mm AF MicroNikkor. This was the best of about 6 shots. I took out the face color, because Liz is a lot darker than Angel and was partly shaded. I used the dodge tool on to lighten the dark areas under Liz's eye. I accentuated and isolated the color in Angel's eye to add some interest. The depth-of-field is very shallow, so only a few areas are in sharpest focus. That's okay. P.S. The girls thought I was nuts posing them, but there was a method to my madness.
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Okay, that was fun, and the March Challenge will be even funner. Themes will be:
* SILHOUETTE (thanks to Bruce for this suggestion)
* SHADOWS
* SPRINGTIME
* SUNSET
* SHAPES
* SIMPLE
Hope your month is filled with God's blessings. Take time to thank Him for them. Happy shooting, folks!