What We Can Miss

    I was able to enjoy a slightly different dinner Wedensday night....excellent sushi.  The little Ichiban Sushi restaurant was done up just like many a sushi joint I remembered as a child in Japan. In this age of cell phones I found most of us miss out on the little things in our environment.  I this case a traditional Japanese fishing boat right over my head on the window called me to photograph it.  Rather than just photograph it, I took the time to compose and make some art of the image.  It is just something I would miss i i hac not forced myself to enjoy the environment for a minute or two.

Horse Sense

    In bright sunny midday light some subjects just don't work well with normal color.  The color actually becomes a distraction.  Some subjects also really don't lend themselves to color photos either.  This was one of those days where a good black and white image was able to much more effective at conveying a message from an image.  In this case I just wanted to show off the power of the horse, and I think it worked.

    I'm liking the people I've meet here in Dallas so far...nice town and people.

-ehw

Wonderful Time of Loving Labors

    When you see the photo of an adorable, 100% cute child you think of the wonders the child brings to the world.  When he is your child, and you meet him at 1AM for a quick diaper change and handoff to Mom a few other thoughts run through your tired mind about the same child.

    Nothing good in life comes free.  Nothing great comes without great cost and sacrifice. This is not only true of life, but of the path we need to take to heaven.

   Jesus lived a hard life, and so did his disciples.  He even had friends he loved suffer and die!  He was our king, and died a painful death on a cross he carried on his shoulders after a brutal set of beatings.  Yet despite these facts, I think most people imagine Christ in his gloriously transformed body by default.  A transfigured body he only obtained by passing through the painful death on a tree.

    So the next time you see 100% cuteness, don't forget the work it takes to get there.  Also know the moment of glory is worth every sacrifice it took to make a glimpse of heaven on earth.

-ehw

Using Constraint to Grow

    Today I walked out on a perfectly dreary overcast day.  No lighting existed for making magical images the eye naturally follows.  Instead I found myself working towards composition to make an interesting photo.  I had on my camera a trusty 35mm prime lens (it is a normal 50mm equivalent on my APSC).  This is a hard lens for me to use.  I really see the world normally at more of a 23mm view (a 35mm lens on my APSC sensor).  I found myself already constrained twice, so I added another constraint to my day.  Compose everything for black and white as well!

   I should have felt depressed and boxed in.  Somehow that did not happen.  I found myself invigorated to look at the world in a whole new way instead.  The resulting shots were some I'd never thought to do if I was just plain being normal.  I grew, maybe, a little in my versatility and creativity because of this experiment.

    When you really think about it, it is the same in a lot of endeavors.  One of which I may get to discuss tomorrow night.  As for now, I hit the constraint of time available in a day.  It is off to bed with me now.

God Bless

-ehw

PS Fujifilm XT-1 with 35mm.  Fun gear!

Techie Wednesday

Today is Techie Wednesday is about color, or lack thereof...

Today we have a lovely photo where the color of Blues and Greens provided a nice compliment to each other.  However I wanted a bit more...I wanted contrast of the blue on grey to make the blue really pop on the screen while the leaves provided context without distraction.

So remember that!  Black and White focuses the eye on the structure, patterns, form of the photograph.  Color can sometimes enhance this, but many times will detract from it.

In this case I wanted to place each element where it would help me make an image with impact.  So I used both to the best effect I could.

Hopefully if you like these little techie moments I'll make sure they get out to you more often.

-ehw

Color Finds a Way

One of the great arguments about photography is whether it is an art or merely the capture of something that already exists...

I bet you can guess come down on the side of art!  Well I'll also add in there that there is a bit of science and art in photography.

See the art is the composition, light and shadow. The science is the math of aperture, shutter, ISO.

In this photo I added selective color just for fun.  Well also because flowers deserve some color to show off their glory.

I think all of life is a mix of science and art.  We have science that defines physical interactions, and art that defines how we use science to effect perception.  The moral compass that keeps the art and life on track?  The Bible.

-ehw

Three Portraits

Up in Chicago I spent the last few days working on my portraits and marketing skills. One additional challenge I put before myself was to start asking people to pose for a portrait for me. In each portrait I wanted to try and start capturing a part of my subject's personality....and why they are such special people to God and me!

In the first photo you see my friend Richard. He was my table buddy during the group talks and we shared a few wonderful meals together. He is from Mayberry, NC..the real one. He and his loving wife worked hard for years as a husband/wife team in a two person law firm. Now he and his wife are retired...and he is now adventuring. I hope the photo reflects his wonderful, peaceful, calm and friendly personality.  I'll never forget the vegetable rolls he ordered the last night there!  Even when surprised he was so calm!

The second photo is Levi Sim; now of Portland, Oregon. I hope you see the energy in those eyes. He is a man of seemingly superman energy. Actually doesn't he look like Clark Kent?...well anyway the energy in those eyes is nourished by a wonderful wife and a little girl they are adopting. I loved seeing him well up over a child he loves so much...made me think of how I felt each of the four times a child entered my life. I hope you can see the joy in his life right there.

The final photo is of my friend Adrian. He and I were table buddies last year at Skip's. We renewed our friendship this week.  He is smart, direct, and one of the more encouraging people you'll ever meet. He is a U.S. citizen from Romania ... .and if he does not give you inspiration about taking a risk in a completely new land and starting with nothing no one will. He gave me help last year, and this year in the encouragement realm...thanks buddy.

Now I hope you enjoyed my little set of portraits. A little tip to the People of Calgary blog...he is inspirational at meeting and introducing interesting people up there...and one day I hope to add some more jock stories like this.

-ehw P.S. All with the fujifilm x-e1.  Edited in Snapseed while I waited for the airplane ride home.