Month: June 2010

I was hiking through some heavy brush when I noticed the sun shining through. The curves of the tree trunk were just perfect for an image. Enjoy!

I photographed this tree just about hundred yards away from our house. For many years I overlooked the new branch that is growing where the old branch was once cut off. I used a reflector to shine more light on my subject since I shot the image almost against the early morning sun.

Enjoy and happy photographing!

Trees are a wonderful subject. You need to get out of the house, walk into the local park and observe them. They are different in the morning than in the afternoon. The light changes constantly. This exercise is good for your photographic eye and your overall health. Enjoy!

I photographed this tree at Huckleberry Botanic Regional Preserve right outside Oakland, CA. This little garden is a jewel for native California plants and well worth a visit.

When I look at a portrait image I first look at the eyes and then I like to determine where the light is coming from. In this image the light is coming from the left. I wanted her ear on the right in the shadow because the ear tends to compete with the eyes for attention and they attentions needs to be on the face.

Enjoy and happy photographing!

I love to show hands in my portraits. Hands are at least as much revealing the personality of a human being as faces do. I created this image by putting the hand in the lower left corner and the face as much as possible in the upper right corner. Also, look closely at her face. the rim of her right eye (left from the viewer’s point) is right at the edge of her face. Last, The lines of her body are in an angle and she is slightly out of the center of the image. I believe these are all criteria of a great portrait.

Enjoy and happy photographing!

This is a pretty doll with super large blue eyes and blond hair. I used a little variation of the so called butterfly setting. Look underneath her nose and notice the shadow. In a true butterfly setting you would see the shadow underneath both sides of her nose. Also, take a look at her eyes. You see the reflection of the two strobes that I used.

Enjoy and happy photographing!

I used a 90 degree strobe light to create this image. Half of the face is in darkness which creates the feeling of night and mystery. Enjoy and have fun with your camera!

By the way: This doll was made in southern France.

Photograph Dolls for a week. Try to use different light sources and light setting. This exercise will give you a good start or improvement of your portrait technique and dolls are patient, forgiving and they pose exactly they way you want.

Don’t forget to have a lot of fun with this exercise!

This is a wonderful example of a classic portrait shot. look into her eyes. You see the reflection of the flash on the right side of her eyes. . Look closely at her cheeks and see the light and the shadows.

I photographed these weeds at the Merced Game Refuge after sunset. The tiny spider is an added bonus.

Enjoy and have a happy week-end!

Since I like the roots of the thistle (see yesterday’s post) I decided to look for a different weed that could look interesting with the same light setting. I found these weeds that were covered with a white substance that almost looked like hair.

Enjoy and as always have fun with your photography