Feb 022013
 

Eggs

“So,” my husband asked while cooking his breakfast, “can I use them yet or should I take the pan off the burner?

Panasonic DMC-FZ40; 1/30 sec @ f3.3, ISO 400 (handheld);
Focal length: 12.4mm (69mm EFL)

Jan 192013
 

First spotted from across the street in my dentist’s chair… I was in a hurry to get out of there before the sun moved too far!

Panasonic DMC-FZ40; 1/125 sec @ f5.6, ISO 80 (handheld); Focal length: 10.2mm (62mm EFL)

Dec 092012
 

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I was surprised to note this was shot at 1/20 of a second, handheld. You have to love a stabilized lens in low light situations!

Nikon D300; 1/20 sec @ f5.6, ISO 3200 (handheld);
18-200 mm f/3.5–5.6 @ 46mm (69mm EFL); focus distance .67m

Dec 072012
 

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Out before sunrise on a foggy day, my original plan was to photograph Christmas lights. I found this instead, and had fun exploring a lot of variations in the setting. The hard part was choosing just one to post!

Nikon D300; 1/90 sec @ f13, ISO 2500 (handheld);
70-300 mm f/4.5–5.6 @ 70mm (105mm EFL); focus distance 9.44m

Nov 122012
 

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The past few days, feeling a lack of focus, I decided to revisit exercises in the basic elements of form: color, texture, pattern, light.  This was discovered in an alley on a “texture day”.

The acid test is whether you, the viewer, can actually “feel” the texture through your eyes? Or does the image instead reference an idea of what the subject is supposed to feel like? (It might be easier to evaluate at the largest size.) I’d be curious to hear, either way.

Nikon D300; 1/90 sec @ f11, ISO 1600 (handheld);
70-300 mm f/4.5–5.6 @ 70mm (1050mm EFL); focus distance 1.88m

Nov 072012
 

Reflections on a Piano (№2)
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Nikon D300; 1/125 sec @ f11, ISO 500 (handheld);
18-200 mm f/3.5–5.6 @ 180mm (270mm EFL); focus distance 1.68m

Reflections on a Piano (№1)
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Nikon D300; 1.5 sec @ f13, ISO 200 (Bogen Neotech tripod);
18-200 mm f/3.5–5.6 @ 200mm (300mm EFL); focus distance 2m

When I think of a piano, it’s amazing how many images are stored in my mental database. The challenge is how to approach this mature subject, as if I’ve never seen one before.

One Miksang exercise is to spend at least 10 minutes simply looking, without the camera, and then spend another 20 minutes taking photographs. Fortunately my husband’s new piano is so rich and varied that 10 minutes seems like no time at all, so I intend to repeat this exercise over and over in the winter months. It’s especially fun when the piano tuner comes and takes it all apart. As he says, “I’m going to have to explode it.” 🙂

Oct 272012
 

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What a pleasure to become immersed in this color and light for a time…

Nikon D300; 1/125 sec @ f9.5, ISO 200 (handheld);
18-200 mm f/3.5–5.6 @ 200mm (300mm EFL); focus distance .89m

Oct 192012
 

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Admiring late summer dahlias at our local farmer’s market, I was suddenly struck by the eye looking back at me.

The image reminds me of an exercise we were given during the Miksang Institute Summer Program, titled “paste-ups”. It’s fun to look for such scenes; no digital compositing required!

Nikon D300; 1/125 sec @ f8, ISO 200 (handheld);
18-200 mm f/3.5–5.6 @ 55mm (82mm EFL); focus distance .89m