White Balance: what you need to know
Do you understand White Balance and know how to control it? Or are you afraid to venture past the Auto White Balance setting? Here are the essential facts.
Inspire
Flickr Group Critique: The sun as a photographic element
After an extended hiatus, the Flickr Group Critique is back, thanks to member Ana Matos, who assembled this month’s batch of images. Ana has chosen photographs in which the sun is a defining element for our critique, check it out!
Moonflowers at last
Keeping vigil with our moonflower vine finally paid off with some images. The flowers only last one night—and hopefully into the early morning hours, when I can photograph—and they’re incredibly fragile. Too much wind, some rain, maybe a preceeding day that’s too hot can all ruin the blossom…
Photographing Manresa
I had the incredible good fortune to spend this past weekend on a 3-day silent retreat at Manresa, the Jesuit retreat center along the Mississippi River north of New Orleans. Manresa is legend in these parts—a place of spirituality, beauty and tradition. This year, through the generosity of a couple of friends in my men’s cooking club in Covington, I was able to make the trek…
The Moonflowers are Coming!
Yes, it’s moonflower time here in south Louisiana! For me as a photographer, this is a special time that I await each year: the moonflower is one of my very favorite flowers to photograph. Right up there with the calla lilly in terms of its beauty and mystery. Yes, mystery: they bloom in the late evening and stay open till the early morning, just my time of day for shooting.
Photography from a boat
Although my boat restoration project still has a good ways to go, I reserved a morning last week to take my flat boat out into the Techefuncte River at Lake Pontchartrain. I’ve been very excited about the photographic possibilities that working from my new ‘shooting platform’ would provide for my lake work, and I wasn’t disappointed…
Slideshow from my Henry Hood Gallery opening
I’ve had several people ask me to post an online album of the images included in my Henry Hood Gallery show that’s been up this past month in Covington, Louisiana. So: here’s a slideshow of the opening…more or less. I’m missing a couple of images and decided not to wait to scrounge them up…
Morning Thunder
It woke me long before dawn, a rumble and boom off in the distance. I wasn’t sure whether a car had crashed out on the road or it was weather-related; I turned my head to better hear what might be when the second boom and a flash filled the bedroom. It was 4:30 a.m. and all was still, but off to the east a storm was rolling in…
Red Dots: Henry Hood Gallery show is a big success!
My opening at the Henry Hood Gallery—two openings, actually—can now be termed a genuine success: between the initial opening on July 14 and a second ‘soft opening’ on July 21, I’ve sold 12 photographs out of the show, including one image that’s sold twice!…
Photography exhibition at Henry Hood Gallery
Well, the day is almost here: tomorrow evening I have my opening of Lake Pontchartrain photographs at the Henry Hood Gallery in Covington, Louisiana! It’s been an incredible learning experience, putting everything together for the show: it involves so much more than making images…
Framing Photographs, Fast and Furious
It’s official: I’m having an opening at the Henry Hood Gallery in Covington, Louisiana, in 10 days—July 14th from 6 to 9 pm! My photographs of Lake Pontchartrain will be on view along with the glass sculpture of Wes Koon. It’s truly gratifying to have such a distinguished gallery interested in showing the work…
This House of (Louisiana) Sky
Driving the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway yesterday I was struck once more by the beauty of the big cloud formations forming and billowing before me: it’s maybe my favorite sensation related to the drive…
At the Ocean’s Edge: Shoreline Photography
I’ve had the incredible good fortune to spend the last few days in a beach house right on the Atlantic Ocean, out on the Isle of Palms along South Carolina’s barrier island coast. It’s been fantastic for the photography that I do: wet and windy, nasty weather!…
Photowalk: Washington, D.C.’s Capitol Hill Neighborhood
I had the chance to spend a few days in Washington, D. C. recently, up in the historic neighborhood east of the U.S. Capitol that’s known as Capitol Hill. It’s the oldest neighborhood in the city and home to 35,000 people. Perfect location for a photowalk…
Photography and Light: the Magic and the Mystery
For a photographer, is there anything more magical or fundamental to our work than light? Light, in all its myriad forms: it’s at the heart of all that we do. Some thoughts about this most-essential ingredient to your success…
Photo(s) of the Day—A Tree Frog
We have tree frogs out in the woods north of Lake Pontchartrain here in south Louisiana. Since I essentially live out in what used to be woods, I have tree frogs around my house…
Photographing On the Water
It’s taken much too long to work out all of the kinks, but I’ve finally gotten my flat boat up and running–not for fishing, but for photography. Adding a boat to my repertoire of shooting gear is opening up a whole new world of landscape vistas…
A Foggy Morning Full of Life and Death
It was very foggy this morning when I stepped out the front door, the soft light suffused with a beautiful even glow. Although I had planned to get right in the car and go, the beauty in the scene made me stop, get out a camera and spend some time exploring…
January 2012 Flickr Group Critique
One of my favorite things to do when I log onto the site is to check out the new images that have been uploaded to our Discerning Photographer Flickr group pool. The interests and talents of our members are so diverse…
The Hard Work of Photography
Photography can be truly rewarding work, but that doesn’t mean it’s ever really easy. Here’s a reflection on a few of the things that you’ll need to consider if you want to become an accomplished photographer: some of what you’ll need to do, and some of what you’ll want to avoid…
New Photo Assignment is Posted: ‘Self Portrait’
Have you ever shot a really compelling self portrait? You can learn about yourself and your photography by attempting this oldest of artistic constructions. Well, a self portrait is what’s called for with this new photo assignment over in the Forums. Here are the details…
Photo of the Day: Louisiana Brown Pelican in Flight
You have to admit: Louisiana does have the absolute coolest state bird. I mean, just look at this guy! Prehistoric, serene, that confident jaw jutting forward, always on top of his game….the Louisiana brown pelican: what’s not to love?..
Always Carry a Camera
If you’re not carrying a camera, you can’t shoot that amazing and fantastic photograph that is right there in front of you, can you? How often has this happened to you? Remembering to pick up that camera–the most basic of all photographic acts–is so simple, yet so crucial to your eventual success…
December Flickr Group Critique: Black and White
Black and white photography: do you practice it yourself? How do you find black and white shooting to differ from color shooting? For me, black and white is a wonderful area to explore: stripping color out of the imagery brings forth form, pattern, and the interplay of light and shadow in a way that my brain doesn’t process with color photos…
Photo Assignment #6 : ‘Peak Action’
There’s a new Photo Assignment posted over in the Photo Assignment Forum here at The Discerning Photographer. It’s all about the notion of ‘peak action’ and what’s entailed in capturing it. This assignment will challenge your timing, framing, understanding of your camera, and more…
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