RichEskinPhoto.com: Nature, Fine Art and Conservation Photography

Quotes

“Bread feeds the body indeed, but flowers feed also the soul.” — The Koran

“You just do what you love, and then a style happens later on.” – David LaChapelle

“Mysteries lie all around us, even in the most familiar things, waiting only to be perceived.” – Wynn Bullock

Links
Photoessays/Bodies of Work
– Rambling through Eggleston’s Democratic Forest Alec Soth does a fairly extensive review of Eggleston’s work. Frankly, I still don’t get Eggleston. At about 36:28 minutes, Soth describes Eggleston as almost like Seinfeld: A show about nothing. Yet he considers the books important and finds that they have significantly affected him.
– Yoga
– “On My Block” Neighborhood photography with a 4 x 5
– Body Control The capabilities and strength of the human body is amazing
– Counter histories: Desegregating southern restaurants
– More from Lenscratch on the kitchen Some of these are fun, some bizarre and several are quite good.

Post-processing
– Sky replacement in PS … and some free skies. Really shows how sky replacement works and how to modify it.
– Time and Exposure blending in PS The time blending section is very good. The exposure blending uses the TK7 panel that you may not have, but you can do it directly in PS.

Miscellany
– The moon through a super sharp lens The video is brief but dramatic
– Boston, 1970s Thanks Steve O.

Tulip, Sherwood Gardens, Baltimore

Red tulip, Sherwood Garden.

Great blue heron, Black Marsh Trail, North Point State Park, MD. 150-600 @ 270 f/8, 1/640 EV +.3, ISO 800.

Quotes

“You have to compose by the seat of your pants.” — Arnold Newman

“I shutter to think how many people are underexposed and lacking depth in this field.” – Rick Steves

“Photograph the world as it is. Nothing’s more interesting than reality.” – Mary Ellen Mark

Links
Photoessays/Bodies of Work
– Tales of Heroines
– Sacramento
– The kitchen

Post-processing
– Comparing editing results from LR, Phase1 and Photoshop

Field/Studio
– Shooting the Milky Way with a 50 mm rather than wide angle
– Shooting with collodion plates in the field
– Preparing for spring photos in the woodland Also analysis of woodland pictures

Miscellany
– Fill the frame: various street photographers
– Lens culture portrait award winners
– Tips for cleaning your lenses and sensor

It was drizzling when I left, but when I arrived at Cylburn Arboretum the rain had stopped. It was still overcast, but half an hour later, unfortunately, the sun came out. Still it was a good day to explore the Arboretum in spring for patterns and colors.

I don’t know what this is, but it reminded me of the fletching on arrows.

Spiky plant that looks a bit like agave.

The rain had just stopped and everything was dripping with silver balls.

Quotes

“I remember in the past, I would get my pictures back thinking they were going to be great. And they’re not that great because you have one idea in your brain but the camera saw it differently. The more experience you have, the more you can close that gap between what you see and what the camera sees.” — Steve McCurry

“Good photography is a conversation; it sparks curiosity and questions.” — Susan Barnett

“I just think it’s important to be direct and honest with people about why you’re photographing them and what you’re doing. After all, you are taking some of their soul.” — Mary Ellen Mark

Links
Photoessays/Bodies of Work
– Faces to remember
– John Sexton: Exploring light with polaroid film
– Tom Barnes: a hard life in Indonesia

Field/Studio
– Bird photography
– RAW vs JPG
– Minimalist tree photography
– How to stay safe from angry people when photographing Alan is a macro photographer but this also applies to street photography. If nothing else watch starting at 26:43 for the statistics on photographers being attacked.
– David DuChemin: Make me feel the motion

Miscellany
– The story behind the image
– How to read a photograph

Curtis Bay Hawser (composite image)

Quotes

“…I’m here to tell you making money off your pictures is not a good reason to be here.
Neither is fame, nor acclaim.
All three goals are elusive, unlikely, and fleeting. Rather, art practice is about self-improvement and self-expression.
And those things are priceless.” — Jonathan Blaustein

“If people are doubting how far you can go, go so far that you can’t hear them anymore.” — Michele Ruiz

“There’s no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” — Maya Angelou

Links
Photoessays/Bodies of Work
– Jason Langer: NY vision
– Jacques Lowe: Pictures of JFK and that era Thanks Steve O.
– JM Giordano: Resistance photos Thanks Steve O.
– Cool approach to street photography Thanks Steve O. This week it is almost your blog.
– Kate Powell: Composite surf image

Post-processing
– Sky replacement AND reflecting the sky in water
– Frequency separation for landscapes Frequency separation is usually used in portraits and fashion to remove blemishes and make skin look perfect. It separates texture from color. This shows how it can also be used in landscapes.

Miscellany
– Reviews from PhotoNOLA Multiple portfolios
– Sean Tucker on Edward S. Curtis This is quite good.
– Irving Penn Very good analysis. Thanks Steve O.

Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis). Roots and stem have a red-orange juice that was used as a dye by Native Americans.

Boat graveyard at Curtis Bay.

So today we got our first Covid vaccination at M & T Bank Stadium. Here is what I learned. (1) Don’t be more than 30 minutes early, you won’t be allowed in. (2) If you are with someone who has an appointment at a different time, the later appointment applies. (3) There was a rumor that they only provided the J & J vaccine at this location — NOT True. We got the Pfizer. (4) The later appointment was for 11:30, we were done at 12:40. (5) There was good oversight and communication; everyone was orderly and polite. (6) Because we were early we waited in front of Gate A at the stadium, until they lined us up. It was a nice sunny day so we weren’t cold. Once we got into line in the shade of the stadium it felt at least 10 degrees colder. (7) The line moved steadily but not quickly. (8) Your first stop is at the check-in tent. We did the e-check-in with Univ. of Maryland (UMMS runs this site), in advance, highly recommended. (9) We were able to stay together. (10) They scheduled our second shot while we were waiting the 15 minutes to assure there was no bad reaction to the vaccine. (11) We treated ourselves to celebrate and stopped at Vaccaro’s to pick up some outrageous desserts.

Quotes

“I’ve always been shy, and I’ve always been trying to ignore the people I was photographing so that they ignore me.” – Marc Riboud

“It is light that reveals, light that obscures, light that communicates. It is light I “listen” to. The light late in the day has a distinct quality, as it fades toward the darkness of evening. After sunset there is a gentle leaving of the light, the air begins to still, and a quiet descends. I see magic in the quiet light of dusk. I feel quiet, yet intense energy in the natural elements of our habitat. A sense of magic prevails. A sense of mystery. It is a time for contemplation, for listening—a time for making photographs.” – John Sexton

“l want my children and children’s children to be able to look at my pictures and know what my world was like. Even if it only helps a little bit toward this understanding, then I’ve done my job and done it well.” — Gordon Parks

Links
Photoessays/Bodies of Work
– Bike Messengers
– Cig Harvey’s latest work: Blue Violet
– Stephen Marc: American/True Colors
– Maura Sullivan: Things we remember

Post-processing
– New “Enhance Details” in latest PS update
– Using Blend-If and curves for ultrasmooth dodging and burning

Miscellany
– 10 working photographers you should follow
– Graciela Iturdibe
– Stereoscopy
– Selling prints

Was heading out to Stoney Demonstration Forest in Harford county when I passed this old barn. The forest parking lot was closed, but I stopped on the way back for this, so the trip wasn’t a total loss.

Quotes

“Every good war picture becomes an anti-war picture.” — Tim Page

“In my images I am attempting to make fantasies visible.” — Bea Nettles

“Philologically, the word “Kodak” is as meaningless as a child’s first “goo.” Terse, abrupt to the point of rudeness, literally bitten off by firm and unyielding consonants at both ends, it snaps like a camera shutter in your face. What more would one ask.” – George Eastman

Links
Photoessays/Bodies of Work
– A visual history of black civil war soldiers
– Without words Interesting creative process and self-portraits

Post-processing
– .tif or .psd? Best explanation I have seen for which format to use and for what purpose.
– Processing for fine art images
– Increasing your photos impact with LR Julianne Kost is always worth watching

Field/Studio
– Expressive landscape photography

Miscellany
– Controlling color in photography
– Why a photography project is important As usual, Simon is very thoughtful, and Meg is a blast.

Fantasy or. . . (Right click and select “open image in new tab”, then select the new tab to see larger).

Reality?

Quotes

“It takes the passage of time before an image of a commonplace subject can be assessed. The great difficulty in what I attempt is seeing beyond the moment. The “every dayness” of life gets in the way of the eternal. . . . Taking a picture is indeed stopping the world.” — George Tice

“Look, I’m not an intellectual – I just take pictures.” — Helmut Newton

“It is light that reveals, light that obscures, light that communicates. It is light I “listen” to. The light late in the day has a distinct quality, as it fades toward the darkness of evening. After sunset there is a gentle leaving of the light, the air begins to still, and a quiet descends. I see magic in the quiet light of dusk. I feel quiet, yet intense energy in the natural elements of our habitat. A sense of magic prevails. A sense of mystery. It is a time for contemplation, for listening—a time for making photographs. – John Sexton

Links
Photoessays/Bodies of Work
– Roll and tube collective This one is definitely fun and creative.
– Covid LA in infrared

Post-processing
– Painting with light to improve your landscapes
– How to focus stack in Photoshop Really good, very straighforward explanation and directions for focus stacking landscapes.

Field/Studio
– Exploring a medieval woodland
– David DuChemin: Make more interesting images Includes a link to a free monograph on Hokkaido
– How to plan when photographing a new location
– The Scottish Highlands: Expressive decisions
– How high can you raise your ISO before seeing noticable noise

Miscellany
– Tom Heaton: How did I end up with so many cameras?

Tide Point industrial.

Quotes

“A work of art is not to instruct, not to edify, but to awaken an emotion.” — George Innes

“Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.” — Scott Adams via Sean Tucker

“A great photograph is a distillation, a reduction of the chaos of our wider experience to a visually satisfying essence where what is excluded is as important as what is included.” – David Ward

Links
Photoessays/Bodies of Work
– Covid pictures

Post-processing
– Extraordinary color with the linear light blending mode I particularly liked the way he moderated the blue snow with a bit of yellow at about 3:40. Includes link to video on making brushes and for a free brush pack of “blender brushes.”
– How to add more space in PS

Field/Studio
– Telephoto lenses for landscape photography
– Scouting ancient woodlands
– Minimalist photography

Miscellany
– Tonalism Although about a painting style, this should appeal to those who use textures.
– Sean Tucker: Escaping your creative rut
– Saul Leiter
– George Tice Thanks Steve O. Never really liked Tice’s work, but this greatly increased my appreciation for what he has done.

Winter Marsh, from the Black Marsh Trail at North Point State Park.
Harsh winter sunlight can be difficult to work with. So I used a crisp-warm color lookup to add bit of warmth in the sky and the reflection and a crisp winter lookup to maintain coolness in the shadows in the foreground. What do you think?

Quotes

“Alone time is when I distance myself from the voices of the world so I can hear my own.” — Oprah Winfrey

“At the root of creativity is an impulse to understand, to make sense of random and often unrelated details. For me, photography provides an intersection of time, space, light, and emotional stance. One needs to be still enough, observant enough, and aware enough to recognize the life of the materials, to be able to ‘hear through the eyes’.” — Paul Caponigro

“Some people feel the rain. Others just get wet.” — Bob Marley

Links
Photoessays/Bodies of Work
– Britland Tracy: Focus on appropriation Interesting concept and execution.
– Spaceborne: Astronaut/artist Donald Pettit

Post-processing
– Paint with light to transform your photo Make the light you wish you saw.

Field/Studio
– Nigel Danson: Critiquing my own images: Why the composition didn’t work
– Fog and the Zen of Art
– Abstract winter nature on your doorstep
– Ultrawide landscapes Great Scottish landscape

Miscellany
– Clyde Butcher
– Japanese ghost photos

Snow patterns. This image won 2nd place in last week’s Baltimore Camera Club competition. Unfortunately I could’t stay for the Unlimited category judging. If anyone remembers the judge’s comments, please pass them on. Independent thoughts welcome as well.

White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis).

Quotes

“When day comes we ask ourselves,
where can we find light in this never-ending shade?
. . .
We’ve learned that quiet isn’t always peace
. . .
But while democracy can be periodically delayed
it can never be permanently defeated
In this truth
in this faith we trust
For while we have our eyes on the future
history has its eyes on us
. . .
We will not march back to what was
but move to what shall be
A country that is bruised but whole,
benevolent but bold,
fierce and free
We will not be turned around
or interrupted by intimidation
because we know our inaction and inertia
will be the inheritance of the next generation
Our blunders become their burdens
But one thing is certain:
If we merge mercy with might,
and might with right,
then love becomes our legacy
and change our children’s birthright
So let us leave behind a country
better than the one we were left with
. . .
The new dawn blooms as we free it
For there is always light,
if only we’re brave enough to see it
If only we’re brave enough to be it” — Amanda Gorman, 2021 inaugural poem

Links

Post-processing
– Cyber punk style
– For beginners: How to remove a background
– Everything you can do in Levels you can do in Curves, and more More creative possibilities than I ever knew.

Field/Studio
– Shoot a surreal flower scene
– Hiking for better photography
– Moody telephoto foggy landscape photography
– Expressive Photography: Scottish Rain Forests

Miscellany
– When the passion dies
– Meaningful photography

European starling (Sturnis vulgaris), nonbreeding adult.

Blue jay (Cyanocitta cristata)

House finch (Carpodacus mexicanus)