Photo Minute...

Photo Minute is a new blog concept I would like to incorporate into my weekly blogs! Creating art, in any form, is important to appreciating life. Writing, photography, sewing, cooking, painting, sculpting, fabrication, etc. are all facets to creating in a world that was created for you to appreciate. Photo Minute will focus on the appreciation of capturing light through a camera's lens.

The Goal: To help share tips and my passion for capturing the world around us with my camera of choice! Yes I am a Canon junkie and the camera of choice right now is my Canon 80D that is in my car most days!

The Purpose: To share passion for the art of light that creates a world of wonder for any photographer from beginner to professional. We all learn something everyday. We learn through listening. SO....I want to share so you can share back!

Photo of the Week - Shot with a Canon 80D (on a Manfrotto tripod) - Aperture f/36 - ISO 100 - Shutter 3/10 - Focal Length 135/1

This photo was one that took about 45 minutes to capture. I set up on the bridge overlooking the falls and as people passed by I just lived in the moment...slowly. I set up my tripod in a prime location that was not in the way, and safe for me to access the shutter buttons and use the remote app on my phone!

Note: If you have a Canon or Nikon the remote and download app is a MUST for your phone perfect for capturing shots, reviewing shots, and downloading and posting to all your #amazingsocials on location.

Now...when I say 45 minutes I truly mean 45 minutes from set up to tear down. I took over 150 shots of the falls. Here is the list of "tools" I accessed and put to work to capture this moment in time.

List: Canon 80D, 32GB SD card, 18-135mm lens, UV filter, lens hood, phone with remote app ;), Manfrotto tripod, and plenty of time...

I went through and took a few shots at different focal lengths, different aperture settings, different shutter speeds (but mostly stayed in the 3/10 and under category to capture the blur effect), and working with different heights with the tripod.

There is never a wrong way to take a photo. There are different emotions that you can evoke with capturing light. I liken it to dancing with the light. Learn the intricacies of and the romance of it. There are moods and levels to it just like a friendship or relationship. You never know it all so be open to always try new things.

This photo was taken about 25 minutes into my session with this particular falls.

Then once I got home from my trip to Glacier National Park (also my son had his camera and had all new and fresh perspectives to teach me), I put my photos into the digital darkroom. Yes even though we are in the digital age you need to remember to "massage" your photos to convey your message if you are artistically fashioning one that is.

Side note: There is journalism, and there is artistic license. Know the difference!

I prefer to use Adobe Creative Cloud Photoshop, but Adobe Lightroom is another great application for quick touch ups and such to your photos!

Editing Process: I open up the RAW format of the photo, working on the exposure, filtering, and color saturation sliders in the pre-edit window before opening in Photoshop.

I prefer to shoot in RAW because it captures a more pour representation with no compression of the scene you are shooting so you have plenty of light information to work with in your digital dark room.

Then I work on the levels of the particular photo I am working on. To create the exposure illusion you must know if you want to pull highlights, shadows, or mid-tones forward. This is in an attempt to pull the emotion of capturing life in a moment. Meaning, water is fast but when captured slowly via the shutter speed it evokes the emotion of "fleeting time."

So in a nutshell that is how you plan, capture, and edit a particular shot that is meant to feel and show the movement of water. A fast subject with a slow motion affect.