Mondays...

The second week of school begins, but at least we were able to be there and share!

I like both the depth in the spacing of the figures and the balance of the various sizes of the figures in this image. I did crop it to improve composition!

Jen's Beauty

These recent shots with a 200mm lens are just a small part of the beauty of Jennifer's flower garden at the East side of the house.

The three shots of the "Day Lillies" below were an  attempt to see the flowers from different points of view, emphasizing the stamen, petals or buds starting to present themselves for the next day.

None of the photos were altered in any way.

Afternoon Sun

Yesterday when I got home, I thought I would go down front and take some photos on the shore, but before I could get down there or even get out of the house, I was attracted to the afternoon light shining in through the living room windows. The geometry of the shapes of light on the floor and furniture were striking to me as they set up an interesting contrast in the bottom section of the image.

Black and White Shore

I like the idea of making black and white images, and it is through the editing abilities of the "Photos" app that an amazing amount of control over image and properties can be used. I used the control sliders to make this image lighter and a bit more "contrasty" to add some drama to the scene, which was shot in the early afternoon.

Right in the Room

 Backgrounds are a key to successful images, and I found this one right in the classroom. Besides having such a great subject, a simplified background draws attention to this center of interest.

Multiple Me

 "Selfies" shot in a dark room with a strobe light. No alterations to these images, but I would like some more time to explore the possibilities of slow shutter and the strobe effect. Repetition and pattern forming an interesting play of textures and color.

First Semester Returns

 These two students dropped by the gallery the other day and were clowning around, much like they did in my first semester black and white class. They  are good friends and you can see their connection in this piece,

No Day Like a Snow Day

 This image found my camera during the last nor'easter we had, and it reminded me so much of the first post I made on this blog site. There was no snow falling in that first one, but this one features the large flakes making a pattern across the entire frame. There is a sense of light on the snow laden branches that gives this image a strong sense of three dimensional form.

Haystack SBL 2017

Amazing that after helping to start the SBL program back in the 80's, that I would have a chance to bring students from my school to this amazing site to learn. Three days of more than eight hours in the studio helps students to realize what an intensive learning experience working in the Haystack studios can be. Even though I have worked in and on the campus dozens of times, each studio session is a magical experience. Here's the mosaic that i did this past few days!

Sunshine Boys

Glorious days with my Grandsons give so much joy to Jen and I. Here they are "hamming" it up for the camera, which they are very aware makes for a more interesting picture. Shooting with the sun at their back is one of those "no-no's" I'm always telling students is a rule. But as with any "arts" rules, sometimes it is the breaking of those rules that gets you the images that are "creative" (unusual and purposeful). In this case, for me, the glow from the sun over their heads is the key to constructing meaning in this shot. I have several possibilities in mind, but won't take the time to elaborate these here, but rather let anyone that's viewing create their own "content".