tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36748139065438809882024-03-13T09:11:23.793-04:00Karen L Messick PhotographyThis blog is a photographers journey through the lens.Karen L Messickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17145293834695653194noreply@blogger.comBlogger649125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3674813906543880988.post-14387963310739315872021-05-29T21:44:00.000-04:002021-05-29T21:44:22.337-04:00<div><p></p><div><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OMrHHim-N8Q/YLLrnHz6P5I/AAAAAAAAM80/eWnRI7VBQigTknw1h_iE95K1P_UFhCItQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1024/_DSCps4896.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="682" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OMrHHim-N8Q/YLLrnHz6P5I/AAAAAAAAM80/eWnRI7VBQigTknw1h_iE95K1P_UFhCItQCLcBGAsYHQ/w426-h640/_DSCps4896.jpg" width="426" /></a> Wow! Looks like it has been five years since I last visited this page for a post. Where does the time go? And what have I been doing? Well if you know me, then you know I started planning a move to Hawaii in 2016 after a month long vacation. It took me two years to liquidate my residence in Maryland and Delaware, while working teaching photography and conducting workshops. Toward the end of 2017 I let go of my teaching commitments as my home in Baltimore had sold and my move was imminent. In February of 2018 I made the move. In April of 2018 feeling somewhat settled, I had my first extended stay visitor. 2018 and 2019 was a great time sharing this island with guests. Then 2020 came and the pandemic had stopped all visitors. Now 2021 is bringing relief from the Covid-19 virus as vaccinations are taking place around the country. Travelers are returning to the island. I have had the big camera out several times since I landed here, but never sat down to post. Though I have to confess during the pandemic my iPhone was my go to camera on evening walks for sunsets. Today was different. I took the big camera out and enjoyed once again walking around outside mask off at a car event on Sand Island. While I was there I made a couple images of lone trees on the beach. It was such a beautiful morning! Processing Big Camera images...my 2007 MacBook Pro is just not getting updates on software and apps anymore, though it still works great. So last year I traded up. Now that is 13 years that Macbook pro serviced me for my photography. I am now in the process of getting used to the new Photoshop/Bridge/Lightroom updates on the 2020 laptop. SnapArt4 was the only software that made the conversion, so I have to go shopping for new software plugins. Always a challenge keeping updated.. These two lone tree images were processed with SnapArt4 just for fun. I met a woman today just learning photography and it was great talking with her. I met a man with a D3 who was just out like me shooting because we like to shoot. Honestly it was great to hang and talk with other photographers! New and experienced. <br /></div></div><div>Yes I joined <a href="https://eyesofhawaii.org/">The Eyes of Hawaii Photography Club.</a> It is a super group of photographers on the east side of the Island. It will be great to get out and participate in events with them, now that some sort of normal life is returning. <br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YuVXdpDsmNw/YLLr5FYjICI/AAAAAAAAM88/CDSLZrhg8lsPBQPdhHo2f5i1xTBVJOqfwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1283/_DSCps4893.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="854" data-original-width="1283" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YuVXdpDsmNw/YLLr5FYjICI/AAAAAAAAM88/CDSLZrhg8lsPBQPdhHo2f5i1xTBVJOqfwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h426/_DSCps4893.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><div><p></p></div>Karen L Messickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17145293834695653194noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3674813906543880988.post-20597628777458321062016-09-28T19:37:00.000-04:002016-09-28T20:19:36.217-04:00"The Nude As Art" Photography Workshop<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
In this blog post I am sharing just a few "Social Media" appropriate images but ones I think, represent the artistic opportunity that we offered our participants. <br />
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My workshop partner Kiqe Bosch and I have just wrapped up our inaugural "The Nude As Art" photography workshop in Vermont. The reviews are coming in and we are very happy that the experience was a success for our participants!<br />
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One participant wrote ~<br />
"I thought the format really worked well. I thought you and Kiqe made an excellent combination and balance. You both have an artistic eye but bring different perspectives to it. Your personalities are an excellent balance for each other. It went very smoothly. I do not think I have ever gone to a workshop or had a trip where I have come away with such learning and an amazing number of usable, good images. This was just terrific!<br />
Many, many thanks!!!"<br />
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So we have decided to offer it again next year. I have added a link to the workshop information for 2017 on the side bar of this blog, <a href="http://blog.karenlmessickphotography.com/p/the-nude-as-art.html">or you can click here to access the link.</a> All images here were processed using Photoshop and Perfect Effects by On One. I hope you can join us!!<br />
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Karen L Messickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17145293834695653194noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3674813906543880988.post-87027071811428771042016-05-17T14:37:00.000-04:002016-05-17T14:37:55.842-04:00Hilo, The Big Island Adventure<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zk3LGKsZF2s/VztdwbprDqI/AAAAAAAAMhs/H6lJg13to6IVLhE89tYD4SvnxbjMYhxHwCLcB/s1600/_DSCp4673.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zk3LGKsZF2s/VztdwbprDqI/AAAAAAAAMhs/H6lJg13to6IVLhE89tYD4SvnxbjMYhxHwCLcB/s640/_DSCp4673.jpg" width="640" /></a>When I planned my trip to Hawaii, I also planned a trip to the big island to photograph the volcano field in an open door helicopter. I must say it was an absolute blast. I met <a href="http://www.extremeexposure.com/">Bruce Omori</a> who owns and operates the <a href="http://www.extremeexposure.com/">Extreme Exposure Gallery</a> in Hilo, Ryan, our pilot and <a href="http://www.tropicalvisions.com/">Mick Kalber</a> a videographer who owns and operates <a href="http://www.tropicalvisions.com/">Tropical Visions Video</a>, at dawn where <a href="https://paradisecopters.com/">Paradise Helicopters </a>keeps their fleet in a hangar near the Hilo Airport. It was grey, windy and it had been raining overnight but we decided to fly. Bruce said he likes it best with those conditions. The rain causes steam and saturation. I could not wait to get in the air watching as Ryan took the doors off and dawn broke into day. After a few short instructions we all got in the helicopter and Ryan took off.<br />
I decided to shoot with my 28-300 lens on my D4, as we were only going to be flying for an hour and I did not want to even think about carry two bodies or changing lenses, so this lens selection gave me both choices of wide angle or telephoto, for maximum capture opportunity. Bruce suggested shooting in shutter speed mode at 1/1250. I also set my shooting mode to <i>Continuous high</i>. I set my lens to minimize vibration in <i>active mode</i>, the VR mode Nikon suggests for times when you are hand holding in moving vehicles like trains, cars and well Helicopters I assume! I loaded in a 16 gig XQD card backed up with a CF and I used both of them. At times when we were hovering over a vent I could feel the heat from the earth. It was so cool! or should I say hot! These shots were a few of my favorites from this very special morning shooting! The textures of hot lava and the flows were amazing to see in this foreign to me landscape. I hope to be able to make this trip again!! I can see how shooting this natural earth phenomenon can be addictive!! <br />
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Karen L Messickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17145293834695653194noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3674813906543880988.post-277637328280570172016-04-13T16:08:00.001-04:002016-04-13T16:08:25.202-04:00Oahu....Musings...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Well I have been here 12 days now and have nothing but good things to say! Time flies by though! The first week, after settling into the condo, I enjoyed a day trip to photograph sponsored by <a href="http://oahu photography tours">Oahu Photography Tours, owned by Alex Wilson.</a> They did a good job getting to good spots and the driver/tour guide was most pleasant. <br />
Yesterday I drove around the island myself exploring places. I had a plan but ended up just rambling, as I often do....turn left, turn right follow your nose kinda ramble. I actually ate a Teddy Burger for lunch and I don't eat red meat but I just had to try one. It was great; Teriyaki Burger with Pineapple! (I won't have another because I am not a red meat eater anymore, but it was good! A rare indulgence!) The high light of my day was hitting the North Shore just before sunset. If you follow me you know I am a beach girl! I love the sea! When I saw those beautiful BIG aqua waves, well lets just say I was in heaven. I could watch waves forever and I mean that! Each one is different and such an amazing creation of energy and beauty! I found a cool little spot to park and put on the 28-300...cheap, slow lens but the longest one I had with me, it was low light, the surfers back lit and I wanted a fast shutter ugh!!! Hand holding High ISO...ugh...tough situation but I managed a few keepers after taking some noise out of them with Nik Define 2. I will have to go back to that spot! When I arrived there were two surfers in the water doing their thing...I mean really surfing big waves at sunset...hellooooo.....bliss! Well I was there too. It was a blast for me just to watch and try to get some shots..<br />
This morning I played with a few more images from last nights shoot using Topaz Impression...and I think they capture the essence of the scene and action. <br />
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Karen L Messickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17145293834695653194noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3674813906543880988.post-39241125946589225012015-12-18T14:50:00.000-05:002015-12-18T17:20:20.203-05:00New Adventures ~ "THE NUDE AS ART" Photography Workshops<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Its been a while since I made a blog post, yes, because................ I have been working on a very exciting new adventure in photography. I have long been a fan of Ruth Bernhardt's photography and especially
her nude work and have often thought about doing nude workshops....so
now the idea is coming to fruition.<br />
Check out Ruth's book, <a href="http://www.chroniclebooks.com/titles/ruth-bernhard-the-eternal-body.html">Ruth Bernhardt The Eternal Body.</a><br />
With this post I am making official, my partnership in photography workshops with a tremendous photographer from Vermont, <a href="http://www.kiqebosch.com/">Kiqe Bosch</a>! He is a people and nude as art photographer and much more! <br />
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So I reached out to Kiqe as I was taken by his work, which communicated with such visual clarity, a connection to his subjects. I wanted to know if he would entertain the idea of co-leading "THE NUDE AS ART" workshops. After a little conversation, to my delight he agreed! So in early December I made a trip to New England and met him, engaged in a studio shoot with two models and visited the Rudyard Kipling Estate as a potential venue for our first offering of "THE NUDE AS ART" photography workshop.<br />
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When we walked into the Estate, immediately both of us were taken by the photographic opportunity the house, carriage house and landscape offered. Within 24 hours we had made a deposit!<br />
I appreciated Kiqe's professionalism in setting up the studio and models to work with! They were fabulous! He reserved space in a local dance studio and had lots of creative ideas for working with the models.<br />
I could go on and on about the photographic experience...but I will let a few of the images I made that day speak to the experience.<br />
After much work together, we have launched today the links to register for this very special photographic event! We will only be able to accommodate ten participants as we will actually be staying in The Rudyard Kipling Estate for three nights! (We have one preregistration so there are 9 spaces left)<br />
Yes, you will be sleeping in either the Carriage House or The Rudyard Kipling house! How special is that! We will have catered meals in the house and dine together on premises! This promises to be an immersive experience in photography with two talented artists and educators in an amazing location! I hope you can join us for this very special photographic workshop! For more information and registration <a href="http://blog.karenlmessickphotography.com/p/the-nude-as-art.html">CLICK HERE</a> or click on the link on the side bar of this blog. Hope you can join us there! <br />
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Karen L Messickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17145293834695653194noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3674813906543880988.post-2589517247877176412015-08-15T21:14:00.002-04:002015-08-15T21:14:56.052-04:00A simple "Thank You!" and a few thoughts on street photography<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Today I led a street photography workshop in Baltimore and the subject of photographing people came up as we walked and observed potential subjects. I have always been willing to approach a person and engage in conversation before I ask them if I can make a portrait photograph. Candid shots in public places however I have never felt compelled to ask and often make the shots from a distance without any knowledge on the part of the subject, that they are being photographed.<br />
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The officer above was patrolling the street in Fells Point when I saw him and thought he would make a great subject. In light of all the trouble that has occurred in Baltimore I felt compelled to walk up to him and just say "Thank You." These guys really do put their lives on the line every day and are often villanized by the public or media. Now I am not saying they are all good, but in Baltimore, you really have to have a passion for the job. Public service is not easy!! So I did just that, walked up to him and said "Thank You!" That was my ice breaker, then I asked if anyone got killed overnight; which opened up a conversation. Shortly after that I asked if the group could capture a couple portrait images of him. He obliged willingly and even let me guide him to a shady spot not far away with a clean background. I then showed him my image and offered to e-mail the image to him if he wanted it. I always offer to send the image on to the subject when they are willing to work with me. If I intended to make money off the image or submit it to a magazine, then a "Model Release" would be needed but when teaching or doing personal work, it is not necessary.<br />
I personally have never had more than a speeding ticket so I have no bones to pick with the law. I wanted to capture the essence of this officer in a portrait as he proudly walked the streets. I always get a great response from public servants when I first say "Thank You", either military, fire or police and the truth is I mean it! It's a genuine thought!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Morning Rest</td></tr>
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On the other hand for candid shots I never feel compelled to ask. People in public places, are OK to just photograph, and if you don't take that approach as a street photographer you will miss tremendous opportunities. This particular subject was in fact sleeping upright on the bench. I was not about to wake him to ask if I could take this shot. If I had, the shot would have been ruined. The posture would not ever be the same and the natural light on the subject could change. So I stepped back and composed the image I saw in my mind, showing the workshop participants my thoughts on the image capture and composition. You the viewer would have no idea that he was sleeping. To me this image was really about the posture and character of his hands, and the light on the subject. I did not need his face to communicate what I was seeing and reacting to. The hands told the story, a relaxed pose but lots of hard living.<br />
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So next time you find yourself doing some street photography, ask for portraits by breaking the ice with a compliment, engaging in conversation, then asking for a Photo opportunity....<br />
Or embrace serendipity and shoot fast, and don't ask!<br />
Both images were converted to black and white using Google Nik Silver Efex Pro 2.<br />
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Karen L Messickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17145293834695653194noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3674813906543880988.post-14057054588571648242015-08-03T18:58:00.000-04:002015-08-03T18:58:18.653-04:00Landscape "Swipes" Processing <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Palouse Abstract Landscape Swipe</td></tr>
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Yes, for those of you who follow this blog, it has been a while since I last made a post and I apologize for such a long abscence! It has been a busy year of travel, home maintenance, gym schedules and personal beach time. :-) and, I have just not been motivated to sit down and say anything other than my Facebook posts, which on my personal page are frequent, thanks to the convenience of my iPhone.<br />
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<span style="color: #bf9000;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><u>New to the Blog</u></b>:</span> </span><br />
I have added a block on the sidebar with a schedule of appearances and other camera club commitments for judging and workshops, they are coming in pretty regularly for fall 2015 and spring 2016. If you click over the dates on the schedule a link to the club event will be generated.<br />
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As I was working on the updates, I also grabbed a file from my Spring Palouse trip to process and give you some ideas about processing and making one of my favorite style of images "The Swipe."<br />
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<span style="color: #bf9000;"><u><b>Image Capture and Processing Info:</b></u></span><br />
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All my image captures are raw files and require processing. Not news for lots of us who have been capturing digital images for a long time but important to understanding the process.<br />
Raw file:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: left;">Raw File: Camera Settings: f/22 1/6 sec 28-300mm at 300mm ISO 100</span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #bf9000;"><u>Capture: </u></span>Location Steptoe Butte, Washington State<br />
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When making landscapes swipes I choose an f-stop with great depth of field so as to render as many "sharp" edges as possible in the raw file. Then I meter the landscape and determine an acceptable shutter speed, somewhere between one second and 1/5 of a second, depending on the ambient light and ISO selection. Generally, shutter speeds over one second are too long. Obstructions in the landscape like telephone poles or dark tree lines can be problematic so knowing what landscapes work for this technique is also important to successful results. The best time of day to make swipes is early morning or late afternoon, unless you have a neutral density filter to cut light and slow the shutter then you can make them any time of day.<br />
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Once I have set my exposure variables, I select an area of the landscape to start the exposure and then I move from the waist (like a twist) in a horizontal way, across the landscape triggering the shutter as I begin my movement, creating the abstract image. Usually I handhold my camera while making "swipes." It is important to try and maintain the horizon level so it takes a little practice.<br />
Compositionally, I like to divide the frame into thirds, two thirds land one third sky.<br />
As you can see in the Raw file the image looks muddy and might even be considered a throw away, but no...processing a swipe is where you can add the pop!<br />
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<span style="color: #bf9000; text-decoration: underline;">Processing:</span> Adobe Camera Raw and Photoshop<br />
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In Adobe Camera Raw I first added some exposure to the image. Then I used the spot removal tool to get rid of the sensor dust spots which are almost always present when doing a swipe. (It is really important to have as clean a sensor as possible when doing swipes.)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Screen shot: color filter</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oOwNBD_8fkU/Vb_sPwaKCEI/AAAAAAAAMFc/iATzGLKyRmE/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-08-03%2Bat%2B6.32.20%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="387" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oOwNBD_8fkU/Vb_sPwaKCEI/AAAAAAAAMFc/iATzGLKyRmE/s640/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-08-03%2Bat%2B6.32.20%2BPM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Screen shot: a few basic adjustments notice the white point/black point push. All swipes need contrast added in processing using black point and white point adjustment. I also made specific color channel adjustments in ACR, bringing up the yellows, blues and greens.</td></tr>
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In ACR I added a color filter to the top portion of the image changing the color and adding some pop.<br />
I also applied the lens correction filter in ACR.<br />
After making the adjustments in ACR I opened the file in Photoshop and made a few more tweaks toning down the vibrancy and saturation, adding some sharpness and curves.<br />
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For those of you who like and have tried swipes and been dissapointed, I hope this information has helped improve your technique and processing.<br />
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Karen L Messickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17145293834695653194noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3674813906543880988.post-63090801329415566442015-04-16T19:21:00.000-04:002015-04-16T19:24:07.008-04:00There is no bad light...there is just light!! <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Boat house reflection</td></tr>
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How many times have you heard that said? Well, I believe it is true...given that you are open to any subject matter...if you show up...and are open then you can always make an interesting image.<br />
On a recent workshop I led in Annapolis...the light was harsh, even though we started around sunrise, it was going to be a bluebird sky day....so I like to think what is good in light like that, and sometimes there are subjects that need harsh light for great images, like reflections, shadows and textures...so we started looking for those reflections and other opportunities that only present themselves in bright light. The hulls of boats anchored in harbor make interesting graphic subjects..working with a telephoto to really get into the hull and the water line reflected in the still harbor waters.<br />
After a little time working around the harbor the sky really did turn an amazing dark blue...I saw a beautiful wooden mast and put on a neutral density filter in order to cut the light and drag the shutter enough to make an impressionist image of the mast and lines against the blue sky..I was thinking color contrast, shapes (triangle) and photo technique opportunity...<br />
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The same boat offered up another opportunity only in black and white as the shadows and lines interested me, with the star on the hull as a point of interest seemingly teetering on the shadow and I loved the kick light from the water on the hull while the lines created the shape of a triangle.<br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-biKoZVZV31c/VTA8ev5OAKI/AAAAAAAAMBs/bZof5amj91Q/s1600/_DSCpbw3032.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-biKoZVZV31c/VTA8ev5OAKI/AAAAAAAAMBs/bZof5amj91Q/s1600/_DSCpbw3032.jpg" height="424" width="640" /></a> After shooting in the harbor we walked some of the back streets and passed one of my favorite houses on the corner...I always stop there as the morning light strikes in just the right way...I was thinking color contrast, texture and shape (L) as I composed the window off center.<br />
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As we continued to walk textures became important in the early morning light, I loved the unusual shape of this porch framing the entryway but even more I loved the way the light was striking and allowing all the textures to be revealed. I saw this as a symmetrical image because of the way the columns framed the doorway.<br />
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The pickets in front of the Shiplap house were in need of painting but made for great subjects as the strong light enhanced the texture of the peeling paint. Regarding composition, I was thinking odd numbers but balance and dark background. The <a href="http://www.annapolis.org/index.asp?pageid=174">Shiplap House</a> itself needed paint. I loved the light on in the window...so we made a few compositions here and then I decided to convert them to monochrome enhancing the textures of the wood and paint. The white pickets and window were striking against the dark red building.<br />
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And lastly this image I saw in an upstairs window in the back of a restaurant just before we departed the workshop event.....so when the light is strong...look for textures, and reflections, shadows, think monochrome possibilities, keep great compositional ideas working and use creative photography techniques...<br />
<a href="http://capitalphotographycenter.com/classes/quantity/d5688a89b0801ad99e2e53f4126b833f77f484d6/8142">I hope you can join me in the field on a workshop in the future...my next field workshop is shooting the tulips at Sherwood Gardens in Baltimore on April 25....if you are interested click here for more information and registration...and thanks for reading and following my blog!</a><br />
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Karen L Messickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17145293834695653194noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3674813906543880988.post-852966574537824002015-01-13T20:56:00.000-05:002015-03-19T14:09:22.262-04:00Arizona ~ Taliesen West in Color<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Petroglyphs on rock in courtyard</td></tr>
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As promised here are a few color shots from my holiday visit to Arizona and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Lloyd_Wright">Frank Lloyd Wrights</a> <a href="http://www.franklloydwright.org/about/TaliesinWestTours.html">Taliesen West.</a> Looking back on these amazingly electric blue skies makes me want to go back as we experience the mid winter blahs in the Mid-Atlantic. I am looking forward to working with workshop participants this weekend at the <a href="http://capitalphotographycenter.com/classes/quantity/65681f1d0b22fdeeba67b35fc8be3eec9f21e352/8009">B&O Museum helping to compose interesting images and assist with appropriate camera exposure. I have three spots left if you are in the area. Click here for registration and info. </a><br />
And on Sunday I am looking forward to working with iPhone enthusiasts at the <a href="http://capitalphotographycenter.com/classes/quantity/f55de0d3c509d838f4d997edbf2726afc45c7fda/8130">National Building Museum in Washington, DC. For more info and registration click here. </a><br />
And...last but not least we still have a few more spots open on <a href="http://blog.karenlmessickphotography.com/p/magnificent-mediterranean-photography.html">The Magnificent Mediterranean Photo Workshop in May 2015...Click here for more info... </a><br />
I hope you enjoy these shots from Taliesen West! <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Construction details</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Whimsical details (looks like a little repair is needed, note the two missing block detail in the roof line)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Landscape meets architecture</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Framing shadows</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The pool</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pool reflections</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sculpture patio shot from the ground looking up to get the subject floating in the blue sky</td></tr>
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Karen L Messickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17145293834695653194noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3674813906543880988.post-4450539361298561842015-01-09T18:11:00.000-05:002015-01-09T18:12:10.137-05:00Arizona ~ Taliesen West ~ Desert Light in Black and White<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cholla shot from the patio of Taliesen West ISO 400 1/1000 sec handheld f-16 Nikon D4 Lens 28-300 at 300mm</td></tr>
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Wow, it has been more than a month since I posted a blog...but it has been a busy season, so I am forgiving myself for making other priorities! However I am up caught up now so...here are a few updates. I had the pleasure of making a trip to Arizona over the Christmas holiday visiting my nephew and traveling with my sister. I knew ahead there was not going to be much time for any serious photography, but I did pack my bag and tripod just in case the opportunity presented itself. <br />
After arriving my sister settled in with her son at his place and I settled into the Best Western in Tempe. The next day we visited <a href="http://www.franklloydwright.org/about/TaliesinWestTours.html">Taliesen West</a>. It was a bluebird sky day...and we made it there in the afternoon so the light was bright but the sun was lower on the horizon. I love the <a href="http://www.desertusa.com/mag99/may/papr/chollas.html">Cholla Cactus</a> that grow there and when the light is low they glow back lit. I did carry my camera as photography is allowed outside the property but not on the interior spaces.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ISO 400 1/1000 sec handheld f-16 Nikon D4 Lens 28-300 at 58mm</td></tr>
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As we walked around the pool area of the property I saw the outside glider sofa 50's style, which I enjoyed as the light on the subject and the subject itself I enjoyed. I made a compositional choice to crop the sofa on the right side when shooting the image. <br />
As we passed through the house and then around to the back of the house I again saw the matching glider through a portico space...looking toward the pool, I composed and made another shot. All the monochrome conversions were made in <a href="https://www.google.com/nikcollection/">Google Nik Silver Efex Pro2</a>. If you ever get a chance to visit Arizona ~ touring <a href="http://www.franklloydwright.org/about/TaliesinWestTours.html">Taliesen West</a> is a don't miss! Look for more on Taliesen West in color on another blog post.<br />
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2015 is off to a great start with two private tutoring sessions and I have finalized scheduled workshops for Capital Photography Center. <br />
<a href="http://capitalphotographycenter.com/">My DSLR and iPhone workshops, sponsored by Capital Photography Center, are on line for registration now and posted through March. </a><br />
We are still accepting registrations for the <a href="http://posneg.com/maycruise/">Magnificent Mediterranean Photo Cruise</a> in May 2015 if you want to join the group click here: <a href="http://posneg.com/maycruise/">Magnificent Mediterranean Photo Tour </a><br />
I look forward to presenting at <a href="http://www.horizonworkshops.com/summit/">The Horizon Photography Summit, February 27-March 1 Wilmington DE</a> and <a href="http://www.photobeachbash.com/">The Photo Beach Bash, March 21 in Rehoboth, Delaware.</a><br />
If you live in the Baltimore ~ DC ~ Delaware ~ Virginia area, I hope you can join me in the field.<br />
Have an interest in a personal photography tutoring session? Shoot me an e-mail and we can work it out! Thanks for a great year in 2014 and for following my work and blog! <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ISO 400 1/1000 sec handheld f-16 Nikon D4 Lens 28-300 at 190mm</td></tr>
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Karen L Messickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17145293834695653194noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3674813906543880988.post-61558964061575068142014-11-22T16:32:00.001-05:002015-03-19T14:01:37.533-04:00Killer Trash in Baltimore<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Composite image</td></tr>
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This week I enjoyed working with a client honing her street photography techniques. We met in Fells Point and walked mostly on Broadway. In just a few short blocks in a couple hours we had lots of subjects to work with...that is why I love street photography and there is no better place than in Fells Point! I also enjoyed watching two sessions on <a href="https://www.creativelive.com/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=creative+live+free+live+online+-+US+Intl+ENG&gclid=CjwKEAiAhcGjBRDot_fjjtPKrgsSJACNYh7690WaeNeSR6Id0F0vSgrwTl7JPwSf9DonN1Z8JB07ZBoC7hDw_wcB">Creative Live </a>with <a href="http://brookeshaden.com/gallery/">Brooke Shaden</a> an imaginative photographer who produces creative emotional thought provoking composite works. When I started working files I shot on the street I decided to composite two files, one a mannequin window shot and the other a street shot of a dress form. I used a few technical ideas for compositing these two images from Brooke's session. If you have time and can watch when its airing, Creative Live is awesome. You can also buy recorded sessions.<br />
Dare I say nothing in Fells Point is new or shiny or perfect, its gritty! We came across a store called <a href="https://www.facebook.com/KillerTrashBaltimore">Killer Trash</a>, which epitomizes the eclectic nature of the area. I loved the windows and the signs on the door....I mean really, where else can you find, Catseye glasses, pearls, a red dress and rust!<br />
A few tips on shooting store windows.....watch how reflections and backgrounds are effecting your images, choose an appropriate aperture to manage depth of field, move around and change perspective. Pictures are everywhere! <br />
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Karen L Messickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17145293834695653194noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3674813906543880988.post-32165676279414444152014-11-06T12:37:00.003-05:002014-11-06T12:37:39.466-05:00On White Balance as a Creative Choice ~ Slow Shutter ~ The Ocean<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aperture f~16 Shutter speed 30 secs ISO 70-200 Lens at 100 Focal length 70mm Nikon D4</td></tr>
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I love the ocean! That's probably no surprise to many of you but when it comes to what really makes you buzz, what makes you want to grab a camera and go make some pictures for me it is the sea. I love being at the edge where the land meets ocean: the sounds of crashing waves, pebbles rolling in the surf, the smell of salt air, the squawk of the seagulls nearby, are inspiring. Everyday the shore, sea, light and air are different. As a matter of fact, every second is different! Every wave different from the other shaping the shore with each break.<br />
This week, my last week here until Spring 2015, I was able to get out twice to shoot. Once at sundown facing east, and once at sunrise. When I make images at the edge of the ocean white balance is one thing that always comes into play. I usually set my camera to cloudy, but really on the edge of night and day you have to play with it in post to get the feeling or the look you want...and sometimes that look is nothing like what reality might be, but its what <b><i><u>you</u></i></b> want in your image...so here goes my thoughts on white balance as a creative choice....<br />
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<u><b>About this image</b></u><br />
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This image and those that follow were shot about an hour before sundown facing east. The nor'easter that blew through several days ago created a very cool berm and tide pool (river) on the beach literally dividing the shore in half. I could not even walk through the tide pool to the edge of the ocean. (I left my over the knee waders at home.) That was a good thing because I used the berm at high tide as a feature to work with as the gentle waves broke and water flowed over and around the berm then collected in the tide pool reflecting the soft light of a rising moon. I was using a neutral density filter to cut light and used a 30 second exposure for these shots at f-16 locking my focus at a desirable point.<br />
In processing I had choices to make about the "color" of the image. I could use a natural color, which was easy to achieve by using the white point dropper in Camera Raw and placing it on the white surf, but that was not that interesting to me as there really was not much color in the environment. The light was soft and the tones of the sea and shore were subtle. So I played with color temperature settings until I achieved a color that popped and worked for me setting off the subtle yellow of the rising moon reflections. The screen shots below show first a natural white balance choice and then my artistic adjustments to the natural tones. Once you see the natural color image and then the adjusted one you might reject the adjusted tones and say over the top, but then step away and just look at the ones that are adjusted...doesn't the color have a whole different effect on the viewer?<br />
Good or bad? It's a choice! and based on viewer responses to the FB post I made of these images folks enjoyed the artistic adjustments...<br />
Hope to see you in the field on a workshop for<a href="http://capitalphotographycenter.com/"> Capital Photography Center </a>or Join me in May 2015 on <a href="http://posneg.com/maycruise/">The Magnificent Mediterranean Workshop with photo partner David Blecman.</a> <a href="http://naturevisions.org/">Or find me at Nature Visions Photography Expo </a>on November 15 and 16 for my presentations on Advanced iPhone Photography and Travel Photography.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Natural White Balance: Temperature slider at 18000 and the Tint slider at 41. As the image was a little dark as shot, I also added 1 stop of exposure to brighten the image before heading into Photoshop for further adjustments.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adjusted White Balance: Temperature slider 11250 Tint slider -2</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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I made similar adjustments to the following images. </div>
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Karen L Messickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17145293834695653194noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3674813906543880988.post-19272723217061864112014-11-02T11:24:00.000-05:002014-11-02T11:24:01.234-05:00The Red Door ~ Texture Layers ~ and...More on Color and Visual Poetry<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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During the recent Freeman Patterson, Andre Gallant photo workshop I attended in Canada, we visited a small abandoned house on a neighbors property. Adjacent to that house was a lovely pond with reflecting fall trees and leaves floating. Everyone gravitated to the pond while I gravitated to the house. Hmm....well, I was spending a few more days on the road afterward and calculated that I would have another opportunity for the leaves and pond, but not this little abandoned house.<br />
I don't like going into abandoned property alone, so while there were other photographers around I chose the house. This morning, I decided to create the image above from a couple files I shot there.<br />
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<u><b>About this image:</b></u> <br />
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The red door really made me stop and work out a composition. I wanted the red door to be a meaningful portion of the image. Choosing not to make an HDR image, the scene did not need it, I made several compositions working my way to this composition which I liked. In thinking through the composition I considered the balance between the red door and the space to the right of it. I chose to set my camera at a height that would allow the inner doorway to be framed by the interior walls. The soft light coming through the windows in the interior rooms was beautiful and I really loved the sequence of doorways. The stack of wood in the corner of the first room was a great counterpoint to the red door and added the balance I wanted.<br />
While in the house I also shot a few simple compositions of textures, peeling paint and wood.<br />
I liked the Red Door image as shot with no texture but also liked it with the texture. I thought it really added to the emotion of the image...to get the effect of the texture I made two layers in Photoshop, used the Multiply blend mode, turned the textured image into a monochrome and adjusted opacity of the texture layer. I chose the original Red door image with no texture for the Blurb book Andre puts together of participant images, for the workshop participants to purchase.<br />
Kim their assistant asked for a little blurb on the image or a comment on the workshop. I wrote a poem inspired by the Red Door image which spontaneously sprung forth from somewhere in my brain. Doors metaphorically: refer to portals and other non-physical
entrances. In literature, doors often represent choices or outcomes
which the principle actors can directly engage with.<br />
<a href="http://www.aijcrnet.com/journals/Vol_1_No_3_November_2011/13.pdf">How about a metaphor for red? Here is a link to a paper on Red as a metaphor....what do you think?</a><br />
Would this image have the same impact or emotion if the door were blue?<br />
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<a href="http://naturevisions.org/">And hope to see you at Nature Visions Photography Expo November 15 and 16! I will be presenting some thoughts on Travel Photography and sharing some of my favorite advanced iPhone techniques.. </a><br />
<a href="http://capitalphotographycenter.com/">I will also be helping out at the Capital Photography Center's booth.</a> Or join me for some field workshops! Check out the links on the sidebar of this blog! <br />
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The Red Door~</div>
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The Red Door beckoned, enter here</div>
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but there laid bare the floors,</div>
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the walls in disrepair.</div>
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The Red Door swung open, enter here</div>
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then enter more see my bones,</div>
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explore the empty rooms with no one there.</div>
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The Red Door brightly welcomed, enter here</div>
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see the light beyond my threshold, enter here</div>
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see my soul.</div>
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Karen L Messick ~ </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Original Red Door image.</td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QdwU0hOZnGA/VFZMWaBu94I/AAAAAAAAL0k/5lIAqzWPMrE/s1600/_DSCp8741.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QdwU0hOZnGA/VFZMWaBu94I/AAAAAAAAL0k/5lIAqzWPMrE/s1600/_DSCp8741.jpg" height="425" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Original Texture image</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CX1LBuQz8F0/VFZMWcRCXbI/AAAAAAAAL0o/R3xA541rlX4/s1600/_DSCpbw8741.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CX1LBuQz8F0/VFZMWcRCXbI/AAAAAAAAL0o/R3xA541rlX4/s1600/_DSCpbw8741.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Monochrome of Texture layer</td></tr>
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<br /></div>
Karen L Messickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17145293834695653194noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3674813906543880988.post-57780652936012012602014-10-29T14:18:00.001-04:002014-10-29T14:18:54.570-04:00On Imagery and Poetry...The Old Swimming Hole<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lRAz1nyk6Ew/VFEnCxpmPhI/AAAAAAAALyc/yjxhyLhC318/s1600/Karen_Messick%2BDay2.2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lRAz1nyk6Ew/VFEnCxpmPhI/AAAAAAAALyc/yjxhyLhC318/s1600/Karen_Messick%2BDay2.2.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aperture f~16 Shutter 1/50 sec ISO 100 Focal Length 125 Lens 70-200 Nikon D4</td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><u>About this image:</u></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;">This scene in Hampton, New Brunswick, Canada evoked a sense of nostalgia in me. On a morning shoot, I found this small pond, only large enough to be a swimming hole, in a meadow in early morning light as a gentle mist was beginning to lift. It harkened the end of the summer season. The colors of the vegetation, the stillness of the water and the moodiness the mist brought to the scene enhanced the feeling I had of the past. I felt a sense of visual poetry in this scene. As a young teen, I had a swimming hole my boyfriend and I used to visit in an old quarry, that is now fenced off and impossible to access. This scene, when I saw it put a smile on my face thinking that yes, children somewhere on the planet still enjoy an Old Swimming Hole! I made several compositions with focus on the soft light striking the floating platform but liked this one best, it was the first shot I made of the scene. I processed the image minimally in Photoshop and removed a distracting red float in the water at the end of the platform. When composing the image I paid particular attention to the balance between the lower third of the image and the trees with the beautiful sidelight. I was also paying attention to exactly where in the frame the floating platform was located in the lower right of the frame.</span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">When preparing to write this blog I "Googled" "The Old Swimming Hole" and found the poem by James Whitcomb Riley about The Old Swimming Hole written in 1883. Some things never change!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;">It made me think about how our images can align with the heart of a poet, both evoking a feeling or emotion in the viewer or reader. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<u><b>The Old Swimmin' Hole</b></u> <span class="author">By <a href="http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/james-whitcomb-riley"> James Whitcomb Riley</a></span></div>
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<span class="author"> </span>
</div>
</div>
<div style="padding-left: 1em; text-align: left; text-indent: -1em;">
Oh! the old swimmin'-hole! whare the crick so still and deep </div>
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Looked like a baby-river that was laying half asleep, </div>
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And the gurgle of the worter round the drift jest below </div>
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Sounded like the laugh of something we onc't ust to know </div>
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Before we could remember anything but the eyes </div>
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Of the angels lookin' out as we left Paradise; </div>
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But the merry days of youth is beyond our controle, </div>
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And it's hard to part ferever with the old swimmin'-hole. </div>
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Oh! the old swimmin'-hole! In the happy days of yore, </div>
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When I ust to lean above it on the old sickamore, </div>
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Oh! it showed me a face in its warm sunny tide </div>
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That gazed back at me so gay and glorified, </div>
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It made me love myself, as I leaped to caress </div>
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My shadder smilin' up at me with sich tenderness. </div>
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But them days is past and gone, and old Time's tuck his toll </div>
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From the old man come back to the old swimmin'-hole. </div>
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Oh! the old swimmin'-hole! In the long, lazy days </div>
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When the humdrum of school made so many run-a-ways, </div>
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How plesant was the jurney down the old dusty lane, </div>
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Whare the tracks of our bare feet was all printed so plane </div>
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You could tell by the dent of the heel and the sole </div>
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They was lots o' fun on hands at the old swimmin'-hole. </div>
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But the lost joys is past! Let your tears in sorrow roll </div>
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Like the rain that ust to dapple up the old swimmin'-hole. </div>
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<div style="padding-left: 1em; text-align: left; text-indent: -1em;">
Thare the bullrushes growed, and the cattails so tall, </div>
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And the sunshine and shadder fell over it all; </div>
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And it mottled the worter with amber and gold </div>
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Tel the glad lilies rocked in the ripples that rolled; </div>
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And the snake-feeder's four gauzy wings fluttered by </div>
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Like the ghost of a daisy dropped out of the sky, </div>
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Or a wownded apple-blossom in the breeze's controle </div>
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As it cut acrost some orchard to'rds the old swimmin'-hole. </div>
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<div style="padding-left: 1em; text-align: left; text-indent: -1em;">
Oh! the old swimmin'-hole! When I last saw the place, </div>
<div style="padding-left: 1em; text-align: left; text-indent: -1em;">
The scenes was all changed, like the change in my face; </div>
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The bridge of the railroad now crosses the spot </div>
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Whare the old divin'-log lays sunk and fergot. </div>
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And I stray down the banks whare the trees ust to be— </div>
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But never again will theyr shade shelter me! </div>
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And I wish in my sorrow I could strip to the soul, </div>
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And dive off in my grave like the old swimmin'-hole. </div>
</div>
Karen L Messickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17145293834695653194noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3674813906543880988.post-38695258106758916782014-10-28T12:11:00.001-04:002014-10-28T12:11:44.816-04:00Cropping and Fog ~ In the Fog<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JQtnuHOUAzQ/VE-y0G8eiHI/AAAAAAAALxs/H3GRf_fSq5Y/s1600/_DSCp0065.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JQtnuHOUAzQ/VE-y0G8eiHI/AAAAAAAALxs/H3GRf_fSq5Y/s1600/_DSCp0065.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">F-9 ISO 200 Shutter 1/200 sec </td></tr>
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Fog looks cool in the landscape creeping quietly into the scene and ever-changing with the breeze and light of day. It adds an air of mystery. It can even be a little scary to be in a thick fog as it obscures our vision, but I love fog in the landscape when creating images. Fog shots are also good candidates for textures in processing but I decided to leave this one as shot.<br />
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<b><u>About this image:</u></b><br />
I had the opportunity on my recent road trip to Vermont to drive to the top of Mt. Mansfield, 4393 feet above sea level on the toll road which is a green ski run in winter. As I drove the switchback, muddy route I traversed into a dense cloud fog that completely shrouded the mountain top. Immediately I noticed a quiet in the atmosphere as the sunshine slipped away. No one was around...no one else had decided to go up that day as views from the top were obscured. I did not care about the clouds, I was there for the experience...the fun of driving to the top and I love fog! <br />
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While driving I noticed the tops of the tall pines standing out against the white of the clouds with layers of fog density, I loved the way they looked. So having my camera with me I made a few shots of the pines at the top of the mountain. In processing I decided to make the square crop as shown. Cropping is not what I usually choose to do with my images as I prefer to get it in camera, but square works for me too. I actually shot this image with the idea to crop later in mind as I loved the way the tops of the three trees in the middle tiered down the mountainside. <br />
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Here is the original shot before the crop:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yUQjP9y1KRw/VE-8-GAZXeI/AAAAAAAALyM/kqnQqhSiJ7g/s1600/_DSC0065.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yUQjP9y1KRw/VE-8-GAZXeI/AAAAAAAALyM/kqnQqhSiJ7g/s1600/_DSC0065.jpg" height="425" width="640" /></a></div>
<span id="goog_10684135"></span><span id="goog_10684136"></span><br />
<br />
It must be a Carl Sandburg week.....here is his poem on Fog.<br />
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<div class="tab-content active" id="poem-top">
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
Fog</h4>
</div>
<span class="author">By <a href="http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/carl-sandburg"> Carl Sandburg</a></span><br />
<span class="author"> </span>
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<div class="poem">
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The fog comes </div>
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on little cat feet. </div>
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It sits looking </div>
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over harbor and city </div>
<div style="padding-left: 1em; text-indent: -1em;">
on silent haunches </div>
<div style="padding-left: 1em; text-indent: -1em;">
and then moves on.</div>
</div>
</div>
Karen L Messickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17145293834695653194noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3674813906543880988.post-67152326272612176722014-10-27T10:47:00.000-04:002014-10-27T10:49:15.193-04:00Impressionism in Photography ~ Technique ~ Play with the Wind<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aperture f-22 Shutter 1.3 ISO 100 Lens at 200mm Nikon D4 (5 shot composite)</td></tr>
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Sometimes experimentation is a must in your work and life..sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't! I think this photographic experiment worked, I like the resulting image! On my recent road trip to see and capture the beautiful fall foliage of the Northeast I experimented with this beautiful tree as a subject. I have always loved impressionism and have made more than my share of 'swipes' and in camera 'multiple exposures' in the traditional way. I have also made layered images adjusting opacity and brushing in and out sections of an image where I wanted to keep or remove parts of an image to arrive at a unique image, but I had not come up with this method before. I am sure someone has, that I don't know about, but I thought it was interesting. I liked the result and thought I would share it here. This image creating technique is something I will add to my shooting repertoire in the future when the subject has potential. <br />
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<u><b>About this image:</b></u><br />
I chose the original composition carefully watching the background as I did not want any "white" holes but instead a full texture of vegetation. Then I made five separate shots keeping the camera position the same on a rock steady tripod. Each image was captured in a different file. The wind was briskly blowing and I chose a small aperture f-22 which gave me a 1.3 second exposure at ISO 100 for each shot. At that shutter speed with the wind blowing each shot was different as the leaves were fluttering and the branches moving with the trunk of the tree fairly steady. I then opened all the images in Photoshop created layers for each one and adjusted opacity, blend modes and masked sections in each layer to get to the final image here. It is a five layer composite, creating a slightly different look than moving the camera for each exposure as in a multiple or a single swipe impression. Would love to hear your thoughts on this image.<br />
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I have always loved poetry and find this one from Carl Sandburg fits my image, the season and the idea of change and impermanence.<br />
<br />
<b>Autumn Movement</b><br />
<i>I cried over beautiful things knowing no beautiful thing lasts.</i><br />
<i>The field of cornflower yellow is a scarf at the neck of the copper sunburned woman,</i><br />
<i> the mother of the year, the taker of seeds.</i><br />
<i>The northwest wind comes and the yellow is torn full of holes, new beautiful things</i><br />
<i> come in the first spit of snow on the northwest wind, and the old things go,</i><br />
<i> not one lasts.</i><br />
<br />
Carl Sandburg, 1878-1967.<br />
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Hope to see you at Nature Visions Photography Expo in Virginia November 15-16 where I will be sharing two presentations, one on iPhone Photography and the other on Travel Photography...<a href="http://naturevisions.org/">for more info and registration click here.</a></div>
Karen L Messickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17145293834695653194noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3674813906543880988.post-80588366580071208342014-10-26T12:58:00.001-04:002014-10-26T12:58:09.167-04:00On Windows ~ Nik Silver Efex Pro2<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GhIFQeTl1yE/VE0eaGZmQjI/AAAAAAAALw0/Ins9Sxj2ZHE/s1600/_DSCpbw8709.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GhIFQeTl1yE/VE0eaGZmQjI/AAAAAAAALw0/Ins9Sxj2ZHE/s1600/_DSCpbw8709.jpg" height="640" width="428" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aperture f~16 Shutter Speed 1/80 sec ISO 100 Focal length 180 Lens 70-200 Nikon D4</td></tr>
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Windows often hold an interest for me as photographic subject matter. I am not alone in that idea as many photographers and artists have long made the window an element of their imagery. It has been said that a window provides access to two of life’s essentials, light and air, but
is it more than just a means to an end? Windows also have symbolic,
expressive and architectural qualities that have for centuries inspired
some of the world’s greatest artists such as Matisse.<br />
Sometimes there are multiple roles of the window in art surrounding key themes, from the window as a status symbol to its use
as a provider of physical and spiritual illumination; from its
employment as a literal window on the world outside the confines of a
room to its function as a mirror, reflecting the emotions of the artist
or the individuals depicted; and finally to the immense architectural
variety of windows. (Excerpt from: <span class="a-size-large" id="productTitle">Windows in Art</span> by Christopher Masters)<span class="author notFaded" data-width=""><a class="a-link-normal" href="https://www.blogger.com/null"><br /></a></span><br />
What do you window images reflect?<br />
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<b><u>About this image:</u></b><br />
This window image is one shot. While it may appear to be two layers of images, instead, it is two layers of windows in a single shot. The closest window reflecting the windblown leaves of the vegetation just outside the first window and the second window holding the jars. When I saw this scene I thought about going into the abandoned house and closing the door that is providing a strong dark element on the right side but then decided I liked it, it allowed the first window to frame the second window with the reflected leaves and added a strong linear element to the image. My choice of camera position, being aware not to get myself into the reflection, put the image slightly askew, which I decided not to correct, I liked it that way. In creating this shot I used a small step stool to get taller so as to minimize the skew. I also made a shot or two with the outside frame of the house in a horizontal orientation, but liked this image best. It is good to try many different compositions when you have a great subject. My decision to present this as a monochrome image arose from the lack of strong color in the scene, the tonal offering in the scene and my mood. <br />
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Windows have also been a strong metaphoric element used in poetry as in this poem by Carl Sandburg~<br />
<div class="tab-content active" id="poem-top">
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
At a Window</h4>
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<span class="author"> </span>
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<div style="padding-left: 1em; text-indent: -1em;">
Give me hunger,
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O you gods that sit and give
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<div style="padding-left: 1em; text-indent: -1em;">
The world its orders.
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<div style="padding-left: 1em; text-indent: -1em;">
Give me hunger, pain and want,
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Shut me out with shame and failure
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From your doors of gold and fame,
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Give me your shabbiest, weariest hunger!
</div>
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But leave me a little love,
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A voice to speak to me in the day end,
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A hand to touch me in the dark room
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Breaking the long loneliness.
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In the dusk of day-shapes
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Blurring the sunset,
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One little wandering, western star
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Thrust out from the changing shores of shadow.
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Let me go to the window,
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Watch there the day-shapes of dusk
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And wait and know the coming
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<div style="padding-left: 1em; text-indent: -1em;">
Of a little love.
</div>
</div>
Karen L Messickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17145293834695653194noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3674813906543880988.post-73821864384398997522014-10-25T12:34:00.001-04:002014-10-25T12:34:39.720-04:00"Equivalence" a Perennial Trend ~ Minor White 1963<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">F 9 ISO 100 Shutter 1.6 sec Focal length 100 Lens 70-200 2.8 Nikon D4</td></tr>
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In 1963 when <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minor_White">Minor White </a>wrote
an article for the PSA Journal on "Equivalence", I was barley 11 years old and
"equivalents" to me were measured in Quarts: Pints: Gallons...I still
have to look them up when I want to know...except for the old adage a
pints a pound the world around...but now as a "maturing" photographer
the idea of "Equivalence" in photography theory as opposed to "equivalents" is more interesting. It
really brings to the fore front of our image making the idea of ~ what we photograph, how we photograph and
what is the connection to the photographer's inner self. I know myself, I move through many styles, techniques and subjects as I move through time in my personal image making. How about you? What do your images say? When thinking in Equivalence?<br />
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Here is a brief clip of the article Minor White authored on the subject of Equivalence.<br />
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<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minor_White">Minor White</a> ~ When
any photograph functions for a given person as an Equivalent we can say that
at that moment and for that person the photograph acts as a symbol or plays
the role of a metaphor for something that is beyond the subject photographed.
We can say this in another way; when a photograph functions as an Equivalent,
the photograph is at once a record of something in front of the camera and
simultaneously a spontaneous symbol......When the photographer shows us what he considers to be
an Equivalent, he is showing us an expression of a feeling, but this feeling
is not the feeling he had for the object that he photographed. What really
happened is that he recognized an object or series of forms that, when photographed,
would yield an image with specific suggestive powers that can direct the viewer
into a specific and known feeling, state or place within himself.<br />
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<a href="http://jnevins.com/whitereading.htm">For the complete article your can click here and read more of Minor White's article. </a><br />
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So, thinking "Equivalence" ~ and my image above:<br />
On a recent photography/fall odyssey trip, I found myself in a quiet forest beside a small stream and delicate waterfall. I began photographing and used a neutral density filter to slow the water and made many attempts to find a composition or image that I really liked given the space I was working in and nothing seemed to be working for me, in other words I didn't like my images...until I found this pairing of two rocks strewn with fall leaves that had to me the appearance of a broken heart and maybe the leaves were symbolic of what was left behind from a relationship and the water swirling the washing away, I really don't know but "Yes" I said, that is the scene and the image that I want to make work for me....sharp on the clump of collected leaves with the dreamlike water surrounding them. Well OK... here is where the idea of "Equivalence" comes in: I had just had an 8 year relationship end with a big disappointment to me. I really believe the theory of Equivalence was at play this day so poignantly in my image making. We all recognize what the symbol of a broken heart image means. In the end, I loved the final image and find it beautiful! Life itself with the renewing flow of water...rock solid....plants the cycle of life...centered in the frame.....so much to see in this little picture....what does it make you feel?<br />
And..<br />
How does your imagery reflect the theory of "Equivalence"? (I hope you got a chance to read the full article, it is very heady) or are you just trying to get the next best shot, beat out the other photographer or are they inextricably woven together?? When you make images just for yourself how different are they than when you are trying to get the next best shot? or not? Just sayin!<br />
I will be making two presentations at Nature Visions Photography Expo in Virginia on November 15 and 16. <br />
Hope you can join me there!<br />
<a href="http://naturevisions.org/">Nature Visions Click here for more information and registration.</a><br />
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Karen L Messickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17145293834695653194noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3674813906543880988.post-13552318231133343312014-10-22T14:56:00.002-04:002014-10-22T14:56:32.390-04:00The Old Apple Tree ~ Nik Color Efex4 ~ Flypaper Textures<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SSGEmsnNKcE/VEf2FYZAYsI/AAAAAAAALu8/W6NHwGtpnPg/s1600/_DSCpnf18323.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SSGEmsnNKcE/VEf2FYZAYsI/AAAAAAAALu8/W6NHwGtpnPg/s1600/_DSCpnf18323.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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I was very fortunate to attend a photography workshop conducted by <a href="http://www.freemanpatterson.com/">Freeman Patterson</a> and <a href="http://www.andregallant.com/">Andre Gallant</a> as part of my Fall Odyssey Road Trip. One morning on location in Hampton we had some beautiful fog over the water. I was traveling with Andre's group that morning. When he saw a great scene along the road we were traveling, he made an unplanned stop and we all got out of our vehicles to capture a few foggy morning images. But this blog is not about those images...it's about what I saw as the fog was lifting. As I was walking back up the hill, I noticed this little scene of the apple tree in morning light and the small upturned boat. I made the shot with the idea of processing it with filters. The scene spoke to me. It really felt like the area in Canada I was getting to know; old world-like. While I loved the fog and the beautiful landscape images I made that morning...(that's another post)...I really just loved the old apple tree. <br />My processing here began with the original raw file below......<br />making adjustments to the raw file with saturation, levels, curves in Photoshop. I also cleaned up a few straggly apple tree branches in the upper right corner with the content aware tool, but that's about it.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gLD8VxmCivQ/VEf4ozxRzBI/AAAAAAAALvI/UhczNArYojA/s1600/_DSCp18323.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gLD8VxmCivQ/VEf4ozxRzBI/AAAAAAAALvI/UhczNArYojA/s1600/_DSCp18323.jpg" height="425" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Original image adjusted in Photoshop</td></tr>
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Then I added a fog filter in Color Efex Pro4 making further adjustments in opacity to the Fog Layer.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-U4xc9-CGOnY/VEf48PprPFI/AAAAAAAALvQ/rt9XRExhZKs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2014-10-22%2Bat%2B1.53.22%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-U4xc9-CGOnY/VEf48PprPFI/AAAAAAAALvQ/rt9XRExhZKs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2014-10-22%2Bat%2B1.53.22%2BPM.png" height="384" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Layer of fog from Nik Color Efex4</td></tr>
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Then I added two texture layers using textures from Flypaper Textures and made further adjustments in Photoshop using the multiply blend mode to arrive at the final image below. I would love to hear your thoughts on the composition and processing! <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SSGEmsnNKcE/VEf2FYZAYsI/AAAAAAAALu8/W6NHwGtpnPg/s1600/_DSCpnf18323.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SSGEmsnNKcE/VEf2FYZAYsI/AAAAAAAALu8/W6NHwGtpnPg/s1600/_DSCpnf18323.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Final Image with two Flypaper Textures</td></tr>
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Karen L Messickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17145293834695653194noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3674813906543880988.post-12325669080708771262014-09-07T10:00:00.000-04:002014-09-07T12:11:38.020-04:00Anti-Crepuscular Rays ~ Looking the other way with intent!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">f 16 1.6 sec ISO 100 28-300mm at 28mm</td></tr>
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This week I am fortunate to be spending some personal time in my favorite place by the ocean and I made a very quick run out for some evening light a couple nights ago. The winds were calm, without any spectacular clouds in the west, so I thought I would grab some low light shots of the ocean...The sea was very flat but I stayed anyway and I made a few images. After the sun was down I noticed the Anti-Crepuscular rays in the sky...cool! I had a polarizing filter on my lens but rotated it to allow the sea to reflect the pastel light of the sky. I really only got one or two images I liked but that was enough! Hope to do some more shooting this week.........<br />
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<i><u><b>Check out my upcoming events </b></u></i><br />
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I will be presenting at Nature Visions Expo 2014 this year so check out their site for some great photo learning opportunities with some icons in the photo industry.....<a href="http://naturevisions.org/">Click here for a link to their site</a>.<br />
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Also check out Capital Photography Center for my upcoming classes in photography...<a href="http://capitalphotographycenter.com/classes/quantity/17470dcb28e96f56171661c2f016fd2f909d85dd/5954">Click here for the link...</a><br />
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And if you always wanted to visit and photograph in the Magnificent Mediterranean, <a href="http://posneg.com/">David Blecman</a> and I will be offering a Cruise/Photo tour in May 2015...check out the info here.....<a href="http://posneg.com/maycruise/">Magnificent Mediterranean Photo Tour</a><br />
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Hope to see you in the field! or at the expo!<br />
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Karen L Messickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17145293834695653194noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3674813906543880988.post-13990040306536505332014-08-26T10:59:00.000-04:002014-08-26T11:03:51.331-04:00Serendipity, Giving back...Young Love on Steptoe Butte<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-576piOWJs30/U_ydbUpV5QI/AAAAAAAAK3k/_btydepGzuw/s1600/_DSC4263.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-576piOWJs30/U_ydbUpV5QI/AAAAAAAAK3k/_btydepGzuw/s1600/_DSC4263.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a>On my Photo Tour in the Palouse, visiting Steptoe Butte for sundown is always part of the tour, and always a highlight when the light cooperates! In my welcome presentations on tour, I always speak to embracing serendipity, in fact it is one of the best parts of life and photography! When gifts come your way! So my group was in a groove loving the sunset and beautiful light and as I walked from one participant to another checking their work, I noticed this couple with an old Z28 Camaro T-tops out and the beautiful light on the car with their loving embrace. So I quietly set up and made a quick couple of exposures to capture "their" moment. I moved on after I was sure I got the shot, they were moving, kind of rocking back and forth and the light was low so I was worried about blurring them. When the light was gone I went over to them and showed them a couple images on my LCD. They were ecstatic that I had captured that moment. So after a little conversation, the car was his dad's, we swapped e-mails and I gratuitously sent him these files.<br />
The response I got back was priceless: <br />
"Thank you so much these are beautiful my girlfriend and I love them. It was a great going away present to have as I have gone back to Alaska to work until November." ~ Nick<br />
You never know what will present itself when you are out in the field..so be open to serendipity!! and give back!<br />
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Karen L Messickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17145293834695653194noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3674813906543880988.post-44622625628124786272014-08-16T13:20:00.000-04:002014-08-16T13:28:48.935-04:00Palouse, creative image processing with Flypaper Textures...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not Exactly Twin Barns...</td></tr>
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As I am wrapping up processing my images from the Palouse there were a few that I thought lent themselves to processing with <a href="http://flypapertextures.com/">Flypaper Texture</a> overlays. I find in using texture overlays it is important to experiment in Photoshop with many layers, using blend modes, masking, levels and curves, saturation hue etc..while combining several different textures in one image. The folks at Flypaper have some great tutorials on their site which can provide ideas for processing images with their textures. If you want to try using textures and purchase from Flypaper; you can use the link provided on this blog sidebar for a discount on their textures. <br />
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Lone trees with lots of sky are great for laying in a couple texture layers as are back-lit soft background teasel. I had a great group of photographers in the Palouse and look forward to doing some personal work in Spring of 2015 with a tour in Spring of 2016. If you would like to be added to the list for a Palouse Tour in Spring 2016 shoot me an e-mail at karenmessick@aol.com or join my mailing list for monthly updates.<br />
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Karen L Messickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17145293834695653194noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3674813906543880988.post-70876914999765458472014-08-14T19:32:00.003-04:002014-08-14T19:32:55.597-04:00The Palouse in Monochrome.....<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Abandoned Grain Bin</td></tr>
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The Palouse begs to be captured in color with red barns, brilliant blue skies, yellow fields of wheat and green bean fields woven into a rolling landscape. The colors are so strong that it sometimes overwhelms the image. I picked up a book by a photographer George Bedirian called <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Palouse-Country-George-Bedirian/dp/0874222540/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1408058847&sr=1-1">"Palouse Country"</a> and I thought it was odd to be a photography book of the Palouse, with all the images in black and white, but after turning a few pages I understood why. He captures light and texture so beautifully and black and white allows the viewer to really see what he is enamored with in the Palouse. George Bedirian is the associate editor of <a href="http://www.wsu.edu/nis/wsumagazine.html">Washington State Magazine</a> and long time resident of the Palouse. I was immediately drawn to his images. So, I began processing a few more of my shots from the Palouse in monochrome, some I used Nik Silver Efex Pro 2 and some I simply converted in Photoshop.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FoFzu_G8sRc/U-09CSSWeQI/AAAAAAAAK1k/TNiW5Fv13PQ/s1600/_DSCplnlbw2251.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FoFzu_G8sRc/U-09CSSWeQI/AAAAAAAAK1k/TNiW5Fv13PQ/s1600/_DSCplnlbw2251.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Old Weber House</td></tr>
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I was asked today if I ever felt uneasy rambling the Palouse alone and I said no, not even once, even as I rolled down dusty two tracks in the middle of nowhere! It just felt good. When I got out of the car sometimes the only sounds I heard was the wind blowing through the wheat or the bees buzzing the wild flowers! Now that's special! <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WcgDLCo9uD0/U-098hyrXuI/AAAAAAAAK1s/v7kAQt4SC40/s1600/_DSCpbw3666.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WcgDLCo9uD0/U-098hyrXuI/AAAAAAAAK1s/v7kAQt4SC40/s1600/_DSCpbw3666.jpg" height="436" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Barn Grasses</td></tr>
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I like textures and the simplicity of yellow grasses against an old red barn were beautiful in the summer light.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Lk5_zguIp-0/U-0-fOoEtbI/AAAAAAAAK10/WfhbAmUcqws/s1600/_DSCpbw4151.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Lk5_zguIp-0/U-0-fOoEtbI/AAAAAAAAK10/WfhbAmUcqws/s1600/_DSCpbw4151.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Longhorn Bull</td></tr>
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I found a ranch with a small herd of Texas Longhorns grazing as the wind blew the grasses and wheat.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Patterns of the Palouse</td></tr>
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The texture of harvested crops on rolling hills against a barren sky was perfect for a monochrome conversion! I will be leading a tour of the Palouse again in Spring 2016...if you think you might be interested please join my mailing list (you can scan the bar-code on the sidebar of this blog) or e-mail me for updates as plans become finalized. I have left the Palouse but the Palouse has not left me! Its a great place, with wonderful people, working hard to farm the land.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Harvesting </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">High Tension Wires</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td></tr>
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Even high tension wires in the rolling hill landscape made for a good monochrome conversion.</div>
Karen L Messickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17145293834695653194noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3674813906543880988.post-39691021796118858542014-08-09T16:23:00.001-04:002014-08-09T16:26:25.577-04:00Experience Music Project Museum<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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While visiting my daughter and her husband in Seattle, my nephew and I enjoyed a day in City Park visiting the <a href="http://www.empmuseum.org/">Experience Music Project Museum</a> and the <a href="http://www.chihulygardenandglass.com/">Chihuly Glass Garden</a>. I was not carrying much camera gear, just the D4 and the 28-300mm lens a good walk around lens. I enjoyed the museum and making a few shots of the totally rad architecture of the building designed by<a href="http://www.gehrytechnologies.com/architecture/recent-work"> Frank Gehry</a>.<br />
Friend and fellow photographer<a href="http://johnbarclayphotography.com/tag/emp/"> John Barclay has made images of this building </a>and I enjoyed looking at them. So it was on my shot list! The building reflects color amazingly but I decided to convert my images to Black and White using Niks SIlver Efex Pro 2. I loved the many values of light the metal reflected. Zooming in to segments of the building thus creating abstract images out ot the shape and design was my goal. While doing that my nephew suggested a few swipes! Brilliant...so I made a few and left them in color and converted them into square images. We had a great day we had! I went into the way back machine looking at the Jimi Hendrix exhibits!! What a time that was....I kept saying...imagine what kind of music he would be making now had he not died so young!<br />
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Karen L Messickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17145293834695653194noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3674813906543880988.post-61723334670826743872014-08-06T13:41:00.000-04:002014-08-06T13:41:48.270-04:00Wide Angle Close Ups, Serendipity, Breaking the Rules, and Compositional Choices!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nikon D4 Lens 17-35 2.8 at f16 1/100 sec ISO 100</td></tr>
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It has been a busy summer and updating the blog has been challenging, but I have a minute and wanted to share some thoughts and a couple images from the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palouse">Palouse</a>.<br />
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I just wrapped up my Photo Tour in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palouse">Palouse</a> and now that I am in Seattle visiting family I have a minute to review some of my scouting images. The first day I was in the Palouse I was lucky to have beautiful <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palouse">Palouse</a> skies! As I was rambling some back roads I came across the scene in this image. The tall pines in the field with great sky stopped me in my tracks. When I got out of the car and observed the scene I also loved the small daisies in the foreground along the road so I chose a vertical orientation for this shot with a wide angle at 17mm. This allowed me to include the daisies along the road and the great developing sky which was circulating above the pines just wrapping them into the image. I enjoyed the distorted effect of the wide angle close up even after applying "Lens Correction" in Photoshop. <br />
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Now for breaking the rules..when I reviewed the image above I saw that it was bifurcated...<br />
"split in two visually creating distinct areas horizontally of sky and land"...but I think it still works, normally for a composition I would try to use the rule of thirds and divide the frame either one third sky two thirds land or two thirds sky and one third land, but with the dynamics of the sky and foreground with daisies, given my low wide angle perspective and lens choice, I enjoyed the resulting image. But I also shot it horizontally!! as I loved the leading lines in the sky and vegetation that draw you into the image.<br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_V6uJmriIbM/U-JmBT8UwbI/AAAAAAAAK0U/PsG6zVbTAMI/s1600/_DSCpn2158.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_V6uJmriIbM/U-JmBT8UwbI/AAAAAAAAK0U/PsG6zVbTAMI/s1600/_DSCpn2158.jpg" height="404" width="640" /></a> I am in the process planning a "Spring Green" Photo Tour in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palouse">Palouse</a> in 2016. Registration will open in December 2014 so if you are interested mark your calendars or shoot me a note to get on the list....there is no other place in the USA quite like the Palouse!<br />
Also if you are looking for a great photo adventure in spring of 2015 Join <a href="http://posneg.com/about-david/">David Blecman</a> and myself for a Magnificent Mediterranean Photo Tour Cruise. <a href="http://blog.karenlmessickphotography.com/p/magnificent-mediterranean-photography.html">For more details and information and registration click here. </a><br />
As always your comments and thoughts are welcome!!<br />
Happy Shooting!<br />
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Karen L Messickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17145293834695653194noreply@blogger.com2