The Great Dakota Gathering

This fall, we went to the Great Dakota Gathering in Winona, MN.

It was so inspiring...

the color, the craftsmanship, the generations together - 

it was a perfect day!

Happy creating to you.

Indian Summer

They call it Indian Summer, I call it perfection.

Whatever you call it, in the Midwest it amounts to warm days, 

vibrant color on every tree and bush,

and often - the end of autumn.

As the old saying goes, "if I could bottle this, I'd be rich".

Yep, everyone loves Indian Summer and wishes it would go on for months!

These images were all made recently...

my version of trying to "bottle" a bit of our Indian Summer

to hold and savor.

Happy creating to you.

Intentional Camera Movement

I recently wrote an article for the CM Notebook.

Today, I'm going to reprint it with a collection of ICM images ~

Intentional Camera Movement

You've probably spent months perfecting the ability to get tack sharp focus in your photos.
  While this is an admirable and important skill to have in your photography tool box,
 today we're going to throw sharp focus out the window, so to speak.

In the spirit of having fun, let us now play with "ICM", Intentional Camera Movement.
 ICM is freeing - no photography police looking over your shoulder
or need for perfectionism here.
 ICM is about embracing blur, experimentation, impressionism, and maybe even abstraction.
  With this blur and impressionistic representation of our world
also comes the added possibility for engaging subjective emotion and viewer interpretation.  

Just like play, ICM doesn't come with a whole bunch of rules or technical directives,
 but there are a few elements for us to consider.
 Basically, ICM depends upon two main ingredients,
 slow shutter speeds and camera movement.

Slow Shutter Speeds

A slow shutter speed allows us to record camera movement,
 something we typically try to avoid, thus softening, duplicating, and blurring form.
 The easiest way to get slower shutter speeds is to choose a small aperture -
 high f/stop number, such as f/20 or f/22.
 You'll also want to start with your lowest ISO setting.

Alternately, you may decide to add a polarizing or neutral density filter.
  Besides slowing your shutter speed, with the polarizer or ND filters you should have
 the opportunity to use a bit wider aperture which will affect the recorded depth of field.
  You'll also find low light situations (dawn, dusk, dim interiors) can provide
 some ready-made slower shutter speeds, too.
 As a final shutter speed note, in looking at ICM artists around the web,
their slow shutter speeds generally ranged from about 1/4 second to 4 - 5 seconds.

Camera Movement

Next, let's look at camera movement.  How many directions can you move your camera?
  Let's see....sideways/horizontally, up and down/vertically, angled/diagonally,
 all around/curves-circular, and away from or towards your body.
 Plus, with an extended shutter speed like when using Bulb Mode,
you'll be able to walk around with your camera while the shutter stays open until you close it.
 That's a lot of possibilities with many different resulting looks.
  This is where experimentation becomes a necessity.
  Thank goodness for digital cameras!

Regarding camera movement, I've found it's often successful to mirror
 the dominant directional form of the subject with your camera movements.
 Thus, with trees use vertical camera movement, on a lakeside view
 use horizontal movement, angled foliage calls for diagonal movement, etc.
 Also, remember that if you're on the faster end of the slow shutter speed spectrum,
your camera movements may need to be quicker/faster.

ICM Tips

In my ICM journey thus far, I don't have any no-brainer prescriptive formulas for you to use,
 but I have learned a few things along this path.

*Design framework/composition is just as important in an ICM image
 as it is in a sharply focused photo.
 Look carefully for leading lines plus interesting tonal and color arrangements,
 along with variety in subject shape and size.

*Some ICM artists shoot in Aperture Priority Mode,
 but I often use Manual Mode and Live View, hand-held.

*Bulb Mode can be helpful in ICM work,
 as well as Continuos Shooting Mode (Canon).

* You'll need to take LOTS of images to get a few "keepers".
The Erase Button is your friend!

* Subject movement can add another dimension of movement to your image
 and can be a perk - think wind or moving humans, animals, etc.

* Smooth camera movements often work best,
with a gentle movement towards or away from the subject
creating the subtlest ICM-look.

* Be bold and experiment!
  Take a few shoots, review, analyze their success (or lack thereof)
 adjust your movements or camera settings, repeat-repeat-repeat.

Most of all, have fun and enjoy the process!!!

Black River Gathering

A recent Pow Wow - 

color, movement, and pageantry in a sacred space.

Loved my time there!

The Horse Pull

We recently went to a horse pull competition.

These draft horses were really spectacular creatures - beautiful, large, and powerful.

They worked in two horse teams, with the winning team pulling 8,000 pounds!

With horses, handlers, and spectators - 

there was a lot of interesting subject matter for picture making.

I'll be working on this collection over time,

but here are a few edited images.

Happy creating to you!

Text Me!

We just got back from a trip to the city.

Have you ever noticed that everywhere you turn in the city,

 people are on their iPhones?

Well, except for this guy who seemed to have had an epiphany,

or maybe just saw a light bulb that was out :)

Happy creating to you!

Lensbaby Love Blog Circle: April

On a recent vacation, I spent some time working on a personal

 photography project titled, Sacred Spaces.

I made images with the Lensbaby Sweet 35 in a chapel, meditation room, and garden.

Today, I'd like to share with you glimpses of Saint Marys Chapel.

It is a grand space - the quality of light is amazing and the peace is palpable.

I also experimented with ICM - Intentional Camera Movement,

as I'll be contributing an article on this topic to CM's Notebook in the coming months.

Finally, the day ended with beautiful warm light and shadow play.

It certainly was a sweet way to spend a day!

Next, please follow the link in our Lensbaby Love Blog Circle

 to the inspiring work of my friend, Caroline.

Enjoy!