Art, craft , repetition and visual delight

Repetition of visual elements is commonly found in both works of art and works of craft.

This fence, sighted in Mount Brydges, Ontario, is a beautiful example of a style of fencing that was very common in the Canadian province a century ago. Sadly many of those fences are now long gone. This fence is in such good condition that it is possible that it is a reproduction but if it is, it is a good one.

The repetition found in a fence is so obvious, so clear, that one may enjoy it without thinking much about it. In fact, we may focus more on the craftsmanship, on the skill that it took to create such a beautiful addition to this home's appearance. In works of craft, the repetition is perfect.

In art works, the repetition may not be perfect but the essence of repetition will still be found. What makes the following picture work, for me, is the contrast between the gentle repetition of the piles of railway ties and the craftsman-perfect repetition found in the railway tracks.

The fog is a bonus, adding atmosphere, and an extra visual delight to the image.
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Both images were shot using my Fuji FinePix HS10. The fence shot took advantage of the wide angle coverage offered by the HS10's zoom, while the shot of the railway ties was taken using the telephoto end of the range.

Why I like my Fuji HS10

This image has been reduced in size and saved as a jpg for faster page loading.

There are naysayers about bridge cameras like the Fuji HS10. These critics sing the praises of DSLRs and high quality long lenses. These critics are right, except that a camera in the hand is worth any number of cameras elsewhere. And that is why I like my little Fuji; It is always with me.

Also, the Fuji is very affordable and that has got to count for something. When I retired, the money I was paid for just one used pro lens, my much loved Canon f/1.8 200mm telephoto, paid for my Fuji bridge camera, for my little point-and-shoot, for two sets of batteries for both cameras, the SD cards and more.

And the Fuji gets the job done.

On the way home from a dinner downtown, I sighted some deer in Woodland Cemetery. It was dusk and getting dark. The cemetery gates were locked. As I walked to the iron fence, I turned on the camera, zoomed out the lens to 720mm and checked that the auto was on scenic. I braced the small camera against the fence, framed and shot.

I'm happy with my HS10. But if I wasn't retired and a little short of money, I'd sell my little friend and move up to the soon-to-be-in-stores HS20. It sounds like another little gem.

Work with your tools, not against them.

Check the quality of these images. Only a couple have obvious issues.

Cruising the Net, I came across this page of pictures posted to Picasa. I thought, "Those look familiar." And they were, because they were mine. I shot all the pictures of the Morgans Over America tour in 2005 using a simple Canon SD10. This miniature camera, now almost tens old, has a fixed wide angle lens similar to a 28mm on a 35mm SLR.

It is a nice lens, if limited. The camera doesn't appear to use any destructive noise eliminating software on the pictures. The images are amazing: great colour, superb sharpness and a very smooth gradation of tones. It's too bad the file size is only 4MB but I have squeaked 14X20 enlargements out of the files by carefully cropping the images in the camera as I was taking the pictures.

When constrained by a lens, go with the flow, yield to reality, and frame your images to take advantage of the lens you have. Don't frame for the lens you wish you had. Nothing will teach you how to perfect your eye for wide angle photography like being forced to see the whole world through a wide angle lens. Try and accent the foreground, think composition using the complete scene, shoot images that gain from displaying a deep depth of field.

I have retired that little gem and replaced it with a Canon S90 and a Fuji HS10. I love the S90 for shooting available light. For shots demanding a wider lens or a really long ones, I love my Fuji. Yes, I know that both cameras have their weaknesses but for me their strengths rule.

 Please check out the images from MOA2005; Click on them to enlarge. Just think: If this fine selection of images is possible using just a Canon SD10, what is possible with a camera like the Fuji HS10?

The replacement HS20 is big improvement over the original camera. I highly recommend the HS20 to anyone who wants to have serious fun with a camera but doesn't have the spare change for a true digital SLR. The HS20 bridge camera is a bridge to fun.

Wide angles are perfect for accenting the foreground.

Grab whole scenes, taking advantage of the great depth of field.

Think about your pictures; Don't waste time damning your puny camera.

The electronic darkroom for the 21st century

Sometimes people ask me why I like image enhancement programs. Take a look at the two pictures of my granddaughter shown above. The one has not been enhanced and the other has. There is no question which is which.

I enhanced, or as I like to think of it, I printed the image on the right using Photoshop CS5 --- a version I just bought this morning from Adobe. I saw a link on Flickr to a sale price being offered by the Adobe Store. I moved quickly and got lucky. The link no longer works.

I did notice a box on the Adobe site that said: "SIGN UP FOR SPECIAL OFFERS. Please email me Adobe Store special offers and new product announcements."

I can't guarantee that you'll get an offer you can't refuse, but it's worth a try.

As I have said in the past, I think of Photoshop (my photo enhancement program of choice) as an electronic darkroom. Before you get too critical about my work on my granddaughter's picture, remember this is fast and dirty "printing."

I don't get too fancy. I just select gross areas and burn and dodge. I don't use the provided burn and dodge tools but the levels and curves screens instead. Working this way is quick and for most of us the quality is up to the standards set by the traditional wet darkroom of decades past.

Now that I own Photoshop CS5 who knows, maybe I'll tackle the program properly and learn how to do work surpassing those quality standards of old.

Hold your ground

Taken in tight, up close, and in front with a wide angle.

When I was working as a newspaper photographer an important thing to remember was to hold your ground. Some of the best pictures are taken when the action is coming right at the photographer.

Very little can beat an exciting image of a basketball, out of control, and speeding towards the camera. Unless, of course, it's a picture of the photographer getting hit.

Finding a position in front of the action can often make for shots that truly involve the viewer. For instance, when shooting football action when the ball is being played deep in the end zone, shots taken with a long lens from off field and behind the goal posts are great. This angle maximizes your chances of capturing some import facial expression, too.

As today's point-and-shoot photo shows, even a simple shot of a child can benefit from being taken from this viewer involving angle. Don't forget composition (the circular opening), capturing ongoing action and background (the low camera angle captured mom to her dismay but I like it better than cropping mom off at the neck).

So let's get out in front and damn the torpedoes. Well, maybe I'd draw the line at torpedoes.

It's about people not pixels.

Cameras like the Fuji HS10 take the worry out of available light photography.

Fuji Canada has a photo contest and I entered the picture of Fiona shown above. The contest is focused on portrait photography. I had thought of doing something traditional. Find a blond (man or woman, boy or girl, light hair is what I'm looking for here) or an older person with greying hair, place a bare-bulb table lamp behind them and one bare-bulb table lamp off to the side and in front and, if necessary, place a white sheet of bristol board off to the side bouncing light into the shadows.

Then I watched as Fiona fell asleep in a dark bedroom. The curtains were almost completely closed.. The light looked great but there wasn't much of it. I thought, "not to worry." With a pose like that I'll work with the light I've got.

This is where today's sophisticated point-and-shoots show their strengths. Fiona tends to move a lot while she sleeps. Working fast was important. This picture opportunity was not going to last. I grabbed my Fuji HS10 and set it to automatic.

This picture was shot hand-held at 1/6 second at f/4.0. Today's cameras with their sophisticated stabilization systems make hand-holding possible even at such extremely slow shutter speeds. I accepted a pushed ISO setting of 800, but then I am not a stickler about noise.

I figure pictures like this are not about pixels but people.

There is one glitch with this image: Colour cast. If you look carefully at the white sweater at the bottom of the picture you will notice a cyan colour cast. If I had noticed this before, I would have removed the cyan stain.

Remember, the room light was almost non-existent. This image is much brighter than the actual scene. When digging deep into dark shadows to make an image, one can expect some problems: colour shifts, colour casts, confetti-colourful noise and blurred detail resulting from over-enthusiastic noise control by the camera software.

Print the picture small and most problems disappear. Print the image large and most folk will view it from some distance and again most problems will again disappear. I have 16X20s that were printed from 4MB files taken with a Canon SD10 and folks have raved about these framed pictures. No one has ever pointed out the technical shortcomings because these are strong images.

Of course, if you are shooting for publication then all bets are off. Unless your technical shortcomings add a patina of style, your images will just come up short in the eyes of an art director.

(If ultimate quality is important to you, and think carefully as for many people it is very important, then take a look at the blog Nothing Special. This blogger knows his stuff and will point out the stuff that I was once also concerned with. My resolution/contrast charts and Macbeth Colour Checker now sit gathering dust in my basement.)

Rules are for breaking

The Rule of Thirds in action.

I have talked at times about shooting children and how one must get down to their level to get the best pictures. Well this is usually true. But like most rules it is made to be broken.

Just don't throw out all the rules at once.

Study today's picture of my granddaughter. The little tyke is asleep in her car seat. I quietly folded the carrying handle back behind the seat and turned the bright yellow duck so that some of its face was visible.

I positioned myself directly above the sleeping child. Note the composition. Think Rule of Thirds. To apply this rule cross the picture with two lines horizontally and with two lines vertically, dividing the image into thirds in both directions. The image is broken into 9 sections.

The four lines are useful for placing strong, directional elements in a photo. Think horizons and trees, etc. Placing strong points of interest at, or near, the intersections of these lines makes for a naturally balanced image.

All three heads, the child's, the teddy's and the duckie's, are approximately at an intersection of two lines. Following this rule while shooting comes naturally to some photographers but many more have to apply it consciously at first.

By activating three of the intersections in my picture of my granddaughter note that the heads trace a triangle in the same way that stars form the Big Dipper in the night sky. In art school we were told this implied triangle gave the image a solid base and added quiet strength. Remember, a lot of this compositional stuff is found after the fact — much like the Big Dipper appeared after the stars were formed.

It is important to shoot lots and, if you can't recall the Rule of Thirds while your taking your pictures, think serendipity and keep an alert eye while editing.