Evie Teale and Conagher

Huh? What does Evie Teale from the Louis L'Amour book Conagher have to do with a photography blog? In the book Evie Teale ties notes on to tumbleweeds releasing them on the prairie never having any idea if they are ever read. It was her way of learning to cope with her isolation.

While I’m not on the prairie and not isolated I feel a moment of similarity as I share my photographs on my blog or on Facebook. I have no idea if anyone will like them or even see them. I don’t know if they will evoke the emotions I tried to capture if they are seen.

It doesn’t matter. I’m tying them to my tumbleweeds and releasing them to wherever they might go.

Fierce

 

When I started using the birds in my neighborhood and learning tools for photography I had no idea how unique some were. I never thought of sparrows as anything except little brown/gray drab birds. As I started with capturing them while they sat still I started to notice the contrast and crispness of the colors in their feather patterns. They started to become individual birds.

I put up a bird feeder to encourage more birds to come to the yard giving me more opportunities to capture more birds. I started to notice how the males seemed to stand watch while the little gray females ate at the feeder.

As my technique improved at capturing crisp focus I moved to attempting to capture them in flight. As I culled each session I my impression of sparrows as cute little birds They are actually quite fierce. I think of them as little warriors now.

Enjoy some of the captures.

Signs of Spring

This first day of spring brings a storm to Northern California. It has been a very dry beginning of the year so we welcome the rain and snow. The mild weather has given me a chance to continue trying to learn to capture small, fast moving creatures. This time bees. Enjoy.

Using actions & presets

As I improved in my post processing I began to think how to speed up the steps I followed to allow more time with my photography outside instead of in front of the computer. I work 40-60hrs per week outside of photography. When you have limited time you look for ways to speed everything up.

I came across MCP Actions on Facebook one day and opened another phase to my learning journey. Actions and Presets. They have several freebies you can download and start to see if they fit within your workflow. I like to freshen my Facebook covers on a regular basis. The free timeline covers allow me to quickly change pictures to whatever I am working on that week. A couple of examples here.

 

A Fresh Start

I realized this weekend as I was sharing a photograph on Facebook chronicling my journey to improve my photography I seem to have put my blog aside. Time to dust the keyboard off and bring my blog back to life.

While dog sports are my number one photography focus I embarked on a Learning Journey aimed at improving my skills. I read a comment this week from a photographer I respect which struck a chord. “..owning a camera does not make you a photographer. Education is what makes you a photographer…”.

Figuring trying to capture small, fast moving creatures would help my dog sport photography I started practicing on birds. It has taken on a life of its own. I never had any idea the detailed beauty I have found in some, the personalities of some, the fierceness in some. It has been a grand journey I started which I expect to go on for years.

Enjoy.

 

You just never know

My latest picture was taken at Dogstock last year. While the original photo was ok it just never jumped out at me. I dont know why but I tried a quick out of bounds on it to see what it would look like and was very surprised. It turned into a very nice focus on the helper instead of the dog. I have to remember and just try a few even when the original doesnt catch my eye.

Bulldogs!

I was so pleased to get a picture of my mother's Bulldog, Sarge, with enough quality to enlarge it to a 16x20 picture. It's been about 30 years since I've done my own mat but after shredding a couple I got 'er done. I have to admit this is probably one of my best. The picture here just doesnt do it justice. It's always extra special when you get to do something special for your mother!