You don’t make a photograph just with a camera. You bring to the act of photography all the pictures you have seen, the books you have read, the music you have heard, the people you have loved. – Ansel Adams These are the two basic controls at the photographer’s command: Continue Reading
You want a horribly colored photo? Stick me in a room with incandescent lighting, and beige walls, and beige furniture. No matter how much I mess with the white balance, I can never quite get it right, under those conditions.
While overall, I can be drawn to a photo for many reasons, there are some obvious trends in my favorite photos (taken by other photographers); as seen by looking at my favorites on Flickr. Japanese Many of the Japanese photographers in my Flickr list have similarities in style. It’s a Continue Reading
Just had another photo chosen as Photo of the Day on DCist. And immediately — and not for the first time — received some comments about photoshopping. I adjust things like the lightness and darkness and sharpness. In that sense, yes it’s photoshopped. But these are the same things photographers Continue Reading
Looking for people who’d like to participate in a (hopefully) fun project; writing a short piece — in any style — about a provided photo. To learn more, visit https://strangeday.net/projects/faces/faces.html
I’ve posted a collection from my most recent photoshoot: https://strangeday.net/shoots/rachel/ Sample:
If you’re a close friend, and want to share a photo I took, for non-commercial use, by all means do it. You don’t have to ask. But I would appreciate a photo credit.
So I was recently in a photo show, at the Washington School of Photography. (I’m not a student, but it was an open call for entries). The theme of the show was “faces”… specifically human faces. I only had 1 day’s notice to select photos and mail them in, but Continue Reading
I just posted my annual collection of photos, for 2009. (Yes… a little late). Same as always: It’s a collection of photos I took last year. The criteria for inclusion is subjective. Some I liked for technical reasons. Some for aesthetic reasons. Some were important events or people, (or cats). Continue Reading
Stephanie and Isabel by Lung S. Liu In no particular order… There’s a wide range of tones here, from deep black to not-quite-blown-out-whites. And the overall tones are evenly distributed. The depth of field is very nicely handled. The subjects are sharp, and really pop out against a silky background. Continue Reading
Whenever anyone asks me how I got the photographs I did, why I was often the only photographer present or got such unique access I reply simply, ‘Trust’. – Jim Marshall
A good general rule of thumb for photography in DC: “Get Closer” It appears to be an almost universal impulse for tourists to stop when they see a famous building in DC, and take a picture or have their picture taken in front of it. And by in front of Continue Reading
Often when I’m walking the streets at night, after being out with friends, (or while still in the act), I really have this urge to just wander and take pictures. Cities take on this whole new life at 2 or 3 AM on Fridays and Saturdays. Crowds fill the street Continue Reading
It’s come up in several discussions with friends that they don’t always bring their cameras into questionable areas, or places they could get damaged. It’s reasonable. But for myself, my choice was always to bring the camera just about anywhere. I’d rather run the risk — especially since these are Continue Reading
So I was in a fairly bad mood by the end of the photoshoot this weekend. Normally on these shoots I worry about many things, and they always turn out much better than I expected. But in this case, to one extent or another, every concern I had expressed in Continue Reading
I get a lot of benefit out of continually learning how to use my tools better. Today’s example: I recently watched some tutorials by photographers using Lightroom. Picked up a few things I didn’t know. And because of it, discovered a few other variations that were even better. I knew Continue Reading
Strange. I tried copying some photos off a CF card I haven’t used in a while. This card has never been used with the newer card reader. No matter what I did, it wouldn’t show up. Then I noticed a “hot” smell, and when I went to pull the card Continue Reading
Picked up a new toy, this week. Well, I picked up several, but this one is my favorite so far — a new camera strap. The old strap — from Epic Software — itself was holding up fine. But the connectors for attaching it to the camera were failing one-by-one. Continue Reading
While looking at pictures of a photographer who recently died, I notice in dozens of photos, he is never holding a camera. Old pictures of photographers… say… 1800s through approximately 1960s, when you saw a “candid” picture of a photographer, they had a camera in their hands or in front Continue Reading
Playing with some TTV photography, today. (Taking pictures with a modern camera through the viewfinder of an antique box camera.) In this case, sitting on the fountain in Dupont Circle. Click the image for bigger.