Finding that old photographer feeling again
A networking event at Monterey Airport was winding down. I was about to leave with fellow PG Chamber Ambassador VJ (owner of Monterey Car Company) when he said let’s go check out this area down a long, empty hallway. We discovered a viewing deck to the runway! In the twilight light passengers were boarding a plane. The railing was pretty high, so I had to hold my camera up over my head to get a clear photo. After a couple of attempts, I was able to get this one with the composition I wanted, a level horizon and since I could not clear the railing in the frame, I decided to use it as a leading line into the photo frame itself.
I have only flown once in the past 16 years, and it was in fact from Monterey Airport, but I do not remember seeing a viewing deck or my own plane boarding experience so this all felt like seeing a secret world I had no idea existed in the Monterey area. It is also a good feeling that “finding” a photo like this can still excite the old photographer side of me. I am glad to now share it.
Read MoreLearning through photography with the Water Utility Authority
My last two days of photography for 2022 were spent at various Water Utility Authority of Albuquerque sites, both inside and out! This was actually my second shoot of the year for them, as I worked on making photos of award winning residential landscaping that you can see in their 2023 calendar. I learned a lot during these days of shooting about where our water comes from, how it is processed, and just how far ranging the duties of the Water Utility Authority are! As you can see in the photos, for the inside shots I was in testing labs and huge pipe filled caverns, and then outside from retaining tanks right to the banks of the Rio Grande River itself! Thank you to everyone at the Water Utility Authority willing to be models in the photos!
Read MoreShooting low and on The Road is one of my favorite shots
The low angle on The Road shot is one my favorite types of photo to make. This one was made on a winding desert road south of Santa Rosa. It’s a great driving road for its lack of traffic, scenery, and numerous bends and curves. As light was starting to fade, I pulled over and got the camera out to compose this shot using the double yellow lines as a composition technique called leading lines. You can use anything to make leading lines, which catch the viewer’s eye and lead them to look into the full frame of the photo. The next time you are out with your camera, look for something you can use as leading lines in your shot.
Read MoreSummerfest returns to Albuquerque with music, cars, and food
Summerfest 2022 Albuquerque returned for the first time in three years (last was in 2019, see car photos). Summerfest is a combination of multi-stage concerts, a car show, and street food. It was extremely hot this year, even after 7pm, but I managed to get a few photos before melting. I chose low angle composition for all these shots to show the viewer something you could not already just see when walking by at typical eye level. Plus using low angle with an empty foreground draws the eye of the viewer into the photo, as seen in both photos featuring cars. Add to that using leading lines, and the photos have two composition styles to show a different look at Summerfest.
Read MoreStreet Photography Challenge
Early in my photography career when I was living in St. Petersburg, Florida, back around 2010, I used to teach a lot of photography lessons because DSLR cameras were just starting to be bought and used by non-pro-photographers, i.e. enthusiasts and hobbyists, and who the heck could figure out how to use something with a dozen buttons on it? So a couple times a week I’d spent 2 hours with someone walking the streets of St. Pete teaching them my 5-stop process for shooting in manual mode while finding interesting things to make photos of.
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