The middle of nowhere. The middle of the country. The middle of the road. And just past the middle of our RV trip.
Took a little digging, but I found the exact spot we stopped for some photos!
Images
The River
One of our favorite places to visit is WIlliamsburg and the last time we ventured out a little further than usual and found this place. Needless to say there’s a ton of history in this area and we’d never been to this site before. And as always, great photo opportunities everywhere we went.
This is where I took this one | Order a print of this image.
Grace
There in the darkest night of the soul
There in the sweetest songs of victory
Your grace finds me
Yes Your grace finds me– Matt Redman, “Your Grace Finds Me”
To me, when I see this, I see a perfect desktop background image. Order a print of this image (or download it for your desktop).
100 Things
I absolutely love this and just might work on my own list at some point (it’d probably contain almost all of these anyway). (borrowed from http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/100-things-i-have-learned-about-photography-169386)
The evolution of a photographer.
1. Just because someone has an expensive camera doesn’t mean that they’re a good photographer. 2. Always shoot in RAW. Always. 3. Prime lenses help you learn to be a better photographer. 4. Photo editing is an art in itself 5. The rule of thirds works 99% of the time. 6. Macro photography isn’t for everybody. 7. UV filters work just as well as lens caps. 8. Go outside & shoot photos rather than spending hours a day on photography forums. 9. Capture the beauty in the mundane and you have a winning photograph. 10. Film isn’t better than digital. 11. Digital isn’t better than film. 12. There is no “magic” camera or lens. 13. Better lenses don’t give you better photos. 14. Spend less time looking at other people’s work and more time shooting your own. 15. Don’t take your DSLR to parties. 16. Girls dig photographers. 17. Making your photos b/w doesn’t automatically make them “artsy” 18. People will always discredit your work if you tell them you “photoshop” your images. Rather, tell them that you process them in the “digital darkroom”. 19. You don’t need to take a photo of everything. 20. Have at least 2 backups of all your images. Like they say in war, two is one, one is none. 21. Ditch the neck strap and get a handstrap. 22. Get closer when taking your photos, they often turn out better. 23. Be a part of a scene while taking a photo; not a voyeur. 24. Taking a photo crouched often make your photos look more interesting. 25. Worry less about technical aspects and focus more on compositional aspects of photography. 26. Tape up any logos on your camera with black gaffers tape- it brings a lot less attention to you. 27. Always underexpose by 2/3rds of a stop when shooting in broad daylight. 28. The more photos you take, the better you get. 29. Don’t be afraid to take several photos of the same scene at different exposures, angles, or apertures. 30. Only show your best photos. 31. A point-and-shoot is still a camera. 32. Join an online photography forum. 33. Critique the works of others. 34. Think before you shoot. 35. A good photo shouldn’t require explanation (although background information often adds to an image). * 36. Alcohol and photography do not mix well. 37. Draw inspiration from other photographers but never worship them. 38. Grain is beautiful. 39. Ditch the photo backpack and get a messenger bag. It makes getting your lenses and camera a whole lot easier. 40. Simplicity is key. 41. The definition of photography is: “painting with light.” Use light in your favor. 42. Find your style of photography and stick with it. 43. Having a second monitor is the best thing ever for photo processing. 44. Silver EFEX pro is the best b/w converter. 45. Carry your camera with you everywhere. Everywhere. 46. Never let photography get in the way of enjoying life. 47. Don’t pamper your camera. Use and abuse it. 48. Take straight photos. 49. Shoot with confidence. 50. Photography and juxtaposition are best friends. 51. Print out your photos big. They will make you happy. 52. Give your photos to friends. 53. Give them to strangers. 54. Don’t forget to frame them. 55. Costco prints are cheap and look great. 56. Go out and take photos with (a) friend(s). 57. Join a photo club or start one for yourself. 58. Photos make great presents. 59. Taking photos of strangers is thrilling. 60. Candid>Posed. 61. Natural light is the best light. 62. 35mm (on full frame) is the best “walk-around” focal length. 63. Don’t be afraid to bump up your ISO when necessary. 64. You don’t need to always bring a tripod with you everywhere you go (hell, I don’t even own one). 65. It is always better to underexpose than overexpose. 66. Shooting photos of homeless people in an attempt to be “artsy” is exploitation. 67. You will find the best photo opportunities in the least likely situations. 68. Photos are always more interesting with the human element included. 69. You can’t “photoshop” bad images into good ones. 70. Nowadays everybody is a photographer. 71. You don’t need to fly to Paris to get good photos; the best photo opportunities are in your backyard. 72. People with DSLRS who shoot portraits with their grip pointed downwards look like morons. 73. Cameras as tools, not toys. 74. In terms of composition, photography and painting aren’t much different. 75. Photography isn’t a hobby- it’s a lifestyle. 76. Make photos, not excuses. 77. Be original in your photography. Don’t try to copy the style of others. 78. The best photographs tell stories that begs the viewer for more. 79. Any cameras but black ones draw too much attention. 80. The more gear you carry around with you the less you will enjoy photography. 81. Good self-portraits are harder to take than they seem. 82. Laughter always draws out peoples’ true character in a photograph. 83. Don’t look suspicious when taking photos- blend in with the environment. 84. Landscape photography can become dull after a while. 85. Have fun while taking photos. 86. Never delete any of your photos. 87. Be respectful when taking photos of people or places. 88. When taking candid photos of people in the street, it is easier to use a wide-angle than a telephoto lens. 89. Travel and photography are the perfect pair. 90. Learn how to read a histogram. 91. A noisy photo is better than a blurry one. 92. Don’t be afraid to take photos in the rain. 93. Learn how to enjoy the moment, rather than relentlessly trying to capture the perfect picture of it. 94. Never take photos on an empty stomach. 95. You will discover a lot about yourself through your photography. 96. Never hoard your photographic insight- share it with the world. 97. Never stop taking photos 98. Photography is more than simply taking photos, it is a philosophy of life 99. Capture the decisive moment 100. Write your own list.
Photograph
“You don’t take a photograph, you make it.”
– Ansel Adams
A very bold sunset near Strasburg, VA. Order a print of this image.
Sanctuary
As I make my way through some new interior church shoots I wanted to apply some of my new-found techniques to an older photo of my church. I discovered it’s not ALL about techniques and post-processing (actually I knew this going in). This is in direct response to that pocket of folks who believe that all the post-processing work that’s all the rage now is cheating. I’m here to say that the post-processing will certainly bring out the best in an image, but if you don’t start with a decent image (tack-sharp, great composition, interesting subject matter, etc.) you’re not going to get very far. I’m satisfied with the edit of this image, but I wish I had a better image to begin with.
The main sanctuary at First Presbyterian Church, Winchester. Order a print of this image.
Recital
I must have some inner urge to photograph the interior of buildings these days. And there’s certainly a huge opportunity for that when you live in an historic town like I do. Granted, Shenandoah University isn’t a really old university, but it does have some great buildings.
Goodson Chapel Recital Hall. Order a print of this image.
Stacks
The word “stacks” just reminds me of a library. I literally could have spent another couple hours in this building (and will probably go back just to shoot). I’m having fun going all “Right-Brain” on these images!
Beyond…
What is it that’s making me really want to go inside?
“Old” Town
Downtown Winchester is really getting a facelift. I remember one of our first stories at TV3 Winchester was when the roof collapsed at the Taylor Hotel c. 2007. Read more about the renovation here.
The front porch of the newly renovated Taylor Hotel in Winchester, VA. Order a print of this image.
Switch?
Yeah, I think I might be making the jump over to Lightroom. I know a lot of people already use it and I suppose I’ve resisted because I’m such an Apple “fanboy,” but I’m already loving Lightroom after just a day of using it.
Better basic adjustments, better flexibility, easier presets, more powerful integration into Photoshop. I could go on – I just like it.
Here’s a before and after image with just a handful of basic slider adjustments within Lightroom:
Before…
…and after.
Lesson Learned
At least I wasn’t shooting for a client…
Iconic
Had so much fun yesterday revisiting an old HDR image that I thought I’d give it a go with another one today.
Before…
…after. Order a print of this image.
Move On
Shoot what you want and how you want. That’s what I would say to people just getting into photography. Sure, you should look at what others are doing and possibly see if you can recreate it. But in the end, you’re not shooting for them. You’re really not shooting for anybody except yourself. You’re going to be your biggest critic in the end so impress yourself. After all, does everybody like the Mona Lisa? Will everybody get a Jackson Pollock? Some will, some won’t. Some people will like your photography. Some won’t. If some people like it, great. If some don’t, accept it and move on. Gotta remind myself sometimes.
The ceiling of the Wilderness Lodge at Walt Disney World. See more from Disney.
Glimpse
Most towns have those iconic landmarks that give you just a glimpse into the past. You know, those buildings that have the old business name built into it, but the business hasn’t been there for years. It really makes you wonder what life was like back then and what current buildings will create wonder for future generations.
Winchester has these types of landmarks scattered all over. This is one that most people just breeze right by every day without a second thought. I couldn’t find much out there on the web about this one, but I’m certainly curious.
Anybody know anything about the old Pine Motor Company?
- The old Pine Motor Company building on Cecil and Braddock Streets. It’s been an antique store for as long as I’ve been here.
How Deep?
Yeah, I’d say we got some snow today! And, of course, Waldo had loads of fun running around in it. He actually disappeared a couple times – it’s deep. How deep? About two Telly Awards deep – depending, of course, on where you measure.
Convenience
It takes effort to be good at anything – I know that. After two months of hard effort I’ve started to get frustrated with how things have gone so far. I’ve spent quite a bit of time reading about different techniques. Watching different tutorials. Learning about things I thought I knew about. Filling in the gaps of knowledge. And I realize I’ve got a long way to go. The one thing I haven’t spent a lot of time doing , however, is shooting. Don’t you love the irony here?
Practice, an enormous amount of practice, makes better. There is no such thing as perfect – I know that. But at least I can improve. I know I can. One of the biggest tips that any great photographer will hand out is – shoot every day. That’s a no brainer. If you don’t practice, you can’t get any better. You just can’t.
So, what to shoot? When to shoot? Where to shoot? Anything, whenever and anywhere.
Photo opportunities will rarely, if ever, come to me. I have to make them happen. Sometimes I have to go out of my way to discover new places, new things and new situations and just be ready wherever I am. There are so many things about freelancing that are going to push me beyond where I’ve been before (this is my second go at freelancing by the way – my first was wedding videos). I realize that to these opportunities come at a cost sometimes. Late nights, early (sometimes extremely early) mornings and weather that I hate.
These opportunities are rarely, if ever, at my convenience.
The Silver Lake Mill in Dayton, VA. Took a detour to shoot this and was late for lunch with my mom and sister. Order a print of this image.
Metal
So with the Olympics approaching, I starting wondering what the medals were made of and found this on the web:
Gold and silver medals are 92.5% silver. Gold medals must be plated with at least 6 grams of gold. All Olympic medals must be at least 3 mm thick and at least 60 mm in diameter. Bronze medals are bronze, an alloy of copper and usually tin.
This got me thinking about other famous iconic awards and what they’re made of. Found this on the web:
When they pick up their trophies, the winning celebs are toting around 8.5 pounds of metal. Oscar is 13.5 inches (34 centimeters) tall. The Oscar statuettes, officially dubbed the Academy Award of Merit, have a 24-karat gold plating on their surface. Beneath the gold, the statuette’s interior is a metal mixture called Britannium, also called Britannia metal. It is an alloy of tin (93 percent), antimony (5 percent), and copper (2 percent).
How about this one:
Each Primetime Emmy statuette weighs six pounds, twelve-and-a-half ounces (3.08 kg), and is made of copper, nickel, silver and gold.
And, of course, that got me thinking about what my stuff is made of. It doesn’t really matter, I’m just curious. This is all I could find:
Silver Winners are awarded a Silver Telly statuette, the highest honor. Bronze Winners are awarded a Bronze Telly statuette. Designed by the same firm that makes the Oscar® and Emmy®, the Telly statuette is nearly 12 inches tall and weighs more than 4 1/2 pounds.
A couple finisher medals and a Silver Telly Award I’ve earned over the past year
Dark
Looking forward to (possibly) two weeks of sunny Florida beaches this summer.
Just saying.
What happens after one week in the sun.
Light
I know I’m not the first person to do this. And I certainly won’t be the last. I just wanted to demonstrate how cool it is when you can manipulate light. That’s what being a good photographer is all about, after all, right? The ability to use light (or the lack of light) to create images.
“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
– 1 Corinthians 13 verse 13
I created this for my wife for our 13th wedding anniversary in 2007. Look closely at the scripture in the image.
Cedarmeade Studios 