Lunar Eclipse 2010

Lunar Eclipse 2010.jpg, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

It had been raining off and on the last few days and was cloudy all day but as the lunar eclipse started the clouds thinned out and at times opened up enough to get a few shots.

The hardest part was that the moon was almost directly overhead so it was a bit of a challenge getting the tripod set up for that angle. I ended up having to extend one leg longer than the others and brace the tripod so it wouldn't fall backwards. It was a pain in the neck both literally and figuratively.

I have some other shots of it in different stages and will post some of them up later.

Rain can be fun

_MG_5595.jpg, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

Well...if you can stay dry anyway. I wasn't so fortunate this evening while out looking for reflection goodness. Having lived most of my life in Washington state I was fully aware of the fact that that little break in the storm was going to be a short one. I pushed my luck and got caught out in the open when a sudden outburst of rain hit. Luckily I made it to a doorway before the camera got very wet. I had a trash bag in my camera bag so was able to keep my gear dry on the several block walk back to the car.

While sitting in the car drying off my camera I looked to my left out the window and liked how the raindrops on my side mirror lit up when cars drove by. I waited until the next car drove up and snapped this. I converted to black and white in post for effect.

Metallic abstract

Metallic abstract, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

I haven't really been all that inspired to take photos lately but I have been having fun with looking through my old images and cataloging them. It would probably go faster if I didn't stop to play on occasion.

This is a side panel on a silver 1960's Corvette.

One from the archive

Marina Beach, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

As I slowly dig through my 365 and this years archive and catalog photos I find a few that strike me that weren't my photo of the day. Since I'm now doing post work I see things a bit differently now.

During my 365 I posted the photo I thought was the closest match to my vision and would need the least amount, if any, post work done. Since my entire goal was to get as good as possible with my camera and not rely at all on Photoshop this was a challenge at first but it got better as time went on. After the project was over I still employ the same strategy but use Photoshop to mostly just enhance the final image. If I have to spend more than 5 minutes on a photo it's not worth my time and I tend to move on.

Out of focus archway lights

Out of focus archway lights, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

I really do enjoy seeing what I can come up with by just playing with the focus ring on my lens. Since it was dark out and I needed to lower my shutter speed as slow as I could without movement, which is about 1/20 second with my 50mm lens, doing out of focus work seems ideal.

Untitled

Untitled, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

Went for a walk last Saturday in the late afternoon looking specifically for light reflections in downtown Carmel-by-the-Sea. I don't find the town all that photo inspiring during the day as it's all stores and art galleries but with the Christmas lights it is all lit up at night and nice for reflections.

I think for me the hardest part of photographing reflections is getting the right angle and keeping myself out of the photograph if I'm aiming at windows. Nothing more annoying then looking through a bunch of photos and seeing my head, arm or whole body in the reflection when I thought I was being careful to get the right angle.

Mirror Image

mirror image, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

Chasing the shadow

Chasing the shadow, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

I have a thing about photographing people without their permission. To be more exact...people on the street. I don't have problems at events like Scottish Highland Games where I photograph the athletes or the people dressed up in period costumes. They are fair game in my mind because they are performing and expect to be photographed.

So to compensate for my little quirk I focus on things like the feet when I do want people in my photo.

I do want to work on my street photography though. Because I really enjoy searching for and photographing reflections and shadows I've been inspired by Eli Reinholdtsen, who I just found via a Craft and Vision ebook, Chasing Reflections .If you haven't checked out Craft and Vision and their very well done and cheap ($5) ebooks then I would suggest you do.

Untitled

Untitled, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

They put in a small outdoor ice rink in a small plaza here in Monterey so I thought I'd see about some motion shots. Since it was mid day I shot at 300mm, 1/25 sec, f/32 and ISO 100. I ended up with a painterly effect which I was quite happy to see.

Clouds in mirror

clouds in mirror, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

It's not something you'd find hanging on a wall most likely but I like it more for the fact that it was unexpected. A neighbor moved out recently and for some reason this mirror was left leaning up against the fence that separates our backyards today. As I was walking from my car to the house I saw it and wondered if I could do anything with it. Thankfully there were some nice clouds with blue sky to have something identifiable in the mirror.

Black & White Stairs

stairs, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

Hey look...I'm on a roll. In the continued theme of black and white I present one more. The last two were landscapes so I thought I'd try something more textural.

Reed reflections

reed reflections, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

Here is another black and white image from my continued attempt to develop my black and white vision.

Cachagua

Cachagua, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

I took this a while ago but thought of it after a failed attempt at photography today. I have not been taking photo walks lately but vowed that today rain or shine I would head out. Well...it was definitely a rain type of day but being originally from Washington State I know that rain won't hurt you, it'll just make you wet.

Drove to Santa Cruz, which I have never really explored, even though it's only 30 minutes or so up the road. Long story short...while I wasn't all the bothered by the rain and getting a little wet, well soaked, I couldn't really get any good photos. The wind off the ocean was whipping the rain in almost parallel so my lens kept getting wet. Oh well...I did get a good amount of walking in so it wasn't a complete lose.

Jessica...I did some Photoshop work to the pier telescopes. Not a lot but I think the tinting came from a combination of my white balance set to cloudy and a slight levels adjustment and a strong contrast curve adjustment.

Pier telescopes

pier telescopes, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

Hey look...I'm posting a new photo. Went out for the first time in at least three months and took a long walk with my camera. Even though I ended up walking around the same areas I've walked numerous times before I tried looking for things I had not photographed previously. For instance these telescopes.

What's behind the curtain?

whats behind the curtain, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

I think I enjoy photography the most when I can photograph things as I see them. Nothing staged...just grabbing the camera because I've seen something and after staring at it for a few moments think it may make for a decent shot. Sometimes it works out and other times it gets deleted.

This was from a hotel room overlooking Capitol Hill in Seattle. I just liked the way the buildings have form but not completely recognizable. It could be any city. It looked far less appealing to me with the curtains open.

Purple Vortex

purple vortex, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

Yes...another long exposure and motion experiment. These past few posts were done during my 365 project but expect to see some new experiments in the very near future.

Red Storm

red storm, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

Multi-colored pieces of yarn swirled in front of the camera with the shutter open. Experimenting with color and motion.

Spiral out of control

spiral out of control, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

or...let yourself go creatively. This is from one of my experiments during my 365 project where I spun objects with a long exposure.

Think outside the box

water reflection, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

I can't really pinpoint when I started seeing things differently during my 365 project. I just know that at some point things would catch my eye that I may have never noticed before. Shadows took on a different meaning. Reflections in water and glass made me stop and ponder the possibilities, Light and dark teased me. You get the drift...

I played it safe at first and spent hours reading blogs, magazines and books. Listened to several different podcasts and watched tutorial shows. All were great resources but I got so overloaded with information I would lock up when trying to take photos. So and so said to never do this...but that other guy said it's alright. Who was right? I got to the point where I had to stop with the information. This is when I really started to experiment. Not just experiment but take all those rules the "experts" say I have to adhere to and find out for myself if they really need to be followed. Never take photos during the middle of the day...sure the light can be harsh but so what. Work with it...own it...make it yours. Discover for yourself why these "rules" were created.

Maybe I can pinpoint when I started seeing things differently. It was when I decided I was only going to learn how to take a good photo when I started being true to my creative self. I've battled this over the last 2 years of being serious about photography. Having just recently decided that I'm going to take and post photos of thing I enjoy and not what I think others may find of interest.

As for the photo...any ideas on what it is? It has a mix of things that tend to attract my eye. Motion, light, reflection and the appearance of something other than what it actually is.

As always...thank you for taking the time to visit my site.

It was a foggy night...

Seaside, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

I wish I could say the light reflections were entirely real but I'd be lying. I did a little work in Photoshop to intensify them.

Reflections

reflections, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

View of Monterey from across the bay. Just seemed a bit boring in focus so played with some out of focus bokeh and was pleasantly surprised with the light reflections in the water. This gives a little insight into my photo taking process. Sometimes like to take several shots of the same image and each time play a little with the focus and/or depth of field. Last night I went out at dusk and after the first couple of "normal" shots I decided I wasn't much into it so went out of focus and looking for light reflections. Had much more fun :)

Dancing

dancing, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

Still trying to organize all my photos and find myself getting slowed down by thinking of different ways to present my shots. This is 3 separate photos that just seemed to fit together.

I came across a blog post by Jay Goodrich on the Outdoor Photographer blog that really came at a time where I've been struggling to figure out the direction I want to go in. The blog post title says it all...Developing Vision and Style and it is a good read.

So...I'm going to do my best to stop worrying about what other think of my vision and style and work hard on refining my own personal vision and style to suit my creative self.

Floating

floating, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

Old Tire

old tire, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

Seems like it's been ages since my last blog entry. Just got back from a 2.5 weeks of vacation and just now going through the photos I took. Didn't take as many as I anticipated I'd take but found a few that I like from those I did take.

My first thought when I saw this old tractor tire leaning up against an abandoned building was it would look good in black and white. It does but my wife asked what it would look like in sepia. I liked the sepia version just a bit more so am posting it.

Just a note on the commenting. Thanks everyone who has stopped by and left comments. I really do appreciate hearing from you all. You will notice that I set it to have me approve all comments. I did this because I've unfortunately gained a Chinese spambot and instead of making you all do the word verification, which I find a bit irritating, I'll filter out the spam by hand. Not like I get a ton of comments to filter through so it's not a problem :)

Light experiments

light experiments, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

Light + colored gels + car windshield sunshade =

Experimental photography

clouds, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

What I would have called Abstract Photography not long ago I know call Experimental Photography. Why? Because while it may be abstract in nature I am truly experimenting with light, colors, reflections and the like all in camera.

That being said what I ended up with from my experimenting last night was something I ended up spending some time on in Photoshop. The base image was colored Christmas lights reflected on a piece of silver reflective paper and while the shutter was open I moved the camera to the side to create some motion.

Here is the base image for comparison of my final output above. When I opened this imagine in Photoshop and started playing with a few things I thought it started to look like clouds you may see in Asian scroll art so I went with that concept in mind.

Last of Minneapolis

colorful chairs, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

Walked by this restaurants sidewalk tables several times and never noticed the colorful chairs until the last day when I was up early and walked by when no one was sitting in them. The street was almost always in the shadow but that morning there was a stray stream of light or two coming in.

More Minneapolis

While I did take a lot of photos of skyscrapers, architecture and reflections I did find a few other things to photograph while in Minneapolis. Today I'm posting my Loring Park shots...small lake not far from the hotel.
 

Minneapolis

My work sent me to Minneapolis to attend a conference last week. When I wasn't sitting in conference sessions I was out walking around the city taking it all in and of course taking some photos. The city is very pedestrian friendly so I found myself walking a lot and looking up at all the cool buildings. I have other photos that aren't buildings and reflections and I'll post some of them tomorrow.

Ladder to the Sky

wall ladder, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

I've looked at this particular shot several times as it's right downtown Monterey but the lighting was never right or the sky wasn't cloud free. As you can see I finally got it the way I wanted it.

I'm off to Minneapolis for a work related conference this week. I have never been there and I'm taking my camera gear with me. Will have time in the morning and evenings for some photo adventures. Will be fun exploring a new place.

Vortex

Vortex, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

Seeing what I can do with some of the abstract motion photos I took during my 365 project. This is different colored yarn strung in a criss cross pattern in a hoop and spun while the camera shutter was open.

By itself it was interesting, to me at least, but I wanted to see what I could do with it in Photoshop. This has a glowing edges filter on it.

Yin Yang Egg Plant

egg plant, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

A bit of a tired concept but while digging through my collection of photos taken last year I found this shot that was actually quite blow out in the highlights but I had a thought it may work decently as a black and white shot.

African lily triptych

African lily triptych, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

While out on a photowalk the other day I came across a bunch of African Lilies and the first thought that popped into my head was it would be cool to photograph the different stages. So here you go...a triptych of the 3 stages of the flower in bloom.

Geometric abstract

geometric abstract, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

I've decided that Wednesday nights are to be my photo related play night. A few weeks ago I posted some shots where I used fishing line to create some abstract motion shots so I thought I'd play a bit more with the fishing line.

For this shot I hung the line and tied a weight to the bottom so it was straight and let it swing in a circular pattern. It was over exposed but I liked how the light reflected off the black background and the line itself. With a little Photoshop work, mostly levels and curves, I thought I could turn it into something a bit different.

Hot Rod

Chevy, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

One of these days I'd like to have a hot rod all to myself in a studio setting so I can take full car shots without people milling around.

Sometimes you just have to play...

wavy lines, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

It's been far to long since I went out into my garage and just played. What do I mean? Well...for me playing is trying to come up with new and interesting ways of making a piece of art using my camera. During my 365 project I started doing this to keep the project fresh.

Most of all my experiments had to do with long exposure and here's a list of things I experimented with.

- Smoke (used incense sticks) (several attempts but started around Day 61)
- Bubbles (blowing through the bubble wand) (Day 153)
- Christmas light strand and movement (Day 180)
- Objects in motion (Day 188 & 189)
- Twirling different colored thread (Day 190 & 191)
- Stringing different colored thread into a wooden hoop to make a pinwheel pattern and moved it in various ways for different patterns (Day 193)
- Several objects in motion (Day 200 - 203)
- Colorful pins stuck in a piece of black foam board and twirled (Day 208 & 209)
- Christmas lights and reflective surfaces (not long exposure) (Day 218, 270 & 271)

My latest attempt at playing was with fishing line. I strung two piece of line in a X with some slack and with my shutter open moved the lines to see what kind of effects I could get. Doing these kinds of things always seem to help me me through those time when I feel like I'm tapped creatively.

What do you do when you feel tapped?

Urban shapes

urban shapes, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

I've really been lagging on doing blog posts. I'm still going out to photograph at least once a week or more but have a slight backlog of photos to look through and to post to the blog.

Today I went out and decided to look at things a bit differently. I looked for shapes and reflections. I walked my normal route around downtown Monterey looking for things I have overlooked before on one of my many other ventures this same route. I've walked by the shot I posted several times and never looked up apparently. I don't know if it's a good subject or not but it gave me pause when I looked up to the top floor of a parking garage. What attracted me was the yellow box, which I assume is a parking meter box, against the blue sky. I also liked the repeated shape and relative size of the sign to the box. I couldn't do anything about the railing so worked with it the best I could to make it part of the shot.

Image of the Week

orange hot rod, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

It was quite to my surprise that this image was selected as the Image of the Week on the National Association of Photoshop Professionals website.

No photo...just a quote that I found interesting

Simplicity is the last step of art. - Bruce Lee

Feeling a bit blue?

blue daisy, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

For whatever reason I went away from photographing flowers. Well to be honest I know the reason but I'm not proud of it. I stopped taking photos of flowers because I didn't feel it was very manly of me. Guys are supposed to photograph cars and women right? I'm being a bit facetious but I did feel flowers were a bit beneath me. I mean...how hard can it be to photograph a flower?

This is just one of any number of roadblocks I have created for myself while on my photography journey. I'm slowly trying to break down these roadblocks so I can fully realize my potential.

In the meantime I'm going to take photos of flowers whenever I see some that are asking to be photographed.

Hot rod collage

hot rod collage, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

While I haven't been shooting nearly as much as I was during my 365 Project I'm still going out at least once a week. Last Saturday I went to Pacific Grove's Good Old Days parade and festival. Somehow I found myself taking more photos of old cars that were in the parade and later parked on a side street with very little foot traffic. The lighting was good enough to use my 70-300mm macro lens so I took advantage of this. Thought the best way to present the photos was in a collage.

Photowalks...not just for exercise

paints & brushes, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

I pretty much did my 365 Project alone. I was either in my garage at night or out walking alone taking photos the entire year. It wasn't until I was almost finished that I discovered a local photowalk group. Would it have been helpful to my project if I had found the group earlier? Probably would have helped with the learning curve.

I've only had the occasion to go out with them twice so far and most recently was last week. A small group of us ventured out to the Monterey Farmer's Market that is every Tuesday and is the largest in the area. I've gone alone a few times but felt so self-conscious that I only took a few photos. I was still a bit shy about taking photos with the group but not as bad.

What was more fun was being able to chat about photography and to answer questions that a few of them had. The questions asked were all the same questions I was trying to find answers to myself when I was first starting out, like how do you use the f/stop correctly and why do the numbers change when I zoom in and out. It felt good being able to answer those questions.

Besides having people to talk photography about it was also really interesting to see how we each looked at the scene. Not a single shot looked identical and I had several, I never would have thought to look at that that way, moments. While I will still go out and walk around myself the majority of the time I highly recommend finding a photowalk group to join, or starting one yourself.

Here are a few more shots I took.