Rob Weiher Photography

There is always one...

2012-01-31T09:00:00.001-08:00

Cormorants on Steel Lake, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

...who feels the need to show off when the camera is on them.

Cormorants

2012-01-02T10:11:00.001-08:00

Cormorants, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

It was really foggy the day I went out with my camera while visiting the Seattle/Tacoma area over the holiday. I have a friend who lives near Steel Lake in Federal Way, WA so I stopped on my way to visit him. Found these Cormorants lined up on old pilings in the water.

My Favorite Shots of 2011

2011-12-31T19:38:00.000-08:00

I didn't take nearly as many photographs this year as compared to the last two years but I think the ones I did take were of an improved vision and style. I've always enjoyed black and white photos so this year I started exploring this as an addition to my style. I think some of my better images were my black and whites so I will continue to explore this and see where it leads me.

Here are my 5 favorite shots of the 2011 in no particular order.

Fun with lights

2011-12-16T08:56:00.001-08:00

_MG_7437.jpg, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

Why is there a shiny dude in the background?

Echinacea flower

2011-12-13T08:37:00.001-08:00

Echinacea flower.jpg, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

Catching the last rays of the day

2011-11-22T12:15:00.001-08:00

20100628_3186.jpg, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

Something different

2011-11-21T11:50:00.001-08:00

20100722_3925.jpg, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

See...I can take a photo of something not abstract.

Oh look...more squiggly lines

2011-11-16T08:43:00.001-08:00

IMG_8785.jpg, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

Wider view of the last image

2011-11-15T08:32:00.001-08:00

IMG_8789.jpg, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

Reflection

2011-11-09T18:20:00.001-08:00

IMG_8791.jpg, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

I'm always on the lookout for some funky reflections. Being near a large body of water and piers gives me some opportunities for finding them.

A dandelion...I promise

2011-11-03T09:47:00.001-07:00

36520090516_2537.jpg, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

At the center...

2011-10-31T15:30:00.001-07:00

36520090527_3194.jpg, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

Dandelion...again

2011-10-30T20:49:00.001-07:00

36520090515_2434.jpg, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

Dandelion macro

2011-10-29T13:37:00.001-07:00

36520090515_2436.jpg, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

Another from my dandelion macro series.

Dandelion macro

2011-10-28T08:33:00.001-07:00

36520090516_2526.jpg, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

This is from my two lens reverse macro experimenting. I'll be posting a series of these macros.

You're getting sleepy....

2011-10-24T10:03:00.001-07:00

36520090801_5809.jpg, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

Entering the Wormhole

2011-10-21T08:59:00.001-07:00

36520090728_5715.jpg, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

From the archives

2011-10-19T13:36:00.001-07:00

36520090712_4714.jpg, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

I haven't been shooting as much of late but have spent a little time here and there digging through my 365 Project archive. Taking so many photos that I didn't edit I thought I may find a few gems. Going through my abstract stuff now and seeing what I can do in LR to spiff them up a little.

Motion

2011-10-14T17:11:00.001-07:00

36520090711_4678.jpg, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

I haven't been taking many photos lately but have been digging through my archives. I'm interested more in my painterly images than my many many attempts at landscape and flowers right now. I think my first love will always be abstract/experimental images.

Fork

2011-10-11T11:57:00.001-07:00

Fork, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

Bouncing Lights

2011-10-07T15:28:00.001-07:00

IMG_8741.jpg, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

Santa Cruz Boardwalk

2011-10-06T16:55:00.001-07:00

IMG_8750.jpg, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

Santa Cruz Boardwalk

2011-10-05T11:17:00.001-07:00

IMG_8762.jpg, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

Santa Cruz Boardwalk

2011-10-04T18:17:00.001-07:00

Santa Cruz Boardwalk, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

Moon on surf

2011-08-19T10:04:00.001-07:00

IMG_8313.jpg, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

I'm finding fewer and fewer photos I like enough to post these days. Probably because I'm not going out as much to photograph. I'm not sure if I'm bored with environment I have around me to photograph or my lack of commitment to a single style is causing me inspiration issues. Either way I need to pull out of this creative funk I find myself in.

I can now also be found hanging out on Google+. Almost from the start photographers flocked to this new social networking platform and I've found far more opportunities to view and comment on others work. I know my biggest failing has been maintaining a reciprocal relationship with those of you that spend the time to leave me comments. I apologize for that...

So if you are on Google+ you can find me at https://plus.google.com/115644063183821773031/posts?hl=en and I'm far more likely to leave feedback and comments there. I've started divorcing myself from both Facebook and Twitter and making G+ my primary photo hangout site.

SF Chinatown

2011-08-05T20:46:00.001-07:00

IMG_8176.jpg, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

Went up to San Francisco last Sunday for an Adobe sponsored photowalk in Chinatown. I didn't get very many photos I liked because I decided to play a little with some street photography and then later my Lensbaby. Here's one of my street photos.

Roosevelt Island

2011-07-24T15:51:00.001-07:00

Roosevelt Island.jpg, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

A little island sanctuary on the Potomac River called Roosevelt Island. Other than a statue of Teddy Roosevelt and some columns and pools at the highest point of the island it's pretty much just a swamp with trails and boardwalks. You can hear the city life but most of the time you can't see it.

Taking a break

2011-07-23T08:23:00.001-07:00

Taking a break, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

I've never gone out of my way to include people in my photos but ended up with some while wandering around DC.

Outside Union Station

2011-07-22T07:59:00.001-07:00

Outside Union Station.jpg, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

Please sit on me

2011-07-20T22:21:00.001-07:00

Please sit on me, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

The single not very comfortable looking chair sitting in the back corner of an empty room in the National Cathedral just seemed appropriate.

Cathedral hallway

2011-07-17T15:44:00.001-07:00

Cathedral hallway, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

While wandering around the observation deck of the National Cathedral I came across this person sitting in the alcove reading and listening to music.

Arched walkway

2011-07-16T11:28:00.001-07:00

Arched walkway, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

I'm finding that architecture shots make for good black and whites...at least for me.

Shadows outside Lincoln Monument

2011-07-15T17:42:00.001-07:00

Shadows outside Lincoln Monument, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

I'm always on the lookout for shadows and enjoy looking away from where everyone else is focused on. Shadows (some duplicates of the same person) standing outside the Lincoln Monument.

National Cathedral

2011-07-14T21:39:00.001-07:00

National Cathedral, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

Sometimes it's important to look up while out taking photos. Sunlight hitting the many stain glass windows made all kinds of nice colors on the ceiling and columns.

Trumpet player

2011-07-10T17:02:00.001-07:00

Trumpet player, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

Back from my week long trip to Washington DC. It was a mix of business and fun.

While walking into a metro station I spotted this street musician leaning up against a wall taking a break.

Minneapolis Loring Park Dandelion Fountain

2011-07-01T11:35:00.001-07:00

loring park minneapolis dandelion fountain, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

Going through my archives and processing photos that I didn't know what to do with then but have ideas now. This is a reflection of a dandelion shaped fountain near downtown Minneapolis. At night it was lit but not spraying water.

Skylights

2011-06-30T08:29:00.001-07:00

Skylights, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

I'm off to Washington DC for a conference...looking forward to photographing the city and surrounding area. Hopefully the heat and humidity doesn't kill this west coast boy.

Big Creek Bridge

2011-06-11T10:42:00.001-07:00

Big Creek Bridge.jpg, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

Here's another photo from our short camping trip down on Big Sur last week.

Thanks as always for the comments Ron, Jen and Jessica. :)

Big Sur coast.

2011-06-08T16:33:00.001-07:00

Big Sur coast.jpg, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

Went camping down on Big Sur the last couple of nights. It rained a little on Sunday but was fairly clear on the coast both Monday and Tuesday. We drove down the coast on Monday for a while and stopped at different vista points along the way. This was shot form the Burns North Vista Point near Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park.

I've had issues with getting good landscape shots in the past. I've recently started paying attention to some rules I've either ignored or not paid enough attention too these last few years. The rule I followed for this shot was the Sunny 16 rule. I guess it's never to late to learn the rules..right?

Grass in motion

2011-05-23T10:58:00.001-07:00

Grass in motion.jpg, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

Still messing around with the Lensbaby Composer and black and white.

I really enjoy trying to capture a sense of motion in my photos. I think the Lensbaby helps achieve this without having to resort to using ND filters and slow shutter speeds.

mast envy

2011-05-17T07:26:00.001-07:00

mast envy.jpg, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

Crab pot

2011-05-16T10:47:00.001-07:00

Crab net, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

Went for a photo walk with some locals yesterday and shot with only my Lensbaby Composer.

Reed reflection

2011-05-15T07:39:00.001-07:00

Reed reflection, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

Working on my black and white conversions. Haven't been taking as many photos as I should so going through my archives and working with some photos from there. Any feedback would be appreciated.

Asparagus

2011-05-14T20:12:00.001-07:00

asparagus, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

Shot with Lensbaby Composer and +4 macro filter

cows on horizon

2011-04-27T23:33:00.001-07:00

cows on horizon.jpg, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

Untitled

2011-04-24T14:02:00.001-07:00

untitled, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

Calla lily

2011-04-23T21:28:00.001-07:00

Calla lily, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

Playing around with my Lensbaby Composer and the macro adapters. This was converted to black and white.

Penguins

2011-04-22T22:11:00.001-07:00

penguins.jpg, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

Went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium last weekend with some family friends. We seem to only go there when friends are in town visiting.

Got there early so was able to take some photos without lots of people getting in the way. Thought this looked better in black and white.

Crosswalk

2011-04-17T20:40:00.001-07:00

Denver Photowalk-28.jpg, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

Last one

2011-04-16T08:17:00.001-07:00

Denver-52.jpg, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

Another view of the same street in my two previous posts.

More Lensbaby Fun

2011-04-15T09:45:00.001-07:00

Denver-61.jpg, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

Another view of Larimer Street in Denver shot with the Lensbaby Composer.

Larimer Street in Denver

2011-04-14T09:57:00.001-07:00

Denver-49.jpg, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

A block of Larimer Street near downtown Denver has lights strung up over the street. The street is mostly expensive restaurants and trendy shops but it was cool to walk down at night. This was taken with a Lensbaby Composer.

Stairway to Bokeh

2011-04-12T22:03:00.001-07:00

Denver-33.jpg, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

Lensbaby experimenting

2011-04-09T12:56:00.001-07:00

Denver-42.jpg, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

One of the days in Denver I spent the entire day shooting only with my Lensbaby Composer. I hadn't done as much experimenting I had hoped to have done since buying it so took this opportunity to see what I could and couldn't do with it. What I can do is make some odd compositions which I enjoy doing.

With only the hum of the vending machines...

2011-04-07T09:13:00.001-07:00

Denver-55.jpg, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

More Denver

2011-04-06T14:32:00.001-07:00

Denver-26.jpg, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

Denver's Union Station

2011-04-05T22:00:00.001-07:00

Denver-25.jpg, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

Denver Photowalk-5.jpg

2011-04-04T09:43:00.001-07:00

Denver Photowalk-5.jpg, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

I actually took some people shots while in Denver. More to come later...

Denver Photowalk

2011-04-03T13:45:00.001-07:00

Denver Photowalk-1.jpg, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

I just got back from attending a work related conference in Denver the other day. I enjoy exploring new places and the first day there I had the opportunity to explore part of the downtown area with the local photowalk group. This is where being active on Twitter came in handy. Jason (of Canonblogger.com) setup the photowalk on the day I arrived so we could meet and to also get some other locals involved in a walk.

As with my trip to Minneapolis last summer I found myself looking a lot at the architecture. I have quite a few shots of tall buildings and reflections but I think they are a bit different from my previous attempts. One thing is this year I had three different lenses with me and I went out each day I was there with only one of them each day and got different types of shots of similar things. My 70-300mm one day, my 50mm another and my Lensbaby Composer. The Lensbaby Composer was definitely my biggest challenge. I haven't had it long so I really experimented with it to see what I could and could not do with it. I have a better understanding of it now. I'll post some of those shots later this week.

Glass wall

2011-03-15T21:59:00.001-07:00

glass wall, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

A little more Lensbaby fun...

Color Ripples

2011-03-13T09:48:00.001-07:00

color ripples, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

Canoes on a rack reflecting on the water.

Flipped reflection

2011-03-12T07:48:00.001-08:00

flipped reflection.jpg, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

Shadows on stairs

2011-03-02T14:38:00.001-08:00

shadows on stairs, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

I liked how the shadows from various things fell on these stairs...

Dark stairs

2011-02-28T14:34:00.001-08:00

dark stairs, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

Walking down some stairs after walking through the Pacific Grove Art Center I liked how the light changed from top to bottom. The entry way was almost completely dark with light from up above shining on the stairs as you go up. Shot with my Lensbaby and went a bit more unfocused on purpose for effect.

outdoor chess board

2011-02-27T22:47:00.001-08:00

outdoor chess board, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

Lensbaby Composer with f/5.6 aperture disk

Mount Toro

2011-02-26T14:28:00.001-08:00

Mount Toro, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

Taken with the Lensbaby Composer and the f/22 aperture disk.

Fruit

2011-02-25T07:14:00.001-08:00

Fruit, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

Messing around with the Lensbaby...

Puddle sky reflection

2011-02-23T20:54:00.001-08:00

Puddle sky reflection, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

Another photo taken with my new Lensbaby Composer.

Two reflections

2011-02-22T19:08:00.001-08:00

two reflections, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

Lensbaby + window reflections

Last week to vote

2011-02-21T20:37:00.001-08:00

Last week to vote, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

Went for a walk with my Lensbaby.

Piano and notes

2011-02-20T17:55:00.000-08:00

piano, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

I have a new lens...a Lensbaby Composer. Ordered it a couple of weeks ago and just got it last week. Saturday was the first chance I had to use it. I was on a student video shoot and there were two of us with DSLR cameras for taking on set stills. Since the other guy was taking regular photos I decided to go creative and use the Lensbaby.

I put up four photos and put them in a set on my Flickr if you're interested in seeing the others.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/robweiher/sets/72157625969777323/

I need to put more time into practicing with it but what I like so far about it is the sense of motion you can get because of the focal blur. The shots of the kids were them in motion and with a regular lens I would have needed to slow down the shutter speed and use a tripod to get that sense of motion. Not so with this lens...

Seen better days

2011-02-18T11:44:00.001-08:00

Seen better days, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

I think I may have run out of windows to post so here's a nice comfortable recliner to relax in.

Old windows

2011-02-16T22:11:00.001-08:00

Old windows, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

Missing pane

2011-02-15T19:17:00.001-08:00

Missing pane, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

Frame

2011-02-14T18:34:00.000-08:00

Frame originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

Shattered

2011-02-13T09:03:00.001-08:00

Shattered, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

Apparently I have a few window related photos...figured I do a series of them for something different.

Hole in Glass

2011-02-12T21:12:00.001-08:00

Hole in Glass.jpg, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

Caged light

2011-02-11T18:21:00.001-08:00

Caged light, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

Light and shadows

2011-02-10T21:25:00.001-08:00

Light and shadows, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

Empty Room

2011-02-09T22:43:00.001-08:00

empty room, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

symmetry

2011-01-29T21:59:00.001-08:00

symmetry, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

Chaos string

2011-01-25T11:42:00.001-08:00

Chaos string, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

Recessed window

2011-01-21T22:19:00.001-08:00

Recessed window, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

Probably walked by this old adobe building a hundred times but just recently happened to look up and saw the recessed window. Thought it looked nice against the white wall.

Untitled

2011-01-12T22:48:00.001-08:00

Untitled, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

I need to get back into experimenting with light and motion again. One of the things that kept me going with my 365 project was just playing with different ideas to see what I could come up with. Sometimes I thought of the idea in advance and other times it was me sitting in the garage looking at what I had in front of me in hopes of something inspiring me.

These last couple of photos are from my 365 project and I came across them while digging through my archive. I like them because it reminds me to think outside the box and to remember to play as you never know what you may up with during your play sessions. Trying to conform to some photography or art ideal gets boring after a while...at least for me.

Crazy electric spaghetti

2011-01-11T21:45:00.001-08:00

Crazy electric spaghetti, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

Sometimes I feel like this is how my brain works...just all over the place with no real clear path from start to finish. Which is odd since I'm a fairly organized big picture kind of guy when it comes to anything other than my art.

Pink sky and fuzzy brain from over thinking

2011-01-04T21:21:00.001-08:00

Pink sky.jpg, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

Thanks for the comments on yesterdays post...appreciate them all :)

So my latest musing has to do with the 100's of books on composition, lighting, manipulating (Photoshop, etc) yet hardly nothing on getting your photo from computer to wall. Where I've been stuck has been on how best to present my work in a printed form.

What sizes should I print? Do I go with the uncropped 4:3 ratio? In doing so my prints won't fit conventional frames you might buy at Michael's or Aaron Brothers because they sell frames based off of old 35mm technology. While there are a few online frame merchants such as Craig Frames, Inc and Frame Destination, will regular art buyers know of these places?

Aside from figuring out print sizes there is also figuring out the best way to mat, or do I learn how to dry or wet mount? What resources are out there to teach how to dry or wet mount? Very little that I've found aside from a few videos on Youtube that aren't very comprehensive. I was told today on Twitter that a book by Ansel Adams called The Print, does discuss dry mounting so maybe I'll check that out.

Do others just go by trial and error on how best to present their work? Should I just print out ever photo I would like to try and sell and list my recommendation on the mat size and where a frame to fit that size can be found? Would making it difficult on the buyer result in fewer sells? My guess would be yes as I wouldn't want to have to hassle with all that if I was buying a piece of art.

So...I'm asking for any kind of resources any of you have found or any helpful advice any of you may have when it comes to getting your prints from camera to wall.

**I do have a mat cutter and have experimented some and know I need to do more.

Water in motion

2011-01-03T21:34:00.001-08:00

Water in motion, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

Thanks for the Happy New Year wishes Ron and Jessica...hope you both had a Happy New Year and much fun and success in this new year. :)

I'm hoping 2011 will provide me with some inspiration to do more with my photography. After finishing my 2009 365 project I didn't do nearly as much photography in 2010 as I should have. I don't think I was nearly as burned out as I kept telling myself I was. I think it was more due to not really knowing what direction to go with my art. I found myself walking the same routes, seeing the same things, and got a bit set in my ways.

So my 2011 goal is to go to different places around the Monterey area that I may have thought weren't very photogenic before and see what I can find. I'm also going to try and work as much as I can out of my comfort zone with more street photography. I'm also going to try and meet with other photographers and do photo walks because you never know what you might learn from others. Speaking of which...thanks for the invite Jessica. I'll definitely contact you if I find myself in a position to head up to San Francisco in the near future. I wish Monterey was just a bit closer because I'd love to spend far more time there than I have in the 10 years we've lived here. I miss Seattle and San Francisco would fill in nicely I think.

So maybe this photo I'm posting should be...get my butt in motion in 2011.

Santa Cruz Photowalk

2011-01-01T22:46:00.000-08:00

One thing I would really like to do more of in 2011 is to get with other photographers on a regular basis. I'm guilty of being a bit of a wall flower so don't go out of my way to try and arrange to meet other photographers. A Twitter contact (@jeremyv10) and I have been talking about getting together for several months now and finally got together yesterday for a late afternoon walk in a part of Santa Cruz I've never been. Hope to get with him again soon because I've not explored Santa Cruz really at all and he's a local so there is plenty of new places for me to be shown.

Hope everyone had a great 2010 and continue to have great happiness and success in 2011.

Thanks again for all of you who take the time to stop by my blog and comment. I really do appreciate it and while I've been really bad at being consistent I'm hoping to be better in 2011.

Lunar Eclipse 2010

2010-12-22T14:12:00.001-08:00

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

2010-12-19T22:05:00.001-08:00

_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

2010-12-17T07:00:00.001-08:00

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

2010-12-14T08:27:00.001-08:00

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

2010-12-12T12:23:00.001-08:00

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

2010-12-08T09:26:00.001-08:00

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

2010-12-02T08:36:00.001-08:00

mirror image, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

Chasing the shadow

2010-11-29T16:35:00.001-08:00

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

2010-11-28T21:34:00.001-08:00

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

2010-10-28T22:42:00.001-07:00

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

2010-10-26T11:06:00.001-07:00

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

2010-10-25T15:43:00.001-07:00

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.