Ideas and Imagery #60

It's hard not to stop by the side of the road when you pass something like this scene.  It seems almost like it was planned, but then I just wonder why.  Maybe they did it just to see if some poor photographer would think it was interesting, or maybe they just have a thing for yellow and green.

Regardless of their motives, I was certainly grateful to have something to shoot.  It's not everyday one sees a coffee mug that is larger than a BMW.  My motive was to let people know that places this indescribable do exist.

On Taking Assignments #13 - Bokeh

What better place to try and create some interesting Bokeh than a field of tulips.  In case you aren't familiar with the term, Bokeh is the out of focus portions of an image. 

This yellow tulip stood out above the rest, and gave this shot a focal point as a counter to the large proportion of out of focus area.  I was pleased with how this assignment turned out.

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On Taking Assignments

I frequently listen to the On Taking Pictures (OTP) podcast, which I highly recommend to anyone looking for good conversation about creativity, especially as it related to photography.  In January 2014 the hosts, Bill Wadman and Jeffery Saddoris, began a new segment of weekly assignments that they gave to listeners.  Results of the assignments are posted on the OTP Google Plus group.  I decided that I would commit myself to the assignments for a year without interruption, and that I would complete each one before the next assignment was announced on the show each Tuesday morning.  My 'On Taking Assignments' blog posts are the culmination of my year-long focus on these assignments.

Ideas and Imagery #59

Wildlife is always a challenge to capture in a way that stands out.  Everyone has seen photos from incredible publications like National Geographic that bring you so much closer than any one else can get. 

Although this shot isn't in the realm of amazing, it is still very satisfying to be able to get intimate shots of animals in nature.  This eagle was perched on a fence post out near Heppner, Oregon and was kind enough to stay still for a quick photo.

Ideas and Imagery #58

This is a shot in Biggs Junction along the Columbia Gorge.  Biggs is truly a Junction as it resides at the crossing of HWY 97 and Interstate 84 in North Central Oregon.  As you might expect for a place that has a name like a train station, only the necessities are present...food, gas, and a bit of shelter for weary travelers.

This scene plays itself out across the west in many places; trucks passing by generic motel signs that have been in place almost as long as the roads have.  But there are times when you just need the necessities, and for those times, especially along stretches of Interstate with few other options, places like Biggs are a welcome sight.

On Taking Assignments #12 - Contrast

This photo was taken almost a year ago to the day.  I don't think I have ever seen anything quite like this place.  It was a car museum of sorts where it appeared that at one time admission was charged to allow people to wander the lot.  Unlike other car museums (or mausoleums in this case), this one seemed have many models of the same car.

The place was closed so I could only get shots of it from the adjacent roadway and gas station, but even that limited view offered an interesting subject for this assignment.  I wanted to like this shot in color, but with the colors ranging from green to blue to rust, there was no place to rest your eye.

I love how the black and white calls attention to the repetition of shapes, and the angle of the sun shining on the cars with windows and conspicuously absent from the ones without.  I would have paid to walk the lot and see the cars up close, but I wasn't about to knock on the door.  The place was as uninviting as it was interesting.  This was a fun find in a place where I was least expecting to find anything.

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On Taking Assignments

I frequently listen to the On Taking Pictures (OTP) podcast, which I highly recommend to anyone looking for good conversation about creativity, especially as it related to photography.  In January 2014 the hosts, Bill Wadman and Jeffery Saddoris, began a new segment of weekly assignments that they gave to listeners.  Results of the assignments are posted on the OTP Google Plus group.  I decided that I would commit myself to the assignments for a year without interruption, and that I would complete each one before the next assignment was announced on the show each Tuesday morning.  My 'On Taking Assignments' blog posts are the culmination of my year-long focus on these assignments.

Ideas and Imagery #57

I really enjoy simple frames with colors and geometric shapes.  I am working on a project to roll out later in the year that builds upon this theme a bit.  This was a shot from last summer that materialized after this building was freshly repainted.

I like the primary colors and the striping in this photo along the top of this auto repair shop in Oregon City.  The repetitive shapes of the windows and the horizontal lines throughout the image make it feel blocky and the yellow scooter added some scale, dimension and a splash of yellow to tie the top and bottom of the picture together.

I hope to expand this series and focus on strong, simple scenes that provide a different subject matter than I amused to shooting.  I am aiming for a roll out later this year.

On Taking Assignments #11 - Close Up

Some shots you take that seem really interesting as you click the shutter just don't remain interesting over time.  I don't necessarily dislike this shot, but I look at it now and think, meh.

For this assignment I was hoping to find something transformative at close range that would render itself unidentifiable as the distance to subject became short.  However, as you can see, these bricks still look like bricks.  Why I thought this worked at the time is now a mystery to me.

I think this shot makes a case for how your taste for and perception of your photography can change over time.  It also suggests that you hold yourself to a higher standard as you progress in your subject matter and composition.

I wonder if over time my shots will become less interesting because I will feel like I have progressed past them, or if some will continue to excite me as they did when I shot them.  Time will tell.

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On Taking Assignments

I frequently listen to the On Taking Pictures (OTP) podcast, which I highly recommend to anyone looking for good conversation about creativity, especially as it related to photography.  In January 2014 the hosts, Bill Wadman and Jeffery Saddoris, began a new segment of weekly assignments that they gave to listeners.  Results of the assignments are posted on the OTP Google Plus group.  I decided that I would commit myself to the assignments for a year without interruption, and that I would complete each one before the next assignment was announced on the show each Tuesday morning.  My 'On Taking Assignments' blog posts are the culmination of my year-long focus on these assignments.

Ideas and Imagery #56

This library in the heart of Canton, Ohio was a very interesting building.  The downtown area was filled with many more historic structures than it was with modern ones.  This library was the exception and was the source of two of my better photos this past winter.

The repetition of the garage doors was really nice as was the nice sidelight that added some depth to the doors.  I originally processed this image in color, but the little splashes of red along the bottom of this image gave it some punch and added to the repetitive nature of this part of the building.

I shot this with a Sony RX-100 that I bought for taking pictures of the family when I didn't want to deal with the bulk of a bigger camera.  It performed great in the city and was small enough for a shirt pocket.

On Taking Assignments #10 - Windows and Doors

This was an assignment where I really struggled to keep from shooting an obvious subject.  Windows and doors are everywhere, and are actually one of my favorite things to shoot.  For that reason I wouldn't allow myself to take the easy way out and shoot a shot that I didn't have to think about.

Because of my preference to shoot something less ordinary, and coming off the heels of the previous assignment where I felt my submission was largely ineffective, I held out to the very last day before the next assignment was revealed to find my subject.

I had racked my brain searching throughout the week for something and finally came upon it when my daughter started to play with these cars.  Each block had either windows or doors painted on it, and my daughter and I were building when it dawned on me what we were building.  I hurried to grab my camera and bagged my assignment at the last minute.

I like the way this turned out and the bonus was that I was able to work on it with my kiddo's help.

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On Taking Assignments

I frequently listen to the On Taking Pictures (OTP) podcast, which I highly recommend to anyone looking for good conversation about creativity, especially as it related to photography.  In January 2014 the hosts, Bill Wadman and Jeffery Saddoris, began a new segment of weekly assignments that they gave to listeners.  Results of the assignments are posted on the OTP Google Plus group.  I decided that I would commit myself to the assignments for a year without interruption, and that I would complete each one before the next assignment was announced on the show each Tuesday morning.  My 'On Taking Assignments' blog posts are the culmination of my year-long focus on these assignments.

Ideas and Imagery #55

It was fun to come upon this scene.  I was out in Eastern Oregon in the Baker City area, driving through the farmland in near 100 degree heat.  I was looking for interesting subjects to shoot at sunset, and came upon this wheat field.

It's not like there are a shortage of irrigated fields in this part of Oregon, but this wheat field had so much to see.  While this is a relatively simple photo in terms of subject matter, I feel like it may have been the most substantial photo I took over my 2 days there.

The light on this scene rendered the scene into two dominant colors, making it work much like a sepia toned image.  The silhouettes of the heads of what dappled with mist from the irrigation sprinkler add great texture and drama to the scene.  Also, I love the symmetry and motion of the water as it leaves the sprinkler head.

To me this photo has everything I look for to separate itself from the rest of my shots and plant itself along side my best.  It's simple, it's graphic, it has incredible light, and it doesn't need an explanation.  What more can you hope for in a shot?