Decomposing...

Yes I could be talking about me, but today I'm not. When time and the elements take their toll on things, they leave behind a unique patina that technology cannot easily reproduce. Sure, the Photoshop gurus can recreate just about anything, but some things are better left to nature. For example:

It is fairly common these days for "barn find" cars, similar to the 442 above, to not be restored. Instead, many get a clear coat shot over the existing finish to preserve the car in its current state. Is there anything wrong with doing this? Absolutely not! Being able to capture a moment in time is one of the reasons photography exists...

I spent a little bit of time observing the 442 above at a local car show. What I noticed was that most of the show attendees walked past this car on their way to the shiny cars parked around it. That was great for me, because I got to shoot some photos at a car show without having to shoot around people, or crop out elbows, etc. But at the same time, I was a little sad for the 442. Its patina and decomposition give it a uniqueness that got overlooked far too often.

So, when you're out shooting, look around. Stop and take a better look at the things that don't necessarily catch your eye. You might find some interesting things to shoot. And remember, if you're not having fun while you're out shooting, you're probably doing something wrong.

Color or Black & White?

Believe it or not, that's a question that I ask myself a lot these days. I always thought that color way the only way to go. I mean, black and white existed only because we didn't know how to capture color at the time, right? Wrong!

While color captures a lot of information, I'm learning that black and white captures a lot more imagination. The interplay of light and shadow tells the story in black and white, where different hues tell the story in color. Is one "better" than the other? No. Both have their strengths (and weaknesses). One of the many joys of digital photography is that it's pretty easy to convert from color to black and white, so you can look at a photo in both and determine which works best. Here's an example where I preferred to use black and white:

Here's a dark green Nova on an overcast day, in color and in black and white:

 

The grey, overcast skies make the color copy seem flat, but they look right at home in black and white.

 

Try it sometime on a few of your photos. You never know, you just might wind up with something you never knew you had...Remember, if you're not having fun while you're out shooting, you're probably doing something wrong.



 

Water, Water Everywhere...

February in Florida. Dry season, right? While that's usually the case, we do get weather fronts coming through that bring rain. Case in point, just this past weekend at Eckler's Chevy Winternationals. Rain, rain, and a little more rain fell from the sky and left many classic Chevys either glistening and wet or hidden beneath a car cover. Not the ideal photography weather, for sure.

So, what's a car-guy and aspiring photographer to do? Shoot pictures, of course! Colorless skies can help make the color of your subject pop, and water droplets make interesting patterns and textures.

 



There's no controlling the weather, so the best thing you can do is use it to your advantage. How many Bel Air hood ornament photos have you seen? If you're like me, hundreds and hundreds. How many wet ones have you seen? Probably not hundreds, more likely a handful at most. So the bad weather helped to create a more unique photo.

Happy shooting. Remember, if you're not having fun while you're out shooting, you're probably doing something wrong...

Speed!

Speed, glorius speed. Yes, at Daytona speed rules. But I wasn't thinking about cars going fast when I shot this photo. Instead, I was thinking about ISO speed. Why think about ISO when you're visiting the birthplace of speed? Read on...


I make a pilgrimage twice per year to Daytona International Speedway, for the Turkey Rod Run Thanksgiving weekend and for the Spring Turkey Rod Run. These car shows typically attract about 4,000 cars (!) which translates to lots of photo opportunities for a car guy like me. Those opportunities also present some challenges.


Being a morning person, I like to get out to the car shows before the crowds. This makes taking photos easier, and sometimes provides opportunities that get lost as the day wears on (golden hour light, morning dew on cars, etc.). I also like to use a polarizing filter to minimize surface reflections. If you're not familiar with a polarizing filter, think of it as the equivalent of sunglasses. Here's where the ISO thoughts come to mind. Sometimes, if you have an overcast sky and your camera lens is wearing sunglasses, you need to compensate for the reduced light you have to work with. This can be accomplished in a few ways:

1. Slower shutter speed




2. Flash




3. Higher ISO speed

Each solution has tradeoffs, and each may be be more/less desirable at times. Let's look at the pros and cons of each:

Slower shutter speed - This is a great solution for objects that are not in motion, particularly if you are using a tripod. However, if you are shooting moving objects slowing down your shutter speed too much will give you a blurry image. Likewise, if you are shooting without a tripod, handheld shooting can get blurry if you shoot too slow.
Flash - Using a flash is a good way to light up subjects close to you, and a flash can help to fill in some of the darker areas that a harsh midday sun can create. However, flashes don't help for landscape photography or distant subjects, and they can create artificial bright spots, harsh shadows, and red eye. Some of those can be fixed post-production, but not always.
Higher ISO speed - Higher ISO speed allows you to shoot with a faster shutter speed, which is particularly useful when you have so-so light and subjects in motion. The downside - noise. Higher ISO speeds translate into a noisier (or grainier) image. Most newer cameras can shoot at fairly high ISO speeds before noise becomes a problem though.

So, I was thinking about what ISO to use on the overcast morning that I was shooting photos of show cars at the speedway. Remember, the camera has all sorts of adjustments and settings available to you. Use them, and you can get superior results to the 'auto' mode, even when shooting autos :-) And remember, if you're not having fun when you're out shooting, you're probably doing something wrong.

Full of Hot Air...

It's time once again for the New Smyrna Beach Hot Air Balloon Fest. I have gone for the past two years and enjoyed it. In fact, I have sold four images that I have taken at this event, so it's also proven to be a cash positive event for me. There are some who would say this event is a good fit for me, as I am frequently full of hot air...

So, what's not to love about an event like this? From a photographers perspective this event has great potential. Large, colorful balloons (some in interesting shapes) start filling up just before dawn breaks and they launch into the sunrise. You get the cool effect of flames glowing in the pre-dawn and you get the "golden hour" light as they launch. Lots of visually interesting stuff going on, which means lots of opportunities for great photos. The subject matter seems to be universally well-liked (have you ever heard anyone mutter under their breath how much they hate hot air balloons? Nope, me neither).

Events like this are great opportunities to expand your photo portfolio as well as sharpen your skills. For me, this event is a chance to shoot "up" a lot more than I usually do. Up is a different perspective than I am used to, so I get to see things a little differently through the lens. When I am out shooting wildlife, "up" can be a messy perspective. I have seen a photographer or two wind up with a mess to clean off of their lens...

Hope to see you out at the NSB Ballon Fest. Remember, if you're not having fun while you're out shooting you're probably doing something wrong.

Get Your Motor Runnin'...

That's right, it's time again. Tomorrow is the first day of Bike Week 2012. For the next 10 days, Daytona Beach will be awash in chrome, leather, and the unmistakable rumble of thousands of V-Twins on Main Street.

I get excited every year when Bike Week rolls around. I stopped riding my bike to Daytona a few years ago, because I found that the photographer in me has more opportunities during Bike Week than the motorcyclist does. Living just 1/2 hour from Daytona, I can ride the coast anytime I like. How often, though, does one get the chance to shoot photos of hundred or thousands of bikes at one time. This beautiful 1940 Harley, complete with suicide shifter, is just one example of the eye candy that descends on Daytona for Bike Week.

Ever since the movie "Bucket List" came out a few years ago, people have talked about the agenda items on their personal bucket lists. If you have never been to Bike Week, it's one that I would recommend for any photographer. Chrome is a fascinating thing, and you'll never find more of it in one place than you will at Bike Week. Photo opportunities abound!

To my brother (and sister) bikers: If you are riding to Daytona, be safe. To my photog friends: If you've never been to Bike Week, make 2012 the year you go. You won't regret it. Plus, if the Mayans are right, you'll never get this chance again...

Wabbit Season, Duck Season, Camaro Season...

For those of you who remember the classic Bugs Bunny cartoon, you will remember Elmer Fudd and Daffy Duck arguing about what hunting season it is, hence the title of this post. This winter has been a particularly good one for my photography. In addition to the "usual" haunts (Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, for example) I have had a really good car show season.

What's that you say? Car show season? Well, sure. The summer months in Florida bring wonderfully predictable afternoon storms, which do a great job of keeping the classics parked safely in a nice garage. This time of year, car folks get the chance to bring their rolling automotive works of art out of the garage for folks like me to capture images of them.

I have to admit that I had gotten away from going to car shows on a regular basis. I'd hit the big ones, the Winter Park Concours d'Elegance and the Turkey Run in Daytona, but I had stopped going to smaller car shows. The timing of many of them competed with prime wildlife photography time (for me that's Saturday mornings). Well, time and circumstances have drawn me back to the car shows, and I couldn't be happier. I have had the opportunity to meet a bunch of nice people and shoot lots of pix of timeless classics.

This presents a bit of a dilemma; what to shoot? I think I can find a happy medium between wildlife and machines, I just haven't quite figured it out yet but I am going to try. In fact, sunrise at Lake Woodruff while on my way to Bike Week in Daytona sounds pretty good. That would actually be shooting wildlife all day, just different types...

Remember, if you're not having fun while you're out shooting you are probably doing something wrong.

Osprey Season

I've had a few good opportunities lately to get some osprey photos. The reason this is noteworthy? These osprey are not too far out in the wild. In fact, their nest is only about 60 feet from a road...

Nature abounds, even during the "quiet" time here in Florida. There are photo opportunities all over. Sometimes the best opportunities are occurring right before our very eyes and we fail to notice them. I can't tell you how many cars I watched drive past as these osprey were circling, and countless people were busy talking on their cell phones oblivious to these sights. In fact, I am amazed at how few cars I ever see driving with the windows open anymore. It's a great big beautiful world out there, but many never notice...

So, enough preaching. I suppose I could take a moment to comment about people who only update their blog once every couple of months, but that's another story for another day...

Okay, now it's time for you to go out and shoot something. A camera only does its job when it's not packed away in the camera bag. Remember, if it's not fun you're probably doing something wrong...

Reflecting on Last Month

Wow, hard to believe January has come and gone. I had the honor of being selected as Artist of the Month at DeBary Hall for January, 2011. This was my first solo exhibit, and I themed it "Dawn to Dusk: A Day in Volusia County" All of the images were taken within a roughly 20 mile radius of my home, which brings me to the point I'd like to make...

There's beauty all around. Look left, look right, look up or down and you'll see that we are surrounded by beautiful things. Flowers, birds, cars, dogs, buildings, clouds, the list is almost endless and all of these things are there for us every day. It's a beautiful world indeed.

The Website is Done

Yay, the website is finally done enough to be considered "done." I hope that you will visit http://rmullerphoto.com and take a look. I have added a gallery page that also links to my Zenfolio gallery. If you've always yearned to purchase one of my images (or have one on a coffee mug, key chain, etc.) simply stop by http://russmuller.zenfolio.com. Happy Holidays and happy shooting!!

The website is almost done...

After several months of distractions, I have finally had a chance to begin working on my website. It's not quite done yet, but it's getting there. Please feel free to visit http://rmullerphot.com to see how it's progressing.

Distractions are something we all must contend with, so I won't go into the specifics. Suffice it to say that some distractions can sap your creative energy. So, how does one create during times of personal challenge? What has worked for me (and Nike) is to simply "just do it." Sounds like a cliche, but it works. Grabbing the camera and shooting is a pretty good way to get your creative juices flowing.

Now that the weather has changed, it's prime time to shoot wildlife photos in Florida. If you're feeling distracted or stressed, just do it. It's cathartic, and you never know when you'll nail your once-in-a-lifetime shot. As I've said time and again, if it isn't fun you're probably doing something wrong...Lots of my pics can be seen on Flickr (and soon on the website), so please stop by http://www.flickr.com/ucfgrad1999.

Fun Photo Ops

Growing up in suburbia, I never thought much about cows. Sure, I drank milk, ate steak, etc. but those things came from the grocery store...

While on vacation in the Adirondacks last fall, I stopped along a roadside to take some cow photos and learned a great lesson: Cows are cool! This particular cow was very friendly. As you can see, she tried to greet my camera with a kiss.

So, what's the point? I guess the point is that there are great photo opportunities everywhere, sometimes you just have to stop and look. Since this particular photo, I have stopped two or three other times to take cow photos. They usually trot over to greet you (hoping for food I'm sure, but a friendly greeting is a friendly greeting), and they have really interesting features to photograph; hooves, horns, tongues, etc.

You may or may not capture great images when you have the camera out, but it's a sure bet that you'll get no images if it's sitting in the camera bag collecting dust. Remember, if you're not having fun when you're out shooting you're probably doing something wrong...
http://www.flickr.com/ucfgrad1999 to see photos. Happy Earth Day and Happy shooting!

"Rule" 1: The Rule of Thirds

Here's my first in what will hopefully be a series of posts on some of the "rules" of photography. I want to show how both following and breaking these rules can yield some good results. Here goes:

The rule of thirds is a great compostional "rule" that goes something like this:

Imagine a set of lines dividing the image into thirds both horizontally and vertically. As you get ready to take a picture, place important elements of your composition where these lines intersect. As well as using the intersections you can arrange areas into bands occupying a third of the surface. You can also decide to place important elements along the imaginary lines.

Here's an example that roughly follows that guideline. The great blue heron's open mouth is roughly at one of the intersections, as is the reflection of its head on the water. The eye tends to look at more of the image when points of visual interest are placed in areas that follow the rule of thirds.

Now, that "rule" is hardly carved in stone. There are images that look better when the subject material is placed in the center, and there are times when following the rule makes images less interesting...

The sunset below violates the rule of thirds; the subject matter is not at an intersecting point, the horizon does not follow one of the imaginary grid lines, etc. But the sun sprites are interesting, and they draw your eye into the the image. The photo was taken along a lake shore, where there were no other interesting elements to incorporate into the composition.

If the rule of thirds was applied here, there would be a very neat sun strategically placed, but the image would be boring. How do I know? Well, when I took this photo I also took one following the rule of thirds. I kep this one, and the other one wound up going to the digital image graveyard.

The moral of the story: Rules are important. Don't forget to learn them, don't forget to follow them, and most-important - don't forget to break them! You might just like the results. Remember if you're not having fun when you're out shooting, you're probably doing something wrong... Happy Monday. http://www.flickr.com/ucfgrad1999 for more pics.

A Dog Day Morning...

That will probably lead to a dog day afternoon...

Okay, enough obscure movie references. I will soon begin some posts on understanding the "rules" of photography, so that I can also post some thoughts on how to break those rules and still take great photos.

For today though, I'd like to remind everyone that there's always great subject material available to photograph, wherever you go. Look left, and you'll see my dog Cody breaking in my new couch. It's not a great technical shot; there's a harsh shadow behind his ear, the white fur is a little blown out, etc. But I took this as I was getting ready to put the camera away, and it made me smile.

So look for future posts about the rules and how to break them. For right now, just go shoot something that makes you smile. After all, if you're not having fun you're probably doing something wrong...Happy shooting!

http://www.flickr.com/ucfgrad1999 to see pics.

Concrete and Steel

Not sure how much of my workaday life I'll bring up here, but we are in the process of getting a new building built. It's an exciting process to watch a patch of dirt sprout a building. If you've never lurked around a construction site with a camera, by all means get out and look around! There's all sorts of stuff going on - welding, bolting, pouring, moving, etc. Shooting pictures of things you don't normally get to see on a daily basis challenges you as a photographer and forces you to work on composition, lighting, exposure, etc. This particular shot was taken with a superzoom point-and-shoot, not my usual DSLR. That provides a challenge as well, shooting with different equipment than you are used to.

Remember, if you're not having fun you're probably doing something wrong. Happy Shooting!

Loving Lake Woodruff N.W.R.

Why is Lake Woodruff one of my favorite places to shoot? Look left. Sites like this are common at Woodruff. It's a National Wildlife Refuge, and it's less than 1/2 hour from my house. I found it because I used to see the sign for it on my way to DeLeon Springs State Park. After driving past the sign a few dozen times, I finally decided to take a detour and check it out. That was three years ago, and I've been there dozens and dozens of times since. How many other people have such an amazing natural resource practicaly in their own backyard? How many people drive by it time and time again, just like I did? How many wish they had such a great place to shoot?

Lake Woodruff National Wildlife Refuge is managed by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. If you'd like to learn more about it, please visit:

http://www.fws.gov/lakewoodruff/

You can see more photos from Lake Woodruff, as well as many other great places, by visiting my Flickr page:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ucfgrad1999

Happy shooting.

A New Day. A New Blog.

Well, it had to happen sooner or later. After starting a blog a few years back and abandoning it after I realized I was a little too early in the game, I'm back. I hope to post lots of interesting photography tidbit, tips, etc. I also hope to do a better job of keeping this one up to date.

Hi. I'm back.