I've been chronicling my efforts to become better at taking pictures at night, and I think I am getting a little better (or at least, a bit more consistent). While that enterprise is mostly a technical exercise, I'm also trying to work at becoming better with my compositions, framing, and other more aesthetic elements. I'm making a little progress, though some of it may be due to luck-- when you take as many shots as I have in the past few weeks, the odds are that one or two will come out good. Anyway, here are a few recent favorites-- feel free to offer comments.
The first was taken Monday night at what used to be called Pilot Field (sorry, I can't bring myself to use the current name). It's not so much a night shot as it is a dusk photo, but the sky was pretty cool (there'd later be a rain delay in the game), and the colors of the field came out especially rich (using the lowest ISO setting is what I think contributed to that).
Here's a shot of nieces Emma and Natalie going up the slide at the Broad Street playground. Maybe it's way too red, but at least you can see both faces and they each have good expressions.
I've also been alternating shots in Sepia and straight Black & White with color shots. I thought this sepia image of a string of boats in the lake at Delaware Park turned out pretty good; and I think it's better because I actually got the foreground foliage in the shot.
I went back to Niagara Falls this past Sunday to play around with some more pictures, and kind of got lucky in that it rained. I think the appearance of the umbrellas here give this a quality that would be lacking if it were just figures at the guard rail (although maybe it would benefit from some cropping).
I think I saved the best for last-- I can't believe the color I got in this shot (also at the Falls, obviously). Part of it was that it was dusk, and there was rain and mist in the air reflecting light that was cast on the Falls. I just wish that garbage can weren't there-- it's just a little too obtrusive and wrecks what I think is otherwise a pretty good composition. I guess I'll have to figure out how to use Photoshop or something to get rid of it.
The first was taken Monday night at what used to be called Pilot Field (sorry, I can't bring myself to use the current name). It's not so much a night shot as it is a dusk photo, but the sky was pretty cool (there'd later be a rain delay in the game), and the colors of the field came out especially rich (using the lowest ISO setting is what I think contributed to that).
Here's a shot of nieces Emma and Natalie going up the slide at the Broad Street playground. Maybe it's way too red, but at least you can see both faces and they each have good expressions.
I've also been alternating shots in Sepia and straight Black & White with color shots. I thought this sepia image of a string of boats in the lake at Delaware Park turned out pretty good; and I think it's better because I actually got the foreground foliage in the shot.
I went back to Niagara Falls this past Sunday to play around with some more pictures, and kind of got lucky in that it rained. I think the appearance of the umbrellas here give this a quality that would be lacking if it were just figures at the guard rail (although maybe it would benefit from some cropping).
I think I saved the best for last-- I can't believe the color I got in this shot (also at the Falls, obviously). Part of it was that it was dusk, and there was rain and mist in the air reflecting light that was cast on the Falls. I just wish that garbage can weren't there-- it's just a little too obtrusive and wrecks what I think is otherwise a pretty good composition. I guess I'll have to figure out how to use Photoshop or something to get rid of it.
1 comment:
Dr John,
You have some really nice photos here, the one of the baseball field reminds me of some of the old lithographs of early ball fields. The sepia of the boats has a very lovely composition - makes me want to paint it =).The pictures at the falls look great too. Next time you are in town I will show you how to photoshop something out of the picture. I'm pretty good at it to, if I say so myself (just ask Mom ;)
Lil' Sis
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