Expanding Horizons: The Journey

I will always remember the one time I hired a photography tutor when I was still in auto.  We met for only one day and he never mentioned my camera controls, which is what I was hoping for.  Instead he said something that I’ve always remembered:  “Don’t just take a photo because that is just a record.  Express yourself and make art.”  

I think about that statement a lot and believe we never really arrive; we are constantly on the journey making adjustments within to express a more complete self.   Along life’s journey, I’ve noticed it seems a lot of the time we get what we need but not always what we want.  It’s up to us to see the big picture and to realize that even a step back can ultimately be a step forward.

It’s not how big your steps are or how fast they are…it’s about taking the step in the first place, appreciating the meaningful things along the way, and never ever giving up!  That’s my path in photography and life!

I love this quote by Dewitt Jones:  “Our deepest inspirations come from not looking to others but from looking within”.

 

The Journey – Laura Macky

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Expanding Horizons – Time Lapse

My latest endeavor is time lapse photography.

My husband and I had an office installation scheduled and were talking to the owner of the company about photography because his younger son is interested in it.  One thing led to another and he asked me if I could do a time lapse of the office installation for the company website.  I agreed not knowing one thing about time lapse!  Is that a bit nuts?

The first thing I did was to look up in my camera manual how to set up a time lapse.  After that I realized the most important information one needs to know is the length of the time you want your final time lapse video to be.  In this case, my customer wanted a 90 second time lapse.  Once you know that, then you can figure out the interval between each photo taken.  There were other considerations to take into account like time lapse flicker, white balance issues and lighting which I realized when I was testing it out in our living room and in the room where the installation would occur.

Once I captured the time lapse (over a two day period), I then loaded it in iMovie and inserted some graphics and transitions along with some music I purchased.  I think learning iMovie was the hardest part of this whole thing!   Here’s the final time lapse for your viewing pleasure!  There are some things I know now that I will do differently the next time but hey, it’s my first attempt.

My customer liked it so much that he is hiring me to do another one in January.  Yay!

Here is a link I found very helpful in learning time lapse photography:  Time Lapse Info

 

Expanding Horizons – Size Contrast

One of the types of contrasts I’ve been focusing on lately is contrast in size of elements within the frame.  Notice how huge the cloud is and notice the inclusion of smaller elements like trees and ponds in the frame.  This contrast in size provides interest to the eye and conveys “majesty” or “awe” in an image.  (Or at least attempts to lol.)

If I were to photograph the large cloud only, against a hill with no trees for example, it most likely wouldn’t be as interesting as showing it with smaller elements because you wouldn’t fully appreciate the cloud’s magnitude.  You might’ve noticed size contrast in my last post of Drakes Beach in which the tiny people were shown against the huge sheared cliff shoreline.

I hope you enjoy the image and found the post helpful!  Have a wonderful Thursday!

Expanding Horizons – Size Contrast