Images by John 'K'
Life as seen through my lens…
Tag Archives: photography
Going green in B&W: Dealing with an inspirational blockage
Posted by on March 2, 2011
If you’ve been following my work, you’ll know that I love to shoot nature. Flowers, the animals in our back yard, the sights we see around us while hiking, and so on… but every now and again I look at the beauty around me and see nothing that I feel the urge to shoot. It’s like I’ve seen it all already – why do I want to shoot it again.
Get me in one of those moments, add in a busy work schedule, and sprinkle liberally with some family “fun” and you have a recipe for a photographer’s block.
I hit one of these earlier this week – I couldn’t think of anything worthy of picking up my camera for, and for someone who has in the past made a point of shooting something every day no matter what, it was a strange feeling to have.
So last night I was sat at my desk, looking up at the ceiling as I tried to compose some thoughts for a presentation I was writing for work, and there above me was this CFL bulb. I looked at the shape and uniform light and suddenly felt the urge to try and capture it. I fired off a few hand-held shots, pulled them into Photoshop, had a play, and this was the end result.
The moral of this little ramble is… if you have hit a block and are lacking inspiration, look at something you wouldn’t normally shoot and just experiment.
Added flare
Posted by on January 21, 2011
If you’ve taken a look at my photographic work you’ll know that I’m not a massive fan of heavy post-processing or digital manipulation. Every now and again though a subject cries out to me for a little ‘enhancement’.
Usually it’s adding an ‘old’ feel to a shot of something that looks like it would have belonged in a photograph from bygone days. Occasionally it’s a conversion to black and white (I always shoot in color), but every now and again I want to add a little artistic touch to a shot.
I have a bit of a fixation with trying to get nice clear and detailed photographs of the moon using nothing more than the lens on my camera (since Christmas that’s usually a 28-300mm Nikon zoom – fantastic lens!) and while I usually get shots I’m happy with, sometimes things don’t go quite according to plan. I had such a shot a few days ago, so rather than waste it I was looking for a way I could add a little something to it and come up with something that’d be interesting to look at. I flipped through some of the filter options in Photoshop Elements, and finally came across the Lens Flare filter. I had a little play and liked what I saw, so used it.
Since then I’ve added a little lens flare to a version of each moon shot I’ve taken, and the more I do it the more I like the effect – it looks really cool on a shot of a full or nearly full moon.
The moral of all of this – don’t be afraid to try out new things with your shots – you might like what you end up with!
Published!
Posted by on January 8, 2011
As an amateur photographer who takes pictures for enjoyment, there is nothing that helps maintain an interest in the hobby more than words of praise and encouragement from people who see and appreciate and enjoy your images.
Well actually that’s not entirely true. What really strokes my ego and makes me want to keep taking pictures and sharing them with the world is the chance that someone will see one of my shots and want to use it in a cool and unusual way, and if it happens to be in support of a cause or organization that fits with my beliefs that’s even better.
I never take photos with the intent of trying to get them published – I take them for my enjoyment, and I like to share them with others in the hope that they might enjoy them too. The fact that someone has seen a picture of mine and has wanted to use it is really the icing on the cake for me, and I’ll happily support anyone who wants to use a shot of mine if they are kind enough to ask. I don’t want money (although it would be nice!) – all I ask for is photographer’s credit, and if the work is to be printed, I ask for a copy of the finished piece to add to a slowly growing collection of such works.
The latest shot to join the collection in the form of an open-out brochure is this panorama that I stitched from some shots I took while hiking on Mount Diablo in California in 2009. The image was seen on Flickr by someone looking to put together a brochure about some of the wildlife seen in the Mount Diablo State Park that would be given out to park visitors. As we are frequent users of the park and have had more enjoyment from the park than the entrance fee pays for, I was more than happy to donate this image to be used by them.
They asked about 4 months ago and we went through all the formalities for me to give my consent soon after, and I had all but forgotten about this, until a copy of the finished brochure arrived in the mail today accompanied by a very nice “thank you” letter. The brochure is now available from the summit visitors center in Mount Diablo State Park, is titled “Common Mammals of Mount Diablo State Park”, and features the work of a number of talented photographers who have given images for use by the authors.
It’s occasional rewards like this that truly make me want to keep shooting.
Shooting at ‘The Gate’
Posted by on December 30, 2010
The Golden Gate Bridge at night, originally uploaded by Images by John ‘K’.
The Golden Gate Bridge has to be one of the most photographed bridges in the world. It’s shape, it’s color, it’s backdrop (the beautiful city of San Francisco) just cry out to be captured.
It is such a prominent landmark that it can be seen for miles in the greater San Francisco Bay area, but there are a few places where you can take really spectacular pictures of this iconic bridge.
If you want to see the city of San Francisco in the background, you have to cross the bridge and almost immediately head west onto the Marin Headlands, up Conzelman Road. There are a number of stops up the road (each with allocated parking) where you can get out of your car and admire the view, and the further up the road you go the more your viewing angle of the bridge will change.
If you want to get a different perspective on the bridge, you need to exit highway 101 just before you cross the bridge and head down Long Avenue to Marine Drive and get to Fort Point. From there you can see the bridge from sea level looking north with the beautiful hills of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area in the background. This is a fantastic place to get a shot of the bridge as the sun sets as the setting sunlight will make the twin towers of the bridge glow golden red.
For yet another interesting perspective, get onto the bridge itself. The towers that support the span look spectacular as they reach to the sky when photographed from close to their base. For fans of detail there are many interesting “bits” of the bridge that can be photographed when on it – for example the huge bolts that hold the bridge together or the cables that suspend the bridge.
Another aspect that makes the bridge such an interesting subject is the climate in the San Francisco Bay. In the warmer months the bridge is often partially shrouded in fog, and it is possible to get some beautiful and visually stunning shots of the towers as they emerge proudly from it.
Another option is to take one of the many short cruises that will take visitors around the sights of the San Francisco Bay. From these frequent sailings you can get to view and shoot the bridge from underneath and from many different angles.
However you get to see it, the bridge makes for some beautiful pictures that will capture forever the beauty of this spectacular landmark.
I’ve put some of my shots of this beautiful bridge into a photo-set on Flickr. You can view it here.
Lunar Eclipse
Posted by on December 20, 2010
This shot was from the last lunar eclipse we got to see from California, on Feb 20, 2008. We’re in for another one tonight…
Unlike a total eclipse of the sun, which is only visible to those in the path of totality, eclipses of the moon can usually be observed from one’s own backyard. The passage of the moon through the Earth’s shadow is equally visible from all places within the hemisphere where the moon is above the horizon.
The total phase of the upcoming event will be visible across all of North and South America, as well as the northern and western part of Europe, and a small part of northeast Asia, including Korea and much of Japan. Totality will also be visible in its entirety from the North Island of New Zealand and Hawaii — a potential viewing audience of about 1.5 billion people. This will be the first opportunity from any place on earth to see the moon undergo a total eclipse in 34 months.
There is nothing complicated about viewing this celestial spectacle. Unlike an eclipse of the sun, which necessitates special viewing precautions in order to avoid eye damage, an eclipse of the moon is perfectly safe to watch. All you’ll need to watch are your eyes, but binoculars or a telescope will give a much nicer view.
The eclipse will actually begin when the moon enters the faint outer portion, or penumbra, of the Earth’s shadow a little over an hour before it begins moving into the umbra. The penumbra, however, is all but invisible to the eye until the moon becomes deeply immersed in it. Sharp-eyed viewers may get their first glimpse of the penumbra as a faint smudge on the left part of the moon’s disk at or around 6:15 UT (on Dec. 21) which corresponds to 1:15 a.m. Eastern Time or 10:15 p.m. Pacific Time (on Dec. 20).
The most noticeable part of this eclipse will come when the moon begins to enter the Earth’s dark inner shadow (called the umbra). A small scallop of darkness will begin to appear on the moon’s left edge at 6:33 UT (on Dec. 21) corresponding to 1:33 a.m. EST or 10:33 p.m. PST (on Dec. 20).
The moon is expected to take 3 hours and 28 minutes to pass completely through the umbra.
The total phase of the eclipse will last 72 minutes beginning at 7:41 UT (on Dec. 21), corresponding to 2:41 a.m. EST or 11:41 p.m. PST (on Dec. 20).
Images by John 'K' 