The amount of light, the quality of light, the color of light.
Changing the white balance on this image would ruin its effect.
Olympus PEN E-PL2
Always Carry a Camera – Random Shots
Since returning from Jay Maisel’s workshop last month, I am now always carrying my Olympus E-PL2 micro 4/3rds camera with a 20mm (40mm effective) lens. I take random shots through out the week and review them on the weekend. It is always interesting to review the images at the end of the week. There is no pressure to find the next masterpiece / portfolio image and this makes it easier to both experiment but also to be really critical. I look through the images and see what worked and what didn’t. Most weekends I take a short walk to the local gym which is located in a small outdoor shopping mall. There are several interesting opportunities with shopping carts and sidewalk patterns. Here are my best from this week.
Leaves Like Snow
Oak Studies by I Nancy, on Flickr
I’ve been working on my composition skills with the local oaks and my little Olympus E-PL2. We’ve had some unseasonable overcast mornings creating soft light. Here the leaves of the overgrown vines looked like a big pile of snow around this tree.
Oak Studies
Oak Studies by I Nancy, on Flickr
At the end of the trail were a grove of oaks and sycamores. I know that a bunch of folks will think this one too busy, but I’m entranced by the subtlety of the trunk through the leaves. I think this is an oak covered by small branches of sycamores.
Poison Oak Colors
This morning I took a hike with some friends and the overcast skies made for perfect shooting conditions. This oak was adorned with vines of poison oak beginning to show their fall colors. With the subtle light shining through, it looked like an intricate stained glass window.
Chicago Commuters
Phone Envy by I Nancy, on Flickr
There is nothing like photography to uplift my spirit and clear my mind. I took a series of images in this Chicago commuter train during my vacation this summer. Earlier, I published an entry called Study, were I was able to isolate one person on the train, deep in thought, as a nice portrait. The colors and lighting of the train were really conducive to my image making.
For Phone Envy, I worked the man in the dark jacket and glasses for all during the trip. Earlier he was alone in the seats below, using his own phone. The he was joined by a couple more passengers. I thought the image I achieved when these two passengers both texting would be my best. Then this appeared as the front man glanced over his shoulder. I have no idea what caught his attention to turn around like this, but it was just the moment I needed.
In The Girls, below, I watched these three women enter the train. I like the framing I could achieve with the metal work around them. They talked for a while and then began to catch up on their own business.
The Girls by I Nancy, on Flickr
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