Monday, May 31, 2010

Mosaic Monday: Poppy Love

My first poppy is blooming in my garden!!!!  I can look at poppies all day long so it was a treat to explore the POE Team and their interpretations of this beautiful flower.....



poppies will make them sleep by mkendall
Eclosion de Coquelicots by Marco La Grenouille
Poppy Enchanted by urban design
Blue Poppy Pods by honeytree

Poppies by mishaashton
Joie de Vivre by AliciaBock
Opium Dreams  by ArtfulMagpie
Morning Poppies by lauri

Beneath the Trees by greenislandstudios
Love by eleanors
all summer long by enchantedpond
Orange Poppy by LDphotography


Pat of photogenic gallery lives in the northeast United States with her sweetheart husband, two doting dogs & about ten different cameras.  She has been known to capture at least one dose of happy moments per day.  She loves visitors to stop by & peek through her open window.








Sunday, May 30, 2010

JUNE SLIDESHOW DETAILS...

The details are emailed to our yahoo group mailing list every month, you can join here, but not many people have submitted images for June so I am posting it here. I know there are many talented TTV photographers out there.

Deadline for submissions - June 3rd, 2010

Theme is TTV images (Through The Viewfinder)

Maximum 2 images.

Please use your shop name for your images.

Example: FromMyEye.etsy.com would be FromMyEye.jpg

More than one image submission:

FromMyEye-1.jpg
FromMyEye-2.jpg

Images should be at least 5x7 and 72dpi.
Please email images to: Taryn at tarynlpyle@cox.net

Saturday, May 29, 2010

From the Collaboratory


Did you ever set up a shot like this and wonder if your camera’s light meter was malfunctioning? In the photo above, the dogwood blossom was in a wooded area with a few shafts of light filtering through, so most of the background was quite dark. On my first try, I used the camera’s readings to adjust the exposure, and fired away. In the resulting image, the blossom appeared completely washed out – no veining or detail at all. Then I remembered what photographer John Greengo said about not always trusting your camera’s readings, and decreased the aperture so the camera’s exposure level indicator showed the image would be about two steps underexposed. Doing so gave me the balance I wanted. That was my first object lesson in exposure compensation.

Backlighting, very light or very dark subjects, or complex combinations of light and shade can fool even sophisticated cameras.

A light in the window by kclarkphotography

Kim of kclarkphotography told me she captured this beautiful image with a Sony DSCH9 point-and-shoot at 1/100 sec, ISO 320, 15mm.

"When I took this photograph I had no idea what any of those things meant," Kim said. "But I am making headway. So currently, I go with my gut on an image and manipulate it in the field until I get the results I'm looking for. I tend to shoot in Aperture priority, and manipulate that along with my ISO and shutter speeds according to what looks best in the field. This usually means multiple images with different settings as I learn the craft."

She achieves a delicate balance between light and shade here, allowing even the fine detail of the spider webs clear expression.


4 May 10 by The Daily Photo

In this dramatic image, there's enough exposure to allow some detail from the buildings - the R T or A T TAILOR ad, for example - but it's dark enough to make the Leo's sign front and back really stand out. Check this out on Melissa's etsy site, The Daily Photo, to get the full impact.

Melissa said she used the following settings to get this effect:

Shutter Speed 0.3sec
F-stop 5.6
ISO Speed 1600

"I manually adjusted my 1600 ISO, but let the camera choose the shutter & F-stop for me. I think I was lucky! I also processed it in Photoshop," she said. "I remember that I didn't process too much - I adjusted curves and I also adjusted the brightness/contrast too, but that was it...I didn't add any fill light at all, nor adjust exposure...

Both Melissa and Kim expressed a desire to learn more about the science and craft of photography - a desire I share. I hope more poe team members will chime in! That's what a collaboratory is - a gathering of minds to bat around ideas and maybe come out of the experience knowing a little bit more.

Nakedeye17 (Su) thinks of photography as a wake-up call: "Hey, everybody! Are you seeing this?" She loves to capture humor, too, and anything wondrous strange. Find Nakedeye17's shop here

Friday, May 28, 2010

New Works

Some beautiful new art photography from the photographers of Etsy is featured below. Find more art photography here.





New works is compiled by Jessica Torres. Jessica lives in tiny little Kuna, Idaho with her husband and three rambunctious kids. She tries to ignore housework while taking pictures of whatever is near - her family, the Idaho landscape, random objects collected by her and her family. She loves visitors at her website and her shop.

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Focus On: The Eye

Cedar Waxwing

I’d had my shop here on Etsy for almost a year, and been a member of POE for nearly as long when I first discovered that POE had a Forum (did I mention I’m a “visual” person?).  I scoped it out a bit, and then jumped in with both feet.  One of the first people, if not THE first person to engage me in conversation was Ellen, just “Ellen”.  

Cher can do it; Madonna can too, so why not Ellen?  And ya know, it works for her.  You say “Ellen” anywhere around our little community here, and chances are better than average folks will know exactly who you’re referring to.  Ellen runs the aptly name shop “TheEye”, and birds and flowers are her bread and butter.  That’s not all she shoots of course, but those are her primary interests, and you’d have to look long and hard to find someone that does them better.

She recently agreed to be my second victim subject and I’d like to share with you a bit of our conversation.

Steve:  The first thing that I usually want to know about a photographer whose work I admire is, “Where is this person coming from?”  So Ellen, my first question to you is really a statement built around a set of questions.  Tell us a bit about yourself; where do you come from?  What’s your family like?  What do you do when you’re not creating images?   Who is Ellen?

Ellen:  Well...I come from a paper-mill town in Ontario, Canada named Thunder Bay.  I’m from a BIIIIG family, the youngest in a sib line of 6; my family came to Canada from England.  My parents (mom’s English, dad’s Scottish) already had 4 kids by the time they emigrated, and then my older sister and I were born here in Canada.  I adore my entire family; they’re fun and witty, smart and sarcastic, loving and caring.  I have two daughters of my own who are both a) teenagers; b) amazing individuals; and c) finally past that awful stage where mom knows nothing, and might be kind of cool after all.


Lighthouse at Heceta Head

When I’m not creating images I work full time doing medical transcription for a couple of national companies.  I live in Kelowna, BC but the clients I work for are big hospitals in Toronto.  I've been at this for 19 years, working full time from home for the last 15.  When I had my kids, I wanted to raise them myself, and that's exactly what I did.  I quit my full time hospital job and started up my home transcription service, so that I could work evenings and nap-times and be home with my kiddies.  Once the kids started school, I decided it would be much easier to simply type for a transcription company and let THEM worry about all the details.  I doubt I could function in a professional office setting any more.  I enjoy my coffee and typing in my PJs.  If I wake up with insomnia at 4 am I can start my day.  Working from home, in a solitary job, gives you a lot of time to do what you want, hobby-wise and family-wise, but you spend the majority of your time alone. It does, however, afford me a lot of time to daydream, to think and to listen to copious amounts of music, which is vital to my existence.

S:  OK, why photography…how did you get your start?  Have you had any training or are you self taught?

E:  Photography is a way of taking a moment and making it stand still forever, of seeing a beautiful image and being able to share it with the world. I look at things thru a viewfinder on a constant basis ... "oh, that would make a great shot...."  Always, there is a bend of the grass or a wisp of the cloud or a shock of brilliant sunset will make me stop in my tracks and reach for my camera.


Pink Roses

My eldest sister worked at camera shop when I was a kid; I thought that was the coolest job on the planet!  I fell in love with her Nikkormat camera with the hand-made macramé camera strap.  She constantly had a camera in her hand back in those days and she took some marvelous pictures; that must have inspired me.  I've always been very artistic though; I was that kid at school that people came to "can you draw this for me?" 

I'm a bit of a renaissance girl I guess; I love to garden and cook; I paint, I write prose/poetry and draw and doodle.  I think being a traditional 'artist' definitely gives me a different insight as a photographer. 

As far as training, I consider myself self taught.  The only photography instruction I've had was waaaaaay back in high school, grade 12.  I used a 35mm Minolta for years.  I finally bought a digital camera in October of 2006 and haven't looked back.

Timeless Classics

S:  A “renaissance girl”; I like that!  Looking at your work I can see how your interest in other disciplines is reflected in your photography.  You shoot a lot of floral and bird images, sprinkled with some still life and landscape images.  Talk to me about your creative processes in these different situations.  Do you do a lot of preparation or do you rely on serendipity and happenstance?

E:  Some of each, but when you are attached at the hip to your camera, is it really happenstance? lol...

Some shoots are planned, most are spontaneous.  I'm an "oh-my-god-look-at-that-cloud-let's-go-for-a-ride" kind of person.  My daughter is a good partner for that.  She's always game to sit in the car in the middle of a lightning storm on the top of a hill so we can try and get a 'good shot'...or to drive 30 minutes to a nearby glacier fed lake because the water might look 'pretty' today. As far as birds and nature, despite my bug-whisperer claims, I don't have much control over their actions; my only defense is to have the camera at the ready.

S:  A good number of your floral shots not only look planned and arranged, but they almost look, for lack of a better word, "sculpted".  Your perspective and lighting look anything but spontaneous; what sort of process, or processes, do you employ there?

Dear Prudence

E:  Well... I'm a big fan of buying myself flowers specifically for the purpose of shooting them.  I have an orchid on the kitchen table right at this moment actually!

For floral shoots at home, I start in reverse.  Often I know what I want my end result to be, so I lay a good foundation shot.  I always have in my mind how I will be tweaking that basic composition on my computer later in order to achieve the desired end result ... then I snap the shutter a bazillion times and hopefully get 30 or 40 good ones.  

For natural lighting, my kitchen faces east so the morning light is perfect.  I plan my set up, use different coloured backgrounds, play with the shadows and perfect what I want in terms of lighting and try to nail the composition I'm after.  Post-shoot, Lightroom has become my favourite editing tool. 

For artificial light, this will sound weird, but my kitchen stove top is often where I set up my shoot.  I can use the range hood light over top... the kitchen lighting...and the fluorescent bar lighting.... who knew a stove could be a handy photography prop?!


Steller's Jay

S:  Back to birds for a second; like anything else, you have to put yourself in position to get the shot.  I’m guessing you’re a birder; are you?  If so, how long have you been bird watching and what got you started?

E:  I've been a bird watcher from about the age of 5 or 6; they’ve always fascinated me.  I think the honeysuckle bush in my parents' yard is what did it.  The evening grosbeaks and cedar waxwings would get intoxicated eating the berries and do the funniest things!

To get in position, I’ll start shooting and walk forward, almost blindly, looking thru my lens, adjusting the focus as I get closer; I can get pretty close sometimes, depending on the type of bird.  I spend a LOT of time studying their habits.  Quails are skittish, while nuthatches will practically eat out of your hand.  Stellar jays are curious; shy at first but can become very bold.  Chickadees are friendly, not too scared of humans.  Hummingbirds are a big challenge, but so fun when you finally capture a shot in focus.  My goal for 2010 is to get a good shot of a Great Blue Heron, and I wouldn't mind a good bald eagle shot!


Spatter by Moonlight

S:  What was your first camera?

E:  My first camera was a Kodak Hawkeye instamatic R4. I thought it was pretty cool, with its ice-cube shaped flash and its blue casing.  I was about 6 or 7 when my parents passed it along to me; lots of family photos were taken with this camera.  I still have it too; it's sitting right on my desk.

S: What’s in your bag?  If you didn’t have to worry about price, what piece of equipment would you add?

E:  My bag is a Lowepro shoulder rig and it carries my canon Rebel XT, 100 mm macro,  75-300 mm zoom and 18-55 standard lenses, along with various and sundry other accoutrements. 

If money was no object I’d have to say “Hasselblad”, or at the very least a new camera body;  the sensor is shot on my current one and needs to be replaced, which will cost as much as a new camera.  I would love a 500 mm lens for birding!

S:  Hasselblad, digital back, assorted lenses…yeah, I’m with ya.

I know you view other photographers’ work, heck, we all do.    What is it that attracts you?  What draws you in?

Sweet Summer Grass Part 2

E:  Hmmm...I like nature photos, close-ups of animals and insects, flowers and lots of colour.  But then again I love black and white and urban shots. I'm not big on portraits, and though I admire portraiture, it's not my bag.

S:  What photographer(s) do you admire most and how have they influenced what you do?

E:  I have some faves on Etsy and on Flickr of course, but I don't really have a list of photographers I've been influenced by.  If anything, I'm more influenced by Mother Nature and striving to achieve even one nth of a degree of the beauty she gives us.  I'm also influenced by more traditional forms of art like painting on canvas. If I could spend a day with an impressionist like Monet and just observe the master at work that would be a dream come true.  Or if I could wander thru Leonardo's studio ... can you imagine?

S:  Yes, Ellen, I almost can.  Thanks for everything; I’ve enjoyed it!
__________________________________________________

PhotoGrunt is Steve Raley, a photographic documentarian from Seattle, Washington.  He captures images wherever he goes, and he  frequently even uses a camera.  His work can be seen on his websiteblog and his Etsy shop.

Sunday, May 23, 2010

New Works

Featured below are some amazing new fine art portraits from the photographers of Etsy. Find more art photography here.


Offerings by Caryn Drexl



Heist by Elle Moss


Bad Medicine by BM Photography


Summer Breeze by StephMel


Ask for me by AmelieAPoulain


By Hand by KClark Photography

_____________________________________________________________________
New works is compiled by Jessica Torres. Jessica lives in tiny little Kuna, Idaho with her husband and three rambunctious kids. She tries to ignore housework while taking pictures of whatever is near - her family, the Idaho landscape, random objects collected by her and her family. She loves visitors at her website and her shop.

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Mosaic Monday: Old But Not Forgotten

Ragged, primitive old houses.
Broken windows, rotted shingles, squeaky doors, rusty hinges. 
The owners moving on long ago.
Left empty and alone but memories not forgotten.

Enjoy the captured beauty of days past by the talented POE Team members....


barn rural abandoned by gothicrow
two barns by garyhellerphotograph
a study in texture by danaspin
bodie building by jessicarogers
the old rusty house by cuteartworldphoto
pieces of the past by AlteredAbbey
window frame by talis
red & blue wood door by chelsea3349

Pat of  PhotogenicGallery lives in the northeast United States with her sweetheart husband, 2 doting dogs and about 10 different cameras.  She has been known to capture at least one dose of happy moments per day.  She loves visitors to stop by and peek through her open window .....

From the Collaboratory

Okay, true confessions: I’ve been taking photographs for almost four decades. I’ve shot with Instamatics and a Polaroid, graduated to a film SLR in the 80s - used probably a half a dozen or more different cameras in 40 years. My first digital was a Kodak EasyShare, followed by a Sony a200 and now, thanks to the overwhelming generosity of a friend, a Canon 5D. You could say that from a technical perspective, I’ve come up in the world. One thing I’ve learned, though, is that the more sophisticated the equipment, the more preparation becomes key.

With the old point-and-shoot, who ever thought they needed to do anything but bring the camera? Now, when I go out for a day of shooting, the first thing I do is make sure the camera is dust free – this, after a disastrous trip to the Oregon coast when every image had a huge blob of dust on it. I had just gotten the 5D and didn’t know I should have a cleaning kit with me at all times. Huge disappointment.

Oh, and have you ever gotten out in the field and realized your removable memory card was still in the card reader by your computer? Big mistake. Huge.

The only other tools I consider essential are plenty of power (preferably one fully charged battery in the camera with a backup) and, depending on what and when I’m shooting, a tripod. If I had a speedlite, I’d take that, too, but for the most part I work outdoors, so it isn’t necessary.

I’d be very interested to hear what you consider must-haves, as we all do such different kinds of photography. In the meantime, enjoy some wonderful shots taken with nice, clean cameras.

Here's one of mine.


Mountain Bluet Bud by Nakedeye17



Big Red Door by MGWphotography




The Mighty Silversword by iliahi


Nakedeye17 (Su) thinks of photography as a wake-up call: "Hey, everybody! Are you seeing this?" She loves to capture humor, too, and anything wondrous strange. Find Nakedeye17's shop here

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Wanderings

At the suggestion of a reader, this week we will be crossing the ocean and virtually visiting the lovely country of Portugal. Coast, castles, and a ton of history, here are some of the cool things POE members have found there:






Lucie Wicker is a Boston, Massachusetts-based photographer who enjoys taking pictures wherever she goes. She is particularly interested in nature, landscape, and travel photography. Her work can be viewed on her website, blog or in her Etsy shop. She can also be found writing about Boston photography happenings as the Boston Neighborhood Photography Examiner.

Monday, May 17, 2010

Mosaic Monday: Black and White

Black and white photography can be intriguing, mysterious, stunning, simplistic and sometimes eerie! Enjoy this selection that has it all going on from the Photographers on Etsy Team and more talent by searching  POE Team.


tender by LucyGracePhotography
resting sheep by buckscountyframes
all we are, are shadows by andreadespot
melted by lightleaks
underwater silence by JKphotography
trier cobblestones by PhotoGrunt
streets of chicago by HolgaJen
butterboy by FromMyEye
white peacock by seabelly
in the details by AliciaBock
border collie by prettypionidesigns
diptych by ValeriaH

Pat of  PhotogenicGallery lives in the northeast United States with her sweetheart husband, 2 doting dogs and about 10 different cameras.  She has been known to capture at least one dose of happy moments per day.  She loves visitors to stop by and peek through her open window .....




Sunday, May 16, 2010

New Works

Featured below are some stunning new black and white photographs from the Photographers of Etsy. Find more black and white photography here.


God and Country by poofny


Fern Shadow Study by Zahner Photography


Ground Cherry by LKB Photography


Lower East Side Market by Randolph Pfaff Photography


Pathway and Fence by RRoberts Photography


Arch by Unique Vision Photography




New works is compiled by Jessica Torres. Jessica lives in tiny little Kuna, Idaho with her husband and three rambunctious kids. She tries to ignore housework while taking pictures of whatever is near - her family, the Idaho landscape, random objects collected by her and her family. She loves visitors at her website and her shop.

Saturday, May 15, 2010

From the Collaboratory

I've been going through some of my older work, trying to pinpoint what makes some images work and some ... not so much. The answers are many, with the most obvious being clarity and composition, subject matter. But even more crucial - and to seasoned photographers this will be too obvious for words - is the light.

This is one of my earlier photos.


It's not a terrible subject, and the composition, though unimaginative, isn't bad. The problem is the lack of light. Nothing in the image pops.

In contrast, look at these beautiful object lessons in the various ways light can "make" the shot.



Three Standup Pears by KetzelPhotography




Mount Rainier, Looking East by PhotoGrunt


Crosby Steps by Eyeshoot


Effervescence in Aqua by HumanInterest


Nakedeye17 (Su) thinks of photography as a wake-up call: "Hey, everybody! Are you seeing this?" She loves to capture humor, too, and anything wondrous strange. Find Nakedeye17's shop here

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Focus On: Ann Wilkinson

Gumballs on the Street

I know I really should’ve noticed her, I mean “really” noticed her sooner than I did.  She’s been writing this feature on the POE blog for some time now, and she’s been an Etsian for going on three years.  Like most photographers though, I’m a “visual” person and where images grab my attention, the written word is at a disadvantage.  So please forgive me if I was less than attentive to who was writing what around here before now.  I’m sorry, OK?

What did grab my attention was one of her images.  I was gathering content for a recurring feature I have on my own blog that features POE listings that are about to expire when I came across this:

Casco Viejo

 And THAT is when I “really” noticed Ann Wilkinson.

Taking over the “Focus On” feature from her, it seemed only appropriate that my inaugural post focus on her.  Ann recently moved from Utah back to her native New Jersey, and as busy as she is, she was able to find the time for us to have a conversation.

Steve:  Hi Ann.  Wow! Utah to NJ! Now there's a dichotomy of cultures! Where in Utah have you been?

Ann:  I’ve lived in Park City for the last 12 years. I grew up in New Jersey, so this really feels like “coming home”.  Utah is beautiful, but the winters just seemed to be getting longer, and skiing isn’t as interesting to me as it once was.  I was ready to leave. 

Convergence

S:  For many of us the dream is to make one’s living as a professional photographer, but it seems so difficult, what with so much competition and all.  What are your thoughts on this, especially having just moved across country and getting a fresh start as it were? 

A:  It's very, very hard.  I think even Annie Leibovitz would have a difficult time getting started these days, as brilliant as she is.

S:  You like to travel, don’t you?  Where do you like to go?

A:  I love Asia, and I love Italy. The sights, feelings and textures are so different from what I’m used to; it excites me to experience those places. There's nothing better than getting lost in Venice with a bunch of black and white film!

Buddha in Tree

S:  Living across the Hudson River from Manhattan and a relatively short drive from so many famous and historic locations, from a photographic standpoint, you live in a "target rich environment". When you want to capture local images, where do you go, what do you shoot and what is it that draws you?

A:  I love the energy, sights and sounds of New York City.  I'm drawn to things that are old, a bit worn around the edges; maybe something that's been discarded or abandoned.  I also like to photograph when the weather is not the best.  Fog or snow or rain…I love it!

S:  How did you get your start in photography?  Who or what has influenced you?  Tell us about your first camera.

A:  My first camera is still around, actually. My brother has it, although I don't think he uses it.  I got some gift money when I graduated high school and bought a used 35mm Minolta.  I had so much fun going into New York City and taking my first images there.  I went to China in my early 20's and took a lot of images in the Shenzhen area, which helped shape a lot of my memories of that place.

Drama Ruled My Life

I took a darkroom class in 1999 which greatly expanded my insights. I loved manipulating images in the enlarger; dodging and burning were just magical things to do.  I gained a better understanding of composition during that time, and the teacher, Laurel Caryn from the University of Utah's School of Fine Arts, made a huge difference for me.   I have also met some amazing photography professionals who encouraged me to put myself out there.

S:  In an age when almost every cell phone is also a camera, what is it in your mind that makes a photographer?

A:  It's really hard to say.  Maybe a photographer is someone that thinks through the viewfinder all the time, unconsciously framing images and noticing things in a way that's a bit different from how others see them.  Maybe it's someone who works really hard to perfect their shots, taking images over and over until they are pleased with the results.

S:  Do you have any thoughts on digital versus film, and black and white versus color?

A:  Digital is great.  I am continually fascinated by what cameras can do today, it’s incredible.  Black and white or color?  I heartily approve of both!  Sometimes I see a subject in black and white; sometimes only color will do.  I continually struggle with converting a color image to black and white; I don't think it works very well, and I haven't yet found a b&w camera setting I like.

Brix

S:  Taking money out of the equation, what would you like to add to your bag?

A:  If money was out of the equation, I'd like to find a beautiful, vintage Leica film camera.  I did manage to score a Rolleiflex that dates back to the early 1950's, and that's my summer project.  I got a good scanner, and I'm going to digitize some of my old film work and some of my medium-format negatives.  I also want one of those little devices that turns a water bottle into a tripod!

S:  What photographer(s) do you admire most and how have they influenced you?

A:  I love Annie Leibovitz. I actually met her once at a Miss America pageant; I was awestruck!   She was working on a book, and I was helping my friend who was the "official Miss America photographer." Her work has just evolved and became more amazing over time.  She's had her troubles lately, but that's more a statement of the times we live in.  I also love Diane Arbus.  She was naturally curious and you can see how she got her subjects to trust her. I like that in a photographer. If you are photographing people they have to feel like you understand them and see them for how they'd like to be seen. Diane's subjects were very proud. It takes a special person to convey that.

Old Truck

S:  What are your favorite or least favorite subjects to shoot? 

A:  My least favorite thing to shoot: typical landscapes with the perfect foreground and the formulaic composition.

I love the curve of a child's cheek. I love the light in a bride's eye. I love the long look of deep love on a groom's face. I love graffiti on a wall and rusted car parts.

Thanks Ann!

__________________________________________________

PhotoGrunt is Steve Raley, a photographic documentarian from Seattle, Washington.  He captures images wherever he goes, and frequently he even uses a camera.  His work can be seen on his website, blog and his Etsy shop.