blinded by the white

We talk a lot around here about inspiration. And muses. And a million other things that spark our creative spirits. There's no telling what might strike our photo fancys from one minute to the next and what we just might discover. Maybe it's a new lens, maybe a new action or preset. It could be mobile photography or a new app. Maybe it's a Polaroid camera or even film. Whatever it is, it tends to move us forward in our craft. We challenge ourselves, we lean into learning curves, we test and try and experiement. We find sisters who are sharing our love affair of the moment, we take classes, we join communities, we ask questions and we pick up our cameras and shoot.

Currently, I'm focusing on black and white photography and I'm watching others do the same. I'm excited by the collective energy and the challenge of communicating using a monochromatic pallet.  

A recent prompt in class was to try your photographic hand in creating a high key image. Norman Phillips said,  "High key is the term used to describe photographs with white or bright backgrounds and usually with bright lighting situations that render subjects in a light tone similiar to that of the background." Who knew that this kind of photography could be so much fun to try to capture? I'm not saying it's easy. But, like with all other types, styles, ways to photograph our subjects, the more you set your mind to cracking the code, the closer you'll get to cracking it.

I don't usually shoot to achieve such a specific outcome, but in the case of high key however, I am having so much fun with it, I can't help myself! It reminds me of when I got caught up in gathering bokeh. Once you start looking, you can't stop. Nothing better or more fun than finding inspiration through our lens.

Today, won't you join us in hitting the high notes of photos that blind us with the white in the best possible way?

And, don't forget it's Best Shot Monday. Got a great shot from this week? We'd love to see it.

a happy accident.

This was not what I intended for this photo, but when I discovered it amongst the hundred or so shots I had taken, I quite liked it.  Sure, it's out of focus and blurry, but it has an etheral quality to it and I'm lovin' the bokeh goin' on.  Don't you just love it when you find an unexpected gem tucked amongst the photos you've taken?   So today, this is my happy little accident, imperfections and all. 

Today, share your little gem of a find with us, and don't forget this month's word is discovery.  So go.  Discover.  And be sure to add your discovery images to our OWP flickr pool.

meant to be

I took a few dozen shots of her that late afternoon. Effortless, expressive, fun; her. 99% of them didn't look anything like this one. And even after adoring all the shots that really captured her lightness and ease, her playful spirit, it's this single image that stays with me. 

It was the first shot I snapped before I checked my manual settings and it's (obviously) about 3 stops underexposed. 

There's no telling what magic can happen when we're least prepared and not all all expecting it.

I'll admit, I took it into Lightroom and thought that maybe a little processing might "correct" my mistake but nothing I did actually improved the image. This is exactly how the image needed to be. Underexposed and unaltered. Unapologic in every way. A rare gem. A true gift. Totally real.

Share with us a rare gem of yours. Maybe it came through calculated planning, by accident or by fate. Whatever the case may be we want to see your images, exactly how they were meant to be. 

sun soaked

Every sunny moment is a gift these days, and we're all soaking up the rays when possible. My cat Roxy especially loves snuggling up in a sun-drenched spot and sleeping the day away. And I have to admit that a bright, sunny day inspires me to pick up my camera and start using all the natural light to my advantage. It's refreshing to set the ISO a bit lower and up the shutter speed without worrying about exposure issues. I'm hoping to continue to utilize these rare sunny days to keep my camera warmed up until spring returns.

Are you focusing on sunny spots too? Share them with us and brighten our day!

sunday school: flashdance

shutter speed: 1/5 sec; ISO: 400; aperture: f/5.0 

After years of turning up my nose in the general direction of my flash--built-in and speedlight alike--I've come to a strange realization: I. Love. My. Flash.  There, I've said it.  Why the change of heart, you ask?  I've got four little words for you: slow sync flash mode.  Google it, y'all, and prepare to be amazed at the images you'll find.

So what exactly is slow sync flash?  It's basically dragging the shutter (which Tracey enlightened us about a while back) WITH flash.  In other words, it's using your flash with a slow shutter speed.  I'm sure most of your cameras have a setting for your flash that's either called SLOW (a.k.a. front curtain flash sync) or REAR (a.k.a. rear curtain flash sync).  Both are types of slow sync, the difference being when the flash fires (beginning of exposure for simple slow and at the end of the exposure for rear).  Most cameras will automatically set the shutter speed at 1/60 or faster when you turn your flash on, and that enables you to freeze a specific image blur-free. Setting the flash to one of the slow sync modes, however, changes the shutter speed to something that's usually slower than 1/30th of a second.  Using a slower shutter speed in ADDITION to flash enables you to freeze the image at the point the flash fired with the added bonus of what I call the ghost trail, or the blur of action that occurs during the entire exposure either before or after the flash fired.

The cool thing about slow sync mode is that it looks cool with just your built in camera flash if you don't use a speedlight.  It's great for parties where there's a lot of action such as dancing, especially when there are funky lights that make swirly patterns depending on how you move the camera during the slow shutter exposure.  So the next time you find yourself and your camera at a dimly lit party wishing they would crank the lights so you can get some decent shots, set your flash to slow sync or rear curtain, set your ISO at 200 or below, your aperture at f/4ish or narrower, your shutter at 1/15th of a second or slower, and click away!  Try experimenting with different shutter speeds or by giving the camera a little shake or twist or what have you during the exposure.  Remember to avoid overexposure by adjusting your ISO down or making your aperture narrower if you slow down your shutter speed.

If you happen to try this, please share with us your results.  Or if you've done other funky things with flash or other lights, we want to see those images too!  For more inspiration, take a look at these cool slow sync shots!