When ugly becomes beautiful

One of the reasons that I love fine art photography is that I can literally experiment with hue, contrast, and excessive sharpening to "make" that photo.  Ansel Adams is famous for that quote and it's so true... we don't simply document views but create something that is eye catching.  Recently, I came across an area where the lake water had gone down and the tree line had such obvious storm damage.  The look was somewhat dismal until the late afternoon sun popped through and everything changed.  When I began processing the RAW images, I could easily make some adjustments to make the images appealing.  Let me share a couple with you.

From my Flora Latentes Series - BW image reminding the viewer of an apocalypse

From my Flora Latentes Series - A color solarized version of the apocalypse

From my Flora Latentes Series - Beautiful skies, exquisite detail in the mud, dormant trees with splatters of warm color

Our landscape in Oklahoma can be pretty rugged and I'm pleased to create some beauty from that dormant ruggedness.  These images and others are available at my online gallery.  To view these and others at my online gallery, click here!  All comments and questions are very welcome.  Thanks for coming by.

You have a nice camera

"We want good pictures for our event and know that you have a nice camera."  How many times have you heard someone make this or a similar statement?  As a photographer, when I hear that request, I find it insulting.  Members of my own family have made similar requests which is like throwing salt in a wound.  My gosh.... they obviously want good photos or they wouldn't invite you BUT wouldn't it be nice if they'd recognize that the photographer may have some personal talent and skill to create those "nice" photos??

Think about these two scenarios and then see if you can relate it to the art of photography.  Let's pretend that your car needs repairs.  Would you choose the mechanic because he/she has nice tools?  I'd hope that your available money and desire for personal safety would override that urge.  It'd be darned nice if you'd choose your mechanic because of their skills, wouldn't it?  Somehow, I can't even imagine someone choosing a mechanic because of the quality of their tools.  Now... let's say you want to impress a date with a night out at a fine dining restaurant.  How would you choose that place and why?  Well, the best way is to have personal experience as a repeat customer.  Great food from upscale restaurants is normally prepared by well trained and experienced chefs.  In this situation, would you choose a great restaurant based on whether they have "high end" pots and pans?  I think not.

Okay, the point has been made.  So if you've ever been inclined to associate high quality photography with the value of the equipment, give it another thought.  Perhaps the operator (photographer) knows how to use the equipment to make great images. :)

Getting back to my own photography, I recently shot a series from a local spot that I really like.  This place, on a grey gloomy winter day, looks like a group of dead trees and grass.  But with a warm afternoon sun and blue skies, it really takes off.  I'll share some of those in my best post.

Thanks for visiting and I hope that you didn't take offense to my comments.  I just want to express some frustrations and perhaps cause people to think about their perceptions.,  Happy day to you.