Tag Archives: photography

Well, this was supposed to run as Part 2 of the Seven for Seven series, but somehow the internet ate my homework.  So, after posting an empty blog, Part 3 hastily transformed into Part 2, and Part 2 is now Part 3.

Confused?  Me, too.

Anyway, here are today’s Seven:

Fishing in the Shadow of History — Rule of Thirds (positioning of fisherman and fortress battlement)

Rush Hour in Brussels — Human interest; Interesting composition achieved through cropping

A Different Slant on Retail — Whimsy; framing with negative space; use of color,

Waiting for the Catch of the Day — Rule of Thirds (positioning of foreground table and background fishing boat); whimsy

A Study in Scarlet Shadows — Offset composition (not quite Rule of Thirds); interesting shadows; Diagonal lines stretching from upper right and lower left corners.

Standing Post — Whimsy; Rule of Thirds; Use of Color; Negative space

A Guiding Light — Rule of Thirds; Negative space (sky); Unusual play of light (reflecting off the Cross)

Today we’re going to concentrate a bit more on portraiture/people shots, with four of today’s seven shots falling into that category.  Additionally, one of those four shots is a conversion to black and white that utilized green filtering of the color original to bring out the qualities and character in a charming, aging face I stumbled across several years ago in Hawaii.  This lovely lady’s face definitely had a story to tell, and she was gracious enough to pose for me long enough for my camera to record that story.

A reminder on black and white conversions of color photographs — most landscapes will benefit from yellow, orange, and red filtering (I mostly use red for the darkest skies and nice, contrasty foliage), but portraits are usually made more interesting using green filtering to darken skin tones, which in turn can highlight facial lines and bring out more character in the portrait.

The Great Wife — Rule of Thirds; Subtle use of background blurring via aperture control and use of telephoto

Peddling Bicycles — Use of color amidst a mostly monochromatic background; Whimsy; aligning perspective from foreground corner to opposing background corner to draw your eye into the photograph

Places to Go and Gossip to Get — Whimsy; Action; Interesting traditional dress

Majesty Both Religious and Natural — Rule of Thirds; Dueling foreground and background composition; maximum depth of field achieved through aperture control

Is the Parade Here Yet? — Rule of Thirds; Negative space framing; Whimsy; Human interest

The Window — Rule of Thirds; Negative space framing; Interesting shutter shadow

Hawaiian Maiden with Stories to Tell — Human Interest; Black & White conversion using green filtering to highlight facial features

Over the next seven blogs (three this week, three the next, and Monday of the third week) I will be presenting seven photographs that are among personal favorites of mine.  Several you will have seen before, but many you will have not viewed previously.

Each photograph is chosen to highlight topics we have covered in previous blogs — use of the Rule of Thirds; when to break the Rule of Thirds; negative space; action photography; portraiture, use of color; when to convert to black and white; using lines of perspective; use of symmetry; and other photographs chosen for their whimsy or comical value (so be sure to read the captions).

And now I present the first seven entries in the series:

No Way to Elevate a Tourist — action combined with scenery in Meteora

Tugging at Your Heartstrings — use of action combined with color and perspective

Pointing towards the Heavens — The Blue Mosque, Istanbul — Scenery combined with negative space (blue sky) and off-symmetrical composition (Minarets)

Cleaving through Water — Action photography combined with reflection (hull) and negative space (sail)

Reflections in St. Tropez — Rule of Thirds (hull/waterline) and gentle, wavy water reflection

Caldera Overlook in Santorini — Rule of Thirds, splash of blue color framed against a dramatic backdrop

The Shuttered Window — Rule of Thirds, negative space (wall), framing (roof line and sky; shaded vines and street lamp)