dynamic colors Archives -

Creating a Photographic Story

June 24, 2020 by karenulvestad, posted in Instruction, light, Location

A photograph is the reflection of the photographer at the time the image is created. It reflects our mood, vision, and emotional state. The way the light is captured in the image, then post processed reveals the story hidden in the photograph. It is a visual communication between the photographer and their audience.

The image above was take this spring during the afternoon (during a short day escape during the Pandemic). The weather report called for rain, yet it hadn’t rained yet. The clouds were amazing and dynamic. The hillside viewpoint allowed me to include the Columbia River, Vantage, I-90, and the dynamic clouds. I brought more contrast into the post processing. I like how it look a ominous.

In the next image, I took a different approach. . .

What attracted my attention in this image is the dynamic clouds, the lines of the hillside, and the wild horse monument. I return to this place at least once a year to experience the high desert changes. I love the changing sky. Often this area is a treasure trove of opportunities to explore line, shape, textures, and other compositional elements. It usually isn’t over-run with people, and the hike to the top is relatively easy.

The biggest piece in creating a photographic story is the photographer’s vision or ability to compose in the field. It is the culmination of an idea, and the cooperation of the weather/other elements in the environment. The subject or important element needs to fill the frame. The following photograph focuses on the amazing cloud formations.

The clouds are far more interesting than the landscape, yet what sits on the horizon? This is looking west towards the Cascade Mountains, and the clouds have created a dark blue-gray background for the turbines in the distance. A small airplane sits in the sky against the background of the massive clouds. Both the turbines and airplane give some perspective on the size of these cloud formations.

Exposure for these images is important and contributes to the story. All three are shot with at F16 or F22. This is a large depth of field, and gives the viewer a visual reference to the fore-ground, mid-ground, and background. A larger depth of field gives an expansive feeling to the photographs, and contributes to the 3D feeling in the images. A shallower depth of field would give less visual information to the viewer, and feel more 2 dimensional.

Through all these social challenges we face today, may everyone stay well and continue to photograph the world around us.

Karen

Photo Walks Are A Hands-on Way To Learn Photography

August 4, 2016 by karenulvestad, posted in Location, Workshops

Sunsets and Photo Walks seem to go together. It is a great way to learn exposure, while photographing a sunset. Exposure affects the colors in the sunset, whether or not a foreground object becomes a silhouette, or simply how to prevent the flash from going off. It’s helpful to have a knowledgeable photography instructor to help hone these skills.

The Edmonds waterfront is a great place to see the sunset, and experience a photo walk. There is a great abundance of subjects to photograph, including the ferry boats, sail boats, gulls, bald eagles, harbor seals, and more.

I would love to see you at my next photo walk on August 25th, 2016. Sign up is through the City of Edmonds at http://www.reczone.org.

Life is Good!

Karen

Photography is Painting with Light

August 7, 2014 by karenulvestad, posted in Instruction, Tips

Light is everything when it comes to photography. These three photographs were taken on the same evening. To the east towards the coastal mountain range, the weather was thunder and lightning. Along the coast, the clouds created a dramatic sky for the coming sunset.

The top photo shows the warmth of the late day light in the yellow tone to the green grass on the sand dunes. The dramatic clouds were either dark grey or white, and contrasted against the brilliant blue sky.

The photograph below is a simple composition of the sky and clouds. One of the tools used for the blue sky is a polarizing filter. For digital cameras, the filter must be a circular polarizing filter.

The white balance on these images is daylight, or simply use the AUTO setting. Minor adjustments can be made in the Digital Darkroom on the computer.

The bottom photograph is the sun peeking through the dramatic clouds. The sun starred because of the large aperture setting on the camera. Each of these photos was shot on the manual setting for maximum control over the final image.

Remember, using manual settings for exposure give total control over the final photograph. I am available for private consultations, lessons, and individual/group instruction (both in person and online).

Happy Shooting. . .Karen

The Human Side of Photography

May 19, 2013 by karenulvestad, posted in Instruction, Tips, Workshops

As I am preparing for my workshop in Oregon next week (May 28-29), I am reminded about all the knowledge that goes into creating a beautiful bird and wildlife images. The camera is a view into how we “feel” at the time of taking the pictures. How are we “seeing” at the time of the shoot. These are the human element of photography. It affects our choices of composition, exposure, focus, and use of light.

This first photo was partially visualized before I took the image. I saw this flock of Dowitchers from across the pond, and had to go back to a better view-point to photograph them. I walked quickly back, and on the way thought about how I wanted to shoot the images. The lighting was back-lighting, which meant I would either have silhouettes (birds) or major hot-spots.

Right after getting to the other-side of the pond, a hawk took to the air, and the flock took flight. They circled the pond, and this is their landing. I like the reflections in the water, and the back-light feathers on the wings and tails. I did crop from the top of the image, to bring the focus to the birds.

Each photograph we take has a story to tell. The last two images were not cropped, and show two different stories. The hawk just took flight from a tree top, and this was taken in-between the branches. Thankfully, it was late fall, and the leaves had already fallen. The focus of this image is the eye of the raptor, and the focus plain includes the head, body, feet, and tail. The blur in the wings shows motion. I had studied the hawk for a few minutes before he took flight, and this familiarity allowed me to see the openings for a good photograph.

This last image was taken on the Oregon coast. It was a beautiful sunny day, then the fog came rolling in. These Brown Pelicans found a resting place on one of the sea stacks. This image shows them preening and resting, before going out hunting later in the day. The clouds/fog brought a soft light onto the subject, and allowed the colors in the rocks to show.

Happy Shooting. . .Karen

Tips for Photographing Waterfalls

February 17, 2013 by karenulvestad, posted in Instruction, Location, Tips

From trickles of water to roaring flood-stage torrents, waterfalls are an ever-changing photographic subject. Their structure changes slowly over time, but the water falls differently every second. If one took 10 photographs in a row of the same waterfall, each would look different.

Below is an image taken of a small creek. This small area is isolated by using a telephoto lens, then cropping top/bottom of the image, to create an expansive feeling to the photograph. The motion of the water is in-focus. To accomplish this, the shutter speed needs to be at 1/60 second or faster. It is dependent on the speed the water is flowing. With an image like this, it is best to use a tripod to stabilize the camera and be selective about composition. This was taken on a sunny day, and this portion of the creek was in the shade.

TIP – When using a tripod, remember to turn-off the image stabilization on the lens.

copyright Karen Ulvestad — This is a small portion of a stream cascading down and over rocks.

Waterfalls come in all shapes and sizes. What makes each unique is the way the water has sculpted the rocks surrounding it. The image above was a small section of a creek. The image below is much larger, and the first falls above a gorge that ends in a 50 +/- foot waterfall. This was a foggy and over-cast day in Mount Rainier National Park. The water in this image is not crisp, yet the rocks are sharp. To get this effect, the shutter speed needs to be 1/8 second or slightly slower. With these shutter speeds, the camera needs to be stabilized on a tripod or other method of stabilization. The aperture was F22, which created a larger depth of field, in comparison to the image above.

TIP – When a tripod is unavailable, try using a rock, tree or other object in the environment to stabilize the camera and/or one’s self.

Time of year plays a part in capturing great waterfall images. The photos above were taken during the summer months. The image below was taken in the fall. The leaves have fallen from the trees, and offer a full view of the Whatcom Falls. The ground is covered with autumn colored leaves, adding color to the forest floor. This was taken on an over-cast day in October.

The “milking” effect of the waterfall is due to a slow shutter speed. In this case, it was 1/5 second, and a bridge rail was used for camera stabilization. This was shot with a wide-angle lens, and the aperture was F10.

This last image is Snoqualmie Falls at flood stage. The roads to the waterfall had been open a couple of hours earlier. It was flowing at 78,000 cubic feet of water per second, and it was incredibly loud. This was taken with slide film, and scanned to digital.

These locations are great to photograph waterfalls. It takes some planning to capture the photographic image one is seeking. The things to consider are weather, time of year, equipment, and accessibility to the location. In addition, it is good to factor in the costs associated with travel, food and/or lodging. For more tips and instruction, consider contacting me for workshop information.

Happy Shooting. . .Karen

Fall colors at western Oregon vineyards

November 8, 2012 by karenulvestad, posted in Location

I love the wineries and vineyards in Northwestern Oregon at this time of the year. The vineyards turn beautiful colors, and the old farm houses stand-out against all the color. This is my latest article about northern Oregon. Please check it out. . .hope you enjoy. . .

For the complete article and slide-show, visit Fall colors at western Oregon vineyards.

Creating a Sense of Depth in a Photograph

October 12, 2012 by karenulvestad, posted in Instruction

Landscape or cityscape photography depends on a sense of depth in the photograph. The idea is to show the details in the landscape, while telling a story about the place. Composition goes “hand-in-hand” with exposure of wild places, or structured cityscapes. This type of photography usually has a fore-ground, mid-ground and background, which leads the viewer through the image.

In this first photograph, the fore-ground is the water. The mid-ground is the small spit of land on the left and what looks like ice on the water. The background is the mountain covered in snow. With the Aperture set at F11, the Depth of Field (DOF) starts in the mid-ground, and continues through the background. The inclusion of the fore-ground and mid-ground gives the viewer information about the location of the photograph. It contributes to the “story” of the place.

This second photograph was taken in a Filbert orchard in Oregon. I used the lines of the trees to create the feeling of depth. Using natural or man-made lines adds to the DOF in the image. The aperture for this photograph is F10, and the tree at the end of the row gives a sense of distance. In this one, I used complimentary colors (red and green) to add to the composition. This was taken in the early spring, before the leaves had come out on the trees.

This last photograph is taken with a wide-angle lens. I shoot with a full-frame sensor camera, which makes 17mm a wide-angle lens. For those shooting with a cropped sensor in their cameras, wide-angle lens size starts at 14mm. I used the fore-ground (rocks) to five a focus point for the photograph, and the ferry docks add a nice line. The lights from the dock spill out across the water, and create nice lines to counter the horizon line. In addition, I shot this one with the lit ferry boat coming into the docks. This was taken about 20 minutes after sunset.

More Later & Happy Shooting. . .Karen

Fall colors in the Cascade mountains

October 8, 2012 by karenulvestad, posted in Location

The fall colors east of the Cascades are reaching their peak color. . .

For the complete story, visit Fall colors in the Cascade mountains.

Telling a Story within a Photograph

September 22, 2012September 22, 2012 by karenulvestad, posted in Instruction, Tips

It’s relatively easy to set a camera on Auto, go to a great location, and start shooting pictures. Becoming a photographer (serious amateur or professional) starts when there is an understanding of light, exposure, and composition. It happens when the camera is taken off Auto, and we start changing the ISO, Shutter Speed and Aperture. We start creating the images from our own experiences, instead of letting the camera’s programing make the choices for us.

To tell a story with our photographs means to control these aspects of the process. It asks questions like: “how much of the photo do I want in focus?” or “do I want the birds wings soft or tack-sharp?” or “do I want the picture to look grainy or flawless?”

All of these techniques have different exposures to work with. This combined with the elements included in the frame. The photo below is a Northern Harrier (hawk) soaring. I chose to include the snow-covered mountains at the bottom of the frame, to show some of the environment. The image is cropped in height, to bring focus to the Northern Harrier and the mountain.

This next image is of two Brant in flight, a relative to Canadian Geese. They migrate south during the winter, and nest above the Arctic Circle. This is a winter shot, and the Olympic Mountains are in the background. The background is soft in this image, because I chose a slower shutter speed (1/250 sec), and panned with the birds. They fly very fast.

Again, I cropped this one in height to draw attention to the birds and their environment. By panning, I blurred any man-made structure on the other side of the water. There are houses there, and they have blended into the surrounding trees.

This last image is taken with a larger Aperture. I wanted to show the streams path, waves, and the birds. These are Bonaparte’s Gulls, Mew Gulls and Glaucous-winged gulls. The lines from the stream start in the fore-ground, and lead the eye towards the birds. The waves in the background add a “back” to the photograph.

I cropped this in height to show the birds. This is a story about slack-tide on Puget Sound. It is the time the birds gather on the beach, bathe, and drink fresh water.

I teach these skills and more in my workshops. Happy Shooting. . .Karen

Photographing Fall Colors. . .

September 10, 2012 by karenulvestad, posted in Instruction, Tips

One of my favorite times of the year for photography is coming up. In the fall, the leaves on the trees turn vibrant yellows, oranges, reds and sometimes purple. Each region has its own timing for the fall foliage. Ours is anytime between late September to mid-November. It all depends on the amount of rain, and when the first frost happens.

The shot below was taken on Whatcom Creek in northern Washington state. This is a long exposure (3 seconds) on a tripod. The depth of field (Aperture) is f22, for maximum sharpness throughout the photograph. The ISO was 100.

The day was over-cast, hence the lack of dark shadows and bright highlights. This can work two ways for a photograph. First, it give even lighting, since the clouds diffuse the sunlight. Second, too much sky showing becomes un-interesting, and can take away from the photograph. In this photo, I cropped out the sky, and focused on the creek, fall foliage and surrounding landscape.

This next example deviates from a traditional landscape photograph. The trees, leaves and stream become an abstract image. This effect is created in the camera by “zooming” the lens. In this case, I used my 17-40mm lens. In this case, I started at 17mm and zoomed to 40mm.

This is a 1 second exposure at f10. The ISO was 100.

This last photograph was taken on a sunny day. I chose a shaded bend in the river, and cropped out the brightly lit background forest from the frame (in camera). Composition can intensify the fall leaves, by surrounding the tree with a single color. In this case, it is the other green trees that have not turned color yet. I set my camera’s White Balance on Cloudy, which “warms” up the colors in the photograph. A polarizing filter is handy to cut the “glare” from the top of the leaves.

This was shot with my 100-400mm lens, at 100mm. The exposure was 1/60 sec, f4.5 and ISO 100.

For more information about locations, visit my Examiner.com articles, and subscribe to my updates.

Happy shooting. . .Karen

Tag: dynamic colors

Creating a Photographic Story

Like this:

Photo Walks Are A Hands-on Way To Learn Photography

Like this:

Photography is Painting with Light

Like this:

The Human Side of Photography

Like this:

Tips for Photographing Waterfalls

Like this:

Fall colors at western Oregon vineyards

Like this:

Creating a Sense of Depth in a Photograph

Like this:

Fall colors in the Cascade mountains

Like this:

Telling a Story within a Photograph

Like this:

Photographing Fall Colors. . .

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this: