Tag: nature

Architecture & Gardens. . .

by karenulvestad, posted in Instruction, Tips, Workshops

copyright Karen Ulvestad

Architecture lends itself to both color and black & white photographic images. Often times, it becomes a composition of lines, shapes, and color / tone. The photograph above shows a modern building with the reflection of historic architecture. The old and the new sit across the street from each other.

This is the story of downtown Oakland. It is a city rich in contrasts and opposites.

copyright Karen Ulvestad

The historic Tribune building rises above other period buildings. In this incident, it is framed by a modern sculpture. The primary colors of red, yellow, and blue work together to make the brown & cream colored building stand out in the image.

copyright Karen Ulvestad

Another way to frame a building or architectural element is with living elements. In the photo above, I used blooming cherry trees to frame the Gothic architecture of the University of Washington. In this case, the cloudless blue sky is the perfect background for the pink flowers and brick buildings.

It is great to contrast man-made structures against or with nature.

Happy Shooting. . .Karen

“Architecture & Gardens Through the Viewfinder” ULearn (Edmonds CC), Apr 27 – May 18, 2017 (Thursday nights)

Black & White

by karenulvestad, posted in Instruction, Workshops

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Black and white photography uses tonality, contrast, and composition to engage the viewer. It is the origins of photography, and the favorite of famous photographers such as Ansel Adams.

This type of photography takes a different “eye” than its color counter part. The tonality of black and white succumbs to the vibrance of color in color photography. Often, a photographer is good at one or the other, but not both. It requires 2 different ways of “seeing” the shot.

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The mood of the black and white image is more than its tones. The clarity of the image or softness add to the composition. The top photograph evokes a feeling of a storm, while the second is crisp and shows clarity. Each stands on its own composition, telling 2 different stories of the Oregon coast.

I’ll leave with 1 more image. . .

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Happy Shooting. . .

“The Oregon Coast in Black & White” July 1-2, 2017 at Sitka Center for Arts & Ecology

Digital Photography Basics Excerpt. . .

by karenulvestad, posted in Instruction, Tips

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“Ambient light is the naturally available light. Sources would be the sun, moon, or reflected light. Sunlight is the light source even on cloudy days or in the shade. Cloud cover offers soft, diffused light without harsh shadows or contrast. Ambient light can be dramatic like the previous photo, or soft like the photo to the left. Dramatic lighting often requires a wide range in tonal quality in the image. The previous photo was exposed for the light rays coming through the clouds.” ( for complete book excerpt  dpb-exp-comp-pg7 )

A Big Thank You. . .

by karenulvestad, posted in Instruction

I decided this year to give a big Thank You for an amazing 2016. I am so grateful for all the students that enrolled in my classes / workshops, all the likes on my photos and blog, and my clients.

Digital Photography Basics is my new eBook, and I just published it on Amazon. I am offering it for FREE through Friday, December 2nd.

Please feel free to download, share, or give as a gift.

Happy Shooting. . .Karen

 

Spirit of Place

by karenulvestad, posted in Instruction, Workshops

copyright Karen Ulvestad

I cannot teach this workshop often enough! This is the core of a successful photography. The idea is to “capture” the subject’s essence in the 2 dimensional image of a photograph. . .to “tell” a story about the subject.

With people, it is often a smile, tears, or other emotion / action within the photograph. This ideal can be brought to a landscape, wildlife image, or macro subject. Each photographer has their own unique view of the world, and the objective is to share this with the viewer.

Accomplishing this vision includes camera knowledge, composition, “seeing”, and weaving all this into the photographic image.

I love this workshop the most, because we explore all these aspects of photography in the classroom, and strive to combine them in the field. The focus is on techniques, vision, and composition.

I look forward to meeting all the individuals that join this journey to photographic perfection.

Happy Shooting. . .Karen

Photo Walks Are A Hands-on Way To Learn Photography

by karenulvestad, posted in Location, Workshops

copyright Karen Ulvestad

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.copyright Karen Ulvestad

 

 

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

Painting With Light on the Oregon Coast

by karenulvestad, posted in Workshops

Thought I would share my latest venture. June is the time to teach on the Oregon coast at the Sitka Center for Arts & Ecology. Hope you enjoy & please share. . .Life is Good!

Happy shooting. . .Karen

The Call of Iceland

by karenulvestad, posted in Location

As a photographer, specific places call to my spirit to visit. Iceland calls. It calls to the very core of my being. It’s all about the birds.

I’ve been watching the birds here on the Pacific Ocean shores, and it’s interesting to see their successes and slow disappearance. Iceland isn’t different. The largest colony of Atlantic Puffins have not had a successful breeding season in the past 5 years (from my online research). I want to see 500,000 birds before they disappear. I want to feel dwarfed by the amazing landscape, powerful sea, and the incredible bird colonies.

The water temperatures are changing, which is changing the food supply. This is a personal project for me. Those without voices look to those of us with words and photographs to speak for them.

I want to invite other photographers to join me in the isolated and breathe-taking landscape. I’m putting together lodging and guided trips to isolated areas. I’m hoping to connect with a biologist or two, and to experience the culture of Iceland.

Let me know if you’re in for the adventure. I’m going the end of May 2016.

The Spirit Of Place

by karenulvestad, posted in Tips, Workshops

The Spirit of Place is one of my ideas or personal concepts about photography. At its core is the idea that photographs are created by the photographer through use of light, exposure, and composition. It is our personal view-point or way we translate the scene in a visual way.

copyright Karen UlvestadThis photo uses shadow and light, lines, and people to create the composition of the place. In this image, the viewer sees the blowing sand (top of dune), the rocky wall in the foreground, and the people making their way up the sand dune. It speaks of man and nature co-existing in the late afternoon light.

Nature is one constant in our lives that is ever-changing, yet remains the same. The challenge for the photographer is to take existing elements, and create a pleasing photographic image. Photography is a tool to document the world around us, yet our personal view-point is always present in our images.

copyright Karen UlvestadThe blowing sand in this photograph creates designs on the sand that mimic the wet sand reflecting the blue sky and the ocean waves. In this image, one could see the hillsides in the background as repeating the wavy shape created by the sand and ocean. The scene is completed by all the people enjoying the beach, whether walking along the water or sitting in the sand. By including people, I have given a reference to the size of the landscape.

copyright Karen Ulvestad

Another way to look at this scene is to eliminate or hide the man-made or man’s influence upon the scene. By moving the point-of-view, this image the viewer sees the ocean waves and four gulls. Yes, there is some indications of civilization, but they are not the main components of the composition.

copyright Karen Ulvestad

Now to end this entry, I’ve added a little different concept. This image is titled Windy. It leaves the question, how do we as photographers show wind or other elements in our images? What is that special ingredient that we have included to make our photograph stand-out from the millions of images on the internet?

Stay tuned for more. . .or simply join me for my Spirit of Place workshop on the Oregon coast in June.

Happy shooting. . .Karen

The Bird Festival Season Begins

by karenulvestad, posted in Bird Festivals

copyright Karen UlvestadThe bird festival season begins! Here is the first article of the season, and please check it out. I’ll be speaking at the festival the afternoon of January 24th. Happy New Year!

This year’s Skagit Valley Eagle Festival started this weekend. The annual festival runs through the entire month of January, and each weekend is filled with fun activities. Each Saturday is scheduled with one-time workshops or activities.

This year, the eagle counts are up over 200 bald eagles between Sedro Woolley and Nehalem. These birds are feeding along the river on the spawning salmon. They congregate along the banks and sand-bars in the river or in the trees.

For the rest of the story, go here. . .