Calm Photos

So what do I do when I’m stuck in the house on a bitterly cold, mid-January day ?

Well, I head outside with the camera to catch the Wild Kingdom in action, right in my own backyard.

Run for your life Mimi. Momma Red-tail is cold and hungry.

Sidney to the rescue ?? No, he just spotted a squirrel.

“Better them than me,” thinks the little Nuthatch.

No wild animals, pets or photographers were in any way harmed or injured during this photo shoot. Nor is the photographer responsible for placing the smiley face bow in Mimi’s hair.

The Red-tailed Hawk had flown off by the time Mimi and Sid came out to play. The bad news is that this Red-tail has been hanging around our backyard for quite a few days now.

There are two primary techniques I use to visually convey a sense of movement and action within my photographs. The most common - and easiest - method is that of hand-held panning whereby I follow a moving subject with my camera and lens while using a relatively slow shutter speed. I enhance this technique by using “fill flash,” the on-camera Canon Speedlite that throws just enough light on the subject so that it contributes to the sharp focus of certain parts of the subject while still maintaining the background which is intentionally blurred. My best examples of this technique includes my equine portrait photograph of “Bear” the horse and the wheelchair racers at the 2005 Columbus Marathon. I’ve also included another sample which is a sledding shot of my daughter Chloe, just because it so unbelievably hot and humid today (admit it, the snow actually looks refreshing).

When I can’t pan my subject, or if it is a still life subject that simply is not capable of movement, there is another technique that I can employ, but not with the camera, lens and flash. This is a digital technique completed in the post-shooting process stage and involves the use of one of the effects filters available in Photoshop CS2, a duplicate layer and patience with Photoshop’s digital eraser tool. However, there are only certain photographs where this technique can be effective, specifically those images that have a very well defined point of interest as to where I want the viewer’s eye to go. The finished image must be able to withstand the sacrificing of just about all of the details of the background and foreground elements in the process. The following are some of the images from my stock library where I think this digital technique of adding movement adds to the interest and attractiveness of the subject.

Hold on, you might get dizzy.

And I thought photographic portraits of toddlers was a challenge.

“Sit. Be Still. Stay” 

“I said SIT. DON’T MOVE !”

“For crying out loud ! SIT. BE STILL. Let go of that.” 

“I said let go. STOP IT. Be still.” 

“Okay, how about a funny noise to get your attention ?” 

“FINALLY !”