My Landscape Experience in Matador part 2 (HDR practice)

little T: f/4, 1/60, iso 125 24-105@ 24

whole lot of nothing: bracketed exposure, iso 125

Okay, so we went to Matador which is about a two hour drive from Lubbock. I did what my books told me to do. Went out at sunset to get the, duh, sun setting across the land, then got up at 6:00 am to take photos at the "golden hour" of sunrise. The weather was okay in the evening, but truly friggin cold early in the morning and I couldn't function well.
The burnt landscape was quite dramatic, but as I expected, it was truly hard to get the picture of its entirety.  I got a very compelling shot of a wild pig that died in the fire. It's truly very compelling. It tells a story. But I think it falls into the objectionable category (so gross), so I don't know quite what to do with it.
Today, I tried what is called HDR (high dynamic range) processing. It's a technique that is popular for landscape these days, and one achieves the effect by manipulating exposure. Anyways, I tried it. I don't know if I'm such a huge fan of such trendy effects but I wouldn't even know this if I didn't try 'em!  It does make the landscape look sort of freaky and eerie though. I'm pleased with the composition of little T: it has a foreground, middle ground, and background just like my books suggested. Little T was not actually shot in HDR because I didn't know how to bracket then. Whole Lot of Nothing was shot in exposure brackets. It only took 5 minutes to learn how to do that.
All in all, I don't think I can ever be a landscape phtographer. I like lifestyle and fashion a lot more, and people. Also, I hate getting up that early all the time. Still, I think I can do better in landscape with more practice. enjoy!

Matador, TX 1

electric post near Plainview: f/9, 1/250. iso 100, 24-105@24mm

the ever dependable Allsup's in Matador: f/7.1 (?), iso 250, shutter speed 0.8, 24-105@24

After hearing all the news about the wild fire in Matador, Norman and I decided to check it out.
I'm so used to this West Texas area now, it's really hard to find something fresh. Nevertheless, I tried.
I think this Allsup's shoot came out cool: I set my camera to aperture priority mode, placed it on a tripod and used the shutter release for minimal shaking. I like the ghosty motion blur of the two truck guys.
More on my landscape experience tomorrow...

Santa Fe Women

wonderful coat: f/6.3, iso 100, 1/80

reading woman: f/5, iso 100,  1/80, 24-105@ 105

smoking: f/8, iso 100, 1/100 24-105@105

In Santa Fe it's all about the fabric. Next time I go there, I want to sit outside and just take pictures of women in their fabulous drapy clothes. The default footwear seems to be clogs. And of course, you need some sterling silver bling.

It's very challenging to walk the fine line between sticking a camera into someone's face and taking a shot from far far away. I ended up getting a lot of back and side shots this time. More zen is needed.

From the Streets of Santa Fe (part one)

Bevy: f/4, iso 125, 24-105 @ 95,  1/80

Blanket: f/5, iso 100, 24-105 @ 73,  1/100

Peppers: f/6.3 (?) , iso 100, 24-105@80, 1/125

Half Norm: f/4, iso 400, 24-105@88, 1/80

I belong to a theology discussion group. We planned this retreat to Glorieta probably 6th moths ago and I  was ready for some time outside Lubbock.  For those like me who are not familar with Glorieta; Glorieta  is a gigantic conference ground for churches and been around forever.

Fri/Sat: The retreat was pretty intense (in a wonderful way) and I was  incredibly wiped out afterwards. I regret that I don't have any pictures of our tea time at the St. Francis Hotel. Regret. Didn't have my cam. I wish I got a good shot of our waitress. She was very beautiful and polite, and the light situation in the hotel was ideal. Gigantic windows.  

Sun:  Norm and I went back into Santa Fe so I could take some pictures. I was very excited to try the new monopod. Truly loved the monopod and also just being there.  

I took the first picture just off the main square. I was totally unprepared when this gaggle of gals were strutting my way but made a quick move and got this. Note their expressions. I later encountered them again at the Blue Corn Cafe.  I am discovering that f/4 is always too open for direct daylight. 

The blanket picture is from the jewelry vendors on the North side of the square. More on this area to come. Great colors. 

I thought the pepper light thing looked very Santa Fe. This is a door of a Xmas shop. I am now wondering if I could have shot this from the side and got more of the show window and the stretch of the sidewalk. 

The final picture is Norman in a cool bookstore whose name I can't remember. Santa Fe has so many great colors.

Tomorrow, I'll post some fashion shots. It's all about the fabric in Santa Fe. 

To Be or Not to Be Stocked (An update)

^ ABOVE: my first 3 submissions to istockphoto

^ ABOVE: My second round of  submissions to istockphoto

I've been interested in pursuing stock photography work although from what I've read it's become increasingly competitive. I spent a good part of today fidgeting with my best "keeper" photos--most of which have been seen here, preparing them for the istockphoto judges. They strictly judge your work per their manual and only except highly professional quality.
About a month ago I submitted the top three pictures. They got back and told me my submissions were okay but they wanted to see if I was capable of producing a variety of styles besides macro. So, this time I submitted the bottom three. I will be so happy if these get excepted. I've heard a lot of rejection stories.  It would be good to make a couple of pennies too, but for now the acknowledgment would do. It took about a week for them to get back last time. So, I'll report that here.
I'd love to hear your opinions or experiences.
Can't wait to go to Glorieta tomorrow!

I'm thinking about moving my blog to Wordpress. I'd like to hear some opinions about that.

UPDATE
Well, istockphoto got right back this time, and approved (!!)#1 (two college girls) and #3 (pure agony).
Brooke holding the balloons was rejected due to too much photoshop. I'm so proud of myself. 2 1/2 months since getting my camera and some more approval. I need to get one more approved to complete the application process. Truly, I must get someting in Santa Fe. 

Short Contemplation about Portrait

Brooke on Bridge : f/6.3, iso 100, 25-105@105, 1/100

Brooke face outdoor: f/7.1, iso 100, 25-105@80, 1/100

So, this might be the final picture I share form this photo session. Here's a little what not to do:
not good to cut joints off your model. I did not notice this at the time, and actually just discovered it now.
I raised the color temp a little bit to give this portriat a warm or Western kind o feel.
David du Chemin, a photographer who I respect, just posted a blog on portrait shooting titled Portriat: Waiting for the Soul and cited patience and interest in people as the greatest traits for portrait photographers. Something to consider.You can read it here, as well as appreciate some amazing photographs of his.

btw 1: This location is a park on MLK blvd. & 19th (Lubbock, TX)
btw 2: Out of the blue yesterday, Norman whipped out a Gitzo GM 2341  monopod from underneath the couch. It's aluminum. He said he thought I needed one. Thank you Norman!

I'm completely wiped out from my free boxing class, so I'll say good night and good luck.

Style Photoshoot Part 2

TTU: f/11, 1/100. iso 100, 24-105@95

TTU: f/11, 1/100. iso 100, 24-105@105

Morgan at Angle: f/7.1, 1/1000, iso 160, 24-105@55 (sutter priority)

Hair Fun: f/4, 1/1250, iso 250, 24-105@45 (sutter priority)

A couple more fun pics.
Technique wise, I should figure out how to solve highlights and grain.
I thought the Hair Fun picture is fun, but it sure looks grainy. Does high sutter speed introduce more noise?? Out door shooting is much more difficult than indoor portrait, at least for me. But I guess it would depend on what one is trying to do.


*** Big leap in topic***
I want to blog more about video, but the nature of the video making process does not seem to lend well to daily blogging. I spend a lot more time with video making and I want to get really good at it!
I will try to include one thing I learn about video making each day and see if that leads to anything. If you're not into video making, you will save your time by skipping this part.
So I will start by saying that I leaned about a company called Automatic Duck  that makes software by which one can jump back and forth from Final Cut Pro to Affter Effects.

Btw- I now jumped on the Twitter bandwagon. Please join me on twitter @amykimpix if you wish!