Simply Fred

Real Estate in October

2011-11-03T15:48:00.001-07:00

I photographed some great homes in October and even dipped my toes into the video world for a great waterfront home on Mercer Island.

Real Estate in September

2011-11-03T15:39:00.001-07:00

Real Estate in August

2011-11-03T15:23:00.000-07:00

Real Estate in July

2011-08-02T13:44:00.001-07:00

A few Real Estate photo from July shoots.

Real Estate in June

2011-08-02T13:29:00.000-07:00

A sampling of my June Real Estate photo shoots.

Real Estate in May

2011-06-14T18:19:00.000-07:00

Some photos from some of my May real estate photo shoots

Fall City Modern

2011-06-14T18:12:00.000-07:00

A beautiful modern home in Fall City

Greece Vacation

2011-06-14T18:00:00.000-07:00

The island of Mykonos

The island of Santorini

The Acropolis in Athens

A sampling of photos from my trip to Greece

Greece Panoramas

2011-06-14T17:52:00.000-07:00

Some panoramic photos from my trip to Greece and the island of Santorini.

Bellevue Modern

2011-06-14T17:48:00.000-07:00

Photos from a recent shoot in Bellevue of a nice Mid-Century Modern.

Maple Valley home

2011-06-14T17:43:00.000-07:00

Photos from a recent shoot in Maple Valley

Fred's 40th Bday

2011-04-10T15:05:00.001-07:00

Heather and I

The Brazilian Steakhouse with dancers

The Capilano Suspension bridge

Furry Creek Golf, my favorite course

Signature Hole #14

Had a great time in Vancouver, BC for my 40th birthday. Great golfing with friends (the girls had a spa day), some 5 pin bowling and billiards, Brazilian steakhouse, suspension bridge and the treetop adventure (no zip lines this time). Great to see Shane and Tricia, Brad and Nicole, and my buddy Mike; glad they all could make it.

Week 52: Winter Flying

2011-01-09T18:32:00.000-08:00

Deicing

Sunset colors

City lights below

Week 52 Photos of the Week

Well, my year in photos has come to an end and it has been quite a year. I started out with a plan to figure out my niche in the photography industry; I have found it in Architectural and Real Estate Photography.

I will continue to post some of my favorite photos in 2011 along with new projects and assignments for new things I want to learn. Some of these new things include video, slide shows and time lapse to name a few. Please check back occasionally to keep up on my progress. Keep on shooting.

Thanks, Fred

Week 51: Snow

2011-01-09T18:23:00.000-08:00

Fun in the snow

Yes, that says -16 degreesF

Wind blown snow art

Week 51 Photos of the Week

Week 50: Real Estate pics

2011-01-07T14:58:00.001-08:00

Using the mirror closet doors to make the room look a little bigger

A little girls paradise

Week 50 Photos of the Week

Week 49: Real Estate pics

2011-01-07T14:51:00.000-08:00

Week 49 Photos of the Week

Week 48: Phone pics

2011-01-07T14:18:00.001-08:00

Week 48 Photos of the Week

I had a little fun with the camera on my phone this week. It has a lot of neat features that are fun to play with including the retro look (first two pics), and putting yourself on a painting that a guy is painting. It is nice to know the capabilities of my phone camera since I always have it with me. I can always use it when I need to take a picture and I can also get creative with it. Give your phone camera a try and see what it can do.

Week 47: Real Estate shots

2010-12-20T15:09:00.000-08:00

Week 47 Real Estate Photos of the Week

Week 46: Real Estate Shots

2010-12-20T14:46:00.001-08:00

Week 46 Real Estate Photos of the Week

Which one of these is not like the other. I had the opportunity to shoot a couple great new modern homes today. I do love the modern homes and I enjoy the opportunity when I have the chance to shoot one. I love the clean square lines and the simplicity of this style of homes. This is a specialty I am looking to do more with.

Week 45: Real Estate Shots

2010-12-20T13:53:00.000-08:00

I like how the 5-light lamp frames and leads into the photo

I enjoy the patio tables with a view

The floor to ceiling frosted sliding glass doors slide all the way to close off the living room

I love the zebra rug and the beautiful view

The 3 windows above the bed make the room for me

Real Estate Photos of the Week

Week 44: Real Estate shots

2010-12-20T12:10:00.000-08:00

I love the french doors and the inclusion of the stairs

I like how the wide angle can show me both sides of the walk

This is the gold bathroom

Real Estate Photos of the Week

Week 43: This weeks Shoots

2010-12-20T11:15:00.000-08:00

Week 43: Photos of the Week

I decided to change things up a little this week. When I started this blog, my goal was to give myself weekly assignments in order to help me find the niche of photography I wanted to pursue. It became apparent around May that Real Estate/Architectural photography was the area I wanted to shoot most.

From this point on I started to build my portfolio by going to open houses and meeting and talking with different real estate agents. I knew I needed a great portfolio in order to prove my ability as a photographer to the agents I wanted to become clients. The portfolio turned out great and I have a client list that is slowly growing.

What I plan on doing now, until the end of the year, is to showcase some of my favorite shots from my photo shoots I do each week. On to a growing real estate photography business.

Week 42: Autumn

2010-11-22T10:17:00.001-08:00

Photos of the Week

Week 42 Assignment: Autumn

It is that time of year again, when the trees change colors and the leaves cover the ground like a layer of snow. I tried to capture a variety of autumn settings and situations, from a colorful row of trees, to sunbursts through the leaves, to a close-up of a small pile of leaves, to the leaf covered hiking trail. There are many autumn scenes to be captured, try to experiment a little.

Coming Next:

Week 43 Assignment: Current Shoots

Week 41: Converging Lines

2010-11-17T15:23:00.001-08:00

Photos of the Week

Week 41 Assignment: Converging Lines

I use converging lines a lot in my architectural photography to lead into a scene compositionally. Lines can help lead you into an image and towards the subject of the image. The converging lines are actually the subject in the photos above, but you can see how you can use them to lead to an imaginary subject that could be in the photo. If you check out previous posts and also keep an eye out on upcoming posts, you will see many examples of the leading technique. Infinity is part of the physics of vision; two parallel lines going into the distance automatically go there, so you my as well use them to your advantage.

Coming Next:

Week 42 Assignment: Autumn

Week 40: Public Transportation

2010-11-17T14:42:00.000-08:00

Light Rail on the move

New buses the continue on where the light rail ends

The bus and light rail tunnel under downtown Seattle

Additional downtown light rail, originally know as the South Lake Union Trolly (SLUT)

Transit in motion from a viewpoint

They unfortunately renamed it to the Seattle Steetcar

(although, original I rode the SLUT T-shirts are available)

Downtown Union Station

Tukwila Light Rail Station (near Seatac Airport)

Photos of the Week

Week 40 Assignment: Public Transportation

To continue on my Public theme, I chose Public Transportation this week. We got a new light rail system in Seattle that goes from downtown to the airport, so I decided to check it out and go for a ride. The system is getting better, with lots of money and a long way to catch up to the growing population. If you need it, you have many public transportation option available from the extensive bus system, this new light rail, and also a commuter train. Many expansion plans are in place to help make us a metropolis some day.

Coming Next:

Week 41 Assignment: Converging Lines

Week 39: Public Libraries

2010-11-16T12:06:00.000-08:00

Photos of the Week

Week 39 Assignment: Public Libraries

I have been fascinated my the modern architecture of the many new libraries that have been built in the Seattle and King County area the last few years. It is the type of architecture I love to photograph, with the big windows and great rooflines. This is a start to a larger assignment of mine, to photograph all of the new library architecture in the Puget Sound area. I will keep you posted when I finish.

Coming Next:

Week 40 Assignment: Public Transportation

Week 38: Abstract

2010-11-10T21:39:00.000-08:00

Photos of the Week

Week 38 Assignment: Abstract

I haven't taken many abstract photos per se, but my perception of an abstract image is broad. I like to think of abstract as something that is not immediately recognizable, but after some careful studying, may turn out to be something familiar. Although it may be just a smudge of colors and/or textures.

The photos above were created from a close-up of something familiar, scenes through a water soaked window, an out of focus scene, and a segment of a monument. These are only a few techniques I have found to create abstract images, try to find a technique that works for you.

Coming Next:

Week 39 Assignment: Public Libraries

Week 37: Different Perspectives

2010-11-09T17:59:00.000-08:00

Photos of the Week

Week 37 Assignment: Different Perspectives

How do you get a new look on a view you see all the time? Try a different perspective.

The pier near my house is a scene I have seen many times. I have taken many photos of this pier before, but there are many perspectives that I may have not seen before, or are still yet to be seen. Your subject has many different sides and can be viewed from many different angles, until you try many of them, it is hard to tell which one is the best. Along with the many angles, the use of different lenses and different levels of zoom, or trying black and white versus color, you can capture even more perspectives. Give it a try.

Coming Next:

Week 38 Assignment: Abstract

Week 36: Shadows

2010-11-08T18:39:00.000-08:00

I like how my shadow blends into the seats and with other shadows beside me.

I like how the strong sun produces a sharp shadow line between light and dark, dividing the scene.

I like the shadow of benches on the bench, adding to the lines.

Heather and I on the Tacoma Narrows bridge.

Large window creates cool shadows leading you into the scene and to the escalators.

Photos of the Week

Week 36 Assignment: Shadows

Sorry it has been so long since my last update, I have fallen a bit behind, but I plan on getting all caught up over the next week.

I wanted to play a little with shadows this week as they are a nice way to play with your light. The simplest shadows can be silhouettes of familiar things, such as your own body. It can be a creative way to do a self portrait of yourself in different places, like a ferry or a on a bridge. Have fun and experiment.

Coming Next:

Week 37 Assignment: Different Perspectives

Week 35: 24 Shot in a Truck

2010-09-08T22:01:00.000-07:00

Photos of the Week

Week 35 Assignment: 24 Shots in a Truck

This week I wanted to see if I could get creative in the confined space of my truck, which I get to spend many hours a day in. The task was to take 24 shots while sitting in the drivers seat, and to be safe, not while I was driving. I chose to concentrate on the details, with the help of my 105mm macro lens. Many of the shots you may recognize, while many are more abstract. I am amazed by the amount of things in my truck.

Coming Next:

Week 36 Assignment: Shadows

Week 34: Fisheye lens

2010-08-30T12:44:00.000-07:00

I am ready for my close-up. I am literally an inch from the lens!

The view looking down at my feet.

Laying down and shooting straight up..you can see my feet!

I am shooting from less than a foot behind these chairs.

Everything around me from directly above.

My whole truck from 3 feet away..I can touch it with my foot.

Photos of the Week

Week 34 Assignment: Fisheye Photography

I have a new lens to play with for some new shoots I am doing. The lens in an 8mm fisheye lens and it has a view of about 180 degrees, so it see almost everything. You get some serious distortion as you can see from the close ups of my face (I don't think my nose is really that big). It is a fun lens to play with to get some very interesting photos. It gives you a little different view of the world.

Coming Next:

Week 35 Assignment: 24 Shots in My Truck

Week 33: Wedding Photography

2010-08-22T15:30:00.001-07:00

Photos of the Week

Week 33 Assignment: Wedding Photography

This week I had the opportunity and pleasure to photograph my sister Amy's wedding in North Carolina. It was a beautiful wedding on the banks of the river. My approach to shooting a wedding is to focus on the bride. There are probably 5 pieces to the wedding package of photos: pre-wedding and preparations, photojournalistic coverage of the ceremony, family and group portraits, bride and groom photos, and finally reception photos.

I chose not to showcase each of these on the blog, but instead, a handful of my favorites.

Coming Next:

Week 34 Assignment: Fisheye Photography

Week 32: Vacation Photography

2010-08-22T15:01:00.000-07:00

Photos of the Week

Week 32 Assignment: Vacation Photography

I was on vacation this last week with my wife's family on a lake in northern Wisconsin. It was a nice relaxing vacation, which included a little golf (of course), boating, games, swimming and fishing. I tried to capture a bit of everything to put in the memory books (or at least the hard drive of my computer).

Coming Next:

Week 33 Assignment: Wedding Photography

Week 31: Twilight Real Estate Photography

2010-08-20T19:09:00.000-07:00

Photos of the Week

Week 31 Assignment: Twilight Real Estate Photography

I had my first Twilight real estate photography shoot this week and I decided to share it with you. Overall I think the shoot went very well. It was tricky trying to figure out the best time to take the photos and I think they may have been a little better if I waited a little longer to get a bit more blue in the sky.

One trick I did learn is to water down the driveway and walkways to get some nice reflection of the lights to make it a bit more dramatic. It was a warm evening so the water dried up fast as you may see in some of the photos, but I believe the effect worked great. This was a great modern home to photograph and I hope to do more in the future.

Coming Next:

Week 32 Assignment: Vacation Photography

Week 30: Clones

2010-08-02T12:58:00.000-07:00

Photo of the Week

Week 30 Assignment: Clones

I wanted to have a little fun this week, So..I cloned myself. I figured if there were more of me I could get a lot more done, or at least, talk to myself and not be too crazy.

I have seen a few photos like this where the people cloned themselves a few times and I thought they were very interesting and unique. I had always wondered how they were made and until I decided to give it a try, thought it was difficult. But, to my surprise, I found that they are quite easy to create.

To create a clone collage of yourself, you need to know a little about Photoshop and layers. First, take photos of yourself in multiple location in a scene, without moving the camera. Next, open the photo where you are furthest back in the photo and add the remaining photos as layers on top of this photo in order from furthest back to closes to the camera. Next, except for the bottom photo, erase all of the photos leaving only yourself to remain in each of them. If the layers are set up correctly, the remaining collection of photos should give you something similar to the above photo. Cloning was fun, and who wouldn't want an extra Fred or two to have around.

Coming Next:

Week 31 Assignment: Twilight Real Estate Photography

Week 29: 360 Panorama

2010-07-30T09:05:00.000-07:00

Photos of the week

Week 29 Assignment: 360 Panorama

I am a little late with my post this week mainly because I have been trying to figure out how to create a 360 Panorama. The original 360 panorama I had in mind is not what you see above, I came upon this by chance in my research. It is a 360 panorama, but a different kind called a Planet Panorama. The original I had in mind was more of a movie, or VR (Virtual Reality) panorama which you can scroll on the image, left or right continuously, to see the full view of the panorama. I will get back to one of those in another week.

I have to say, the Planet Panoramas are some of the most unique images I have created in some time and I plan on doing more. They were not too difficult to create. You still start with creating a normal panorama, with multiple images, but you need to go a full 360 degrees. You then stitch them together as usual, in Photoshop or some other image software. Then the trick to create the planet pano is to squish it into a square format, flip it upside down, and apply a "distort/polar coordinates" filter to it in Photoshop.

The possibilities are endless in the many mini planets you can create of your own. The first two I created are above: The first is of an almost empty parking lot and after I created it, I realized I need to have all sky at the top or it does the stretch of the trees. The second, is my world in my own backyard, I hope I don't fall off.

Coming Next:

Week 30 Assignment: Clones!

Week 28: Sports - Tennis

2010-07-20T13:58:00.000-07:00

Photos of the Week

Week 28 Assignment: Sports - Tennis

This week was another week of Sports Photography and another new sport, tennis. Tennis is another sport that I enjoy playing myself and I wanted to give taking action shots of it a shot. This was the last event I shot for the Senior NW Games and it was a great experience.

The first shot is my favorite because I love the capture of getting both players going for the ball at the same time during the fast action where it is usually communicated who goes for which shot. The key to the shot and any action sports shot involving balls is to get the ball in the shot. As with all of my selections of this weeks photos the balls make the shot and if they are looking at it or if it is being squished by the racket, even better.

Coming Next:

Week 29 Assignment: 360 Panoramas

Week 27: Wildlife Photography

2010-07-12T11:22:00.000-07:00

Photos of the Week

Week 27 Assignment: Wildlife Photography

I had an opportunity this week to do some wildlife photography in my own backyard. We have a family of Raccoons in one of our trees, a mother and three babies. The little nest they made in the tree just happened to be the same height as the roof of our house and quite close. I was able to situate myself on the corner of the roof of the house and probably only 15 feet away from the raccoons. They were feeding and playing for quite some time, which allowed me to take many photos and even some video (which I may post later) of their activities. The raccoon can do a lot of damage and be quite dangerous, but they sure are cute. Heather was confronted with them yesterday in the backyard, which scared her a bit, but the raccoons didn't seem to be scared of her at all and came very close to her (she says too close). If they only killed moles, they could solve a different problem in our backyard.

Coming Next:

Week 28 Assignment: Sports Photography-Tennis

Week 26: Where's Sue...

2010-07-07T15:27:00.000-07:00

Photos of the Week

Week 26 Assignment: Where's Sue..

Everyone knows "Where's Waldo", so my friend Sue, who was visiting Seattle for a week, had a great idea to take photos around Pike Place Market in a Where's Waldo type fashion. Sue made a great Waldo as she blended into the market scenes. The scenes include many of the key elements of the market, which include the flying fish market, tons of seafood, flowers, produce, and street performers. A slice of Seattle with a touch of Sue hidden in.

Coming Next:

Week 27 Assignment: Wildlife Photography

Week 25: Looks Like..

2010-06-28T17:21:00.001-07:00

Photos of the Week

Week 25 Assignment: Looks Like..

I tried something a little different this week that made me look at things a lot different than I have the last many weeks. Trying to find something in a scene or element of a scene, such as a face or letter or something else completely random is quite different than looking at your composition and lighting and such. It seemed to be a good break from the norm to get me to look and things differently again.

I started off my finding some simple letter shapes to spell the word 'moon'. This has endless possibilities in what you use to find or create letters and the words they can create. From there I found a few different faces, a car, a cactus out of driftwood, and finally a person made out of flower pots. If you ever find yourself with 'photo block', which happens to me often, you can always go out for an assignment like this and have fun.

Coming Next:

Week 26 Assignment: Where's Sue (Waldo)?

Week 24: Sports-Swimming

2010-06-21T10:33:00.000-07:00

Photos of the Week

Week 24 Assignment: Sports Photography-Swimming

This was another week of sports, with swimming being the focus this time. I have always wanted to shoot swimming, partly because I enjoy swimming myself, but also because I knew it would be challenging. The challenging part of shooting swimming begins with the lighting, because almost any indoor pool I have been to has the worst lighting. It is a mix of low light, making it difficult to get the fast shutter speeds to freeze action shots, and also different light temperatures, from florescent to tungsten to maybe a little natural light which can make it very difficult to get the colors to come out correct. I did my best to increase the ISO to get a decently high shutter speed without creating too much noise, and also adjusting the color balance to get a natural looking color. Due to the sporadic light being brighter in some areas of the pool and darker in others, I still ended up doing quite a bit of post production adjustments to get the photos to look natural.

It turned out to be the challenge I expected, but I am pretty happy with the shots I was able to capture. I was able to get some shots of each type of swim stroke, from freestyle and backstroke to breast stroke and butterfly. Some were more difficult to get shots of, but the butterfly was probably my favorite. Swimming was a great experience and I hope to do it again.

Coming Next:

Week 25 Assignment: Looks Like..

Week 23: Sports-Cycling

2010-06-14T10:02:00.000-07:00

Photos of the Week

Week 23 Assignment: Sports Photography - Cycling

This week I got back to shooting something I really enjoy doing, which is action sports. I decided to do some pro bono work for the Senior NW Games to provide them with some great photos of some of their events. This week it was cycling time trials. The key to getting great sports action shots is location and timing. It is always helpful to scout locations prior to the event so you know when and where to be to get the shots you want. For this event, I wanted to get a few at the start and finish, but the majority of what I was looking for were fast panning shots.

The first couple shots are a cyclist starting and then your average action shot. The next batch of shots are panning shots that show action and motion. It took me a number of shots to dial in the camera and flash settings, but once I did I was able to capture the shots I wanted. The final shot is of the corner I took most of the shots, except from the other side of the cyclist. I also like the panoramic view showing the whole 180 degree turn. All in all, a fun day of shooting.

Coming Next:

Week 24 Assignment: Sports Photography - Swimming

Week 22: Travel Portland

2010-06-07T10:24:00.000-07:00

Photos of the Week

Week 22 Assignment: Travel Photography - Portland

This week I hit the road and headed to Portland, OR. I was there for a short time with some good weather and some bad weather, which is the norm for the Pacific Northwest in June. I happened to be there during the Rose Festival, which Portland is known for along with their beautiful Rose Garden.

The first four photos are from the Rose festival; a fun fountain near the riverfront with the city in the background, a ferris wheel from the carnival, an old time bicyclist, and the band performing for the crowd to prepare for the parade. The next couple are from the Rose garden with Heather taking in the sweet scents and a close up of one of the many types of roses to be seen. Following these are a few shots of the modern downtown of Portland with their very stylish bus/train stops and the buses and light rail that can get you just about anywhere you want to go in Portland. Finally, the most important place in the Portland area...Fuddruckers, the best burger place and a must stop if you are there.

Coming Next:

Week 23 Assignment: Sports Photography - Cycling

Week 21: Remember the Fallen

2010-05-31T13:21:00.001-07:00

Photos of the Week

Week 21 Assignment: Remember the Fallen

Today is Memorial Day, a day to remember those who gave their lives for their country and the freedom they believed in. Freedom is easily taken for granted, but we must not forget all the men and women who fought for our freedom since this country began, and those that continue to fight for our freedom today. Thanks to all, I will remember you.

The photos above were taken today at a local cemetery that Heather and I go to every year to remember the fallen. We take carnations to lay on the graves of many who have served and thank them for that service and the freedom they have helped to provide. Remember the Fallen.

Coming Next:

Week 22 Assignment: Travel Photography: Portland, OR

Week 20: Signs

2010-05-24T11:07:00.000-07:00

Photos of the Week

Week 20 Assignment: Signs

There are signs everywhere, you just have to pay attention sometimes.

I get a kick out of signs, especially funny or the random and unexpected signs. When I took my Route 66 road trip a few years back, one of my favorite things to photograph were signs; from neon signs to the old rusted out signs that have stood the test of time, that road has plenty of them. Maybe someday, I will put together a coffee table book of just signs..

This week is a small sample of some signs that I have seen. The first one I liked for its patriotism and the fact that they painted the three mailboxes red, white, and blue. The second if from a local lumber store with an interesting saying on it, which changes every couple weeks. You don't see many of these, but they are alway enlightening. The third is from a balloon store, the sign is not very durable and I can't believe that is what they use for their sign, but it does catch your eye. The fourth, who knew you could get gift cards for auto accidents or work injuries, that is quite the gift for that special someone. Fifth, a sign I enjoy seeing on almost any weekend and I am usually inclined to stop and check it out. And finally, the last sign, I thought it was cute to catch that in your rearview mirror to brighten up your day. So everyone out there, keep an eye out for those unique signs that make you chuckle.

Coming Next:

Week 21 Assignment: Remember the Fallen

Week 19: New Lens

2010-05-17T11:30:00.000-07:00

Photos of the Week

Week 19 Assignment: New Lens

This week was a little exciting because I needed a new lens to shoot real estate photography, but as with any lens, it can be used for some creative shooting also. I needed a much wider angle lens than what I currently had, and with some research, found one best suited for my needs (luckily it was not the most expensive one out there. The new lens is a Sigma 10-20 super wide angle zoom lens, a favorite for Real Estate photographers.

The photos this week contain a few real estate photos along with some random things I found in downtown Tacoma. The wagon wheel and bowling pins were from an antique store and I was literally only a few inches away from them to get so much in the shot. It is almost surreal looking thru the lens and moving in closer to get the composition you like and then realize you are almost touching the object with the lens. I guess I will have to be careful about that. The last few images are some neat, colorful walls and storefronts I found; from the old time painted mural advertisements, to the "artistic" grafitti garage, to the colorful Orange store that looked like it belongs in Jamaica or somewhere in the Caribbean. You have to love the color.

Coming Next:

Week 20 Assignment: Signs

Week 18: Saved from the Archives

2010-05-10T11:32:00.000-07:00

Photos of the Week

Week 18 Assignment: Saved from the Archives

This week I wanted to do something a little different and instead of taking new photos, I decided to search through some old images on the hard drives and bring them to light. I have found as a photographer who takes many thousands of images each year, there are many great images that nobody gets to see but myself. I guess not everything can make it into a print or onto a website, but I am going to try to change that.

The horse racing photos are from a few years back, in 2006, when I tried to go to the Emerald Downs track at least once a year. I have missed the last couple, but am sure to make it down this year. It is a lot of fun to make some cheap bets on your favorite horse, mine just happened to be #7 this race. I love to take action panning shots showing a lot of motion, while trying to keep the subject in focus. This is a technique that takes a lot of practice, and it is always a nice surprise when one turns out the may you like.

The first image is from a seperate race, but I really liked how it turned out. The motion of the lights and all the horses legs in motion and in the air. The next five images are from my #7 horses race showing progression towards the finish line and winning the race. Always a good day at the track when you have a winner.

Coming Next:

Week 19 Assignment: New Lens!

Week 17: Green

2010-05-03T11:07:00.000-07:00

Photos of the Week

Week 17 Assignment: Green

This week I went back to the simple concept, the color green. There was a couple ways to approach this; capture anything green, capture something environmental (the current fad of everything eco-friendly), or capture a season that reminds you of green (i.e. the current season spring). I decided to go with the latter spring, with a few random green things thrown in.

The first image is random abstract image with some strong green elements. The second and last images are signs of early spring of flowers and ferns in early stages of bloom. Finally (but not the last), the third image is a relaxing scene on my back terrace, which just happened to be composed of three different hues of green.

Coming Next:

Week 18 Assignment: Old Gems - Saved from the Archives

Week 16: Commercial Real Estate Photography

2010-04-26T11:55:00.000-07:00

Photos of the Week

Week 16 Assignment: Commercial Real Estate Photography

This week I wanted to try another aspect of Real Estate Photography, which is the Commercial side. I would say that the Commercial side covers just about everything that is not residential; businesses, warehouses, restaurants, office buildings, etc.

The images above were taken at different times of the day; one during the day, one at dusk(no pretty sunset this week), and one at night. The first image is at the REI campus taken at night. I love the architecture of their cafeteria and I knew it would make a great subject. The second image is of a coffee shop at the Kent Commons shopping area, taken at dusk. The third image, an office building in Des Moines during the day, I like the dramatic effect that the clouds create.

Coming Next:

Week 17 Assignment: Green

Week 15: Sunsets

2010-04-19T09:50:00.000-07:00

Photos of the Week

Week 15 Assignment: Sunsets

This week there was a small change in plans when I found myself at a beautiful sunset scene later in the week. I don't get the chance to see too many sunsets during the winters in the Pacific Northwest. Due to this surprise, I wanted to take the opportunity to show you the variety of photos I try to capture from one scene location within a few minutes.

The scene is from the Camano Island Yacht Club, which has a pier, a few overturned row boats along the beach and the sun setting in the distance. It is the type of scene and ingredients that I love to photograph.

The first image is of the pier, which I like to lead into the photo from the corner to draw the viewer in. This image, along with the rest, have been produced as HDR images, which I have become quite fond of making. The next two images are of a few of the boats on the beach, and the last couple images bring in some driftwood, which can be found on most beaches in the Northwest. Capturing images like these at the end of the day always make the day seem brighter.

Coming Next:

Week 16 Assignment: Commercial Real Estate Photography

Week 14: HDR - 2nd Look

2010-04-12T15:44:00.000-07:00

Photos of the Week

Week 14 Assignment: HDR (2nd Look)

I decided to revisit HDR (High Dynamic Range) again this week after I attended an afternoon seminar on HDR last week. This seminar exposed me to a piece of software that I had heard about before but did not have any experience or much knowledge about, Photomatix. Photomatix does a far better job of creating HDR images, or an HDR look, which can be more on the artistic side, than what I have used before with Photoshop CS3. CS5 is coming out shortly, which is supposed to do a much better job than previous versions, but for now, Photomatix creates exactly the look I have been looking for.

The first photo may look familiar, it is the same photo from week 2 that has been redone using PhotoMatix. I will let you be the judge of which looks better. The rest of the photos have been taken in different settings and under different lighting conditions (i.e. direct sun, overcast, shade). In each case, I took at least 3 photos, bracketed at 2 stops over & under standard exposure. I then combined the 3 photos in Photomatix with minimal adjustments. This is a new software for me, so by the time I get to HDR - 3rd Look, I hope to have it mastered.

Coming Next:

Week 15 Assignment: Sunsets

Week 13: Real Estate Photography

2010-04-05T06:54:00.000-07:00

Photos of the Week

Week 13 Assignment: Real Estate Photography

A new area of photography I am looking to get into is Real Estate, so I wanted to see what I could do. It can be tough to build up a portfolio of real estate photos, unless you know a lot of people with clean, well decorated homes. I figured out a way to broaden that list..open houses. Every weekend, there are many open houses of home for sale, so I simply went to a few and asked if they minded if took a few photos to build a portfolio. It worked well and I made a few contacts in the process.

The photos are from a couple different places with most of them being an HDR composite I created using a new software I am trying out, Photomatix, which is why there are watermarks on them. Due to the range of highlights and shadows in the interior scenes, I believed this would give me the best looking images. I will touch on more HDR next week.

Coming Next:

Week 14 Assignment: HDR (Second Look)

Week 12: Bugs Point-of-view

2010-03-29T17:02:00.000-07:00

Photos of the Week

Week 12 Assignment: Bugs Point-of-view

I wanted to try something a little different this week and I decided on Bugs point-of-view. I think it is important to try to see things from different perspectives or different points-of-view. This is a great way to expand your photographic vision, or just get out of your shell and normal way of seeing things. I will do a couple different ones in this series, and we will start with Bugs.

The first photo may seem a little different looking and that is because I tried to make it look like what a fly or similar bug might see. Their eyes have multiple lenses so I believe they see multiple images, probably many more than you see in this image. Since Easter is coming up, I envisioned the bug looking up at some Peeps.

The second and third photos are down pretty low where many bugs live, in the grass or weeds, like a dandelion. The forth could be considered a worm's view, and last, I am guessing bugs get thirsty too.

Coming Next:

Week 13 Assignment: Real Estate Photography

Week 11: Lighting - Diffusion

2010-03-22T11:13:00.000-07:00

Photos of the Week

Week 11 Assignment: Lighting - Diffusion

This week I wanted to get into a little bit of Lighting. The first type of lighting we will look at is Diffused lighting, doing a comparison between direct lighting and diffused lighting.

I chose a couple different subjects to show the effects of diffused light on these subjects. The light in question is a simple off-camera flash, with a photo umbrella used as the diffuser. The first subject is the blue Beetle. The left image is without diffusion and the right is with diffusion. As you can see, without diffusion you create strong, dark shadows. It does depend on the look you are trying to achieve with your image, but for me, I find the diffused image more pleasing most of the time.

The next images of the apple show the same thing, except more noticeable. The shadow is dark and overpowering along with a smaller, brighter highlight (or catchlight), on the apple itself.

Then, in the final images of the sunflower, you can see how the undiffused light creates the hard shadows again. I don't believe most people would want to see dark shadows of petals from the front of the flower cast on the petals on the back of the flower. The diffused light creates a more even tone of color, a more natural look.

Coming Next:

Week 12 Assignment: Bugs Point-of-View

Week 10: Travel Photography-Seattle

2010-03-15T12:00:00.000-07:00

Photos of the Week

Week 10 Assignment: Travel Photography - Seattle

This week I wanted to try a little Travel Photography, without actually traveling. I live near Seattle, but for many people each year, they choose Seattle as the destination of their travels. For me, this makes for a good place to start with my first Travel Photography segment.

Taking travel-type photos of the place that you live can be a challenge. You see it almost every day so it can be tough to get a fresh perspective on places or things that may be unique to the city you know so well. I decided to include a couple "icons" of Seattle, some of which most people outside of Seattle may not know about.

The first icon is the Fremont Troll, which is very unique to the city of Seattle. Seattle is quite artsy and full of many original pieces created by local artists. The Troll is one of my favorites and is included on many of the scenic tours of Seattle.

The second, of course, is the Space Needle. I decided to show it in the background of a piece from the new Sculpture park. I have photographed the Needle many times, so this time I tried to show it a little differently.

Third is the Fishermans Terminal. The fishing industry is pretty big in Seattle, all the fresh seafood you can handle, with many of the Alaskan fishing boats docking here for the winters.

Fourth, something you may not recognize, is the Starbucks Siren. Seattle is known largely for its coffee, Starbucks, being the largest of many coffee companies in the area. Seattle's Best or Tully's you many also recognize. (Tully's actually took over the Ranier Brewery building.)

Fifth, is not an icon, per se, but you can see how some icons are recreated and used to help many businesses in the Seattle area. Also, the name of the store goes nicely with the name of my blog.

Coming Next:

Week 11 Assignment: Lighting - Diffusion

Week 9: Textures

2010-03-08T10:11:00.000-08:00

Photos of the Week
Week 9 Assignment: Textures

This week I chose textures, mainly because I thought they would be fun. Textures can be used for simple art and they can also be made into a fun game of "guess the texture".

Trying to find ideas of textures to photograph can be a little overwhelming, even though you can actually photograph just about anything. For me, I decided to break it down into colors and their compliments. This helped me to choose a direction and narrowed down what to photograph. I chose the three primary colors; red, yellow, and blue, then found their complements; green, purple, and orange. The fourth, I chose to do black and white, but also have the textures themselves complement each other. If you can guess the textures you win a gold star.

Coming Next:
Week 10 Assignment: Travel Photography-Seattle

Week 8: Senior Portraits

2010-03-01T10:46:00.000-08:00

Photos of the Week

Week 8 Assignment: Senior Portraits

I ventured into something new for me this week, senior portraits. My niece Kelsey (top) and her friend Brianna asked me if I could take their senior portraits for them and I thought it would be a great opportunity for me to try some new things I have learned and test some different lighting situations.

The shoot started out in the early afternoon, which is probably when the sunlight is the harshest, creating dark shadows. To overcome this, I used a flash for "fill flash", which fills in the dark shadow areas with light. I still want some shadow in those areas so it will still look natural. I also wanted to find some simple backgrounds or interesting scenes to do the portraits. Some seniors also like to take their portrait with something that means a lot to them, or their favorite hobby as we did with Brianna and her horse. These portraits can tell you a little for about the subject than your standard headshot.

As we shot later into the afternoon, the sunlight got better, giving you a warmer look, and eventually the sun went down putting us in the shade essentially. The second and third shot of Kelsey were taken in the shade and just using a little bit of umbrella flash for some catch light in her eyes, but the light turns out to be a lot more even on the subject because it has been diffused by the sky and umbrella. An overcast sky during the day with do the same thing. All in all, it was a lot of fun and a good learning experience for me.

Coming Next:

Week 9 Assignment: Textures

Week 7: Architecture

2010-02-22T15:16:00.000-08:00

Photos of the Week

Week 7 Assignment: Architecture

I have always been very interested in Architecture and the beauty a building or structure can create. Architecture is an art and every person has their preference on what they like, for me, it is Modern Architecture.

I have chosen three photos of the week with different aspects of architecture:

The first is structural architecture in the Vancouver Olympic Torch. I had the opportunity to make it up to Vancouver over the weekend, which is only 3 hours away. I am pretty sure I will never live closer to an Olympics than this one, so I made it a point to go check it out. The Torch looks like four ice crystals forming a pyramid with the flame on the top. I tried to capture it at dusk with the sunset in the scenic mountains in the background.

The second is a nice Modern building, the Boeing Museum of Flight hanger, which is a lot of metal and glass, always beautiful. The third is another variation on the Museum of Flight with the older, "Red Barn" Boeing office building in the foreground in juxtaposition with the hanger in the background to give you two styles of architecture, older and newer, classic and modern, in one image.

Coming Next:

Week 8 Assignment: Senior Portraits

Week 6: Headshot

2010-02-15T12:23:00.000-08:00

Photo of the Week

Week 6 Assignment: Head Shot Portrait

The Head shot portrait is your standard portrait used for school, office, or to take to auditions for acting gigs to become a star. In the case of Debbie above, this portrait is for her inductee to the USSSA Washington Softball Hall of Fame.

This portrait was made with an off camera flash and a simple background. I set up the flash, off camera tethered by cable, and shot it through a white photo umbrella. This diffuses the light from the flash, in essence, softening the light so you do not create hard shadows on the background behind the subject. What this also does is create a good "catchlight" in the eyes of the subject, giving them life. The catchlight is actually a new thing I learned or became aware of and you definitely notice a difference when you have one.

Coming Next:

Week 7 Assignment: Architecture

Week 5: Self Portrait

2010-02-08T13:51:00.000-08:00

Photos of the Week

Week 5 Assignment: Self Portrait

A Self Portrait can be a tricky thing. First of all, you have to take the picture yourself, and secondly, what do you want to convey or say about yourself in capturing yourself. The first can be done with the right equipment (i.e. tripod and a remote cord) and a self timer, but it may take many tries to get yourself in focus and framed just how you want. The second involves some thought on who you are (in case you don't already know).

The top portrait took a couple of "sittings" with myself to find the right angle and closeness to the camera I was looking for. I could have done a full body length or a simple head shot, but I chose something a little more intimate in the end. I believed this would allow the viewer a little more insight or view into the soul of Fred, through my eyes. The eyes are usually the center of a great portrait(should also be in sharpest focus) because they can tell a story about someone better than anything else, and of course the closer the better...usually.

The bottom portrait tells a little bit different story, which is what I do for a living (besides photography) and also love to do, which is Drive. I deliver stuff for a living and drive 200-300+ miles per day for my Courier business. I wanted to portray this with a little action. To do this I needed a little motion in the shot, but not me. I set up my small gorillapod in my truck with a remote cord attached. I shot with a slower shutter speed (@ 1/4th of a second) and used the flash set on rear sync mode. This would allow the world outside my truck window to move by for a short time(creating a blur) and then the flash would go off at the end of the shutter opening to freeze and illuminate me on the inside of the truck, which was much darker than the outside. Also, do not forget to smile appropriately with the "greedy" face.

Coming Next:

Week 6 Assignment: Head Shot Portrait

Week 4: Black & White

2010-02-01T10:21:00.000-08:00

(Color)

(Straight greyscale or desaturation)

(Finer tuned b&w conversion)
(click images to see larger version)

Photos of the Week

Week 4 Assignment: Black & White

Black & White photography requires a special skill from the photographer, the ability to see in Black & White. This skill can take many years to perfect, that is, if it is possible to perfect. It seem like everything in the old days were b&w since the only photos from back then were in b&w. It makes you wonder if anybody even had shirts that weren't white or grey, or if all houses were white or grey. I imagine it to be easier then to see in b&w, even if that were not the case.

Today is different, since we have had color film for well over 60 years. Before digital you would choose to shoot with color film or b&w film, and the resulting photo is what you were stuck with. Today, with almost all digital cameras, you can also choose to shoot in color or b&w (even sepia and other options on some). If your camera has a "live-view" LCD (as almost all point and shoot cameras have, and most newer DSLR cameras have) then you actually have the capability to "see" in b&w, when your camera is set to shoot it. If you choose to shoot in b&w, however, you are once again, stuck with a b&w image. On the other hand, if you shoot in color, you always have the ability to convert it to a b&w image using any photo editing software (if shot in b&w, you Cannot convert it to color). The reason I mention this is so you do not limit yourself, or your image to being one or the other. I do not recommend shooting in b&w for this reason, unless you are 100% sure you will never want to see it in color.

The b&w conversion process can very in complexity, from simply clicking a button in the editing software to convert to b&w or setting the sturation level to zero, to doing a more complicated conversion of working in greyscale and adjusting the many color channels, contrast levels, and curves to finely tune the conversion. The latter can be similar to shooting with b&w film and using different color filters (red, green, yellow, etc.) to get the look you are striving for.

Coming Next:

Week 5 Assignment: Self-Portrait

Week 3: Panorama

2010-01-25T11:41:00.000-08:00

(click image to view larger image)

Photos of the Week

Week 3 Assignment: Panorama

Panorama images can be described as any image that has a wide aspect ratio or longer proportion, either horizontal or vertical, than a standard image (i.e. 4 x 12 vs. 4 x 6). these types of images can be created using special panoramic cameras such as a Hasselblad Xpan or Fuju/Linhof 617, which are film cameras that shoot the images in a 3:1 wide panoramic ratio. Today, many point and shoot digital cameras have a panoramic stitch feature built into the camera for creating easy panoramic images. Using a DSLR however, you have to create panoramas the "old fashion" way, with Photoshop or other panoramic software. The benefit is a higher resolution and higher quality image due to the larger sensor of the DSLR. You may also ask: Why not just shoot a larger single image and crop out the panoramic you envision? The answer: Resolution and the limitation on the size you will be able to print the panoramic with good quality. You may not notice much of a difference on the computer screen at the sizes above, but when it is printed 6 feet long to hang on your wall, the difference will be exponential.

I use Photoshop with its Photomerge" feature, found under File/Automate. This works great for stitching 2 - 10+ images together to create a large panoramic image. The software is not foolproof, but as long as you keep the camera level throughout the string of images, overlap the images 25 - 50%, and keep a constant exposure, focus and depth of field, your results should be excellent.

This week I chose 2 photos of the week in order to show you two types of panoramas (also, I was unable to choose just one). I tried two slightly more difficult shoots, a low-light night panoramic, and something I had never tried before, a macro close-up panoramic. The first is a night shot of the new Light-rail train station at Seatac Airport, which was created by combining 4 images. The second is a combination of 8 images to create a close-up panoramic image of the Gerber daisy.

Coming Next:

Week 4 Assignment: Black & White

Week 2: HDR - First Look

2010-01-18T10:02:00.001-08:00

Photo of the Week

Week 2 Assignment: HDR

(High Dynamic Range) First Look

High Dynamic Range (HDR) is the process of taking multiple exposures and combining them into a single image that has more detail in the highlights and shadows, which brings you a step closer to how the human eye sees things. This can be done using software such as Photoshop, which is my current software of choice. Photoshop has a nice automated feature that combines 2 or more images for you. It does a decent job, but usually needs some tweeking afterwards. They say it is best to use 3 to 5 images bracketed by one stop of exposure for each image. So far I seem to get the best combined image with just 2 images, one exposed for the highlights and one exposed for the shadows.

I am new to HDR, so I am still learning how this works. The key seems to be the scene or situation that is chosen to create the HDR image. This can be tough in the grey, overcast, rainy, winter weather of Seattle. Fortunately, the place I see it the most is out on the golf course.

The first photo was exposed for the grass of the fairway, leaving the sky white and completely blown out. The second photo on the right was exposed for the sky, leaving everything else in the darkness or shadows. By combining the two images, the result is the middle image with good detail and exposure in both the sky and the fairway.

Coming Next:

Week 3 Assignment: Panorama

Week 1: Orange

2010-01-11T13:51:00.000-08:00

Photo of the Week

Week 1 Assignment: Orange
Orange, one of my favorite colors, can be conveyed in many ways, I decided that the simplest way is to show you how the two colors of red and yellow combine to create orange.

At first, this seemed like it would be quite simple to do, just put a red light next to a yellow light and take a blurred picture and hope for the best. Well, turns out I don't have a red and a yellow light in my house. Christmas lights would have worked well, except all of mine are white, which is what gave me the idea in the first place from other photos I had taken over the holidays. My next plan was to find these to lights out in the world next to each other. I did not find many options, but did notice that a cars tail lights and blinker are the two colors I was looking for. This had potential, except the shapes were wrong and not close enought together...and there is that blinking problem. Another option I found was a traffic light. These were the right shape I was looking for, but they are not on at the same time. To solve this problem, I realized I could do a double exposure and offset each image so they overlapped. The results did not turn our quite like I had hoped since I was not able to get straight on with the light, or close enough.

The solution, create my own lights in a controlled location..my office. I looked through my filters to find a yellow and a red filter. (These were last used when I was shooting b&w film, but very glad I kept them..I knew they would come in handy some day.) All I needed now was a light source..a flashlight was just the right size for my filters to fit over. I only had the one flashlight, so a double exposure was still the best way to go and the image above was the outcome. I had always seen color wheels and things like that, but never seen two lights combine to form a third color. It was quite amazing to see it work.

Coming Next:
Week 2 Assignment: HDR (High Dynamic Range) First look