KEP Blog
My Backyard in May
My Backyard in May is a loose collection of photographs that I took one weekend in May. I hadn’t picked-up my camera for some time so it was as much a “practice session” as it was one of my “serious” photography outings. All of these photographs were taken in my yard.
My Backyard in May is a loose collection of photographs that I took one weekend in May. I hadn’t picked-up my camera for some time so it was as much a “practice session” as it was one of my “serious” photography outings. All of these photographs were taken in my yard.
Given that I classified the day’s photography as a “practice session”, I added some challenges. First, I only used my 50mm lens. The 50mm is considered to be the “normal lens” in 35mm photography. The perspective it offers is close to the way the human eye perceives perspective. Many consider this to be a boring lens, but I’ve found that using it pushes my creativity just a bit further. Second, I allowed the camera to set both ISO and shutter speed, leaving me to pick the best f-stop for each photograph. Again, just a creative game to sharpen my photography skills. You can judge whether my efforts were successful.
Nikon D750 w. Nikkor 50 f/1.4
Monochrome Flowers
Today, we’re so used to seeing colour photographs that we view black and white, or monochrome, pictures as “missing something” or as colour photography’s poor, boring cousin. I’d like to challenge that perception with my Monochrome Flowers collection.
We love the rich and varied colours that flowers offer the visual world. I do too - take a look at my Backyard Flowers Gallery to see some of my colour photographs of flowers. Today, we’re so used to seeing colour photographs that we view black and white, or monochrome, pictures as “missing something” or as colour photography’s poor, boring cousin. I’d like to challenge that perception with my Monochrome Flowers collection.
Colour has such a powerful visual impact that we often stop seeing after we’ve processed the colours in a photograph. Monochrome photography invites the viewer to put aside the dominance of colour and look deeper in to the scene. Good monochrome images emphasize the forms, shapes, and textures in the visual world. I hope that this series of monochrome flower photographs enables you to appreciate the rich forms and textures that they have to offer.
Anemone
I love the textures in this photograph and the delicate beauty they represent.
Anemone
Anemone was originally photographed in colour. I bypassed it several times as I looked through my collection, concluding, too quickly, that the colours were bland and the image didn’t “pop”. When I took a second look I realized that I was looking at an image that needed to be represented in black and white. The details in the centre of the flower and gentle folds in the petals really stand out (pop?) in black and white. I love the various textures in this photograph and the delicate beauty they represent.
I really love this photograph, especially the black and white version. It falls into the category of “photographs I like to look at” and is a strong candidate for printing and displaying somewhere in my home. I find the photograph itself compelling, but I also love the story that goes with it. Photography is about finding interesting shapes, patterns, and light. These essential elements can be found at home or in the backyard just as easily as they can be found in exotic locations around the world. Don’t get me wrong, I love visiting interesting places, but it’s also good to know that the discipline of photography can be practised anywhere.
Nikon D750 w. 105 f/2.8 Micro Nikkor.
Check out my Backyard Flowers gallery!