The Heat is On

The weather here in South Texas is already hot and it isn't even officially summer yet. It must be that man made global warming causing all this or possibly just the cyclical warming and cooling trends that have been taking place for thousand of years. Anyway, I don't want to go down that political road right now.

This past Saturday we decided to take our three boys out to Cullinan park near Sugarland, Texas just southwest of Houston. This is a secluded park with a large wooden wharf and two story observation tower that extend out into a freshwater lake which is covered in lilly pads. As our three boys watched the water foul and looked for alligators it gave my wife and I a few minutes to spend some time together and she was gracious enough to allow me to use her as my muse to practice photography and lighting techniques.

Taking in Nature - The sun was setting, birds were singing and a lone alligator was making his way through the marsh. What a wonderful way to end a late spring day.
On the Boardwalk - Even though we were baking in the afternoon sun she didn't mind taking the heat and letting me take some full sun exposures. I think she looks HOT in this one and I aint talkin bout da weather!!
Hiding From the Sun - After a few minutes the sun was more than we could bear so she hid from it under a stair case leading to the parks second floor observation deck. With the sun blasting its rays of light through the deck fencing it provided a great opportunity to use the softer light to bring out the skin tones. A small amount of fill flash was used to illuminate her without giving it that all too familiar FLASH photo look.

Waiting - As I was changing lenses she was patiently waiting for more instructions. This image was taken as I was telling her I'm just taking a light meter reading and then I snapped the shutter to get a candid image. No posing here that's the real girl.

Taking a Break - Modeling for your husband is a tough job and the heat doesn't make it any easier. A short rest in the closest available shade was in order. A big glass of fresh squeezed lemon aide would have been nice too.

All images copyright Daniel Ray Photography.

What Makes a Great Photograph

A great photograph normally doesn't just happen. Anyone with a camera can sometimes get lucky and everything just falls into place and we look at a photograph we've created and say "Wow, I wish I could do that every time". So what is it that must come together to create that "wow" factor in a photograph?

I recently attended a photography seminar titled Taking It To The Next Level by Bill Fortney. In his seminar Bill laid out four criteria that are required for a great photo. If a photograph is missing even one of these four elements it more than likely is not going to be a great photograph.

1. Definable Subject
   You should be able to describe the subject of the photograph in one or two words or in a single short sentence.
2. Appropriate Lighting Conditions
   The lighting must work to call attention to the subject.
3. Workable Elements and Conditions
   The environmental elements must be concussive to allow you to make the photograph of the subject you envision.
4. Control of the Foreground and Background
   You must be in control of the Depth of Field (DOF), sharpness, and brightness of the subject and avoid background or foreground items that detract attention from the subject.

The photographer is in control of most of the key elements that make up the photograph he sees in his mind and wishes to create. When creating a photograph you should have an idea of what you are trying to create and how you want the viewer to see it. It is the photographers job to guide the viewer through the image and direct attention to the subject. All of this is done by controlling the camera, lighting and other elements to produce the desired photograph. Sometimes that cannot be done due to conditions that are outside of your control. At those times you have two choices; either alter your plan and produce a different image or walk away and try again at a later time.

The human eye will seek out the sharpest (in focus), brightest and warmest part of the photography, so if the sharpest, brightest and warmest part of the photograph is not your subject them you may have a problem. Of course there are always exceptions to the rule. For the most part these are rules I use when trying to create a photograph.

Copyright Daniel Ray Photography.

Graves on Golden Ground

After leaving the beach and heading back home to Houston I spotted what I thought was tall dead grass in the old Galveston City cemetery on Broadway. After taking a second look I realized that it wasn't dead grass but yellow flowers covering the grounds of the cemetery.

I thought this would be a great place to take some late afternoon photos before we headed home for the day so I made a quick U-turn and we pulled into the cemetery. There were many other visitors with their cameras in hand who apparently had the same idea as me.

A family mausoleum surrounded by yellow

My wife loves pictures of old doors so I took this one for her. You can't see her, but she was standing to the left of this image taking her own pictures of this door.
I liked the twisting branches of this small tree and the high peeks of the monument behind the tree. Did you notice that the tree doesn't have any leaves? That is extremely odd for May in south Texas. Many of the trees in Galveston or dead or very late blooming because of the many days they spent soaked in salty Gulf water that inundated Galveston during hurricane Ike. This cemetery was covered in three to six feet of water by the hurricane.

To get this image I crouched down as low as I could on the sidewalk to position the sun behind the top of the crucifix to hide the sun but allow the rays to burst around the sides of the monument. I like the image except for the lens flares (small dots caused by the sun bouncing of the glass lenses of the camera) you can see in the middle of the image.

A clump of the flowers growing out of a crack in the sidewalk.

A wide angle view of a small portion of this very large cemetery

My lovely wife and three wonderful boys were very tired and ready to get some food and head home for the evening after a great day in Galveston. We'll be back in a few weeks.

All images copyright Daniel Ray Photography.

Saturday in Galveston

Last Saturday we headed to Galveston Island so our boys could play on the beach and in the Gulf of Mexico. The weather was nice with the temperatures in the low 90s and the humidity at nearly 100% or so it seemed. I think it's going to be a HOT summer. The following are some images from a walk up and down the beach while I was looking for interesting objects or subjects to photograph.

These bright red freshly painted poles caught my eve. They are used to divide Stewart beach between the area where you can drive on the beach, where we were located, and the pedestrian only area of the beach that you can see behind the poles.

This old post had some blue paint that really stood out. The sand dunes behind and to the right of the pole is a new man made barrier that was installed after hurricane Ike.

Many wildflowers were growing a long an old fence line on the left side. In the background you can see the red poles and umbrellas on the beach.

This old discarded and weathered truck tire was laying out in the sandy meadow with wildflowers growing all around it. I wonder if this was left on the beach by someone or was it washed up onto the beach by hurricane Ike.

More wildflowers growing around another fence post with fading blue and yellow paint .

There was a junior volleyball tournament going on at Stewart beach with about 18 to 24 courts setup on the beach. This group was sitting on the steps of the Stewart Beach pavilion chatting and watching a game.

All the lifeguard stands were unoccupied which I thought was very strange with the large number of people on the beach.

This young lady was pushing that snocone cart all over the beach, and it appeared that business was very good.

All images copyright Daniel Ray Photography.

San Diego Waterfront

Terry, a coworker of mine and I ventured out one evening and walked from out hotel to the San Diego waterfront to see the sights and looking for a good seafood restaurant. Of course I had my camera with me and capture these images of the San Diego waterfront.

Condos overlooking the waterfront

A fishing boat moored in the marina
A closer view of the same fishing boat.
Can you see the sea fog on the horizon

Black and white image of a group of fishing boats in the marina

Sun reflections off the bay waters

I dared Terry to look under her dress and he did.

Several people enjoying the sunset with the USS Nimitz in the background

When I saw this sail boat cutting through the bay waters with the bright purple sail against the late afternoon sky and the blue water.

The same sail boat with the USS Nimitz in the background.The harsh back lighting from the sun washed out the colors of the sky, water and sail so I had to use Adobe Lightroom to replace the colors I saw when I took the image
Terry was using his BlackBerry to determine the names of the two US Navy Aircraft Carriers in the background. The carrier to the left is the USS Ronald Reagan and the other is the USS Nimitz.

A close-up of the USS Nimitz flight desk

A gull waiting for people to toss him some food

Pedestrian ferry that travels between San Diego and Coronado

All images copyright Daniel Ray Photography.