Mountain Sunset

We just returned from our summer vacation to the Ozark mountains in Arkansas. What a wonderful time we had. This was the first time my three boys and my wife have been to Arkansas, so they were in awe of the mountains and the views of the valleys. The weather was so much cooler than we are normally accustomed to in Houston, Texas and the scenery was absolutely beautiful. I vacationed in the same place several times as a child and it was very interesting to return to these same places as an adult. We stayed in a log cabin on the top of Mount Nebo and drove to several other mountain state parks during a week long stay.

Since I first purchased my Canon 40D DSLR camera back in November of 2007 I've been waiting for a change to capture a mountain sunset. Well, I got my change on this trip. In fact I went a little overboard with the number of sunset images I captured. But then again its digital and doesn't cost anything except a little disk space.

Most of the sunset images I took were processed as High Dynamic Range (HDR) images which allow you a display a much broader range of colors and tones than can be captured in a single photographic image.

Taken from on top of the The Hot Springs Tower in Hot Springs National Park


Mount Nebo Sunset Point

Mount Magazine Cameron Bluff

Mount Magazine Cameron Bluff

Mount Magazine Cameron Bluff

All images copyright Daniel Ray Photography.

2009 Worldwide Photo Walk

On Saturday, July 18th I took part in the Worldwide Photo Walk at Discovery Green in downtown Houston, Texas. It has been a very dry summer here in Houston so when I started driving to the photo walk and saw black clouds around downtown I was happy for the rain, but also concerned the photo walk would be rained out.

After finding a parking spot and lugging my camera case and tripod to Discovery Green I turned to look back from where I just come and captured this image of the approaching thunder boomer.
... and then the heavens opened and dropped a torrential down pour on about 30 photographers and all their camera gear. Yikes! We all headed for cover under the awning of the Lake House pavilion.

Even the security guards were taking cover waiting for the rains to stop.

Drink'em here

Reflections of the street lights in the small boat pond.

More reflections of the street lights in the small boat pond.

Cypress tree

Rain, rain go away and come back another day...

Is this a sign?

The coast was clear, so we all headed out to shoot in the remaining evening light. The combination of clouds and evening sun produced a very yellowish, golden color to the light.

High Dynamic Range (HDR) image of the main walkway in Discovery Green.

High Dynamic Range (HDR) image of new building construction just north of Discovery Green

All images copyright Daniel Ray Photography.

Just Paint

These images were taken a few days ago as my wife was putting the finishing touches on her latest painting. All three of these images were shot using a Canon 40D and a Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II lens wide open at f/1.8.

Adding Definition

Loading the brush

Concentration

Finished Product

All images copyright Daniel Ray Photography.

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.