The Forest Through the Trees :: CT

The Forest Through the Trees :: CT

Tomorrow is the last day for the print sale!  If you want to pick up some wall art, AND ALSO help the people of the Paradise wildfire, make sure you get your order in!

All 5×7 photo paper prints are $15, all 8×10 photo paper prints are $20.

20% of the sales will go to help the victims of the wildfires in California, who are in desperate need of pretty much everything right now.

It can’t get much better than that, right?  You support a local business, you get some art from an artist who definitely appreciates your support, AND you get to help the people of the devastating Paradise Camp fires.  Win-Win-Win!

For a look at what prints you can get your hands on, go here.  Or here.  And if you see anything you want larger/smaller/on canvas or metal, just shoot me a message and we’ll find something that works for you.

Thank you all so much for your continued support.  You’re the best!

Centennial Autumn :: NH

Centennial Autumn :: NH

 

“Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.” -Albert Camus

Andante :: CT

Andante :: CT

“Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson

A few weeks back, I checked out a waterfall @pmacmiller posted about (he’s a great guy, check out his page!) and the hike was lovely. A lot of it meanders along the shore of a lake, which in the summer can be a bit noisy (motorized boats allowed) but it didn’t stop me from finding little moments of joy in the woods. For example, at the end of a curve in the trail, I stumbled upon this scene. It’s a fallen log, and some trees, but in the right light at the right moment it was magical. In fact, so much of photography is just that: recognizing beautiful moments. As Emerson said, it’s a study in patience. But when the trees take on the soft glow of diffuse light, while the birds chirp and chipmunks rustle the undergrowth, it becomes clear that patience pays off. Talk about a life lesson, eh??

Our Little Secret…

Our Little Secret :: Connecticut

A lot of us have them….a place we love to just *be*.  A place we can explore, and play, and experience nature. A place that we love, and that we don’t really share because…well…that’s how you preserve the magic.

It’s interesting to me how wildly different, but equally lovely different parts of the world can be. Connecticut may not have the tallest mountains, deepest canyons, colorful rocks or most dramatic open spaces… but there is still so much beauty to be found in our own backyards. Saturday was overcast, so I spent some time exploring my corner of the state, chasing waterfalls.

Chasing Waterfalls

This particular set of falls is not a “secret”, per se. It’s just not talked about much and as far as I’m concerned, that’s okay!  It’s one of the places I sneak away to when I need a little fresh air and call me selfish, but I enjoy it just the way it is…quiet. 😉

Practice Makes Progress

Last weekend I spent some time reprocessing some older photos for a write-up on the Outbound.  As I looked through my older shots, I kept asking myself, “What the heck were you thinking??”

The shots themselves were solid compositions (in my opinion) but the edits were….well…not.  They were okay, but they didn’t reflect where I am as an artist today.

Art is funny that way, ya know?  Trends change.  The look that was popular a few years ago is most definitely not what we see now.  A few years ago, many of the landscapes you saw were run through HDR software, so they had very even tones across the board.  The highlights and deep shadows were pulled back, and the lack of dynamic light was over-shadowed by the fantastic colors.

The Vortex :: CT

Older version of the same image is significantly different based on both growing my editing skills and current trends.

Now, you’re seeing a trend for extremely dramatic light…lot of deep shadows during the magic hours.  Think Ryan Dyar or Marc Adamus.

Now, these shots are stunning.  But having watched the HDR revolution come and go, I can definitely see it’s a trend.  I have no idea how long it will last, before the next editing style gets its 15 minutes of fame.

Which brings up a good point, I think….  Your edits really can make or break an image.  It’s important to learn to use your camera in the field, but in today’s world, your edits can hold almost as much weight.  If you put together a well composed photo in good light, but the edit doesn’t highlight the strong points of the image, it will get overlooked in favor of an image with the more popular editing trends.

Now, if you make art for you…then you do what looks best to your eye!  But if you make art for a living…then you need to catch the buyers eye or you can’t put food on the table.

For me personally, I strive for a photo with dynamic, molded light.  I don’t often go so far as to create surreal images, but rather, I’ll try to enhance the light as it falls normally. Molded light is…well…my newest trend. 😉

The shot above was taken at Enders Falls in CT.

For more information about the edit and/or classes, contact me at seespotsphoto at yahoo dot com.

Also, if you’re an iPhone/iPad user, check out my newest article on seeing in Black and White in issue 9 of Light and Landscape magazine.

The Pillars

The Pillars :: New Hampshire

When words become unclear, I shall focus with photographs. When images become inadequate, I shall be content with silence. -Ansel Adams

 

New Hampshire is a such a beautiful state. This fall, we will be taking some students up into the White Mountain area for a one day workshop. If that’s something you’d be interested in, sign up for our newsletter so we can keep you informed. Announcement should be coming in the next month or so. 🙂

If you think a private lesson is more your speed, contact us and we can put together a lesson plan tailored to your needs.

And finally…for those of you on Instagram, we have a new project we have started meant to help people meet other great pphotographers, chat, and grow a sense of community among our awesome supporters and friends. If you’re on IG, please give @i_took_a_photo a follow. If you want your own images shared, tag them #w_my_camera. 🙂

See what we did there? @i_took_a_photo #w_my_camera ….. Heh. Heh.

Hilarious.

Xoxo!

Shannon

Winter Wonderland

Diana’s Pool :: CT

This time of year, photography time is at a premium.  The sun isn’t up for very long before I leave for the day job, and it’s down before I’m done with work.  Furthermore, winter hasn’t quite arrived yet….but I’m pining for some snow photos.

 

Today, I’m pulling one from the archives to share with you.  Hopefully that will tide me over until the snow arrives here in CT.  Hope you enjoy! 🙂

 

xo

Shannon

 

The Forest Through the Trees

The Forest Through the Trees

“There is always music amongst the trees in the Garden, but our hearts must be very quiet to hear it.” -Minnie Aumonier

That is the kind of sky I live for.  A natural symphony.  A masterpiece.  The kind of light that makes anything look beautiful.  Those few precious moments, just before the sun falls below the horizon, lighting up the sky and the forest with the most intense shades of rainbow…

*sigh*

The editing process for the images I took this day was touch and go.  I wasn’t sure if this photo was any good.  I wasn’t sure what I would ever do with it (I have a number of images sitting on hard drives like that) but a few things made me decide to publish this.

First, I was feeling very inspired by some of Lars Van De Goor’s beautiful forest images.  The quality of the light and his edits are gorgeous.

Second, I had some wonderful feedback and encouragement from a loving boyfriend and a good friend.  There is a lesson to be learned there.  Always surround yourself with positive vibes. ……Ain’t nobody got time for haters. haha

 

Drink The Wild Air

Drink the Wild Air

“Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air…” -Ralph Waldo Emerson

Last Saturday, we spent the day hiking around upper Vermont.  Sometimes, you just need to spend some time in nature to recharge the internal batteries, to let go of the stress of our everyday lives and to appreciate something bigger than our daily routines and worries.

If you haven’t made time for Mama Nature lately…well…what are you waiting for?  Get outside!  Trees need love too.

This is a photo from Smuggler’s Notch in Vermont.

13 mm, f/5, 1/50th sec, ISO 100 – edited with a combination of light painting and HDR.

 

Still Reflections, Winter’s Breath

Reflection

It’s 6 degrees out, this morning.  We had some snow fall last night.  The roads are slippery and a bit dangerous…but the woods?  They’re perfect.

New England’s snowy skies rarely have much in the way of interest or detail, despite this being taken close to the end of the day.  There was no color, only leaden gray mixed with spots of white.  There were a few hints of yellow-brown on the trees, and some red silt at the edges of the water near the shallows…but rather than act as an accent, it seemed distracting.  I decided to black and white it.

The view, overall, is pretty standard for winter around here but the thing that attracted me to this particular scene is the solid reflection and the natural leading line it created from the corner of the frame.  Since I tend to be a symmetry person, I really wanted to wade into the center of the slow-moving winter stream and re-compose, but I didn’t have waterproof boots or waders.  Also, just outside of the frame where I would have stood, was a dangerous slippery spot that would have tumbled me down a little set of cascades.  haha  Hypothermia is a maybe, but ruining my camera is a definite no.