Photo 52: A Play on Light

Hard Light - Week 1

Our topic of study for the month of November is Hard Light.  Hard Light produces well-defined, high contrast images and tends to originate from a single light source, usually small or located far away.  Although the sun is not a small light source, when it is direct and undiffused by clouds, harsh and sharp lines are seen in the shadows.  Hard light can also be found indoors in low-light conditions.  For example, the light of a single candle, window, or lightbulb.  Even the light emanating from electronics is a fun way to play with hard light, especially as we move into the winter months.  Below is my Hard Light debut where the single light source happened to be that coming from the refrigerator.

Busted

Please follow along the circle to see the rest of Photo 52's images for this week.  Next up is Kami Chaudhery, a mom of two darling girls and an exceptional photographer in her own rite, who recently relocated to Seattle from New York City.  

Photo 52: A Play on Light

Backlight - Week 3

For our third week of backlighting, I decided to go outside with my camera in the very late afternoon as opposed to the early morning which I had done the past two weeks.  Though it was just after 5:00 p.m., I found the sunlight still to be quite intense.  While out walking I stumbled upon a girls lacrosse game taking place in my neighborhood of Harlem.  Maintaining my elevated position outside of the field, I chose to incorporate the fence as a framing element in my shot.   The industrial nature of the fence with its added compositional dimension later inspired me to convert this week's photo to black and white.  Through this month-long study of backlighting, I am discovering that this particular technique used with black and white processing can make quite a nice marriage.  It is definitely something I will continue to practice.  

Please continue along our blog circle to view everyone's take this week using backlighting.  Next up is the amazing and talented Justine Knight, my friend and fellow New York photographer.   

Photo 52: A Play on Light

Backlight - Week 2

It's week two of Photo 52's present theme of backlighting which, simply put, occurs when the light source is behind the main subject.  For this week's image I wanted to capture one of my favorite playgrounds on Central Park West in the early morn.  It's now mid-October and with children back in school, their summer memories, long shadows and fallen leaves are all that remain on these grounds.  Shooting into the light created a haze effect that I think translates the time of year even more - a season of crisp light and impending chill.

While I was taking this photograph I felt as if I could hear the echoes of children laughing amidst the deserted landscape.  Something to capture and hold onto until the following spring. 

Lonely ride harvest

 

Please continue along the chain to see what Erica Collins, my friend and wildly gifted photographer, has captured this week by clicking HERE.  

Photo 52: A Play on Light

Backlight - Week 1

This week Photo 52, a year long exploration of light that I am working on with several other talented photographers, will embark on a new overarching theme known as backlighting.  Simply put backlighting is when a light source is behind the main subject. Whilst some might find it counterintuitive to shoot into the light, the effects can be quite magical. 

By having the light behind your subject, the finer details of an object can be enhanced as well as the capture of some lovely silhouettes and sunbursts.  Landscape photography works well with backlighting, especially with translucent flowers and foliage or rim lighting of animals and objects in the background.  Even atmospheric elements such as haze, fog, steam or mist can be intensified and therefore alter the mood of an image.

We will be spending four weeks using backlighting as our inspiration and digging our heels in creatively with this fairly advanced technique.  Below is my backlit debut.  

 

Sugar Hill, Harlem​

Next up in our blog circle is the amazingly talented Kennedy Tinsley.  Please click HERE to continue along the chain and see the creative way in which Kennedy and the others used backlighting this week.

ClickinWalk 2012 | New York City

NYC Streets

This past Saturday I participated in the first New York City ClickinWalk 2012 with local photographers, some of whom I know quite well.  ClickinWalk takes place annually in cities across the globe, giving women photographers the opportunity to come together with their cameras and delve into the art of street photography.  The facilitators, who happen to be friends of mine, Justine Knight and Stacey Vukelj, led us from the New York Public Library through Times Square, down Broadway to Madison Square Park, on to Union Square, and finally across town (via the subway) to the HighLine on the west side for sunset and drinks.  It was such a beautiful fall day in NYC and I found myself enjoying the company I was with so much that I sometimes neglected my camera.  However I did walk away with a newfound appreciation for street photography and a few images to share.

 

Photo 52: A Play on Light

Shadows - Week 4

"Should not every apartment in which man dwells be lofty enough to create some obscurity overhead, where flickering shadows may play at evening about the rafters?" -Henry David Thoreau

 

For the final week of shadows for Photo 52, a long-term collaborative project I am participating in with several other talented photographers, I decided to shoot indoors.  It was a particularly cloudy forecast this past week in New York City so I worked with a single light source, in this case a small votive candle, to create dramatic shadows that literally danced around its base.  Below is my take for our final week of playing with light and shadows.

​Flickr

Next up in our blog circle is Justine Knight, a talented photographer and friend whose work I admire greatly. Please continue along the chain to view her final shadow image by clicking HERE.   

Rembrandt's Light

 

Rembrandt Lighting was named after the great master and is based primarily on two factors; a light on one half the subject's face and a triangle of light on the shadowed side of the face that should be no wider than the eye, and no longer than the nose.  In photography it is a common technique for portraits and was my challenge for this week.  

The key to Rembrandt lighting is to have your subject turn their head away or into the light, usually at a 45 degree angle, in order to get the triangle shape of light underneath the eye.   This particular time I cajoled my husband into being my model whom I tirelessly directed around the room in search of the correct angle, bright catchlights in his eyes AND the triangle - which, by the way, is much easier said than done.    

 

The process itself was a combination of fun and frustration and certainly requires further practice and exploration on my part.  But at least I had a willing (and cooperative) subject and a nice portrait of my beloved in the end. 

 

Photo 52: A Play on Light

Shadows - Week 3

"Most of the shadows of this life are caused by standing in one's own sunshine" - Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

I've found that New York City's early morning has some of the best light and resultant shadows which is this month's overarching theme for Photo 52.  Standing on the balcony of the Columbus Circle train station during a brief moment when the stairs weren't mobbed with people, I was able to capture this young woman in her colorful dress and shoes heading down into the subway.

Staircase stalker​

Next up in our blog circle is the exceptionally talented Lisa Rigazio.  Please continue along the chain to see her latest take on shadows by clicking HERE.   

Photo 52: A Play on Light

Shadows - Week 2

"Our job is to record, each in his own way, this world of light and shadow and time that will never come again exactly as it is today." - Edward Abbey

 

Today's post is for a long-term collaborative project I am participating in with several other talented photographers whom I have worked closely with over the past year.  We are concentrating on light and learning to master its many dynamic forms through monthly overarching themes.  (Our project debut was last week and can be read about in more detail HERE).  The current theme is SHADOWS and below is my image for this week.  

By the way, I turned the image upside down.  It just looked better that way.  

 

Around the track with Papa

Please continue along our blog circle to see Linda Hooper's creative use of shadows by clicking HERE. 

The Reluctant Self-Portrait

One of the biggest challenge for any photographer is to be in front of the camera.  We much prefer being behind the lens looking at the world through our viewfinder.  So this week I was pushed out of my comfort zone when one of the final assignments for my Lifestyle photography class was to take a self-portrait.  I decided it would be best to do this when my toddler was napping (to avoid further distraction from an already grueling event) and to just take my time.  

I proceeded to remove all the unnecessary pillows from the sofa, set up my tripod and camera settings, focus first on an object where (hopefully) my head would be, press the timer, do the "Fonzarelli" hop onto the couch and try my best to look casual.

Below is the result of my effort.  Of course there was no shortage of outtakes but a simple lesson was learned in this process.  Though reluctant at first to do this assignment, I realized it's good to experience the other side of things - to look INTO the lens instead of the viewfinder - despite it feeling somewhat uncomfortable.  As all things in life you just might surprise yourself.

And your family will be happy to see a photo of you for a change!  

 

We Remember

"September 11 is a reminder that life is fleeting, impermanent, and uncertain. Therefore, we must make use of every moment and nurture it with affection, tenderness, beauty, creativity, and laughter." - Deepak Chopra, M.D. 

 

 

 
 

Rest in peace Ralph Michael Licciardi.  You are missed and remembered. 

Photo 52: A Play on Light

Playing with Shadows - Week 1

“Light makes photography. Embrace light. Admire it. Love it. But above all, know light. Know it for all you are worth, and you will know the key to photography.” - George Eastman

 

Ultimately the job of a photographer is to see the light - glowing evening light, ugly indoor light, an absence of light - and decide if and how to use it in the images they take.  With that in mind I am embarking on a 52 week project with a group of talented and diverse women that I have come to know and admire over the past year.  Together we will support and encourage each other to play with light based on a common overarching theme.  Several weeks will be spent exploring each theme so that we can really dig in deep, have fun, and take creative risks.  

Our collective adventure is called Photo 52: A Play on Light (the brainchild of Kelly Roth Patton) and our first month's theme is Shadows.  Here is my take for the Photo 52 debut!

To see everyone else's amazing work, please continue along the chain. Next up in our blog circle is the talented Julie Kiernan.  Take a moment to check out her creative interpretation using shadows. 

 

 

It Must Be Heredity

Grandpa and grandson standing next to the TT plane Grandpa used to fly in the Navy over 55 years ago ... 

... and a boyhood obsession with planes is passed down. 

Nail polish crime scene

Any Mom's famous last words, "But I was only gone for a second!"

In this case I returned to the crime scene AND culprit that included hot pink nail polish AND a bright white bedspread. Even before trying to clean up the evidence I reached for my camera.  Ironically the name of the polish is "NEON FURY".  Precisely.