One eyed tree face

This photo is part of April 7, 2009's post April Fool's Snow Day. It's a stand alone without any script. A test for your eye to see how good it is. There are 3 things that don't belong! First right answer gets a signed 8x11 print.

Ice

This series of ice detail closeups were photographed a couple of weeks after the ice sculptures were carved during Barrie's winter festival last February. The melting ice revealed a smooth, fluid surface and a transparent solidity, reflecting the sky and the surrounding colours of winter. What intrigued me the most was where the blocks of ice were joined on their corrugated surfaces. The only part of the ice that wasn't crystal clear. I was hypnotized. The sculptures were beautiful works of art but inside these huge warped crystal balls, was another world to perceive and behold while my imagination ran rampant. 

Roma!

Truly an inspirational place for all the arts, it was everywhere, no matter where I turned I was in awe. The difficulty was being able to focus on the photographable and not the unfamiliarity. I came prepared though with a bit of research on the internet and list of places of photo interest. There was little time, exactly 2.5 days and the first was a rainy one. Over the years, I learned to take advantage with what was available to work with; especially the rain. But it doesn't always rain when they say it does, besides, rain is like nature's varnish on your subject matter. Seek and you shall find! Hopefully the timing for all the right elements works out. Coloseum, sunrise, rain and yes a slight break in the sky.
So, I decided to leave at 5:00 am anyways. Rising early after a transatlantic flight is the best remedy for jet lag. It was still dark, with a bit of purple dawn breaking the horizon as I glanced hurrriedly down the open street turning the corner for the subway....more later...more photos http://www.jbphotoworks.com/roma

Yellow Tulip

I couldn't resist photographing this tulip. It was perfect. The challenge was angle of view, distance from the camera, it's beautiful shape, lines, tones and gradations of yellow to slight orange. It took about 20 shots, each composed slightly different but one shot worked best where I managed to give it quite a painterly look. Of course a little painting touch ups through photoshop accented the painterly look even more. The biggest challenge was using a shallow depth of field while being 4 inches away from the tulip.

I'm back again after a busy summer and fall. Winter is a great time to review the years photography, some old stock photos and have some fun in photoshop. Two images of this composite image are many years old. Last august I captured a series of a glorious sunset that played itself out on the end of my driveway. I in turn played with layering to create a composite digital image using some of photoshops many great tools. I started with an older stock photo taken of the Queen Boadicea statue in London. The dicomed grid lines were created when computers first came out in the 80's during a computer course at Durham collage. I utilized the grid pattern faintly to exemplify a perspective ( an old master artist technique) also hints of repeating patterns in Nature. Blending the layers creates a smooth transition between two very different images creating another dimension to the perspective.

Spring Flowers

With Spring comes of course flowers; the most photographed subject matter.
When they bloom I can't resist. Last year I missed the short bloom window but not this year. My first Iris picture was way to colourful so I simplified the beauty of the flower by treating it as a black and white and of course intimate with my proximity to the flowers . The obvious is not so prevelant but becomes a study of light, shadow, texture, line, shape, form, and most of all the composition. The obvious transforms into something else revealing the essence of it's beauty. The poppy also becomes an array of flames of orange. The challenge in good photography is to capture more than the obvious, allowing an inviting dance for the eye to study and appreciate the image while trying to figure out the subject matter.

April Fools Snow Day

The early April snow storm caught a few of us by surprise ...even this Maple tree ! Although I'm sure it's used to it after so many years!