Hi John, I enjoyed reading your post with its combination of the shared nature experience and the solo technical aspects of the different ways of capturing it as you continue to explore and expand your craft, out in the world and bringing us different and beautiful perspectives on it. The song is a fine complement to the mood and intention.
Thanks Steve. I should really publish another playlist, but I'm finding it difficult to find the time to put it together. Another beautiful day today which I am trying to get out into. The music piece was a bonus and unfamiliar to me before I found it yesterday. Rock of Ages was my maternal grandfather's favourite hymn which I know rom his funeral where I was a pallbearer. I searched on Spotify and found this track which seemed more fitting than the more popular Def Leppard track. Speaking of music, man did I ever connect with that new track by George Rodina. Why is he not more famous than he is or am I just that far out of it, that I don't know? People like me need music like that in our lives. The man is a genius.
I know what you mean about time, John. I have not been able to keep up with playlists and with other bloggers I follow lately. A lot of volunteer work, plus writing my own posts, and fitness activities (getting ready for my first outdoor bike ride of the season today!).
'Barnstorm' is a record one of my brothers used to play a lot back in the day; I remember it well. As for George, yes, lovely song. And it is puzzling to me, too, why he is not huge given how talented he is and the beautifully heartfelt and meaningful music he puts out. His "The Moon" and "Awakening" are two top tracks for me.
Oops, I was thinking of Rock of Ages from yesterday's post. Unlike that track which I had never heard before, Barnstorm is an album I played the spots off back in the day. Actually, I played the spots off of most of Joe Walsh's work including pretty much everything from The James Gang, but perhaps surprisingly, not so much with the Eagles. I think he added something special to that group, but for some reason, I never connected with the Eagles the way I did with Walsh's solo work and of course the James Gang. His track Standing at the Station would probably be in my all-time top 10. Perhaps because it was playing at maximum volume the night I flipped my little Honda Civic. Fortunately no one was hurt and both I and my passenger walked away unscathed. The car, not so much. But the strange thing about landing upside down in a car is how disorienting it is. I stumbled for many seconds trying to find the tape deck to turn it off. Then I clicked the seat belt release and crashed to the ceiling.
I didn't pick up on Rock of Ages as I was thinking of Joe et al. I don't think I've ever deeply connected with the Eagles, either, though they have some great ballads. Saw them in Winnipeg about 10 years ago with The Chicks. I didn't really get into either.
That's quite a story about the car crash! Glad you both walked away from that unscathed. I can only imagine how discombobulating it would be ti be upside down.
Nice Post John. Great content covering the Northumberland Land Trust and the photography perspective on the panorama shots - well explained and great pictures! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Andy. When writing something like this, I anticipate I may be losing some of my audience. I know I am thinking much more about this than most people would be comfortable with or interested in. That said, this is after all, my photo journal and it will occasionally fall down heavier on technical and artistic aspects of shooting. I do this as much for myself as for any other reason and use articles like this to summarize my findings and incorporate learning into my photographic work flow. I figure readers who get bored with the text can look at the pictures and ignore the rest. Perhaps they will find some value in the photos. I did try to strike a balance between playing with the panoramic format and showcasing the property.
Your mention of stitching images together reminds me of my attempt to get an image of a long driveway with a large stump in the foreground to work. There wasn't sufficient depth of field to get both the stump and the far end of the driveway in focus, so I had the bright idea of taking two shots and merging them. This is when one discovers the minor changes in placement and perspective that come with the change in focus. It took me hours to put the two together without having it look like a sloppy collage, and even then the final image didn't capture the feeling of standing there. It is unlikely that I'll try that again.
The answer would seem to be not trying to get them both to be in focus. Decide what the primary subject is, make sure that is tack sharp and let the slightly out of focus background fill in the rest of the story. Wide angle lenses seem to be better at this than telephoto because the out of focus areas tend not to be wildly out of focus. Our brains seem quite forgiving of blurry areas if we have something sharp within the frame. The blur can actually be useful for establishing hierarchy within the narrative. I think we have all been taught by landscape photographers using focus stacking techniques to get everything in focus, but I think this is overstated and can actually look kind of phoney when overdone. I would encourage you to try it again, but place your main subject off to the side a bit and let the background blur. Try different f-stops until you get the image that works best for telling the story.
That's the thing. I'd done one shot with the trunk in focus, but that lost the feeling of this (virtually endless) distance I was looking for. I shot the lane way in focus, but the out of focus trunk didn't communicate the sense of something lost. I wanted to communicate the experience of standing there, with this thing that gave me a sense of loss along with a clear path forward, even though the destination of that path remains mysterious. I'll find someplace to post the final image...
Hi John, I enjoyed reading your post with its combination of the shared nature experience and the solo technical aspects of the different ways of capturing it as you continue to explore and expand your craft, out in the world and bringing us different and beautiful perspectives on it. The song is a fine complement to the mood and intention.
Thanks Steve. I should really publish another playlist, but I'm finding it difficult to find the time to put it together. Another beautiful day today which I am trying to get out into. The music piece was a bonus and unfamiliar to me before I found it yesterday. Rock of Ages was my maternal grandfather's favourite hymn which I know rom his funeral where I was a pallbearer. I searched on Spotify and found this track which seemed more fitting than the more popular Def Leppard track. Speaking of music, man did I ever connect with that new track by George Rodina. Why is he not more famous than he is or am I just that far out of it, that I don't know? People like me need music like that in our lives. The man is a genius.
I know what you mean about time, John. I have not been able to keep up with playlists and with other bloggers I follow lately. A lot of volunteer work, plus writing my own posts, and fitness activities (getting ready for my first outdoor bike ride of the season today!).
'Barnstorm' is a record one of my brothers used to play a lot back in the day; I remember it well. As for George, yes, lovely song. And it is puzzling to me, too, why he is not huge given how talented he is and the beautifully heartfelt and meaningful music he puts out. His "The Moon" and "Awakening" are two top tracks for me.
I hope you enjoy the day!
Oops, I was thinking of Rock of Ages from yesterday's post. Unlike that track which I had never heard before, Barnstorm is an album I played the spots off back in the day. Actually, I played the spots off of most of Joe Walsh's work including pretty much everything from The James Gang, but perhaps surprisingly, not so much with the Eagles. I think he added something special to that group, but for some reason, I never connected with the Eagles the way I did with Walsh's solo work and of course the James Gang. His track Standing at the Station would probably be in my all-time top 10. Perhaps because it was playing at maximum volume the night I flipped my little Honda Civic. Fortunately no one was hurt and both I and my passenger walked away unscathed. The car, not so much. But the strange thing about landing upside down in a car is how disorienting it is. I stumbled for many seconds trying to find the tape deck to turn it off. Then I clicked the seat belt release and crashed to the ceiling.
I didn't pick up on Rock of Ages as I was thinking of Joe et al. I don't think I've ever deeply connected with the Eagles, either, though they have some great ballads. Saw them in Winnipeg about 10 years ago with The Chicks. I didn't really get into either.
That's quite a story about the car crash! Glad you both walked away from that unscathed. I can only imagine how discombobulating it would be ti be upside down.
Lovely to relive the walk looking at your pictures. I especially remember the lichen and the bare trees. Thanks so much!
Thank You Linda. I'm still a little stiff from the walk but feeling better today.
Nice Post John. Great content covering the Northumberland Land Trust and the photography perspective on the panorama shots - well explained and great pictures! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Andy. When writing something like this, I anticipate I may be losing some of my audience. I know I am thinking much more about this than most people would be comfortable with or interested in. That said, this is after all, my photo journal and it will occasionally fall down heavier on technical and artistic aspects of shooting. I do this as much for myself as for any other reason and use articles like this to summarize my findings and incorporate learning into my photographic work flow. I figure readers who get bored with the text can look at the pictures and ignore the rest. Perhaps they will find some value in the photos. I did try to strike a balance between playing with the panoramic format and showcasing the property.
Your mention of stitching images together reminds me of my attempt to get an image of a long driveway with a large stump in the foreground to work. There wasn't sufficient depth of field to get both the stump and the far end of the driveway in focus, so I had the bright idea of taking two shots and merging them. This is when one discovers the minor changes in placement and perspective that come with the change in focus. It took me hours to put the two together without having it look like a sloppy collage, and even then the final image didn't capture the feeling of standing there. It is unlikely that I'll try that again.
The answer would seem to be not trying to get them both to be in focus. Decide what the primary subject is, make sure that is tack sharp and let the slightly out of focus background fill in the rest of the story. Wide angle lenses seem to be better at this than telephoto because the out of focus areas tend not to be wildly out of focus. Our brains seem quite forgiving of blurry areas if we have something sharp within the frame. The blur can actually be useful for establishing hierarchy within the narrative. I think we have all been taught by landscape photographers using focus stacking techniques to get everything in focus, but I think this is overstated and can actually look kind of phoney when overdone. I would encourage you to try it again, but place your main subject off to the side a bit and let the background blur. Try different f-stops until you get the image that works best for telling the story.
That's the thing. I'd done one shot with the trunk in focus, but that lost the feeling of this (virtually endless) distance I was looking for. I shot the lane way in focus, but the out of focus trunk didn't communicate the sense of something lost. I wanted to communicate the experience of standing there, with this thing that gave me a sense of loss along with a clear path forward, even though the destination of that path remains mysterious. I'll find someplace to post the final image...
I look forward to seeing that.