Ok - different twist today. Today I'm just going to provide a photo and the technical data, the rest is left to you.

Leave me a comment and tell me what you think works and what doesn't work. Easy as pie. (mmmm - pie.)

Technical Data: Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT, Tamron 180mm f/3.5 Di SP LD 1:1 Macro, 1/500 sec at f/6.3. ISO 320. No post production. Franklin Park Concervatory, Columbus, OH.

If you need a full size version to properly critique the photo, when you click on the photo it will take to you my gallery page for the photo. From there, the right most icon in the top center of the photo will provide a full size version.

I really look forward to seeing what folks think about the photo!

- Bill

So today's photo needs a little bit of an introduction.

Three years ago, Anya and I took a trip to Atlanta for my birthday. We visited the Georgia Aquarium (I'm sure I'll be sharing photos from there eventually) and the Atlanta Botanical Gardens.

Outside the Botanical Gardens was this huge sculpture that looked like a Dia de los Muertos skull. We instantly loved it, and it only got better when we got closer and realized that we could also go inside of it!

And then super awesome just got better...

Technical Data: Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT, Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 II at 31mm, 1/100 sec at f/8, ISO 400. No post production. Atlanta Botanical Gardens, Atlanta, GA.

Why This Photo: The numerous mirrors inside this sculpture just made for such an interesting environment. I really am not one to take photos of people, I rarely do so, but when a situation like this happens and I can get what I feel is a creative, unique photograph of someone, I seem to grasp the opportunity.

What Works: Capturing Anya's expression in such a unique way really makes this photo for me. The fact that she is gazing up at this incredible sculpture and not paying any attention to the camera is vital. Though photographs of people usually work best if the subject makes eye contact, I think the fact that she is looking at the rest of the mirrors actually draws the viewers eyes off to look through the multiple additional captured images in each mirror segment, and yet always end up back at the original focal point.

What Doesn't Work: Quite simply, I wish I had framed myself out of the shot. I feel the image would be much stronger if I could have managed to make Anya to be the only discernible person reflected in the mirrors.

We went back a couple years after this, and unfortunately the sculpture was gone. So I didn't get the chance to go back and fix my previous composition. Someday, I hope to find this sculpture again - I think that would be incredible.

Let me know what you think! Post a comment and leave your own critique of this photo.

- Bill

PS: As a parting gift, here's the view through the mouth of this sculpture...

Wow - remember what I said about looking at photos?

Go check out the National Wildlife Federation's 2009 Photo Contest winners.

Stunning. I only wish to be that good/lucky some day.

- Bill

I'm going to change things up today. I hope it won't disappoint anyone, but no photo to critique today. Instead I want to talk a little bit about one of the places I've received a lot of inspiration and subconscious instruction.

I'm talking about the many photography books I have. I've still got to work up the Photography Books page, but I figure I'll spotlight my favorite photographer from these books. His name is Thomas Marent. Wait! Wait! Before you click on that and go looking at his site, read the rest of my post since if you're anything like me, you'll get distracted for hours browsing through his gallery.

So far, he has three books published, and Anya and I own all three. The first is his Rainforest book, which is by far my favorite. Then he also has specialized ones: Frog and Butterfly.

It appears that they are all being re-issued as paperbacks which while it will make them cheaper, I definitely recommend seeking out the hardback versions if you can - there is just something more satisfying about a nice heavy coffee table book that paperback just can't achieve. The original Rainforest release came with an audio CD filled with the sounds of the rainforest - insects, frogs, birds, monkeys, rain, etc. It is an awesome disc to put on and relax listening to - kind of like one of those soothing sound machines. Plus if you have dogs, it is always fun if they're like our dogs and look around the room trying to locate where the strange sounds are coming from.

Really - next time you're at a book store, look for one of his books and check it out, then take it home and adorn your coffee table with it. You won't regret it.

I was unaware of it at the time, but when we started collecting these books years ago, it was inadvertently shaping my interest in photography and probably subconsciously training my eye for things to look for in a good photo. Things like composition, framing, focus, depth of field. All of those things can probably be learned more easily subconsciously than they can be in a classroom.

Many of the places I've looked at trying to learn how to take better photos will give you plenty of suggestions, the most common of which is 'get out and take photos as often as possible'. However, I've never seen anyone suggest that you also just look at lots of photos and see what you like, see what other people like.

So I am now. Go look at photos. Lots of photos. You can start here.

By doing so, you'll shape your own preferences, and then when you see it through the viewfinder of your own camera, you'll know to flip the shutter and you'll have that photo to be proud of and show off to everyone. You can thank me for it later...

- Bill

So I decided that I am already going to change up my posting schedule. Instead of doing Mon/Wed/Fri, I'm going to post Mon/Wed/Thu (probably in the evenings) so the posts will be here waiting for everyone on Tue/Thu/Fri mornings - so if you're planning on stopping by for new posts, that's what I'd suggest (or just stop everyday, that can't hurt ;) heh).

I decided I could use a little retail therapy this evening and went ahead and ordered a new camera bag and a new lens. The bag I ordered is the Canon Professional Gadget Bag 1-EG I liked the listed size of the bag (though reviews say that the description of the bag holding 2 bodies and 7-10 lenses is a bit generous, I think it will still hold all of my regular equipment with some room to spare) and the price was certainly right as most bags in this range are easily in the $150 range. Hopefully I'm as happy about this purchase once it arrives. The lens I bought was the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II lens. My buddy, Tom, recently bought this lens and has been liking it. I've had it on my wishlist for quite some time, and since it is priced so nicely ($99), I figured it was time to pull the trigger.

And while I was buying new gear, I decided it was time to flesh out the Equipment List, so you can head over there and take a look at the list of most of my current equipment. And then I had the idea about posting this evening, so I guess I should get to the photo...

Technical Data: Canon EOS Rebel XT, Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 II at 31mm, 1/130 sec at f/4.5, ISO 400. No post production. Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium, Pittsburgh, PA.

Why This Photo: This is actually one of my favorite photos I've ever taken. It is definitely a case of being in the right place at the right time, and being quick to compose the shot and squeeze the trigger.

What Works: The composition of this photo is pretty strong despite it really only having a few elements to it. The polar bear does cover half the photo, but the strong white color ends right on one of the vertical thirds. His nose (which I feel is the eventual focal point) sits pretty close to one of the power points. Additionally, I'm happy that I was able to achieve good focus despite the subject being in water (which automatically softens things) and being behind some pretty thick plexiglass (which can pick up reflections and distortions).

What Doesn't Work: While the composition is strong, there are a few elements that given the perfect set of circumstances, I would like to change. First, I don't mind that the top of the polar bear's head is cropped at the top of the image - though if there were nice reflections on the underside of the surface, that might be an interesting element (but grealy changes the photo). The dark area in the bottom left corner is actually a young child's shoulder - the polar bears were a the main attraction of the day as they had just been put in this new enclosure, so there was no chance of getting a completely free window, but framing that out of the shot would have removed that distraction. And finally, I am less ok with the fact that the paw is cropped at the bottom of the image - I think that would have been a strong element to the photo had I been able to capture it (in all honesty though, I do not remember if I could have even included it). Also, if possible, this would be a much more powerful image had I been able to wait for the bear to actually make eye-contact with the camera - in the shot, he is still focusing on the child in front of me.

Well - there you have it. One of my favorite photos. One I'm rather proud of actually, and have shown off in multiple places. I really want to hear your opinion though. What do you think about this shot? Do you think I should be proud of this one or is it one that should be passed over as just a plain-old-photo? Leave me a comment and let me know what you think!

Thanks for stopping by.

- Bill

Well, I've been working on the blog pretty much every night, but without new posts, there isn't really much to show for it. First, let me explain what improvements have been made. Comments are now turned on for anonymous users - I debated for a long time about this to keep the site clean of spam, and decided that with a captcha and administrative approval of comments, that it would be ok. If things go well, perhaps I'll turn off the need for approval or find other mechanisms to keep it safe without the need for approval. Also, you'll notice a new logo up top - I'm still up in the air whether I'll keep it for good, but the more I look at it, the more I like it. The logo was made by my friend Douglas over at WeakNetLabs - Thanks Douglas!. I pulled the random gallery images offline for now, and will continue working on getting them back up in some form since it seemed like folks liked that feature. Those were the major improvements (at least the ones that people will see), and I have a bunch more in the pipeline, so keep checking back to see them.

And now onto today's photo:

Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D, Tamron 180mm f/3.5 Di SP LD 1:1 Macro, 1/330 sec at f/3.5. No post production. Cedar Creek Park, Westmoreland County, PA (thanks to Tony for suggesting I provide location details)

Why This Photo: Well, I continued the nerdy cleverness here too. I figured a post with the title of New & Improved would work well for one of the first images taken with my new camera. I was out wandering around on a frigid afternoon in Cedar Creek Park, and I spotted a waterfall and some plants with berries up on a hillside, and as I made my way towards that I found these delicate little plants with these very interesting ice crystals on them. So I stopped and took a few quick shots.

What Works: I feel this is a good use of depth of field with a nice soft background, and the fact that there is sharp focus despite being handheld with macro lens is nice. This is a great example of spotting of an interesting subject - these plants and ice crystals were tiny, and considering I was already making my way to another subject I had spotted, I could have just as easily passed right over these if I didn't have my eyes open.

What Doesn't Work: My impatience got the best of me here. I had a very interesting subject right in front of my lens and instead of stopping and really working with this subject, I only took a few quick shots and moved on. I feel the angle of this shot (and the others I captured) do not show off the intricateness of the ice crystals as I had wanted. I should have taken the time to look at this subject from multiple angles and taken my time with a shot. I could also have taken the time to setup a tripod or at least used the monopod for even sharper focus. (Granted this was found in a fairly wet marshy area, and I wasn't too keen on kneeling in the water much longer, I could have improvised something and spent more time here). Especially in this case where I rushed off to another subject that wasn't going anywhere (if I were tracking some wildlife, it might be different), it is disappointing knowing I got sub-par shots because I was impatient.

What do you think? I'd love to hear other folks' critiques of my photos, feel free to leave a comment with your opinion - it doesn't matter whether you're critiquing it from a technical photography standpoint, or just giving your gut reaction to the photo. I'm hoping to be able to learn from the comments and opinions I gather from this blog.

I'm going to try and stick to a Mon/Wed/Fri schedule with posting, so stop back soon to see what else I can come up with.

- Bill

Welcome to my photography blog. Admittedly, I do not know everything there is to know about photography. Heck, I wouldn't even call myself anything more than an enthusiastic novice that gets lucky now and again and sometimes gets a few decent shots from time to time. But I'm learning, and that's the key. Which is the point of this blog - to help myself learn by forcing myself to explain things, and by extension, hopefully help others to learn as well.

So that explains why I'm here. Hopefully you see something here that gives you reason to come back! This will be a journey. A journey through learning about photography and everything that is a part of it - the technical stuff, the equipment, the financial aspect, the emotional side of photography - just about anything and everything that has anything to do with photography is fair game here I think. Hopefully soon some folks with follow this blog and provide their own insights and it will function on multiple levels. For right now, I'm just forcing myself to get going and hope it takes off.

Which brings me to the photo for this post... I had another photo that was more of a sunrise photo, but frankly I didn't like it as much for my first post, so I'll use it later maybe. But anyway, I think I'll experiment with how I want to discuss photos. I think starting out, I'll do four sections for each photo: Technical Data, Why This Photo, What Works, What Doesn't Work. They should be fairly explanatory once you read them, so I'll just get to it.

Technical Data: Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT, Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC HSM AF at 20mm, 1/320 sec at f/18, ISO 400.

Why This Photo: I took the photo because I liked the sun coming up from behind the Pittsburgh skyline. I had gotten to work early this morning and done some work and then headed out to take some photos of the replicas of the Columbus ships. I had wished to beat the sunrise, but as you can tell, I missed. I liked the small group of ducks drifting down the river. I chose this photo for this post as a kind of nerdy symbolism of 'dawn' - I thought it fit with the beginning of my blog.

What Works: I feel the composition is ok - even though I break the rule of thirds with the far shore of the river, I think I picked it back up with the placement of the tops of the buildings against the sky and the placement of the group of ducks sits right on one of the power points. I also liked the repetition of the shape of the point with Point State Park and the formation of the ducks.

What Doesn't Work: Obviously, the fact that I missed sunrise by a long way off, and resulted in a heavily blown out area in the center of the photo. While I like the sunburst effect of the sun peaking out from behind a building, I think I missed here and produced a fairly distracting blinding spot in the center of my image. This ends up washing out the colors of the sky, and reducing the detail of the city and any foreground elements. The reflection of the city off the river would be much nicer if this wasn't washed out too!

So there you have it, my first post. I'm not going to just put photos here and expect people to read this if all I do is claim my photos are flawless - that's not the point here. I'm trying to learn from my photos, and hopefully teach others from them as well.

I really hope you enjoyed this first post and stop back for more. I also plan on getting a full equipment list of what stuff I am shooting with (and what I might have collecting dust), a set of links (for places to go for more info, more photos, sales, etc), possibly reviews of the various equipment and books I've owned or read - the sky's the limit, and hopefully I'll get something useful going here.

Anyway, thank for stopping by and taking the time to read this!!!

- Bill