Swim meets are great events to photograph. Here at a USA Swim meet in Oak Ridge, Tennessee I was able to capture my two favorite subjects color and shadows. These shadows were created by the early morning light coming through the windows of the indoor pool. LynnFreeny.com
Carrying my camera with me all the time helps me find interesting images anywhere. I guess you could call it some kind of therapy to keep me from becoming burned out as a photographer. I take a lot of pictures every day. Most are what the customer wants. This does very little for improving creativity. As a professional photographer you have to shoot images for yourself for fun to keep things fresh. This image was taken at a Subway sandwich place while I waited in line. LynnFreeny.com
I had one photographer tell me "once you have seen one sunset they are pretty much the same, boring". I think that is about as far from reality as one can get. Every sunset is different especially here in The Great Smoky Mountains where clouds seem to be ever present. This image was shoot from the Look Rock Tower along Foothills Parkway. I like to wait on the sun to disappear and watch as the colors increase in brilliance. Of course if you wait this long after the sun has gone down make sure you pack a flash light. LynnFreeny.com
Black and white imaginary is much more abstract than color because this is a world we can only see through photography. If we walked around seeing everything in black and white color would be more abstract. I selected black and white for this subject because tone dominants the subject. The late afternoon light helps to create an elongate shadow of the girl.Note: I will be teaching another class in digital photography. Here is a link for details on this class.LINK FOR CLASS LynnFreeny.com
Many times angle of view can make all the difference in what you capture with a camera. On this image I used a 15mm lens pointed downward so I would only include the pool in the frame. I am close enough to get a little slash from the swimmer but it was worth it.Note: I will be teaching another class in digital photography. Here is a link for details on this class.LINK FOR CLASS LynnFreeny.com
If you have not figured out by now if you are a regular reader of my blog, I love shadows! I saw a wonderful shadow of a tree on the side of this farm house in Greenback Tennessee. As I looked through the view finder I saw my own shadow. So I reached with one arm stretched out and took the picture. Evening light in the fall can produce some really elongated shadows. Go out and be a kid again looking at those long shadows of autumn.Note: I will be teaching another class in digital photography. Here is a link for details on this class.LINK FOR CLASS LynnFreeny.com
One of the best ways to simplify a subject is by using shallow depth of field. In this image of the newspaper reader I used a 200 mm lens set at f-2.8. Notice how the out of focus background helps the subject to stand out from a complex background. I also used a tripod to steady the camera to obtain a sharp image. Note: I will be teaching another class in digital photography. Here is a link for details on this class.LINK FOR CLASS.LynnFreeny.com
I took my kids to Wesley Woods last week. It is a great place for kids to discover nature. While the kids were looked for water creatures in a small stream I noticed these giant roots on the bank. I used a tripod because of the slow shutter speed. It was a cloudy day and there was not much light along the bank of this small mountain stream. Because of the evenness of the light caused by the cloud cover I was able to get great details on the surface of the roots. Remember the sun is a small light source on a clear sky day and when it is cloudy the sun becomes a large light source. LynnFreeny.com
I like looking for interesting things in the everyday world. Going to the Grand Canyon might be grand but I prefer the narrow alleys of Knoxville. I found this scene near Market Square. I am always looking for places to shoot from that are not eye level. The whole world is viewed by everybody at eye level. Go low or high to improve your photography.LynnFreeny.com
Reenactments are the closest thing to a time machine especially when shooting with a camera. I used a 300mm lens to get a close portrait of this soldier with his vintage spectacle. A close crop with the camera along with shallow depth of field (putting the background out of focus) helped to simplify the composition. Simplifying an image helps the viewer focus on the subject. LynnFreeny.com
I found this pseudo pig in historical Jackson Square in Oak Ridge Tennessee. I used a large aperture to create shallow depth of field. This helped isolate this sidewalk beast. LynnFreeny.com
In the class I am teaching the assignment this week is to shoot shadows and reflections. This evening I could not help myself. There they were these beautiful shadows created by one light source. The light is spilling out from an open door causing the long shadows. LynnFreeny.com
Sometimes looking down to see where you are stepping can pay off. This man hole cover in evening light makes an interesting subject. The sun is low in the sky creating strong shadows on the cover. LynnFreeny.com
By moving the camera at the same speed and direction as the bike racer I was able to get a sharp image of this bike at a shutter speed of 1/30. The background forms bured motion vertical lines caused by the moving of the camera. This method is called panning and works with any moving object. Try it!! Note in bright light you will have to use a small f-stop like 22 or 16 in order to shoot a slow shutter speed.LynnFreeny.com
When gas was cheap I liked going to the top of Clingman's Dome in the Great Smoky Mountains after work to catch sunsets. At an elevation of 6,643 feet sunsets can be spectacular. Maybe when we get electric cars I will start going up this mountain after work again. LynnFreeny.com
When I shoot images like this I get questions and strange looks. This photograph reminds me of a painting hanging in an art gallery. I love the distortion of the reflected subject on the window.LynnFreeny.com
Getting on top of a mountain and then looking out there it looks just the way the land looked when Daniel Boone and Davy Crockett were hunting in these same mountains. This view from on top Foothills Parkway in the Great Smoky Mountains is one of those views I never get tried of. Black and white was my choice to show the different shades of gray from close to far away mountains.LynnFreeny.com
Back roads always have those hidden surprises that make them worth while to go down. This image is a church found on a back Sevier County Tennessee. In the sky I saw a small cloud coming into the frame. I waited until the cloud was in the right place to help balance the composition. I used a number 25 red filter to darken the blue sky. I am teaching a photography class at Pellissippi State. There is still time to sign up. Click here for more information. Lynn Freeny.com
This is the second time I have posted this image. I was wanting to show the beauty of this area that is being threatened by Hurricane Gustav. The sand fence helps to preserve the dunes that are the only protection against heavy storms. The repeated shades of the shadows of the fence was why I shot this image. The reason I used black and white was because the subject is all about tone.LynnFreeny.com I am teaching a photography class at Pellissippi State. There is still time to sign up. Click here for more information.
Sometimes when doing portrait photography the best way to approach the process is to keep it simple. This portrait used a large light source, a window, to light the subject. The reflection of the window in her eyes makes a great catch light. Great lighting is just as important as composition. One of the greatest portrait photographer, Arnold Newman. LynnFreeny.com
Black and White photography always bring to mind the likes of Ansel Adams , John Sexton , Minor White, and Ed Westcott. To say you are not influenced by these masters of black and white is naive. This image was shot along the Foothills Parkway in The Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee. With the camera on a tripod and an umbrella to keep drizzle off I waited for the weather to clear. Patiences paid off, this image captured the edge of the rain and the fog that comes with it. Remember bad weather is always an opportunity in landscape photography.LynnFreeny.com I am teaching a photography class at Pellissippi State. There is still time to sign up. Click here for more information.
In art angle of view can be as important as the subject itself. I am on my back shooting from the floor of a tent. Everyday subject are more interesting at angle that are lower or higher than eye level. I will be teaching a photography class at Pellissippi State in September. It is not too late to sign up. LynnFreeny.com
Most of the time when I am shooting clouds motion is not a factor. In this particular situation the clouds were moving quickly. I used a wide angle lens to include most of the sky. LynnFreeny.com
I used to think I had to be at a special location to get an interesting image. Now I believe you can find great subjects anywhere. I no longer worry where I am with a camera. I just keep an eye out for things in everyday life to photograph. LynnFreeny.com
Here is another image I took the other night at Shakespeare in the Park in Knoxville. This is actually backstage in the open air of Market Square. I used a wide angle lens to get a wide view of the subject. LynnFreeny.com
I went to Shakespeare in The Park last night. Wonderful outdoor performance in great weather. This image was shot just as it started to get dark. There was still just enough light in the sky to make a nice backdrop for the play.LynnFreeny.com
Long shadows with a wide angle lens is a perfect combination. I used a low angle with the camera pointed downward to get the right angle to best show this very elongated shadow cast on the floor. LynnFreeny.com
This image was shot through a window of a moth hanging upside down on the outside. I was glad this large moth was outside because he could eat through several wool sweaters. Cropping close and exposing so the moth would go black were the most effective way to simplify this subject. LynnFreeny.com
This strange abstract images was taken next to a swimming pool in low light. As I was shooting this subject I thought of a photography in Maine that I had taken a workshop with, John Paul Caponigro. LynnFreeny.com
I can not resist shadows that make a boring subject come to life. This siding on a house can be such an uninteresting subject. With the shadow it becomes this dynamic composition worth shooting. Remember do not underrate shadows. Give them a second look when you see them. LynnFreeny.com
Some one told me to go down to Black Mountain North Carolina to find the best bright colors one fall. When I arrived in Black Mountain the fall colors were muted. I was just heading out of town toward the Blue Ridge Parkway when I saw this old building on the side of the road. I set up my tripod and composed the image then at the last minute I decided something was missing. I reached above my camera to cast my own shadow on the door. The shadow added direction to the image. LynnFreeny.com
I got some other images of Norris Dam State Park yesterday. This image of an old mill had to be black and white. The reason I say that was because the subject had more tone and less color to it. LynnFreeny.com
I was in Norris Dam State Park in Tennessee this evening. As I worked on a portrait job I saw this amazing reflection under a bridge. The light was perfected for just that moment. I am always looking with my camera even when I am on an assignment. LynnFreeny.com
Fog can cause some very strange looks. In this image I pointed the camera directly toward the sun. The fog helps to cause some directional lines. It can look very weird but different in foggy conditions. LynnFreeny.com
Cats are funny creatures that like hiding in small spaces ready at any moment to jump out at you. In this image I liked where the shadow falls causing the eyes to be the main element in the composition. LynnFreeny.com
I am still taking swim pictures because it is hot and it is summer time. I alway like capturing a start to a race because you can see some of the most intense motions of the athletes. Here I freeze the swimmers as they push off the side of the pool into what looks like a great wall of water.LynnFreeny.com
In photography the most important element is light. Without it nothing can be recorded. In this image the sun light is going through the leaves of the trees. This causes the trees to become light sources. They are kind of like a nature lamp shade for the sun. LynnFreeny.com
In early spring the trees start to come alive with bright shades. I decided the best way to show this was by simplifying the subject to tones with a black and white image. LynnFreeny.com
Cades Cove, the best place to shoot and also the worst place to shoot. The reason this is true because the area is loved to death by people. It is almost like being in a city park. Too many photographers. So many that you have to watch out or they will be in your shoot or will follow you around with their camera trying to get the same image. But I still enjoy Cades Cove so I guess I will have to live with it. LynnFreeny.com
The interesting thing about this image is the pond is actual a low place that gathers water after a very heavy rain. In order to get in the right position I had to wade through mud almost to my knees. I was so muddy I walked home. It was only a five minute walk. This was shot in the evening. I forgot, yes I even had to clean the mud off my tripod. LynnFreeny.com
There is this beautiful peaceful place in the Smoky Mountains call Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail. The only catch is you have to go through busy Gatlinburg to get there. This image was taken just off the side of the road where one of the old mills is located. LynnFreeny.com
A rainbow formed over the swimming pool in Maryville Tennessee after a swim meet was called off because of thunder storms. The Flying Dolphin ended up having a swim party after the other team went home.LynnFreeny.com
I was walking around Maryville College when I saw this dismantled door against a building. I like the sign on the door "Please Keep Door Closed" and the reflection on the door's glass. LynnFreeny.com
When taking pictures of people the closer you get the more is revealed to the viewer. In this image of a swimmer using a telephoto lens and a fast shutter speed a lot is revealed. You know that he is giving all he has to win. Again this is one of the reasons why still photography will never be replaced by motion pictures. Still photography captures that moment in time that is gone with the bleak of an eye. LynnFreeny.com
I was at a swim meet last night. This image of the swimmers in stop action is another good example of what high speed photography can capture. When I am shooting swim meets I do not use auto focus. In fact I really do not like auto anything on a camera. The reason for my distaste for auto is my inability to control what I want the camera to do. I like to think I am more intelligent than a camera. Most people are. So get out of the auto world of photography and start really living.LynnFreeny.com
I found this scene on the Maryville College Campus and thought it looked odd. As I reflected on the image I started thinking how God was trying to tell me something with this old dead tree. Most of the time we as humans think we are so smart and we do not need God in our life. We can go to the top quickly by the use of shortcuts that may step on other people. But in the end we arrive on top ugly just like this tree. The ones below us, the ones that followed God's will are more beautiful and glorious just like the Mimosa trees below this old dead tree. LynnFreeny.com
This morning on my way to work there it was, some interesting fog. I found a safe place to pull over then started shooting. We had some heavy rain over night which created some very low lining fog that the sunrise helped give a nice warm tone to. LynnFreeny.com
Fog is one of those elements that grows on you. I remember the first time I shot in the fog I was very disappointed. I thought I should be getting very sharp images even in fog. It is hard to focus the camera with these ground level clouds. When using a very long lens the layers become more dense than what the naked eye sees. Remember telephotos lens compact information they also compact the fog making it more difficult to get sharp edges. LynnFreeny.com
This image reminds me of the classic Alfred Hitchcock Movie "The Birds". It was taken at a stop sign at one of the intersection I come to on my commute to work. The colors were enhanced to give the image that mysterious feeling you might get as the birds circle after watching "The Birds". LynnFreeny.com
Freezing action in swimming can be much more dramatic than what the viewer sees normally. In this image the fast shutter speed along with some low angle light helped show more detail of the water being moved by the swimmer. LynnFreeny.com
