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
I am keeping on the theme of unnatural color effects. This image was taken in color so I could capture the interesting reflection on the windows. In one of the windows you can see part of the Blount County Court House clock tower. I decided to desaturated the building but keep the colorful reflective windows. All this work was accomplished using Adobe Photoshop. LynnFreeny.com
Last night I took pictures at a swim meet. After seeing this image in true color I decided to give the water a different look to help isolate the swimmer more. I desaturated the blue color of the water to reveal lots of bright reflections that the swimmer helped to create. Be brave try different ways to change the original colors without destroying the photography.LynnFreeny.com
Clouds are so big and beautiful it is only natural to include them in photographs. In this image I watched as the clouds move in to the right position so that I could have the bell tower and clouds in the same composition. I used the red channel to help produce the dramatic sky turning the blue part into a almost black tone.LynnFreeny.com
My favorite color is red. It is one of those colors that screams for your attention. It is considered a warm color. Warm colors always bring more attention than cool colors. In this image I wanted to lock into the red barn so I moved in close causing the barn to bleed off the page. As you can see the red barn dominates over the blue sky getting all of the visual attention. LynnFreeny.com
Swim photography has that added element of water that can give you interesting reflections. In this image I broke the rule by holding my camera at an odd angle forgetting about the word level. Why? Because I wanted to isolate the swimmer with the reflective water which simplified the composition. I used black and white to keep the the image more about tone than color. This too is a way to simplify things. LynnFreeny.com
Sports lends itself to still photography. The reason why is because of the ability of the freeze frame to capture something that the normal vision never sees. Even when you compare motion picture photography to still the still photograph is the only way to see that slit second in the action. Stop action images of swimmers can be one of the most interesting sports to photograph because of the close interaction the swimmer has with the water.LynnFreeny.com
Old barns seem to lend them self to infrared photography. This barn has since fallen in and been replaced by a metal building that lacks the character of the original structure. I used the same method as I did in the other two infrared images posted before this one. LynnFreeny.com
In small towns some of the most interesting architecture are churches. This is Chestnut Street Baptist Church in the small harbor town of Camden Maine. This church has been serving the Camden community for 200 years. I choose black and white film because I wanted to show the white church standing out against the dark sky. The sky was actually deep blue but with a number 25 red filter I was able to capture a sky that actually go from a light gray to an almost absolute black tone. I use a wide angle lens to show the steep upward shape of the building. LynnFreeny.com
Here is another interesting place in Mississippi. It is called the Ruins of Windsor. When I first saw this subject I knew I had to shoot it with infrared film. I used the same method as I did in Natchez Mississippi. See details from the image before this one posted yesterday. One of the great things about shooting infrared is that high noon light is OK light. This image was shot while the sun was high in the sky. Normal film at this time of day usually preforms badly because of the high contrast of the light. LynnFreeny.com
I enjoy old historical buildings and Natchez Mississippi is one of the best places for that very thing. In this image I used infrared film with a number 25 red filter over a wide angle lens. The characteristic of this type of film is to be very grainy. The effect kind of helps turn the clock back to the days of this type of house. I developed the film in D-76 developer which gives most black and white films a boost in contrast. LynnFreeny.com
The contrasting differences between the two subjects makes this image interesting. Both have made eye contact with each other. Remember in still photography you capture what amounts to a blink of an eye. So these two did not have a stare down contest but had a quick glance. The reflection of the girl helps to add an additional interesting element to the composition. This is at the Knoxville Zoo in Tennessee. LynnFreeny.com
Any time you include your light source in your image you will capture some dynamic light. In the case of this image of the cross I positioned myself so the sun would be touching the cross. I set my f/stop at 16 to cause a star like effect. LynnFreeny.com
I am kind of like a kid when it comes to clouds. They continually fascinate me because of their size. Clouds seem to dwarf everything else you see outside. The biggest building can not compete with their size. In this image I was shooting the clouds when suddenly a jet flew through the middle of my composition. LynnFreeny.com
I love rural areas where you see farm land and the open spaces. Growing up I was always close to where cows were. I could here see and smell them if you know what I mean. In this image I decided I want to convey that feeling as a boy when I would get up every in the morning only to see cows moving through the fields as the fog began to lift. I used the sandwich method to get the effect I wanted. This is something that can be done with film or digitally. I took two images and put them together. One a foggy morning and the other cows walking through a field.LynnFreeny.com
As I was headed to work this morning I was at a stop sign when I saw the power lines glowing. Using a 200mm telephoto lens I was able to isolate a lone car passing under power lines that are normally very boring in the beautiful warm morning light. After the shot I looked in my rear view mirror and saw a big truck behind me ending this photo moment.LynnFreeny.com
When I see an interesting building I like to look at all the different angles. I tell my students to work a subject. This means take images at a lot of different angle. In the case of this church in Maine I ended up with an image of the back of the church where the grave yard was located. This was shot with film. LynnFreeny.com
Taking pictures out a car windows can be fun and dangerous! This image was shot as I was heading to work on Pellissippi Parkway. The effects of shooting through the glass of the car window can be unpredictable. In this image I have a combination motion blur and reflections which I know I could never repeat. That is what makes it so fun.LynnFreeny.com
When I first saw this tree all I could think was "creepy". The strong contrast between the sky and the tree causes the viewer to climb the hill visually toward the tree. Black and white was best for this subject mainly because of the lack of color. LynnFreeny.com
When I am shooting I always have the thought, is this a black and white subject or is it more suited for color. This subject was more about tone than it was about color. I converted the image to a black and white by changing to lab colors then saving only the lightness channel. This is one of the many ways you can convert a color digital file to black and white using Adobe Photoshop. LynnFreeny.com
Last nights swim meet was still going strong after the sun went down. The meet was at a small neighborhood pool. This means I get better angles and closer to the action. In fact when I was taking this image I got a little wet. Getting in close helps draw the viewer into this high energy sport. I was shooting in low light with a long lens. The motion of the water and swimmer takes on an almost painterly quality. LynnFreeny.com
During a ballet most of the dance has an overall feeling of gracefulness. I noticed the dancers shadows as they came close to the background. The shadows simplified the dancers to tones.LynnFreeny.com
It is summer time and I spend some serious time at swim meets. I am always looking for interesting subjects wherever I am. Between heats during a break in the action I shot this image of the warm evening light reflecting off the blue waters of the pool. I know that description sounds like a corny travel ad.LynnFreeny.com
Sometimes I like to complain about the weather. When I go to swim meets I usually do not like to see stormy weather because that could delay or even end a meet prematurely. But in this case I was very thankful for the weather. The red sky gave another element for the moment. I also broke the rules and held the camera unleveled to make the viewer feel more involved in the image.LynnFreeny.com
When I shoot sports photography I like using a telephoto lens so I can put myself in the middle of the action. In this image I used a 200mm lens so I could compact the information causing the swimmers to look like they are almost on top of each other. This helps to convey the competitiveness and excitement generated by these athletes. LynnFreeny.com 
I was shooting at a swim meet when the officials called time while they fixed some problems. While I was waiting I saw this cool shadow. Using Photoshop I converted the color image to lab colors then saved the lightness layer as a gray scale image. Forgive me if you are not a Photoshop person. LynnFreeny.com
I was taking pictures of a musical at Pellissippi State when I saw how interesting the stage lights were. Using a setting of ISO 800 I was able to hand hold the camera. LynnFreeny.com
Tonight I decided to take some photos of VBS at my church. I got side tracked by the light coming through the beautiful stained glass windows. LynnFreeny.com
This spring I took my photography class to Market Square in Knoxville Tennessee. I found this scene in the sculpture garden. By using a telephoto lens with a large lens opening I was able to frame this man enjoying his newspaper. By using a shallow depth of field I was able to isolate the man with his news paper and cigar. LynnFreeny.com
I guess one of my favorite things about photography is capturing a moment in time that would otherwise be missed. In this image I was interested in freezing the swimmers as they came off the blocks. The less than graceful diver in the foreground gives me more than I could have hoped for. A fast shutter speed of 1/500 of a second helped stop the action. LynnFreeny.com
Sometimes people look at me with this confused look on their face as they watch me with a camera. I know they are thinking what is this crazy guy shooting with his camera. Case in point, I found some interesting overlapping patterns as I walked by a building site. The colors seem to vibrate. LynnFreeny.com
When using a telephoto lens inside with a subject like swimming you have no choice but to use a wide open aperture. This produces very shallow depth of field. I try to use it to my advantage. This type of focus helps to isolate your subject. In this image the swimmers head is really the only thing in focus. LynnFreeny.com
Sometimes the time of day is more important than the subject. In this image a picture of these storage tanks would be boring without the sunset reflection giving a warm glow on the subject. LynnFreeny.com
Using a telephoto lens is my main choice when shooting swimmers. Two reasons for the long lens, one I do not like getting wet and I like to get close up details of the swimmers face. In this image it looks like the swimmers are too close. This is caused by the telephoto lens which compacts information. This is why long lens make mountains look taller.LynnFreeny.com
I took this shot on a field trip with my class. Several of my students decided the reflection on the doors of this building had to be photographed. I guess I thought the same thing. I positioned myself so I would not be in the composition. The way the glass is separated by the metal frames helps the the reflection to become more interesting than just one solid piece of glass. LynnFreeny.com
I was at a church picnic today at Sam Houston School House. After eating too much I headed to a bench on the beautiful grounds of the old school house. I looked up and saw a tree canopy of new growth and as you know I had my camera with me so I took a shot. I ended up using the green channel then added a warming filter in Photoshop to get to this final image.LynnFreeny.com
Shadows are under rated by many people. Some photographers try to eliminate all shadows making their image seem so flat and boring. In this image the shadows of the fence on the little girls face add more drama. LynnFreeny.com
Usually when you say birds eye view of something it means seeing at a high elevation. In the case of this image I imagined what it would be like if I was a low flying bird. By tilting the camera I was able to give a feeling flight. LynnFreeny.com
I shot this jet crossing the sky one evening during winter. I used a wide angle lens which created some distortion with the trees in the frame. Extreme wide angle lens usually distort at the edges of the the image. It works well on this type of subject. When a wide angle lens is not level the effect on the edges are even more pronounced. In this image the lens is being pointed upward toward the plane. This kind of effect may not be as desirable when shooting a group shot like a sports team. The people on the sides will look wider or even fat!LynnFreeny.com
I just can't help myself I must capture the reflections I see every day. Here I am stepping out of a rain storm when the sky clears and there it is . Rain drops on this window mirroring the end of the storm. LynnFreeny.com
Reflection is one of those things most of us take for granted. Many times we just look and see a window and miss the beautiful reflection like this one in this image. Keep eyes and mind open and look at the world for those little details. LynnFreeny.com
