Tremont in the Spring

These are some of the images I shot during a field trip with my photography class to Tremount this past weekend. These were all taken in early morning light. This time of the day is great for photography because the sun is still low in the sky giving a nice warm and even tone light. As the sun gets higher in the sky the colors seem to fade making it hard to capture the beatiful colors of nature.

Tremont Along The River

This is a shot I made during my photography class this past weekend. In order to capture an image like this you must use a very small lens opening which in turn requires a very slow shutter speed. The small f-stop gives the subject enough depth of field to keep the reflections and rocks in focus. The slow shutter speed shows the motion of the water. Tech Info :  200mm Len  f-32 at 1 sec. 200 ISO and yes I used a tripod.

Witnessing for Christ

When I took this picture of graffiti at Market Square in Knoxville I did not realize there was a message or a sort of conversation on it. Check it out. This is a very creative way of witnessing for Christ and it could be life changing for some one. Technical info-- 15mm lens  f-5.6 at 1/125. This wide lens gives me some great distortion!     

Working an Image of a Leaf

Photography is like anything else. The harder you work the more you will get out of it. I like to tell my students to work an image.That means looking at all angles and views of a subject. Weather you are shooting people, landscapes or objects such as a leaf use your camera to study and record different views and angles. Get to know your subject through the images you make.The images on this post are of one leaf. Be brave shoot shoot shoot! This is the digital age of photography. In the film days I always had the sick feeling in the back of my mind how much is this shoot going to cost me. That fear is gone as I continually increase how many images I shot of one subject. Make sure when you find that next interesting subject get all the angles (low,high, front,back) and don't worry about those people that give you a funny look as you get down on you stomach to get that interesting angle.

Stop Action Swimmer

Sports photography can be approached in two different ways. Stop action (fast shutter speeds) or showing motion (slow shutter speeds) are the two different ways of capturing interesting sports images. In this picture of a swimmer I used a shutter speed of 1/500 to freeze the swimmer and the water revealing what the eyes could not see. When using shutter speeds of 1/60 or slower motion can be shown .

Indoor Shadows in Knoxville TN

Most of my favorite subjects are things I just happen to see.The early morning sun light coming through these windows created these dramatic shadows. I used a small lens opening f-16 so I could get sharp focus from one end of the composition the the other. Here is a good link that will help you understand f-stops and shutter speeds which make up what is call a proper exposure. PHOTOHEAD

Down Town Knoxville Looking Up

Most of the time a subject is more interesting in a not so normal angle. Using a wide angle lens and pointing upward I included two buildings which represents new and old architecture of Knoxville. Remember eye level can be boring when shooting pictures. Look for high or low positions that will show everyday subject in a different perspective.

Shadows and Reflections Inside as Well as Outside

I have found some of the most interesting subjects are reflections and shadows. This image is different in that it is indoors but the main reflection is from outside. I believe 95 % of photography is looking and finding what most people never notice. Next time you look at a tree don't just think there's a tree. Look at the tree as if this is the first tree you have ever seen. Look at the lines, shapes, and color that make a tree.

Fall Colors in Hardin Valley Knoxville

Fall colors in black and white can make very interesting subjects. In this image I extracted the red channel to turn this brightly colored tree into white. This is the same as using a red filter with black and film.

Great Light in Knoxville Tennessee

I believe you can get meaningful images no matter the location. If you are waiting for that exotic location with the incredible light to really shine as a photographer you might want to rethink your plans. If you are looking for great image opportunities look where you live . In everyday life you find and capture those interesting things that most people just walk by. One of my favorite photographers Jay Maisel loves shooting in his home town of New York. Here is an audio of him talking about where to find great subjects.
These fall colors were in the middle of  the downtown Knoxville on Henley Street. Maybe you will want to spend the money for a European vacation on some camera equipment.

More Cades Cove in the Rain

The only way to get this kind of image is to be in the pouring rain. I used a large lens opening f 2.8 to create shallow depth of field. I was using a tripod and an umbrella. The tripod was used to make it easier to hold the umbrella that kept the camera dry. I positioned my camera to get the most color in the background. Bad weather can mean great photography. Get out there!!

Rain in Cades Cove

Saturday at Cades Cove was rain and more rain just ask any of my  brave students. It was a great opportunity to avoid the normal crowds of fall color seekers and capture very interesting subjects. The rain never stoped during the entire field trip so shooting under the protection of umbrellas and the occasional cabin porch was a necessity. This image of the rain drops hitting a small stream close to the Mill had to be taken with a fast exposure( 1/250) in order to capture the circular patterns in the water. My Photography classes are offered every semester at Pellissippi State in Knoxville.

Fresh Home Grown at Market Square Knoxville

When I saw these peppers all I could think was COLOR.. Most subjects are color or black and white. This as you can see is all about color. I used a wide angle lens and moved in close to the peppers to make them the dominant part of the composition. The cloudy sky help give the scene a nice even light. I also set my white balance by reading off a white card with my camera.

The 180 Degree Rule in Knoxville Tennessee

This is the view 180 dregees from the Bijou image posted. I like to look and see what is 180 degrees from my first subject. Most of the time I find interesting compositions that way.

Bijou Theater in Knoxville Tn

There are some very old and interesting architecture in downtown Knoxville. This image of the Bijou was shot in evening light. One of the more modern building in the downtown area is across the street from the Bijou. The reflective light from this large glass and steel skyscraper created some intriguing light and shadow on the theater. Using a 17mm lens I pointed the camera upward to frame the building with the sign. To made the image black & white I saved the green channel then coverted to gray scale.

Ducks in Pond at Pellissippi State

This is another one I took during the class field trip at Pellissippi. The best light for outdoor photography is evening and morning . Why? The sun is lower in the sky giving warm light that illuminates at a lower angle creating more dramtic images. If this same kind of light happened all day it might be consider boring but the fleeting moment of this type of light makes it interesting to the viewer. Set that alarm and get up and try to arrive at interesting places at first light. Don't drink too much coffee because steady hand make sharp photos.

Yellow Line on Road

This is one of the images I took during my Basic Photography Class at Pellissippi State.I used a wide angle lens to exaggerate the long yellow line and held the camera unlevel to include more of the line. With the aid Adobe Photoshop I desaturated the photo to black and white leaving only the yellow line the original color.This is one of the roads going out of the college campus.My next class begins Oct. 22. This class concentrates more on the artistic side of digital photography. It also includes two field trips.

Sun Flower in Black & White

Some of my students discovered a garden of sunflowers on our field trip in class. I shot this with a zoom lens with it set on macro. The evening light was perfect because the low angle help create good shadows on the pedals of the flower. I converted to black and white by using the red channel and I added some warm tone after returning the image the an RGB file.

Clouds Over Harden Valley Knoxville

When using long lens you can actually compact visual information. In this image that I took during my Basic Photography Class at Pellissippi State. I used a 200mm telephoto lens. This helped simplify the composition by compacting the information making everything seem closer together. If you want mountains to look taller or even clouds like these to look bigger use a long lens. I also used the red channel to convert from color to B&W which helped produce a dark sky.

Kirk Cameron Preaching

I had an assignment to get some shots of Kirk Cameron when he spoke at a marriage conference in Knoxville. The image was also used on the front page of the Daily Times News Paper. My favorite link with Kirk Cameron is The Way of the Master. It's GREAT!!

Birds Over Parking Lot Light

I took my photography class on a field trip. All we did was go outside the classroom on the Pellissippi campus. I like to use this location because of the seemingly boring everyday subject matter and also because it is convenient. I noticed these birds roosting on top of the tall lights in the parking lot. One clap of the hands and they are off and flying. My point again is that we do not have to go to exotic places to find interesting subjects.

Blount County Library at Sunset

As I walked through the sculptures at the Greenbelt Park I look up and saw the colorful sky with the Blount County Public Library. I used a 200mm lens to crop in close.LynnFreeny.com

As The Crow Flies in Cades Cove

Here is another image I shoot in the pouring rain in Cades Cove with my photography class. I decided the crows flying route was more important than the horizon line. LynnFreeny.com

Water Puddle in Cades Cove

The rainy day with my photography class offered some interesting subjects. What looks like a mountain lake is actually a large water puddle caused by the heavy rain last Saturday in Cades Cove. LynnFreeny.com

White Tailed Deer in Cades Cove

Here is another image from the rainy trip with my class in the Cove. I was driving down Hyatt Lane when I drove up on this beautiful doe in some tall grass. I rolled my window down and started shooting. Don't let the weather discourage you from getting out there. More images of my rainy day in Cades Cove to come. LynnFreeny.com

Wet Crow in Cades Cove

I had a field trip to Cades Cove with my photography class. It rained the whole time. Even the crows got soaked. I mostly used my car as a shelter from the rain. Thanks to the weather very few people were in the cove. To my surprise my car also made a great blind to get close to some of the wildlife in The Great Smoky Mountains National Park. I have some more images to post of this rainy trip later. LynnFreeny.com

Ice and Snow Covered Trees at Night

The other night after a dusting of snow and light rain I decided to walk the dog before bed time. As I walked the dog I noticed these delicate white lines of snow outlining every tree limb in sight. I decided to put my camera on a tripod and use a strobe off the camera to light the interesting patterns. I set my camera for a 30 second exposure and my lens at f-8. During the 30 second exposure I walked around with my flash in hand pointing and flashing 5 times at different angles to light the tree limbs. The white balance was set on daylight which helped enhance the warm light of the porch. LynnFreeny.com

A Warm Day in January

I went to the Greenbelt Park in Maryville Tennessee today with camera in tow. It was so warm I thought it might be the first day of spring. I started shooting as the sun was getting low in the sky. Everywhere I looked was interesting because of the light. As I was walking through a tunnel I saw this wonderful shadow created by a little girl on a bicycle. These long shadows only happen when the sun is at a low angle close to the horizon line. I am shooting into the sun causing a rim lighting around the subject. I used the tunnel as a gobo to block the sun from the lens eliminating lens flare. LynnFreeny.com

Oak Ridge Swim Meet With Shadows

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

Yes We Are Open at Subway

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

Sunset From Foothills Parkway

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

Little Girl on Sidewalk

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

Swimming for the Touch

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

Farm House With My Shadow

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

Man Reading Newspaper in Sculpture Garden at Market Square Knoxville

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

Tree Roots at Wesley Woods in Townsend Tennessee

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

Great Parking Space in Knoxville Tennessee

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

Battle Reenactment at Fort Loudon Tennessee

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

Pig Sculpture in Oak Ridge

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

Shadows of a Little Girl

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

Man Hole Cover for City Sewer

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

Time Trials for Bike Race

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

Sunset on Clingman's Dome Great Smoky Mountains

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

Reflecting Window in Black and White

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

View from Foothills Parkway

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

Country Church in the Smoky Mountains

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