Ballet Dancer

Dance is related to balance and form. Guess what so are the fine arts of painting, sculpture and photography. That is why dance is such a popular subject for artist. As I watched this ballerina Degas's paintings came to mind. In order to get the right exposure my light meter is going to over expose the subject (the dancer) because of the dark background. All light meters are calibrated to 18% gray. What that means is black objects are over exposed to make it close to 18% gray and white objects are under exposed ( dirty snow). The way I metered this subject was to set the exposure 2 stops less than the camera said. Timing is everything when shooting live performances . Capturing the right moment takes practice and anticipation. lynnfreeny.com

Shakespeare On The Square

I think the best place to see plays is outdoors. Being outside seems to always make things feel less formal and much more relaxed. Another advantage of being out is the ability to move around with a camera without disturbing others. On this image of a Shakespeare performer I came in close to include less and simplified the composition forcing the viewer to only look at what I thought was important. I think one of the essentials to successful photography is being very selective of what you include in your frame. Too much information in an image is too much information. What if I had included the audience and some of the sky and another actor on stage.Too much information, make it simple. lynnfreeny.com

Roaring Mountain Stream

When I go to the mountains I always try to visit where water flows. As a kid growing up in the Southern Appalachians summer always meant spending time playing in mountain streams that could chill you to the bone, a wonderful feeling during the dog days of August. To get the right angle for this image a had to jam a tripod against the guard rail of a bridge and hope a car didn't come along. I had to move off this narrow one lane bridge twice because of cars before I was able to capture this 15 second exposure. Notice in order to capture the movement of the water an exposure of 1/15 of a second or slower works well. The slower the shutter speed the smoother the moving water becomes. A very long exposure can cause the moving water to start looking like fog. Weird! lynnfreeny.com

Fishing Bird

My family and I like to make evening trips to Greenbelt Park close to home. The park is in the middle of town yet wildlife is abundant. This evening I was able to capture this little guy doing some fishing in the small creek running through the park. Reflections of the sky in the water and a bird that seemed to care less about a photographer helped. As I looked through my lens I was looking at background as well as the bird. I moved around until I could see nice colors reflecting back at me from the water. Then composing the image so the bird would have more space in front helps the flow of the image. By having the extra room in front of the bird helps your mind to imagine the bird will be moving forward. A repeated space of the bird, the bird and his reflection, gives a peaceful balance to the composition. lynnfreeny.com

West Virgina Overlook

No manner how many times I shoot infrared I am still amazed by the hidden world it reveals. My favorite time to record infrared images is in what I normally think of as bad light. Times when the sun is high in the sky causing bleached out colors and dark shadows is the time to break out infrared. lynnfreeny.com

Parking Lot Wonder

I always have a camera. This image is an example of why. Going grocery shopping in the evening can bring some rewarding images. I have started a series of images with interesting skies from parking lots. Exotic places do not always equal great photography. My preference are ordinary places. My suggestion is to look, you are surrounded by interesting subjects everyday.
lynnfreeny.com

Appalachian Sunrise

Catching the red eye has its rewards. When flying I always get the window seat and I spend time shooting and looking. The technique that works best for me using a lens hood I put the lens against the window and try to shoot no slower than 1/250. Using a large lens opening is OK because in aerial photography your focus is on infinity so depth of field is not important. The use of a polarize filter helps with the scratches on the window. lynnfreeny.com

Sunglasses With Bling

I do lots of straight portraits. In this case sunglasses transformed this engineer into something much different. This was shot after a long day of portrait photography. When photographing people sometimes it helps to let the subject react and you just capture what happens. lynnfreeny.com

Cows Beside Reflecting Pond

I enjoy back roads and farms. This image would never have been captured if I had slept late. Early morning light is magical. There is moisture in the air that reflects the warm morning light. It is peaceful and quiet I guess because everybody is still in bed. What makes mornings so special is the fact this type of light happens only once everyday and it changes quickly to the boring light of the day. lynnfreeny.com

Ponderosa Pines Reaching for the Sun

When I am looking for interesting compositions many times changing eye level view to high or low points of view help. In this case after an exhausting day of shooting I simply laid on my back looked up and grabbed my camera. I carefully watched the floating clouds until they were at the right point then I released the shutter then I took a nap. lynnfreeny.com

Silhowette of Buck

I was telling a friend of mine I was planning to do some sunrise photography in Cades Cove. He told me to watch out for bucks because they were dangerous with there sharp antlers. I thought it was funny who is afraid of a little deer. Well to my surprise I topped a hill in the Cove and my heart almost stopped. I huge buck was running at full speed toward me. We both froze in place and as quick as I could I clicked off one frame then he ran the other way. Moral to the story know your equipment so well that even in a stress situation you can operate it intuitively.
lynnfreeny.com

Reflections of Summer

I am always looking for interesting shadows and reflections to add to my compositions. In order to get the reflections in the goggles in focus along with the face you have to set the lens to a small lens opening like f-11. lynnfreeny.com

Through the Forest

Some times the time of day can make or break an image. This photograph was shot just after the sun had disappeared behind the horizon leaving the sky with a wash of violet. Framing the house with the trees causes the eye to go directly to the house and also lets you know what Snow White saw as she sited the seven little dwarf's house. lynnfreeny.com

Morning Glory

Morning glories are wonderful to photograph. They are open during the most beautiful light of the day. By using a large lens opening I was able to isolate the bloom from the background. Also this beauty was found in the middle of town at Greenbelt Park in Maryville, Tennessee. Nature seems to be everywhere even in the city.
lynnfreeny.com