Wedding on the Beach

To pose or not to pose? That seems to be the biggest question I am always asking myself when photographing people. Some of the best people photographers pose their subjects. Arnold Newman and Ed Westcott both heavily directed the positions of their subjects. When posing people you have to be careful or you will lose their real personality or even worse, make them look awkward and nervous. For this wedding image I did some light directing. After having my subjects face each other I waited on a natural reaction which is what you see. You have to remember most people are not actors or professional models so getting a natural pose is not easy. Also when shooting people always take lots of images so you have more to choose from and find a more natural pose or expression. LynnFreeny.com

American Flag in Traffic

Showing motion in still photography sounds like an oxymoron, but it can be done. The secret, a shutter speed slow enough to blur fast moving objects. In the case of this image , I shot from a car moving in the opposite direction of the blue car in the picture. With a shutter speed of 1/125, I was able to freeze the motion of the flag yet show the motion of the car which produced a ghost like image. LynnFreeny.com

Parking Lot Sunset

The beauty of a busy parking lot sometimes goes unnoticed . The sky is just starting to clear after a late day thunderstorm. The wet pavement is reflecting the warm light of the sunset. In our hurried life I dare say that most people miss this type of scene because they are looking for a good parking space. Slow down from the rat race and enjoy those little moments. LynnFreeny.com

Fog and Sunlight

When you mix two elements in nature you are bound to get an interesting photograph. Fog with early morning sunlight is always an interesting combination to work with. The moisture reflects and even redirects light, creating interesting lines and patterns. The long vertical lines in the image are caused by small shafts of light traveling through small holes in the forest canopy. The presence of the fog helps to show these individual light sources as they travel to the forest floor. These same light patterns are created at rock concerts by using man made fog and several different filtered lights. LynnFreeny.com

Appalachian Dulcimer Maker

The Appalachian Mountains have a rich tradition in music. I wanted to capture the color of autumn along with the long tradition of craftsmanship in the Southern Appalachians. Porch light is very similar to window light. The nice even light gives detail to the dulcimer and the player. This is important because this is Mike Clemmer of Townsend Tennessee one of the world's best mountain dulcimer makers. His instruments are played all over the world because of the beautiful tones they produce along with unmatched workmanship. The reflecting fall colors seem to match the hue of the dulcimer in Mike's lap.LynnFreeny.com

Ferns in the West Virginia Mountains

Ferns are such a familiar site in the Southern Appalachian Mountains. In order for you to appreciate their beauty you have to slow down and look. I decided to use black and white for this subject because the ferns in color seem to get lost in the sea of the lush green vegetation on the forest floor. By bringing the subject down to simple tones I was able to visually separate the ferns from the other plants. LynnFreeny.com

Reflections at Chattanooga Bus Stop

I love finding reflections in urban settings. We were on a family outing in Chattanooga waiting for one of the electric buses to pick us up. As we walked into the bus stop area I was struck by the reflective ceiling. I cropped the lower half leaving just enough to show what was reflecting on the ceiling. By doing so I was able to simplify my composition making the reflection the main focus of the image. There were some colorful plants along the sidewalk which gave the reflection so bright colors. LynnFreeny.com

Football Stands

Many times subjects have rhythm. In this case repeated shapes of positive and negative shape seem to give the image a rhythm that is interrupted by the small dot of the sun peeping through the bleachers. The serene sky contrasting with the complex structure adds some tension to the composition. The sun has a star effect any time you use an object, like these stands, to partially block the sun from the camera. LynnFreeny.com

Hayfield in Tennessee

I am always looking for hidden compositions off the beaten path .In this image I wanted the main focus to be on the wild tall grass. The grass grows somewhat chaotic yet there is a repeating pattern of darker tones throughout the field caused by the wind. By using a wide angle lens tilted toward the ground, the grass dominates the foreground. An f-stop of 22 was used to gain sharp focus throughout this extreme range of a few feet to infinity. LynnFreeny.com

Baseball Lights

I remember playing sports as a kid. When it came to playing baseball, many times I became more distracted by the interesting sky above my head than the actual ball. From a safety standpoint that is not a very good idea.
Some things never change; this image was shot during a practice baseball game at Maryville College. By only including the sky, I have simplified the composition. The process of simplifying a composition will help you as a photographer and an artist to define what is important to you. This way of shooting will automatically reflect your personal vision in your work. LynnFreemy.com

Keeping Up

Having your camera ready when you see just the right moment is priceless.
The small child along with the shadow is the main focus of this image. When you are small the world seems a lot bigger than reality. When I return to places I saw as a child things seem so much smaller now. This photograph captures a child’s feeling of how big the world is to them. As you look down the path that seems endless the long journey has just begun for this little one. LynnFreeny.com

U.S. Post Office

Getting off the main drag can be fun. I love to get on back roads and look for interesting subjects to shoot. I was driving in New Mexico and noticed this tiny U.S. Post Office. There were only horse tracks around the small building. I positioned the camera at a low angle, after all it is a U.S. Post Office and it deserves respect. A thunder storm was moving in my direction. I could see lightning in the distance and I was hoping to capture some in the photograph. By shooting several frames the timing was just right to record some of the distant lightning on the horizon. One more tip always have a good map or a GPS device if you do travel the back roads. LynnFreeny.com

Shadows of Trees

Shadows are one of those wonderful elements that so many people seem to ignore. I can't help myself, everywhere I go I see shadows that need to be captured. This image was shot at a low angle using a wide angle lens to show the sweeping motion of the shadows coming toward the viewer. Please don't forget shadows when you go out shooting. LynnFreeny.com

Night at the College

Most people think day time is the only good time to do photography. I have found some very boring subjects in the day time are transformed into a dynamic image at night. All it takes to capture interesting scenes at night is a steady tripod and some patience.
I took this photograph tonight on the Maryville College campus about 8:30. A tripod was required because of the long exposure of 1 sec. A star like effect was produced by placing a piece of screen wire in front of the lens. The tree seems to glow, thanks to a street light hidden behind the tree's trunk. LynnFreeny.com

Shadow and Sand Fence

Shadows are very underrated. As I was walking on a boardwalk in the Gulf of Mexico I saw these wonderful shadows created by a sand fence. I used a wide angle lens so I could include most of the fence along with this shadow in the frame. The composition does not include the sky because it would distract from the overall image. The gentle curve of the fence gives a nice vertical reference for the photograph. This image is more about tone than color thus making it a great subject for black and white. LynnFreeny.com

Glowing Clouds

When shooting sunsets always remember to wait until the the show is over. How long should you stay? Until the light is gone from the sky. This group of small clouds floated high enough to reflect the very warm red produced by the sun after it had long since disappeared from the scene. The contrast between the blue sky and red clouds makes the colors really pop. LynnFreeny.com

Candid Portrait

Good photography that keeps a viewer's interest is usually a very simple composition. An image that seems to include everything is too much information causing the viewer eyes to wander. If you want to catch the real character of a person in a portrait, moving in close creating a very tight image works well. Using a telephoto lens will give you a comfortable distance that your subject will also appreciate. When shooting any subject you should fill the frame with what is important. When you are looking through your camera check to make sure everything in the frame will compliment the image. LynnFreeny.com

Appalachian Fiddle Player

I like to go to places where I can hear and see mountain culture. At a fiddlers convention in East Tennessee I found this mountain man playing a Old-time Appalachian fiddle. The Appalachian Mountains seem to go so well with the Old-time music. The humble beauty of the Appalachians look much more friendly than the high and lofty Rockies of the west. This type of music fits the landscape.
This is a very direct portrait. These types of portraits work best if the eyes are sharp and the depth of field is shallow. Shallow depth of field helps focus the attention on the subject because of the out of focus background. LynnFreeny.com

Mountain Fiddle Player

I have always enjoyed shooting images of musicians. Fiddle players are my favorite because my grandfather and dad both played the fiddle. My Grand Father Leslie Freeny was an Irish fiddle player for a band called the Freeny Barn Dance Band. Remember your photography is always a reflection of you. You may not know why you prefer one subject over another. It is a good idea to try and figure out why. By answering that question you will be able to persue subjects in a more perceptive and deep way. LynnFreeny.com

Heaven From The Underside

The title you see was a suggestion from my 9 year old. I was driving my whole family to swim practice when I turned the corner and there it was. I quickly found a good place to stop. On a hill in the middle of the road. It's OK it was in a subdivision.
When shooting clouds my favorite time is usually in the evening when the sun is low in the sky. The lines of light created by the sun happen quite often when the sky is beginning to clear after a storm.

Rain On Window

I am always stressing to my students to simplify their composition. Make your viewers look at what you think is important. Macro photography seems to lend itself to that philosophy well. As I sat in my car waiting on someone, I noticed the rain droplets on my window. Remember, I always have a camera. I pulled out my macro lens and started shooting tiny sections of the car window until I found the right combination of droplets. By using the macro lens with a large f-stop, f-2.8, I was able to put the background totally out of focus which helped the droplets to stand out. LynnFreeny.com

River Reflections

There is something about a river that attracts me like a magnet. I enjoy trails that go alongside a stream. Camping in places where you can hear the sound of rushing water seems to help melt away stress for a good nights sleep. On a hot day in the 90s the best place to be is in a small mountain stream taking in the cooling effects of the cold water. The best place to read a book, have quiet time, paint, sketch, or write is along a small stream. This image of a slow moving part of the Little River in The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a mental reflection of what a wonderful gift a mountain stream is. LynnFreeny.com

Evening Along The Shore

When you look at late day light remember to be patient . Don't give up the ship when the sun goes out of sight. Wait! I have seen people that were there to photograph the sunset leave when the sun disappears below the horizon line. Guess what happens after the sun gos below the horizon.? Deep saturated reds fill the sky with spectacular results. This is just what happened with this particular image. I used a 200mm lens to bring the clouds in closer to the rest of the scene. The ocean waters reflecting the red color help to balance the composition. LynnFreeny.com

Light in Motion

With long exposures you can show movement. This was a 1/4 of a second exposure. Why is the little girls face so sharp? It was hand held at that slow exposure. You should see some blur because it was not on a tripod. This is what is called a rear shutter flash exposure. Please bear with me while I explain this very simple technique. In rear shutter exposures, at the very end of a long exposure the flash is triggered. The part of the subject that is lit at the end of the exposure, the little girl, is sharp and well exposed. Without the flash you would only see the rotating light she is holding in front of her face. This works best when you have very little existing light, in this case night time. I wanted to show some of her face as the light moved. I started off with 1 second until I worked my way to a faster shutter speed of 1/4 of a second, which was just fast enough to capture half of the revolution of the light, thus not covering up the left side of her face. LynnFreeny.com

Horse and Owner

Animals are interesting to work with. Because they are not usually professional models or actors, just like people, you shoot lots of frames to get those images that capture the true beauty of the subject.
This image was not planned. I just happened to see it while the owner was talking to her beloved horse. By using a large lens opening, f-2.8 with a 200mm lens, I was able to visually cut my subject out of the background. This photograph shows the closeness of the owner to her animal, very much like a mother to her child. If I had told the owner to pose for the picture it would have been less natural looking. In the frame you can feel how important this animal is to her owner. LynnFreeny.com

Duck in Reflecting Water

Find interesting reflections then add a duck. That is not actually what happened. As I looked at this beautiful beaver pond with mountains surrounding it; I noticed these very curious ducks coming toward me. I had my wide angle lens on my camera to capture this whole scene. As these ducks approached, I realized that was the wrong lens. I quickly changed to a 200 mm lens to isolate the most interesting part of the scene. The duck caused a circular ripple in the water much like a rock thrown in the water. In composing the image I give the duck more space in front. This seems to help the viewer to imagine the duck's forward motion. The deep blue sky with lush green vegetation gave me a very dramatic reflection in the pond. I shot with a very large f-stop that produced shallow depth of field helping to isolate my subject even more.
LynnFreeny.com

The Golden Moment

When I think of a place that I would like to be for photography I am usually thinking of being there early in the morning. Morning can be "The best of times and the worst of times." You may have cloud cover so heavy that you can not even see the sun let alone have warm light. But when all the weather elements are just right, it is by far the best lighting you can work with as a photographer. When most people are still in bed I am already setup for that first light of the day.
This image was shot on Cades Cove Loop Road in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. This was a somewhat foggy morning which in most cases is a welcome weather element. Fog actually reflects the warm light. LynnFreeny.com

Inner Strength

Children seem to be more creative than adults. Why is this so true? I think we have a tendency to lose this creative energy as we begin the process of worrying about what someone will think if we do something out of the norm. As an artist I am always trying to keep a freshness about my work and what seems to work best is a child like view of this world. I know we can not go back as a child when it comes to our minds but we can visually. Noticing things like shadows, reflections and interesting light can help bring back some of that unbridled creativity. This image shows a small child with a big idea. LynnFreeny.com

Endless Imagination

You just never know what you will see when you are around kids. There is so much energy and creativity you better be ready with a camera. Capturing their youthful attitude and seemingly endless imagination is what the image is all about. Taking the picture just before dark gave me an interesting purple sky for a background.Try to get lower than your eye level when shooting children. Get at their level or even below. This will help the viewer to feel more a part of the picture. LynnFreeny.com

Lake Reflections

Reflections are one of those elements that most people ignore. I am always attracted to reflections. Sometimes when I am shooting, people will look over their shoulder as they walk by wondering why my camera is pointed in a certain direction.
In this image of Indian Boundary Lake in Cherokee National Forest in Tennessee I discovered that the reflection of the mountains were much more interesting than a straight shot of the mountains. By letting the reflection dominate the composition I conveyed the importance of the reflection. LynnFreeny.com

Window Light Portrait

When shooting portraits my favorite light has always been window light. I have all kinds of high tech lighting equipment I use every day. But when I look at the portraits I like the best most of them were lit by window light. For window light portraits I position myself with the window to my back and the subject facing the window. This means I am between the subject and the light source, so be careful not to cast your own shadow into the composition. With this image I am at a low angle putting myself at the subject’s level. When photographing children, position yourself at their level. This may mean getting down on your knees or even sitting on the ground (undignified positions). My f-stop on this image was f-1.4 which gave me very little depth of field. I focused on the eyes which is the most important thing to be sharp in a portrait like this.
LynnFreeny.com

Rivers Edge

A good place to look for interesting subjects in nature is to look at the edges of change. It could be the edge of a forest, river, ocean or even the edge of a storm. Any time you can find drastic differences in nature you find edges. In this image you are looking at a river bank that at times is under water. As the water travels it wears down the small rocks and deposits them at the tree roots. This same water caused erosion which helps to expose these tree roots. I decided the subject was black & white because of the many tones the rocks and roots had. An f-stop of 16 with a wide angle lens worked best for capturing as much detail as possible. I composed the image so there would be just a hint of the tree itself because the most interesting part of this tree was it's exposed roots. LynnFreeny.com

Swim Meet

If you have ever been to a swim meet you can identify with this image. I was trying to show just how complex a swim meet is. With the use of a 200mm telephoto lens I was able to compact several layers of activity at the starting blocks. When you use a telephoto lens objects seem much closer to each other than reality. This compacting of space by this lens adds to the real tension that exists at a swim meet. When using any lens, especially a telephoto lens make sure you follow the hand held rule to insure sharp images. The rule states that your shutter speed should match you lens length to avoid camera shake that causes unsharp images. LynnFreeny.com

Yellow Building

There are certain subjects that are color and certain subjects that are black & white. That fact is always in the back of my mind when I see an interesting subject. In this case the subject was almost screaming "Color!". Color was not the only thing that attracted me to this building I also became fascinated with the blue sky and white clouds reflecting from the windows. Another interesting part of this subject is the visual rhythm that the repeated shape of the three windows create. Last but not least is the wide angle lens creates a distortion giving an upward motion to the whole composition. LynnFreeny.com

Butterfly at Sunset

The close-up world of the insect along with a setting sun is a winning combination in light and beauty. Usually I get this question when someone looks at this image, "How did you get the sun so big? Did you use Photoshop?" Not Photoshop , no special filter, it was possible because of the laws of optics. When you focus on a very small object (the butterfly) with the sun directly in the background, the actual point of focus will distort the size of the sun. In other words the sun is way out of focus so it balloons out to a much bigger size. Keep in mind any light source that is out of focus range will be larger than life. Those that have to wear corrective lenses for their eyes to see at long distances understand this phenomenon. My daughter likes to take off her glasses at Christmas time in order to see the lights at this exaggerated size. LynnFreeny.com

The Kick

Catching stop action in photography is one of those irresistible parts of taking pictures. I can remember taking basketball pictures for the first time as a kid using a flash to stop the action. The players looked like they were floating through the air like super heroes. I realize now what makes this type of photography so interesting. You are recording something that happens too fast to see. You are recording that small slice of a moment that will never happen again. Timing is critical in sport photography. Using a fast shutter speed ( 1/500) I was able to capture the peek of the movement of the kick along with the ball just before it when out of the frame. Also by using an f-stop of 2.8 that produced a shallow depth of field I was able to isolate my subject. The long narrow cropping of the images was done to help emphasize the horizontal movement of the leg and ball. LynnFreeny.com
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Sunset in Cades Cove

Sunsets are one of those wonderful things that happen only once a day. Why they are so colorful is very interesting. Sunlight is made up of red, green, and blue light waves. Blue light waves are shorter than red ones. During the day the sunlight passes through less moisture and dust in the atmosphere than it does in the evening or morning making the shorter blue light waves more visible. When the sun is closer to the horizon line (morning or evening) the longer red light waves are seen because of the increased moisture and dust the light must travel through. Remember that the best sunsets usually happen when there are clouds in the sky that reflect these warm light waves. LynnFreeny.com

Red Barn in Morning Mist

When you ask a realtor what is the most important thing they will say" Location, Location, Location." When posing the same question to an outdoor photographer the answer might be "Time of day,Time of day, Time of day. "
The red barn seems to glow with the early morning light. The characteristics of light at this time of day are increased saturation and better detail. The human eye sees a contrast ratio of 10,000 to 1 where as film records 1,000 to 1 at best. What does this all mean? When what you are shooting looks high contrast to you it will be even higher in contrast when film records it. This is one of the reasons time of day is so important. Morning and evening light is much softer and forgiving than the rest of the day. The only exception to this is a cloudy day which produces soft light. LynnFreeny.com

Mountain Man

In portrait photography less means more. To really reveal a personality, a quick natural expression works well. Using a long lens (in this case 200mm) helps the subject feel more comfortable because of the long physical distance between the subject and the camera. Also, a long lens is much more flattering than a wide angle lens when you are photographing people. The use of a large lens opening put the background out of focus. Otherwise tree limbs or other objects will look like they are growing out of someone's head, not good unless you are shooting for Ripley's Believe It or Not. LynnFreeny.com

Sun Surrounded by Thunderheads

On our way back today from playing in the river in The Great Smoky Mountains National Park the sky suddenly caught my eye. It was so interesting everybody in the car was saying "Hurry hurry you are going to miss it" as I pulled over to a safe place. Using a 300 mm lens I took a few shots then the sun disappeared behind the huge thunderheads never to be seen again this evening. What really helps in high pressure times like this is a total familiarity with your equipment so you can react more intuitively and not get slowed down by the technical end.
LynnFreeny.com

Lightning in Orlando

I thought by posting this image it might give us some storms in our area because we need rain.
Some people look at my photos of lightning and say,"Wow you sure are quick with a camera to catch that!" Well guess what, it is the opposite of what they think. Lightning shots are captured by some of the slowest shutter speeds. By using a tripod and the B (bulb) setting on your shutter speed ,the lightning takes a picture of itself so to speak. In this photograph I held the shutter open long enough until the lightning flashed then I ended the exposure. I had the lens set at f-5.6 and the exposure was determined by the lightning itself. By the way, I was on the top floor of a tall hotel shooting through a window. LynnFreeny.com

Weathered Vine

Sometimes you just have to slow down to find an image. I was walking along a trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and it happened. I got "photographers block". My vision was drawing a blank on what to shoot so I sat down in the middle of the trail. I started thinking what one of my college art professors might say at this moment of creative block. It came to me , limit my search for something interesting within this small area that I had arbitrarily picked. As I looked around there it was. This small vine with these beautiful curving lines that reminded me of a pen and ink drawing. By using a small lens opening I was able to isolate the vine from the rest of the somewhat chaotic forest floor. LynnFreeny.com

Portrait in a Field

Portrait photography is fun and challenging. You and your subject must find a comfort zone. Putting the the person at ease by getting to know who they are and finding a familiar place to shoot is helpful.
In the case of this image the photo shoot was on location at a farm near the sisters' house. The mother was beside me watching as I worked which was a big plus to the girls comfort with the activity. Something to keep in mind when shooting people is they are usually not actors or professional models so shoot lots of images to get that perfect expression.
I think one of the best location portrait photographers of all time is Arnold Newman. He was the master of his location and the person he was photographing. Bringing these two elements together will improve your portraits. LynnFreeny.com

Princess the Cat

Our cat has a little problem. His name is Princess. That's right Princess is a he. When we got him as a little kitten we were told he was a she so my kids named him Princess. The name has stuck because my oldest said she alway wanted a cat named Princess( she wouldn't go for the name Prince or Purple Rain).
The detail that you see in this photograph was captured by placing a single strobe bounced off a white umbrella at a 90 degree angle from the camera. This is a great example of why I seldom use an on camera flash straight on for my lighting. Better options are bouncing the light off a wall or ceiling or just taking the flash off the camera. Using the flash straight on produces very harsh light and eliminates shadows causing a very artificial look to pictures. Remember light is one of the most important factors when it comes to photography. As a photographer you can not work without light. LynnFreeny.com

Bald River Falls

I need a refreshing and cool image that will take me away from this brutal heat that seems to have no end this summer.
Bald River Falls is a very large waterfall but I chose to pick a small but interesting part of the falls using a telephoto lens. There are two ways to describe what a long lens can do for you, compact information and isolate areas. Both of these effects are helpful when you are trying to simplify your composition. Using a tripod enabled me to use a slow shutter speed of 1/2 a second. You may ask why such a slow shutter speed on a sunny day? To show the motion of the water requires a shutter speed of 1/30 or slower. The slower the shutter the more motion you will see on film. LynnFreeny.com

Church on a Hill

Black & white photography seems to add some kind of magic to our world. It simplifies things into shades of gray without the interference of that very loud element, color. This church got my attention because of its high perch that makes it seem like it was looking over the small town like a guardian angel,with the dark clouds in the sky representing evil. When I was recording this scene on film it reminded me of an Ansel Adams photograph titled "Mormon Temple, Manti, Utah". I used a 25 red filter to add contrast to the sky. LynnFreeny.com

Suday Afternoon Nap

I feel like as a photographer I am just an observer that can share what I see with others. I guess I never got over that stage of " look mommy look!" I just laid down on the couch for a Sunday cat nap and was rudely interrupted by the interesting shadow. I had to get my camera out and capture this fleeting moment to share. A photographer's work is never done. I love it! LynnFreeny.com

MailBox Morning

It is a funny thing to think how many things we just walk by and never observe. I have walked by this mail box many times and never noticed anything, even in the warm early morning light. This morning as I walked Charlie it hit me like a ton of bricks. I first saw the red flag contrasted against the black that seemed to scream at me. The second thing I observed was the heavy dew that was running down the mailbox. The third thing I saw was the warm reflective light of the morning sun. Without that last element the image would have lacked the ability to keep my interest. One good lesson I learned from this image is never take anything for granted even a boring mail box. LynnFreeny.com

Swimmer at Mid Stroke

It has been so hot and dry I could not help myself. It seems the only way to cope with the high temperatures is to submerge most of your body in water.
Swimming is one of my favorite sports to shoot. I have noticed that I can capture a moment that is normally lost when observing the event live or recorded on video.
In this image I got at a low angle close to the surface of the water. This insured that my background would be water without any distracting elements. Also by getting low it helps the viewer to feel close to the action. A long lens (200mm) was used to bring the action close enough to fill the frame. A shutter speed of 1/500 helped freeze the action. One more thing, this is one of The Flying Dolphins looking very mosquito like . LynnFreeny.com

New River Gorge Bridge in Infrared

I wanted to post this infrared image so I can explain a little more about this strange and different way of capturing our world. When shooting film or digital the results are close to the same. The biggest difference is the process is much simpler when using a digital camera.
This image was shot with an Olympus C-2000 Z with a IR filter in front of the lens. The amazing thing about this camera is the fact that you can see the infrared image on the screen before you have even released the shutter. I like to preview before I decide to shoot the exposure. You must use a tripod and a very large f-stop because there is not much light going into the camera. When you look through the IR filter with your eye it looks black.
Be careful because when I first started shooting this way I thought everything looked cool and forgot to be an artist and did not think through what I was capturing. Happy shooting! LynnFreeny.com