I spent some time in my back yard today on one of the best days so far this spring and maybe even this year. I found this honey suckle growing on my wood pile. As the sun filtered through the tree canopy I noticed shadows through the sun illuminated leaves. LynnFreeny.com
The other day in Oak Ridge Tennessee I noticed that it was raining with the sun shining. I scanned the sky for a rainbow and sure enough I could see it just above the tree tops. The straight shot was not very interesting so I started looking for a more interesting angle. That is when I saw a reflection from the newly formed puddles of water. Remember most of photography is looking not shooting. LynnFreeny.com
I know this looks like a starry night but it is really another image of the Tennessee River reflecting light on a windy day. LynnFreeny.com
One of the best times of the day to shoot photographs is early in the morning. In the case of this image having fog with sun rise adds some dramatic almost theatrical lighting to such a normal subject. If you shot this same subject an hour later the image would be quite boring. LynnFreeny.com
Using gobos in photography can help you deal with direct sun light. A gobo is actual a "go between", an object that blocks light. By using this tree and a small f-stop of 16, I was able to show the sun in this scene as a star shape. You can use people, cars, buildings and any other found object as a gobo. LynnFreeny.com
Faces of young children can be more expressive than adult. They also look more natural with their expressions. The reason this is true is because adults have baggage that keeps them from looking natural and relaxed. Most adults are worrying about how they are going to look. Kids are kids for the most part and portray a type of confidence that you see in models and actors.LynnFreeny.com
I think most of photography is about looking. Anybody can learn to use camera equipment. Being able to see and capture those things that most people never notice is what being a photographer is all about. LynnFreeny.com
This is an image of New River Bridge in West Virgina. My decision to my the image black and white was because it was the middle of the day which produced very flat lighting. I was able to add more contrast as a black and white photo giving the image more snap. LynnFreeny.com
The thing I remember most about this image was the bitter cold wind that was blowing across this barren rocky mountain top. It was November at sunrise on Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park in Maine and it was clear, beautiful , and cold. Using the red channel in my RGB image helped capture the rough texture of this mountain overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. LynnFreeny.com
On my way out of work I stopped at a red light and shot this through my windshield. I try to have my camera ready for those times when you just have a few seconds to react. LynnFreeny.com
This image was shot on Saturday in the rain in Cades Cove. I have learned a long time ago if you want to get different images never listen to the weather report. Get out there in all kinds of weather and start capturing more interesting images. LynnFreeny.com
Spring has a more subdued color scheme when compared to autumn. But it has a freshness that makes it as interesting as any other season. I shot this image on Saturday in Cades Cove. This same view in the summer would be one shade of green missing all the detail reveled by the variety of colors. LynnFreeny.com
This is another image I got in Cades Cove on Saturday. Having rain as a factor helped to create some wonderful light. LynnFreeny.com
Here is another image I shot on the photography field trip on Saturday in Cades Cove. I have to say this is one of my favorite places in the Southern Appalachians . LynnFreeny.com
One of the fun parts of photography is that you can break the rules and sometimes it works. This image was shot today in Cades Cove during my photography classes last field trip for spring. In this particular photograph I actually broke the rules three different ways. One I ignored the weather report that it would rain this morning, two I shot directly into the sun, and three I was standing in the middle of the road with a car coming. LynnFreeny.com
Early in the morning is a great time to catch fog in the mountains. This is a look off at Cumberland Gap. This image was shot just after sun rise. LynnFreeny.com
When shooting an image of a city selective views can keep the image from looking too chaotic. I used a telephoto lens to compact the information. This brought buildings closer together. I like the mix of old and new architecture revealing some of the history of Knoxville. LynnFreeny.com
Sometimes even a white board can be colorful if the light is just right. In this case the warm evening light from the classroom window reflected off the white board. LynnFreeny.com
I titled this image "Starry Night Sky" because of what it looked like not for what it really is. This is actually a high angle view of the Tennessee River with silhouetted trees. The star like dots of light are caused by sun reflecting off the water. LynnFreeny.com
Here is another image I got on the class field trip to Tremont in the Great Smoky Mountains. I use a telephoto lens to help isolate one of the interesting sections of Middle Prong. LynnFreeny.com
I like to take pictures at night because the world looks so different. At night the familiar sun is not there to light your subjects. In this image the light source was a street light which illuminated the tree leaving the rest of the scene with an almost spooky black background looking very much like an infrared photograph. LynnFreeny.com
Our field trip this Saturday for my photography class was Tremont in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. We were on a trail that followed along Middle Prong. This water strider was going in and out of the shadows when I captured this image. LynnFreeny.com
Every day I go to work I drive by this small pond along the road. This morning I had to stop and take some pictures. The colors reflecting had to be photographed. LynnFreeny.com
Spring colors are like fall colors in reverse. The different hues of green is what makes spring so different from summer. This hill side in summer looks like the same green. But in spring it comes alive with different colors. LynnFreeny.com
You know spring is here when you see the Eastern Redbud (Cercis canadensis) with bright purple blooms populating the wooded areas of East Tennessee. In this image I used a telephoto lens to isolate the the tree in the middle of the forest. LynnFreeny.com
Today after church the weather was perfect. Time had to be spent outside doing anything fun. I found that some of the Dogwoods in my yard had started to bloom. You will notice that the bloom has a shade of green. Dogwoods start out green then turn white as they mature. I positioned my camera angle so the sunlight would shin through the petals causing the bloom to become a light sources.LynnFreeny.com
My class had a field trip to Knoxville which included Market Square, Old City, and down town. I am always fascinated by the mix of old and new in a city. In this image I was able to catch the reflection of an old building from new a one. LynnFreeny.com
In photography it is always a good idea to come out of the box by braking the rules. This image was shot out the window of a moving car. The movement of the car produced an impressionist effect. The colors look like they were painted by an artist in a hurry. At the bottom of the photograph the power lines form lines of blue. I know it is different but remember to be bold and brave and try something fresh. LynnFreeny.com
This is one of the images I shot when my photography class went out to Greenbelt Park in Maryville Tennessee Saturday morning. It was overcast the whole day so the light did not change much. The biggest challenge my students had was keeping a very gray sky out of their compositions. The sun becomes a large light source on a cloudy day thus eliminating harsh shadows. LynnFreeny.com
Washington DC at night is magical. I shot this image of the Lincoln Memorial using a wide angle lens. The warm hue from the light source gave a glow to the statue. LynnFreeny.com
I am always waiting in what I like to refer to as a large elevator ( a small waiting room) while my daughters are in dance class. Tonight a quick storm moved through and as always I had my camera ready. This is the first exposure I took of this little boy watching the weather. The other images I took were not as good because he noticed me and changed his attention to my camera rather than the storm. Reflections add something special to the portrait. With a bonus of rain drops it is hard to miss getting a good image. LynnFreeny.com
The coast of Maine is beautiful and different because of its rockiness. Sometimes these rocks make it very hard to get to the shore. The stairs in this image help break up the rocky pattern as they seem to travel gracefully upward. Of course these are the very steps that helped me get in position on shore to take this picture. LynnFreeny.com
I had a field trip with my photography class on Saturday in Greenbelt Park and the old downtown section of Maryville Tennessee. This was the first thing I shot as I waited on my students to show up. It was raining at the time which added the extra moisture. LynnFreeny.com
I always have my camera ready. Here I am in a traffic jam on I-40 in Knoxville and I see this wonderful light reflecting off this truck. After taking several shots I finally read the words. Great advertising concept!! LynnFreeny.com
I love small towns for the slow pace and ability to wonder around without a lot of trouble. This image was shot in the downtown Maryville. The warm light gave interesting reflections in the store front window. LynnFreeny.com
It seems like the closer you get to objects in nature the more beautiful and fascinating they are. This spider web was shot on Roan Mountain during the spring. Shooting was tough because the wind kept blowing the web causing the image to be fuzzy. With patients and using a large f-stop I was able to capture the small drops of dew along with blooming flowers in the background. The shallow depth of field produced but this large f-stop helped isolate the web. LynnFreeny.com
When I saw this mill stone all I could think of was this is very Irish. In the middle is clover which is surrounded by glorious green. This was taken in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park where green is the main color of summer. LynnFreeny.com
I took my photography class to Greenbelt Park in Maryville Tennessee last night. This duck came walking up expecting some food but all we had were cameras and lens. As he walked away I quickly shot several images. The sun was just at the right angle to cause dramatic shadows and a silhouette of the bird. The f-stop was wide open at 2.8 producing a very shallow depth of field.
This is how I feel as I am getting close to home after a long hard day of work. The image was taken through a curved car windshield which caused the trees to blur. I call it a happy accident or I could say "I meant to do that" but it would not be true. Don't be afraid to do something off the wall. The worst thing that could happen is that you might learn something. LynnFreeny.com
I am always looking at reflections and when I see an interesting one I have to photograph it. This reflection was on a black car just as the sun was going down. LynnFreeny.com
Sometimes you have to take a photograph at some of the most usual times. When I see a scene like this with no place to pull over I set my camera on auto focus point shoot and hope for the best. LynnFreeny.com 
The time of day is so important in photography. In this image being there as the sun was going down was key. Even if I had no-see-ums crawling and biting me along with the mosquitoes circling around my head. This was at Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge where insects seem to rule but the wildlife is abundant.LynnFreeny.com
I always have my camera with. This image is a example why. I am driving down an interstate in Tennessee in a blinding down pour just trying to see the road with photography being the last thing on my mind. Suddenly the rain stops and the clouds part. To my amazement the warm colors of the sunset were reflecting off the wet road.LynnFreeny.com
My favorite place to be with a camera is Cades Cove in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. This image was taken at sunrise with a thick covering of fog. When you have Cades Cove in the fog at sunrise it is hard to miss. LynnFreeny.com
This image is another lesson in "perfect light". Early in the morning the sun is warming the scene of the trees and fog. The budding tree on the right helps balance with the bright part of the sky on the left. Putting the red tree in the center would visually cut the composition in half. LynnFreeny.com
The term "perfect light" is the best way to describe evening light. The sun is much lower in the sky which does two things, changes the color temperature and diffuses the light. The sun at high noon is a small dot in the sky causing the sun to be a small light source. On a cloudy day or when the sun is low in the sky the sun becomes a large diffused light source.LynnFreeny.com
Black and white photography captures tones making it a perfect way to record shadows. The shadows in this image are very elongated. This shot was taken in the evening when the main light source , the sun, is positioned low in the sky causing this effect. The grass adds a texture that contrast against the smoothness of the dark shadows.LynnFreeny.com
This image is mainly one big reflection interrupted only by this small wild duck swimming. Even though the duck is the smallest element in the composition it has the most impact. The strong horizontal motion of the duck along with the sharp edges of its feathers is the main reason why. LynnFreeny.com
Many times it is the small details that are the most interesting subjects in nature photography. Rain drops are small but can make a powerful image. 95% of photography is looking. This image was shot with a 200mm lens with extension tubes. LynnFreeny.com
Some people think when it gets dark it is time to put your camera away. At night some of the most boring subjects become magical. This image was taken after a "Boomsday" fireworks display on the Tennessee River in Knoxville Tennessee. The exposure was around 30 seconds which caused a river full of boat traffic to disappear leaving only there lights. The camera was on a tripod because of the long exposure. LynnFreeny.com
