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