These photos were taken at Zimmerman Park on the rims at sunset. I like the sunset picture because the colors in the sky are so intense against the dark shadows of the trees. The second, of the grasshopper, was taken while I was waiting for the sun to set over the ridge.

http://www.wildthingsphotography.com/
(photo 13)
This photo was taken by John Hyde, it is of a brown bear cub, on Admiarlty Island in Alaska. I really like this photo because it is really playful and fun. It really shows that this little bear cub has a personality. He seems like he is bored waiting for his mom! I also like how the cub and the downed tree he is resting his head on are in such sharp focus.

All of these photos were taken by Carrie Yeley at my wedding. I called her and asked her about the photo above and she told me that right when she started gettnig dark outside is when she started planning this photo. She said that the lights were so cool coming from the building and the tent and she wanted to wait until the moon came up and was in the perfect spot for this shot. She did wish that there were not the clouds in front of the moon. But I personally like the way the clouds destort the light. The next photo I wanted to share is the one below with the light patterns.  In this photo Carrie used a slower shutter speed. The slower speed does some really fun and interesting patterns from the lighting. 

In this photo Carrie made the choice to keep the flowers nice and sharp but blur the background. She also took the photo really close and from below to make the flowers look larger than life.

In this photo Carrie pulled the viewers eye to the I Do sticker on the bottom of the cowboy boots by making the picture black and white but keeping the sticker colored.

Mystic Lake and Yellowstone National Park

The first five photos were taken July 25, 2009 while on a trip to Mystic Lake. I took them with a cheap point and shoot digital camera. The next photos were taken in June of 2010 on a trip to Yellowstone National Park. They are taken with the same camera as the first six photos.

This photo of Gum Trees was taken by, Jeremy Turner in Duea National Park. I choose this picture beacuse naturally I am drawn to photo's of trees, when I look at this picture, it makes me feel like I am backpacking. Something I found interesting about this photo is that it goes against the rule that, diagonal lines are more attractive than vertical lines, there are a few diagonal lines in this frame but mostly vertical. Since this photo does go against that rule, I would have to say that, it does follow the rule that difference draws more attention than conformity, by breaking the first rule, Jeremy Turner was following the previous rule!

The rule of thirds

In the book, Fitzharris explains that the center of interest is to be placed one third of the way from the top or bottom of the frame,and one third of the way from either side of the frame. You must first break down the image into nine equal square parts. As you look for an image through your viewfinder, take into mind the rule of thirds grid and place the most important point of interest in one of the four perfect areas. The theory behind the rule of thirds is that when placing the point of interest in one of the four areas, it makes a more balanced image.

October: Great Smoky Mountains

The Great Smoky Mountains, Located in Tennessee, are a beautiful sight with may opportunities to capture great photographs. There are giant deciduous forests, and a handful of wildlife. In October it is bursting with color!
Great places to see this beautiful color in October is on, Clingmans Dome Road, Blue Ridge Parkway, and the Foothills Parkway.  Suggested hikes during the last three weeks of October are, Appalachian Trail, Look Rock Tower trail, and Sutton Ridge Overlook trial. Click the link below for a beautiful picture of a Black bear taken in Cades Cove of the Great Smoky Mountains.

http://www.alaskanalpinetreks.com/ImageGallery/Bears/black-bear-in-forest.html

(Carl Donahue Photography, Black Bear in Cades Cove, Great Smoky Mountains)

Blog 2

Fitzharris notes that the first step in becoming a good photographer is learning how to make good exposure.  There are many ways to do this, first check the histogram this will tell you if the parts of the scene you want are being recorded by the sensor.

When using light meters things to remember is they work best in average scenes, it is hard for them to show the true brightness of snow or the depth of lava. You can set the metering pattern to different modes and leave it. A mode that can be used is Evaluative/Matrix Metering which measures light in 15 to 30 locations in the frame, this mode is good for general-purpose or a default setting. There is also Center-weighted Metering which measures about 75 percent of the picture.

Some exposure Modes are Aperture Priority Mode, Shutter Priority Mode, and Manual Mode. These modes can all be used together, by moving meter readings that are measured in stops to make the best exposure possible. Or the exposure desired by the photographer. If there is a sense of brightness or darkness in a photograph, the photographer can play with the meters to create the right lighting, or clearness in a picture White scenes are usually captured as a grayish tone but Fitzharris explains that if exposure is increased by one stop to two stops it will brighten these light tones to their true quality.

When shooting winter photography, there are different modifications that must be made. Gear that needs to be modified includes the most important, clothing, insulation for equipment such as batteries. Let’s start with clothing, it is important to stay warm and comfortable during the duration of your shoot in the cold. Important clothing includes, sturdy water-shedding, insulated pants, head gear, warm boots that are breathable and waterproof, gloves, lots of layers and a loose fitting, non-insulated, wind breaking and water shedding parka.

                Things to remember when shooting in the winter are that snow and ice act as reflectors, so be ready to make adjustments so that your camera can take the picture you are asking it to take. This can be done by using density filters. Although there aren’t as many colors or wildlife during the winter there is an array of creative shots that can be taken during this cold time.

                During every part of the year and in every part of the world there are magnificent images waiting to be captured. In the chapter, Nature Photography’s Year, Fitzharris introduces the reader to a year full of photography in the most beautiful parts of the world.