Stand Strong

This image talked to me even before I pressed the shutter.  I was high above the Pacific Ocean on top of a sand dune near Pacific City, Or.  It was overcast and not looking good for any sunset images so I started looking for other opportunities.

Relentless
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One thing that caught my eye was the waves pounding on the shore below me. I stood there watching for awhile amazed at how the rock could stand up to all the relentless battering it received.  Again and again, non-stop, 7/24/365…it took the beating and yet stood its ground, teasing the ocean to bring-it-on.

To get this image I isolated a couple of interesting looking rocks, framed them in my viewfinder, focused, and waited.  These rocks were literally covered with water every time a wave broke shore so it was going to be a timing issue to try and capture what I was looking for.  I wanted the image to show the motion of the relentless ocean and the steadfastness of the rocks... something that would take many attempts, some experimentation, patience, and a little luck. 

It all came together in this image.  The polished rock is still visible but you can almost feel the power of the ocean which is about to envelop it.  The result is a sharp image with a feeling of movement.  Exactly what I was going after.

That rock, like us, is bombarded constantly.  It has to deal with the elements, which seems relatively easy, compared to what’s in our path.  Advertisements (You have to BUY this), news broadcasts (look at the terrible things that happened today), work (have that report on my desk before you leave tonight), family ( I lost my homework, what’s for dinner), commuting (an accident on the 405 has traffic backed up…), and on and on and on.  But unlike the rock we have choices.  We can remain steadfast or yield to the everyday pressures.  We can deal with the battering by maintaining our resolve or lose control and get washed away. It’s always our choice.  Choose to be like the rock, stand strong and stay positive.

Until next time,

Color or Black & White

Roll Mouse Over Image

In the early days of photography all images were "Black & White."  Since color wasn't an option you worked hard to make the image the best it could be using the technology available at the time. And believe me, people did make the best of it. There are still images created back in-the-day that are considered "classics" and continue to be emulated (consider some of the famous Ansel Adams prints). 

In this digital age, photography has made a 180 degree turn.  Cameras are readily available, relatively inexpensive, and by default take all images in color. Sure, you can convert them to Black & White in photo editing software but you have to think about it before doing so.  The photographer has to make a judgement call as to which image to change (is it a "good" or "bad" image to convert) and then go through the exercise to carefully process it to bring out its best qualities.  While that may be fine for the seasoned photographer, many of us just don't take the time to see the possibilities of what that image can become and find it easier to leave it "as is" and go-with-the-flow.

This is also true about life… It's so easy to label something as "good" or "bad" ("black" or "white") rather than really giving it thought and looking at the whole picture. I find myself guilty of this more often than I'd like to admit. When I see or experience something, I'm quick to label and fit it into its own little box. However, most of what we experience can't be categorized as just "good" or "bad" or "black" or "white."  They are just situations that are part of life. They are a whole bunch of complex things that we somehow allow ourselves to get caught up thinking about in terms of only "black" or "white." By doing this we often miss out on the various depths or "color" of things. So we take things at face value and attempt to classify them into general categories limiting ourselves and the world around us.

Becoming more experienced with taking photographs really involves exposing yourself as much as possible, taking more shots than you may think are necessary, and experimenting. The same can also be applied to life.  Experiment by getting out of the box and not categorizing things as "good" or "bad," "black" or "white."  When we remove the limits on ourselves we open up the world around us to amazing possibilities.

Until next time,

-Jack

p.s.  Which image do you like better, color or b&w?  Let me know by sending me a comment.

View the large "Color" image here.

View the large "B&W" image here.

See more images like this at Jack Maloney Photography

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Hiding in the Past

A few weeks ago I went on a field trip with my local Camera Club over to the Oregon coast (see previous Post). As a camera club, one of the things we like to do is to challenge our creativity. That was my goal when we stopped at the Air Museum in Tillamook, OR. 

The museum is housed in a WWII era building that was used to build blimps that patrolled the West Coast searching for enemy submarines.  Now it's home to various vintage aircraft and related memorabilia, mainly from the WWII period.

I spent several hours photographing various aircraft, old engines, and even the unique building, always looking for that creative shot.  However, there was one particular flying machine that caught my eye.  I found myself returning to it time and time again.  Why… I'm not 100% certain but my guess is that it brought back memories from some of the classic WWII movies I watched when I was younger. For me this was something hiding in my mind that I now was able to witness first hand. I knew right away that the BF-109 Messerschmitt would be the subject used to "stretch" my creativity that day.

To me this aircraft was the villain so I wanted the photo to somehow portray that.  Since it was sitting in the middle of a brightly lit building I knew it would be a challenge and force me to be creative.

BF-109 Messerschmitt
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There were several spotlights shining down on and around the plane so I decided to use them to my advantage.  By using a small f-stop (f-22) I could create a starburst effect and add some additional drama to the scene. I also took this image from a low vantage point, sitting on the floor with my tripod down as low as it could go. That also helped line the lights up right where I wanted them. Using a 24mm lens, I took several images using different exposures.  Those combined with some major post processing adjustments, helped me succeeded in getting the results I wanted...  Dark, Mysterious and Hiding in the Past...

Until next time.

-Jack

See more images like this at Jack Maloney Photography

Get Inspired at Simple Inspirations