Take Better Photos now!

I was on my way to dinner with a fabulous couple(the destination wedding couple) when I saw the moon rising over the valley in Yosemite. I pulled the car over and used the roof as a support since the exposure was very low considering the lack of light. I set my f stop at f/8 since I wanted to keep the ridge as sharp(or in focus)as possible and obviously the moon, too. So let’s get to the composition. I chose to place the ridge at the bottom of the frame to anchor the sky and to make the moon stand out more against the muted sky. The moon was placed in the lower area of convergence to give it room to rise up. I love that the trees on the ridge look like people mesmerized by the moon. The feel of the scene was very primal. I could imagine this scene being repeated over thousands of years without a human eye every seeing it. It was special for me to see it and to capture it. Enjoy!

A surprise image that allowed me to feature Half Dome with people to provide context.

My recent trip to Yosemite for a destination wedding resulted in this image. We were walking up the trail when I saw this scene. I rushed to set my camera to expose for the background and let the woman and the child render as silhouettes. So, Half Dome remained as a correctly exposed background and I placed the couple in the lower right hand area of convergence. Even though the lower parts of their bodies were hidden by the trail, I still love the graphic starkness of this image. It was late in the afternoon and the sun was rather low in the sky, just above the peaks surrounding the valley,. The 1/3 2/3 rule is in effect here with Half Dome dominating the bottom 2/3rds fo the frame and the sky allotted to about 1/3 of the frame. Always be aware of what is ahead and try to have your camera ready for anything. You just might be surprised with beautiful images.

This was the beginning image of a project to document the new concert hall in Orange County. The construction company painted the outside dimensions of the building for visualization. My vantage point was a nearby high-rise about the 17th floor. The men were talking and I placed them in the upper convergence area of the upper horizontal and the left vertical thirds.

The line meanders from the lower area of convergence to the men, giving some visual tension and drama to the scene. The whole project was a blast and I can hardly believe the beautiful building that replaced this parking lot.

Today we stay with composition. This was taken during one of my photojournalism classes at UCLA for the staff of the Daily Bruin. We walked out on a bridge and looked for promising subjects. There was the usual hustle and bustle of a college campus, but sitting off to the side was a coed having her lunch. Slight tilt of the horizon helped to include the small walls that point toward the subject. For me, they point or lead the way to the subject, who I placed in the convergence of the upper horizontal and the right vertical third. Patience is not only a virtue but neccesary when creating your images. I waited for numerous pedestrians who walked through the frame, hoping the student wouldn’t finish her lunch and leave. Watching and waiting are always good skills to have in your bag. Try to look for a good situation and build the various piece(compositon, lighting, etc.)to make a great image.

Not as blustery as Christopher Robbins saw, but enough clouds and wind to make an interesting image outside London. This store is just down the highway from where A. Milne lived and wrote Winnie the Pooh. I actually walked through the 100 acre woods. A charming place but not as picturesque as you might hope for. So, I was looking for an iconic image to give a sense of place. No Pooh bears around, but a cute little sign and some dramatic looking clouds. I exposed for the sky, composed the image with the sky dominating the frame(1/3 2/3 rule) and placed the sign near the upper convergence area(the intersection of the upper horizontal and the right vertical third). The exposure for the sky created a silhoutte of the buildings and the sign.