What's your Opinion

As a photographer, I’m asked on occasion to critique and give an UN-biased opinion on someone’s work. If you are like me I hate to critique my own work since I’m my own worst critic. I have come up with a grading system that allows me to cover every technical aspect of a captured image and score it objectively. As Ancel Adams said: “There is no rules for good photographs, there are only good photographs”   If you find yourself in this situation be sure to ask the photographer what  the category this would represent if its not evident and what caption would be appropriate. This will help you get a mind set on what the photographer was thinking when the picture was taken.

So if you find yourself in a situation were your asked to give an opinion about another photographers work, just remember that people are sensitive to criticism. Be truthful, but show a little compassion and be diplomatic. It’s not what you say its how you say it.

Answer each question about the image you are trying to evaluate and score it from zero to 10 then add up your score.

1. SUBJECT MATTER- Best reflects the Theme, Title and Category   0-10

2. IMPACT- The “WOW” factor, a combination of Light, Color, Lens Choice, Angle or Perspective, Timing, Compositional Relationships, Etc    0-10

3. CREATIVITY- The combination of subject, camera and lighting techniques in unison   0-10

4. STYLE- A personal touch that is unique and stands out.  0-10

5. COMPOSITION-  The placement of the visual elements of attention within its surroundings.  0-10

6. CENTER OF INTEREST- Must be definitive in relation to its surroundings. 0-10

7. COLOR BALANCE- Creative use of complimentary colors  0-10

8. LIGHTING- Creative use lighting and shadows   0-10

9.  INNOVATIVE- Creative use of camera placement and angles.  0-10

10. TECHNIQUE- The unique combination of all the above.  0-10

Score each question from ONE to TEN then add them up

100-95 EXCEPTIONAL, You might want to get a second opinion..

94-90 SUPERIOR, You are thinking quite highly of your skills as a photographer

89-85 EXCELLENT, Now you are starting to be somewhat realistic.

84-80 VERY GOOD, deserving of merit, your starting to scare the Big Boys

79-76 GOOD, Almost but not quite

75-74 AVERAGE, Keep experimenting, it’s going to get better

73-70 FAIR, I should have left the camera at home.

69-0   Don’t Despair, keep on trying.

WHATS YOUR SCORE ??

                                        

                                               

                 

                                                           

                                                           

                                                                       

So You Want To Be a Photographer

            You bought a camera with more bells and whistles than the one you have been using, you read the Owners Manual and decided to shoot in Automatic Mode until you got more familiar with your camera, you took some candid’s of your friends and relatives, their kids, pets or what ever, your friends or relatives just raved how good they were and remarked you should go into the photography business, a best friend, an acquaintance, or a relative knows somebody who is getting married or graduating so you offer to take the pictures for FREE “just for the experience”. “Free” is a term everyone likes to hear because a lot of people want something at little or no cost because they place cost over quality and service and are hoping they are getting a deal because they know what studios are charging.

            You are about to book your first client and you want to make a good impression but not make it seem like it’s your first load of chickens so you start making some phone calls or go on face book to find answers to the questions that anyone going into this business should have already known the answers to, such as; HOW MUCH SHOULD I CHARGE, WHAT SHOULD I CHARGE EXTRA FOR, SHOULD I HAVE BACK UP EQUIPMENT, DO I NEED AN OFF CAMERA FLASH, SHOULD I SHOOT IN AUTOMATIC OR MANUAL, WHATS A RAW FILE?,  DO I NEED A VENDORS LICIENCE, DO I NEED LIABILITY INSURANCE, WHAT PROGRAM SHOULD I USE FOR POST PROCESS EDITING, WHERE SHOULD I GET MY PREVIEWS PRINTED, SHOULD I OFFER THE DIGITAL NEGATIVE FOR SALE INSTEAD OF PRINTS. ETC, ETC, ETC.

            Assuming nothing went wrong with either the camera, the card, and there was enough light since you didn’t have an off camera flash unit, you came up with some presentable shots that looked great unless they were compared to the work of a professional or a skilled amateur. But so what, Millie just raved about her senior pictures and her Mother liked the price and Angela complimented you by saying your pictures were better than her Uncle Bob’s.

            How many times have you read posts where people are ready to take the plunge and hang out a shingle advertizing their skills as a photographer. I as a photographer, I take no offense from those who want to pursue their dreams. The fact is I believe in good old American business practices where competition and a level playing field determines who succeeds and who fails.

            I have been a full time “side job” photographer for the last five decades and have since retired. I would like to share with you some helpful tips that might help you succeed in building your own photography business.

The Ghosts Of Beaver Creek

First I want it to be known that I’m an  amateur photographer and not a ghost hunter. Ghost hunting intrigues me but my interest in ghosts lies in visually reproducing images that can be associated with ghosts and legends.

Being born and raised in Lisbon, Ohio I was brought up hearing the stories of Gretchen Gill, Esther Hale and Pretty Boy Floyd and a few others whose ghosts surrounds the haunts on Beaver Creek.

The middle fork of Beaver Creek runs through the village of Lisbon and meets with the west fork above Beaver Creek State Park. The park area and the canal locks are one of the most haunted sites in the State of Ohio. Sprucevale, abandoned in 1870 after the failure of the Sandy Beaver canal is located on the creek and a grist mill was built there in 1837 called Hambelton Mill. The mill and one of the canal locks is all that remains.

My last blog depicts Gretchen’s Lock and Hambelton Mill both having ghosts associated with these structures. Chris Woodyard of the Haunted Ohio book series notes that Esther was due to be married on August 12, 1838. (The same anniversary date as that of Gretchen). As with Gretchen's lock, many variations of this story exist. In another version, Esther Hale was actually a "stern Quaker preacher" who haunts the Hambleton Mill. Esther is also mistaken for the ghost at Gretchen's Lock.
Sprucevale bride-to-be, Esther Hale, was stood up on her wedding day. Broken-hearted, she never took her wedding gown off, and would wander the city and the bridge in the hopes that her groom would return. When townsfolk noticed that she stopped coming around, they went to her house only to find that she had been dead for several days. And still wearing her wedding veil and gown.It is believed poor Esther's ghost still haunts this bridge and the nearby Hambleton Mill. Some say that she appears as a "hideous apparition." If she touches you, you will die and she will become young and beautiful again.

Assignment: The Haunting of Esther Hale, I call it an assignment simply because I assigned my self to do it.

Previsualization- After reading the story of Esther Hale I thought it would be interesting to try and capture visually the emotions and despair that Esther felt after she was stood up at the alter. I didn’t want to portray a ghost that haunts the bridge, but the person whose life ended on the day of her wedding.
I picked Lusk Lock for the location because it has spiral staircases in stone that leads down from the top the lock. The huge sandstone blocks that make up the locks are covered with vegetation and moss that gives off a green patina that somewhat glows in low light. I also wanted to portray her in a surreal setting, bringing forth the feeling of loneliness and despair as she searches for her husband to be.

Here are my visual portrayals of  Esther Hale and Gretchen Gill as they might be seen in real life and as ghosts.

Esther Hale, as a ghost wanting to regain her beauty and her youth.

Esther, ascending from the depths of Hell to find another victim on the Sprucevale Bridge.

Esther, searching for her husband to be that never showed at the her wedding.

Esther, being called back to the bridge.

Esther, losing all hope of finding her husband to be and dying of a broken heart.

Gretchen, at the lock named after her

The Ghost of Gretchen Gill

 

The Ghost of Grechan's Lock

Just about ready to do a little ghost hunting with the camera at Hambelton's Mill and Grechan's Lock.
Would anyone like to join me?

In 1828, the work began on the Sandy and Beaver Canal, with Edward Gill as the Chief Engineer at the helm.  He was brought over from Ireland, along with his wife and daughter.  His wife died mysteriously on their way across the Atlantic.  Buried at sea, Gretchen was devastated at her mother's loss.  She traveled with her father in the Columbiana County area, staying at whatever town was closest to the particular lock her father happened to be working on. No doubt she stayed in towns like Gilford, New Lisbon, Elkton, and Spruceville.  In fact it was Spruceville (today called Sprucevale) that she was staying when she contracted malaria, a common disease for the time. 

It was severe and many people died from it.  So did Gretchen.  Grief stricken, Edward had her body entombed into the Lock he was working on at the time of her death.  Lock #41
 Re posted from http://www.ghosting12.com/

How Close Is Too Close?

As the weather warms it bring out many creatures that have hibernated through the winter. A lot of these are amphibians and reptiles which provides some interesting photo opportunities. When encountering these creatures I try to get as close as I can to give a different perspective to what I'm photographing. Here are a few shots of a reptile that some of my fellow photographers said I was nuts to get that close. I also included a picture of a frog for those who are squeamish about snakes.

A Fathers Love

Here are a few out-takes from my  double dog dare "Newborn Shoot". As I was thinking about a theme for this shoot, George Straight' song came to mind. "A Fathers Love" Love without end Amen.

 Ready to fill Dad's Boots

 An Unbreakable Union

In Good Hands

 Always There

Storm Moving In

 Storm Moving In  

Seward Alaska

Double Dog Dare

Well it finally happened, I have been asked to take on a photographic assignment that I have avoided like the plague in all my years behind a camera but when you are “Double Dogged Dared” you have no choice. Newborns! I have never undertaken a newborn sitting even though I have been responsible for 23 of them for other photographers that I know of.

I think I have got the technical side covered but the posing is something else. After a lot of research on posing, I found that they all look like little footballs with their heads encased in a Tibetan head piece of various colors. Then to make things more complicated they are placed in a basket, a washtub or just laid out on a blanket or rug along with a lot of brick-bract that makes it difficult finding the kid in the picture.

After hours looking for something unique that I could build on, I gave up and decided to cut my own path through this uncharted territory of newborn photography. I like simplicity along with capturing the feeling and emotions of the moment. My experience with newborns is that for the most part they yawn, burp, fart, and can become very vocal when something irritates them. I plan on photographing the family as a whole, capturing Mom and Dad showing their love and devotion for their creation and letting baby just do its thing.

Sunset on the Gulkana

Seward Alaska

Back Yard Pet Portraits

Backyard Pet Portraits with Alyssa, Bella & Cooper.

Glacier Creek

Glacier Creek, Girdwood Alaska

The First Resemblence of Spring

Spring has finally sprung in N.E. Ohio. The ground has thawed enough to allow the flowers to push through.

Mt. Sanford, Alaska

Taken from the Gulcana River at sunset.

A New Banner

Our Business is going to the Dogs

Stedi-Stock

The Nomad

The "Nomad"

 
  The Nomad, Being one of the best known and photographed abandoned boats in Southern Alaska; Most Alaskans know about it but no one can tell you exactly how to find it.
While on my photo-safari through the Southern part  of Alaska I was told there was an abandoned boat out on the S Knik/ Goosebay Rd. south of Wasilla. I was also told that it was one of the most photographed boats in Southern Alaska. After  hearing about this boat from many sources I became intrigued and wanted to photograph and find out more about its history, its exact location and why it was abandoned.
To my chagrin, no one seemed to know anything about it other than its approximate location on the Knik Arm.  I decided to do a day trip and see if we could locate this mystery boat that few people knew about so we started out from Eagle River on a warm, rainy overcast day to find this elusive boat. My driver and navigator for the trip was Dionna and Karla whom I often refer to as Thelma & Louise because neither one of them seem to have a care in the world and its hard to tell where we might end up. After reaching Wasilla, we turned south on S Knik/ Goosebay Rd. and traveled for what seemed hours with without so much as a glimpse of of anything resembling an old boat. We finally ran out of road ending on an airstrip so we decided to backtrack and try again.
 Before we ending up at the airstrip we had an encounter with a moose that sauntered out of the woods and on to the highway right in front of us. Fortunately we had time stop before it wandered back into the woods taking a hiding position behind a small tree and looking at us. This is the first time I seen a moose in the wild so I definitely wanted to photograph it. I got off a few shots with out leaving the safety of the car. I have read what these animals can do if they are frightened or challenged.
After backtracking for over an hour, the sun finally came out for a while giving me the opportunity to  catch a glimpse of something that looked like a boat protruding out of a sea of grass over a thousand yards away from the highway. I think we finally found what we were looking for. The weather co-operated long enough to allow me to photograph the boat from different locations and angles. Some of the shots were right on the waters edge and I knew not to venture out on the mudflats  due to the ensuing dangers they present. A few people have lost their lives thinking they could walk out there.
After arriving back in the lower 48 I continued my search for more information about the boat. I was told about a person who lives in Alaska and was a well known photographer so I contacted him telling him about the boat. He said he also photographed it but didn't know the history but would research it and let me me know what he found.
This is what he shared with me.

The Nomad was built in the early 1950’s by Bob Matheson and his brother. It was built specially for the Turnagain Arm because of the rough waters. Bob and his brother used it for several years before selling it to Joe and Violet Redington Sr. Joe is the father of the Iditarod sled dog race. Joe needed a fishing boat and the Nomad originally came with a cabin, so Joe remodeled it by tearing off the cabin which contained cots and a galley, and built a hold for fish. Joe and Violet used it for commercial fishing and hauling supplies from Anchorage to their homestead at Flathorn Lake. They would anchor it on the Knik Flats because it was a convenient place to anchor while they were in Knik. In 1967 they brought it to the pond at high tide and dry docked it and it has set there ever since. It has become a popular landmark for Knik, not to mention one of the most photographed places in South Central Alaska.
Nomad information by John Schandel, visit his face book page at NorthernVues

Goose Bay on the Knik Arm

Knik Arm Mudflats

The Peekabo Moose