Tag Archives: repitition

Jamestown Bells

140423_Jamestown Bells by Karl Graf. Canon 5D MkIII, EF24-70mm f/2.8L @ 70mm, f/5.6, 1/250 sec, ISO 3200

Karen and I spent the last day of 2013 exploring the Jamestown museum and settlement reconstruction.  It was a wonderful day of exploring and learning about our history.  Karen and I visited Jamestown back in the mid 80’s when we were living in Fairfax, VA.  Back then there was really just the beginning of the excavation of the site.  So much has changed.  All Americans should visit this museum and settlement site to get an appreciation of the Jamestown Settlement.  It was a day to remember and reflect on.

This image is taken from the inside of the Jamestown Settlement Church.  My objective was to create symmetry and balance between the diagonal, vertical and horizontal elements.

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Sand Ripples

140306_Sand Ripples by Karl Graf. Canon 5D Mark III, EF70-200mm f/2.8L IS @ 200mm, f/16, 1/60 sec, ISO 200

Looking down the beach, I saw this interesting shadow pattern on these sand ripples  as the sun broke the horizon.  This highlight-shadow pattern just lasted a few moments.  There is always something of interest if I am open to what the moment brings.  I just need to be patient and wait for that moment.  It was a nice morning.

I worked on this image to convert it to B&W.  I was a nice pattern of white and black contrasts.  But, the warm sun made the image for me.

 

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I See Red

140224_Coral Bark Maple by Karl Graf. Canon 5D Mark III, EF24-70mm f/2.8L @ 70mm, f/5.6, 1/640 sec, ISO 400

In our back yard field of white, the red of the coral bark maple stands against the bleakness of a cloudy winter day.  I walked around the tree multiple times trying to get the right balance for the image.  I found this foreground “Y” (or “V”) framing two other “Ys”  I added a touch of graduated fog in NIK Color EFEX Pro to focus on the foreground “Y”.

 

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Circles

Circles for Lenny by Karl Graf. Canon 5D MKIII, EF24-70mm f/2.8L @ 67mm, f/8.0, 1/50 sec, ISO 200

Here I was just trying to capture the repeating circles of the wheel tires and the post in addition to the repeating lines of the logs.  Again I was thinking of B&W when I took this image.  The mixture of green grass and brown leaves cluttered the color image and distracted from the wheels.

 

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Lone Tree

131227_Lone Tree (1 of 1) by Karl G. Graf. Canon 7D, EF24-70mm f2.8L @ 70mm, f/11, 1/250 sec, ISO 400

Looking back over some photographs taken this past summer on San Juan Island, WA, this image of a lone tree hanging on to a ledge above the water caught my eye.  I recall taking this image and trying to get the ripples and the bright reflection of the sun to frame the tree.  I spent about one half hour just moving around and trying different exposures and shutter speeds to get what I was looking for.  When I reviewed the photographs last summer, I was disappointed with the color image.  Today I worked with the subtle shadows and reflections to come up with this B&W version.

 

 

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Death Valley: Charcoal Kilns

131204_DV_Charcol Kilns by Karl Graf. Canon 5D MKIII with EOS 24-70mm f/2.8L @ 70mm, f/22, 1/15 sec., ISO 400

These charcoal kilns seem to be in the middle of nowhere in Wildrose Pass.  They were built by Swiss engineers in the the 1870’s to feed the smelters of Modoc Mine about 25 miles away.  This was the closest source of wood.

The most difficult part of taking this image was to avoid the row of other photographers trying to take the same image.  See below.

131204_DV_Charcol Kilns_2 by Karl Graf.

 

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Death Valley: Mesquite Dunes – Ripples

131128_Mesquite Dunes - Ripples by Karl G. Graf. Canon 7D, EF 70-200mm f2.8L IS with 1.4X extender @ 280mm, f/11, 1/90 sec, ISO 200

This was one of Chuck’s stops.  He even put down his tripod to take an image.  What caught my eye was the contrast between the smooth dune face and the ripples on the down hill side.  I also liked the “scallops” on the dune’s edge.

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Repetition

image by .

There is always something interesting wherever you are.  It was a bright, but hazy afternoon as I was overlooking the LA Harbor.  Nothing looked interesting in the harbor.  I looked up and saw the warm afternoon sun highlighting the fence surrounding the overlook.  The repeating curved arrows added to the interest.

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Integrity, Service, and Excellence

130606_Missing Man Formation by Karl G. Graf. It was high noon on a cloudless day when we visited the Air Force Memorial in Arlington, VA.  The Memorial is 270 feet high and appears to be soaring. Its array of arcs against the sky evokes a modern image of flight by jet and space vehicles. At the same time, it enshrines the past in permanent remembrance of the pioneers of flight who came before, and pays homage to those of the future.

The number three in the vertical design of the spires signifies several elements.  “Three” is resonant with significant associations for the Air Force, including the three core values of today: Integrity first, Service before self, and Excellence in all we do. It is also the smallest number of elements needed to define and enclose a space. The spires also reflect an exploding bomb burst as well as the “Missing Man” maneuvers. The spires are asymmetrical and dynamic. Each is a different height, causing the view of the Memorial to be different at every angle.

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