“Pure Energy”
How can I make a simple branch covered with frost pop out from its surrounding??? Just move around to position something interesting behind it. I found a faded clump of Japanese Forest Grass for a background. Using a shallow depth of field caused the grass to look like a radiating energy force field. I could feel the energy emerge as I recorded the image.
Portland Japanese Gardens
Today is an overcast dark day. I need a little brightness!
Yesterday I visited the Portland Japanese Gardens. Even though the day was overcast and a bit drizzly, the bright fall colors of this Japanese maple brightened the surroundings and captured my eye. The fall color was past its prime. But, there was still quite a bit of color patches. I thought the gardens were beautiful and can just imagine what they were like during their prime color. Next fall I will return during the peak.
P.S. I was practicing working with light and found this brilliant reflection.
Fuji X-T1, XF 18-135mm @ 18mm, f/8.0, 1/550 sec, ISO 800
My photography has not been very creative lately. When I get this way, I like to walk around and just practice. I do not have high expectations and just stop to photograph what catches my eye. I usually do not carry a tripod with me during these practice shoots. I use them as a scouting inspiration/exploration endeavor to come back and shoot at a better time. This image was taken in mid-day light at the Washington Arboretum Japanese Garden in Seattle. I spent 2 to 3 hours just walking around and enjoying the beautiful garden. I shot for less than an hour.
Once home, I just started playing around with different processing techniques on a few images. Again, more practice. This was one of the images that caught my eye. The original image was full of bright yellows, greens, and some oranges. I almost did not even try black and white processing. I wasn’t happy with the standard B&W images either, so I decided to experiment (play) some more. This sepia with a reverse vignette was the result.