Blog

My beautiful bride

Micah — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 02:03:16 +0000

My great friend Brian Dotson agreed to shoot our wedding, even though he's (up to this point) swore never to do another. Judging by the preview that he uploaded to Flickr, talking him into it was one of the best things we ever did.

Mantlepiece(s)

Micah — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 17:58:46 +0000

Keeping it simple.

Holiday Goals

Micah — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 18:44:24 +0000

My holiday photography goals:

1. Focus on people, not objects. People, family and friends are the very essence of the season, and many times the highlight of the holidays. The emotions around events need to be captured. The tree may be really pretty, but does it make you feel.

2. Chimp less. Simple fix (ha) and directly relates to number 1. The less I'm looking at and adjusting the photos I just took, the more I'm able to see what's happening in front of my lens. Same thing goes for equipment. Nobody cares how many lenses I have or what size my flash is. They just want to know if you captured little Jimmy's huge smile.

3. Be the subject of my own photos. These are my memories, too, and I need to be a part of it - not just the man behind the curtain.

4. Give back. If I take a great photo of someone else, or better yet, someone else's kids, I need to share that memory with them. My shot may be the only capture of that event for them. It might be my photos that they are flipping through in 20 years, reliving the memories. Photos are important, and not just to the photographer.

Bikes, Blues and Photo Opportunities

Micah — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 15:50:23 +0000

I wasn't the only photographer (amateur, pro, or otherwise) out this weekend. There was gear everywhere - cameras of every size, shape and brand. It was easy to spot those there for the scenery. They were the ones that exchanged black leather for worn packs and camera straps.

The big picture, at 300,000 people and bikes strong, was slightly overwhelming - where do you start? I remembered some advice I heard on Photofocus and decided early in the day to pick a theme and stick with it. This is always a solid strategy, forcing you to think in a particular mode. In my case: details.

Photomerge and Photoshop CS3

Micah — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 17:38:10 +0000

This past weekend we had the chance to run up to Eureka Springs for the day. Always a good time, and always a great chance to take some interesting photos.

Once we arrived we found ourself (literally) smack in the middle of a classic car parade. We took a unprepared seat on the curb and started snapping away. I say unprepared because my D40 was outfitted with a 55-200mm lens. Hardly ideal for quick moving cars that are 6-10 feet away.

After some frustration I changed tactics and began concentrating on the details of the cars: tires, logos and reflections. I also went after a poor-man's panorama, that is, one shot of the front of the car, one shot of the back. Figuring that once I got back I could throw it into Photoshop and see what it spit out.

I made a dumb mistake in cutting off the nose, but here's the result:

Some choppiness, but really not bad at all.

The Golden Spiral, and Why You Should Care

Micah — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 03:13:25 +0000

My mom is a fantastic painter and has a special place in her heart for sunflowers. It was the subject of some of her earliest work, and recently she's been talking about going back. When I took the picture above, she was one of the first people I showed it to.

Our conversation went something like this:

Me: I really like this photo
Mom: You know why you like that photo?
Me: Umm... it's pretty?
Mom: MATH! It's a spiral.

What does that mean?

She wasn't just poopooing my work. Sometimes it not about the color or the subject - it's all about Fibonacci's Number, the Golden Ratio and ultimately the Golden Spiral.

Our eyes are naturally drawn to this ratio and the various forms that it takes - in the case of my photo, a rough spiral.

The Wild Carrot

Micah — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 03:12:42 +0000

Took this photo during a walk around the neighborhood this evening. There are a wide variety of wildflowers along the road, but the large white circles of Queen Anne's Lace really sticks out.

What can a baseball teach us about design?

Micah — Wed, 20 May 2009 11:45:32 +0000

Brand it:

When you pick up a baseball, you know right off the bat (get it) what company made the ball, if it was made for a particular organization, and what league it is used in. It's white space and a logo, that's it, because that all you need.

Stitch it all together:

Every design is made up of many individual elements that likely are very different in their appearance and make up. The job of the designer is to take these pieces - a rubber ball, some thread, and a cover - and make a coherent whole that matches the expectations of the customer.

Content is at the core:

A baseball won't go anywhere without the core - a piece so important that information about it is printed on the cover of every ball. Similarly, your design isn't going anywhere without great content at it's core. We saw a recent example at dustincurtis.com and his letter to aa.com. His redesign: fantastic. Without the core functionality of the site: pointless.

And they're off!

Micah — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 19:08:26 +0000

Exposure: 0.001 sec (1/1000)
Aperture: f/5.6
Focal Length: 200 mm
ISO Speed: 360

Silk and Levels

Micah — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 01:42:36 +0000

Exposure: 0.001 sec (1/800)
Aperture: f/1.8
Focal Length: 50 mm
ISO Speed: 400

This is an interesting shot for a couple of reasons. Mostly because I was driving down I540 when I took it - but beyond that - it was one of those shots that didn't pop until I starting messing with the levels.

Not those levels, these levels here.