Jack Carlson Photography

Always Get Help When You Can

Magnus provides summer class suggestions.

It’s planning time for late spring/mid-summer classes at the CBG.  I knew I could use help to submit proposed classes by the the deadline. so it seemed only fitting to ask Magnus, the Carlson Camera Clubhouse cat to lend a paw. He readily agreed to provide advice and in so doing, I’ll be able to beat the deadline by a whisker. Don’t be afraid to ask for help in any situation.

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Weekly Photo Tip

Adding Foreground Blur and Soft Light

Focus behind the closer material.

There’s a fair bit of garden around the Carlson Camera Clubhouse which means an ample supply of weeds. I often find myself out with assorted pruners, bags  and rakes. There just happened to be some tulips growing fairly close this afternoon’s designated work area that began calling my name as the sun dropped. Deciding I’d done enough weeding, and have taken few, if any, pictures since returning from a trip, it didn’t take long to put a macro lens on one of the camera bodies, grab a short tripod and head out for tulip close-ups in soft light. I shot in Manual mode and was careful to set the ISO just high enough (320) to provide a nice selection of f stops.

Manually focus on the subject while keeping the intervening material in the shot. I’m not certain that this will work with auto focus, so don’t bother using it. Confine the depth-of-field sharpness to the selected subject and you’ll get blur at any f stop between f 5.6 and f 11. Yes, it takes a bit of getting used to shooting this way, so allow enough time to not feel rushed.

Soft afternoon light: always good for flowers.

Focus between two subjects.

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About Jack

A classically trained musician since childhood, Jack Carlson always had the “ear” of an artist. It was only a short step to develop the artist’s “eye” as well.

The portfolio of this certified photographer reveals images that emphasize mood and composition. Their purpose is to present a feeling in addition to portrayal of person, place or thing. Sometimes that feeling is nostalgia; other times it is serenity.

Each photograph tells a story.