Jack Carlson Photography

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Composition Class visits the Dwarf Conifer Garden

August 29, 2022

Most of the Composition Class in the Dwarf Conifers.

During the course of 5 Sunday mornings, students in the Composition class explored different areas of the Chicago Botanic Garden to practice the compositional element of the week. Texture week found them in the Dwarf Conifer Garden–a perfect place to photograph all types of colored texture. The morning was rather cool and the light was soft, gray light was just what the photo doc ordered. Yes, there were tripods and monopods in use despite protestations of the never-ending burden they present. The resulting images made it all worth while as those students had to (rather grudgingly) admit. Join us for a photography class at the CBG. Both first-time and returning students always have a very enjoyable time meeting like-minded photo students and actually go home with wonderful images, too.

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Weekly Photo Tip

Filters can make a difference

18mm, f8 @ 1/30, no filter

18mm, f8 @ 1/80 with 3-stop ND Grad

I received a 3-stop, soft-edge ND grad filter from the Camera Clubhouse cats. They decided to purchase from Breakthrough Photography since I mentioned that one of my students brought Breakthrough Filters to a recent class and, on inspection, the filters seemed to be very well made. An ND Grad filter starts dark and fades to clear so the placement of the dark portion is determined by both the bright part of the scene and the photographer. This filter made quite a difference in holding down the sun in the upper part of the image. Check out the “no-filter” image and ND Grad image. The difference will amaze you. Please note: I have no affiliation with Breakthrough Photography and chose them only based on student referral. 

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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.

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