200mm, F2.8 @ 1/3, manual focus w/full blur.
I’ve been thinking about how to capture images of this season when there is no snow. Since moving to a less or no snow zip code isn’t about to happen, what’s to do, I wondered. Hoping to find inspiration in my image library, I began to scroll through a few hundred images. I’ve always been meaning to arrange the images by season, but it’s yet to happen. So here’s the answer: Look for colored lights of any size. Then, fill the camera’s frame with them either optically (by zooming in) or physically moving the camera, tripod and yourself. Once you’ve done that, use manual focus to blur the lights and the largest aperture your lens has. A cheap, yet pretty cool effect is to zoom the lens while pushing the shutter release button. There’s a distinct difference between the images that’s determined by which end of the zoom range you start with. The first time you look at a successful image, it’s rather like the first time you captured a sun-star, and a congratulatory smile will almost magically light up your face. Don’t ask me how I know.
Another way a zoom lens is your friend.
My classes resume in January so there will be time to add more assorted photo info to the site. Send a note with questions, comments and your images whenever you can. I DO enjoy them.
