Jack Carlson Photography

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See–Think–Act

November 3, 2019

First snow foils flowers.

The first significant snow of the 2019-2020 winter season fell the other day. While we were told it was coming, few people I spoke with wanted to believe it. For as often as weather forecasts are wrong, this prediction was spot-on and we got the best part of 6-7 inches here at the old photo shop. Didn’t take long for snow to accumulate on the last of the red flowers in the box, so I had to find a camera.  SEE: The light on the first attempts was flat and did nothing for either the white (snow) or red (flowers) that made up the entire scene.  THINK: The ambient light subject area needed to be increased so I used a large white card to reflect light on to the the flowers. Not enough help from the card, so only one thing left.   ACT: I had to add flash but not from the built-in flash on the camera since it would be too direct to create any shadows. An off-camera flash unit with a coil-cord to connect it to the camera body proved once again to be most useful as you’ll see in the shot I’ve added to this piece. Keep your photo gear in a convenient place since time, like the weather,  is not always your friend.

For all of you who need to know the camera settings, they are: 110 mm focal length, f 7.1 @ 1/15th, e/v -.3, WB Flash, ISO 80, Center-weighted metering, tripod

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Weekly Photo Tip

Get an Infrared Filter to create snow

 

Infra-red filter creates eerie snow effect.

Magnus, the faithful camera clubhouse cat, thoughtfully dropped a B+H gift card in my Christmas stocking. I used the card to order an Infrared (IR) filter which, as you will remember knocks out all wavelengths of light below the filter rating. In this case, all light below 930nm doesn’t make it through the filter, and the wavelengths that do make it require 2 1/2 minutes of exposure time. This filter is so dark red, the composing and focusing must be done before the filter is attached to the front of the lens. In addition to a tripod and ballhead, it helps to have gloves and a mug of some type of warm liquid to keep hands and insides warm while walking around behind the camera for those 150 seconds while the shutter is open.

IR filters come in varying strengths which affect the price. Mine wasn’t priced in the low-end promo department, but the effects it creates are both enjoyable and worth the price. Get one and see for yourself.

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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.

Upcoming Classes

Jul 9
8:00 am - 11:00 am

Waterlily Workshop-back at CBG by popular demand-Saturday, July 9

Jul 12
6:30 pm - 8:30 pm

Intermediate Digital is GO for July 12 on Zoom

Jul 24
9:00 am - 11:00 am

Choosing the Right Lens: Zoom in for 2 hours of info you’ll want to have

Jul 31
9:00 am - 12:00 pm

Composition: Back at the garden by student demand–5 Sundays–starts July 31

Aug 6
9:00 am - 12:00 pm

Hidden Gems of the Garden: Just waiting to be photographed starting August 6

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