Final

Camera: Sony
Model: DSLR-A300  
Focal Length: 210mm  
ISO: 400 AV: f/5.6  
Tv: 1/100  
Flash: none

Camera: Sony  
Model: DSLR-A300  
Focal Length: 210mm  
ISO: 400 AV: f/5.6  
Tv: 1/100  
Flash: none

Camera: Sony  
Model: DSLR-A300  
Focal Length: 210mm  
ISO: 800  
AV: f/9  
Tv: 1/250  
Flash: none

Camera: Sony  
Model: DSLR-A300  
Focal Length: 26mm  
ISO: 200  
AV: f/5.6  
Tv: 1/60  
Flash: none

Camera: Sony  
Model: DSLR-A300  
Focal Length: 70mm  
ISO: 400  
AV: f/10  
Tv: 1/100  
Flash: none

Camera: Sony  
Model: DSLR-A300  
Focal Length: 70mm  
ISO: 400  
AV: f/9  Tv: 1/50 

Flash: none

Camera: Sony  
Model: DSLR-A300  
Focal Length: 160mm  
ISO: 800  
AV: f/5  Tv: 1/800  
Flash: none

Camera: Sony  
Model: DSLR-A300  
Focal Length: 70mm  
ISO: 400  
AV: f/8  Tv: 1/100  
Flash: none

Camera: Sony  
Model: DSLR-A300  
Focal Length: 70mm  
ISO: 200  
AV: f/9
Tv: 1/100  
Flash: none

Camera: Sony  
Model: DSLR-A300  
Focal Length: 70mm  
ISO: 200  
AV: f/6.3
Tv: 1/200  
Flash: none

Camera: Sony  
Model: DSLR-A300  
Focal Length: 18mm  
ISO: 200  
AV: f/14  Tv: 1/100  
Flash: none

Camera: Sony  
Model: DSLR-A300  
Focal Length: 50mm  
ISO: 100  
AV: f/9 

Tv: 1/100  
Flash: none

Camera: Sony  
Model: DSLR-A300  
Focal Length: 18mm  
ISO: 100  
AV: f/18  Tv: 1/100  
Flash: none

Camera: Sony  
Model: DSLR-A300  
Focal Length: 18mm  
ISO: 100  
AV: f/22
Tv: 1/100  
Flash: None

Camera: Sony  
Model: DSLR-A300  
Focal Length: 18mm  
ISO: 400  
AV: f/9 

Tv: 1/400  
Flash: none

Camera: Sony  
Model: DSLR-A300  
Focal Length: 160mm  
ISO: 400  AV: f/4.5 Tv: 1/200  
Flash: none

Camera: Sony  
Model: DSLR-A300  
Focal Length: 70mm  
ISO: 400  
AV: f/4.5
Tv: 1/800  
Flash: none

Camera: Sony  
Model: DSLR-A300  
Focal Length: 50mm  
ISO: 100  
AV: f/5.6
Tv: 1/160
Flash: none

Camera: Sony  
Model: DSLR-A300  
Focal Length: 18mm  
ISO: 100  
AV: f/20
Tv: 1/100  
Flash: none
                             
Camera: Sony  
Model: DSLR-A300  
Focal Length: 210mm  
ISO: 100  
AV: f/6.3
Tv: 1/160
Flash: none

Camera: Sony  
Model: DSLR-A300  
Focal Length: 70mm  
ISO: 100  
AV: f/5.6
Tv: 1/400
Flash: none

Camera: Sony  
Model: DSLR-A300  
Focal Length: 70mm  
ISO: 200  
AV: f/7.1
Tv: 1/200
Flash: none

Camera: Sony  
Model: DSLR-A300  
Focal Length: 130mm  
ISO: 200  
AV: f/5.0
Tv: 1/200
Flash: none

Camera: Sony  
Model: DSLR-A300  
Focal Length: 10mm  
ISO: 200  
AV: f/13
Tv: 1/400
Flash: none

Camera: Sony  
Model: DSLR-A300  
Focal Length: 18mm  
ISO: 100  
AV: f/6.3
Tv: 1/400
Flash: none

Camera: Sony  
Model: DSLR-A300  
Focal Length: 18mm  
ISO: 200  
AV: f/22
Tv: 1/200
Flash: none

Camera: Sony  
Model: DSLR-A300  
Focal Length: 18mm  
ISO: 100  
AV: f/7.1
Tv: 1/400
Flash: none

Camera: Sony  
Model: DSLR-A300  
Focal Length: 90mm  
ISO: 200  
AV: f/8.0
Tv: 1/100
Flash: none

Camera: Sony  
Model: DSLR-A300  
Focal Length: 45mm  
ISO: 100  
AV: f/5.6
Tv: 1/400
Flash: none

Camera: Sony  
Model: DSLR-A300  
Focal Length: 210mm  
ISO: 800  
AV: f/9.0
Tv: 1/640
Flash: none

Mesmerizing

There is a sense of contentment for be both in taking photos as well as looking at other people's work. Photography serves as one of many stress relief devices, the use of color and texture from macro to landscapes can play on emotion and often triggers memories. Browsing through 500px, I have accumulated some favorites and photos that really speak to me.

Visual Flow by Ian Plant

"Visual Flow" By Ian Plant: I immediately found this photo very calming and poignant. The soft lines and subtle changes in from the cool purples to warm orange and red create visual interest and keep the eye moving. The physical movement of the eyes while the head remains still is a valid calming mechanism, so the ability for a photo to elicit that type of motion facilitates healthy mental patterns.

Pine grove by Twostar K

"Pine Grove" By Twostar K: I really love the frame of this photo and the tangle of slanted/ diagonal lines. The fog brings immense depth and intrigue to the image, with uneven lighting creating a dynamic, smooth texture. The detail of the trees is further accentuated by the play of light in the fog and elicits a sense of surrealism.

THE ZEN POOL (SWAN) by KENNY BARKER

"THE ZEN POOL (SWAN)" By Kenny Barker I am a sucker for simplicity and this photo is absolutely stunning. At first glance it looks like some sort of ink blot test or random pattern, not a bird and its reflection accompanied by the moon. The lighting on the bird is superb, bringing out small details in the feathers. The sheer sense of stillness is incredible with not even a slight ripple in the water. ..and the list goes on. There are hundreds of photos that just elicit some sort of awe to me and time spent admiring other people's work is time well spent.

Student Art Show

Oh right, I should remember about this whole blog-thing. Remember this picture?

Well I edited it and used it as my submission for the student art show (which, I admittedly forgot about until late the night before and spent the next morning running around between work and class to get it printed and submitted).

Needless to say, I ended up pretty happy with it, even if it is just a dumb picture of a duck that I took on the first outing with my new camera before I knew how to use it at all. I can’t complain about the second place prize from the art show, a little pocket cash is always nice and it gives me a little more pride in the photo.

Rarity

There are few things as exciting, in my opinion, than being able to witness a rare or endangered animal in the wild. I can only imagine the thrill to photographers who have that opportunity to photograph animals that not many people will ever have the change to even see outside of cages. I can also imagine the stress in such situations to ensure that you get a good shot...how devastating it would be to be caught off guard and end up with blurry photos of something so rare (and what a waste of a potential payday! haha). After the Yellowstone trip I really have a better feel for my camera; how it works and reacts in given conditions, and how quickly I can alter settings to capture what I am looking at. Of course I am in the process of editing, slowly but surely, and am finding many pictures that didn't quite play out, but there are always those handful that work. I find a lo of times getting that ideal image is a lot about luck in timing. Browsing the internet (as I so happily do far too often) I was interested in seeking out rare animal images. Photographer Robert Heischman was able to capture a critically endangered species the gharial (Gavialis gangeticus, or "gavial," that is native to the Indian subcontinent (plus it is visually captivating and a very striking image).

Power and Grace

I love the idea of capturing action and power in wildlife. There is just something about that raw, unhindered spirit that is absolutely captivating. This image is Richard Peters', entry (and one of the winners) for the 2012 World Wildlife Photographers of the Year.I actually tumbled (haha) across this image on Tumblr (my insatiable addiction to the site is rather alarming, but I regret nothing).

What I find most intriguing about the image is the effect of having the subject mostly out of frame (I bet that breaks a few 'rules' as we have learned throughout this course so far). However, the subjects face and intense expression along with that lush tail and spindly legs still allow to viewer to immediately recognize the creature. That empty white space from the bottom left extending up to the fox in the top right really creates movement in the image as the eye follows toward the fox. You can imagine the motion where the fox had started before its jump to where it is now and where it might land just barely still in frame. The color scheme of course is very beneficial with the white snow and the striking contrast of the orange-hued fox. This photo was taken in Yellowstone back in 2010. With a little more web searching I found article highlighting some of the various winning images. Wildlife Photographer of the Year Highlights All of 100 winning images are on display that Natural History Museum until March 2013. Museum Of Natural History

Because we can

"on the 65th anniversary of the day that U.S. test pilot Chuck Yeager became the first man to officially break the sound barrier in a jet" 43 year old Austrian Pilot(and daredevil) Felix Baumgartner made a 128,100 foot plunge to earth over New Mexico. Hey guys, that is like 24 MILES above the Earth's surface. Felix hit Mach 1.24, or 833.9 mph, this is a PERSON not a jet or spacecraft, free falling for 4 minutes and 22 seconds. Did I mention over 800 MILES PER HOUR? What. I can't even imagine that sense of thrill. Some days I really enjoy the part of humanity where we do things because we can and even better when it works out and everyone walks away safely. WOW.

Nat Geo's Photo Of The Day

On occassion I browse through the National Geographic website to check out recent news on new species and whatnot. Today I stumbled across the Photo Of The Day page and was really impressed by the image for Oct 4, 2012. Coming from a state where big thunder storms are a regularity, I often miss those looming clouds and lighning shows out here in Montana. Every time we get even a hiccup of a thunder storm here in Billings I just crave a big storm, curled up in my basement at home watching the county blocks on the weather channel light up with sever storm warnings and tracking funnel clouds and tornados that have touch down.

I find such power and beauty in the scene of a storm and photographer Mitch Dobrowner truly captured the mysterious and dangerous spirit of the storm in this photo. He works generally in black an white landscapes, bringing great depth and adding a dramatic element to this photo. The scene is also quite reminiscent of home to me, giving a sense of ease and familiarity. I feel that had the photo lacked the lightening, it still would be a fantastic image. The lightning strike simply adds an element of interest, especially as it weaves within a cloud. The road dead center leads the eye into the image toward the almost black horizon line that really makes the lighting contrast stand out.

Mitch Dobrowner's website is full of equally amazing photographs of different natural and urban landscapes: http://www.mitchdobrowner.com/index.html