Woods

My Favorite Images of 2015: Macro/Close-up

Happy New Year to all! Each new year brings hope and the prospect of new opportunities for us to pursue.

On April 23, I will host my first Spring Flower Workshop. You will notice that I do not always use a macro lens to capture a nice sharp close-up. A good zoom lens (like the one your received if you purchased a kit) will give you the range you need to create wonderful close-up images. If your zoom says “macro” on it, you will be able to get a little closer than you would with a regular zoom lens. It is not a 1:1 macro, but you should be able to get close enough to capture many of the small details in your image. I wanted to share some of my macro/close-up images from 2015 to inspire you to get out and explore your surroundings!

This first group of images was taken in Colorado at Garden of the Gods. I saw this as the life span of a thistle. Through the series you can see how it changes over time. These were taken with my Tamron 24 – 75mm f/2.8. I often use it as a carry around lens and it has great close-up capabilities. I love how it blurs the background, but keeps the main image sharp.

White Trillium

This image will always be special to me. It was taken at the Shoot the Hills weekend photography competition. You are not able to edit your images and you have to choose your best image in each category (approximately 6 images) and turn those in to the judges. The white trillium was taken with my Sigma 105mm Macro lens using the ring flash. This was my first time participating in the competition; the image won an honorable mention in the Flora Category.

Here Kitty!

While not a flower; this cat is a nice example of a close-up image. Eyes are in focus and looking straight into the camera! I had put my camera on the ground and “hoped” it would focus on the right area. Again, this was taken with my Tamron 24 – 75mm f/2.8.

Intersecting Lines

I enjoy experimenting with textures and other processing techniques. I try to look for interesting forms and shapes in my surroundings. This was taken at the Huntington Museum of Art Conservatory. It is a wonderful place to take photographs. Most of the time is is not crowded and it is great to go to on a cold day. The palm branch was processed using the On1 Photo system.

Follow the Line

I also look for leading lines. The vine entwined itself along the branch of this plant. There is a nice curve for the eye to follow.

Young Coneflower

Young Coneflower was an image I enjoyed experimenting with. I had photographed the coneflower in front as it developed over several days. I wanted a nice linen texture and painterly feel. I used a combination of Oil Paint filter in Photoshop and did texture layering using On1 Photo. I had it printed on metallic paper with a linen texture. It does have the look and feel of a painting.

All Alone

This was taken in North Carolina at Thanksgiving. I saw the “lone” leaf sticking up off of a branch in the woods. This was photographed with my Sigma 120 – 300mm f2.8. The image was processed in Lightroom.

Purple Basil

In my opinion, I saved the best for last! My image, Purple Basil, was captured with the LensBaby Spark. The Spark comes with multiple disks that you can insert to create interesting shapes out of light. I did very little processing to this image; just basic adjustments using Lightroom. The morning sun was hitting the leaf just right. I had only a couple of minutes to photograph the leaf and the light was gone! I print this image on metallic paper and also have had a metal print created. The highly saturated colors pop on the metallic mediums. It won an Honorable Mention at the Foothills Competition in the fall.

I hope you have enjoyed the 2015 recap of my favorite images! I look forward to sharing more information in 2016!

Watch for notices of my classes and workshops for the upcoming year!

January 1, 2016 | Categories: Art, Forestry, Macro Photography, On1, Paintings, Photography, Travel, Woods | Tags: cat, classes, close-up photography, Colorado, coneflower, fall, flowers, Foothills Art Show, Garden of the Gods, Huntington Museum of Art Conservatory, leaf, leaves, Lensbaby, LensBaby Spark, macro, Nikon, Nikon D800E, North Carolina, On1 Effects, palm leaf, Pam DeCamp, Pam DeCamp Photography, plants, purple, purple basil, ring flash, Shoot the Hills, Sigma Lens, Tamron lens, Thistle, Travel, Trillium, workshops | Leave a comment

My Favorite Images of 2015: Landscapes

As 2015 comes to a close, I have decided to share my favorite images of 2015 and why they are special to me. I hope you enjoy these images as much as I do!

Arlington National Cemetery

My first image was taken this fall at Arlington National Cemetery. I was fortunate enough to be witness to the funeral of 3 Star General Frank E. Petersen, Jr. He was the first African American Aviator in the United States Marine Corps. He was also the first African American Marine General. The photograph holds a special memory for me and also marks an event in history.

New River Gorge, West Virginia

My next landscape is of New River Gorge in West Virginia. The photograph displays the vastness of this region and the beauty of the fall colors. This was my first trip there; I do plan on going back.

Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado

As I was walking around the Great Sand Dunes National Park area, I saw this couple walking toward me. I used the trees to frame them and to demonstrate the size of the area. The woman was dressed in a white desert type outfit, like the kind you would see Katharine Hepburn wear in African Queen. They looked like they had been on safari.

Close up of the graffiti my daughter spray painted onto one of the cars. EM is her initials.

Cadillac Ranch, Amarillo, Texas

The two images above are from the Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo, Texas. I had taken a trip out west in 2013 and passed this area without knowing what it was until after the fact. I knew we were going to be going past here again so I made sure we stopped. The bold, highly saturated colors stand out against the cloudless blue sky. My daughter enjoyed the fact she could “legally” paint graffiti onto an object and not be arrested. Her initials EM were boldly painted in yellow and I’m sure were gone by days end. What a great experience though!

Abandoned Corral, Roy, New Mexico

It was great to travel some of the back roads through Colorado and New Mexico. To see the sunset over the mountains was breathtaking. I saw all of the wooden structures in the field and pulled off the road to capture a few shots of the beautiful sunset.

Cabin in the Woods, Adams County, Ohio

This cabin is in a very private area of Adams County, Ohio. I was hiking one day in early spring and stopped at the top of an incline to look around. When I looked behind me I saw the cabin’s red tin roof. It stood out from all of the branches and trees. This image is currently on loan to the Ohio Governor’s Office from 2015 – 2017.

Enhanced Landscapes

The next 3 images are ones that I did special processing on to give the images an aged feeling or to enhance specific details in the photograph.

Sleigh Ride, Maryland

I had taken a winter workshop in Oakland, Maryland and one of our stops was an Amish farm that gave sleigh rides. I processed this image with the On1 Photo suite. As I worked on it the scene became that of a Currier and Ives style “painting.” I used this as my Christmas Card this year.

Old Mill of Guilford, North Carolina

I photographed this old grist mill in Oak Ridge, North Carolina over Thanksgiving. While the original photograph was nice, I decided to add a little texture to the image and give it an aged feel. I used the On1 Photo processing system to bring out the details and to add texture to the photograph.

Tabby Shack dating from the 1700’s on Ossabaw Island.

My final favorite landscape image from 2015 is that of a Tabby Shack on Ossabaw Island along the coast of Savannah, Georgia. The leading lines of the road allows the eye to travel along these historical structures. This image was also processed with On1 Photo to give it an aged appearance.

I hope you enjoyed these images! Photographs capture our moments in time and bring back the memories connected to those moments.

Look for my other favorites of 2015!

December 30, 2015 | Categories: Island exploration, Military, On1, Patriotic, Savannah, Savannah Georgia, Summer Vacation, Travel, US Marine Corps, Woods | Tags: Adams County Ohio, Amarillo Texas, arch bridge, Arlington National Cemetery, bridge, Cabin, Cadillac, Cadillac Ranch, cars buried in field, corral, Enhanced photography, Georgia, Great Sand Dunes National Park, Grist Mill, Image enhancement, Island, Maryland, New Mexico, New River Gorge, Nikon, Nikon D800E, North Carolina, Oakland Maryland, Old Mill at Guilford North Carolina, On1, On1 10, On1 Effects, Ossabaw Island, Ossabaw Island Foundation, Pam DeCamp, Pam DeCamp Photography, Photo Enhancement, Rocky Mountains, Roy New Mexico, Sand, Sleigh Ride, snow, sunset, Tabby Shacks, Travel, West Virginia | Leave a comment

Senior Photographs: Nelson

I had the pleasure of photographing a friend of mine’s grandson. I have known Nelson for almost 10 years; it is difficult to imagine him as a senior in high school. To me he will always be the freckled face little boy who liked to ride bikes at the campground. Nelson has always been a polite young man and I wish the best for him in the future!

Nelson posing next to his truck.

Nelson is a sportsman. He enjoys archery, hunting, fishing, boating…you name it! They chose the location for his senior photographs; a cabin in the woods! It was about an hour drive from Chillicothe into Hocking County. It was an ideal location for Nelson’s photographs. It was on the cool side and the sun was out. With the dense forest we had a little shadow play from time to time. Occasionally I called upon my daughter to help with a reflector to help fill in the areas if the shadows were too strong.

Without the reflector.

With the reflector

My assistant using the reflector to brighten the scenes

You can see how the reflector fills in the shadows to help produce more even lighting on the subject.

As mentioned above, Nelson is an excellent marksman particularly in archery. He has won many awards and is ranked high in his age group. He has enjoyed deer hunting since he was a young boy.