Lily, Stamens, & Light

This image, captured at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden in Brooklyn, New York, shows a beautiful lily with stamens adorned with beautiful afternoon light. Camera: Canon Rebel XS, Canon 55-250mm EF-S Lens, tripod mounted.

A Garden's Light And Beauty

“Where but in a garden do summer hours pass so quickly?” —Anonymous
I concur. Many of my most enjoyable hours are spent in gardens. The garden is a living art that speaks of its Heavenly Creator with an eloquence and beauty no words can match. This garden photo was captured during a restful afternoon spent in Brooklyn Botanic Garden in Brooklyn, New York on an early summer day. I have no clue what these living beauties are, I just know that the colors and patterns delight me. Camera: Canon Rebel XS, Canon 55-250mm EF-S lens. When capturing flower close-up (macro) images, I pay as much attention to the background as the subject. In this photo, I used the widest aperture available at 250mm to get a soft background blur that uses background elements to create complimentary colors and abstract shapes.

Photo by Don Peterson, Newark1 Web Design Studio.

Let There Be Light . . . On A Beautiful Flower

This tiny flower, with a bloom less than two inches in diameter, becomes a beautiful, glowing light stage on close inspection. This photo was taken at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, in Brooklyn, New York. I believe this yellow flower is in the Aster family (can someone correct me if I’m wrong). I love flower photography. It affords an enjoyment of beauty, and time to reflect on the amazing gifts bestowed on us by our Creator.

Camera: Canon Rebel XS, Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4.0-5.6 IS Telephoto Zoom Lens.

Times Square Lights Color & Style

This Times Square, New York City photo was captured during my favorite time of day. There is a time frame of perhaps ten minutes or so, just after sunset, when the light in the sky is in balance with the street lighting. I captured this scene, showing details of Thomson Reuters building in Times Square at that moment. The raw camera file (Canon Rebel XS and Canon 55-250mm EF-S IS lens) was edited in Lightroom 3.

The Times Square photo seen below was also captured just after sunset. No two evenings are exactly the same. The light constantly changes, giving the look of Times Square a new personality each evening!

Times Square at Sunset

New York City's Times Square, Canon 10D, Tamron 19-35mm Lens

I shoot with a small collection of digital cameras, most of which are of some vintage. Often, I will chance upon fellow photography enthusiasts when I am out and about shooting. We may smile and strike up a brief conversation. Our dialogue quickly separates into one of two camps. We may discuss the quality of light or subjects we’re capturing. Or, I will get this: So what are you shooting? Oh? How many megapixels does it have? If the camera I’m shooting with has fewer megapixels than theirs, (which is most often the case) they will, with barely contained smugness, devote the rest of the conversation to their newly acquired mega-tech DSLR and how much money they spent on the lens. Often, they will insist on talking rather than shooting as the most beautiful light of the day slips away.

To each his own. I must admit that I had the same focus for a number of years. I pored over online camera reviews trying to discern the minute differences between makes and models of digital cameras. I spent lots of disposable income (remember that) buying the latest gear and gadgets. In hindsight, it made the hobby of photography less enjoyable, and more a source of angst. It distracted me from the craft of shooting good photos. Now, I know better.

The photo above, recorded in Times Square, New York City, was shot with one of my favorite vintage digital cameras. Introduced in 2003, the 6 megapixel Canon 10D is ancient by digital standards. And, the lens I used for this shot, a Tamron 19-35mm f3.5-4.5 is at least 15 years old, and discontinued by the manufacturer. I purchased this camera and lens used for less than $230 (US) total. Yet, they are still very usable tools that can produce great results under most conditions. Indeed, some of the best buys can be found in used cameras sold by photographers who constantly feel the need to upgrade.

Focus on what and when and how you shoot, not on the equipment. The Internet has in some ways, made us far more materialistic, and fueled the empty notion that better photos are only an upgrade away. Good photos come from gaining expertise in making a good image. Once your equipment meets a certain modest level of technical requirements, it becomes less important to the quality of your images.

One of my favorite cameras to date, made by Olympus in 2004 (Olympus E-300), received rather lukewarm reviews in online media. Yet, some of my best photos were shot with this model, and I still consider it a highly useful photographic tool. What mattered most was the incredible places and experiences I recorded with this camera. The camera did its job of recording what I saw (see my review of the Olympus E-300 as a used camera purchase here). It was up to me to learn to use that tool skillfully. Once I learned how to worj with the strengths and weaknesses of this camera, I focused on producing enjoyable images.

I’ve heard it said that women make better photographers because they tend to focus more on the matter at hand, not the gear used to record it. There may be more than a grain of truth to that. Some of the most memorable images I’ve seen were recorded decades ago. What makes them worthy is the compelling merger of light and subject, not the equipment used to capture it. Focus on the light before you and you will find more pleasure in this craft. Even the learning curve one must travel to become a better photographer becomes more enjoyable when it is not cluttered with lots of stuff. It’s all about the light, not the camera!

Photo by Don Peterson. When I am not out and about with a camera, I create web design with emotion for small businesses.

Sunset Light, Phoenix, Arizona. It is about 6pm on a November evening, after a rare light rain. I grab my dinner, toss it in the car, and drive to Papago Park in time to watch the sunset. The sunset light paints the red rock of Papago, providing a bit of colorful entertainment that gives the day pause and time for meaningful reflection. This view of God’s handiwork is not the Grand Canyon or Bryce, but for a scene that lives practically in my backyard, I am very thankful.

Camera: Olympus E-300, Kit Lens.

This lovely red tulip, touched by beautiful sunlight, was captured at the Rio Grande Botanic Garden in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The structure of a tulip is so elegant that it begs the existence of an intelligent designer. Could such pristene and thoughtful beauty be the result of a cosmic accident or random evolution? Despite its pleasingly simple composition, it is also a marvel of engineering within a carefully coordinated ecosystem. Many mock the idea of faith in a Creator. However, the Theory of Evolution also requires faith. No man has seen God. Likewise, no man has seen a single act of evolution or the original cosmic accident. The Bible defines Faith is the acceptance of the unseen based upon solid evidence (Hebrews 11:1,2). Does the clear evidence of design in nature support the existence of an intelligent designer or random evolution? What do you think?

This scene intrigued me because of the tonal values created the warm late afternoon sun. This downtown Phoenix street, in the Historic Copper Square District, seemed to be bathed in gold light and sepia tones. That is accentuated by the fact that most buildings in this area have a “copper” color . . . Hence the term “Copper Square.” Even the trees had a golden glow. Perhaps not the most interesting of subjects but I do love that light!