rockdog Loc: Berkeley, Ca.

“..a section to talk about art…”

I’m still chuckling to myself at the irony of feeling motivated to post in this section. The main impetus for me is the wonderful tone being set here and the amazing coming together of so many of the folks that I have identified as teachers and models. The irony is that my effort in the past couple of years has been on trying to photograph birds in what I would call a documentary style. My goal has been to create photos for my own use of local birds that show critical identifying field marks and the physical characteristics that make each animal unique. I do believe that a good documentary photo can have artistic merit. For me, Art or artistic merit in a photo is directly tied to the quality of light. O course, it takes light to make any photo, but not all light is equal. I get the feeling that most of us have some concept of the quality of light, about what makes “good light”, but in nearly four year of daily visits to UHH I never see enough discussion on this primary element of photography.
So let’s talk about light!
Many of the photos that move me aesthetically were made in pleasing winter light.
1 Mallards, Northern Pintails, and Northern Shovelers are the most common visitors to my part of the Pacific flyway but morning light flatters them in a pleasant way.
2 The Northern Pintail was in midmorning light that was bright with an even haze.
3 The Bufflehead was in bright, clear, midday, midwinter light.

1

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2

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3

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St3v3M Loc: 35,000 feet

Love the title, and ironically someone else just said the same.

Photography really is painting with light and to prove the point you've posted some lovely images.

The light on the first is my favorite, while the last appears to have a slight white halo, but it could be me or my monitor.

I'm curious, which light is your favorite and why? Is it a time of day, a season, or a combination of both?

Thank you again and keep chuckling! S-

jwt Loc: Texas Hill Country

A fabulous subject for discussion and I really am glad you brought it up. My opinion for what its worth, is that all light regardless of time of day, time of year, or geographical location can and does have its redeeming quality. Having said that, for me early morning and late evening light here in Central Florida seems to portray my subjects at their best. For insect shooting I often go out at midday however because the subjects seem to be more active at that time (dragonflies, butterflies, bees etc). Your subjects in this set are beautifully portrayed in the light that you've been fortunate enough to capture. Beautiful captures and indeed this light is the most attractive for them. - Regards Jim

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

Phil, I'd be happy to have a conversation about the quality of light all day long :) So thank you for starting this topic!

If there's backlighting, I'm drawn to it; if there are silhouette opportunities, I'm drawn to them. The golden hour is always inspiring.

Photo #1 is a lovely example of how a golden glow can create a pleasing, serene mood.

Uuglypher Loc: South Dakota (East River)

Well said, and an excellent topic for specific discussion. Having spent some time at Bosque del Apache I've spent days seeing innumerable Sandhills cranes feeding in the shallows, but on that particular late afternoon, with that back-light, there was no way I could not make every effort to capture that moment...in that light.

Dave

Early evening snack....

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Frank2013 Loc: San Antonio, TX. & Milwaukee, WI.

Well rockdog your description of each type of light well fits the scenes. The description of mid morning in the second shot must have had something to do with how long it took you to swim out behind that top middle Northern Pintail from shot #1 to catch his other profile. Very nice work and examples of your topic.

hiker60 Loc: Northern Idaho

Absolutely beautiful pictures. Suspect that you've studied light angles and waited patiently for the light to "hit" the angle before taking the picture. Your "previsualization" of the scene is quite intuitive exhibiting extreme patience for just the right moment to click.

Certain that you've heard/seen Moose Peterson's work, similar to yours. He "hides" in a little village east of the Sierra Nevada mountains, Mammoth Lake. Google/bing his name and find commonalities. Moose is a professional photographer who is humble in his craft, yet a fabulous teacher.

Frank2013 Loc: San Antonio, TX. & Milwaukee, WI.

and capture you did Dave, very nice.

Uuglypher Loc: South Dakota (East River)

At risk of (in hope of...) initiating posting of a great variety of examples of "the qualities of light" I offer yet another:
The ineffable and often ignored ( except by accomplished portraitists and their students...) "...soft, reliable light of the North window".

"North window light"

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rockdog Loc: Berkeley, Ca.

Yes, I see the problem with #3. It is a PP artifact and perfect example of my skill set witch is somewhere south of primitive. Thank you S- for the visit.

St3v3M Loc: 35,000 feet

Thank you for the confirmation - I'm learning to see and this help! S-

rockdog Loc: Berkeley, Ca.

Thank you for the kind words Jim. I agree re time of day, season, and geographic location all having redeeming qualities that require our attention. I appreciate your visit.
Phil

rockdog Loc: Berkeley, Ca.

Hi Linda thank you for the visit. The golden hour can manifest in so may forms. I like what I have seen you do with backlighting.
cheers Phil

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rockdog Loc: Berkeley, Ca.

Hi Dave, For me, talking about light is difficult without using examples. I love Sandhill Cranes in any light. Your example shows challenging light = rewarding result.
Thanks for the visit,
Phil

rockdog Loc: Berkeley, Ca.

Hi Frank, thank you for the visit and kind words. I managed to stay dry for #2.
enjoy the day,
Phil