forced perspective

forced perspective

October 1, 2014

This week's challenge selection is forced perspective - my selection.  Check out my pals for their interpretations on this theme: Fishing Guy, Katney, Imac, Lew, and Christine Anne.

Forced perspective is when a photo is composed in such a way that part comes across larger or smaller than it really is. A classic example is someone acting like he is lighting his cigarette with the torch from the Statue of Liberty. If it's not clear yet, I hope the pics I have here are helpful illustrations.

These pics are all kinds of fun! For my header, I asked my daughter to stand close to me, and hold her hand. I explained to her friend that from my perspective it would look like he was standing in her hand, so he teetered. The original background was very busy, so I took the file to a computer at the library and replaced the front of my house with my brother-in-law's.

*Below, you'll see the two shots I used for the header. The different background made a big difference, don't you think? (Thanks Tom, for suggesting I post the originals.)

Very low-tech. Hulk stood on a small step-stool 8 feet closer than the man with glasses.

A pretty pixie peeking out from giant paper flowers.

Standing in a field of "giant" pumpkins. Very dangerous... a guy could get squashed.

  Credit where credit is due... The giant pumpkins (or miniscule Craver) was done with a green screen and my wife's photo from a pumpkin patch.

An old fave. Daughter's hamster inside daughter's doll house. I lit it with a work lamp on each side.

smoke

Header Challenge:smoke

August 7, 2013

First, a public service announcement: Today is my second daughter's 20th birthday! The photo below gives the impression that her uncle has his hand behind her head, making bunny ears. Nope. That's all her. My daughter really does have bunny ears that look like fingers sticking out of her head. It's a genetic defect from her mother's side of the family. ;-)

Now, back to our regularly scheduled program: The privilege to select today's theme was given to me, and I tried to think of a subject that had potential to be innovative and interesting, and possibly even challenging. Today's challenge is smoke.  Check out my  pals for their interpretations on this theme: Fishing  Guy, Katney, Imac and Lew.
 
The source for all this smoke is a stick of incense. That was more difficult to find than I expected. I took the picture at night, and carefully lit it so that the light sources did not shine directly on the camera lens or the black cloth I used as a backdrop. This shot below is what it looked like to shoot the smoke in the dark of night. For the header, I changed the colors and combined some photos for a collage. While this required some thought to produce, the cost was negligible. The only thing I needed to buy was the incense sticks, which only cost me a buck.

cats

 Header Challenge:cats

July 31, 2013

Today's challenge is cats.  It was Fishing Guy's pick. Check out my  pals for their interpretations on this theme: Fishing  Guy, Katney, Imac and Lew.

Nala is a boy cat.  His first owner thought he was a she and called it "Sweety."  That's too syrupy-sweet for me, so we renamed it "Nala," the queen from Disney's Lion King.  Then, at our first vet visit, the doctor said, "Um, you know this is a male cat, right?"  We decided it would confuse him if we changed his name again. Or maybe we were just too lazy, but we left the name as it is.  He is deaf and quite old now.  Can I tell you why I like this photo of him?  If you have been trying to get a good photo of a cat, especially a dark cat, you know that it's tricky to get the details of the contours in its coat without getting the reflective eyes.  I bounced the flash off the ceiling, and used a white reflector just a few inches away from him, and that gave him nice, even light all around without making his eyes light up.  He was gracious to tolerate the one shot and then decided he was going to be shy.

Our younger cat was super-shy when we got her.  My daughter decided to call her "Maybe."  Yes, like the song.  This was a setup where I put a storm window on top of an upside-down card table and took her picture from below.  She did not like that, but she got over it and we're friends again.  Her previous owner gave her up because the kitten was too shy, hiding all the time.  But if you ask me, discretion and modesty look good on a cat.  And this being a "tortoiseshell" cat, it figures that she likes to hide, you know?

Did you hear about the cat that swallowed a ball of wool?  She had mittens. 

The header photo is our tortie Maybe hiding at my seat under the dinner table.  No flash.  I used the natural light from a window, plus a sheet of paper to spill a little extra light into the shadows.

What's in the clouds?

Header Challenge: What's in the clouds?

July 24, 2013

Have you ever looked for familiar shapes among the clouds to try to identify a dolphin or butterfly, etc? Apparently, lots of people do this. Believe it or not, that has never caught on with me, and I do not know why. When I look into a cloud, I am fixed on details like density and depth perception. The faint wisps fascinate me as much as the thick rows or thunderheads.

Katney gave us today's challenge, which is What's in the clouds?  Check out my pals for their interpretations on this theme: Fishing  Guy, Katney, Imac and Lew.

I used a polarizing filter over the lens, and that gave the sky a deeper, darker blue appearance. I had hoped to find a few shapes that I could identify, but I mostly I just saw clouds. That's strange to me, because I DO see faces in lots of things! I can make a facial profile out in leaves, floor tiles... just about anywhere, but that part of my brain shuts off when it comes to clouds.

Do you know Mr. Stay Puft marshmallow man? I only know him from the movie Ghostbusters. I thought I could see a face like his in this cloud, but then I wanted to make sure everyone else saw it, so the final shot has been slightly manipulated to accent the eyes and mouth. I used dodge and burn to draw those features in more clearly, and then retouch to smooth the drawn parts into the cloud.

For comparison, here's the original picture that I used for the header.

The sun in the clouds, bursting through with sunbeams.

Would you like some BBQ sauce with them ribs?

Night lighting.  No tricks... this is the real thing.

Lightning at 5:30 PM.  Again, this is the real deal, and one of my faves.

Doesn't it look like the rainbow is being poured out of the clouds?

Pac-Man?

shadows

Header Challenge:shadows

July 17, 2013

Today's challenge is shadows.  Lew picked the theme for this week. Check out my  pals for their interpretations on this theme: Fishing  Guy, Katney, Imac and Lew.

This was another crazy-busy week. The wedding that I had been preparing for took place on Sunday.  Now I get to pour through a bazillion images to select and edit and finish the work.  I honestly do not know how long it will take me to get it all done.  I'm guessing two or three weeks.  I was going to have one assistant (Mrs. Craver) to help organize poses and another assistant to shoot photos.  Unexpectedly, my wife overcame her shyness of DSLRs and used my backup Pentax (borrowed) to snap some excellent photographs!  While I formally get credit for today's header, it was technically my wife who pressed the shutter button.

Normally, when I think of our themes, I look for photographs that view the theme from a favorable position.  This was not the case for a wedding shoot.  The strong shadows, seen below the gazebo made it tricky to get a good shot during the actual ceremony.

If you're wondering why I didn't take this picture myself, it's because I'm IN the picture.  You'll find me shooting in stealth mode as unobtrusively as possible between some columns on the bridesmaids' side.

fruit

Header Challenge:fruit

July 10, 2013

Today's challenge is fruit.  Imac picked the theme for this week. Check out my  pals for their interpretations on this theme: Fishing  Guy, Katney, Imac and Lew.

The files have been jam-packed and I need to clear out space for new photos.  In addition, I was honored to have been asked to photograph a wedding this weekend, so I will need abundant space for the hundreds of pictures I plan to shoot.  Besides the shots I will take myself, I have acquired the services of a talented friend to be my 2nd photographer.  That of course means lots more pictures.  So right now the archives are tucked away in an external hard drive.  Consequently, I will keep things simple with this one photo for the header.

I just threw together what we had on hand.  The header shot is the choice I was happiest with, as I did some experimentation last week.  For some reason, I really, really wanted to include the avocado in the shot of fruit.  It was quite black!  After a few different ideas, I think I came up with a way to get some of that bumpy texture to show up on the avocado.

Please keep me in your prayers this weekend.  I would love to be able to capture well the most essential images for the bride and groom this weekend, but we will be on a very tight schedule, and I will need to work super-efficiently.  That's not the way I usually do things.  I normally take my sweet o'l time, and the good stuff does not usually happen in the first couple of takes.

green

 

Header Challenge:green

July 3, 2013

Today's challenge is green.  It was my pick, and to be honest, I didn't have any clear ideas in mind prior to the selection, but I figured it would be easy for us to find something good in green, whether new or from the archives.  What you see here then is pretty raw.  Last week I spent time with my parents at a time share, and the tinted water on the manicured golf course struck me funny, like it was fake scenery, so I took a picture.  Except for the border and text, the image is SOOC (straight out of the camera).  Oh, and I obviously cropped it to the 16 x 8 format I like to use for my headers. Check out my  pals for their interpretations on this theme: Fishing  Guy, Katney, Imac and Lew.

[click on any picture to enlarge... especially the macros]

This one may be a bit overbaked.  I still like it because the color saturation makes it pop!  I didn't pick it for the header because it exceeds reality too much for my taste.

The depth & focal zoom for this carpetball setup is interesting, yes?

It's a nice touch when bloggers give specific names of bugs & stuff, so we'll call this character "Bob."

And this fella is "Todd."

I have little toys decorating my work cubicle.

I like these so much better than the flowers and stuff at other work stations.

The Green Knight and a young admirer.

More green?  Yes, please & tanks.

buzz

Header Challenge:buzz

June 26, 2013

Today's challenge is buzz. Check out my  pals for their interpretations on this theme: Fishing  Guy, Katney, Imac and Lew.

The header is of a cicada. They can be annoying, but they're good to photographers, in that they will stay put and pose for you. I have been away this week, visiting with family. That's the buzz from Craver's world.

summer solstice

summer solstice

June 19, 2013

This week Katney picked "summer solstice."    Check out my  pals for their interpretations on this theme: Fishing Guy, Katney, Imac and Lew.

I'm hobbling along with a possibly broken toe.  Over the weekend, we had a four-family squirt-gun fight.  The host family provided an arsenal of Super Soakers for everyone.  I was not too stuffy to join in the contest.  Most of the moms opted out, but all of the dads were in.  Somehow, I jammed my toes into the turf real hard, and that took me out of the action, but I was still able to get some fair shots from the safety zone.  This was with my point-n-shoot... I would not risk the DSLR in this mayhem.  I had other pics, but the girl with the red bucket gave me the most amusing pics, I think.

Let us not forget from whence we came.

Strong colors on a warm, sunny day.

roof top views

Roof Top Views

June 5, 2013

This week we're looking for "Roof Top Views."  The theme was chosen by Lew.  Check out my  pals for their interpretations on  this theme: Fishing Guy, Katney, Imac and Lew.

The Bolingbrook area has a few spots that could be useful for photos from a rooftop or photos of a rooftop.  But I have been swamped with work and haven't been able to look around much for those views.  This little cluster of Maple leaves is from my garage.  I need to clean that gutter.

Why so busy?  The workload at the office has been challenging, and I am like a swimmer who is barely treading water.  That's job security though, right?  I'm glad to have a job, even when the workload is overwhelming.
  
Besides that, I was working on sermon preparation.  My pastor asked the elders to fill the pulpit while he's on vacation these next two weeks, and I was assigned to give the sermon for June 9th.  It took me two months to prepare!  It was well-received, and I have an increased appreciation for the work my pastor does every single week.

Well, that's it.  I don't have a slew of pics from the archives this week.  Just the one header.  And now my break is over and I need to get back to work.  See you soon!

ART in Black & White

June 5, 2013

Imac picked this week's Headbanger's theme.  We are looking for "ART in Black & White"  Check out my  pals for their interpretations on this theme: Fishing Guy, Katney, Imac and Lew.

The image in my header comes from a dragon sculpture on top of the Formosa Café in Woodrige.
 

Driving Cattle at LongHorn

Dusk Riders at LongHorn

The Musician

Heading Downtown

The Picasso at Daley Plaza

recent snapshots

recent snapshots

May 29, 2013

Check out my  pals for their interpretations on this theme: Fishing Guy, Katney, Imac and Lew.  We are each doing our own thing this week, just showing recent snapshots.  Go see what my friends have been up to.

There was a lot of fun stuff going on as I have been exploring light in these shots.  The header was an experiment to see how well I could separate his dark hair from the black background, without washing out the details from his fair complexion.

. . .

"Vadering."

 The trick shot where my daughter is using a force choke on my son, that was a combination of the right time of day (dusk) as the backlight, plus an over-head streetlight to give nice highlights in the hair, and on-camera flash for front fill.  He jumped from the concrete base of the streetlight (off-camera) to give the illusion that he had been lifted from the ground.  She is on her knees to exaggerate the height, and I shot the pic on my belly.

musician's promo pic

 A musician friend needed to put a promo package together real quick for a new project, so I tried to get an artsy kind of portrait that mixes warm, natural colors for her person, and cooler tones on the wall. She was very cooperative as we tried a bunch of "scenes" and lots of tries with different lights.

graduating from 8th grade

 My newest portrait is one that we needed for the graduates' bulletin board at church.  He's moving up from 8th grade.  This was taken with one off-camera flash high and to my left, and I held a second flash on the other side of the tree to illuminate the background.

flowers

flowers

May 22, 2013

Fishing Guy chose "flowers" for this week's Headbanger's theme.  Take your Benadryl and check out my  pals for their interpretations on this theme: Fishing  Guy, Katney, Imac and Lew.

Taking flower pictures is almost intuitive if you have a camera in your hands, isn't it?  By that I mean that if you have a camera and see something nice in the flower genre, it's hard not to snap a pic of it, right?  For me, they represent a challenge, because so many people do such a fine job taking flower pics (like my friend George).  Nevertheless, I can't help myself.  I like the challenge of figuring out how to work the light source(s), shadows and camera settings, so that I capture minute and delicate details without letting the brilliant colors overpower the sensor.  As wonderful as our cameras may be, they still fall far short of the capabilities of the human eye.  Don't forget: you can click on any image to enlarge it.
 

I liked the little "florets" within the flower here.  Reds are usually hard for me.

Don'tcha love the curly-q filaments?

Forgive me, but these tiny details make me think of nose hairs.  Sorry.

 

Besides the proverbial "red challenge," I liked how this shot serves as the poster child for the anatomy of the flower.  Here we clearly see inside the petals to the stamen and pistil.

This shot arrested me with its unique direction of sunlight and shadowy background.

They're so full, it's almost fluffy!

Oh, the texture on these petals!

A favorite technique of mine... low flash on the subject with the sunset in the background.

"...not even Solomon in all his majesty was dressed like one of these flowers." (Luke 12:27)