Express or Selfie?

Greetings and welcome to Hohenfels Volks, THE place for our place!

Ansel Adams once said, “We must remember that a photograph can hold just as much as we put into it, and no one has ever approached the full possibilities of the medium.”

Given the self absorbed state of the world around us, evidenced by the "art" of the "selfie," it's time to start looking back and moving toward approaching the full possibilities of our medium.

The best "selfie" is made using the external to express something of the internal, allowing a fuller expression of the individual self than a cell phone at arm's length. When we make our photography expressive, as well as creative, we can approach closer the full possibilities of the medium.

Of course, that's just my two cents.


The lodge wall. Antique sleigh on the wall at the lodge.
ISO 800, f/5.6, 1/30, digital

A photo doesn't have to be fancy or artsy to be expressive, creative, and artistic. Look internally, and find the expression in something external!

Well, that’s enough for today. We want you to share your photos, especially of our place, with us on our Hohenfels Volks Facebook page, and we’ll get them posted here! Is there anything you’d like to see here? Do you have a question? Submit them and we’ll get them posted, also. We also welcome any tips, tricks, and ideas. If you’d like to write an article about something photographic or some place of interest, we’d be happy to post it here! You can also e-mail questions, photos, or comments to HohenfelsVolks(at)tks-net.com, and we’ll get them posted! Of course, commenting on both Facebook and here is always appreciated, too!

Trinkets or Accessories?

Greetings and welcome to Hohenfels Volks, THE place for our place!

The term accessories has come to include a host of photographic gadgets of questionable value...  Ansel Adams

A sucker is born every minute…  PT Barnum

The first accessory we’re going to look at seems to have some merit. At least, for the maker it has merit. It’s the Camera Clip. This is a clip that mounts to your camera’s tripod bushing. The other piece goes on your belt or backpack strap. The 2 pieces clip together to keep your camera in place for easy carrying. It has a quick release button, and when worn on the belt looks kind of like some space alien stun gun thing. I’ve always found the camera strap to work best at carrying the camera, and being slightly free, a painless way to get the shot. No fussing with a clip or having your belt stretched (or worse, your pants falling down) by the weight of your camera.

Then there’s the SLR Pin Hole Lens. This is the cap from an SLR with a pinhole in it. This allows for pinhole photography without a pinhole camera. It’s a good idea, and may have merit if you wish to combine pinhole photography with digital photography. There’s no way to change your aperture, and no way to focus, so auto focus is out the window. This may not be usable with some SLRs, as the focus point has to be acceptably sharp, even in manual focus. This would apply to many DSLRs, therefore check before using!

Next up is a device called the Super-Secret Spy Lens. This gadget has a hole in the side of the lens and uses mirrors to photograph through the side. It allows you to pint your camera one direction, pretending to photograph something, while actually sneaking a photo of something (or someone) unsuspecting. I can see someone getting into trouble with this really quick! By the way, this little lens add on says right on it “Angle Scope!” It even includes in the ad on Amazon a sample use, on the beach…

Last up, my personal favorite for the no merit award goes to the Bottle Cap Tripod. First, there was the tabletop tripod, which allowed folks to shoot their food in fancy restaurants without having to handhold the camera. Then cam the Gorilla-Pod thing that allowed you to mount your camera to leafy tree branches. The final step (I hope!) in this evolution will be this. It’s a standard sized “bottle cap” that mounts to your camera and allows you to put it on a water bottle, juice bottle, cola bottle, whatever bottle, and take a photo, presumably of yourself or your group.

Of course, no list can be complete. Many gadgets may be useful to you, even when no one else finds them to be. This list is only showing a couple money wasters that actually do nothing to help your photography. Who’s to say the bottle cap is bad, if you can get a family shot when you’re out to a special dinner or something similar. There are so many more items that purport to be useful, when they’re actually nothing more than trinkets to make you feel better about your photography.

The best accessory for any camera, of course, is the manual. Read it, learn your camera, learn your style, and you’ll have no need for many of these trinkets. Some good accessories to have include a multicoated circular polarizer, a UV filter, good storage for digital photography, a good camera bag, a good cleaning kit, maybe some black and white filters if you plan to shoot monochrome, a remote release cable, and a flash with a couple mods. These items will flesh a very nice little kit, and have you moving through your scenes with ease after some practice! A very important piece of gear is a meter. Since most cameras today have built in meters, that can come later, and be a life saver in tricky light! Although, whatever accessories you have or use, you have to keep them ready and practice them to get the most from them.


ISO 400, f/8, 1/30
One of the buildings at the Hermitage in Bayreuth. The feeling of being away from the world, even in the city, is something one can relate to in this age of stress! The feeling of splendor, yet remote contemplation make this place a winner. Shot with nothing but a Wratten #8, yellow, filter over my lens. No fancy tricks or gadgets were used, other than knowing what my camera would do and how the filter would alter the levels.

I hope that this will give you pause the next time you see that “magic bullet” device that will make all your photos super perfect! As any long time photographer will tell you, there are no magic bullets. Practice and knowing your gear is the closest thing to that magic bullet.

Get out and get making your photos! We’d love for you to share them with us on our Hohenfels Volks Facebook page. We’d love to see your work.

Is there anything you’d like to see here? Do you have a question? Share your thoughts here or at the Hohenfels Volks Facebook page. Of course, commenting on both Facebook and here is always appreciated, too! Don't forget, we're on Google+, too!

A Tryst

Greetings and welcome to Hohenfels Volks, THE place for our place! Another rainy reminder that autumn is upon us. The colors and clarity of the season provide so much to intoxicate the spirit, and numb the body for the long cold ahead! Here, in Hohenfels, it’s no different!

It has been said that art is a tryst, for in the joy of it maker and beholder meet.
Kojiro Tomita

Again, another taste of the artistic and spiritual side. Kojiro Tomita was an early 20th century art expert from Japan. He had come to America to expose the U.S. to Japanese aesthetics and art. He was curator of the Museum of Fine Art in Boston.

I chose to use this particular quote to express what our photography can do, and how we involve our audience in our work.

When we feel our shot is the right one, when we see the scene, and visualize our final image, we often feel something beyond our technical and expressive processes. If we stop and think about what we’re expressing, and who we’re expressing it to, we begin to see a relationship take shape.

Neither party may know each other; indeed, they may be separated by centuries. At the same time, though, we are brought together for a small moment, in some connection that shares our feelings and viewpoints with those of our viewer. We connect.

Just something to think about the next time your out. If you’re out to make a portrait, find a way to include your subject, as well as your audience and yourself, in that connection. You’ll find a photo that will touch lives for generations to come! When making a still life, try to visualize the final product, and put yourself in the shoes of the viewer. How does that visualization make you feel? If your reaction brings you deeper into the scene, then your audience will no longer be your audience; they’ll be a tryst you enjoyed while expressing your vision, and enjoying your creativity! Of course, that’s just my thought!


ISO 3200, f/5, 1/30
Flowers in Vase, my tryst. This was taken in a little Vietnamese restaurant in Bayreuth during my last day trip. I made the shot knowing that the flowers in stark isolation against the background would create a sense of isolation, especially with all the negative space. I also noticed, even in that sea of isolation, that the flowers were not alone. Their isolation created a balance that allowed their relationship to transcend appearances and become tryst like in its relation of tones, shapes, and placement. I knew this one would speak to someone as a reminder that we are never alone, even when we feel like it. To paraphrase Ansel Adams, "There are always two people in every photo." That seems to go along with today's theme nicely.

I hope all our Hohenfels Volks readers will get out and create something of a tryst in their photography, and share it with us on our Hohenfels Volks Faceboook page. We’d love to see your work.

Is there anything you’d like to see here? Do you have a question? Share your thoughts here or at the Hohenfels Volks Facebook page. Of course, commenting on both Facebook and here is always appreciated, too! Don't forget, we're on Google+, too!

Overlooking

Greetings and welcome to Hohenfels Volks, THE place for our place! After a rather gloomy week, punctuated with brief moments of beautiful clarity, we begin another week here, as bland as things have been recently! Hohenfels is turning toward the bleakness of winter, and as we end our autumn, we begin to notice the beauty hidden within the warm grasp of summer’s embrace.

Today we’re going to talk about how we often overlook things, objects, subjects, and other items that could be of interest to an observant photographer.

Humans, being creatures of habit, routine, and ritual, go through life overlooking things they encounter on a daily basis. We take notice only when something is new or suddenly gone. I’ve done this myself, and wound up losing a few shots. Taking anything for granted leaves us a little less than we could be!

Taking notice though, can make for the opportunity of a photographic lifetime! Everyday, during my drives through our wonderful Hohenfels area, I have driven past an area with some ledges and trees alongside the road. This autumn, some Aspen trees along this way turned the most brilliant yellow and orange-gold. They made the change before the rest of the leaves, and held on for so long! With trucks and buses racing by, bringing with them the icy wind clawing on the leaves, trying to pull them down, they have managed to cling for so long, apparently by sheer force of will! The scene was a bit of a “found object” as Ansel Adams called it, and yet everyday I passed it, seeing but not stopping. Today I took the chance, and standing alongside the road, made a couple shots. The negatives developed up nicely, and have some detail that makes me wonder how I ever passed the scene up. Tomorrow, God willing, I’ll make some digital photos, as the scene is too magnificent to pass up!

We begin to take for granted these scenes, and when they depart, we’re left feeling a loss. Of course, there will be next time, if things hold true. But, the disappointment lasts for some time. When we start to pay attention to the world around us, we start to see shots everywhere, there is no shortage of things to make images of. Take the time to stop and observe what’s changed in your area, make a note if you don’t have your camera, and come back to make the shot. You’ll usually be glad you did, and might even make some great memories in the process.

Well, enough preaching! I hope that everyone will see something new in the old, make the shot, and share it with us on our Hohenfels Volks Faceboook page.

Is there anything you’d like to see here? Do you have a question? Share your thoughts here or at the Hohenfels Volks Facebook page. Of course, commenting on both Facebook and here is always appreciated, too! Don't forget, we're on Google+, too!

Plans...

Greetings and welcome to Hohenfels Volks, THE place for our place! Thursday in Hohenfels, that means it’s time to plan some weekend shooting!

Let’s start with a quote from Ansel Adams. He said, "I never know in advance what I will photograph... I go out into the world and hope I will come across something that imperatively interests me. I am addicted to the found object.”

Planning your shots doesn’t always mean going out with the intention of only shooting 1 thing. Planning your shots means going out with a plan and intention, then being fluid enough to take the shot you find. Part of planning your shot definitely is definitely visualizing the final image, but it doesn’t have to be done when you wake up!

Planning some shots for your autumn collection means planning to get some leaves, using the texture, color, and shapes to emphasize certain things. However, you may come across something that would make for a special “only available now” shot, and if you’re too intent on getting your planned shot, you may miss an opportunity.

In my case, it’s not too terribly hard to get distracted with a new shot or angle, even though I’ve planned everything. The light falling onto and emphasizing a certain part of the scene, a break in the clouds, or even something brought in on a breeze can make for some unplanned magic. As long as you’re open to the experience, and visualize your final image, you’ll make something to crow about!

Well, enough preaching! I hope that everyone will feel some pride in their vision and work, and share it with us on our Hohenfels Volks Faceboook page.

Is there anything you’d like to see here? Do you have a question? Share your thoughts here or at the Hohenfels Volks Facebook page. Of course, commenting on both Facebook and here is always appreciated, too! Don't forget, we're on Google+, too!

Now Departing

Greetings and welcome to Hohenfels Volks, THE place for our place! I hope everyone enjoyed a great weekend and is ready for another one! Here in our Hohenfels area, autumn is rapidly approaching. Soon the trees will be awash in reds, golds, and greens, which creates some great opportunities for photos!

Today we’re going to discuss departing from the literal. As you know, most creative images involve some departure from literal translations of the scene. Often, when shooting black and white, we use filters. In color digital photography, we use CPs and editing software.

To begin our discussion, it’s important to point out a simple fact. That fact is that in order to make any meaningful transition from literal values to a creative placement, you need to know the more technical side of photography. Today’s general discussion assumes you already understand exposure and DOF, as well as the other more technical sides of a good image. On the artistic side of creative departures, we need to understand the relationship between place and fall. This has been discussed before, as has the creative use of DOF to enhance or minimize an area’s impact on the scene.


ISO 125, f/4, 1/160
By bringing the reds more into play and simulating a red filter, the departure creates something that stands on its own. It also left the tree at a level that exceeded the values of reality, creating a nice chunk of texture.

When we place an area of a scene at a certain value, it needn’t be the literal value. You’re meter will give you the value for 18% gray, but not all things are neutral gray. For instance, clouds should be near white or about 3 stops over the meter. By placing the clouds at 3 stops over meter, or M+3, we have placed them at about their literal values. Everything else in the scene will fall to its prospective values and levels, giving us a literal interpretation.

In this hypothetical situation, we may want some part of the scene to be exposed to a higher value. This can be done, as mentioned, with filters or software. For instance, if we desire the bright green leaves of spring to stand out more, we may expose them to M or even higher. Another way is to use a yellow filter in soft light, if you’re shooting black and white. This can be simulated in software applications through the adjustment of color channels.

A big part of this, as always, is your vision. Visualizing your results, and the steps to make them real, will make your creativity stand out more. It also enables you to make creative departures and still end up with an image that says what you’d like it to. Not every image needs to be literal, many of Ansel Adams and Clyde Butcher’s images are not literal, but they connect to almost everyone who views them. They are often viewed as more realistic than the reality of the scene.

This goes back to creativity, visualization, and knowing your tools. Read the manual for every piece of equipment you own, and the software, too. It’ll prepare you to make the best images possible when you make your vision tangible.

Here’s hoping you enjoy the rest of your week and capture the shots you’ve been wanting. Get out and make it happen, then show us, share what you felt through your images on our Hohenfels Volks Faceboook page.

Is there anything you’d like to see here? Do you have a question? Share your thoughts here or at the Hohenfels Volks Facebook page. Of course, commenting on both Facebook and here is always appreciated, too! Don't forget, we're on Google+, too!

The Importance of Being Creative

Greetings and welcome to Hohenfels Volks, THE place for our place! Lovely weather and photographic opportunities abound here in our place.

Today we’re going to put aside our cameras and calculators, and talk about creativity. We’re also going to take a few days break from our cameras while we look for creative ways to work our magic.

I have a slew of quotes on photography and creativity, but I'm only going to use a couple here to emphasize the need for creativity.

“A Ming vase can be well-designed and well-made and is beautiful for that reason alone. I don't think this can be true for photography. Unless there is something a little incomplete and a little strange, it will simply look like a copy of something pretty. We won't take an interest in it.” From the book "Pictures Under Discussion" by John Loengard, one of Life Magazine's most famous photographers.

This quote brings home how essential creativity is in our photography. Ayn Rand viewed photography as a vocation, or craft, because of the lack of a creative process. Many people do not take the time to be creative when making photos. We often find the image we want and make the photo, without putting more than the rudimentary thought into the process.


 ISO 160, f/8, 1/20
Gloria Lux, the Glory of Light. A creative expression of the majesty of this common and beautiful Orchid. The exposure placement and element positioning work with the light and lack of color to create an image that's more than "a copy of something pretty."

Ansel Adams referred to photography as “more than a medium for factual communication of ideas. It is a creative art.” If you view any of his photos, you will notice beyond their magnificent scenes, that great effort went into making them. His books on photography begin with chapters on visualization. Before you can visualize your photo, you need to have an idea of what you’re photographing. Begin visualizing all the ways it can be photographed long before you arrive. By the time you get there, you’ll be ready to survey and really visualize the image you desire to make.

I speak of visualization here quite a bit. I’ve discovered that slowing down, seeing the scene, and visualizing the shot, make for a more expressive image. Our photographs are our expressions. They express our thoughts, feelings, and most of all, our vision.

Creativity, and the art of creating, can be inspirations for you in and of themselves. You needn’t have a camera to be creative in your photography. In the words of Minor White, another great photographer, “Often while traveling with a camera we arrive just as the sun slips over the horizon of a moment, too late to expose film, only time enough to expose our hearts.”

Take a couple days without your camera. Go out and drink in the glory around you, expose your heart, and feel the scene surround you. You will come out with a better appreciation of the world around us, of our Hohenfels area, and your own magnificent creativity. The feelings will stay with you and inspire more creativity and expressive images. Reward yourself today with inspiration and creativity by feeling the scenes and sights around you. Enjoy the world and life, and share the results with us on our Faceboook page.

Is there anything you’d like to see here? Do you have a question? Share your thoughts here or at the Hohenfels Volks Facebook page. Of course, commenting on both Facebook and here is always appreciated, too! Don't forget, we're on Google+, too!

Process Hang-ups

Greetings, volks. Welcome to Hohenfels Volks, THE place for our place! The skies and lighting these past couple days have created an environment rich with opportunities for making some great shots!

I hope everyone is enjoying the wonderful weather here in our Hohenfels area. Photography is a magic thing during this time, when the sun is up late, and the skies can work their mood into your images. The golden and blue hours can be used to great effect when shooting during this time, and add some drama or serenity to the image you’re creating.

Tonight’s post is based on something I read at Photofocus, by Scott Bourne, about pedantry in learning photography. To sum it up- there are those who are all about the process and sticklers for the “rules” and numbers. I had planned a post about making your image nearly perfect in camera to minimize editing time, but his article struck me as being something to share.

I’m familiar with the process concentration, as I tend to get wrapped up in the process at times. For me, nailing the process leads me to look at ways to improve my images by finding other ways to make the same thing. Learning to do it “correctly” is important to learning how to do it “right.” By correctly, I’m referencing the process and numbers, and by right, I’m referencing the final image I visualized.

The process is a vital tool in making an image, as this is where we start. Learning that reciprocity makes our exposures easier by allowing us to work the exposure triangle is a part of that. Learning that controlling DOF is done through focus and aperture is a part of learning the process. The key is in knowing that the process is not the end, but the beginning. Before we can make impacting departures from the process, we must know the process.

Ansel Adams, one of my favorite photographers and sources of knowledge and inspiration, was well aware of this. Throughout his books, he refers back to visualization and placements. Each book in his series on the Camera, Negative, and Print begins with a chapter on visualization. He constantly references expression while teaching the basic processes and departures from them.

By working together to share our knowledge, we can bring more to expressive and creative photography than just numbers and processes. By sharing our vision and visualizations, we help our fellow photographers in their journey through this wonderful endeavor. The important thing is how does your image feel and how does it impact you and your intended audience. Other than that, the opinions of others, especially the pedants out there, should matter very little. Their opinion requires weighing, and the helpful bits used while the rest are discarded like week old leftovers.

Don’t let those folks disappoint you, don’t let them bring doubt into your mindset, and don’t let them change your style. Your photography is for you, your vision, while shared with others, is still yours. The biggest point in all this is enjoyment. Make sure you’re getting the most enjoyment you can from the time you spend making images, and from those photos you worked to give life to.

You really should check out Photofocus, Scott posts some incredible photos and his articles are a great resource for those of us addicted to the magic of bringing that feeling to life in our art.


ISO 125, f/11, 1/60
This image is likely to be called too dark by those who think only of the process and "correctness" of an image. It was intentionally left dark to add to the mood and impression of abandonment. By departing from the process we can make our art more meaningful.

I hope you have some great plans for the weekend, and are ready to share your visions with us. We’re all eager to see folks sharing their images, their vision, and thoughts. Enjoy your Friday, and enjoy your time behind the camera!

Do you have an image to share? We’d love to see it! Is there anything you’d like to see here? Do you have a question? Share your thoughts here or at the Hohenfels Volks Facebook page. Of course, commenting on both Facebook and here is always appreciated, too! Don't forget, we're on Google+, too!

Luminance Values and Exposure

Greetings, volks. Welcome to Hohenfels Volks, THE place for our place! Spring, being upon us here in Hohenfels, is ripe with opportunities for our craft. Looking around, the trees are bright and clean, the flowers are bursting with color, and the Germany is waking up to a wonderful summer ahead.

Today’s post, delayed by unfortunate occurrences, is about luminance values, and how we can record, refer to, and use those values to improve our image. There will be some math here, but nothing major.

The first thing we need to discuss is the exposure formula. Ansel Adams described it as being the reciprocal of the luminance at a speeds key stop. The key stop for any speed is the square root of the speed. Here is a list of most speed/stop combinations.

Speed Key Stop
100 10
125 11
160 12
250 16
320 17
400 20
480/500 22
620 25
800 28
1000 32

I began the table at ISO 100 and ended at ISO 1000. ISO 100 is the lowest most consumer cameras go, and f/32 is about as high as most consumer lenses get today.

By setting your camera to any of the pairs in the table, you can read the luminance of your metered object, measured in candles/square foot, or c/ft2. For instance at ISO 125, f/11, metering 1/125, then the luminance value is 125 c/ft2. If your meter shows 30 seconds, then the luminance is 1/30 c/ft2. That will put you at 18%, or neutral gray reference values. This is what I refer to as M, or an M exposure.

When photographing normal scenes, we often encounter a scale of values that for any given exposure will run from approximately M-5 and lower to M+5 or higher. By learning to look at luminance values as described above, you learn to tame that range, creating an image that will make you justifiably proud.

An example of exposing for your luminance reading is when you meter the clear sky; you should read about f/11, ISO125, 1/300. This will put your sky into the range of 18% reflectance. We know that a clear Northern sky should fall about M+1, which means we should expose for the sky at f/11, ISO125, 1/150. Of course, this goes back to place and fall exposures. You must decide the key elements within your scene and where they should be placed. Once this exposure and placement is determined, all other values fall where their luminance levels impact your sensor. Knowing these values will help you determine where you wish to place elements and where your remaining elements will fall.

Even metering clouds, you will find a range of luminance values that may run from 200 c/ft2 to 1000 c/ft2. By meter the brightest part, 1000 c/ft2, then adding 3 stops, you bring your 200 c/ft2 up to nearly M+1 ½ in the exposure range, which is slightly brighter than the surrounding blue sky, and significantly darker than the brights in the clouds. Your brights will print out with slight tonal variations, and darker areas will have adequate or better textural ranges. You also bring areas metering at 50 c/ft2 up to the equivalent exposure of 400 c/ft2. These equivalent values are in relation to your original metering from the bright part of the clouds.

Recording your luminance values across the range of your scene will help you learn to recognize values, and expose with more confidence. It will also help in editing your images and preparing them for either printing or display. I would suggest metering across the range of M-4 to M+4 after determining your priorities, and noting the results. Even if you’re shooting at some combination not listed above, take the luminance readings using a combination. After reading the values, switch to your desired settings, compose, and make your image. Values for M+ and M- can be extrapolated by halving or doubling the values obtained with your meter. This is less accurate, but still of considerable value in perfecting your images.

Another great advantage of knowing your luminance and place values, is the ability to tell anyone about your exposure without giving the ISO, f/stop, EI, shutter speed, and so on. Tell them you metered this at 250 c/ft2, and gave M+1 to get the exposure where you wanted it. Regardless of your settings, they will know that to get that exposure from 250 c/ft2, then they give M+1 at whatever aperture and speed they desire, for instance ISO 125, f/8, 1/250 or ISO 400, f/5.6, 1/1600. Both will give the same results, and use the same values, 250 c/ft2 +1 stop, and make exposing a scene more consistent. It’s also useful when referring to edits performed. Taking the last example, you may have shot at M+1, and then edited it to M to decrease contrast. In this case, you can say this was shot at 250 c/ft2 +1 stop, then edited to M for the final effect. This will help others understand and help you remember your shots without having to know every little bit of detail.

There are other ways of expressing luminance, for instance EV or c/m2, or lumens, and as long as you find a consistent method of evaluating and expressing that exposure, your images will be consistent with your vision. Don’t get hung up on what I use, try it and if it doesn’t work, try something else. You’ll still have a working system, and you’ll still be enjoying what we love to do!

Time to get out and do some shooting, I hope you’ll be out today getting your shots in, too!

I’m looking forward to seeing your results and hearing from you. Let me know what you think and how you’re using your camera! Share your thoughts here or at the Hohenfels Volks Facebook page. Of course, commenting on both Facebook and here is always appreciated, too! Don't forget, we're on Google+, too!

Another Exercise...

Greetings, volks. Welcome to Hohenfels Volks, THE place for our place! Hohenfels, basking in the warmth and sun of spring, has really enjoyed having the annual German American Volksfest. I hope the Hohenfels Volks has, too, with all the opportunities to get and make some great shots!

In keeping with our last post, I thought I’d share a photo from Saturday’s fireworks, and then move on to another exercise.


f/22, ISO 125, 16 seconds, Bulb mode
Fireworks from the Volks fest

I shot from the parking area, including the windsock in the image, to create some context. Notice the fest tent in the lower left to give a sense of scale. I shot this at f/22 to minimize the impact of the Ferris wheel and to create some nice starbursts with the lighting along the bottom. The timing on this shot was quite lucky, as the combined effects create a flower like appearance of the fireworks. The white “dot” below and to the right of the larger burst was the only star visible at that time. I liked having it there, but could have cloned it out. Things like that are a matter of taste.

On to our exercise, we’re going to look at taming the relationship between highlights and shadows. One way to do this is through a combination of metering and exposure. Shoot scenes with a relatively high range of contrasts, but meter for the desired range. Should the highlights be the most important meter for them, and likewise for the shadows or midtones.

When shooting these shots, keep in mind controls you can use for bringing your images into line with your intention. For instance, a high contrast scene can be tamed slightly using an inverted S curves adjustment, and lowering the contrast. Remember, less is more, as applying too much of only one adjustment can leave the scene looking like, in the words of Ansel Adams, “chalk and charcoal.”

There are ways to increase contrast and lower it at the same time. We’ll look at some in a post later this week, but they include things like toning and intensification.


f/11, ISO 125, 1/60, metered for the highlights on the clouds and exposed at M+3
Stormy looking clouds over the fest. Edited for an old time semi-selenium toning and intensification.

Get out, get shooting, and enjoy the weather while it lasts!

Don’t forget to post any of your images you’d like to see here at the Hohenfels Volks Facebook page. Of course, commenting on both Facebook and here is always appreciated, too! Don't forget, we're on Google+, too!

Inspiration and Quotes

Greetings, volks. Welcome to Hohenfels Volks, THE place for our place! A lovely afternoon spent taking photos made for an end of day ritual worth participating in.

Today we’re going to post some photography quotes followed by a quick thought from Hohenfels Volks. I hope you’ll find something to inspire you here!

Beauty can be seen in all things, seeing and composing the beauty is what separates the snapshot from the photograph. – Matt Hardy
Remembering the inherent beauty in things can help change how you view a scene and aid in your visualization!

Nothing happens when you sit at home. I always make it a point to carry a camera with me at all times…I just shoot at what interests me at that moment. – Elliott Erwitt
There are always photographic opportunities, the train station, the drive home, and even the quick dash out for milk. Maybe it’s a sunset or some interesting clouds, visualize, meter, and shoot it!

There is nothing worse than a brilliant image of a fuzzy concept. Ansel Adams
Remember, your photos should have some coherence in the composition. It takes a good photo and makes it great!

In photography, there is a reality so subtle that it becomes more real than reality. Alfred Stieglitz
The object of taking a photo doesn’t always include a literal rendering of the scene, but a rendering of what you intended!

Food for thought is something we all need form time to time. Keeping our inspiration and thinking fed nourishes ideas and creativity. Feed yours today; see how creative you can be.

I’m hoping to post another ride along shot tomorrow, so stay tuned for that one!

Don’t forget to post any of your images you’d like to see here at the Hohenfels Volks Facebook page. Of course, commenting on both Facebook and here is always appreciated, too! Don't forget, we're on Google+, too!

Craftsmanship in Photography

Greetings, volks. Welcome to Hohenfels Volks, THE place for our place! I hope you’re staying warm; I know it’s hard for me to keep warm!

Today we’re going to start with a quote from Ansel Adams. I frequently reference him, as you may have noticed. He wrote in the introduction to his book “The Negative,” “…it is false to suggest that there are shortcuts and quick formulas for success in photography.” I for one am starting to see why he felt that way.

The recent trend in photography, as in all things modern, seems to be toward the easier, simpler, and more automated. Without any doubt, I can safely say that automation, simplicity, and ease will allow you to take some decent snapshots. Take snapshots… not make photographs. Further, with even less doubt, I can say that, like government handouts and welfare, they create an unnecessary dependence, which will hinder your development into a maker of photographs.

Ansel Adams believed in knowing your craft, knowing how to make photographs. It was simple, really, to match your print to your vision you had to know how your camera, negative, and print worked together to get the right combination. He also believed that creativity and freedom in the pursuit of your vision were only available if you knew how to make your shot match your vision. Great photos can happen because of a little knowledge and some trial and learning. As you try various techniques and settings, you learn what works and what doesn’t. Don’t be afraid to try manual mode, even if your image is less than you wanted, it can teach you what settings didn’t work. Digital gives the instant ability to know if something worked or not, we should take advantage of it. The sad thing is, too many folks become totally dependent on the camera making the rules, and thereby limit their abilities.

Things we often view at first as less than we hoped for, can become a treasured shot when viewed free from the disappointment of not making what we’d visualized. Remember that, and keep shooting. Strive for better with each shot, but enjoy them all as they happen. You’ll find things about your work that you may have never noticed before.

Enough of the soapbox! Let’s move on to the new theme. This week’s theme is I'm SO Lonely! (If You Weren't So Isolated!) by a vote of 2 to 1. As last week’s theme dealt with the positive side of isolation and solitude, it seems fitting that you have chosen this theme. Show us the negative side of solitude, the isolation of your subject. Perhaps it’s the despairing soul trapped in a lonely joyless rut, maybe it’s the widow, who mourning, longs to feel again the warmth of her husband’s breath. You could show how being alone weakens, rather than strengthens, the whole, by isolating one from a group. Express the isolation, the negative side of solitude, in your images and get them submitted by next Monday night.

Tomorrow we’re hoping to do another Around Hohenfels if things work out. Look for it, and if we end up with something else, I’ll try to be more interesting!

Don’t forget to post any of your images you’d like to see here at the Hohenfels Volks Facebook page. Of course, commenting on both Facebook and here is always appreciated, too! Don't forget, we're on Google+, too!

Tech Talk: Candles and Calculations

Greetings, volks. Welcome to Hohenfels Volks, THE place for our place!

Today we’re going to go a little bit into what makes up your exposure numbers and how metering works. It sounds familiar, but we’ll be dealing with more math and other advanced parts of your exposure settings.

Let’s start with your ISO. Back in the old days there were lots of ways to label film sensitivity. There was by DIN number, ASA, Weston, and EV, as well as various others fallen by the wayside. Today we use ISO, which is for the most part ASA. Some folks use DIN, that’s why film still carries the DIN number. Under today’s scheme, 3 degrees DIN are equal to 1 full stop. ISO 100/21 has half the sensitivity of ISO 200/24. The Weston number, another popular standard used to gauge a film’s sensitivity, referencing Weston’s meters, is usually .8 times the ISO. Since we’re shooting today, we’ll use ISO, but there may be times we reference others in our future.

Moving on we come to light and light levels. Without the fancy gadgets we have to meter our exposure built into cameras, folks used external meters. Ansel Adams broke it down in his book The Negative. Meters used to measure light in candles, or candela, per square foot. That was the basis for your shutter speed. This will become important in a couple paragraphs.

Next we have aperture, the size of the opening through which light enters the camera. Each ISO had its native f/stop. To find the native stop for any ISO take its square root. For ISO 100 the native f/stop is f/10, for ISO 125 it’s 11, for 200 it’s about 14, and for 400 the native f/stop is 20. Apertures are measured in f/stop, which is a ratio based on the square root of 2, as each step is doubling or halving the light.

The last part is shutter speed. For a native aperture, the shutter speed should be 1/ the light measured in candles per square foot, or c/ft². If you read 125 c/ft², your shutter speed for a native aperture should be 1/125 second. It sounds easy doesn’t it? Well, don’t give up hope. Things are about to get tricky.

Since most light meters today don’t measure in c/ft², finding that speed may be difficult. Automation has taken away many of the tools used by those who came before us in every arena. You can buy a cheap ambient light meter and use it for your photography. The readings are usually in LUX. LUX can be converted, however, by dividing by 10.764. Just round to 10, and there you have it. 1000 LUX is 100 c/ft². At your native aperture, shoot 1/100 for zone 5 placement of what you just read and you’re cooking with gas. Using you digital camera’s metering, set your aperture to the ISO’s native aperture in AV mode. Then seeing the required shutter speed tells you there are that many c/ft² or 10 times that much in LUX.

It seems like talking about this doesn’t do much for you shooting digital, but knowing it will help you improve your light reading skill without your camera’s meter and make getting your exposure correct a lot easier. Plus, if you decide to go old school and shoot with an old camera or use an old meter it will help you to figure that stuff out. It also comes in handy when working with the zone system. Reading 1/100 at your native aperture, you have the knowledge of how to combine your speeds and apertures to get the right exposure for 100 c/ft². You also have the knowledge that you can move your image up or down a zone without playing guessing games as much. It’s quicker and easier to figure out once you try it a few times. A good example is on a bright, sunny, semi-cloudless day. The sky reads about 300 c/ft² when read usually. So for ISO 125 at f/11 you should be set for 1/300 as a good starting point. Then adjusting your speed inverse to any desired aperture changes, and you should have a decent exposure with the sky at zone 5. You can adjust just your aperture or speed to move the sky and other subjects into different zones and create what you visualized that way.

Ansel Adams described it as the exposure formula. He taught that zone 5 was 1/c/ft² at a film’s key aperture. It still holds true. Some minor adjustments may need to be made, but you should be almost dead on. It helps to spot meter for your highlights and shadows to get the best range in your image, but for quick shooting, try it out! I think you’ll see something very cool!

The new theme for this week is “Flattery (Not everything complimentary is flattery!)” You may have already guessed that this has to do with colors, right? Your shots should be composed with complimentary colors as a major element of your composition. Another aspect of your image must consist of contrast in your subject, as well as the contrasting complimentary colors. Perhaps age and youth, or hot and cold. I hope that you get the creative juices flowing for this one and get working on it soon! I also hope that we will see everyone out there submitting this time!

Don’t forget to post any of your images you’d like to see here at the Hohenfels Volks Facebook page. Of course, commenting on both Facebook and here is always appreciated, too!

Reading List: The Negative

Greetings, Hohenfels, welcome to Hohenfels Volks, THE place for our place. Shorter days and lots of fog made our visibility very limited this Tuesday. Cold, foggy, and wet, together they combine to make for some serious winter like weather. It looks like Hohenfels can expect snow before too awfully long!

This post will introduce the book “The Negative.” This is a piece of advice for those who desire more knowledge about photographic techniques and methods. Ansel Adams wrote The Negative in the 1940s as part of his series on photography. It was part 2 of a 3 book series. In its final version, written by Adams in 1981 and still published today, it provides an incredible amount of guidance to the photographer and would be photographer. It also helps the photographer understand exposure in more detail, breaks down controlling exposure and contrast, and introduces concepts and theories that will advance even the beginner along the path toward better photos.

The chapters include Visualization, Exposure, The Zone System, as well as chapters on natural light, artificial light, and filters. I find the chapters on exposure and the zone system to be the best material on the subjects. One of the main reasons is that Ansel Adams explains exposure in extreme detail, while making it understandable to anyone remotely interested. The other reason is he co-created the zone system. No one else could have brought it within the grasp of so many people.

Even though he wrote this book for users of film, Adams himself envisioned a sort of digital photography. When you take into account that photography remains writing with light, and that the concepts are the same, you can see the use of studying this handy book. Some of the terms used may no longer be common, like candles/square foot, but the information remains within grasp. For example, in the previous example of foot candles or candles per square foot, a lux meter will give you a measurement in lux, which can be converted to c/f2 by dividing the lux reading by 10. Knowing this, you can use a reflected light lux meter, do the math, and use the exposure formula in chapter 3 of this wonderful book to get your exposure correct. A concept introduced is that every ISO has a native aperture. That native aperture is the square root of the ISO. For example, ISO 200 has a native aperture of approximately f/14. ISO 125 has one of f/11; ISO 400 is f/20, and so on. Keep that in mind, as in an upcoming post we talk about the exposure formula.

Another great feature of this book is the inclusion of some of Adams’s amazing photography to emphasize a point or introduce a concept. If you only get it for the pictures, it’s worth the price. You can get it for as little as $12.00 new!

On to something else. Are you visualizing your shot for this week’s theme? Are you thinking about how to get something great, just the right DOF, and how to get the angle? I’ve had a couple cool ideas. I can’t wait to see what you come up with!

Well, Volks, here’s hoping your week stays short and interesting.

Remember to share your pics and post your questions at the Hohenfels Volks Facebook page, and or by commenting here!

Photography as Art

Greetings, Hohenfels, welcome to Hohenfels Volks, THE place for our place. A cold morning, frosty and foggy, greets us and brings in the week!

Today we’re talking about photography as art. Photography has several things that make it different from other arts. In some ways, photography can be more of a craft, or a science, or a way of recording things as they are. It can also be an art and art form. Much like the composer of incredible symphonies is an artist, so too, a photographer can be one, which is why we speak of composing our images.

Ayn Rand defined art as a concretization of a man’s values. She stated “Art brings man’s concepts to the perceptual level of his consciousness and allows him to grasp them directly, as if they were percepts.” While she viewed most photography as more of a recording, she felt that commercial photography was an art form. This was because most people view photography as a way to capture the moment, not to create a representation of what we value. She also felt that art should have positive subjects and values and that negative parts should be small and serve as a way to emphasize the positive attributes.

Most people can agree with the above. A see and shoot photographer doesn’t create art; they merely record what they see. Most shopping mall portraits are just canned poses and lighting, done on the cheap, with no eye toward impact. As artists, we visualize a scene, and either create it or make what’s there match our vision, and we create art. When we shoot to have an impact on the viewer, one that touches them somehow, we create art. Using our camera to share a feeling, or value, such as family togetherness or man’s generosity, we create art.

The next time you’re out trying to get the shot of a lifetime, visualizing the scene, setting it up just right, pause to think about its impact on the viewer. What does it say? What have you “concretized?” Even a simple portrait can have meaning; look at Leonardo or Rembrandt. A great way to develop the skill of making art is to look at art and figure out its impact on you, and then figure out how to make that kind of impact with your camera.

A fine example of photography as art is Ansel Adams. His work brought the concept of conservation and the beauty of the world to something we can perceive as reality. His series of photos documenting Manzanar relocation camp during the war is an outstanding example of showing the positive in the midst of a negative. Dorothea Lange captured the negative and sadness, but Adams really brought out the heroism there by showing how the residents made the best of things and created a life for themselves in the middle of this unbearable situation. Nobody can doubt that these folks were heroes! Yousuf Karsh did the same with his portraits of great people and great minds. When we look at the shot of Churchill taken by Karsh, we see the art there; we feel a sense of the man’s greatness and how the weight of his position and power he wielded made the man great.

Regardless of her politics, ideals, and viewpoints, and your thoughts on them, Ayn Rand’s view of art bringing thoughts, values, and ideas to life, is incredibly insightful. Her view makes us take stock of how we represent the world and how we share our take on it.


ISO 1600, f/5.6, 1/60 at 37mm
Bamberg, Michaelsberg Church. This "concretizes" two things, the importance of faith, and the importance of preserving the past to pass on to our children.

So, get out and “concretize” some values of your own. Make us feel something, bring a thought to life! Remember to share your pics and post your questions at the Hohenfels Volks Facebook page, and or by commenting here!

Photography and Quotes

Hello, Volks! Welcome to Hohenfels Volks. I hope everyone had a great Halloween, and got plenty of goodies! For me, the goodies consisted of almost 1000 photos and some of my wife's delicious cake balls! Today’s post is going to be a short list of quotes, followed by a picture that shows your compositions don’t have to be like everyone else.

A photograph is usually looked at - seldom looked into. ~Ansel Adams

There are always two people in every picture: the photographer and the viewer. ~Ansel Adams

The departure of our boys to foreign parts with the ever-present possibility that they might never return, taught the real value of photography to every father and mother. To many a mother the photograph of her boy in his country's uniform was the one never-failing consolation. ~Louis Fabian Bachrach

Photography records the gamut of feelings written on the human face, the beauty of the earth and skies that man has inherited, and the wealth and confusion man has created. ~Edward Steichen

“Your first 10,000 photos are your worst” ~ Henri Cartier Bresson

Some food for thought regarding the last quote, Bresson said that well before digital cameras. Film was expensive and shooting 24 shots per roll made 10,000 photos quite an expensive task. That’ll be another topic later this week.

Here’s a pic to show you that visualizing your image, even on the fly, leads to some cool images.


This shot was taken after one of the Halloween parties we attended. By putting the princess on the ground and shooting from up high, I was able to create a picnic like scene. Her smile and costume made the magic. By placing the flash off camera  and slightly to her left, we have a nice loop light on her pretty little face.
ISO 400, f/5.6, 1/125

Enjoy the rest of you week, enjoy our Hohenfels, enjoy your photography, and remember to share your pics and post your questions at the Hohenfels Volks Facebook page, and or by commenting here!

The Zone System

Welcome back to Hohenfels Volks. This time we’re going to deal with the Zone System.

Ansel Adams and Fred Archer developed the Zone System. Most of us have heard of Ansel Adams, and seen some of his magnificent works. Fred Archer was another big name in the early days of photography, pioneering the use of still photography for motion picture and movie star publicity, and was an early proponent of photography in advertising. Together they developed a system that brought the concept of sensitometry and print density together, allowing for proper exposure of film and prints.

It sounds pretty complicated, and an in depth analysis of it can be, quite technical. We won’t go too deep here, but we will hit upon it more than in our exposure topic. Learning about the basics of the zone system can bring some zing into your work, and help deliver you from the dark ages of auto mode, so here goes!

There are 11 steps, or zones, from black to white. Here is an image I made showing the zones.


The actual full range is smoother, but given the nature of photography, we end up with approximately these zones.

At zone 0, there is no detail and no texture. There is no usable information at all. This is the same at zone x. At zone i and ix, there is limited tone, but not much else in the way of detail. Ansel Adams described the ranges as; full spectrum, zones 0 through x, dynamic range, zones i through ix, and textural range, zones ii through viii. In his book, The Negative, he describes the zones as:

0 Total black in print
I Black with some tonality but no texture
II The first suggestion of texture; the darkest part of the image where texture and detail are required
III Average dark materials and low values showing adequate texture
IV Average dark foliage, dark stone, or landscape shadows
V Middle gray (18% reflectance): clear north sky; dark skin, average weathered wood
VI Average Caucasian skin in sunlight; light stone; shadows on snow in sunlit landscapes
VII Very light skin; shadows in snow with acute side lighting
VIII Whites with texture: textured snow, highlights on Caucasian skin
IX white without texture; glaring snow, may print as pure white
X Pure white: light sources in the picture area and specular highlights

When metering from a source, your camera, or meter, will render the metered object in zone v. Knowing this, you can use your exposure compensation or manual settings to bring the desired part of the scene into the zone you desire.

In practical application, you identify the main element in your scene, then expose for the desired zone, the other elements exposing according the placement of your main element. If you desire an area to be zone v, then the rest of the image exposes for the zones according to what you placed in zone v. It’s fairly straightforward. Take a meter reading from the parts you want in zone 5, and you will end up with something that matches what you visualized.

A great way to see the effects of the Zone System is to look up Ansel Adams on Google, or your favorite search engine. His work is quite addictive, though, so be prepared to spend some time admiring his art. Then look into the Zone System. After a few hits and misses, you’ll be glad that Fred Archer and Ansel Adams collaborated to create such a wonderful tool to make the pursuit of our passion a little easier!

I hope you have a chance to shoot away over the next few days. Hohenfels alone has enough incredible scenery to try out the zone system, not to mention the surrounding communities and towns. Maybe in a church or a field, or even a portrait. Let the magic work for you! Who knows, you may capture a real prizewinner! Get out and give it a try!

How do you plan to use the sone system? Let us see by posting at the Hohenfels Volks Facebook page. you might inspire a convert!

Remember; leave your comments and questions here and on our Facebook pages, also.
Thanks to all of you, have a great day!

Some Inspiration

Below are a few inspirational quotes about photography by some of the greatest photographers of all time. They really add some perspective on what we enjoy so very much, at least for me!

Enjoy...

Look and think before opening the shutter. The heart and mind are the true lens of the camera.
Yousuf Karsh

There is a brief moment when all there is in a man's mind and soul and spirit is reflected through his eyes, his hands, his attitude. This is the moment to record.
Yousuf Karsh

Those people live again in print as intensely as when their images were captured on the old dry plates of sixty years ago . . . I am walking in their alleys, standing in their rooms and sheds and workshops, looking in and out of their windows. And they in turn seem to be aware of me.
Ansel Adams

The negative is the equivalent of the composer's score, and the print the performance.
Ansel Adams

A portrait is not made in the camera but on either side of it.
Edward Steichen

Photography is a major force in explaining man to man.
Edward Steichen

Here's wishing you loads of images and a wonderful weekend!

Some Good Reading

Here's some further information on exposure;

Cambridge in Colour A Learning community for photographers. Sean McHugh puts a lot into his site, check it out!

For a more in depth and technical explanation on exposure, I recommend reading "The Negative" by Ansel Adams. His work has inspired folks for nearly a century and will continue to do so for as long as we admire beauty! You can get this book new from Amazon for about $14.00.

A great source for general photography, is the "Digital Photography" series by Scott Kelby. There are 3 books in the series with a fourth one coming soon. You can also get this at Amazon.

Here's a link to Amazon, just search for those books and read on. Just so you know, I'm not getting anything from Amazon for this.

I hope to see your questions and comments!

Take care.