Ride Along Shot- The Snowy Track

Greetings, volks. Welcome to Hohenfels Volks, THE place for our place! A sunny Monday greeted us with a chilling embrace. –15 is no way to start the day!

The winner of this week’s poll is The Fortress (For the Superman Fans). Sounds silly, doesn’t it? Well let’s outline it for you!

In the Superman movies, Superman had a place where he could go to be alone and recharge. It was called the Fortress of Solitude. You guessed it; our theme for the week is Solitude, with a kick. Your shots should show the positive aspects of solitude, not loneliness or a single thing, but something positive, in solitude. It could be someone enjoying a moment alone, or someone escaping the world, any image showing something positive about solitude. Maybe your image will even contain more than one person, but will show solitude in a positive light. Remember; get your images for last week in tonight! We’ll feature them here.

Now on to our Ride Along Shot.


ISO 400, f/16, 1/500, 50mm
Tracks in the Snow, winter has hit Hohenfels!

While out and about, I noticed an old road. After approaching the road, I saw some tire tracks, as well as tracks from animals. Rather than isolate one or the other, I chose to highlight the road and have both sets of tracks in the shot. While the tire tracks feature more strongly and lead the eye through the frame, seeing the signs of animals, possibly a fox and a rabbit, adds a little dimension to the shot.

Given the time of day, I had to use a fast shutter speed and tight aperture to keep the snow in the range of zone 6-7. That allowed some texture and detail in the snow, and allows darker trees and surrounds that provide nice depth and contrast.

Having the tire tracks curving up through the frame, the eye, as mentioned, is led through the image, but it also creates some tension that brings it to life. Where are the tracks leading? Who was here? Where’d they come from? Several questions can be raised that add that little bit of drama, while preserving the serenity of the scene. Keeping the tracks from being dead center allows them to become the leading line, and add some grace and sweep to the shot.

I thought black and white was the only way to go with this scene. Color distracts from the snow and tracks, and it makes the image somewhat less appealing. Keeping the classic monochrome allows the tones to wander from nearly blown highlights to some slightly clipped shadows and increases the range of the image. I shot this set to monochrome and added a red filter. Putting a red filter on black and white darkens blues and greens, while brightening reds and oranges. This can add some crispness to your shots. Shooting at f/16 allows for both limiting the light, and increasing the DOF.

Remember that when making your photo, visualizing it is the key to getting your image. Take the time to view the scene, absorb what you're seeing, and find the light that allows you to make that magic with your camera. Sometimes, you stumble upon something, sometimes, you have to take what you find and make it work. Ansel Adams said “Sometimes I arrive just when God's ready to have someone click the shutter.” This seems to have been one of those times for me! Find someplace and keep going back, get to know it during all kinds of conditions. You’ll start seeing all sorts of images you can make with it, and one day, you’ll find the one you’ve been seeing.

Well, that’s it for today. Keep seeing the light and your shots before you take them. Keep shooting, and remember this week’s theme on solitude. I hope your week is a great 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 our new Hohenfels Volks Google+, too.

A New Theme and Kodak

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

Everyone knows by now that Kodak filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Everyone’s analyzed it and declared the giant slain. Based in Rochester, NY since 1880 the leading pioneer in photography seems to be on its last legs.

I grew up with Kodak, as did most of us. Kodak was the first film I shot on, and the first digital camera I had. George Eastman invented roll film and made photography accessible as a hobby! Their Wratten gel filters were a mainstay of photographers for the better part of a century. It’s sad to think of losing one of our greatest champions.

The fact is, even in bankruptcy, Kodak will continue to operate. They apparently have a deal with Citigroup that gives them a little over a year to reorganize their business. This means our oldest photographic friend will be around for some time more.

I have some thoughts on how things might change, while keeping them alive. They were one of the first to charge into digital, and were pretty much a leader in consumer and professional film. If they divest themselves of non-photography ventures and concentrate on creating digital systems that other companies can use in their cameras and gear, while pushing the traditional film and paper side, things can turn around. Another area they probably need to keep going is in the x-ray side. I remember just about every x-ray for broken bones, and other things, involved Kodak x-ray film. Given the push in healthcare, a profit must be sustainable for that part of the company.

It’s sad to see a long time friend to photographers around the world stumble. The thought that we may lose a bastion of photographic innovation and quality is saddening at best. The thought of some minor third world company acquiring the rights to their innovations, and making them without Kodak’s quality and consistency is frightening.

You might want to buy a roll of their film, who knows if they can pull it off. That little yellow box may stir some memories in the future of your early days behind the lens.

This is just my 2 cents, but I’d love to hear what you think. Drop us a note with your thoughts.

On to other business. Given the 3-way tie, with 3 votes being split among 3 themes for the week, I’m going to choose the theme. I’ve decided to go with Say Again...(Do I Have to Repeat Everything?)

It’s an easy theme, kind of… Seriously, though, it shouldn’t be too difficult to get something for this theme. The subject has to be repeating patterns. Colors, lines, shadow, light; patterns that repeat can be a great subject for your images. We’re not looking for the easy ones, for instance, a checkerboard laid out on your coffee table. But you shouldn’t have to go too far a-field to find something scintillating and repetitive. Just no paisley, it’s not 1970!

Here’s hoping everyone gets their shot and has a grand week!

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!

Blurry Lines...

Welcome back to Hohenfels Volks, THE place for our place! Another rainy and cold Hohenfels Monday brings shivering into the new week and a new theme.

Our new theme for the week is “Blurring the Lines (Not in Polite Society!).” It won with 2 votes. So onward we ride toward a description.

For centuries, societies have been stratified. You had the upper class, the middle class, the untouchables, the eta, and numerous ways to keep societies organized. Today is not much different. Only instead of class per se, we have things like employer and employee, service persons and the served, leaders and followers. The list is limited only by your vision.

The purpose of this week’s theme is to show interactions between the “classes” or groups. It could be a waiter serving a meal, a shoeshine in progress, or simply a store clerk ringing up a customer. It could be something that shows the transition from one level to another, previously unattainable. Create an image perhaps showing a graduation or promotion, or someone preparing to begin their day at work. We all transition several times a day from server to served, from leader to follower, etc.

No longer are we limited to one layer of society and that, in itself, could be an image. Hence, we have the blurring the lines part. Here’s the kicker, sharpest focus or concentration should be on the interaction or transition, not the people involved. This highlight could come from high contrast lighting or sharpness, perhaps from compositional elements like color, or even a shallow DOF. Explain the contrast without words, using just your image. Remember, there are also many societies within our society. Gender roles, marital roles, workplace roles, the options are as limitless as your ability to see how the roles and layers within a society can be crossed or transitioned.

Don’t forget to get your images for last week’s theme in tonight. I didn’t do one, as I was too busy trying out some old cameras and trying out my skills. I won’t have any results until all the film is developed next week! I’ll be shooting something this week for the theme, though; as I’m back on schedule and hopefully time will be slightly more available.

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

Classic Shooting

Greetings and welcome to Hohenfels Volks, THE place for our place. As promised, a second dose of photography just for Hohenfels, dealing with old fashioned photography. Before we begin, I need to clarify this week's theme. Your images should be of work being done, not the people doing the work. The bulk of your subject should be the work, not the worker. I hope this helps when creating your shots.

As mentioned previously, we're talking about old fashioned photography. I got some very old cameras this weekend, inspiring me to pick up film again and try out what I've learned. It also inspired me to share pics of them with you and encourage you to pick up your film stuff and shoot that, too. It's a great way to test yourself, using film and what you've learned. It also shows you what you've learned and how well you're progressing.


ISO 400, f/8, 1/25, 37mm
Zeiss Ikon up close. This shows the lens, the "brilliant glass," used to compose your shot, and the speeds available.

This weekend the family and friends surprised me with some gifts. The first gift, from Mrs. Hohenfels Volks and the princess, was an Altissar box camera from 1951.


ISO 400, f/8, 1/25, 37mm
The Altissa box camera from 1951. This beauty is a real challenge, as it only has 4 settings! A great little camera with some great meaning!

Eho-Altissa started in Leipzig in 1892. Founded by Richard Knoll as a photographic shop and studio, they eventually started repairing and then manufacturing cameras. 1910 it moved to Dresden, where it was later bought by Berthold Altmann. In about 1951, Berthold Altmann decided to flee the oppressive and anti-business communist East Germany. In absentia, he was tried, convicted, and his company taken over by the communist run government. They were re-named and finally failed, with the machines being sent to Sarajevo to make imitation box cameras. This particular model of box camera, introduced in 1951, was the last while Altissa remained a free company. That scenario reminds me of Atlas Shrugged, in which all the creators and producers abandon their businesses and creations and disappear, leaving an increasingly corrupt, socialistic, and anti-business society to its own failings. Because of that story, and what I see happening today, this camera has meaning beyond photography to me. It’s functional, still works, and I’m taking photos with it! Once I get some developed, I’ll post what comes out here! This camera had 4 settings, f/8, f/16, B for bulb, and 1/25. The lens was fixed focal length and fixed focus. Using 120 film, it produces a negative that is 6cm by 6cm. Composing your image is through a window above the lens.

The next camera, from our friends, was a Zeiss Ikon 515/2. This little winner was introduced in 1937 as a lower priced Ikonta, with virtually all the features. The one I received has an 11cm lens, which runs from f/4.5 to f/32, and has shutter speeds from 1/25 to 1/125. Outside the shutter speed range is B, for bulb mode shots, and T, where you open the shutter with one click and close it with a second click. It uses standard 120 film, and produces a negative that is 6cm by 9cm. The viewfinder is a pair of metal tabs, and only serves for composition. Focusing is accomplished by adjusting the lens for the zone that should be sharpest, by distance. You can also hold it about waist high, and using the “brilliant glass,” frame up your shot. The brilliant glass is a tiny “periscope” like pair of lenses through which you compose your shot. It only allows for framing and composition. It has a PC Sync port for the flash, should you have one, and has a self-timer for setting it up and activating the shutter, allowing you to enter the scene should you desire.


ISO 400, f/4.6, 1/25, 33mm
The Zeiss Ikon in all its glory. It takes time to set up your shot with this, which helps with getting your composition tidy.

Zeiss Ikon started in 1926 by the merger of several camera manufacturers and financial backing from Zeiss. Soon several other companies joined the Zeiss Ikon syndicate. Located in Dresden, with plants in Stuttgart and Berlin, Zeiss Ikon split into a West German and an East-German part after the war. Stuttgart became the headquarters after the division of Germany. Later they merged with Voigtländer, who made higher end cameras. In 1972, they stopped producing cameras. After the reunification of Germany, the East and West German divisions re-united into a single company.

The third classic I acquired was a Voigtländer Vitomatic II. This little beauty is a 35mm Rangefinder with a fixed focal length 50mm lens. The lens runs from f/2.8 to f/22, and 1 second to 1/300 second. It uses, like the Zeiss, a leaf shutter, and has no mirror. This feature allows flash to be synched up to the lens’s maximum shutter speed, in this case 1/300. The camera came with 2 filters, a UV, and a green for B&W. This allows for brighter greens, darker reds, and greater separation of greens in your monochrome images. Also included were a lens hood, leather case, and leather strap. Again, through PC sync, my flashes can be remoted off camera and fully controlled. Voigtländer, as you read above, was a very upscale camera maker. They started in Vienna in 1756 as an optics company. Later they introduced the world’s fastest lens at that time, in 1840, it was f/3.5. They were also the first to introduce the zoom lens and the first 35mm camera with a flash built into the camera.


ISO 200, f/4.5, 1/20, 29mm
The Voigtlander Vitomatic II from 1958. In the upper left corner you can see the selenium meter in the camera. Used to help judge your exposure settings.

The cool thing about these cameras is that they show you that even though technology has improved, it hasn’t changed too much since the times represented. Using what we’ve discussed about exposure, composition, and other tips, you can get a great shot, even with old cameras. Don’t give up the learning just because digital means you don’t have to do it. I’ve used my 7D to meter the light for my desired aperture, and then set the old timers accordingly. Remember, being able to sync with your flash means you can do anything with these guys you can do with your digital. I hope this will inspire you to learn more manual applications, so you can put your old film stuff to use again. You’ll be surprised how much you can do with it!

Enjoy the rest of your day, and remember to cast your vote for next week’s theme. Get yours in to have a say! Don’t forget to get your pics posted at the Hohenfels Volks Facebook page. Of course, commenting on both Facebook and here is always appreciated, too!

Men Working

Greetings and welcome to Hohenfels Volks, THE place for our place. Welcome to the New Year. I hope Hohenfels is ready for 2012!

Since we had a 4-way tie, each theme being 1 vote each, I decided to go with something not on the list, and extend this poll until next week. This theme will probably be the biggest challenge yet, so here we go!

The theme is Production. You’ve shown the fruits of your labor, what you work for, and how you enjoy it. Now it’s time to show production. Here’s the kick in the pants- you can’t just shoot someone at work! For example, a large construction site, either stopped for the day, or during full-scale work is a good shot for the theme. A guy running a jackhammer isn’t! Another fine example would be a row of sewing machines, or only a couple, with the cloth in place and the hands of the seamstresses visible but no face or other body parts. Think production, and what gets the engines of industry, manufacturing, and the economy moving. These are ultimately the source of your labor’s rewards, right? Think big picture and capture a slice of that picture.

Don’t forget to your pics in for last week’s theme. You have until tonight, around midnight. Get yours in and have it featured here. Unfortunately mine wasn’t done, so I shouldn’t expect anyone else to, as the holiday weekend was quite busy!

Look for another post later today, about photography, the old fashioned way!

Enjoy the rest of your day, and remember to cast your vote for next week’s theme. Get yours in to have a say! Don’t forget to get your pics posted at the Hohenfels Volks Facebook page. Of course, commenting on both Facebook and here is always appreciated, too!

All Work...

Greetings and welcome to Hohenfels Volks, THE place for our place. Wednesday finds us entering the downhill side of another week here in Hohenfels! I trust everyone is getting ready to ring in the New Year in an exciting and safe way!

Today we’re posting the entries in our theme for last week, Fruits of Your Labor. There were 2 entries this time around, Jennifer’s and mine. Let’s start with Jennifer’s entry.


Copyright 2011 JennyO
Another great shot by Jennifer!

She described it in her own words, “Hi there, my submission is more of a layers project, the fruits of my workouts at the gym and my need to stay inspired”

My first thought was “rewarding your labor with more labor?” and I actually left that as a comment. Then I realized that after a long day, exercise is a bit of a reward, as it helps you unwind. I also realized that by working so hard, she was actually showing us the reward of her workouts, a fit and healthy lifestyle, and body. Kudos on that. The motivating quotes actually are very cool, but for the time being, I’m going to discount them, as we are talking about her photo.

I really like the idea of this image. Using the light from the window helps sculpt the form shown here and create a flowing silhouette without being a silhouette. Having lighting come in behind her allows for nice details and color to be brought out. Using the window as a light source, close up like this creates a nice bright light that wraps her body, and displays a nice fall off due to its softness. Large light sources are soft light sources! By shooting from a lower position, she creates a powerful subject, giving a bit of the dynamic to her shot! Chest height camera shots for a portrait make nice full body and 3/4 portraits, when shot from lower and looking up, it adds power and strength to your subject. A great pic using great light, with the quotes thrown in, it serves to remind us that hard work truly can be its own reward.

Next up is mine.


ISO 100, f/5.6, 2 seconds, 55mm
A Quiet Evening With the Princess

I chose to use a quiet Christmas scene to illustrate the reward I get from a quiet evening with my daughter, Jasmine. Of course, it’s rarely a quiet evening, but it’s almost always rewarding. Sharing her homework, eating our dinner, and enjoying either games or stories together makes the day’s labor worth the effort and more.

The cocoa had whipped topping on it, which had to be replenished to keep some form, as it melted throughout the 15 minutes of shooting for this shot. Smoothing the light with a small bounce brought out the colors in the mug, highlighted the cocoa bubbles, and added a nice bit of depth to the candle. A plus was the layering in the cocoa, from dark to white! For a similar setup, check out our last Ride Along. By allowing the light to fully hit the tree, we got some nice reflections and color from the bulbs and the tree, creating a Christmas feel, which is what spending time with the princess can be like!

Well, that’s it for tonight. For more on lighting glass, check out LIGHT—SCIENCE & MAGIC, from our last Reading List post. Also, check out Jennifer’s blog, it’s in our links to the right. She makes some great pics that deserve a look. I hope we’ll get some more pics posted in our next theme round up. Let’s get everyone voting and taking their pics for this week’s theme, Knock Knock.

Enjoy the rest of your evening, and remember to cast your vote for next week’s theme. Don’t forget to get your pics posted at the Hohenfels Volks Facebook page. Of course, commenting on both Facebook and here is always appreciated, too!

A New Theme Knocking

Greetings and welcome to Hohenfels Volks, THE place for our place. Aside from the cold and wet, it was a wonderful day here in Hohenfels. I trust everyone had a wonderful Christmas, I know ours was great!

This week’s voting produced a new them for the week. Only 5 votes were cast with the winner having 2 votes. The theme for this week is “Knock Knock (Nobody's There!)” It’s an interesting theme. How many of think it has to do with door-knockers? How many were thinking visitors, and how many just thought doors?

Have any of our themes been that simple? They may be in the future, but right now, our themes are kind of getting us into exploring our photography a little more. This week’s theme is no different, just a little simpler. For this week’s theme, the goal is to take photos of doors in public places. Photograph old doors, with loads of character to them. The kinds of doors we’re hoping to see are the kind found on old buildings. You can see them in places like Regensburg, Amberg, Munich, and a host of other cities. Don’t overlook the small towns; they have some nice quaint old building with tremendous doors, as well.

It sounds quite simple, doesn’t it? Of course, there is a catch. For this week, your photos should feature no one in them. The doors have to be old. There should be some sign of life, without anyone present. They should be the center of interest, but not take up more than about 1/3 of the image. This allows us to work on our composition and placement, as well. I hope this isn’t too much, given the season. Perhaps that will actually work to your favor, as seasonal decorations can make nice features in your photograph.

My image for the Fruits of Your Labor theme is posted at our Facebook page. I haven’t seen any others, but I’m hoping you will be getting them up tonight before the cut off later this evening. Tomorrow we’ll be discussing negative space as an element of composition, and its impact on our images. That will be a second post; the first one will be your images for the Fruits of Labor theme.

Enjoy the rest of your evening, and remember to cast your vote for next week’s theme. Don’t forget to get your pics posted at the Hohenfels Volks Facebook page. Of course, commenting on both Facebook and here is always appreciated, too!

Invasion of the Gnomes!

Greetings and welcome to Hohenfels Volks, THE place for our place. There are only so many ways to say, “It’s bloody cold,” so I’ll dispense with the description of Hohenfels weather and get right down to it!

Jennifer was once again the only participant for the theme. With Christmas break upon us, and some time off for me, I know I‘ll be participating more in the themes. Here is her magnificent entry.


Image copyright 2011 JennyO

In her words, “I love Gnome's at Christmas... The kind with their little noses peaking out? I love the quaint feel of Christmas past they have…”

Very interesting composition here, it shows some good boke and I love the color in the lights. Gnomes are really cool, and when they’re not scurrying around your lawn, make great subjects. The soft focus adds to the appeal, making this pic almost come to life with the wonder of Christmas and the season. The big gray hat with the red heart on it offsets that particular gnome, which seems to be Jennifer's favorite.

Thanks for sharing this pic; it works really well for the theme and for the season! It'll also be posted under our "Your Works" page.

On to this week’s theme. Something to keep in mind, the fruits of your labor do not have to be physical, nor do your labors. Time with the family can be both a labor and the reward depending on your presentation. As mentioned in the theme during the voting, hard work is its own reward. While many of us don’t think this way in today’s society, it’s a saying that still holds true. Break out the camera, visualize your rewards and how you’ll present them, and watch them appear.

Remember to cast your vote for next week’s theme, we don't want another tie. Don’t forget to get your pics posted at the Hohenfels Volks Facebook page. Of course, commenting on both Facebook and here is always appreciated, too!

A New Theme- The Fruits of Labor

Greetings and welcome to Hohenfels Volks, THE place for our place. Another week is starting, this post is late, and things are beginning to get icy here in Hohenfels. There are signs of the season all around us, both with the small amount of snow remaining and the decorations everywhere. Christmas parties are keeping everyone busy, celebrating the season, and rejoicing in the warmth of their friends and family. I hope everyone is ready for Christmas and for the break it brings.

There were 7 votes cast for this week’s theme, which led to a 2-way tie between “Flattery (Not everything complimentary is flattery!)” and “The Fruits of Labor (Hard Work Is Its Own Reward???)” each with 3 votes. That means it’s my choice, and after rolling the dice, the winner is “The Fruits of Labor (Hard Work Is Its Own Reward???).”

Everyone toils at something. Every day we strive to produce something of value. The farmer toils at raising his crops, the rancher at raising his cattle, and the vintner at creating his distinguished wines. Some of us sell our time and work at producing during that time what our employers require, for the agreed upon price. Whether you’re an employee or self-employed, you labor for something. In the end, there is an exchange of one value for another, and the value you receive is what you use to acquire or build the fruits of your labor. Maybe you spend your time gardening, maybe you spend all day cooking a wonderful dinner, complete with fresh bread and a hearty beef stew, these things are your toils. The centerpieces for your table made of your own flowers or that rib sticking stew are the fruits of your labor.

This theme is about showing those fruits and their enjoyment. If it’s just showing a few moments with the family, or the vintner sampling his wine in the fields while viewing a magnificent sunset, show us. Some fruits are intangible, for instance the soldier who toils for liberty and the doctor who labors to heal, the reward can be intangible. If your fruits, the reward you get for your toils, are intangible, go back to what art is. It’s the concretizing of values or ideas. This theme will probably require you visualize your composition more, as well as be more creative than usual. Throw some ideas around your head, pick a few, and give them a try. You'll start seeing it come together, much like the product of your labors!

All that being said, the theme this week is show something you feel is a reward for your labors. That soup, that wine, or the blanket of freedom under which we warm our souls, show us and share with us the value you receive. Even if it’s just a pair of callused hands, it shows us that hard work and its rewards can become art!

There are a lot of great things here in our Hohenfels area, reward yourself today, and show us that reward for this theme! I’ll post the submissions tomorrow for the Expose Yourself theme. So far, we only have one! I hope we’ll get some more. Next week we’ll have more, as time is becoming momentarily more available for me to participate.

Remember to cast your vote for next week’s theme. Don’t forget to get your pics posted at the Hohenfels Volks Facebook page. Of course, commenting on both Facebook and here is always appreciated, too!

A Morning Moment

Greetings, Hohenfels, welcome to Hohenfels Volks, THE place for our place. I hope everyone is having a great week. Hohenfels can be beautiful this time of year, so keep your eyes open for photo ops.

Today’s post is featuring photos submitted for last week’s theme. Only one was submitted. That was by Jennifer O. I'm sorry I didn't get this up yesterday, but here you go.



The photo was an interesting thought. I wish I had thought of it! Nice idea, capturing the motion and the never-ending madness that is our day-to-day morning rush. The composition is good and the lighting is there. I like the way there is some light in the sky, letting you know it’s almost light out and makes the nice colors of the trees pops out at you. The diagonal track of the sign makes it seem like there was speed going on here and adds a nice touch. That may be an upcoming theme, speed or rush, what do you think?

The one thing I would suggest for a shot of this type is to use your zoom instead of actually driving. By using your zoom and staying stationary, you can read the words in the sign and have a sense of warp speed motion. A long exposure, focused sharply on the sign would have made an extra bit of niceness to a good photo. The secret for that is using a slow shutter speed, and maintaining your focal length for about half the exposure and zooming in, or out, over the remaining half. The big thing about doing it that way is the safety factor. Using the remote was probably safer than some folks I’ve seen, shooting out their windows while they drive by something nice!

Thank you, Jennifer, for sharing your really cool photo and your great idea with the rest of here in Hohenfels. Thanks also for spreading the word and the link. I can’t wait to see what you and everyone else comes up with for this week’s theme, bubbles of light.

Remember to cast your vote for next week’s theme. Are you thinking of your bubbles? Remember to get your pics posted at the Hohenfels Volks Facebook page. Of course, commenting on both Facebook and here is always appreciated, too!

Tiny or Big, it's Bubbles!

Greetings, Hohenfels, welcome to Hohenfels Volks, THE place for our place. I hope everyone is having a great weekend. Today is definitely a Monday; if ever there were one, this would be it. Hohenfels, complete with cold, rain, sun, hail, and whatever else came our way. Don't worry, though, Christmas will soon be here in our little Hohenfels area, and all the joys that come with it!

Well, this week one person submitted for the theme. Thanks to Jennifer for your submission, I’ll try to get it up here tomorrow after discussing it with her. Then, there is the news that the 6 votes are counted. Our theme for the week will be Bubbles (... Of Light, DUH!) This is more advanced than last week’s; so let’s get this ball rolling.

This one may make you think, it may make you scream, or it may make you rise to the challenge and create something magical. Of course, it may make you do all 3! A bubble of light? What is it? What does it do, and what’s it look like? How am I supposed to do this without any knowledge of this bubble thing, and if this one bursts and ruins the economy, who gets the blame?

Relax; it’s nothing like that. Creating a bubble of light is a trick that can be seen by looking back at our post on chiaroscuro, which can be found here. The biggest secret is that light moves and bounces according to your light source. One of the easiest ways to create the bubble for this week’s theme is to use off camera flash and a semi-translucent half dome. The effect can be even more apparent with subjects cloaked in dark and shrouded in light, with nice transition between the two. Of course, it’s not really like a bubble, but presents the illusion of one.

By examining the image from that post, you can see how it seems as if the ladies are surrounding a glowing orb. By knowing how and where light falls, Van Honthorst was able to create the magical lighting in his image. It seems as if the matchmaker is closer than the older ladies are, almost like she’s showing a treasured globe. The lighting here, and the resulting bubble, come from the shape of the candle flame. Another type is to make it seem as if your subject is encased in a bubble of light, almost like a snow globe. Examine some rounded shapes, balls, bubbles, footballs, and other items to see how the light falls on them. Knowing that can help you figure out how the light radiates from them, and what kind of bubble you might expect.

For those without a flash or the ability to trigger it remotely, you can use lamps of any kind, LED flashlights, anything that will create the type of bubble you want to make. The important thing to remember is the shape of your light source and how the light will radiate from it. Flash or other types of light will produce almost identical results in that department. You can also work some more of this type of magic with multiple lights, and colored gels. When you shoot in B&W, the color of your light can be changed, and a matching filter added to increase the effect even more. The sharper your transition to dark from light at the very edges, the more abrupt and sharp your bubble will appear. Keep that in mind.

If I get some time this week, I will try to make an example image, but I probably won’t have much time. The new poll for next week’s theme is up, it expires at midnight on Sunday night. Here's hoping we get at least 19 votes this time around! Get your votes in, vote early, and let’s bring volks into this theme.

Tonight, take the time to check out some spheres, globes, bubbles, and balls. Take a little time to visualize your own shot; even it’s an exact copy of Van Honthorst’s painting. Write down some ideas. Then during the week, refine your visions and your notes. Once you’re ready and your vision is fully fleshed out, set up your scene, blow your bubble, and get the pics posted at the Hohenfels Volks Facebook page. Of course, commenting on both Facebook and here is always appreciated, too!

Ride Along Shot- Proof of Zombies

Greetings, Hohenfels, welcome to another Monday and to Hohenfels Volks, THE place for our place.

Let’s start out this short week with a ride along shot. Today we’ll look at a photo I shot of one of our local beauties, Michelle.

Halloween night, the family going to our friends for a party and some of that good old trick or treating, followed by hot soup and warm friendship. I came big, knowing the holiday spirit that pervades our place during this time, camera, flashes, umbrella, reflectors, the whole nine yards. I expected to get some decent shots, but not too much. Boy, was I in for a surprise!

After seeing Michelle and the incredible costume she built, I knew there was a shot waiting to happen. She even scared some of the adults, which was really cool. She looked like something from a George Romero movie, and I thought that it would be fitting to take a couple pics to capture that feel. We went outside and I looked around for some great angles while visualizing several shots.


ISO 800, f/8, 1/80, 60mm, monochrome with green filter, RAW

As you can see, the shot I posted here was taken with me nearly on the ground. After taking a few pics to get started, I noticed the sun was flaring a little, washing out the sky. Switching over to monochrome and applying a green filter, I shot on. I knelt down and as I readied my camera and flash, Michelle started acted like a real zombie coming out of the ground. That was the one, as the green filter darkened her makeup, while allowing the scenery’s exposure to remain constant. Allowing the background to fade to darkness makes Michelle pop out and creates some negative space to frame our zombie. I think that this shot captures the feel of a Romero film, the kind of black and white film that brings back the late late shows we used to watch as kids.

Here’s one that’s washed out with the sky, that kind of sets the mood of the sun going down and the zombies rising.


ISO 800, f/8, 1/80, 28 mm, Monochrome with green filter, RAW

And here’s the color version of today’s ride along. Shooting in RAW mode allows all the color data to be preserved and used for several types of shots. Something to think about when you’re visualizing your scene. Sometimes your shot may look better with color, although for the Romero feel, black and white is necessary.


ISO 800, f/8, 1/80, 60mm, daylight balance, landscape picture style, RAW

Also today, we’re introducing a new feature. We’re going to do a weekly shot. Similar to the Internet craze of 365 shots, we’ll be posting a theme and giving you a week to post your shots to our Facebook page. After a week, we’ll choose a new them and post all the photos in a separate post here.

Well, that’s it for today. I’d like to offer special thanks to Michelle for allowing us to feature her photo here, for the incredible job she did making Halloween fun, and for being such a great friend. I’d also like to offer special thanks to Jennifer O for the theme a week suggestion. Always one to help out, her idea really hit the spot!

For our first theme, I thought we'd go with Thanksgiving, with a twist. Show us your thanksgiving, but be creative in your application of Depth of Field, covered here and here. Show us a turkey and the trimmings with a shallow DOF, or maybe that wine glass frame by a sharply focused turkey. Anything that keeps with the theme, remember to post a little comment with your photo, and let us ride along with you!

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