A New Project

 

 I have begun a new project. Several months ago, I received a phone call from Sonny Seals. He was looking for a photographer to shoot old churches. He and George Hart have a website featuring historic rural churches in Georgia. The accompanying photos are from my first shoot, The Old Richland Church in Twiggs County. It was built in 1848, and is still an awesome sight.  

 

To meet the criteria, a church must be over 100 years old, be in a rural area, and still be pretty much original.

The aim of the website is to research, document and preserve this special part of Georgia's history. Some of the churches are still in use, some abandoned, some see limited use. Old Richland has been restored and well maintained. Others need some TLC.

 

The photography is all HDR, done by a group of gifted photographers who are willing to give their time and talents to this worthy cause. And it is addictive, to me, anyway. I love to shoot, love to try new techniques, and love history. 

Take a look at the website. http://hrcga.org/richland-baptist-twiggs-2/

Pretty cool stuff.

Needing Some Rain

It's the end of July in Georgia, it's hot and dry. We need rain. Stopped on the way home from Warner Robins and shot a picture of this corn. It is a field on Lakeview west of Highway 41. Thought this image says it all.

An Explanation of HDR Photography

 

 The top photo is an HDR photo. HDR is High Dynamic Range.  You can see all the detail in the photo, much as your eye would see the scene. The bottom photo is how your camera see the same scene. Your eye and brain compensates for all the differences between the highlights(brighter areas) and the areas in deep shadow. The camera has to average all these values and give you something in the middle.

To do this as an HDR image, I shot an exposure that captured the shadow area, overexposing the rest of the image. I shot a second image that was the camera's chosen exposure, then did one more that captured the brighter areas. It left he truck under the barn too dark.

I then used an HDR program to combine the images giving the top photograph. The three images have to be done without moving the camera, so all parts of the image will match up when you combine them. Best to shoot on a tripod.

These were done with Photomatix software. With it, you can use up to nine exposures. The key is be sure you get the extremes in exposure in your scene covered. Most DSLR's have auto exposure bracketing which helps in doing the needed exposures. I set my D600 to do three exposures, each two stops apart. 

If you want to try this, there are several free programs, and a bunch, including Photomatix that have free trails that usually last a month. 

Just a reminder, ask permission before you photograph something on private property. 

   The last image was done with a program called MachineryHDR. It produces images that are kinda surreal. The colors are a bit exaggerated, detail is intensified. For some images I like the look, but like a fisheye lens, it ca be very overdone. Each photograph is different. So are personal taste.

Its Been A While

 

 I have recently started a new project that requires doing large amounts of HDR photography. Most of what I have been shooting lately has been HDR just to improve my skills in that area. The learning curve is pretty steep for an old man, but it has been fun.

I have tried several programs, as I have written before, and still come back to Photomatix for the result I like. I don't really care for the exaggerated look that you so often see in HDR. You get the look, but still close to reality.

I had gone out this morning to shoot with my newest camera, a Kodak Retina that is almost as old as I am.

It is a 1950 model, a cool little film camera. More on it soon.  Anyway, I carried along my D600 and decided that these two store fronts on Lowe Street in Fort Valley were too good not to do in Color. My little Retina is loaded with Ilford HP5. 

Really like the window shot. It makes for a nice image, lot of symbolism going on there!

The Whistling Baby

This is a photograph I did in 1982, ran in the Macon News July 13, and young Carrie Cohen was 8 months old. At the tender age of 7 months her Dad, Louis Cohen, taught her to whistle. This astounding fact was brought to the attention of writer Catherine Lee, who asked if I would like to shoot a photo.

The photo shows young Carrie whistling away to the obvious joy of proud parents Darline and Louis. The story and photo were picked up by the Associated Press and Carries puckered face was gracing the pages of newspapers all over the country.  A friend who was in Rome, Italy at the time even saw the photo on the front page of the Daily American.

Gotta wonder where she is now, and can she whistle "Dock of the Bay?"  What a cutie.

Not Quite As Old As Me....

This old Mack truck has been sitting alongside Highway 96 in Reynolds for  a while now.
Every time I drive by, I tell myself I need to shoot it. Yesterday I stopped and asked Tabb at .Full Power Diesel if it was ok to shoot some pictures.

 

 If you see something you want to photograph, always take the time to ask the owner's permission. 

 

This is believed to be a 1952 model Mack. Lordy, I am three years older that it is. And it looks better than me. The previous owner ran it as a wrecker until the early 1980's, then parked it. Tabb rescued it from the woods where it had been sitting. 

 

 I have always loved old Mack trucks, so much character.

 

 Hope you enjoy seeing these images.  Not too many of these old beauties still around.