New Image – Refraction 56

Destination - Iceland, Images - Photographs  Comment
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My series Refraction has challenged the way I think in so many ways from the moment the first image appeared.
The series is informed by modern physics and the nature of light. An observer influences what’s observed. The questions they ask and the way they ask them influences the answers they get. The universe is similar to a holograph in that information in one location can be found in another simultaneously. Two people in different positions can see the same rainbow as existing in different locations. Perception is relative, to some degree.
In this series, I found that multiple compositions that worked were possible and that it seemed appropriate for the first time to present them simultaneously. So I produce ‘quantum editions’ for this series. People purchasing a given print can choose both which and how many variations they want produced for them.
I’ve never seen this done before –  but that’s doesn’t dissuade me.
I like to innovate!
See more new 2011 images here, here, and here.
The exposures for this image were made in Iceland.
Learn about my Iceland digital photography workshops here.

Time the Light

Technique - Exposure, Workshop  Comment
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ArabesqueVII_2003_5
During my White Sands, New Mexico workshop, we’ll be photographing in the same area for the next four days. On our first sunrise shoot, I timed the light and how it affected subjects.
5:45    Color on horizon
6:00    Color in sky
6:15    Color bright on horizon
6:30    Highlights on dunes
6:45    Strong texture    Large areas of shadow
7:00    Less            Less
7:30    Less            Less
8:00    Less            Less
8:30    Dark sides of dune affected by substantial fill light
12:00  No shadow
3:30    Long shadows
4:00    Substantial shadow
4:30    Fifty percent shadow
4:40    Highlights are accents only
4:50    Sun below horizon, definition falls, pink mountains to east
5:00    Color in sky blooms
5:30    Color in sky largely gone
5:45    Dim light in sky
Now I know what the light will do and when. I’ll use this information everyday for the next three days. So will everyone else. Making notes on site can really pay off. And this is just one kind of note you can make.
Find free Creativity ebooks here.
Find out about my 2010 White Sands Workshop here.

Solux Lighting

Tools  Comment
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For the photographer light is important from start to finish – capture, editing, printing, and display. Solux offers products designed to give you the highest quality viewing light at surprisingly affordable rates. How much does high quality viewing light affect the way you see things? Dramatically! Recently, the Musée d’Orsay in Paris France joined the list of SoLux users that include the National Gallery of Art, the Van Gogh Museum, the Rijksmuseum, the Gugenheim and many other museums, galleries and homes. In every case they had to see it to believe it. Once they did, they’ve never looked back (or in any other light). The same thing happened to me; now I only use Solux lighting. See it and you’ll believe it too. (Check out my review and their website for more information.)
Phil Bradfield, PHD, VP-Tailored Lighting Inc. (Solux), provides a number of insightful answers about light and Solux products.
JP    So, there  are three things that are critical in evaluating light. Amount (lux), temperature (Kelvin degrees), and spectral distribution (smooth or spikey).  Solux offers a variety of choices. Help us understand what they are and how to choose between them.
PB    Excellent question JP.  These are very common lighting terms that are important to understand … Read More