Coco and the Angle of Incidence

Coco in Thought

Regal Coco

When photographing Coco, my sister’s dog, over Thanksgiving I played with the angle of incidence – the angle of the light coming into my lens.  If you compare the two images above you’ll notice that when I was above Coco the light was not entering my lens in a direct way, therefore the light was not hazy, and she was not as blown out.  When shooting from below Coco, the angle allowed for more flare or haze as the light came directly into the lens.  This is a perfect example of how photographers should move around, above, or below, their subjects in order to capture the subject in the most pleasing light.   The most pleasing light may be softer, more blown-out light with haze and/or flare, or it may be more direct light allowing for details of the subject to be more definitive.

An easy way to experiment with the angle of incidence is to place a subject such as a vase of flowers in front of a window or door and shoot at different angles.  Once you upload the files, compare the way the light hit your subject based on the angle of the light coming into your lens.

The light being used for the photographs of Coco was hard, direct, and warm light.  The character of the light being used will also influence the final lighting of your subject, but the angle of the light entering your lens is what will result in the differences you see above.

Have fun experimenting and if you would like to share your images with me you can tag me in your post, or send me the link to your post!

Strong, Powerful, Beautiful

“A horse is the projection of people’s dreams about themselves – strong, powerful, beautiful – and it has the capability of giving us escape from our mundane existence.” – Pam Brown

Strong, Powerful, Beautiful

Mystical Morning

Mystical Morning

SS 1/125  f 10  ISO 1000

Saturday morning I co-led a workshop through the Heritage Conservancy.   We met at a local Conservancy property for a sunrise shoot.  The morning was nothing shy of mystical and magical.  As the sun rose and the fog lifted, three spirited horses galloped through the pasture.

Jack

Jack belongs to my in-laws.  He’s sitting in the bay window wondering why on earth we are all there distracting him from his usually peaceful, afternoon nap in the sun.

An Afternoon Visitor

She watches cautiously,

She waits in hesitation,

Or is it curiosity that

Stills her beating heart

And keeps her frozen in time?

Until at last, the object of her attention quiets,

And retreats.  Only then,

Does she gracefully steal away.

copyright Robyn Graham

She Watches Cautiously

She Waits in Hesitation

She Gracefully Steals Away

Old, Faded Photographs

“Still, if you set your heart on God and reach out to him, If you scrub your hands of sin and refuse to entertain evil in your home, You’ll be able to face the world unashamed and keep a firm grip on life, guiltless and fearless. You’ll forget your troubles; they’ll be like old, faded photographs.” – Job 11:13-16 (MSG)

When I saw this Bible verse a week or so ago, I immediately thought about posting it.  The question was how to do so. I decided to post an old photograph, that I did not take, in addition to an image I did take.  It is probably obvious that the term – old, faded photographs in the verse caught my attention.  However, the remainder of the verse has even more meaning.  Words to take to heart.  If only I could muster the strength of Job.  He is a Biblical icon and a true inspiration of strength and faith.

An old faded photograph of my mother on her horse, Topaz. Needless to say I did not take this photograph. But, I found it quite appropriate to post with the verse above.

A photograph I recently took that, in black and white, looks old.

Daisy Lounging

Originally purchased for John and me, or my friends and me to lounge and visit with a glass of iced tea, or perhaps a cocktail, the chaise lounge chair has quickly become Daisy’s favorite spot to relax poolside.  She thinks she is queen of the pool and patio.

Daisy Lounging

Queen Daisy

Uh, Mom, I’m trying to relax here…

Oh that face!

OK…I won’t eat any more of Gracie’s purple goggles.  Just let me take a nap.

Update on Our Recent Visitor

The fawn that stopped by Monday seems to have found her mama.  We heard her crying in the field yesterday afternoon and were a little worried we had a real life “Bambi” in our lives.  Fortunately, yesterday evening we saw the mama in the field.  She gave us quite a look, but we haven’t seen or heard baby today so we think she took baby and both are safe and sound.

Safe at last.

Today’s Visitor

We are accustomed to wild animals running through our yard; rabbits, grown deer, fox, and even on a couple of occasions black bear cubs.   But today’s visitor was a surprise, and something we hadn’t seen up close before.  We are not sure where her/his mama was, but the state game commission assured me she was near by and would be back soon as long as the area appeared safe and predator free – probably at night fall.   I love when nature just falls into our laps to grace us with it’s presence.

The first encounter outside the fence.

After resting outside of the fence for several hours he/she climbed through the fence, cut through the back yard, out the other side of the fence into the neighbors yard, and then a little later back into the fence. After dinner we found her in the recently dug landscape bed that has not yet been mulched.

A close up of the pretty little face. She/he had beautiful markings. We could tell he/she was frightened because he/she kept moving his/her nose up and down and the ears back. You can see the changes in the expression from the image above to this image.

 

Daisy is 3

Daisy, our  now three year old Goldendoodle, joined our family in May of 2009.  She has been a wonderful addition to our family despite the craziness she adds.  For the most part she is a good dog. Truly she only has one fault, well, two, no make that three.  She eats everything under the sun that she shouldn’t have.  How we have not had to have golf gloves, socks, rubber bracelets, shoes, etc. surgically removed from her gastrointestinal tract is nothing short of a miracle.  Her more recently developed fault is barking.  It took her about 2 and a half years to find her voice, but she has mastered it.  She scares us all half to death sometimes when she very suddenly sees something and begins her song of ferocity.  Those visiting our kitchen think she is madly in love with me because she never leaves my side.  What they don’t realize is that she knows who the chef is.  If I drop something she gets to it before I do.  If I happen to walk away after taking a pan of cookies out of the oven, she eats them.  Whatever is left unattended she believes is left there for her – she has devoured dinners, cakes, trays of cookies, and more when I’ve had to leave the room for just a moment.  She knows no boundaries in the kitchen despite our efforts to teach her.

We love her though and she is truly a member of our family.  She makes us laugh, and in fact, makes a lot of people smile.  When we take her in the car her favorite way to ride is with her two front paws on the console with her head sticking out of the sunroof.   She definitely makes heads turn and smiles beam when people notice her.