I’ve tried my hand recently are creating internet memes. I often post images on Facebook with inspirational thoughts. So, I thought why not put the text on the images and share it about!
Tag Archives: D80
UPWARDS
Spring is not quite yet upon us. Looking to the ground I see small signs of the burgeoning life forces. Green still are the pines against the pale blue skies of late winter. With cabin fever and a temperature near 50F, away I went with my Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 to walk a new forest trail.
Around frame 24, I decided to make a left and hike further into the Pemberton Preserve. I’m really glad that I did because I started to capture better images. The landscape changed, bringing more than the faithful pines that predominated my views. In addition to upwards I went onwards. Alone with the trees I was sun-bound.
My total trip was about 5 mi hiking that lasted 4 hours with 300 shutter actions. These are 56 of my favorites:
UPWARDS © 2013 NATE METZ
BLOG CIRCLE: Photo Display
I expressed interest in joining the blog circle because I display pieces of my work in my house that hold great importance to me. They are photographs, paintings, and collage that reflect my spiritual journey as an artist. This work is found on the walls of my bedroom and at my altar where I meditate. The initial call for entry that I saw on the Delaware Photographers Network asked for us to share how we showcase our work in our homes. Today I realized that I had joined a circle of photographers specializing in Family Portraits! So, while we coo over everyone’s beautiful families and friends today, I share with you some displays of a different kind of family. I cherish my work as offspring from my intuition and inspiration. I hope you enjoy:
The next blog on your journey belongs to Theresa and will take you to Southwestern USA. She specializes in natural light family photography. Check out Creative Flair Photography here:
http://www.creativeflairphotography.com/blog/
And, thank you Erin for organizing the circle!
Biltmore Conservatory
A month ago I toured the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC. I brought my full kit (4 lenses, camera, and external flash) so that I could get some pictures, but was surprised upon walking in the front door that all photography was prohibited inside the main house, including cell phone cameras! I claim no expertise on historical preservation, but I’m pretty sure flash-less photography does not harm the subject in any way. My guess is that the Estate wants the tourists to purchase the official and professional photographs from the gift shops. While I may have taken a few of those style to document the trip, I’m more interested in colors, shapes, and textures and other more abstract pictures. I clearly disagree with the ban because I feel as though they misunderstood the type of photography that I wanted to do! So, I had to rebel just a little bit. I took this photograph in the basement with my cell phone:
I’s © 2013 NATE METZ
By the time the house tour was over, I caught a break in the rain and decided to check out the conservatory. I have been to Longwood Gardens several times and really enjoy taking pictures of the flora because of the soft lighting and near-perfect subjects. The conservatory at Biltmore is much smaller and had much less variety, I was able to take several interesting photographs. These all remain untitled for now. As I select a few favorites for prints, frames, entries, and so forth cleaner edits and titles will emerge! For now, enjoy an early look of spring:
SMOKE
Smokey Cactus © 2013 NATE METZ
It’s almost hard to believe that another challenge has come and gone. While on vacation in North Carolina this month, I had about an hour in the Biltmore Estate Conservatory to take photographs. Tucked away in a side room were the cactus including this Old Man Cactus. With my signature tight framing, the wisps of hair instantly reminded me of thick wafts of smoke. I knew when the challenge prompt included this direction– “The theme of your photo should clearly be smoke, NOT a person smoking, or the word (smoke). You are welcome to use as much post processing as you like.” –black backgrounds with white or colored smoke in elaborate, decorative patterns would be common. As quickly as I thought I’d experiment with that type of photograph, I decided to upload Smokey Cactus.
I’m happy with how well my entry fared in the challenge voting. The feedback I received through comments were about the technical proficiency and how it related to the theme. All but one comment acknowledged that it was a creative interpretation and different in approach. The lone dissenter’s comment was arrogant,disrespectful and narrow-minded. So, I won’t discuss it further. I am grateful at the warm reception and hope that my work continues to challenge a status quo, to make my viewers reexamine their own beliefs, and to make such bold statements!
Challenge 168: SMOKE
PS postprocessing: crop, levels, auto color correct, resize, USM, export
Rank: 13th
Nikon D80: 1/125 sec, f5, ISO 360
TRANSLUCENT
TRANSLUCENT STUDY © 2012 NATE METZ
Here we are at the end of my translucent study! In addition to these last three images in the series posted above, I entered 2 photo challenges (trees and beauty). And over the past few weeks I have shared parts of the study (1, 2, 3, 4).
While shooting this fall, I really didn’t want to shoot cliched images. In light of feedback on the images selected for AWAKE that they were “just pretty” and many could not stand alone in a frame on a wall in a gallery or museum, I sort of went up against myself and my voice. The challenge was for me to take pictures that carried the spiritual connotations without a lengthy philosophical explanation AND that were technically proficient AND that were aesthetically attractive. I did not meet my own criteria on all of these images, but I posted them anyway! One of the greatest life lessons learned is imperfection. Allowing slightly out of focus images and untouched images to be posted next to my favorites is one way I practice my spirituality through art.
I faced the cliches strongest during voting periods of the two photo challenges. I found that people were taking and posting images that were touristy or pedestrian. This critique is not meant to be condescending or to place my view in a superior ranking. The majority of the popular images were indeed very beautiful, some even professional in technical photographic skill. Yet, I still see a lack in artistic expression in that forum. Considering the host site is very clearly a hobbyist/enthusiast site I don’t know why I still analyze this feature so heavily. I am finding these differences more and more as I compare my work to other photographers’. It is as simple as my self-referencial title: artist. I see myself as an artist and not a photographer even though a dSLR is my primary art-making apparatus. My intuition and guidance indicates that I am so sensitive now to these differences because my artistic voice is still forming and I will be able to clearly delineate my style and my approach to my art.
As for what I do like from the Translucent study, these images speak strongest for me:
SIX
NINETEEN
TWENTY NINE
TRANSLUCENT
Here is the fourth installment of my translucent study. Combined with my previous set, these are some of my favorite images. I think the soft and layered light is really beautiful and renders great colors. The fallen leaves show the lack of luminescence with a diminishing life force and show a great contrast in color and dimension to the other leaves:
If you like any of these images, please feel free to click the Facebook button below and share it with your friends! I do enjoy getting feedback on my work no matter your level of expertise in photography as I don’t think you need an MFA or a 30 years career to enjoy great art!