Jun 2, 2011

For the love of farms... and misc. notes on photography

I had the pleasure of enjoying the magic of Stone Barns again over the long weekend. Although this trip wasn't quite as extensive as the last (with an overnight stay in Tarrytown), it was a welcome break from city life. This time was also not quite as pleasant as the last because it was hot, hot, hot. And when you're walking around the farm center, there's not much shade to seek.

I have to admit that I think I chose a poor film to capture the colors of this place. I should have went with slide film or maybe the Portra 400 but I used the Fuji Pro 400H here (overexposed a stop), and some of the pictures came out very one-dimensional. Even the ones I've selected here, they are just all very... erm, green. Now, that's not necessarily BAD, but I was hoping for punchier colors. That red barn house near the end of the collage should be popping with color, but it's not. OR maybe I'm just bad at scanning! I'm sure Richard Photo Lab could fix these up real good. :P They seem to know what they're doing...

I also need to step away from the bokeh, like seriously just step away. A bit of a digression, but I was at an art fair the day after Stone Barns, and one photographer's work really struck me (we ordered a large silver gelatin framed print from him and I'm very very excited to get it this weekend). The photo we ordered relies completely on light and composition. Every bit of that picture is in focus. I have relied so much on shallow depth of field to create my pictures and focus my viewer's attention, and it really has become a crutch. Of course I won't abandon my lovely f2.0 on the Contax completely, but I must be able to take a good picture without the bokeh element. In a way, that's "too easy." Everyone enjoys those shots but they're not really special. In no way is this a criticism of everyone's bokeh shots - just an observation that I have to get out of this comfort zone. I suspect that had I gone to this art fair before Stone Barns, these shots would have come out very differently.

The blades of grass and the shot under are taken with a +2 close-up filter. And possibly the last dandelion shot (which is sadly not focused).

I'm kind of shocked it's Friday already tomorrow. Wohoo!

19 comments :

  1. I have an addiction to shallow depth of field too :D

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  2. Lovely shots. Looking forward to seeing bokeh-less pictures though. The bokeh *is* quite lovely but it'll be cool to see something new.

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  3. Hahaha I love your use of bokeh, actually. :) Anyway, love these photos!

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  4. Hear, hear! We should start a Bokeholics Anonymous to give the proper support we all so desperately need. :P

    I know what you mean about the image that relies on light and comp only - even though I've never seen the one you're talking about specifically, I see photos that give that spark in me every day and for some reason I just doubt my ability to pull off such a shot. Famous last words of a bokeholic.

    Maybe a new Flickr group is in order? Bokeh Wednesday, meet your match: Stop Down Sunday! :P

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  5. Your shots make me smile because a) I love your photography, bokeh and all, and b) I love the country and farms :)
    Beautiful!
    xo Natasha

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  6. Can't agree more with not relying on Bokeh. Good call, await to see your future pictures.

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  7. i feel ya; i'd loved bokeh so hard that it kinda burned out for me (just a bit). i'm more into "slightly blurred" but still highly discernible (e.g., f/4 through f/8).

    btw, jamie beck also said something similar a while back... maybe last summer? she did a whole long post about shooting f/16. 'twas interesting.

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  8. I don't know about you but I'm really enjoying these photos! I really like the soft tone here and I think that really brings out the calmness of the farm, if that makes sense, hehe!

    How do you like using the close-up filter? I really want to try one.

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  9. Still very nice, Alice.

    Stepping out of the comfort zone is a good exercise for anyone. I tend to shoot either wide-open or stopped-down; my discomfort zone is f/8, of all things.

    Have fun in your explorations!

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  10. I like the green cast of the film, it fits very well with the theme - nature, land, farm.

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  11. Sure, there's a lot of green, but these are really great. I'm a big fan of the window shot (surprising, I know, given my last post), and the table shot.

    Stepping away from bokeh is hard. I've been trying to with my food shots, but sometimes, it's so hard. I really have to force myself to shoot at f4 sometimes.

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  12. I actually quite like the colours here, they seem quite naturalistic, perhaps the very slight green cast is a good thing!
    I recently made a similar post about how I always shoot wide, and always with a 50mm and so I experimented with using a 30mm lens and not allowing myself to stop up wider than f8. It's always a good thing to explore and experiment because it helps you refine your style, or perhaps feel more confident about what you have been doing.

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  13. Love this quaint farm! My favourite shot is the one with the little barn on the wagon with birds along the top.
    It's funny how after admiring another one's work it influences your own to change your focus (pun intended) but I'm sure there are people who love your work the way it is (like me!) and I'm sure people look at your work who wish they photographed more like you. Either way, I look forward to your next post as always!

    :)

    K

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  14. these are gorgeous, I love the two of the grass/weeds.

    I'm still in love with shallow dof, but it's always fun to challenge yourself. I look forward to seeing what you come up with :)

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  15. I must confess, I love a shallow depth of field. I for some reason don't always love a shot where everything is in focus. Oh, and I don't care what you say. Your photos here are BEAUTIFUL! I love the green colors. Living in the country, this is all I see. So I love them. Great job! : )

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  16. @jackie, The close-up filters are pretty great actually! The only problem is that the depth of field becomes so so so narrow, so you'd likely have to stop down quite a bit unless you only want the tip of whatever you're shooting to be in focus. Also your maximum focusing distance becomes a lot shorter so if you have the filter on and want to shoot far away, no can do!

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  17. I learn so much reading your blog. I love your photos and your photographic explorations.

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  18. Wonderful photos. Have a good weekend!

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  19. oh wow...this looks amazing. really! I adore your blog!

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