Welcome to Friday Foto Flogging, a place to share your photos and photography news. We were inspired by the folks at European Tribune who post a regular Friday Photoblog series to try the same on this side of the virtual Atlantic. We also thought foto folks would enjoy seeing some other websites so each week we’ll introduce a different photo website.
This Week’s Theme: Random. What’s on your mind or in your viewfinder?
FFF’er Blog of the Week: Andi and Jim’s 40 Acres More or Less.
AndiF Fungus Among Us
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Fine and dandy
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Stairway to heaven
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Small is beautiful
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olivia’s random
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Bee
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Fluff
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Beechwood
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- Next Week’s Theme: Rain or shine, drops or rays. What kind of weather has been filling your days?
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Previous Friday Foto Flogs
Since it’s now July, I figured that nothing could be less timely than this photo of my neighbor’s silly power-sucking holiday decorations from a year or two ago. Yes, they’re all inflatables of the type so popular recently.
what is that thing on the roof next to Santa and the reindeer?
A bear, I believe. What that has to do with anything I’m not sure.
Oh dear. What are they doing for the Fourth?
LOL, that’s crazy b2. Even the flag … 🙂
Wonderful image. And a wonderful reminder why we love not having any neighbors in sight. 🙂
Oh, God — the American Id revealed. Poor you!
Leaving a December gathering, a neighbor’s house and yard display of colored lights, music, and a blow-up snowman turned off. In the sudden quiet I could hear the whoosh as the air left the snowman. I watched the snowman bend in half as if taking a bow – Burl Ives’ Frosty the Snowman cartoon came to mind. Kind of creepy. I experienced a sense of relief when the thing whooshed into a puddle of plastic fabric.
Someone mention frogs? Here’s some.
Bobx,
The birdhouse frog is absolutely perfect.
I think I`m going to croak.
Don’t do that we need you around here! He moved in about 6 weeks ago, guess he has no plans to leave.
Hi Bob. Love frogs. 🙂 Agree w/ Head on the frog peeking out of the hole and I love the third one – the framing and the perspective w/ the green and water in the background.
Thanks, I like the bee, they don’t usually sit still long enough for my fumbling.
I love the the third picture — the detail is amazing and the frog is gorgeous..
These are great, Bob! Each one’s a completely different aspect of alien character.
🙂
BobX – each is delightful in its own way, but I, too, have to go with the third one as my favorite. How big was this frog?
Thanks for the comment. About 4 or so inches.
central park bandshell
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dada,
That`s one super cool shot.
Wow — that’s wonderful!
You are the master of patterns of light and dark. Wonderful photo.
Very nicely done!
Beautiful shot, dada!
You remind me that my home town is frequently deeply lovely.
This is stunning! The curves of the band shell and the shadows create one of those optical illusions with multiple ways to see.
Bird on a wire
For the 4th
Nicely captured tampopo. Hope you’re enjoying your holiday w/e. 🙂
Thank you olivia.
I wanted to tell you that “Fluff” is my favorite photo – looks like fireworks. It was a good reminder that objects don’t need to be “perfect” to be beautiful and interesting.
Together, these create a really nice mood. Birds are always quite a fine subject.
How lucky you are to have cardinals!
The backlit photo is my favorite. You truly have a gift for these types of compositions.
Thank you ww.
The cardinals are much more evident here in the spring and summer. One spring we noticed a male cardinal with missing head feathers, having shiny black head down to the ruff. We named him “Richelieu.” I thought he would die come winter, but in the fall he grew head feathers sans a crest. The following spring he appeared again, losing his feathers which is how we knew him. He returned for 5 springs.
I had wondered if he would be able to attract a mate. I was told it is the song and beak color that are most attractive to female cardinals. Might be true as we would see Richelieu with females and offspring throughout the summer.
As to a “gift,” you are most generous. Day’s end is the time for porch sitting, watching the light change and fade. In the summer, whatever breeze there is dies away around 6:00 and the house holds the heat of the day. It is a good time to be out and about.
I’m sorry — I think I was blinded by my blenny.
I love the bird on the wire — it looks like its just floating in space.
Absolutely. Evening’s my favorite time of day here on the hill.
Interesting to hear about Richelieu & learn something new about birds!
I think the theme has caught up with me.
Wheeewww!!
I will start out though, by wishing you all a great & safe weekend on this Independence Day, & open with a thematic image.
CHARGE
ZOAS BOUQUET
LITTLE BEGGAR
VARIOUS VEINS
SCREAMING FOWL
GLADIOLA SUNSET
TORN SPACE
COLOR BLIND
GRASPING FOR THE FUTURE
RED WHITE & BLUE
(mirror)
MARIONETTE
SIGNAL CHECK
GLIDER ON THE GREEN
GRASS
PRIVATE OBSERVATORY
DISTORTED DANCER
FIELD OF DREAMS
HANGOVER
GALAXIA TENTACLES
(SMALL GREEN ONES)
FIGHT FOR YOUR RIGHTS
(A painting by a very nice friend, since deceased)
DFH
NIGHT LIGHT
ANDIF`S BLENNY
TOP SHELF
3D SUNSET
FLOWER SCULPTURE
EEGSTRAPOLATERS
GO AWAY!!
RHAPSODY IN BLUE
LAVA LAMP
MY BEACH
The few images I see are absolutely stunning, ‘Head.
Still waiting for others to load.
Someday soon I’m gonna re-write No Exit, the Sartre play about souls in prison & call it No Broadband.
RED WHITE & BLUE (mirror) is great — now that’s my idea of a patriot photo (and a very witty photo too).
And I’m loving all the critter pics, especially GO AWAY cat, LITTLE BEGGAR, and, of course, the blennies — especially ANDIF`S BLENNY and not just because it’s mine (I wish) but also because its shows the blenny’s full length body.
Nice collection … 🙂 Little Beggar is coming out on top for me.
Splendiferous!
Your beach is beautiful! Oh to sit and be with the ocean.
Would you consider posting a series of photos that include ones you would reject and why?
Tampopo,
Thank you very much.
I don`t know if I understand the question.
Can you please clarify, & I`ll be glad to see if I can accommodate the request.
When shooting a subject, I usually bracket my shots, aperture wise & shutter speed wise.
A quick review tells me if I`m in the ball park.
I may then go to flash exposure compensation, & usually reduce to -3, or -7, if I`m using flash.
Remember that I often shoot with no flash, but use external light such as a flashlight, or a lamp, a candle, & often, a light diffused by a sheet of print paper.
Am I getting near where I can begin to answer your question.
There`s nothing more I`d love to do than to give others hints & tips as to how I shoot my subjects.
It`s very encouraging & a compliment when someone asks questions.
There is such a kindness that emanates from the experts posting photos – thank you. (Imagining myself sitting beside you on your beach, I sigh.) You and all who post their photos share the beauty to be found on this wondrous planet. It soothes, enriches, and renews me in a profound way.
I want to understand how you do what you do. How you determine what to present and what to reject.
I am a complete novice with the camera. I am reluctant to confess my ignorance, yet I want to share the beauty that I find in my place and time. So, I will confess that I have no understanding of what you just said.
I do know that much can be figured out inductively. Think about explaining to a very young child what makes a cat a cat and a dog a dog. Yet they are able to figure it out when given enough examples and some correction when they begin to identify them. It is really quite amazing.
So, I was wondering if you could share “bad” pictures. A more explicit example would be, “This is bad picture of my beach.” “This is bad picture of my beach.” “This is bad picture of my beach.” “This is a good picture of my beach.”
I want to learn from the pictures you reject.
Tampopo,
I would never consider myself an expert.
I am getting what you`re asking though.
When I say “bracket my shots”, I mean that I take a shot at a few different settings. I`ll shoot at a quicker/slower shutter speed & also at a more/less aperture. If you shoot at too slow a shutter speed, & too open a lens, the picture is washed out .
So you can experiment a little by speeding up the shutter speed, or closing up the lens a little, (a higher aperture number).
Once you seem to have a proper look to your image, then you can play with both those adjustments, by speeding up the shutter speed while opening the lens a stop or two.
Next Friday, I`ll post a composite pic of something with many different settings, & that might help.
I`m obviously a very poor teacher, but I`m a “seat of the pants” shooter.
I could help someone trying to shoot aquarium shots, because I have thousands of failed shots, & have figured out many of the problems involved.
That`s not to say I don`t have thousands of failed shots of all the other subjects I shoot.
Have you been to my blog? It`s been up for a few years & is all about photography.
You are not a poor teacher at all!! I am asking you to share some of your “failed shots” to better understand what it was about them made you determine they were failed.
I look forward to Fri.’s pics done with many settings – thank you very much.
I have visited your blog … and learned a lot 😉
Friday it is then.
Miss O & AndiF: much appreciation, again, for the great photos you’ve shared with us.
This week, the ‘long perspective’ shots are my favorites & do seem like a pair, addressing something fundamental about natural life..
Hi and thanks ww. 🙂
Thanks for me, too.
But where are your pictures? 🙁
I copped out.
🙂
Glad I stopped back in, though. The latest offerings are magnificent.
So pleased to see the link to your blog!
Ancient Door
Suq Al Hamidiya (Hamidiya Market)
Pigeon Feeding Area in Front of the Umayyad Mosque
Qaimariyya
Medhat Pasha (Straight) Street
Love the framing and dynamic feel of the Pigeon Feeding Area in Front of the Umayyad Mosque shots.
Thanks once again for your fascinating glimpses into a beautiful world.
Wonderful set of photos Hurria — love the pigeons feeding too. The colour tones are really nice.
Just stopping in real quick to drop some pictures and then back out again for dinner and then fireworks tonight in Ocean City! Take care and I’ll check back again on Monday!
Long exposure captures the hundreds of fireflies in this marsh
Happy 4th of July from Philadelphia
Watch the skies and carry an umbrella
Stand Strong.
What a great capture of the fireflies. excellent.
I saw your marvelous city under the thunderheads. Perfect
Why didn`t you include the color one also.
🙂
Color version of the above photo
Color and b&w version of another shot
Twisting,
I think the color version is much more dramatic with the color palette of the buildings.
I agree, the color is more dramatic.
Nice shots.
It’s interesting how some people prefer color to black and white.
Personally, I too prefer color shots because getting the proper tone and attitude for black and white is a little harder to do.
Black and white is special, it’s intimate, it’s surreal, it’s sad, it’s happy sometimes altogether, sometimes individually. But it doesn’t work for every situation.
For these clouds, when processed well, I LOVE how they look in black and white. So imposing and threatening, dire and cataclysmic at the same time.
You should check out http://www.clydebutcher.com/ for some fantastic B&W work. He was recently working with a friend of ours. Nice guy and very knowledgeable.
For these clouds, when processed well, I LOVE how they look in black and white. So imposing and threatening, dire and cataclysmic at the same time.
I found that I would use the same words as you to describe the clouds when I look at the total photo. If I scroll down and only look at the clouds, different words come to mind – marshmallowy is one 😉 It is interesting that the relationship of the clouds to the city influences my perception.
and one I hadn’t thought of.
So I scrolled up to just view the clouds minus the city and it definitely has a completely different appearance and feel.
I think that’s why I like it when viewed in combination with the city. Although Philadelphia is small in terms of city area and skyscraper number/size, when one is within the confines of the city, it can certainly feel big, especially when considering the size of a human against our current tallest building, the Comcast Center.
However, nothing trumps nature and when viewing the clouds over the city, it almost makes the city look like a pop-up model structure, not real, just for show.
l much prefer the B&W versions personally. l think they’re much more powerful/profound. l find the colour to be distracting frankly. but l’ve always had a predilection towards them after many years shooting B&W film almost exclusively and way too many hours in a darkroom getting them right. it gives you a lot of respect for the great masters such as weston, adams, etal, who were amazing darkroom technicians as well as master photographers.
l still compose most of my photos mentally in B&W, although l’ve been experimenting with sepia tones…which l’m finding more difficult to get right than B&W.
there’s really no right or wrong way, imo. at the end of the day, it’s personal preference, and it’s just a different way of looking at things. what l like to call a minimalist approach.
wel done ss…kudos
l still compose most of my photos mentally in B&W…
Can you elaborate on this a bit? Does it mean you ignore the color? Concentrate on light and dark… and shape?
Does it mean you ignore the color?
pretty much.
Concentrate on light and dark… and shape?
photography is basically an art form based on light and its’ antonym dark, and you absolutely have to be aware of the forms and shapes of the subject and how they are rendered by light. that’s not only what creates the image itself, but also creates the impact, or optics that make the image interesting.
for example, the bandshell pic above was an image l had mentally composed from going past it and noticing the way the light played with the forms. it took about three separate trips down there with the cam, and considerable time waiting on the right light to capture it.
my personal photographic work ethic, another carry over from film, predisposes me to work with a minimum number of shots to get the image l’m looking for…even with digital, where you can blast away and hope for the best and just delete what doesn’t work…typically, l’ve formed a mental image, based on daily observations, etc., of what l want to capture before l ever get the cam out of the bag.
that’s a very abbreviated explanation, but l think it’s the gist of how l approach photography. l find it difficult to really precisely explain, as it is a very personal exercise, for me anyway.
like l’ve said before here, l’m very much a minimalist, in all things.
Thanks for the reply – much to think about, especially, “l’ve formed a mental image, based on daily observations, etc., of what l want to capture before l ever get the cam out of the bag.”
dada,
As a fan of your photography, I think its not so much minimalism in the approach you take, than to your predetermined end result.
You seem to take pains to search for the proper light, & wait for the opportune time to achieve the shot you have mentally composed.
That`s why some of your shots are so easy to surprise the viewer.
Minimalist in context, but not so much, in viewer appreciation.
Your black & white shots are great.
my personal photographic work ethic, another carry over from film, predisposes me to work with a minimum number of shots to get the image l’m looking for…even with digital, where you can blast away and hope for the best and just delete what doesn’t work…typically, l’ve formed a mental image, based on daily observations, etc., of what l want to capture before l ever get the cam out of the bag.
It’s hard because there’s also so much stuff I like to shoot day by day but I always keep my eyes open and paying attention to certain scenes in the hopes that I see something that just begs me to take a shot but not any old shot, “THE” shot where I capture it eactly as my mind’s eye sees it.
check out onexposure too…it’s a peer reviewed photo-site, and there are always some stunning B&W and colour photos there.
highly recommended.
Kewl fireflies! Hope you’re having a great w/e.
The fireflies picture is my idea of fireworks!
I really like the top photo – it looks like it is made of amber.
Also – thanks so very much for the link to your (and JimF’s) blog – congratulations! I look forward to wandering through your photos, and reading poems.
Thanks tampopo.
And we’ll both be delighted to have you visit the blog. Jim does the poetry post every Sunday.
AndiF,
Trust me to forget what day it was.
I love the Sunday poetry.
I`m going there now.