Since I upgraded my phone the end of May, I haven’t used my Sony A7 camera much at all. Something, though, made me pull it out yesterday and play around with the old-school Minolta 100mm lens I picked up at a second-hand store in Ajo, Arizona last winter.
I got inspired by that and the prompt for this week’s 52 Frames challenge, Shoot From Below. Surrounded by long-leaf pine trees and the fading leaves still hanging on to the branches of various deciduous trees, I went for a walk with my camera.
I got back to my trailer, downloaded the images into Lightroom and then played with edits for a few hours. Yes, a few hours. I got lost in the creativity, trying new settings, pushing exposure and colors till nothing was the way I actually saw it but it still felt true.
Those few hours were more fun than I’ve had with photography in a long time. Taking the year off from 52 Frames and then spending months only with the iPhone camera changed something, I’m not sure what. Picking up the big boy Sony with its heavy manual lens reminded me of what I enjoy about photography: the possibilities between what I capture with the camera and what I make with edits and imagination.
Bonus points if you leave a comment with the image you think I should submit for this week’s 52 Frames challenge!
(Webmaster note: I’m still working on full-width posts and emails that include an image… change is hard.)
Stand still. Wait. What you want will come along. Be patient.
John Rosenthal
I like they yin/yang imagery in the red/white leaves (image #2.) It has a profound simplicity.
Thanks, Peg!
There is something about number two that I find striking. The colors, the way they are held in space, the border lines… Just beautiful.
Same here, like the composition and colors of the third image. Very nice!
The third photo, the one with the yellow and lime green maple leaves, is my favorite — it has the leading lines with the branch and stems of the leaves, it fills the frame yet has the nice high key background, and the left leaf in particular has a nice gesture and leads the eye from down the branch across and up to the sky.
I like the final image, but they’re all grand. Go you!
I like the third picture, leaves still reaching skyward even as the edges fade and turn brown.
I forgot. Picture number 2 is my choice for your submission.
This must be why they say go big or go home. Great pics with the big camera and using your editing tools and your imagination. We’ll done and a visual treat!