Notes from the Plague – Pictures from Home

Front Patio (1 May 2020)

Being the lazy lout that I am especially after fifteen years of retirement, it seems I have mastered the social-distancing skills mandated during the current pandemic.

It is springtime and the plants have come alive. Fresh green shoots are sprouting. Blooming things are blossoming. I can’t get out to the local public gardens to take woohoo pictures of springtime. But that shouldn’t deter the avid shooter to practice finding images (I’m more of a semi-avid shooter). I can at least step out into the yard and find some scenes to capture. This is a photography blog after all…sort of.

Baby Hostas (28 April 2020)

One way to create some keepers from the yard (or anywhere) is to get in close. There are many reasons to do this. The appeal of minimalism and simplicity is the main one. Also, with wider views, you have to consider backgrounds and unwanted objects in your shot. If you want to go wide, all elements in the composition need to work. Getting in close can eliminate background issues altogether. The image is more about basic shapes and designs. You can find terrific photography books based solely on the fundamental shapes found in Nature.

Our house is on a pie slice-shaped, one-third acre lot on a cul-du-sac. One of its attractions from my perspective was the absence of any lawn…front or back. I have long-standing feelings regarding lawns, as has been documented on these pages in 2015.

Moon Over Ivy (29 April 2020)

One does not require lawns to have a beautiful yard. There are shade-loving ground covers and bushes that do well under a forest canopy. We have some of that here, but we’re never going to be the subject of a ‘House and Garden’ spread. Another reason to get close when looking for images.

Fresh Fern from Above (29 April 2020)

Another tip, in addition to getting closer to your subject, is shooting straight down. It also eliminates unwanted background objects and that perspective can highlight the shapes and geometries that Nature showcases so beautifully.

Azalea Blossoms (29 April 2020)

The house came with azalea bushes in the front yard. I have not been the most attentive and nurturing of bush managers in the thirty years we have lived here. I do trim and prune regularly and Beck feeds them…occasionally. The bushes try their best every year anyway, regardless.

This was a good day to take flower pictures. It was bright but overcast so there were no harsh shadows to darken parts of the composition.

Temple Bell and Japanese Maple (29 April 2020)

I had to crop away the hose that was visible through the fresh Japanese maple leaves. Some years ago, I walked by the bell and moved the clapper to ring it which prompted the huge hornet inhabitant inside to nail me good. Hornets are not to be trifled with.

Flowering Weeds and the Right Backdrop (2 May 2020)

After taking the pictures on 29 April, I had a light bulb moment that went something like this.

“You idiot. You walk around snapping shots like your usual drive-by, undisciplined self when you KNOW that your tripod and a little time will produce better images.”

Right. This one is probably the best example of how depth of field and sharpness can improve the end result. I had stacked sections of a hickory tree that was taken down last year and a pretty weed sprang up in front of it. The first picture I took was hand-held. I set the ISO (“film speed”) at 1000 and the lens opening at f-14 so there would be enough depth of field to get this relatively flat scene at 1/50th of a second shutter speed.

When I returned with the tripod, I was able to improve the ISO to 200 and the depth of field with an aperture of f-20. The tripod allowed the picture to be made in 1/10th of a second. The difference, while not striking, was quite noticeable. More cracks on the wood were apparent where the earlier shot simply blended the dark lines into the flat wood color.

Moral of the story – You get out of it what you put into it. Quality requires some effort.
Don’t be a lazy-ass.