Where in the World is Juergen?: December 2015

Photography 101: Direction of Light - Back Light

Dec 9, 2015

Photography 101: Direction of Light - Front Light

Front light is achieved when the subject is directly lit from the front. It is not very beneficial in landscape photography because texture and form are being lost and a photograph often appears flat. I most often use it in my macro flower and raindrop Photography which has become one of my favorite photography subjects. Often overcast sky is best suited for flower photography but in this rose flower photography image I dismissed this rule. I was intrigued by the early morning sunlit red rose covered with raindrops. The front light created a sun filled, color saturated, high contrast image that provides exceptional fine detail throughout the entire image of the rose floral picture. The high contrast made the droplets appear as bright shiny diamonds and added the extra twist to make it work.

Photography 101: Direction of Light - Side Light

Good light and happy photo making!

Juergen

Dec 7, 2015

Photography 101: Direction of Light - Sidelight

Sidelight is very beneficial for capturing the form and texture of your photographic objects. It provides light and shadows that make your motif come alive. It also helps to convey spatial depth within the picture. In Cape Cod Solitude, I found the iconic red dinghy lit in warm hues by the morning sun. The marsh grass made for a perfect foreground that framed the boat beautifully in conjunction with the darker background. The beautiful morning sidelight was striking the red boat and brought out the form, texture and details of the boat.

Good light and happy photo making!

Juergen

Dec 6, 2015

Astrophotography - Venus, Fading Mars, Moon and Jupiter Above Singing Beach

Yesterday morning, in the wee hours, I made my way out to Manchester by the Sea on Cape Ann. I picked Singing Beach since we consider it one of the most beautiful beaches on the north shore of Massachusetts. Clear skies were in the forecast, perfect to get a glimpse of a unique planet constellation. When I arrived dawn was upon us and I immediately spotted Venus, fading Mars, the Moon and Jupiter above this Atlantic beach. The horizon was glowing in orange while the sky was painted in beautiful blue hues. The vertical format allowed me to capture parts of the beach, the amazing morning colors and the perfect alignment of the planets. I used a split neutral density filter to overcome the high contrast between dark foreground and bright background. Aperture for this sunrise picture was set f/5.6 providing 2 seconds of exposure time at ISO200.

During post processing I cleaned the image of dust spots and imperfections, adjusted lighting, contrast and color saturation before sharpening the final photograph.

Good light and happy photo making!

Juergen

Dec 4, 2015

Photography 101: Direction of Light - Backlight

http://juergen-roth.artistwebsites.com/collections/flower+fine+art

Backlighting is achieved when the subject is lit from behind. It is the most spectacular light we can aim for. It works magically in macro Photography where the high contrast makes the photographic subject glow from within. It can be beautifully used with translucent objects like flowers.

Good light and happy photo making!

Juergen

Dec 3, 2015

Hold On To Me - Colorful Fall Color Pattern

http://juergen-roth.artistwebsites.com/featured/hold-on-to-me-juergen-roth.html

It always fun and interesting to find colorful patterns in nature. Fall colors provide the photographer with an endless palette of beautiful hues and at or past peak we can find them on the ground. Hold On To Me, my latest compilation of autumn leaves was discovered on a trip to Franconia Notch State Park in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. The orange and red leaves were stranded in this little alcove, calmly floating atop the water at Table Top. I positioned tripod and gear over the leaves, positioned the polarizing filter for best impact to eliminate glare and thereby boosting color and saturation and then captured a moment that won't last longer.

Good light and happy photo making!

Juergen