Using the camera's timer - an afternoon in Monhegan Maine

This afternoon i had a bit of free time after my FCPX workshop so i took a ferry out to Monhegan Island. It was gorgeous! I will be uploading photos from the excursion in the next few days, but first i would like to share a collection of images i took with my Nikon's automatic timer. I hiked out to a lovely spot with rocky cliffs and boulders and spent the afternoon there watching sea birds, listening to the ocean and making photographs. Being alone, i decided to set the Nikon's timer and do a few self studies. I timed the shutter to release in increments of ten seconds, then 20 and lastly one minute. I then moved freely not ever knowing exactly when the shutter would release (especially since i couldn't hear it over the crash of the waves). Let's not forget what a handy tool this is, certainly a wonderful way to document your experiences and consider self though the lens, but the best part, a patient subject always at your disposal...  

Jana's work in progress...

Spent yesterday and also spending today in the studio for some MUCH needed "me" creative time. Working on four/five collage + transfer pieces. Three are figurative and two are "flower" compositions. This work uses solvent transfer and collaged cut-outs from magazines - both historical and contemporary. I buy old magazines on eBay and newer ones from various sources. These reflect my fascination with our cultural ideas of "female". Here are a few snaps of one composition in progress. 

More of Angilee's Rockport, ME

DAY 3 // As I wandered down to the  pier in the evening, I found myself in a little gallery that was just closing its doors for the day. I became immediately enthralled  with a collection of works by artist Cig Harvey.  Her photographs have a painterly quality reminiscent of the rich hues of a vivid morning dream, and like a dream, her images resonate as a fading imprint might, magically animated in a moment less real than imagined. It's as if the stillness in each image magnifies the potential of the moment she constructs. These works feel feminine and are layered in metaphor. I found it easy to lose myself in them, or perhaps to be more exact, find myself in them... 
 

Angilee's Rockport, ME

DAY 1 & 2 // Driving from Portland to Rockport, I pulled over to buy blueberries and local wild honey from a stand next to the road. I was surprised by how the fragrant floral aroma of the honey was inseparable from it's sweet flavor. Seemed I timed my arrival just right as blueberries and lobster are both in season. This place is a photographer's paradise of green lush vegetation and colorful flowers scattered along the landscape and climbing out of brightly painted window boxes. On my first day here, the harbor was heavy with fog and summer rain. The light, heavily diffused in slate gray, reminded me of my days in Scotland as a kid. Today on the other hand, the sun was warm and cheerful and the previous days rain had left the dewy landscape saturated in color. I attended two lectures tonight in Rockport's old Opera house– by internationally acclaimed photo artists Connie Imboden and Sylvia Plachy. Connie said that art is a way to express complex emotions and both artists said they work from a place of intuition rather than concept. I can relate to this method of work. For me, the concept often reveals itself only after the creative work has taken place. 

Lens, lens baby...

Continuing with the camera effects theme from my last two posts – here are some options on attachable lenses that create effects. Photographer Chung Dha shows the basics of free lensing or lens wacking which involves shooting images through an old camera lens to create lens tilt and light leak effects. A Bokeh kit can also make interesting effects and utilizes a circular piece with a cut-out shape that attaches to the front of the camera. Jelly Lens makes effect lenses for camera phones, and Lensbaby lenses work with digital SLR cameras. Angilee uses Lensbaby quite a bit, and finds that they deliver results  as beguiling as the plastic cameras, but  without the wait or inconsistencies. 

"The tilts, point of sharpness and breadth of shallow depth of field are unique to Lensbaby. Somehow this lens simultaneously references many of the camera formats I love--the playful and poetic qualities of  plastic cameras, the distortion of a pinhole and the realm of ambiguity achievable through a view camera's bellows."  

Above and below are just a few examples of Angilee's Lensbaby work.

Flash Tip #1

Most cameras, both SLR and point and shoots have a built-in flash. It's great to have this option, but often photos shot using the built-in flash don't look so great. It's worthwhile to learn about these two separate variables– how to control the intensity of the flash as well as the quality of the light emitted from the flash. 

The light emitted from your flash is considered "raw" light which results in hard shadows falling behind your subject. Raw light tends to pick up and magnify texture – not so great if you're shooting a portrait. Most glamor photography utilizes "soft" light. Soft light is created by diffusing your light source. Diffusing simply means breaking up the light wave by making it pass through a transparent material. 

Try putting something in front of your flash. A simple and inexpensive trick is to place a piece of vellum, hand made rice paper or a thin white silk or cotton over your flash. Experiment with your diffusion and how many layers are needed to get the results you want. Keep in mind, the more diffusion you put over your flash, the less intense the flash becomes. If your image starts to look underexposed, go into your flash setting and increase the intensity of your exposure or remove some of the layers of diffusion.

Retro Phone Apps

In my last post, I mentioned Hipstamatic – an app that creates retro-style and lomo-style affects with camera phones. There are quite a few retro apps for smart phones. AppAdvice provides an overview of their favorite 12 retro iPhone apps, and CNET gives its take on the top 12 camera apps for Android, with Camera Zoom FX as a top pick. While I like Instagram's filters the best, the sharing feature is not my favorite. PictureShow is one of my favs because I don't have to share, and it offers a ton of filters – brightness, frame, color, and multi-lens. Using these apps you can make everyday moments look cool - like laptops and dog naps!

PictureShow/ Lens: Twin Lens, Frame: Old Fashion, No light leak, Noise: Scratch Hard, Vignette: +.3, No special effect, Color: Red +.3, Bright: +.2, Contrast: -.3 ( I also moved the camera during this one)