 Kent Barker taught me portrait lighting during a New Mexico workshop in 1994. The dancer turned pro photographer isolated subjects on a background, using a single large, soft light source. “Dancing with Light” was the theme for the week, and I still have the T-shirt.
In the photo studio, a hand-painted canvas backdrop or tapestry is the background of choice, however in Florida we prefer the real landscape. While outdoors, we just go mobile. A light source on a stand, with soft fill light, we position our subjects between the camera and the view. Looking into the brightness, we need to fill the subject with light, otherwise we achieve a silhouette. Backlight can be used to define space. In the photo “Dancing with Light”, the negative space provided by the sun, defines the subject. But more, while literal, the birds in their mating dance have an emotional quality to them, dancing in the glow of a perfect sunset. After all it’s the celebration of John’s 90th birthday and Marleen and Johns 65th anniversary. Like dancers, these backlit birds exemplify grace, fancy footwork, balance, delicacy, endurance, and strength. Sounds like keys to a successful life. Way to go, keep dancing. Dancing with Light
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 Hiding your flat screen TV behind a photo frame is a growing trend, however the standard selection of artwork may not fit your style. Or maybe you just want to be different? Janet wanted local artwork, with colors fitting with her color scheme. So we hand colored the artwork to match the fabrics in the room. The product of our collaboration is “Fred’s Place ~ Downtown Card Sound” and here we stand beside the finished work of art.   It’s important to spend some time with your subject in order to truly get to know it. A close friend with an iPhone can obtain a better photo than a stranger with professional gear, simply because they’ve spent more time with the subject and know “the look”.
In landscape photography it is called a “sense of place”. Instinctually if you’ve seen it before, chances are it will repeat. That goes for winks and smiles, as well as highlights and shadows and the point on the horizon where the moon may rise. Marilyn’s orchid garden originated as house plants that each spring gained freedom from their pots as orchids in her trees. A 20 year tradition, her babies have flourished, and she can probably recall the friend or occasion which pertains to a particular orchid’s history. They bring her joy. As with the orchid bloom, you may have been attracted by it’s graceful droop or showy color, but when you peer behind, you see the stem, the “backbone” of the beauty. Sometimes just one frame is not enough to tell the story. Roots, trunk(s), bark, leaves, and crown compose the tree; as do its scars and woodpecker holes, twists, turns and tangles of it’s branches and it’s flowers and fruit. You can view it from yards away, or you can come close and give it a hug. Humans or nature. Both benefit from a history together. |
CAROL ELLIS
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All Rights Reserved.
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