New River Gorgeousness

Owing to much planning, traveling, and work, there was not much time for photography this past month. But having a camera handy at all times does pay off.

We had been on the road for over six hours, and there was a good three hours left to go. It just so happened that it was nearing sunset when we crossed the iconic New River Gorge Bridge near Beckley, West Virginia. Would it be worth it to try and get some pictures?

Most of the nicer images I took on that short walk to the bridge overlook were taken directly into the sunset. But there was a surreal attractiveness about the gorge winding toward the east. Knowing that the camera didn’t have the ability to correctly capture the effect, I bracketed by 1 and 2/3 stops over and under the correct exposure so I could merge them into one later on. Just a few days ago, I brought the pictures into Photomatix and. . . voilà! it’s exactly how I wanted it to look.

When you’re some place scenic, point the camera in all directions. You never know what direction will be the best.

2011 Winter Travels

The Chicago O’Hare Airport is a wonderful place. Every international trip I’ve taken has begun there. None of these trips have ever been for the sole purpose of picture taking, but it certainly pays to bring a camera along. Though I am attracted to the distinctive beauty found in the States, there is something special about photos taken outside of what one perceives as normal.

So now I’m here again, sitting at the gate, waiting for the time of departure! This time, I’m bound for South Korea.

Several weeks ago, I became aware of the need for a Graphic Artist to help with the many projects at the IBLP office in Incheon, South Korea. I looked over my schedule, talked to Dad about, prayed about it . . . and now here I am! The plan is for me to return to the States on May 9. Looking forward to posting updates often!

I do not generally think of this blog as a journal. It is more a place to share adventures, tips, insights, experiences, and encouragement for fellow photographers as they journey the same steep slopes of improving their photography. Therefore, I hope my recent long absence has not been a disappointment to anyone.

Perhaps I should have mentioned this earlier, but the tripod I broke last month was still under warranty, so Manfrotto Repair kindly fixed it for me. It was great
service . . . once I called them to hurry up a bit. After not hearing from them for
two weeks, I called them up last Monday and told them I needed the tripod by Friday. They said “No problem” and told me it would arrive by Thursday. Well, it arrived on Wednesday. And it’s just like new. There is much to be grateful for.

Most people are happy when spring begins to appear. But one sad thing about spring coming is that all the snow melts. Then it rains. And rains. And then, because it’s really still winter, it gets cold again and everything turns to ice. Most people are unhappy about that.

But there is always two ways of looking at things. I like ice because it’s cool stuff to take pictures of. For example, I was hiking through the woods the other day, and I couldn’t believe how beautiful the forest was: every twig was covered in ice and the sun was setting the entire forest to shimmering and dancing in it’s light!

Or were the twigs covered in ice? Sky is always richer blue looking away from the sun, so I turned around to look for better color in my pictures . . . there in front of me was the ugly brown forest. I couldn’t believe it. Same forest, two different levels of beauty, wholly dependent on perspective.

Do you know the basic rules of design? Do you know how to use Photoshop to create anything you want? Do you wish you could lay out brochures and other print material in InDesign?

That’s what last weeks Desktop Publishing course at Verity Institute was all about! Intense Photoshop and InDesign training was surrounded with design principles, practical assignments and hands on critique. Here are a few things we covered:

• How to stimulate creativity
• 11 Design Rules that apply to any project
• Photoshop text effects
• Correctly combining fonts
  • Simplified layout procedures in InDesign
  • Why good designs look good