Happy Endings

     The reflecting sunset and pastel colored water and sky help make this picture one of my favorites.  It gives off a calm feel.  There is something about sunsets that makes everybody stop what they are doing and take a look.  No matter where you are the soft glowing sky is beautiful.  In this case, the sunset and lake were in my backyard.  

     Our yards are a perfect example of natural beauty in Southern Illinois.  When we plan to go somewhere, we step out of our houses and in to our yards.  This can be a great opportunity to take pictures and appreciate what we have.  Yards of any size all have something special that makes them unique.  It may be beautiful trees, abudant wildlife, or a lake.  Within just one of these attributes there are hundreds of possibilities. 

     I could take hundreds of pictures of the lake pictured above.  To make it a memorable picture I have to create something working with nature.  The sunset and reflection off the lake made this happen.  By keeping my distance from the lake I could fit the trees' whole relfections in the picture.  You can see each individual branch highlighted in pink, orange, and blue in the sky and water.  

     At the end of everyday we find the sun setting and ourselves coming home.  All good days come to an end along with everything else in it.  Hopefully they end happily.  My happy ending is finishing this semester's blogging.  It has taken me to places I have never even heard of before.  Through my camera lens I have seen and taken beautiful pictures.  It is only fitting that my last picture be of my ending place for the day.  It is what I saw before and after every excursion around Southern Illinois. 

Taking Pictures in the Snow

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=OY1lljNhrYU

     This past week Southern Illinois was covered in a blanket of snow.  Some people grumbled, but others like myself, enjoyed it thoroughly.  I took my camera with me and went outside in my yard.  The snow and ice on the roads made traveling out of the question.  Sometimes we don't have to look very far for a great picture.  It can be right in our yard.

    Photographer Gavin Hoey made a very useful video about taking snowy landscape pictures.  I watched the video and picked up a couple big tips.  The link to the YouTube video is above. The first interesting lesson was properly using exposure.  If you don't adjust your exposure to the bright snow and sun, then the snow in your picture might look blue or too bright.  You have to adjust it until you can find a happy medium.  Another important thing that I didn't know was that the cold temperatures drain your camera's battery.  Try to bring along a spare or keep your camera warm!

     This is my favorite snow picture!

Artistic Rendition of the Bluffs

     Have you ever wanted to bring your pictures to life?  Drawing or painting special or favorite photographs is a fun and interesting experience.  You find yourself looking closely at the photograph, catching all of the small details in shades of color and texture.  I took one of my previous pictures of the bluffline by Valmeyer and did a pastel rendition.  

    It took multiple layers of color to get the sky how I wanted it to look.  There is no one magic color to create the sky.  Instead, I took different hues of blue, grays, and purples to transition from dark blue to light.  The trees also proved to be difficult.  Trees are not just green.  They each have their own shade and color.

    Give it a try!  I never realized how much fun it was to re-create a photograph until I tried.  Sitting down with a palette of colors and an imagination is a great way to relive and remember your photograph from the comfort of home.