Happy Monday to you!
Everything here is almost back to normal after the holidays. It’s taken a little longer than usual this year because I wanted to leave everything decorated until my son left for school. That day is today, so I will be spending the day putting everything away for another year.
I have a question for you, and as always you need not feel you have to answer. Do you find that what you like to photograph, and how you choose to photograph it, changes with the seasons? Over the past few years, I have noticed that this is the case for me, but it’s never been more evident than this season. Lately it’s been all about black and white. This is interesting, because as much as I love to view a beautiful black and white photograph, I’ve just never spent much time creating them myself. So last week, I spent time online reading about black and white photography, and finished what I thought was a really good book on the same (Black and White Digital Photography, Chris Bucher). Of course, I spent some time practicing too, but did not get very many that I was happy with. One of the most important things I have learned is that you really have to start looking at your subjects/compositions very differently for black and white images. I think this is going to be a long process, but I’m excited about it, as it will allow me to change things up some from time to time.
As I was out walking over the weekend, I happened to pass by one of my favorite magnolia trees, and I was completely struck by how visible the buds were. Normally at this time of year, we have 2 feet or more of snow on the ground, and the trees are usually covered by it, but there is no snow and the tree buds are very visible. Of course I could not resist photographing this one. It’s been a very, very strange winter so far, but I’ll take it!
66 comments:
It looks as though we are thinking, and photographing similarly. Living in Canada, we are also usually under many feet of snow, but not this year. It's nice to have a mild winter, but it's a tad eerie. Your magnolia blossom is superb, such beautiful detail!
It is very good for you that you have snow in Christmas and no snow in January. Spring would come earlier than usual in your region.BTW, sunny days would last almost every day in winter in Tokyo.
Have a nice season for you!
how lovely to keep your decorations up while you son was home. i like to keep them up as long as possible. We had a holiday over new year, so we came home to a Christmas tree & lights, s olovely.
Beautiful magnolia bud, and as for B&W I don't do much. I quite like people in B & W but I do love colour!
Have a lovely week, Lisa.
No snow in Stow [Vermont] either? The slogan was: "There's always snow in Stow", in the days when we used to go skiing there.
I'm glad you are bringing up B&W photography, which is beginning to intrigue me too. Hope you will share your findings with us.
We also have a strange winter so far this year - no snow.
Your photo of the magnolia bud is very detailed and beautiful!
Hello Lisa,
Since nature is usually my muse, I do find that I follow her around, so to speak, and this is reflected in what I photograph. Winter, with its subtle color scheme, certainly inspires us to think and see in B&W. I find that for successful B&Ws, one really has to be sensitive to values. That's an interesting challenge!
Having said all that, my photos this week are not my usual landscapes, but some interior shots. Go figure.
Wonderful detail in your capture!!!!!
Have a great week,
xo~ Anna
Beautiful macro, I love these delicate textures, delicious shades. Greetings.
I feel I can reach out and touch the wonderful texture of your macro. Can't wait to see what you do in b&w!
wonderful macro! have a great week :)
As a "farm girl," seeing trees bud in mid-winter is just scary! I hate the thought of losing the new smoke tree and redwood dogwood shrubs we planted last fall. I am interested in seeing what you do in black and white...maybe it's an avenue I should choose during this photographic drought I'm experiencing.
Hi Lisa! Well I live in a tropical country so we do not have snow although the weather is cooler now.
I love BW photography and I kept missing the BW meme of Dragonstar because I can only shoot candid random shots and most of the time I kept forgetting to reset the color mode. ;-(
The image you took might be good in monochrome.
Hi Lisa, I live in a tropical country too, very near to the Equator, so I do not get cooler weather now. It has been hot and dry lately. But I have heard that everyone seems to be surprised with their warm weather lately. Do you really miss your 2 feet of snow?
I haven't been using the camera long enough to notice significant changes according to the seasons but I do notice changes in 'attitude'. :) Probably side effects of the sun, the moon and the rain.
Woof Lisa!
I prefer gold and white.
Only my Popsy would look good in black and white.
Oh yes...definitely. What I photograph and how - is definitely impacted by the seasons. This winter - without any snow - I've returned to my still lifes inside. Thanks - as always - for doing this Lisa.
I think my preferences stay the same, whatever the season. So it is good to get some inspiration to think out of the box. I love today's shot, the texture, the composition, the promis of spring! Thanks for your comment yesterday and have a good week!
This magnolia is fantastic, I've never seen it before.
I think that I have to start looking at my subjects and compositins much more for all photography. I take too much pictures and a few are good.
I love the details in your little bud.
The seasons definitely have an effect on what I get to photograph. I spend most of last year playing with my macro lens. This year I am hoping to explore different avenue to help me grow as a photographer.
Hi Lisa, a wonderful image, Magnolias are very interesting to photograph aren't they? This image is also very low in colour isn't it, the negative space works perfectly the way you framed it up is perfect :) I find that my photography does/is changing over the months, I think because I see things differently as I go along and it's definitely a 'learning new things' process for me too, love to try out new techniques...have a great week Lisa!
hi Lisa. Nice bud with an unfamiliar color. :)
I rarely go out to shoot a specific thing. If I do I mostly fail. It is mainly the light that makes me take some shots. At least when I am not birding. As I am drawn to the light I change the subject all the time. I also like the challenge of shooting moving subjects like birds and butterflies. Then I might play around in PSE or other programs. I guess I like change and new stuff all teh time. But mainly it is about the light.
I find I have a tendency to start experimenting with different techniques and subject matter this time of year -- you can only photograph so much brown! :) Lovely capture, Lisa. I hope the magnolia survives the eventual cold temps.
Lovely image Lisa!
I think my photography changes all the time depending on my mood.
I find lately with macro shots I am looking for different perspectives, light, etc.
I think, now that you mention it, that I do seem to photograph certain things at certain times of the year but maybe that's because they present themselves ONLY at that time of year :) It's nice that photography gets to change with the seasons like that...hadn't ever thought about it that way. Thanks for the food for thought, inspirational as always!
What a beautiful shot
That is beautiful! I agree it's been a strange winter, but I'm all for it! I would have to agree with you, I'm not that far in, but I'd say for me, winter lends itself to more black and white and summer for more color and vibrancy.
There's no snow in Holland also. We have a "warm" and wet winter. I also photographed buds this weekend :)
Have a great week!
Lisa - I have been experimenting more with black-and-white as well. I look forward to seeing your images.
oh my your photo brings to mind pleasant memories of a horticulture class I took years ago. one of my favorite instructors was a woman named Mary - she had a wonderful southern drawl and repeatedly said "big fluffy buuuds" when reminding us of the easiest way to identify a magnolia tree. your lovely photo demonstrates just what she referred us to! aren't they just fluffy? love it. thanks for hosting TCE every week Lisa, and I hope your Monday is filled with joy. (and yes, I do follow the season around with my camera! I only wish there was snow this year).
I actually don't think my shooting changes much with the seasons, but I'll have to think about it a bit more. I love your shot of the magnolia--the weather sure has been fooling with all of us :)
Amazing Lisa - I could have written this :)
I started with bw in my grandboys page and I want to train my eye to rocognize motive good for bw.
And I am also fascinated by the magnolia buds :)
Have a great week Lisa!
http://fotochip.blogspot.com/2012/01/kontraster.html
Yes, fascinating how one must observe differently when thinking B&W. Contrasts need to be sharper, etc. I look forward to seeing what you produce. The Magnolia bud is wonderful and I am excited to go out and observe the trees in my neighborhood and parks now. :)
your photo is gorgeous lisa, you see your subjects in such an artful way. taking pictures, for me, has never changed. i don't challenge myself, i don't view myself as a photographer but rather a person who takes pictures. there is a huge difference.
it's why i love coming here so much, so many really talented people!!
Beautiful bud.
Funny you should write about b&w as I processed this weeks CE photo using b&w. Winter, for me, feels black and white. Bare tree branches, short days, barren flower beds. Of course, I live in SoCal where those thing don't really apply, admittedly, but I did live in Oregon for awhile where they did - and that helped me to see winter as being a black and white sort of season. If that makes any sense at all. :)
Hey Lisa...I was out shooting on Saturday and tried capturing one of these fuzzy buds...not knowing it was a magnolia. Do I remember that being your favorite? It has been an odd winter (odd in a way that Susan like very much). My capture shall remain in the pile of leave it alone; it didn't really work.
As for your question-strangely I've been finding myself in a black and white place to. But I am not shooting with black and white in mind, I'm just drawn to processing some of my images that way. It's new. I don't know if the subjects I'm interested in change with the seasons or not. I'm a light shooter-so whenever that's present in a beautiful way, I'm good. Perhaps depending on season and it's location and tilt and all-the subjects change.
Or perhaps my tastes run with my mood. Who knows?
Thanks for providing the CE. Always a fave of mine.
Beautiful photo Lisa! We got snow and now its gone...
Have a lovely week to you.
Hug from Hilda
Just so beautiful and soft, perfect for a Monday, a rainy one at that for me. Well, more like horses and cows, lol!
Hmmm, some of the changes in what I shoot are by osmosis of the weather/seasons, some by my moods or something I'm trying to figure out photographically. When it comes to black and white, which I love, I think it's the depth and contrast of light that makes a big difference. Black and white makes us more aware of textures, lines, and shapes, shadows and light. When a photograph is in black and white we see things we might not have had it been in color.
This exchange is so stimulating. I'm learning so much!
Lisa, I haven't noticed any change in pattern with regards to the way I take photographs. Well, to be honest, it's been less than a year of serious photography for me. So I guess, I will need a few more years to figure out.
I love b/w too, the latest photo i'm playing around with in PSE is b/w (i converted it though).
that is very interesting that b/w photography requires a different way of looking at things. I'm going to mull over that.
:) Have a great week, i love the beautiful bud.
I don't think I shoot different way during the seasons. I shoot so much in BW before digital cameras that I hardly ever miss it and being in darkroom:)
We had now little snow and I hope it stays.I hope you get snow too before Magnolias are starting to bloom.
(I don't want to whine but have you ever thought to change your text to gray or change the background dark grey or anything. I have so difficult to read, contrast between black background and white text is so huge that it really gets to my head:) So sorry mentioning this and I have kept it to myself until now.) I really don't want to heart your feelings if you understand, I'm just saying.
Love, Henrietta
I've not really tried b/w yet, I usually just take pictures of what I think would look good.
I really love this image of your - it is so sharp and clear. Wonderful
Lisa, I am so excited to be posting here today!! I've been wanting to participate for a long time. Amazing how working 8 hours a day can keep you from the things you love.
As for black & white photography, I love looking at it, but rarely do I find one I've taken myself that I'm happy with. Maybe it's like you said, you really have to visualize it in your head first. A photographer friend once told me that. Can't wait to see some of your work.
The fuzzy magnolia bud is awesome! So glad that you aren't buried under snow. Very strange, though. :/
@Henrietta
Gray it is Henrietta, and no hurt feelings at all.
I thank you for your suggestion, and I like it much better this way.
As a matter of fact, I will probably change it on my other site also!!!
Thank you once again!
Love your beautiful photo!
My first time to visit and already loving everything here....
So glad you are hosting this again Lisa, thank you. It's always a lovely way to start off the week. Yes, I agree, B&W is rather intriguing. Had a brief week of it in Tracey Clark's The Art of Composition Class but need much more than a week. Happy New Year!!
How unique! Where did you find such blue sky?
Wonderful shot of the bud.
I, too, love this unusual winter weather...warmer, sunny.
It will play havoc with our trees and flowers though.
Be interesting to see what happens as winter progresses.
Always something new...
Very soft and lovely. I fear it may freeze it's buds off before Spring comes :(
Beautiful shot!
Love your bud! It looks furry and soft. Kinda cute! Thanks Lisa. Glad to see you've gotten your Creative Exchange going after the holidays. ;->
Thank you Darling it is really so much easier to me read it now, the text is not dancing:)
Beautiful image of the magnolia bud. We have some around here, too. Last weekend we went for a walk in the arboretum and i was surprised to see the buds, too.
I love to look at black and white photography and have often thought of converting some of my photos to it and then framing them. This winter has been odd here too. We have just a little snow cover and close to zero temperatures. We are usually well down in the minuses by now. I am not complaining but I wonder what will become of some of my plants in spring. V
Beautiful image!! We've been having some warm weather here too.
Love the crisp details against that texture....beautifully taken and processed (as always)!
@Kristy
I used a texture on this. One of my own, and not a very interesting one, but I liked the way it looked when I "tried it on" here.
I do hope the weather stays mild them for those magnolias - it would be a shame to see them frozen and brown...! Although we don't have any snow either I don't feel like taking black and white pictures - at least of nature that is. It's easier for me with architecture photos. I love the simplicity of your capture, Lisa! Have a wonderful week!
Yes I change with the seasons, summer I am in the garden more taking flowers and in the winter I have to look around the house. Beautiful shot of the magnolia bud.
I always love nature photography no matter what the season...but I do experiment with other ideas a little more when it gets cold. I can't wait to see what you do with b&w. It's an area I struggle with.
Your macro photography is always way beyond perfect, Lisa. You are such an inspiration and urge me on to expand my own macro work (I'm working on that). Sorry I'm late linking up this week - I've been busy with "Learning Your Eye" class, and I'm LOVING it. I've already learned so much. Have a wonderful week/end.
Beverly
Hello! I've just
arrived here, and I'm liking what you've done with the place! Great image too!
Gorgeous photo. This winter is definately odd. I am hoping the plants and flowers do not get too confused since this winter budding is not healthy. It is important to change what we are doing with the seasons. It keeps us alive!
Always a joy to come here ... love that bud!
That is an amazing shot, Lisa. I've been taking photos of buds too, and ours are also early. The season seems a bit confused and I am hoping we might miss some of the colder, wet winter.
Wow... Beautiful snap...
Lisa, I love the texture on this magnolia bud, I feel like I can reach out and touch it!
Hope you're having a wonderful weekend!
Great series of images! Snow looks lovely and magical.
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