Tag Archives: Photography

Dix Park Sunflowers

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When we were in Raleigh in July, we got the opportunity to visit a sunflower field. will be posting images from there.

First planted by the City of Raleigh’s public utilities department in 2010, a beautiful five-acre batch of sunflowers blooms yearly in July at Dorothea Dix Park, where approximately 100,000 seeds were planted in early May. The sunflowers serve a purpose beyond just acting as a photography hot-spot—for a number of years the City of Raleigh would harvest the sunflowers to create thousands of gallons of biodiesel, which was then processed into fuel to run tractors, trailers and farm equipment. Now the flowers are left to be excellent pollinators for birds and other wildlife.

Dix Park Sunflowers

Field of Sunflowers

Sunflowers on a Field

Sunburst in Monochrome

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A “Starburst” of “Sunburst” in photography refers to capturing the sun in your photo where you can actually see the sun’s rays in a star like shape. The sunburst effect is created from pointing your lens at a bright source of light such as the sun. As the light passes through the aperture blades of a lens, it renders the sun’s rays in a star like shape with points of light radiating out from the center.

Here is a monochrome version of a sunburst captured at around sunset on the river front in Washington, North Carolina

Shooting Against the Sun

Shooting Against the Sun

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Backlighting goes against conventional wisdom which says ‘Keep the sun behind you.’ A common belief in photography is that your subject should be perfectly lit from the front to capture good photographs. While it may be true in many cases, you should remember that you can move away from the norm and utilize backlighting to create some stunning images. You may be surprised at the results you obtain after doing so. Experimenting, as always, is the key to add to your understanding of the concept.

We will be presenting this week our experimental photography of shooting against the sun. While all the images are not technically silhouettes (a silhouette is a solid, dark image of a subject against a brighter background, generally black), these images are interesting. This image is of church and tower shot against a bright light.

Church Silhouettes

Lower Level Asygarth Falls

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Aysgarth Falls is actually a series of three main waterfalls, which the signs referred to them as Upper, Middle, and Lower. Rather than being dramatic drops over a cliff, these waterfalls are really more like cascades that might be friendly for photography enthusiasts. The Lower Falls offer a place to walk on the rocks along the river and view the River Ure flowing downstream.

Water Staircase at Asygarth Falls Lower Level
River Ure Downstream from Asygarth Falls

Adding a Model to Burning Wool Images

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In the world of photography, steel wool probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. Who would have thought that such amazing images could come from burning the metal sponge we use to clean our pots? Adding a model and showering them with sparks adds to the creativity.

Surrounded by Burning Wool Sparks
Showered by Burning Wool

Burning Wool Designs

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Steel Wool Photography is using long exposures to capture the motion of hot embers flying through the air through the act of spinning burning steel wool.  These embers are so hot that they glow very brightly, and as they fly through the air the camera sensor captures the streaks of light created. 

Shutter speed is probably the most important aspect of the shot.  Capture enough of the movement to show the streaking lights caused by the flying sparks. Choose an aperture that keeps the entire scene in focus. Keeping your ISO low will keep you from blowing out the brightness of the steel wool when it is lit.  

Burning Wool Tunnel
Burning Wool Designs

Photographing Burning Wool

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Steel wool photography is a type of light painting that uses steel wool that’s been set on fire. As the burning steel wool is spun around on a cord or a string, embers fly and create streaks of light when shot with a camera at slow shutter speeds.

Our Catawba Valley Camera Club in Hickory, NC had a session on photographing burning wool. It was an interesting project and we will be sharing a few images.

Burning Wool Foreground

Reflections – Monet-like

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Reflection photography, also referred to as mirror photography, is when you use reflective surfaces to create an artistic echo of a scene. Here are reflections of trees on a lake creating a Monet-like painting effect. The red kayak adds to the scene.

Monet-like Reflections

SkyWheel at the Beach

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The SkyWheel started as a stand-alone iconic attraction in May 2011 at Myrtle Beach. The SkyWheel is not a carnival ride, but a modern, safe observation wheel towering almost 200 feet in the air. It has fully enclosed gondolas offering a safe and secure flight with glass windows and doors for optimal views and photography. The gondolas are heated and cooled allowing for year-round operation in any type of weather.

For me, the SkyWheel was a striking element while shooting sunsets at Myrtle Beach.

SkyWheel at the Beach