B&W February

Azaleas in Bloom, copyright 2015, Stephanie Maatta Smith

My online photography group participated in a photography book club during the month of February. We read Andrew S. Gibson's The Magic of Black & White Part 1 - Vision, and practiced making black and white photographs exclusively for the month, using his techniques and recommendations. The goal was to learn to "see" in monochrome, and to evaluate the effectiveness of color versus monochrome for impact. The take-away for me was learning how light changed an image when seeing it in color and then translating it to monochrome. This exercise also provided more opportunities to discover my camera's features and settings I normally don't use.

Black & White Collage, copyright 2015, Stephanie Maatta Smith

Stripping away color brought out the subtle details which might otherwise be missed, such as the glowing center of the tulips and the delicate lacing of the spider web. I also found, for me, simple composition is more effective than complex images.

365 Project Update

As you may recall, I started a 365 project at the beginning of the year. Technically speaking I'm doing two projects simultaneously -- one on Flickr and one on 365project.org. It's been great fun thus far, and I've met a lot of fellow photographers from around the world, including the U.K., Australia, South Africa, and Russia. This is bringing fresh perspective to my photography.

For this entry I'm sharing a few of my images that have been the most popular and viewed between my two projects. Seems to be a theme here for what my photography friends like: birds of all types.

January - Homosassa Springs Wildlife Park

Ibis Patrol, copyright 2014, Stephanie Maatta Smith

 A trio of ibis were lined up on the fence where we waiting to catch the boat. It was a cold, misty day, and the lighting was difficult to work with.

Singing a Song in the Snow, copyright 2014, Stephanie Maatta Smith

 

 

 

 

 

February - Kensington Metropark

It turned out to be a reasonably warm Sunday in late February, and it was a bit on the melty side. This little sparrow was quite tolerant of my foolishness with a camera. It was singing away and waiting for its mate. I love how the snow, while dirty, was sparkling in the sun.

March - The Florida Aquarium

Fluffing Her Feathers, copyrigh 2014, Stephanie Maatta Smith

 This little tease was floating along in the Wetlands Exhibit, fluffing her feathers and preening for the males. She was quite adept at ignoring the kids who were trying to touch her, and my attempts at composing a good image.

April - Michigan Welcome Center, Saint Ignace, MI

What's For Lunch?, copyright 2014, Stephanie Maatta Smith

This bright-eyed seagull was perched on the hood of my vehicle when I stopped for lunch. It was peering in the windshield at me, hoping for a bite of my sandwich. This was shot through the windshield; I was amazed at how clear the image is.







Late April and early May have lent themselves to interesting photographic opportunities. You've already had a glimpse at my newest project. Baseball photos are sure to follow in the near future.