"There are many teachers that could ruin you. Before you know it you could be a pale copy of this teacher or that teacher. You have to evolve on your own."
Berenice Abbott
Yes, I too can photograph human beings, but I try to capture a special moment and I usually am more comfortable around family. In the case of the first blog image the family was in San Antonio to atttend the Valero Alamo Bowl and we happen to be walking along the beautiful River Walk. My daughter and granddaughter were on the other side feeding the pigeons, a task that my granddaughter loved to do, and, with the backdrop of the various store fronts, the right pose presented itself.
My daughter has a surprisingly deep affection for our two granddaughters, which I find incredible considering the trend of a lot of today's young adults. Yes, she is absorbed with her Ipod, her job and friends, but when it comes to her niece's she is a first class auntie and I'm so proud of the affection she gives towards the girls.
The capture is from a Canon 50D, processed in Photoshop CS5 and then worked in the Topaz B&W Effects plug-in. I used a transparency filter to bring a little faded color back into the image and then added a slight blur to the entire scene. With a layer mask I then brought some of the original color back into the primary subjects and the pigeons.
In this second scene at a court yard inside the Alamo area I was hoping to get a capture of the beautiful lighting in this fountain area, but finally went with the smallest amount of "human intervention" that would work. This was processed in Photoshop CS5 with Nik HDR Efex and then converted to a black and white using Nik Silver Efex Pro 2 which emphasized the lighting as well as the textural qualities of the scene. Again, using a layer mask, I brought back a hint of flesh tones in the young girl. I'm really glad that I didn't walk away from this scene and decided to wait for an opening when the crowd melted away.
I often surprise myself when I do these types of portrait situations since I spend a large part of my time searching for grand landscapes, clear waters or summer skies that are void of appearances by people. I guess, when one really thinks about it, people probably have more of an influence on our lives compared to our surroundings which can define the person that one becomes.
Thank you for joining me today and please feel free to comment.
SIC 'EM BEARS!
My book "Places I've Been, Things I've Seen" and new book "Take What's Given" can be purchased online at- http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/1868649
For more views of my work visit;
"A Piece Of Work", Spirit Lake, Iowa http://www.apieceofworkinc.com
Lanesboro Art Center, Lanesboro, Minnesota www.lanesboroarts.org
BetterPhoto.com http://www.betterphoto.com/Premium/Default.aspx?id=251674&mp=V
http://500px.com/pigs4u
Great job with the post-shoot work. The final results are spot on and really add to the moment in time.
Posted by: Darin | January 14, 2012 at 10:39 PM
It was enjoyable, both at capture and later in front of the computer. Hope you are doing well and continuing your photography and thank you for your comments, Darin.
Posted by: Daniel Ruf | January 15, 2012 at 09:30 AM
Whatever you chose to capture- you always do justice to the art of photography- thanks as always for sharing-always look forward to viewing your art.
Posted by: Mike Houge | January 15, 2012 at 08:58 PM
You're very kind in your comments, Mike, and they are appreciated. Good luck with 2012 and your photographic endeavors!
Posted by: Daniel Ruf | January 16, 2012 at 07:47 AM