2008: Some of the best part one

I don't have any training in photography. Let me make that perfectly clear. I also have no formal art training either. I do have a lot of hobbies though. I believe the one hobby that has assisted me the most is my miniatures. Yep toy soldiers. You see, I bought them plain. No paint, and a lot of assembly required. I had to go out and pick up my paints and learn how to do all sorts of different techniques. Now I have also painted in all sorts of light, flourescent, incandescant, sunlight, and low light. It's amazing how one thing will look great in one light and then real crappy in another light. You live and learn.

So one thing I have always been aware of for a few years is lighting. I think this goes back years as well from my military training. Camoflauge is all about hiding and blending. Light makes a big difference with that as well. So as I have said before I always keep my eyes open, and often looking up. It's amazing what you can see if you are just looking. All the following pictures were taken on my point and shoot camera.

So we go back to the beginning for when I started snapping pictures really hard core. One thing about light is not just how it illuminates or is blocked, but what I found to be reflections. I enjoy mirrored windows on skyscrapers. I have felt that you can catch the sky in them, and as well it seems to blend if you catch it right. Take the following picture for example:


It was just one of those perfect days out. You know, where the sun was shining, the clouds were perfect, and everything was right. I saw the view and just snapped it. Of course I was looking for stuff like that already. Here are some other samples of what I had been doing.



It's all about light as far as I am concerned. I love using the sun and sunrise to capture some nice pictures. Like this one:



It was still early in the morning and I was looking around and I noticed that the sun was obscurbed by the lamp globe, also illuminating it. Of course out comes the camera and I snapped away. Needless to say I almost always have a camera on me. The few times I haven't, or had dead batteries, are the times I have kicked myself for missing that almost perfect shot.

I love clouds. I have always seemed to have an intimate connection to them for many years. It doesn't matter what they look like I am always aware of them.



The way they interact with the sun is gorgeous at times. Either blocking or revealing. I always have one eye up there for a reason.

Just looking at what I have selected so far has made me realize that I have a lot more gems then I realized. So I will cut it short for now and return to this topic another day. Keep walking.

Paladin Phil