Janet Worne - Thoughtful Photography

Summer Storms

We are in the middle of the summer storm period where the sky puts on a light show for us nearly every night. In the past week we have had rainbows over the Sandia Mountains five times. And last night Mother Nature turned on the electricity.
To get pictures of lightning strikes over Albuquerque I used a tripod and a slow shutter speed. Specifically, my settings were: 250 ISO at f 10, with a shutter speed of 5 seconds. I kept the ISO low to keep the digital noise down and the aperture stopped down so that I could shoot at a slower speed. I wanted the shutter open for 5 seconds to make it easier to catch the random strikes. Unfortunately, the storm was over the city instead of the mountain. The city lights are nice but lightning over the mountain might be a bit more dramatic. I'm sure I'll get plenty of chances to try again.

Light Show

Friday, on the Fourth of July, we will be watching fireworks from a friend's backyard. Earlier this week we watched a different kind of light show with friends from our backyard.
  This was a magnificent double rainbow over the Sandia Mountains that lasted long enough for me to grab my camera and shoot to my heart's content.

Looking Beneath the Surface

The more time I spend in my backyard, the more I see that fascinates me. We have a pond that I have photographed before but only for what was on the surface. This week I discovered another world beneath the lily pads. Nothing new, I realize. What photographer hasn't already discovered the magic of the underwater universe? Saturated colors, crooked perspectives, rippled shadows--all contribute to beautiful imagery.

But today I thought about how those images can be a metaphor for the best way to approach people photography. Most photographers, at least initially, make surface photos of people. The best photographers dive beneath the surface to discover the real person below.

Mexican Primrose

We have been planting perennials in the backyard and it has been an education for me to see what types of plants thrive in the high desert of New Mexico. We found this flower, peeking out unannounced, from beneath a rock. As we looked around we found more of these intruders all over the yard. I may end up disliking them if they truly take over, but for now I welcome them.

Spring—New Mexico Style

This is my first spring living in New Mexico and it is quite a change from Kentucky. One of the first and most colorful things to bloom near my house is the hedgehog cactus, also known as the claret cup cactus. One of the nice things about being a photographer is that I find myself on my knees looking closely at things instead of throwing a quick glance out the car window while driving by.

More Backyard Photos

Okay, I realize that having such an amazing view of the Sandia Mountains in my backyard is a real advantage to a photographer. But I still say you can get good, if not great, pictures anywhere. Here is a backyard photo that does not include the view. Again, I want to emphasize that it's the light, with some compositional help, that elevates the image to a higher level.

Look to the Light

I’ve heard it said many times that a good photographer should be able to take great photographs even in their own backyard. I agree. Of course it helps that my backyard looks out over Albuquerque and the Sandia Mountains.

The first thing I do when I get up in the morning is look at the sky. I check back throughout the day. The light is constantly changing. Even at night, Albuquerque brightens up the landscape with a million flickering points of light.

So if I can aim my camera in pretty much the same direction over and over again and still get different pictures, then perhaps the most crucial factor in any photo is the light.

Any photographer who hasn’t realized that yet needs to wake up and pay attention.