Looking Through Stuff

Through the Trees, Warwick Ma.

After grinding out over 400 blog articles, including my Getting It Right in the Digital Camera Blog, my contributions to the New England Photography Guild blog and various other articles, it is getting increasingly difficult to come up with sparkling new things to say.  I have covered all the camera basics including exposure, composition, focus and file selections, but the nice thing is that this situation works to encourage me to buy new equipment to review, and to travel to fresh locations, in and out of New England.  

Snow can Screen, Chesterfield NH

In the last couple of weeks I have discussed my new set of neutral density filters and the latest installment from our tour of Italy, including Bologna and Lake Como.  This week I decided to get back to my personal roots of more basic challenges of effective imaging .  I asked myself, “How has my photographic eye changed over the years ?  What have I learned?”.  One thing that immediately came to mind is that I am much more willing to look through stuff.

Stuff Gets in the Way!

Spire Screen, Keene NH

One of the great frustrations of landscape photography is that things always get in the way of my perfect compositions.  Trees, bushes, grasses and wires always seem to be In the wrong spot, and, when I am able move to a clear location, a have to accept an suboptimal point of view.   I can always choose to stay in the perfect spot, but I then must spend hours in Photoshop cloning away the offending junk. I still work to open many of my images, but increasingly I have come to accept and appreciate the attraction of looking through stuff.

Photoshop’s Disappearing Acts

Spofford Village, NH

About five years ago, I published an article reviewing the various ways that distractions can be removed using Photoshop.  Specifically, I was trying to remove a branch from in front of a church in Spofford New Hampshire.  I used simple cloning and patching to erase the branch and Puppet Warping to move it to the side.  Sadly, at that time, Smart Fill was not yet available. All of these techniques can be challenging and time-consuming, but I always love the process of removing distracting stuff.

Puppet Warped Branch

Steeple Cleared - Much Work

In this case, as I stepped back from the removal process, I discovered that I actually preferred the original image, branch and all.  Over time I have become more aware of how some natural screening elements can enhance the interest of compositions.

The Glory of Tangles

I reviewed my archive of favorite images and found many in which the screening elements seemed to add to the image’s attraction and I tried to understand the situations in which a little screening was not so bad.

Autumn Rush,  Wardsboro Vermont

I found a few broad categories of images in which there seemed to be value in looking through foreground “stuff”.  Of course, I am talking to photographers here, and you will inevitably have your own tastes and preferences, but perhaps this exercise will encourage reflection on the when screening is ok.  

My Categories

Contribution of the Foreground to the Story

Weathersfield Barn, Vermont

It is obvious the tangle of brambles in front of the dilapidated barn in Weathersfield Vermont is essential to the focus of the image.  The same is true of the ice coated bushes screening the barn in Marlborough New Hampshire, taken in the aftermath of the disastrous ice storm of 2008.

2008 Ice Storm, Marlborough NH

Westmoreland NH

The line of trees with classic sap gathering buckets screens the barn, but, in all these images, the screenings do not distract, they add an essential aspect to the story of the images.

Contrast with the Background

Stickney Brook Falls

For me, the foreground screens are most effective when they contrast with the background.  I see this most frequently when I place sharp features in front of the soft flowing water, whether it is cascading brooks or waterfalls.  

Beaver Falls, Colebrook NH

Spofford NH

Contrast may also include differences in color or tone, such as the brilliant foliage in front of the dark house or the snow covered branches contrasting with the rich red building  

Roads End Farm, Chesterfield NH

To Mt. Monadnock, Jaffrey NH

I also found images in which the contrast was primarily between near and far, with distant grand landscapes.

Distant View, Newfane Vermont

Framing

Northfield Pasture

Foreground elements can also partially frame and highlight a key portion of the more distant subject.  The sunlit trees in the picture of a Northfield Massachusetts pasture break only slightly to reveal a distant horse, gazing in the October light, and the three trees on a hillside in Pomfret Vermont nicely draw the eye to the distant barn.

Pomfret Vermont

Practical Considerations and Sheer Laziness

There are many times when it is not possible to frame a composition without including screening stuff, but I often try my best to crawl into some awkward locations, which are usually wet or dangerous, to get around the obstructions.  Even when that is possible it often means accepting a suboptimal composition.

Perkins Pond Falls, Troy NH

  I like the image of the Perkins Pond Falls in Troy New Hampshire, looking down from the edge of the steep bank and screened by trees. On another occasion I found a spot down-stream, from which I could descend to the level of the brook, but it required considerable effort to work my way up to the level of the falls.  A pretty picture and without obstruction but I think I prefer the shot from the bank, including the lovely trees.  And, of course, it was also much easier to shoot.

Perkins Pond Falls  - Brook Level

As always, the final decision about composing with screening elements comes down to personal taste. Although my nature is generally to avoid distractions, the benefits of a little contrast is often worth considering.

Jeffrey Newcomer

www.partridgebrookreflections.com

Branching Out in Your Photography

Love the Limbs

White Ridge

We are now approaching the end of stick season (hopefully). The leaves are all seeping into the soil, and we are all anxiously anticipating the first real snow. Ok, we had a dusting last night. I often talk about November and early December as my time to relax, recharge while focusing my efforts on working through all those spectacular Autumn photos, but I have also insisted that stick season has its own photographic attractions. Today I would like to focus on one, less obvious attraction, the stark beauty of the barren tree branches These are too often thought of only as depressing skeletons looming overhead. This time of year I routinely frame my images to minimize or eliminate the tree branches arrayed against the flat gray sky, but there is often much interest in the simultaneous stark strength and delicate beauty of the scaffold which holds the abundance of our seasonal foliage. I've been scanning through my images for examples of when I have allowed my photography to "branch" off in new directions. Sorry.




 

Mist and Sky
The fascinating pattern of bare branches are often best appreciated against the soft backgrounds of overcast and mist of approaching winter. They can also contrast nicely with the brilliant colors of an early winter sunset or silhouetted against the sky along a high ridge line. 

 

Looking Through the Veil
After the leaves have fallen away, new perspectives are revealed. We are able to see further into the forest where ranks of trees can form interesting patterns or the course of streams can be better appreciated. Unsuspected distant vistas may also appear, although always with a screen of branches. I have often struggled to find angles that would eliminate or reduce the obstructions, but more recently, I have come to appreciate how a veil of branches can add pattern and mystery to a scene. An intricate and chaotic curtain of branches in front of more regular shaped subjects, such as churches, houses or barns

Winter Wonderland

can add interest to an otherwise routine scenes. The art comes in finding an effective balance between order and chaos. Of course branches are not always bare and when they are coated with snow, the "winter wonderland" effect becomes fully apparent. I recently wrote an article about using various Photoshop tools to move a branch away from a church steeple. It was an interesting exercise, but in the end, I decided to leave the obstruction in place. It seemed more natural and is still one of my favorite village images - check out the cover of this year's New England Reflections Calendar.

Black and White
Of course, branches are a perfect subject for black and white photography, where contrast and pattern are most important. For black and white conversion, I look for images in which a strong pattern is the driving element. It is amazing how the removal of the distraction of color can totally shift the emphasis of an image. Experimentation is easy In Photoshop. Simply add a B&W adjustment layer and switch back and forth between color and B&W. 

 

If it Doesn't Move, Decorate It
It is that time of year when our branches become the scaffold for elaborate Christmas light displays. I won't dwell on this here, since I am scheduled to do an article on Christmas light photography for the New England Photography Guild later this month. Stay tuned.


 

The great thing about photography in New England is that, no matter how crummy the weather or uninspiring the season, there are always interesting subjects to shoot. The trick is to shift focus to what is available and try "branching" out to new perspectives. Once again, sorry. 

Jeffrey Newcomer
Partridgebrookreflections.com

Fresh Sap

Finding New Images in an Old Location

What do you do to find fresh subjects for photography when you are shooting in familiar locations?

Last week I returned for the fourth year in a row to photograph the Sap Gathering Contest at Stonewall Farm in Keene New Hampshire.



Don't Distract the Teams

Stonewall is a working farm which is run as an educational resource for the community. For some years it has been my privilege to support the farm by photographing some of the many public events offered every year. In return, I have been allowed special access to the farms activities. The Sap Gathering Contest is a chance to see maple sap collecting using traditional techniques. Horse drawn sleds wind through a forest trail collecting sap from buckets. Teams are judged based on their efficiency and control as well as there speed, but the real winners are the folks who line portions of the course for the opportunity to step back to a time when sap gathering was closer to the land, when the forest wasn't entangled in a web of plastic tubes and the air was free of tractor exhaust. It is a unique experience and I had the advantage of being one of a very few photographers and videographers who were allowed to escape the public viewing areas and follow the sleds through the forest trail.

Over the years I have been able to capture great images of the teams

When There Was Snow

expertly working their way through the course. Most of best images came from a few years ago when we were blessed with a idyllic coating of fresh snow. This year our dry, snowless winter provided a rather gray and dull background for any new "sled in the forest" shots and, anyway, it occurred to me that I had about as many pictures of horses and sleds as I will ever need. Of course I had to get the team shots, after all that is what the event is supposed to be about, but in the last couple of years I have also been trying to expand my view. I am working at doing a more complete job of telling the story, and that is what event photography must be about.  So where to start?

Go for the Detail

When caught in a rut like this my first approach is usually to start zooming in on the details. It is interesting that I have to literally flip my cognitive "detail" switch to kick myself out of my usual "broad landscape composition mode" and start seeing this stuff. There was a wealth of detail to celebrate at the sap gathering. The expressions on the horses faces, their ornate and gleaming tack, brightly colored buckets and rusting antique farm machinery all made great subjects. Last year I focused on the misty interior of the sugar shack, but it all makes the point that the specifics often tell a more compelling story than the broad "establishing" shots.

 




It's All About the People




Shootin the "Sap"

Of course an event like this is really about the people. The drivers and assistants, the volunteers and the specters all have their roles to play in the story, and this year again I tried to focus on the faces. The participants often travel from all across New England for the event and I have come to appreciate that they are attracted as much for the comradery as for the competition.  The small army of community volunteers fill many roles that are critical to the smooth operation of the contest, including staffing the gift shop, filling the buckets and keeping the evaporator running.   I particular enjoyed learning from my interactions with my fellow photographers. Many of these folks concentrate on horse photography and actually know what they're doing out there! In the woods we had great fun jumping in an out of each others shot while trying to avoid disturbing the massive teams that were passing by.




Stay Out of My Shot!

 

There MUST be an Angle I Haven't Shot Before !




By Grimes Brook

Finally, You can't shoot the sap gathering without getting the mandatory pictures of the magnificent horse teams. The goal every year is to try to fine different foregrounds and backgrounds that help to tell more than the simple facts of "horses, sled, driver. It has become increasingly difficult to find an angle that I haven't used many times before. This year I tried to incorporate the little stream that parallels a portion of the route. The angles were not easy, but at least it is something different.




Happy Feet



The Long Pour

As hard as it can be to find freshness in an event like this, I will continue to come back. It is always a unique opportunity and never quite the same. Over the years I have learned a great deal about event photography and I think I have finally assembled the range of photographs needed to be able to tell a full and coherent story about this great contest. And, of course, I have to come back every year for my wonderful Maple Syrup Sundae.

  And A final Tip. If you want gobs of Maple syrup on your sundae, just tell the server that you are a "Professional Photographer" and you need a couple more shots to fully document the generosity of the pour.

Check out more of my images from the Sap Gathering Contest over the years at my Sap Gathering Flickr Set



Also a previous blog article about last year's contest:



You can find out about Stonewall Farms many programs on there web site .You'll find that the farm is about a lot more than just horses and sleds

Jeffrey Newcomer
www.partridgebrookreflections.com