The Obsessive Neurotic Gardener

Tag Archives: photography

What the hell is “aperture”?

Posted on by Posted in Uncategorized .
That was my sentiment as recently as this past Friday. 
Then it all changed the next day. 
As I mentioned in a previous post, my wife’s Christmas gift to me was a gift certificate for an educational session with a local photographer. I had that session on Saturday and all I can say is that I will never use the “Auto” function on my camera again. 
Tony Granata, the photographer I met with, immediately changed the way I look at the “art” of photography. We met in his basement/studio where I was surrounded by an endless number of cameras and his stunning  photographs:
His passion was obvious from the get-go and I couldn’t wait to get started. To have a one-on-one session with someone who obviously knows their stuff had me so pumped. 
As I’m sure many of you are aware, the “Exposure Triangle” neatly sums up what photography is all about:              
Now I could have read about this in a book or on-line but what made this session so valuable, was Tony demonstrated each of these concepts on his camera as we were reviewing each one. He even showed me functions on my camera (Canon PowerShot SX20IS) that I never knew existed. You don’t get that attention to detail in a larger classroom setting. 
I was especially struck by shooting in aperture mode, which in simple terms for me, was “depth of field”. With gardening photography, there are moments where I’d want to photograph a flower up close and blur the background, hence a larger aperture like f/2.8 (that’s for you Tony to show I picked up on this stuff):    
Other times, I struggle to shoot a garden as a whole without “noise” but I now know how to shoot using a smaller aperture. Good times.   
I’m still digesting five points of light, SLR photography and how to affect exposure through the +/- button, but the foundation is there. Now it is time for me to go out and shoot and tinker like mad. I’ve already started to look back on old photos to see what I did right (completely through luck) and what I did wrong. My mind has been opened up like never before and I have Tony to thank for that. 
Some more info on Tony Granata photography:
So Sunday I played around a bit and tried to capture an ornamental grass in all its wonderful swaying glory. Here are three of the same shots with the different settings indicated below the photo:            
ISO 200, Shutter Speed 1/500, Aperture F/5.0

ISO 80, Shutter Speed 1/40, Aperture F/8.0, Exposure changed -1 1/3

ISO 80, Shutter Speed 1/125, Aperture f/8.0, Exposure changed -1 1/3
I still have a long ways to go to fully grasp all of this but it has opened the door to creativity and I’m ready to jump the f through. 
John  

Pinteresting reasons why I am surviving the winter

Posted on by Posted in My garden .

This winter feels very different … and that is a good thing.

In the past, I’d go into winter kicking and screaming and if that damn groundhog saw his shadow, someone was going to pay. I’ve made many veiled threats to move south in search of more desirable weather. I’ve made it known that I don’t ski and don’t plan to do so any time soon.

Fast forward to present day and I’m a pretty happy dude.

It may be the result of a mild winter with little snowfall. I’ve come to realize that the cold doesn’t bother me as much as a snow covered ground does. The snow is great and all as it is falling, but I can do without it sticking around for weeks and burying everything underneath. Call me crazy, but I enjoy seeing the bare earth in anticipation of what will pop out in the near future.

But truthfully, my happiness isn’t completely weather related. There are two specific reasons why I’m managing this “off-season” better than in previous years.

1)Photo organization
I finally reached a point where I could no longer handle having my photos stored all over the place (Hard drive, Picasa, Photoshop). I’ve slowly been tagging each photo and storing each of them under the appropriately labeled folder. In doing so, I’ve relived the past few spring, summer and fall seasons. An escape if you will:

The first bulbs of spring:

              
To the anticipation of the first fleeting peony bloom:

To the spiderwort blooms opening up in the early morning:

And to the wonderful colors of fall:

Not only did I successfully escape and travel through the seasons, but I also witnessed numerous ways I can improve my gardens. Good times.

2)Pinterest

If you are not already “pinning”, you need to leave here now and find a way to get an invite IMMEDIATELY. I am not kidding.

For those of you who cut pictures out of magazines or bookmark sites that have amazing plant/garden/landscape pics, this is for you.

After easily installing the “Pin It” button on your web browser, you can organize photo “boards” that capture all of your favorite photos into appropriate categories. You can find them on your own as you browse the web or “follow” other “pinners” and simply “repin” their photos. Trust me, it is beyond addicting and the best possible way to come up with new and unique gardening ideas.

I have boards categorized under “Ornamental Grasses”, “Gardens I Love”, “Fire pits”, “Containers”, etc. The possibilities are endless.

You really need to access the Pinterest site and please let me know if you would like an invite. I can send you one via email within seconds. Once you join, you can follow me by clicking the link in the sidebar to the right.

I’ll gladly accept all of your thank you’s after you’ve joined.

John