The Herbs are growing!!!!!

This year I decided to plant an herb garden; from seed! My first one! I am extremely excited about this little project since normally I would  go and purchase a pre- planted herb garden.  Thinking this will put into practice my green thumb abilities!!!! Being a photographer craving a daily inspiration. I am taking on this project to document my herbs in natural light during their growth process!
These first  photos are shot with all the same natural light  that the herbs are getting on a daily basis.
This is just the beginning!!The beginning of a beautiful growth of myself with  these plants.

Photographing Waterfalls

Here are a few tips on how to capture the perfect water fall image.
step 1.
Make sure you have the proper equipement. 

Tripod, polarizing filter,wide angle zoom lense, shutter release.
Waterfalls are usually found in tight areas  so most of the time a wide angle zoom lens will be necessary. A  polarizing filter is good for multiple reasons: it eliminates reflections on the water/rocks, saturates the greens around the waterfall, and reduces the amount of light entering your lens.
Most importantly though, you need a tripod to stabilize your camera for the long exposures.
Although not required, a 2 stop filter can help you get a longer shutter speed too (useful for brighter lighting conditions). A remote shutter release can help you get sharper images by preventing you from shaking the camera.
And finally, a zoom lens will be  helpful for zooming in on a specific part of the waterfall.
The best weather condition for photographing waterfalls is an overcast cloudy day!Early Spring is always the best since there is more water to the falls after all the snow has melted.

Step 2.
Compose your Image!
You need to slow Down!!! not just just shutter speed but yout urge tp photograph.
When arriving at the waterfall, walk around the waterfall and look through the viewfinder to explore different angles and camera positions. Don't set up your tripod right away!   Here are few tips for composing your image:

• Get at different angles instead of directly in front of the falls
• Zoom in closer to capture one small area instead of trying to capture the entire falls and surrounding area
• Include the surounding natural  elements (ocks, flowers, etc)

Step3.
Slowing down the shutter speed will create the silky water effect.

While slowing yourself down do the same for your shutter. The speed  is what will determine the degree of the silkyness to the water.  

Set the camera to Manual mode.
Use a small aperture. This being necessary for 2 reasons: it helps you get a longer shutter and it helps keep everything in sharp focus. I recommend starting with f/16 and then going smaller if that doesn’t give you a slow enough shutter.
Some photographers will tell you to always use the smallest aperture possible on your lens,  I avoid this because lenses usually lose sharpness at their smallest (and largest) apertures.
The lowest ISO speed on your camera. This will allow you get a longer shutter,  it has another benefit too: lower ISO speeds will produce less noise and capture more dynamic range. Since you’ll be using a long shutter speed, your image will be very  sensitive to noise, so a low ISO will help prevent that noise.
 Shutter speed. When  I photograph waterfalls, It does take me some time to experiement to find the perfect shetter speed.  A speed of 2 seconds is usually a good place to start. Be prepared to use shutter speeds ranging from 1 to 30 seconds.

Here are a few of my images for my recent trip to Fundy!
We have a beautiful National park at our finger tips. Take the time to visit this summer.

The art of the Blur

We didn't have the greatest weather today, however a couple great shots came out of today's drive.

How did I get the Art through Blur....???

Creating  art is not always  our first instinct when photographing a landscape.
Here are a few tips and tricks on how you can create art with light and blur.
Panning was the motion movement that I used to create this blur.  By following the lines of the landscape, I did not work against the  horizon lines of the land.  I would call this almost painting with panning.

The technical side of the image :

  By using different apertures  it will allow you to play with the amount of light reaching the image sensor.  Ultimately, slow shutter speed photography is a fun way to take different, artistic photographs. It's not for portraits, or sharp action shots.

 Remember,  the longer the shutter is open, the more light that will be  exposed to the image. A slower shutter speed will create  interesting motion blur.   You cannot get that look with faster shutter settings. A smaller aperture or lens filter can prevent photos from becoming overexposed during the day with a slow shutter speed.
To produce these images I had an aperture of 32 as well I added a polarizing filter. 
 Capturing the essence of motion through the art of blur is something you should all try next time your out photographing. Is truly all about experimenting, letting loose and working outside the box.

The art of the Blur has been something that I have been working on for quite some time now.
Here are a few images of today's adventure.

                                          This one is the image without the Art of the Blur!!!