photography

Historic Kirtland Village | Part II

A few weeks back I visited the Historic Kirtland Village and posted photos in an earlier blog entry. Yesterday I met up with my friend, Jen, and we walked around the village taking more photos. Jen has an interest in photography and we were able to spend some time checking out the interesting subjects inside and surrounding the buildings. Below is my gallery from this second visit which includes the inside of the single-room schoolhouse (replica), and the ash-mill.

Historic Kirtland, a small settlement in northern Ohio where members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints gathered shortly after the Church was founded. Between 1831 and 1838, Joseph Smith and early members of the Church established Church headquarters in Kirtland, built a temple*, and laid a foundation of strength for the future.  More information is available at https://www.lds.org/locations/historic-kirtland-visitors-center 

Introspection

I went to my favorite local beach (for photography) tonight and thought about some of the things I've learned with my camera in the last few years. 1) The best camera is the one you have with you. We all carry our smartphones (most of us). So we've got the tools. 2) Sometimes you need to change your perspective. Although I had my big Canon camera, the first shot I took was with my iPhone - edited in Instagram. I haven't looked at the shots from the Canon yet. On perspective, Lake Erie Bluffs is actually not an attractive beach at first glance. I like it because it has a nice view of the sunsets and few people go there. In order to find the interesting views, I have to move around - usually closer to the ground.

Image shot and edited on iPhone5s/Instagram

The beach from a distance. Shot with iPhone5s, unedited. 

The beach from a distance. Shot with iPhone5s, unedited. 

My walk back to the car got me thinking, these two things can be applied to more than photography - they can be applied to work, hobbies, and life in general. 1) we all have to the tools to succeed, we just need to learn how to use them. 2) Sometimes a change of perspective is necessary to get inspired or motivated.

So, learn your tools and find your perspective. 

Minimalism

Civil War Reenactment at President Garfield's home

Last weekend the National Park Service hosted a Civil War Encampment Reenactment at the James A. Garfield Historic Site in Mentor, Ohio. Sunday morning I took my camera to the grounds and photographed as much as I could.

I chose to process most of these photos in a way to artificially age them, giving them more of an authentic feel. I left a slight bit of color in the images, realizing photos at that time would likely be monochrome in black and white or sepia tone. But I like having a bit of color. 

I've organized the photos below into loose groups. The first few shots are of soldiers. Followed by famous faces - Frederick Douglass and the Lincolns. President Garfield's house is the main building on the property and has been restored to it's original condition. The next group of photos focuses on life at the encampment. And last, some detailed photos of items in and around the encampment. 

Cleveland Instagram Meetup #03 - Part 2 | Favorite Photo

My favorite shot of the night was a posed shot with Jessica of http://www.jessicasgallery.com/ in Cleveland. She happened to be standing on a wall as the full moon was rising. I asked her to position her hand to look like she was holding the moon.  The shot needed a little post-processing for exposure, and a little photoshop to remove other people and gear. 

It's cool when you can be at the right place at the right time. 

The final image. 

Cleveland Instagram Meetup #03

Friday night was the third Instagram Meetup here in Cleveland. There was a group of about 20 photographers walking between East 4th Street and Voinovich Park. I got a wide variety of pictures including cityscapes, architectural, detail shots and few people pictures (not my strength).


Down by the River

I've been trying for weeks to get a nice shot on the bridge over the Grand River in Fairport Harbor. Some nights I drive by and there is a nice sunset forming, but I don't have my camera. Some nights a group of ducks are swimming in the reflection of the sunset. Last night the ducks were there and the sky was changing colors, and I had my camera.  By the time I parked and walked the 200 yards to the bridge, the ducks had floated out of view. But, I got the sunset and reflection.

My first pass at processing the photo, I left the crop wide, catching the silhouette of trees to the left - this version was posted to Facebook. After I looked at it a while, I feel the pictures is much stronger cropped in on the left.  Here are the two versions. 

First pass - wider angle

Cropped version


Old Photos Re-processed for a New Life

Over the years I have taken photographs that have great potential, but were lacking in post-processing. When I first started taking pictures with a dSLR camera, I only had the software that came with the camera, no Lightroom or Photoshop. I was very limited in the post-processing I could do. After I got Lightroom, I put a lot more effort into learning how to, and actually putting effort into post-processing.

A month or so ago, some of my photos were critiqued by Scott Kelby, Matt Kloskowski and Erik Valind on The Grid.  They said technique and composition were pretty solid, post-processing was not bad, but keep working at it.  I try to get out at least once a week to take photos, but when I'm short on time or energy, I've been going through old catalogs and finding photos that maybe didn't get to their full potential back in the day. 

It's interesting to look back at these photos and see where my short-comings were and where I have grown. And where I still haven't grown. 

Here is an eclectic collection of photos that recently got new life. 

New Art Sale

The catastophic illness expenses fund for my cousin-in-law has reached about 1/3 of the $25,000 goal (http://www.gofundme.com/8usd88). Last week I did Instagram, the next two weeks I would like to run a new art sale. I have uploaded my "Splash" photo to the production company Fine Art America (FAA). The photo is on sale for $50 above production costs - any size, any medium. The $50 markup from each sale will go to the fund. All other prints on my FAA profile page will be discounted 25% for the next two weeks use code: ANMMFP. Proceeds from those prints will also go to the fund. http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/adam-kilbourne.html

Available media are canvas, fine art paper, acrylic and metal. To maintain the photographic quality, I would recommend paper, acrylic or metal. Sizes for this print are 8"x8" up to 30"x30". 

Thank you for your support. 

Lake Erie Bluffs Sunset

Earlier this week I went to one of my favorite parks, Lake Erie Bluffs, to photograph the sunset. I've been adding to my abstract collection.  I also took a few standard sunset photos, including a couple with my iPhone. 

This photo was shot and edited with my iPhone. I use Camera+ on my phone for most of my iPhonography and editing. The interface is easy and powerful. I posted this picture to Facebook and Instagram. It has received more likes and comments than just about any other photo I've posted. I think it is a fine picture, but not necessarily my best work. 

The Grid

For about a year I have been trying to get my photos on The Grid at Kelbyone. The Grid is a weekly video podcast. Each month they host an episode where they do blind critiques. Viewers submit photos, and the hosts provide honest critiques of the photos. 

This week I finally was selected. Scott Kelby and Matt Kloskowski are the hosts, and they generally bring in a guest photographer to assist with the critiques. This time the guest was Erik Valind

The three of them provided some great feedback for things I can do to improve my photography, most of which deals with post-processing. They gave me pretty good comments on composition and technical ability. 

Check it out at :  http://kelbytv.com/thegrid/2014/04/17/the-grid-blind-critiques-with-erik-valind-episode-139/  Go to 38:09 to see my photos. Be warned they get side tracked partway through, but they come back. 

Scott Kelby is nice guy. He took the time to reply to a couple tweets I sent his way. 

First Beautiful Weekend of the Year

This weekend in Ohio the temperatures got into the 70s. It was so beautiful I had to take a ride over to Headlands Beach State Park to watch the sunset and photograph the lighthouse. On the drive over, the sky showed potential for a nice sunset. It turned out to be lackluster, but was still worth the trip to be out in the nice weather. Tonight also appears to be a full moon, or possibly one day shy of it. 

Ice Flows

Yesterday I took my dog to the park at Lake Erie Bluffs so we could hike down to the beach for picture taking. She was a trooper. Even though the ground was cold, she followed along, no leash. She did have a light jacket to help keep her warm.

Down at the beach, the sand was still partially frozen, but it was warm enough that the lake water had started to melt. Chunks of ice were floating around, moving west with the currents. There was one little pocket where the water was calm and the prettiest blue I have seen on Lake Erie. 

This wasn't a shot I had planned, but I tried to get a nice one. Sadly, my DSLR photos of this area didn't turn out, but I got a beautiful pic with my iPhone.  Photographed and edited in Camera+

Sold!

This post is delayed a bit, but I sold my first piece, to someone other than a family member. A 20"x30" print on metal of the Golden Gate Bridge was sold to a buyer in Chicago. He was really happy with the finished product from FineArtAmerica.

The white circle is a reflection (camera flash, I assume)

Here is the photo that was printed.

My Toy Box

This blog is my toy box. As I shoot pictures, there are typically dozens to hundreds of photos on the card, depending on the excursion. Many are similar shots, playing with slightly different angle or camera setting, and working on exposure or focus. Most of the shots get dumped after a cursory look. I'll admit, it's not great writing, but I plan to work on that as I continue forward. 

Those that do get to stay in my hard drive are generally not quite up to the standards I want in my portfolio. So the blog is a place I can put those photos and if appropriate, tell a story about them. 

Facebook and Google+ get the bulk of my photographs, but there are some with a story that usually involves a learning experience for me that occurred taking the photos.

Art for Sale

Over the past several months many of my family and friends have suggested I look into selling some of my artwork and photography. I’ve been pulling together some of my favorite photos and have created a website to develop my portfolio, and have also setup a profile with a print-on-demand provider.  I bought a print on canvas, Fairport Harbor Lighthouse, from this provider and I’m very happy with the quality of the print.

I now have 16 images available for sale. They are available on canvas, acrylic, metal, paper, and greeting cards. I’ve been working on a series of photos that look like paintings - and would look great on canvas (hint, hint). These photos are technically landscapes, but the process I use turns them into abstracts.

On this website you can click the "i" in the upper right corner of the images to find the direct links of photos for sale. Most of those for sale are in the abstract or landscape galleries. You can access the store directly from this link. http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/adam-kilbourne.html.  For those of you in the design industry, there is a sister site at www.DesignerPrints.com with deals for bulk orders.

Thank you to my family and friends for the kind words and support as I’ve developed my hobby. Right now it’s enjoyable. I don’t plan to make a living off of this, but if I can make a few bucks I won't complain. 

My new favorite photo, of my own work

Last week I went to the local state park beach just before sunset. I've been working on my current set of abstract photos. During that shoot, I came up with my current favorite piece to date. 

Headlands Beach Winter Abstract has a wonderful mix of colors and soft textures. The image is direct from the camera, the only manipulation was done in Lightroom, boosting the colors, contrast, clarity, etc. 

I love that this photo looks like it could have been taken on a plane, over the clouds. In reality, it was taken on a snow covered beach. 

In the near future, I plan to get a large print made of this photo. 

headlands Winter Sunset-6236.jpg