Smicksburg Bokeh

These photographs were taken at the McAninch residence in Smicksburg, a small rural town in the heart of Pennsylvania. Several years ago, the McAninch family lost a beloved husband and father. Behind their home, the family created a memorial garden in his honor. The space is filled with trees, flowers, and benches for loved ones to sit and remember him.

In the following two photographs, I wanted to capture the serenity and ethereal beauty of the memorial garden. Focusing on minute details also made it easy to achieve the bokeh effect. 

Below is my attempt at photographing sparklers at the annual McAninch bonfire. There wasn't enough contrast between the foreground and background for a shallow depth of field so I switched my f-stop up to attempt an airy disk. It worked in this photograph on the lower right sparkler, although it isn't as vivid as I would have liked it to be.

Downtown Color

Sometimes if I have the time, I'll go out an shoot during my lunch break. I work downtown near Market Square and there's also a small park nearby. These photos were taken the week of the Pittsburgh Arts Fest. It was a beautiful day in late spring when these were taken and I was trying to capture the freshness of the season in my photography. I am also drawn to cool tones, particularly greens and purples.

Flowers are an obvious sign of spring. These small clusters can be seen in a variety of colors all over the downtown area. I first saw flowers like this on Hilton Head Island several years ago and I'm very happy to see them now on a regular basis in the 'burgh. This particular bunch was planted in Market Square.

This was one of the projects from Art Fest:  "Pop-up Patios." There was a patch of lawn near my building that had been filled with a collection of patio furniture sets in neon greens, oranges, and reds. The project created outdoor spaces to encourage social interaction. I didn't notice anyone using the spaces, but I found this bright trio to be quite inviting. If I hadn't already finished my lunch, I might have enjoyed it here.

This is a fountain at the park near my workplace. The central feature had a beautiful glass surface in greens that reflected the blue of the water. The way the water fell from the fountain gave a sense of energy and the surrounding pool looks lush and refreshing. The whole scene just made me feel alive.

Experimenting with Light

As it turns out, it's nearly impossible to take accurate photographs portraying the behavior of "natural" light while in the city -- there's just too much ambient light! This is especially true in the evening when the street lights come on. As a result, I ended up with a few outside with the pseudo-natural light. Then I decided to experiment a bit with reflections and artificial light inside.

Here are my top three:

Here are the three taken indoors:

And a few extras:

Abstraction

The following images are all common items found in my apartment. I'll post the answers at the bottom.

Note:  The first two images did not convert to JPEG well. I even tried maximizing the quality and re-saving but it's still compressing some of the data into red blotchy areas. I'm a little disappointed, they look much better as PSDs. At least the others seem to be unaffected.

One

Two

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Five

Six

Bonus!

Answers (from top to bottom):  wooden ladder; radiator under the bathroom window sill; curtains; growler handle; inside of a teacup; umbrella; yoga mat.

Exposure: Room

Long Way Down, f/5.6, 1/15 sec - June, 2014

A Porch is an Outside Room, f/5.6, 1/1600 sec - June, 2014

Fountainheads, f/4.0, 1/4000 sec - June, 2014

Meatball, f/5.6, 1/25 sec - June, 2014

Manufactured Landscapes

The film Manufactured Landscapes (2007) was directed by Jennifer Baichwal for Zeitgeist Films and features the work of photographer Edward Burtynsky. The documentary combines video and still images with Burtynsky’s narration to create a unique perspective on the impacts of industrialization on a global scale. The imagery, mainly taken in Canada, China, and Bangladesh, focuses on the ways that industry has affected the environment, as well as the human population. Burtynsky’s work is simultaneously beautiful and unsettling, capturing our manufactured landscapes with a keen eye but also demonstrating the sheer scale at which human beings have changed the surface of the planet. The images that Burtynsky creates are awakening, intimate, and inspiring. These strange landscapes represent neither right nor wrong, but they demand attention, and as Burtynsky stated, require “a new way of thinking.”

Burtynsky’s photographs serve both as documentation and as art. His images include Canadian hillsides that have been mined and quarried for decades; armies of Chinese factory workers; and rust-laden ships washed ashore in Bangladesh. Burtynsky stresses the importance of documenting these scenes, arguing that they are as relevant to our existence as the natural world. It is important for us to understand the impact that we've had on our environment. However, his photographs are also often beautiful and picturesque. He uses wide angles to capture roads carved into mountains; he uses light to create a colorful sheen on the surface of polluted water. I found the artistic nature of Burtynsky’s photographs to be very effective. After the first glance, it becomes apparent that these beautiful images are not of something naturally occurring, but rather are the result of damage that we have done to the planet.

The images that Burtynsky creates are quite powerful and evoke many emotions in the viewer. At one point, Burtynsky mentions seeing the damaged oil rigs in Bangladesh and thinking to himself that he has probably used oil that had been carried in those ships in his own personal vehicle. Looking at his images, you come to the realization that you as an individual also probably contributed in some small way, just by existing in and accepting our industrial culture. You feel a nagging sense of ownership and responsibility for the scenes that Burtynsky captured. Then as the camera zooms out, the scene becomes wider, vaster, and you develop a new feeling – helplessness. Even if you were to reduce your own impact, it would be such a small fraction of the total that it wouldn't even be noticeable. I felt that this combination of emotions was both eye-opening and humbling, effectively conveying Burtynsky’s argument. There are some obvious negative impacts of industrialization, but there are also equally as many, if not more, positive impacts. Though we have manipulated our planet to a great extent, the quality of life for many people has greatly increased. Industrialization cannot be viewed simply as right or wrong; however, it is a prominent facet of our reality and must be treated as such.

Manufactured Landscapes is neither a call to action nor a skepticism – it simply encourages awareness. Burtynsky is insistent upon this notion in the documentary and it seems to be demonstrated appropriately in his work. Whether the impression that his images leave is positive, negative, or somewhere in between, the impression will surely be a powerful one. Burtynsky’s photographs are capable of evoking multiple emotions, but they are conflicting enough to allow the viewer find their own meaning. I found myself in the same state of turmoil that Burtynsky mentions near the end of the film – while the reality of industrialization is unsettling, I’m probably not going to abandon the modern conveniences that I've come to rely on. One thing is for certain, though – I will never be able to look at my iron in the same way.

Power Lines, Shadyside (Pittsburgh) - June, 2014

Sidewalk Construction, Shadyside (Pittsburgh) - June, 2014

Gas Meter, Shadyside (Pittsburgh) - June, 2014

Electricity Meter I, Shadyside (Pittsburgh) - June, 2014

Electrical Meter II, Shadyside (Pittsburgh) - June, 2014

Carnegie Museum of Art

In a very basic sense, the contrast of light and shadows in the paintings at the Carnegie Museum of Art were used to make subjects on a two dimensional surface appear three dimensional. This added depth makes the image more realistic, rather than leaving it flat and lifeless. The amount of highlighting and shadows, as well as the saturation of colors in the painting, also contribute to the overall feeling that the painting conveys. For example, a darker painting may invoke sadness, and a brighter painting happiness. Some artists are more effective in using light and color to add life to an image. Below are some examples that I found to be particularly interesting or skillful.

Cape Cod Afternoon, Edward Harper

Edward Harper's Cape Cod Afternoon uses light and shadow to create dimension and depth to the buildings in the scene. The lighting also helps to indicate the time of day - afternoon - and creates a cheerful, uplifting mood. The bright colors gives a sense of what life could be like in a typical Cape Cod community.

Allegheny-Ludlum Steel Mill, Pittsburgh, Raymond Simboli

Raymond Simboli's Allegheny-Ludlum Steel Mill, Pittsburgh uses light to depict fire. The lighting and color in this particular painting is vital to make the fire appear realistic. The intensity of the light and the saturation of the reds, oranges, and yellows in the painting also give a sense of the extreme temperatures required in the steel mills in order to heat and melt the iron.

Allegory of Spring and Summer, Tintoretto (Jacopo Robusti)

Tintoretto's (Jacopo Robusti) Allegory of Spring and Summer uses the contrast of light and shadow to control the depth of field between the foreground and background. The main focal point of the painting is a figure in the foreground, a woman who appears to be the personification of spring. In the foreground, the contrast is high, providing greater detail through highlights and shadows. In the background, the details are less pronounced, with the majority of the scenery in much lighter tones. There isn't as much shadowing as in the foreground, and the saturation is low, giving it a more muted, almost hazy appearance. This prevents the surrounding scene from distracting the eye from the details of the figure.

View of the Waterfall at Tivoli, Claude-Joseph Vernet

Claude-Joseph Vernet's View of the Waterfall at Tivoli also uses the lighting to bring the foreground into focus. The detailed highlights and shadows give life to the scene in front of the falls, particularly the grouping of people gathered on the stones below. The lighting also helps to create a sense of motion in the water. Among the examples that I’ve included, View of the Waterfall at Tivoli was the one I found most impressive. The figures are very lifelike and I definitely got a sense of what it might be like to spend a day fishing by the falls.

Venus Lamenting the Death of Adonis, Benjamin West

Benjamin West’s Venus Lamenting the Death of Adonis has a similar but opposite use of lighting to bring the foreground into focus. The background is very dark and little detail is visible. In the foreground, Venus bends over the body of Adonis. Highlights and shadows are used to emphasize the expressions on the face of Venus and a watching cherub. A tear can be seen clearly on the cherub’s cheek, while the rest of his face is in shadow. The highlights and shadows also help to create texture in Venus’s dress, giving dimension to the folds in the fabric.

Like these paintings, I’m also hoping to use light to enhance my photographs. I don’t want my images to simply document reality – I want them to come to life, so that anyone looking at them may be able to image what it would be like to be in that scene. If I do include people in any of my work, I would like them to be relateable. I want people to be able to read emotions from my work. I especially like the way that depth of field can impact a photograph, and I plan on using that in my own work.

Pedestal I, Carnegie Museum of Art - May, 2014

Pedestal II, Carnegie Museum of Art - May, 2014