Jim Larson Photography

This shot was captured during an earlier trip to Chicago.  In a big city there are many great studies of architecture and this particular image shows the repeating patterns of a high rise office building.

Even though the pattern is very repetitive in nature, I like the contrast between the sunny and shady side of the building.

Watch your exposure on something like this, because the light meter in the camera can be fooled if it pays too much attention to either the light side or dark side of the frame being captured.

Check the histogram of the image to make sure you haven’t “blown out” the hightlights or shadows.

This photo was taken underground in the Chicago subway system. Being from a smaller town out west, sites like this don’t show up in my portfolio very often. I liked the symmetry and the converging lines which gives the image depth.

A few years ago my wife and I were visiting Austin, the state capitol of Texas. It is always fun to go into capitol buildings because it seems like no expense has been saved in their design and construction.This image was taken by standing directly in the middle of the rotunda and pointing the camera skyward. I was looking for a very symmetrical pattern and I was not disappointed.Every state has a capitol building. Next time you are near one, stop by and try some different angles shooting the rotunda. Try some centered like my example, other standing off to the side for a more asymmetrical shot.Canon 20D, Canon 24-70 f2.8 L at 24mm, 1/80 at f4.5, ISO 400

Architecture photography is fun for some, very boring for others. This can be the case from both the photographer’s and viewer’s perspective.  I happen to like it and I always have my eyes open for interesting subjects. I especially like light fixtures that hang on a wall. When the sun is shining it can make for some great shadows that add to the photograph.

Don’t feel like you have to take a picture of the entire structure. Zoom in and get what interests you the most. Try taking some at different angles to add some diagonal lines to your composition.

Canon 40D, Canon 70-200 f2.8 L IS at 90mm, 1/800 at f8, ISO 100

My wife and I were shopping in a small mall in Sandpoint, Idaho when I spotted these stairs.  Actually, they were right under my feet.  I had my camera with me so I told her that “I would be just a minute.”  I did try to keep it short, but it was probably over a minute. 

I like the pattern on the steps along with the pattern of the steps.  Your eye is drawn down the stairs to a point that is about 1/3 from the top and 1/3 from the right side which helps with the composition.

I converted this image to black and white in Photoshop, then added a slight blue tint to make the metal seem cold for added effect.

Canon 10D, Canon 28-135 f3.5-5.6 IS at 30mm, 1/8 at f8, ISO 400

On the same trip to the San Juan Islands I wrote about a couple of days ago, about a stones throw away from the Orcas Hotel is the Orcas Market. I spied the cool lights on the market’s sign and thought it would make an interesting photograph. I like the curves of the light poles taking your eyes back down to the sign. I also like the vibrant colors of the sign and the sky.

If I would have had more time on that particular day, it would have been fun to shoot this photograph at dusk, when the sky still had a lot of color to it, but the sign was being illuminated by the lights. I see it in my head. We recently visited this island again and this sign is no longer.

Take the time to get the shot that is in your head. You may never have the opportunity to do it again.

Olympus E-10, 27mm, 1/320 @ f8, ISO 80

On the same trip that I wrote about in the last update we visited a different part of the island.  Actually, this place is hard to miss, because it is very close to the ferry dock which everyone coming to the island by car uses.

There was a great blue sky out that day which gave some nice color to the photo.  Exposure was watched very closely as the bright white fence was fooling the light meter just a bit.

I used the picket fence as the lead-in line to the house. 

If you are ever on Orcas Island, look for this nice looking hotel and make you own photograph of it.

Olympus E-10, 9mm, 1/160 at f8, ISO 80

If you ever make it to Baker City Oregon, about 10 miles to the east on Interstate 84, just south of the freeway you will spot an old homestead that my wife refers to as “Pieces of a Dream.”

At one time, I sure this place was bustling with the activity of the owners.  They were living out their dreams.  Now it is just withering away in the desert.  Each time we drive by there are a few more bricks off the chimney, more shingles off the roof, etc.

This was another photo taken on slide film and scanned in for digital use.  The original image was color and was converted to black and white using Photoshop.  I also did a left to right reversal (flip) of the original image.  Lead in lines, as I spoke of yesterday, generally work best if they lead you into the photo from the left side.  The fence is the lead in line in this image.

Keep on shooting!

Nikon 8008s, lens and exposure information unknown, Fujichrome Velvia slide film

If you ever get a chance to visit any ghost towns, be sure to take your camera with you. But, you take your camera with you all the time anyway, right?

This shot is a picture of an old outhouse near the ghost town of Sunbeam, Idaho in the central mountains of the state. It was originally shot on slide film and later scanned to be used digitally. On this particular shot I did use a polarizing filter which helped to bring out the richness of the sky and clouds.

One thing of note is the line of the path leading you to the main subject.  The subject is not in the center of the photo either, but a third of the way from the top and a third of the way from the right side.  This is a pretty simple composition and works well for this shot.

Nikon 8008s, lens and exposure information unknown, Fujichrome Velvia slide film

Last month, I took a morning tour of my home town of Boise, Idaho. It’s funny how we always take photographs when we are on vacation, but not as often around our familiar territory. Maybe it is just too familiar so we don’t perceive it as interesting. I was amazed at all the places I found that morning that were quite interesting, at least to my eye.

I was busily shooting images of the capitol building when I happened to turn around and see an even better shot in the mirrored windows of an office building. Several shots were taken, some without the sky, some with. This was my favorite. The sky makes you think just for a minute as to what makes up the entire image.

So, next time you are wanting to take some photographs, try touring a location near to you. You might be surprised.

Canon 20D, Canon 24-105 f4 L IS at 54mm, 1/800 at f5.6, ISO 100