Jim Larson Photography

Today I was taking photos of all the runners at the local YMCA hosted “Camel’s Back Duathlon.” Most everyone had already finished and I was waiting for the next person to come across the line with no one in site. For the past 30 minutes I had been looking for a good candidate for a small modeling job. Most runner shots were captured head to toe and you could definitely tell what they were doing. I wanted to see if I could tell a story without showing the big picture, so I asked a woman waiting for her friends to finish the race to help me with an experiment. I had her stand just under the finish line banner with her head at just the right angle. Then I snapped a nice closeup of her face and her very reflective glasses.

Do you like the different way of telling this athlete’s story?

While out for a bike ride today I spotted a fisherman having a great time on the river.  I had to stop and take a shot or two since the vibrant colors were showing their stuff.  This fall has been particularly nice for colors and it has lasted longer than usual.

Keep your eyes open for a nice shot and don’t be afraid to stop and take the photo.  It would have been easy for me to pedal on past, but I’m glad that I stopped.

Another thing to note is that I would have normally only my cell phone camera with me on a bike ride, but I took a pocket camera with me in hopes of seeing something good.  I was not disappointed.

As in the prior post, we are at the Pelindaba Lavender Farm on San Juan Island. Instead of photographing the nice lavender plants, I decided to photograph this rowboat next to their pond.

The water was like glass and it gave us a sense of calmness. Maybe it was still the scent of the lavender helping with that.

The time of day we were there is great for photography. It is what is referred to as the “Golden Hour” in which the light is softer and warmer than at other times of the day. This golden (or magic) hour is the first and last sunlight of the day.

Pick a familiar place and take a series of the same photo at various times of day. Be sure to get several during the golden hour. You will be amazed at the difference a few hours will make to the look of your photograph.

The image for today was taken on a very calm morning at Stewart Island in the San Juan Islands. Our sailing yacht was resting at anchor and the surface of the water in the harbor was like glass.

I converted this image to black and white and I liked the results.

Canon 20D, Canon 24-70 f2.8 L at 34mm, 1/125 at f5.6, ISO 100

Mornings can be so peaceful.  There is calmness everywhere.  Everything is asleep, getting the last bit of rest before starting a new day.  Well, except photographers. 

When the sun is near the horizon, either morning or evening the light can do amazing things.  The sky in this particular image is painted with pastel colors, something you just will not see midday.  The location of this photograph is in Port Townsend, Washington.

Get up early and discover a new world.

Canon 20D, Canon 24-105 f4 L IS at 47mm, 1/20 at f5.6, ISO 100

The mind can play funny tricks on you, or maybe you can play funny tricks on your mind. This image was taken in the Sawtooth mountains in central Idaho. My wife and I were on short hike up Fishhook creek when I spotted this scene.

You are probably asking how I shot through grass like this to capture the mountain scene. Well, if you study it closer, especially if you are standing on your head, it will become obvious.

This is actually an inverted reflection of the mountains in a pond. There was not a breath of wind this day, making the water like glass.

Olympus D-490-Z, lens at 15.7mm, 1/250 at f4.4, ISO 100

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