Photography – Page 51 – Random Connections

Shiloh Methodist

October 9, 2010 Tom 1 Comment

Several weeks ago I wrote about the prevalence of Biblical place names in South Carolina. One of the place names that keep popping up was “Shiloh.” It’s probably best known as a Civil War battleground in Tennessee. One of my favorite photographic subjects is the old Shiloh School in Anderson County, seen below:

Today, I had a chance to visit Shiloh Methodist Church just outside of Inman, South Carolina. Built sometime in the mid-1700’s (the date varies, according to which source your read), the church fell out of use in the early 1900’s. The white frame building remains, along with its historic cemetery.

Super Harvest Moon

September 23, 2010 Tom No Comments

Photography, Science

Last night we got to witness a rare astronomical event. We were able to view a “Super” Harvest Moon. This happens when the full moon falls on the same night as the autumnal equinox. The sun sets at just about the same time that the moon rises, and does so in a nearly precise east-west … Read More “Super Harvest Moon” »

Ebenezer and Pelham with Karen B

September 13, 2010 Tom 1 Comment

Local, Photography

Karen Buchmueller is a good friend and colleague of Laura’s, and she’s also an avid photographer. Both of our spouses were tied up for the afternoon, so we decided to head out with our cameras and shoot some photos. Our targets for the afternoon were the old ruins of Pelham Mills, and Ebenezer Methodist Church.

I had visited Pelham Mills several times with my camera, but it was Karen’s first visit. I always enjoy visiting places with other photographers, even if it’s somewhere that I’ve already taken lots of photos. They often spot things I’ve overlooked, or see an angle or composition that hadn’t occurred to me. This was definitely the case at the old dilapidated mill office.

Sunday in the Park with Olivia

September 6, 2010 Tom No Comments

Family, Photography

Monday is Chip’s birthday. Appropriately enough, he was born on Labor Day 34 years ago. To celebrate, several of us met at the Overlook Grill for a Sunday lunch. However, the day really belonged to little Olivia. Chip and Anna wanted a good photo for Oliva’s upcoming first birthday. Houston and I were happy to oblige, and began a photoshoot camera war in Falls Park.

The day was absolutely spectacular, and lots of people were taking advantage of the nice weather. We found a couple of good locations and started taking pictures.

Nifty Fifty Downtown

September 3, 2010 Tom 2 Comments

Photography

It was the “golden hour”, that time in late afternoon when the sunlight filters warmly at an angle covering everything with long, interesting shadows. I hadn’t been out shooting in awhile, so I grabbed my camera and headed downtown.

I parked in the Richardson Street lot behind Mast General Store. Normally on a Thursday night they have Downtown Alive and the place is hopping, but this evening it seemed to be dead. It could be that the series has just ended for the summer, but it could also be that construction in the area has disrupted civic activities.

I started out with my camera and the 18-200 zoom lens, and picked up my little SlikStick tripod to take with me. I had walked about two blocks and had taken only a few shots when I spotted that my battery was just about dead. Not good. I headed back to the car to pick up my spare.

Back at the car I made a quick decision. I swapped out my zoom lens, opting instead for my 50mm f/1.8 prime lens. With the faster lens I could leave my tripod behind and not have to lug it down the street. I also wanted to spend some time with this lens. I’m always shooting with the big zoom, so I thought it would be fun to try something different.

Onion Photography

July 28, 2010 Tom No Comments

Photography

SHREK: For your information, there’s a lot more to ogres than people think.

DONKEY: Example?

SHREK: Example? Okay. Uh… ogres are like onions.

DONKEY: They stink?

SHREK: Yes. No!

DONKEY: Oh, they make you cry?

SHREK: No!

DONKEY: Oh, you leave them out in the sun, they get all brown and start sprouting little white hairs.

SHREK: No! Layers! Onions have layers. Ogres have layers. Onions have layers. You get it? We both have layers.

DONKEY: Oh… you both have layers… You know, not everybody like onions. Cakes! Everybody likes cakes. Cakes have layers.

SHREK: I don’t care what everyone likes. Ogres are not like cakes… You dunce, irritating, miniature beast of burden. Ogres are like onions. End of story. Bye bye. See ya later…

OK, you may be wondering what Shrek has to do with photography. Actually, it’s more about layers – specifically, layers in Photoshop.

I had been working with layers ever since my friend Duck Hunter showed me the technique. The process can add interest, texture, and even change the mood of a photograph. The process is simple enough…

1. Open a photograph in Photoshop or your image editor of choice.

2. Find an interesting texture, such as the ever-popular “Pollution” texture from Jerry Jones, , AKA Ghostbones, AKA SkeletalMess

3. Resize the texture to match the base photograph, then copy it into a layer on top of the base. Change the blend mode of the texture layer from “normal” to “overlay”…

…and the result is an image that combines aspects of both layers. You can change the opacity of the upper texture layer to increase or decrease the effect.

Lazy Saturday on the Edisto

July 12, 2010 Tom 4 Comments

Paddling, Photography

It was a second Saturday, which can only mean one thing – another outing with the guys from Lowcountry Unfiltered. This time our target was once again the Edisto River. This was to be our “beer commercial” float, full of rope swings, mayhem, and general goofing off. And, that pretty much sums up the day.

For this trip we were doing a familiar stretch. The plan was to put in at Mars Old Field Landing, but this time we would paddle past Givhens Ferry State Park and take out at Messervy Landing, adding another three miles to our trek.

Laurens County Photo Trek

July 7, 2010 Tom 2 Comments

Local, Photography

I had Monday off as part of the 4th of July weekend. My brother, Houston, and my sister, Glynda, also had the day available, so we decided to go on another photo exploration. This time our target was our old stomping grounds around Laurens, South Carolina.

Houston had some specific locations he wanted to see if we could find. Most of these were in the old Long Branch area, but we knew we would get sidetracked in route. I picked up Glynda and Houston at the family home in Gray Court. Armed with GPS, maps, and more cameras than we had passengers, we set out.

We actually didn’t get very far. At the south end of Gray Court is the historic farm area that the Gray Court-Owings Historical Society has put together. Glynda and Houston weren’t aware of this place, so we spent a good bit of time looking at the old cabins and farm implements and taking pictures of these.

Read More “Laurens County Photo Trek” »

Saluda Lake, Take Two

July 4, 2010 Tom 1 Comment

Local, Paddling, Photography

When Alan and I came out to Lake Saluda last week, I wasn’t feeling so hot. Well, actually, I was too hot – heat exhaustion plus a fever of over 100. Couple that with the fact that we missed the channel we were supposed to be taking, and it wasn’t an ideal trip. So, when Dave Freeland called and wanted a close paddling venue that would be good for his 13 year old son, Zach, I suggest heading back to Saluda.

We made our way back down Motor Boat Club Road to Saluda Landing. Personally, I would love to find some other access point. These guys charge per boat, so to launch our three kayaks was $15. I don’t mind paying a parking fee, but the per boat fee is a bit steep. However, they have a monopoly on lake access, and they know it.

We paddled out, then southward to avoid the silted spit, then turned upstream. This time we hugged the right channel toward the river, rather than being tempted by the more open water of the west arm of the lake.

Read More “Saluda Lake, Take Two” »

Chasing the Swamp Rabbit – Illegally

July 4, 2010 Tom 8 Comments

Local, Photography

It’s pretty bad with 85 degrees feels like a cooling trend. However, the humidity was down, and it didn’t feel as sweltering as the past several weeks have been. Laura and I had taken advantage of the nice weather to do some yard work in the morning, and in the afternoon we decided to take the bikes up to Furman and ride part of the Swamp Rabbit Trail.

We parked at the south end of the Furman section of the trail and headed north. This was the first time Laura had ridden the trail since it had been paved. However, the combination of earlier yard work and lack of recent cycling got to her. We made it about 2.5 miles before she decided it was time to head back.

I wasn’t done, though. I wanted to continue on down the trail toward Greenville. I particularly wanted to see parts of the trail I hadn’t traveled yet. I knew that the trail had been closed at the CSX railroad crossing, so I couldn’t make it all the way into town. My intent was to ride down to the barricades, turn around, and head back. Turns out I did two things I hadn’t intended – I made it all the way to Greenville, and I did it illegally.

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