Fun at the Berks County Photographic Conference
I just returned home from my first time presenting at the Berks County Photographic Conference in Kutztown, Pennsylvania which was an awesome experience on many levels. It is always great to be able to share one’s knowledge and experience with like-minded individuals. My presentations were on photographing abandoned buildings and iPhoneography.
Also rewarding was getting to hear the other presenters and meeting so many interesting people, several of whom I can now count as new friends. The icing on the cake, however, was being in a very special and beautiful place armed with a camera and new knowledge.
In the Shadow of the Pinnacle
My original plan on this particular evening was to photograph the sunset from one of the overlooks at the Hawk Mountain Sanctuary. However, as I was driving, the rolling landscape just overwhelmed me. Then I saw the Pinnacle. The Pinnacle is the mountain in the upper left hand side of this photograph. The overlook on top of this mountain is one of my favorite places to hike to. I’ve photographed this scene many times from that overlook. It was a neat experience to be able to look at it from the other direction, providing a new perspective.
Rural Pennsylvania Sunset by Richard Lewis 2016
Lessons in Composition
Next I found this old barn. I’ve always had a hard time photographing simple subjects like this, so I decided it was a chance to utilize some of my new skills. A big lesson learned at this conference was not to look at simple scenes too simplistically. There is a lot involved in composing an image like this and it was fun to figure it out using such a beautiful structure.
Old Barn Near Kutztown Pennsylvania by Richard Lewis 2016
Some thoughts on the composition of this photograph.
- Simple scenes should have simple color schemes, in this case the main colors are limited to Red, Blue and Green.
- To accent those 3 main colors, the stone wall was lightened slightly while the painted wood and foliage was darkened just a little bit in Photoshop.
- Odd numbers of elements make good compositions and this photograph has 3 wooden elements, 3 main colors and even 3 vines creeping up the stone wall.
- Balance in an image is important. Here the right side of the stone wall might knock the image slightly off balance but the clump of plants and the 3 vines tend compensate for that.
For me photography is a lone pursuit. I love being by myself while getting lost in the subject my lens is pointed at. As a result, my instincts are to shy away from large groups of photographers. However, learning is important, so it is good to be able to learn, network and have some fun with other photographers once in a while.
Enjoy
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LOL… your last thought “once in a while”!!!! What’s funny, is after getting to know you, we are very similar creatures. We would go out of our way to help or guide another photographer… but… there is something about getting lost behind the lens that puts me in that special place. Two very contrasting pics to illustrate your post… perfecto!!!!
Thanks, as always, for your comment Mike. I was thinking of you when I wrote that line because I know we are both ones to enjoy the special solitude of engaging with the subjects of our photo shoots.
Nice work and commentary, Rich. An interesting contrast of subject matter as well. Put me on the loner list as well; with others there seems to be a sense of not wanting to hold them up while awaiting inspiration, or not shooting the same scenes as others. Yet some of my happiest memories are of the laughs and fellowship (ladies, too, but no single word for both) at e.g. the Catskills or Chincoteague
Thanks Ralph. I am becoming more and more aware of the fun it is to be with other photographers sharing laughs, tips and stories. We should plan a field trip where everyone goes somewhere different during the day and we meet afterwards.
Rich, We’ve been going to Berks for year’s and have enjoyed the experience of being with other photographers and being in the beautiful area. Hope to see you there next year. Also thanks for sharing your two programs, they were great.
Ken, it was an enjoyable experience and I hope they invite me back again next year. I’m very glad you enjoyed my presentations. It’s nice to have an event like this in such a beautiful area.
Great post Rich! I like how you dissected the simple photograph, analyzing why it works so well. I am always looking for more intimate scenes and subjects as they tend to be more unique. And, I have to agree that I do prefer photographing alone and think it is when I do my best work. Sometimes that gets a little lonely though and photographing with others is a fun change of pace.
Thanks, as always Denise, I appreciate your comments very much. I do agree that having others around isn’t a bad thing when photographing, as long as I can lose myself in that zone we all love to be in, it’s good to have someone to hang around with when the zone ends.
Rich, I truly enjoyed reading this post. The photography was great as were you comments. I look forward to reading more posts in the future. (Another one is in my inbox now.)
Thanks Ken, I’m glad you enjoyed this post, both the words and the images.