Hello to all you "chatAlaska" bloggers. I have been away from the blogging for a while, sorry, but I'll try to fill you in on whats been doing here in Massachusetts. I recently started working at Michaels.Inc (a craft and supply store) in the Framing Dept. for a steady cash flow. The Photography Business is still being pushed. The R.I. project is done and has been delivered to the client, Sodexo, a French Managment Company. They liked the work very much and I have landed another job for them doing portraitures for their managers. I also did some physical training so I could go on the hike I tried last year, where I dropped my camera in the stream. The infomaus Falling Waters Trail hike. The hike assends Mt. Haystack from 1400' to the summit of 4927', crosses along 3 miles of the Appliatian Trail over Mt. Liberty, then to Mt.Lafayette at 5240'. Once there you decend back to base camp. The whole route is 9 miles and is quite rugged. The weather was supposed to be partly cloudy, and it was lloking good as I started the trek, but turned for the worst, f cousres it would! Well, when I reached the summit of Mt. Haystack, I was in the Alpine zone, there was frost on the pine trees as I assended. It was blowing 40 mpg gust a sleet snow mix, that stung when hi in the face. Ok, now it is 27 degress, I'm 3.9 miles from the base and I am soaked in sweat, carrying 41 Ibs of gear, a cammera, 2 lens, extra batteries, food, and cloth, and of course saftey equipment should I get lost. Now what. I was prepared. I striped down and changed my t-shirt, henley, added a jacket, cap and mittens. Now, I was glad I brought them! The crossing over to Mt.Lafayette was 3.1 miles and in sleet and snow, I could, see on either side of the Mountains...a total loss as photography was concerned. In retropect, I wish I had taken some images of the trail. So all in all, I made it back down, as if you could tell by my writing all this now. It was a great trip. There is a small funny story here too. While treking across the Franconia Notch Trail, (Mt. Haystack summit to Mt. Lafayett summit), I was feeling the pain. More like exhaustion, but we were going along at a good clip, and it was a point where I was told that we were about a 1/2 hour away from Mt. Lafayette. I demanded that we stop so I could rest and eat something, so we got behind this group of rocks and stopped. My partner was getting cold after 15 min so we took off again. Now remember that we ar 30 min out from Mt. Lafayette and my legs ate toasted by now. So when we come around from those rocks, there was the sign post that we were already there. Boy was I a happy guy! So thats my story and I'm sticking to it. I hope to post again soon, if not, feel free to drop me a line. Sincerely, your friend, Scott Dowd

Well, not really a cruise to nowhere.

Peg and I will be leaving shortly for a short 1 week cruise out of Miami out to the great blue ocean. Hopefuuly setting sail for the Eastern Caribbian islands for some R&R. While is is here vacation, since Alaska was mine, I will not be lugging any of my camera gear along...this is ok since the camera like the lens before it is out for repair.

But not to fret my image mongering co-bloggers, I will be using Pegs P&S Canon fit in your pocket and go wondering where the unexpecting may lurk. So I will bring you all back some suprising stuff back...hopefully proving that it is not the camera the takes the perfect picture, yet yours truely, the mistro of pixels. you gess it...digital no film.

Alass laddies, until our ship comes in, bon voyage!

P.S. Peggy took this picture in St. Maartin a couple years ago.

Peg and I when to the Boston Car Show, and I took this image of a Dodge Challenger Concept Car.

 

If I could pick one of the hardest subjects to discuss, this surely right up there with what F-stop should I used on a cloudy day.  It is one of those topics that everyone has an opinion, and I would like to hear yours.

I have, like everybode who ever picked up a camera, "asked how do I make a great image".   And the most useless advise I got was just keep taking a lot of pictures,  Or I thought that it was a useless answer by someone who could not or would not tell me!

Boy was I wrong...It was actually the best advise I ever got, I just didn't know it.  I also can add another piece of advise, If you can keep looking at an image, even weeks or month later, than it is a great image.

So, lets get back to Composition.  Composition is no more that the placement of your subject/s within the boundries of you image.  Ok, so that may be to simple, but take it from me...simple is a great place to start.

Photography has as many rules as there are in working at the IRS, but they all can be broken without going to jail.  The most popular rule...as it applies to composition is the "Rule of Thirds".  This is actually easy!  Ever play Tic-Tac-Toe? ok...take those sale lines and put them over your view finder, (figuratively, of course).

See how the horizon is not in the middle of the frame?  It is 2 thirds up from the bottom.  Note that the pine tree is also to the left of center and the ground, (in dark shadow), in in the lower portion of the frame.  This is an example of the "Rule of thirds".  Can you see in the other images were the "Rule of Thirds" is being applied?  Can you tell which images wger the Rule is being totally ignored?

That is one aspect of composition.  There is also the elements within the image and their orientation to one another , and how they interact.

Leading lines can be diagonal, vertical, and horizontal, sharp or out of focus, or even blurry.  These all have an effect on the story that your trying to tell in your image. But this is a nother story, or should I say "Blog"

Give the "rule of Thirds" a try and see where it works and where it does not.  And just remember to keep shooting. Thats what I do and it works.

 

Sincerely,

Scott Dowd

Scott Dowd Photography

Hello, and welcome to this introduction.  As you have may already read a little about me, that is all there is to know.

 I hope that you have fun and that we get a chance to chat.  See ya around.

 Scott