Animals are another favorite subject of mine and I like images that bring a smile.  Included are my images of dogs wearing reading glasses, reading their favorite book.  However, alpacas are also a great subject.  Without props they bring a warmth to the moment.  Our good friends Jan and Cecilia have a farm with alpacas that are just natural born hams.

Jan & Cecilia say one of the best parts of having an alpaca farm is sharing. Every year they look forward to their Open Farm days when they invite the community to meet the crias and visit old alpaca friends.  This year the Open Farm is September 24 and 25, Saturday and Sunday.

At Wheatland Alpacas they have made a commitment to educate those new to the world of alpacas. They are hands-on owners who do the day-to-day care, management and training.  Breeding for temperament and conformation has been as high a priority as breeding for fiber quality. They take pride in knowing the alpacas personalities.  Prior to buying their first alpacas in 2003, they attended shows and handling workshops, read everything they could, visited farms, dreamt and planned for over 2 years. They feel honored by the confidence many local farms have in their ability to work with alpacas.  They are often called to help with birthing, shearing, and monitoring pregnant dams.

You are invited to visit Wheatland Alpacas at:

Jan Kruper & Cecilia McKean

www.AlpacaNation.com/wheatland.asp

2010 Stovall Road, Walla Walla, WA  99362     509 526-4847

Usually for animal images I use a tri-pod.  This works well for "studio" shots taken in my living room.  However, for outdoor shots, such as with the alpacas, I find a mono-pod works the best.  The mono-pod relieves the camera shake associated with hand holding while it is not be as restrictive as shooting from a tri-pod.  Mono-pods can be relatively inexpensive.   Mono-pods are also very good for shooting sports, especially youth sports.

The second hint for this type of shooting is to get the camera between chest and eye level of the subject in order to minimize the distorting caused my looking down at or looking up to the subject.  Also, I tend to use an ISO of about 400 with an f-stop between 5 and 8.  This tends to minimize the distracting detail in the backdrop and allow for a faster shutter speed.  Of course in the above case I used Photo Shop to isolate the alpaca and impose the animal upon a sky-like backdrop.

FALL STILL LIFE, J. FRANKLIN WILLIS

I taught a class in photography for children at the YMCA.  I expected kids in grade school, maybe middle school.  Surprise!!!  The kids were kindergarten to third grade.  Talk about changing plans on the spot.  I could just see these little guys and gals nodding off if I talked about technical stuff.  So the class became an activity.  We started by talking about composition.  Then we took field trips to a construction site, the near-by Whitman College campus and just outside the Y.  I was shocked at how much these little guys and gals took in and applied.  Their pictures were outstanding.  They applied the rule of thirds, leading lines and symmetrical compositions.  Most had simple point and shoot cameras that were automated so that they did not have to worry too much about f-stop, shutter speed or ISO.

We also spent a couple of sessions inside.

First, we worked on people shots.  The kids brought hats, over sized glasses, capes and whatever suited their fancy.  It was well worth any price of admission.

Second, we worked on still life (which is a sneaky way to work on composition).  I asked the students if they knew what "still life" was.  One little gal responded that it is when the stuff does not move.  I told them that that was true and, basically, you took some junk, placed it on a table and took pictures.  I brought several boxes of props (junk), plus some veggies.  Then one of the Y staff brought down a big bunch of colorful flowers.  I set up nice satin backdrops.  They shot away.  The results were most pleasing.  They asked a lot of questions about composition as they applied the basics.  I found that they were good for two to three set-ups.  After that it was time to run outside and play a little pick-up soccer.

Perhaps the most pleasant surprise was the comments of parents who said they were learning more about photography from their kids.  We also did an art show.  I printed up and mounted several images.  The images were displayed in our YMCA mini-gallery.  Folks kept saying the pictures were either taken by older kids or I had done a lot of Photo Shop work on them.  Both were false.  I would just point out the signatures on the pictures - you cannot fake the signature of a five to eight year olds.

It was great fun.

The still life above is mine.  It was taken with a maco lens at an f-stop of 16 and ISO of 200.  It is a tri-pod shot, with a cable release cord to control any camera shake.  The lighting is natural light coming in through an adjacent window.

Frosted Walla Walla Tall Barn and Wheat Stubble

digital painting

Frosted Tall Barn and Wheat Stubble

photograph

I like the creative power that comes with the computerized darkroom.  This "darkroom" allows me to reach beyond the limits of photography.  Some folks object, feeling that it is not legitimate unless a "painting" is created with canvas and brush.  I tend to reply to such comments that the first cave person who used color probably faced similar criticism.  Digital art is an art form.  I feel it is an excellent way for art students to learn by seeing how an image would appear given different techniques.  For the above image I took a photograph taken during a horror frost and processed it using Corel Painter 11.  I applied the palette knife brush.  The process took about eleven hours.

In our photographic competitions we have two classes in the Electronic Image category: Traditional and Creative.  In Traditional, typically, very little modification is done.  Sometimes the only modification is to crop the image so that it has better composition.  In Creative it is wide open and many digital tools are used.

Last weekend at the Walla Walla Farmers' Market I had a young couple who fell in love with one of my digital paintings.  They wanted to purchase the original "painting" and seemed very willing to pay a nice price.  It took awhile to explain that it was a digital painting and they were holding the "original".  They said they would have to think about it, but did not return.  On the digital paintings I think I need to make them all "limited editions" in order to enhance their marketability.  If I were a cheat I could have produced a print on canvas, signed it and called it an artist proof.  As long as I declared it a digital creation I guess that would not have been cheating.

Denali National Park River Crossing - Digital Art

One of the early summer days we were in Denali National Park included a snow storm and lots of subtle grey sky. Given I probably would not be back soon I went ahead and shot - and shot for HDR processing. This is an HDR that has been processed to black and white.  Once in the black and white image there are controls that allow one to bring color back into the image on a very controlled basis.  One can create an image that is like the old black and whites prints that were hand tinted with oil colors.  That look is what I attempted to achieve.

You Cannot Judge a Book by Its Cover

You cannot judge a book by its cover.  This holds true for theatres and the plays housed within.  This is the entrance to Walla Walla's Power House Theatre which is one of two stages for our Shakespeare Walla Walla events.  The building is 120 years old and once was part of the gas and electric system.   To-date the investment in the Power House Theatre has been made on the inside.  Come and enjoy Shakespeare.  Come and enjoy a variety of fine productions.  Next up is "Marilyn: Forever Blonde" starring Sunny Thompson which plays from October 19 to October 30, 2011.

While you are here you may want to enjoy our award winning wines and the many enchanting scenes found in our Walla Walla Valley.

Shakespeare Walla Walla

Shakespeare Walla Walla is a community effort.  This year we celebrated with the First Annual Walla Walla Summer Shakesphearian Festival covering two weeks on two stages featuring three plays with a total of 21 performances.  This year's plays included Swansong by Patrick Page,  Macbeth and The Comedy of Errors.  All were just excellent.  But it doesn't stop there.  Next up in the Power House Theatre is Marilyn: Forever Bonde starring Sunny Thompson.  Then Truman Capote's A Christmas Memory and The Tempest

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Next year we are looking forward to a three week festival featuring four plays, plus more plays in the Power House Theatre.

Why is it a community effort?  Well, it is not a government project - although I am sure we would accept grants with no political strings attached.  The community has raised the money and is, in my opinion as an economist and business analyst, spending it wisely.

Rather than establish a resident troupe Walla Walla Shakespeare brings in professionals from established troups.  "Our" Shakespeare plays have been performed by the Seattle Shakespeare Company.  During the performances the actors and staff stay with Walla Walla families.  Great friendships are being formed.  Also, the actors are active in our local schools.  The Walla Walla Shakespeare Education Program worked with 1,600 ninth and seventh graders in 57 local classrooms.  Walla Walla Shakespeare also collaborated with Walla Wall Parks and Recreation to add a Shakespeare Summer Camp for youth.

 The existing outdoor theatre at Fort Walla Walla is used for outdoor plays.  Then the 120 year-old Gas Plant/Powerhouse is in the on-going process of being converted to the Power House Theatre.  Both have been used sucessfully.  For the Power House Theatre the work to-date has been to bring the interior up to standard.  The Power House is very close in dimensions to the Blackfriars Playhouse which William Shakespeare and others purchased in 1608.  Unlike the public open amphitheaters the Blackfriars had a roof and catered to the wealthy.  A ticket cost 2d, double the cost of a ticket at the Globe.  We do not cater to the wealthy - our tickes are reasonably priced.

If you like Shakespeare, and other fine plays, think about Walla Walla.  While here you may want to do some wine tasting and fine dining.  Walla Walla features a number of premium wineries - almost all with tasting rooms.  Then there are the rural country roads where enchanting scenes wait to be caputed by your camera, pen or brush.

Of course if you are a supporter of the arts Walla Walla Shakespeare would be most happy to accept your support.  You may find out more about Shakespeare Walla Walla at www.shakespearewallawalla.org  or direct questions to info@shakespearewallawalla.org

Classic Red Barn in Winter

In and around Walla Walla barns provide a rich source of material.  It is difficult to travel down a Walla Walla Valley country road and not encounter picturesque scenes.  The challenge with taking pictures of  barns is to avoid the mug shot.  The solution is to employ classical composition in your image.  In the image above the "rule of thirds"composition has been applied.  To use the rule of thirds, divide your image into thirds both vertically and horizontally.  Note where the lines intersect, then place your subject at one of the intersections.  By doing so you have avoided the "mug" shot.  In this image the barn is located at the lower left intersection.  This allows the inclusion of the dramatic sky.  Since the cost of film and processing with digital cameras is zero, take a shot with the barn at each of the rule of thirds intersections.  If you are shooting with a zoom lens, such as the Nikon 18 to 200, zoom in and out on the barn.  Then pick the best shot.  If you are in the mode of high exploration, shoot bracketed series for HDR processing.

The rule of thirds is only one classical composition that may be applied to barns.  You might also try "leading lines" where some feature such as a road or stream leads up to the barn.  If there are elements of symmetry in the barn you might try placing the barn at dead center.  Find a barn and have fun experimenting.

Denali National Park Mountains Tinted HDR Black and White

One of the early summer days we were in Denali National Park included a snow storm and lots of subtle grey sky.  Given I probably would not be back soon I went ahead and shot  -  and shot for HDR processing.  This is an HDR that has been processed to black and white within my HDR software.  My new Photomatrix 4.1 software package not only provides a black and white option for processing, but once in the black and white image there are several slider controls that allow playing with the color saturation.  This allows one to bring color back into the image on a very controlled basis.  By playing with these sliders one can create an image that is like the old black and whites prints that were hand tinted with oil colors by artists.  Well, that look is what I attempted to achieve.

This is one of my favorite color shots - almost pure red.  It is a popular image that seems to be used as an accent in kitchens and dining areas.  The funniest thing about this image is folks ask me how long it took to arrange the raspberries.  I put my hands out as tough holding a tray of berries and make a shaking motion.  That is all I did, just dump the berries into a tray and shake them to level them out.

We have thorn less raspberries in the yard.  Our two-year old granddaughter loves to be outdoors and, like her Nana, loves to go barefoot.  This protects the berries from little hands because she cannot go on the barked area without shoes.  Well, the other day I am picking raspberries and she is out shoeless.  I looked over my shoulder and there she is at the side of the yard next to three little new blueberry plants.  She is leaning over happily picking and eating the berries.  I had to smile.  I had not told her "no pick" for those bushes so the berries were fair game.  She loves all the berries, which is such a good thing.  Beats candy treats.

Thinking of Food

I like doing food shots, especially when there are bright colors and subtle hues.  These shots were combined for a friend's kitchen.  At Farmers' Market the food shots, which feature the vivid colors of our Northwest berries and fruits, tend to be good sellers.

When I went up to Tri-Cities to the airport there was a long wait before Dot's flight arrived.  So I had a dinner salad and a cup of French Onion Soup at Red Robin.  It was very busy and I was a single at a small table against the wall.  Across from me was a family gathering with a two to three year old little girl with her back to me.  Well, this little girl became concerned that I was alone, had no food and was hungry.  After awhile she turned and offered me half her hamburger.  I told her thank you, but my food was coming.  She said they needed to hurry because I was by myself and hungry.  Red Robin was extremely busy, so good service was taking a little time.  Well, a little later she turned and offered me some French fries.  Again I said thank you and assured her my food was on its way.  Her Dad smiled and assured her that I would be OK.  Again, she lamented that they needed to hurry.  When my food came she turned and beamed.  I hope this little girl maintains her concern for others.  She certainly made my day.

Hot Summer Day at Ayres Landing

Ayre's Landing is at the very end of the road.  The road dead-ends at the Snake River where there is a railroad repair facility.  The facility includes the shops and a few occupied houses.  Then there are abandoned buildings like the one pictured.  This is an HDR image where bracketed images are combined to recover the details in the shadows and highlights.

On another note, I was picking edible pod peas in our garden today.  I kept hearing crunch, crunch, crunch.  I looked down and there was Riley, our West Highland White Terrier, picking the peas off the lower branches.  He only discovered the peas last week when our two-year old granddaughter gave him a couple.  Oh well, next year I will have to "fence" that little raised bed.  Riley really liked the peas and was feasting.  Our granddaughter likes the peas within the pods.  Thus, she will extract the peas and then give Riley the pod.

At least there is no waste.