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~ Traveler / Artist / Photographer / Observer

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Category Archives: Photography

Back on Earth

03 Saturday Jan 2015

Posted by Susana Weber in Africa, Photography, Travel, Travel ~ Photography/Art/Food/Culture

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Africa, animals, culture, earth, inspiration, intensity, landscape, learning, nature, Ngorogoro Crater, outdoors, safari, sky, special place, Tanzania, travel

Hovering just above the red earth…

trying not to touch the ground.

What is this magic place?

No, no… don’t tell me.

I really don’t want to know.

I just want to stay a little longer. 

Ngorogoro Crater Conservation Area

Ngorongoro Crater Conservation Area

The earth and sky touch each other in a different way. There is a primitive look to the way the clouds hang at the edges before they curl over and flow gracefully on their way across the 20 miles of open space. They move in slow motion, unable to break through an invisible ceiling that prevents them from spilling onto the floor of the crater. Like an enormous stage set for a grand performance, the curtains have gone up and we’re speechless at the prelude.

Taking a break from the studio, family obligations and the daily routine of “life at home” we’ve ventured off to see what there is to see in Africa… well… in Tanzania, anyway. Some other parts of Africa are having their medical and/or political issues… but… Africa is a very big place… a very big continent, actually. And Tanzania has something we’ve been longing to see… very large spaces of unspoiled land where animals roam without barriers. These areas are protected. Access to humans is controlled but, poaching does occur sometimes. The animals are free to go where they want and some do migrate in and out of the parks and conservation areas. Some stay within the relative safety of the controlled parks. I say ‘relative’ because predators are everywhere and few species are spared being the prey of lions, leopards, cheetahs, wild dogs, eagles and others. Some animals are food for others and nothing is wasted… everything nourishes the cycle of life in this amazing place.

Alternatively… you could

26 Friday Jul 2013

Posted by Susana Weber in Photography, Travel, Travel ~ Photography/Art/Food/Culture, Uncategorized

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Tags

clouds, finding beauty, inspiration, Italy, monuments, photography, rain, Rome, travel, wet streets

Puddle Pidgeon

… just wallow in the soggyness of a day filled with angry skies and downpours. There is no use wasting the day. Put on those wellies, put the camera in a plastic bag to protect those vital electronics and go forth and find the beauty in the day. It’s out there… just go find it!

What to do -12

In the Spanish Piazza… Ave Gratia Plena, Dominvs Tecvm, Benedicta Tv In Mvlieribvs… Once a year, firefighters scale the monument on the Feast day and offer fresh flowers.

The rain provides a reflection that is otherwise not there... and an opportunity to capture the forms without the crowds.

The rain provides a reflection that is otherwise not there… and an opportunity to capture the forms without the crowds.

Stop and warm your hands over the chestnut vendor's roaster near the Trevi Fountain.

Stop and warm your hands over the chestnut vendor’s roaster near the Trevi Fountain.

What to do…

23 Tuesday Jul 2013

Posted by Susana Weber in Photography, Travel, Travel ~ Photography/Art/Food/Culture, Uncategorized

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Italy, people watching, rainy day, Rome, street photography, travel, vacation

… on a miserably rainy morning in the Eternal City… and you want to be out walking around seeing things and absorbing all there is to see and do in a magnificent capital city like Rome. What do you do? You go out and do all of that… and take your camera with you to record what other people are doing out on a rainy morning! What else?

Catch up on your email on the Spanish Steps.

Catch up on your email on the Spanish Steps.

Enjoy getting your picture taken.

Enjoy getting your picture taken… sorta.

Rest your feet and hope nobody takes your picture with this silly orange poncho on.

Rest your feet and hope nobody takes your picture with this silly orange poncho on.

 

Ask young beautiful girls to take your picture.

Ask young beautiful girls to take your picture… it works sometimes.

Stay inside and check out who didn't show up for duty.

Stay inside and check out who didn’t show up for duty.

Try to ignore your jet-lag as long as possi..b..zzzzzz

Try to ignore your jet-lag as long as possi..b..zzzzzz

Make a note to self to pack your own suitcase.

Make a note to self to pack your own suitcase.

Forget about the puddles... it's just a dress.

Forget about the puddles… it’s just a dress.

Sit down, eat gelato, meet new people and talk to everyone.

Sit down, eat gelato, meet new people and talk to everyone.

Is there more? Oh yes… later… Ciao

BTW… from the FREE Dictionary

Word History: Ciao first appears in English in 1929 in Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms, which is set in northeast Italy during World War I. It is likely that this is where Hemingway learned the word, for ciau in Venetian dialect means “servant, slave,” and, as a casual greeting, “I am your servant.” Ciau corresponds to standard Italian schiavo; both words come from Medieval Latin sclavus, “slave.” A similar development took place with servus, the Classical Latin word for “slave,” in southern Germany, Austria, Hungary, and Poland, where servus is used as a casual greeting like ciao. At the opposite end of the world, in Southeast Asia, one even sees words meaning “slave” or “your slave” that have developed into pronouns of the first person, again to indicate respect and humility.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved

A Restoration Story

22 Monday Jul 2013

Posted by Susana Weber in Image Post Processing, Photography

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Tags

mementos, memories, photo editing, photo preservation, photo restoration, photography, Photoshop

A friend asked me to help her with a photo of her father and his mother that was cherished but in very poor condition. The photo had been printed long ago from a transparency and had faded in its frame to the point where the faces had become dark shadows and bright blobs. In addition, the top of her father’s uniform hat had been cut off and she asked if it could be put back on. After a little Google research on Marine uniforms, I was able to affect a reasonable improvement of the photo but… I’d wondered if they could find the original negative or slide. I was sure I would get more “information” in a good scan of whatever original they could find. Here’s the photo from the frame and the temporary fix… still very poor.

Scanned print from a framed snapshot.

Scanned print from a framed snapshot.

 

A little bit better but not by much. At least I was able to complete his hat!

A little bit better but not by much. At least I was able to complete his hat!

Huzzah! My friend’s father came up with an original slide transparency of the photo. I was hoping that the original had the rest of the hat… that whoever printed it had just cropped it badly… but… NO, it was taken that way in the camera. The good news was it was not scratched nor overexposed, so… there was lots of information in the image and little spotting to do.

Lots of color and detail in the old slide but... still had the hat cut off.

Lots of color and detail in the old slide but… still had the hat cut off.

This time the detail had to be there when I repainted the top of the uniform hat. A few color blobs wouldn’t do the job. With a bit of Adobe Lightroom adjustments and Photoshop the faces came out of the shadows which is the whole point of an image like this… a cherished memento from a happy time with a loved one from a long time ago. The details are what makes the experience of being transported back to that moment.

 

Restoration.

Restoration.

Did I get it right? I don’t know yet. My friend is happy with the results but I want to hear from her father. Is the day right? The light? Can he feel the pressure of his mother’s white gloved hand on his arm? Does he remember pinning on her corsage… or watching her face as she pinned it? Does he remember feeling the pride that is so obvious in the expression on her face?

I hope the new print will bring back wonderful memories for a very long time.

Aftermath…

17 Sunday Feb 2013

Posted by Susana Weber in Abstract Macro Photography, Art, Nature, Photography, Uncategorized

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

abstract, art, hidden picture, macro, macro photo, nature, Nemo, outdoors, photography, sfterwards, snow, snowstorm, texture

Storm

Winter storm Nemo is just getting started at 7:30 on a Friday evening in New England.

A winter storm in New England… a Nor’easter as well, with its spiraling bands of snow overhead and gale winds whipping the tides… sigh. An all too familiar set of circumstances here. We deal… that’s what we do. It’s inconvenient at best, a true pain if the power is out for any substantial length of time… but for once, in the case of Nemo, we all seemed more than ready for the work it takes to move it all out of the way so life could go one… just go on for goodness sake. We endure…
it’s what we do. Afterwards… it’s a different world for those of us who like to look really, really close.

Even before it's over...

Even before it’s over…

The garden doesn’t see to mind the new white blanket.

Shadows and light in the aftermath of the storm...

Shadows and light in the aftermath of the storm…

... play tricks on the eye and mind.

… play tricks on the eye and mind.

And familiar things in the world look different… look like other things even… a man sitting watching birds, or a graphic ocean wave from a Japanese woodblock print.

A red-tail hawk on my kitchen window.

A red-tail hawk on my kitchen window.

Storm surge in miniature in the corner of the window.

Storm surge in miniature in a frosted corner.

February evening light

14 Thursday Feb 2013

Posted by Susana Weber in Photography, Uncategorized

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

bridges, ice floes, landscape photography, nature, New England, outdoors, photography, winter

It’s been much longer than I intended to be away from this blog… but, intensions are are strange things. They are like promises nagging to be kept and I’ve decided to keep this promise to myself and resume this blog tonight with a simple evening tale.

Bridges across the Merrimack

Old and future new bridges span the Merrimack River

There’s an old metal bridge across the Merrimack River in Massachusetts… downriver from the towns of Haverhill and Lawrence and Lowell and a dozen other old mill towns whose power source was the river itself. The old Bates Bridge is being replaced by a new concrete structure and an arched design of the kind that says ‘modern’ and ‘up-to-date’ in the same way that the old flat metal design says ‘out-dated’… it’s faded green paint and growing rust a temptation for macro-grunge lovers like me. I was hoping to get to the bridge sooner but it was after 4 in the afternoon and the dark shadows of a winter’s afternoon are not the best time for that kind of photography.

The ice breaker on the river.

The ice breaker on the river.

So, as I drove away along the south side of the river, I noticed that the river was clogged with ice from the recent cold temperatures and covered with the heavy snowfall of the weekend ‘Nemo’ storm. I stopped to capture an image or two of the ice and the construction site under the two side by side bridges. I began to wonder if the amount of ice and the forces it could bear on the barges holding 3 enormous cranes for the construction companies could be a potential problem… when a strange craft came from under the bridges and proceded to push the ice around. As it did, the floes drifted away from the big ice pack and floated harmlessly down the river past the barges. An Ice-breaker! Round and round it went clearing the ice from the river while comuters traveled across the old Bates Bridge north and south… home from work to Haverhill or Groveland on either side… oblivious to the work going on below on the river.

The ice yields to this quiet but forceful pressure.

The ice yields to this quiet but forceful pressure.

The open river but for ice near the shores.

The open river but for ice near the shores.

It was so quiet from where I stood. Only the sound of the boat to break the stillness of a quiet New England scene. In the opposite direction… a promise of a sunset to come… but, I couldn’t wait. Another time, another sunset on the Merrimack.

Looking upriver, the scene is shadowed by the anticipated sunset.

Looking upriver, the scene is shadowed by the anticipated sunset.

Walking on Main Street

01 Thursday Nov 2012

Posted by Susana Weber in Abstract Macro Photography, Art, History, Photography, Uncategorized

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

accidental image, accidental images, barn, color, fall color, fall leaves, flag, grunge, heart, hearts, hidden picture, houses, landscape, leaves, macro photo, outdoors, peeling paint, photo walk, photography, porch, special place, texture, us flag, walk

We walked on Main Street in Georgetown, Massachusetts… Jack and me, crunching our way through the piles of color and texture, our heads down against a steady breeze. Not because of some extreme temperature that need be endured… but to shield our eyes from the low and exceptionally bright Fall sun. We walked away from the center of town along the busy street, trucks rumpling by every few seconds… until the sidewalk ended, then turned and walk toward town on the other side of the street. We’re making good time when… a car stops and two young girls, visitors from Germany inquire about where they can find a MacDonald’s or a Starbucks. They aren’t looking for a fast food meal or overpriced coffee… but a WiFi zone so they can communicate with their families and friends… relate the details of their trip… reassure their parents that they haven’t kidnapped here in Massachusetts. So on we go. Main Street, we discover is all about texture and color today! I’m trying to take pictures of what I’ve found and Jack is all about getting back to the pet store we discovered on our way. There’s a treat waiting for him, he’s pretty sure.

Here’s what we found on a little portion of Main Street…

Color… of course… it’s Fall in New England. It’s what we have! With the tropical storm ‘Sandy’ approaching, there will be little color left when she’s gone!

Shadows on a red barn. The low sun at this time of year is interesting… creating patterns on everything.

Texture!! Can you even tell what it is? There’s another with a different pattern…

Believe it or not… this is from a front door. Paint peeling off a door on a house built in 1810. It’s unoccupied and probably for sale. Any one interested?

An American porch… without a doubt. The glow on the ceiling is a bounce from all the yellow leaves in the yard. I wanted to sit and watch the day go by.

Primary colors… gone too soon, to be sure.

One of my friendly tree people. This one seems a little anxious about the coming storm… excitable but harmless. :)

The white shade… A composition in angles and lines. This historic house, the Adams Clark House, is striking in that a corner of the house is almost directly on the street. A personal favorite from the days walk. Look how all the lines and shapes lead the eye to the center of the photo and the brightest spot… the shade.

An accidental heart… they find me everywhere… this one in the peeling paint of a neglected fence.

You’ve Got Mail… I couldn’t help smiling at the irony of talking with the girls from Germany communicating half a world distance from their families while we stood in front of this “LETTERS” slot on an ancient door. How long would someone have waited for a simple letter from a loved one to slip through this portal with the “latest” news?… not that long ago.

Leading the eye…

26 Friday Oct 2012

Posted by Susana Weber in Art, Image Post Processing, Learning, Nature, Photography, Uncategorized

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Tags

arts, clouds, composition, cropping, inspiration, landscape, leading the eye, learning, nature, outdoors, photography, special place, sunset

I noticed something odd while I was editing a few recent images that I found interesting and thought I’d share… We’ve had some spectacular “cloudshows” lately and I stopped to capture one in the parking lot of my local grocery store. I liked the angle of the cloud formation and the overhead, umbrella of the massive formation on the left. While looking at it on the screen, I made a duplicate copy to try a different crop so I could look at them side by side. The two images aren’t that different but… it occurred to me that I was looking at images with two different subjects!

cropped version

In the cropped version above, the eye is moving down the dark column on the left and finally rests on the bright sun in the sunset at the bottom. To me, the subject  of this image is the sunset, the color and drama in the distance.

original version

In the original, it’s just the opposite… the eye is drawn down the thin clouds from the right and back up to the bright spot at the top. The eye is being lead in a completely different direction. (See the black and white images with the arrows.) The subject of this version of the image is the overwhelming scale of the scene, the height of the column of clouds, aided by the bright edge at the top and the tiny light poles at the bottom. A completely different feel. The actual sunset is secondary.

I’ve never seen as dramatic an example of the effects of knowing where the eye is being led and how much a simple edit can change the subject of an image. It’s important to know where the viewer’s eye is going in the composition of an image. You want the viewer to see what you see… to experience the impact of the scene as you did… or at least as close as you can assist them to see and feel.

Which image conveys what I wanted you to see? I’d have to pick the original. While I cropped the duplicate to make it a stronger composition, I lost the subject I wanted to present… the scale and feeling of being a tiny being on a beautiful planet… a very special place, even in the grocery store parking lot! :)

Agree? or Disagree? Your thoughts?

Walking up North Street

25 Thursday Oct 2012

Posted by Susana Weber in Learning, Nature, Photography, Uncategorized

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

abandoned house, accidental images, American flag, bark, bittersweet, blue sky, decorations, dog, faces, fall color, fall leaves, flag, found things, hidden pictures, house, jack, peeling paint, photography, poodle, stars and stripes, trees, walk, wreaths

On fine Autumn days like this we like to walk. Jack is the perfect excuse to walk and does so nicely for a 10 month old puppy, greeting people on the street without jumping and patient about being fussed over. Jack has one agenda during our walks and I have another. His is to smell anything and everything… and mine is to find something to capture in my camera. I don’t look for anything specific… just record what I find. Here’s what we found on our walk up North Street in Georgetown, Massachusetts: a spooky house, a ghost in a tree, several trees with faces, fall leaves, a dog in a birch tree, a flag in the breeze… among other things…

Shadow composition with red hydrant.

Ghost in the tree… a spooky figure in a hooded robe.

A spooky house appears abandoned… but, getting closer showed…

… a colorful object in the window suggests an unlikely resident.

A tree with a face.

A bittersweet wreath in the shadows.

A tree with a number of faces… a large one at the bottom looking left with a puffy cheek… a small face just below and to the right of the large one… a profile on the right side of the trunk (by the white cloud). At the top there appears to be a man standing with arms outstretched.

The beauty of the day reflecting in the water of a creek on North Street.

The true colors of fall leaves are revealed!

The most amazing found object… a complete dog in the bark of a birch tree.

Only days from an election… the American flags are everywhere.

Jack agrees that there are good smells on North Street. We’ll be back. :)

The Accidental Artist

08 Monday Oct 2012

Posted by Susana Weber in Abstract Macro Photography, Art, Photography, Uncategorized

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abstract, accidental image, art, caribbean blues, close up, country life, decay, grunge, hidden picture, home, local characters, macro, macro photo, painting, peeling paint, photography, texture

The Rusty’s Truck Series

My friend Rusty comes over and hunts out in the woods… during bow season in the fall. When he’s not doing that… or hanging out at the local village store/coffee shop/post office in our little town with the other “guys in pick-up trucks”… he’s up on somebody’s roof. Rusty is an excellent roofer and his truck can be seen in all the best driveways around town.

Strange Sun

Strange Sun – Rusty’s truck series

A few weeks ago, his truck was parked in our driveway… along with a few others as we got some house and yard projects taken care of. Rusty was here putting up staging on the roof for our local house painter. His truck and all his ‘roofin’ stuff was parked under my studio window. I stood staring down at years and years worth of worn wood and metal and paint and welding and rust, and grunge and… well, I just had to record some of all that amazing beauty that was right under my nose… literally!!

Untitled 1

Untitled 1 – Rusty’s truck series

After some friendly teasing about about my taking pictures of his creative welding techniques and a few examples of what I was capturing from the back of the camera preview screen… he was pointing out areas that might be good subjects for a shot. Soon, both he and the house painter were directing my efforts, offering drop cloths and paint buckets as possible subjects.

So… even my friend Rusty is an artist and he doesn’t know it! I hope he enjoys the gallery of images from the “Rusty’s Truck” series.

Carib Sunset ~ Rusty's truck series

Carib Sunset – Rusty’s truck series

Surfs Edge – Rusty’s truck series

Untitled 2

Untitled 2 – Rusty’s truck series

Deep View

Deep View – Rusty’s truck series

A-B-N

A-B-N – Rusty’s truck series

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