Michael Levy Fine Art Photo Decor

Timing is everything

2012-02-03T15:05:00.000-08:00

I disembarked from the Whidbey Island ferry with my point-and-shoot camera yesterday afternoon, just in time to run over to the nearby lighthouse and catch the last rays of sunlight before the sun disappeared behind the Olympic Mountains on the other side of Puget Sound. A compelling photograph often relies (among other things) on being in the right place at the right time with the right light. More often than not, conditions conspire against us, but in this case everything came together nicely: the right time of day, the sun briefly poking through a cloud bank to illuminate the lighthouse, lovely cloud patterns in the sky above, and waiting to snap the photo at the moment when the departing ferry was between the lighthouse and the edge of the frame. Click on the photo for a larger view.

Mukilteo Light, Mukilteo, Washington
Samsung EX1, f/3.1 @24mm, ISO 80

Return of the crescent moon

2012-01-27T11:58:00.000-08:00

The moon has returned to the early evening sky, and this landscape (if you want to call it a landscape) is a bit unusual in that it does not record any specifically identifiable place. Its location and mood is left to the imagination of the viewer. Click on the image for a larger view.

Birds under a waxing crescent moon

Another "secret" Seattle shooting location, Bhy Kracke

2011-12-20T18:29:00.000-08:00

Well, it was a secret to me anyway, and I would guess that there are quite a few other locals who aren't aware of it either. This is the view from Bhy Kracke (that's right--Bhy Kracke) Park in the Seattle neighborhood of Queen Anne. Thanks to Alex Vitruk for pointing it out to me. Click on the image for a larger view.

Seattle skyline and Space Needle as seen from Bhy Kracke Park
3-frame panorama, Canon 450D w/Tamron 17-50mm lens @50mm, f/8

Lunar eclipse over Seattle

2011-12-11T23:01:00.000-08:00

If you were up well before sunrise on Saturday, you may have noticed that someone had taken a bite out of the full moon. This total lunar eclipse was caused by the moon moving into (and later out of) the earth's shadow. When the moon was fully immersed in the darkest part of the shadow, the earth's atmosphere acted as sort of dirty lens, which directed a bit of reddish sunlight onto the moon's face. Below is a time-lapse composite photo showing the first half of the eclipse, with the moon heading towards the western horizon and progressively moving into the earth's shadow.

For a better view, click anywhere on the image.

Total lunar eclipse over Seattle

Backyard wildlife

2011-10-27T21:05:00.000-07:00

Barred owls are not uncommon in my Seattle neighborhood, but they are often hidden among the trees, although their vocalizations are clear and unmistakable. This one was particularly cooperative however, by perching on a branch the location of which offered no obstructions to my line of sight. I had to travel no farther than the back deck of my house to get this photo.

Barred owl
Canon 450D w/Spiratone 400mm lens

Crescent moon over Birch Bay

2011-09-03T11:18:00.000-07:00

Birch Bay, in the far northwest corner of Washington state, is actually farther north than some parts of Canada. In the distance, you can see some of the Canadian Gulf Islands. This image is a composite of two exposures of the same scene: a short one for the moon and sky, and a much longer one for the water, with the water's movement blurring the surface to a silk-like texture. Click on the image to see a larger version.

Crescent moon over Birch Bay and Gulf Islands
Canon 450D w/Tamron 17-50mm lens @41mm

Early morning, late snow on Mt. Rainier

2011-07-27T11:51:00.000-07:00

Unusually cool weather in the Pacific Northwest has delayed the snowmelt on the flanks of Mt. Rainier (a.k.a. Mt. Tahoma). I left home in Seattle at 3am, only to find both upper and lower Tipsoo Lakes still covered in snow. Still, the sunrise was lovely.

Sunrise on Mt. Rainier, looking out over lower Tipsoo Lake
Canon 450D w/Tamron 17-50mm lens @33mm

The lure of the lighthouse

2011-06-23T14:53:00.000-07:00

Lighthouses are a favorite subject of photographers, and I'm no exception. Even though I've photographed this lighthouse before (click here to see an earlier image), the ever-changing seasons and weather always open up fresh possibilities. Click on the image for a larger view.

West Point Lighthouse, Discovery Park, Seattle
Canon 450D w/Tamron 17-50mm lens@41mm

A uniquely scenic, but little-known place

2011-06-10T16:36:00.000-07:00

In a corner of eastern Washington state, spilling over into Idaho, is the wheat-farming area known as the Palouse. This relatively unknown area of rolling hills covers hundreds, if not thousands, of square miles, and is a delight to the photographer. I recently spent a few days there, and the photos below give a taste of what the region is like. Click on the images for a larger view.

Wheat fields and grain elevator, Palouse region, Washington state
Canon 450D w/Canon 400mm lens

Lonely barn, Palouse region, Washington state
Canon 450D w/Canon 400mm lens

Old barn in early morning light, Palouse region, Washington state
Canon 450D w/Canon 70-200mm lens @91mm

Wheat fields, Palouse region of Washington state
Canon 450D w/Canon 70-200mm lens @200mm

Another "secret" vantage point

2011-06-06T10:12:00.000-07:00

A less well-known shooting location in Seattle is to be found at the water tower in Volunteer Park. It's a little tricky to shoot through the protective steel grate that covers the openings, but it is possible. Wherever you live, you may also be able to find "secret" locations from which you may obtain compelling, alternate views of commonly photographed sights. Click on the image for a larger version.

Crescent moon over Puget Sound, Seattle, Washington
Canon 450D w/Canon 70-200mm lens @200mm

Skagit Valley tulips

2011-05-01T19:59:00.000-07:00

April is tulip time here in Washington state, and my friend Mahesh and I left Seattle at 4:30am on a recent morning to catch the sunrise over the tulip fields in the Skagit Valley.

Misty Sunrise Over Skagit Valley Tulip Field, Canon 450D w/Tamron 17-50mm lens @26mm

An ancient city cast in stone

2011-04-24T13:18:00.000-07:00

I recently returned from a trip to the Middle East, including a visit to Petra, Jordan, the ancient Nabataean city hewn and chiseled out of the solid rock cliffs. Although wind, rain, and mother nature have taken their toll over the centuries, the city is still an amazing sight. Here are a few images from this awe-inspiring place.

Tomb with a View, Petra, Jordan
Canon 60D w/Tamron 17-50mm lens @25mm

High Place of Sacrifice, Petra, Jordan
Canon 60D w/Tamron 11-16mm lens @ 11mm

Covered Parking, Petra, Jordan
Canon 60D w/Tamron 17-50mm lens @50mm

El Khazneh (The Treasury), Petra, Jordan
Canon 60D, Tamron 17-50mm lens @35mm

It pays to get more than one opinion on the weather...

2011-03-13T22:55:00.000-07:00

My friend Mahesh called me up late in the afternoon on a recent dismally overcast day and said, "The weather report says there'll be a break in the clouds around sunset and we may be able to get some good light." I looked on the internet, and my weather report predicted solid overcast skies for the foreseeable future. Although still perfectly cloudy outside, we hopped in the car anyway and headed for the Magnolia area of Seattle, where there's a marina at the base of the bluffs. His weather report was better than mine, as you may see in the photo below. Click on the image for a larger view.

Stormy Sunset Over Elliot Bay, Marina at Smith Cove , Seattle
Canon 450D w/ Tamron 17-50mm lens @17mm

A real-life Hogwarts

2011-03-11T23:19:00.000-08:00

Well, not exactly. The tables have been turned around for one thing. But doesn't this stunning Gothic-style setting at the University of Washington in Seattle remind you of the main hall of Harry Potter's Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry? Click on the images for a larger view.

Suzzallo Library Reading Room, University of Washington, Sony a55 w/ Sigma 8-16mm lens @ 8mm

Suzzallo Library, University of Washington, Sony a55 w'Sigma 8-16mm lens @8mm

Sunset at Picnic Point

2011-03-06T20:41:00.000-08:00

I'm always looking for "secret" locations in my local (Seattle) area for photography. So, yesterday, as it appeared form the weather forecast that there was the possibility of a nice sunset, I googled a map of the Puget Sound region and looked for some west-facing park near Seattle that I had never visited. I spotted Picnic Point Park (which I had never heard of before) on the shore of Puget Sound in Edmonds, a bit north of Seattle, and the photo below is the result of that little excursion. So if you're looking for new shooting locations in your local area, breaking out a map is very helpful in finding some less-visited places that might yield some nice images.

Sunset at Picnic Point, Edmonds, Washington; Sony a55 w/Zeiss 16-80mm lens @ 16mm
(click on the image for a larger view)

A new angle on the Seattle Public Library

2011-03-01T22:08:00.000-08:00

I went into downtown Seattle yesterday, armed with a new ultra-wide angle lens. The weather was rather dismal (big surprise), but I managed to get off a few shots at the public library, a rather bizarre structure, both inside and out. The perspective distortion caused by the upward-pointing lens may make the building's exterior appear either more or less odd, depending upon your taste in architecture. Click on the image for a larger view.

Seattle Public Library, Sony a55 with Sigma 8-16mm lens @ 8mm

Going to the Next Level, Seattle Public Library, Sony a55 with Sigma 8-16mm lens @ 8mm

Faux sunset created by city lights

2011-02-25T20:33:00.000-08:00

Lights from the city of Seattle reflect off clouds during a time exposure, creating a false sunset for the camera to record. The photo was taken well after sunset, when it was fully dark.

False Sunset Over Juanita Bay on Lake Washington
Canon 450D with Tamron 17-50mm lens @ 17mm

Twilight on the Seattle waterfront

2011-02-11T20:03:00.000-08:00

After wandering around the city streets all afternoon with my camera and tripod the other day, I found myself at Bell Harbor, just adjacent to Seattle's downtown. This turned out to be the last and best shot of the day.

Bell Harbor, Seattle waterfront, Canon 450D with Tamron 17-50mm lens @ 24mm

It was only Alki Point, but it felt like the Arctic...

2011-02-08T22:10:00.000-08:00

A cold and bitter wind blew over Alki Point late this afternoon, and my friend Mahesh and I shuddered as we clicked our shutters. Nice light though, and it was worth braving the wind chill factor.

Alki Point Lighthouse, Seattle, Canon 450D, Tamron 17-50mm lens @ 38mm

Seattle architecture

2011-01-22T22:56:00.000-08:00

Whenever I have occasion to be in downtown Seattle, I always take a camera along, even if it's just my point-and-shoot. Late afternoon or early morning light really brings out the texture of the buildings, and if chance takes me past an interesting structure, I will stop to photograph it (sometimes even if the light isn't so great). Usually the widest-angle setting on the camera works best.

Yesler Building and Smith Tower, Samsung TL500

Occidental Ave. & Yesler Way, Canon 450D Monorail and Westin Hotel, Samsung TL500

What can you do with a bell pepper?

2011-01-08T20:31:00.000-08:00

I mean, besides eat it. The photographer Edward Weston took a very famous photo of a bell pepper, after which the unfortunate vegetable ended up in his salad. Here you see another pre-salad bell pepper rather close up. I illuminated it from behind with a single light bulb, using blue-purple construction paper as a background. A white card reflected some light onto the front side of the pepper. Producing a compelling image of an everyday object such as a pepper requires no special lighting equipment or fancy backgrounds, just some imagination and experimentation.

Bell Pepper, Canon 450D, Tamron 90mm macro lens

Swirling abstracts from everyday objects

2010-12-22T13:37:00.000-08:00

If you have a camera that allows you to take a photo while manually zooming the lens, some interesting abstract or semi-abstract images may be produced from ordinary objects that are close at hand. Below you see two examples, both of which show the original scene near the lower right of the image. These were taken by setting the camera to shutter priority mode, and selecting a 1/2 second shutter speed. Then, while holding the lens zoom ring (starting at the wide angle position) and rotating the camera body (so that the lens zooms out to the telephoto position) during the exposure, the swirl effect was produced. So, the basic idea here is to smear the image falling on the camera's sensor in two different ways simultaneously, by zooming out from wide angle to telephoto during the exposure while rotating the camera body rather than the lens zoom ring. It works on all sorts of subjects both indoors and out. And with a digital camera, one can experiment freely to obtain just the right effect.

Swirling snowman container, Tamron 17-50mm lens

Swirling wall art, Tamron 17-50mm lens

More Photo-Impressionism

2010-11-14T20:25:00.000-08:00

Here's another attempt at achieving an impressionistic effect without digital manipulation. This is, as described in my previous post on the subject, the reflection off the water, turned upside-down.

Bridge at Kubota Garden, Seattle

I Was Photographing Him While He Was Photographing Me...

2010-11-02T15:36:00.000-07:00

Well, it seemed that way to me anyhow; he was pointing his camera at me while I was pointing mine at him. I really don't know if he liked me in his composition or not, but at any rate, in my photo, he provides a nice focal point. By the time I snapped the shutter, he had already taken his picture, and is now looking at it on his camera's LCD screen. Click on the image for a larger view.

Japanese Garden, Washington Park Arboretum, Seattle

Impressionism, with a camera

2010-10-18T10:56:00.000-07:00

The current Monet retrospective at the Galeries Nationales du Grand Palais in Paris inspired me to think about how I might create an impressionistic photograph without resorting to any sort of digital manipulation. The two photographs below are, as they say, "straight out of the camera." The first is a perfectly straightforward shot of water lilies, with the rippled reflections of the trees and shrubs in the background providing the desired impressionistic effect. The second is actually the reflection, turned upside down, of the people standing over the pond (with distracting parts of the image cropped away). Very simple to do, and lots of fun.

Water Lilies, Japanese Garden, Washington Park Arboretum, Seattle

Overlooking the Pond, Japanese Garden, Washington Park Arboretum, Seattle

Once in a while you do get lucky...

2010-10-06T11:05:00.000-07:00

On the first day of autumn, my friend Mahesh and I hied ourselves over to Discovery Park in Seattle to catch the sunset at the West Point lighthouse there. Very fortuitously, a fellow on a board, steadying and propelling himself along with a long pole, came floating into my viewfinder just as I was framing my composition. His silhouette reminds me of figures I've seen painted on the tomb walls of the Egyptian pharaohs. Although the size of his image in the photo is very small, the contribution it makes to the overall interest of the scene is large.

West Point Lighthouse, Discovery Park, Seattle, Canon 450D w/Tokina 11-16mm lens @12mm

Photographing Morocco

2010-09-30T13:11:00.000-07:00

Morocco is a horn of photographic plenty. It has so many aspects that appeal to the photographer. Walled, labyrinthian medieval cities, coastlines that border on the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea, an inland spine of mountains running up the middle of the country, canyons with marvelous rock formations, isolated villages, and crumbling kasbahs, and beyond that, camels kicking up the sand of the Sahara desert. This is North Africa, the Mahgreb, the western-most edge of the known world as mapped by Arab cartographers of long ago. Inhabited by a mix of Arab and Berber stocks, with a bit of sub-saharan spice thrown in, it is exotic without being dangerous, the food is great and inexpensive, and the traditional Moroccan hotel or riad (a mansion converted to a small hotel) is exceedingly charming, and will find favor with even the most budget-conscious traveler. Read and see more in the full article Photographing Morocco.

Cascades d'Ouzoud, Middle Atlas Mountains

Medina Lane, Marrakech

I Found Lost Negatives by Ansel Adams at a Garage Sale

2010-09-18T22:51:00.000-07:00

Well, not really, but I did find a charming old broom that I may use as a prop in a future still life. I've been reading about a fellow in California who, at a garage sale, purchased 65 "lost" negatives he says were taken by Ansel Adams. Even after these negatives were certified by "experts" as being genuine Adams, and valued at $200 million dollars, there is still doubt as to their provenance. A woman in Fresno California has produced a print by her uncle Earl that appears to have been taken within minutes of one of the "Adams" negatives, thus suggesting that the negatives were created by uncle Earl, and not Adams. In all the discussion and debate about whether these images were the work of Adams or uncle Earl Brooks, there seems to be little mention of the artistic merit of the photographs. The small-sized images I have seen displayed on the inernet do not appear to me to be among Adams' more compelling images.

Day's End, Santa Rosa Mountains, California

If the photo above could be unquestionably identified as a previously undiscovered image by Ansel Adams, the negative alone would perhaps be valued in excess of a million dollars, not to mention the value of any subsequent prints made from it (Mr. Norsigian, the owner of the 65 garage-sale negatives, is selling prints from his "Adams" negatives for up to $7500 each). Unfortunately for me, this is not an Adams image, it's one of my own, and because I am the photographer and not Adams, the image is worth (to be kind) considerably less than a million dollars. I believe this current controversy is just another sad example of how an artwork's merit is too often judged more by who authored it than by its actual content. What do you think?

Turning the Mundane into Something Special

2010-09-17T22:29:00.000-07:00

Sometimes the ordinary may be made compelling. At the last full moon I strolled down to Matthews Beach, which is a Seattle city park on the western shore of Lake Washington, not far from my home. Like many city parks, Matthews Beach gets its grass mowed periodically, has some nice trees, and is popular for picnics in the summertime, but it is hardly a scenic wonderland. Nevertheless, armed with my tripod and a telephoto lens, I marched down there to photograph the moon rising over the Cascades in the east. Compositional elements being rather scarce, I was forced to choose between a drab but tall lifeguard's chair, and some tree or other to provide foreground interest; I chose the chair. The simple elements combine, I think, to produce an interesting image.

Full moon over Matthews Beach, Seattle

Still Life Photography, Renaissance-style

2010-09-16T19:39:00.000-07:00

I find it quite rewarding to create a still life photographically in the style of the Renaissance masters such as Caravaggio (see one of his paintings below ). It's actually quite easy to create the type of lighting that is typical of this style, but more challenging to create a compelling composition. You don't have to restrict your subjects to fruits, hourglasses and dead pheasants--just about anything is fair game. Thrift stores can be a wonderful and inexpensive source for props, and you may have stuff lying around your house that may be used. The two photographs below were created using the techniques explained in my article Renaissance Still Life Photography. See more of my still life images here.

Caravaggio's Still life with Fruit on a Stone Ledge

Still life with Mandolin

Photographica

Looking for one kind of photo, finding another instead

2010-09-13T15:38:00.000-07:00

Yesterday evening I went to a spot in Seattle I had noticed while riding the bus, a place where the street overlooks some curved freeway off ramps and on ramps, which in turn lead the viewer to the Space Needle in the distance. It turns out I was unable to construct a compelling composition from this scene, but the radio towers on a hill on the other side of Lake Union caught my attention, and the resulting image has a bit of an abstract quality to it. The bright sunset sky put the towers and hilltop into stark silhouette, with the clouds looking as if someone might have sketched them in with a crayon.

Radio towers on Queen Anne Hill, Seattle

On-camera user's manual

2010-09-10T20:24:00.000-07:00

Why don't camera manufacturers put the camera's instruction manual into the camera's memory? With today's high resolution screens, the manual can be perfectly readable and always handy when it's needed most. Below you see a page of the user's manual that I loaded into my Samsung TL500/EX1. You may be surprised how I did it. See On-Camera User's Manual for the full article.

No sunset color? Try black & white.

2010-09-08T12:00:00.001-07:00

Sometimes what promises to be a colorful sunset turns out to be pretty ho-hum. If there are nice cloud patterns present though, a grayscale rendition of the image can be very compelling. The sunset in the photo below was fairly colorless, but the clouds were nice, so I waited until the city lights appeared, then took the picture.

Seattle from the Jose Rizal bridge (thanks to my friend Mahesh for showing me this location.)

6 great reasons to shoot macros at your local nursery

2010-09-07T17:38:00.001-07:00

Your local plant nursery may offer wonderful opportunities for flower and foliage macro photography with the following advantages over going out into the field:

1. A wide variety of flowers and foliage is on display

2. No need to get close to the ground for most shots

3. Protection from windy conditions

4. Shooting is possible even on rainy days

5. Pleasing quality of light from overhead diffusing panels

6. Your local nursery is local, no need to travel far afield.

See the full article at Macro Photography at Your Local Nursery. Below are a few shots I obtained at Molbak's nursery, not too far from my home in Seattle.

Red hibiscus

Caladium leaves

Orange hibiscus