Written Works

If a picture is worth a thousand words then a thousand words can create an image but if both are combined anything is possible. These entries may be technical, abstract, or surreal depending on your point of view but a pattern will emerge one day as these attempts to clarify not only for myself but anyone interested the random things that catch my interest. Some of the material comes from the Sibley Camera Club Addenum (SCCA) I worked on to include in those issues. As best I can remember when the piece was written everything is listed from newest to oldest dates created.

Sibley Camera Club Addenum

[(00) Seeing the Monahans Sandhills in a different light] [(00) A thermal study of the shifting sands] [(00) The Monahans Sandhills: The life cycle of a seep] [(01) Photoshop basics] [(02) Photography 101] [(03) Seeing in black and white] [(04) Thinking outside the box] [(05) Understanding photography] [(06) Full moon walk - 07/2020] [(07) Changing the rules] [(08) Lambert's emission law and post processing] [(09) Solve. Conquer. Move on.] [(10) The underused imagination] [(11) One night in the shifting sands] [(12) Film to digital - "Pushing" the ISO] [(13) My journey into ISO] [(14) A study in decision making] [(15) Gadgets compilation] [(16) Thoughts 09/11/2021] [(17) Thoughts 10/18/2021] [(18) Technique 11/26/2021] [(19) Composing around the hot spots] [(20) How was it created] [(21) Technique 01/01/2022] [(22) Thoughts 01/14/2022] [(23) A photographer and the gear they use] [(24) A matter of time] [(25) Composition first] [(26) How does your garden grow] [(27) Oida or graph] [(28) A shot in the dark] [(29) ... Then a photographer] [(30) Lessons under a sun so high up] [(31) A tale of two cameras] [(32) A daily photo challenge ...] [(33) Technique - 10/12/2022] [(34) From a simple rule] [(35) Are photographers AI artist too?] [(36) Armchair photography] [(37) "Doors"] [(38) Blend and Tonally Match]

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(38)[Blend and Tonally Match] I break down a new process for recovering blownout areas when a bracketed set is used. Still be worked out in many ways but is proving useful.

(37)["Doors"]Photographers capture the world around them as it is light being captured but there are many venues to explore. Limits help choose the doors we open.

(36)[Armchair photography]A random interaction with an image I posted got me to thinking, here is that more expanded version it.

(35)[Are photographers AI artist too?]We can learn from other art forms and improve how we look at what we do. AI art is new and complex but what is it really?

(34)[From a simple rule]What does changing one thing in a routine do for you, I tried this myself by simply taking photos everyday and posting one daily as well.

(33)[Technique - 10/12/2022]I took an image on 10/10/2022 and once processed this technique came about of using a dual colored layer to alter the color. See the entry in A photographer's view of Odessa, TX" it is the third picture in.[Top of Page]

(32)[A daily photo challenge ...]Need a reason to practice photography then create a reason with something like this idea.[Top of Page]

(31)[A tale of two cameras]A DSLR and cell phone camera have differences but also share elements in common through the overall process of digital photography.[Top of Page]

(30)[Lessons under a sun so high up]An afternoon photo session in downtown Odessa, TX yielded an observation included herein. Some of the images included plus the front image can be viewed more directly. [Top of Page]

(29)[... Then a photographer]Am I an artist or photographer? Is there a difference in mindset? I do at least have an order of consideration to share to help answer this. [Top of Page]

(28)[A shot in the dark]A picture is the sum of its parts and what was in the photographers mind. I break down one image from a session on 4/16/2022 during a full moon. [Top of Page]

(27)[Oida or graph]Photography is based on a Greek root origin so if one was to create a new term to define what they do here is a possible idea. It will make better sense once opened. [Top of Page]

(26)[How does your garden grow]Photography closer to home can be just as satisfying as a long road trip. Something as simple as a container with sand in it works but call it a desktop Zen garden and it is art, this is what I'm talking about in this article. [Top of Page]

(25)[Composition first]I tried a new technique that is covered to some degree but it showed me a new way of looking at photographies controls to support the composition planned and not the otherway around. [Top of Page]

(24)[A matter of time]What if bracketing and photo stacking was combined to achieve a similar exposure of just one image. I call it Adjacent Bracketed Equivalent but maybe it is more akin to luminosity masking. Whatever you prefer to call it the result is a system to repurpose the bracketing system. [Top of Page]

(23)[A photographer and the gear they use]Where is photography going? What role will the photographer actually play? Nothing technical but it simply states what is in my head. [Top of Page]

(22)[Thoughts 01/14/2022]The example image used can be viewed in the gallery. Sometimes the photography session isn't quite as expected but was worth it.[Top of Page]

(21)[Technique 01/01/2022] One image not on the site. Can one use photo stacking and bracketed shots to take an equivalent exposure? I show the process and reasoning behind my answer to that question. I was inspired by looking at how smart phones process images but this makes sense on its own as well. [Top of Page]

(20)[How was that created] The example image used can be viewed in the gallery. Every image has EXIF data and it records some key information usefully later but what I really explore is breaking down photography terminology and basics to begin building some common ground. Written on 08/23/2021 it was part of a larger demostration being planned but stands on its own so here it is. [Top of Page]

(19)[Composing around the hot spots] One image from Star Bright Village. The hot spot I refer to is shooting in the direction of the sun but to get the bright appearance I had to. This inspired some ideas I share here. See image in the gallery. [Top of Page]

(18)[Technique 11/26/2021] One image from Odessa, TX in here. Every image is unique and no one process I apply totally alike but here is a glimpse into how this one was manually processed. See image in the gallery. See (01) Photoshop Basics as well. [Top of Page]

(17)[Thoughts 10/18/2021] Two image from the Monahans Sandhills State Park are in here. Fixed patterns and assumptions can limit us and by breaking my patterns of when I visit a place and how I take a picture I learned something. [Top of Page]

(16)[Thoughts 09/11/2021] An image of downtown Midland, TX is in here. The path of least resistance is easier to stay on and delays needed change so as of this writing I had just gotten off of FaceBook. The reason isn't so critical but until I did the website your looking at likely would not exist, it was the closing of one way to sharing and having to create another to replace it completely. I set my goal to get back on FaceBook only after the website was started and then change my usage of the social media platform. A reset is a good thing. See image in the gallery. [Top of Page]

(15) [Gadgets compilation] various issues of SCCA mostly filler pieces but I like the idea of using low tech solutions in conjunction with the high tech. These gadgets included using a silver Christmas tree ball as way to see more of the world around me, white cloth as a lens to get a more abstract view, a "light" dial to gather more information about a photograph, and even a not so great attempt at making color filters. The power of making an observation and trying to connect random elements is what mattered here as I learned something in the process. [Top of Page]

(14) [A study in decision making] July 2021 / August 2021 SCCA article that is somewhat hard to describe unless you click to read it but maybe trial and error as a way to discover new insights best sums it up or just explore photography because you can. [Top of Page]

(13) [My journey into ISO] in many ways continues where (12) left off as understanding what exactly ISO is and looking beyond the assumptions taken for granted. I rediscovered much of what I wrote about as it was online already but in the process of putting it all together it made better sense to me, hopefully this will make some sense to you as well. [Top of Page]

(12) [Film to digital - "Pushing" the ISO] June 2021 SCCA article about a process in the film days that can be applied to digital photography as well. No reason to do it now as much as the process is so built in and ISO is more flexible. I discovered this from a photography related video but knowing more about it helped me out since I have only used digital cameras. [Top of Page]

(11) One night in the shifting sands [part 1] and [part 2] turned into a way to share some pictures from that 03/26/2021 - 03/27/2021 walk but it also brought out a story about a place that had not been told in quite this way. [Top of Page]

(10) [The underused imagination] covers a possible next step for me as a photographer to go beyond just taking a photo and including what wasn't there as a way to be more creative. [Top of Page]

(09) [Solve. Conquer. Move on.] January 2021 SCCA article that came from a line of thought of how to photograph the world from a childs point of view. The title came from a response I got and that became this bit of text. [Top of Page]

(08) [Lambert's emission law and post-processing] December 2020 SCCA article inspired by a video on drawing more realistic shadows and Lambert's emission law was mentioned as it applies to perception but also applied to using curves for post-processing. [Top of Page]

(07) [Changing the rules] November 2020 SCCA article inspired by a zoom session featuring a photographer who said "crop the wrong way" and altered my pattern for scene selection as a result for this one session. [Top of Page]

(06) [Full moon walk - 07/2020] Some observations and images from that session. [Top of Page]

(05) [Understanding photography by using a new model] takes a look at the exposure triangle but reimagines it a set of sliders and effects in a visual space. [Top of Page]

(04) [Thinking outside the box] was a talk not given in 2020 but something I worked up into text format. Photography is a visual art form but so is painting, drawing, comic books, and video games so what can be learned from at least looking at them for inspiration. [Top of Page]

(03) [Seeing in Black and White] was a handout I did for a talk I gave but it stands on its own. [Top of Page]

(02) [Photography 101] The comic book version. I worked this out around June of 2020 and used the comic book related material I had been looking at as an inspiration as my format but it is an introduction with examples of what different setting can achieve. [Top of Page]

(01) [Photoshop Basics] is a basic overview covering layers, blend modes, and opacity for the most basic of editing. [Top of Page]

(00) The early years (2010, 2011) Deep within my external hard drives I found four essays I had done for the Sibley Nature Center in Midland, Texas about the Monhans Sandhills State Park which I hadn't seen in while. [Seeing the Monahans Sandhills in a Different Light] covers a full moon walk I did on 11/20/2010 into the morning of 11/21/2010 and features some pictures and thoughts I had. [A Thermal Study of the Shifting Sands] might have some wrong assumptions regarding the thermal data I list but it was done around 02/02/2011 in the morning as the temperatures settled and the sun altered the environment. It was a small area I studied but the only time I actually tried this. [A Lighting Strike Preserved in the Sand] documented a find of a fulgurite fragment found on April 17, 2011 while walking under a full moon and the excavation of the samples one weekend later. [The Monahans Sandhills: The Life Cycle of a Seep] was written around 11/14/2011 and discusses and compares imagery taken over time at one location in particular. My focus in these is still very much about that place that started it all and I have a more structured approach but these are my earlier works I could find. [Top of Page]