Walking the Dog

Thanks to my Flat-Coated Retriever Cali I get to see this end of the street on a daily basis. Most of the time it barely merits a second look. On rare occasions, however, there is something special that catches the eye. One night it was the way the fog played with the light from the streetlight. The next morning the moisture condensation from the fog had frozen on the leaves and remaining berries creating some interesting images. In both cases I took Cali home and retrieved my camera. Cali lacks the patience to wait for me to take pictures. Nevertheless, I am grateful that she takes me on these walks.





















All Images ©2009 Greg Petropoulos

Falls

The past three days have included hikes at Fiery Gizzard Trail and the Sewanee Perimeter Trail. After a dry fall, we've finally had several days of rain. The streams are flowing again, and I decided to try some long exposure pictures. Most of these are 2-5 second exposures. It's a rather simple effect, but at times the results are spectacular. I will return to these locations in the future in order to perfect my technique. At this point I'm simply satisfied to have found some of these spots.















All Images ©2008 Greg Petropoulos

More Fall Leaves

I did a some more editing and found these leaves interesting. There's not a lot of commentary I can add since the leaves really speak for themselves. I only wish I had started this project earlier in the fall in order to include more samples. I guess I'll have to wait until next year.





















All Images © 2008 Greg Petropoulos

Abstractions

These pictures were taken several weeks ago from a bridge overlooking an almost stagnant creek. I thought there was something to these pictures, but when I loaded them onto my computer they just didn't "pop." Today I went back to them and did some cropping and adjusted the levels in Photoshop. I applied no special effects or color distortions. I won't attempt to comment on the resulting images since they have Rorschach-like qualities. I'm sure viewers will bring unique perspectives and, likewise, draw unique connections.























All Images © 2008 Greg Petropoulos

Random Stuff

I'm too tired to think of a clever theme for this post, so I'm just putting together three random photos. I'm drawn to each for different reasons. Two actually surprised me. Shooting digitally allows me to take chances that I normally wouldn't when using film. Often I'll click off a few shots without knowing if I'll be pleased with the outcome. Not that there's no method to the madness, but sometimes I'm a little more experimental. Two of these shots were experiments. With the third I was fairly confident that the subject matter was good. All that was required of me was the technical skill necessary to create a good photograph. I won't say which is which, because in the end I like them all.























All Images © 2008 Greg Petropoulos

Nothing special today. I just went out in the yard and gathered a few leaves. These are two that turned out well. Many failures. Not just today, but in my many past attempts as well. But I still think the simple subjects are the most difficult, yet most rewarding. Maybe I've been spending too much time reading up on Edward Weston. Recreating the beauty that nature presents is not an easy task, photographically speaking. Color and composition present unimagined challenges. While the leaves are beautiful on the trees or scattered on the ground, once isolated in front of the camera they cease to be part of a larger pallet of colors and textures.























All Images © 2008 Greg Petropoulos

Outside

It's been a while since my last post. I've been reacquainting myself with the scenic wonders around Sewanee. The panoramic views from the numerous bluffs can be overwhelming. Instead I've focused my attention on the vegetation. My eye has been drawn to very simple images of flowers and grasses, leaves and pine cones. I'm still trying to figure out how to photograph the acorns and hickory nuts that I've picked up on my walks. It will take me several more weeks to sort through the pictures I've taken to determine what's worth keeping.




















All Images ©2008 Greg Petropoulos