The day absolutely beautiful: sunny, hot, and a day to our for a walk in the park along the Danube. You know it's spring when you see a family of swans paddling and ducks and duckings soaking up the warm rays in a spotlight of sun.

Matthew G. Beall  Proud Papa  2011

Matthew G. Beall  The Happy Family   2011

Matthew G. Beall  In the Spotlight  2011

Matthew G. Beall  Ain't Life Grand  2011

Books. You can never have enough books. And when they are about Ansel Adams, you have to spread the word to buy them.

"Ansel Adams: 400 Photographs offer an unprecedented survey of his development as an artist. Of the themes and subjects that animate his work and of the evolution of a style that is uniquely that of Ansel Adams -- America's best-known and best-loved photographer."

A winter-wonder-land.

A winter day can be extraordinary.

Matthew G. Beall Photography   B30 Winter    2011

Prints are available for sale.


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A photograph is usually looked at - seldom looked into.  ~Ansel Adams


Light & shadow can take the every day thing and make it less ordinary.  Is it just a bag? Is there more to the bag than meets the eye? Leave a comment.

Matthew G. Beall   The Bag in Light   2011

Matthew G. Beall  The Bag in the Corner  2011

Matthew G. Beall  The Bag Later  2011

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The ordinary bookshelf. The ordinary book. The mundane for some.

As  have said, I don't have to leave my apartment to find subjects to shoot. I am surrounded by interesting things. I have light. Beautiful, wonderful morning and afternoon light. I have shadows created by my light. Yes, it is my light.

Books can tell you a lot. 

Matthew G. Beall   Books Can Tell You A Lot   2011

What is on your bookshelf?

Matthew G. Beall   The Wonderful Place  2011

 What story do these tell?

Matthew G. Beall  Gone with Books  2011

Tief ... das Sehen

in Dunkelheit

in Helligkeit

Matthew G. Beall  NYC Park  2010

soviel du siehst

ist es was du siehst?

Matthew G. Beall  NYC Park - 2  2010

Schau es an!

Schau mal genau hin

Matthew G. Beall  NYC Park - 3  2010

  Tief ... das Sehen

in Dunekheit

in Helligkeit

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Today

Just thinking. Just reflecting. Just wondering.

Matthew G. Beall       2010/11

In my previous post, I said that everybody sees what they see. Sometimes what I see at the moment, isn't really as it appears. The ordinary, the mundane isn't always what it appears to be. 

Look, See, Think

Matthew G. Beall Photography   As It Appears   2011

  "Hey, look at that," is something we often say when we see things that somehow stand out. I think that's the point where we start to think about the thing we are looking at. It could be for a split second, but that's  enough for some to ponder the thing. Shadow has that affect on me.

I'm always on the lookout for interesting light and shadow. Very often I don't have to go far. I don't even have to leave my apartment.

Matthew G. Beall         2011

Matthew G. Beall Photography         2011

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 I was looking at older posts and came across this one from May 11, 2011. It is well worth revisiting. I see that I made them dark to make the subject of the mundane really focused. I wonder how I would approach that if I were to make these today ... but that's truly the beauty of creative photography and visualization, isn't it. 

Everybody sees what they see. I'm always on the lookout for interesting light and shadow. Sometimes it is found where most people tend not to look or, rather, don't look at. I am talking about the mundane. 

 “I see no reason for recording the obvious.” - Edward Weston

The Mundane

Matthew G. Beall  The Sink   2011

Matthew G. Beall  The Pipes  2011

Matthew G. Beall  The Box  2011

I went to put a letter in the mailbox, looked up the street and saw an ambulance and fire truck. Naturally, curiosity being what it is, I had to take a look. I just happened to have my camera.

A few quick shots to share.

Smokey

Water: a clear, colorless, odorless, and tasteless liquid, H₂O, essential for most plant and animal life and the most widely used of all solvents.

Geometry and Water

Matthew G. Beall

Matthew G.  Beall

Water in Monochrome

All Day I Hear the Noise of Waters by James Joyce

Matthew G. Beall

All day I hear the noise of waters
Making moan,
Sad as the sea-bird is when, going
Forth alone,
He hears the winds cry to the water's
Monotone. 

Matthew G. Beall

The grey winds, the cold winds are blowing

Where I go.
I hear the noise of many waters
Far below.
All day, all night, I hear them flowing
To and fro.

Chicago in black and white.

I like cities, big cities. Chicago is a big city with giant iconic skyscrapers. Some of these buildings allow you to stand on air 1,353 feet above ground.

Matthew G. Beall  1,353 Feet  2009/2011

 Views are seemingly endless.

Matthew G. Beall  Endless  2009/2011

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Consulting the rules of composition before taking a photograph is like consulting the laws of gravity before going for a walk.  Edward Weston

Composition

While good exposure, for example, is a technical requirement necessary for a good image, it is composition that makes a good picture. Composition, of course, is a more subjective practice. There are no rules, only guidelines. Ultimately your aim is to produce a piece that will resonate with you and others.

Matthew G. Beall   Wrap it Up (workers)   2009/2011

Some compositional ingredients:

rule of thirds

viewpoint

background

depth

symmetry

natural frames

cropping

strong diagonal lines and/or curves

patterns

shape

texture

light

tone

At the end of the day, a good composition is one of balance. Strive for balance. 

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You want to improve your photography? Here's how you do it.

Get out and shoot. Shoot a lot! With a digital camera you have the luxury of limitless shots. Use that advantage.  

Look at everything as a potential subject. See it. Visualize it! Compose it. Shoot multiple frames of it.  

The key = Look, SEE, Think 

Matthew G. Beall  Look, See, Think  2011

Then choose the best shots, get them into your post-production software and make them even better. Remember, rarely does that ‘perfect’ shot come straight out your camera untouched.

As the adage goes, practice makes perfect.