Defining the subject

Since I don't have as much time as I'd like to get out to take pictures these days, I thought I'd add a semi-regular feature on good photography advice I've picked up in the last few years.

The first tip I'll offer is probably the most important. It comes to me from David Middleton by way of Jack Graham, who taught the photography workshop I did last summer. Middleton says "A bad photograph is a a paragraph, a good photograph is a sentence, and a great photograph is a phrase."

When I go back and look at the pictures I took when I first started, they are all paragraphs. I'd see something I liked here, but then, I'd also try to incorporate this other thing over here and maybe something else over there. The problem? There's no clear subject in that type of photography, and good photography almost always has a defined subject.

Orange Lilly- Updated

Copyright Nathan Montgomery, 2008

Here's the latest addition to my collection. I bought this lilly today to be the centerpiece at our Thanksgiving meal, and then, I took it out to the backyard for some modeling before its big day.

(I changed the posted picture to a different shot with the stamen in better focus. This one is processed with Photoshop.)

Website Update

I've updated the photography page on our personal website. Now, all of my favorite images are together in one easy to browse location.

Mill on the Eno River

Copyright Nathan Montgomery, 2008

My cousin John moved to Durham about 3 months ago. He's a really talented photographer, who has a portfolio worth dreaming about. He really likes taking shots of old mills, and fortunate for him, North Carolina has a lot of mills. Until he got here, I wasn't big on photographing structures. I've taken a few shots of light houses and things like that, but mills honestly weren't on my radar. Well, he's got me hooked. This mill is at a city park on the north side of Durham. There are a number of 1900-era structures on the site, but for my money, this still-functional mill is the crown jewel of them all.

My afternoon at the Eno

Copyright Nathan Montgomery, 2008

Eno River State Park is the type of place that is beautiful but not photographable... at least for me. It's the nicest park within 75 miles of our place. There are rapids, rocky cliffs, suspension bridges, and more, but I've been disappointed with almost every picture I've ever taken there. Until yesterday. From November 15 to September 15, I tend to think that reflections are tempting but often disappointing subjects. However, the reflection of peak foliage on glass water is really lovely. Fall colors make photography so much easier. Throw on your circular polarizer, find some pretty trees and a little water, and boom, you've got a shot that an amateur like me can be happy with.

Completing the seasons

Copyright Nathan Montgomery, 2008

It's been a crazy few weeks, and even though I have a very long to-do list, I decided to take this afternoon off to take a few pictures. I hit three really nice local spots for taking pictures- UNC's campus, Eno River State Park, and Durham's West Point on the Eno Park. I got one decent image from each location, starting with this shot of UNC's Old Well. Visitors to "Lucky Shots" are no stranger to this Chapel Hill landmark. It's a great subject in Spring, but this year, I've tried to capture it at some atypical times of year.

Fall colors are about to peak in the North Carolina Piedmont, and I had hight hopes that this tree would be a golden yellow when I showed up today after my Pulmonology Final Exam. Unfortunately, it was a little rustier than I wanted, but it still a shot I've never taken before.

Tomorrow, I'll post a picture from Eno River State Park.

Light and shadows

Copyright Nathan Montgomery, 2008

One last shot from the trip to the mountains a few weeks ago. The leaf is really a fantastic subject (the veins, in particular). I just wasn't there at the right time of day. The shadows are obviously painfully harsh, and there was really no way around overexposing parts of the image. No doubt, this isn't the type of picture you put near the front of your portfolio. It's a C image at best.

That said, I still think it has some redeeming characteristics. I like to work a shot- it's a lot of fun to go some place ordinary and to try to find a shot that is a jaw dropper. This isn't a jaw dropper, but I do think it's a nice example of how you can find an interesting shot if you look hard enough.

Vet School Calendar Contest

Last week, my dad asked me what ever happened with the vet school calendar submissions. Here's an update. Last year, I got 2 of 3 images I submitted into the calendar. This year, I only got 1 of 4, which must mean that I am regressing as a photographer!!!

The shot that got in was the shot I considered most likely to get in- "Aslan's Portrait", a picture I took at the North Carolina zoo in August.



A second shot, "Pasture Princess", was an "honorable mention" selection, which basically just means it didn't get in.



Hopefully, I'll take some shots this next year that I can submit. However, I don't do much animal photography. As a result, I'm thinking that I'll focus my efforts instead on trying to get something into my favorite magazine, Our State North Carolina. I'm 0 for 1 on past submissions there, but I just recently submitted my second shot, and I'll submit some more for their annual reader's photo contest.