Another example of how photography reflects my state of mind. A couple of weeks ago I had a lot going on, and I set time aside to get out and shoot. This is a good thing. The problem arose when I returned home and reviewed my images.
My Camera Totin’ Tuesday group planned an indoor shoot because the temperature was rising. So off to the California State Railroad Museum in Old Sacramento we headed.
Cool in more ways than one, but challenging for photography. The scene is dark.
The locamotives are black, and the lighting is diverse. Some areas have fluorescent light, some areas tungsten. There are cool use of mirrors throughout the museum.
When I got home and reviewed the images, I was disappointed in my work. So I set it aside. Well I may have pouted also. Remember, I said that much has been on my mind lately.
My grandson lives with us since he was 17. When he moved out of his mother’s house I made sure that he would graduate, and with this sense of accomplishment I hoped he would pick up some habits to help transition into the adult world. He did graduate so we succeeded in the first part. He succeeded in getting a job as a courtesy clerk at a supermarket. No problems there. This is part-time, and we provide transportation and his on-time performance has our help. At this time I feel like our safety net is not helping this transition. There doesn’t seem to be an end game in place.
When he is home I hardly know that he is here. He basically lives in his room, and only comes out the grab something to eat. He is addicted to online gaming, and media. Luckily, I don’t share his bathroom, but my cats do. I don’t venture into his room unless I want to retrieve some camera equipment. The site is not pretty. I read in the Sacramento Bee that kids are remaining in their parent’s home for longer period so I know that I am not alone with this troubling issue.
Ok, he is a boy, he is 19 and our values differ. But, and this a big but, the level of cooperation is zero. Attitude could not be more disrespectful, especially to his grandfather. And that is what needs to change. Talking hasn’t worked. I am almost convinced that by living here he will not grow up. This weighs heavy on both myself and my husband. There is a lot of stress in the house. I would like a bit of freedom to plan out-of-town adventures with my husband. Luckily, I get out to capture images with my friends.
Back to the Railroad Museum. Last night I looked at my files, key worded in Lightroom, and made some adjustments. Usually, I find that if I am happy with a couple of shots then I call the shoot a success. Found myself selecting many photos as favorites for my collection set! Yes. Here are some results from my Sacramento Railroad Museum challenge. Up the ISO and take care of noise in Lightroom. WB is adjusted in Lightroom. Use of Flash is sometimes difficult due to size of subject, and color of subject. So sometimes I focused on smaller subject and details.
For the next photo, I used a flash and focused on the eyes. For more information about Rosie the Riveter, click on the link beneath the photo.
This image was shot without a flash since it was too far for flash to make a difference.
A shout out to my New York roots.
Mirrors and more mirrors lead to the next few images. No flash here.
Changing ISO creates another capture. Used Lightroom for noise suppression in photo.
All photography done without benefit of a tripod. Talking to a docent I found out that there is an event set up just for photography called, “Trains and Tripods”. I will be on the lookout for this event when it comes around again.
Note to self. Review photos again after some time has past. And not after a go round with a family member.
A Photo's Worth 