Tag: Bokeh

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #137 Soft

My next Lens-Artists Photo Challenge is Soft. Anne-Christine asks what does the word Soft mean to you? Is it something that you touch? Is it the undefined notion that is the opposite of hard? Is it the contrast to sharp from a photographer’s point of view? This is not so simple a concept.

My first thought was that of a baby. We want everything about this new being to be soft. Soft blankets, soft toys, soft skin, soft colors, and soft sounds Nothing hard, or harsh. We want the world around us to be soft and welcoming.

The soft touch of father and son.

Only a week later, my Charlie joined the world. We follow his first developing steps on a webcam.

Charlie arrives home at 7 weeks.
His fluffy soft fur needs tending to. Every evening we bond over grooming

Nature softens the world around me.

Light falling softly on this lotus flower
The dandelion flower pod beakens us to spread its seeds with one soft blow.
Soft fur, soft feathers and no touching

My most favorite photographic technique is shooting with a large aperture setting. This narrow depth of field clarifies the subject. This blurred background is called the bokeh. I pay particular attention to this when deciding to purchase a lens for my Fuji x system.

  • Union Soldier at Civil War Reenactment
  • Goofy Garden Art

My featured photograph is that of clouds. Soft, fluffy and white. What do you see? When you hear the work “Soft” what comes to mind?

Scavenging Old Sacramento.

My right hand is on the mend, and I can once again hold my trusty D7100.  With Old Sacramento as the destination I joined my CTT friends in a Scavenger Hunt. 50 items and about 2 hours I didn’t give in to any pressure. I wanted to pay attention to how I captured the image.

This scavenger hunt added a photographic design element to many items. The usual suspects included rule of thirds, leading lines, and repeating patterns. The last item repeating patterns was actually repeated. More unusual ones: do what a sign says, you can smell it through the photo and topsy turvy pushed my creativity. And getting a very low perspective may have pushed my physical endurance on this warm September day. Probably would not have been able to get up!

Funny group pic!
See the list?  Funny Group Pic, one and done.

Careful, broken glass and tears ahead.
Careful, broken glass and tears ahead.

Scary.
Something Scary. Getting in the spirit of Halloween!

1709_26_ScavengerHunt_7981
Think we can catch up to the trains? Gotta hurry. Railroad tracks and leading lines.

Bicyclist following leading lines
Bicyclist approaching not ready to stop.

Reflection of me and my CTT friends.
My reflection with my CTT friends. (CTT = Camera Totin’ Tuesday) We are retired, so we photograph during the week when it is quiet.

Larger than life, but I still prefer the real thing!
Larger than life, but I still prefer the real thing!

Something cold the enjoy on a hot afternoon.
Enjoying something cold on a warm afternoon.

Love my creamy Bokeh!
Love my creamy Bokeh!

Can you smell the popcorn?
Can you smell the popcorn? Getting hungry! I also like the side lighting.

Bottoms Up!
Bottoms up! Here is my bottle.

He just wanted to park for a while.
He just wanted to park for a while. Here he does what the sign says.

Unusual number of Odd items
Unusual number of odd items.Pattern repeats.

Just tickled my fancy.
Just tickled my fancy.

This scavenger hunt produced some interesting results. It is a great way to get out, have fun, enjoy good company, and practice some good photographic techniques. I will keep this list for another time because it challenges me to look around and improve my images. Not much photo processing this time. Because I am getting used to holding my dslr I only used my 18-200mm lens this time.

Happy Snapping!