More Alaska
Alaska the "last wilderness" has so many photo possibilities at any time of the year.  ¶ 4:11 PM 0 comments

  Back to Photography
Back to Alaska and Glaciers in the Summer  ¶ 5:20 PM 0 comments

  Watercolors
Watercolors can be fun and fast. Using a photo as an idea and "Painter" as the software, the rest if just fun.  ¶ 9:19 PM 0 comments

  Italian Town of Towers
Using brushes to paint over the original photograph, I tried developing an impressionistic image.  ¶ 3:28 PM 0 comments

  Collage - Rog in Tree   ¶ 4:48 PM 0 comments

  Ouch, it is Rough
Mixing photography and free hand drawing can change one's expression fast.  ¶ 2:00 PM 0 comments

  Outstanding Students
This past Summer Mark Southard and I again taught at "The Clearing" in Door County. This class was one of the most outstanding classes that we have ever worked with. The diversity of talents and skills was exciting and was such a delight to be with for a week of digital photography. One of Mark's projects was to have each student take photos of other class members. Roger Findley of Chicago loves to do people photography and he did the above image of me. I have permission to use the image for some of my workshops, PR and marketing of my photo work. Thanks so much Roger.  ¶ 2:35 PM 0 comments

  Alley's of Florence   ¶ 10:14 AM 0 comments

  11X14 Camera
I placed some more milkweed seeds and a pod on the glass of my Epson 4990 scanner and walla! A sharp 11X14 camera. This credit goes to Gorden Bowie in Bosie, ID.  ¶ 4:16 PM 0 comments

  Artist Visit to the Chicago Area I have completed various photographic projects for artist Richard Serrin. These projects include helping to make limited editions available of his work.

U.S. Itinerary
Richard Serrin will make an extended trip to the United States from Florence, Italy from November 21, 2006 until his return trip to Florence on January 19, 2007. During this trip he will make several power point presentations of his work as a painter of over fifty years over forty years of which he has resided in Italy. These presentations will be made in four states.
Here is his itinerary:

Illinois - Chicago Metropolitan area

Sunday, November 26, 2006
Sunday school class at the Epworth United Methodist Church, at the corner of Randall and Highland, Elgin, Illinois 60123
Pastor: David Newhouse
Phone: (847) 931-5400

Contact Person: Peter Floyd
Phone (847)-630-9702

Presentation Time: 9:45 AM (1 hour)

Monday, November 27, 2006
Trinity Methodist Church
1024 Lake Avenue
Wilmette, Illinois 60091

Pastor: Kirk Reed
Phone: (847) 251-7333

web site: http://www.trinitywilmette.org/menu.htm

Presentation Time: 7:30 PM

Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Covenant Village of Northbrook
2625 Techny Road, Northbrook, Illinois 60062-5926

Program Director: Cherly Krupa
Phone: (847) 412-9235

Presentation Time: 1:00 PM

Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Lake Forest Place Presbyterian Home
1100 Pembridge Lane
Lake Forest, Illinois, 60045

Program Director: Susan Hetzel
Phone: (847) 604-8800

Presentation Time: 1:30 PM

Saturday, December 2, 2006
Village Church of Barrington
1600 East Main Street
Barrington, Illinois 60010

Pastor: Dave Barber
Phone: (847) 381-5221

Contact Person: Joyce Carlson
Phone: 847-381-6821

Presentation Time: 7:30 PM

Sunday, December 3, 2006
Willow Creek Community Church
87 South
Barrington, Illinois 60010

Program Director: Tiley Frost
Phone: (847) 965-5000

Presentation Time: Visual Arts Ministry 6:00 ? 8:00 PM

Columbus, Georgia

Wednesday, January 3, 2007
St. Luke United Methodist Church
1104 Second Avenue
Columbus, Georgia 31902

Pastor Hal Brady:
Phone: (706) 327-4243

Presentation Time: Wednesday night supper 5:30 - 7:30 PM

Thursday, January 4, 2007
Muscogee Rotary Club at the Chattahoochee River Club
1100 Bay Avenue
Columbus, Georgia 31901

Presentation Time: Breakfast Rotary meeting 7:00 ? 800 AM

Thursday, January 4, 2007
First Presbyterian Church of Columbus
1100 First Avenue
Columbus, Georgia 31901

Pastor: Chuck Hasty
Phone: (706) 322-4523

Presentation Time: 7:00 PM

Florida

Sunday, January 7, 2007
First United Methodist Church of Jacksonville
225 East Duval Street
Jacksonville, Florida 32202, phone (904) 356-5618,

Pastor: Chuck Salter

Presentation Time: 3:00 PM

Wednesday, January 10, 2007
St. Andrews Chapel
514 Walden View Drive
Sanford, Florida 32771

Pastor: R. C. Sproul
Phone: (407) 328-1139

Presentation Time: 6:30 PM

Georgia

Sunday, January 14, 2007
St. Luke United Methodist Church
1104 Second Avenue
Columbus, Georgia 31902

Pastor: Hal Brady
Phone: (706) 327-4243

Presentation Time: Discovery Sunday School Class - 10:10 AM

Minneapolis, Minnesota

Wednesday, January 17, 2007
All Saints Lutheran Church
15915 Excelsior Boulevard
Minnetonka, Minnesota 55345-5490

Pastor: Tim Johnson
Phone: (952) 934- 5490

Presentation Time: 7:30 PM
 
All images are © 2006 by ASK Publishing Company.  ¶ 8:06 AM 0 comments

  More Night Drive By Shooting
This image was taken with a converted infrared digital camera through the car window. ISO was 1600 and the lens open so as not to pick up dirt on the car window. I later in Photoshop added the cretive edge.  ¶ 10:10 AM 0 comments

  Painting in Photoshop
Trying to get a true watercolor look in Adobe Photoshop CS2 is possible. One's basic watercolor skills helps a little to produce an acceptable painting. This was my first attempt using a Jack Davis technique from his new "How to WOW for Digital Photography" book published in 2006. The old boat by the shore was all part of Mr. Davis's instructional materials.  ¶ 8:23 AM 0 comments

  Painting David

Some photographs just need something more than what the camera saw. This image was one of "those". Before trashing the image, I decided to do a little painting in the Painter IX.5 software program. It is still "David" as seen on the town square but more isolated with brush strokes rather than a stone wall behind the statue.  ¶ 8:25 AM 0 comments

  More Clematis Seeds
The beauty of the Clematis Seeds was first pointed out to me by George Keller, Master Gardener and Photographer. Each pod left over on the vines are unique and photographic in color or B&W.  ¶ 8:06 AM 0 comments

  Five Birch Trees in Chalk   ¶ 6:51 PM 0 comments

  Trees on a Hill in Tuscany
It seels like I enjoy this landscape site so much that I just keep working on the many color and black and white images for the pure joy of the location.  ¶ 9:56 AM 0 comments

  Give an Art Student a Digital Camera!
I loaned a digital camera to Grand Daughter Megan and see the neat image she produced. Her emphasis has been on drawing and painting, but look what happens when a student who has been trained in the principals of art takes hold of a camera.  ¶ 9:01 AM 0 comments

  Looks like a live creature?
Would you believe, this is the seeds on a Clematis vine. Macro Photography reveals many of the wonders of nature.  ¶ 5:12 PM 0 comments

  Two more images from Tuscany

Both images were worked on in Photoshop to meet my visual demands.  ¶ 9:52 PM 0 comments

  From B&W to Old Fashioned Hand Tinting with Color From this Image

To the new Hand Tinted Color Image
  ¶ 4:55 PM 0 comments

  Milkweed seeds and pod The natural wonder of a Milkweed pod has always been a beautiful image.

This Milkweed Pod and seeds were taken with a Digital Infrared camera out in the wind and natural light.
  ¶ 5:16 PM 0 comments

  Up and Down in Chicago Do you know where these three famous Chicago stairs are located?


  ¶ 8:53 AM 0 comments

  Spaceship Bean moves into the Loop
This is fun. Length of lens and angle of the camera really do make a difference.  ¶ 2:38 PM 0 comments

  Refelections in the "Bean"
I decided to have the "Bean" floating like a space ship hovering over the park. Everyone takes pictures of the "Bean" but it is more fun to do something with this interesting visual element. More to come.  ¶ 12:46 PM 0 comments

  Burning Bush on Fire

Think Outside the Box - if there is a rule in photography, break it because you my like the result. Freeman Patterson and John Paul Caponigro have really influenced my thinking about the art of photography. Try some of the following ideas.

1. aim focus / defocus
2. hold the camera still - move during exposure
3. make exposures at decisive moments / make exposures just before and after the action starts and stops
4. freeze motion with fast shutter speeds / explore the distortions and disappearances long exposures can produce
5. maximize depth of field with small apertures / limit depth of filed with large apertures: alternatively, take two exposures to maximize/minimize depth of field.
6. minimize noise (with ISO ratings) / accentuate noise
7. keep shadows open and highlights full / make high contrast graphic representations
8. search for interesting subjects - find the extraordinary in the ordinary: alternately, make the lack of something interesting seem profound
9. don't subject your images to unnecessary wear and tear / distress, stain and weather your images
10. shoot black and white in black and white / shoot color and convert later
11. eliminate unwanted compositional elements with the picture frame / include unwanted compositional elements in exposures and retouch them later
12. keep the horizon level / tilt the horizon
13. don't shoot into the sun / shoot into the sun to produce lens flare
14. avoid verylow contrast lighting (separation) / shoot it and accentuate it later
15. avoid very high contrast lighting (dynamic range) / shoot it twice and reduce contrast later
16. expose to create complete pictures / shoot fragments and incomplete compositions (stages for future actors)
17. previsualize during preparation for exposure / postvisualize after exposure; alternately, visualize ling before exposure
18. follow the rule of thirds / establish a compelling set of proportions no matter what the ratio.
19. don't place compositional elements directly in the center of an image / do
20. don't place diagonal leading lines so they bisect corners / do
21. shoot children and pets at their eye level / explore very low and high levels
22. avoid enjambment / use enjambment for irony or poetic effects
23. don't have pure white compositional emements touch the image border / disrupt the rectangular shape of an image's borders by placing pure white elements along them
24. use rectangular image borders / explore other shapes for borders
25. photograph a thing for what it is / photograph a thing for what else it is or what it is not; expose the underlying metaphor, impose one or imply absence
26. assume the optimum viewing distance of an image will be 3 times the diagonal / make work that can be seen an any distance

Keep going. And revisit this list frequently.  ¶ 3:43 PM 0 comments

  Drive By Shooting




Carol was my driver and I aimed the camera out the window on Oakton and Elmhurst Roads. I used a show shutter speed, and moved the camera for more visual excitement. The idea came from Dewitt Jones and his article in
"Outdoor Photographer". Speed of the car and the lighting conditions all make for more use of your camera controls.  ¶ 1:44 PM 0 comments

  Who said T.V. is Boring? A slow shutter speed, move the camera and discover patterns and designs never seen before on your T.V.



  ¶ 4:19 PM 0 comments

  Fun to Play - A learning Experience


  ¶ 4:23 PM 0 comments

  Using Photoshop Filters - new rendering

This rendering is using the original photograph and Photoshop Filters  ¶ 2:33 PM 0 comments

  Original and Final Painting

Final Painting using Oil Brushes and using the original photograph as a clone source.




This is the original photograph  ¶ 2:03 PM 0 comments

  Today I am back painting the bridge from Florence


The start of a painting from a photograph. I am using an oil mode in the beginning and rough stage.  ¶ 4:37 PM 0 comments