Frame-A-Day 21: Chinese Food For Lunch

21. Chinese Food For Lunch, originally uploaded by jeffrey_knight.

As a photographer, I don't have any problems with photographing people. How could I? I'm a wedding photographer by day and taking pictures of people are the stock and trade of wedding photography. So it's not people, per se, that I have a problem with- it's strangers. And that's especially so for strangers who have no idea until I approach them that they might possibly have their picture taken today.

So that's become another (small) aspect of this project- improve my "street photography" skills to include more photos of people I do not know. As of early January, I only have 3 (the above, the barista, and one more upcoming), so it's a slow start. It is still a start, however.

Frame-A-Day 20: 306 N. Tucker

20. 306 N. Tucker, originally uploaded by jeffrey_knight.

Context is everything.

This doorway in downtown St. Louis caught my eye and I had to photograph it. It wasn't because of its design, it's color, or those really nice light sconces flanking it, but because of its context.

It was in this little niche, located below a parking garage. And it just seemed so out-of-place there, with its really nice light sconces and its siding, and it's little mail slot. There are three door buzzers there, so I imagine it leads to a small block of offices, but it's set into a space that seems so domesticated. That space in turn is set into a space that's definitely not.

Twenty pictures in, this is still relatively early in my frame-a-day project. I was still trying for the one photo a day ideal, but unfortunately I didn't take enough time thinking about this image. I knew I wanted to take a picture of this door because of where it was, I just didn't capture that at all here.

I believe in returning to a subject whenever possible if I don't feel I got what I wanted out of it. So I will come back here and try again someday.

Frame-A-Day 19: Montana vs. the Tornado

19. Montana vs. the Tornado, originally uploaded by jeffrey_knight.

I did mention that I was pretty bad at the whole 'Take 1 photo a day' thing, right? One-and-a-half months into this project now I feel that particular restriction doesn't have a place. Yes, it's meant to spur greater awareness- that sense that you only have one shot, so it better be a good one! Trouble is, there were days I kept waiting for that one shot to happen- I didn't want to waste my one frame on anything less than 'worthy.'

So, I've modified the original idea behind the project to be 'Take at LEAST one photo a day.' There are days even that simple goal is a struggle. There were 3 days between this shot and tomorrow's. This is the second reason I want to be able to shoot multiple frames a day: to fill in the inevitable gaps.

But this is the last 'Science Center Field Trip' image I'm posting for this project (I did shoot more). I briefly debated including this one, but it had a quality that I really liked.

Frame-A-Day: Science Center

18. Science Center, originally uploaded by jeffrey_knight.

One of my stated goals in this ongoing project was to get into a habit of regular picture taking- at least one per day. I'm still working on finding my routine, some days it's easier to take up the camera and shoot than others. But I am shooting regularly now- at least 7 images per week if not exactly one every day.

Frame-A-Day: Monty and Sophia

17. Monty and Sophia, originally uploaded by jeffrey_knight.

I was a parent volunteer on a school field trip in mid-December. As such, I was given charge to Monty and his friend Sophia. No one got lost and they both had all their limbs attached when they left the Science Center, so I guess I did a pretty good job!

Frame-A-Day 16: Robots!

16. Robots!, originally uploaded by jeffrey_knight.

My son loves robots. He's absolutely wild and crazy over them in all the ways a six-year-old can be. Dinosaurs are cool, spaceships okay, sharks and snakes are nifty, but nothing but nothing can compare to a robot.

One of these days I'm going to have to make it a project to gather up every single last robot in the house- from the big Robby you see here to the Christmas Tree ornaments to the LEGO battle-droids he recently acquired- and take a big group photo.

This photo also marks the end of my first roll of film in my Frame-A-Day project. Only 16 shots in, I know, but the rest of the roll was actually used for something unrelated that I'm unprepared to show yet. Tomorrow we continue with the next roll of Tri-X, rated and developed same as this one.

Keep watching the skies!

Frame-A-Day 15: Birthday Coffee.

15. Birthday Coffee., originally uploaded by jeffrey_knight.

Free coffee at Borders is cool, it just bites that I had to go there during the holiday season to get it.

Frame-A-Day #14: Laumier Sculpture Park

14. Laumier Sculpture Park, originally uploaded by jeffrey_knight.

Another massive public sculpture. This one located in Laumeier Sculpture park in Sunset Hills, MO. Like yesterday's image, this was shot with a #25 Red filter and the effect the filter had on the tones and contrast of this photo are much more pronounced. The shadows are deepened to almost pure black (the original scan still shows some detail, and I'd be willing to bet I could get a tad more out if I worked a little harder at it), the blue sky is darkened, and the bright red sculpture is lightened in comparison.

"The Way" at Laumeier Sculpture Park

Frame-A-Day 13: Wood and Frost

13. Wood and Frost, originally uploaded by jeffrey_knight.

One of the things about shooting film vs. digital is digital's ability to allow you to change the sensor's sensitivity to light, or it's ISO rating. Shooting in bright sunlight? Drop the ISO to 100 or 200. Shooting in a dark building? Raise it to 1600 or 3200 (or more, with the high-end cameras offering fantastic-looking images at very high ISOs).

Film is of course rated at different sensitivities as well, usually known as the film's speed. The higher the speed, the higher the ISO, the more sensitive to light. Kodak's Tri-X, which is what I'm using for my frame-a-day series currently, is normally a 400 speed film, but I'm shooting it as if it were ISO 3200, basically underexposing it by 3 stops. The long processing time in a highly-dilute developer allows me to get scannable images off the film.

But, I have to shoot everything on the roll as if it were ISO 3200. Which is fine when I'm indoors, but outdoors during the day, that's just too bright. How do you solve that problem, since I cannot change the film's ISO on the fly?

The answer is the use of filters, pieces of glass that screw onto the camera lens for a variety of effects. In this case I used a red #25 filter, a deep-red filter. Using a #25 cuts your exposure by 3 stops, effectively dropping my film back to ISO 400- perfectly manageable even on a bright day.

The downside to using it is that contrast is pushed way up, as the shadows- normally lit by the blue sky- are darkened. This isn't a bad effect, per se, but it is one you have to keep in mind when you are shooting with it. For Christmas I received a 2-stop neutral-density filter, which reduces the light entering the camera by 2 stops. Unlike the red filter, the ND doesn't have any sort of color cast, so it won't have any effect on the scene's contrast, and I will be able to use it with color film as well.

Happy new year, everybody, and here's looking forward to a great 2011!

Frame-A-Day: Bibi

12. Bibi, originally uploaded by jeffrey_knight.

Bibi used to work at the same studio as I do until she moved on to greener pastures in fall 2010. It was a real treat to be able to get together with her and catch up last month.

Bibi's photostream

Frame-A-Day: Mercury

11. Mercury, originally uploaded by jeffrey_knight.

Ah, the Saint Louis Science Center, "playground for your head." It's a pretty nifty place- but it is sorely lacking in dinosaurs especially compared to museums such as the Field Museum in Chicago or the American Natural History Museum in New York City.

Saint Louis Science Center

Frame-A-Day 10: Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas.

Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas., originally uploaded by jeffrey_knight.

Stage one is becoming open to the possibilities of interesting photographic subjects that surround us in everyday life. You need to learn to see what's there all the time in front of you.

That's the easy part,

Stage two is being able to translate that quality which catches your attention into a compelling image. I'm still working on that one.

Frame-A-Day 9: The Awakening

9. The Awakening, originally uploaded by jeffrey_knight.

For the most part, the photos I take for the project will be snapshots made during my normal day-to-day activities. But every now and again, I like to go out of my way to shoot something specifically for my frame.

Case in point: The Awakening, by J. Seward Johnson. 70 feet long, 17 feet high, it really is a massive piece of outdoor art (although the Chesterfield casting is slightly smaller than the one located in Maryland near Washington D.C.)

 J. Seward Johnson's website 

Frame-A-Day 8: Family Get-Together

8. Family Get-Together, originally uploaded by jeffrey_knight.

My family will use any excuse to gather to eat and drink and be merry. Anything from the Super Bowl (regardless of who's playing) to a new couch becomes reason to celebrate together. In particular case, it's a three-way birthday celebration for my dad, sister-in-law and myself.

Technically, the focus is a bit off- I focused to far forward and didn't have enough depth-of-field to reach all the way to the back of the table. This is a result from being a 'ninja' shot- most of my siblings are notoriously camera-shy and it's hard to get them in a picture when they're aware. So, popping out from around a corner, focusing the ae-1 correctly, and getting the shot off without alerting anyone is a feat I have yet to master.

Frame-A-Day: Carving the Turkey

7. Carving the Turkey, originally uploaded by jeffrey_knight.

Back to the 24mm lens!

Frame-A-Day #6: Headlight

6. Headlight, originally uploaded by jeffrey_knight.

Remember how I had said that I would take one picture a day, every day for this project? Well I broke that rule rather early. There have been days I didn't take any pictures, and days I took several. I think it all balances out in the end, and I am trying to tighten my discipline up a bit more.

The other thing worth noting about this image is that I did not shoot it with the 24mm lens. Rather I used my 100mm lens- the better for getting in tight and picking out the detail.

Frame-A-Day: Scavenger Hunt

5. Scavenger Hunt, originally uploaded by jeffrey_knight.

I mentioned the detailed dioramas at the Botanical Garden's train display yesterday. They also hand out a checklist to kids who then can try to find the various items tucked away throughout the exhibit. One of the items was an ostrich, which as everyone knows, is native to the Appalachian region of the United States.

Frame-A-Day: Christmas Train

4. Christmas Train, originally uploaded by jeffrey_knight.

The Missouri Botanical Gardens puts up a huge display of model train sets every year for the holiday season. It's fantastic- a large room with around a half-dozen extraordinarily detailed dioramas, each with one or two model trains chugging around them.

Their "Gardenland Express" displays run through Jan 2.. It tends to get really crowded as Christmas approaches.

http://www.mobot.org/

Frame-A-Day Tech Notes

Readng to Grandpa, originally uploaded by jeffrey_knight.

I've got a Canon AE-1, loaded with Kodak Tri-X film and equipped with a 24mm lens set aside for this project.

Tri-X is normally rated at ISO 400, but after reading about how far that film can be pushed, I thought I'd give it a whirl myself. So, I'm rating it at 3200 (that's 3 stops underexposed).

I'm developing it in Rodinal, diluted to 1:100, using semi-stand development; that is, pouring the developer into the tank and letting the film sit there for 120 minutes (that's the 'stand' part). I do slowly invert the tank once every 30 minutes, otherwise I tend to get uneven development across the negative (the 'semi-' part).

The negatives come out of the soup looking rather thin, but my scanner can pull a surprising amount of detail out of them.

New Project: Frame-A-Day

11-17-10 Coffee!, originally uploaded by jeffrey_knight.

I've always felt the middle of November was a perfect time of year to start things, so I've started a new project. Basically the idea is that, using one camera and one lens and one type of film, I would photograph one, and only one, photograph each day for as long as I can stand it (typically these sorts of things are also known as 365 projects, because they're supposed to last a full year).

In addition to shooting the photos, I would also, quite naturally, post them online as they were developed and scanned, and then blog about them.

Now, that was my intention. What actually has happened so far has proven a little different.

As it turns out, I'm terrible at both the 'take a photo every day' and the 'only take one photo' aspects of the project. I'm still trying to get my rhythm down as well as developing the discipline needed to make sure I take at least one picture every day.

But projects like this are all about challenging oneself, right?