Luminous Landscape Forum

The Art of Photography => Discussing Photographic Styles => Topic started by: Stuarte on April 18, 2008, 06:41:47 am

Title: Confessions of a sky addict
Post by: Stuarte on April 18, 2008, 06:41:47 am
Looking back through my library of photos with my tele-teacher yesterday, I realized that an awful lot of my photos have an awful lot sky in them.  My eyes are drawn to the sky and the clouds.  

It really goes against the grain to crop them out of the photos, either in camera or in processing.  Yet as my tele-teacher showed, over a slow remote control connection, cropping out the sky is just what I need to make more powerful compositions.

Maybe it comes from being born with a Mediterranean soul in cloudy old northern Europe. One consolation is that a lot of those old Dutch masters seem to have had a sky thing too.
Title: Confessions of a sky addict
Post by: David Sutton on April 18, 2008, 10:37:06 pm
Yes, what is it with skies? I just had another look at two of my favourite painters (at http://www.abcgallery.com/C/constable/constable.html (http://www.abcgallery.com/C/constable/constable.html)  and  http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/turner/) (http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/turner). ). Their skies make me fall to the ground in joy and terror. Sometimes their subject matter seems just an excuse to frame the heavens. But I agree it doesn't translate to the camera so easily. So often I take two photographs: one for what I feel works as a  composition and a private one for me (with sky).
David
Title: Confessions of a sky addict
Post by: Steven Draper on December 02, 2008, 11:28:51 pm
I'm in the sky camp too! Looking at my landscapes the sky seems to feature and is often the first comment from the viewer.

Constable was a sky fan and had a very good understanding of what he was painting. Many rural painters would have done so. In the days before weather was TV entertainment understanding what was going to happen later could be the difference between feeding the family or being hungry.
Title: Confessions of a sky addict
Post by: bill t. on December 03, 2008, 01:19:57 am
Quote from: Stuarte
Yet as my tele-teacher showed, over a slow remote control connection, cropping out the sky is just what I need to make more powerful compositions.
Down with Creeping Cropism!  Keep the skies!  Common wisdom is that a "highly centered" image is "more powerful" (or something to that effect).  Nothing but tunnel invision in that, bah!  The world is projected on a very wide screen.

Just noticed this today, some really sweet skies, check out the seascape...

http://www.donament.com/Pages/GalleryPages/TN/galblue.html (http://www.donament.com/Pages/GalleryPages/TN/galblue.html)
Title: Confessions of a sky addict
Post by: DarkPenguin on December 03, 2008, 03:25:26 pm
Blacklock's Horizons is interesting...

http://www.blacklockgallery.com/horizons/horizonsgalry.html# (http://www.blacklockgallery.com/horizons/horizonsgalry.html#)
Title: Confessions of a sky addict
Post by: Ray on December 04, 2008, 01:22:21 am
I also find skies interesting. When you think about it, skies can be unique. A particular location can be photographed millions of times, yet the sky might differentiate one particular shot from all the others.

At the moment, I'm processing some shots I took in Italy a few years ago. This one taken in St Peter's Square has a rather dramatic sky and was difficult to process. Taken with the Canon 20D and Sigma 15-30, there was significant flare I felt needed removing.

I'm not sure whether to title this, "Dancing In The Rain", or "Sometimes too hot the eye of heaven shines"

[attachment=10101:6645_St_...s_Square.jpg]
Title: Confessions of a sky addict
Post by: wolfnowl on December 05, 2008, 04:48:25 am
Nothing wrong with sky shots in my opinion...

[attachment=10115:IMG_4715.jpg]     [attachment=10116:IMG_4856.jpg]
Title: Confessions of a sky addict
Post by: mike.online on March 16, 2009, 11:57:55 pm
Quote from: Ray
I also find skies interesting. When you think about it, skies can be unique. A particular location can be photographed millions of times, yet the sky might differentiate one particular shot from all the others.

At the moment, I'm processing some shots I took in Italy a few years ago. This one taken in St Peter's Square has a rather dramatic sky and was difficult to process. Taken with the Canon 20D and Sigma 15-30, there was significant flare I felt needed removing.

I'm not sure whether to title this, "Dancing In The Rain", or "Sometimes too hot the eye of heaven shines"

[attachment=10101:6645_St_...s_Square.jpg]

ray, that is a stunning photograph. bravo
Title: Confessions of a sky addict
Post by: Ray on March 17, 2009, 01:29:06 am
Quote from: mike.online
ray, that is a stunning photograph. bravo

Thanks Mike for your kind words. I like to see kids having a fun time with such simple pleasures as the sting of heavy rain   . Here's a crop taken a few seconds later demonstrating how to pose for a photo in the rain. The sky is implied   .

[attachment=12202:Posing_in_the_rain.jpg]


Title: Confessions of a sky addict
Post by: tom b on March 17, 2009, 01:46:22 am
Here is a collection of Australian skies that I have on my website. Unfortunately the shot of the blackened sky with the sun having a red halo is due to bushfires. It was shot on Christmas Day with the fires blocking the main highway from Sydney to Wollongong.

http://www.tombrown.id.au/eclectic/skies.html (http://www.tombrown.id.au/eclectic/skies.html)

Cheers,
Title: Confessions of a sky addict
Post by: Ray on March 17, 2009, 02:27:53 am
Quote from: tom  b
Here is a collection of Australian skies that I have on my website. Unfortunately the shot of the blackened sky with the sun having a red halo is due to bushfires. It was shot on Christmas Day with the fires blocking the main highway from Sydney to Wollongong.

http://www.tombrown.id.au/eclectic/skies.html (http://www.tombrown.id.au/eclectic/skies.html)

Cheers,

Wow! Some interesting skies in that slide show. Looking at a few other photos in your collection, I notice a few shots are quite blurred as though the shutter speed was far too slow, or misfocussing occurred. The mangrove shots have quite a few of those. Was that deliberate to create an 'arty' effect?
Title: Confessions of a sky addict
Post by: tom b on March 17, 2009, 02:48:53 am
Quote from: Ray
Wow! Some interesting skies in that slide show. Looking at a few other photos in your collection, I notice a few shots are quite blurred as though the shutter speed was far too slow, or misfocussing occurred. The mangrove shots have quite a few of those. Was that deliberate to create an 'arty' effect?

This is what I wrote on the Mangroves page.

"This series of images was taken with a Sony 707, in 2002 at Sydney's Bicentennial Park (now Olympic Park). These image were taken to practice using the new work camera. There is some camera shake and some liberties taken in Photoshop. The idea was to show how something could be very colourful and attractive and yet be the opposite, that is, oil coated mangroves. I always have mixed emotions when I see the images."

Yep. They are fuzzy. As I wrote I was practicing with the camera and it was only after a while that I noticed that the camera had the digital zoom on and I probably was shooting at 400 mm equivalent in low light. I don't think all shots have to be pin sharp to have merit, but on a site where the mantra is bolt your camera down and lock up your mirror I'm probably in a very small minority.

Cheers,
Title: Confessions of a sky addict
Post by: Ray on March 17, 2009, 03:01:52 am
Quote from: tom b
Yep. They are fuzzy. As I wrote I was practicing with the camera and it was only after a while that I noticed that the camera had the digital zoom on and I probably was shooting at 400 mm equivalent in low light. I don't think all shots have to be pin sharp to have merit, but on a site where the mantra is bolt your camera down and lock up your mirror I'm probably in a very small minority.

Don't take offense   . Everything's a matter of taste. I rarely find blurred images interesting but some people consider the blurred effect an attribute of abstraction.

Like your paintings   .
Title: Confessions of a sky addict
Post by: Ray on March 17, 2009, 03:22:45 am
The Isle of Capri.

[attachment=12209:Isle_of_Capri.jpg]
Title: Confessions of a sky addict
Post by: Rob C on March 17, 2009, 10:02:06 am
Quote from: Ray
The Isle of Capri.

[attachment=12209:Isle_of_Capri.jpg]

And did you find her, Ray?

Rob C
Title: Confessions of a sky addict
Post by: DarkPenguin on March 17, 2009, 10:18:46 am
So this isn't about Sky Vodka?

I like a lot of sky in images.  People yell at me when I put lots of sky in images.  Fascists.
Title: Confessions of a sky addict
Post by: stevebri on March 17, 2009, 10:38:24 am
Hi Stuarte,

First rule of photography.... 'shoot what you see' it's what you feel and it's what moves you and defines you as a photographer.

You can still make powerful compositions and include dramatic skies, see enclosed photo's, it just takes time to fine tune what you see and feel into a compelling composition.  A good place to start is by using a 35mm lens (or 24mm on a 1.5x factor chip).  This is because it's fairly close to what your eyes see in relation to layout and perspective.

Keep shooting, I hope that everyone's uploaded photos inspire you to go out and shoot more.

Best wishes,


Steve
Title: Confessions of a sky addict
Post by: RSL on March 17, 2009, 10:57:32 am
Sometimes the sky is almost everything.

[attachment=12213:Crystal_River_Nuke.jpg]
Title: Confessions of a sky addict
Post by: Ray on March 17, 2009, 06:55:54 pm
Quote from: Rob C
And did you find her, Ray?

Rob C

Eventually Rob, after a hard slog. Many of the streets in Capri are too narrow for taxis. The last couple of kilometres we had to walk, but fortunately were able to find a porter with motorised, ride-on trolley to carry our heavy suitcases. But he wouldn't carry us.

The idea was, we would follow him on foot. But we were out of practice with our marathon running and he soon left us behind, causing us to wonder if we'd ever see our suitcases again.

Half an hour later, we knew we had arrived at our destination when we saw our suitcases stitting in a prominent position in the middle of the lane, opposite the gates of the villa where we'd rented an apartment. After dragging our suitcases up 200 steps, we were home.

The next morning we were rewarded with the following view from the balcony.

[attachment=12219:Capri_Dawn.jpg]
Title: Confessions of a sky addict
Post by: Daniel Arnaldi on March 18, 2009, 10:23:07 pm
Ok, I can't resist, I've been shooting the skies for a long time myself, but I'm more drawn to the clouds than anything else. Below are links to three different galleries on my site, all about clouds.


http://danielarnaldi.com/Galleries/Clouds_...ight/index.html (http://danielarnaldi.com/Galleries/Clouds_The_play_of_light/index.html)

http://danielarnaldi.com/Galleries/Clouds_...hade/index.html (http://danielarnaldi.com/Galleries/Clouds_Light_and_shade/index.html)

http://danielarnaldi.com/Galleries/Clouds_...ring/index.html (http://danielarnaldi.com/Galleries/Clouds_The_rain_they_bring/index.html)