PHOTOTALK: photographs by Peter Stewart

Branches - Phototalk is moving

Wed, 13 Jan 2010 21:54 +0100

PHOTOTALK is moving. I've decided to continue to post pictures, but now everything is going to take place at my main personal website, which is running on Wordpress. I have also changed its name to Observations to mark a new beginning. To make the cut nice and clean, I've re-posted the few photos I have created in 2010. Everything else will remain here.

If you would like to stay up to date on my odd experiments and spectacular failures please go to www.stewarts.dk and see what's going on..

If you are using a feed reader please update your feeder with this address: http://www.stewarts.dk/blog/?cat=6&feed=rss2.

By signing up for the so-called Photo feed, you will only be notified of new photoblog posts, and not the family stuff I post from time to time - which incidentally might be in Danish. If you want to keep up with my family, by all means do. You're very welcome - but honestly my life is not all that different from yours, and not all that interesting, unless you're my mum, of course :-)

Burial Mound, Ketting

Mon, 11 Jan 2010 22:38 +0100

I've decided to try something new. For the next month at least, I'm going to focus on shooting in black and white and only post blog photos that are cropped in the square format. Why? Well I'm hoping that this will open up new opportunities as I am forcing myself to think in a different way than usual. With a bit of luck I might even make some nice photos.

This photo was taken about 10 minutes by car from my home. I drive past this mound every day on the way to work and this isn't the first time I have posted a photo of it. Ages ago I posted this panoramic shot.

Looking towards Kegnes

Thu, 07 Jan 2010 18:14 +0100

One of my more successful attempts from a recent trip out with the camera. On the first few shots I took the island in the background was dark, but then the sun suddenly sent rays in just the right direction, illuminating the background and changing the picture entirely. Click-click-click and here's the result.

In flight

Mon, 04 Jan 2010 16:27 +0100

For years I have been wondering if I can assign a certain style to what I photograph. After flipping through hundreds of images it appears that many of my photographs depict (or at least attempt to) things in a quiet or contemplative way. When I'm out with my camera I like it when the only sound is wind in the trees or water lapping against the shore, and for some reason I find it easy to find things to photograph under these conditions.

I like to keep things simple, like today's image with a solitary bird flying over wonderfully toned and lightly rippled water. Thanks for looking, if there's anyone left. I know I'm not the most reliable photoblogger around.

Sitting Gulls

Tue, 29 Dec 2009 19:10 +0100

Some days you are blessed with fantastic light. Here's your moment of zen...

Trees, Winter 2009

Wed, 23 Dec 2009 23:49 +0100

Photo #1 of a small series of shots taken after being treated to lovely snow and not least gorgeous light. Walking throught the woods with trees on my left and the sea on my right I felt lucky to live where I do. In this shot I liked the way the sun cast a touch of warmth on the scene.

Thanks for looking...and Happy Christmas

Christmas Tree

Sat, 19 Dec 2009 13:58 +0100

If a picture a day keeps the doctor away, I must be really ill by now. Besides quick snapshots at various gatherings I haven't taken anything worthwhile in ages. One reason is the weather we have 'enjoyed' for a while. Six weeks of grey, dark skies have done their best to nibble away at my creativity. I'm not good in rain and drizzle.

Anyway, for a change the skies are blue outside my window. We have about 30 cm snow in the garden and I'm on my way out to the local woods to take some pictures.

This shot was actually the result of an accident. I opened a window and this decorative piece fell off and dropped into the snow. I reached out the window, picked it up and hung it back up again. Only now it was lightly covered in snow. Out came the 80-200mm f/2,8 and this is the result.

Autumnal Path

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 22:20 +0100

Perhaps I'm trying too hard. Most of the photoblogs I visit on a regular basis are packed with good photos of the everyday experiences of the photographer. Some people are naturally more gifted than others and are able to produce quality images with apparent ease. Others like myself are forced to work harder, but many of these people still manage to post more regularly than me. It might not all be art, and naturally some of what is posted is flawed in various ways - but it doesn't really ruin my appreciation of these images.

Some things are just fine being nice - flaws and all. Perhaps the light was perfect, but just lacked the right subject, maybe the idea was good but didn't quite succeed. What gets interesting when you follow people for a while, is that you in a sense get to know them through their pictures. Of couse, a bit of quality goes a long way, but it cannot be art every time - not for the majority of us at least.

So, from now on I'm going to post simple shots, unispired shots and with a bit of luck well seen, well executed and well processed shots. I'm not applying for a job in photography, so this photoblog doesn't need to be my portfolio in that sense. Just my way of seeing the world through the camera. That should be good enough for now.

Today's photo has been hiding in my camera for a few weeks. Taken a couple weeks short of perfect autumnal colour splendour, but the light is nice. That's good enough for now.

Into the sea

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 20:54 +0100

What in the world killed my photography bug? Of all the ailments that make my life frustrating, exhilarating and worthwhile, photography has for years been far more than a hobby. It's been a passion that has fed my brain and attacked my creativity with all kinds of challenges, resulting in numerous failures and other near misses that every now and again, against the odds, have been pushed aside by a photo I have been really happy with.

I want to know who has 'cured' me - and I want him fired. Now. I want my bug back.

untitled

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 23:10 +0100

Long time, no post. Looks like inspiration, energy and all the other things you need in order to take a photo are absent these days.

Luckily, autumn is here, beautiful colours and all. I'll take the camera for a walk and see what happens.

Today's shot is from the same place as my previous post. Slightly different view and processing to see if I could convey the sharpness of the light and backlit reeds more the way I experienced it all.