Depth of Field

Web. Photograph by Tom Atwood.

When you hear photographers talk about "depth of field," what they really mean is what is and isn't in focus in a photograph. Often, what's not in focus is just as important. In this photo of a tiny spider web along Fruit Road near Interstate 55, if the background grass and brush were sharp, it would be difficult to see the detail of the web. Opening the lens wide (the camera's aperture) creates a shallow depth of field, meaning not much will be in focus. Anything in front of the web (closer to the lens) or behind it (farther away) will be soft. That's often exactly what a photographer wants, so that the subject--in this case the web--stands out. Shutter: 1/125; Aperture: f/5.6; ISO: 200; Focal length: 42 mm.

Desolation

Pin Oak Road
Photograph by Tom Atwood

I wish I had taken more pictures on this particular winter morning, but there's a good reason why I didn't. My wife Sally asked me recently what photo equipment I might want for Christmas? The first thing that popped into my mind was gloves. The kind with the fingers cut out. Or maybe longjohns. I'm always impressed when I see snowy photos like this, because I know someone had to go out and stand in the wind, tears running down his cheeks until freezing, and fiddle with the camera settings, cursing. And then the lens fogs up when you get back in the car to warm up. But I'm not complaining. So, I'll take either an 80 mm f/2.8 lens for Christmas, or a ski mask. Shutter: 1/500; Aperture: f/5.6; ISO: 100; Focal length: 135 mm.

Numbers

Pranger Family Christmas Card
Designed by Patti Pranger
Photograph by Tom Atwood

Taking one person's portrait is easy. In fact, it can be downright fun. Two people gets more difficult. A family of four can be trying. But when you photograph a family of nine, the numbers are definitely against you. On this day in Calhoun County with the Pranger family, there was another number we all had to deal with - and it was 100. As in degrees fahrenheit. How did we manage to come up with a Christmas card on a day like this?  Lots of pictures (as in 100s) and a towel. One of my favorite shoots ever.

Details

Main Street, Du Quoin, Illinois, 1963
Photograph by Al Kennedy

The detail in old photographs is amazing sometimes. This picture, taken by Al Kennedy in my backyard in 1963, was printed from a 4 X 5 negative. My dad (standing, far right) had just built the swimming pool for campers who attended his Egyptian Music Camp. At least, that was his excuse. When I look at this photo, I don't really notice the main subject - swimmers posing for the camera. What I see are wonderful details: the Coke machine we had in our carport (also, allegedly, for campers), the Motorola radio on the patio table, an ashtray with my father's pipes, the slip-on "tennis shoes" my mom is wearing, two children walking down the sidewalk in front of our house. (Who are they?) And I remember the way my dad would stand when he was talking. It's all there. 1963. For more photos and information about Egyptian Music Camp, join the Egyptian Music Camp page on facebook.

Trespassing

St. Louis Riverfront, December 6, 2010
Photograph by Tom Atwood

East St. Louis is one of my favorite places to take pictures, especially the banks of the Mississippi near the Eads Bridge. It's like a front row seat for one of the most beautiful and distinctive skylines anywhere. The problem is - it is slightly illegal to be there. To get to the East St. Louis riverfront requires crossing several railroad tracks and a gravel road owned by Cargill at its giant grain elevator where barges are loaded with corn. There are "No Trespassing" signs all over. But at night, those signs are difficult to read, especially in the blinding lights from across the river. Shutter: 30 seconds; Aperture: f/22; ISO: 100; Focal length: 18 mm.

Your own backyard

Watershed Nature Center
Photograph by Tom Atwood

Sometimes I envy photographers who live near the mountains or sea, jealous of their dramatic photos. I live in Illinois, a state that is for the most part flat, and some might say, geographically undistinguished. But after taking landscape photos in and around Madison County during the past year, I have decided that this area is as photogenic as any other, you just have to look harder. And the advantage is the element of surprise. People expect photos of the Rockies to be inspiring and majestic, but are often shocked by the unexpected beauty of their own backyard. For example, the Watershed Nature Center, a nature preserve within the city of Edwardsville. As part of the Cahokia Creek watershed, it is 40 acres of wetlands, prairies and pictures waiting to be taken. Shutter: 1/60; Aperture: f/10; ISO: 100; Focal length: 18 mm. 

Being there

September, from the calendar, "Madison County 2011"
Strasen Lane
Photograph by Tom Atwood

The secret to good photography, in my opinion, is being there. Sounds simple, but it's not. By being there, I mean two things. First, you have to get out of bed, usually early in the morning, and go somewhere. You have to be there. In the case of this picture, I had to be on a dead-end county road at dawn on a fall morning with dense, patchy fog. Then, once you're there, you have to think about where to be specifically when you click the shutter. The sunrise on this morning was lovely, but the sun overpowered everything else, including the fog. So, I moved off the road, trespassed slightly, and put the tree between my camera and the sun. Sometimes even an inch can make a difference. Usually always.
Shutter: 1/800; Aperture: f/8; ISO: 100; Focal length: 18 mm
(By the way, zazzle.com is offering the calendar, "Madison County 2011," for half-price today only. To order, click this link, and be sure to enter the promo code JINGLESALE73 at checkout.)

Think small

Smoky Hill Trail Monument
Denver, Colorado
Photograph by Tom Atwood

I was having a hard time photographing the Smoky Hill Trail Monument in Denver, so I gave up. At least I gave up on trying to shoot the entire monument, which is also known as Pioneer Fountain, on the corner of Colfax and Broadway between the Denver Post and the Colorado State Capitol. Instead, I began looking for smaller, unusual features of the sculpture by Frederick William MacMonnie. The result is a very different kind of photograph, one that raises questions, suggests a story, and to be honest, is kind of creepy. By the way, the fountain was installed in downtown Denver in 1911, as part of Mayor Robert Speer's "beautification of Denver" plan. The monument marks the end of Smoky Hill Trail, an ancient Native trail along the smoky river that provided the fastest route west across Kansas for thousands of prospectors making their way to Colorado during the Pike's Peak Gold Rush from 1858 to 1861. I imagine that from time to time those prospectors ran into this beast, or other beasts like it, along the way. Shutter: 1/160; Aperture: f/5.6; ISO: 1600; Focal length: 50 mm.

The Vanishing Night

Moraine Valley near Estes Park, Colorado
Photograph by Tom Atwood

When is the last time you stepped outside at night and saw something like this? My guess is - never. Skies like this one in Rocky Mountain National Park only exist in a few remaining, rare, truly dark places. As a photographer who specializes in long exposures at night, I see scattered light everywhere, especially near St. Louis where I live. The night sky really is vanishing, washed away by one artificial, unnecessary light after another. This picture is the cover (and the month of June) for the new calendar "The Vanishing Night 2011," featuring 12 landscape photos that capture the disappearing night sky. It is available at zazzle.com. Shutter: 30 seconds; Aperture: f/1.8; ISO: 800; Focal length: 18 mm.

Joni McCool

Gateway Arch, St. Louis
Photograph by Tom Atwood

This photo is dedicated to Joni McCool, an exceptional landscape photographer in Mississippi. Joni literally focuses her camera on the Emerald Coast, and the vast, almost endless Gulf of Mexico. But one of her best photos of the Gulf, in my opinion, is an extreme close up of drops of water splashing as a wave crashes onshore. A very tiny image illustrating an enormous seascape. Here's my Midwest version of a Joni McCool photo: one of the stainless steal welded seams holding together the Gateway Arch. A very tiny image illustrating an enormous architectural landscape. Thanks Joni. Shutter: 1/30; Aperture: f/3.5; ISO: 1400; Focal length: 18 mm.

Less is more II

Rocky Mountain National Park
Photograph by Tom Atwood

Sometimes less is more: in this case, less contrast, less color and even less clarity. The early morning low clouds take care of the clarity, leaving the distant mountains a vague and diffuse. The thick atmosphere, compressed even more by using a 200 mm lens, naturally reduces the contrast and color, too (and I did desaturate this photo a bit in processing). The result, hopefully, is a photograph that brings peace to all who view it. Ommmmm. Shutter: 1/60; Aperture: f/5.6; ISO: 400; Focal length: 200 mm.