image review » You Can Sleep When You're Dead: Blog by Colleen Miniuk

Behind the Image: NAU Guest Blogger – Jenna Lyter

Apr 162013

“Scattered in Place” – photograph copyright Jenna Lyter

“Scattered in Place” by Jenna Lyter
Normally when I take a photo of an object, I like to move things around until I feel they are in the right place. To me, the best part of this picture is that each leaf on the mossy rock is a different color, giving it a nice variety. The even better part is the fact that I didn’t put them there—it was all thanks to good old Mother Nature.

I hiked down in West Fork a few months ago, and brought my camera along for a landscape assignment I was given in class. Since landscapes are my least favorite to photograph, I wasn’t’ exactly jumping for joy. Although I pride myself on being organized and focused, once I get that DSLR in my hand, all of that so-called focus goes right out the window. I took one landscape picture and dozens of close-ups of other subjects I found to be much more intriguing: streams, rocks, tree trunks, flower, basically anything besides landscapes. This is nothing new for me, and I usually find that my best images are the unexpected ones. For this particular photo, I used a Canon Rebel t3i set at ISO 400, 18-55mm lens at 34mm, F/4.5, 1/50 second. When I came across this particular rock, I snapped a single photo and moved on; out of sight out of mind.

It wasn’t until I got into Lightroom that I realized how special this picture actually was. I boosted the vibrancy and contrast a bit, threw a vignette on, and there it was: the best picture I took on the entire hike. Vignettes hold a special place in my creative heart, and I tend to put them on most of my images—this one seemed to benefit from the heavier vignette in my eyes. Now this is highly unusual for me, as my favorite part of photography is often altering images until they look different than reality using wide-angle lenses, extreme close ups, and color selections. Sometimes though, all that fuss isn’t needed; sometimes less really is more. This image evokes a sort of calm and serenity in mind, especially when I think back to how peaceful the scene actually was: the early morning sunlight slowly streaming through the trees, hardly any hikers on the trail yet, and nothing but the sound of water trickling over rocks in the nearby stream. As photographers, we may think we know where props should be placed and light should be directed, but sometimes—as this image shows—nature knows best.

About the Photographer:
Although video is what I primarily use my beloved DSLR for, photography is becoming a close second. Cameras are a part of my everyday life between my film production major and my work as a videographer, but it wasn’t until last year that I declared a minor—and a passion—for photography. Being able to tell a story or communicate an emotion through a single image or video fascinates me, and I love being able to alter reality with a specific color selection, crop, or camera angle. Last year I began taking senior pictures for graduating seniors, and turned it into a side project called J. Lyter Photography & Video, which has allowed me to expand my audience through social media. In the future, I hope to be working professionally with both video and photography, and as long as I have a camera in my hand, I know I’ll be happy.

To read more about the Northern Arizona University “Behind the Image: Guest Blogger” project on our blog, please read the introduction on our April 15 post at youcansleepwhenyouredead.com/wordpress/introducing-the-nau-photography-students-behind-the-image-guest-blogger-project.

Behind the Image: NAU Guest Blogger – Kimberly Yip

Guest Blogger, Making the Image 6 Responses »

Apr 152013

Photograph copyright Kimberly Yip

I had a wonderful opportunity to attend a private practice held only for instructors and advanced members at Northern Arizona Yoga Center in Flagstaff, AZ. Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga is the predominant form of yoga practiced at NAYC. This early rising group moved through the first and second series of Ashtanga Vinyasa using no vocal instruction. It was very inspiring and peaceful to be among this group of individuals.My goal for this practice was to portray strength, balance and flexibility through a series of images captured throughout the session.

Since the practice began before sunrise, I had to constantly change my camera settings as lighting kept changing. This pose, called Navasana, was particularly striking especially in the light that was available at that moment. This light from the sun which covered a vast portion of the room floor was only present for a short time. The timing and Wyatt’s position in the room couldn’t have been more perfect. He was facing towards the light that was entering the studio, which gave me a great sense of acceptance, power, balance and strength.

I decided to leave my Speedlight flash at home as I wanted to be as unobtrusive as possible during their private practice. This experience taught me a great deal about lighting in many different aspects.Lately, I’ve become accustomed to controlling light in a studio setting, so it was refreshing to step out of my comfort zone using light I couldn’t manipulate.

My greatest challenge during this practice was obtaining proper white balance. I began shooting with the white balance set to the color temperature of tungsten bulbs since that was the light source before sunrise. As the sun began to overcome the lighting in the room I set the white balance to daylight even though the color temperature was still too warm. If I could go back, I would have custom set the white balance to be around 3000-4000 K, which is the color temperature for sunrise and sunset with clear skies. This would have saved me a tremendous amount of time when post processing the images from this session.

This photograph was captured using a Rokinon 85mm f/1.4 prime lens on a Nikon D700 camera. I intentionally overexposed the image because Wyatt would be underexposed had I abided by what the camera thought was a proper exposure. I achieved this by shooting with a wide open aperture at f/1.4 and an ISO of 500. If I can recall accurately, I overexposed by two full stops at a shutter speed of 1/125^th of a second. I could have used a lower ISO had I slowed my shutter speed slightly, but because I was shooting with a manual focus lens and the group was moving through poses rather quickly I didn’t shoot slower than 1/125^thof a second with this lens. Since I was also shooting with really shallow depth of field, it was important for me to freeze motion and achieve sharp focus on Wyatt.

Lastly, post processing was a breeze with this photo. I adjusted the white balance, brought down highlights and blacks, boosted the contrast slightly, and cropped the image to make Wyatt more centered in the frame. I couldn’t be happier with the end result!

About the Photographer:
My name is Kim and I’ll be graduating May of 2013 with a BS in Biology and minors in Chemistry and Photography. I love that I’m able to entangle my passion for photography with the world of biology. Photographing people and wildlife will forever fuel my fascination with animal and human anatomy. Photography is also my outlet, my means of meditation. Being behind a lens silences my mind and makes me be present. It’s important for me to continually challenge myself in becoming a better photographer, and I will always strive to capture emotion and form while representing subjects realistically.

Introducing the NAU Photography Students “Behind the Image: Guest Blogger” Project!

Guest Blogger, Making the Image 39 Responses »

Apr 152013

Introducing the 35 NAU students who will act as Guest Bloggers on this blog starting today through early May: (In alphabetical order, all thumbnails/photos copyright their respective owners)
First row (left to right): Evan Atwood, Tiffany Bociung-Bodtke, Heather Brick, Alyssa Burkett, Niko Chaffin, James Dean, and Anthony DeAngelo
Second row (l to r): McKenna Edwards, Sherese French, Daniel Garcia, Alex Gaynor, Mark Goodger, Tom Heger, and Shelby Irons
Third row (l to r): Rebecca Kooima, Emily Larsen, Kristyn Lechwar, Jenna Lyter, Clark Malcolm, Grant Masters, and Christine McCully
Fourth row (l to r): Marissa Molloy, Takashi Okunda, Jordan Patton, Jennifer Radke, Amanda Ray, Karen Renner, and Colby Rycus
Fifth row (l to r): Stephanie Sherban, Jessica Silvius, Quinn Tucker, Keenan Turner, Tracy Valgento, Margaret Whittaker, and Kimberly Yip

Do you ever have an idea about something but don’t know exactly where it will lead? And then once you follow your nose and chase down the idea, it turns into something so much better than you ever expected? I LOVE it when this happens! Don’t you?

Well, the Northern Arizona Photography Students “Guest Blogger” Project I am proudly kicking off today is a perfect example of this. Allow me to explain…

Last October, I had the privilege of working with Arizona Highways Photography Workshops (AHPW) volunteer extraordinaire, Amy Horn (www.horndesigns.com), during a special photography workshop at the Desert Botanical Garden. Amy and I work together frequently on various AHPW, but it had been some time since we had chatted about the exciting things going on in our lives.

As Amy, who is also a photography instructor at the Northern Arizona University (NAU) in Flagstaff, caught me up on her recent activities, I was so impressed to learn about how her students’ recently offered photographic support to the Komen Foundation as a part of her NAU classes. She actively sought out the opportunity to provide her students with as much real world experience to put their school studies to practical use.

This got me thinking back to my time at the University of Michigan Business School, where we worked with real companies in the community, and I remember just how much I enjoyed those experiences. I truly feel like those projects helped get me to where I am at today. And so it got me thinking some more…

As you know, giving back and helping the photographic community is very important to me. So is the endless pursuit of continuous improvement, not just for myself as an artist, but my entire community…so…

I sent Amy an email a few days after the workshop, offering a few ideas of how either my CMS Photography or my Analemma Press publishing businesses could help provide hands-on experiences for her students. I didn’t have a clue if the ideas were something Amy – and her students – would be interested, but I couldn’t let the opportunity pass without trying.

After receiving an enthusiastic response and talking with Amy about possible partnering opportunities, we agreed to me presenting a 30-minute presentation to her Intermediate Photography (PHO285) classes, where we would introduce the “Guest Blogger: Behind the Image” assignment.

On March 7, the students received the task of “selecting a photo from this semester (can be from any class or one you already turned in) that has a story. The story should be about how and why you took this image.” Upon completion, each student’s “Behind the Image” story and photo would appear on my blog as a “Guest Blogger” post during late April and early May.

Specifically, each student was asked to write a blog for posting about:

“Why: What inspired you to create this image? What were you trying to “say” with it – what’s the visual message you wish to communicate? Adding in the thought process from a photographic perspective would also be helpful (e.g. “I used this filter because I wanted this effect.”)

How: As part of your story, you will share the technical information for the image, specifically camera brand/model, focal length lens used, ISO speed setting, aperture, shutter speed, any filters, and any special post-‐processing techniques.”

In addition, we asked the students to write in active – not passive voice – and stay within a word count of 400-800 words. Finally, we requested a 100-word bio at the end of their blog entry.

The students were not required to submit nature or outdoor-related images, as their interests varied greatly, and I feel strongly that we, as an audience, can improve our own work by reviewing and evaluating photography outside of our preferred domain.

From the assignment, we received 35 blog entries. Starting this afternoon and over the next few weeks, in no particular order, these 35 NAU Intermediate Photography students will share their personal expression with public audience via this blog – some blogging for the first time! I hope you will find, as I have, much inspiration from these students and their work!

I also invite you to participate in this educational project by reading their insights and providing your comments on their stories and photos. Help make a difference in these students’ lives! They could benefit tremendously from your encouragement, unique perspectives, and constructive feedback! So not only do we as an audience get to enjoy and learn from their insights, but they also get the opportunity to hear what you think as well! Everyone wins!

I LOVE it when this happens!

CMS Photography: Favorite Photos From 2012

General 52 Responses »

Jan 022013

“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”
~Eleanor Roosevelt

Happy 2013 Everyone! A new year means a blank canvas on which to create new friendships, opportunities, and achievements! I hope you each have big dreams in mind, and perhaps even more importantly, I hope you follow them relentlessly and passionately so they all come true for you in the new year. After all, “you can sleep when you’re dead,” right?

Whew, what a year 2012 was for CMS Photography! Last year will go down as our busiest, most successful, and by far the most exciting year to date, with many countless “thank you’s” owed to you, as I could not do what I do without your continued support! I feel truly fortunate to be surrounded by so many inspiring, creative, and enthusiastic people.

Some major highlights for us from last year include (in no particular order):

Won 7 international book awards for our recently published guidebook, “Wild in Arizona: Photographing Arizona’s Wildflowers”
Wandered and relaxed (!) during my husband’s two-month sabbatical from his work
Traveled to Scotland, England, Alberta & British Columbia in Canada, California, Hawai’i, Maine, Montana (twice), Florida, Washington, Utah (multiple times), and to many excellent photogenic locales within Arizona in between!
Established and participated in the first ever cultural photography exchange and exhibition between Alberta and Arizona for the Through Each Other Eyes non-profit organization (which led to the recent creation of the IRIS Photographic Society of Alberta)
Served as a Featured/Keynote Speaker at the International Photographic Society of America (PSA) Annual Conference and the Cooperative Communicators Association (CCA) Institute
Saw friends and met lots of new people during numerous book signings, camera club presentations, and photography workshops
Selected as an Artist-in-Residence for Acadia National Park (…for the third time!!)
Published in the 2013 National Geographic and Arizona Highways calendars
Donated 100% of the profit from November print sales to Emmy’s Army to help my friend, Emily, beat childhood cancer
Started this blog!

And just when you think you can’t have any more wild fun, 2013 shows up!

Going into our sixth year as a full-time freelance photographer and writer, I couldn’t be any more pumped for the year to come, not just because of all the travel planned and the new projects we’ll announce throughout the year, but all the great times and awesome learning opportunities we’ll share together, whether that be during our upcoming Workshops and Presentations or simply out in the field sharing some light and good laughs.

But, before we start running down the 2013 street like a bat outta hell, though, I’d like to share my favorite 13 (a lucky number for the new year!) photos in celebration of a joyful 2012. For more inspiration, be sure to also head over to Jim Goldstein’s Blog, hes posted his traditional and ever-growing list of other photographers’ own favorites and best from 2012 for his “Blog Project: Your Best Photos from 2012.”

Here goes:

1. Winter’s Serenade, Death Valley National Park, California (January 2012)

Cottonball Marsh area along Salt Creek in Death Valley National Park, California, USA (Prints available – click on photo to order!)

2. Walk the Line, Death Valley National Park, California (February 2012)

Cracked mud and stones in the Panamint Dry Lake in Death Valley National Park, California, USA (Prints available – click on photo to order!)

3. Sunrise at Boulder Beach, Acadia National Park, Maine (June 2012)

er Beach and the Otter Cliffs, Acadia National Park, Maine, USA (Prints available – click on photo to order!)

4. Bunchberry Dogwood, Acadia National Park, Maine (June 2012)

Bunchberry dogwood (Cornus canadensis) at Acadia National Park, Maine, USA (Prints available – click on photo to order!)

5. The Totem Pole and Yei Bi Chei, Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, Arizona (June 2012)

The Totem Pole and Yei Bi Chei rock formations in Monument Valley Tribal Park, Arizona, USA (Prints available – click on photo to order!)

6. The Colorado River Flexing its Muscle, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Arizona (June 2012)

The sandstone cliffs of Marble Canyon reflect into waves in the Colorado River near Lee’s Ferry, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Arizona, USA (Prints available – click on photo to order!)

7. The RCMP Musical Ride, 100th Anniversary of the Calgary Stampede, Calgary, Alberta, Canada (July 2012)

Abstract view of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police’s Musical Ride during Stampede in Calgary, Alberta, Canada (Prints available – click on photo to order!)

8. Reach for the Sky, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Arizona (August 2012)

Abstract sky pool pattern in Lake Powell, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Arizona, USA (Prints available – click on photo to order!)

9. Autumn on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona (September 2012)

Gambel oak line the edge of the North Rim of the Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, USA (Prints available – click on photo to order!)

10. Autumn Regeneration, Kaibab National Forest, Arizona (September 2012)

Abstract view of a regenerating burned forest during autumn in the Kaibab National Forest, Arizona, USA (Prints available – click on photo to order!)

11. Mother Nature’s Ice Cream, Vermilion Cliffs National Monument, Arizona (October 2012)

Striated bentonite clay beds in the Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness Area, Vermilion Cliffs National Monument, Arizona, USA (Prints available – click on photo to order)

12. Spell of the Sea, The Big Island, Hawai’i (November 2012)

Waves and volcanic rock along the Puna Coast on the Big Island of Hawaii, USA (Prints available – click on photo to order!)

13. Winter Solstice Eve, Canyonlands National Park, Utah (December 2012)

Viewed from the Green River Overlook, the sun sets over Island in the Sky district in Canyonlands National Park, Utah, USA (Prints available – click on photo to order!)

Thank you for stopping by the “You Can Sleep When You’re Dead” blog! Let’s all make 2013 a year to remember!

~Colleen

Making the Image: "Reflections at Moraine Lake"

Making the Image 4 Responses »

Oct 242012

“Wait, why are there so many stars out?” I murmured to myself as I stepped out of our Lake Louise-based hotel door and into the darkness.

Just a mere six hours before our 4 am wake-up call, Royce Howland and I had dashed around Banff National Park in his 4Runner, watching mammatus clouds form overhead as we chased violent, fast-moving thunderstorms whirling through the scenic valley. Serendipitously, we found ourselves capping off a thrilling evening with our cameras in the perfect position along the Bow River as the northern sky exploded into a fireball of color. After experiencing such a spectacular show by Mother Nature, we asked ourselves, “What would the morning bring?!”

As I peered at the speckled sky out the car window, my hopes for capturing moody storm clouds at Moraine Lake – our sunrise destination – disappeared as fast as the coffee did that morning…

Image #1: Though arguably half-asleep, I dragged my gear up the pathway to the top of the rock pile overlooking this gorgeous lake and found a high point to perch my camera. I started the morning with the classic, ho-hum, “everybody’s got it” composition as the sun broke through a small sliver of clouds on the eastern horizon. I normally try to avoid cliche shots, so what was my excuse for kicking off the shoot like this? I’ll take “Photography While You’re Still Half-Asleep” for $500, Alex! Jeopardy jokes aside, this image is definitely not what I wanted to say about this iconic place, but it served to get the creative juices flowing in what I considered to be less than desirable conditions...at o-dark-thirty…

Image #2: I needed some new ideas and inspiration – image #1 wasn’t going to cut it. Immediately after snapping this shot, I noticed a small canoe leaving the dock (located on the bottom right hand side of the frame in the image above). Since the broad landscape scene wasn’t evolving to my tastes, I hiked down the hill to see if I could record people interacting with nature instead. Seemed like an easy way to capture something different here! But as I approached the dock, I quickly acknowledged that finding people awake, active, and super excited about the papparazzi at 5 am is sometimes hard to come by…but there were lots of colorful canoes willing to pose for me! With the sun tucking behind another cloud, the subdued conditions afforded me more time to undauntedly play and practice different wide-angle compositions along the shoreline, including this one of the resting boats:

Image #2

Image #3: The diffused lighting helped the colors of the canoe stand out, but I was less than enthusiastic about the boring clear blue sky and the lack of direct lighting on the peaks in the background. Out they go! To help eliminate the sky and background, I switched to my telephoto lens and repositioned myself onto a bunch of boulders lining the lake near the dock.

By taking the unimportant elements out of the frame, I was able to then emphasize the canoes and the mirror-like reflection, which resulted in image #3 below (just as the sun peaked out again!):

Image #3

Image #4: My eyes widened with delight as I reviewed image #3 on my LCD – we’re getting warmer! (At least the compositions were; this Arizona-based desert rat froze to death out there. Just look at all that “weird” white stuff in the mountains!) The reflected provided much needed context about where I was photographing without having to include a background I didn’t like. That said, I felt the composition in image #3 was too tight, so I put my wide angle lens back on and stepped off and behind the rocks for a broader view to record image #4:

Image #4

Image #5: At this point, I felt a little like a character in the “Goldilocks and the Three Bears” story – image #3 felt too tight but image #4 felt too broad. I needed something “just right!” By adding foreground, the scene appeared to have more depth, but the rocks didn’t really add to the story I was trying to tell. The part I liked most fell right in the center of the composition of image #4, so I composed a little tighter with my wide angle zoom lens. And voila! Image #5 resulted and is the image I have selected to display in the 1st Through Each Others Eyes Arizona-Alberta Exhibition: (blog continues after photo)

Image #5: “Reflections at Moraine Lake” to be featured in the upcoming 1st Through Each Others Eyes Arizona-Alberta Exchange Exhibition

Now that you’ve seen a sneak peek of one of the images I recorded from my time in Canada, I hope you plan to join us for the Artist Reception on November 7 from 7-9 pm at the Art Intersection Gallery in Gilbert, Arizona to see not only my 19 remaining selections, but also how my Through Each Others Eyes travel partner Ken Ross interpreted Alberta differently than I did and how Alberta-based photographers Royce and Peter Carroll viewed Arizona during their 10-day stay during our cultural photography exchange. For more information about the exhibition and artist reception, please visit the TEOE website at www.teoe.org/?page_id=829.

AHPW Women’s Photo Retreat: Summary From Post-Workshop Critique

Photography Tips & Tricks 3 Responses »

Sep 052012

One of the most enjoyable and valuable educational aspects of the Arizona Highways Photography Workshops (AHPW) – of which I’m honored to lead a number of each year – is the post-workshop critiques. Though we conduct image review sessions during the workshop, a post-workshop critique allows participants additional time to edit and process their photographs before submitting to their instructors for additional feedback after the class concludes.

Whether we complete these productive reviews during or after the workshop, we analyze the positive aspects of each student’s images and constructively outline ideas for how to potentially improve them from a technical and artistic perspective. Kind of like this:

“What The Duck” comic strip copyright and courtesy of the author and artist Aaron Johnson at http://www.whattheduck.net.

All choking and joking aside, the point of the evaluation is to go beyond answering the simple question: “Do you like this picture?” The true value of the exercise comes in when we define in-depth we WHY like and don’t like an image, which generates new ideas to sharpen our skills and polish our individual styles from our different answers.

Earlier this week, I completed the post-workshop critique for the recent Women’s Photography Retreat at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. Although I’ve shared image-specific comments for 45 images, I thought I’d share a summary of the three main take-away’s from this particular critique session:

The Totem Poles and Yei Bi Chei at Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, Arizona

Example: Tilting my camera down emphasizes the sandy landscape and allows the sky to become a less dominating backdrop. By composing so that the line of bushes and the patterns from the wind-blown sand lead my audience into the frame, it helps guide the eye through the landscape towards my primary subject: the side-lit Totem Poles at Monument Valley. Do you agree? How would you critique this image? (Prints available! Click on photo for a direct link).

“Half and half” works well in coffee, but not always in landscape images. Unless you aim for symmetry among the various elements within your frame (e.g. a reflection of mountain in a lake), placing the horizon line in the middle of your frame will only serve to divide your viewers’ attention. Should they look at the land or the sky? Make it clear: If the sky is more interesting, tilt your camera up and place the horizon line at the bottom

third of the Rule of Thirds tic-tac-toe grid. If the land is what caught your eye, then tilt your camera down so the horizon is at least at the top third of the grid.
Let there be light…oh, and a strong subject too! Is there anything better than sitting on the edge of the Grand Canyon and recordings the rays of the setting sun break through the clouds, turning the landscape and sky into a fiery mix of orange, pink, and purple? (In more technical terms, we call this “super yummy light.”) YES! That same spectacular show by Mother Nature happening over a well-thought-out composition! Good light alone is often not enough to make a great image. Similarly, a strong center of interest without interesting light may lack shape, contrast, and mood. To capture the best subject in the best light, visualize strong compositions first in the field, then return to work the scene when the light is just right.
As “all roads lead to Rome,” all lines should lead to somewhere important. Lines can direct your viewer to through your image, but the payoff at the end of the line shouldn’t be a one-way ticket out of your frame. To keep the viewer’s interest, ensure the visual path doesn’t extend beyond the edge of your frame and leverage diagonal, converging, S-curve and other style lines to pull your viewer not just into your frame, but also somewhere interesting.

If you’re a past student of AHPW – not just of this specific workshop, but any of them – you have the ability to view my image-specific comments by logging into the Arizona Highways Photo Workshops Smugmug site with the password you received during your workshops and selecting the “Women’s Photo Retreat” folder. You also have the ability to leave comments as well, so hop on the site and let’s here you’re thoughts!

If you aren’t a past student of AHPW, there’s no need for you to feel left out. If you’d like input on one or more of your images, stop by my page and submit your shots at GuruShots at www.gurushots.com/colleen-miniuk-sperry.

In closing, I’d like to thank the ladies who submitted their beautiful photographs for critique: Denise, Deanna, Christy, Amy, Julie, Tamara, Sue, Pearl, and Jeanne. As Abigail Adams once said, “Learning is not achieved by chance, it must be sought for with ardor and attended to with diligence.” May we all embrace learning like these and all of the women who attended the Women’s Photo Retreat have.

AHPW Women's Photo Retreat: Silly Group Photo

The attendees of the AHPW Women’s Photo Retreat having a “Zen” moment during our Group Photo. I’m not sleeping, I’m merely practicing “Corpse Pose.”