“Learning to let go should be learned before learning to get. Life should be touched, not strangled. You’ve got to relax, let it happen at times, and at others move forward with it.” --Ray Bradbury Day 281 of my 365 photo a day project. Copyright 2016 Scott Norris Photography scottnorrisphotography.com
I wanted to capture something "summer-y" and minimalist to commemorate the impending end of summer and the slow downhill slide to the dead of winter. What better way than with a nice sandy beach and a seashell or two? The only problem with that is I'm in Milwaukee and nowhere near the ocean. Oh sure, we have Lake Michigan. And with the right light and conditions, the lake water can look just like a Caribbean beach in a photograph. But that wasn't today. What to do? My solution involved a white foam core backdrop, natural light from a window, and a pen light. I was planning on creating the blue sky and sandy beach colors in Photoshop, but as luck would have it, the blended colors of the natural and artifical lights worked together well to create the two-toned look in camera. All I had to do was enhance what was there. The light from the window camera left acted as a large warm softbox. With just that natural light, the window just barely lit the scene at a 20 second exposure. So I used the pen light to "light paint" the shell and fill in the rest of the lighting. Finally in Photoshop, along with my normal color-correction and contrast adjustments, I added just a slight bit of texture. Day 345 of my 365 photo a day project. Copyright 2016 Scott Norris Photography scottnorrisphotography.com
"To see a world in a grain of sand and heaven in a wild flower Hold infinity in the palms of your hand and eternity in an hour." -- William Blake An arrangement of fallen petals from a simple Spring flower bouquet. Copyright 2017 Scott Norris Photography scottnorrisphotography.com