Columbus EPS Shoot Day 2

After a day of shooting nature, it was time to turn to the concrete jungle of downtown.  Recently, I've taken an interest in abandoned, graffitied and forgotten structures - urban decay.  I figured that I might be able to find a few interesting locations in downtown Columbus.

I got a later start than the previous day and the weather wasn't as optimal.  I started at the edge of the Arena District, behind Huntington Park.  There are a few old buildings by the Buggyworks complex.  The buildings are very interesting, with some graffiti, peeling paint, rusted doors, etc.  I enjoyed photographing them and then I moved on.  I headed down towards the Short North.  For those of you who don't know, the Short North is one of the most vibrant areas of Columbus.  It's a huge arts district that's home to numerous art galleries, wall art, street performers, boutiques, antique shops and fabulous restaurants.  I wandered around for awhile taking a number of shots.  I then walked back the way I came, to insure that I didn't miss anything the first time.

I didn't shoot as long as I did the day before and I was a little preoccupied with switching back and forth between my Canon AE-1P film camera and my Canon EOS 50D SLR camera.  This was the first time I used my film camera, so I was essentially learning how to use it while I shot.  I didn't get as many shots as I wanted and I was hoping for a bit more "decay."  However, I was in the thriving part of downtown, so I guess I should have expected less.  I need to do a bit more research and look into truly decaying areas and decaying "off-limit" buildings to find the right subject for the type of urban decay shots that interest me. 

With that being said, I still enjoyed the solitude of shooting by myself as well as the weekend trip overall.  I got some good images, I am getting used to my new digital and I got to experiment with film.  So, it was a good trip overall and I look forward to improving my photography skills and shooting more material on my next visit to Columbus.

Columbus EPS Shoot Day 1

I wasn't kidding when I said I would be blogging this week! I know it's been awhile, but I would like to discuss the weekend Edison Photo Society (EPS) shoot in Columbus, OH this past May.  Typically, there is always a weekend shoot for EPS members.  A location is decided upon early in the year and members can come and go as they please and shoot whatever they want.  That is exactly what happened this year.  For those of you who don't know, I'm a huge fan of Columbus.  I love the vibe of the city, the different areas and suburbs, the restaurant scene, the arts scene, the list of countless things to do, etc.  It's no wonder that my wife and I decided to get married in downtown Columbus.  The weekend of the shoot, I arrived in Columbus between 8 and 9 a.m.  I knew a few members were starting at Inniswoods Metro Park, so I thought that would be a good place for me to start as well.  It was a warm and sunny day and the sun was shining bright by the time I had my gear ready to go. 

For those of you who haven't been, Inniswoods is a massive park located within a nature preserve.  There are streams, woodlands, wildflowers, gardens, rocks, structures and more located on the 123 acres that the park boasts.  The items I just named obviously provide a wealth of shooting opportunities, especially for the nature shooter.  While nature is not my preferred subject matter, I did enjoy the morning and walked away with some interesting shots.  The park is so big and I roam very slowly, I didn't cover much ground.  That didn't take away from my experience and I would be happy to shoot there again someday.  At this point in the day, it was already turning into a much better shoot than Loveland Castle.

After meeting up with some of the EPS members at Inniswoods and grabbing lunch, it was off to the Franklin Park Conservatory.  Franklin Park Conservatory was built in 1895 and is located just a few miles from the heart of downtown Columbus.  Franklin Park Conservatory is set on 88 acres of land and houses more than 400 species of plants from around the world as well as a special collection of glass from the world famous artist Dale Chihuly.  In addition to numerous exhibitions and workshops, Franklin Park Conservatory is also a premier event space.  Numerous weddings are held outdoors every year.  This was only the second time I've been to Franklin Park Conservatory; the first was a few years prior and I was only there for a wedding.  So, this was the first time that I was actually exploring the entire grounds.  I wandered around for a few hours, doubling back every place I went hoping to find something I missed the first time.  Again, plant life and nature is not my first choice of subject matter, but I enjoyed my time and got a lot of interesting shots. 

I doubt I'm the only one, but I can only look at so many pictures of flowers, plants, wildlife, etc.  However, I try to approach the subject in a non-traditional way and I hope to make an interesting image out of something that usually comes across as bland or ordinary in a number of photographs.  I'm not saying there aren't artists out there taking amazing and unique photos of flowers and plant life.  There are; I just think in general, a lot of shots are not worth a second look.  I also try to look for other things in the surroundings of the plants and flowers to photograph.  There some very interesting subjects and if you just take a moment to look, you'll find them.  By doing this, I feel like I capture a place in a unique fashion - a way that I'll remember my experience.  I take that approach every time I pick up my camera.  I purposely try not to take the standard shot.  When viewing my travel photography you might not see a lot of typical landmark shots, but you should definitely get a sense of my experience and what makes a location unique and exciting.  I took this approach on Day 1 of Columbus as well as Day 2.  Why the subject matter wasn't my favorite, I had a great time, I was very happy with the shots I did get and I would gladly shoot these locations again in the future.  Thank you Columbus, for giving me another reason to love you.

Columbus Day 1 Teaser

I will be posting a full review of the Edison Photo Society's (EPS) weekend photoshoot in Columbus, OH. As I prepare for the summer show, I wanted to post a few teaser shots from Day 1 at Innis Woods Metro Park and Franklin Park Conservatory on the blog as well as my Flickr account. Feedback is welcome.

RAW - JPEG No More

As most of you know, I started experimenting with photography in 2008 when I received my first digital camera. It was a Sony DSC-W80 and I took it on my first trip to NYC. That small point and shoot only created JPEG images, so when I joined the Edison Photo Society in 2009, I had no idea the difference shooting in RAW makes.

I do now! I've been on three shoots now with my new Canon EOS 50D and for the last two I've been shooting RAW + JPEG. I'm still learning the camera and trying to learn how to adjust settings, set white balance, etc. I was shooting in downtown Columbus on a cloudy day. When I was reviewing the photos on the computer, I felt like the colors were a bit washed out. If I had the knowledge to properly set the white balance and adjust the aperature and shutter speed, my colors on the image would have been truer to what I saw.

When I loaded them into my Canon photo utility and started experimenting with the camera RAW tool, I was blown away. The colors instantly came to life just by changing the lighting setting. With a few small tweaks to shadows, saturation and contrast, the colors looked like they did when I was taking the shot. I am fully converted and I will never go back to shooting only JPEG. Now, I just need to work on my in-camera settings so I can spend even less time editing.