SET UP FOR SINGLE PRIMARY LIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY USING A FLASHLIGHT

THE POST ON JANUARY 9, 2012 showed photos taken with a  single primary light source.  The post today shows the set up, a quick and hasty way to shoot simple objects and give your creative  lighting talents a chance to shine.  The set up consists of these items:

• White matte window shade used as the infinity curve backdrop
• Camera
• Tripod
• Light Source- we used a Surefire™ tactical flashlight, a very bright hand torch
• Objects to Photograph

A tripod to hold the camera is recommended. Although exposure did not require a really slow shutter, the tripod ensured a steady shot and freed me to move around with the light source. My arms will not reach like Plastic Man and it was comical enough  bobbling around in the crowded space and not tripping on the tripod or the legs of the ironing board  used to support the backdrop. I maneuvered around with the flashlight and used the camera timer to click off the photo.

Typical exposures use ISO 400, F/2.8 to F/7, somewhere around 1/40 sec to 1/60 sec shutter.  I recommend manual focus and manual exposure, fiddling with exposure to get the look you want.

A PERMANENT PHOTO SET UP: The best way to use the window shade backdrop is on a permanent photo table.  The shade should be mounted a foot or so up at the back of the table then pulled out along the table when needed. Add various arrangements of light tents, diffusers and multiple lighting methods to do macro and product photography.  The key is in the set up of the item and lighting. Take time with that.

 

A window shade makes an easy infinity curve backdrop for photography of small items.

This is the basic set up. An older camera fills in as model.

The room was darkened for photos taken with the single primary light.

The single source light and items to photograph

Play with lighting and discover the effect you want.

The set up for this photo of a Wacom™ graphics pen and mouse is seen in the first photo. Lighting was the Surefire™ hand-torch with a tad of ambient light leaking in from a hallway.

BROAD-WINGED HAWK, a bird to teach a class

The Broad-Winged Hawk is one of the more plentiful hawks in the United States, a soaring hawk which is about the size of an overweight crow. These birds find it most comfortable to stay near forest areas and away from people while they spend spring and summer seasons in the eastern United States and southern Canada. When fall season arrives, the adults are ready and the babies have now grown into strong fliers, ready for migration. The time arrives to leave and all the hawks know it, no alarm clock or calendar needed.  As these hawks start flying from Canada and the northern United States, they flock together and more and more companions join along the way.  The migration is spectacular!  In certain areas you may watch as thousands of these raptors pass by together.  Like a kettle full of birds, the flying groups are called "kettles", a word for groups of raptors together.  Check the Internet for photos and videos of Broad-Winged Hawk migration. 

See the Migration Map at this Cornell website:

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Broad-winged_Hawk/lifehistory/ac

Where are they headed and why do they leave when fall arrives?  Would you want to be where you have plenty of food?  So do the hawks. They eat small critters like toads, lizards and insects. During the winter months this food is very scarce and not plentiful enough to feed the birds.  The hawks take off on a trip south, to where it is summer time while we go through winter here.  Can you imagine flying from the northern USA to Central America and north western South America?  These hawks do it every year then come back for spring and summer here and raise their new families.

The hawks mouth and tongue is clearly visible

Amigo is a Broad-Winged hawk at the Clinch River Raptor Center.  Why is he in the rehabilitation center?  Unfortunately, this beautiful hawk was found with wing damage and could not fly. There is no repair possible for the wing and in the wild woods Amigo would not be able to fly and live.  Still, this hawk has a chance to live a long life even if not in the wild.  Once rescued, the hawk has a chance at another life.  Because this Broad-Winged can help the wild birds through education of people, we see this as better than dying from starvation or being food for another animal.  The real plus for Amigo is shelter, food and good care for life.

These photos are part of a Resume for Amigo.  This raptor is ready to be trained as an educational bird who will travel to schools, campgrounds, club meetings and other gatherings where caretakers will teach about hawks and owls. Amigo will sit on a gloved hand and people will be able to see a beautiful little hawk up close. For the resume, selected photos and information will be sent to other raptor rehab and educational centers so that Amigo may be placed in a new home and trained for this new job.

We all wish Amigo could have been repaired and released back into the wild. If so, the hawk would have been given only a temporary name and kept as wild as possible while healing. Human interaction for releasable birds is kept to a minimum while providing essentials for healing and preparation for release. A day for release would come and we would smile as the little hawk flew away, finding a renewed life in nature where the wild critters are meant to be. Had that been the case, the hawk would still need to stay at the center and wait for spring to arrive. Do you know why?  Migration time has passed and there is not food enough during the winter season.

Typical perch materials include artificial turf.  Improper perch material may lead to "bumble foot", a disease of the pads of the foot bottom from injury or pressure sores followed with infection. Proper perching material is essential as is activity away from the perch when possible. Falconers, licensed rehabilitators and zoo personnel must be well aware of proper foot care for captive birds.

Note the yellow cere of the beak

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Make comments as you wish. E-mail if interested in more or to ask about photo purchases (without the watermark).

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I always thank God for this earth and the care He gives us in getting through it.  That thanksgiving includes the creatures, large and small, beautiful or strange.

What is Awkward Beauty? Grab some kettle corn and take a short walk with me.

Landing Heron.. awkward beauty---As plain as the web page in front of me are these words in the page header. Awkward beauty? What is that? We all have definitions of beauty. There is a huge range in the world of human emotion and points of view, covering images, events and memories. With a special flower, an entire crowd may agree it is beautiful and lovely to see. Move away from the obviously lovely and the the label beauty is somewhat awkwardly taped on the corner like an afterthought. An image of dead hostas in winter was beautiful to me and when uploaded to a photography website a commentator expressed surprise. Every year she was compelled to rake up the dead and fallen foliage at her home because it was dead and fallen. To the eye of the beholder the label of beauty may be awkwardly affixed with a piece of torn and soiled tape. Possibly she took a moment to look again at her fallen hostas and saw more than an automatic chore of raking up the dead. I suspect hers went quickly and were long gone when I uploaded the photo.  That photo resides somewhere on this blog.

The title awkward beauty came to mind when the heron in the header photo was landing in the tree.. The entire maneuver appeared so awkward with long legs at all angles and large wings trying to maintain balance and gain a secure hold in the branches. I thought the bird picked the wrong place to land but it knew better and the end was a different sort of gracefulness well adapted to the heron.

This post will tell tiny stories with photos to illustrate. Cart before the horse or the other way, the stories came and so did the photos. Do enjoy the points of view presented here. Or, consider me mad, mad, mad and someone who if running naked in the street would make more sense…maybe to you. To me, that would be very awkward and anything but beauty. I do have a full length closet mirror. A roll of tape would not fix the label to stay on out of the starting block. Mothers would cover the eyes of young children, like at the zoo.  The rest would laugh and cheer it on!  Run, Run! Ask them through their laughter, "That sure was funny. Was it beautiful?" ..."NO". 

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I think you might see  a sort of beauty in this post...take a look and find no need to cover any eyes..

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The King House..abandoned today but prior to 1956 it was cheerful and home to school teachers on snowbound evenings...so I was told.

Photo taken just in front of the Green McAdoo Cultural Center in Clinton, Tennessee.

The center is now a museum and reminder of the events leading up to and following

integration of the local high school in 1956. 

 We went to the town and visited the center several years ago. The abandoned house

caught my eye and I asked about its story.

The governor of Tennessee was wise when he said, "Go ahead and get it done. Integrate the schools," In 1956 it happened in Clinton, Tennessee, said to be the first school integrated likely anywhere in this country.  There was at least one which was integrated earlier but that distinction is not important. 

If you don't know what integration was or is, think of black kids not being allowed to attend the city high school and being bused instead to an all black student school in another city. The opposite of integration is segregation, a divide of people "justified" by race or other reason and which generally favors the ruling class. Some folks knew better and others did not give it much thought. Believe it, when the judge said we are moving on this now to get it done in Clinton, ears perked up and people reacted.  They say outsiders came in to stir the tempers and subdue supporters of the integration. Were some local folks involved? Of course...someone and the culture was wanting those black kids kept out of the white high school long before the governor spoke in his determined words and local law listened and decided to move on it. Some like a local white Baptist minister knew it was time to move on to better values and acceptance of fellow man. Others along with outside instigators believed big sticks and violence was justified to maintain status quo,  leaving things alone and no change tolerated.

The integration problems did happen but that is not the story or the beauty of the King house, shown here much later after more recent owners left it,  apparently abandoned and in disrepair.

Up the hill is a school building, an old one.  That is where the black kids in town went to school up to when they were old enough for high school. The home owners saw a need for education and for the teachers to be comfortable.  Maybe there was more snow back then because I am told when the teachers were snowed in or would be taking a risk driving home and returning to school the next day, they were offered congenial lodging at the old house.  Of course, the house was not old back then but a nice home with room for the teachers to spend the evening.  My first thought was that nowadays school would have been closed for even the threat of snow.  Back then, I reckon it stayed open and the kids walked to school.  The now caved porch would be a fine place to sit and visit on a summer evening, too. There is beauty in this old house, more than I first thought.

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A view from an old hotel on Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio

The hotel is real and so is the view. It is different at night when with

little else to do, one looks around at the buildings and

sees someone else looking from their window.

What follows is fiction.

"I saw you look out of your window last night. Are you there now? Is everyone gone, are you in the dark alone or with others? You are there. I saw you last night...did you see me when you looked up? My building is higher than yours; yours is only a few levels. I am on the 13th floor with more above me. I feel those floors pressing down on me tonight. I suspect we will never meet, well, no consequence. I have been in this room too, too long. When will you look out your window!"

It might be a stretch to find the beauty in this one, even in a awkward sense.  I saw it in the daytime working hours of the city along this street and all the view from the hotel window. Nighttime was not the same, yes, people on the streets and in clubs but with too many dark corners to suit me. 

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This photo was arranged to portray an idea and the  beauty of getting beyond this image.

Tea parties in her mind: This a fictional depiction of reality.

I ask you look beyond a bleak scene to see a woman who once sat in this chair, in poverty on the streets and in the mission shelters..

With assistance of specially able people who understand how to help, she now has a little home and and is employed. She now has

a lovely tea party and all her friends are there to share the scones.

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The photographs shown are older ones picked from stored files.  Editing technique was less sophisticated than today
  but with the same eye behind the shutter. 
The point of view has changed in several ways over a few years.

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Clear Wing Moth, also called Sphinx and Hummingbird Moth

This beautiful moth got my attention, flying very close to my face as it passed quickly to land on a brick wall.  At first look was a pretty but unknown insect with all the warning colors of a huge, huge bee or wasp of some sort.  With a side view, I recognized a moth-like face and body structure.  The awkward introduction and trepidation turned to curiosity at seeing a beautiful creature for the first time. It sat a while then flew away, boasting extra long legs for a moth.

These photos were taken with an old Minolta point and shoot in 2005. Modern point and shoot cameras with a macro capability will do better.  Be certain to keep unedited original files and only edit copies of your digital photos.  The moth photos had been edited and the originals were not available. Today I would have done better in processing the photos had the originals been saved properly. I have seen only one moth like this since 2005.

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Can a large crawling bug be beautiful?

I believe so but many folks will want to get away

or even squash this harmless millipede.

This creature makes for an awkward encounter and

by all appearances is dangerous..
red and black and 3 inches long.

People jump and back away, women scream,

 men pretend to be brave and are tempted to step on it...

watching for it to attack or swing up and get them.

The Tennessee Flat Back Millipede is not dangerous;

the warning looks are possibly for self protection.

The flat back millipede lives in southern states where weather is suitable, You will see these large bugs in garden mulch, under decaying leaves and in areas of downed vegetation. They prefer to be under cover.  Beautiful..depending on the eye of the beholder!   Here is scientific link with better photos:  http://tolweb.org/brachoria

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Cedar Waxwings

The beauty of these social birds is well known and appreciated.

The body feathers appear like a soft velvet, smoothed and fresh.
Red tips on the wings look like a fine sealing wax. There is nothing to deny this beauty. "Awkward" was standing beneath branches of a tree full of these migrating birds.  I looked up and saw bird bottoms, everywhere. 

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Single Primary Light Photography, Still Life and Portraits, Evening in Paris

Lighting is an utmost essential ingredient to a good photograph. Beyond the very basic need of enough light to take a photo in the first place, lighting contributes to color, mood, atmosphere, ambiance and drama of a photograph.  Certainly, you need a suitable subject, composition and technical skill to form the basis of any photograph: The better each of these areas the better is the photograph you produce. Yet, with the same subject matter and composition, changing the light will often dramatically alter the photograph from ordinary to very good, from snapshot to excellent.  This is true whether the subject matter stirs smiles, tears, joy, revulsion or basic curiosity in the person looking. 

 Please, No more!

Of course, I have learned that some people simply have no interest in any photos anyway, anyhow unless possibly of their kids.  And, everyone with a camera and able to put on a Thanksgiving Dinner has a photo of the table, a photo always a must to take but never seen again. If you love photography, this is a "to live with".  Some people simply would always rather do something else than see your photos! I know that is nuts but is reality.

HOW I DEFINE SINGLE SOURCE PRIMARY LIGHTING

Obviously, outdoor shots are single source lit...by that single source we call the Sun.  That light is quite varied depending on surroundings and nature of the sky at the moment.  In an open wide expanse of flat land the sun would seem more single source. In a city it is still a single light but reflections abound from built up surroundings.  This is natural light and is not what I am concerned with in this post. We are at the mercy of weather and time of day when shooting outdoor photographs, even if we do help it along in some ways. Timing and a good eye are needed for truly fine outdoor photographs.

A night in Paris no one remembers

 

Today, the single source primary light is a single artificial light.  For the photos shown, the light was a tactical flashlight by Surefire™, a very bright little light designed to hold next to a defensive handgun in target acquisition or used in emergency to temporarily fog the vision of an adversary.  I use the light because it is bright enough to cover a long distance in the woods and able to illuminate the deepest shadows easily.  The price paid is quite short battery life.  Why do I have only these photos to show today?  I used the Surefire™ flashlight to play with light bright enough to allow photos with only a sparse amount of ambient light sneaking into the hastily rigged up "studio".The next day I got out of bed all excited(it doesn't take much...and yes, I do have a life) to try more photos. I set up the studio again and put out expertly selected subjects  Camera ready...all set, turn on the light!  It was yellowish. A pack of new lithium 123's should arrive at the door any day now.

A flashlight? What camera settings did you use?

The bright flashlight made it possible to rather easily take photos inside with a tripod to prevent shake from a slow shutter.  Settings were based on ISO 400 (digital equivalent film speed) and that meant all I had to be concerned with was how open was the lens(F stop) and how quick was the shutter.  The  general settings were in the range of F/4.5 to F/8 at shutter speeds of 1/30 second to 1/50 second. Surprisingly, the faster shutter speed was at  F/8.  Remember, light power goes up or down very quickly depending on the distance the light is from the subject.  The 1/50 second shot had the light quite close to the subject.  The camera was set to aperture priority and I chose that to start.. If my choice of aperture did not give a good start for a particular artistic effect, I switched to manual and varied the aperture or shutter as desired. With digital, the viewer gives a quick idea of the ballpark where you are playing.  Film? Now I have a clue how to shoot the same photos using film. Had I started that way a lot..yikes..I do mean a lot of film would have been wasted trying for different effects. I won't be shooting film, anyway.

Nevada.

Whitehorse Turquoise and Tabasco for the Bowl of Beans

The photos are only a few examples of things to do with a single source primary light.  When the batteries arrive I will likely do more. Then we move on to single studio strobe if space permits, including basic but neat portrait work.

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Set-up for these photos:

• 1 White matte finish pull down windowshade
• Camera (a digital slr in these shots)
• Sturdy tripod
• Tactical or other bright small light
• Subject matter to photograph
 

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Thomas Haynes is a photographer working out of Clinton, Tennessee, a city just north of Knoxville. His photography is often of a fine arts direction but as in this post, his love of nature takes him again to the Clinch River Raptor Center, a rehabilitation and educational not-for-profit organization.. Visit Thomas and see more of his photography at  Facebook

 Contact Thomas to discuss photography you want done. 

Gingerbread Cake and Sauce in Pictures..Photos of the Recipe at Work

The previous post told first of this attempt to bake a gingerbread cake for the Christmas dinner. All was successful and only waits for the herd of in-laws to dig in.   The ladies will bring so many tasty dishes I feared being pummeled by old Brussels Sprouts for attempting to enter their cooking world...again...following the bread pudding of Thanksgiving which was also cooked secretly.  The safe course is to stay out of the kitchen while the ladies cook or prepare the dinner to serve. It depends on the woman but you should take the warning to heart and if she is really busy in the kitchen and talking to herself as she works, you better stay far, far away. If you NEED to be in the kitchen, feel your way carefully and with stealth. 

The safe course for me was to claim the kitchen on Thursday, while my wife was at her job, cooking to my own delight and cleaning up so all was better than when I started.  If the cake totally messed up, no one really needed to know about it. I remember a chocolate cake that fell so flat it looked like brownies...and was served as sticky brownies...successfully. If the gingerbread failed, what happened here would stay here...no intention of serving gingerbread brownies.

Finally cooking a cake again after 20 years was not really the challenge expected.  The recipe was easy to follow and the cake promises to be delicious. (See previous post for a link to the official recipe.) The Gingerbread Cake and zesty lemon sauce will be a surprise at the dinner.

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BAKING GINGERBREAD, FOLLOW THE PICTURES

Recipe comments will be added to the photos as rereading reveals a need.

   

Ingredients for the Gingerbread are below. Note the light corn syrup which was bought to thin the black strap molasses if needed. A dark golden molasses was used instead and the corn syrup was not needed. The jar is now in a corner cupboard with two other jars of corn syrup. The ingredients are: 

• 1 cup Dark Brown Sugar 
• 3/4 cup Flavorful Honey(this was dark wildflower) 
• 3/4 cup Molasses 
• 2 tsp each Cinnamon and ground Ginger
• 1/2 tsp Allspice
• 1/8 tsp Ground Cloves
• 1 1/2 tsp Baking Soda  
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1/2 cup Water
• 3 large Eggs(I like brown free range)
• 1/2 cup 2% milk
• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 3 cups all purpose Flour
• 1 packed tablespoon grated fresh Ginger Root
• Enough time on your hands to bake the cake
• Bake for 45 minutes at 325ºf or until tester inserted into cake comes out dry. (I used a broom straw in three places)

Ginger Root is peeled prior to grating.1 Tablespoon of grated ginger is needed.  The heavy plastic cutting board works very  well as a general work surface and cleans up easily.

A hand held "plane" grater  is used to prepare the ginger root. Enough ginger was grated enough to tightly fill a 1 TBS measure.

Liquid ingredients of molasses, honey and water are stirred in a sauce pan with 1 cup dark brown sugar.  This is heated on low to melt the butter and blend all into the rich mixture it is.  Eggs and milk are added after this mixture has cooled.

Once heat was reached, the butter melted fairly quickly. All was stirred regularly  In the meantime, the dry ingredients were gently sifted, blended and sat aside until called for.

Poured into a mixing bowl to cool, the golden molasses, honey, dark brown sugar and butter mixture  took the appearance of dichroic glass with deep reflective layers to play with the light. This was distracting play for a moment and I understand better why the women don't want me in the kitchen.  The mix should be just warm to the touch prior to adding eggs and milk.  While this cools, turn on the oven to bake at 325ºF.

 

The recipe calls for 3 large eggs and 1/2 cup of  2% milk.The eggs are added first, one at a time, followed with the milk.  The mixer was used to stir all neatly together but it may be done just as well by hand.

If using an electric mixer, run at a slow speed to blend and not froth the mixture. The ginger root was added in separated portions to prevent clumping and allow even distribution.

Add the flour mix in 4 parts, gently blending.  You may prefer to fold the flour into the liquid by hand; if so, use long strokes and fold until mixed nicely. It is not necessary to remove every lump to the very end.

This time a bundt pan was used ( the kind with a stem in the middle).  Grease the pan lightly with vegetable shortening and fully sprinkle with flour.  Turn the pan upside down and tap to remove excess flour.  Now you are ready to pour the batter into the pan.  The oven should be close to the right temperature at this point. Oh, I do wish we had a gas range and oven!

The pan goes on a rack in the center of the oven.  It will bake for 45 minutes and in the meantime, there is something to...

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This is clean up...a necessary part of the baking task and reality in the kitchen.

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The oven timer went off just now. I have a prepared piece of broom straw to test the cake...inserted here, and there, and there and, yes, it comes out clean. 

The Gingerbread cake cooled in the pan for about 20 minutes.  Placing the plate atop it, all was turned over with hope the cake would release from the pan and gently take its place on the serving plate. Success and the cats only wander in and out; no one is stopping to hear my speech.  Yet deep in me reflects a joy, like that dichroic glass reflection of the molasses, honey and butter.  Happy for the moment!  This is a very good thing.  "Thank you, Lord!"

The post of Gingerbread in Pictures is now done.  As for sauce or icing, so many ways are there for different tastes. Please pick your own, whether a spooned on warm sauce, whipped cream, a sprinkle of powdered sugar or a pour on sugar glaze icing suitable for little petit fours. For the warmed lemon sauce I used, here are the ingredients for 1 1/2 cups of sauce:

• 1/2 cup fine ground sugar(not powdered sugar)
• 1 TBS cornstarch
• 1/4 tsp grated nutmeg(fresh if you have it)
• a pinch of salt

 To be added last:

• 1 TBS butter
• 1 tsp finely grated Lemon Zest (this took 2 lemons, grating only the yellow part of the peel)
• juice of one lemon

Prepare lemon zest and juice first and set aside. Whisk the dry ingredients together while 1 cup of water comes to a boil, then add to boiling water, stir well and lower heat to a simmer until all thickens.  (The sauce thickens slightly, not so thick as table syrup and pours from a spoon with out drips.)

Add butter, zest and lemon juice, stir to blend  well, remove from heat.  

This sauce may be served to spoon on the gingerbread immediately or rewarmed in a microwave.

The end.

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Thomas Haynes is a photographer working out of Clinton, Tennessee, a city just north of Knoxville. His photography is often of a fine arts direction but as in this post, his love of nature takes him again to the Clinch River Raptor Center, a rehabilitation and educational not-for-profit organization.. Visit Thomas and see more of his photography at  Facebook

 Contact Thomas to discuss photography you want done. 

Gingerbread Cake of the Tastiest Sort, Dark and Sticky, In Time for Christmas

Today I found no job opportunities to pursue and in celebration of life baked a cake, the first one since I married a wonderful lady over 20 years ago. Almost a year out of work deserves a cake and she will have the chance to see if I truly can bake a tasty one. With attention to the recipe  most anyone blessed with the ingredients, a cake pan, an oven and the time can very, very likely make this cake.

Following instructions is the key and the weak link in the chain. You will find this recipe easy to follow.

 Straight from the oven, the surface is delightful and the aroma is quite rich.

Had I known how inviting the gingerbread would look on top when baked, I might have used a rectangular pan instead of the bundt.  This would allow the appealing texture to show.  When turned over and out of the pan, the bundt shape is there but the wonderful crust texture does not glisten as much. If you want to dress up the bundt cake, a poured on thin icing will do nicely. In my case, the choice is no icing and a warmed lemon sauce spooned on each slice served.

The original recipe called for  unsulfured black strap molasses but a dark golden variety was substituted. The stronger flavored and darker blackstrap mollasses would possibly yield the darker gingerbread after which the recipe is named. If you prefer a less intense flavor, the lighter mollasses as used will do very well.

Would a seasoned baker or even candle stick maker know better than to use a quiche dish for a cake plate?  Getting the knife in there to serve the gingerbread will take a special maneuver! 
This dish adds a festive accent to the traditional Christmas desert. 

Baking Gingerbread in photographs with comments will be next on this blog...from ingredients to stirring, mixing, pouring and even the clean and shiny dishes and measuring cups all washed and ready for the next cooking adventure. Come back in a few days and see the gingerbread rise from a few disinterested ingredients to become a super cake!  That is a cheer for teamwork.

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Thanks to Heidi Swinson and her wonderful recipes:   A December 11,2011 post of her revised recipe is here:

http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/black-sticky-gingerbread-recipe.html

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My hero and my salvation is always Christ. At this time of the year we think more of the family of Joseph and Mary, making the best of very simple surroundings for the birth of their child. Employed or not, I say thanksgiving for all the blessings in my family. I see many  people in more unpleasant situations and in dire straits. For those, there is special prayer this Christmas season.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL AND 

TO ALL A BLESSED DAY
AND HOLY CHRISTMAS SEASON!