Showing posts with label photography. Show all posts
Showing posts with label photography. Show all posts

Liam Graham is featured artist at Brigid's Bottleshop in Edmonds

Thursday, April 12, 2018

Local specialty beer retailer Brigid’s Bottleshop in Edmonds is hosting up-and-coming local artist Liam Graham for the month of April.


Specializing in digital and film photography, Liam’s canvas prints will be available for viewing and purchase throughout the month, with 10% of proceeds from canvas sales going directly to PAWS to promote the welfare of animals in need.

The artist's reception will be this Saturday, April 14 from 6 - 10pm, 190 Sunset Ave, Ste C, Edmonds 98020.
Photography Copyright Liam Graham

Liam Graham

In this modern age of constant sensory overload we all need an anchor to re-center ourselves, for me it is art and music, consuming one while creating the other.

I’d describes my art as an emotional spectrum, I create to feel, and because I feel. Some of my favourite pieces have come from my worst times, and some of my least favourite pieces have helped to draw others out of theirs, leading me to realise that mainstream ideals of “good art” are as much a part of the noise as anything else, what is important is the emotional response, whatever it may be, specific to every person to view a piece.

Photography Copyright Liam Graham

In some of my pieces I attempt to reflect an image, something I appreciate through the chaos of our modern lives. Excessive noise and distortion can sometimes more clearly define the subject of my photo, a paradox that could probably be made to mean something deep.

I left Seattle for 14 years at the end of the ‘90’s. The iconic Seattle grunge culture was something I always missed and can certainly say left its mark on my lifestyle, and it comes through in some of my photos as well. Variety and experimentation have always been important to me, so of course I don’t limit myself to one style. Straightforward photography has its own place in my galleries.

Photography Copyright Liam Graham

For my edited photos I use an array of worktools all on my iphone though I am now expanding into more film and digital photography, which will mean I am going to be using my computer for more in-depth work.

Brigid's Bottleshop

Hosting 18 taps with 16 beers and 2 ciders as well as wine by the glass, plus 100’s of bottles to-go, Brigids Bottleshop harbors a great relaxed atmosphere to imbibe in a new brew and peruse the work of local artists.

Offering outdoor seating on their patio for the sunnier days, a full gallery-ready wall and a friendly pet pet-friendly environment, along with growler refills at any of their 18 taps, Brigid’s is a multi-faceted hub for beer and art enthusiasts alike.




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Camera Clinic is closing - supplies donated to Senior Center Bargain Corner

Sunday, April 8, 2018

Camera supplies for sale at
Senior Center Bargain Corner
The owner of the Camera Clinic in Ridgecrest has retired, after decades in the same location at 518 NE 165th St, Shoreline 98155.

This was the place to go for professional supplies and cameras, for simple digital cameras, for repairs, for advice.

A reader has tipped us that the Camera Clinic has donated a large sum of camera supplies to the Shoreline / LFP Senior Center Bargain Corner, 18560 1st Ave NE - stand-alone building at south end of Shoreline Center.

It's an impressive array of items with very reasonable prices, some as little as $1 each for accessories. 
I want to pass on the information, in hope that community members will visit the Bargain Corner for their photography supplies.

For other items, a sign in the window of the Camera Clinic says: For any old business call 206-367-2440 and leave a message.

All new repairs are being referred to:

Camera Techs 206-782-2433 in Ballard
Northwest Camera in Everett



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City Meditation Crew in Hamlin Park

Tuesday, October 24, 2017

Photo by Nat Seymour

The City Meditation Crew - or at least one of them - led a guided meditation in Hamlin Park on Sunday. It was originally scheduled for Saturday, but postponed because of the weather.

Photo by Steven H. Robinson


Two groups, morning and afternoon, participated in the Many Colors of Green event, meditating and then looking for and taking photographs of greenery in the park.

CMC will sample workshop participant photographs of greenery to create large scale banner artworks in the coming months.

Photo by Steven H. Robinson


The Crew is a performance art group which does events all over the U.S. to "call attention to local water ways, landscapes, and community interests via silent, moment-to-moment experiences rooted in the arts, culture and well-being for planet and society.”

The event was hosted by the Shoreline Public Art Program and Shoreline Walks Program.

Funding for City Meditation Crew’s Shoreline Walks event is made possible, in part, with a generous grant from 4Culture’s Tech-Specific Program and Michigan Technological University.

10-26-17 Updated with correct name of Michigan Technological University.

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Shoreline welcomes City Meditation Crew for art walk focusing on mindfulness

Tuesday, October 17, 2017

City Meditation Crew
A member of the nationally-recognized performance art group “City Meditation Crew” (CMC) will lead two 1.5 hour walks in the urban forest of Hamlin Park (16006 15th Ave NE) in Shoreline on Saturday, October 21 (9:00am-10:30am; 2:30pm-4:00pm).

An imaginary city department complete with its own uniforms, CMC “travels the U.S.to work with local groups… to call attention to local water ways, landscapes, and community interests via silent, moment-to-moment experiences rooted in the arts, culture and well-being for planet and society.”

As a guest of the Shoreline Public Art Program and Shoreline Walks Program, CMC developed Many Colors of Green, a collaborative project that involves contemplation in the forest and the use of smartphones to capture different colors of green. 

CMC will sample workshop participant photographs of greenery to create large scale banner artworks in the coming months.

The program is free and open to a limited number of participants. To be a part of Many Colors of Green, contact Marianne Johnson, City of Shoreline Recreation Assistant at 206-801-2638. Let us know your name, number of participants and event time(s) you would like to participate in. The walks begin at the 2nd parking lot by playground in Hamlin Park.

In case of rain, date will be rescheduled to Sunday, October 22nd (same times and locations).

Funding for City Meditation Crew’s Shoreline Walks event is made possible, in part, with a generous grant from 4Culture’s Tech-Specific Program and Michigan Technical University.



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Photography and a contemplative walk Oct 21 at Hamlin Park

Friday, October 6, 2017

City Meditation Crew
Photo by Joel Sackett 

The City of Shoreline and Performance art group “City Meditation Crew” invites artists and the public to participate in a free community art project exploring the natural landscapes of Shoreline.

“Many Colors of Green: Shoreline” involves a contemplative walk with participants taking mindful photography of flora in several Shoreline locations.

The walk will be led by City Meditation Crew in collaboration with the City of Shoreline’s “Shoreline Walks” program.

Participant photographs will later be used to create large scale banner artworks. This opportunity is perfect for local artists or community members interested in environmental art, performance experimental geography, mindfulness, social practice and all community-based forms of art.

Participants are encouraged to participate in one or both of the following art workshops.
  • *Saturday, October 21st 9:00-10:30am – Hamlin Park 16006 15th Ave NE, Shoreline (meet at 2nd entrance by playground)
  • *Saturday, October 21st 2:30-4:00pm – Hamlin Park 16006 15th Ave NE, Shoreline (meet at 2nd entrance by playground)
*In case of rain, date will be rescheduled to Sunday, October 22nd (same times and locations)

What to bring:
  • A smartphone or mobile device that can take photographs and has internet access. After the event participants will be asked to upload their photos onto an internet website.
  • Comfortable walking/hiking shoes (approx. 1 mile of walking with some hills)
  • Dress in layers for the weather
  • Snacks and drinking water
How to sign up:

Participation is free but space is limited. To participate contact Marianne Johnson, City of Shoreline Recreation Assistant at 206-801-2638,  Provide your name, number of participants and event time(s) you would like to participate in.

More information can be found here



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Turn in your business photos - there will be prizes

Tuesday, August 29, 2017

By Diane Hettrick

You have a camera - it's right there in your cell phone.

Go take a photo of your favorite business - or the one you are closest to! Interior or exterior or human interest or whatever inspires you!

Send it to the Chamber of Commerce - their business photo contest ends very soon and there are many lovely prizes donated by members.

Send photos and optional captions to info@shorelinechamber.org

Here are all the details, including the fine print!

The deadline is very, very soon, so Wednesday and Thursday will be good days for photographs.



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Kenmore Photo Contest winners displayed at new gallery

Friday, August 25, 2017

An exhibit featuring selections from amateur photographers participating in the Kenmore Fun Photo Contest, "A Day in the Life of Kenmore," opens August 25 at the Arts of Kenmore Gallery.

Come to the opening reception at Kenmore City Hall, on Friday, August 25, from 6:30pm to 8:00pm. 18120 68th Ave NE, Kenmore 98028.

The reception will include a presentation and light refreshments. The exhibit will remain on display through November 2.


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The Underwater Photography of Drew Collins Thursday evening

Thursday, August 24, 2017

‘Made In Puget Sound’: The Underwater Photography of Drew Collins.

Thursday, August 24, 2017, 7 - 8:30pm, Shoreline Library large meeting room. 345 NE 175th, Shoreline 98155

Local professional underwater photographer Drew Collins will explore the amazing and extraordinary creatures that live and thrive in Puget Sound.

Through his still photography and videography he will introduce you to the spectacular color and diverse life that abounds in our local waters.

See our amazing Giant Pacific Octopus, Wolf eels, tiny Sculpins and many others, improve your own photography, while also learning about the importance of reducing pollution, over-fishing and habitat loss in Puget Sound.

'Made In Puget Sound' 15-month calendars available for purchase.

Sponsored by Friends of the Shoreline Library



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Puget Sound Bird Fest photography exhibit in Edmonds

Saturday, August 5, 2017

Pileated woodpecker
Photo courtesy Edmonds Arts Commission
Now through September 19th, the photography exhibit commemorating the annual Puget Sound Bird Fest in Edmonds, September 15-17, is on display at the Edmonds Library and the Frances Anderson Center’s (FAC) Edmonds Art Commission (EAC) Display Case.

The exhibit features the work of Edmonds photographers Bill Anderson and Terry Olmsted. Highlighting this year’s festival theme, the EAC Display Case features images of several breeds of Woodpeckers found in the Northwest.

The Edmonds Library exhibit features images of various birds that inhabit the Edmonds area.

The Puget Sound Bird Fest is a yearly celebration of birds and nature found along the Edmonds shoreline. 

The popular three-day event includes speakers, guided walks, land and water-based field trips, exhibits, and educational activities for children and adults.


Plan to spend the weekend in Edmonds, birding and meeting other birders, naturalists, photographers, and people engaged in fascinating bird research projects.

Edmonds Library hours are Monday-Thursday 9 am to 8 pm, Friday 9 am to 6 pm, Saturday 10 am to 6 pm and Sunday 1 to 5 pm. 650 Main St, Edmonds 98020.



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Photography exhibit at Shoreline City Hall shows the transformation of child to adult

Sunday, May 15, 2016

Leon 2016
Photography by Lisa Elijah






Selected photos of Leon from 2008 to 2015, by photographer Lisa Elijah. The display itself has nine images of Leon.


Since 2008, Shoreline photographer Lisa Elijah has been taking portraits of local children at regular intervals as they progress through their formative years.

The results, on display at Shoreline City Hall Art Gallery, document individuals in a process of transformation that captures the full range of magic and wonder as children emerge into young adults.

Aspects of identity, gender, temporality, and self-expression are all evident in the series of portraits.


“Ten to Eighteen: a Photo Essay” will open Wednesday, May 25, 2016, with a public reception featuring the artist and collaborating families, from 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm on 4th floor City Hall, 17500 Midvale Ave. N, Shoreline, WA 98133.

Twenty-one subjects are in the show, with nine photo portraits of each one.


Regular gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 9:00am – 5:00pm through Friday, August 5, 2016. 

Tours by arrangement with David Francis, Public Art Coordinator, 206-801-2661.







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Pop culture captured in ‘selfies’ photography is focus of new Arts of Kenmore exhibition

Friday, February 26, 2016

Dream is but a Life by Kathy Greisen
The Arts of Kenmore presents

The Art of Selfies
Please join us for an Opening Reception 
Friday March 4, 6:30-8pm

Featuring Artists: Christie Avery-Cooper, Kathy Greisen, Torii Hayashi, Megan Jensen, Skyler Larson, Kellie Moeller, Kim Murphy, Robert Routt, Bill Royce, Sara Solum, and Melissa Wax.

Guest Artist presentation by photography artist Melissa Wax of Seattle.

“The Art of Selfies,” a juried exhibit from eleven Pacific Northwest artists incorporating self-photography, will open Friday, March 4 at the Arts of Kenmore Gallery in Kenmore City Hall, 18120 68th Ave NE. 

Selected to exhibit their work are Christie Avery-Cooper, Kathy Greisen, Torii Hayashi, Megan Jensen, Skyler Larson, Kellie Moeller, Kim Murphy, Robert Routt, Bill Royce, Sara Solum, and Melissa Wax.

The public is invited to an opening reception from 6:30-8 p.m., featuring a presentation by photography artist Melissa Wax of Seattle (melissawax.com).

Ms Wax will discuss her unique approach to photographic portraiture in both fine art and commissioned pieces. Working mostly in natural light, her eclectic work evokes strong narratives expressing music, wind, and suspended time within each frame.

To learn more about the Kenmore Art Show, purchase artwork from AOK Gallery exhibits, support AOK Grants for Schools program and get involved with the Arts of Kenmore, visit Arts of Kenmore.



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Sound Shooters: Tethered Shooting 2

Monday, November 9, 2015

By Hitomi Dames

♦Tethered Shooting with Aperture

Unlike EOS Utility with Aperture, you can’t see remote LIVE VIEW.

In Aperture, the remote control is ONLY to press the shutter button.

Therefore with Aperture, you have to do all the settings on your camera. To set Live View on camera and to control the exposure metering, watch this video.

Camera Live View
  1. Connect camera and computer. 
  2. Turn on camera and enable LIVE VIEW. Set ISO, mode everything on camera. 
  3. Open Aperture: Choose File - Tether - Start Session (fig.1)
fig 1. Aperture Tethered Shooting 

4. Tether Settings appears. (fig.2)
fig 2 Tether Settings
  • Type Name Text (file name). For example, “test.” As you shoot, your image file will be named test 01, test 02, test 03 …
  • Click Start Session. 
5. Tether window appears. (fig. 3) This is a remote control just to shoot. Click Capture.

fig. 3 Remote to capture images 

6. The image you just captured will be in Aperture on your computer. (fig.4) To check histogram, click Adjustments tab (fig.d, red arrow) 

fig.4 Preview after capturing image


Joel Dames Photography
We serve Greater Seattle
Photo Booth – Not Just a Tiny (Open with huge background),
Portraits, Events, Bar/Bat Mitzvah, Weddings, Real Estate, Commercial, and Albums







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Sound Shooters: Tethered Shooting 1

Friday, October 30, 2015

By Hitomi Dames

Since Joel wrote about Tethered Shooting in our last Sound Shooters, I will write about applications for tethered shooting. We have two applications; today I will write about Canon EOS Utility and the other for the next article.

♦Tethered Shooting with EOS Utility

If you are using Canon EOS, EOS Utility comes with camera. So just install EOS Utility in your computer and why not use it? Images will be in your PC as you shoot, so it is very convenient.

So set your camera on tripod and connect camera and computer with a USB cable which also comes with camera.

1 ) Turn on camera and open EOS Utility. Remote Control (fig.1) will appear on your desktop.

fig. 1) EOS Utility Remote Control

Note: if you have an older version, you won’t see this first, but just choose Remote shooting. But updating this is free, so it’s good to update.

As you can see where I outlined the red rectangular box, this is how camera is set now.

  • Top row: M for Manual, Shutter Speed (0”6), F-stop (5.6)
  • Middle row: White Balance (AWB), ISO (125)
  • Bottom row: Metering Mode (You have to choose this in the beginning of session. If you forget, quit application and reopen.) Format (RAW or Jpeg or both), Recording Images – PC or both PC and CF card
Click Live View Shoot. ( fig.1, red arrow )

2) Remote Live View window appears. (fig.2) If the Remote Control disappears, click the button at the bottom left corner of the Live View Window. (fig.2 red arrow) The Remote Control should reappear.

 fig. 2) Live View and Remote Control

3) Focus on the subject and click the shutter button on remote control. (fig.1)

Quick Preview window appears. (fig.3)

fig.3) Live View, Remote control and Quick Preview

Note: If you have another screen such as TV, you can connect your PC with TV, and then move Quick Preview to TV to show it as full screen. This is what we do for our Photo Booth.

4) Right after you shoot, another Canon application Digital Photo Professional opens automatically. You can check histogram (see previous article)

5) All the images or files will be saved in the image folder on the desktop if you don’t specify where to save in the beginning. (fig.1.under shutter button)

Joel Dames Photography
We serve Greater Seattle
Photo Booth – Not Just a Tiny (Open with huge background),
Portraits, Events, Bar/Bat Mitzvah, Weddings, Real Estate, Commercial, and Albums



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Sound Shooters: Tethered Shooting

Monday, October 19, 2015



Text and photos by Joel Dames

When you connect your camera to your laptop, this is called shooting tethered. Shooting tethered allows you to instantly get the images you take into your laptop. The reason why you might do this is so that others can view the images instantly after they are taken. You can view the images even larger if you connect your laptop to a large TV screen.


Set up a background and and you’ve got a photobooth. This is our second year at City of Shoreline’s annual Monster Mash Dash 5K. When runners come in and register, they get a free portrait taken. Since they view the image instantly, they might opt for a retake, which is fast as another camera click.

 

Soon after the race —walk, jog, or run — judges decide the winners in several different categories and awards follow within a short time. Included in this article are a few of the images from this year’s event. 



You can view all of the images from this year and last year at our Facebook page.

If you missed this year’s Monster Mash Dash, put it on your calendar for next year. It is such a fun family and community event.

Joel Dames Photography
We serve Greater Seattle
Photo Booth – Not Just a Tiny (Open with huge background),
Portraits, Events, Bar/Bat Mitzvah, Weddings, Real Estate, Commercial, and Albums



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Sound Shooters: Kaleidoscope

Monday, October 12, 2015


By Hitomi Dames

Do you remember this image from my last article “EMP museum and Affinity" in which I used Mirror Filter in the application Affinity Photo?

I made this video. It may help to understand how the Mirror Filter works.

a data-flickr-embed="true"  href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/hitomi1234/20265090703/in/album-72157631677122096/" title="kaledoscope">https://farm1.staticflickr.com/658/20265090703_6502e0eea6.jpg
" width="500" height="281" alt="kaledoscope">

 If the video does not display in your browser, you can see it here

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Sound Shooters: EMP museum and Affinity Photo

Monday, October 5, 2015

Hitomi Dames
EMP museum and Affinity Photo
By Hitomi Dames

Finally we went to the EMP museum at Seattle Center when my husband’s friend and his family came to Seattle this summer!

At the EMP museum you are allowed to take photos without flash, which is very nice. The entrance of "THE LURE OF HORROR FILM" was cool, so I wanted to get a few shots. But I had set the ISO to the factory default and sadly I didn't remember how to adjust the ISO to high, in order to shoot with a faster speed. So I was forced to use a slow speed handholding the camera.

The shutter speed was 0.5 second for these screaming faces on the wall along the stairs entering to "The Lure of  Horror Film."  (image below) 

  ƒ/5.0, FL-17 mm,  Shutter Speed-0.5sec, ISO-1600

During post processing, I used Depth of Field Blur Filter with Affinity Photo. Affinity Photo is a brand new Mac program that can do just about all that Photoshop can do.

For this gigantic tower of string instruments, you may want to lay on the floor to shoot like Sam, our friend's son was doing (below).

 ƒ/4.5, FL-20 mm, Shutter Speed 1/15, ISO-1600

Left below is the image as I lay shooting.


I created a kaleidoscope image and a fish eye image from the images above A & B.

◊ kaleidoscope - created with image A

 Created this kaleidoscope from image A

1. Open a file in Affinity Photo
2. Rotate the image 90 º anti-clockwise from Document
3. Duplicate the original image
4. Choose Filters > Distort > Mirror (See the drop-down menu below)
5. Pop-up Mirror control: You can choose numbers of mirror; manipulate Input and Output


◊ Lens Distortion (FISH EYE) - created with image B



1. Open a file in Affinity Photo
2.  Click the Lens tab
3. Slide the Distortion until you are satisfied. I stopped @ 72%.


We serve Greater Seattle
Photo Booth – Not Just a Tiny (Open with huge background), 
Portraits, Events, Bar/Bat Mitzvah, Weddings, Real Estate, Commercial, and Albums



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Journey to Hobbiton with Gena Reebs

Sunday, September 6, 2015

Gena Reebs at Hobbiton

The Shire, Middle-Earth  / Special Art Exhibit
Gena Reebs (Photography)

Artist Reception / Open House
Thursday, Sept. 10, 4-7pm
20152 Ballinger Way NE, Shoreline 98155

We are pleased to bring this Special Art Exhibit to Garden Essentia - Photographer Gena Reebs of Seattle, brings 'The Hobbit' back to life with photos from Hobbiton, New Zealand. Her photography, uniquely presented on metal, will be on display September 10 thru September 26.

Photo - Sophie Billberry's Rocker - ©genareebs 2014

Artist Statement
Gena grew up in Kansas, lived through tornadoes and moved to the Emerald City. Like Dorothy in the land of Oz, she journeyed through her viewfinder Down Under into the peaceful and beautiful land of the Hobbits' Shire.

She found it filled with vibrant color, glowing light and astounding natural loveliness. Gena made these images to share the charm of the Hobbits' homes and village. Gena loves becoming immersed into the creative zone as she shoots images. She loses track of time and becomes fully present. Moment by moment, she sees the world with fresh eyes, exploring and discovering nuances of light, color, texture, line, form and movement.

You may view other images Gena has shot in different worlds here.

"In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit hole, and that means comfort."



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Sound Shooters: 4 Ways to Create Bokeh (blur) Background

Saturday, August 22, 2015


By Hitomi Dames

One of our photographer friends loves deep focus. Everything in each one of his images must be in perfect focus.

But wouldn't you sometimes want to focus just on the subject and blur the background? You might even want to blur parts of the subject in a composition? It is difficult to have everything in focus and express it as art, isn't it?

So, what do you to blur the background or create bokeh? Bokeh comes from boke in Japanese, meaning blur.


1. Aperture

An f-stop of 2.8 or lower is great for bokeh. But just in case your lens doesn’t have 2.8 or lower f-stop, I selected f/4.5 for these tests below (fig.1,2,3).

FL 48mm, f/4.5  Starting position for images
2. Focal Length

Remember, I wrote in “Telephoto Zoom Lens”: The longer the focal length, the larger the subject becomes, but the image covers less area. (narrow angle)

So here is the image of zoomed in 70 mm taken from the same place as fig 1. The books in back are more blurred than in fig. 1. ( f-stop is the same @ 4.5).

FL 70mm, f/4.5  Here I changed the focal length to 70mm.

If your lens doesn't zoom to 70 mm or more,  

3. Bring the subject toward you as I did in fig. 3 (or you get closer to the subject).


FL 48mm, f/4.5, I brought the subject (king) closer to me.
Actually, I moved the entire board towards me.

I set all of these shots with Manual Mode (M), but I could have set Aperture Priority (A or Av) since all three shots above are the same f-stop. A or Av keeps the f-stop constant.
Graphic from Wikimedia Commons
Althepal Derivative work: Mehdi (ModeDial.svg)

4. For this last image below (fig. 4), I got closer to the subject and used f/2.8 
to create the most bokeh, making the chess pieces and books in the background the most blurred.


FL 58mm, f/2.8  I got closer to the subject (king). I also opened the aperture to f/2.8.

Bokeh makes all the difference in portraiture. Here is sample of a portrait with bokeh.

FL 100 mm, f/2.8


We serve Greater Seattle
Photo Booth – Not Just a Tiny (Open with huge background), Portraits, Events, Bar/Bat Mitzvah, Weddings, Albums

For other articles in this series, select Sound Shooters under Features on the webpage.



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Sound Shooters: The most powerful pictures of atomic bomb victims in Nagasaki

Friday, August 14, 2015

By Hitomi Dames

At 11:05 A.M. on August 9, 1945, an atomic (plutonium based) bomb was dropped on Nagasaki.

On August 9, 2007, American photojournalist Joe O’Donnell passed away at the age of 85. He was in Nagasaki a month after bombing.

“The cause [of his death] was complications of a stroke, said his wife, Kimiko Sakai. She said that he had had more than 50 operations, among them surgery on his colon and his heart, and that he had attributed his poor health to radiation exposure resulting from his visits to Nagasaki and Hiroshima. ” (New York Times)

It’s been seventy years since the World War II ended on August 15, 1945.

"Brothers at Cremation Site"


You can see this image "Brothers at Cremation Site” at Tyge O'Donnell's (Joe's son) flickr site.

This reminds of the anime "Grave of the Fireflies” one of best movies that I've ever seen, that I never wish to see again.

"I saw a boy about ten years old walking by. He was carrying a baby on his back. In those days in Japan, we often saw children playing with their little brothers or sisters on their backs, but this boy was clearly different. I could see that he had come to this place for a serious reason. He was wearing no shoes. His face was hard. The little head was tipped back as if the baby were fast asleep. The boy stood there for five or ten minutes.” 
"The men in white masks walked over to him and quietly began to take off the rope that was holding the baby. That is when I saw that the baby was already dead. The men held the body by the hands and feet and placed it on the fire. The boy stood there straight without moving, watching the flames. He was biting his lower lip so hard that it shone with blood. The flame burned low like the sun going down. The boy turned around and walked silently away.” Joe O’Donnell.

23-year-old O'Donnell was sent to Nagasaki and Hiroshima for seven months as a US Marine photographer, one month after the atomic bombs dropped in Japan. His duty was to document the destruction caused by the atomic bombs. However, he was not supposed to take pictures like these. So he had to use his own camera, too, in secret. He kept them in secret for 43 years, even from his family.

"A Girl in a Kimono"

The deaf girl in kimono


This girl in a kimono became deaf from the sound caused by atomic bomb, the mother of the girl said to O'Donnell after he shot this image. (I wonder if this was on November 15, 7-5-3 festival, as it would explain her formal kimono.)

"Burned Back of Young Boy"


Framed image of “Burned Back of Young Boy [Taniguchi]” is right on wall. 

This screenshot above is at the O’Donnell photography exhibition in Nagasakin in 2008. The man showing his back to Tyge O’Donnell (who continues his father's mission) is Sumiteru Taniguchi. 

While Joe O'Donnell was photographing wounded people at a hospital -- one of whom was Mr.Taniguchi -- he saw a person who had no hair, no eyebrows and ears, and was just a lump of flesh. "You are enemy, aren't you," said the person, "please kill me." O'Donnell only escaped from this person to face another patient. But when he was leaving the room he saw the first shapeless person again, and who once more begged "Please kill me." He saw tears in the eyes of the shapeless face.

Mr. Taniguchi was in the documentary film "Dark Circle” In the film he said (which I can never forget) and this is my own Japanese-to-English translation):

I hated my parents.
I hated all grownups.
Not only was a war hateful,
but every parent 
who didn't oppose the war was hateful.

Later on in life, O’Donnell had backbone pain and he had skin cancer that spread throughout his entire body. He knew it was caused by radiation exposure, as he was present in Ground Zero just a month after the atomic bomb. The military didn't give any information about radiation when he was sent to Nagasaki and Hiroshima. Joe O'Donnell himself was one of the atomic bombs’ victims.



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