Monthly Archives: August 2020

Webinars Coming Up Soon

August 31, 2020 by Harold Davis | 0 Comments

If you are a photographer bracketing exposures in your practice, it is time to move beyond automated HDR processing and add hand-HDR to your toolbox. Please join us on Thursday September 3, 2020 at 10am PT for Hand-HDR Photography (click here to register; more information here) for a not-to-be-missed post-production technique session.

I am very excited to host distinguished photography legend William Neill, who will be joining me on Saturday, September 5, 2020 at 11am PT for a discussion and presentation, The Solace of Nature, featuring a new book from each of us. This is a free, not-to-be missed webinar. Click here to register, and here for more info.

Photography on Black, on Saturday September 12, 2020 at 11am PT, will feature a live-action photography segment showing how to create striking images on a perfectly black background. In addition to showing how to capture multi-shot black-background images, this webinar will demonstrate successful post-product of images on black. Click here to register, and here for more information.

Upper White River Falls © Harold Davis

Posted in Workshops

Flowers Made from Beet and Radish Slices

August 30, 2020 by Harold Davis | 1 Comment

These two images show virtual flowers constructed on my light box from thin slices of root vegetables. The Chiogga Beet slices have been cut vertically, as opposed to the horizontal slices in image shown in an earlier story.

Flower Made from Radish Slices © Harold Davis

Chiogga Beet Slices Arranged as a Blossom © Harold Davis

Posted in Fruits and Veggis on Light Box, Photography

The Beet Goes On

August 28, 2020 by Harold Davis | 2 Comments

In parts of the Caribbean, edible root vegetables are often called “ground provisions.” Yesterday was a ground-provisions day.

I primarily photographed beets and radishes. This is a continuation of my light box sliced vegetable and fruit work, some of which is shown in Sliced Fruit on My Light Box, Making Mandalas from Fruits and Vegetables, and Melange of Slices.

I’ve titled the image shown below of sliced Chioggia Beets (Beta vulgaris) “The Beet Goes On”, after the Sonny and Cher song, with a homophonic relationship between the second word in the name of the song and the ground provision I photographed (e.g., “Beat” and “Beet”).

The Beet Goes On © Harold Davis

Check out the new interview with me about garden photography on the PhotoActive Podcast: Episode 75: Creative Garden Photography with Harold Davis!

Posted in Abstractions, Fruits and Veggis on Light Box, Patterns, Photography

Melange of Slices

August 27, 2020 by Harold Davis | 2 Comments

Just like the aggregation of pear slices, it is possible to create interesting melanges of all kinds of sliced fruits and vegetables. The sliced kiwi fruits (below) remind me of paper lanterns. Perhaps the seeds running vertically are the writing on the lanterns, in some kind of Kanji characters. The red onions (bottom) are certainly more pleasant to look at in their painterly and patterned abstraction than they were to slice!

Kiwi Fruit Slices © Harold Davis

Red Onion Slices © Harold Davis

Posted in Abstractions, Fruits and Veggis on Light Box, Patterns, Photography

New Webinars Coming Up Soon in Early September

August 24, 2020 by Harold Davis | 0 Comments

Phyllis and I would like to call your attention to three live webinars coming up in the first half of September! These webinars are now open for registration. Click here to see all our upcoming webinar offerings. We very much hope you can join us for some or all of these.

Hand-HDR Photography will be given on Thursday September 3, 2020 at 10am PT. Just like good photographers know when to get their camera off automatic, in post-production sometimes automatic HDR programs simply won’t do. In this webinar, you’ll learn how to recognize situations that call for hand-HDR photography and processing, and how to use layers and layer masks to create your own extended dynamic range blends. Click here for more info, and here to register for the webinar.

The Solace of Nature with William Neill and Harold Davis: This free webinar is scheduled for Saturday September 5, 2020 at 11am PT. Noted photographers William Neill and Harold Davis present work from their recent books, Light on the Landscape (Neill) and Creative Garden Photography (Davis), both published by Rocky Nook. After the presentation, Neill and Davis will discuss the influence of nature on their work and lives, and invite questions from the audience. Click here for more info, and here to register for the webinar.

Photography on Black on Saturday September 12, 2020 at 11am PT. This webinar will feature a live photo feed showing Harold at work, as well as post-production issues involving black backgrounds. The idea is to use extended dynamic range bracketing to create a truly black background, specifically in situations where without this set of techniques the background would be dark, but not entirely black. Click here for more info, and here to register for the webinar.

Upper White River Falls © Harold Davis

Posted in Workshops

Making Mandalas from Fruits and Vegetables

August 24, 2020 by Harold Davis | 2 Comments

Traditionally, a mandala is a geometric shape that symbolically represents the cosmos or the universe, or perhaps a search for unity and completeness within oneself. I always enjoy creating mandalas, and there is something particularly wholesome about making mandalas on my light box with fruits and vegetables. Taken themselves, consuming fruit and vegetables can be seen as a kind of sacrament—and these mandalas can end up on the table as part of a yummy salad or fruit dessert once the photography is done.

Fruit Mandala © Harold Davis

Atomic Cucumbers © Harold Davis

Salad Mandala © Harold Davis

Posted in Photography

Sliced Fruit on my Light Box

August 22, 2020 by Harold Davis | 3 Comments

Where do ideas come from? In the case of these translucent fruit slices, an art consultant showed me an image of translucent fruit. I immediately thought of photographing fruit slices on my light box.

I’d never want to specifically imitate someone else’s art, but it seems fair enough to use a general idea as a leaping off point. I’ve seen plenty of images styled after my own flowers photographed for transparency in this fashion. I guess a moral is to keep looking at art of all styles and stripes. You never know when this will lead to an actionable idea.

Pear Slices © Harold Davis

Another benefit of photographing fruit in addition to photographing flowers: not only do the subjects not require a release, but also you can eat them once the photography is done.

Lemon Slices © Harold Davis

Posted in Fruits and Veggis on Light Box, Photography

X-Ray Bouquet

August 20, 2020 by Harold Davis | 0 Comments

The upper photo is an X-Ray of a bouquet of dahlias, nemesia, and kangaroo paw flowers. It was made in May, 2019 using medical x-ray equipment, and processed yesterday while waiting out the foul air in the Bay area in Photoshop from the DICOM file. More x-rays can be found here, and I’ve also posted a photo of a recent print of one of my favorite x-rays, of a sunflower, below.

X-Ray Bouquet of Dahlias, Nemesias, and Kangaroo Paw © Harold Davis

X-Ray Bouquet of Dahlias, Nemesias, and Kangaroo Paw Flowers © Harold Davis

Print of ‘Sunflower X-Ray’ © Harold Davis

Posted in Flowers, Monochrome, Photography, X-Ray

Shell Collection

August 19, 2020 by Harold Davis | 0 Comments

Sometimes it is really fun to line up a whole collection of objects in a grid on my light box, not worrying too much about fancy compositional issues. Take, for example, my collection of shells!

Shell Collection © Harold Davis

Posted in Photography

Dried Blossoms

August 17, 2020 by Harold Davis | 1 Comment

I arranged these dried blossoms on my light box in a pattern with an eye towards complementary colors. The background blue blossoms are Nemesias. interlaced with almost-orange-yellow Gaillardia petals, and thin crimson fringes from a flowering Monarda supplying an accent.

Dried Blossoms © Harold Davis

Posted in Flowers

[Coming Up Soon] Intimate Flowers on Saturday August 15, 2020

August 13, 2020 by Harold Davis | 0 Comments

What: Intimate Flowers with Harold Davis

When: Saturday, August 15, 2020 at 11am PT. Duration between one and two hours, including Q&A

Where: On your computer or mobile device from anywhere via Zoom. Zoom authenticated registration and a tuition payment of $29.95 are required for enrollment. Seating is limited. The registration link is https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_agS00EhOT2SQnTGXSldpiQ

Details: August is here! We have flowers! Let’s forget about the world at large and make some intimate joy with intimate landscapes and colors of the flowers of summer!

This webinar heads to the patio for flower techniques outside, then heads back in for ideas and inspiration for photographing flowers close-up and in bouquets. Harold shares his secrets for flower arrangements and for making intimate close-ups of flowers using materials that are at hand. Harold will explain technical concepts in floral close-up photography, and show how he lights his intimate floral portraits.

After several photographic setups, Harold will continue with ideas about how to process and post-produce photographs to create stunning botanical art with your camera.

There will be ample time for Q&A.

Tuition: The tuition for this webinar is $29.95, and requires prior registration. Seating (on a first come, first served basis) is limited. You must register via Zoom to be enrolled in this webinar! The registration link is https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_agS00EhOT2SQnTGXSldpiQ

A lightly-edited recording of this Webinar will be posted following a time delay on the Harold Davis Photography YouTube channel.

Wabi-Sabi Mandala © Harold Davis

About Harold Davis: Harold Davis is a bestselling author of many books, including Creative Garden Photography from Rocky Nook, Photographing Flowers, and Photographing Waterdrops (both published by Focal Press). He is the developer of a unique technique for photographing flowers for transparency, a Moab Master, and a Zeiss Ambassador. He is an internationally known photographer and a sought-after workshop leader. His website is www.digitalfieldguide.com.

Kiss from a Rose © Harold Davis

Phyllis and I are very excited to announce our series of Saturday webinars! We hope to see you there.

Intimate Flowers on Saturday, August 15, 2020: August is here! We have flowers! Let’s forget about the world at large and make some intimate joy with intimate landscapes and colors of the flowers of summer! Read more…Click here to register for this webinar.

Intimate Iris © Harold Davis

Webinar Noir on Saturday September 19, 2020: Noir evokes black and white films of the 1940s with “dames”, private eyes in fedoras, low-key lighting, and harsh shadows. More generally, a sense of “noir” has come to mean a range of stylish black and white techniques. Read more…Click here to register for this webinar.

Chorus of One © Harold Davis

Photography and Writing | Using Your Words to Become a Better Photographer on Saturday, October 3, 2020: Writing has always had an important role in relationship to my photography. Not only have I “used my words” to introduce and explain images and techniques, but writing has also helped me to tease out the meaning in my own work, and to understand and explore what I need to do next with my art. Read more…Click here to register for this webinar.

Circumflex © Harold Davis

Patterns, Abstractions, and Composition on Saturday October 17, 2020: In a very real sense, creating a photograph is an act of intentional design. The photograph presents a transformation of the subject so that it fits within a specific frame. Meticulous use of patterns, and understanding the boundary conditions where patterns begin and end, is crucial to this act of design. Read more…Click here to register for this webinar.

Patterns in Glass 3 © Harold Davis

Finding the Mysterious in Photography on Saturday October 24, 2020: As nights grow longer and days shorter, and as we approach Halloween and All Saints’ Eve, separations between our world and that of the spirits gets thinner. Some of the very best photographs send a frisson of the spooky and the ineffable up our spine. Read more…Click here to register for this webinar.

World on Fire © Harold Davis

Posted in Workshops

Dahlia Solos

August 12, 2020 by Harold Davis | 1 Comment

My Dahlia bed is starting to bloom, providing some very sweet subjects for solo flower portraits!

Brookside-Snowball Dahlia © Harold Davis

Dahlia ‘Southern Belle’ © Harold Davis

Dahlia ‘Flip-Flop’ © Harold Davis

Posted in Flowers, Photography

Visiting a Garden of Cars

August 10, 2020 by Harold Davis | 0 Comments

A while back, in the pre-pandemic era, I visited the International Car Forest of the Last Church. This so-called “Car Forest” is more like a car garden than a forest. Mostly wrecked, almost all painted, and largely “planted” front-end down in the desert earth, this installation is located near Goldfield, Nevada.

The county seat of Esmeralda County, Goldfield is a near-ghost-town and home to a few hundred people. Besides the International Car Forest of the Last Church, Goldfield also boasts the meanest bartender in Nevada. This observation is not based on my personal experience (never having encountered any bartenders in Nevada, mean or otherwise), but rather on the words of a sign near the Goldfield town center, shown in a photo below.

I regret to say that I missed checking out the meanest bartender in Nevada. If chance, fate, and a vaccine ever get me to the Goldfield area again I will not miss the opportunity a second time.

For some of my photography of more conventional gardens, please check out my new book Creative Garden Photography.

Posted in Bemusements, Photography

Layers and the Landscape

August 9, 2020 by Harold Davis | 0 Comments

In some ways, layers define the landscape at large. When a landscape consists of layers stretching out to the distant horizon, the details become abstracted, and we can imagine ourselves lost in the perspective of the infinite.

I was reminded of my quest for the layered landscape with a recent print purchase inquiry regarding my Landscape of Blue Layers, shown above. I made this image on a road trip in the autumn of 2017 from above Westgard Pass, in the White Mountains on the California-Nevada border.

2017 was, I think, the first year of the really bad autumnal fires in California, leading to smoke and haze throughout the eastern Sierra. I used this otherwise horrible condition to create the atmospheric Poem of the Road, and later in the same trip several other layered landscapes, Down in the Valley and Red Dragon Sunset. Both images are shown below. Also on this trip, there was some cool night photography (and a broken lens), but that is a different story.

Looking at my Landscape of Blue Layers as a possible print, I began to wonder what other images there might be in my unprocessed files from this trip. I pulled up the autumn of 2017 on my production computer pretty easily. My search was for layered landscape images, of which three are shown below. As you can see, this was a pretty productive trip.

So layers in a landscape photo are not layers in Photoshop. These images are created in the camera, and I did very little to them in post-production besides cleaning up a few flaws and heightening contrast a bit. The trick to photographing layers in the landscape is mostly being in the right place, at the right time, with one’s camera already on the tripod.

Posted in Landscape, Photography

Coming soon to a computer near you: Intimate Flowers

August 6, 2020 by Harold Davis | 0 Comments

We’re pleased to kick-off our Saturday webinar series on Saturday August 15, 2020 with Intimate Flowers!

What: Intimate Flowers with Harold Davis

When: Saturday, August 15, 2020 at 11am PT. Duration between one and two hours, including Q&A

Details: August is here! We have flowers! Let’s forget about the world at large and make some intimate joy with intimate landscapes and colors of the flowers of summer!

After several photographic setups, Harold will continue with ideas about how to process and post-produce photographs to create stunning botanical art with your camera.

There will be ample time for Q&A.

A lightly-edited recording of this Webinar will be posted following a time delay on the Harold Davis Photography YouTube channel.