“Mezzaluna” photograph by Nat Coalson (click for larger image)

I made this image at sheep farm and artisan cheese maker Cascina Pistone in the Langhe region of Piedmont, Italy.

Upon entering the room, I was immediately drawn to the gentle shapes and beautiful window light. I spent a long while shooting this scene, first with the camera handheld, before deciding on the final composition and setting up the tripod.

Although the background and foreground are slightly blurred from a relatively shallow depth of field, this photo was captured using f/25 at 90mm on a 28-135mm lens. I tried many apertures and other settings before finding the “sweet spot” that provided just the look I was after. In the end, this setup required a shutter speed of 5 seconds for correct exposure (which is why the tripod was required).

I made this photo during my Italy Photo Tour in October 2012. It was an amazing trip, and many of my clients were able to produce similar photos and many others from equally beautiful locations. I have several photo tours in Europe planned for 2013; please contact me for details.

This image is available as a print in any size on paper and canvas.

Comments and shares always appreciated!

On October 6, 2012 Ruth and I visited Kenilworth Castle in the Midlands of England. It’s a fantastic medieval castle ruin and one of the most renowned of English historical castles.

While exploring the ruins I found this moody, dramatic inside corner with a circular staircase leading up to the floors above. I was glad to have my tripod with me, as this scene was lit with very low light levels requiring a 1.3 second exposure, even at ƒ 6.3.

View more of my photographs of England at http://www.NatCoalson.com/united-kingdom

Fog in the forest near Vorselaar, Belgium today.

Near Crested Butte, Colorado.

Here’s one shot from my recent journey through Cape Cod. This is Nobska Point Lighthouse, in Falmouth Mass.

This is the first photo on which I’ve used Lightroom 3, Photoshop CS5 and the new and improved “HDR Pro”.

The HDR Pro script in PS CS5 did a pretty good job of making the blend, which I then finished processing in Lightroom as a TIF. In Lightroom, I also used the Lens Correction feature, which works great.

What do you think? Comments and critiques always welcome!

I believe that taking control over the creative process as well as the technology is very helpful when learning to create better photographs. It’s ironic… once you’ve got everything under control, you can really let loose creatively. The results can be profound.

If you think about the work as its own entity and evaluate it as objectively as possible you will learn from your previous work and your future work will be better for it. Learn to separate yourself from the photograph. Learn more from mistakes than successes.

One way to do this: Do a critique of your image. Take a couple of minutes and write about a photograph. Describe it, as if you were telling someone on the phone about it. Include as much technical information as possible. Describe the photographics. Describe the feelings the photograph conveys to you. Describe what you like and what you don’t like about the image.

For example, the photograph of the windows below, by Cari de la Cruz:
5 windows with white frames on the side of a blue wooden-sided building
In the closest widow is a reflection of a distant shore with buildings and palm trees

Photographics:
Overall well-balanced, center of interest is well-positioned
Strong converging lines
Picture space divided equally into 3 large triangles
Smaller triangles and trapezoids/distorted squares throughout
Low key image, overall low contrast
One small bright area of high contrast
Soothing blue tones

Nice, calm mood… but geometric boxes like this can create sense of being closed-in, claustrophobia etc.
The long vertical rectangles at frame right and left create a stable, almost “locked in” kind of feeling
The scene in the reflection creates an oasis, a glimmer of hope… the “light at the end of the tunnel”. This comes across as the main subject and theme of the photograph.

Read more…

Moonrise in Bisti Badlands

This photograph was made in Bisti Badlands, New Mexico, May 2008.

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Badwater, Death Valley

Badwater, Death Valley National Park, California, USA, February 2008

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I’ve just released a new collection of abstract photographs titled “Drydock I”. This is one of the images, all of which depict closeups of boat hulls.

See the new work here

February 2008

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I’m still processing images from last fall; here’s one from a fern grotto on Kebler Pass, near Crested Butte Colorado.

Photograph made at South Point, Hawaii November 11 2007. The southernmost point in the United States, on the Big Island.

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I just returned from a wonderful week shooting the fall colors in Maine. New gallery is online now!