It’s A Dreary Sunday Morning..

Here in Lancaster County Pennsylvania. My wife and I, as well as Molly, are up visiting with family and spending some much needed quality time together. We woke up this morning to a less than favorable day. It appears it’s drizzling out and it’s very chilly at that.

After the morning routine.. Molly and I settled down on the couch together; I with my cup of coffee and her snuggled up in her blankets. The girls decided to go out and do a little shopping, so Molly and I just relaxed on the couch together enjoying the down time.

After a bit of time past by and my coffee began to run low .. that coffee caught up with me and I needed to do… Well… You know! I’m sure you don’t want to much information so let’s just say had to go ‘Number 1’. And in the bathroom is where the second part of my story begins (minus the potty break - lol).

The Subject ..

So I enter the bathroom like so many times before, and notice a small bamboo plant sitting on the windowsill. The bamboo is planted in a small pot that resembles a panda. I thought that in itself was just too cute, but I notice a bit more than that.

The photographer in me begins to notice things.. other than the pot and the bamboo. I start to notice the shape of the bamboo, the shape of the pot, how the pot is centered in the window, and how the lines of the window frame and still complement the simple plant. All of these features start to jump out at me and I get an idea for a photograph.

The Photos..

Like I mentioned above, the day is mostly cloudy but the sun is beginning to pop through here and there, creating moments of brighter light. There is a decent amount of natural sunlight radiating from behind the plant, through the thin shade that is drawn down over the window. With the light turned off in the bathroom, the back light from the sun is much brighter, behind the plant, that the plant appears to look like a silhouette against the shade. I really like this look and want to capture it!

Capturing The Bamboo Silhouette..

I adjusted the shade slightly and began taking a photograph or two. That’s all I really needed before I captured what I was after. I had to make some adjustments to the exposure in order to create more of a silhouette appearance. Other than that, there was not much else that needed adjusted. Already the photograph appeared black-and-white, but it was my intention from the start to shoot the subject in black-and-white.

There are always a few things in the photographs that are slightly out of your control. In this particular one the shade is slightly ajar on the left-hand side versus the right. I tried adjusting this but if you own these types of shades, you will know this is kind of a difficult task. Also I don’t tend to get too worried about things like the vertical lines in the shade or other imperfections like dead leaves on a plant. I just roll with it and enjoy them as a compliment and a reality to photographing a subject at random.

Overall I was excited about how well the composition of the photo turned out. I love the stark contrast between the back light and portions of the pot and wall. It’s almost a very light gray to a very dark gray to black. High contrast in black-and-white photos as always appealed to me. The light reflecting off of the edges of the pot and ears of the panda pot were an added bonus!

A Closer Look ..

After a few photographs of the entire plant, pot, and windowsill, I moved in closer for some closeup shots. I wanted to capture some of the beauty of the leaves silhouetted against the fabric. There is still the free-flowing feel of the leaves of the bamboo plant, coupled with the straight horizontal lines and sheerness of the fabric. There is a natural graininess to the fabric that comes through on the photos.

Those close ups, and their graininess and sharp edges, are really neat but I was looking for something a little bit different. How about this shot? Now this is what I’m talking about. This it’s something I could get into. I may play around with some of the photos I took and try to create some new looks similar to this one.

So what do we think of these shots?

I think the close-ups are cool but the actual first shot is my favorite. I did shoot one shot with the plant all centered utilizing the 1/3 rule (see above under "The Subject"). I can appreciate that one just as well for what it is. Let me know what you think in the comment section below as I am eager to find out.

“There are days I am whole
Some days I feel bruised
A silhouette of verse emerges
To mirror my mood
And with every word
I undress my soul
Baring it to the world”
― Collette O'Mahony, The Soul in Words: A collection of Poetry & Verse

Thank you for swinging by my blog and checking out the post. Have a great day!

All words, pictures and art pieces are the sole property of B D Miller Gallery, unless otherwise noted and credited, and are not to be reproduced or copied without the prior written consent of B D Miller Gallery.

The Orchid Lovers Community!

Love Orchids? Consider joining our community. We look forward to seeing you there!!!

The Orchid Lovers Community

A place for people who Love Orchids!