TILT: Light

I'm changing things up again. Instead of giving you 5 things that I love, I'm going to be talking about one. If you didn't know, I'm a big fan of light. Even though I haven't always had a nice camera, I've always been drawn to light. I love seeing the way light plays off of the world around me and how it changes the way we perceive things.

This was taken from the 42nd floor of the Tokyo Municipal building.

In the Fall semester of 2008, I had the opportunity to study abroad in Japan. One weekend, we were in the city and there was an impending storm. One of my friends insisted we look out over the city from the Tokyo Muni Building, so up we went. Looking out, this is what I saw (so far as I can remember, this is a full-size jpeg file straight from my camera, a Canon A530, no post processing at all).

Light can be a powerful tool in story telling. I love looking at that picture seeing the light pouring down between the clouds, highlighting different parts of the city. The clouds are piled ominously, but light is streaming through, cutting through the gloom.


Light can do amazing things in portrait photography, too. For example, Heather took this picture as part of a project for her Theology of Marriage and Family class.

85% of domestic abuse cases are women. 1 in 4 women has been a victim of domestic abuse.

This was loosely intended to serve as a PSA. Because of that, Heather wanted to mask the model's eyes, removing her identity. This could happen to anyone, and the odds are high that you know someone who is or was the victim of domestic abuse.

Imagine if that picture hadn't had the harsh lighting, a lot of the impact of this picture would have changed. The sense of this girl's anonymity would be gone, and the ability be sympathetic to people within this plight would be diminished.

I could go on and on, but I think you kinda get the point. Light is a powerful tool in photography, not just by drawing attention through illumination, but also in what is left in darkness. Next time you see a picture that you really like, stop and ask yourself, "What's going on with the lighting?" I find that a lot of the pictures that I like are distinguished by something unique about the lighting.

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A Hike, Buff Chix, and Memories

Okay, so this isn't a TILT, but this isn't a normal week. You may have noticed that we didn't have a TILT last week either. That's because... well, you'll find out in a second.

As of Tuesday, Heather and I have been dating for two years! Unfortunately, during the week we tend to be pretty busy, so we made plans that occupied chunks of last Thursday (hence, no TILT).

We started out with what I thought was going to be a short hike.

Sorry it's blurry, but as you can see, it was still kinda dark out and we were moving when she took this. We headed out at about 6:30 am to see if we could we could catch the sunrise. Unfortunately, it was cloudy, a longer hike than I thought, and we got tired and distracted, so we decided to take some pictures.

Heather still managed to grab some fun shots, though. :)

At the "end" of our hike. I look so tired. :P
Heading back to her apartment, she made breakfast (sorry no pictures :/), and then I gave her her present. A Nikon 24-70mm Lens!

Wait. Mug. It's a mug. o.o

It's a mug that zooms. :)

And comes with a stow-away-asaurus. We filled the afternoon with some less exciting things, then headed out to Buffalo Wild Wings. Somehow, we started getting wings as an anniversary tradition. What can I say, we're a little quirky. But that's okay, right?

Boneless Thursdays FTW. haha

Nice and flushed from the wings. And it was really cold outside. o.o So that was our Thursday. And then we officially reached two years on the 20th.

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TILT - Podcast Edition

Wow, this week flew by. As you may have noticed from the title, it's Chris again! (I use TILT. Heather tends to prefer the full title.) Last week I mentioned that I love podcasts because of their convenient, audio nature, and the chance they offer to learn. Podcasts are great to listen to while exercising, on your daily commute, or (if you're like me) instead of listening to music while doing working your brainless pays-the-bills job. ;) Here are a few of my favorites:

1. Shoot to Kill - Self-description: "Shoot to Kill: a podcast by photographers, for photographers". The StK staff consists of Phil and Mindy Thorton, a husband and wife wedding photography team at Phindy Studios in Nashville, TN. Their partner in crime is Jaime Clayton, also a wedding photographer from Nashville, distinguished by his preference to shoot entirely on film. Phil has a tendency to run a little techy, while Mindy is much more personable. Jaime helps to make Phil's technobabble to be more accessible by clarifying or asking for clarification.  I've learned a lot about photography, gear, the business, and more by listening to them. These shows tend to run about an hour, and typically includes an interview with another photographer.

2. Mars Hill Church - Yes, yes, I understand that this is not a photography podcast. It may surprise you, but I have a few things going on in my life, and photography is only one of them. This is Mars Hill Church based in Seattle, WA. The main teaching pastor is Mark Driscoll, and he tends to evoke a polarized response from his listeners. I like him because he speaks truth, and he presents it in a raw, no punches-pulled manner. He's got a great sense of humor, and a heart for telling people about Jesus and helping boys to become men. The sermons tend to run around an hour long, no shorter than 50 minutes, and usually no longer than 85 minutes.

3. The Dave Ramsey Show - Again, another podcast that isn't a photography podcast. Dave Ramsey (as I mentioned last week) is a financial guru based just outside of Nashville, TN. He has a radio talk show, where listeners call in (or email, or tweet) with questions related to their financial situations. His shtick is getting out of debt and building up wealth, but people call in with questions about everything from small business to retirement planning to wills to how to train children to be wise with money. He airs Monday-Friday, live online from 11am-3pm PST. The podcasts last 40 minutes, which is roughly the first hour of the live program.

4. The Village Church - The Village Church is based in Texas. The main teaching pastor is Matt Chandler. He is an excellent teacher with a bit of a quirky personality. I enjoy that he speaks truth, clearly speaking out about what the Bible says, not shirking from certain areas. He talks about tough things, ranging from prayer to abortion to serving in the community. His messages often run about an hour long.

5. Phototips - Here! Another photography podcast! This podcast is operated by Mr. Jimmy Beltz of Oklahoma City. He's a down-to-earth guy who loves photography, and enjoys helping you learn to be a better photographer. He does all sorts of portrait photography: seniors, weddings, engagements, and more. He's got an active forum for discussing everything related to photography. He also sponsors a small, in-house photography competition from time to time that is open to anyone. If you're interested in photography at all, I think you'd like this one.

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