Tag Archives: monochrome

“Second City” (Using selective focus and color for creative results)

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"Second City" Tracey Capone Photography 2010

 

One of the newest pieces in my gallery is, “Second City;” a photograph of the Chicago Theatre sign along State Street here in Chicago.Those who know State Street will also recognize the Marshall Fields clock (sorry, still can’t call it Macy’s) and the Marina Towers in the background.

I’ve used two techniques, one pre- and the other post-processing, to get the ultimate effect you see here.

First, by using my Lensbaby Composer lens, which utilizes a ball and socket setup to provide an amazing selective focus effect, I’ve blurred out the areas immediately surrounding the sign, including the clock and the towers in the back.  By switching my camera in to manual focus and a combination of moving the lens on the ball and socket as well as manually focusing the lens, I was able to focus in on the sign without completely blurring the surroundings to the point where you can’t recognize them. (If you haven’t already tried a Lensbaby, check them out. The amount of fun and creativity that comes from using one of their lenses, as well as the many accessories available, is well worth the cost of the lens.)

Secondly, in post-processing, using masking as well as some creative actions in Photoshop, I’ve pulled out the amazing colors in the sign, while creating a platinum black and white effect for the remaining areas.

Moral of the story… don’t be afraid to “draw outside the lines” and use selective focus for creative results. Not every shot has to be 100% crisp and clear. Sometimes, blurring out certain aspects of the shot forces the viewer to look at the entire photograph rather than just your main subject while it conversely sets a more creative stage for the main attraction. You can find more great tips on using selective focus here.

And voila, I give you, “Second City.”

Enjoy!

*tracey*

Silver Needle, White Tea… a Treasury

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antique parcel post scale by lacklusterco

My latest treasury takes it’s name from a rare tea, also known as Yin Zhen, a tea famous for its subtle taste, pale infusion, and extraordinary purity. It was a well guarded secret of the Chinese emperors and a rare delicacy in the West. It was reserved for the imperial family until only a few decades ago when it became available to the public. The sweet, pale buds of the Silver Needle tea are picked less than one month during the year, some time between late March and early April.

While I didn’t build the treasury around the name, I thought the description of the tea could also describe the finds: subtle, pale, extraordinary. Please take a peek at each of the stores… you won’t be sorry.

Enjoy!

*tracey*

New Creation- The Monochrome Botanical Series

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"Monochrome 1- Gardenia"

As far back as I can remember, I have loved black and white photos for their understated beauty. Beauty aside however, as I’ve discussed in earlier posts (and thus won’t bore you again with all the scientific mumbo jumbo about brain synapses and color assignment), I believe it’s also due to the lack of color which forces your mind to process the photograph in a way much different from a color photograph.

I especially love monochrome botanical photographs. It’s  easy to look at a picture of an orange poppy and say it’s beautiful, however it’s mostly due to the beautiful orange color nature provided it. Remove that color and you’re forced to look at the lines and curves of the flower itself and, quite frankly, in my mind, Mother Nature is a true artist.

My Monochrome Botanical Series is an ever-growing series of many of her best works. I am lucky enough to come across so many beautiful subjects in my daily life, that I’m excited about what’s to come. The series, as well as others, can be found here, in my online gallery.

Enjoy!

*tracey*

"Monochrome 3- Poppy"

"Monochrome 4- Poppies"

 

Monochrome 2- Succulent"

New Creation- “The Red Balloon”

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Today’s new creation is my nod to the movie, “The Red Balloon.” Filmed in the Menilmontant neighborhood of Paris, France in 1956, this Oscar award-winning short film, directed by Albert Lamorisse,  is about a little boy who spots a large, red helium balloon on his way to school.

Shot in Through the Viewfinder style, this pop of red against the monochrome of the buildings makes this one of my new favorite pieces. (hint… there’s a lot more where this came from)

Come to think of it, this could ALSO be my homage to the 80s song, “99 Luftballoons” by Nena. Wait, don’t tell me you aren’t a fan of 80s songs?? :)

Enjoy!

*tracey*

"The Red Balloon"

Holiday Sale! Buy One Get One Prints…

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Now through December 13th, I will be offering buy one, get one prints in my shop. Purchase any print (8×8 or larger) and get one 8×8 or 8×10 of your choice at no cost to you. Order by December 13th, and your photo will ship out in time for Christmas.

There are a lot of new pieces in the online gallery so check them, as well as some old favorites out! The holidays are right around the corner and art makes a wonderful gift! I offer custom work as well, large format prints, framing and matting…all here in my online gallery.

"Ponte Vecchio"

New Creations- “Ville” and “The Bank”

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Two new additions to my paris.rome.and.beyond series are “Ville” and “The Bank.” Both prints are available separately but also pair well together.

Both were shot at dusk in Paris, one along the banks of the river and the other while walking through the charming areas just off the banks. I’ve layered them to give an aged, almost vintage, feel. I love playing with depth of field in my shots and these two are no exception.  I love the aged, almost “ghostly” feel of both.

I’ve added a few new prints from Paris to the series and all are available in my online gallery, here.

"Ville"

"The Bank"

Going to a Good Home, “Smoke”

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I’m always toying around with new ways to shoot photos whether it be trying out a different lens, shooting from a different angle or, in this case, trying out a new filter.

“Smoke” is an 8×8 print of a beautiful dark pink bloom that I came across while wondering through Cheekwood Botanical Gardens in Nashville, TN. Doesn’t look pink right? I took this photo with an infrared filter attached to my macro lens. Now, if you look at other examples of infrared photography, this isn’t quite the same, but, regardless, I loved the end result of this photo.

Layered just slightly to give it a textured effect, I love how the flower ended up looking like billowing smoke. I’m still toying with the infrared photography, and plan on offering more as time goes on. In the mean time though, check out “Smoke” in my online gallery, as well as others available.

Smoke WM

"Smoke"

New Creation- Photo Swatches for Interior Designers

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The Sunday Drive Watermark

"The Sunday Drive"

Recently I was joking with my number one fan, a.k.a. my mom, about the fact that she keeps lugging framed pieces of my work with her so that she can share them with the various folks she comes across. (Moms are awesome aren’t they?) I teased that I should send her a small photo album with mini prints of each photo so that she could just slip it in her purse and carry it with her wherever she goes. She thought it was a great idea… I was kidding… she wasn’t.

Jokes aside, that got me to thinking. When perusing an online gallery, while high definition monitors and high resolution pictures do allow you to get a pretty good sense of what a photo is going to look like, it’s still not the same as holding the photo in your hand and seeing it up close and personal. This is especially true for the metallic paper that I use. While I can describe a metallic print and explain how it adds vibrancy to colors and an intensity to blacks, I can’t do full justice to just how amazing these prints are.

That said, I’ve begun offering photo swatches for interior designers.  This will allow them to see, first hand, how the colors in each piece play off of one another, how, in the metallic prints, the “chrome” like feel adds a depth to the photograh that others, before they invest in them. This will also allow them to more easily share their suggestions with their client.  After all, you can get a swatch of fabric before you invest huge sums in it, why not a fine art photograph?

The photo swatches will be sample (as they’ll include a copyright at the bottom) 3×5 and 4×4 prints of the pieces I offer in my gallery. Those interested would simply indicate which prints they would like to see and they’ll be shipped out at no charge.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go buy a mini portfolio for my number one fan…

Watching the Time WM

"Watching the Time"

Patina Watermark

"Patina"

A Day by the Water WM

"A Day by the Water"

Pensive WM

"Pensive"

New Creation- “Delicate”- The Monochrome Series

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I have always been a fan of black and white photography, especially when it comes to landscapes and nature, and admit to having more than my fair share of Ansel Adams prints adorning the walls of my first college  apartment. I love black and white photography  for many reasons, one being I feel it forces your mind to view the subject in a whole different way.

Ready for some scientific stuff? Didn’t think you’d see this in a photo blog right? There are various studies out there that state  that our minds are wired to first recognize  color and automatically attach it to an object; red apple, pink flamingo, green grass, you get the point right? When you look at a color photograph, the first thing your mind registers are vibrant colors and your brain goes through a database of images to determine the object it’s attached to; this all happens within a matter of seconds so you’re not necessarily taking in the actual subject but rather the color.  With a black and white photograph, your mind is forced to first establish the subject and then process everything else; you’re forced to use your imagination for the rest which I feel also forces you to study the subject much more closely.

One of my latest pieces, “Delicate” is the latest in my ever growing Monochrome Series. They’re pretty common Phalaenopsis orchids, but I love the visible shadows cast by the surrounding orchids and how the light bounces off of each petal, almost sparkling; things you wouldn’t easily notice or even see in a color photograph. I named this piece “Delicate” because, while the black and white makes the orchids look somewhat steel-like, they still possess the delicate beauty inherent to an orchid. I chose to shoot these in black and white because, while orchids are naturally quite beautiful, I wanted to capture them in a way that would force the viewer to look more carefully at the flowers themselves, not just the colors associated with them.

“Delicate” and other pieces like this can be found in my online gallery with many more to come…

"Delicate"

"Delicate"