Covers

I have some good news to share - my shots are on the covers of Country Living Magazine's September and October issues!

Here's the September issue:

This shoot was done at Lynd's Fruit Farm in Pataskala Ohio in late July.  I had the whole orchard to myself and shot away contentedly for a couple of hours until it started to rain.  Then, I visited Lynd's market and bought some of the best cheese ever, and delicious peaches for our peach-loving 10-year-old.

I didn't realize how huge that wooden crate actually was until I started filling it with apples!  I had purchased a bunch of apples at the store, but I ended up gathering up lots of fallen apples to fill up that big crate.  I actually had two crates, but it took so long to fill up the first one, I decided to let the other crate sit it out in my car!

Thank you again, Lynd's!

For the October shot, DH and I went to Mansfield Ohio to shoot at the Ohio State Reformatory.  DH was a real trooper, carrying some of my gear and agreeing to be a "ghost" in some of the shots.  I even made him run back into the building and go up 3 or 4 flights of stairs because I didn't get one of my shots just right.  Not to mention we were there for several hours shooting - thank you again, DH!

The Reformatory is an abandoned prison.  If you've ever seen the movie The Shawshank Redemption, this is where they shot it (very good movie, by the way).  Of course, it doesn't look anything like it did in the film.  There is rust, dust, peeling paint, asbestos, broken windows and such.  But it is a really fascinating place.  I processed most of my shots as HDR, and for some reason, I can't save them as JPEGs.  So, you'll just have to settle for a few out-takes - sorry!

This shot was on the way up to the tuberculosis ward, which us normally closed off to visitors.  The folks at the Reformatory gave us all-access, however, which was so incredibly nice of them.  I just really love this shot for some reason (this is SOOC - straight out of camera):

I tried to get some spooky shots for the magazine, since it was for the October issue.  The Reformatory is pretty spooky as-is, so it wasn't too much of a challenge!  This shot was in the solitary confinement area, which was one of the creepiest parts of the Reformatory.  I definitely wouldn't want to get trapped in there!

Here is the link to Country Living Magazine, if you'd like to see the October cover shot (there's also a second shot in the article about the Reformatory).  If you do check out the magazine, please check out some of the past issues - I also have shots in Food Scene in the Jan.-Sept. issues.

-Cheryl

Book Nook - photography books

If you stop by my blog now and then, you might have noticed the Sunday Brunch posts, where I chat about a favorite recipe.  Maybe you noticed it missing yesterday.  I do apologize - I was unfortunately up until the very wee hours in the morning, working on a photography assignment, photoshopping like a mad woman.  So, I thought in honor of photography, which has been taking up a lot of my time lately (but that's a good thing, in general - not so much in the wee hours of the morning, however), I wanted to share some of the books on the subject that I've been enjoying lately:

Light: Science & Magic - An introduction to Photographic Lighting by Fil Hunter, Steven Biver & Paul Fuqua:




My assignment was to photoshoot a ceramic mug.  Piece of cake, right?  I have spent two weeks of my life trying to figure out how to photograph a mug!  A mug, people!  The problem is, it's very reflective and curved.  So, when you shoot it, you see yourself, your room, your camera, everything on the surface of the mug.  The very nice guy at a local camera store told me that this is one of the hardest things to shoot.  I was so relieved to hear that, because I thought I was doing something wrong.  He suggested this book, Light: Science & Magic, specifically for a chapter on this very subject.  Straight to the library I went and two weeks later, I have a much better understanding of what it takes to photograph a simple mug.  Better understanding yes; better skills, still working on.  This book is a must for any photographer needing to understand studio lighting.

Pro Secrets to Dramatic Digital Photos by Jim Zuckerman:




I liked this book right away because of the topic of the first chapter: shoot great subjects.  Is a photo of a wild African lion better that a portrait of a house cat?  Why?  The author gets us thinking about our photography in new ways right from the start.  I don't always agree with his opinion, but I really appreciate the debate.

There's a lot of technical tips that you might find in other photography books, like how to work shutter speed, how to compose your shots, etc., but even after years of doing photography, I feel like I'm learning from this book.  And the author has included lots of gorgeous photos to inspire.  Dramatic photos, here I come!

A Beautiful Mess - Photo Idea Book: 95 Inspiring Ideas for Photographing your Friends, your World, and Yourself by Elsie Larson and Emma Chapman:




This is a fun book for anyone with a camera, not just pros.  The authors throw out one cute idea after another, anything from how to take a outdoor portrait, how to make your own homemade filters, how to photograph your reflection, wardrobe tips & crafty photo ideas, like making a storybook locket or a photo coaster set.  Our sister-authors have a great eye for photography and they share what works with us.  I got a handful of ideas I'm going to keep in my pocket, and I think just about anyone with a camera (so, everyone then) could get some new ideas after looking through this book.  This one's all about fun with photography - I love that!

-Cheryl   

Visions of Metro Parks exhibit

For those of you in the Columbus, Ohio area, come check out the Visions of Metro Parks exhibit, which runs through Saturday, July 27th.  The exhibit is at the High Road Gallery in Worthington, in a really neat old house.  There are some seriously beautiful and inspiring photographs of scenes in the Metro Parks of Columbus.  I have a couple of nature shots in the exhibit, my first time participating.

Don't live in Columbus?  Can't get to the gallery?  Here's the link to all the photos on flickr.  Enjoy!

-Cheryl

Photography news to share - focus on photography week

I have some great photography-related news: I won 1st place in the Lithopolis HoneyFest photo contest!  I am so excited about it!  I worked hard to get this shot of a honeybee - we went to our favorite Metro Park, Inniswood, twice because I just wasn't happy with my first round of shots.  I'm glad we went back because it gave me a chance to capture this very busy bee.  Here's DD and a little bee friend of hers checking out my photo and ribbon at last weekend's festival:

I'm also happy to tell you that I have a picture in the Fall edition of ParkScope, which is Columbus Metro Parks' quarterly magazine with great articles and program info.  This shot was taken at Chestnut Ridge last fall.  I actually don't know these people, but I hope they saw their pictures in the magazine & like the shot:

I also now have a Zenfolio website....want to see some of my favorite photos?  Here's the link: http://cherylbachphotography.zenfolio.com/.  Some of them have been featured here on the blog, others might be in a future post.  Let me know what you think!

-Cheryl

The right light - focus on photography week

If you've ever read books or articles about photography, one thing you've probably noticed is that capturing the right light is always emphasized.  Many experts advise photographers to shoot in the golden light of sunrise, or just before sunset.  The light in early morning or later in the evening is usually golden, soft and magical.  It really is the best time to shoot!

I thought I'd share a few shots that I've taken in the beautiful light before sunset (I hardly ever see the light around sunrise.....I'm not a morning person!).

Here's an old shot of DD in a field of Queen Anne's Lace.  I love how the light plays off the flower she's twirling:

Here's another old shot, of our other DD.  There's nothing remarkable about this shot - she's snuggling with her blanket, the clutter of outdoor toys and our house in the background.  But the light is remarkable:

I love this shot, even though most of it is out of focus.  Maybe that's why I like it: the light steals the show:

It's also interesting to see how this "golden-hour" light changes with the change of seasons.  This shot, of a big magnolia bloom, was taken in March, a bit before sunset.  The light here is cool and unassuming:

This shot was taken just a few days ago - I love how this little insect is positively bathed in yellow, from the light as well as the goldenrod.  There's no doubt that this shot was taken in summer:

My challenge is to try to capture beautiful light in all of the seasons (it's so hard to do in winter) as well as make shots taken throughout the day look as magical as those taken at sunrise or sunset.  I'm still trying to meet those challenges; but in the meantime, I'm going to shoot as much as I can right before sunset (and sleep as much as I can around sunrise!).

-Cheryl

Get the shot......or not - focus on photography week

Being a nature photography enthusiast, every now and then I come across some ethical issues related to taking shots in nature.  How disruptive should one be to get the shot they want?  A good example of this dilemma occurred this Spring.  We had a cardinal nest in our backyard and one day our 7-year-old and her friend discovered that they could get in the bush where the nest is and the baby birds would pop up and eat bugs that they dropped into their mouths.  Of course, once I found this out, I asked her not to do that again, that she might have scared Mama and Papa bird away.  Later that day, however, I thought...."there's a nest of baby birds.  I could get a great shot!"

DD and I went back to the bush and all was quiet.  She said the babies didn't come up until you actually fed them.  Here was my dilemma.  On one hand, I really wanted a nice shot of baby birds.  On the other hand, I didn't want to mess with nature.  I chose the latter, and told her to make sure we stay as far away from the nest as possible.  I never got my bird shot, but I'm happy about the choice I made.  Here's the vacant nest as it looked today:

The best shots are one in which you are a quiet observer, in my opinion.  Earlier this summer, I was at one of our local Columbus Metro Parks and I noticed a bumblebee in the brush by the path.  I couldn't figure out what it was doing in there, but it was definitely moving around.  On further inspection, I saw what was happening: a very well-camouflaged praying mantis had caught the bumblebee and was eating it.  I sat there, watching and firing off shots.  After a while, the praying mantis noticed me, and he stopped eating to look at me.  I sat there and watched him - I was far away enough where I wasn't disturbing him.  After he checked me out, he went back to his meal.  I took a few more shots and then quietly left.  I love this shot because it reminds me of that moment, just the praying mantis and I looking at each other.

There are many, many ways in which nature photographers can bend the situation in their favor: using flash, going off trail, taking shots of captive animals, taking shots of dead animal parts, like a dragonfly wing, to name a few.  But I think the best shots are the ones you get without those "tricks" because you'll always look back and know that it was nature, in its true state.  And you were there, a part of it.

-Cheryl

Spider heaven

The spiders were busy last night in Central Ohio, because this morning we woke up to spider webs all over our backyard.  This has only happened once before (here's the post), so I couldn't resist grabbing my camera & getting a few shots before they disappeared.  Spider webs dotted a half-dead tree in our backyard - I think they really like the twigs for their webs.  There were also webs in the grass, and one ambitious spider even made a "bridge" between one of our pine trees and a bush by our fence.  All of the webs were twinkly with early morning dew.

Our 6 year-old exclaimed "it's spider heaven out here."

Here's a shot I converted to B&W:

I wonder what the conditions are for big spider web activity (fog, a certain temperature, etc.)?  If you know, please let me know in the comments.  I'd love to be prepared for the next web-wonderland.

-Cheryl

Magnolia photoshoot

Our Spring here in Central Ohio has been so warm, it's really more like summer.  We went from Winter (a mild one, at that) straight to Summer.  So it's no wonder the trees and flowers have been blooming like crazy.  When I noticed some gorgeous magnolia trees in bloom in our neighborhood, I knew I needed to get out there and capture some of those lovely blooms before they are spent.  I can't believe they are blooming one entire month earlier than they did last year!

The Bachsters and I visited one of our local Columbus Metro Parks, where I knew a beautiful old magnolia resides.  Last year, we discovered a wonderful magnolia tree at Greenlawn cemetery (see original post here).  I think magnolias are one of my favorite flowers (or in this case, blooms) to photograph.  The colors are soft and feminine and the blooms are so.....voluptuous is the only word that comes to mind.

 

DD made a "butterfly" with some of the petals she found on the ground:

I think the Bachsters and I have a new Springtime tradition.......magnolia, we'll see you again next Spring!

-Cheryl

Favorite shots of 2011

Over the past few days I've been going through all of my 2011 pictures to create a family calendar with shots of the Bachsters (I know, I know, I'm a little behind on the task!).  It's been so fun looking at all the photos I've taken this year - I was thinking that I didn't have many shots of the Bachsters, but it's actually quite the opposite!

As I've been reviewing my pictures, I've come across a lot of nature shots, too, and I thought I'd share a few of my favorites from this year.  I just love this one, taken at Conkle's Hollow in Hocking Hills.  I'm pleased to say that it won runner-up in  the OEC annual photo contest:

Another one of my favorites is the spider family reunion shot - taken in our backyard after the spiders were all very busy:

I just love photographing dragonflies, and I especially liked this shot for the colors and the graceful lines of the leaves:

I love big fat magnolia blooms, and was so happy that the Bachsters and I did an impromptu photo shoot in April, coming across the most beautiful magnolia tree I've ever seen:

This year, I didn't get in as much warm-weather shooting as I wanted, mostly because we stayed close to home this summer to take care of our new puppy (who weighs almost 80 pounds now!).  So, I did a lot of shooting in the backyard.  I can never resist dandelions - they're so under-appreciated!

And for the last one......this one is one of my favorite shots from the summer, but it's got some real technical problems that I can't seem to fix.  But I love the shot anyway!  I had an underwater camera & was at a creek shooting the waterfall from underneath.  After I had a few shots, I got up and saw this snake sunning itself just a few feet from me.  I put the camera low, almost in the water to get a unique perspective.  I was able to get only this one shot, and then the snake slithered off into the water and swam away.  I'm pretty proud of myself for at least getting one picture, and not freaking out about the big snake, so very close!

I'm really looking forward to trying out some new things with my photography in 2012 - and I promise to share my shots!

-Cheryl

August 2012

I received a very surprising, wonderful phone call last week: a photo that I had submitted to a calendar contest for our local power company got accepted!  I'm pleased to let you know that my picture of a tree trunk with moss and ferns all over it (taken at the Rock House in Hocking Hills) is the shot for August:

There are a lot of really nice shots in the calendar - I especially like the winter pictures that were chosen for those months.  So, if you don't have your 2012 calendar yet, you might enjoy one of these!  You can contact Ohio's Rural Electric Cooperatives at 614-846-5757 for more information.

The shot from Rock House was from our family vacation to Hocking Hills in 2010.  I'm so glad I brought my camera with me (seriously, would I have even considered leaving it at home!?) because some of my favorite shots ever were taken on that trip.  I think it might be about time to re-visit Hocking Hills - it's my photography-muse!

-Cheryl

Annual Metro Parks photo contest

I'm happy to announce that my DD, age 6, won 3rd place in the children's category in the annual Columbus Metro Parks photo contest!  Her shot was of Queen Anne's lace, taken at my SIL's pond.  I was at the judging, and the judges commented that her shot was very sharp, a fact that she has been repeating to anyone who will listen.  She's very proud of her achievement, as are we all in the Bach family.  I think we have a budding photographer on our hands (yay - a good excuse for more equipment)!

Here she is, proudly gazing at her ribbon:

For the record, she took the picture all by herself - no help from her photog-loving Mama!  I threw the camera into auto, but she selected the subject, crop, etc. all on her own.  In fact, I was off at another spot by the pond, so she really did make all the decisions about the shot.  I'm so proud of her!

I also entered the contest and got a 2nd place ribbon in the black & white category:

My shot is of a trio of spiderwebs, taken one morning after the spiders had been busy.  In fact, my DD looked out her window that morning and exclaimed that is was a spider family reunion!

All the entries in the contest (232 total) will be on display this weekend at Highbanks Metro Park, and then also the following weekend at Blacklick Woods.  If you live in the Columbus area, check it out (here's the link to their website for directions and information about the parks).

Yes, I foresee many more requests to borrow my camera at this point!

-Cheryl

The OEC photo contest

I have some great news to share!  One of my favorite environmental groups, The Ohio Environmental Council, has just released the results of their 3rd annual photo contest.....and 2 of my photos made Runner Up!  Both photos are in the "What Green Means To Me" category.  Here is the link to the OEC website -  you can view all the shots in this category as well as the "My Ohio" category.  There were a lot of great photos in the contest this year!  You can also vote for your favorite shot on the OEC's facebook page - the top 15 scoring photos (after the winners and runners-up) are featured.

Here is one of my shots, a happy blue dasher that sat nice & still for his portrait last summer:

The other shot was one taken at Hocking Hills this July:

Since my photos placed as runners-up, I will have the opportunity to attend the OEC's Green Gala in October.  I'm really looking forward to it!

These photos are just a few things that come to mind when I ponder "what green means to me."  What comes to mind for you?

-Cheryl

Focus on photography week - backyard bugs

I meant to do this posting yesterday, but we've had such a busy weekend around here, so today it is.  That makes "focus on photography" week officially 8 days long instead of 7!  I hope you've enjoyed some of the photos this week.  It's been a fun summer with lots of photoshoots, but I've been feeling a crunch for time with Fall right around the corner.  I'd like to get some more shooting in before the cooler weather gets here.  And if I do, of course I'll share my shots here!

I wanted to devote a posting to backyard bugs because it seems like our backyard is the place that I do the most shooting.  I love going to local parks, but realistically, I just don't always get the chance.  But the neat thing is that the closer you look, the more you find, and that's certainly true for our backyard.  There is a whole world of bugs and birds and Bachsters right outside the back door.  My goal is to capture it all.

Since one of my favorite subjects to shoot is insects, I'm always excited to see a new interesting critter, and I run inside to get my camera.  This August, we've been hearing the cicadas all day, every day.  So, it's particularly fun when we get to see one, not just hear it.  Here's one the Bachsters & I found, newly emerged from its shell, shortly before it took off:

Another day, the girls and I found a cicada in our grass, which is a strange place to see one (usually they're on a branch or a tree trunk).  Our 6-year-old got bold & picked him up and put him on the bark of our maple tree.  He sat there for a while and then slowly started climbing to the top of the tree.  We watched him until he was out of sight:

One of my favorite backyard bugs is the lightning bug.  We enjoyed catching and watching them in June & July, but we haven't seen many this month.  I've heard that the lightning bug population is dwindling & I hope that they'll make a comeback in numbers because they are so neat.  Here's a little before & after:

We never see praying mantises in our yard, yet this summer, we've seen several:

There are many insects to be found in our backyard, but let's not forget the front yard, too.  This painted lady butterfly was enjoying our flowers in the front earlier this season:

Hardly a bug can fly into our yard without me getting my camera!

Hope you're having a great weekend!
-Cheryl

Focus on photography week - FPC

Earlier this week, we were faced with the prospect of a cool, cloudy, rainy day (it ended up being sunny all day, but oh well).  What to do indoors on such a summer day?  We decided to head to the Franklin Park Conservatory, a gorgeous conservatory in Columbus.  There is so much to see there - they have different rooms with different themes (desert, tropical rain forest, an outdoor garden with bonsai trees).  But our favorite area of the conservatory has always been the butterfly room.  You walk through paved paths, among the waterfalls and lush tropical foliage, butterflies fluttering around you in every direction.  It's a magical place.

I don't think I'm capable of going to the FPC without my camera.  This visit, I let the Bachsters each take a turn with the camera, too.  In fact, after we had seen the entire conservatory, we all decided to go back to see the butterflies once more.  And I'm glad we did - I took this shot from a unique perspective on that second time through:

I love plant curlicues & can't resist taking their picture:

This beautiful butterfly was hanging around a plant right by the path, so I was able to go right up to him for a portrait:

We try to get to the conservatory at least once a year because it's just such a neat place.  Check out our pics from our last visit here.

-Cheryl

Focus on photography week - caterpillars

One thing the Bachsters cannot resist is a caterpillar.  One thing their photography-loving-mama cannot resist is taking pictures of caterpillars.  Whenever we spot one, whether it's in our backyard or while we are out on a photoshoot, it's just giddy excitement for us all!

Our 6-year-old is the resident caterpillar finder.  She can spot them, even if they're miles away (or so it seems).  She spotted this one recently, hanging around in our backyard playhouse.  Of course, I just had to do a little photoshoot with him in a more natural setting.  We were only planning on keeping him in our bug jar overnight, but the next morning, he had started spinning silk to make a cocoon.  So, he must be some kind of moth (we searched the internet to try to identify him, but no luck).  Regardless, he's part of the family now, at least until he emerges from his cocoon:

Our caterpillar-finder also discovered this unique guy while on a recent photoshoot at a nearby park.  She also found the same exact type of moth, as already mentioned....like within minutes of each other.  Oh yes, she's good at her job!  Here's Little Dude with our new-found fuzzy friend:

And here's yet another caterpillar that the 6-year-old found, at a nearby creek:

Finally, here's one that I discovered.  This fuzzy woolly bear was saved while we were driving along a country road.  It was a beautiful day last October, and the woolly bears were out in full-force....they were everywhere.  I was dodging them as I was driving so that I wouldn't run over any of them (luckily, there was no other traffic).  I couldn't resist pulling over & saving at least one from a vehicular-related-death.  We kept our little woolly bear in a quiet, cool place in the basement all winter; but, alas, he never emerged from hibernation in the spring, so we placed him under our pine trees.  I'd like to think that he waited until then to wake up, and maybe he's fluttering around our yard now, as a beautiful Isabella moth.

-Cheryl

Focus on photography week - underwater

Last week, I had a photoshoot like no other that I've done before: an underwater photo shoot!  Of course, my Bachsters were totally game to join.  It was a rather quiet evening at our local pool & it seemed like we had the place to ourselves, which was great because it gave us the chance to try all sorts of crazy underwater shots.  Here are a few that I took:

It was just so fun to get 3 excited kids & one underwater camera in one place.  It was a very fun shoot!

-Cheryl

Focus on photography week - the Mona Lisa

It's "Focus on photography week" here - I did the same thing last year (here is one of the posts).  I have found that my favorite season for photography is summer - I love shooting insects and flowers and my Bachsters, all in the glorious summer light.  In fact, I rarely do any shooting in the cold winter months.  So, since I've got photography on the brain right now, I thought this would be a perfect week for all things photog-related!

A few years ago, I was reading a photography book by Nick Kelsh (I think it was this one: How to Photograph Your Family).  In this book, the author poses a very intriguing question: would Mona Lisa's parents rather have a picture of their daughter or would they rather have the Mona Lisa, of course painted by Leonardo da Vinci.

My first reaction was, of course her parents would rather have the Mona Lisa, a priceless, famous, beloved, perfect masterpiece by one of history's greatest artists.  But, as I pondered the question more, I started re-thinking my original reaction.  Yes, the Mona Lisa is exceptional, but then again, so is photography.  With photography, you can capture a precise moment in time, as it truly was, without the artist's intervention (well, a photographer has means of intervention too, but not like a painting), and every time you look at that photo, you will be reminded of your life and the subject's life at that moment.  It's really a very magical thing we hold in our hands, when we hold a photograph. 

On top of the perfectly captured moment, we also have the privilege of taking lots of pictures, from different angles, at different times of the day, with different backgrounds (something that digital photography has made much easier).  I don't think Leonardo da Vinci had such luxury at his hands: once he started his portrait, if he wanted to make major changes in the perspective, angles, lighting, etc., it might have meant just starting over from scratch.  Perhaps Mona Lisa's parents would want a painting, something that was created in a meaningful, deliberate, thoughtful way.  Of course, I believe most professional photographers would argue that they compose their shots with the same attention to detail as the painting maestros.

I must admit that I am a delete-phobe.  I save almost every picture, especially if it's of my Bachsters.  And over time, I have come to thank myself for that, because even the ones that are blurry, or uninteresting, or show clutter in the background have becomes treasures.  I love them all, because they remind of first dates and wedding dates. They remind me what it was like to have a newborn baby.  They remind me of a time when we had a diaper changing table.  They remind me how fleeting time is.

 

So, which would you choose: the Mona Lisa or a photograph? 
I think I've made my choice!

-Cheryl