Looking down from the Ferry Street bridge on the pedestrian/bike path at sunset, I used a 75-300 mm lens on my Canon 5DM2 body and shot in raw
Summer has a way of getting in the way of my using the camera.
I’m busy.
With the family being home, everything gets consumed much faster so there’s more trips to the grocery store.
Even while traveling, I don’t actually have much time to use my camera.
I’m mostly mostly playing chauffeur if not short-order cook and not thinking about where I could go to take pictures.
When we do go places on trips, like my recent one to Eugene, Oregon, we inevitably arrived when the sun is too high and we don’t stay long enough so that the light gets interesting.
On one of those evenings when we had dinner at a restaurant by the paved banks of the Willamette river in Eugene, we took a stroll afterwards.
My gang took off while I hung back because I recognized the potential for a picture when we were walking underneath the Ferry Street bridge.
It was also about that time when I heard a voice from above.
Heavens, it wasn’t from that high up, maybe 20 feet above me.
It was the very friendly voice of Martine Keller who happened to be taking pictures above me from the bridge above.
So great minds think alike.
We both recognized this spot had potential.
I’m sharing Martine’s pictures to provide context.
I’ve since become Facebook friends with her which is how I am able to share her wonderful captures here.
Scenes from the Ferry Street Bridge over the Willamette river in Eugene, Oregon by Martin Keller
This is the bike/pedestrian pathway along the river
Up there was where I stood with Martine whom I just met when she saw me below and called out to me
Color or Grayscale (BW)
Looking down from the Ferry Street bridge on the pedestrian/bike path at sunset, I used a 75-300 mm lens on my Canon 5DM2 body and shot in rawGo ahead and click on the pictures to see a bigger version. Then let me know which you prefer. I definitely prefer the GRAYSCALE version. Thank you for the feedback everyone.
This red trees is only red during certain times of the year. If I were more motivated, I’d look up the name of this tree. I might still. This picture was taken on a different day but very close to the same time.
Like many of you, I’ve often wondered why my “wonderful pictures” don’t get the attention I think they deserve.
There are so many reasons your work loses out to someone else’s cat, cute kid or baby.
I believe Ansel Adams put it best: “There are always two people in every picture: the photographer and the viewer.”
So before you beat yourself up any further, maybe you should consider the following points.
Know your Audience
I can’t recall the last time I actively went in search for wild life. I happened across this cattle egret in the late evening sun in Fairmount Park. It’s the same tree as the one you see above.
If you’re posting to Facebook and Instagram and the general population, you must accept that ‘likes’ mean literally nothing.
I have since stopped clicking ‘like’ whenever I read or see something I like. Instead, I take an extra second to comment.
This is a portrait I took of phenomenal dancer Megan. I did it hurriedly one morning at my favorite coffeehouse in Riverside. I’m floored by the number of ‘likes’
I dislike the idea of some algorithmusing my like as endorsement. Haven’t you ever notice how an ad might say “Peter Phun likes ….?”
Personally, as far as feedback goes, a ‘like’ for my picture posted in “gen pop” (general population) or my timeline weighs a lot less than one posted specifically in the innumerable specialized photography groups within Facebook.
Even amongst Facebook’s photography groups, not all of them are equal since many of these groups don’t have stringent standards and anybody can join or be added.
So generally speaking if you want a lot of eyeballs on your pictures, it would then follow that group photos where everyone is tagged will do better.
By that same reasoning, if you’re picking subjects to photograph, the more well known your subject the more ‘likes’ you can expect assuming you do a good job.
Or else the more “FB friends” or Instagram followers the person you are tagging in your picture has, the more ‘likes’ you can expect.
Again, there is an assumption you made your subject look good, different but in a flattering way either through posing, style of lighting, makeup or wardrobe.
But there will always be folks who just ‘like’ every picture just because of the person in the picture and not because of the photography.
Whenever I get a lot of likes for a picture, I tend to take a look at who is liking the picture as well.
Are they photo friends of mine?
Are the likes coming from my friends or my subject’s friends?
Are they blood relatives of my subject? Their aunts, uncles, grandparents etc.
Know Your Platform
Madiha who assisted me on a photo shoot posed for this lighting test. Her picture surprised me when it surpassed 100 likes.
Not all the social media platforms are created equal.
I only started using Instagram when I recently bought a used iPhone 4s.
After a few months of using Instagram, I found an important limitation of Instagram: you can’t zoom in to make the image bigger.
Anyone who paints or draws understands that canvass size matters because it dictates the kinds of pictures you can post and still make the important details legible.
Don’t expect to post group shots of more than 15 people without losing your audience.
Even on today’s biggest cellphone screens, the faces will be too small especially if the lighting is marginal when the picture was taken.
I’m fairly certain copious amounts have been written about best times to post on social media etc so I won’t get into that.
You’ve spent lots of time going out and capturing moments with your camera and you’d like some recognition for that effort.
I’m sharing my opinion on how to find enjoyment in your photography when you share it.
By the way, there’s bound to be encounters with trolls along the way, don’t let them get under your skin.
One final word, always, always watermark your images with your name or domain name. That makes it possible for folks to find you.
Araksya Karapetyan and Sandra Endo yells to the crowd gathered in the parking lot when they went ‘live’.
I spent early Wednesday morning with at least 500 Riversiders who flocked to our favorite coffeehouse Back to the Grind.
Fox 11 tv’s “Good Day LA” featured our favorite java joint in their “Coffeeshop Takeover” series.
Owner Darren Conkerite and his staff were busy serving at least 500 cups of coffee and tea on Wednesday morning in the 3 hours.
Darren Conkerite, Back to the Grind’s owner, told me afterwards, his staff must have served at least 500 cups of coffee and tea.
Community effort also brought together a gathering with local music band Quita Peñas in the parking lot behind this popular coffeehouse.
Riverside County Dept of Animal Services led by their Public Information officer John Welsh (2nd from right) brought out dogs for adoption in the back parking lot of Back to the Grind
My buddy Riverside County Department of Animal Services Senior Public Information Officer John Welsh also brought a selection of very cute dogs for adoption at a special price of $11 each.
Tios Tachose owener Martin Sanchez (back row right)and Division 9 Gallery owner Cosme Cordova (center back row) were out promoting their upcoming festivals.
My good friends Tios Tacos owner Martin Sanchez and Cosme Cordova of Division 9 Gallery brought out their Tlahualilles masks and Artnival games to promote their upcoming festivals.
Inside the coffeehouse, another local favorite “Summer Twins” played, alternating with DJ music.
Summer Twins performing inside the Grind as the crowd waits patiently for their coffee and tea.Justine, Summer Twins drummer in action
Reporters Araksya Karapetyan and Sandra Endo mingled, interviewed the mayor Rusty Bailey and regulars when they weren’t mobbed for requests to be in selfies with their fans.
Both reporters kept the energy level high throughout their 3-hour takeover.
Between going on the air with their ‘live’ segments, Karapetyan and Endo joined the crowd outside dancing in the back parking lot.
At its busiest time, the line snaked outside as mums with strollers stood in line alongside transients and downtown office workers.
[flagallery gid=81]Even though it took quite a wait to get a coffee or tea, no one seemed to mind since it was free and there was soothing music by Summer Twins.
There were plenty of kids too who were kept busy with tables of crayons and colored pencils provided by Jon Roach.
In the basement, Kaelah Wilson with her ukulele entertained youngsters creating art on large tables.
In case you missed it on tv or wasn’t able to see it ‘live’ this was the segment that was recorded and broadcast.
Thank you Araksya Karapetyan and Sandra Endo and your tv crew for coming out to Riverside.
