VividVisionsPix » Fine Art & Stock

Fine Art Photography Exhibit

Judy — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 17:34:03 +0000

One of my greatest pleasures in photography is capturing the beauty in the world around us. I have the good fortune to live on Eastern Long Island, where the seascapes, vineyard views and wildlife is literally found in our backyard. I also have the good fortune to be invited to exhibit my favorite photos at the Mattituck-Laurel Library. This is my second exhibit there, and I am very encouraged by the enthusiastic response I received for my first exhibit last year.

See below for the promo card. If you are in the Mattituck area on March 7th, please stop by and say hello.

A Little Christmas Spirit

Judy — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 12:41:17 +0000

Just when we seem to need it most, the Christmas spirit manages to find its way into our hearts to remind us that this season, no matter what your religious affiliation, is a time to share our blessings. In fact, I have found that the most enjoyable holidays have been those that I have spent in the company of friends and family, perhaps sharing a meal or raucous game of Trivial Pursuit. The gifts, while nice, seemed to take a back seat to the memories that I shared with the people (and pets) I love.

This year, the best gift I have received is the blanket of snow that Mother Nature tossed on eastern Long Island. We don’t often have a white Christmas, so I have not had many opportunities to capture the beautiful Christmas lights and decorated homes with a snowy landscape as the backdrop. There is just something magical about a Christmas tree in a village green that has a fresh covering of fluffy snow. I long for the chance to capture snow-covered holiday images, and this season I had that chance in spades.

I’ve posted a few of my favorites below. I hope they help bring the Christmas spirit to you. Merry Christmas!

Christmas Tree at Cutchogue Village Green

Manger and Menorah –Cutchogue Village Green

Decorated Home-Southold

The cutest front porch guard

Foliage Photos on Long Island are Best NOW

Judy — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 22:11:46 +0000

The fall foliage season begins on Long Island in mid-late October, and can last into mid-November, or even later weather doesn’t bring heavy windy rain storms too early. The blaze of color we enjoy as we commute to work is certainly a treat for the eyes, but capturing such beauty in compelling images can be a bit of a challenge. The reds tend to over-saturate and even blow out if they are over-exposed even slightly, and the even the yellows can be difficult in strong light. So, to play it safe under-expose your images by 1/3 – 1/2 stop (use your exposure compensation setting), and in some cases even a full stop of the negative EV is warranted.

Another technique to help your colors really pop is to use a polarizer. This is usually used to remove reflections on water and in glass, but it also helps accentuate the blue of the sky and the reds and yellows of the leaves.

After getting the exposure properly set, watch for your composition next. It is very easy to miss the stray power line, or car roof in our haste and excitement to capture the photo. So, check the edges of your image to make sure there is nothing that would detract from the photo when you print it out.

If it turns out Mother Nature has dropped the leaves before you were able to get out and shoot, all is not lost. Look for carpets of fallen leaves along paths and on grassy areas. These will make lovely backdrops to a still life of harvested bounty such as Indian Corn, mini pumpkins and hay bales. If you can’t find a carpet of leaves, look for colorful stragglers that you can zoom in close on. If you light it from the side (easy to do as the sun sets), the texture of the leaf will add interest to the photo.

Do you have favorite Fall Foliage images to share? Post a link to your gallery in the comments section. Happy shooting!

Lake Maratooka, Mattituck

Belmont Lake State Park, Babylon

Maratooka Lake, Mattituck

Belmont Lake State Park, Babylon

American Oyster Catcher-Painted Photograph

Judy — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 00:56:22 +0000

This holiday weekend brought an extra special reason for me to celebrate, for after literally years of trying to capture a breeding pair of American Oyster Catchers who nest at my favorite beach-Gilgo on Long Island-I finally was in the right place at the right time, with my camera in my hand.

These birds are unique looking shorebirds. They are about the size of a seagull, with yellow stilt-like legs about 6 inches long, and a long orange beak that they use to dig in the soft sand looking for, well, oysters, and other sand-dwelling crustaceans. In flight they are just as distinctive with a hooting, laughing kind of call that demands your attention. A very dear friend has admired them for several years, as he would often share the same tidal flats while clamming in Orient. I have been hoping to capture a usable image so I could convert it to a digital watercolor for him to enjoy.

And here are my results:

This was a photo that I processed in Photoshop, using filters and patterns. If you would like to know more about how, just send me an email and I’ll give you some pointers to start you off. Hard to believe it started out as photo, isn’t it?

Simple Beauty of a Springtime Sunset

Judy — Sat, 23 May 2009 14:31:25 +0000

Life is crazy these days and I don’t often get a chance to just “go for a ride,” but last week Arty and I went looking for mating horseshoe crabs at sunset, and although we came up empty on the horseshoe crabs, we caught a gorgeous sunset over the Long Island Sound.

I was grateful for the anti-shake feature on the Sony A700, which allowed me to snap a couple shots without the tripod. Here is one with a few minor tweaks made in Lightroom. I really just appreciated the beautiful colors. Such a palette often provides a starting point for colorizing a promo piece. Serene and peaceful despite the dramatic color, don’t you think?