There have been a few questions
April 7, 2010I have been asked a few questions about the process I go through to capture my photography.
Q: Wow these are really cool! How do you do it?
Lighting and good contrast is critical and what I work with the most. Through the viewfinder of my camera, I try to capture more than just a picture, I try to capture an emotional moment frozen in time. Sometimes I get what I’m looking to express. Sometimes I don’t. And, sometimes I get much more depth of feeling then I was expecting.
Q: I noticed some of your pictures are taken from inside buildings. What buildings do you shoot from?
I have a season pass for the Seattle Space Needle. I also shoot from the Metropolotan Tower penthouse level on the 32nd floor. I have also shot from the Columbia Tower observation deck on the 73rd floor.
Q: I like some of your sunset pictures. How do you adjust your camera so it makes the water so dark?
I shoot using a Nikon D80. The automatic setting adjusts the shutter speed and aperture for me. I also use the night/cityscape mode to enhance the colors and contrast.
Q: How do you capture some of your pictures at night? Mine always turn out blurry.
Some of mine turn out blurry too, I just discard those and patiently keep trying. It takes a very steady hand (or a sturdy tripod and remote shutter trigger) to get this effect. The camera’s shutter has to stay open for a very long time to get that powerful glow.
Q: You say you are visually impaired. How poor is your vision, and how do you know exactly what you are looking at when you take your pictures.
I have 20/500 vision in one eye. I was born with an extremely rare genetic defect called aniridia which essentially means I have no iris. Since the iris not only controls how much light enters the eye, but also the fluid pressure in the eye I also have degenerative glaucoma. From an early age I have used technology to overcome my impairment. I watched TV using a telescopic lens. My computer has special software to allow me to enlarge the screen up to 16x its normal size. But my camera is a different story. A lot of what I capture is purely by chance. I have a good idea of what I am pointing my camera at, and what the quality of the lighting is, but I can’t see the details until I enlarge the images on my 30” monitor at home.
