Keeping Integrity in My Photographs

In November, I shared how I came into the photography field and a little about how I capture my images.

If you missed it, you can read about it on this blog post.

Today, I want to share about the integrity I like to keep in my photographs. 

Occasionally, I will hear the term "photoshopped" thrown around by those passing my booth at an art show, or in questions by those who've stopped in. There is an increasing distrust of what viewers see in photography these days.

I've honestly come to loath hearing about Adobe's star editing program, Photoshop. It's become a rather lose term used to describe how one plans to fix a badly taken photo, or how to manipulate a photo into something else. 

I want to share with you, not only for my own defense but also for your peace of mind, that what you see in my photography is barely touched by Photoshop. That being said, there's a difference between manipulation of a photograph and creativity.

Horses & Snow, 12/2016

 

I recently read an article in Outdoor Photographer about Lightroom. I really liked how the author stated the following:

• "...getting digitally creative comes with a bit of baggage these days. Photoshop is no longer just software beloved by photographers. Photoshop is a term that invokes a genre of photography that's inauthentic, that's been manipulated, and refers to images that have been fundamentally altered. A lot of us get asked when showing our work: "Did you Photoshop that?" "
• ".....developing RAW files is a very different thing than "Photoshopping" an image, and there is a difference between creative expression and deception."

This brings up two things I want to address in this post:

• RAW files 
• Lightroom

Most DSLR cameras (a camera that one can interchange lenses) have the ability to capture the digital files on the memory card in either RAW or JPEG.

"RAW file equals big data (picture me holding my hands far apart), and JPEG equals smaller data (now picture me holding my hands closer together). RAW files contain more information, which translates into more color info, more detail, more dynamic range and more latitude when developing files."

I shoot most of my photography in RAW. Occasionally I have shot in JPEG (such as VBS at church for the slide show at the end of the day) but never, ever my landscape work. RAW files allow for more control over the final image. In this case, control is a very good thing. An artist should take control over their work.

JPEG works great if one doesn't want to bother with editing. Many sports photographers shoot in JPEG so they can shoot fast and a lot of images. JPEGs take up much smaller data than RAW. On my memory card I can shoot around 350-400 photos in RAW, with JPEG I can shoot over 1.5k.

Relaxed, 7/2016

RAW files are not actually a file until they are developed, similar to the film days. A negative wasn't a print until it became a positive image on paper.

So how does one develop those RAW files?
In order to use the full capacity that RAW files give, the best program I use to bring those files to life is Adobe's Lightroom. It is like the darkroom of old but with a whole lot less equipment, time and money. 

 

As I shared back in November, there is so much more to the art of photography than just picking up a camera and taking a picture. The other half is developing. 

Knowing the equipment well will help one take great photographs. Knowing how to develop those photographs will complete the art, drawing viewers into it. Knowing how to cook and create delicious food makes a chef. The presentation of that food will aid in the desire of others to eat it. 

I don't want to bore you with too much technical discussion but leave you with a few things to note.

Photographers of the past who relied on the dark room would keep safely guarded notes of how they developed certain photographs, so they could reprint them the same way.
Some questions asked in the darkroom are:

• Would it be better to expose the photograph for a few more seconds longer?
• Will the contrast come out better if it's exposed less?
• Should I dodge certain areas so that they turn out lighter and bring more attention to it, or should I burn and create darker areas? *

I do some of these very same things, but instead of standing in a darkroom for hours, I sit in front of my computer (sometimes for hours).

I want you to be confident that when you purchase or admire photographs of mine, it is a true representation of the landscape. As I said earlier, I do not use Photoshop to manipulate and change my images. I do use Lightroom, and some Photoshop, to create my own piece of art, and finalize the image for printing.

My desire is to go about my work as a photographer with integrity.
I want you to see how I see.

Wind Carved Snow, 12/2015

Snowflakes {Macro}

I'm constantly amazed by the beauty that I see. 

Today, it's the intricate designs of a snowflake. Individually and masterfully created. 

What an amazing God!

I didn't have to search far to find these beauties. I walked across my living room and opened a window. There they were on the window ledge just resting, waiting for me.

Snow + Horses = Beauty

The wind is blowing 20+ mph out of the NW today. Instead of finding shelter in the barn, my horses don't seem to mind the weather.

I love the simple texture of snow on their backs and how converting to black and white adds more cold feelings to these images.

Moreau River

 Last weekend I was at the Moreau River near Isabel, South Dakota, for a family reunion. My in-laws celebrated their 50th Anniversary and my husband's immediate family gathered together to celebrate. I really wanted to explore the landscape more than I did but perhaps next time I will be able.

Supermoon

There seemed to be much hype about the Supermoon this past week. I wanted to make sure I captured it since we won't be seeing it again until 2034 or so. 

The cloud cover and my schedule weren't completely cooperative but I managed to get in a little shooting. 

Sunday night, which wasn't quite the full moon, I was out and saw it for just a few minutes before it slipped behind the clouds.
 

Monday night, which was the full moon, I set up near my east dam to watch it rise. The wind was perfectly still and the colors as the moon peaked over the horizon were just amazing! 

I love how you can see the stars in this image. 
 

This is the start of the moon set Tuesday morning. I find these soft colors in the western sky at dawn to be so lovely!  

The Art of Making a Photograph

The passion for photography was instilled in me by my parents.

Dad used to take lots of photographs with his 35mm SLR and Mom had the best little Kodak point-and-shoot that captured so many memories of my siblings and I as we grew up.

When I was 12, Mom passed on to me her older Kodak Instamatic camera with 110mm film. The flash was a cube with only four shots that weren't reusable. I used to save my birthday and babysitting money in order to purchase film, more flash cubes and the developing of my photos. Every picture was costly for my very tiny budget. Looking back, mostly every picture was trash. At the time, it was exciting for me, but looking back at them now it's laughable. I had some good subjects but my composition was all wrong and I had no idea about lighting.

 In my early years of high school (back in the 90s), I had several jobs and purchased my first point and shoot with a built-in flash. I was moving up in the world! I ended up losing that camera at a gas station, it must have fallen out of the car. I was so devastated and crushed. I felt like I'd lost a close friend.

In my later years of high school, I purchased my first SLR. I had so much fun with that camera and its automatic settings. All I had to do was turn the dial to portrait, sports, landscape, etc and shoot. I had no idea about f-stop and shutter speed, but I learned about the differences in ISO and which brand of film I liked best. (Kodak had more warm tones and Fujifilm was more cool-early White Balance for all of you who've never shot with film). I preferred Kodak and generally stuck with 200-400 ISO.

My dream for post-high school education was to attend Brooks Institute of Photography in California, or the Art Institute in Chicago. The cost was much more than I was able to swing from all that I'd saved from my high school jobs and I didn't want to take out a student loan. I needed to pay rent and other bills so full-time school went out the window as I took a job at a photography studio and then at a private Christian school as a receptionist.

A year or so out of high school I purchased my first "real" SLR, a Nikon N80. I still have it and will take it out for a spin every once in a while. With this camera, I enrolled in as many night photography classes as I could through the College of Lake County. I checked out books from the Library, subscribed to photography magazines and put into practice what I was learning any chance I got. I learned the fundamentals of my equipment (way before the ease of YouTube), of composition, of lighting, and I found a love for developing black and white in the dark room. To this day, the sound of the water running, the smell of the chemicals and the glow of the red safety light brings many fond memories!

Five years ago I took the plunge into digital photography and purchased a full frame Nikon D700. There was definitely a struggling period for awhile as I learned the new technology, like White Balance.
With going digital, that also required transferring all those techniques that I'd learned in my film darkroom days over to digital. There is so much to learn and the technology is constantly changing. I'm continuously learning. Lightroom, the digital darkroom, has been such a joy and an amazing tool as I've grown in the art of photography.

(This photograph was created using the technique of panning.
You can read more about how I created it on this blog post.)

 Three things I've learned that have transformed the way I see photography:

1) Light - Being in the right lighting conditions truly makes or breaks a photograph. The middle of a sunny day, especially in the summer, was not made for color shooting but for eating lunch. I've been out shooting during this time of day for black and white, but more often than not during the day is best for scouting locations and then waiting until evening or early the next morning to shoot.

2) Patience - The art of good photography is patience: patience in learning the equipment and then in learning to use it well, patience in learning composition and in chasing the light, patience in waiting for the right season for the best shot of any given subject.

3) Knowing the equipment and keeping up with recent technology - get out of shooting in Auto and really know how your equipment works. Take a class, read books, watch YouTube videos.

(ISO 200, f/22, .5 seconds, +8 Neutral Density filter)

 Since I've been selling my work at art shows the past two years, I've begun to realize that there's often misconceptions about what photography is. Picking up a camera and expecting great results, or thinking the bad photos that are taken can be fixed in Photoshop, is not going to make a great photographer. Just like Olympians spend hours weekly to train for their sport, or a musician practices hours in a day to perfect their art, so to a photographer must put the effort into learning the skill and using every possible means within the camera to do so.

A good photographer understands composition and will research what the best times of day are to shoot at a location. Photography requires a lot of time put into one shot. Sometimes there's only one shot that is able to be achieved. Using all the skills that have been learned over the years will make it possible to capture that one shot before it's gone.

So, the next time you admire a photographer's work, consider what went into creating that photograph that you admire. As you scroll through Instagram or Facebook, Google Images, etc., remember how much time was put into creating that piece of art that you glanced at for a brief moment.
Photography is so much more than just picking up a camera and taking a picture. Anyone can create a picture, not everyone can create a worthy photograph.

(ISO 200, f/14, 2 sec, +8 Neutral Density Filter)

Upcoming Event: First Lady's Prairie Art Showcase

This weekend South Dakota's First Lady , Linda Daugaard,will host the First Lady's Prairie Art Showcase, an Invitational Art Show that coincides with the Governor's Pheasant Hunt.

The Governor’s Pheasant Hunt is a powerful economic development tool that gives state leaders an opportunity to host out-of-state business and tourism prospects, as well as in-state business and community leaders.  The art showcase gives the guests a chance to meet many talented people and the opportunity to purchase South Dakota keepsakes.*
This showcase features all types of art by South Dakota artists-paintings, pottery, sculpture, photography, jewelry and more. 2016 marks the second year that I will be a included among the 32 selected artists in the state. I feel extremely honored!

'Star Gazing' is my newest photograph added to the gallery. I'm really excited about this one! 

 

I was out shooting the Milky Way (you can see my original blog post here) in my pasture. When I got back to the house, I decided to walk out to the horses to see what I could come up with. Since I need the camera open for atleast 20 seconds to gain the correct exposure, and my horses won't stand still for that long, they created some incredibly ghost-like yet breathtaking photos. I had my camera almost resting on the ground, stabilized by my tripod, so there's also bits of grasses in the foreground.

I will have an 11x17 acrylic print of this available at the Showcase this weekend.

You can find me in booth #3. The show is open to the public on Saturday from 10 am to 4 pm.

*This information was used from the South Dakota Arts Council website: https://artscouncil.sd.gov/PrairieArtShowCase/index.aspx

Autumn on the Prairie

I've lived in Illinois, Wisconsin and spent a year in Ontario. 
Autumn in the forest is glorious!

Now, I live on the prairies of South Dakota. Fall always seems like the shortest season out here. We generally go from summer right into winter. I relish the leaf change of the trees. There is beautiful here on the SoDak prairie, yet different than the color canopy I grew up in. 

I went out a bit this morning to shoot some of the color. Here are my top three favorites. 

The Magic of the Milky Way {& Horses}

Last night, I asked my husband to go with me to our dam south of the old railroad tracks to shoot the Milky Way. I did the shooting, he took a nap. I brought him along because though I've lived out here for the past 11 years, being out in the pitch black of night alone petrifies me. You just never know what may be lurking in the shadows. Which in the case of night out on the prairie is everywhere. 

I'm just learning a bit of Astro Photography. Many of you may have seen photos of the Milky Way like these in the past several years, since it's become a very popular type of photography. Nikon even came out with a camera that has a very high ISO just for Astro Photography. 

Right now I'm pretty basic in my skills with this level of shooting. I keep everything about the same, ISO 6400, f/3.5, 20 sec, 28 mm (that's what I have at this point). I have been going back and foreth with different White Balances, Tungsten or Sunny. I like the blues in the Tungsten but I really love the purples and yellow/orange that comes out with Sunny. 

 When we got back to the house, I decided to walk out to the horses (I took my dog with me this time) to see what I could come up with. Since I have to have the camera open for atleast 20 seconds and my horses won't stand still for that long, they created some incredibly ghost-like yet breathtaking photos, in my opinion. I had my camera almost resting on the ground, stabilized by my tripod, so there's also the bits of grasses in the foreground.

I love that I can just walk outside my house and see these incredible skies! What an amazing Creator God is! 

Pre-Order My Book Today! {South Dakota: Land & Sky, Where the Cowboys Roam}

Over the past year, a local publisher, Painted Gate Publishing in Spearfish, SD, approached me several times about creating a book of my photography. They really like my work and are eager for me to share it with you! 

The first draft has been approved and we are currently working on minor tweaks to perfect the final copy.  

At this time, I am asking for your help! In order to send the first printing off, I need to have a certain number of copies purchased. I'm almost there but need several more orders before I can have the books printed. If you are interested in a copy, please order now! 

If I'm able to acquire the needed number for printing, I can have the books into your hands by the end of October, otherwise it will be by the beginning of December.

This 8x8 Coffee Table Art Book features over 50 striking images of South Dakota's rich landscape and the cowboy lifestyle. 

Books are priced at $43 each (+ tax and shipping-if applicable). 

 
                                                                 

For additional information or to watch a video featuring many of the photographs in the book, please click on this link to be redirected to my website. 

______________________________________________________

Here is an excerpt from the book:

I've heard it said that an artist’s work reflects that artist. 

It reflects their personality, it reflects what they think. 

It reflects who they are. 

Cristen Joy Photography is a reflection of me. 

What you see is what I’m passionate about. 

I’m passionate about what God has created - this world. I’m drawn to the beauty because of the intricacy of the 

One who created it - Yahweh God who made everything. 

He used creativity. He used beauty. He used color and lines. Points and reference. Depth of field. Speed and music. 

And quite. 

Peace and gentleness. 

I love that about Him. He’s a creative God! 

I love the beauty of His work and I want to share it. I want to be there for those beautiful masterpieces that He creates in the evening. 

In the lines and the geometric shapes of shadows. The black and white forms of mountains and rocks. 

The beauty that the eye sees, I want to be there to see it. 

I know God has given me this gift, and I want to live it out fully. 

My photography shows what I am passionate about. 

I’m passionate about the lines of the prairie. 

When you look out across the prairie in the evening, during the Golden Magic Hour, you can see the lines of the hills. 

It’s not just a flat substance. It’s lines. And there’s depth and there’s art and a masterful design. 

I love that! 

I want to share that with you because you might not have seen it. 

You might have missed it and I don’t want you to miss it. 

So I share these amazing pieces of art in creation that I saw as I try to capture what God has created. 

______________________

I am not a native of South Dakota, though now I call it home. When I was 13, my father’s job moved my family 

to the small town of Murdo, right in the heart of SoDak. I graduated high school with a class of 27 and moved back 

to the Chicago area to pursue my photography education. 

South Dakota stayed with me. 

Every glorious sunset, every glimpse of the stars would take me back to the wide open spaces of prairie. 

South Dakota became like a sweet melody I just couldn’t get out of my head.

I ended up marrying a cattle man with his own ranch, right back in my high school stomping grounds. 

Though I’d acquired a love for the prairie, it didn’t officially feel like home until several years into my marriage. 

Now, I can’t imagine wanting to live anywhere else. 

True, there are much sacrifices involved, but they are worth it to fall asleep among the stars, 

to gaze for miles into the landscape, to hear the gentle and sometimes violent rush of the wind, 

to watch a storm from beginning to end, to stand on top of a hill surrounded by more hills, lowing cattle, 

waving prairie grasses and wildflowers. 

Since it's right outside my front door, I have made South Dakota's prairie the main subject of my art, especially that surround my ranch home, where also at my disposal is our horses and the cowboy lifestyle. 

So whether you live here, have moved away or, have admired this state from afar I leave you with the words of my husband and echoed by so many others: "This is God's Country!"

This is home. 

This is South Dakota.

Upcoming Events!

In September I will be participating in three different art festivals!

This will be my first time at the Dakota Western Heritage Festival, which I'm excited about. 

For the second year in a row, South Dakota's First Lady (the Governor's wife) has selected myself and 31 other artists, from many artists in the state, to showcase at her art show in October. I'm thrilled to be a part of the Prairie Art Showcase again! Last year I very much enjoyed my time there.

This weekend I will be in Sioux Falls for my second year at the Sidewalk Arts Festival. It's a huge festival located in historic downtown Sioux Falls. The weather forecast looks just perfect! 

Date: September 10, 9 am - 5 pm
Location: Downtown Sioux Falls, SD
Booth #730, located South of the Washington Pavilion.
Website: http://www.sidewalkartsfestival.com/