From Golden Moment to the Blue Hour

In the deep south and other places too, there's a brief time called "The Magic Hour".  On front porches, patios and outdoors in the summer, friends and family gather for conversation, a snack or early meal and maybe even a favorite beverage.

In photography, the Magic Hour is also referred to as the Golden Hour.  The departing sun casts shades of golden hues that illuminate woods, fields and waters.

In a Place Called Nowhere, the Magic Hour Fades
Sheen's Nature Photography

When traveling home from visiting my family, we stopped in a small town for the night. Across from the hotel was this open field filled with the fading colors of the Golden Hour.

Within minutes, I knew that the look and feel would change dramatically as we moved into the Blue Hour.

The Blue Hour Emerges
Sheen's Nature Photography

Sometimes the phrase 'hurry up and wait' is a wonderful thing.

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Happy shooting!
Sheen Watkins

Flower Power

It's spring and it will soon be summer in a couple of weeks.  Colors line highways, parks, cities and gardens.  Flower photography season is on us offering a rainbow of vibrants to pastels.

Photographing flowers ranges from honing in on the tiniest detail to capturing a collection of color, shapes and movements.

All that is needed is your lens in hand, a quick study of your subject to find the single point of interest or convey an overall story.

From macros using a Nikon 105mm:

To a telephoto perspective with a Nikon 70-200mm:

To using primes - like the nifty Nikon 50mm:

And short range zooms such as the kit Nikon 24-85mm lens:

Nature provides the color, you provide the perspective using your lens of choice and tell the story.  Happy Shooting!

Sheen

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Thank you!