Greg Molyneux Photography

Author: Greg Molyneux

  • Darkest Light

    Darkest Light

    Low key black and white macro photograph of a hibiscus flower framed in vertical orientation.
    Darkest Light — 100mm | f/3.5 | ISO 100 | EXP 1/800

    It’s been a good long while since I’ve made a black and white photograph. A quick look at the archive reveals other than a onetime blip back in April, it had been since August of 2015 that I had made a proper black and white. Too long!

    Interestingly enough this photograph was yesterday’s output of no more than a five minute photo detour I took along my parents’ side yard before transitioning to camera-less Fourth of July activities. It’d be wrong to categorize the 16 exposures as throw-away shots, but I’d be lying if I said I knew I was going to walk away with at least three keepers from the brief session. The lighting seemed unremarkable and the wind was blowing just enough to frustrate any handheld macro shooter; and yet the results populating my Lightroom catalog run entirely to the contrary. (A good reminder that I still have plenty to learn.)

    I really like black and white, and I really like this shot. It’s sporting all the key ingredients required for a well executed black and white photograph—macro or otherwise. The composition is strong, moving the eye from the deep darkness of the bottom left corner up and through the stamen and pistils of the hibiscus flower. The selective focus adds moodiness and depth to the photograph, enhancing the sharpness of the pollen resting atop its anthers. But what really kicks this into black and white overdrive is the contrast; the dramatic shifts from near total black to the intensity and brightness of near total white. The image runs the grayscale gamut and locks away the final dimension necessary for a fine low key finished product.

    Oh, and check out this post if you’d like to learn more about the anatomy of a hibiscus flower. This will help clear up some of the flower parts I referenced in the paragraph above if you’d like to further your learning. The post features some solid macro photos, too! Related: I can’t believe this is the first hibiscus photograph I’ve posted in the now two and a half year history of this website. I would have definitely lost that bet…

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  • Stage Left

    Stage Left

    Macro photograph of a blue bottle fly atop a daisy petal.
    Stage Left — 100mm | f/3.5 | ISO 100 | EXP 1/640

    Time is weird, man. While I feel mired in quicksand, struggling to move in chronic slow motion I am juxtaposed by the fast moving reality that it’s July. In 2016. Or so I’m told. Somehow, somewhere, I’m still stuck in April 2006, but hey? Any Multiverse theorists want to take this on? So here I sit watching Nintendo Voice Chat pounding out a post on my computer one evening removed from the Fourth of July—my favorite holiday by the way. Even though overcast skies and incoming rain may put a damper on tomorrow’s firework festivities, I’ll embrace the fact the calendar is turned to the month added in honor of Julius Caesar. We’ve reached high summer—the Saturday of summer—as much as it doesn’t feel like it.

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  • Dead Calm

    Dead Calm

    Sunset photograph of dead calm conditions highlighting vibrant green marsh grass just after sunset.
    Dead Calm — 14mm | f/8 | ISO 100 | 7 Bracketed Exposures

    There’s just something about marsh grass in early summer. A most perfect union of growth and green infused with all the promise and potency of life. Even in the face of a sterling sunset it was the marsh grass that captured my wonder. Conditions were wonderful this past Saturday, and I’m grateful I was perfectly situated along Great Bay Boulevard to take it all in. Sure the no-see-ums dined a great feast upon my bare shins—still sporting dozens of bites some five days later—but my gaze was undeterred. Content to be in the moment, it was going to take more than a frenzy of pint sized buggers making a meal of my blood to break my attention.

    Scanning back and forth across an endless array of bright green grasses the fluidity of life rose to the fore. As the seasons change so too does the marsh. It is at this moment, however, in the hopes and dreams of early summer that we sit at its peak. The moment when new life teems at the pinnacle of its cycle. Despite our best efforts this moment won’t last forever, and admittedly it’s hard to not fret over the inevitable aging and loss to come. Of course change is inevitable, and as the wheel rolls on life too will return anew.

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  • Let’s Pollinate

    Let’s Pollinate

    Macro photograph of a blue bottle fly pollinating a daisy blossom
    Let’s Pollinate — 100mm | f/3.5 | ISO 100 | EXP 1/500

    With summer in full swing it’s high time to get back to my macro roots. In the front yard fresh daisies are in bloom affording the perfect opportunity to return to some good old fashion handheld camera fun. Macro work is a chance to get back to basics—a chance to ditch the tripod, ditch the bracketing, ditch the timer, ditch the routine to make some old school point and click shots. The other day a blue bottle fly came to visit, pollinating away on the fresh blossoms. Not easily scared the fly was more than willing to let me get up close and personal with my 100mm lens; these shots were made at a distance of roughly 12 inches from my subject—allowing me to bring the viewer right into the frame. Now I have to admit, shooting macro far less frequently these days I’m a little rusty, but I still made off with a few decent exposures. Practice, yo—I hear it makes perfect. More to come.

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  • Not Today

    Not Today

    HDR photograph of a summer sunset over the Great Bay Boulevard salt marsh.
    Not Today — 14mm | f/8 | ISO 100 | 7 Bracketed Exposures

    Last week was rough. One for the memory banks. I will spare this space the details, but I will say things are looking up. Finally back on my feet, a rejuvenation elixir came by way of Great Bay Boulevard where I was out making photographs Saturday evening. Sunset was glorious—birds singing, marsh grass gently swaying in the dying breeze. Bait fish were boiling pockets of otherwise calm water providing an easy meal for the litany of seabirds that make the marsh their summer home. Families were out fishing together as young jet skiers plied their craft. I even took a moment to help out a new shooter with some camera tips to help her on her photo journey. It’s good to give back. It’s good to take it all in. The photographs were just icing on the cake. I struggle with being grateful. Perhaps this is a start.

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  • Light Up The Senses

    Light Up The Senses

    Vertical orientation sunset photograph of dramatic skies and rich pastels over Barnegat Bay.
    Light Up The Senses — 14mm | f/8 | ISO 100 | EXP 1/6

    Here it is—photo number 4 from Sunday, June 5, 2016. Real life has negated any and all attempts at photography the past week or so leaving me desperate to go to the well once more. At least its a deep well. A fresh well full of cold, clean water. Sustenance of the highest order—figuratively speaking in this well. Honestly I wanted to post this photo much sooner, but again, see comment regarding real life. Time to digress—

    I like this shot. I like it a lot. Sure, the rain drops on my 14mm get in my perfectionist craw, but I will try to embrace the “rawness.” Going vertical for the composition allowed me to bring the sky drama into a more comprehensive view. With the whole of the sky torched in pastel fire, the more conventional landscape orientation wouldn’t convey to the viewer the height and scope of the sky. Fortuitously a little bay wave came crashing over at just the right time, with just enough lazy shutter, to bring movement and detail to the foreground. This serves as an ideal counterbalance to a sunset sky loaded down with endless detail.

    With the weekend finally here maybe I can sneak it some time to do a little shooting?

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  • Center Mass

    Center Mass

    Sunset photograph from Surf City Sunset Park gazebo with sunlight casting a strong orange glow.
    Center Mass — 14mm | f/8 | ISO 400 | EXP 1/30

    More Sunday action, people. One more to go and then I can finally move on from last week. As far as the sequence of shots goes, this was the first photo made. Before the rainbow and before the sunset I first posted. Rain was just starting to fall and I was enthralled by the orange glow bouncing off the stormy cloud deck. All was awash in orange, and while I was left to hide under gazebo cover as the rains came I made this handheld shot. (Hence the ISO 400 to get the exposure time up to 1/30—no tripod for this one.)

    What drew me to this composition, aside from notable light, was the symmetry of the scene. While I try to bring balance to all my shots it’s rare when I center up all the key elements of the frame. That’s essentially what we have here—with the sun just a tick to the left of center. It’s a soothing shot. A calming photograph leaving behind two empty benches to fill in with your own story.

  • From One End To The Other

    From One End To The Other

    Wide angle HDR photograph of a rainbow forming over Long Beach Island houses bathed in gold.
    From One End To The Other — 14mm | f/8 | ISO 100 | 7 Bracketed Exposures

    Kicking it back to Sunday again. With light so good you know there’s gonna be at least a few photographs posted from what was a jaw-dropping 15 minute light show. With rain once again falling as the final moments of sun pulsed through a narrow opening in the cloud deck to the west an eastbound and down rainbow was all but inevitable. One quick turn to the oceanside and there it was—arcing majestically over Long Beach Island homes bathed in rich gold. With the pulse rate thumping I did the best I could to capture the rainbow while staying under just enough Sunset Park gazebo coverage to keep my lens dry. I’m not going to sit hacking away at letters on a wireless keyboard pretending this is the kind of composition I would have wanted, but considering the circumstances—notably falling rain and a ticking rainbow clock—this is the best I could muster. And so it goes, shot number two from Sunday. At least one or two more still to come.

  • The Home Fire Still Burns

    The Home Fire Still Burns

    Sunset photograph of dramatic clouds painted in fiery pastels left behind after storms rolled through Long Beach Island.
    The Home Fire Still Burns — 14mm | f/8 | ISO 100 | EXP 1/5

    Sunday began what is now day four in a stretch featuring potent storms, dramatic clouds, and fiery sunsets. While I’ve been tied down and largely unable to shoot, it’s been impossible to miss what has to be the best consecutive stretch of sky goodness in recent memory. New Jersey based social media accounts have been set afire with countless jaw-dropping photographs for the better part of a week. Thanks to ubiquitous smartphone adoption the degree of documentation has sailed far beyond unprecedented levels. Everyone is a photographer now, and I think it’s is great. Scrolling through my Instagram feed this week has been a total treat.

    Above is my small contribution for the week. This photograph was made at Surf City Sunset Park on Sunday evening. Strong to severe storms were powering across the mid-Atlantic, bringing strong winds and heavy rainfall. Unfortunately the line fizzled just as it made its way to the coast. While a proper shelf cloud never materialized over Barnegat Bay, it was becoming readily apparent the clearing would time up perfectly with sunset. My friends and I bailed from our Barnegat Light thunderstorm position and made our way south into Surf City. From there it all came together. To the east was a properly majestic double rainbow backlit by a stunning array of pink storm clouds. To the west, a potent sunset stretched across the sky. So powerful was the light differential from sun to storm clouds that auto white balance was rendered effectively useless; leaving RAW files cast in a strong purple hue if left untouched. When this extreme is achieved you know you are in the presence of some properly dramatic light play. For me, I was simply dumbfounded; left holding my gear, smiling ear to ear.

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