Greg Molyneux’s latest photographs and words presented in reverse chronological order.
Finally, folks. Finally
I’ve been in some kind of sunset slump. Whether by poor scheduling or just busted weather conditions, it’s been months since I’ve caught me a quality sundown. Somehow tonight my spider sense was tingling.
During my commute home I was noticing some promising cloud development and decided to bail on my evening run. Somewhat hesitant in my decision, I got home, packed my things and made for my old standby: Dock Road. As pine forest gave way to sweet salt marsh the horizons opened up before me; I knew my slump was over. Drama was written the sky over and there I was to take it all in. Camera in hand. Finally.
Interestingly, the photograph I wound up posting was not one of the shots I originally had in mind for a final product. I assumed I was going to go with one of the bracketed exposure sets that came about 7 minutes after sun went down, as is the my norm. Instead I went with a shot featuring the sun still with us. It just goes to show that you can’t always go with your assumptions (and the back of your viewfinder). You’ve get to get home, upload and take it all in. Let your photographs speak for themselves.
This photograph with its smooth bokeh and colorful pastels brings a smile to my face. Standing sentry this solemn yet proud purple coneflower is ready to live out its reign having just donned its tender floral crown. It is here I only wish all rulers would radiate such modesty and grace under the seductive weight of power and responsibility. It ain’t easy being king—even if you’re just a flower.
What? More black and white purple coneflowers? Can’t stop, won’t stop.
This is a natural successor to my shot last week; all the same principles applied rending a stark low key macro study of the echinacea flower. Approaching the shot from an angle this time allows the eye to travel through the shallow depth of field—in and out of focus—settling at the center point. It amazes me that this flowerhead was roughly the size of a nickel, and that despite its relative smallness it’s able to pack in all those stamen over such a small area. Not only that, it’s able to still create the feeling a room between them. No personal space issues here. As always nature is pretty cool.
My potted purple coneflower wins my appreciation this day. I spent a chunk of my afternoon shooting macros of a nascent cleome in my side yard making what I thought were good shots. They just weren’t as intricate and gripping as this echinacea. From the moment I saw this on my rear display I knew I was going black and white. This is a look (style?) I want to continue to develop; stark, low key still life studies with deep shadows, purposeful highlights, and enough contrast to let the negative space breathe. Photographs that accentuate clean lines and sharp edges that reach out for attention.
And just to editorialize on this image for a little bit, this totally makes my mind think of the wondrous reality that is spacetime. The fabric of space is so well represented in the stamen here; with all in its invisible grasp falling ever closer to its lightless, collapsed center.
Sometimes you’ve just got to bust out the 40mm pancake lens, set the aperture wide open and let it rip. I was initially drawn out by some interesting storm clouds off to the west but my attention soon turned to my purple coneflowers just chilling in the moody twilight glow; ominous skies have a thing for casting unique light and it’s always worth paying attention to.
With a wide open aperture comes a shallow depth of field—an effect that has excited me since my earliest days of photography (when I first realized what the hell depth of field was and learned how to achieve it). You’re always going to trade-off sharpness and soft corners while wide open but based on your intent it may be just the look you’re going for. Such was the case here.
As an added ode to my 40, since I’ve added this little guy to my bag my 50mm has seen almost no action. I know photographers the world over laude the potential of the nifty fifty but I just never seem to shoot with it any more (as of this post no photos here have been taken with my 50mm). I’m just drawn to the smallness, convenience, and overall versatility of this cheap little pancake prime.
As I was spending my last night sitting in Huntington Beach on a retaining wall wondering just what the hell I was going to photograph I spotted a patch of palms. Four palms. Four. Leaving my seat I made my way to said palms and tucked tightly into a crouch. I had my wide angle lens so getting close was key. As I was framing my shot I had a stroke luck: a young man strode past kicking up a cloud of dusk. Drought is the unfortunate order of the day in California and this, while certainly only beach sand, summed up the situation succinctly. I think it made for the perfect shot.
A few weeks back I spent the week away on the left coast. It was my second time. Leaving Eastwatch by the Sea it’s still strange to watch the sun set over the ocean. Rising it what I’m used to. Clearly I don’t get out much.
While I was staying with good friends in Huntington Beach, California, I did a whole bunch of nothing—and it was everything I hoped it could be. Aside from a round a disc golf (first time and it was excellent) and a two hour jaunt on some trails in Crystal Cove, chilling out relaxing was the order of the day(s).
As I was packing for the trip I hemmed and hawed over bringing my camera and requisite gear. I had a feeling I wasn’t going to use the camera all that much and have been challenging myself to pack lighter and lighter. When push came to shove I gave in and brought the gear. In retrospect leaving my equipment at home would have been the way to go. It wasn’t until the last day of vacation that I even took my camera out of the bag; and even then it was only for a couple dozen pictures. I just wasn’t feeling it, and let’s face it, I’m note sure I saw a cloud the whole week out there.
I’ve come to notice it’s a big struggle for me to find interesting subject matter when I’m not familiar with the surroundings. In the absence of having good locales scoped out I just don’t know what to do. As something of a landscape photographer this is clearly problematic. The obvious suggests I need to get out and explore more, but my homebody sensibilities serve as a real barrier to entry. It’s always something.
The daisy is one of the favorite flowers. Simple, plentiful, hearty yet understated. I have two small daisy patches in my front flowerbed and since getting into this whole photography thing they’ve proven some of my favorite flowers to photograph. The reason? Versatility. From bud, to opening, to full blossom, to death, the daisy’s life is an interesting one. A watchable one. Eminently photographable and pure in its plainness, simple white daisy I will always watch you.
On a personal note, this kind of photography excites me: black and white, minimal, low key and emotive. It’s a style I wish to further develop. For me it sorta has this voodoo it factor and this is getting somewhere in that realm for me. My thoughts are vauge if only because my vision is as well.