Wood Door, Peeling Paint; (c) Greg McKinney

I found this old wooden door in a part of town going through a renewal process.  It looks like someone started to apply new paint but gave up after 1 stroke of the brush.

Daffodil closeup, (c) Greg McKinney

I took this photo with my Canon 50mm f/1.8 lens with extension tubes mounted on my Canon EOS 40D  to provide the close focusing ability I desired.

Extension tubes are an excellent accessory for any SLR photographer to have in the gadget bag.  They are hollow tubes that hold the lens away from the body allowing for a close focus.  My set consist 3 tubes of varying lengths that can be used individually or in combination.

For this image I shot with my lens wide-open (f/1.8) to achieve a very shallow depth of field giving the image a dreamlike quality.

Red Rose, Shadow; (c) Greg McKinney

A NOISETTE on my garden path
An ever-swaying shadow throws;
But if I pluck it strolling by,
I pluck the shadow with the rose.

Just near enough my heart you stood
To shadow it,—but was it fair
In him, who plucked and bore you off,
To leave your shadow lingering there?

– Robert Cameron Rogers

Kaleidoscope #1; (c) Greg McKinney

Here is another of my Kaleidoscope images.  Made possible by the digital darkroom, I was able to take a rather plain image and create something entirely new.  This was the first kaleidoscope image I created with results that pleased me, hence the #1 designation.  I hope you like it as well.

Gerber Daisies; (c) Greg McKinney

I took this photo several years ago.  Nancy had some Gerber Daisies in a vase on the table and I was struck by their intense color.  I decided to photograph them against a white background to  accentuate the color.  I liked the result.

Kaleidoscope #32; Greg McKinney

Here is another of my Kaleidoscope images.  I always find it amazing how patterns can emerge out of chaos.  The starting image for this kaleidoscope was a photo of a pile of leaves and twigs.  Digital darkroom tools made it possible for considerable experimentation before settling on this particular final image.

In John Sexton’s January Photography Newsletter, he reminded me of story I had heard before about W. Eugene Smith.

The late great photographer W. Eugene Smith allegedly asked the following question of a young photographer with a brand spanking new camera, “I see you’ve got a new camera… got any new ideas?”

In my case, I usually have more ideas than I can successfully pursue.  This in one of the reasons I have embraced digital photography.  It enables a level of experimentation not possible in the world of film.  Don’t get me wrong, I still love film, but I also love the digital realm as well.

Painted Wall; (c) Greg McKinney

I saw this strangely painted wall while walking down the street.  I seems that over time someone has covered graffiti with whatever color paint was handy at the time.  You never know what you’re going find when walking around town.  It pays to keep both your eyes and mind open.

Tulips, Grey Background; (c) Greg McKinney

Here’s another oldie, but goodie.  I took this photo of tulips in a public garden, but I really wanted the tulips to stand out from the background.  With the power available to me in the digital darkroom, I desaturated the background to provide this different look.

Digital Garden; (c) Greg McKinney

Here is another interpretation of one of my favorite garden scenes.  It’s as if we break the garden down into its basic colors, without form or texture.  I like the result.

Lightstream #10; (c) Greg McKinney

Here is another addition to my collection of lightstream images.  I saw the possibility of making this image in some hand-dyed fabric hanging to dry outside a store in Sonoma county.  I had my camera with me and I was able to capture the image as I saw it in my mind’s eye.