Story behind the photo – April 2023

Vortex Down
Mike Stokic

“As I researched abstract photographs, I saw many possibilities. The oil and water photos did capture my eye. During my research, I saw many ways to light this type of picture. I do not have a light box or sophisticated lighting, but I do have an iPad and found some interesting lighting options. I suspended a pexi-glass sheet on top of a couple of containers. Then I placed the iPad with the swirl picture underneath. I took the image directly above the pexi-glass after drizzling some water and drops of oil on the glass. I chose this one over some other colored images because I liked the uniqueness of the swirl through the oil and water. I did not use any post processing other than taking some of the highlights down.
(Canon EOS R7; 1/125; f/ 2.8; 45mm, ISO 400)
-Mike Stokic

“LSD”
Melody Schotte

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Story behind the photo – March 2023

“Hello”
Janet Stout

“I have visited the Fort Worth Zoo on several occasions. The lighting was tricky and a bit of a challenge in balancing the exposure for the bird and the background. The bird was photographed with in camera settings (no post processing); I did however, edit for the light bursts in the background. I was pleased and surprised with this capture, as I had been working through some focusing issues.” (Canon 90D, exposure time 1/200; f/ 5; lens 100mm – 400mm, ISO 6400)” -Janet Stout

“The Poser”
Mark Lenz

“My photo of a white ibis was taken at the UT Southwestern rookery two years ago. This bird was in the shaded underbrush on the Northern side of the rookery which made the light very even with no harsh contrast to deal with. In post processing, I darkened the background a little bit more than it was out of the camera to make the bird stand out a little more. I also applied denoise because the ISO was 1000.” (Nikon D500; 340mm; f7.1; 1/1250; ISO 1000)” – Mark Lenz

Story behind the photo – February 2023

“Don’t look”
Manny Sangapu

“I got this idea from something I saw online. The image was taken at home. I
mounted the camera on a tripod, used a small light and a remote shutter. The
prop was a black sweatshirt with a zipper. I held the sweatshirt so the zipper
was horizontal while my other hand triggered the shutter. The image in the
eyes was a last-minute addition and I found it more interesting than the catch
light. (Panasonic GX85, 25mm, ISO 200, f/2.8, 1/40s)” -Manny Sangapu

“Feather Dial”
Teresa Hughes

“I was in Branson, Missouri at Big Cedar Lodge to take fall photos; It was beautiful… It’s a great place to take fall images. I was using my new Nikon Z6 II camera. (70mm, f/5.6, 1/250s, ISO 180 at high noon)” -Teresa Hughes

Story behind the photo – January 2023

“Signs of Fall”
Nancy Abby

“This was taken at the Japanese Gardens in early December. Seeing these leaves on the bridge, I propped the leaf in the crack of the bridge to get it to stay where I wanted it and got the shot with the camera sitting on the bridge using the pop out screen to see. (24-105, f/4 lens, (1/80, f/4.0, ISO 100)). – Nancy Abby

“Splendor in the Grass”
Jennifer Bell

“This image was taken in the Serengeti, Tanzania. I was on a photo safari in which the guides knew exactly how to place the vehicle to capture the best of images. We always looked for the big cats and she was coming through the tall grass. November is an excellent time of year for travel in Africa as it is considered the green season and it did not disappoint. This was my third time to travel to Africa. I will be returning in September for my ninth trip. (Nikon D750, 550 mm, f/6.3, 1/640 sec.) – Jennifer Bell