Joe Baraban’s Digital Photography Blog

Autumn in France

Hello to all,

I hope this email finds you healthy, wealthy, and wise.

This might seem a bit early, but as most of you know by now, time goes by incredibly fast and before you know it, you’ll be sitting at a café along the Garonne River having either a ‘café allonge’ or a glass of an exceptional Bordeaux from one of the many famous vineyards that are strewn along the West and East Bank of the Garonne River.

Remember how fast the future becomes the past.

Two reasons you are getting this now:

There are people out there that are still working (bless their souls) and must decide on their vacation time up to a year in advance.

Second, this period is in the timeframe of when the grapes are harvested, so as soon as we can book the hotel, the better off we will be.

It’s also possible (lately, ‘climate change’ will determine that) that we’ll be there when the leaves are turning which will allow for incredible photo opportunities.

If you’re not really doing anything else next October, I can’t think of a better way to write this workshop into your calendar.

That said, I want to introduce you to my next workshop that will start with the meet and greet in Bordeaux, France on October 2nd, 2023, and end in Toulouse on October 11th, 2023.

We’ll spend three full days and nights in Bordeaux, then go by private bus to Toulouse and spend three full days and night there.

Bordeaux, the “Elegant”, a world-renown city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, is considered one of the most beautiful cities not only in France but in all of Europe. https://duckduckgo.com/?q=Bordeaux+france+heritage+site&atb=v336-1&iax=images&ia=images

Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River, situated in the leading wine growing area of France, for which Bordeaux is the worldwide capital. However, not only is it famous for its vineyards, but the city is also (often referred as “the small Paris”) much more than that.

Experiencing the historical heritage, unique art de vivre, monuments, museums, and wonderful medieval buildings will have you falling in love with the city.

Bordeaux is also home to over sixteen hundred restaurants and is a playground for haute cuisine chefs. Indeed, a gastronomic paradise for those that enjoy great food…which would include yours truly, ‘moi’.

What I’m also really excited about is a location that was brought to my attention by a woman photographer that has taken several workshops with me, and she will be with me on this one as well.

Frankly I had never heard of it until Mary told me about a friend of hers that lives there. It’s where the people that live in Bordeaux go to spend summer weekends as it’s about an hour and a half from Bordeaux. It’s called Dordogne pronounced Dohr DOAN ya and you can see how magical the area is.

The different villages are absolutely amazing and we’ll be spending an entire day going from one to another.: https://duckduckgo.com/?q=dordogne+france&hps=1&atb=v336-1&iax=images&ia=images

Place de la Bourse and the Water Mirror will definitely be on our list to visit at sunset and the Blue Hour:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g187079-d245765-Reviews-Place_de_la_Bourse-Bordeaux_Gironde_Nouvelle_Aquitaine.html

An afternoon shooting in Saint Emilion, with (hopefully) a tour of one of the wine chateaux and wine tasting. This medieval village is two thousand years old, and full of photo ops:

https://www.francethisway.com/places/saintemilion.php

Pont de Pierre: When you see the images, they will pretty much speak for themselves as far as a wonderful photo op. https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g187079-d290953-Reviews-Pont_de_Pierre-Bordeaux_Gironde_Nouvelle_Aquitaine.html

City walking in Old Town or: https://www.bordeaux-tourism.co.uk/district/old-town.html

Rue Sainte-Catherine: https://www.bordeaux-tourism.co.uk/cultural-heritage/rue-sainte-catherine.html

Remember that the photos you see on this site with the mass of people were taken during the summer. In October, when we’ll be there, they will be back home.

Marche’ des Capucins: the largest market in Bordeaux:

https://www.europeanbestdestinations.com/travel-guide/bordeaux/march%C3%A9-des-capucins/

Sunset/Blue Hour on the Garonne River: https://www.google.com/search?source=univ&tbm=isch&q=sunset+on+the+Garonne+river+in+Bordeaux&client=firefox-b-1-d&fir=h4C1MsVSsxNF8M%252CWfVcrZ6SapLwWM%252C_%253Bp1BGXbBXgN3QhM%252CU_6bVS2R1wAzOM%252C_%253BytML6adtOYde0M%252C6vSRhNbC0Ed89M%252C_%253BLi_0BqBVuoPB_M%252CZ0bau6DrwhbeAM%252C_%253Bd3pqIHagNOpeEM%252C73cx8T4zDhrvrM%252C_%253BNBbE4mENKfS5DM%252C_SKaHzm00liN0M%252C_%253BEDLqQtQI0xf8bM%252CWCBnNLtucv73hM%252C_%253B75PE0SPW_LH1JM%252CQYTmNE0pS6OgOM%252C_%253BMAC-qBJs7ixz6M%252CG-Iwb4CNEve49M%252C_%253B30ZlsHVxY0GtxM%252Cwovq1nklAa9R1M%252C_&usg=AI4_-kRX6jxdDw58oo-C1ZAk-9-jNO7jaw&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjWx8nC-MH6AhV7IjQIHaB8CbQQ7Al6BAgCEEA&biw=1242&bih=729&dpr=2

For those interested in more of a beautiful quiet setting where the Impressionists might have painted, there is Jardin Public in the heart of Bordeaux: http://lemap-bordeaux.com/map-listing/jardin-public-public-park/

Now we’re off to Toulouse.

 Founded by the Romans, Toulouse, the fourth largest city in France, is often dubbed the “Pink City” due to the pinkish color of the terracotta bricks made since Roman times, from the red alluvial mud dredged out of the river Garonne – the red of Mediterranean roof tiles, a pinky red with all the warmth of southern Europe.

In Toulouse and the surrounding area, red brick is the traditional building material, and it is this red brick that has given the city its nickname.  It is the only large historic French city, apart from the industrial cities of the north of France, where brick has long competed with stone as a major building material.

You’ll see it in many of its older buildings, museums, and churches. As they say, one picture is worth a thousand words:

https://www.google.com/search?source=univ&tbm=isch&q=Toulouse&client=firefox-b-1-d&fir=fcbAvDGfMLW9UM%252CLaVc6Ps5c7L4xM%252C_%253BdWgZ-EH2rWKBBM%252C0lm4uBIVTF01qM%252C_%253BIczjODCOqbxaxM%252CbS3hEcyB0eeQWM%252C_%253BDhtfYmU1_WXIKM%252CKeXwaS33Tzu6QM%252C_%253B2Wh7S2Z3LlDrBM%252Cqk4vZp8rfa9mrM%252C_%253Bc9Y2Z_n5oGcdLM%252C4Y_HRRu2mdOlrM%252C_%253BsAwVPrLu8GrmtM%252CQkq3eRHC80gWuM%252C_%253BixGf-DkWygXm-M%252CsedJjFReypJnpM%252C_%253BUaVYcHIBMYhLXM%252CoBy_aJCBjRAD5M%252C_%253Bkz36Xvp8kGYCeM%252CJGqysci6CmxVDM%252C_&usg=AI4_-kSnXz3vNTP4UkrEkMeclK-VVU5LGw&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiOju2ZtsL6AhWVJX0KHX2sB-sQ7Al6BAg0EGw&biw=1440&bih=655&dpr=2

Toulouse is also situated on the Garonne River, and the Canal du Midi, another UNESCO World Heritage Site, links the river to the Mediterranean Sea.

A compact city, the central area is a maze of narrow streets, crossed as in Paris by a few wide boulevards. With its multitude of cafés, restaurants bars and boutiques, old Toulouse is a historic area with a wide range of photo ops that we would never be able to shoot them all. However, we just might give it a try and see most of them

Here are my top picks for Toulouse:

Famous for its extraordinary architecture, Toulouse, like Bordeaux is considered one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. One such building (a possible photo op) is the Basilica of St. Sernin, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It’s stunning at night, lit up and seems to glow against the nighttime sky.

https://duckduckgo.com/?hps=1&q=basilica+of+st+sernin+toulouse&atb=v336-1&iax=images&ia=images

Canal du Midi: The Canal du Midi is a waterway that has linked Toulouse to the Mediterranean Sea for more than 300 years. Pierre Paul Riquet was its designer. In the XVII Century he managed to convince Louis XIV to carve out a canal in southern France to facilitate the movement of goods.

His idea was to capture the water that flowed off the Black Mountains in a reservoir before emptying it into the canal.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g11038881-d241572-Reviews-Canal_du_Midi-Occitanie.html#/media-atf/241572/?albumid=-160&type=0&category=-160

A day trip to Albi: A fabulous commune an hour’s drive from Toulouse: https://duckduckgo.com/?q=albi&t=newext&atb=v336-1&iax=images&ia=images

It’s always fun to just walk around a city, and old town Toulouse is one of the best to do it in: https://duckduckgo.com/?q=old+town+in+toulouse&t=newext&atb=v336-1&iax=images&ia=images

Place du Capitole: The Capitol Square is the Center of Toulouse and is ideal for exploring the many churches, art galleries & museums: https://duckduckgo.com/?q=place+du+capitole+toulouse&t=newext&atb=v336-1&iax=images&ia=images

Walking along the banks of the Garonne River provides one the most beautiful views of the city that features the Pont Neuf, the Hôtel-Dieu Saint-Jacques, and the dome of La Grave: https://duckduckgo.com/?q=the+banks+of+the+garonne+river+in+toulouse&t=newext&atb=v336-1&iax=images&ia=images

Pont Neuf: A renowned bridge that spans the Garonne River was built over the course of several decades and finished in 1632: https://duckduckgo.com/?q=pont+neuf+in+toulouse&t=newext&atb=v336-1&iax=images&ia=images

Well, there you have it. As I said, it stands to reason that we can’t see them all in both cities. However, several are either adjacent to each other, part of the same location, or very close to each other.

I will be working with Katka (our producer from Prague) who’s onboard again working with me on the finished daily calendar and all transportation logistics. I will send it out to you sometime before the trip. We have plenty of time for that.

Rest assured, there will also be enough personal time for you to explore on your own. I will be in both locations several days ahead of time to scout all of them to make sure that as Dr. John would say we are in the right place at the right time: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4PjWgiH-LQ

As previously stated, I wanted to get this out to you to give us time to book hotels in both cities. I will be researching the hotels and get back to you ASAP.

This workshop will be up there with my all-time favorites and promises to send all of you home with not only great memories, but great images to show for it; and maybe for those who want, a few bottles of vintage Bordeaux to share during your home slideshow…or maybe you don’t share!

The tourists will be gone so it’s going to be a hell of a lot less crowded than my last workshop in Italy, and the highs are around 70 degrees. What more could we ask for? Maybe some color in the leaves?

There will be ten spots open for ‘shooters’, plus spots those who want to bring a ‘non-shooter’. We’ll have our daily critiques, but I’m not sure how many days we’ll have for it. You can submit or not, it’s up to you.

However, the critiques are more interactive now, and closer to a forum where views and ideas are exchanged. It’s a great way to become a better photographer…even for me, and I’m already pretty good.

This is a longer photo workshop than usual to fit everything in. The cost of the workshop is $1900.00 for the shooters, and $900.00 for non-shooters. The non-shooters are involved with everything we do except for the daily critiques, this will include the ‘meet and greet’dinner, the (famous) final dinner, and private transportation to all the local locations and day trips. This will also include the private bus transfer from Bordeaux to Toulouse.

When you sign up, I will give you a list of travel insurance companies that I’m now recommending, and what the first deposit will be.

As always, I offer a first-class workshop and I’m also a ‘hands on’ fellow photographer who always makes himself available to shoot with you and answer any of your photo questions. Just ask these people:

I just finished taking Joe’s workshop. I simply cannot recommend it highly enough.  I cannot adequately express my gratitude to Joe for his approach to teaching and his willingness to share his tremendous wealth of knowledge.

 Learning about critical elements of design and the discovery of the artist’s palette has changed the way I make pictures, and the way I look at the world. This has been a truly outstanding experience with an outstanding teacher. Thank you, Joe!

 Alain

I recently completed my third workshop with Joe Baraban, and all I can say is that I will be coming back for more. All aspects of the workshop were fantastic. Joe’s approach to teaching, the shooting locations, the daily reviews, the accommodations, the planning and organization, and the communications were all at the highest level.

 From the “meet and greet” reception the first night, to the final dinner, Joe paid strict attention to every detail to make sure we were well taken care of…all the time. Joe’s selection of locations are always diverse and challenging and present many, many opportunities for great shots and learning.

 The daily reviews are a wonderful educational experience as you discuss your own work as well as the work of the other photographers. Joe teaches how to “make pictures”, not just take them. The quality and creativity in my images continue to ratchet up a notch with every workshop as I continue to learn from Joe.

 I highly recommend Joe’s workshops and online classes.

 Nick

I recently completed my 3rd photography workshop with Joe Baraban.  The location was Houston, TX.  All I can say is that I will be coming back for more!  All aspects of the workshop were fantastic: Joe’s approach to teaching; the shooting locations; the critiques; the individual attention; the accommodations; the planning and organization; and the great communications. 

 From the “Meet and Greet” reception the first night to the final dinner, Joe and Mikki paid strict attention to every level of detail making sure that were very well taken care, all the time.  And the photography was great too!  Joe’s selection of locations was diverse and challenging and presented many, many opportunities for great shots and for learning. 

The critiques are a wonderful educational experience as you discuss your own work as well as the work of the other photographers.  Joe teaches how to “make pictures”, not how to take pictures.  There was never a dull moment!  The quality and creativity in my photographs continue to ratchet up a notch as I learn from Joe.  I highly recommend Joe’s workshops as well his online courses.

 Knowing these critical elements of design have truly not only changed how and what I photograph but have changed the way I look at the world in a very real way.

 I cannot adequately express my gratitude to Joe for his caring and expertise and if you are considering taking a class or workshop with Joe think no more as I cannot recommend him highly enough. Just DO IT!!!

Shauna

Joe Baraban’s workshop is first rate and pitched at a level that in my opinion would provide a strong learning experience for any photographer, no matter their level or their primary area of photographic interest.

Joe is attentive, and his workshops are well prepared and illustrative of the concepts being put forward. Better yet, supplementary tips and advice were passed along to participants in neat little packages with titles like “The fifteen-point inspection plan”. His photo critiques are honest and very helpful. Several of us would take a second, third, and fourth workshop offered by Joe.

Murray

I attended Joe’s Paris workshop and received a lot of valuable information in less than a week.

 Joe’s workshops begin with an informal meet and greet where all the participants and spouses can meet each other with food and wine.

Usually, each day start before dawn with an air-conditioned private bus trip to a pre-scouted shooting location. Joe gives suggestions for shooting before and during each shoot. He moves around to each photographer during the shoots and gives “hands-on tips” and suggestions that are wonderful and instructive.

 Each day there is a very constructive critique of the work that was shot the day before. Joe has everyone involved and he asks people their opinions.

 I have not attended many formal workshops and I was happy that the comments of the other shooters and those from Joe were very helpful and allowed everyone to get real feedback so soon after shooting.

I can truly say that the workshop immediately helped me, and I believe that my photos have much improved. It was a wonderful experience and made me a better photographer. It also gave me a chance to make friends with the other photographers.

John B

I wanted to learn more about Joe’s approach to visual design and making great photos after taking one of his online courses.  As a former painter, I really relate to his focus on visual design elements as his artist’s palate and it all came to life in this workshop. 

 He is an excellent teacher, and it was wonderful to experience this with a group of very talented photographers who supported each other and did some great work.  The format of learning the design principles and discussing them in relation to Joe’s images and the work from the class was a great way to learn – I look forward to future workshops.

Cynthia

What was, or what could be?

To finish the thought, it would be “What could be instead of what is”.

For those that have recently been reading my blog, I teach online classes with the BPSOP, and I conduct my “Stretching Your Frame of Mind” workshops all over the place. Besides showing people how to incorporate the elements of Visual Design into their imagery, I stress upon my fellow photographers that we are all artists who have chosen the camera as the medium. A camera on a tripod is the same as a blank canvas on an easel.

There are photographers (artists) that shoot only what they see. In other words, they don’t change anything that they see, they take pictures of what they are looking at the moment in time that it’s happening.

They call themselves purists, but they don’t have a problem manipulating their image in Lightroom, Photoshop, or any one of a thousands plug-ins that are offered.

Some purists!!!!!!!! They photograph what is.

I, on the other hand, am a painter. Actually, I did study painting and design throughout my high school and college education, and wound up with a degree in journalism and starting out as a photo-journalist…but that’s another story.

I photograph what could be. In other words, if I want something added into my composition that will create more visual interest, I have no problem moving a chair, table, etc. into my frame. If a person will help, then I’ll ask someone to ‘sit it’, or move, or walk a little to the left or to the right.

I’m a storyteller and instead of words,  I love to tell stories with my camera.

Visit my website at www.joebaraban.com, and follow me on Instagram. Check out my workshop schedule at the top of this blog. Come tell stories with me sometime.

JoeB

No blue ribbons here.

Ralph Waldo Emerson was a writer and poet who led the Transcendentalist movement in the mid 19th century. I’m not by any means a big lover and follower of quality literature and poetry, and not a follower of Transcendentalism, but what I remember reading about him was that he was a big supporter of individualism…and so am I. Only recently did I find a quote he said somewhere in the late 1800’s. It immediately stuck to me as it fits perfectly into the way I present my way of thinking to both my online classes with the BPSOP, and in my “Stretching Your Frame of Mind” workshops I conduct around the planet.

He once said, ” Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail”. This really hit home to me a few weeks ago when I was asked to give a talk and show my work to a local camera club at their yearly show and dinner.

First, let me say that being a member of a local camera club has a lot of advantages. If you’re into the social aspects as in: meetings where you get together with people that share your love of photography, drink diet cokes and unsweetened ice tea while exchanging current trends, or enter into club competitions where the best photo is not always picked, then a camera club is the way to go….and can be a lot of fun. You can also take workshops given by other members…if you’re so inclined.

Having said that I’ve spoken at many camera clubs over the years and have judged several of their yearly competitions. At some point during my visit several of the members have pulled me aside and said that although they love my presentation, if they were to submit photo composed the way I compose, they would be made to stand in the corner and subsequently ridiculed in front of the entire membership.

Ok, maybe they didn’t say it exactly that way, but as far as the way I seen things, the truth is that my photos would never be accepted into their show; certainly not win any ribbons.

🙁

Here’s my standing reply to these few souls that have evidently lost their way, “Start your own camera club”.

These are the photographers that were given coloring books when they were young and were told to color inside of the lines. As a result, now, as grown-ups, they strictly adhere to all the rules of photography and woe be to those that deviate in any way.

I’m talking about the staunch supporters of the Rule of Thirds, never clipping the highlights, and the Leading in Rule, to name a few. They will never give up their life long beliefs nor have any of them ever been interested in my online classes or workshops…which is absolutely OK with me!!

Live by the rule, die by the rule seems to be their hidden agenda and mantra.

The few of my fellow photographers that want to venture out into the creative world where coloring outside the lines is the best way I know to taking photos “up a level”, and that stand out among others…then as Nike would say, “just do it”.

To be sure, I’m not saying to never follow the rules, or not join your local camera club. I’m saying to not live and die by those rules If you don’t believe in always following the rules, and following the same path as your camera club members, then don’t. Go your own way and blaze your own trail then maybe you can help others that feel the same as you (or more importantly don’t) get together and follow the path you’ve blazed.

Visit my website at: www.joebaraban.com, and follow me on Instagram.  check out my workshop schedule at the top of this blog. come shoot with me sometime.

JoeB

Delicate Arch

This is tone of the posts in my category that I call anecdotes. These posts are about all the seriously funny to really dumb things that have either been said or happened while on my photo shoots. Trust me when I tell you that there no geographic boundaries when it comes to the things people say. From Timbuktu to Kalamazoo, it never ceases to amaze me what can come out of the mouth of babes!!!!

As usual, the names have been changed or left out to protect the innocent, and whose little hearts you just want to bless and keep safe.

I was shooting an advertising campaign for Asics, more years ago that I want to even think about, or can remember. The first in the series put us in Arches National Park near Moab, Utah.  We were there to shoot a testimonial ad that featured Douglas Wakiihuri wearing a pair of the companies tennis shoes. Douglas was a famous world class marathon runner, whose credits put him at the top of his game.

I had chosen Arches because the agencies Art Director wanted a backdrop that created a feeling of Zen. I arrived a couple of days early  to scout the different arches and select one based on the best exposure to the late or early light. After taken readings from my Sunpath chart, and using my Morin2000 hand bearing compass I found Delicate Arch to be the best background. It was an hour and a half hike up to the arch, but worth it as it’s the most famous arch in the park.

That afternoon the client arrived with her new assistant and Douglas. After a pre-production meeting we planned to meet the next day in the parking area that was the beginning of the path up to Delicate Arch.  When we all arrived and began to get ready I started talking to the clients new assistant, who had recently received her Masters degree in marketing from a top eastern college. I told her that I was looking through a brochure on Delicate Arch and had read that it took three hundred million years to carve the famous arch.

Without skipping a beat, the assistant looked at me and said, “Really, someone carved that arch?”

There was only stunned silence. The world around me began to spin out of control, the air around seemed to have been sucked out into the cosmos, and I started to feel dizzy; dizzy enough to faint. Fortunately, as the last moment of consciousness was fading and darkness was wrapping around my freaked-out brain, I regained control without anyone noticing. I suppose they were still contemplating her response.

Visit my website at: www.joebaraban.com, and follow me on Instagram Be sure to check out my workshop schedule at the top of this blog. Come shoot with me sometime.

JoeB

Lots of lines going everywhere.

I teach my fellow photographers how to incorporate the Elements of Visual Design into their photography. In my online classes with the BPSOP, and in my “Stretching Your Frame of Mind” workshops I conduct around the planet I explain that of all the elements, Line is the most important…why you ask?

Because without Line, none of the other elements would exist. In fact, you and I wouldn’t be around nor would trains, planes, and automobiles for the simple reason that we all have an outLINE.

Quickly, there’s all kinds of lines, but the three main ones are: Horizontal, Vertical, and Diagonal. Diagonal lines have the most energy and tension because it’s the anticipation of the lines falling forward.

Having said that, there are three things that all lines have in common: direction, length, and thickness. These three are what you want to be looking for when you’re out shooting. Forget that the road your standing, walking, or driving on is going to the horizon. Imagine it not as a road, but instead a Vanishing Point leading the viewer in a particular direction, either from right to left, left to right, or the foreground to the background. It’s anywhere from a few blocks to a few miles long, and it’s from two lanes in thickness to a four lane interstate.

What about a stand of Birch trees you often see in photos, especially when the leaves have turned during the Fall. They’re trees right? But what else are they? They’re a bunch of textured predominately white lines that all go in the same direction and are all different in length and thickness. They also form a pattern which incidentally is one of the basic Elements of Visual Design.

In the above photo, taken in Tuscany, After I had traversed the short distance from the bottom to the top of this small sidewalk from the street to another street above it, I looked back and saw a whole lot of lines, instead of the concrete ramp and railings.

This kind of thinking is what’s always part of my thought process. Since Line is so important to our virtual existence, not only do I look for lines but when I do see it, I break them down into the three categories to see what each one is doing and if they’re pertinent to my final composition.

So, the next time you’re out and about looking for subject matter, instead of using the left side of your brain and taking pictures of roads, golf cart tracks, and trees, switch that side off and click on the right side…the creative side and I can promise you that not only will your photos have more of an impact, but you’ll wind up having a lot more fun in the process.

They’re golf cart tracks, but what else are they

As Henry David Thoreau once said, “It’s not what you look at, it’s what you see”.

Visit my website at: www.joebaraban.com, and follow me on Instagram. check out my 2023 workshop schedule at the top of this blog. Come shoot with me sometime.I’ll be conducting a Fall workshop in Bordeaux and Toulouse next September of 2023. If You’re interested send me an email and I’ll send you the description.

JoeB

Shot at a vineyard in Chianti.

One of my annual workshop, I conduct every year was in Tuscany, Italy. I have to say that it was one of the best workshops I’ve been to since 1984 when I conducted my first one at the Maine Media workshop. Although several had taken my online class with the BPSOP, and some had taken my “Stretching Your Frame of Mind” workshops, several people had just read about it on this blog.

We based out of Siena and traveled to various locations in and around this medieval town. I had arrived a few days in advance so I could scout all the locations with Katka, the woman who lives in Prague and produced not only the one I just finished in Tuscany but the one in the Czech Republic as well. Without her expertise my workshops would not have happened; certainly not as smooth and professionally run.

Katka took me to several locations where I used my Sunpath program and my Morin 2ooo hand bearing compass to determine which ones I should take the class to at sunrise and/or sunset. When the workshop participants arrived, they were picked up in Florence and driven to Siena. After a get together over wine and cheese, we were all set and ready to shoot in the next morning’s sunrise.

For the next five days we shot at other medieval towns, as well as vineyards in Chianti and of course fabulous late afternoon and early morning landscape opportunities scattered around the region.

It was a full class and I have to say that it was not only a great time meeting and working with all of them, but the level of work was and is impressive for people that are not professionals. Their work actually surpassed a lot of working pros I see out in the commercial and corporate world.

Walking up to the top of towns like Volterra and Pienza was quite an exercise, but the class took it in stride and never faltered. The payoff was well worth it as you’ll see in the following slideshow of their work. You’re sure to be as impressed as I was when we had class every day to discuss and critique their work shot the previous day.

Enjoy the show!!!

PausePlayPlayPrev|Next

Visit my website at: www.joebaraban.com and follow me on Instagram. Check out my workshop schedule at the top of this blog.. I’ll be working on my next for 2023 somewhere in Europe so be sure to watch for it. My workshop in Tuscany filled in five days so when the time comes, don’t wait too long to sign up.

The class with me in the middle.

JoeB

What did I wish?

This is what I talk about when I’m working with my online students with the BPSOP. During my “Stretching Your Frame of Mind” workshops I conduct around our planet, we have daily critiques in the late mornings. We discuss images they’ve shot either the evening before or after the morning shoot. One of the first questions I ask someone when talking about a particular image of theirs is what do you wish.

It’s a little mental game I’ve played with myself for as long as I can remember. I’m always wishing something that’s not in my frame would be, some additional layer of interest that would hold the viewer’s attention and keep him around longer; I’m always looking for ways to make my photos stronger.

When I ask someone this question, I want them to think, to color outside the lines. This keeps their mind flowing with ideas, and helps them become more of a storyteller ( a photo maker not a photo taker) when composing their own images. It doesn’t have to be a big thing like a hot air balloon landing right behind the subject.

It can be as subtle as a black cat in an area in the foreground where nothing is going on…maybe even its shadow.  A person riding a bike through the frame with a white shirt on and wishing it were a red one. Maybe the subject is two feet to the right to get a little more of the light on the face. Or a little more to the left so that huge telephone pole isn’t sticking out of his head!!!

🙂

Since I hope that all my fellow photographers always take more than one photo of any particular subject, your wish might just be walking down the street towards you, or coming up behind you, or maybe that yellow cab you wanted pulls up and man wearing a red shirt climbs out.

I’m personally not a big fan of sunrises over the ocean. However, this one is not bad. So what did I wish that would have created another layer of interest? Something to have kept the viewer around by offering him something to think about? How about a cruise ship (all lit up) about to leave the edge of the frame on the left; leaving a wake all the way across to the right edge.

Btw, if a hot air balloon all of a sudden does land right behind your subject with Dorothy and Toto waving to the lens, I strongly suggest you immediately wish for World Peace…then a billion dollars!!!

Try it yourself sometime. As you’re composing wish for something else happening and who knows, maybe your wish will come true.

Visit my website at: www.joebaraban.com, and check out my workshop schedule at the top of this blog. Come shoot with me sometime.

JoeB

 Whenever I write one of these posts it takes me back to the days when I was traveling two hundred twenty-five days out of the year, and loving it. I was fortunate enough to hook up with some of the very best graphic designers in the country if not the world, and a whole lot of them were working in Texas; Houston, Dallas, and Austin to be exact.

Working with graphic designers in corporate photography was very different that working with Art Directors in advertising in that with corporate work you had more freedom to shoot what you wanted, and in advertising you usually had to follow a layout…or at least high-comped sketch of what the client expected you to come back with.

I was hired by s designer, that in turn was hired by an oil company in London to travel throughout Asia documenting the countries that they were either doing work for or about to. I was allowed to shoot anything I wanted as long as it represented the country in a positive way.

We were in the Philippines for several days with one of their employees as our guide and interpreter and one sunrise we found ourselves at a place somewhere in Manila Bay. It was a gray day and I was about to call it a morning when we saw this small boat anchored  on the shore. The sky was opening up a little so I thought I would shoot the boat against what I was hoping for something dramatic to happen in the sky.

As I tell my online students with the BPSOP, and in my “Stretching Your Frame of Mind” workshops I conduct around the planet that Eddie Adams ( a well known Pulitzer prize winning photographer) once said, “When you get lucky, be ready”. As is usually the case, sunrise shooting is very quiet since there’s no one around that time of morning, and especially when you’re far away from the cacophony of morning sounds given off from a large city.

I was beginning to compose my photo, when all of a sudden a teenage boy jumped up from inside the boat and proceeded to scare the morning daylights out of us, while at the same time those same daylights had been scared out of him.

With the help of an idea, I quickly ( as in losing the light) regained my composure and had our guide ask him if he would pose for me. I had the young boy trade places with me (it’s a great way to show your subject what you want him to do). As I started to shoot the silhouette of the boy, the sun was rising creating this wonderful sky.

I got the shot (without any post processing) and gave the boy a five dollar bill for his time. He looked at it, smiled, then laid back down in the bottom of the boat and went back to sleep. As we were leaving, our guide told us that the five dollars we gave him was more than he made in a month. Wow, talk about making someone’s day…or month.

Visit my website at: www.joebaraban.com, and follow me on Instagram….www.instagram.com/barabanjoe Check out my 2023 Workshop schedule at the top of this blog. Come shoot with me sometime.

JoeB

I made a new photo friend, and drank Grappa with him.

When I was an active advertising and corporate photographer, one of the areas of photography I was and still am known for was/is my environmental portraiture. What I like the most about this genre is what I tell my online students with the BPSOP, and with my fellow photographers that take my “Stretching Your Frame of Mind” workshops..and is one of my many personal pearls of wisdom…”Make a new photo friend”. I tell them that for me, talking to my subject before I ask to take their picture is as much fun as the actual process of composing it.

Whether it be a random person I’ve met on the street or a worker at some manufacturing or industrial plant, I’ll start a conversation with them from asking about their job to their kids (especially if they look like grandkids), to what brought them to the place we just met.

I do this for a couple of reasons: I’m curious by nature, and it loosens them up. The last thing I want to do is stick my camera in someone’s face because it will either put them off or frighten them. Either way it can’t or won’t lead to a successful portrait; one that appears as if they knew me long before I started shooting.

We were driving down the road in Provence when I saw this man moving baskets around a small building. I couldn’t tell what was in the baskets so we pulled over to find out.  I was hoping that he spoke even a little English so I could talk to him without our  French driver to translate. As it turned out he did speak enough English to communicate with me.

We started a conversation and it turned out that he was making Grappa, which is a grape based Brandy that originated in Italy. Grappa is made by distilling the skins, pulp, seeds, and stems, and can be very strong. The proof was when he gave us some to drink from a spigot at the end of a pipe…aged two hours!

It was a most enjoyable conversation and I walked away with a new photo friend. Btw, it’s always a good thing to send them a print, and these days it’s become so easy to e-mail a copy.

Visit my website at: www.joebaraban.com, and follow me on Instagram...www.instagram.com/barabanjoe/.Be sure to check out my 2023 workshop schedule at the top of this blog. Come shoot with me sometime.

JoeB

My very first window.

In my six month Mentoring program, I often work with photographers that feel that they have run out of ideas and things to shoot…tired eyes!!! They need a little pat on the old Caboose if you know what I mean. Besides working on the elements of visual design and composition on their Artist Palette, we’ll work on a self help photography project (another name for a photo essay). I’ll offer several ideas based on their main interest and off they go with new found energy and a higher kick when placing one foot in front of the other and moving forward.

I’ve been able to motivate my students by talking about my personal project I’ve been working on for the past three years, and showing some of the results. I call my project “Window Dressings”. Here’s my essay and how it started:

I started my series of windows three years ago quite by accident. I was driving to Nashville from Houston because my all-natural Bloody Mary Mix was included in the gift basket that was to be given to the presenters and award winners at the 2008 Country Music Awards. I had decided to drive to Nashville to take some extra time photographing the countryside. On the return, I drove through a small town in Mississippi looking for any interesting subject matter. As I was leaving town, I decided to take one final left turn before getting too far away from what was left of the downtown area. It was the face of serendipity screaming at me to pull over when I noticed an old deserted building that had an interesting front door.

It was enough to make me get out of my car and set up my equipment. Halfway through my setup, I became bored with the light since the door was in shadow and walked around the side where I saw several old and interesting windows that were in bright sunlight. I settled on one particular window, and even though it had weathered poorly through the years, there was something almost mystical about it; I knew I was onto something. It was one of those feelings you get when something affects you in such a way that it would wind up consuming the better part of your next three years…and still counting!

I finished and was breaking down my equipment when I noticed an old man, whose tattered clothes suggested that of a homeless person. After watching for a time, he approached me and asked if I would tell him why I was taking a picture of the windows. I said that I found them to be beautiful in their own way, and I wanted to make prints some day. He looked at me then the window, nodded and walked away. I called out to him and asked if he knew what this building use to be.

He stopped, turned around and with a mouth filled with a few remaining teeth said, “Sure, it was the bank. It’s where I kept all my money.” With that, he walked away.

Now when the urge hits me, I gather up my equipment and my dog Gertie, and we hit the road and begin “Window Shopping”.  I rarely see anything worthwhile on the Interstates, but I use them to get to the small cities and smaller towns. There’s no rhyme or reason as to which exit I’ll take, and as far as which direction to turn once I’m off the Interstate it’s pretty much Eeny, Meeny, Miny Moe.

In just about every small town in Texas there is a square where all the roads coming in from each direction end up, and that’s where I head first. Starting from the square, I pick a direction and follow the road until I’ve been out of the town for several miles.  Then I turn around, head back to the square and pick another direction. I keep doing that until I’ve exhausted every possible way in and out. This is usually where I have the most luck. That and the roads in-between each town usually affords the best chances to find that illusive window…that one in fifty, strong enough to make it onto my Canon 5D Mark II’s CF card.

So what’s my criterion for a keeper? It has to have at least six attributes going for it: Light, Color, Texture, Pattern, Shape, and Line.

As I always say to my online students with the BPSOP, and my “Stretching Your Frame of Mind” workshops I conduct around the planet, Light is everything. Unfortunately, I can’t always shoot at Golden Hour since I’m continuously driving to get as miles as I can in a day. A lot of the time I’m shooting in the middle of the day when the light is harsh. The key to this is to not show the sky and underexpose a lot, which isn’t much of a problem.

The Texture is important as I want the viewer to want to touch the windows. Patterns within the window are also important, and has the rhythm of the patterns been broken. Line is the most important of all the elements of visual design, so how the windows use line to take the viewer around the window, and the different types of lines are critical. Color is obviously the most important quality, and it takes more than a painted window against a painted wall for me to stop. How time has affected the color, if additional color was applied over the existing color, and how the different colors compliment one another are considered. The Shape of the window is also important. It’s amazing that when you start looking, how many sizes and shapes windows come in.

All I can think of after all these years is that I’m involved with some kind of weird and peculiar courtship with these windows. Each window has its own personality and winds up the way it does when all the criteria falls into place. Father Time aided by the elements, does its thing in transforming the windows into a cacophony of colors, shapes,  lines, textures, and patterns.

The direction the window faces, how much of the day it’s in bright sun, is it exposed to the wind, all are important pieces of the puzzle in determining the final look of a window when I photograph it; result can be incredibly alluring. The decaying charm of a window that’s morphed into a “work of art” has a certain persona that needs no further explanation than to say that its beauty lies in the eyes and minds of the beholder.

Now as I travel throughout the states “window shopping”, I always try to imagine what the windows I photograph could tell me if they could speak. Did they look out at a backyard filled with the shrieks’ of children at play? Or the manly hoots and howls coming from a periodic family reunion, or birthday party?

The large majority of structures have long since been abandoned, and I can only wonder who the last person was to look out this particular window, and what they might have seen and thought before they left for good.

As is usually the case when I’m taking photographs, I am always searching for a unique angle or height when I’m out shooting; not this time as there is a voice that tells me not to distort the integrity of these amazing windows. Perhaps it’s the spirit of better days gone by.

These windows are photographed as they exist today, and use virtually no help from Photoshop. Three of my windows have made it into the permanent photography collection at the Museum of Fine Art in Houston, Texas.

Here are just a few of my windows. If you would like to see the entire collection of one hundred and sixty, you can go to: http://www.flickr.com/photos/78440307@N06/sets/72157629317463102

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Prints of these windows are numbered and there’s only an edition of twenty-five. For more information, you can contact me at: joe@joebaraban.com.

Visit my website at: www.joebaraban.com, follow me on Instagram www.instagram.com/barabanjoe/, and check out both my mentoring program and my 2023 workshop schedule at the top of this blog. Come shoot with me sometime.

JoeB

Look ma, no Photoshop.

In my online class with the BPSOP, and in my “Stretching Your Frame of Mind” workshops I conduct around the planet, I’m always showing examples of my work to make a point or to illustrate one of the elements of Visual Design that we work on from day to day.

A lot of my examples were shot in the days of film so most of the time there wasn’t any post processing done to them. Since the majority of my students started shooting in the digital age where everyone thinks Lightroom and Photoshop are part of the photographic process, I get a lot of “WOW you’re kidding, these were all shot without any post processing?”  I just love it when that happens!!!

Don’t get me wrong, I use Photoshop all the time. I probably do something to every photo I take now. However, I would much rather create my photos in the camera. to me that’s about being a good photographer and not a good computer artist or digital technician. I love the challenge, and when things are working out and I’m about to click the shutter having done everything (or most everything) beforehand, I get a pretty damn good feeling inside.

In the photo above, I was in Hawaii for five weeks shooting whatever I wanted for United Airline’s new advertising campaign. There was a template that had been approved ahead of time for the design of the ad, so I had to shoot photos that would fit into that template. Needless to say a dream project!!!

It was so long ago that I can’t remember what Island we were on (we shot on all of them), but we found a couple of divers that would work for us for a fee. I was set up on some rocks across this small area of water. It wasn’t very high up, it just appears that way.

My assistant was behind the rocks right nest to the divers. We each had walki-talkis so I could tell him when I was ready for one of them to dive. I would also have him direct the divers, for example having them keep their feet together and their hands spread out straight so they would be equal on both sides.

I saw this cloud moving fairly fast across the water from right to left, and became worried that it would finish the shoot by blocking the sun; I knew it was going to be close. I was hoping that the sun would drop enough to be under the cloud formation and not stop the shoot. What I didn’t realize is that when the sun did do as I was hoping, and fell below the cloud, it lit up the underneath like something I had never seen before.

I had my assistant tell these guys to dive as many times as they could, climb back up to the top and dive again. I was able to get two more dives apiece before the sun and the incredibly light was gone.

Needless to say I was worried. In the days before you could just look at the back of your camera, you had to have the perfect exposure and wait until you could send the film off to the lab. It sometimes became a nail biter. Sometimes you had to fly out not knowing you had captured it or not.

When I was able to go through all the film, I saw it…drinks were on the house!!!!

As one of the most famous photographers named Eddie Adams once said, “When you get lucky, be ready”.

Visit my website at: www.joebaraban.com, and follow me on Instgram www.instagram.com/barabanjoe/ Watch for upcoming workshops in 2023

JoeB

Bracketed and created in the camera.

Since I’m from the old School of Photography (you know the one, the school where you learned to do things “in the camera”, and as a result became a good photographer), I do my own ‘bracketing’.

Now, in the digital age of Photography, the ‘powers that be’ decided to help out and made it so that their cameras could do the work for you. The problem with that is that it’s not always in your best interest. Notwithstanding the important fact that you won’t have a clue as to what your camera is doing, and if it’s doing the right thing at the right time.

But I digress!!!

First, let me go back to the very beginning, as in the definition of ‘bracketing’. I know a lot of you will find it hard to believe, but there’s a lot of photographers out there that have no idea what I mean by ‘bracketing’. I know this because I conduct my “Stretching Your Frame of Mind” workshops around the planet, and also with a top online school called the BPSOP, so I periodically get this question.

Without further qualifications, Wikipedia’s definition of ‘bracketing’ usually refers to exposure bracketing: the photographer chooses to take one picture at a given exposure, one or more brighter, and one or more darker in order to select the most satisfactory image. Technically, this can be accomplished by changing either the shutter speed or the aperture. That is, if you’re shooting a subject or a landscape where the Depth of Field isn’t critical.

If the Depth of Field is important, you just want to bracket the shutter speed, and if the shutter speed is important, then you bracket the aperture. The point is to give yourself exposure options.

Ok, here’s an example:

Knowing exactly (to the degree) where the sun was going to rise by using the combination of my Sunpath readings and my Morin 2000 Hand Bearing Compass, I set up beforehand to take a photo of a boy looking for something using a Coleman lantern. It was  a few minutes after sunset when I began shooting, the light coming from the direction where the sun set was very soft and delicate. My Minolta One Degree Spot Meter (you can find them on e-Bay) told me that the exposure on the boy’s face lit by the lantern was 1/30^th of a second at F11. If I had taken that one exposure, the odds of my picture looking good was very small. Vegas wouldn’t have taken that bet. So to make sure I had it “in the can”, I ‘bracketed’ the exposure the meter gave me.  I took one photo at 1/30^th at F11, and then I shot one at:

• 1/30^th at F8
• 1/30^th at F5.6
• 1/30^th at F4
• 130^th at F16

These were the settings to overexpose (brighten) the picture to make sure it didn’t come out too dark. If you notice, there is only one bracket that’s underexposed from the reading of F8; that would be F16. The reason is that because the light was so low and delicate, one stop under was more than enough to cover me.

Ok, another scenario:

If I had been there later in the afternoon when the sun was higher in the sky, and the light was much harsher I didn’t need to worry about my photo coming out too dark. I would have worried about it being too bright and washed out.

Then, my meter might have said something like 1/250^th of a second at F8. In that scenario, I would want to bracket more on the underexposed side of F8, so my brackets would have been:

• 1/250^th at F11
• 1/250^th at F16
• 1/250^th at F22

And one stop underexposed at 1/250^th at F5.5, because more than likely I wouldn’t have to worry about my photo being too dark, only too bright.

The reason I do this manually, and with a hand held meter is because the meters in digital cameras are not accurate and not as precise.

A lot of my students set the meter in their camera to bracket automatically, but when you do that, it won’t consider the softness of the light. It’s going to bracket the same way all the time.  Not the best way to take photos.

Over the years of bracketing, I can feel, sense, see, and read the light and know instinctively what to do. It’s about being a well-rounded photographer that understands the light, because in all my classes, I always tell people that “LIGHT IS EVERYTHING”, and when you find the Light you’ll find the shot.

BY THE WAY, The last thing you want to do is to change the bracketing sequence all the time. Especially when you have only seconds left of that “drop dead gorgeous light”.

That’s just not a good idea. Do you really want your camera to be in charge of how your photos turn out?  I recently had a student tell me that she could only bracket three exposures because that’s what her camera would allow.

“YIKES”, I said to her. “Are you hearing yourself”, I continued. “What the camera allows? Do you have a place at the dinner table for your camera? I hope it’s at the head”.

If you ever want your photography to jump “up a notch”, I would strongly suggest that you take control.

But that’s just me!!!

View my work at: www.joebaraban.com, and follow me on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/barabanjoe/  Come shoot with me sometime.

JoeB

A simple idea can tell a big story.

Through the years, I’ve collected a lot of quotes that were said by an artist of some measure and how the quote relates to my way of thinking; especially how the quote fits into my three online classes with the BPSOP, and in my “Stretching Your Frame of Mind” workshops I conduct around the planet.

“ I always thought good photos were like good jokes. If you have to explain it, it just isn’t that good.” – Anonymous

One of the many discussions I have at least once if not a hundred times in my four-week classes with my fellow photographers is about making sure you’ve left the viewer with a clear understanding of what message you were trying to get across. I call it a “quick read”, and unless your image is an abstract, in which case you’re leaving the viewer to decide on what the photo is saying. You don’t want him/her walking away scratching their heads.

There’s always the possibility you’ll be standing next to your print at some exhibit or maybe even your camera club’s annual show where you’ll be able to talk about it. Sometimes it’s interesting to hear the story behind the photo and see the photo in a new light. But in most cases, a photo shouldn’t need a story to back it up. It has to speak for itself….as I said, a quick read.

Right before I click the shutter I always ask myself if the viewer is going to see and feel it the way I was experiencing it when I finished my composition and was ready to click the shutter. It’s like taking an out-of-body experience and putting your mind in the mind of the viewer. Then I can step back and see if I’m getting my message across.

In the above photo, not very long after 9/11, I did a photo story on rural Texas, and how these people showed support for our country. In context with the other photos and subsequent text, I think the message came across as clear as day.

Visit my website at: www.joebaraban.com, and follow me on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/barabanjoe/. Check out my workshop schedule at the top of this blog. come shoot with me sometime.

JoeB