I work in the advertising industry. All too often when researching stock photos I run into such “perfect” photography. The subject is polished, pristine, and generally just perfect beyond reality. The subjects become so perfected in the studio that they become almost lost and unrealistic, sometimes far from actually representing what it is. For example while searching for a “Maine blueberries” photo at a stock photography website I was finding photos of such perfectly sculpted blueberries they almost looked plastic. I don’t know about you, but when I think about natural Maine blueberries I want the real thing.

This is a photograph I took at the local Deering Oaks Park Farmers’ Market. As you can see there are still a bit of stems attached and some of the blueberries are dented. This shot is the real deal and strikes the emotion as such. The feel of this photograph is more defined as a candid shot. It’s real and what one would expect to find when looking to find delicious, natural real Maine blueberries. Believe me, these blueberries are just as tasty as they look!

This photograph was taken at Silly’s located in downtown Portland, Maine. The contrast of the yellow and red painted on the aged wood found within the composition was really unusual and caught my attention. Now the challenge was to capture it.

What makes this photograph work is not only the colour but the contrast of the dark vertical lines between the wooden boards the nail holes and the texture of the wood. It leads the eye to explore about.

A simple painted wooden fence, now captured for all to enjoy.

This was a very difficult shot for me but I feel I pretty much pulled it off. Armed with my trusty digital camera in a practically dark room, 2 inches of thick glass separated myself and the jellyfish. A few quick adjustments to the camera settings and away goes the shutter. Honestly, out of 6 or so shots of this jellyfish I was finally able to capture the moment- a slow moving, graceful, almost angelic form of beauty.

Here I found 300 huge open acres of sand, blazing hot temperatures at 120 degrees (yes really), complete with a sandstorm that gets into your camera equipment, mouth and eyes. It even has a gift shop. The Desert of Maine really is a unique place to visit for a nice change of pace and well worth the stop.

For this landscape photograph I added a dark vignette which I felt worked well to the already aged, dry feel to the photograph’s composition. I really tried to maintain the stark contrast between the sky, treeline and sand while also being careful not to blow out the sand with too much exposure. I feel I accomplished my goal in this piece but am still practicing on my general landscape composition work that still seems a bit ordinary.

There really is just another world around us found within the details if one takes the time to look close enough. Here is a perfect example of just that. The seed pods in this lush green moss bed seem to vibrate throughout the photograph. I can imagine myself being this tiny, walking among the endless landscape of thick emerald trees and towering pods. I like the colour in this photograph. No post processing has been used.

A close-up macro of colourful hand-stitched sewing buttons. While lying down I opened my sleepy eyes and saw this colourful field of hand-stitched sewing buttons. Luckily I was able to capture my vision before fully awaking.

A coil of gold coloured metal.