Gary's Photos

Digital Photos

Comal River Bridge

Railroad Bridge over the Comal River, New Braunfels, TX

The ease of digital photography has recently inspired me to take images I think are interesting, tell a story, or invoke memories and feelings. My acquisition of a moderately high end camera (Sony DSLT A-77) has inspired me even more. My photos are amateurish by many standards, yet they appeal to me for a variety of reasons. For example, when I saw the bridge above, it seemed to cry out for a sepia color application. The rust on the trestle and weathered railroad ties looked old and stately, and invoked feelings of an earlier time.

Equipment

Camera

My primary camera is a Sony A-77. I use the 18-135mm zoom for the majority of my photos. My backup camera is a Sony A-330 and I'll also use a small digital camera when I'm out for touring and don't feel like lugging my camera bag.

Software

Some processing of images is done in either Gimp or Photoshop. I generally use minimal processing except for cropping and resizing. The photo at the left is an unprocessed image taken using the creative styles feature of the the A-77. Initially I thought I'd remove the powerlines and tower in the background, but the more I looked at the photo, I decided to leave them in.

Processing

Some thoughts on processing and photography can be found here.

Philosophy

“The pictures I take tell me a story or invoke feelings both before, during, and after the actual picture taking event. For this reason, I usually try to keep the image as intact and untouched as possible. While I realize many times the image can be enhanced and distracting portions retouched or removed this seems to destroy the connection between my feelings and the captured image. On the other hand, using the camera and natural lighting, shadows, and all available camera functions help to create and form the illusion I hope the image conveys.”

“Some images defy the above rule and seem to cry out for processing. Many times the available lighting, coloring or composition don't convey the story that is in my mind. The image of the MetLife blimp in my photos is an example where processing resulted in the image that was close to my minds eye view. In addition, Sepia and HDR are two of my favorite processing mediums.”

“I create photos to please myself, if you like them, then that is a plus and it makes me happy.”

- Gary White

Photos

To see photos that have a story with them Click Here

To see my photo albums Click Here