Blog - Mervin McDougall Photography

Posted May 12, 2013 by Mervin McDougall & filed under Commentary, Photo.

Through My Window

It is amazing the small things we miss because we are so wrapped up in the business of the regular day-to-day – the falling rain, the blossoming flowers, the small shaft of sunlight as the clouds part. I am just as much a culprit of that as well. I often times get so wrapped up in programming at work that I forget to observe the things outside. Well, I broke away from the monotony and observed, through my window, tulips blossoming in the sunlight behind a pane of wet glass.

The act of using the texture made by the streaking water droplets on the glass was very deliberate as I wanted to bring attention both to the water and the flowers in the background. I could think of no other way to present it that would illustrate those elements together and on par. In fact, the water provided something more akin to a texture to the overall image.The lighting played its part in making the image what it is, lightly kissing the flowers helping them emerge from the surrounding dark green vegetation.

Could I have made the image sharper? Sure I could. But, the purpose of the image was not about conveying a surgical copy but to convey a mood. A mood that is often felt when observing the rain fall. It is more of a feeling of being purified as particles are washed away and everything seems to burst with renewed vigour. That is what I felt when I saw the scene and what I wanted to convey when I shot this image through my window.

Posted April 27, 2013 by Mervin McDougall & filed under Commentary, Photo, Travel.

Montauk Point Coastline

Oops, I did it again. I revisited the Montauk Point area to have a look at it given the changing conditions and because things were warming up – yaaay Spring. I had also planned on exploring more of the area like the coastline which I hadn’t had an opportunity to do on my previous trip. What I encountered however was a lot more than I bargained for.

I had thought that my visit would have been much like the previous one with the lighthouse being inaccessible. But as it so happens, on this visit, the lighthouse had resumed its services opening up to visitors. This time around, I had to pay a little to get into the parking lot and yes, I had to pay to get into the lighthouse as well but it was worth every “penny” – paid by credit card. Nevertheless, I got into the lighthouse which I later understood is currently unmanned – It operates automatically. Further, the rest of the lighthouse has been converted into a museum illustrating the history of the lighthouse and the Montauk Point. The discussions given by the guides were both educational and refreshing but the real treat of the visit was getting the opportunity to ascend the spiral staircase into the light enclosure. It was there I shot the photograph depicted above showing the jagged coastline of the Point.

The Montauk Point Coastline has been etched by the Atlantic Ocean over years of slow and continuous erosion. This has created some rather steep bluffs which look out into the waters. During stormy conditions, the beach area which is visible in the photograph is not accessible so it was very fortunate that I got an opportunity to make this capture. However, the natural formation of this beach front is beautiful and is the reason why I selected it as one of the photographs to post of my visit.

In retrospect, it would have been nice if I had the opportunity for me to set up my tripod to take this photograph and properly compose the shot. Given the narrow staircase, limited room to work within and limitations as to where visitors are allowed to access, it was not at all possible to properly plan out the shot as I would have wanted to. But, that was one of the limitations of my revisit to the Montauk Point Coastline. Regardless, I enjoyed every bit of it.

Posted April 5, 2013 by Mervin McDougall & filed under Commentary, Photo, Photography.

White Mane

Like a scene straight out of a fairytale novel, a white maned horse, Jill, pauses and casts here stares in my general direction resulting in the photograph presented on the left which I have titled – White Mane. Indeed, the scene appeared almost majestic as the various elements coalesced into the composition visible here. But to explain how I got to this point let me take a step back to explain the back story.

Since my relocation to Long Island, NY last year, I had been longing for the opportunity to return to the place I now call home, Syracuse. I took the opportunity to visit some family, revisit some old familiar places and to take photographs over the Easter weekend. It was on one such photography outing with some family, Lynne, that I captured this scene.

We stopped at a nearby farm which we have frequented in the past to see two familiar horses – Jill and Jasper. On this visit, we discovered that both had two new companions – Dixie and Tiki. Tiki was not present when I shot this scene but Jill was well represented as she stood out front and center for this photograph. With her striking white mane flowing from her head to her back she stood out majestically among the other horses. Being a draft horse she stands out prominently with muscular legs and tall stature. But, in spite of her size, she is a gentle and beautiful giant.

For me, it is always a pleasure to see this horse. She embodies the sort of qualities which I fancy in horses – strong, majestic and beautiful. An of course, I can’t help but mention about her striking white mane which, to me, is her mos telling characteristic trait.

Posted January 20, 2013 by Mervin McDougall & filed under Commentary, Photo, Travel.

Lighthouse in the Reeds – Montauk Point Lighthouse

Like the opening chorus of the song from STAIND, it’s been a while since I have last posted on my blog and given some insight as to what I am currently up to. It has been a little over a month now since I have relocated to Long Island NY and I am still getting settled in. However, at this point, I am starting to explore the place a little; And, one of the first places I have visited since being on the island is the Montauk Point Lighthouse which I have illustrated in this photo posted on the left – Lighthouse in the Reeds – Montauk Point Lighthouse.

Montauk Point is one of the more easterly facing points on the island overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, and boy what a view. I personally haven’t seen the Atlantic in years now, and seeing it again was exhilarating in itself. But visiting the Point is not complete without seeing the lighthouse. Unfortunately, when I visited, access to the lighthouse was closed. So, I was unable to gather more information on the lighthouse firsthand. On the other hand, I did get to walk around the lighthouse and observe it from different vantage points – from the shoreline beneath the bluff on which the lighthouse sits, to a nearby lookout point north of the lighthouse.Among the various pictures I took that day, this is the one which stands out the most to me – the lighthouse in the reeds.

Most of the land on and surrounding the bluffs is sand. There is very little shrubbery to hold the land back from erosion except for these reeds which grow wildly around the point. To me the lighthouse almost mimics the structure of the reeds with its slender build; So, I couldn’t help it but juxtapose the two together, illustrating the light house growing within the reeds.

The lighthouse appears to be a frequently visited spot all year round. I can only imagine what it must be like during the summer when it is a little warmer. I would certainly look forward to visiting it it again then. Till then, I will enjoy and reminisce the memories of my winter visit.

Posted November 27, 2012 by Mervin McDougall & filed under Commentary, Photo, Photography.

Breaking Dawn

This is not the final installment to the Twilight saga – far from it. This is to introduce the real “Breaking Dawn”. The photo in this post was taken at Robert H. Treman State Park in Ithaca New York. And, to me, is a much accurate representation of breaking dawn.

This is one photograph that I could not possible convert to black and white because if I did, I would loose the effect of the warm sunrise over the crest of the waterfall. The warm, golden yellow color seen here is indicative of the soft glow seen from the sun as it slowly creeps its way into forest areas. The atmosphere at the top of the falls was a sort of hazy mist filled with the moisture liberated by the splashing water of the falls. The lit area to the left of the photograph define the contours of the jagged, rocky terrain lining the falls and provide depth to the image. The sun rays almost split the image in half creating an equally sized shadow area where the milky, white water of the falls cascade down to the pool below.

In contrast to the well-lit, warm, sunny area, we have the cooler parts of the falls where the water runs through. The falls cascade no less than three times, zigzagging, carving its way through the terrain until it finally terminates at the pool. The white water of the fall is indicative of the motion of the water as it descends through the rocks.

Indeed the serene scene evokes a mood of tranquility and in some ways a mood of refreshment – not only because of the cool, flowing waters of the falls but also because of the directional light cast by the rising sun. A mood which is further emphasized by its title – “Breaking Dawn”.

Posted November 26, 2012 by Mervin McDougall & filed under Commentary, Photo, Photography.

The Eyes have It

During the preparatory work for Thanksgiving, I took a photograph of a friends daughter. The part of the composition that really caught my attention at first was the back-lit area behind her as she was sitting near a window. But, this had another beneficial effect as it created a reflection on the dinner table surface and bounced a catch light into her eyes – hence the title “The Eyes have It”.

I believe there were other elements which helped this image besides the simple catch light. For one, there was the color of her hair which was more like fire embers. The color ranged from at times from golden yellow to reddish orange.

The other interesting element was her stare. This is just one of about three shots. But, it is the one where the eyes were directed straight back to the camera and, to me, gave the most dramatic effect. This, in combination with the catch light which reflected of her eyes, drew a lot of attention to her serious stare. By no means was she upset or unhappy, but I could tell in talking with her that she was exhausted from doing her morning jog.

The last element which I believe helped the image was the depth of field. Although very subtle in this image, it is noticeable on the curved part of the wooden chair she is sitting on that there is a soft blur that recedes to the window. This brings her to the foreground in a very prominent way creating a sense of depth to the image.

Of course the back-lit scene created by her proximity to the window also helped immensely in creating a minimalist, airy feeling by painting the background white. However, the combination of all the elements came together to create this rather simple but dramatic image which focused attention on the eyes. Thus, the title of the image – “The Eyes have It”.

Posted November 10, 2012 by Mervin McDougall & filed under Commentary, Photo, Photography.

Winter Berries

Thanks to the acute attention to detail of fellow photographer and instructor, Joe Inzalaco, I was able to capture something I rarely take notice of – winter berries.

We were both assisting some students at the Rozamond Gifford Zoo, taking them through the paces of adjusting their camera to take photographs manually. Upon leaving the pond where ducks and flamingos are frequently on exhibit, we paused at the primate park exhibit. There, Joe pointed to a berry plant which had lost almost all its leaves.

Thanks to thick fog and dense cloud cover this morning, the lighting was flat. There were no deep shadows and this allowed me to emphasize the small amounts of light which would break through the clouds occasionally In this case, there was a small amount of light which shone on the right side of the berries bringing drama to the image.

The leaf shown in the image was the last leaf I observed on this branch; And, I used it to counter balance the berries on the opposite side of the frame. I also used a shallow depth of field to further isolate this singular branch. The photo was taken such that the branch ran diagonally through the frame to add a dynamic feel to the image. Although I had considered converting the image to black and white, I thought the colors were rich and added more to the image than taking away. Further, the purple blurred patches in the background add to the context of the image and makes for a nice smooth background.

For a completely spontaneous image, I thought that various elements came together to make the image work. The soft lighting, the leaf, the shallow depth of field, the color all converged in making an image which emphasized depth, drama and the beauty of these “Winter Berries.”

Posted November 7, 2012 by Mervin McDougall & filed under Commentary, Photo, Photography.

Fall Daisy

Thanks to hurricane Sandy, there were many other photographs I had celebrating Fall but had not published. I was much more concerned with following the weather and the developments as it pummeled the east coast. One such photograph is the one included in this post – Fall Daisy.

I had taken numerous photographs of this daisy which could only be regarded as boring. It was boring because it seemed like any other photograph of a daisy. That is, until I decided to break some conventions of photography.

One particular convention that I have always heard of is to never place your subject too close to the edge of your frame – broken. Yes, in experimentation I decided to jettison this convention in an attempt to draw attention to the subject. But, I decided to go one step further in breaking convention.

I also decided to shoot the photograph such that the daisy is facing the edge of the frame. It is convention to provide some space to your subject to allow it to face into the frame – thrown out the window. Here, I did just the opposite allowing my subject to face outside the frame. Indeed, I could have shot this daisy in such a way that it would provide more space to the left. But, It would have taken away from the mystery and interest I wanted to draw to my subject.

The combination of the tight framing and breaking the convention by having my subject look out of the frame made for a photograph that not only broke with convention but created interest. The composition creates a lot of tension encouraging the viewer to question what lies beyond the daisy’s left side, why such tight cropping and negative space. This, however, helped transform this image from an average daisy to one which calls attention to itself.

Posted October 29, 2012 by Mervin McDougall & filed under Commentary, Photo, Photography.

Jasper the Nipper

This post is dedicated to a friend and fellow photographer, Lynne Fordham, whose dedication to getting the story through the lens often means stepping in harms way and risking lens and limb while being ambushed by “animals.”

The title of this post, Jasper the Nipper, is a horrible play on words but with good reason. Jasper, the horse depicted in this photo, is notorious for nipping just about anything that he feels like. In petting him, he has nipped at my fingers; In photographing him, he has nipped at my camera. I don’t think there is anything that he has not tried to put in his mouth. He is a rescued horse and has not really learned how to be comfortable among people hence the compulsion to nip. And, his little habit got out of hand when both Lynne and I visited the farm where he was kept.

I can only assume that the animals were cranky the day we visited. Upon entering the barn where the horses are kept, we were targeted by a rooster which insisted on attacking us regardless of where we stepped. Although we kept our distance from the bird, he absolutely refused to leave us alone and followed and attacked us throughout the entire visit. The attacks, unfortunately, seem to have been inflicted more on Lynne than myself as she is the more adventurous of the two of us.

When we finally got to see the horses, Lynne decided to enter the stalls where both Jasper and another horse, Jill, were being kept to get a closer photograph. She incidentally was using a wide angle lens which required her to be closer to get a more flattering capture. While she was taking photos of Jill, Jasper crept up behind her. I was a bit confused by his advance and had not quite figured what he was going to do next. With her back turned to Jasper, she was unaware and perhaps unconcerned, that the horse had crept up behind her, lowered his head and with the affirmation of her scream, nipped at her posterior. I was both startled and amused at the site as Lynne quickly covered her mouth with her hand, surprised and perhaps a little embarrassed at the experience, but underttered.

Even now as I write this post, thoughts still run through my mind – what was he thinking? It was bad enough that we had to suffer the attacks by the farm rooster but now the horse? But then, that is to be expected from Jasper as he has a habit at nipping at everything. Consequently, he has earned my unequivocal respect as a nipper, Jasper the Nipper.

Posted October 19, 2012 by Mervin McDougall & filed under Commentary, Photo, Photography.

Two of a Kind

It is amazing sometimes to observe some of our human like qualities being reflected in other species. In the same way we care for our young, that behavior is exhibited in other species; In the same way we may groom each other, that behavior is exhibited in other species; In the same way we cuddle when it gets cold, that behavior is exhibited in other species. These characteristics are observed in numerous species beyond our own and in this photo I have titled “Two of a Kind.”

On a rather windy day, I visited the zoo and upon passing the primate enclosure, I noticed two monkeys huddled together near a viewing area of the enclosure. The wind was not whipping, but it was certainly cooler than it had been for a couple of days and these two monkeys had huddled together, embracing each other to keep warm.

It was not just the huddle that caught my attention as this is quite common among monkeys. But, it was the addition of the stare. The stare which was directed right back at me through the window pane of the observation area. In one instant, it humanized that moment. For that one moment, I no longer felt that I was looking at an animal at a zoo, but a species that was capable of caring and sharing. To be frank, words are not needed to describe how they may have felt and what they were trying to do as this was already conveyed through their actions and their eyes. It was a warming embrace that is expressed through nothing short of love and concern for the other.

In all species of animals, there are certain behavioral characteristics that resonate with us as we exhibit the same characteristics given certain situations. Consequently, their behaviors also communicate, without words, certain things that we ourselves do. Things that are expressed in this photograph of two monkeys, “Two of a Kind.”