One Word to Capture Today in Light Writing (D135)

From hearing of the suicide of a fellow blogger who was only 31 years old, to the devastation and tragedy in Haiti, there were only a few words and thoughts on my mind. This was one of them…

I had no energy or motivation to take a picture today and even thought of skipping it entirely, even if it meant breaking my tasra365 challenge. But, as I thought about it longer, I realized I could also use it to capture a moment, a collective emotion, a worldwide thought. I don’t know that I’ve ever heard the word “pray” in social media more than I have today. So that’s what I captured.

By trying my hand at light writing for the first time, I was pretty pleased with the results. Here are the specs: Nikon D50, 28 – 80 mm lens, 2.5 sec @ f/29, ISO 200. I just played with the settings until I got what I wanted, everything black except for the writing.

I had Ron hold a video light and write each letter individually. Then I took them in Photoshop to combine the four letters in one image. I didn’t add the flare, that happened with the light when we held it still. Just increased contrast. Easier than I expected.

How are you doing with all the media today? Okay? Please know that if you ever need someone to talk to, I’m just an email away. Seriously. I’ll leave the comments open today if anyone wants to share.

Manual: Page 13—Adjusting Viewfinder Focus.

Images: Looked at news images of the devastation in Haiti.