Leech - Magic light and the dynamic landscape: create breathtaking photographs working with light and weather

DEDICATION

Id like to dedicate this book to the spirit of Nancy Rotenberg, who not only taught me photography but gave me wings to fly and discover my own journey in photography and the creative life. She was an amazing woman, mentor, photographer and, most of all, friend.

Copyright 2014 by Jeanine Leech.

All rights reserved.

All photographs by the author unless otherwise noted.

Published by:

Amherst Media, Inc.

P.O. Box 586

Buffalo, N.Y. 14226

Fax: 716-874-4508

www.AmherstMedia.com

Publisher: Craig Alesse

Senior Editor/Production Manager: Michelle Perkins

Editors: Barbara A. Lynch-Johnt, Harvey Goldstein, Beth Alesse

Editorial Assistance from: Carey A. Miller, Sally Jarzab, John S. Loder

Associate Publisher: Kate Neaverth

Business Manager: Adam Richards

Warehouse and Fulfillment Manager: Roger Singo

ISBN-13: 978-1-60895-807-8

Library of Congress Control Number: 2013952503

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No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopied, recorded or otherwise, without prior written consent from the publisher.

Notice of Disclaimer: The information contained in this book is based on the authors experience and opinions. The author and publisher will not be held liable for the use or misuse of the information in this book.

CONTENTS

T he person we hope to become lives inside each of us. We dont all get there, but we must never stop trying. The hardest part of writing a book has been writing the bio. Talking about magic light is one thing, and talking about myself is another!

As a child, if I wasnt outside playing, I was drawing. My mother, a fine painter and avid photographer, swears that my first-grade teacher raved about my natural sense of composition. My father, a computer repairman, taught me the benefits of hard work and attention to detail. My two older brothers let me tag along through the woods, climbing rock walls and wading hip deep in creeks while keeping lunch dry. I see now that my childhood was basic training for landscape photography. At age fourteen, I saved my money and bought a Pentax K-1000 camera, and photography became my passion.

I graduated from high school knowing that inside of me was a photographer wanting to get out. I earned a degree in Visual Communications from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh in 1987. I soon found myself, the child of a man who worked in the digital world and a woman who worked in the arts, employed as a graphic designer and riding the wave of desktop publishing. Life was good, the camera went digital, I went Nikon, and I never stopped wanting to be a photographer.

It wasnt until 1995 that I stopped wanting to become a photographer and found the courage to become that photographer. I owe a tremendous debt to the late photographer Nancy Rotenberg and will forever cherish the years I spent by her side. She taught me how to see light and all the magic that can be squeezed out of it from behind the camera but, more importantly, she also showed me how to ignite my artistic vision and create captivating art. She helped me to realize that it is the uniqueness of the artist that matters, and we all need to follow our own path.

Photo by Chris Keys.

My images have appeared in national and international magazines, they adorn the luxury boxes at the home of the Pittsburgh Penguins Hockey Club, and I have written my own book. I have been honored to win awards in both design and photography, and I am grateful for the support of family, friends, coworkers, and fellow photographers for letting me be me.

For more information and to view my latest work, please visit my web site at photos. jeanineleech.com or 500px.com/JeanineLeech.

I d like to acknowledge my mom, Mary Lou Smith, for passing along her love of art and photography and encouraging me to pursue my own path.

Thanks go out to my dad and my brothers, Ken and Denny, for all their love, support, and encouragement of my art through the years.

I am also grateful to Michael Lustbader for all his photographic support, help, and advice. He is always ready to lend a hand (or equipment) and share his mobile library. I am forever grateful for his friendship.

Special thanks to Perri (and Tom) Schelat for opening their home to me. Due to their generosity, I was able to experience the trip of a lifetime. Perri and I hiked to new heights to capture the beautiful scenery of Glacier National Park with our cameras. We had great fun, and I thank her for sharing some of her favorite spots with me.

Linda Torbert, my on-the-road roomie, and I laughed and giggled on several trips. Linda has the biggest heart of anyone I know, and I treasure the times weve spent together.

To Matt Polk, thank you for making my dreams to photograph the Pittsburgh Penguins Hockey Club come true.

Thanks go out to Robert Agnew for the guided tours in the Smoky Mountains and Colorado.

My gratitude goes out to Art Becker for recognizing my talent and passing the word along to others. Although we just met, I value his kind words and practical advice.

Thank you, Jim McNutt, for telling me Im the best photographer, hands down. (I wish that was true!)

I am honored to have had the help of Jennifer Costa, who has edited my previous writing (too many times) without hesitation.

Thanks to you, Chris Ciardi, for encouraging me to pursue my dreams.

And finally, thanks to Amherst Media for allowing me the opportunity to share my knowledge and images so that other photographers can capture magic too.

Y ouve probably heard it said many times that photography is painting with light or that photography is all about light. Its true. The artist inside me loves the idea of painting with light. I use it as a brush for color, texture, and dimension to create dynamic and expressive images. Once you learn to see the light and read how your camera will record it, you can move beyond the ordinary image to the dynamic.

Sunlight breaks through the clouds for a fleeting moment to light up and isolate a group of trees from the mountainside.

FOCAL LENGTH: 58mm | ISO: 100 | APERTURE: f/20 | SHUTTER SPEED: