The Color of Dawn

The Early Bird Gets The Worm...

When photographers talk about that magical morning light, let me clarify something, that magical light only exists before the sun comes up. When that warmth giving globe shows up its too late.

The first day of Thanksgiving break was an early one, no sleeping in for me, the plan was to get up, drive to East Bay, Utah Lake, and photograph the sunrise. Bundled up in all the warmest layers I could find, I stepped into the frigid cold and smiled. One can't really help but smile when they are surrounded by the beauty I saw. The mountains in every direction were perfect silhouettes, in the still morning air the leafless trees stood like statues carved by Michaelangelo, the frost protested my every step, and more profound than all else, the lake stood absolutely still, mirroring the shades of dawn on the sky.
    Needless to say, despite the cold, (so deep, I rejoiced when my hands warmed enough to feel cold again), I had a great morning. The dark forced me to use a tripod, which made my pictures so much clearer. With a tripod, and a remote, I could also use tiny apertures and long exposures to get the colors I wanted.

These are some of my very best work, so I'd like to talk about why I think they are so great. I'll touch on three things I like to see in photographs.

Mood

My favorite aspect of taking pictures is the challenge of capturing the essence of a single moment in time. One of the greatest spices of life is distinguishable moods. In this photograph for example, I find a sense of peace, the still water, the clear, but insignificant background, the splash of color center left.

My favorite flavor of mood is emotion, when I capture a frame that depicts an emotion, I feel like I've struck gold. So, for what its worth, next time you click the shutter ask what you want that picture to make you feel.

Framing

If you look carefully, I couldn't have staged a more perfectly framed picture. I love how everything is almost perfectly symetrical. the branches, the line of sticks, the rock and bush, everything has a pair.

Trying to find all the different pairs keeps the eye moving from place to place, and when you step back, and look at it all over again. The picture is like a self contained explosion of patterns. Natural framing is easy to find if you look for it, and even a partial frame, adds a lot of dimension.

Once Upon a Time

I'm a sucker for a good story, and though I'm not sure what story I want my pictures to tell, I know I want them to tell a story. Stories are something everyone has in common, because everyone has a story to share. And not just everyone, but everything. Think for  minute how many things these trees have seen. When I look at this photo, I wonder what the middle tree's story is, what happened that broke it? how does it feel next its three full fledged brothers? If a picture can tell a story, then a picture will be looked at time and time again. Because the funny thing about stories, is that stories change, just like people, lakes, trees... everything, the story of change is always a story worth telling.

Students Reading

Admittedly I have spent more time than I care to admit engrossed between the covers of a good book. A summer day has few other motivations greater than that urge to find a tree, and start reading, and never come back to reality.

When I first came on campus I was amazed to see how many people were reading. Little did I know that I would soon be joining their ranks... this memory came to mind when I read something about the great photographers of days past. It said that there is only a few thin strands that link all of humankind. Those photographers all tried to show those strands and to me, reading is one of them, it is a sobering truth that much of the world is illiterate, and it seems a paradox that those of who can read don't appreciate it near as much as those who don't know what mysteries lie in the printed word.

As I walked around campus, even on a somewhat chilly afternoon, there was still a few dedicated readers with their noses in books.

The first picture I love because it could have been me... jeans and a hoodie, with a tree to scratch my back on... the second picture might be my favorite because it talks. Most pictures are pretty silent, but the rake in the background seems to make all the difference. If reading is a link common to all humans, so is the idea of giving up work for leisure.. who needs to rake leaves anyways? :)

The third picture actually sparkles if you could see it big. and the low level makes it seem like you're on the grass glancing over, which I was...

The last picture might be my second favorite. I still have this fear of photographing people... because everyone looks at you really funny. But I couldn't pass this one up, the wind was blowing, so the leaves, her scarf, and her hair were all getting tossed. Notice her hand on her books.

Some photographers try to show a certain emotion, or maybe have a favorite action or subject, or composition. I'm not sure what I want to say yet. But what I do know is that I want my photographs to bring back memories. When anyone looks at my work, I don't want them to wonder why I took it or how, I want them to think back on their own lives and remember a time when the same thing happened to them.

-Alex Mageno

I Believe an Introduction is in Order!

Ah the sweet first words that are supposed to grab my readers’ attention and hold on to it a chlorine ion cleaves unto that sodium ion… well, I’m stumped. Did my picture catch your eye though? That could work First, let me start by introducing this blog. Lets meet the writer/photographer/editor/public relations/editor/manager/human wonder man, oh, thats me! My name is Alex Mageno, I’m a freshman at BYU studying Nutritional Science, and sadly I’ve been diagnosed with a rare form of areversableshuttermorphitis and unfortunately there is no known cure. So I’m afraid I’ll be snapping photos until the day it kills me. But I like to think of myself as an optimist and I’m going to make the best of this. By starting a blog!

You might notice that all my pictures are black and white…. no, its not your busted computer screen, its actually on purpose. Black and White is to photography as Poetry is to literature. To write in black and white, you must know exactly what you want to say because what most people do in a hundred pages you must do in one paragraph. Without color to hide behind, black and white photographs are all about light, patterns, texture, depth… the elements that make a photograph speak.

Of course, I’m a believer that rules were made to be broken, so don’t be surprised if a saturated image pops up once in a while.

So if I may be so bold as to change your way of looking,

I dare you to step outside the cocoon of color that blinds you everyday and take a look at what you are really seeing