Troy Mason Photography Blog

An image in the hand is worth two in the bush

I'm excited to announce that I'm offering several new gift products. Now, besides getting fine art prints on metal, canvas, wood, and more, you can grab a coffee cup, a puzzle, a phone case, or stickers!

2020 was tough for all of us. I had photo shows and events canceled, hikes and climbs canceled, vacations put off. But it was still a good year, and I'm thankful for my family, health, and happiness. Click through to read about some things I was able to do...

Locals who live around Mount Rainier have a question always top of mind -- "is The Mountain out?" Even after a lifetime of living in the area, I often have my breath taken away when She shows herself.

See photos and read the narrative from The Front Steps Project, in which I took family portraits – at the client’s home, from the yard, observing social distancing rules – in exchange for a monetary donation to charity. In about a month and with generous donations of the families, about $1,500 was raised for Nourish Pierce County. It was an awesome, rewarding experience!

I've decided to take part in The Front Steps Project, as a way to give back to my city of Tacoma, Washington. I'm hoping to bring a little joy to my neighborhood, and also to raise money for those less fortunate or in a tough situation, I will volunteer my talents and produce a professional portrait in exchange for a donation to one of my favorite charities, Nourish Pierce County.

What do you think about the difference between the original and edited shots of Mount Abrams near Ouray, Colorado? Does the difference surprise you?

I'm often asked about what goes into making my images, especially since I only exhibit and sell black and white images. In a nutshell, I do basic editing for exposure, convert to black and white, darken the image, add contrast by increasing the exposure of just highlights, and then dodge and burn selected areas. The dodging and burning is where I spend the most time, trying to get highlights in a pattern that leads the eye through the image.

Recently I've explored luminosity masking, which is a technique to dodge and burn not just select areas of an image, but select tones as well. This is hard to do and time consuming, but adds a ton of flexibility and granularity with respect to creating the tonality I'm after. More important, however, is creativity and vision. My images work best when I know what I'm after, and can effectively translate the mood, experience, and emotions through the editing.

I'll share thoughts on the creative process another time. Until then, be well!

I've been working hard to expand my photography business and have just launched this website. I'm celebrating with a giveaway and a special launch promotion.