Photo of the Month | March 2021

Vincent Petro April 1, 2021

I awoke to the soft tapping sound of rain falling outside my cracked open bedroom window. I could feel the cold air rushing into my room. It was well before sunrise and the conditions were not looking great. If I’ve learned anything over the years of taking photos, it's that you should never let the weather deter you from getting out with the camera. So with this in the back of my mind, I gathered my gear, changed into my hiking clothes, and headed out to one of my favorite local locations.

“Confined” - 4/8/20 | 1/500, F/9, 50mm, ISO 100

Photo of the Month | April 2020

Vincent Petro May 1, 2020

There isn’t much to be said about the photo of the month for April. I simply wandered around the house observing how the light shined through the windows, creating abstract shapes as it came in contact with the objects in the room. I used these shapes created by the light and resulting shadows to create this abstract black and white photo. It was a great creative exercise to keep the photography muscles in my brain active and responsive while stuck in lockdown. Since we have been given a little bit extra time due to the lockdown, I figured I would use that time to go through my Lightroom catalog and reminisce about past trips and outing with the camera.

“All in Line” - 2/2/20 | 1/10 sec, F/11, 92mm, ISO 100

Photo of the Month | February 2020

Vincent Petro March 1, 2020

February was a very up and down month for photography. The weather here in Michigan continued it's trend of not so great wintry conditions. We had a few good snow showers but nothing too exciting. The temperatures fluctuated from high to low so most of the snow that did fall didn’t stay for longer than a week. These kinds of conditions are not very inspiring to me, so as a result, I struggled to capture many photos that I liked. In my January Photo of the Month blog post, I talked about how I visited a new location for the first time and saw a lot of potential in it. A week after taking my January photo of the month at this new location I was back for more.

“Lonesome” - 1/25/20 | 1/3 sec, F/9, 80mm, ISO 100

Photo of the Month | January 2020

Vincent Petro February 1, 2020

I began the New Year very hopeful for the future of my photography and excited for the remaining months of winter. As the first month of the year flew by, I began to be uninspired by the landscape around me. The weather was just short of miserable except for the one snowstorm that blew through Michigan. This mid-January snowstorm felt like my only chance to capture a compelling photo during the month or even the entire winter. I watched the weather forecast very closely in the 24 hours leading up to the storm hitting. The storm was due to hit in the middle of the night and would continue through the following morning. With this forecast, I knew exactly where I needed to go to shoot. Since October I have had my eye on a tree that stands on its own on the top of a hill. I envisioned a snowstorm blowing through, causing a whiteout, allowing me to take a minimalist photo of the tree. This forecasted snowstorm had all the ingredients for the photo I wanted to capture.

Photo of the Month | January 2019

Vincent Petro April 14, 2019

I have decided to start a monthly blog where I share my favorite photo(s) from each month. Even though we are half way through April I thought it would be good to take a look back at my favorite photos so far this year. These photos of the month may not always be my “best” photos but instead will be my “favorite” photos. They may be my favorites because of the experience of taking the photo, the conditions on that particular day, or just simply because I really like the photo. I want this monthly blog to be a platform where I can share the background on some of my photos. I also want this blog to be a way for me to continuously review my work, ensuring I’m always learning and taking steps to improve as a photographer.

“Companions of the Void” - 1/18/19 | 8 Shot Vertical Panorama, 1/13, f/9.0, 86mm, ISO 100

I chose this minimalist panorama as my photo of the month for January because of the absolutely perfect wintry conditions I got to experience. The complete white-out was caused by a heavy Michigan snow storm, making for a calm, quiet, and peaceful morning out with the camera. I love shooting in these conditions because of the way it simplifies the landscape and allows for the creation of minimalist photos. I was originally unsure about this photo because of the visual tug of war created by the two lone islands. As time has passed I have grown to love this photo and love the connection created by the two subjects. I like to think of these islands as one an others only companions in a world void of anything else.