Monument Valley is part of the Colorado Plateau and consists of a cluster of vast sandstone buttes, some over 1000 feet high with overall elevation of the park at 5000 to 6000 elevation. Desert climate with cold winters and hot summers are to be expected. Cameras need to be protected from the dust as well as bumpy roads.
This road in the movie "Forrest Gump" is infamous where Forrest decided to go home. It is located on the back side of Monument Valley and popular with photographers. Director John A Ford also used Monument Valley as the location for many of his films from the 1930s.
A handful of Navajo (10 families) make their home in the park, where they live without running water or electricity and rely on farming and grazing for income. All visitors must exit before the sun goes down and are asked to respect their privacy. I hope you get a chance to visit.
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Arches National Park – This relatively small park is spectacular with its concentration of arches, fantastic monoliths and fins with the La Sal Mountains in the background (snowcapped and especially stunning in winter). The scenic paved road is only a 45-mile round trip.
The Balanced Rock defies the unstoppable forces of nature.
The Windows in winter is even more magical!
Delicate arch is hard to photograph unless you hike, and thus was disappointing.
Canyonlands National Park – This is a huge park with three districts separated by an impassible river system (the Colorado River and Green River), so plan wisely. The Upper section – Island in the Sky - is the most approachable and easy to visit without the need for hiking. It has sweeping canyon vistas, outstand rock formations with some arches as well. Mesa Arch is a classic photo opportunity, especially at sunrise, with canyons and the La Sal Mountains seen through the arch, but requires a hike up hill in the dark. I did it and not easy.
Take a side trip to Dead Horse Point in this state park for two panoramic views, one with a view of the bend in the Colorado River.
The other two districts (the Maze- wild and desolate and Needles- known for its diversity of pinnacles, arches, grabens and canyons) are more adventurous, requiring hiking, 4x4 vehicles or backpacking. Thus, we did not try to visit them.
I hope you get a chance to visit Moab and the other parks in Southern Utah.
]]>Lots of interesting spots to photograph here with different photographer and camera requirements.
Let’s explore Antelope Canyon, a sandstone slot canyon East of Page AZ, near Lake Powell and the Utah – AZ border. The slot canyons were formed from millions of years of water erosion and the canyon walls climb 120 feet above the sandy stream bed. The Upper Antelope Canyon is more accessible as it does not require stair or ladder climbing on shifting sandy ground. It is necessary to book a tour with Navajo guides (as it is in the LeChee Chapter of the Navajo nation). and best to book a photography tour if you can use a tripod and a DSLR, SLR or mirrorless camera needed for each member of your group. Non photographers are NOT allowed. The extra expense is well worth it. I would recommend Adventurous Antelope Canyon Photo Tours, LLC. 928 380-1874 and for the photographer tours https://www.navajoantelopecanyon.com/Photo.asp
The light beams are only visible during the summer months, best between late March and early October. However, my September 27 visit was too late to see them. However, I think less light glare produced better color and vibrancy in the images. Also, were less routine.
In honor of the Grand Canyon’s 100th year anniversary as a National Park, I thought I would review some winter photographs I took at the park over the past 5 years. The Grand Canyon is the 15th site in the US to have been named a national park. Located in Northwest Arizona, the canyon is a mile-deep gorge created by the Colorado River and 18 miles at its widest spot. In the past it reached the Pacific but for the last two decades it stopped flowing after about 750 miles.
It is one of the seven natural wonders of the word, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most photographed landscapes in the world.
Happy New Year. Hope this will be an inspiration to us all!
]]>Some thoughts and decisions to consider:
In Gloucester, I can grow English lavender (Hidcote)
but in Arizona the common variety is French or Spanish lavender (also called butterfly or Anouk lavender).
A trip to England and the Cotswold’s happened to be at lavender time. A visit to a lavender farm allowed me to photograph the lavender fields up close. Remember, when telling a story, you want to highlight the big picture, smaller views and of course close ups.
Visual storytelling may include captions, but the picture is the key element.
Pre-visualize the story you want to tell. What will be the lead shot, subsequent shots and a closing shot.
Think about all the key elements in your photography, such as light and composition.
The images should emote a felling or meaning.
Never be afraid of failure. We learn from our mistakes.
Do a quick survey of your older images and see what you come up with. Narrow the list down to ten pictures and write why you liked them. You may be surprised!
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Straight Fireworks_Shot with Multiple Bursts in One Frame |
12. Try in camera triple exposures if you have a Nikon DSLR - keep on auto gain. See above.
The year's 4th of July photo montages from our July 3rd Gloucester fireworks. Enjoy.
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Infrared Photography |
Infrared photography captures invisible form of light beyond the visible spectrum (or below the red). Digital cameras are converted to infrared or near infrared cameras by removing the hot mirror or infrared cut off filter that would normally block infrared. A different filter is added in the specific range of infrared light you wish to capture. Some infrared converted cameras can record a small degree of visible light in the red range of the spectrum to produce color or supercolor infrared, such as this image. Red and blue channels are flipped in Photoshop to produce a blue sky. Hues can also be adjusted.
*I shoot with super color infrared 590 nm with a Sony mirrorless camera- this adds some near infrared - to allow vibrant saturated color to the image mainly yellows and blues. Mirrorless cameras are best for infrared since they can focus on this invisible light better that normal DSLR's. The most common conversions are 720 nm or standard that record the red region of the spectrum which are then processed as a B&W image.
*Anything alive will reflect IR light - green parts of plants will appear bright white in near infrared - due to chlorophyll transparency in infrared light, most pronounced during spring growth.
*Wood's effect - foliage strongly reflects light causing dreamlike white foliage. And water or sky reflects infrared light to produce dark water and sky.
*Surreal effects can be produced which differ from those captured with visible light. Different tones are produced but also many challenges requiring extensive post-processing work!
External filters can also be used to produce an infrared image. However, since they block visible light long exposures, manual mode a tripod are required. Also the image must be prefocused before the filter is placed on the lens. Infrared Photography is an experimental process of discovery! Hope you enjoy these new images.
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I was having a serious slow down in processing using Lightroom, and making these adjustments did help. I hope they help you as well.
]]>Then all these dawn patrol balloonists and their volunteers fire the balloons with the hot air lighting up the sky in brilliant colors.
With the start of the mass ascension at daybreak, hundreds of balloons launch in two waves, orchestrated by the "Zebras".
The sky was filled with hundreds of colorful balloons. And their chase cars needed to follow them for pick up when they landed.
]]>1. Explore abstracts in Black & White. Even if the sky is too bright and weather too hot, stay cool by walking around the dockside looking for reflections.
2. If days are bright and sun producing glare and dappled light on flowers in the garden, use a translucent (one or 2 stop) diffuser overhead to soften the light (as a big cloud would). I like the Lastolite trigrip diffuser panel with a handle.
3. Create a photo in the studio with an LED lite panel and a large acrylic sheet to produce a reflection. I have these panels in white, black and mirror surface.
4. Try freezing flowers and letting them melt in the sun. Amazing results can be achieved and you will feel cooler shooting them.
5. Try slow shutter speeds at dusk around the water. Will be terrific if lights dot the shoreline or cars are driving by in the distance. A tripod is essential.
Enjoy the rest of your summer!
I would be easier in warmer water with a snorkel.
]]>Symmetry is captivating. All hand held since the flash freezes motion.
Add a texture or make a digital painting for your inner Monet.
This garden scene was shot with my dSLR as a comparison.
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1. Flash -continued
Aperture - controls flash exposure of the subject
Shutter Speed - controls the ambient light (background).
So, in manual mode on the camera, by dragging the shutter - reducing the shutter speed (ie duration) - you will bring in more ambient light to the background while choosing an appropriate aperture, flash will control the exposure of your subject.
To drag the shutter, choose a shutter speed slightly under the sync speed (typical SS is 1/125, 1/60th or even 1/30th).
2. Camera Max Sync Speed - Do not exceed your camera's max synchronization speed - usually around 1/250th. In manual, usually choose 1/125th as a start.
3. Watch your background - Look for simple non distracting background. Move your subject if need be. Avoid patterns and high contrast. Keep your subject far away from the background (8-10 feet if possible) to soften the background. For portraits, back, off-white or neutral tones (mid grey) are often used so not to clash with skin tones, hair coloring or clothing.
4. Hi Key - overexposed white background
Low Key - dark tones with black background.
Need to light a white background to be white. If not, it will be grey to black.
Make it your New Year's resolution to use available light - any light that is available - from daylight, lamp or flashlight to pop up flash or stand alone flash units!
2. Control contrast - Contrast is the difference in brightness between highlights and shadows. Hi contrast - shadows are pure black - adds increased depth if desired.
Decrease contrast - by adding light to shadows with fill flash. Reduce the flash EV or output to minus 1 1/3 to minus 2. Some cameras will. do this automatically in the Program mode. Keep the dome diffuser off and the bounce card up to get catch lights in the eyes.
3. Basic Flash Settings: Manual Flash, TTL-BL or TTL. Manual Flash: either Full, 1/4 power if >10 feet away from subject or 1/8 power if < 10 feet away. TTL-BL to light background and subject - with aperture priority or Program mode - and matrix metering (or evaluative with Canon cameras - thus i-TTL for Nikon while e-TTL for Canon)
TTL to light just the subject (and control how the environment will look) with Camera on Manual and spot or center weighted metering.
4. Rear curtain sync (second curtain sync - Canon) - is best. It fires the flash at the end of the interval to produce the blur trailing behind the movement (instead of in front). For Blinkers - use front curtain sync or manual flash to turn off pre-flash.
5. White Balance - Custom, Flash or Auto. Auto best if using flash intermittently during your shoot. CTO (color temperature orange) gel can be used to balance light or create a warming effect.
More about Flash next month. E mail me your questions!
Quantity
Quality
Direction
Color Temperature
Soft light has a slow and gradual shift from highlights, to neutrals, to shadows – creates diffuse light with soft shadows.
More to follow.
]]>Choose your center of interest and make it stand out or be part of the whole scene depending of what you want to express.
Change your angle of view and move around. For example, look at a field straight on, or take the picture at an angle leading towards something else of interest.
Try both verticals and horizontal views. Verticals are less common since you need to rotate the camera but are often more interesting.
Don't forget to look up!!
You can obtain a sun star shooting with a narrow aperture, such as f/22. Don't look directly at the sun with your eyes or your camera).
Add a secondary light to the flowers themselves for emphasis.
Change the background to black with black acrylic for reflections for more drama. Digital paint for a romantic look.
When able to do outdoor photography with spring to summer flowers, try wide open apertures to get bokeh, or soft backgrounds.
f/3.2
f/36
1. Get to know the people you are photographing. Make them comfortable. Ask about their shop and their jobs.
2. I always like to give back. I return on many occasions to the same locale and bring prints for them as gifts or give them jpegs if desired for their own social medial and PR. Word spreads and the cooperation keeps improving.
3. Linger. Don't rush. Be part of the community. This will allow you time to set up for a particular photo even using off camera flash without causing discomfort or alarm.
4. Accept humble offerings of coffee, cheese, pasta etc. since they want to show you that your work is valuable to them. Show respect and they will respect you.
5. Enjoy your new found friends. Expand your horizon and try other neighborhoods that you would like to get to know.
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Shoot in aperture priority with exposure compensation to make adjustments in exposure as your go to setting. Learn to use manual when you need greater control, such as the studio setting with accessory lighting.
Please let me know what I can do to help. Would a Lightroom Boot Camp or "Learning to See the Light" tutorial help? Group or individual instruction is available. [email protected]. Happy New Year, Judith
BONUS SLIDESHOW:
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Learn the rules but then try breaking them to see the effects? Have fun and look around you. Slow down by using a tripod. Learn by making mistakes.
]]>An assignment I was given at the Griffin Museum of Photography Atelier 21 program recently was “A Sense of Place”. We were told to walk around and shoot images of the area where you live, spend your weekends, were you work, etc. Thinking about that I planned on staying around my home and area. I did not want to include the gardens since so much of what I do is flower and still life photography. I decided to photograph the day to day life and joy of my pets. Since it was not easy walking with them on a dual leash and shooting with a DSLR, I was not happy with the results. So I changed the concept to more of a illustrative approach such as for a Children’s book: “THE JOY OF A DOGS LIFE”. I used the new Topaz Impression application after basic processing in LightRoom. More to do and text to write!
Cuba's wake up time with his toy "Baby".
Tony and Cuba waiting for their morning walk.
Down the driveway!
Pure joy running on the morning dew covered lawn.
Starting the exploration:
Their favorite place:
What do you think? A fun assignment. Try it yourself with Topaz Impression.
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1. Look for bad weather with great skies before a storm as well as the post storm quiet. This gives you freedom to go beyond the golden hours of predawn and dusk. Protect your gear with a shower cap or just dry off with a towel when done shooting.
Even rainy days can present unique opportunities. Try shooting through your windshield for a unique blurred water look.
2. Trust your instinct. If a site looks inviting, explore it further looking for angles and the direction of light to enhance the effect you envision. Walk around. Apps will help you predict sunrise, sunset and moonrise. I recommend TPE, The Photographer's Ephemeris. Here is a link to a good review of Shooting the moon with help from this app.
3. Learn to tell a story or awaken the viewers imagination. Look for a strong element in the foreground to anchor your image, mid ground to balance and give direction, while choosing a background that will tie it all together and set the stage.
4. Capture an impression of what you see using light, movement and all your camera settings. Control of aperture and shutter speed (actually shutter duration) will provide the necessary tools if you take control. Supplementary fill flash of the foreground may be helpful to add interest to the foreground. Adding texture or other painterly effects can help.
5. HDR (High Dynamic Range) is another tool you can utilize to show the full tonal range of an image. By capturing multiple images in rapid succession in aperture priority with a fixed aperture but with varying Shutter Speed you can produce an image that your eye can see but the camera cannot yet capture effectively in one shot. Set up for 3 to 5 exposure bracketed shots (each varying by one f stop for under, correct and overexposed images) on Continuous High with a tripod or steady handhold. Process these images in Photoshop with merge to HDR, NIK HDR Efex Pro or Photomatix Pro.
Shipwrecks were quite common during storms and war with hidden danger around every corner. Treasures buried in the sands and journals left behind provide hints of a seafaring family’s way of life.
With this set up in my studio, tethered to a laptop for instantaneous review, shards were photographed against a graduated grey background –
overview as well as macro detail shots.
Then after assembly, embedded in sand and mortar as if found that way beneath the sea.
Final Installation is on four walls at the Cape Ann Museum, Gloucester, MA. (see below). A fifth wall will have Chinese export plates transformed by Diane KW using the diary and logbook documents. Hope you can visit.
Judith Monteferrante Photography
]]>But with that out of the way, let’s have some fun.
See my new business listing on: http://www.GoTree.biz
]]>1. Strobes (or Flash) vs. Available Light:
During a performance, flash is typically avoided due to its distracting effect. Occasionally off camera flash on a light stand on stage is allowed, but don’t overwhelm the stage lights. Use Spot metering mode on the main musician’s face which should be in the light since the background is best left dark. Using aperture priority, an aperture of F/4-5.6 is a good starting point, but you may need a wide open aperture of F/2.8 with a fast lens. This will limit the DOF (depth of field), but keeping the performers in one plane will help. Usually a high enough ISO to allow a reasonable shutter speed should be quite doable if you have a fairly current low noise hi ISO camera. If not possible, seize the effect of motion or learn to anticipate pauses and shoot then. In the studio, I shoot with 4 to 5 strobes and always in Manual mode with F/8-11 typically and 1/125, with an ISO 200 (to 400). I meter the foreground and background with a hand held light meter and adjust the lights accordingly. If using a white background, overexpose it by one to one ½ stops. If black, keep light off the background for pure black.
2. On Location: During an indoor performance, learn to keep quiet and keep a low profile. Look for simplicity and avoid distracting elements in the frame as much as possible. Keep to the side to separate the musicians from their microphone. Try to show the interaction among the musicians. Capture the musicians enjoying themselves; their “music face”.
3. Prepare: Creativity is a must and look for a theme or storytelling quality. Plan ahead with some possible scenarios. Listen to your client regarding what their needs and ideas are. Props are important and may be instruments, microphones or items of clothing such as jackets or hats. Push the limits for possible poses. Keep in mind the style of their music and the instruments they use. Meet with them in advance and review some possibilities. Note their hair color since if dark haired against a black background they will benefit from hair light. Have at least a dark and a white background with possible gels to add color. Prepare as much as you can in advance. I test some lighting scenarios on myself the day of the shoot.
4. Clothing: Solid colors without logos or patterns are the best. At least two changes of clothing – one relaxed and one more formal with choice of dark and light outfits. Dark or black clothing against a dark background is slimming. Keep tones and styles similar if shooting 2 or more people. Avoid sleeveless tops except for the young – long sleeve is best. Avoid lots of jewelry. Simple casual clothes such as jeans and a white or black T shirt are timeless.
5. Expressions: Look for facial expressions and posture. Vary the positions and have some looking at the camera, some looking away, some looking at each other. With or without their instruments. Some contemplative, some smiling. With and without singing and or playing. Make it a two way conversation.
Let’s review six key elements that I believe add to this magic: eyes, patterns, reflections, action, environment and/or the young.
The link to the book preview to "Once Upon a Time, We were invited to a Castle" Lismore Castle in Ireland. Take a look! Full preview available.
September High Five Photo Tips:
1. Ideally travel light: one body (unless you have the room for a spare), enough memory cards, and a lightweight monopod. My favorite is a roller camera bag. Remember you need to protect against heat, cold, sand and moisture. Extra trash bags come in handy. I don’t like to carry extra weight, and would rather walk around just with the camera and lens for freedom, and leave all the extras in the hotel or car.
2. Travel opens up a wide scope of genres for the avid photographer to explore, and choice of lens or lenses is important. If you can select one glass, opt for a fast zoom such as an 18-200mm DX or 28-300mm FX etc. Sometimes you’ll find the focal point far off in the distance, but other times it could be right under your nose, as such a variable focal length lens that starts with a healthy wide angle and follows through to telephoto is ideal. If you have extra room or would prefer a wider choice consider: a portrait prime lens (e.g. 50mm or 85mm), a wide angle lens or fisheye (e.g. 10-24mm) and a telephoto (e.g. 70-200mm or 80-400mm).
3. Shooting in RAW will offer the greatest flexibility on your return and highest resolution files. It is best to download your images to a laptop or photo storage device every night which will also allow a quick review to make sure all your settings are ok. When you go off shooting, take twice the amount of cards/capacity with you than you would expect to need as well as spare batteries, lens cleaners and a towel if it rains to dry your camera and a pillow case to protect your camera from sand if needed.
4. Each night, after a busy day with your camera, take the time to add keywords and locations of places, people and activities featured in your photos while still fresh in your memory.
5. In choice tourist destinations, it can be difficult thinking of novel ways to shoot recognizable landmarks and sight-seeing subjects. I prefer to focus on originality and plan for a story I want to tell. My Lismore Castle Book is one such example. This helps me plan what shots I took each day, remembering to get the long views at different times of the day, macro and detail shots and enough people and location shots to anchor the story. Take a look at the book preview on the link above to see what I mean.
2. A great portrait does not always need the face - add mystery. Less may be more!
3. Props or the environment are often an important part of the portrait. This includes clothing. Be aware of everything!
4. Look for a plain or simple background. Avoid distracting the eye with a busy background or an over-bright sky. You may need to move your subject. Sometimes standing a bit further away and zooming in to throw the background out of focus will be needed for a background to be less distracting and make your subject stand out easily.
5. Be aware of various skin tones and preset your White Balance to a neutral target (custom white balance (WB) with a white or grey WB card or by shooting a color checker WB card to correct later.
1. Taking pictures in the Golden Hour around sunrise and sunset. Requires more stamina and early to wake and late to dinner, but the light is gorgeous and an accepted rule for professional nature photographers. Mid day is a challenge but the shadows create magical contrast and quiet more intimate scenes. There are lots of ways to counter the harsh light, but that is for another blog posting. This is also a great time to shoot with an infrared converted camera. Always have your camera at hand, any time of day.
2. Rule of Thirds. This is a good start but not the only guideline for composition. It is essential however to not place the horizon line in mid image. That is a snapshot, not a photograph. Avoid fly by shooting, where thought is not required. Slow down. Move and reposition.
These Orca whales divide the scene but the dramatic back lighting and reflections overcome that restraint. These tomatoes are another example.
3. Trust your TTL (Through the Lens) camera metering. Metering is set to put mid gray in the middle of the tonal range. Therefore, if your image is mainly white, this will be metered as mid gray. Thus, the resultant image will be midtoned and the snow, grey and not white. For a largely white scene such as a snow scape or fog scene, when shooting in aperture priority, add +1 or more exposure comp.
4. All photos should have a bell shaped histogram and thus average. Wrong. Every image should have its own shaped histogram depending on the tones in the image. A purely black and white zebra, will only have tones at both ends of the scales. An image with dark to mid tones, like this cabbage and pepper abstract, will have a left shifted curve. There is NO NORMAL.
5. Always shoot with the sun to your back. Most of the above images prove that wrong and boring. Nothing is as magical as back light and as revealing of texture as side light. Move and explore the potential of light.
NEWS ON COURSES I am teaching:
1. Creative Lighting Photography
with Judith Monteferrante - at North Shore Community College, Danvers, MA
Four Tuesday evenings in February, 2013 (Feb 5 through 26th)
For complete information, click on the link in blue above, go to the blue "Search" column on the left, click on "Instructor" and choose Judith Monteferrante.
Sign up now.
2. Boston Camera Club - Creative Available Light - any light that is available. March 19, 2013 at 6 pm. Parish House of All Saints Parish Church, 1773 Beacon Street, Brookline, Massachusetts. Join the Boston Camera Club for monthly educational sessions.
Some subjects actually work better on cloudy days. For animals and people, cloudy weather softens the light and overcomes the problem of your subject squinting into the light. In the forest, overcast skies prevent the heavy contrast that is a problem on sunny days.
2. Landscape photos: create a more interesting composition. Many photos can be made more interesting not by zooming right in on the subject, but by zooming out, or standing further back to capture more of the surroundings. The important thing is to use make sure you use the surroundings to add impact to the picture.
3. Sunset and Sunrise. Everyone loves taking sunset (and sunrise) photos. A brilliant sunset sky can make a great photo, but you can make it even better by looking for a good subject in the foreground. The key is to find something that stands out against the sky, with an outline people can recognize; a tree, a windmill, even a row of power poles. The subject does not have to dominate the photo; in fact it is probably best if it only takes up about ten percent of the composition so that the sky remains the starring attraction. But if you can create a striking silhouette, you will immediately add character to your sunset photograph.
4. Animals (And People). Portrait style photos are usually spoiled by a distracting background. When you take a photo of a friend, a pet, or an animal, you don’t want the surroundings to take attention away from the subject.
So here’s the trick. Don’t stand close to your subject and take the photo with a regular or wide-angle lens. Stand further back and zoom in with your largest lens magnification. This will have two results. First, it will reduce the area behind and around the subject that is visible in the photo. Second, it will minimize the depth of field, which means only your subject should be in focus. Anything in front or behind the subject will be out of focus, and will not cause a distraction.
5. Concentrate. Sometimes all it takes to make a photo a success is to move a little to the left or right, or zoom in or out just a little more. If you just point the camera in the general direction of the subject without thinking about what you are doing, your results will not improve. If you slow down and really examine what you can see in the viewfinder before you press the button, your success rate will improve. Simple things to look out for include; trees and power-poles appearing to grow out of the head of the subject (move yourself or the subject to a better position); litter on the ground (pick it up); aircraft or distracting clouds in the sky (wait for them to pass by); blurry branches on a windy day (wait for conditions to settle for a moment). All these things and more can ruin a photo, and they can all be remedied by taking a good look to make sure your picture has captured everything you want, and nothing you don’t want. Atmosphere and weather is so important!
Tips from Andrew Goodall. Thanks! Photos are mine. We can all learn from others. Follow my tweets for lots of great learning links.https://twitter.com/drjmonte
]]>5. Shoot daily. Everyone is now a photographer and recent poll said 1 out of 125 adults say they are visual artists. Really??? Hard to believe. So what you do need to set yourself apart? Read, attend workshops, practice! Keep experimenting.
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Nor'easter Storm |
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Beacon Marine Gold |
Wildlife Photography
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1.Small pupils can create fascinating portraits. To create this effect, move your subject from a very bright area to a dimmer one immediately before making a photo 2. Most of the time we only think of portraits as being of the face, but other parts of the body, especially the hands, can tell more of a story. Experiment with just shooting a part of a person to tell the whole story, such as part of a wranglers outfit: just chaps or the boots with spurs.
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3. Keep your subject busy while you are composing and shooting, by giving them something to do like using props, which can include another person, such as a child, or you could have them work on a hobby project, such as their garden. These types of props can also offer other things you will need to make a good shot, like a good background, and plenty of room to work in. 4. During the golden hours, the sun is at an angle where it will illuminate mist, fog or dust, giving you a great golden glow when the weather conditions permit it.
5. In travel photography, try to capture or slow down action to make your images less static. With dances, shoot at a slower shutter speed to blur the movement. At night, with your camera on a tripod, these slow shutter speeds will allow car headlights and taillights to blur, creating wonderful compositions.
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1. Light Painting is done in the dark with the camera on a tripod set with manual focus - preset using a flashlight to aide focus) and shutter speeds in the seconds up to minutes. Use a continuous light source such as flashlight, light pen or instantaneous flash with or without gels. Dress in black, move quickly through a scene and even cover flashlight grip, etc. with black. 2. Get inspiration for your still life and food photography from your local museum. Look at classical paintings from the old masters. Carefully observe the use of color, contrast and composition. Simple lighting with the use of a single light source will create lovely shapes due to cast shadows. Dark shadows will produce the illusion of depth. Prime lens with a 50 mm equivalent crop factor will mimic the physical limitations of paintings. Experiment and create harmony with complementary colors such as orange with blue. Don't wait for the perfect object, the perfect lighting or the perfect equipment.
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3. Create a mood or inspire an emotion with your photography.
4. Choose your subject and find the simplest elements. Then compose and shoot with your concept in mind. Think and compose. Remember these key elements to create not take an image.
5. More on Patterns. Explore B&W and Color. Look for duplicity of patterns and how the light enhances the effect. Side lighting will bring out the texture.
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All prior photo tips archived in the JMP Blog. | ||||||||||
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Elephants in Mist, South Africa |
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Lion Cubs, Kenya |
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Namibian Dunes from the Air |
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Off Road |
High Five Photo Tips for September: 1.Depth of Field is a great creative tool. Remember, The most important item to control is the aperture setting. The larger the aperture used, the smaller the depth of field range. A good review at: How to use Depth of Field
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Even though set at same wide aperture of f/2.8, better Bokeh racked out ( ie the outer limits of the Zoom; so 200 mm on a 70-200mm zoom lens). Try it out.
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3. Use your Tripod. It will help you take clear photos all the time whether it is action or close-ups. A great advantage of having a tripod is you can shoot images hands free. The reason is that you can use a remote release to start the shutter. People often using telephoto lenses will also find the tripod useful. As having longer lenses normally create more weight to your digital camera, a tripod will keep your device steady. A tripod also slows you down and helps you think and create better images. 4. Black is needed to make an attractive B&W photograph, it says it right in the name, black and white. If you've grown into the habit of using the histogram in Photoshop or Lightroom to show you the black and white highlighted areas don't adjust the exposure or increase the fill light to the eliminate all the flashing area. Solid black in some portion of the image is not only acceptable, it's needed.
5. A good landscape usually includes an interesting foreground as the focal point that leads you into the rest of the picture.
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1. Fireworks Season is approaching and there are many techniques you can try! One is using the double exposure setting available in Nikon cameras - set for 3 to 5 exposures, ISO 200, auto gain on and single exposure mode. Shoot when bursts are at their peak. This is an alternate to the old bulb technique with the black card over the lens between bursts. |
2. Another is Shooting Separate Fireworks Bursts then blending in Photoshop - Use a tripod, a cable release, zoom tele lens, camera on manual with shutter speed around 4 sec, aperture at F11. Manual focus to infinity. ISO 200. Do a test shot and evaluate it and adjust as needed. Take a background image first before the show at a wide angle to use as your background image. Then lasso the individual bursts in Photoshop onto a new layer above your background and blend with lighten. Move individual bursts as needed to line up as you like.
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3. Use Black & White to add Drama - especially for dull scenes. Then adjust the shutter speed to slow the movement of water in seascapes to really add drama. 4. Try Intimate Compositions for Seascapes - The vastness of the ocean invites the photographer to shoot the grand seascape using a wide or ultra-wide lens. But a telephoto can be used to create intimate compositions from coastal scenes, specially if you have rocks. Try different focal lengths to search for a composition you haven't considered, use a long exposure if needed to create an abstraction and you'll have a new photo.
5. Get Close - Because wide-angle lenses take in a bigger angle-of-view than other lenses, using a wide-angle lens at the same distance from your subject will render that subject smaller than it would otherwise. To compensate for this, you'll have to move closer to your subject. Don't be bashful about getting close, particularly with super-wides.
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High Five Photo Tips for JUNE: 1. Try Different Perspectives. A Simple photo taken at eye level can be turned into something truly unique by lowering your perspective.
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2, Use a Wide Angle Lens - Especially in an environment where it is difficult to capture all the elements in your field of view, such as an entire beach.Some think this is the top secret of the Landscape Professional Photographer-Artist!
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3. Scout your locations and Follow the Light. Look all around you. The sunset may not make the best picture. It may be the glow on the trees behind you that excites the eye. When photographing into the sun, a wide aperture (less than F11) will soften while a small aperture (above F11 - often best at F22) will allow star-shaped rays to appear. 4. Try Long Exposures. Water is a great subject. Start with one to 3 second exposures, best as the tide goes in, With ND, polarizing or Variable Neutral Density filters you can try even longer exposures - up to 400 seconds and beyond! 5. Shoot the Waves, especially during or after a Storm. Start shooting before the wave crashes and shoot continuously throughout. |
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Sugar Cane Factory Road |
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Dog and Child Portrait |
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42nd Street Welcome |
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Mayor of Arthur Avenue, Bronx, NY |
AXA Tips: Caring for Photography Collections |
Here are some tips from our friends at AXA Art Insurance about caring for photographs. When Transporting Artworks:
When Framing, Hanging and Storing:
When Dealing with Insurance:
This and more tips on the Johnsonese Brokerage Spring Art & Antique Insurance Newsletter: |
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Straight Fireworks_Shot with Multiple Bursts in One Frame |
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Fireworks Montage_Gloucester Harbor |
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Fresh Tomatoe |
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Life is a Bowl of Cherries |
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Carrots |
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Carrots |
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Red Twisted Sister Pepper |
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B&W Peppers |
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Red Peppers |
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Haleakala Crater HDR with Nik HDR Efex Pro |
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Double processed as smart objects |
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Original image_Horses in the meadow |
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Surfer at dusk |
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Sunset HDR |
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Alec Soth |
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Yosemite Waterfall |
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Fish in Motion - Maui Aquarium |
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Photo montage with silhouette of bird with rannunculus |
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Professionals page of my Web site |
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January 2011, Maui |
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Two types of Rice |
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Bamboo Steamer and ladle |
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Wok |
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Wooden spoon, wok ladle, vermicelli and bamboo steamer |