Planet Photography

Friday Randomness : Two Things At Once

2012-05-18T09:01:00+00:00

For the past few weeks JD's been dropping hints like a path of bread crumbs leading me to one of his crazy ideas. I say one because he has many ideas, but we can save talk of buying a food truck for a different blog post, umkay? JD mentioned getting another dog, a playmate for Polo. I can't even get into that conversation because the fact that I've managed to keep a dog alive for six years surprised us both.

And don't forget your hydrangea, he scolded. Ahh, yes. My hydrangea. I was given a hydrangea plant for my birthday and I haven't killed it. Six weeks later and it's still alive and kickin' so, naturally, JD believes I'm competent and responsible. Because I can water a plant. So, heck, let's get another dog while we're at it!

I don't think I can manage another dog right now, but I told JD if I can keep two plants alive simultaneously, I might consider getting a second dog. He then suggested buying me a cactus.

In more randomness of life...

When I came across this, I honestly believed JD drew this! ;)

If I ever found this in my kitchen, I might die from cuteness overload...

Spectral Instruments 112 Megapixel Digital Camera

2012-05-18T05:41:35+00:00

Check out this amazing camera – it has a 112 megapixel sensor that literally dwarfs any sensor you or I have in our cameras! It’s also a black and white only camera – but I’m betting it leaves the Leica M Monochrom for dead in terms of quality and price!

Want to see it made? Zeke makes a call for people to let them know if you want to see it made and then tested by photographers – it would certainly be pretty cool.

Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.

Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.

Spectral Instruments 112 Megapixel Digital Camera

Dan's Cave, Abaco Island <img src ='http://www.tvs-homeland.com/cgi/white.png'></img>

2012-05-18T04:00:00+00:00

This Month in Photo of the Day: Adventure and Exploration Photos

Following the guideline her life depends on, a diver threads the needle through a stalagmite forest in Dan's Cave on Abaco Island. A single, misplaced fin kick can shatter mineral formations tens of thousands of years old.

See more pictures from the August 2010 feature story "Deep Dark Secrets."

Learn more about the Blue Holes project »
Explore more ultimate adventures »
See pictures of National Geographic explorations »

A New Twist On An Old Bouncer

2012-05-17T17:30:51+00:00

A simple flash bouncer is the next best thing to shooting off camera flash. It either makes the flash bigger by diffusing some of its light, or have it bounce to the wall / ceiling creating a big spot of light that bounces back to the subject.

I guess this is why there are so many products that provide this function, along with a ton of DIY solutions to the same problem.

This is why it is refreshing to see a new take on that problem. Designer Benny Johansson (who made the genius cap holder and was finalist on our sofbox contest) came up with a slightly different flash bouncer thingy built from two pieces of recycled plastic - the PilleVippo. The amazing thing about the PilleVippo is that it is super versatile and 100% DIY. It fits both point and shots and DSLRs. All you need is an old plastic container and a template you can get on Ben's site.

How To Make a Kickin' POV Helmet Cam

2012-05-17T14:07:41+00:00

If you wanna shoot first person footage, one of the easiest ways to do so is using a helmet cam. Well, you can always go with a GoPro, but if you want the quality that is coming from a Canon 7D, you may wanna build your own rig.

The good folks at DakaKin came up with a sweet tutorial on how to mount a DSLR on a helmet. The simple rig is made with a pink helmet, a metal bar, a cheap tripod head and some weights. The nice thing is that once the camera is mounted, it is roughly at eye level so it will see whatever the shooter is seeing.

If you're not sure what this is good for, wait for the awesome Max Payne samples at the end of the clip. (not sure Ol' Max will wear pink though)

[How To Make The Best Helmetcam Ever via planet5D]

6 Portrait Lighting Patterns Every Photographer Should Know

2012-05-17T14:06:18+00:00

A Guest Post by Darlene Hildebrandt.

In classical portraiture there are several things you need to control and think about to make a flattering portrait of your subjects, including: lighting ratio, lighting pattern, facial view, and angle of view. I suggest you get to know these basics inside out, and as with most things, then you can break the rules. But if you can nail this one thing you’ll be well on your way to great people photos. In this article we’re going to look at lighting pattern: what is it, why it’s important, and how to use it. Perhaps in another future article, if you enjoy this one, I’ll talk about the other aspects of good portraiture.

Lighting pattern I’d define as, how light and shadow play across the face to create different shapes. What shape is the shadow on the face, in simple terms. There are four common portrait lighting patterns, they are:

Split lighting
Loop lighting
Rembrandt lighting
Butterfly lighting

There are also Broad and Short lighting which are more of a style, and can be used with most of the patterns above. Let’s look at each of them individually.

1. Split Lighting

Split lighting is exactly as the name implies – it splits the face exactly into equal halves with one side being in the light, and the other in shadow. It is often used to create dramatic images for things such as a portrait of a musician or an artist. Split lighting tends to be a more masculine pattern and as such is usually more appropriate or applicable on men than it is for women. Keep in mind however, there are no hard and fast rules, so I suggest you use the information I provide here as a starting point or guideline. Until you learn this and can do it in your sleep, default to the guideline whenever you’re not sure.

To achieve split lighting simply put the light source 90 degrees to the left or right of the subject, and possibly even slightly behind their head. Where you place the light in relation to the subject will depend on the person’s face. Watch how the light falls on them and adjust accordingly. In true split lighting, the eye on the shadow side of the face does pick up light in the eye only. If by rotating their face a bit more light falls on their cheek, it’s possible their face just isn’t ideal for split lighting.

NOTE: any lighting pattern can be created on any facial view (frontal view showing both ears, or ¾ face, or even profile). Just keep in mind that your light source must follow the face to maintain the lighting pattern. If they turn their head the pattern will change. So you can use that to your advantage to easily adjust the patten just by them rotating their head a little.

What the heck is a “catchlight”?

Notice in this photo above that the baby’s eyes have a reflection of the actual light source in them. It shows up as a little white spot, but if we look closer we can actually see the shape of the light I used in this portrait.

See how the bright spot is actually hexagon with a dark centre? That’s the light I used which was a small hexagon shaped soft box on my Canon speedlight.

This is what is known as the “catchlight”. Without the eye of the subject catching this light, the eyes will appear dark, dead and lifeless. You need to ensure that at least one eye has a catchlight to give the subject life. Notice it also lightens the iris and brightens the eye overall. This also adds to the feeling of life and gives them a sparkle.

2. Loop Lighting

Loop lighting is made by creating a small shadow of the subjects noses on their cheeks. To create loop lighting, the light source must be slightly higher than eye level and about 30-45 degrees from the camera (depends on the person, you have to learn how to read people’s faces).

Look at this image to see where the shadows fall, and on their left sides you can see a small shadow of their noses. In loop lighting the shadow of the nose and that of the cheek do NOT touch. Keep the shadow small and slightly downward pointing, but be aware of having your light source too high which will create odd shadows and cause loss of the catchlights. Loop light is probably the most common or popular lighting pattern as it is easy to create and flatters most people.

In this diagram the black backdrop represents the bank of trees behind them. The sun is coming over the trees but they are completely in the shade. A white reflector is used at camera left to bounce light back into the subjects’ faces. The reflector may or may not be in the sun but you can still pick up light even if it’s not. Just play with the angles, by changing the placement of the reflector you can change the lighting pattern. For Loop lighting it will need to be somewhere around 30-45 degrees from the camera. It also needs to be slightly above their eye level so the shadow or loop of their nose angles down towards the corner of the mouth. That is one mistake I often see beginners make with reflectors is to place them down low and angle it up. That lights up the bottom of your subject’s nose and does not create a flattering pattern.

3. Rembrandt Lighting

Rembrandt lighting is so named because the Rembrandt the painter often used this pattern of light in his paintings, as you can see in his self portrait here. Rembrandt lighting is identified by the triangle of light on the cheek. Unlike loop lighting where the shadow of the nose and cheek do not touch, in Rembrandt lighting they do meet which, creates that trapped little triangle of light in the middle. To create proper Rembrandt lighting make sure the eye on the shadow side of the face has light in it and has a catch light, otherwise the eye will be “dead” and not have a nice sparkle. Rembrandt lighting is more dramatic, so like split lighting it creates more mood and a darker feel to your image. Use it appropriately.

To create Rembrandt lighting the subject must turn slightly away from the light. The light must be above the top of their head so that the shadow from their nose falls down towards the cheek. Not every person’s face is ideal for creating Rembrandt lighting. If they have high or prominent cheek bones it will probably work. If they have a small nose or flat bridge of the nose, it may be difficult to achieve. Again, keep in mind you don’t have to make exactly this pattern or another, just so long as the person is flattered, and the mood you want is created – then the lighting is working. If you are using window light and the window goes down to the floor, you may have to block off the bottom portion with a gobo or card, to achieve this type of lighting.

4. Butterfly Lighting

Butterfly lighting is aptly named for the butterfly shaped shadow that is created under the nose by placing the main light source above and directly behind the camera. The photographer is basically shooting underneath the light source for this pattern. It is most often used for glamour style shots and to create shadows under the cheeks and chin. It is also flattering for older subjects as it emphasizes wrinkles less than side lighting.

Butterfly lighting is created by having the light source directly behind the camera and slightly above eye or head level of the subject (depends on the person). It is sometimes supplemented by placing a reflector directly under their chin, with the subject themselves even holding it! This pattern flatters subjects with defined or prominent cheek bones and a slim face. Someone with a round, wide face would look better with loop or even split to slim their face. This pattern is tougher to create using windowlight or a reflector alone. Often a harder light source like the sun or a flash is needed to produce the more defined shadow under the nose.

5. Broad Lighting

Broad lighting is not so much a particular pattern, but a style of lighting. Any of the following patterns of light can be either broad or short: loop, Rembrandt, split.

Broad lighting is when the subject’s face is slightly turned away from centre, and the side of the face which is toward the camera (is broader) is in the light. This produces a larger area of light on the face, and a shadow side which appears smaller. Broad lighting is sometimes used for “high key” portraits. This type of lighting makes a person’s face look broader or wider (hence the name) and can be used on someone with a very slim face to widen it. Most people however want to look slimmer, not wider so this type of lighting would not be appropriate for someone who is heavier or round faced.

To create broad lighting the face is turned away from the light source. Notice how the side of the face that is towards the camera has the most light on it and the shadows are falling on the far side of the face, furthest from the camera. Simply put broad lighting illuminates the largest part of the face showing.

6. Short Lighting

Short lighting is the opposite of broad lighting. As you can see by the example here, short lighting puts the side turned towards the camera (that which appears larger) in more shadow. It is often used for low key, or darker portraits. It puts more of the face in shadow, is more sculpting, add 3D qualities, and is slimming and flattering for most people.

In short lighting, the face is turned towards the light source this time. Notice how the part of the face that is turned away from the camera has the most light on it and the shadows are falling on the near side of the face, closet to the camera. Simply put short lighting has shadows on the largest part of the face showing.

Putting it all together

Once you learn how to recognize and create each of the different lighting patterns you can then start to learn how and when to apply them. By studying your subject’s face you will learn which lighting pattern will be best for them, and for the type of portrait and mood desired. Someone with a very round face that wants to appear slimmer in a grad portrait, will be lit very differently than someone that wants a promo shot for their band that makes them appear mean or angry. Once you know all the patterns, how to recognize and master quality of light, direction of light and ratio (we’ll discuss that in a future article) then you will be well equipped to handle the challenge.

Of course it is much easier to change the lighting pattern if you can move the light source. However if the main light source is the sun, or a window – it’s a bit tougher to do that. So what you will need to do instead of moving the light, is to have the subject rotate in respect to the light to change the direction it falls on them. Or change your camera position. Or change their position. So basically move the things you can move in relation to the light, if you cannot move the light source itself.

Practice Exercise

Corral yourself a subject (as in a real live person, not your dog) and practice creating each of the lighting patterns we just discussed including:

butterfly lighting
loop lighting
Rembrandt lighting
split lighting

Remember to show both broad lighting and short lighting – for each of the different patterns, where applicable. Don’t worry about any other aspect (ratio, fill light, etc) for now, just concentrate getting the patterns down pat first. Use light from a window, a floor lamp with a bare bulb (take the shade off) or the sun – but try and use a light source that you can see what’s happening (I’d suggest that you do not try using flash until you’ve got more experience, it’s harder to learn with because you can’t see it until after the photo is taken) This also works best to start out with the subject facing the camera directly, no turning except to create the broad and short.

Show us your results please and share any challenges or problems you encountered. I’ll try and help you solve them so you and others can learn from it, and get better for next time.

Darlene Hildebrandt is a professional photographer and educator who teaches aspiring amateurs, hobbyists and pros how to improve their photography skills through private tutoring, photo tours and photography classes. She’s the author of 10 Challenges To Improve Your Photography which you can find as a resource on her website and she can also be found on Twitter at @ProPhotoTutor.

Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.

Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.

6 Portrait Lighting Patterns Every Photographer Should Know

Cancun Wedding : Adam + Laura

2012-05-17T08:56:00+00:00

It's usually him who carries the weight of emotional sentiments and deep moments that keep them tethered to each others' sides. Well, at least on the outside. Adam wears his heart on his sleeve whereas Laura is his calm and collected counterpart. They're a perfect balance and nobody protects Adam's sleeve like Laura.

Last Saturday in Cancun, however, Laura's heart was everywhere, on everything she touched. At times overcome with the gravity of her emotions, she perched herself at the edge of the bathroom sink and took deep breaths. I think I just need a minute, she whispered to her bridesmaids. Laura moved through the motions of getting into her wedding dress, but she longed only to be with Adam. To be in his protective arms so she could see straight again.

As Laura walked along a small path at Ocean Coral and Turquesa Resort to see her future husband, she reached out to touch him. In that moment, Laura regained the strength Adam so freely pours in her and their wedding day became complete.

Laura and Adam...gracias por todo!!! Being in Cancun to document your wedding was spectacular and we were honored to be welcomed by your friends and family (big ups to our new Greek friends!!). The day was perfect and I can't wait to see what the future holds for you both! Much Love and Appreciation... j*

One of my favorite things about Laura was her ability to mix different parts of her personality into wedding...like a little bit of twine, and a little bit of glam...

I love destination weddings because the mood of the day is so much more relaxed. The night before the wedding, Laura told me she's be at the pool in the morning and throw on some makeup before her wedding ceremony...talk about drama-free!

And THIS? This right here is why I love when a bride and groom see each other before the wedding ceremony. It's a private moment just for the couple and an opportunity to embrace the memory for what it is...I loved Adam's reaction to seeing his bride!

The weather and light in Cancun was absolutely spectacular...I couldn't have dreamt of a better backdrop, but I knew I'd be well taken care of because Adam and Laura are photographers are well, so they know what's up! ;)

During wedding photos, we had to sneak inside Ocean Coral and Turquesa for a break from the heat, but they continued to push through like pros...

Shortly after the balcony wedding ceremony, we ventured to the beach...this was a moment during the day when I felt incredibly honored to be their destination wedding photographer...and couldn't thank them enough for the privilege...

Laura, really???

Laura and Adam worked incredibly hard in shipping all the wedding details to Cancun in advance to ensure the reception was everything they wanted and felt like home...

The wedding reception was hosted on the balcony of Ocean Coral and Turquesa and offered amazing views of the sunset and ocean...

I want to post so many more wedding photos, but I'll end on this note because it captures their love and perfectness together...

To see more of Adam and Laura's destination wedding in Cancun, feel free to CLICK HERE for a slideshow with Andrew Belle music provided by The Music Bed, or simply watch it here...

(embedded object, please view original post)

© Jasmine Star. This post cannot be republished without permission. Stealing makes me sad.

Nyiragongo Volcano Expedition <img src ='http://www.tvs-zen.com/cgi/white.png'></img>

2012-05-17T04:00:00+00:00

This Month in Photo of the Day: Adventure and Exploration Photos

A cooking tent belonging to expedition scientists glows in the twilight on the rim of the Nyiragongo volcano—one of the most active in the world—in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

See pictures from the April 2011 feature story "The Volcano Next Door."

See more pictures of volcanoes »
Watch a video about volcanoes »

Short On Time? Learn To Post To Google+, Your Blog, Facebook, and Twitter Simultaneously

2012-05-16T19:07:38+00:00

Not all of us have hours on end to spend on social media (myself included). Most photographers make their money by bringing in clients whether it’s families, brides, small businesses, whatever it may be. So any excess time spent on social media is time that could be spent sourcing clients. Now, social media can actually be a way to source clients if done properly, but that’s a whole other article! In this article I want to show you how you can take one single post and make it appear on all the social media outlets mentioned in the title. So I’ll simply go through my workflow in this area and you can take it or leave it .

Step 1: Create A Post On Google+

This is the first step for me. Using a wordpress plugin called Google+Blog created by Daniel Treadwell, I can create a post on Google+ (be sure to follow me there!) and have it automatically export that post over to the pending section of my blog. There is a free version of this plugin but I was more than happy to pay $10 for the paid version. It supports the hard work Daniel put into this plugin and it gives you more features and options.

Google+ is the best for step 1 because you can create titles and headers using bold font and there’s (virtually) no limit to how long your post can be. Google+Blog even imports comments from G+ to your blog so that’s a plus (pun intended) as well!

Setting up the plugin is quite easy. The way I do it is to only have the plugin export posts to my blog if I include the hashtag #photography in the post. That way I can post all kinds of stuff to G+ but only the images I share (along with accompanying stories) will get thrown over to the blog and only when I include that hashtag somewhere in the post.

Step 2: Post To The Blog

Once the post goes live on G+ I go over to my blog. The post only shows up on my website when G+ makes an API call at certain times throughout the day, but you can speed this up by going to the Google+Blog option in wordpress. There’s a checkbox next to the “Update Options” button that says “Import Posts On Options Update.” So I just check that box and update the options, then the post shows up in Pending Status immediately. Now, it should be noted that I had to set it up that way. Under the options I chose to have all posts start out as pending. That way I can do some slight tweaking before it goes live.

Now that my post is imported to my blog (which you can check out at james-brandon.com) and in the pending section, all I have to do now is make some final tweaks to make it ready for my readers. When I create the post on G+ and it exports to my blog, the image that comes over is a bit too small for my blog. But the title, the words and all the links are imported over perfectly. So all I do here is quickly delete the small image and upload the full blog sized image from my desktop. I then make a few final tweaks (like creating the image thumbnail, adding categories, adding post tags and a ‘read more’ section) to make the post look right on my blog and then I hit “Publish.”

Step 3: Post to Facebook and Twitter

As soon as the post goes live on my blog, it’s then automagically sent out to my personal Facebook page, my business Facebook page and Twitter all at once. This is done through a site called Networked Blogs. Networked Blogs takes my RSS feed on my website and syndicates it to Facebook and Twitter so I don’t have to! This couldn’t be easier. You simply sign up for an account, add your blogs RSS feed address, then log into Facebook and Twitter to allow access, click a few boxes and done.

So this isn’t really a step anymore once it’s set up, it just happens in the background without you lifting even a finger. No tweaks to make or anything like that.

Conclusion

So that’s it. Post to Google+, make a few quick tweaks in wordpress, publish and done. You’ve just killed 4 birds with like…1 and 1/4 stones . There are a couple of downsides to this method. If you have the time to post to each individual social media outlet, then by all means do. Having Networked Blogs do it means that the post is really just a link to my blog, instead of posting the image to Facebook and including the story there. But you have to decide what you’re after. I would rather have people jump over to my blog and read something there instead of having them read it and leave comments on Facebook. Twitter is the same way and with there character limit and no images a link is a must anyways. Once this process was set up, it easily shaved my time by more than half. Let me know what you think in the comments below!

Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.

Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.

Short On Time? Learn To Post To Google+, Your Blog, Facebook, and Twitter Simultaneously

Shooting London – Big City Photography

2012-05-16T14:34:24+00:00

A Guest Post by Yana Locke from Headshot London Photography.

London is an incredible city: vibrant, modern and fizzing with life. But at every turn, London’s past is also very much in evidence, from the glorious historic architecture of its heritage sites to tiny details like a stretch of cobbled road, place names like Pudding Lane or Eel Pie Island and, of course, the ubiquitous blue plaques that commemorate notable people and events all over the city.

So, faced with the challenge of taking a series of pictures that sum up London, where do you start? Covering 600 square miles and with a population of 7.8 million, there’s an awful lot to choose from. Add to that that 2012 is the year of the Diamond Jubilee and the London Olympics…

The Secrets of Successful Cityscapes

Although a city may be characterised by the people who live in it, visually it is the cityscape that is most instantly recognisable – whether that’s because of the presence of a famous landmark or due simply to characteristic architecture, street styling or the presence of, say, a London bus, taxi cab or policeman. But, of course, we’ve all seen a thousand pictures of the Houses of Parliament and just as many of the London Eye, the Beefeaters and red telephone boxes. How is your work going to stand out from the crowd?

Taking a photograph of a cityscape or building might seem straightforward – stand in front of the building, square it up in your viewfinder and click – but in fact, to a achieve an image with real impact and interest is anything but. Unless you’re taking the picture for an estate agent’s details, you’ll need to put a bit more thought into what you’re doing. After all, you’re be converting a three-dimensional space into two dimensions. From a physical point of view, you want to capture a sense of size, space, texture, contrast, light and shadows… But are you looking to say a bit more? Something about the building’s function, context, history; the juxtaposition of old with new. Will your picture encompass a whole skyline or will one small detail of one building – a gargoyle, a doorway, a chimney pot – suffice?

London Landmarks

Buckingham Palace, the Houses of Parliament, St Paul’s, Tower Bridge – London has plenty of iconic landmarks that everyone knows. But if you want to take a photograph of a building or site that’s very familiar, try to shoot it from a different angle or pick out an unexpected detail. It may not be easy to achieve, but what about a shot from above? Or from behind? Reflected in a nearby window, at dusk or during a storm? Would your picture be better with or without people – a deserted building, cold and empty, like Battersea Power Station, or a busy skyscraper, like the Gherkin, with people streaming in and out like ants…

But buildings are not the only landmarks that make London special. The River Thames will afford plenty of wonderful, if perhaps a little obvious, photo opportunities. Other waterways are less well known – the surviving dock bowls in east London or Victorian leftovers such as the Regents Canal. London’s open spaces also lend themselves to spectacular photography, from the horticultural brilliance of the Chelsea Physic Garden or Kew to herds of deer roaming wild in Richmond Park.

What about your London?

Whether you’re a Londoner born-and-bred or a first-time visitor to the capital, what will make your pictures most interesting is your interpretation of the city. Steer clear of the obvious tourist shots that grace a million postcards and show people what you really feel about this great metropolis.

If you live in London, think about the area in which you live. How would you sum it up? What can you see here that the tourists or casual visitor might miss? How can you bring out London’s character in your pictures? Do you want to highlight the architectural patterns in a row of Victorian terraces houses or is your style gritty reportage shining a light on poverty and deprivation in one of the world’s wealthiest cities?

If you’re visiting London for the first time, what do you see? Look beyond the clichés and take a picture of something you weren’t expecting to see, something maybe that surprised you, shocked you or made you laugh. Explore a little off the beaten track and be ready with your camera to capture every arresting image that confronts you.

London is so much more than the sum of all her buildings. London is about people, history, commerce, art, politics, fashion, music, food, culture and much more – all of it waiting to be captured on film. Ultimately, you need to think about what London means to you. A scattergun approach will never result in a coherent portrait of the capital, so choose favourite part of London to focus on, pick a theme to explore in depth or a strand that can unify diverse images of the city.

Show people the London that belongs to you.

Headshot London Photography – is one of the leading London photography studios specialising in Portraits, Corporate, Fashion, Family and Advertising Photography. For more information please visit the website.

Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.

Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.

Shooting London – Big City Photography

It Only Takes 1 Reflector To Create Beautiful Portraits

2012-05-16T11:43:33+00:00

I know that usually this site is about more gear, but this post is about less gear. Michael Sasser of Sasser Stills uses nothing but good directing an assistant and one 5-in-1 reflector to produce gorgeous results in a senior portrait session.

I know that I am totally stealing his cat walk move from 0:30

[via SLR Lounge | Fstoppers]

Good Reads : Looking For Alaska

2012-05-16T10:34:00+00:00

We came home from Cancun and hit the ground running. And by running I mean that I wouldn't be surprised if someone sprinted behind me, handed me a baton and pointed to the finish line. Why, yes, I just made myself the anchor in this pretend relay race because SHORT GIRLS CAN DREAM, RIGHT?!

I'm working for a portion of this morning then taking the afternoon off to read. Or train for a 4x400 relay race. Whichever comes first.

Speaking of reading, here's a list of Good Reads I recently enjoyed and if you carve out time this summer for a literary splurge, I think you may enjoy a few of these...

The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey. When a dear friend recommended I read it, I was little leery because I'm not into stories that teeter on fairytale fiction, but this was a pleasant surprise. The writing is fluid and the story intrigued me from start to finish, even causing me to forego episodes of reality t.v. I know, RIGHT?! Who am I?! The end left me with lots of questions, but I think it's part of the lure and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Crazy Love by Francis Chan. I can't express how many people said I should read this book and I'm happy I finally made it priority. It's a simple read, but the premise was profound in the deepest of ways. It focuses on love--specifically God's love--and while I anticipated lots of warm&fuzzy, remedial quips, the questions Chan poses and answers have left an indelible impression. Weeks after I finished it, and I'm still thinking about it...so worth the read!

The Shoemaker's Wife by Ariana Trigiani. My sister gave this book to me for our birthday (we're twins) and it's such a my-sister book. That won't make sense unless you know Bianca, but she's the nicer, softer one in our duo and her book choices reflect it. She was the girl who stayed in bed for days to read The Help and Twilight, so to say our literary choices are different would be an understatement. More like polar opposites. But I'm happy with her gift because it was a delightful story and a quick read. It's loosely based on Trigiani's grandparents' love story and immigration from Italy and I enjoyed the pleasant read.

Looking For Alaska by John Green. And, whoa. This book? I loved it to a thousand pieces. I mean, yes, the story was good, but the over-arching theme deals with struggle, pain, and death, which sounds dark, but it's a teen fiction novel so Green does a great job keep things light yet asks deep questions. As each character works through his or her Labyrinth, their lives change and they're forced to grow up and see life in a new way.

The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton. I usually only read books recommended by friends, but surfing Amazon.com one afternoon brought me to this book and it had great reviews. On a whim, I purchased it, but when it arrived I was shocked to see its size. It's about 550 pages and though I was a tad skeptical diving in, I'm glad I did. Morton's writing is solid and she does a great job painting the story with words (hence the size), but the way she weaves three different stories into one is delicious. At the end of the day, a granddaughter discovers her grandmother's missing identity and rediscovers herself in the process too. It held my attention through the entirety of the read and though it reads like a chick flick, it was lovely diversity to what's on my bookshelf. Totally enjoyed it.

Happy Wednesday!

© Jasmine Star. This post cannot be republished without permission. Stealing makes me sad.

Scanning Film Negatives With A DSLR - A Maker's Guide

2012-05-16T08:44:30+00:00

Well, lets just say I've gotten better at this over the last couple of years. The left image was one of the first I've "scanned" with my DSLR, and the one on the right I've just rescanned using the techniques described below (higher resolution available here). Right now I can get higher resolution and better image quality that what street labs give you on CD.

I've seen many articles on the web explaining the basics of digitising film negative or transparencies with a digital camera. The basics are quite simple: you take a photo of a negative into a light source and invert. That's it. But that alone led me to scan negatives that looked like the one on the left, above. Because I've never seen one tutorial that told me "the whole story" of how to do it properly, I've decided to put together what I've learnt during the last two or three of years of scanning film with my DSLR.

Tsingy Climbing, Madagascar

2012-05-16T04:00:00+00:00

This Month in Photo of the Day: Adventure and Exploration Photos

Climber John "Razor Sharp" Benson weaves through skin-ripping pinnacles. In Malagasy, the formations are called tsingy, meaning "where one cannot walk barefoot." The terrain resists intrusions from hunters, hungry cattle, and wildfires.

See more pictures from the November 2009 feature story "Living on a Razor's Edge."

See more pictures of National Geographic explorations »
See pictures of climbing shot by our readers »

Unlock the Secrets of Using Natural Light: Interview with Mitchell Kanashkevich

2012-05-15T14:06:10+00:00

Over the last couple of weeks we’ve been launching a new dPS eBook – Natural Light: Mastering a Photographer’s Most Powerful Tool. The response has been fabulous and we’ve seen it selling faster than any other eBook we’ve produced so far.

With one week to go to save 25% on the price of Natural Light (and to go into the draw to win $1000 of lenses) I thought it’d be good to chat with author Mitchell Kanashkevich and explore a little more on the topic of Natural Light to give those of you still thinking about buying it a little more insight into the topics covered and Mitchell’s approach.

It also gives us a chance to show off a little more of Mitchell’s amazing photography.

Why did you choose to write an entire e-book on natural light?

The main reason is because, as the subtitle of the e-book says–natural light is “a photographer’s most powerful tool.” As much as I love off-camera artificial lighting setups, they don’t come close to natural light in terms of versatility. What’s also great, is that everyone has access to this tool, it’s free, and, in most cases we don’t need any special gear to harness it, only the camera that most of us already have.

I also wrote the e-book because I felt that there wasn’t enough information out there on how we can make the most of natural light photographically. When searching for material in books and online, I mostly found that the whole matter was either over-simplified or made unnecessarily difficult. I wanted to write a guide that struck the right balance between being comprehensive, yet very accessible.

You keep referring to light as a tool and more specifically as a tool for visual communication, please expand on that.

The idea that natural light or any light for that matter is a tool for visual communication comes from the fact that the core aim of every photograph is to communicate something visually. With a click of the shutter we aim to convey what something looked like, what it felt like to be in a certain place or with a certain person, or, we might want to do all of those things at once.

Composition is the primary way in which we communicate visually. The frame of the camera viewfinder is the tool to do that. We choose what to include into the frame, what to exclude, what to put emphasis on and so on. The way we work with light is the next most important factor in this process of visual communication. Light can radically change the way that the same scene looks. Particular types of light can heighten a sense of drama within the frame or, can evoke a very specific mood.

Look at the image above, it works precisely because of the lighting scenario in which it was shot. The colorful, lit-up, cloudy sky communicates just how beautiful and magical the moment, the nature is, the surfer is secondary, under other circumstances the same scene wouldn’t work. The point is that light can be largely responsible for what a photograph communicates and in that sense, it’s an important tool that can and should be used when communicating visually through photography.

You mention that there are different types of light and you dedicate a whole chapter in the ebook to different kinds / types of light or lighting scenarios. You divide something that is abstract and boundless into tangible segments. What is the reason behind this?

I feel that making natural light less abstract and more tangible makes it much easier to understand. There are certain common natural lighting scenarios, for example – light during the golden hour, twilight, or light produced on an overcast day. There are characteristics that are typical to these lighting scenarios and there are emotional associations that come with those characteristics. If we understand what they are, we can harness the light in the various scenarios much more effectively.
So, in short, I break down natural light into tangible segments to make it easier to understand it and hence, to help photographers use it more effectively in their visual communication.

What I found particularly interesting is that you mention there is no good or bad kind of light.

That is absolutely true and, I can’t stress this fact enough. I used to be obsessed with only photographing at sunrise and sunset. I wanted all my photographs to look beautiful, the image above is a typical example of a scene beautified by the golden light. As you can see, all the colors are looking particularly vivid and lively and this is great, when you want to communicate that something is beautiful and to give off an overall lively and positive mood with the photos you create.

At some stage however, I realized that photography is not only about communicating the beauty of a place or people. There are also stories of hardship, stories that evoke sombre or melancholic moods. If we photograph everything in the same, beautiful, golden light, those stories will not be communicated effectively.

The image above is of fishermen extracting fish from a drained artificial fish-pond. Their work is hard, dirty, wet and the weather is miserable, the overall mood is not a positive one–this is what I wanted to communicate. In large part because of the diffused, almost grayish light produced on a cloudy day, the story and the mood are communicated effectively. There’s no beautifying effect from the light, and that’s the way it should be.

There are countless examples where light, which makes everything look beautiful is not the ideal light for the story unfolding in front of your camera. So once again–there’s no good or bad light, just the right or wrong light for what we are trying to communicate.

In your last post and in the e-book you talk about working with natural light and “controlling” the way it impacts the scene; is this something that everyone can do?

The simple answer is “Of course, yes”, but the more complete answer is “it depends on the circumstances.” We can’t do anything about a clouds blocking the sun, but we can still “direct” whatever light we have, if we get indoors during that cloudy day. We can’t diffuse the harsh midday sun, but we can find a more diffused kind of light, if we move into a shaded area.

Ultimately, there’s a lot that we can do to the way that natural light impacts what we intend to photograph, but there are limits. If we are photographing a vast landscape for example, or if we are out in the open with no shade or buildings in sight, there is not much that can be done about the light that we’re dealt.

What do you do when you can’t “control” natural light?

I adapt to whatever light I have. By adapt I mean that I look to communicate visually whatever works best in the kind of light that I’ve been dealt. I generally have a few ideas on what to communicate floating around and when I can’t do anything about the light, I allow it to dictate which one of those ideas will come to life. Having more than one idea increases the chances that I’ll be able to effectively communicate through a photograph, no matter the lighting conditions. Below are a few examples and stories about how I adapted to certain lighting scenarios that I came across.

The diffused, flat light that I had for the entire day due to a cloudy sky didn’t in itself create any interest or drama. As a result, in this situation, before anything else, adapting to the light meant communicating a story that didn’t rely on the light to be interesting. This meant that I needed an interesting or a dramatic subject. Thankfully, I found this little guy. Having him in the photo already meant that I had a potentially strong image, but I also wanted to communicate some sense of mood, what it was like to be there. When the neutral, diffused light was combined with the cool and subdued colors at the scene (through the way I framed the image), it helped me communicate what I felt when making the photograph–a somewhat sad mood and the coolness of the air.

Here I had a very dramatic lighting scenario, the sun was in its last stages of descent and the scene was filled with a beautiful orange light. Adapting, or visually communicating what worked best, meant finding a subject or finding a way to show a subject where I could convey the beauty of this natural phenomena without taking much attention away from it. I found that if I photographed the fishermen and children pulling the boat ashore as silhouettes, I’d have the perfect visual compliment to the lighting scenario at hand. The subject was shown in a dramatic manner, yet it was rendered simple enough not to take away from the raw, natural beauty around.

Bright, bleaching midday light is great for communicating hardship and tough living or working conditions. Such a lighting scenario was perfect for visually communicating the daily hardships faced by the sulfur miners at the Ijen crater in Indonesia. I adapted to this light by photographing a moment of hardship against a backdrop and with elements which, when illuminated by the harsh, bleaching light allowed me to essentially say – this is not a nice place to work in.

There are also situations when the ideas I have about what to communicate must be abandoned because a certain lighting scenario inspires me to come up with something new. It might be because the light is so distinctly and surprisingly dramatic, or, it can just be because there’s something special in the way that it interacts with what it illuminates.

In the case of the above image, I initially wanted to convey the beauty of the monastery complex on the mountain in a pretty straight-forward manner, but, when I saw this interesting interplay of shadow and light, the way that the shadow cut through the mountain and made the buildings jump out of the scene, I was compelled to make a photograph that might not have been as beautiful as possible in the conventional sense, but certainly very dramatic.

One of the key things I took away from the e-book was that once you grasp how natural light works, you can make better images more consistently with virtually any camera. Do you have anything else to add to this?

That’s exactly right. It’s incredible how much we can do with the simplest of cameras, if we know what we’re doing, as far as light is concerned. I’d say that the only prerequisite is for the camera to have some sort of control over the exposure. Even the iPhone, with certain Apps will allow us that.

The above image is just one of the photographs that I recently took with my iPhone. There are a few more examples in the e-book as well. I really wanted to make the point that we don’t need the fanciest, most advanced gear to make great photographs, as long as we understand how natural light, our next most powerful tool after the camera works.

Do you have your copy of ‘Natural Light’ yet?

There is just 1 week to go to save 25% on this brand new eBook. If you pick up a copy in that time you’ll also go into the draw to win $1000 worth of lenses. Grab your copy here today.

Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.

Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.

Unlock the Secrets of Using Natural Light: Interview with Mitchell Kanashkevich

Build A 1 Dollar Camera

2012-05-15T12:07:43+00:00

If you are upset with the money it takes to buy new gear, the next 3 parts tutorial shows how to make a 1 Dollar camera.

It is a 3 part video tutorial and there are written instructions on Money Origami Things here.

Is it easy? heck no! rewarding? I guess. At least it only costs one dollar.

Laguna Beach Engagement : Becky+Blake

2012-05-15T09:00:00+00:00

It could be chalked up to the luck of the Irish, a four-leaf clover, or Blake's family who threw epic St. Patrick's Day parties. Either way, Becky walked into the party her senior year of high school and expected nothing more than a fun evening with friends, not to meet her future husband. Blake immediately took notice of the leggy brunette made sure introductions were made. Becky politely chatted and later politely evaded his advances after the party when he asked her out.

After a few of Becky's declinations, Blake shifted his focus that summer on training for his upcoming football season at Azusa Pacific University while she prepared for her freshman year at Chapman University. And then--almost out of thin air--Becky decided Blake was someone she wanted to date. And she did. Becky called Blake and invited him to dinner with another couple and from that night forward, they remained best friends and soul mates.

I'm incredibly excited to photograph Becky and Blake's wedding in September and many thanks to Wedding Chicks for sending them my way...I can't wait for what's in store!

Blake and Becky have so much fun together...but every so often, he looks at her with the sincerest gaze of adoration...and I can see why...just look at her!

I arrived to Laguna Beach to scope new areas to shoot the engagement session and I passed by this wall I loved...except it was super dirty and in an alley that smelled, well, ripe. I vetoed the idea of posing the couple there for fear they'd think I was crazy, but later Becky pointed it out as we walked past and said she liked it. Right then? I knew we were a duo made in photo heaven...MOVE OVER BLAKE! ;)

She drives him a teeny bit crazy...and he loves it.

Becky and Blake brought their dog, Bo, along for a portion of the shoot and I think he stole the show...

Ooooh, Becky...rawr.

We ended the engagement session along the coast of Laguna Beach and they couldn't have been happier together watching the sun disappear and remain in each others' arms...

To see more of Becky and Blake's Laguna Beach engagement session, feel free to CLICK HERE for a slideshow with Amy Stroup music provided by The Music Bed.

© Jasmine Star. This post cannot be republished without permission. Stealing makes me sad.

Western Cwm, Mount Everest

2012-05-15T04:00:00+00:00

This Month in Photo of the Day: Adventure and Exploration Photos

At dawn, a sliver of moon shines above the Western Cwm.

See more pictures and read dispatches from the National Geographic Everest Expedition and download the National Geographic magazine app to follow real-time updates from the team.

Compare climbing gear then and now »
See pictures of Nepal treks from our readers »

How to Photograph Babies: 9 Tutorials

2012-05-14T20:27:34+00:00

There must be a baby boom going on at the moment because today my inbox was hit by 5 separate emails from parents of new born babies wanting advice on how to photograph them.

I turned to our archives for some links to send them and found these 9 ‘how to photograph babies’ tutorials and thought I’d share them here just in case there are others looking for answers.

*Image Credit Nicole Hill.

Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.

Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.

How to Photograph Babies: 9 Tutorials

Bokeh Aliens Take Over The City

2012-05-14T15:51:45+00:00

I am not really sure what's going on in this video by Gramatik, but it seems that their bokeh experiment went out of control.

Cinematographer Brad Hasse teamed up with artist Gramatik they built a story about an old guy seeing goblins in cityscape light. Those goblins eventually take over the city.

Here is the nice part, Gramatik releases his music for free, which makes this project even cooler.

I could not figure out which city this tale is taking place. If you know, please share.

If you wanna know how it was made, check our Everything You Wanted To Know About The Magical Shaped Bokeh page.

Do you Ever Shoot with Film?

2012-05-14T14:08:00+00:00

I had one of those ‘I feel old’ moments last week when I was going through one of my old camera bags and out dropped an old film canister with an unused film in it.

My son (who is almost 6) was with me and asked me what it was. He was not satisfied with a ‘it’s film’ answer and I spent the next 15 minutes (and have spent quite a bit of time since) trying to explain what this ‘film’ thing is and why it would have anything to do with taking photos.

A new generation of photographers is emerging who have never shot with film.

Yet at the same time I’ve noticed something of a resurgence in the interest in old film cameras and shooting with it. A whole range of blogs have sprung up on the topic (one of my personal favorites is Japan Camera Hunter) and I keep coming across more and more photographers who are investing in classic film cameras and who are moving back to it as their primary medium.

So – lets do the poll. Do you ever Shoot with Film?

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

Please expand a little upon your answer in comments below.

If you answer ‘No’ – how long has it been since you shot with film (if at all).

If you answer ‘Yes’ – how long have you been shooting with film? Is it something you’ve come back to or did you never stop?

Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.

Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.

Do you Ever Shoot with Film?

Control Your Camera From 150ft Using A Garage Door Opener

2012-05-14T11:42:23+00:00

If you are doing any extensive light painting work, especially if you are doing it alone, you know that one of the more annoying things about it is triggering your camera.

You could always use the timer, or the intervalometer, but for more complex stuff timing of both the camera and starting the tools becomes harder and harder.

Some cameras have an infra red remote, but the distance is pretty limited.

Sawo of Enlightpaintment came up with a pretty neat solution, they use a garage door opener remote from eBay with Canon's 2.5 mm trigger jack to create a 150ft camera remote that is capable of both focusing and triggering. See the tutorial after the jump.

The Girl Who Guards the Bags

2012-05-14T09:00:00+00:00

We spent this weekend in a barrage of airports, layovers, and cabanas. It was a whirlwind trip to Cancun for a lovely wedding for an amazing bride and groom. Can't wait to share more of their wedding photos soon!

In other news, after assuring JD I safely packed our passports and after our cab driver asked if we were in possession of said passports, I raised my eyebrows and huffed, uhhh, yeah.

When we arrived to the front of the airline check-in line, I panicked. I FORGOT JD'S PASSPORT AT THE HOTEL. It happened in slow motion, but I turned to him and said Please don't be mad...promise you won't be mad...swear? It was like he knew--he just knew I forgot--so he turned on his heel, sprinted like mad man, and hailed a cab for the 30 minute ride back to the hotel. While I ~~filed my nails...read a magazine...ate my weight in guacamole~~ guarded the bags, JD went to fix my mistake.

This was just one of many this past week, but I'm just happy I have someone in my life who can deal with my complexities. And, really, nobody guards bags better than I do. Really.

Here's JD hard at work...nobody adjusts a veil like that man.

Speaking of adjustments, if you'd like to make changes to your business, I announced my upcoming workshop for June! To get more information, check out JasmineStarWorkshop.com!

Happy Monday!

© Jasmine Star. This post cannot be republished without permission. Stealing makes me sad.

Photographing a Solar Eclipse - Random Tips

2012-05-14T08:28:15+00:00

For the folks who don't have NASA on their RSS stream, this is a short announcement to remind about the upcoming Solar Eclipse on May 20.

I thought it would be a good opportunity to share some tips about solar eclipse photography.

Skiier, Whistler

2012-05-14T04:00:00+00:00

This Month in Photo of the Day: Adventure and Exploration Photos

A skier in Whistler, Canada, jumps through a ring of fire.

(This photo and caption were submitted to Your Shot.)

See more of Your Skiing and Snowboarding Photos »
Explore the world's best ski towns »

Camille Seaman: On Photographing Icebergs

2012-05-13T19:55:57+00:00

In this video Camille Seaman shares photos and a little of her passion for photographing icebergs.

See more of her work including other subject matter at Camille’s website.

Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.

Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.

Camille Seaman: On Photographing Icebergs

WordPress Basics for Photographers: Part Three

2012-05-13T16:40:51+00:00

Once we have our theme worked out, we must get our materials ready. I suggest doing this before you start to build your WordPress website. Flying by the seat of your pants is NOT the best way to organize your material, as well as write it, design it and get it into the site.

I start with the information I want to have on the site. I know I want an About Page, and a Portfolio of course. A Contact Page is a good idea, and a Blog is a given. That is one of the best reasons to use WordPress for your website framework; the built in blog. The ease of use and maintenance is the other best reason.

Are there other pages I may want to add? How about a Projects Page to show some of the different photographic projects and self assignments I am working on?

An Investment Page for consumer shooters, a Schedule Page and Calendar may also be cool if you need them.

Now you have to figure out where they go – and this is the Navigation part of your site.

There is a limited amount of real estate for your navigation, whether you are using a horizontal method of navigation or a vertical, you want to avoid ‘wrapping’ of lines if you possibly can.

WordPress Basics for Photographers Part One

WordPress Basics for Photographers part Two

“About Don Giannatti Photography” is too darn long: We can use “About” and still have the ability to have the long name when we do the SEO (Search Engine Optimization) for the page.

With most WordPress themes, you have the ability to have drop down navigation, and that saves a lot of space. Having all of your navigation on that one global bar makes no sense, and it is NOT what people are looking for. Studies show that horizontal navigation with drop down menus are very comfortable to visitors of your site. Hey, you wanna re-invent the web, go right ahead – me – I want to make sure that people who visit my site are happy and engaged with my content.

Here is a typical web navigation schema. I do these in Photoshop, but there are other tools you can use.

It shows a navigation that is very simple: Home – About – Portfolio – Projects – Contact – Blog. Below each of those simple navigation points are the additional pages of the site. We call them ‘child pages’ because the flow from the main page.

Looking closely we see that there are some additional notations on the main navigation pages.

Notice that the Portfolio navigation tab is the one that is showing… so what happens when we click on the word “Portfolio” instead of going to one of the drop downs? This is a consideration – you have offered a button and now someone feels that they should click on it… what happens?

We have two options: One is to make it without a link, so it forces the user to choose one below – NOT a good option. The other is to have a “Portfolio” on that page.

I think that a portfolio that is the best 25 or 45 images that are contained within the other three categories makes the most sense, and it is becoming the de-facto way of showing our work.

So we break out our genres, while keeping the best work from each genre in our portfolio. How ‘back-in-the-day’ that is, and yet it remains the best way to show your work. In my opinion.

When we get to Projects, we find a Project Explanation page. I would want to at least inform my visitors on what the projects are, and how I chose them, and what they mean to me. Then in the drop down I can take them to the current projects I am working on.

(In my vision, projects are self-contained assignments, mostly self-assigned, that show a different side of what I do than the work shown in the portfolio. The work in the projects area is more narrative, story driven work. You may choose to do or do not. S’all good.)

Now that we have our navigation, we know exactly what content we need. That makes it so much easier to begin to create it.

For the above navigation I would need the following:

About: Bio, Quote, Photograph of me.

Portfolio: 24 photos sized and ready to go into the portfolio tool I had chosen.

Projects: Copy for the Main Project Page, a photograph to accompany the text, individual project info (paragraph) and a sample of each of the projects sized and ready to enter.

Contact: Copy for the contact information, a Google Map link to my studio, a photograph to make the page look good.

Schedule: Copy for the Schedule page, a photograph to accompany it, possibly a ‘schedule tool’ if I was taking appointments online.

Calendar: a Calendar plugin would work well here.

Blog: I would suggest at least two blog posts are there, and have at least 6 more ready to go within your blogging schedule. Getting behind can take the fun out and stomp it silly… trust me.

While you are writing your copy, you must also be getting your visuals ready. And you should know how big to make them so they fit, so instead of fighting with them, and redoing and redoing and redoing, you make them once, put them in a folder and grab them as you are populating a page.

I have built fairly complex WordPress sites in less than a day when I had all the content ready. And believe me when I tell you that there is some complexity you must work with in these modern themes. Adding the frustration of writing the copy as well as sizing the photographs and trying to remember what pages go where… crazy.

I suggest taking a screen shot of the theme you are going to use and take it into Photoshop. If you can grab the images by right clicking, then that is an alternate way that is also effective. (Some images are embedded in such a way that they are not ‘right-clickable’ so in that case, the Photoshop method would be a good alternative.

We are using the “Hero” theme available at ThemeTrust: Use the link provided on the sidebar of this page. ThemeTrust is one of my favorite theme builders and the link is an affiliate link.

We need a good portfolio tool, and WordPress comes with a Gallery tool that will make the thumbs and larger image views. It is not bad, but there are other ways of showing the work that you may prefer.

Use your “Save for Web and Devices” tool when saving out your images, but do not make them less than 60%. WP will crunch them up a bit more, so if you are too low in your quality, it can be very bad on your image. Saving the images with SFWAD will make the file smaller (less weight) and load faster on your site.

SlideShowPro.net makes a very good product for showing portfolios. You can show one portfolio per page on your site, or let SlideShowPro do all the heavy lifting. They have a simple means for hooking your SlideShowPro portfolio into your page(s).

GalleryPro.me is another solution that gives you control over your galleries and portfolio from a single dashboard. (Disclosure: I am a partner in GalleryPro.)

There are also many different plugins to show galleries in your WordPress.

25 Most Downloaded Free WordPress Image Gallery Plugins.

30+ WordPress Gallery Plugins

The Best WordPress Slideshow and Gallery Plug-ins

Putting the Plugins in your site is easy, and you can try them out with only a few clicks. If you do not like them, delete them from your Plugin panel.

Knowing what you want to do, and how you are going to get there will make your WordPress website a much easier project. Get the heavy lifting done first, then concentrate on working with your theme, learning its quirks and making it all yours.

Next time:
Important Plugins, Widgets and more.

———————

I was recently on creativeLIVE and have received some rave reviews of the workshop. If you are interested in taking a look at the workshop, you can find it on creativeLIVE’s web site here. I think it is a tremendous value and if you are unable to attend any of my workshops, this may give you a ton of information you will want to have to push your photography to the next level.

11 Tips for Band Promotional Photography

2012-05-13T15:03:20+00:00

In this post Tom Di Maggio Photography shares 11 tips for taking band promotional photography.

Knowing your gear and how to achieve a correct exposure is the basis for every picture you take, no matter what kind of photography we are talking about. When it comes to band promotional photography, it is but a small part of the equation.

There’s a lot of factors that you need to take into consideration in order to get the pictures that you want. 80% of the work is done during the preparation of the shoot. The better the preparation the smoother everything will work out on the day of the shoot. The following tips are not about what gear to use, or what settings are better suited, but rather about organization and how to use the available time in a most effective way as to get the best possible pictures and still have fun during the process.

1. Meet the band and get a feeling for their music. Ideally get them to let you shoot one of their performances and meet them after they’ve seen your pictures. Use this meeting to identify the style of pictures they want to go for and what they will be using the pictures for. You’ll have to consider space in the composition for text or other things if the pictures are being used on the web or as a cd cover.

2. Location scouting is very important, but very time consuming as well. Don’t be afraid to ask the band if they have a location in mind, ask your friends and family as well. You never know. I often use bars, restaurants or even concert venues for the photo sessions. Just make sure you always ask for permission.

3. Once you found the location take some snapshots, preferably at the same time of the day as the shoot will take place and from as many angles as you can. You will have to use these in order to prepare the lighting setup for the shoot. It is very important that you know which pictures that you want to take and thus where you are going to put your strobes before you arrive at the location on the day of the shoot. There probably won’t be enough time to improvise and it will look as though you’re not really sure about what you’re doing, the band will become insecure and it will have an impact on the end result.

4. Small but important details are the clothes worn by the band members. Try to get them to match the location and the style of the shoot. In some situation you might want to go the absolute opposite way, but it has to fit the purpose.

5. Make a list of pictures that you’d like to have at the end of the session. Be realistic here, there’s no point in trying to fit 10 different sets into 60 minutes. You’d rather have a few sets that are well executed and some time left for improvisation than hurrying through your sets and missing some important issues with the lighting or positioning of the band.

6. Once everything is sorted out in terms of photo sets meet the band again and explain in detail what will happen on the day of the shoot. The more they know what they’ll have to do the less explanation you’ll have to do on site, which will leave you more time for the actual picture taking.

7. If you are on a strict time schedule (because of the location or the band) make sure you meet a bit before the starting time. You can use the time to make last minute adjustments, but try to avoid big changes at that time, it could get out of hands very quickly. You have to find the right balance between being flexible and being strict enough to follow the list of pictures you want to take.

8. When you are shooting, always be on the lookout for nice opportunities between the sets, if the group is small enough you might get some keepers from these shots. A second shooter would come in handy here.

9. It’s not a must but usually having some people there to help you with the coordination for the shoot. If you only have an hour you’ll need every minute to make the most out of it. Again if you’re tight on budget ask friends and family. Don’t forget to thank them in an appropriate way

10. The next two are not really about the photo session itself, but I feel it’s important that I share my point of view on these topics. It’s about the never ending argument: to photoshop or not. For me the post processing is a part of the creative aspect of photography, usually I know precisely how the finished product should look like and more often than not this includes post processing. That doesn’t mean that every picture should be heavily post processed. It should be used in a creative way and not to correct mistakes that could have been prevented in-camera.

11. Make sure that you only show a very strict selection to the band. Select your best 10 pictures and show them. There’s no point in showing 60 pictures, they will be surprised by the amount of pictures and this will affect their perception of your work. That being said there’s no harm in sending them a DVD or CD with the other 60 pictures at a later point in time.

See more of Tom Di Maggio’s work at Tom Di Maggio Photography, InFocus Photography and on his Flickr Account.

Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.

Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.

11 Tips for Band Promotional Photography

Pixel Peeping Octodomes

2012-05-13T11:34:01+00:00

I know the title says something about lighting modifiers, but after seeing the last installment of the slanted lens I figured I'd mess around with their timing and start the show where they make camera cookies. (did someone say mother's day?)

Of course, they also pixel peep the heck out of photoflex Octadomes, and showing how to build several simple lighting setups using them. I guess you are here for the lighting, right? so go the beginning of the vid for the octa lessons.

Kayaking, Greenland

2012-05-13T04:00:00+00:00

This Month in Photo of the Day: Adventure and Exploration Photos

Kayaking in Torssukatak fjord, near Kummiut, east Greenland

(This photo and caption were submitted to My Shot.)

See more pictures of paddling shot by our readers »

Android

2012-05-13T03:39:06+00:00

An Introduction to Photographing the Northern/Southern Lights

2012-05-12T19:05:50+00:00

The northern and southern polar lights have fascinated and hypnotised man for as long as we have graced the planet. The unearthly flame-like lights have been the inspiration of folk tale and legend for generations and since the invention of the camera a holy grail-like conquest for many enthusiast photographers.

Image by Orvaratli

Named after the Roman Goddess of Dawn (Aurora) and the Greek name for north wind (Boreas) the Northern lights AKA Aurora Borealis, are seen in areas that are within or surround the Arctic circle, for example: Norway, Sweden, Finland, Canada, Alaska etc. Equally the southern counterpart ‘aurora australis’ is visible from high southern latitudes in Antarctica, South America and Australasia. The mesmerizing wisps are actually solar charged particles reacting with the magnetic field as they make contact with the upper atmosphere gases. The most common lights star-gazers are likely to see are the green variety, with the red variant only appearing in tandem with the green. Sometimes the lights lie horizontally like an expanse of neon fog, other times in vertical streaks dancing their way across the night sky – whatever the colour or form the results are quite awe striking and will make for the most wonderful of subjects.

Image by Orvaratli

Spring and Autumn are the best times to witness the event (March to April, and September to October), but if you choose to visit in the winter months you will find the temperatures can be extremely cold often between as low as 35 below, and the days can be shorter with less light. For example at this time of year in somewhere like Sweden the sun rises around 9am and sets about 3pm but the window, this is great for star gazing but will mean your camera’s ISO capabilities will be put to the test.

Both factors will influence your choice of kit so pick a DSLR which can withstand the cold and work at high ISO. Nikon’s revolutionary D3S with 102,400 ISO is a fantastic choice; similarly the Olympus E3 is famed for its ability to withstand extreme conditions. Fast lenses are an absolute must, with a wide angle or fish eye acting as the best choices for capturing that great expanse of night sky. If you’re concerned for your camera or its potential demise in longevity take a fleece blanket or towel and gently wrap it around your DSLR, this is particularly wise for those models sensitive to colder climates.

Image by Orvaratli

Battery life is a big issue for any electronic device when the temperature is low so be sure to charge several spares if you are trekking out away from power supplies. Keep these close to your body when not in use.

A tripod is essential for stability and ultimately the success or failure of your shots. Long exposures of 15 seconds plus are going to be needed so a good solid contender that can withstand the cold and can be collapsed and erected with ease is going to be your best ally here. Manfrotto’s carbon fibre line up is definitely worthy of consideration, but ideally avoid anything that is predominantly constructed of metal. Furthermore to ensure the camera suffers minimum camera shake during exposures – which would result in blur – operate the shutter with a remote control/release or use the unit’s self timer mode.

Image by Orvaratli

Common sense would dictate that you do not head out into the snow-capped wildness alone or without at least notifying someone, and a compass or some form of GPS device is essential. Likewise sensible clothing is a must; plenty of breathable, thermal layers, with a waterproof out layer, sensible snow boots, balaclava, hat, scarf and gloves. When it comes to gloves double layered products are superb, especially those with a tip-less outer layer or grip coating – extending a better grip of camera controls to photographers. Lowepro, Peter Storm and Sealskinz in particular all make excellent items suitable for shooters.

In terms of transporting your kits, you are going to want your camera and lenses to be as snug and protected as you are, so this is no time to scrimp. One standout brand noted for its sturdy rucksacks is KATA and in particular the R-family of camera orientated luggage. Insulated with Thermo Shield Technology, the bag protects from the cold as well as knocks and bumps. The bags are cabin friendly (check with airline policy) and feature soft removable padding that cushions valuable items and the bright orange colour of the interior fabric is a boon for night time photographers. Another valuable asset to carry is a light; once away from the light pollution the only available light source will be from the stars, so until glow in the dark controls are invented remember to bring along a torch or if you do forget it a mobile phone will suffice.

Image by Orvaratli

As well as incorporating the beautiful streams of light which will no doubt fill your shot it will add interest and scale to incorporate a foreground subject such as a tree or cabin. Once you’ve found a good scene, be patient as the aurora borealis can appear in fits and burst over a period of many hours, and sometimes not at all. This is why travelling with a guide or experienced local can be of benefit. Once you do see the glow and take the shot be patient again and stand back from the tripod so your movement does not affect the stability of the capture.

In terms of technique switch to manual mode and open the lens’s aperture as wide as it will go. Next dial in the shutter speed, starting with 15 seconds but extend this duration as needed. It will be too dark for your lens to autofocus so opt for manual focus and adjust the ring with small incremental turns until the correct position is achieved. Keep checking the LCD for confirmation.

Experiment with ISO until it becomes uncomfortable. Some photographers favour exploiting the Noise Reduction mode in these conditions. After each shot zoom in on the LCD to check the level of grain, if things are looking uncomfortable opt for a longer exposure instead of degrading the quality of the shot further.

Rusty Old Shack - by Orvaratli

For capturing beautiful star trails in tandem with the lights, take dozens or even hundreds of frames of the same scene of 15 second exposures and flatten and merge them into one individual file in a software package later.

After an evening spent shooting be sure to reintroduce your equipment into warmer environments (i.e. indoors) slowly, to avoid the build up of condensation in the lens. Begin by leaving the camera and lenses by the door, drawing it into the premises in regular stages.

According to experts there is an extraordinary solar storm on the way (which happens roughly every 11 years in the solar cycle) and experts have forecast 2012 will be one of the most prolific seasons to witness the lights. It is during these times that the lights can be seen further outside the usual areas – especially those with less light pollution. For up to the minute information on flares and sun spots visit www.spaceweather.com.

Check out more images by Orvaratli’s Aurora set on Flickr.

Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.

Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.

An Introduction to Photographing the Northern/Southern Lights

Aperture Priority and Shutter Priority: Exposure Lesson #1

2012-05-12T15:01:25+00:00

This is the first in a series of four articles about exposure by Andrew S Gibson – author of Understanding Exposure: Perfect Exposure on your EOS camera.

The mode dial on the EOS 60D, showing all the camera's exposure modes

A feature of modern digital SLRs is that most models have several fully automatic exposure modes (the exceptions are some semi-professional and professional models).

If you’re completely new to photography then this is where you’ll start. Fully automatic modes are designed for you to start using an SLR camera without any technical knowledge whatsoever. Just put it in full auto, and let the camera take care of the rest. It will calculate the three settings that make up an exposure – aperture, shutter speed and ISO – for you.

If you’ve moved up from a compact camera, then this is probably the way that you’re used to working anyway, as most compacts don’t let you set the aperture, shutter speed and ISO settings individually.

The SLR difference

There are two main reasons for buying an SLR camera. One is to use interchangeable lenses. The other is to give you full control over the camera settings.

Over the last few years, a new class of mirrorless cameras also gives you the same advantages.

By learning to set the aperture, shutter speed and ISO yourself, and understanding the effect that each of these has on your photos, you are getting involved in the creative side of photography.

This is exciting because this process is how you start making photos, not just taking them.

More automatic exposure modes

As well as fully automatic, your camera probably has some more specific fully automatic modes, such as landscape, portrait or sports. These are also fairly straightforward and mean that the camera will try and select settings that suit those subjects, rather than use the generic, one size fits all, settings of fully automatic.

For example, if you choose landscape mode, the camera will set a small aperture as that increases the depth-of-field. The assumption here is that you want everything in the frame to be in focus.

Alternatively, if you choose sports mode, the camera will set a fast shutter speed, working on the basis that you want to freeze the action.

This sounds useful, but I think that these fully automatic modes do more harm than good. They clutter up the mode dial, offer too many choices and can be quite confusing.

But that’s not all. Each of these modes is very restrictive. For example, on my EOS cameras, I can’t adjust the ISO in any of the fully automatic modes. I can’t apply exposure compensation if the camera is getting the exposure wrong. I can’t change the Picture Style, or even decide whether or not to use the built-in flash. The camera makes all these decisions for me, and I don’t get a say. As a creative photographer I don’t like that (no-one likes getting told what to do, right?)

Program, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority & Manual modes

So how do you address this? The easiest, and best way, is to stick to using the following exposure modes: program auto exposure, aperture priority, shutter priority and manual.

This is the sort of photo you can take with program mode. The precise aperture and shutter speed aren't important.

Program Auto Exposure mode

Program AE is a useful mode. It’s just like using your camera in fully automatic except that it gives you the ability to override the camera’s decisions. Additionally, most cameras have an ‘exposure shift’ function that lets you change the exposure settings the camera selected if you don’t like them.

For example, if your camera has set f8 at 1/250 second (at ISO 200) and you want a larger aperture, you can use exposure shift to change the settings to f4 at 1/1000 second. The exposure is the same but the effect is different.

I don’t use program much myself, but it’s very useful and shouldn’t be overlooked.

Manual mode

I use manual mode quite a lot – it’s so useful that I’m going to write a separate article about it. Look out for that in the coming weeks.

Aperture priority

In aperture priority mode, you select the aperture and your camera sets the shutter speed according to the ISO. You can control the shutter speed indirectly by changing the ISO.

I use aperture priority for the following subjects:

I used an aperture of f22 to ensure that every part of this photo was in focus, from the rocks in the foreground to the cliffs in the distance.

Landscapes

Depth-of-field is very important in landscape photography. Usually you will want the entire contents of the frame to be in focus, and the best way to do this is to set a small aperture (such as f16), a low ISO (for high image quality). If this results in a shutter speed that is too low to hand-hold the camera without camera shake, I either raise the ISO (to get a faster shutter speed) or use a tripod.

There are a couple of reasons why you would want to use aperture priority instead of landscape mode:

You can apply exposure compensation if the camera gets the exposure wrong.
You can use the hyperfocal distance focusing technique to maximise depth-of-field. This involves switching your lens to manual focus mode and focusing on the point in the landscape that maximises depth-of-field. There’s a good article about this technique here.
You can use a wide aperture to create landscapes with very narrow depth-of-field. Sound bizarre? There are photographers creating interesting work with this technique. Aleksandr Matveev is one of them, and you can see a good example here.

I used an aperture of f2 and focused on my subject's eyes to create a portrait with a blurred background.

I also use aperture priority for taking portraits. This is a favourite technique of mine with prime lenses (which have a wider maximum aperture than zooms). I set an aperture somewhere between f1.8 and f2.8, focus on my subject’s eyes and let the rest of the portrait fall out of focus. The advantage of using aperture priority is that I can look at the results on the camera’s LCD screen, and adjust the aperture accordingly if there is too much, or too little, depth-of-field.

I took this close-up photo of a flower with an 85mm lens. I set a shutter speed of 1/250 second to ensure that the image would be sharp. I often raise the shutter speed when shooting close-ups as any movement caused by camera shake as magnified.

Shutter priority

In shutter priority mode, you select the shutter speed and your camera sets the aperture according to the ISO. You can control the aperture indirectly by changing the ISO.

I use shutter priority a lot when I’m hand-holding the camera. It lets me set a shutter speed fast enough to prevent camera shake, and I if I need more depth-of-field I simply increase the ISO.

Shutter priority also comes in useful when you want to blur motion. I set the camera on a tripod and took some photos at 1/6 second in Jing’An Temple, Shanghai to illustrate this technique. One girl stayed still during the exposure, and the other moved, creating an interesting effect.

Another example where I use shutter priority is when I deliberately move the camera during an exposure to create a sense of movement and blur. The photo below is an example of this technique. Chris Friel is a photographer who uses this technique very well.

Creative Exercises

Now it’s time for some creative exercises and to put these tips into practise:

Aperture priority

Choose a lens, put your camera into aperture priority mode and set the widest aperture on the lens. Take some photos at this setting. The subject can be anything you like, but portraits and close-ups are a good place to start. What happens to the background as you get closer to your subject? What happens if you move your subject away from the background?

I used a shutter speed of 1/2 second to blur the water in this photo of a waterfall.

Shutter priority

Now try a similar exercise in shutter priority mode. Again, it depends on your subject, but there’s two ways to go.

One is to set a fast shutter speed and use it to freeze action. Check out Olivia Bell’s 100 Jump Photographs series – this is an easy idea to replicate yourself.

The other is to use a slow shutter speed to turn anything that’s moving into a blur. I like to do this with long exposure photos of the waterfalls, such as the one above. You need to put the camera on a tripod to take photos like this without camera shake.

You can try these techniques out over a period of time. The aim is to get used to using the aperture and shutter priority modes on your camera, and taking creative control by selecting the aperture or shutter speed setting yourself.

Andrew S Gibson is a writer and photographer. He’s the Technical Editor of EOS magazine and writes for Craft & Vision. The techniques in this article are explored in more detail in his ebook Understanding Exposure: Perfect Exposure on your EOS camera.

Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.

Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.

Aperture Priority and Shutter Priority: Exposure Lesson #1

Arrigetch Peaks, Alaska

2012-05-12T04:00:00+00:00

This Month in Photo of the Day: Adventure and Exploration Photos

Arrigetch Peaks, August 23, 2010
"These teeter-tottering granite boulders all wanted to slide," Andrew Skurka says of a talus-covered pass in the central Brooks Range, where his friend Roman Dial joined him.

See more pictures from the March 2011 feature story "Circling Alaska in 176 Days."

Learn more about National Geographic explorers in the field »
See more pictures of National Geographic explorations »

Mothers: Weekly Photography Challenge

2012-05-11T19:53:26+00:00

Many parts of the world (but not all) this weekend will be celebrating Mothers day. So we thought it might be a nice theme for this weeks photography challenge.

Feel free to interpret it any way that you wish. It might be a portrait of your Mother (or a motherly figure in your life), you might be a Mother and like to photograph your kids or shoot a self portrait, you might shoot something more on a ‘Mother Nature’ theme or just photograph something more symbolic that relates to the theme. It is totally up to you and your situation.

Once you’ve selected the ‘Mother’ image that you’d like to share – upload it to your favourite photo sharing site or blog and either share a link to it or – embed them in the comments using the our new tool to do so.

If you tag your photos on Flickr, Instagram, Twitter or other sites with Tagging tag them as #DPSMOTHERS to help others find them. Linking back to this page might also help others know what you’re doing so that they can share in the fun.

Also – don’t forget to check out some of the great shots posted in last weeks challenge – Blue challenge where there were some great shots submitted.

Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.

Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.

Mothers: Weekly Photography Challenge

Blasting Stuff With A High Speed Air Canon

2012-05-11T15:23:40+00:00

Alan Sailer likes to blow stuff up. And when I say blow stuff I mean the good old fashion way. With a canon, custom made air gap strobes and a dedicated controller. After spending a great deal of time on his flickr stream, I asked him a few questions.

Introducing Leica’s M Monochrom Camera

2012-05-11T14:36:59+00:00

Today Leica have announced a range of cameras as well as a lens at an event in Berlin Germany – one of which is causing quite the stir.

It is the new Leica M-Monochrom camera – worth a cool $7990 USD (body only).

The discussion already rages around the web – largely centred upon two areas:

the price (a debate that happens every time Leica cameras are mentioned)
the fact that this is a Black and White camera – there’s nothing colour here!

I might skip over the debate on price as it’s an old one and ultimately people will pay for this camera (in face of late Leica seems to be having a resurgence dispute the hefty price of their cameras and lenses (disclosure: I shoot with a Leica M9P).

But lets take a quick look at the idea of a camera designed with the sole purpose of shooting black and white images. Why is there a need for a camera like this when you can convert colour images so easily in post processing and when Leica’s other M range of digital cameras can also shoot in black and white.

There’s actually some sense behind what might seem like a crazy idea.

The Leica M-Monochrom camera has no filter array in front of its sensor to allow it to collect any colour information when it shoots an image. The benefits of removing this filter array are tangible.

Without going into the technical details the resolution of images captured with this approach should be quite a bit better. Noise will also be reduced and as a result this camera’s maximum ISO has increased from 2,500 in the M9P to 10,000 – allowing for shooting in much lower light.

So – in theory this camera should produce some remarkably sharp images, particularly when you couple it with one of Leica’s remarkably sharp lenses!

The other aspect of this is that many many Leica rangefinder photographers shoot almost exclusively in black and white. Look through most Leica forums and communities and you’ll see just how many Leica shooters will be attracted to a camera like this.

Also word emerging from Berlin from those who have had opportunity to shoot with this camera is that it is producing amazing results. Time will tell though as models hit the market in August.

As a Leica shooter myself I don’t really see myself in the market for this camera. It’s out of my league in terms of price at this point and if I did have that kind of cash to splash I’d be adding another lens before I was in the market for a Black and White camera – however I suspect there will be some who are already placing their orders.

B&H Photo and Video already Have it Listed for Pre-Ordering Here.

What do you think about the idea of a Black and White camera?

Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.

Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.

Introducing Leica’s M Monochrom Camera

Kentucky Derby 2012 – Louisville, KY

2012-05-11T11:32:49+00:00

The Kentucky Derby. The Run for the Roses. The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports. Whatever you decide to call it, the first leg of the Triple Crown is certain to entertain! I am incredibly blessed to have the privilege of attending this great event year after year for my job!

The Kentucky Derby was at it again…breaking records for attendance and betting. This year, attendance for the Kentucky Derby was a staggering 165,307 which was up from the 2011 attendance of 164,858. The Kentucky Oaks (Friday) also set an all time attendance record with 112,552 patrons.

All packed in Churchill Downs for an exciting day of racing, horse racing fans were stunned for a second year in a row as I’ll Have Another, a 15-1 “longshot” ridden by Derby rookie jockey Mario Gutierrez passed Bodemeister on the homestretch to claim the 2012 garland of roses.

I’m delighted to share some of the moments I was able to capture at this years event – please enjoy!

The Wedding Photographer + Planner Experience

2012-05-11T05:57:00+00:00

A few days ago, I had a great conversation with a wedding planner in Los Angeles. What I thought was an interview to see if I was good fit for her potential clients turned into a genuine opportunity for my to express my opinions. Here's why: She asked me how I work best with coordinators. She flipped the switch on me and provided the opportunity to be heard.

I sat dumbfounded for a second, then thanked her for opportunity to hopefully work together for the benefit of a bride. Here are few ways a photographer and wedding coordinator can work together to ensure everything flows smoothly...
   1. A timely timeline
I understand solidifying a wedding timeline is difficult, especially far in advance to the actual day, but a perfect scenario would be for the wedding photographer to see a loose breakdown three weeks in advance. Yes, I know this may seem crazy, but when a photographer is asked for her opinion, we can work together as a team to give realistic approximations as how long pictures will take and how much time I need to capture details, family portraits, and bridal party photos. Sometimes just a brief conversation can radically improve the layout of a wedding day and getting a sneak peek helps a ton!
   2. Day-of timeline
Occasionally I have the pleasure of working with a wedding planner who prints 2.5x3.5 cards of the timeline for the creative team. Of course, she sends the detailed timeline a few days in advance (including the floral load-in, guest count, contact info, etc), but when the actual day arrives, the abbreviated timeline on the small card keeps everyone on the same page and where we need to be...I LOVE it!
   3. Assisting family portraits
The best coordinators surround themselves with a powerhouse team. I believe this is the key to a stress-free and awesome day. One of the benefits of working with a team is the luxury of the main coordinator leaving an assistant to help manage family portraits. This is, of course, not expected from a photographer's viewpoint, but by the time family pictures happen on the wedding day, the planner's team has interacted with the family in a greater capacity (the planning process, the rehearsal dinner, etc). This often allows the assistant to personalize the process as well as help expedite it.
(An added bonus is that the sooner the photographer completes family photos, the more opportunity he/she has to document the reception and cocktail hour details, which helps showcase a wedding planner's hard work)
   4. Connecting the creative team
I love when a wedding coordinator will send a list of the entire creative team in advance to the wedding. It helps knowing who's involved with the wedding day as well as provide a great resource for listing the contributors when blogging the wedding at a later point in time.

When I first started in wedding photography, I didn't know how to voice what I needed from a creative team. Now that the business has matured, I hope this offers insight on how to leverage the opportunity working with a wedding planner and making the experience beneficial for everyone involved and ensuring the bride is happy.

And because every post is better with a picture, here's a sneak peek of an engagement session I photographed this week...

Happy Friday!

© Jasmine Star. This post cannot be republished without permission. Stealing makes me sad.

Ora Cave, Papua New Guinea

2012-05-11T04:00:00+00:00

This Month in Photo of the Day: Adventure and Exploration Photos

The crash of rapids surrounds expedition leader David Gill, left, and Herb Laeger near the entrance of Ora Cave. Hot acidic waters welling up from deep underground, combined with drainage from heavy rains, have carved a maze of tunnels and chambers through New Britain’s young limestone.

See pictures from the September 2006 feature story "Raging Danger."

Learn more about Papua New Guinea »

Shtuff People Say to Photographers

2012-05-10T14:33:42+00:00

It’s time for a little photographer humour with this video on the Shtuff People say to Photographers.

From the team at Outward Bound Collective

Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.

Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.

Shtuff People Say to Photographers

(kinda) Crowdsourcing Bullet Time Dancers

2012-05-10T12:30:26+00:00

It is amazing what you can do with a little vision, even if you are pretty tied by budgetary constraints. Nate Powers and his team of students pushed their budget, and skills to the edge to create a low end (though high value) dancers bullet time shots. The challenges and work frame on this project were quite different from the ones described on a previous crowdfunded bullet time shoot, so I asked Nate to share a bit about the project.

Black + White

2012-05-10T09:04:00+00:00

She came out and admitted she was afraid to tell me. And I was shocked. I sat across the table and asked what she meant, but deep down I knew. My sweet friend Gail and I sat with a grilled artichoke between us and she said she was worried to tell me her decision for fear of my reaction.

Right then I felt like Large Marge from Pee Wee's Big Adventure...was I really that scary?

A while back, Gail and I discussed the balance between her photography business and full-time job and I asked when she was going to become a full-time photographer. Months later Gail worked up the nerve to tell me she wasn't. She wanted to keep the full-time job she loves as well as foster her photo business on the side. I was thrilled to hear of her decision, but it wasn't until last Saturday that I realized Gail was afraid to tell me.

It's just so black and white with you, she said. And there you have it. Black and White.

For as long as I can remember, I forced my world into black and white decisions, opinions, rules because it helped me move quickly and form ideas outside of my emotions. I've been like this since I was a kid. I speak ardently about following your dreams and pursuing your passion, but what I don't clarify is that it isn't black or white. And it doesn't come in one form. My path to success is my own, so forgive me if it comes across as if it is The Only Way.

Sometimes I push, push, and push for people to pick a side, defend their stance because it helps formulate what, exactly, it is they want. I paint the world in black and white, but I know the details painted by others will be a shade of grey. And that's totally fine. It's perfect, really. Your path to success, happiness, and fulfillment will be entirely your own...and I'll be on the sideline cheering you along.

My goal has only ever been to push others, encourage them to outline their goals, and then set a route to achieve them. So while it may appear black and white, I truly know every path is painted with a different stroke. Regardless of what success looks like for you, I'm just happy knowing you took a stance, defended it, and pursued it like it was your last chance at happiness.

© Jasmine Star. This post cannot be republished without permission. Stealing makes me sad.

Workshops? A New Direction… After a Break. Maybe.

2012-05-10T04:43:49+00:00

It’s time.

Actually it may be later than that. And that makes it all the more… more…

Well, I don’t really know how I feel about stopping the workshops. A little sad, I suppose. Possibly a tiny bit bitter (fuckit, I’m human… right?). But mostly I feel like I needed to do it and move to a different place. Doing workshops was something that was fun, but not my main source of revenue, and I need to focus a bit more on that these days.

When I started the Lighting Essentials workshops it was in response to what I was seeing here in the Phoenix area in regard to photographic lighting – or rather the lack of any attempt at it. Or the knowledge that it even existed…

We charged a few bucks and we would put 4 or 5 shooters in my little studio on Broadway and we would shoot. Setup, discuss the reasons for the setup, shoot. Setup, discuss, shoot. Repeat.

It was for one day and we would cram a ton of learning into those days, starting early and finishing late.

I turned around and we were traveling the country and then the world doing workshops based on my idea of Subject Centric Light (H/T Dean Collins for inspiration), and my 30+ years in the business.

I took the workshop to Boise, New York, Halifax, San Diego, Missuola, Omaha, Anna Maria Island, New Orleans and a couple of dozen other cities. I even traveled to Singapore and Malaysia to do my workshop.

No Bullshit workshops… No “Celebrity” workshops… No ‘watch me while I have fun and you stand there and admire me from afar wishing you were me but knowing you will never be as cool as me but still watching and hoping anyway” bullshit workshops.

There are plenty of those around. Plenty of worthless shit workshops where people pay a grand for a ‘lesson’ from someone who has been shooting for 3 years and knows how to fuck around in Lightroom. Yeah – photography has changed a lot. You simply don’t need to know much at all to make photographs good enough to wow ‘em in the wedding forums and on Flickr. There are so plenty of “spray and pray” workshops teaching nothing at all about photography but simply a way for narcissistic preeners to garner wads of cash from their sycophantic followers.

(“I thought you said you were only a little bitter?” – ed. LOL – I am making a point, so let me rant will ya…)

But my workshops were different.

In September of 2011, I was voted as one of the top workshop instructors in the world by the READERS of PDN. Not ‘chosen’ from the ranks of the ‘good ‘ol boys’ network, but by the people who took my workshop and learned stuff. From the heart stuff and from the experience stuff. And really real stuff to use right now to make better images.

The people who TOOK my workshop rated me that high.

That same month I cancelled all my workshops for the balance of the year.

Ironic? Sure, whatever.

But I said it was time, and that means there are other considerations as well. And they were the most important in the long run and figured high in my decision to pull the plug.

For one thing, teaching is exhausting when you do it right. It really is. I love it, and I love the exhilaration when someone in the workshop says… “hey, I got this… I can do this…”

Yeah… you can. And that is what a good teacher does. He/She helps their students to be as good as they can be… even better than the teacher in some instances. When the master becomes the student and the student becomes the master, then there is perfection in the art of teaching.

But it also takes its toll on the teachers own work. At least it has mine.

I need to focus back on my work, and my design work, so that I can be an effective teacher if I decide to do it again. I love to teach, but I want my teaching to be relevant – and timely. So this hiatus, however long it goes, may be a catalyst for something else. Something new, different, relevant.

I miss the travel already, and then there were those wonderful people that I met out there in the workshops. Many have become my friends, and I know we will kick up some dust sometime out there. But there are those faces and names that I can barely recall that seemed to have such a great time, and then we went our own way and we never met up again. Those folks I miss too.

I am a one man band. No roving bands of assistants, and no grunts. I do it all. Sweep and paint the cyc and then shoot on it. I am not famous, nor do I seek fame. I have never been a big time photographer, rather I was a photographer in a crummy market that made a good living. Never shot a cover of Vogue, nor climbed the highest mountain to get a fashion shot of a super model. I just maintained my clients and made images that were hopefully a little more than they expected.

But this also means that I am doing everything for the workshops myself… booking spaces, finding models, and looking for venues and dinner places in towns I have no knowledge of. When the workshops were filling it was fine, but now it has become too much work. Too much time.

And I am a good teacher. I have taught photography, music, art and self achievement. I love it.

So now, this chapter is closed and I move on to something else. We’ll see. I am doing creativeLIVE and that is a blast, and I will be continuing on the very successful Project 52 with all that amazing talent.

I do have a commitment to a few folks who were setting up workshops for me and I will of course honor them, and we will have a great time.

Things change… I changed. Photography changed in the last five years as well.

So for now it is off to other endeavors, and we will see what that means for the future of Lighting Essentials Workshops. Essentials for Photographers is fine and staying and I am working on some other ideas for Learn to Light.

Thanks to all who supported the workshops and especially to those who came out to meet me.

Addendum:
I will be working with other groups who do workshops, and presentations. This post deals only with the Lighting Essentials Workshops that I did on my own. I will be on creativeLIVE, and other venues presenting a host of information from lighting to overall photographic directions.

Freerunner, Montreal

2012-05-10T04:00:00+00:00

This Month in Photo of the Day: Adventure and Exploration Photos

This shot was taken in Montreal. I’m documenting the lifestyle and the passion of freerunners. Parkour is not a sport, it is a way of life, a discipline based on respect and physical and mental training. Evolving and always pushing the limits of their body and their mind, these passionate athletes stop at nothing to perfect themselves and help other freerunners to do the same. In this shot, my friend, after a lot of training, did a backflip from a four-meter-high building.

(This photo and caption were submitted to Your Shot.)

Explore the sights of Montreal »

Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-HX20V Review

2012-05-09T20:07:03+00:00

First there was the HX5V, then HX9V … now the HX20V. So we’ve gone from a 10x zoom camera to a 15x, and finally a 20x zoom compact digicam.

I happily use the earlier HX5V as an everyday camera, for holidays and occasionally for shots of review cameras. A good all-rounder but, if I had known of the progression Sony planned — 10x to 15x to 20x — maybe I would have waited for the 20 timer. But probably not, because I would have missed the pleasure over the last two years of owning the HX5V as a capable picture maker.

We’ve come up a bit in body size since the HX5V: it’s about one third overall larger, but placed side-by-side you would barely notice the difference. Weight: about 50 grams heavier. Not much diff.

Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-HX20V Features

The CMOS sensor has a whopping 18.2 million effective pixels on board, which leads to a maximum image size of 4896×3672 pixels. A print? How about 41x31cm in size?

Movies? Captured in AVCHD or MPEG4, the former file format will deliver Full HD 1920×1080 pixel video.

It’s worth noting that the newly-developed Exmor R CMOS image sensor and BIONZ image processor are claimed to produce enhanced image detail and lower image noise even in low light conditions. The claim is that image noise has been reduced to 1/61 to that of the earlier sensors. For me, this is important as the earlier HX5V does not do well in low light!

The body itself is made from a recycled plastic developed by Sony, a durable plastic containing 99% recycled materials and claimed to offer greater heat resistance.

The rear 7.6cm LCD is quite bright and useable in most daylight conditions but is absolutely hopeless in full sunlight.

The new HX20V has GPS installed, useful for trekkers to log their position when shooting and to record your progress.

BTW an interesting note and one that should be borne in mind if you’re an inveterate online buyer from overseas resellers: if you live in a country that uses 50 fps (PAL) or 60 fps (NTSC) in TV transmission the camera has an imprint in the base indicating 50i or 60i. It should help you buy the correct version for your country.

The mode dial on the top of the camera has ten positions; these include intelligent or ‘superior’ auto, Program AE or manual exposure; there’s also memory recall, which remembers a custom setting.

This dial also has a position to select sweep panorama, an enormously useful Sony feature that can capture huge panoramas in any of four directions: upwards, downwards, leftwards, rightwards.

Same dial: there’s 3D capture, with the image replayable on a 3D compatible TV; a useful dial position that captures the subject with the background ‘defocused’; 15 scene modes such as backlight correction, night portrait and others occupy another position on the mode dial; movie mode is also selected here.

There’s also an in-camera guide that has much detailed information about the camera’s operation. To be honest, I found it weird that many matters I needed to delve into were in this screen guide but not in the meagre 33 page PDF manual. Weird!

Near the mode dial is a ‘custom’ button that gives direct access to such matters as exposure correction by two f stops up or down in third stop increments; plus white balance etc.

The 20x zoom is of course to die for and I have to admit to some surprise when I found that the optical image stabiliser worked extremely well when the lens was pushed out to this extreme position.

Movies

For the price, this does the work of a remarkable video camera! It tracked very smoothly, even with the zoom racked from wide to tele. In wide, the auto focus worked fairly quickly; at full tele the AF was a little slower.

You cannot shoot stills while recording video.

Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-HX20V ISO Tests

Only when the ISO reached 3200 was noise evident. By ISO 6400 noise was up but definition was still very good. By ISO 12,800 the show was falling over but still, for certain shots, it was useable. A remarkable performance!

Startup Time

Two seconds from power on to first shot; subsequent shots about a second apart.

Distortion

A very good performer, there was no sign of distortion at either end of the zoom. What is also worth mentioning is the auto macro action of the camera: move into the subject as close as 10mm and the camera moves automatically into macro mode, with no distortion. Magic!

Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-HX20V Verdict

Quality: one of the best performers in the compact market.

Why you would buy it: great for Full HD movie shooting; great for macro shooting; 10 fps continuous shooting; excellent high ISO performance.

Why you wouldn’t: no RAW capture; small sensor.
At the end of the day, this is a top performer.

Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-HX20V Specifications

Image Sensor: 18.2 million effective pixels.
Sensor Type: BSI-CMOS.
Metering: Multi-zone, centre-weighted, spot.
Sensor Size: 11mm.
Lens: Sony G f3.2-5.8/4.45-89mm (25-500mm as 35 SLR equivalent).
Shutter Speed: 30 to 1/1600 second.
Continuous: 10 fps.
Memory: MemoryStick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG, SD, SDHC, SDXC plus 105MB internal memory.
Image Sizes (pixels): 4896×3672 to 640×480. Movies: AVCHD 1920×1080, 1440×1080. MPEG4 1440×1080, 1280×720, 640×480.
File Formats: JPEG, 3D MPO, AVCHD, MPEG4.
ISO Sensitivity: Auto, 100 to 12,800.
LCD Screen: 7.6cm (921,600 pixels).
Interface: USB 2.0, AV, mini HDMI, EyeFi and DC input.
Power: Rechargeable lithium ion battery.
Dimensions: 107x62x35 WHDmm.
Weight: Approx. 254 g (inc battery and card).
Price: AUD599.

Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.

Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.

Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-HX20V Review

How to Teach and Introduce Children the Wonders of Photography

2012-05-09T15:06:25+00:00

Children see the world through a special lens. There is a purity to their imagination that at some point most adults lose. If you have ever put a camera in the hands of a child you will soon discover that what they see in life is very different than the adults perspective.

How can you harness the creativity of a child through photography? I recently embarked on an experiment to this very goal. As I taught this group of children, I found myself learning lessons also, and am very happy to share some tools that will help you do the same.

1. Simplify, Simplify, Simplify

Adults like complicated things. We like to complicate everything too. To teach photography to children you must get out of this mindset. The most important element in your teaching children is that they understand a single concept first – and understand that well. From this foundation you can build upon other elements slowly.

2. Start with the Basics

The most important concepts in photography are universally known to be “Fill the Frame” and “Rule of Thirds“. In theory, you could combine these two ideas into a single session, but once again keeping with the “Simplify” concept, it works very well to do each as a single session. Begin with “Fill the Frame”, and emphasize that above all your subject must fill the frame to remove distractions. It’s ok to show examples of subjects quite literally “filling the frame” with very few other elements. Once they practice and master the idea of removing distractions, you can go on to explain that other elements can be in the picture to support your main subject.

3. Allow 30% Theory and 70% Practice

Kids will only sit still for so long before their focus diverts. For this reason spend the majority of your time allowing the kids to practice. You don’t have to send them out on a photoshoot; you could bring a bag of random objects and allow them to play right inside your classroom. Assign them a number of photos, and encourage them to come back to you for feedback. Invaluable practice comes from re-shooting the same subject to get the concept down.

Taken by a Columbian Orphan

4. Repeat, Repeat, Repeat

Don’t be afraid of saying the same phrases multiple times to be confident the concepts have stuck. Have the kids repeat the phrases back to you. Explain the same phrase in different ways, and do so multiple times.

5. Encourage

Kids will be kids, and they won’t always get things the way you hope they would. The most important thing you can do as you teach is to encourage their creativity. Don’t point out all the things that are wrong. Point out one thing that they can improve upon, and encourage all the things you see them doing well with their photos.

6. Have Contests to Spur on Creative Excitement

Everyone likes to compete. Set a contest for “most colorful” or “most interesting”. Give an appropriate amount of time for their goal. When the kids come back from shooting, walk them through the creative elements of their photos. Foster team spirit by having the kids vote on which photo most fulfills the contest.

Not everyone is cut out to be a teacher. But everyone can invest in the lives of children and inspire the next generation of creative artists. You never know who will grow up to become a well known and appreciated photographer because you gave them the first opportunity.

Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.

Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.

How to Teach and Introduce Children the Wonders of Photography

Print Your Own Tilt-Shift Lens

2012-05-09T09:04:39+00:00

A few weeks back I wrote about what rapid prototyping is doing to the traditional photography industry (well, any industry for that matter).

So it was a nice surprise to see this printable micro 4/3 tilt shift lens project from Joe Murphy. It is based upon the popular plunger lenses from Bhautik Joshi but is more rigid and does not use a toilet accessory.

That specific lens fits the MTF system, but the tutorial explains how to make lenses for other types of mounts.

The only think lacking in this system is a good name, "Tilt-Shift Micro Four Thirds Lens Adapter" is not very catchy. I suggest "The Bender".

Below is a short tutorial on how to make this lens (or order one using its thingiverse object), and tweak it for others systems, followed by some sample shots.

JasmineStar.com

2012-05-09T09:00:00+00:00

If Patience is a virtue, I ain't virtuous. I definitely subscribe to the Veruca Salt mentality (But I want an oompa loompa, daddy, and I want it NOW!), so when things work on their own timeline, I seem to be overtly exasperated.

Let's flashback to 2007: JD contacted the owner of the domain www.JasmineStar.com, who was the manager of a Texas-based band. The site sat dormant for years until that point, but he wasn't willing to let it go unless a hefty price was paid (Internet, it was hefty...like the trash bag).

JD reached out again in 2008, but the owner raised the price even more. It was at the time we moved forward with www.Jasmine-Star.com and decided to let things be because we couldn't afford what he asked.

Let's flash forward to March 2012: I received an email from the owner of the domain...and he was willing to sell www.JasmineStar.com and allowing me to set the price. WHAT?!?!? I quickly contacted the amazing tech support at Showit and they helped me point things where they needed to go to ensure everything was set up correctly (love them!).

All that to say:
1. I still need to work on my patience.
2. I need to start taking a daily vitamin...oops...detour...
3. I FINALLY OWN JASMINESTAR.COM!!!

The Lightplot Is A Lighting Painting Robot Evolving From Lego NXT

2012-05-09T05:40:14+00:00

One of the more interesting things to see in this era (aside a healthy big mac) is an ongoing synergy between light painting and rapid prototyping platforms like arduino and NXT Lego sets.

The Lightplot, created by Ben Cowell-Thomas, is a light painting robot that started as an NXT experiment and evolved into a huge project involving a massive robotic arm, a animation to movement software and a tiny LED.

The software is cool enough to control both the camera shutter and the robotic arm to create wonderful light painting animations. (Kinda like sticking an LED strip on a telescope mount on steroids)

Here is a quick demo of its capabilities followed by a short behind the scenes video

Shipwreck, Great Barrier Reef

2012-05-09T04:00:00+00:00

This Month in Photo of the Day: Adventure and Exploration Photos

Marine life in the Yongala shipwreck, Great Barrier Reef

Download wallpapers of underwater wrecks »
See more pictures of the Great Barrier Reef »

Rik Lovett & Associates [Raleigh Corporate Photographer]

2012-05-09T03:09:38+00:00

Well, I got another “first” accomplished last week! I was asked to take some head shots and other general photos for Rik Lovett & Associates in Raleigh, a small law firm specializing in family law. Equipped with a new lighting setup, I spent just over an hour and a half getting some shots of the staff inside and outside, as well as the attorneys at work! The firm is working to overhaul their website and many of the photos will be used to increase their marketability over the internet to new clients. Not to mention, professional head shots are great to use as profile pictures on social networking sites such as Facebook and LinkedIn! Contact me if you’re interested in setting up a time to take some corporate head shots for you and/or your company! Enjoy a few pictures from this session below!

Fridgetip - Use Your House Keys For Better Audio And Fresh Food

2012-05-08T20:08:03+00:00

Today's 60 seconds video is short and sweet. We share a tip on how you can use your house keys to help you rid of annoying ambient sound when you record video at home.

For our video, we used the Zoom H1, which is an entry level decent recorder, but this tip will apply for any recorder used.

7 Secrets Every Aspiring Street Photographer Should Know

2012-05-08T19:14:36+00:00

A Guest Post by James Maher

Street photography ain’t easy. It’s a fast moving world out there and it takes a lot of practice to be able to capture it well.

However, it’s not just about practice. Every seasoned street photographer has a bag of tricks to make their lives easier when out on the streets. Below are few of my “secrets,” which I do not think are written about enough. They are not just technical tricks, but tips to help you seek out great content for your photos, so that they are interesting and powerful.

Mona.

1. Stop Moving

Do you treat your street photography as if you are taking a beautiful stroll through the city? There is nothing wrong with this of course, but it is very hard to walk, pay full attention and still capture quality street photos at the same time. You will often find yourself out of position when a moment happens and it is much easier to be noticed when you try to get yourself into position. Finally, people are usually moving in the opposite direction of you and so it can be tough to stop your motion enough to achieve a sharp shot while framing correctly at the same time. All of this takes a lot of coordination to pull off while moving.

The key is to slow down. Make a point to stop every few blocks and wait for a few minutes. See what happens. You want the subjects to come to you and not the other way around. Explore your surroundings in a detailed way and wait for things to unfold around you. You will be surprised at the amount of moments that will occur while you are just standing around.

Rucker Park.

2. Pay Attention to the Eyes

If you want to improve your street photography (or portraiture) by a thousand percent then paying attention to a person’s eyes is the way to do it. People can be so skilled at hiding their emotions on their faces but their eyes will never lie. I see too many street photos with blank stares these days. Search for that hint of emotion in a person’s eyes and it will have a transformative effect on your photography.

In addition, direct eye contact can be extremely important. It creates a powerful connection with the subject. I usually try to avoid being noticed and so I often don’t aim for eye contact but sometimes waiting for a person to look at you is exactly what a photo needs. The photograph will still be candid as long as you capture the subject in the moment that they first look at you and before they are able to react.

Death of a Salesman.

3. Focus on Details

Street photography is not only about capturing crazy juxtapositions or fitting as many different people or objects into an elaborate frame. In fact, this is something that I see way too much. Often, it’s best to simplify your photos and search for the ‘little things’ – the tiny hints about life that everyone else seems to miss. Look at the details: a person’s hands, an expression, a piece of clothing, or a single object framed very close. Powerful ideas and emotions can be portrayed through the simplest of scenes.

Sleeping in Zuccotti Park, Occupy Wall Street.

4. Shoot at ISO 1600

Digital cameras these days are amazingly good at high ISOs. If you are in bright sunlight or shooting still objects then you don’t need to shoot around ISO 1600, but for the rest of the time it is a good idea. I pretty much live in ISO 1600, 800 and 3200. Shooting with a high ISO will help you achieve sharper images by letting you to use a faster shutter speed and a smaller aperture, allowing for more of the scene to be sharp. As long as you are using a decent digital camera, you will quickly notice that shooting with a high ISO will create a much higher quality image, despite the extra grain.

Also, grain is beautiful! Just make sure to not brighten the exposure too much in post-production with a high ISO photo. That will ruin the photo. If you are shooting with a high ISO, exposing correctly is extremely important.

Layers of the City, East Village.

5. Find shots without people

Street photography is often wrongly associated with being entirely about photographing people on the streets. Street photography is about people, or more specifically about human nature, but people don’t need to be present in the scene. There are an infinite amount of opportunities out there for epic street photos without people. You just have to look for them.

But let’s not confuse a street photograph without people with an urban landscape. An urban landscape is a straight shot of an urban environment, such as a simple shot of the Empire State Building. Street photos on the other hand say something about human nature. They have a message to them. Take the example of Layers of the City. This photograph represents the changing nature of Manhattan and particularly the neighborhood of the East Village, which is currently the fastest gentrifying neighborhood in the city. It portrays the progression from the seedy underbelly of the neighborhood to a sleek and sterile future. The shot says something about human nature and the nature of cities. It is not just a straight shot of a construction site.

Noodletown, Chinatown.

6. Shoot at Night with Artificial Light

Night is one of the most fun and rewarding times to shoot on the street. In general, I find street photos at night to be more moody and powerful than their counterparts taken during the day. And you don’t need to use a flash (although I do enjoy the flash look). I prefer to shoot without a flash because I love the colored and authentic look of artificial light sources and I want to take advantage of the beautiful qualities of these lights.

The trick to shooting street photography at night without a flash is to find bright areas and wait there (and shoot at ISO 1600 or 3200). Use glowing storefront signs and hang out near streetlamps. It will be worth it.

The Last Throes of Paper.

7. Like A Fine Wine

Street photography is like wine; it ages extremely well. This idea is something that you need to pay attention to when out shooting. Think about what is going to change. Focus on current trends or things that won’t be around in 2, 3, 10 or 20 years. For example, take a look at this 2012 shot of five people reading paper on the subway. This is not my favorite image by any means but it is going to age well extremely quickly. In 3 years, capturing an image like this may be impossible when almost everyone is using e-readers or their phones. This idea makes this image much more fascinating to me.

And this is only a small sample. The exciting thing about street photography is that for each of these seven “secrets,” there are dozens more. What other tips and tricks do you use to improve your street photography

James Maher is a freelancer and street photographer based in New York City. You can say hello on Facebook or view his work on his website.

Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.

Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.

7 Secrets Every Aspiring Street Photographer Should Know

Buy our New Natural Lighting eBook and Go in the Draw to Win $1000 worth of Lenses

2012-05-08T15:25:50+00:00

Two weeks back we launched a brand new dPS eBook – Natural Light: Mastering a Photographer’s Most Powerful Tool.

We’ve seen an amazing response to the launch with some wonderful feedback coming in and people reporting both inspiration to shoot more natural light shots but also feeling that they now are equipped with the knowledge to go and do it.

Win up to $1000 USD in Lenses

We launched Natural Light with a 25% discount for early bird buyers but before we end that discount we thought we’d add one more sweetener for those who pick up the eBook in the coming 2 weeks.

Everyone who buys a copy of Natural Light before Tuesday 22nd May (including those who already have bought one) will go into the draw to win a lens prize pack with your choice of lenses to the value of $1000 USD from B&H Photo and Video.

The Prize

The winner can choose a combination of lenses to suit their needs. So Canon owners can choose Canon mount lenses. Nikon owners can choose Nikon mount lenses. Micro 4/3 camera owners can choose lenses to suit their cameras.

The winner can choose to spend their $1000 USD on one single lens or might choose to buy 2-3 lenses (as long as they total up to $1000).

For example: Canon owner might choose a 50mm f1.8 ($119), a 17-40mm f/4L ($779) and a couple of filters to bring it up to $1000 OR they might simply get a 24-105mm f/4 which is worth almost the full $1000.

FAQ

Based upon previous competitions I know we’ll get a number of questions on this so here’s some FAQs:

what if I already purchased Natural Light? – you’re in the draw and don’t need to do anything else
is this open to all international readers – yes, everyone. We’ll ship the lenses to you anywhere at our cost. Our preference is to use B&H Photo and Video but if you live outside of their delivery area we’ll work with a local supplier to you to get you your lenses.
can I enter more than once? – no, there is one entry per person. Multiple purchases of the eBook only get you one entry
are there any conditions of entry? – yes, just one. The only condition of entry is that you allow us to publish your name on the blog when you’re drawn as a winner (we’ll keep any other details private). This way everyone will know who has won (we’ve previously had winners ask not to be named which has been difficult to be transparent about winner announcements).

Here’s the deal in a Nutshell

Buy Natural Light before Tuesday 22 May and you get:

25% off the eBook – worth $19.99 you get it for $14.99
an entry into the $1000 lens giveaway
Plus (and most importantly) you’ll come away from reading the eBook with some inspiration and knowledge to go away and take magical Natural Light images – this eBook has the potential to transform your photography!

To enter simply buy Natural Light before midnight on Tuesday 22nd May (Eastern US time). We’ll draw the winner that evening and notify them of their win and then publish their name here on the dPS blog. If the winner doesn’t respond within 7 days we’ll draw another winner and publish their name on the blog.

As this post goes up you have 2 weeks to take advantage of this offer – so don’t hesitate and pick up your copy of Photo Nuts and POST here today!

Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.

Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.

Buy our New Natural Lighting eBook and Go in the Draw to Win $1000 worth of Lenses

Planet Photography

Friday Randomness : Two Things At Once

Spectral Instruments 112 Megapixel Digital Camera

Dan&#39;s Cave, Abaco Island &lt;img src =&#39;http://www.tvs-homeland.com/cgi/white.png&#39;&gt;&lt;/img&gt;

A New Twist On An Old Bouncer

How To Make a Kickin' POV Helmet Cam

6 Portrait Lighting Patterns Every Photographer Should Know

1. Split Lighting

2. Loop Lighting

3. Rembrandt Lighting

4. Butterfly Lighting

5. Broad Lighting

6. Short Lighting

Putting it all together

Practice Exercise

Cancun Wedding : Adam + Laura

Nyiragongo Volcano Expedition &lt;img src =&#39;http://www.tvs-zen.com/cgi/white.png&#39;&gt;&lt;/img&gt;

Short On Time? Learn To Post To Google+, Your Blog, Facebook, and Twitter Simultaneously

Step 1: Create A Post On Google+

Step 2: Post To The Blog

Step 3: Post to Facebook and Twitter

Conclusion

Shooting London – Big City Photography

The Secrets of Successful Cityscapes

London Landmarks

What about your London?

It Only Takes 1 Reflector To Create Beautiful Portraits

Good Reads : Looking For Alaska

Scanning Film Negatives With A DSLR - A Maker's Guide

Tsingy Climbing, Madagascar

Unlock the Secrets of Using Natural Light: Interview with Mitchell Kanashkevich

Why did you choose to write an entire e-book on natural light?

You keep referring to light as a tool and more specifically as a tool for visual communication, please expand on that.

You mention that there are different types of light and you dedicate a whole chapter in the ebook to different kinds / types of light or lighting scenarios. You divide something that is abstract and boundless into tangible segments. What is the reason behind this?

What I found particularly interesting is that you mention there is no good or bad kind of light.

In your last post and in the e-book you talk about working with natural light and “controlling” the way it impacts the scene; is this something that everyone can do?

What do you do when you can’t “control” natural light?

One of the key things I took away from the e-book was that once you grasp how natural light works, you can make better images more consistently with virtually any camera. Do you have anything else to add to this?

Do you have your copy of ‘Natural Light’ yet?

Build A 1 Dollar Camera

Laguna Beach Engagement : Becky+Blake

Western Cwm, Mount Everest

How to Photograph Babies: 9 Tutorials

Bokeh Aliens Take Over The City

Do you Ever Shoot with Film?

Control Your Camera From 150ft Using A Garage Door Opener

The Girl Who Guards the Bags

Photographing a Solar Eclipse - Random Tips

Skiier, Whistler

Camille Seaman: On Photographing Icebergs

WordPress Basics for Photographers: Part Three

11 Tips for Band Promotional Photography

Pixel Peeping Octodomes

Kayaking, Greenland

Android

An Introduction to Photographing the Northern/Southern Lights

Aperture Priority and Shutter Priority: Exposure Lesson #1

The SLR difference

More automatic exposure modes

Program, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority & Manual modes

Program Auto Exposure mode

Manual mode

Aperture priority

Landscapes

Shutter priority

Creative Exercises

Aperture priority

Shutter priority

Arrigetch Peaks, Alaska

Mothers: Weekly Photography Challenge

Blasting Stuff With A High Speed Air Canon

Introducing Leica’s M Monochrom Camera

Kentucky Derby 2012 – Louisville, KY

The Wedding Photographer + Planner Experience

Ora Cave, Papua New Guinea

Shtuff People Say to Photographers

(kinda) Crowdsourcing Bullet Time Dancers

Black + White

Workshops? A New Direction… After a Break. Maybe.

Freerunner, Montreal

Dan's Cave, Abaco Island <img src ='http://www.tvs-homeland.com/cgi/white.png'></img>

Nyiragongo Volcano Expedition <img src ='http://www.tvs-zen.com/cgi/white.png'></img>