Information Thursday | jm images

Information Thursday05.20.10

Listen to your subject and/or client! and remember to shoot at the “Golden Hour” which is 30 minutes before the sun set and 30 minutes after the sun set.

The image below was taken after I was ready to call it an evening. I asked if there was something else she would like done and she said, how about the back of my dress? I was like, “duh Joe, of course she wants a shot of the back of the dress.” All women want that shot! (So I quickly rebounded from my oversight and pulled my camera back out) We walked over to the corner of the building and BAMB, the light was perfection! Had I not listened to Kendra I never would gotten this shot. I really do think this shot was the best of the night.

After this shot she looked to her right and noticed these stairs and asked for one more picture by the stairs. Again, I always listen to the client. Glad she spoke up. This is my second favorite shot of the night.

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Information Thursday05.12.10

Bounce this week!

I am not against fill flash. (If it is done right) I just think fill light is a little nicer than fill flash and better than no fill at all. Fill light is light that fills in shadows on your subject.

What do you use for fill light? You can buy expensive reflectors or go out and purchase a really cheap piece of poster board ($6 for a 10 pack of 22″x28″) or a little stronger piece of white foam core (About $8 for a 30″x40″) you can purchase that at your local frame shop. You use these reflectors to bounce light into the shadow area of your subject. It adds a little more light and helps show the lines of the shadows to add more line to your subject.

Go give it a try this week!

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Information Thursday05.05.10

Well, it has been a very long week. Very busy week. It has been a long and busy week. Therefor there is no information this Thursday.

I will ask that you all go out and shoot. Shoot what you like. And when you are done working it, go and shoot it a few more ways. Maybe move up a little and use a wide angle lens instead of that safe 135mm. Maybe turn the subject away from the light, or maybe shoot into the light. Change it up. If you feel “safe” and know you can nail the image then move.

Challenge yourself. That flash that is in the bag? Take it out. Use it on manual, NOT on program. Try that out. Fail. Then learn from that failure. Do not be afraid to fail.

Lastly, maybe shoot something you are not familiar with. If you like people shoot landscapes. If you like nature photograph a child. Get out of your comfort zone.

Most of all, get out and shoot!

Now go!

Go shoot images will ya?

ADD A COMMENT|POSTED IN Attitude, Information Thursday

Information Thursday04.29.10

Sometimes my memory is not so good. I forget peoples names (never their face) from time to time and I have a habit of taking a wrong turn now and again. Phone numbers… let’s not even go there.

But when it comes to my memory cards for my camera I always remember what, where and why I buy what I buy. I have never had a problem with my cards. There are horror stories out there about damaged cards. Damaged cards from a wedding! (Nightmare) I know friends of mine that have had to pay $1000 + to have them recovered. (and not all the images were recovered) (NIGHTMARE) How does or how can this happen? What cards are out there that are so fragile as to ruin 1000′s of images?

Let me give you a little information that I have come across over the years so this may never happen to you. There are many card manufactures out there. Olympus, Sony, SanDisk, Kingston, Lexar, Canon, Delkin, EasyStore, Hoodman and many many others. These cards for 16gig memory run from $33.95 to $299.95. Some of the differences are speed of the cards (range from 60X to 675X) , quality control, and where they are purchased.

Just like anything else, you tend to get what you pay for. If you are up late at night, checking Ebay, and you see a Lexar card that is 40% less than the MSRP and are shipped free odds are the card is either a knock off or someway a shady deal. Those cards could very well cost you images of a lifetime. Sure, there are recovery programs out there that cost $30-$150. AND SOMETIME THOSE DO NOT WORK so you need to send the card away and can cost you another $1.50 per image. If you take a lot of pics, and are being paid to capture memories this can cost a ton of money and cost you many nights sleep.

I have used Lexar and SanDisk for years. I buy/bought them at major computer stores and from reputable photography stores. (B and H Photo) Never an issue with reliability. I now use Hoodman. Made in the USA and have a <taking a deep breath here> 100% reliability record. In my humble opinion off brand and lesser quality cards are not the major cause of failures though. With the HUGE data transfers from camera to card it is easy to fill up a card in no time. And when shooting RAW I make a mental note to NOT fill the card up. I like to leave space on the card. (maybe change cards when you have 5 shots left) This allows the data to not freeze (for lack of a better tech term) when you begin to download your images of a lifetime to your computer. It seems overloaded cards tend to be the ones that cause many restless nights.

So to sum up the info on memory cards, stay away from to-good-to-be-true offers on Ebay and the cheap websites, and let your image data have room to move.

Sleep well.

JM Images

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Information Thursday04.22.10

I thought maybe Aperture and Shutter Speed would be a good topic today. It was part of the first Information Thursday, but it was more about exposure at that point. Speaking of, how is the exposure control going? (I am sure you have taken your camera off of program mode by now?)

Anyway, Aperture is more than just a tool for exposure. The main reason you want to be able to control your camera is so you can control the look and feel of a photograph. When you have your camera on “P” mode the aperture is locked into F22. And that is the key to normal/average photographs. Keep your aperture at F22 and you will stay average and normal. There are times when F22 is a needed aperture and when it is the last line of defense to get “the shot”. But that is a rare occasion. (But will be covered)

In a nutshell, your Aperture is the size of the lens opening that controls the intensity of light that passes through the lens. But, it also controls the overall sharpness of the image or depth of field in the image. The best way to describe this is to make the “A-Okay” signal with your hand. (index finger at the base of your thumb) When the hole made by your index finger is small, that is F22 setting in your lens. When you move your index finger towards the tip of your thump the hole gets larger. At the largest size you will have F2.8. (Or F3.5 in other lenses) So, F22 is the smallest hole your lens makes……. and F2.8 is the largest hole your lens makes. Now here is the kicker and the hardest thing to remember about all this. The LARGER the hole (more light and smaller number i.e. f/2.8) the least amount of depth of field. The SMALLER the hole ( less light and larger number i.e. f/22) the more depth of field. So, in a landscape shot you would normally use a small aperture (f16-f22) for a good depth of field. And in a portrait shot (average shot) you normally want a large aperture (f5.6 or larger) to minimize clutter in the background.

Shutter Speed is a little easier to follow as it controls the length of the exposure. And the shutter speeds are a little easier to understand as they are measured in increments of a second. For example, a shutter speed of 1/125 means the shutter is moving at one one hundred twenty-fifth of a second. And the speeds follow accordingly. 1/30 is a slower shutter speed than 1/60 and so on. The higher the number the faster the shutter and the lower the number the slower the shutter speed. Fast shutter speeds will stop action and slower shutter speeds will blur action. Sometimes blur is good, and sometimes it is very bad. Depends on the situation. The SECOND part of what shutter speed does is that it controls the amount of Ambient light when using a flash. (That is yet another blog post)

I hope this helps a little in your quest to using that “M” on your camera dial. Enjoy!

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Information Thursday04.15.10

“Ahhhh, no worries about all that stuff. I can fix it in Photoshop.” Or a fav of mine, “Watch yourself, I can give you a triple chin with a side of raccoon eyes with that attitude” (laughs all around)

I tend to use that first sentence a lot when I photograph a client. It is all in fun and jest. (although I do own a shirt that says just that as well) Again, all in fun.

But that statement is also one that is very true and running rampant in the photography world right now. “Fix it in post”, “eh, I can get rid of that later”, “Sure I can get rid of Uncle Larry in that picture if you really want me to”. (That last one, by the way, is a true story) I did get rid of Uncle Larry. I also took the same pic without him in it as well. All I did was ask him to step away from the pic for one shot and I moved up about three feet to make sure he was not in the one shot. The client thought I was a photoshop god when they saw the picture.

The fact of the matter is why Photoshop something out if all you need to do is move one way or the other or turn a few degrees in another direction. Less is more and can will save you tons of time. Plus, it will make you see things better when you don’t rely on Photoshop to “fix” things. Again, Photoshop is just another tool used to enhance a photo, not make a photo into another photo. (But that can be done as well, again though, it takes TIME TIME TIME)

Compose in the viewfinder. Look around and see what does not belong. Recompose the shot and click away. By recomposing the shot you can save 15 minutes or so with Photoshop. Or you may not even have the need to use the “sucking the life out of you program” at all. And that is a great thing!

Save the time for shooting, not sitting at your computer.

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Information Thursday04.08.10

It is a good great idea to look at photographs if you want to get better. You can look at Aunt Alice’s photographs from the Summer trip of 1976, and learn all the names of your long lost or deceased relatives. But that is not what I am talking about. Sure you may find out where Uncle Ray got that odd shaped head, but you probably won’t learn what a work of art looks like.

So, I highly suggest you click on the links that will lead you to a few of my favorite photographers that I have been following for years. When you are browsing through these artists feel free to click on a few of the links that will be on other pages. Find what inspires you, what trips your trigger, and look at the light. Light is everything with a photograph. Ahhh, yes. Light is everything with a great photograph.

Enjoy these artists. Some you will love, some you will not like. Others, well, you may scratch your head. But, they all have had impact on me in some way.

Robert Capa for his work (and much more than) on Omaha Beach on June 6, 1944.

Diane Arbus

Garry Winogrand

Robert Frank

Helmut Newton (not for everyone)

W. Eugene Smith (one of my favorite photographers)

Weegee (what is not to like)

Minor White

Herb Ritts

Ansel Adams (My other favorite photographer)

Annie Leibovitz (She took the last photograph of John and Yoko)

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Information Thursday03.31.10

Some rules of composition and other basics of photography

Always put your subject in the middle of the frame.

P mode is the preferred setting for control of your camera.

Rule of thirds is overrated, keep subjects in the center of the frame.

Include as much in the frame as possible. More is always more.

Light sources are all the same.

F stops are old school. Keep your dial on Program.

On camera flash is preferred.

Off camera flash? huh?

Leading lines cause confusion in a photograph.

Shooting in direct sunlight is preferred over open shade.

And just for fun!

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Information Thursday03.25.10

Of course the best camera body is……….

Camera bodies and what’s the difference?

Nikon Canon Leica Pentax Sony Hasselblad Fuji. These are all types and manufactures of DSLR cameras. Each manufacturer sells many different models from $499 to $10,000. Not to mention one of these manufactures sell a body for $20,000. Each company also builds and distributes lenses of all lengths (mms) and price ranges. A Canon 50mm, for example, can range from $89 for a 50mm 1.8 to a 50mm 1.2 for $1,400. There are differences between the two lenses but both are still a 50mm lens. I shot Nikon and Fuji cameras my whole career until about 10 months ago. I decided to switch to Canon. (the 5D Mark ii) It was a personal reason and one I am very happy with. That same time a buddy of mine switched from Canon to Nikon. He is happy with the switch. It really does not matter which system you use. What matters is that you are happy and know how your camera body functions and that you can control it and it not control you.

Why do I mention this? Well, a lot of new photographers and long time hobbyists fret and worry about their camera body and their equipment in general. They think if they switch camps or buy higher priced equipment they will become better shooters and better photographers. This is just not the case. Sure, a higher priced camera body may shoot 12 fps or look really really cool but when you are talking about what a camera body really does, well, they are still just a box. I would rather use a lesser body and a less expensive lens and be more proficient in the exposure aspect and composition of a shot than the other way around. Higher priced equipment does not yield better composition or better exposures. I am not saying Pro camera bodies are not worth the cost (that is another post) but again I prefer content over equipment. ALL of the consumer DSLRs have the MANUAL mode on them. If you can work your camera in the MANUAL mode you will get great results after some practice if you learn how to control your exposure and learn to harness the power of the MANUAL mode. On the other end of the dial all consumer DSLRs and PRO DLSRs have the MANUAL mode and the PROGRAM mode. A $400 body and the $10,000 body will take the same quality image on PROGRAM mode. It is easy to take a bad image exposure on a Canon 1Ds Mark iii or a Nikon D3x when you use it on the PROGRAM mode. The same goes for a great image exposure is achievable on a less expensive Rebel or Nikon D3000 camera body.

So, to recap the camera body thing; all bodies do the same thing (well, mostly) and controlling the camera is more important than if it is Canon or Nikon. So if you are staying awake at night bummed because you cannot get that more pricey camera body remember that is is less about the equipment and more about the quality of the exposure and strong composition. Sleep well!

3 COMMENTS|POSTED IN Camera technology, Information Thursday

Information Thursday!03.18.10

I am going to try something a bit fun. Thursday posts will be about photography. Tips, tricks, or ideas for the casual photographer. (Or something for the budding photographer)

Topics considered will be mechanics, photo tips, ideas, photo safari or just a little information on what makes a bad shot into a great shot.

So, without any further explanation here we go.

How about exposure?

First and foremost, exposures are determined by a light meter. The meter is conveniently located inside your camera. (back in the day we used to carry around a hand held meter and read our exposure with the hand held meter. (*They still manufacture hand held meters, but the one in your camera works just fine for 99% of your needs)

Exposure is the amount of light that “draws” on your camera’s image sensor in your camera during a single accuation.I use the term “draw” because of the term photography. An exposure is the combination of your shutter speed and aperture setting. (I also include the ISO setting as a variable.) All three settings can change the exposure but all three serve totally different functions. These functions are sometimes changed with almost no thought by a novice photographer because they do not understand their true function, or the novice photographer has never been introduced to them other than “open up or stop down”. Hey, we all need/needed to start somewhere right? There are other functions that shutter speed and aperture do, but we are discussing EXPOSURE and not what artistic controls the shutter/aperture can do to enhance a photograph. This is exposure only.

ISO is also known as sensitivity. The ISO on most cameras ranges from ISO 100 to ISO 3200. Some camera bodies go a bit higher and some a little lower. This function controls the sensitivity of the image sensor. The lower the ISO (say 100) the more light you need to take an image. (nice sunny day outdoors) The higher the ISO (say 1600) the less light you need to take an image. (darker conditions) Again, the ISO can also be used for artistic purposes that will be discussed at a different time.

Shutter speed is the control that measures the amount of time that light “draws” on your camera’s sensor. OR shutter speed controls the length of the exposure. The shutter speed measures the time in fractions of a second. (or seconds with timed exposures) This will be your numbers that read 1/60 or 1/250 etc.

Aperture is the size of the lens opening that controls the intensity of light that passes through the lens. These look like this in your viewfinder f/2.8 or f/8 etc.

Here is the really fun and cool part of exposure. When you take your camera off of the “P” mode and enter into the manual mode setting you get to have total control over your camera! No more getting the wrong exposures or the so so exposure. BUT, what you need to understand about all of this is that you need to follow one simple rule. (yes, there are a few rules) This rule is a rather big one. The law of reciprocity: this basic principle of exposure simply means that you can reciprocate (or rather compensate for) a change in one control with a change on another control. Meaning, you can trade off apertures for shutter speeds and and vice versa. (see chart below)

It all seems a bit daunting if you have never really thought about the term exposure and how it all works. But when you take the reigns of your camera and start to control the camera all of this will start to make sense. The great thing about the digital age is that you can make mistakes and not have it cost you anything other than time. Back in the day we would try something new and have to spend money on film and developing and printing to only find out that all the reading and class time yielded dark/under exposed or highly over exposed negatives. Now you can take a look at your histogram and see what you are doing correctly or what you need to work on. Isn’t digital just fantastic?!?!?!

So, to recap:

Learn what your shutter speed does, what your aperture can do and what to set your ISO at any given scene. But remember, you need to take your camera off of “P” mode and turn in on to the “M” mode. I know you can do it!

2 COMMENTS|POSTED IN Camera technology, Information Thursday