A Fresh Look

Yesterday, I was in Aperture, looking for other potential contest submissions. What you might not know is that only 10% of the pictures I take are posted on Flickr. I don't delete the others - I believe in using my work as a learning experience, too - so they stay in Aperture.

I found myself questioning why several of my pictures "didn't make the cut". I then found myself browsing most of my projects to see if I'd missed anything else. Sure enough, there were several pictures I decided I should post. Here they are, and here is my reasoning:



This is a really nice, simple picture of DC that I took on the 4th of July. It's nothing special, yet I'm always drawn to it. I like the clouds, and the simplicity of the lines. I was too concerned with what others would think of this picture, and I let that get in the way.



Yup - yet another picture of a flower. However, I have always liked both the simplicity as well as the colors of this picture. What's also unique is where I took it - Damascus, Syria.



Another butterfly shot, but I love the symmetry. I've always tried to take the "imperfect" shot, but sometimes, there's beauty in obvious.



This one admittedly has nothing in common with the other shots in this post. This is in Damascus, Syria, and I also always liked looking at it. I think it's because it represents East meets West. This mosque has always welcomed people of all religions and cultures, but like some places of worship in Italy, it has a dress code. They even provide the garment, if you aren't prepared. This man at the entrance is wearing one of those garments. Of course, the image in the background also appears to me. It's a window in the past Anyway, I really like it.



Yeah, yeah - another macro shot of a butterfly. I noticed it was nicer than some of the other pictures I'd posted, so I removed one of them, and will include this, instead.



This is also really nice and simple - and it reminds me of the rain. The little buds look like droplets to me.

Do you agree that I should include these? I'd love to know your thoughts!

Till Monday! Have a great weekend!

One Size does not Fit All (for Me)

I'm member of several photography groups on LinkedIn, and it's a great way to learn more about other people and their techniques. One of the most popular posts discusses lenses - if you had to use one lens, what would it be?

It's a really interesting question, even though it's not meant to be taken literally. I imagine the person posting this was trying to get a sense of everyone's favorite lenses, perhaps to add to his or her own collection. The lens mentioned seemed appropriate for a decent range of settings - wide angle to zoom, and everything in between.

But then, I started to think about my collection. I realized that I don't have a go-to lens like that. Without drowning you in technical terms (because I don't like them, either), here's why:
For starters, my kit lens is actually useful, now and then. Here's a picture taken with it, that I've always liked:



From where I was standing, my wide-angle lens would have made the silhouettes look too small, and it would have incorporated other elements on both sides of the picture that I wouldn't have wanted.
At the same time, without my wide-angle lens, I wouldn't have been able to take this:



I wanted to capture a good example of Key West architecture. Unfortunately, the farthest back I could stand was on the other side of the street. My regular lens wouldn't have been able to incorporate the entire building. I would have had to take two shots and stitch them together, something I don't know how to do.

Now, I could have taken both of these pictures with the lens that most people had recommended. However, this picture could NOT have been taken with that lens:



I LOVE this picture - it's one of my favorite examples of macro photography ever. Because macro photography is a specialty of mine, there is no way that I would use an all-purpose lens for it. Sparing you the details again, those types of lenses aren't suitable for showing the details that one would want for these types of pictures.

Finally, the telephoto lens I own has a better zoom feature than the lens everyone had recommended. However, as I mentioned in a prior post , I don't use it that often. I need to change that in order to get the full benefit out of it. But, it's a powerhouse compared to the all-purpose lens.

Researching the pros and cons of consolidating really helped me appreciate what I have. However, if I upgrade my camera body, I'm definitely going to get a more general lens like the one that was praised so much.
Till tomorrow!

Contests and Considerations

As I mentioned in a prior post, I'm entering two competitions every month. There seems to be no shortage of contests - whether it's magazines, online events, or galleries. However, not all are appropriate for me right now. So, here's the criteria I've chosen:

1) Online only - any contests where I have eventually deliver framed prints or anything similar is not going to work right now. It's too big of an investment. Also, online is fast and easy - it suits my traveling lifestyle.

2) Relatively low fees - one contest charged $15 an entry. That adds up! Right now, I'm not going to spend more than $30 a month on entry fees. If I start making progress, I'll adjust accordingly.

3) Direct fit - I always browse the previous winners' work to make sure my work is in line. This is why I rejected the National Geographic contest. My work isn't exactly what they're looking for. I really want to be smart about my submissions, and not just approach this randomly.

So, what did I choose? I entered Smithsonian Magazine's 8th Annual Photo Contest. Here's the picture I chose for The Natural World category:



The next contest (I have promised myself to do two a month, after all) will hopefully be one where I can submit some of my butterfly or floral shots. In my opinion, they're my prettiest, as well as the most difficult to execute from a technical perspective.

Till tomorrow!

The Dangers of Urban Life, Part 2

Yesterday, I discussed (at length) obstructions that can ruin pictures, as well as what to do. Today, I'm going to elaborate with a few examples. I'll post some "befores" and some "afters". I want you to see that with some quick and careful thinking, you can really make the most of your pictures. I'll also post a few that I saw as a lost cause.

Exhibit 1:

What's funny about this picture is that the original had not one, but two cars in it. However, once compressed and uploaded to Flickr, they disappeared. I therefore didn't need to do anything. If I were to sell this, though, I'd clone out the cars, because they're very visible. The cloning process for this picture would take about five minutes in Photoshop Elements. Simply open the tool, sample the area, and then move the cursor over the offending objects (cars, in this case). There you go!

Exhibit 2:

Note the shadow in the bottom corner, as well as the front of the car on the side. Very easy to crop out, with this result:

Now, the focus is just on the beautiful tree. The extraneous is gone, without resorting to the time-consuming cloning process.

Exhibit 3:

Note the cars on the left. Cropping won't work, and cloning is a nightmare here, so find another angle. In this case, I went to the tree behind this one, faced it, grabbed my wide-angle lens, and got:

Much better! No cars, no distractions!
So, to summarize, clone as a last resort. Often, while you're out there, you can move closer or move around. Use your viewfinder to spot these issues early. Then, correct them. Cropping is your next best bet. Any tool will allow you to do it easily.

Some hopeless causes:

The first one (picture): Too many large and distracting signs. If this were a gorgeous shot, I'd clone out the big one on the left, but I decided it wasn't worth it.

The second one: Pretty, but not worth the effort to clone out the poles and signs. There were many pictures that look nicer than this.

The last one: For the record, this was taken for demonstration purposes. :) But cloning out this car would not be worth it. I took 100 other shots, and they were all serviceable. :)

To summarize this two-part post, move around, take your time, take many pictures and options, and post-process ONLY if you really feel it's worth it.

Till late tomorrow, everyone!

The Dangers of Urban Life

I live in an area of town that is classified as "walkable". This is another way to describe what it really is, which is "crowded" and "urban".

I wouldn't have it any other way, except where photography is concerned. You see, there are a lot of mature trees near me, as well as big houses. These trees look beautiful in the fall. I set out to photograph a few, and here are some examples:

These pictures were all taken in busy, populated neighborhoods. These were some of the "hits". The misses included pictures with multiple obstructions, including:

1) Cars (some of which were moving)
2) People (some of whom were accompanied by scary dogs)
3) Street signs
4) Trash cans
5) Power lines - these are the worst. They completely ruin a picture.

So, how do you capture good pictures under these circumstances? A few preventative tips:
1) Try shooting from different angles. In many cases, by moving a few feet, I was able to sidestep many of these issues.
2) Multiple lenses. Getting in front or around something may shorten the distance between the object and you. My wide-angle lens really saved me - I used it for all of the pictures in this post. A zoom lens is also somewhat helpful.
3) Time and patience. Trying different angles and different lenses isn't something you can do quickly. If you can't plan your outing in advance, then you will absolutely need to slow down.

What if you've already taken the pictures, and it's too late? Some post-processing tips to consider:
1) Cloning (a Photoshop term, I'm not referring to sheep or goats). Cloning involves "stamping out" some of the distractions in the photograph. As an example, this picture had signs in it:

This requires a great deal of time and precision. Only do it if you really have to. The more distractions you have, the longer it takes.
2) Cropping - this can be your best friend. This picture had a wide swath of street and sidewalk, which were useless to me:

Caution - make sure you have enough "picture" left when you do this. If you find that you're cropping out too many details, then you should scrap the picture.
I can't emphasize how important this is. As a result, I'm going to cover more examples tomorrow. I strongly feel that anyone can take pictures like these!

In the meantime, feel free to ask questions. :)
Till tomorrow! I may be posting late, due to a work trip. I'll do my best. :)

An Ounce of Prevention ...

A major lesson I've learned over the years is that it's far easier to take the "right" picture the first time, rather than try to fix a flawed picture. Here's an example:

Another example: Have you ever taken pictures of buildings, only to find that the buildings lean in? This commonly happens when you are too close to a building. You tilt the camera upward, and that's the result. While this can be corrected in Aperture, it's not always easy, and you can sometimes "lose" part of the picture. Two ways around this one: Use a wide-angle lens, or back up.

A really good one: Do you ever take pictures indoors, only to notice that your pictures have a yellowish/goldish tone to them? It's a white balance issue - nearly impossible to fix if you didn't shoot in RAW. It's so easy to prevent, though - change the white balance setting in your camera from Automatic to Tungsten. Voila! Problem solved.

Finally: Are your nighttime pictures too blurry? (I sound like an infomercial) This is because the camera is more sensitive to movement in low light. I used to lose hundreds of pictures this way. Salvaging them in a photo editor was impossible. A few things to try: Bump up the ISO (a setting on your camera), trying several settings because too high adds a lot of "noise", or set the camera down on a fixed surface (like I did for my Hershey photos), use a monopod, or go all out and use a tripod. You'll definitely see better results.

Most of these tips are realistic, and easy to include in your overall checklist. The end goal is to take the nicest pictures with the lowest level of effort. These tips have helped me for years.

Until Monday!

Dear Penn, I Love You - A Gratuitous Trip Down Memory Lane

I am an extremely loyal person. Case in point: I LOVE my alma mater. So much, in fact, that I volunteer for it. It's time for my volunteer work to kick up in high gear, so I dug through my photo archives from 2004. It's amazing how my photography has changed since those days, but I think these are serviceable enough to show you:

I love you, Penn! I can't wait to take better pictures of you in December!
Till tomorrow!

Mixing Business with Pleasure

I took a look at the National Park Service Air Quality Camera this morning, and realized that fall was practically running away from me! But, with the weekend still a few days away, with work meetings between now and then, how am I supposed to be able to go out and get some shots?
Well, I'm going to take a cue from my business travel playbook - I'm taking my gear with me. I have meetings in VA and DC tomorrow, with some time in between, and before the first meeting. It will be a tight squeeze (and a somewhat ambitious one), but I'm going to squeeze in some camera time - or at least try to. Several nice walking trails are near my home. On the way back from my customer site, there are terrific photo opportunities near some local parks, as well as the zoo. I can take my camera gear with me.
I've done this before. Some examples:

I was in Destin, Florida for business meetings. I took these pictures (and the picture above) early in the day, before my business meetings. It can be done.
Another example from 2007:

Thanks to flight scheduling issues, I had to fly to Tucson, Arizona a day early. Because I had a full day between business meetings, I took my Blackberry, woke up at 5 am, and drove to the Grand Canyon. I took pictures for a few hours and then drove back. It was an EXHAUSTING trip, let me tell you. 600 miles in one day can take a toll on a person. It's funny, though - this picture was taken three years ago. I'm a much better photographer these days!
If I can take pictures in far-flung locales such as these, I can certainly manage to take a few shots in my own metropolitan area. I just have to make sure I don't forget or lose my gear along the way! :)
Until tomorrow!

Lessons from the Art Show

I went to the Bethesda art show on Sunday. It's a juried art show, which means that the artists were required to submit applications and essentially "apply" for inclusion in the event. Only about 6 or 7 exhibits were from photographers, so this was a very select group.
I set the bar very high for myself, so using others' work in a show like this as a benchmark definitely helps me. Here's what I gathered from the exhibits:
1) There were generally one or two areas of specialization per artist. Five of the exhibits focused on one area.
2) The pictures themselves were crowd-pleasers - in other words, visually appealing, but nothing requiring a lot of technical precision. Here's one example of mine that was similar:

3) Crowd-pleasing definitely did not mean generic. Many of these pictures were beautiful, but with a twist. There was always an extra element of interest. Here's an example:

(note the seagull in the middle, and the footprints on the left - that's what I mean by visual interest)
4) NO macro photography. I couldn't believe it! I would die without pictures like these:

I'm therefore taking a cue from my professional life by setting a goal for myself: Twice a month, I will enter one contest of sorts. Magazines have them, as well as online sources. Since we're mid-month, and since I submitted my work earlier this month, that gives me until the 31st to find something else. The law of numbers dictates that good things will happen!
Till tomorrow!

Fauquier County - Ayrshire Farm

I was very pleased with myself - I actually did everything I'd planned to do this weekend! Today, I'll talk about Ayrshire Farm, my pictures, and what I learned.
First, the entire Flickr set is here. I'm only posting a few pictures today.
The farm is about 60 miles from my house. Transportation from the parking lot to the main property was done by tractor! Here is one picture:

You may wonder why I took a picture like this, with the top of the tractor visible. I had a burst of inspiration while I was riding. I'd taken a few boring pictures, and then fell into this one by accident. I really liked the lines and the feeling of movement that this gave, so I took about 30 of these. This one was one of my favorites.
My telephoto lens came in handy that day, too! I found some turkeys on the far side of the property. It was very difficult to take these pictures, even with my filters, though. Here's an example:

The picture is a little bright, but I think this captured what I was going for - turkeys in motion. Lots of them, to be sure! The telephoto lens was used here, because I was standing far away behind a fence. I need to practice more with this lens and the light. This is progress, though!
This picture almost got me in trouble:

I think it's beautiful! Unfortunately, I wasn't supposed to be standing there. There were no signs, so I went for it (remember that I'm in sales - it's what I do). Someone came up to me and let me know, and I graciously stepped away from that area. It's too bad - I would have wanted at least a few more shots. I loved the way this is framed, as well as the blue sky. The lesson learned here for me is that you should always try. If someone says no, they say no. Just try not to break the law - the woman wouldn't have been so nice had I tried something blatantly illegal.
You may wonder why I didn't take any pictures of the property itself. Actually, I did, but I didn't like any of the shots. None of them did the house any justice, in my opinion. Here is one "glamour" shot of the fountain and surrounding greens:

This really shows how lush the property is, even if you can't really tell where I am.
All in all, I found this shoot very challenging. I needed and used all of my lenses, filters, and brainpower to set up and execute. I want to improve my pictures of buildings, just so I can have a more complete portfolio for the future. I would want to market these to different properties, and being able to take a picture including the main building would help complete the look.
Till tomorrow!

Activities Galore

So much to do, so little time - this cliche definitely applies to life during the next few days! This weekend, two art/photography related events are high on my list:

Loudoun County Farm Color Tour
Bethesda Row Arts Festival

The farm color tour could be an excellent source of inspiration, and hopefully some excellent photo opportunities, too. My friend Julie of Ivandale Farms recommended Ayrshire Farm, as well as her own farm, of course. I think I'll start there, and see what else I have time for. I will take my entire gear (making sure to charge my camera batteries), and I'll keep an open mind. I'm hoping to be able to escape to someplace as peaceful and pretty as this:



The festival, thankfully, is a 1.5 block walk from where I live. There, my plan is to take a close look at other photographers' work. I always enjoy exchanging ideas with "the professionals". Frankly, it's always good to compare my work with theirs. I want to sell my work one day, too!

Have a great weekend! Until Monday!

When Bad Weather is Not (so Bad)

I absolutely, positively, detest rain, snow, clouds, dry (not humid) air, and anything that isn't sunny and hot. In photography, though, variably to completely cloudy days can be wonderful for the following reasons:

1) You can shoot at any time of the day, because there is no sun glare
2) Cloud formations (and how the sun passes around them) are visually appealing
3) Instead of bright, saturated, pictures, your pictures take on a more muted appearance

Here's one example:

This is what this area looked like on a bright sunny day:

The water in each picture looks completely different. Each color scheme has its appeal.
You can make the same case for nighttime. This:

is nicer than this (in my opinion, anyway):

By the way, I wish I had my SLR on this trip. I took these pictures three years ago. I haven't been back to this area since then.
Till tomorrow!

Passing this Time Around

I received an email today:

Are you a professional or emerging photographer, ready for an industry expert to "tell it like it is?" Register now for FotoWeek DC's popular portfolio reviews. They always sell out! The Corcoran College of Art + Design along with 20 nationally acclaimed photo professionals are taking part in the 3rd Annual Portfolio Review Day on Sunday, November 7th. Head to the Corcoran College of Art + Design and have your work reviewed in the supportive atmosphere of professional camaraderie and constructive dialogue.  This year, an international lineup of curators, educators, photo editors, and other experts in the fields of commercial, fine art, photojournalism, multimedia, and documentary will be on hand to offer frank appraisals and critiques. Can you take it? Sure you can! You'll make valuable business connections, while gaining helpful advice on the progress of your work.

Call me crazy, but I'm not ready for this yet. Why? Because I don't feel like I have a cohesive portfolio yet. By having a better sense of what appeals to people (and I'm learning that it's highly subjective, and nothing like what I like about my work), I can make sure I'm ready. Here's an example of a recent a great example of a shot I took and LOVED (smaller version below):

For me, I thought it was great that the butterfly blended in so well. However, the feedback I received was that the colors were really nice, but that the butterfly would have been better if there were some contrast.

Meanwhile, take a look at this shot:

I like this, but not as much as some other people seem to. I'm overthinking this, I know. But I need some finding my "crowdpleasing" shots, versus my "technically excellent" shots. As I evolve as a photographer, I'm confident I'll figure it out. :)

Till tomorrow!

Submission Accepted!

One of the local blogs posted a picture I'd submitted! But, as always, I'm getting ahead of myself.
A few days ago, Bethesda Actually, a local blog about all things relevant in my town, posted a few pictures of fall. As you know, I didn't have the greatest outing on Sunday, and I felt motivated to go and try again. The fact that the blog was willing to take submissions certainly didn't hurt.

So, off I went yesterday late afternoon, camera in tow. I was a little concerned, as the sun was harsh, and taking pictures in harsh sunlight isn't exactly my sweet spot. However, I did find a few shots that would be crowd-pleasers, and here they are:

So, how did I manage to take these pictures in such harsh sunlight?
1) Positioning - I made sure to use nature's obstructions. I ducked behind trees, used different kinds of lenses, and rejected anything that was too bright. Even a subtle movement made a big difference, so be sure to try this - a little more time goes a long way.

2) Risk taking - I don't recommend this to everyone, but I didn't just stay on the sidewalk. I headed out to the middle of the street, working the angles until I got what I liked. Watch out for the cars. And the children. Not to mention the dogs.

3) Focusing on simplicity - I often forget that a lot of crowd-pleasing shots don't have to be intricate. After all, fall is just barely underway, the leaves are starting to turn, and we're excited. The picture doesn't have to say much else. In fact, you can tell that fall is just starting to emerge. I spend so much time composing "the perfect picture" like this butterfly shot that I forget to relax and let things happen.

Bethesda Actually opted to include my third one, and they called it "Superb Picture from a Reader". AND, the article mentioned my name! I'm extremely flattered. It really does prove to me that if I give myself a chance, I can do some good work in a short amount of time.

My friend Julie recommended that I refocus this weekend and attend The Farm Color Tour in Loudoun County. I think I will! Maybe I'll find more inspiration. Even if I don't, I'm sure I'll enjoy the scenery!

Till tomorrow!