Implications of Upgrading

Last week, I mentioned the inevitable fact that I'd need to upgrade my camera body for a decent fisheye lens. I wondered what would happen to my other lenses. Well, the news is fairly good:

1) My kit lens, a Canon EF-S 18-55 mm lens, would not survive the transition. I'd likely purchase a Canon EF 24-70 mm f/2.8 USM lens. Retail price: Almost enough to buy a Prada bag.

2) My wide-angle lens, a Tokina SD 12-24 F4 (IF) DX - quite the mouthful - would not work with a full-frame camera, either. I'd need a new one - perhaps the terrific Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM lens. Retail price: Enough to buy a Prada bag.

3) My telephoto lens, a Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L IS USM lens, was a worthy purchase. I'll be able to use it after I upgrade.

4) My macro lens, a Canon 100mm EF f/2.8 macro USM, will also survive the transition.

So what camera do I want? Perhaps the Mark II - at a cost of around $2,500.

Total required expenditure - MULTIPLE mortgage payments. It's enough to frighten me. However, I do feel ready to consider this step this year. I have a new job, and if I do well, who knows? I REALLY want to take more amazing pictures that are even better than the ones that made my top 30 (some pictured here):



Till tomorrow!

Requirements Creep

One definition I've seen is:

"Feature creep (sometimes known as requirements creep or scope creep) is a tendency for product or project requirements to increase during development beyond those originally foreseen, leading to features that weren't originally planned and resulting risk to product quality or schedule. Feature creep may be driven by a client's growing "wish list" or by developers themselves as they see opportunity for improving the product."

So, how on earth does this apply to me?

Well, I want to start taking pictures with a fisheye lens. As you know, I love the distorted and the abstract.

Some examples include:







A fisheye lens would make it much easier to create these special effects. I found one that I liked, and started to do my research.

Unfortunately, I hit a snag: The fisheye lens I want isn't going to be very effective with my camera body. I have an entry-level DSLR with something called an APS-C sensor. While the lens I want will work, the effect is minimized - which is NOT what I want. The reason has something to do with the magnification ratio. As you know, I try not to delve into deep technical matters, so I'll leave it at that. Also, while I could buy a fisheye lens suited for my existing camera, it's not the make and model that I want. Also, I would have to get rid of it once I upgraded.

Basically, I'd have to upgrade my camera body, too - a costly endeavor that I wasn't prepared for. But I don't want to do that for another year. So, for now, I'll have to do weird things with distortions on my own. (Sigh) This is so disappointing, because I know for a fact I'd be terrific at this. I'll just need to wait and be patient.

Then, all of this made me think - yikes, would my other lenses work with a full-frame camera? I'll go into that analysis on Monday - that's going to require some research. Have a great weekend! :) Till Monday!

Macro Photography and Backgrounds

For me, it's important to read as much about photography as possible. The more perspectives I have, the more ideas I can try. I'm constantly trying to improve, so this is good for me.

I came across a post on LinkedIn today about the subject of macro photography and backgrounds, The author had mentioned effects that one can achieve by using a pure white background. I thought to myself, that's nice in theory, but I can't really apply that when I'm traveling (such as in my Key West shoot).

Of course, there are image editing techniques that can be used. They don't require Photoshop to work - Elements is more than enough. For me, though, that's like hard labor. I'm not sure if I'm willing to commit.

But does the author have a point? Yes, I think so. Consider these pictures, which are my favorites:





and compare them with:





Do you see the difference? To me, the flowers in the first set pop out - because the background contains no distractions whatsoever. This isn't to say that I don't like the second set of pictures - I do - but they're not as "simple" and "clean" as the first set. And that makes a difference to me.

So, where does that leave you? A few suggestions if you'd like to achieve the same effects, which apply even if you have a point-and-shoot:

1) Avoid harsh sunlight if you're in a garden. Change your angle.

2) Try to zero in very closely on the subject - this reduces the number of distractions in a natural way.

3) Look for a monochromatic background and shoot against it - the Botanical Gardens in DC had plenty of options - but I had to look closely, shoot low, and try different angles. It takes a bit more work and planning, but it's worth it.

Till tomorrow!

Contests for this Month - Vote for Me!

As you may know, I resolved to enter at least two contests a month. This is important to me in order to 1) Increase exposure to my work and 2) Win - at some point.

This month, I decided I would not wait until the last minute to submit my pictures. A novel idea, yes. Anyway, here is what I selected:

Pictures2Win - Photos Taken at Unusual Angles - I submitted this picture:



If you click on the above link, you can vote for me (which would be great).

Silicon Beach Trainings Photography Competition - I submitted these:





Unless you're a member of Flickr or Yahoo, I don't think you can comment on these, but Flickr is free for a basic account, so any help is appreciated. :)

I was tempted to sign up for a macro photography contest, but am going to hold off until next month. I have a feeling that more of those will surface in the spring, anyway.

Stay warm! Till tomorrow!

Dreaming of my Next Project - Churches

I don't know if it's because Vegas is known as "Sin City", or because of an article I saw in Popular Photography Magazine, but I really want to take pictures of interiors of places of worship. In the DC area, that generally means churches and cathedrals. Some examples from the past:





It is too bad that there aren't any nearby (ornate/pretty) mosques, because otherwise, I could take more pictures like these:



But, I have two good local options here (in DC): The National Shrine (near Catholic University) and St. Nicholas (once I double-check with a friend about some questions I have). As I understand it, they both have domes, which will give me many fun options.

What will I do differently?

1) Take many many many more shots (so I have more to choose from)

2) Try multiple f-stops and shutter speeds for effect

3) Play more with angles and exposures

In other words, offer more variety.

So why now? My oldest cathedral pictures are three years old, and my newest are two years old. My skills have improved by quite a bit since then, but also, any pictures more than three years old cannot be entered in most contests. I therefore need to refresh my content.

When? Definitely not this weekend. My volunteer efforts will be taking all of my time this weekend. These places are four hour excursions, at least. My goal is to do so in February - and I'll do my best to honor that.

Till tomorrow!

Vegas - The Bellagio

I had several goals for this Vegas trip, as you might recall. These were aside from the standard ones of sanity and good health, of course. Unfortunately, I caught a horrible case of the flu and am still recuperating. I'm therefore going to keep this somewhat short.

The Bellagio hotel is really pretty, and not in a bright-lights-in-Vegas kind of why. It's extremely elegant. With my point-and-shoot, I wanted to capture several characteristics of the hotel:

1) Elegance

2) Beauty

3) Serenity (believe it or not)

Here are some pictures that come closest to what I was going for:







I should say, though, that I really struggled in the following areas:

1) The lighting in the hotel was very inconsistent - very bright in some spots, very dark in others. Making these adjustments on my point-and-shoot was not fun. It would have been easier with my DSLR.

2) I missed my DSLR a lot. I would take pictures and then wonder if they were any "less than" because they were taken with a point-and-shoot. I still don't know the answer to that.

3) I still cannot take pictures of room interiors for the life of me. I don't know what it is or why, but they don't remotely resemble my vision.

Some bright spots:

1) I LOVE the first picture.

2) I'm making some progress.

3) I got a great deal done, considering I had very little time to set up and take these pictures. I was in Vegas for work, and had all of one hour or so to take 365 shots. This means I've gotten better at conceiving and executing my shoots. Sure, more time would have been terrific, but this is progress.

It's rare, but I don't have any concrete tips for you. This is because I don't consider myself an expert here yet.

I really want to continue to pursue hotel photography, even though I admit it will take some more work. Now that I work in the city, I can bring my gear in one day after work and practice. I do know that I'll need my DSLR. Till tomorrow!

Vegas - Night Shots

First, let me say that I really don't like Las Vegas at all. No offense to the city and its residents, of course, but I can't stand smoke and noise for extended periods of time.

That said, I really surprised myself. All I took with me was my point-and-shoot camera, and I was really inspired. I took 365 pictures, and will probably post around 25 or so. That's not a bad ratio, given my discerning eye.

Over the next few days, I'll cover the following topics:

1) Vegas - Night Shots

2) Hotel

3) Spa

You may recall that I have been trying to refine my travel photography skills for some time. This is why I opted to focus on the property where I was staying, as well as the city at large.

Anyway, here are my favorite nighttime shots:







Let me tell you, it was HARD to take these pictures for many reasons:

1) Exposures - I had to make sure that the lights were not too bright, and the darks were not too dark.

2) People: I didn't want anyone in my pictures, so I had to find creative ways to make sure my pictures were people-free.

3) Blurring/noise: The slightest movement would have made these pictures very blurry and unusable.

4) I accidentally turned on the date/time stamp, and didn't realize it until after the fact. Ugh.

5) The third one was taken from my hotel room window. It's not easy to shoot from up there!

6) Without a wide-angle lens, it was hard to avoid the "leaning in" look that I don't like.

Here's why I thought I improved over previous attempts at nighttime photography:

1) They're crisper than my past ones

2) These were taken with a point-and-shoot, and therefore without the fancy "bells and whistles" of my DSLR. And, without a tripod.

3) The first one would have been great with a 30 second exposure, but it's still pretty cool.

Tips for you:

1) If you're taking pictures from your window, make sure the building lines are straight. Also, press your camera to the window itself, if you're using a point-and-shoot, or prop it somehow. Make sure you don't scratch anything, of course. If you're outside, try to set the camera down on a steady surface.

2) ISO 800 is your minimum to avoid blurring.

3) Tungsten white balance is what worked for me, but experiment.

4) Above all, do not point the camera upward. Your buildings will look slanted.

More to come! Have a great weekend! Till Monday!

Bright Lights, Big City - Time for Another Trip

I'm going to Vegas on Sunday for work. I won't be back until Thursday, but I do have some (photography) goals for my trip. Here's what I'm planning:

1) Vegas at night - cliche, but a good exercise for me. Here's an example of what I mean, from my New York trip:



2) Hotels (interiors and more) - examples:



I'm taking my point-and-shoot - and only my point-and-shoot, so this will be a challenge. All I need to do is pick up another battery charger - I seem to have misplaced mine already. They're so small!

Till next week - most likely Friday!

You can do this, too - Historic Places

As some of you know, I started a new job this week. This new job requires some travel. Sunday, I go away until Thursday night. More on that tomorrow.

I've mixed business with pleasure before, and therefore knew I'd take my camera. However, because of everything else I have to pack, I'll be limited to my point-and-shoot. I initially thought, "Oh, no, this is going to be terrible", but reminded myself that 1) I have a new point-and-shoot and 2) I have traveled overseas with only a point-and-shoot and did fine. I then thought back to 2007.

I went to Damascus, Syria, and Aleppo, Syria in 2007. At the time, I'd just bought my DSLR, but I was afraid to take it with me - I didn't want anything to happen to it. Also, it's important to note that I had had VERY little training at the time. I was by no means an expert.

So, I took my 4MP Canon point-and-shoot. If that's all you have, and if you're going somewhere historic, here are some ideas:

Panoramas:



Interesting interiors:



Twilight shots:



Historic items:



Foreign calligraphy (a personal favorite):



Some tips:

1) Try your best to avoid harsh sunlight. Use the shade, or wait - if you can. It's very hard to correct overexposed pictures.

2) Conversely, if you're shooting in low light, bump up the ISO. You won't be able to control much more than that, but it's better than nothing.

3) For closeups, experiment with the macro capability (it looks like a small flower on a Canon). You'll be able to have fun with shapes and textures.

4) For buildings, try not to tilt the camera upward. If you do, your building will look like it's leaning in from the sides - not very pretty. Either move (far) back as I did, or look for an area of interest in the lower half of the building.

Till tomorrow!

Snow

In my Ugly/Pretty post, I discussed how pictures of snow do not have to be beautiful. However, I did not offer any pointers about technique or technical settings.

Both are very important in this scenario, because shooting in the snow is tough for many reasons:

1) It's cold, so batteries deplete more quickly

2) Reflections on the snow can yield pictures that are too bright

3) White balance issues can cause your pictures to look blue (difficult to correct unless shooting in RAW)

4) If it's too sunny, your subject will look too dark

Corresponding Remedies:

1) Make sure your batteries are fully charged, carry an extra pack, and dress warmly. Protect your camera, too - especially if snow is falling. A simple way to do so is to use a plastic bag.

2) If your camera allows you to, play with the exposure compensation. Point-and-shoots have this feature as well. By "play", I mean go to this setting and decrease it in .5 increments. Start at -.5, and keep going until you have what you like. It's easier to correct underexposure than overexposure, so don't stress too much about this.

3) It's best to adjust the white balance manually, but I don't - everything else is enough work as it is. Depending on the amount of sunlight, try several of the white balance settings that are already programmed.

4) Two tips: Don't shoot into direct sunlight (unless you want to create this effect), and use your fill flash.

What about subjects? Here are some suggestions:

Convert to black and white (post-processing) for a dramatic effect:



In the second picture, it was actually snowing - that's why there were streaks.

Shoot at night, instead of the day:



Shoot ice instead of snow:



Or a few others:

Footprints in the snow, wildlife, children playing (preferably wearing bright-colored clothes for contrast), and anything that adds more dimension than just a white picture. Here's what I mean:



I admit I took this, but it's not my favorite.

I hope these tips are helpful! Please "like" my facebook page (Beauty Through Photography), and feel free to post here or there with questions. Till tomorrow!

Marketing Myself - Part Two

Yesterday, I covered my plans to drive more traffic to my Flickr page. Today, I'm covering my plans for my blog itself.

I really love this blog. I've learned so much from my own work because of it. Not only do I want it to document my experiences, but I also want it to serve as a repository for practical information for you - my audience. If you end up having greater control over your pictures as a result of this blog, well, I'll be thrilled.

So, here's what I did last year:

1) Included the blog link in my signature file

2) Embedded my blog in my LinkedIn profile

Here's what I did in 2011:

I followed the lead of some of my Facebook friends and set up a site dedicated to my blog. For now, my goal is to provide written information, so I classified it as a site. If I decide to offer services in the future, I can obviously change that. While Facebook isn't the end-all-be-all, it's very popular, and there's merit to doing it this way. I chose this as my picture:



Later in 2011, I plan to add more product recommendations and links to vendors such as Amazon. I'm holding off for now, because there's no need to do everything at once!

Till tomorrow!

Marketing Myself - Part One

I've been a Flickr member since 2007. Back then, all I wanted was a place to post my pictures to show my family. Around a year ago, I decided I wanted to drive more traffic to my Flickr site. A few months ago, I set up my blog to serve as a complement to my Flickr page. I wanted to incorporate more of my personality into my work.

It's starting to pay off, but I need to do more. In Flickr, as an example, I've started to see an uptick in the number of hits every day. My blog is also seeing an increase of readership, though more gradually. I've therefore decided to spend the next two days discussing my 2011 goals for each. Today, I'll start with Flickr.

Prior to 2011, I did the following:

1) Embedded my Flickr page link into my personal email signature file

2) Linked Flickr to Facebook, so that my Facebook friends can see my work

3) Joined several photography groups on LinkedIn, and added my Flickr page link to my LinkedIn profile

4) Went beyond tagging and organizing my photos to posting them on various Flickr groups for more exposure. Some of these groups require that contributors comment on others' photos, some don't.

Which one do you think led to the most traffic? Believe it or not, item 4). Connecting with fellow Flickr users and showing them my work was by far the most productive use of my time. Therefore, in 2011, I plan to submit at least three photos to different groups every day. I'll spare you the daily details of this, but today, I did submitted the following:





The first one was submitted to four groups - two for reflections, and two for the metro area (one for DC, one for MD). I thought it was interesting enough, and I wanted to see what others thought.

The second and third ones were submitted to two groups each, too - DC-related sites. Frankly, I'm not sure if these pictures are even "good enough". I have plenty of confidence in my macro photos, but this (DC buildings) may or may not be my genre. I could certainly use some feedback. I'd like to do better.

One note: I make sure to comment on others' photos every time I post something, even if it isn't required. I'd want the same for me, so I make sure to extend that courtesy.

What about my blog? I have plans for it, too. Till tomorrow (when I'll tell you more)!

Day 12 - How Did I Do?

As I mentioned in my introductory post, life is going to become very busy. I'm starting an exciting new job with travel, hard work, and long hours. I wanted to take advantage of my free time as much as possible by really pushing myself. And that I did.

Here's what I have now that I didn't have before taking this on:

1) 247 new pictures

2) A Flickr set highlighting my favorite work to date

3) Vastly improved macro photography skills

And here's what I learned:

1) I need to continue to push and market my work (more on that this week)

2) I love my least labor-intensive shots (my flowers) - this will always be my strength. Cropping and modifying are not for me, and never will be (but I'll still do it).

3) I never run out of ideas, but I don't need to follow through on all of them at the same time (I still have many ideas for photo shoots).

4) I love my DSLR and am thrilled to have it back, and in working order.

5) I can't take straight shots of cliches. I wish I could, but I'm not inspired. And that's okay.

Time to get excited! My office will be walking distance of this:



and this:



Till tomorrow!

Day 11 - Pruning and Editing

As of this morning, my Flickr photostream had 1096 items in it. 247 of those were taken in the last ten days. I knew that I had to do something to organize my content a little better (because it's baby steps with me). So, this is what I did today:

I deleted the following sets (but kept the pictures in the photostream):

DC Monuments

Boulder

California Abstracts

South Beach Abstracts

Arizona

DC Minerals

I chose to do so because:

1) Many of these pictures were over three years old. I can't enter them into contests.

2) Some were no longer my best work. My (now) discerning eye picked up flaws including boring composition, harsh lighting or shadows, lack of definition, and color issues.

I also deleted some individual pictures within a set. That reduced the number of pictures in my photostream to 1035. I can live with that, especially because I have all of the originals - two copies. Then, I had to go back and review my blog. I had posted some of the deleted pictures, and the links were broken. I fixed those.

I'm hoping this will make a difference, as I tend to direct people to my Flickr sets page, and not my photostream. This way, people can pick and choose the content of the greatest interest. Now that I've pruned it somewhat, I'm hoping it will be a little easier.

I also made one more enhancement - I put up a new top photos set, which I will modify periodically. I selected 28 photos (30 seemed like too much, and I struggled to narrow it down to 25), and put them together. While they don't match my most popular, I love them and I want people to see them. I think this is the best way to accomplish that. Here are the thumbnails of my top 28:











Tomorrow, I'll go over the last topic of the Twelve Days of Photography series - lessons learned. Hint: there were plenty. Till tomorrow!