Photo Safaris

I'll be the first to admit that work has prevented me from doing much with my photography, but I need that to change, if only a bit. Since I'm going on vacation soon, I'll make some progress in this area. But after having spent some time this morning talking with someone about photography, I've realized how much I've missed spending time with people who feel the same way I do. So, I've decided it's time for some photo safaris. They've really helped open my eyes as to options, techniques, and just plain fun. Here are examples of my work from past safaris:





The third one is significant to me, as that's when I was told that I needed to keep shooting and keep trying. The instructor had never seen anyone take that picture before - and she'd led the safari more than a few times.

Anyway, I miss experimenting, interacting with fellow hobbyists, and just enjoying myself. With that said, I'm considering the following safaris:

Fine Art Photography - I really want to learn more about this, what it means, and how it could apply to me.

Afternoon Light in Annapolis, MD - To learn how to take unique pictures of typically touristy areas

Panoramic Photography - This could really be interesting. I don't love Photoshop or anything, but I love landscapes and want to learn more.

Coming this week - trip updates, assuming my equipment, the weather, and my motivation cooperate. :)

Facebook Ads - Pros and Cons

Ever since I set up my Facebook page, I've seen references to Facebook ads. I didn't really give them any thought, as I didn't think they were practical for me.

However, recently, I came across a discussion board that prompted me to think about it. It's quite simple to set up. You outline some parameters for the ad (title, description, simple stuff), and then you proceed to the targeting options. There, you can set up criteria around country, interests, age, education, and other related demographic information. Finally, you can proceed the pricing area, where you determine the duration of the campaign, the budget per day, etc.

Simple enough. But why would I want to do this? I'm not the type of person who spends money randomly. A few reasons which might compel me to try:

1) I wouldn't mind more exposure to my page. I'd love to see if I can generate any interaction. For the most part, it's all me.

2) More activity means more progress to me - and that's highly motivating. I've felt a "low" from a creative perspective, lately.

3) I'd like some interaction and some suggestions. The page is a great place to do it, but progress has been fairly slow so far.

4) I'd like to expand my reach to other countries. I seem to do very well in the Middle East, and I'd like to do more.

It's probably evident that I have been posting less. It's my intent to post two or three times a week, and to continue down that path. However, it's a reality that I will have less activity on my blog if I do that. However, maintaining an active Facebook page is easier for me. I can post blurbs almost daily, yet stay connected with the community.

I'll give this another week before I decide what to do. :)

Next time - an excerpt from the latest issue of Popular Photography.

Distractions

After having spent a week doing nothing but image editing (well, that, and my day job), I realized that this type of work is borderline addictive! I was flipping through some old articles from Popular Photography last night, and came across yet another image editing idea. I had to put my foot down and think about what I should be doing - taking new sets of pictures, not editing old ones. At least for the time being. I will definitely cover that image editing idea in a future post, because it was a good one. :)

So, I went and read (and read and read), so I could find some inspiration. I'd decided to do more macro photography, but with subjects other than butterflies and flowers. Although I could certainly improve in those areas, I 'd felt as though I'd done them to death! Finally, it hit me. I'd taken pictures of minerals in the past.

At the time, I thought these were really interesting. They are, but they were all taken when I knew so little, relatively speaking. Examples of what I didn't know:

1) How to shoot in RAW, so editing the images resulted in a loss of detail

2) Much about depth of field

3) Anything about macro photography. I took many other pictures, but their potential was extremely limited.

So, I'm going to do something with minerals, but with a twist. I'll explain more on Monday. Have a great weekend! Till Monday!

Macro Lite

Most of you know that I love macro photography. Here are some of my classic shots that I've always loved:



And my favorite of all time (at least for this week):



But what if you don't have a macro lens, or even an SLR? After all, this equipment is really expensive. Can you take nice pictures with just a point-and-shoot?

The answer is yes. I started taking pictures of flowers and plants back in 2004. All I had was a 3 MP Canon camera. Here are some examples:





These aren't as nice as my more recent examples, but that's not because of the camera - it's because of the relative lack of experience. What do I mean? Well ...

Picture 1 has too many reflections. I could have taken this picture from a different angle.

Picture 2 is cute, but the subject of the picture isn't clear. Is it the leaves or the buds? Had I zeroed in on one or the other, this picture would have had more meaning.

Picture 3 has WAY too much going on. It's interesting and pretty, but not much more than that.

All three of these could have improved upon with the same simple camera, had I thought about it at the time. Also, there is one clear benefit of using a camera like this - the chance of blurry pictures is almost zero. When you focus (tightly) on a subject, the camera becomes very sensitive to camera movements, which produces fuzzy/blurry pictures. Here, it's not as common.

Some other tips for you:

1) As always, take multiple pictures from different angles

2) Make sure to know what you are shooting before you shoot it. Do you want to focus on colors? Texture? Patterns? Angles? Curves? Knowing this in advance helps you set up a good shot.

3) You won't be able to post-process much since you aren't shooting in RAW, so avoid harsh sunlight and other environmental factors that you won't be able to fix.

4) Most newer point-and-shoots are 7 MP and higher. You'll be able to crop liberally, if needed. Cropping can help you change the focus of your picture.

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!

My Latest Risk - Submitting my Work

At work, I'm such a Type A person. I'm always selling - my company's software, my skills, and on behalf of my customer TO my company. You would think I would commit to my photography the same way. The fact is, I've always seen it as a hobby - a way for me to capture beautiful things. This blog is the second step for me - the first was setting up my Flickr account a few years ago.

Getty Images makes a Call to Artists announcement every quarter on Flickr. I decided to treat this like an RFP and respond. So, I submitted 12 images. Here's what I chose for this round:


Getty focuses on stock images, but with a twist. Their submissions site features a huge variety of pictures. I think mine are on par with a lot of these. Maybe something will come of it, maybe not. I can always submit again in a few months! Doing this will really force me to elevate my game, anyway - and try to take even better and better pictures. I'm really looking forward to getting back out there and adding to my collection!

Until tomorrow!

Twilight - When the Best of Intentions goes Awry

I mentioned in yesterday's post that I'd had some misadventures while trying to shoot in twilight. Let me explain what I mean:

I don't like nighttime photography, but I LOVE twilight shots. Here's one from years ago:



The picture of the building itself isn't perfect, but I fell in love with the deep blue sky. I was hooked.

So, I planned my trip to Hershey on Friday, at the last possible minute. On Sunday morning, I decided that I would try to take twilight pictures. A few minor issues:

1) Twilight isn't special (or really even noticeable) when it's cloudy outside. Example:



Was this twilight? Maybe ... maybe not. I certainly couldn't tell. Maybe this one?



See what I mean? About ten minutes later, it was so dark outside that all I got was something like this:



Mind you, these pictures actually turned out great - I was thrilled with the way they looked. A few positives from this shoot:

1) I figured out a way to use long exposures (30 seconds, in this case) without a tripod. I found several places where I could set down my camera such that it was stable.

2) Playing with the shutter speeds and the water was something I hadn't done in a long time. Tip: Very fast shutter speeds "freeze" the droplets. Slow shutter speeds provide the effect you see in these pictures.

3) Clouds are always beautiful, no matter what.

4) Sometimes, you just have to roll with it.

5) Perhaps nighttime photography isn't such a disaster. Maybe I should embrace it. THERE'S a thought. :)

I'm hoping to head down into the city at some point this month to take real pictures in twilight. Maybe my results will be better. Or, maybe I'll learn something else about myself and my work.

Until tomorrow!

Lessons Learned in Hershey

I had a great time on my little getaway, and was happy I took all of my gear. This is my favorite picture of the trip:



I learned quite a few things (regarding my photography - I'll spare you the other details of the trip, especially the roads). Here's a summary:

1. I still don't like nighttime photography, but practice never hurt anyone.

2. My telephoto lens (that I hardly ever use) actually did come in handy.

3. Twilight is a lot shorter, when you're trying to take pictures in it.

4. I think I've taken enough pictures of Hershey to last a lifetime. Time to try something else!

I'll start with comment 2, because I have the least to say about it. I was on the roof of the Hotel Hershey with my camera body and wide-angle lens. I quickly realized that the rides' lights were on in the distance. I ran back into my hotel room, grabbed my telephoto lens, and began taking pictures. Unfortunately, the ferris wheel lights went off five minutes later. But, I did manage to get a few civilized shots. This one made the cut:



Lesson learned - I was so far away from the park that without my telephoto lens, I wouldn't have been able to get a picture of the ferris wheel that was bigger than a speck. As a corollary, if you've packed everything, you may as well lug it around. I lost precious time during my frantic trip to my room to grab the right lens.

Tomorrow, I'll talk about my (mis)adventures in twilight.

What I'm Packing

I'm going on a trip tomorrow! More on that later, but since I'm driving, I'm taking all of my gear. As promised, here's my list of what I own and use:

MacBook Pro - the 17 inch version, and the best machine in the entire universe. My photography-related software that I've installed is:

Photoshop Elements - I rarely use it these days, but it's useful for image editing, and applying my watermarks (copyright info).

Aperture - I spend all of my time here, post-processing. I use Aperture to store and catalog my photos, as well as apply enhancements (if needed). Example include modifying the hue/saturation, changing the exposure, using the horizon tool (to adjust my picture if it's more tilted than it should be), and making other related adjustments.

Flick Uploadr - to upload my photos to Flickr, my photo-sharing website of choice. I love it, because you can post your photos to different groups, and it's very interactive.

As far as my camera and accessories, I am part of the Canon camp, not Nikon. I have the Digital Rebel XTi. I bought it a few years ago, and it does everything that I need it to do.

I have several lenses, and here are the generic descriptions, so that I don't have to engage in the philosophical discussion of Canon vs. Nikon. I like my Canon, but you don't have to. :)

Macro with lens hood (to block the harsh sun, when desired) - for close-up shots of birds, butterflies, and flowers.

Wide-angle with polarizing filter - for wide shots. Have you ever tried to take a picture, but couldn't get enough of it in your frame? A wide-angle lens can help solve this problem. Here's an example:



Had I only brought a regular lens/camera, I wouldn't have been able to capture this entire building in the frame while standing so close. This was a busy area, so I didn't have the luxury of backing up or moving around.

Telephoto - I rarely use this lens, which is sad, because it's so expensive (around $1,000, but I paid $500). It's great if you're trying to shoot anything that is far off in the distance. Here's a shot:



I was on a mountain, and I can assure you that I was nowhere near the houses in the foreground. Without this lens, I wouldn't have been able to capture any of this detail.

Kit lens - it came with my camera. I don't use it much, but I take it with me just in case I need a basic picture (not common with me).

Tripod - I almost never use it, because I'm not particularly interested in being forced to stay still in order to take a non-blurry picture. I tend to avoid the type of photography that would require a tripod, anyway.

I have two camera bags, but all of this will go in the larger of the two bags.

So, where am I going? I'll give you a clue tomorrow. :)

Shooting in RAW

This is a somewhat advanced topic, but the sooner you understand what it is, the sooner you'll make more informed decisions about your photos.

So what is RAW? Basically, it's like a negative in the film world. To continue with the analogy, it means you have a LOT of power over your photos. Changing the exposure, highlights, lowlights, are done more easily, and more precisely.

Here are some examples of my work where shooting in RAW made my life easier:

Notice that this picture is really ... blue. Well, I messed up. I had the wrong white balance setting on my SLR. I didn't realize it until about 20 shots into it. It wasn't until I thought to check that I'd realized my mistake. If I were using a compact camera, I could have made some changes, but I would have lost some of the detail (at least in my opinion - I'm a pretty precise person). But here's what the finished product looked like:



You never would have known how badly I'd messed up!

Here is another picture that I couldn't shoot in RAW, because I just had my compact camera with me:

Unfortunately, I couldn't save this and preserve the details. While I could have tried to with Photoshop, it would have been too much work for my liking. I am not one to spend more than 5 minutes fine-tuning a picture - if that. I prefer two minutes per picture. Because I shoot 200 pictures at once, I'm just not willing to spend more time,

For me, I view shooting in RAW as a nice, easy insurance policy - and a way to make sure my pictures look the best that they can.

Tomorrow, I'll talk about what equipment and software I have, and how everything is used. Until then!

Is it the Camera or the Photographer? Part Two

In my previous post, I introduced the concept of not needing to go out and buy an SLR and ten lenses (an exaggeration, perhaps), without taking the time to determine if you actually need one. After all, SLRs and their kits are heavy, unwieldy, and depending on where you travel, not even allowed. So, here are a few more examples for you to consider:



This is one of my favorite shots of all time. The level of detail would have been very difficult to capture in an ordinary camera. I had to play with multiple settings simultaneously, in order for this one to work. In general, interior shots such as these benefit from a wide-angle lens, and a camera with a manual setting.



I took this picture at sunrise with a regular camera. I don't know what it would have looked like with all my gear, but I was traveling from city and city and wasn't able to take more than a compact. I think this looks fine. Had it been one hour later, I would have needed a polarizing filter, and Photoshop for post-processing - not to mention a way to shoot in RAW. (More later)
Finally, an example of my favorite type of photography:



Getting this level of detail in low light and with this precision requires a fast macro lens and a good camera body. I can't do any macro shots with my compact. If there were ever a case for good camera equipment, this would be it.

So, to summarize, if you're shooting objects in the near distance in good (not too sunny) weather without any marked precision requirements, a compact camera (in the $250 range) will do.

Otherwise, go out and look at some SLRs so you can control your environment. If nothing else, you'll be able to shoot in RAW, my favorite format (with a few exceptions). What does that mean? I"ll cover that tomorrow. :)

Is it the Camera or the Photographer? Part One

As the magazine salesman said in Office Space, "That all depends". Sure, he was about to blackmail Peter and Samir because of something they'd said about money laundering, but the quote still applies here. :)

In other words, if you already own a camera of some sorts (and most of us do, what with camera phones, and point-and-shoots), then stick with it in the short term. My previous post outlined ways by which you can identify your strengths. Different types of photography require (or don't) specialized equipment:

I have many examples from my personal portfolio. I'll go through three at a time, until I've covered all of the topics.



This picture was taken before dark, and while I was standing still. What's also important is that my camera at the time could only handle 3 megapixels. You definitely don't need anything special for this shot.



Although this picture was taken in the middle of the day, I didn't need any special equipment because I was in the shade and used an angle that avoided harsh shadows and highlights. Nothing special for this shot is needed, either.



For this picture, I wish I'd had an SLR. Nighttime photography is very difficult with a camera phone or a simple camera, because nighttime is a less than ideal condition. This means that the camera is more sensitive to movement. You can also see a very harsh contrast between the lights and the darkness. If I'd used/owned a digital SLR, I would have been able to adjust my ISO - and I would used a tripod. Then, my picture would have been incredible. If you like nighttime photography, I'd strongly recommend an SLR.

More tomorrow!

What's Your Niche?

If you're considering photography as a serious hobby, then you should know that the majority of us are not good at every aspect of it. I'm a great example. I cannot take pictures of people if my life depended on it. I was once asked to take pictures at a gathering, and here's one fine example of my work:


The people in this picture and kind and wonderful. Sadly, I clearly lack the ability to capture emotion and meaning. I'm comfortable with this revelation. In fact, I've told several people that I will happily refer them to a someone specialized, such as James of James Woo Photography. Fortunately, this group never asked me to take another picture again.

So, how do you find your niche? My suggestion is to shoot early and often, with the equipment you have. It's important not to buy anything new, until you've determined your strengths. Some suggestions: flowers, action, nighttime, architecture, landscapes, interiors (such as your home), consumer products, even produce. You won't know what you can do until you try.

The beauty of digital cameras is that as long as your memory card holds up, you can have as many learning experiences as you'd like. That's right - there are no mistakes in this world, just learning experiences. I have some hilariously awful pictures at home where I THOUGHT I was a good architectural photographer, but was sadly proven wrong. I would show you, but I think I've embarrassed myself enough today.

What's my niche? Macro photography first, interiors second (particularly ceilings), and abstracts third. Anything else I do is for my own entertainment.

In summary, finding your niche is important, because based on your findings, you'll need to determine whether or not the camera you have is going to help you produce quality work. But that's a discussion for another day. :)

How it All Got Started

Just a picture, right? Not to me.

When I took this picture (and several others in my Carmel and Big Sur set), I was with my Dad, snapping pictures, and not really thinking much of it.

On the same trip, I took this picture:



... and I realized that I loved capturing beautiful memories.

Not knowing much about technique, I signed up for some basic classes. Digital camera in tow, I learned about aspects of photography which interested me.

This blog is a story of my constant quest to satisfy my love for nature, beauty, and creativity - in my view. You won't see any pictures of people in this blog, but you'll learn about what inspires me in my world, and how I've grown in the process.