Opinions are Like Noses ...

everyone has one.

I'm quoting something that was posted on LinkedIn. Lately, my opinion of my work has been faltering. The last shoots I enjoyed were where I took these pictures:







That was a great weekend. My pictures were crisp and everything clicked. Lately, my most recent pictures have been pretty, but blah. Burry leaves, pretty pictures, but no money shots.

Opinions are like noses ...

I flipped through the latest issue of Popular Photography, and could have sworn that my pictures were as sharp as they. Everything looks fine when I shrink my Arboretum pictures to a 5X7 size. Tiling looks quite pretty.

Opinions are like noses ...

I've decided that I need to keep pushing - I'll be happy with my work again. Perhaps a nice trip to Brookside will cure what ails me. I miss the butterflies!

Last Weekend's Photo Outing, Part 2 - Cherry Blossoms My Way

I'd mentioned yesterday that there is beauty in the cherry blossoms after the peak. Here are some pictures that illustrate my point:







The first one is a very classic picture, I'll admit. However, you'll notice that the blossoms aren't exactly abundant. They've already fallen off. I like the appearance of spring "bursting through". Also, while it wasn't sunny that day, you can still see some pale blue sky. Finally, I like the curves in the picture. This tree was one of the only ones that had any blossoms left at all.

The second picture was taken from the same area, but from a different angle. I loved the "sprinkling" of blossoms, as well as the way the tree in the background drapes.

Finally, here is a set of trees after the peak. You can see a few people in the picture - this is intentional because I wanted to show some activity - but it's a very peaceful look.

Tomorrow - the kite festival.

Magic Tricks and how to use Them

Yesterday, I mentioned what I need to make sure I can take clear pictures of fast-moving objects. Today, I'm discussing the opposite. Unfortunately, the tricks I'm about to outline require a DSLR - unless someone can prove me wrong.

The easier one to explain is how to handle nighttime exposures. It's quite simple - use a long exposure. Example:



Here's a 30 second exposure taken at night. There were people milling around, but you wouldn't know it by looking at this. As I've mentioned before, the key to such a long exposure is to stabilize the camera.

So, how does this work during the day? A 30 second exposure will result in a picture that is completely blown out and unusable. I've used this trick a few times, but I don't have a recent example for you: Use a neutral density filter (I own one, but I don't use it as much as I could) and take several shots with relatively long exposures. Start at 1/4 second and go slower. This works best with cars, in my opinion. It's not so terrific when you're testing this out with humans.

So, how would it work with humans? Not very well, I'm afraid. There are options with Photoshop, but as some of you know, I don't like using Photoshop for technical editing. My solution is to make it work with the people in it (and obtain the appropriate releases, if applicable):



Or, show up very early, like here:



As you can see, there isn't a soul out here. That's because I walked over at 7:00 am. No one was awake!

Tomorrow - an interesting idea and another printing option.

Resolutions

Yesterday, I acknowledged that upgrading my Aperture 2 environment was a necessity, not a luxury. I'm not lazy, but I don't like to spend much time editing my pictures. I think I've said this more than once. :) Aperture 3 definitely has quite a few features that will make my life easier. They are:

1) Polarizer - this one is really like applying a polarizer filter - here's an example of what I mean:



Notice how blue the skies are. This was taken mid-day, so without this filter, the sky would have been much more pale - and the highlights would have been blown out. Having the ability to recreate this look in Aperture (to an extent) will help me. Another one is:



I LOVE blue skies!

2) Dodge/Burn - LOVE this - using this enables you to lighten or darken areas selectively. You can select the brush thickness, the changes you'd like to make, and then you can go to town. This would work as a band-aid for some of my pictures.

3) Hold Highlights - a preset that allows me to make this change quickly.

4) Brighten Shadows - the opposite of 3) - this will help rescue my pictures that are too dark because of sun issues. The sun is my friend in real life, but as a photographer, I totally struggle with it.

5) White Balance - this picture was BLUE when I took it, because I used the wrong white balance setting:



I had to adjust this manually in Aperture 2, but doing this in Aperture 3 is a snap - it's a menu option. Huge timesaver.

6) Curves and Levels - another topic for another day. I'll need to master them, first. :) I've had access to these tools in the past, but never used them.

In Aperture, it's very easy to select and preview every one of these. Tomorrow, I'll discuss my experience in Lightroom. Till tomorrow!

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. :)