Hillwood Mansion - Greenhouse

It's no secret that macro photography and flowers are my life. Okay, not my life, but a great source of pleasure, for sure. Last weekend was no exception at all. I was afraid that I would take the same pictures over and over again, but I didn't. I feel as though my work keeps improving in quality and composition. That said, here are my favorites from my first batch of uploads:







A key tip that made a HUGE difference here - go on a cloudy day. NONE of my pictures had issues with harsh lighting, odd shadows, or other problems. Plus, honestly, how nice is it to go to a warm greenhouse on a cold, cloudy winter day? For me, it was awesome. For you, it means one less variable to worry about.

But, back to the pictures:

I loved the simplicity and colors of my first picture. All I did was take a picture of the top half of an orchid. I'll show you the bottom half tomorrow.

The second picture's appeal to me is in the framing. I took numerous variations of the flower itself - the first picture here is an example.

The third picture is an example of one that should not require a macro lens, which is why I included it here. I wanted those of you with point-and-shoot cameras to have some options. I love this one because it's pink. I also like the way the flowers hang, as well as the overall look.

The settings for all of these are attainable - relatively low f-stop settings, ISO of 400, and nothing special with the white balance - Automatic worked here. The next time you go out to a garden, give pictures like these, especially the third one, a try. Just make sure you have a steady hand, a macro setting (whether the lens or the point-and-shoot setting), and willingness to experiment and have fun.

Till tomorrow!

Hillwood Mansion - Interiors

I've always wanted to take better interior shots. I was so disappointed that my Vegas interior shots did not turn out as well as I'd liked. While I will always consider myself a macro and abstract photographer, it's important to me that I at least be competent in other areas. Yesterday, I mentioned that I took interior shots of not only the National Shrine, but of another location as well.

That location is the Hillwood Mansion. They normally don't allow photography at all, inside the mansion - ever. However, that day, they told me that they were allowing cameras on a trial basis. I therefore considered it a duty to forget about my misadventures with interior shots, and to just go for it.

How did I do? Not too bad. Here are some examples:







Let me say that the first and second pictures would not have been possible, had I not shot in RAW. Why? Because of the post-processing required. Both pictures were VERY dark, especially the first one. The contrasting levels of light were not my friend, that's for sure. Not to discourage you, but NONE of my takes of the first picture were usable, initially. As JPEGs, I could have fixed them, but they wouldn't have looked as natural. I love the finished product, though - both pictures reflected my vision for them. The first, tranquility. How nice would it be to have tea in that room? The second picture, elegance. I love all of the elements of this room.

What does all of thais mean for you, with a point-and-shoot? Don't shoot directly into the windows - that causes exposure issues. Flash wasn't allowed here, so that wouldn't have helped you. That brings me to the third picture:

This picture only needed a White Balance setting of Tungsten, and an ISO of 800. The lighting was very low. I could have taken a similar picture with my point-and-shoot.

What else could help you? I took a picture for a woman who thought that "I knew what I was doing". Without tweaking the ISO, I was able to take a decent picture. This is because the light was behind me, and the room wasn't as dark as these rooms were. And that might your best lesson of all - if you can't tweak the ISO or the White Balance, find a decently lit room - and don't shoot into the light. However, if you can afford it, make sure to have a point-and-shoot that allows you to control these two settings. It makes a HUGE difference.

Till tomorrow!

National Shrine - Backbends and Other Poses

A few weeks ago, I mentioned some projects that I really wanted to complete when I had the time. Well, last weekend, I had time, and I headed down to the National Shrine.

This was an extremely difficult shoot for several reasons:

1) The lighting was very low and "orange"

2) I couldn't walk in certain areas, so to take pictures there, I had to stretch my body (hence the title)

3) My literal shots were not resonating

On the bright side, I did find several "money" shots. Here are some examples:







The first and third pictures are examples of how changing the angle can definitely change the picture. Although rotating one picture would result in two nearly identical angles and shapes, the lighting is clearly different. I prefer the first picture a little more - it reminds me of a French children's fairy tale. I think children would see an element of fantasy.

The second picture required considerable tweaking in Aperture, so I was glad I shot in RAW. Honestly, I'm not sure if I could have duplicated this with my point-and-shoot. While I could replicate the ISO and white balance settings (800 and Tungsten, respectively), I used a wide-angle lens. Also, I don't know if the post-processing work that I did in Aperture could have been replicated with a JPEG image (typical output of a point-and-shoot). What exactly did I do? I lowered the temperature, raised the tint, and removed some of the shadows. I also did some cropping (which can be done with JPEG images, too).

What's my advice? If you have a point-and-shoot, follow the light, but only indirect light. This is because you want some soft shadows, but you don't want exposure issues. I'll elaborate more on what I mean about this tomorrow with a better example. Also, you want a high ISO - 800 and Tungsten white balance, as I already indicated. You don't need to zoom. In fact, I didn't at all. Don't be surprised if your colors don't come out properly in some situations. Just cut your losses and move on. Finally, follow my lead and tweak your positions and angles. See what you like.

These aren't the only interior shots I took this weekend. Till tomorrow!