Macro Photography

November 5, 2011



When shooting close up work patience is the key.  How many times have your heard that in shooting photos.  I have to constantly remind myself to Slow Down and take my time and really look at the subject and compose the image for maximum effect.  The thing about shooting close to your subject is movement.  Any camera movement or breeze and you can lose the focus of your subject ( but is this a bad thing?).  Sometimes, I use a tripod and this allows me to relax and take my time composing the image but still you have to be aware of motion.  Early morning is a good time to shoot because more often than not there is a calm atmosphere before it begins to heat up and wind arrives.  You can always use barriers to block breezes (cardboard that surround your subject) so you can shoot longer into the day but this does not make for a spontaneous, intuitive compositions that can say more about your subject than a more studio like image. So, in alot of circumstances I shoot untethered to a tripod whereby I can get in close to my chosen subject using different angles and experimenting with the subjects color and softness to create a more interesting photograph.  This intimate closeness to your subject sometimes generates a more authentic relationship in the final photographs than shooting a more defined sterile approach with a predetermined design in mind.

One other thing I have to be aware of when shooting without a tripod is my death like grip on my camera.  Years ago when we had cameras with film in them (yes they still sell those camera with film) I was getting a scratch that went horizontal through a good portion of the frames on a 36 exposure roll of film.  When I couldn't figure out what was causing this frustrating scratch on my film I brought the camera into the repair tech to find out what was causing these scratches.  He couldn't find anything on the back plate that was rough enough to make the marks.  After reviewing my shooting, I realized that I was holding the camera too tightly while shooting and putting extreme pressure on the back plate without realizing it.  I was so caught up in the shoot that I didn't pay attention to my death grip on my camera.  Now with digital that is not a problem but how you hold your camera still can make or break a shot.  When shooting close up work hand held, hold you camera firmly with the camera sitting in the palm of your hand and don't squeeze the life out of it.  Relax and focus, breath easily and press the shutter button calmly with out jerking the camera downward.


Finally, I always try and anchor the viewers eye to a focused detail in the close up.  Sometimes you can go so abstract that no one knows what the subject is and might lose interest.

I have selected a few close-up images of nature and a few images that were set up with a more predetermined design in mind.

Happy Halloween

City Skylines

October 21, 2011


I have always enjoyed photographing skylines, whether it was Seattle or any other West Coast City Scape.
The trick to shooting this subject is finding that perfect place where the iconic local attraction meets with your creativity and camera knowledge.  If you haven't been to a particular city before then you will have to do some scouting.  Yes, you will find the usual tourists traps and you will want to shoot these subjects too but you will want to put your own personal artistic perspective on it as well.  What I look for when shooting skylines is first and foremost light and then, will my composition give a true sense of the place where even the locals will say, WOW.  Every once and awhile I achieve that mark. I use a tripod on all my skylines and stay away from special effect filters.  Straight shooting does the trick for me. I shoot sunrise and sunset light most of the time.  There are times when the air is clear and the sky this unbelievable blue that I can't resist taking daytime images of cities and their attractions.    

Out My Backdoor

October 9, 2011


One of my photo buddies was working down at the Grand Canyon as the Park Department's official photographer years ago.  He was in photo heaven.  One day he was sick and in bed and he looked out his window and he saw these wonderful cumulus clouds in a perfect blue sky.  Well, he forced himself to get up and set up his 4X5 and shoot them out his back door.  He took 2 frames and went back to bed.  As it often happens in stock photography those simple, easy images to make become best sellers and the cumulus cloud image he took was one of his all time big money makers.  I have always remembered that, it doesn't always have to be an elaborate set up shot that can make you money sometimes keeping it simple can do the trick.  I often now step out on to my back deck (at all times of the day) to take cloud images when they look good.  And sure enough some of these have sold.  Not huge amounts but enough to keep me shooting these subjects ever chance I get.

Recession Images

September 24, 2011

I bought some small piggy banks and a couple of larger piggy banks a few years ago before the Great Depression.  I was thinking about the economy and how people would need to start putting money back into savings and into other safe investments.  I was going to shoot a family of pigs with the parents, so to speak, teaching their little pigs to save and invest in their future.  I never got a chance back then to shoot them with that concept in mind.

Fast forward to today's economic fiasco.  As I was looking for new concepts to shoot I remembered the little pigs and thought about the state of the economy and the hardships the Great Recession has wrought on the working class and the working poor, so I decided to shoot these family of pigs with a vision of society where the older generation will have more wealth and the younger generation will have less and will suffer for decades for the greed and dysfunctional government that rule them.

Times are a Changing

August 5, 2011


Photographers must have a business plan and have the where with all to change that business plan as times change.  There is no doubt that times are changing fast in the photo industry and one must be agile and have the dexterity to change directions when needed.  Once upon a time in the Stock Photo World of the Past many photographer's let there images do the talking.  They obviously had the talent to create great images and didn't necessarily have to continually promote themselves as a Stock Shooter or even have to go after assignment work (even though some photographers were natural salesman and would always promote themselves).  They were free to focus on what excited them and then shoot it and submit to a Stock Photo Agency and then watch the income roll in. Nowadays imagery gets lost in the over saturation, over competitive market of shooting Stock Images. Where once your imagery had a waiting audience ready to buy your travel, nature, people and landscape subjects through your Photo Agency, now that audience is getting there imagery from a wide variety of sources and getting connected with photographers on social networking sites.  You have to stay informed and participate in the new directions photography and the business world is going or your imagery will not be seen and purchased and you will not survive in this iapps instant communication posting connectivity culture we are becoming.

Creativity

July 12, 2011


What is creativity?  Is it when, as a child we could entertain ourselves with the simplest of objects?  I have a friend who's daughter makes snakes out of packaging peanuts.  Then she colors them, then names them, and finally puts them in their own little home, which is a mailing box.  Is it seeing something others don't? Is it having a certain talent that seems to come naturally to you?  Or a talent you had to nurture and work hard at?


Well yes, it is all those and more.  Being creative is interpretation.  Taking your history, your background and your environment and seeing things through your own unique vision.  And sometimes the simplest perception illuminates your idea or feeling, and connects us to something bigger that we all share in but haven't been able to express so vividly until now.  Creativity is desire, need, motivation and inspiration.

Sports

July 3, 2011

I have always enjoyed shooting sports.  Timing, lens, shutter, aperture, angle all play an important role in getting that image that gives the viewer the sense of what it was like at the height of battle when everything was on the line and the players had to perform at their best in order to be victorious.  Also, access to the field can make or break a shot but you can still get great images shooting from the stands and shooting the crowds response to the game.

Kids sports is an open invitation to get close to your subject and get practice getting used to fast paced action and the timing it takes to trip the shutter at the peak moment.

Shooting at Street Fairs

Once again there is alot of activity at street fairs with crowds of people moving about having a good time.  At street fairs you have street performers and that usually draws a crowd.  One of the best picture opportunities at street fairs is people.  It takes patience and respect for others to get the best photos.  You can't go up to a stranger and put a camera in their face and expect to get natural expressions.  Also, you might end up with a natural looking back eye.  The image of the dancer presented itself after I watched her repetitious movements during her performance.  I waited until I could move into the right position and as the dancer approached toward me I was able to capture the moment.

Sometimes you will have opportunities to watch a performance a couple of times and get a feel for the performers movements and when they interact with the crowd.

I love to use my Nikon 105 macro lens, not only for portraits but also for close ups.  The image of the musician playing his guitar was taken with my 105 Nikkor lens.  This gives you the ability to be further away from your subject but also once you have built up a rapport with the performer, you can move in close.

Also, at street fairs you will find images that just happen.  You will be looking for a preconceived image in your mind and you will look up and see serendipity playing a big roll in helping you make good photos.

Don't forget the close up details that also tell a story at fairs and parades. 

Shooting at Fairs, Festivals and Parades

May 19, 2011

There is so much to see and so many people everywhere at the fair, moving in front of your camera, bumping your tripod that it will be hard to concentrate.  Relax, slow down, keep in mind that it will be busy and enjoy the hustle and bustle.  First thing is not to rush your photography.  Bring your gear (backpack) with maybe one camera around your neck ready for that unexpected image, that special moment when light, color and visual design all contribute toward making a great photograph. Scout out the fair or festival looking for the best angles to shoot from.  While scouting the fair, your thinking of where you want to be at a certain time of day.  Would this be a good subject at sunset, should I use a tripod and use slow shutter speeds, or maybe this subject will work up against a blue sky.  At crowded events where there is lots of foot traffic its very important to look for natural barriers, such as a column or wall or even a garbage can, where you can stand or set up a tripod to take pictures from, and not have to worry about being run over by spectators.  At night try and pre-visualize what the rides will look like when you use slow shutter speeds to capture the motion of the bright colorful lights.  

At parades I like to get there early and shoot images as the performers are warming up.  This way I can get in closer and look for detail images and expressions I wouldn't have been able to get if they were performing and moving along the parade route.