tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32057206314219650322024-03-19T04:54:54.053-07:00a l l - - - t h i n g s - - - l i g h tSkyTanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08442008869361995718noreply@blogger.comBlogger54125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3205720631421965032.post-43382395582446998472013-07-31T20:22:00.000-07:002013-07-31T20:34:15.147-07:00Perspective<div>
I was telling someone the other day that I sometimes find myself thinking like a camera. Like "what is my f-stop going to be today?" Nerdy? Maybe. But that's what happens after a while. </div>
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An important aspect of thinking like a camera is thinking in 2 dimensions. I don't think we realize how much we interpret what we see. We experience a moment in multiple dimensions, with sounds, smells, temperature, eyes with crazy big depth of focus, minds that interpret all of this and throw it together in a thing we call an experience. </div>
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With photography, we are trying to capture the experience. But it demands that we simplify it to the essentials. After all, we lose so much of the whole human experience. The trick is to bring it back with the image. </div>
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No doubt, a picture is a split moment in time from a single <b>perspective</b>. So how do we maximize our perspective of the experience to a single image and communicate the experience.</div>
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TIPS</div>
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1 - Get down (or up) to the eye level of your subject. </div>
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It's not critical to be dead even with your subject, but as you get closer to the eye level of your subject, the person viewing the image can see more closely what the subject is seeing and experiencing.</div>
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2 - Change your angle. </div>
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As we move around our subject/s we can get a completely different feel for what is happening. What is hidden in one angle can be the center of our attention from a different angle.</div>
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3 - Make sure to focus on the action. </div>
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You can use auto focus, manual focus, face detection, 3-D tracking, or any of the other great focus tools that come on cameras now. The trick is to find out how you and your camera focus on that sweet spot where the action is.</div>
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EXAMPLE<br />
Today's example: this was at a family reunion on the ranch in Wyoming this month. My son was completely engaged with the cats. He must have spent hours with them (and there are plenty of them around the ranch). I wanted to capture the fun he was having. </div>
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In this image, he had found a feather of a magpie and was toying with the cat. Here's what I saw from one angle as I approached. I wanted to keep my distance at first as to not diffuse the interaction.</div>
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In this first image, I knew what I saw, but there was more to be had. From this perspective, the interaction was hidden, the background was distracting, and the experience was lacking to say the least. Even the lighting was off.</div>
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As I moved around the subjects and kept shooting, I was able to capture the interaction, fill the frame with the experience, and maintain the focus on the subject. And the even lighting in the shade was a lot more aesthetic. </div>
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No matter what camera you are shooting with, meet your subjects at eye level, move around to get the angle that best captures the action, and make sure you focus on where the action is. <br />
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Happy shooting!</div>
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Parting shot...</div>
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from later that night on the ranch.</div>
SkyTanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08442008869361995718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3205720631421965032.post-46464326025686286092013-02-02T09:03:00.003-08:002013-02-02T09:08:00.336-08:00Rim Light Portrait<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrxkvNKFEW-dHNXq58hIJchZcoXRIbfEtaTc0LLeGwYZVUz2xFWW9V1FSw-8xMzrP29YqcGxuGSEHx8UR2lk4DUo9tABjU1oz6RzT7b9bymkoUAc15-MRkx1r0TeijLyPT6pMBUkJgQFg/s1600/DSC_1743.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrxkvNKFEW-dHNXq58hIJchZcoXRIbfEtaTc0LLeGwYZVUz2xFWW9V1FSw-8xMzrP29YqcGxuGSEHx8UR2lk4DUo9tABjU1oz6RzT7b9bymkoUAc15-MRkx1r0TeijLyPT6pMBUkJgQFg/s640/DSC_1743.jpg" width="640" /></a>In the dining room with the 70-200mm with bounced light.<br />
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The setup is this... grabbed my D600 with 70-200mm lens. Zoomed all the way to 200mm to capture the detail in the eye.<br />
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Had to take about 7 shots due to subject eating while I was taking this -hence the Nutella on his face<br />
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The light was from sunrise coming directly in the window and bouncing off of a glass frame on the wall. The light in the eye doesn't bother this guy while eating... when he's hungry, not much gets in his way.<br />
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Process: check the ISO ... 400 ... ok<br />
take self timer off from last nights shots of the temple<br />
put it in A priority and change fstop to 3.5 - don't want any more focus than I need<br />
change focus to zones instead of auto because Auto puts focus on closest item (and I don't want that ear in focus necessarily)<br />
put focus square over subjects eye<br />
click away<br />
chimp and it was a little too light so I set my EV to -1.0 --- I do this because my meter is metering for shadows, making the highlights blown out.<br />
A couple more shots<br />
take to Lightroom.
In Lightroom - decrease exposure by 0.5 and hit it with Matt's Edgy Look (hard edge) - <a href="http://lightroomkillertips.com/2010/presets-hard-edgy-look/" target="_blank">as found here</a><br />
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pic of the day<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_wiggidy/3809133872/in/photostream" target="_blank">source</a></span></div>
SkyTanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08442008869361995718noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3205720631421965032.post-62480928030693693642013-01-10T09:58:00.000-08:002013-01-10T10:02:09.053-08:00Computer historyThe Computers we have owned: Just for the record
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This was my first Mac - although I had worked with the Apple IIc and IIe the summer before.
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<img src="http://www.vectronicsappleworld.com/profiles/profilepics/powerbook/n165c.jpg" />
Owned Powerbook for 4 months, then sold, and purchased Performa 605 (used)
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<a href="http://www.apple-history.com/dvse2000" target="_new">
<img src="http://www.apple-history.com/images/models/imac_dv_se_side.jpg" />
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This was my first computer after I was married
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<img src="http://www.apple-history.com/images/models/imac_g5_isight.jpg" />
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This one replaced our iMac DV and didn't last as long as I had hoped it would
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Owned MacBook for 1 week. Sold it for what I bought it for and then went with my current desktop iMac
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We also have owned 1 white ipod 10Gig, 1 ipod nano 1Gig, 1 ipod shuffle 4Gig, 1 ipod nane 8Gig (from recalled 1Gig), 2 ipod Touch 2nd Gen, 2 ipod Touch 4th Gen, and 1 ipad Retina.
We have also bought a
<a href="http://www.dell.com/us/p/inspiron-mini10v-nick/pd" target="_new">
Mini10v Netbook
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and a Dell tower i5
<a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883155321" target="_new">
<img src="http://images17.newegg.com/is/image/newegg/83-155-321-TS?$S300W$" />
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SkyTanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08442008869361995718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3205720631421965032.post-1697985727643019512011-08-24T21:13:00.000-07:002011-08-24T21:19:04.060-07:00evening lightingwe were on our way back from dinner with the kids and the sun was behind the clouds before sunset... so i had to grab the camera, a flash, and the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/ProMaster-SystemPro-Reflectadisc-32-inch-Litedisc/dp/B0032AT4QQ" target="_blank">reflector</a>. <br />
i am not fond of light backgrounds outdoors... just a personal taste i have developed... especially around the head of my subjects<br />
so i chose the tree as the background... that means getting lower than my subjects because the tree is fairly close (say 15-20 feet away from subject)<br />
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i grab my <a href="http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/70200vr.htm" target="_blank">70-200mm lens</a>... i have really learned to enjoy this lens for personal portrait work<br />
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i have my wife grab the reflector and my SB800, which is incidentally triggered by the <a href="http://www.gadgetinfinity.com/product.php?productid=17567" target="_blank">cactus v5</a><br />
i find the cactus just right for my needs with the SB800<br />
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since i am shooting A mode and my fstop is around f3.2 and ISO 200, so i guess at 1/4 power. my wife is holding the flash in one hand in front of the reflector (which is on the silver/gold mixed side) to match the warmth of the almost-sunset. she stands about 6 feet away from the subject<br />
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here's the shot...<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi67EM15DL_6z-4-ZofUjwQHIP0FbfGhkFSO3br_Eg3WWuPDdcJ-PJo3yVxpv6PReJUxFay8RyWx70H7kd_khcOuEyJahf7KGn-IattWcET2GncrUw_LhsVTT8R3vtEI2JRutgMaLXvTCQ/s1600/DSC_9811.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi67EM15DL_6z-4-ZofUjwQHIP0FbfGhkFSO3br_Eg3WWuPDdcJ-PJo3yVxpv6PReJUxFay8RyWx70H7kd_khcOuEyJahf7KGn-IattWcET2GncrUw_LhsVTT8R3vtEI2JRutgMaLXvTCQ/s320/DSC_9811.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">the sun is coming in from the subjects left side and my light is popping from subjects right side</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">i am trying to match the sunlight in intensity (a nice thing is about using strobes with sunlight is that they match color value quite well versus the <a href="http://skytangphoto.blogspot.com/2010/02/beware-of-mixed-lighting.html" target="_blank">mixed lighting</a> you get with indoor lights)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">also important to note here is that my exposure value is at -1 <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">2/3 </span>and i am on pattern or matrix metering</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">this exposure value allows me to pop my subject in brightness by decreasing the ambient light (the items not influenced by the flash) and then correctly exposing the subject</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">---we have to be careful of the shadows on the subject brought by the flash... the sun is a softer light source than the bounced flash -as evidenced by the softer shadows on the subjects left cheek/neck</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">next image... </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">no flash... only ambient light</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">settings --- keep the ISO at 200, still bright enough for that, even with 135mm zoom</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">also keep the A priority and then set the EV up to -2/3 because it's all natural light now and i don't have that fill flash to compensate for the decreased EV</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">shooting now at f2.8, which it could be argued is giving me too short of a focal length (as evidenced by baby in focus while mommy is out of focus (slightly))</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfh421nTNV7wKmB9TJrKJz9OGE_v7ksODu0Dqe3FHfB2DBpM4rR72J7J93uvhlna_vAAFT9gia8r3Tnl0IKtpaRikxc1dJ77IAlvzL_Ey-IpGvvYq6bIdWlwh1Jw04rrr7LjEU9CGuTlk/s1600/DSC_9853-Edit-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfh421nTNV7wKmB9TJrKJz9OGE_v7ksODu0Dqe3FHfB2DBpM4rR72J7J93uvhlna_vAAFT9gia8r3Tnl0IKtpaRikxc1dJ77IAlvzL_Ey-IpGvvYq6bIdWlwh1Jw04rrr7LjEU9CGuTlk/s400/DSC_9853-Edit-5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">i am still not placing the light directly behind me... instead i am adding some depth by having it at about 5pm if 12 noon is at the subject</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">in this case, we can add some vignette around the edges to enhance the light on our subject and potentially even use some gradients with exposure decreased (here i went to LR and used 3 gradient filters with decreased exposure values of about -1.2</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirLwATEhqpqjsviq1Du1f0Sbt8WKD3qPam6m9PmP-l4GOx5ICwuRxeWg_8XWdeaMStX9nB-tDxWxV8IkVGBOmeb_TnZctXJy_iFtdIOB3zDUyGqXBtrF4Fw5lNOjyZyChxQchrJLldo4k/s1600/DSC_9853-Edit-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirLwATEhqpqjsviq1Du1f0Sbt8WKD3qPam6m9PmP-l4GOx5ICwuRxeWg_8XWdeaMStX9nB-tDxWxV8IkVGBOmeb_TnZctXJy_iFtdIOB3zDUyGqXBtrF4Fw5lNOjyZyChxQchrJLldo4k/s400/DSC_9853-Edit-4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">pic of the day</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6134/6006123991_6eedc6469b_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6134/6006123991_6eedc6469b_z.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shuttermoments/6006123991/in/photostream/" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Reference</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">you can almost see the setting sun in the eyes of the subjects here</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">that evening light combined with the reflected sunlight behind them off of the grain creates a very soft and warm light</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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SkyTanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08442008869361995718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3205720631421965032.post-44691797595648721872011-08-17T21:52:00.000-07:002011-08-17T21:52:02.715-07:00silhouetteI have a challenge for you. Try a silhouette. I haven't done much with silhouettes. <br />
But a few things that are fun about the silhouette is that it forces you to simplify. The subject is simplified to an outline. The lighting is simplified to simply underexpose your subject. <br />
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Put your camera in M mode, if it's not already. Let's go with ISO 200, f4 and shutter speed of 8000.<br />
Get your subject between you and the sun. And you may find the focusing is a little difficult. The focus on the camera works best with contrast. So if it is only seeing the dark (underexposed) subject, it can struggle to focus. Manual focus may be necessary. <br />
Play around with the shutter speed, maybe go down to 4000.<br />
Even play around with the f stop. If you hit an fstop of f16 you could get subject and your background in focus. Remember to slow down your shutter if you do that. <br />
Another important note is to keep the background fairly well lit. You can really lose your subject, as in my example here, if the background has a similar light (or dark) value.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9iZzz2T_KevzqHOv8x-12lPR9hMokRvSouHxEjd7GP8cCg7Rilccyia4jQ_gsTICBQhqNO_q64TQbdfUC_ASi1EiNFpD_LAHl01kURT_kIYM1HTU-wm6-B4VPqt8sMRoCQso3UsK9iNc/s1600/DSC_9628.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9iZzz2T_KevzqHOv8x-12lPR9hMokRvSouHxEjd7GP8cCg7Rilccyia4jQ_gsTICBQhqNO_q64TQbdfUC_ASi1EiNFpD_LAHl01kURT_kIYM1HTU-wm6-B4VPqt8sMRoCQso3UsK9iNc/s400/DSC_9628.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">ISO 200, f4 at 1/8000 <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">95mm</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Here is another attempt but with better composition with my background... or as Cliff likes to say, juxtaposing the subject with the background.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4_TodZKLfR_1O4DjjZ6VsVIG1DCE_Z3r2RrXgIOMPFDIykxabWS6IWzLpnKeki5n5q8pmwFrM1XfaaD7p7jZyY-UtmiaWyiexwdA51zuXZ2B4kvp0IgMYCH5RwHkM02YnGJEb50LH2u0/s1600/DSC_9648.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4_TodZKLfR_1O4DjjZ6VsVIG1DCE_Z3r2RrXgIOMPFDIykxabWS6IWzLpnKeki5n5q8pmwFrM1XfaaD7p7jZyY-UtmiaWyiexwdA51zuXZ2B4kvp0IgMYCH5RwHkM02YnGJEb50LH2u0/s400/DSC_9648.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">ISO 200 f4 at 1/4000 <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">116mm</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Remember that your background really speaks in a silhouette.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Happy shooting... would love to see some links in the comments to you silhouette shots.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">PIC of the Day: This shot at ISO 100, f5.6 at 1/2000 <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">300mm</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXw9hYp4iJTK4phofEj5T98Ulvydo5WiQL7AtSN0lcRO5vHzm_aobq9k59kgaWNbjbFb7aiK6aQxJl0SquRh1x6IOwn5J6vGH_289ZfSuwxvyV1DjQJpDOcSZeOhXd_Bsxl6keUs_CkfM/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-08-17+at+10.49.13+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXw9hYp4iJTK4phofEj5T98Ulvydo5WiQL7AtSN0lcRO5vHzm_aobq9k59kgaWNbjbFb7aiK6aQxJl0SquRh1x6IOwn5J6vGH_289ZfSuwxvyV1DjQJpDOcSZeOhXd_Bsxl6keUs_CkfM/s400/Screen+shot+2011-08-17+at+10.49.13+PM.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/madyorke/3836621679/in/photostream/">Reference</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><br />
SkyTanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08442008869361995718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3205720631421965032.post-61126692939253497132011-08-13T07:52:00.000-07:002011-08-13T07:52:37.801-07:00quick tipWhen shooting skies, make sure you try a few with a really wide angle lens.<br />
<br />
I find that when I shoot wide angle, it accentuates the drama and movement in the sky.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIUlvttLKV3_Zh5OzE48yX5Qyg-NjC_ATEHYOT5vp2WtXdtRhc6t0cklPNIgRL3bUKaJDwrGenhh9J0CFW56OrfSAWyelJgsqTjckUyrY6J2fOWBeJdaok19e_fgETL4U0dwaz4lxvGbo/s1600/DSC_4822.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="404" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIUlvttLKV3_Zh5OzE48yX5Qyg-NjC_ATEHYOT5vp2WtXdtRhc6t0cklPNIgRL3bUKaJDwrGenhh9J0CFW56OrfSAWyelJgsqTjckUyrY6J2fOWBeJdaok19e_fgETL4U0dwaz4lxvGbo/s640/DSC_4822.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
This was shot at 11mm from my front porch. (Tokina 11-16mm f2.8 lens with a D300s)SkyTanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08442008869361995718noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3205720631421965032.post-31309410534829884732011-07-18T20:31:00.000-07:002011-07-18T20:31:44.178-07:00manual exposureHave you been shooting in Program or Auto mode for quite some time now? And you've been afraid to try manual mode. Skies are a great subject to experiment with Manual exposure mode. Point your lens at the part of the sky you want to meter for and play around with the fstop and shutter speed, keeping your ISO set between 200 and 400. I have found that oftentimes skies look more dramatic when they are under exposed. This shot was taken in South Dakota at ISO 400, f4.0 and 1/750 sec. I thought to crop the trees out, but then I like the balance they give to the dark part of the sky. In addition, the shapes of the clouds are similar to the shapes of the tree branches.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqbn-RlqBfOeI-jmXwTpb1-hLsnVfoMEdkxDvtFQK4Kc5R5V6-wEaGN6EiFfAfvx8VExpzPcObd7ORby4IvfR_bKOHvPL6ePe6_A_wR3SPNCWzG0_uCGK83xJdesqeJcOFooqyRE_YX2Y/s1600/DSC_8900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqbn-RlqBfOeI-jmXwTpb1-hLsnVfoMEdkxDvtFQK4Kc5R5V6-wEaGN6EiFfAfvx8VExpzPcObd7ORby4IvfR_bKOHvPL6ePe6_A_wR3SPNCWzG0_uCGK83xJdesqeJcOFooqyRE_YX2Y/s640/DSC_8900.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This was taken at the same time but more to the East</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_QQZgINMlQ9dAg-XGrQTfzlmntp8D-cJ9mEslKCNvwwWKkiu1EFXcw35biL2vw3bxEBneakaoYfa4XgDF9kPGVZgyqgN-Eem6e45G1UCm-9b6rprIkxfJz7lZhcsrs6irWdMQcINqK_U/s1600/DSC_8894.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_QQZgINMlQ9dAg-XGrQTfzlmntp8D-cJ9mEslKCNvwwWKkiu1EFXcw35biL2vw3bxEBneakaoYfa4XgDF9kPGVZgyqgN-Eem6e45G1UCm-9b6rprIkxfJz7lZhcsrs6irWdMQcINqK_U/s640/DSC_8894.jpg" width="550" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And one more...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJOCXUaIwuoS6H3SHDLpgb68cS5PPUVdvzVt3x5gIoGBU_QD15P0jhRVpT_5xOiMEU-mXwx0UCwWOr_Ah5UYauQ2Wc1kB-FwfR0h5Yk4aeD6a-W5NWczeMPa0XLMdDSOpAc5fYH_RqWDg/s1600/DSC_8889.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJOCXUaIwuoS6H3SHDLpgb68cS5PPUVdvzVt3x5gIoGBU_QD15P0jhRVpT_5xOiMEU-mXwx0UCwWOr_Ah5UYauQ2Wc1kB-FwfR0h5Yk4aeD6a-W5NWczeMPa0XLMdDSOpAc5fYH_RqWDg/s640/DSC_8889.jpg" width="542" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
Pic of the day: I took the liberty of running a little noise reduction on it. But I really like the inclusion of the multiple layers and the great choice of foreground . Notice the thin line of black at the bottom contrasting with the white on the top of the image. Great shot!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz6lft7mBYhVMRBRAQnVEC3XVwABckrrekau3DmPH-2HQsnbPow60IRulqWKtjUCnb9jP4jYevwDI4OvXzlbshwM-gitAZ3OYOiXK8mSPXim0Na2kVA8HC1OSB-xV4AlneFbvj_XE3Opw/s1600/4080665371_f5167a3429_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz6lft7mBYhVMRBRAQnVEC3XVwABckrrekau3DmPH-2HQsnbPow60IRulqWKtjUCnb9jP4jYevwDI4OvXzlbshwM-gitAZ3OYOiXK8mSPXim0Na2kVA8HC1OSB-xV4AlneFbvj_XE3Opw/s640/4080665371_f5167a3429_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/lisa-marieuk2az/4080665371/">Reference</a></span></div>SkyTanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08442008869361995718noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3205720631421965032.post-32925957549839249842011-07-11T15:00:00.000-07:002011-07-11T15:01:31.006-07:00available light and backgroundsI like to study the works of others. I find that I learn a lot about what I like and don't like, and it definitely has an influence on how I shoot. One thing that I have noticed lately is backgrounds. Try this: choose a few blogs that you follow or at your favorites on flickr or the like and instead of noticing the subject, look at the background. Notice how the background either adds to or distracts from the subject. Is it too busy, too light, too dark, some of both?<br />
<div>I have found when taking portraits, I really prefer to not have the sky be in the background. So often the sky contrasts with the ground in a very distracting way. Are there exceptions, sure. But generally speaking, I like to leave the sky out. <br />
<div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib7ceeDXiAFD0L67DszLDduTppB9qb515Ph8DRikBcLCE-v_M7s_9X4NFhp-c3zu3lny7r7SxFAfMLJVAn0Bp3SV8QTZ3rMhWayO2RBwiHrx474CbR5cDXu2unttWhjqKf7PzqxLN7_Qg/s1600/DSC_7973.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="452" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib7ceeDXiAFD0L67DszLDduTppB9qb515Ph8DRikBcLCE-v_M7s_9X4NFhp-c3zu3lny7r7SxFAfMLJVAn0Bp3SV8QTZ3rMhWayO2RBwiHrx474CbR5cDXu2unttWhjqKf7PzqxLN7_Qg/s640/DSC_7973.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Although it has been said "we are our own worst critic"... i don't know if that means we aren't good at critiquing our own work or that we critique ourselves too much. At any rate... I will be my own critic here. I like the background on the left of this image because it allows some context and is underexposed and doesn't fight for my attention. The part that doesn't work so well for me is the wall on the right side of the image. It grabs my eye both with its exposure value and it has the drastic contrasting light and dark which paints a line right down my image, leading me away from the subject. If I must leave in the lines, as in this picture, I like to line those lines up with the edge of the image, like a straightened hanging photo. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">One more word. I am not a pro with black and whites, but a few things I try to maintain when choosing an image to be black and white are: keep it simple, have the brightest highlights be on my main subject, and use the spectrum of light and dark. When I originally published this shot it was too dark... the background was too dark and the subject was not well lit either (not enough highlights). So in LR, I upped the highlight value to about +26 and increased the fill light a bit. That gave me a better range of exposure.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Here was the original processing...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT866fcsn-GJdYxdmpxLU19M1QQPyidMwfxGRn_lr2JTeVv3wwsw1rO7XQ7JyS4-x8f7GUHHEDvbIcovinuti7LCy7Ln4nSK1WQ9950VdX1P3gp_KXPcQSsRX0chn-xsYtfFNiXlBzNEHI/s640/DSC_7973.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT866fcsn-GJdYxdmpxLU19M1QQPyidMwfxGRn_lr2JTeVv3wwsw1rO7XQ7JyS4-x8f7GUHHEDvbIcovinuti7LCy7Ln4nSK1WQ9950VdX1P3gp_KXPcQSsRX0chn-xsYtfFNiXlBzNEHI/s400/DSC_7973.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I didn't like that my subject was a drab gray. I wanted his face to have the highlights on it. And for those highlights to be more white than gray.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Pic of the day: This image contains such great range of light and darks... and simple background. And I like the light. The light moves from high right to lower left in a diagonal through the image. I find that having a diagonal directive through an image lends to its aesthetics.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4003/4620664943_a47bd1754d_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="272" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4003/4620664943_a47bd1754d_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sebastien-laban/4620664943/in/photostream"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Reference</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div></div></div></div>SkyTanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08442008869361995718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3205720631421965032.post-12190463819240524172011-06-24T08:46:00.000-07:002011-06-24T08:52:51.794-07:00ISO, fstop, EV from a different perspectivemore light please...<br />
<br />
there are lots of entries/articles out there explaining fstop, ISO, shutter speed, and the like. They all are speaking from the camera's perspective. Well, today I want to allude to these from the photographers perspective. <br />
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The scenario... My boy is in the dining room having breakfast, alone. The rest of the kids are asleep or otherwise occupied. I grab the camera for some shots because the light from the window (no other ambient light source) is inviting. <br />
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I am using the 70-200mm lens... because it's attached and I really like it for portraits. I try to compose the shot with mainly his face and his breakfast. I also want to get some darks just behind his head because I want his exposed face to really stand out. I want to contrast with focus as well, hence the long zoom and wide aperture (more to come).<br />
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And mind you, I am not thinking all of the following items prior to first shot. I am thinking, shooting, looking at image, then repeating the process until I start to see what I want... often called "chimping".<br />
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First, I put the camera in A mode (aperture priority)- this way I can adjust the fstop, the ISO, and the EV. So ISO first. I have recently set my ISO to full stops... This means when I move my ISO selector, it moves in these increments 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600. If I had a cropped sensor, I would be a little more conservative and put 1/2 steps. This is because the full size sensor looks just fine at ISO 1600. So, ISO 800 is what I choose... [could have gone 1600 in retrospect to allow for faster shutter speed, because about half of my images weren't crisp clear.] By the way, I have also changed my fstop to full stops too. This is because when I am working with my Manual powered flashes, it's simpler math. So ISO 800<br />
<br />
Next, fstop. When I adjust fstop in A mode, I am wanting to see what the camera gives my in shutter speed. So I choose f2.8 (wide open). This will give me a really narrow depth of focus, but I may be willing to take it. I try 2.8 and I try 4. I end up using 4 because it gives me a little more playing room of focus distance. <a href="http://skytangphoto.blogspot.com/2010/08/depth-of-field.html" target="blank">See previous blog of depth of field, or depth of focus</a> If I chose f2.8, point my camera at my subject, then it gives a shutter speed of 1/125 - that's ok. But I want deeper focus, so I change to f4 and figure the 1/60 will work out.<br />
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I end up shooting my subject at 160mm so that my subject more fully fills the frame. <br />
***The rule of thumb to avoid blur due to large zoom is to have the shutter speed match the zoom. So my shutter speed should be around 1/160*** Having said that, vibration reduction allows me to use slower speeds and not get the blur.<br />
<br />
So, I've set my ISO to 800 and my fstop to 4. I turn on the VR (vibration reduction) - don't use this if you are on a tripod. I shoot off a couple of shots, and my subject is too bright for my taste. What can I do to underexpose the picture a little, yet not have to change to manual mode and dial in f4 and 1/60th? The answer: adjust the EV. <a href="http://skytangphoto.blogspot.com/search/label/exposure%20bias">Exposure value (EV) is a nice little tool</a>. I find I use it when my camera is trying to expose for the darker part of the image, and my subject is overexposed. This usually occurs when the majority of the frame is dark and I am using <a href="http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/matrix.htm" target="blank">matrix metering</a>.<br />
IE: yesterday I was scouting out a place for some engagement shots I am doing for a neighbor and I had a barn in the semi-shade and the cloudy/blue sky as well. It appeared that I was overexposing the sky to get the barn in correct exposure. So I dialed my EV down 1 full stop (to -1.0) and those highlights were no longer blown out. I can easily go back and add highlights in post-processing.<br />
<br />
To recap... ISO 800 due to low lighting<br />
f4 to maintain large aperture but still have good depth of focus<br />
EV -1.0 to allow a slightly underexposed image<br />
Result: good lighting, not so good composition. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2fSd9EU3vgU/TgScLG0EimI/AAAAAAAAPUc/pJKMThX4nag/s1024/DSC_8124.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="blank"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2fSd9EU3vgU/TgScLG0EimI/AAAAAAAAPUc/pJKMThX4nag/s640/DSC_8124.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
What did the subject think of the image? --"I am really small... I have volcano hair."<br />
Analysis... my subject is smack in the middle... fix: crop<br />
Also, I am not liking the blue chair in the background... it is distracting. fix: bw or desaturate just the blue<br />
if bw, then increase the contrast to pop the whites<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-twCBmQZqk2g/TgSqUHN9uWI/AAAAAAAAPVI/Fnihc0DgW00/s1024/DSC_8124.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="450" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-twCBmQZqk2g/TgSqUHN9uWI/AAAAAAAAPVI/Fnihc0DgW00/s640/DSC_8124.JPG" target="blank" width="640" /></a></div>So, the blue chair becomes gray and is still distracting... bummer. But I like the image other than that.<br />
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Pic of the day: I really like this pose and composition... in fact most all of <a href="http://www.rebekahwestover.com/#" target="blank">her images</a> are impeccable.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o201/rebekahwestover/weddings/PourtamassebiDarin070.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o201/rebekahwestover/weddings/PourtamassebiDarin070.png" width="266" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://rebekahwestover.blogspot.com/2011/03/tessa-paul-wedding.html">Reference</a></span></div>SkyTanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08442008869361995718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3205720631421965032.post-19844879941893097272011-06-19T18:26:00.000-07:002011-06-19T19:18:18.235-07:00off-camera flashI have been using off camera flash for sometime... I have been using <a href="http://www.nikonusa.com/en_INC/IMG/Assets/Common-Assets/PDF/FastTrack_To_WirelessSpeedlights.pdf" target="_blank">Nikon's commander mode</a> which allows me to fire my off-camera flash using my camera. A nifty system, but has some shortfalls: <br />
<div>1) you have to have an on-camera flash to trigger the off camera flash - the problem is when you don't want an on-camera flash to be firing. Sure you can set it down to it's lowest setting, but you are still introducing a front light source. </div><div>2) you have to make sure the infrared receiver on the off-camera flash is 'visible' to the on-camera flash. This limits your range and makes using that flash more complicated and less reliable.</div><div><br />
</div><div>So, I was at my cousins wedding and her photographer was using the <a href="http://martybugs.net/reviews/cactus.cgi">Cactus Triggers</a>, which are one of the least expensive triggers on the market. I had read about these, but had heard mixed reviews on their reliability. But <a href="http://www.amandaabelphoto.com/" target="_blank">this photographer</a> had nothing but good to say about them. </div><div><br />
</div><div>I looked more into them and they had some problems with one of the versions (v4). Now they have the v5's. So I ordered a pair and have been trying them out. </div><div><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrGhoFn1DPrhl_7nrsubO0HRxRcteofQNtmpBzI5ifiqVaNI1ztgtEOU1vocBl6tWWEzuflKjSaGxUYezVECZ4KjbeCykgeNVYiU91OsNkPlX4xJG2_oYIXnb3JpZFyxNemZWoLgbNEjE/s1600/DSC_7911.jpg" target="_blank" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrGhoFn1DPrhl_7nrsubO0HRxRcteofQNtmpBzI5ifiqVaNI1ztgtEOU1vocBl6tWWEzuflKjSaGxUYezVECZ4KjbeCykgeNVYiU91OsNkPlX4xJG2_oYIXnb3JpZFyxNemZWoLgbNEjE/s640/DSC_7911.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br />
</div><div>Overall, I really like them. This is not a review of these wireless triggers per se, so I won't elaborate too much. Briefly: they work on manual setting, so you don't get to use Nikon's TTL technology (which is basically Auto Flash mode). They are very reliable thus far. And I love not having to line up the old infra-red sensors. The only problem I have found thus far is that they didn't work with my SB-600 flashes until I put some duct tape covering one of the pins on the bottom of the SB-600s. Thanks flickr.com forums for pointing me that direction.</div>The newer triggers are nice because they claim to work up to 1/1000 shutter speed. They worked at 1/500 for me, but not so well at 1/1000. Further testing may reveal otherwise.<br />
<div><br />
</div><div>One more shot: settings: 70mm ISO 800 f4, 1/125 -off-camera flash powered at 1/128 M (SB800)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBbaqzbikeUoxfwgr9o9pWKqa4Il2okhshIyEDXFeOrEYoY2ennd_qsqlFumLbBV5Z3qfc1Uv5cVD_RHPiKWM8q3-1JuGbvclEFBMTkpPW99b1_BwiKUMZt4qUc5dGfwfhz6FnwnbERyM/s1600/DSC_7913.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBbaqzbikeUoxfwgr9o9pWKqa4Il2okhshIyEDXFeOrEYoY2ennd_qsqlFumLbBV5Z3qfc1Uv5cVD_RHPiKWM8q3-1JuGbvclEFBMTkpPW99b1_BwiKUMZt4qUc5dGfwfhz6FnwnbERyM/s640/DSC_7913.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br />
</div><div>By the way, here was my set-up for this shot.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihEY_YJXtkDerloRHQT4MCvuAro2siJZ0I2LC77adtCuDqlmgHZtnip_4nkGKaf7E4msujD0qLl3BgwuDNun9sa3koW5pelhlojYRLVJkUtZPrCrUcvUy5MkTdVNRp_nxixD6ZfvwVVic/s1600/setup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihEY_YJXtkDerloRHQT4MCvuAro2siJZ0I2LC77adtCuDqlmgHZtnip_4nkGKaf7E4msujD0qLl3BgwuDNun9sa3koW5pelhlojYRLVJkUtZPrCrUcvUy5MkTdVNRp_nxixD6ZfvwVVic/s400/setup.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And don't worry, the goblet is empty.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Pic of the Day: </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amandaabelphoto.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/dsc_5661a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="302" src="http://www.amandaabelphoto.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/dsc_5661a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.amandaabelphoto.com/blog/" target="_blank">Reference</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Picture came from the photographer, Amanda, who was so kind to entertain my questions regarding the cactus triggers... I think she really nails this shot: great evening light with equally subdued pose and colors; great contrast with her depth of focus, and superb lines/curves take me through the whole of the subjects. I don't think she uses any reflectors, diffusers, or fill flash... just good natural lighting.</div><div><br />
</div>SkyTanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08442008869361995718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3205720631421965032.post-12788037030703346412011-06-01T07:23:00.000-07:002011-06-01T07:23:21.212-07:00Portrait timeDue to excessive rain, I have been taking pictures of the kids indoors the past couple of weeks. What are some things you can do to get enough light indoors?<br />
<br />
First of all, beware of the mixed lighting sources. <br />
Note that the fluorescent lights put off a greenish hue, the tungsten lights a bluish hue, and outdoor is the standard here. And it's all about balance. <br />
If you have a subject close to a really bright window, the fluorescent light in the room may not even show up in your image. Another way is to introduce a flash. This allows you to shoot with the window light and the flash (which are quite similar in their white balance) in a room with tungsten or fluorescent. So here's the lighting setup for these portrait shots.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x03lktgzY_c/TeY70vmWcYI/AAAAAAAAOM8/UPrkQqNVPOI/LightingSetup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x03lktgzY_c/TeY70vmWcYI/AAAAAAAAOM8/UPrkQqNVPOI/LightingSetup.jpg" width="302" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The flash on the floor is set at the lowest setting it has M 1/128. So is the camera flash. The camera flash is used here to simply trigger the SB600 flash. The exposure is f3.2 at 1/80 at ISO 800. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I chose 1/80 because I notice if I use 1/60 or slower, my kids pictures are blurred due to subject movement.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hlGNMdOWpn0/TeY4oyqcxnI/AAAAAAAAOMg/DO_c8N9iXyI/s720/DSC_7084.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hlGNMdOWpn0/TeY4oyqcxnI/AAAAAAAAOMg/DO_c8N9iXyI/s640/DSC_7084.jpg" width="486" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Analysis:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I like: the focus at f3.2 and 70mm (enough of the subject is in focus). To <a href="http://www.dofmaster.com/dofjs.html">calculate </a>my depth of field... it was taken with Nikon D700 taken at 5ft away from subject at f3.2. That gives me about 4 inches of depth... that's not a lot... so I really need to ensure that my focus point is the eyes. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The lighting: I like that my subject is a little brighter than the background. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I don't like: the highlight on his face is a little hot and a little larger than I wanted.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Do over: I would move the flash back a little bit more... maybe more of 1 or 2 o'clock (instead of the 2:30 it is currently at)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And hope I don't lose you here... I would dial my f-stop up just a bit, maybe to 4.5 so that my lowest setting on my flash wasn't as strong. More on flash output power*** later</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Here are some others from the same shoot:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bAIqh1qZjsk/TeY4oLusVII/AAAAAAAAOMc/1utsL0ZAhpY/s720/DSC_7095.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bAIqh1qZjsk/TeY4oLusVII/AAAAAAAAOMc/1utsL0ZAhpY/s400/DSC_7095.jpg" width="258" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hiQUAgPI3LM/TeY4p15A5uI/AAAAAAAAOMk/QBujlv6H89k/s720/DSC_7099.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hiQUAgPI3LM/TeY4p15A5uI/AAAAAAAAOMk/QBujlv6H89k/s400/DSC_7099.jpg" width="282" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DL8gVaaHlNw/TeY4nVueKyI/AAAAAAAAOMY/nbAaeBbVGyg/s720/DSC_7093.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DL8gVaaHlNw/TeY4nVueKyI/AAAAAAAAOMY/nbAaeBbVGyg/s400/DSC_7093.jpg" width="271" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Pic of the day:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.joemcnally.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/FGZ-Current-52.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://www.joemcnally.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/FGZ-Current-52.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.joemcnally.com/blog/2011/05/16/shadows-on-the-concrete/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+joemcnally+%28Joe+McNally%27s+Blog%29"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Reference</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>*** flash output is influenced by distance to subject, flash power setting, f-stop and ISO of camera.SkyTanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08442008869361995718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3205720631421965032.post-53154297735838536892011-05-23T13:58:00.000-07:002011-05-23T13:58:10.318-07:00Post processingI really like taking pictures of the sky. Springtime seems to bring a lot of dynamics to the heavens. Post processing can really go a long ways with skies. So I am attaching a preset that I created for stormy skies. <a href="http://www.gerritsen.com/misc/storm.zip" target="_blank">Download this and try it out</a>, if you have Lightroom. <br />
If you don't have lightroom, play around with the tone curve (increase the lights), give it plenty of contrast, a little vignette, and increase the blacks a touch.<br />
Here is the before:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_T1jef5lbR0g/TdnUjydpxdI/AAAAAAAAOB4/H2Ct1TYXM58/s1440/DSC_6960-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_T1jef5lbR0g/TdnUjydpxdI/AAAAAAAAOB4/H2Ct1TYXM58/s400/DSC_6960-2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
And the after:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_T1jef5lbR0g/TdnRO2BIJwI/AAAAAAAAOBc/Hcm3Bd2p4xg/s1440/DSC_6960.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_T1jef5lbR0g/TdnRO2BIJwI/AAAAAAAAOBc/Hcm3Bd2p4xg/s400/DSC_6960.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<br />
Pic of the Day -- I really like the evening light on this... and the composition lends a lot to the aesthetics as well.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqwkDswyC2IqVZQdxzppKabtdoVk_Q7XM2AS5Cah6OXhALH60fk9KX4sPBJqGZHol6KqA3kdf41wKJhghhPWU_cOXfmVdq5AdQVMOk_SzfIUNeoa06A5tpxVYs5ZliA4C29WsUnyMHJeo/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-05-22+at+9.32.27+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqwkDswyC2IqVZQdxzppKabtdoVk_Q7XM2AS5Cah6OXhALH60fk9KX4sPBJqGZHol6KqA3kdf41wKJhghhPWU_cOXfmVdq5AdQVMOk_SzfIUNeoa06A5tpxVYs5ZliA4C29WsUnyMHJeo/s400/Screen+shot+2011-05-22+at+9.32.27+PM.jpg" width="263" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/crossphotography/2626673833/in/faves-skytang/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Reference</span></a></div>SkyTanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08442008869361995718noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3205720631421965032.post-43350175303950318822011-05-16T12:16:00.000-07:002013-07-31T21:03:00.133-07:00Links on MondayGotta take a post to share some digital photography tutorial/learning links...<br />
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<a href="http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/" target="_blank">Cambridge in Colour</a></div>
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"A Learning Community for Photographers"</div>
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<a href="http://www.shortcourses.com/use/" target="_blank">How to Use Your Digital Camera</a></div>
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Really Basic</div>
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<a href="http://www.digital-photography-school.com/" target="_blank">Digital Photography School</a></div>
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Good site for the basics...</div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="http://strobist.blogspot.com/2006/03/lighting-101.html" target="_blank">Strobist Boot Camp</a></div>
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Boot camp for flash photography</div>
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<a href="http://www.geofflawrence.com/index.htm" target="_blank">Digital Photography Tutorials</a></div>
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Some good stuff here</div>
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Pic of the Day: is from <a href="http://awkwardfamilyphotos.com/">Awkward Family Photos</a></div>
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<a href="http://static.awkwardfamilyphotos.com/wp-content/uploads/cache/2013/07/aunt-claire/1857189036.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://static.awkwardfamilyphotos.com/wp-content/uploads/cache/2013/07/aunt-claire/1857189036.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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don't blame me when you wet your pants due to uncontrolled laughter on this site</div>
SkyTanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08442008869361995718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3205720631421965032.post-62282465765262678582011-05-13T10:31:00.000-07:002011-05-13T10:31:17.876-07:00Posting ProblemsIt appears that Google's Blog has been going through some surgery and some things are missing... so the post today will be short and hopefully sweet. <br />
<br />
I am re-posting one from Joe McNally on <a href="http://www.joemcnally.com/blog/2008/03/10/da-grip/" target="_blank">how to hold the camera</a>. Simple yet effective.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.joemcnally.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/sbdemo007.thumbnail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="166" src="http://www.joemcnally.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/sbdemo007.thumbnail.jpg" width="250" /></a></div>Mind you, this works well if you are left eyed. Most people (myself included) probably use their right eye predominantly... but I gave it whirl at 1/5th of a second and was impressed with the steady result.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoalOCwbmYQmxcfC1YgUi1y1HzrKk_6bFQLSuZbsIJ0O78W-dAMbH-ajaBmUlGp0fxZqIn96_xu4pxNlKj8fjKcPd58zCR-hnFmZ4t6jkPYl-GfxuMbWwOabRVFM5YyPkqrOipYIE_AI8/s1024/DSC_6621.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoalOCwbmYQmxcfC1YgUi1y1HzrKk_6bFQLSuZbsIJ0O78W-dAMbH-ajaBmUlGp0fxZqIn96_xu4pxNlKj8fjKcPd58zCR-hnFmZ4t6jkPYl-GfxuMbWwOabRVFM5YyPkqrOipYIE_AI8/s320/DSC_6621.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Here is the video that goes along with Joe's blog...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/EDsx3-FWfwk" width="560"></iframe></div><br />
Pic of the Day - this guy shoots 4x5 film... still nothing like it!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5125/5225950559_1814839077_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="508" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5125/5225950559_1814839077_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/17665003@N02/5225950559/in/faves-skytang/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Reference</span></a></div>SkyTanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08442008869361995718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3205720631421965032.post-14678321390021412042011-05-13T10:01:00.000-07:002011-05-13T10:01:52.344-07:00Diagnosing a Dirty SensorSymptoms: My pictures have a dark spot on them. It is in the same place on each photo. The only time it changes appearances is when I shoot at F22 the spot is more crisp and defined. Whereas when I shoot at F4 the spot is out of focus. <br />
<br />
Objective: DSLR camera is otherwise functioning correctly. Camera was taken in the desert for a weekend trip and it was a bit windy. Camera lens was changed while outdoors. Camera is 1.5 years old and has not had the sensor cleaned. <br />
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Assessment: The sensor has dust on it due to normal wear/tear. Conditions of changing the lens outdoors in a windy desert likely the time of onset, due to opening up the inner workings of the camera to outside dust particles.<br />
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Plan: First, try the self cleaning menu option on the camera if it has one. This can work if the dust is lightly attached. But more often with the visible dust particles, it will require manual cleaning. Refer to your owners manual for opening the mirror and/or manually self cleaning. If you are a DIYer: watch a couple of youtube videos, decide what method/tools you want to try, and clean the sensor at home. Or if you are more comfortable with sending it in, take it to a <u>reliable</u> camera store and who offers sensor cleaning. Whatever you select, remember that this sensor is your permanent 'film'. You only get one per camera.<br />
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Personally, I have cleaned my own sensors and for other people at times. I have taken a rubber spatula from the kitchen (don't tell Amber) and cut it to the width of the sensor (<a href="http://www.cleaningdigitalcameras.com/howto.html" target="_blank">you can find that here</a>). I have used rubbing alcohol but would probably get slightly better results if I used some Methanol (harder to find).<br />
I ensure that I use a new cleaning cloth each time I clean the sensor. Here are a couple of videos that I have found helpful.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/iRW9AmDPqr0" width="560"></iframe><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/lpSi27u4azQ" width="425"></iframe>SkyTanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08442008869361995718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3205720631421965032.post-90027847498766496722011-05-11T06:02:00.000-07:002011-05-11T06:02:46.545-07:00How did they get that shot? ... show me the dataIf you're like me, you've probably seen a shot you really like and wondered, "how did they get that shot?" Well, besides the setting and composition, there are a few things that you can look at to give you some clues... at least on the technical aspect of the image.<br />
<div><br />
</div><div>Digital cameras store a lot of information about the technical specs of the picture called EXIF Data. The camera stores info such as times/dates/fstop/lens/shutter speed/ISO/mode/shutter count/ and many other settings. Programs like Picasa Albums and Flickr make this EXIF Data available to the viewer (unless the user somehow disables or doesn't upload it intentionally). Let's try it. I have this flickr image from <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/skytang/favorites/">my favorites</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4006/4276995792_a415ae9283_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4006/4276995792_a415ae9283_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">In the Actions drop down, you can go to <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rasone/4276995792/meta/in/faves-skytang" target="_blank">View Exif Info</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv4S_4R1a4z6B2J1cQolmgRM2AF48qA7a9kGVVSwBDyLX_Z5CU4CrUq0qK4JhYG1_foOl0vqcxIHumD-eWF-Eg4VOALHDR6N_QInl4sUPFfB4EmOaUJY1NVOHzB0NgFtZMBS5ShMxoPhI/s1600/exif.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="598" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv4S_4R1a4z6B2J1cQolmgRM2AF48qA7a9kGVVSwBDyLX_Z5CU4CrUq0qK4JhYG1_foOl0vqcxIHumD-eWF-Eg4VOALHDR6N_QInl4sUPFfB4EmOaUJY1NVOHzB0NgFtZMBS5ShMxoPhI/s640/exif.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">In this truncated view, we can see that it was taken at ISO 50, 116mm, f18 at 0.6 of a second with a Canon DSLR. It was shot in manual exposure (out of view on this screenshot) and the on-camera flash did not fire.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">From Google's Picasa Albums, we see this from a different image:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghz3T9Uotw652QJM8ajaDZZlhYbHzTJXcCD1boCsJjhb7CxpamBrNfPUpgQS_VbPbRjlAiiv-NoKKVWuJalEzTB-oxnTm7XUEsDGFKJRjtvl8B3uID5qDFNr5lHWIgsXLWHaFyT_2jbWs/s1600/exif_picasa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghz3T9Uotw652QJM8ajaDZZlhYbHzTJXcCD1boCsJjhb7CxpamBrNfPUpgQS_VbPbRjlAiiv-NoKKVWuJalEzTB-oxnTm7XUEsDGFKJRjtvl8B3uID5qDFNr5lHWIgsXLWHaFyT_2jbWs/s320/exif_picasa.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_B_Av5agpEQo/S52p8piKKsI/AAAAAAAAMa4/gwRARy8n7ZU/Feb%20Yosemite%20N%20331.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="202" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_B_Av5agpEQo/S52p8piKKsI/AAAAAAAAMa4/gwRARy8n7ZU/Feb%20Yosemite%20N%20331.jpg" width="320" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This shot was take with Nikon D70s, at ISO 400 etc etc</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">There are a few free programs out there that allow you to look at the EXIF data of your own images. You may already have a program that allows you to view that information.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://chasejarvis.com/" target="_blank">Chase Jarvis</a> sometimes does a little <a href="http://blog.chasejarvis.com/blog/2011/05/deconstruct-this-photo-4-0-revealed/" target="_blank">image breakdown</a> where he shows an image and people guess how it was taken. Some of his lighting techniques go right over my head, but there's some good stuff in there.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">ONE FINAL TIDBIT:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Some people include their lighting notes in the caption of their images on Flickr. They generally begin with the word "Strobist" and as in this example.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrDK8gZepAF45l5LNjtQR_LQukpMbk_SMy-mbOTIobq4owpmGdiBlOnqm59xJzSyy0CpQK4RQomhOxiBmy0rKndNQHWd96KH-jhDvF2a7wEoHIr4SXvB87IcAZuZuzuD1u1WJwMXieTts/s1600/CTO_gel_fav.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="335" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrDK8gZepAF45l5LNjtQR_LQukpMbk_SMy-mbOTIobq4owpmGdiBlOnqm59xJzSyy0CpQK4RQomhOxiBmy0rKndNQHWd96KH-jhDvF2a7wEoHIr4SXvB87IcAZuZuzuD1u1WJwMXieTts/s400/CTO_gel_fav.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jangentsch/2570736793/in/faves-skytang/" target="_blank">Reference</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Pic of the Day: Oregon coast shot with a <a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ntt=tiffen+graduated+neutral+density&N=0&InitialSearch=yes" target="_blank">Graduated Neutral Density filter</a>.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3481/3205275541_49946ede85_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3481/3205275541_49946ede85_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rasone/3205275541/in/faves-skytang/">Reference</a></span></div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_B_Av5agpEQo/S52p8piKKsI/AAAAAAAAMa4/gwRARy8n7ZU/Feb%20Yosemite%20N%20331.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><br />
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</div>SkyTanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08442008869361995718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3205720631421965032.post-13615318378282859962011-05-10T07:09:00.000-07:002011-05-10T08:07:15.507-07:00Can you take some pictures of.... ?In my day job, I get a lot of questions... I have learned that in order to give the right answer, I often need to ask various other questions in order to clarify the question.<br />
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</div><div>Today's blog will hopefully help you ask a few questions so that you are prepared when someone asks you to shoot some pictures of an event for them.<br />
What do you need to know before you can accept the assignment? whether it is paid or pro bono. </div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">I've put together some of the questions I like to have answered prior to 'game day', or even before accepting the challenge of a shoot.</div><div><br />
</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">1.</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #444444;">What are the clients' expectations?</span> - this one can be a little nebulous... people may have their expectations set in stone; or more often, they just want something aesthetic and memorable. <br />
First, it helps to know where the images will be used... are they only going to be posted online or are they going to be enlarged for the living room wall? <br />
If you are charging for your service, make sure the expectations are set out fairly specifically. I have a neighbor who was doing a family shoot for a large extended family. She was getting paid a nominal amount. She ended up spending hours and hours and days and days on the phone with the mother and then in Photoshop trying to please the client; swapping heads, whitening teeth, even taking away double chins.</div><div>Ideally, the client should come to you expecting you to do your best and maintain the integrity you have shown in your portfolio. They should not expect you to shoot like so and so, or worse, make me look like so and so... (having said that, if you're one who offers alteration services, knock yourself out, and have a good time with it - just remember to let the client know up front their will be an hourly charge for additional alterations)</div><div><br />
</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">2.</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #444444;">How many people in the group?</span> (we are assuming this will be some sort of portraiture work). This is really important to know. Larger groups take much more coordination... of people, props, lighting, expectations, etc. It is not always easy to get the entire group in focus if your lighting is low... remember that the more light you let in with the aperture (fstop), the shorter your depth of focus (and the larger the group, the more focal depth you will need). Don't forget to keep your focal length no less than 35mm, because you can really start to stretch the people at the ends.</div><div>Again, feel free to decline if the group size or conditions are greater than your comfort level. It is better to have people find the right person for the job than to do them a favor and they end up having to redo the whole event because they weren't satisfied with the results. -- I learned the hard way one time. I was shooting a family group and I couldn't get far enough away at the location they had selected. I pushed my focal length to 24mm. When I went to process these pictures, I was shocked at how much the people on the ends were stretched... not very appealing. Luckily Photoshop and Lightroom have a way to correct, but it's never the same... would I want to be the person on the end who was stretched and then corrected? nope.</div><div><br />
</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">3.</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #444444;">Indoor/Outdoor - lighting, space to work in, backdrop</span>. Most cameras allow us to shoot well in daylight. But if you don't feel comfortable in low-light settings, don't accept the offer. Even shooting a reception in a gymnasium can be difficult (they are often lit by fluorescent lights mixed with sky lights, and the wood floors give a golden yellow reflection). Tungsten lights (traditional bulbs) give off a bluish hue while fluorescent lighting create green in a photo. Also ask yourself how much room am I going to have to work with? What lenses will I need? And do I have the right lens/lenses for the job.</div></div><div><br />
</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">4.</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;">Do I need an assistant?</span> </span> When I have shot weddings, it has been so helpful to have an assistant there (AKA my wife). She can keep the flow to our session, notice clothing out of place, understand some of the expectations, and ensure that the party feels that they are getting the interaction they need to feel comfortable in the pictures. Do I need my assistant to hold a reflector, a diffuser, a flash, a lens or camera, or just hold up my spirits when it is a long day? </div><div>This last weekend I had a helper for the prom shoot. He was invaluable. We knew we would be shooting mainly in the shade. I like to either use an off camera flash or a reflector when I shoot in the shade so that the subjects pop and I get the correct skin tones. So my assistant was there to make sure the flash was firing, it was the right distance to the subjects, and it didn't fall over in the wind and end up in the rubbish bin. Because I had an assistant, we were able to shoot with a flash (speed light); thus we were able to use a faster shutter speed and get this shot:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_T1jef5lbR0g/TcYmH__mb8I/AAAAAAAANqc/_h4UNjD7ZnI/s1024/DSC_6464.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_T1jef5lbR0g/TcYmH__mb8I/AAAAAAAANqc/_h4UNjD7ZnI/s640/DSC_6464.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br />
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</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">5.</span> Finally, and this is after you've accepted the job and are at the shoot: <span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #444444;">Save time for the individual or group to give you some input or make a suggestion</span>. Sometimes they know what pose they want to try. This lends credibility to you as a photographer and it gives the client the satisfaction that you really wanted to give them a product they were pleased with and personalize their session. </div><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_7kQ9ZJ2bQjA/TJQ8dsXDFbI/AAAAAAAAEHQ/vEH1ZBD61uk/s912/DSC_0246.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_7kQ9ZJ2bQjA/TJQ8dsXDFbI/AAAAAAAAEHQ/vEH1ZBD61uk/s320/DSC_0246.jpg" width="320" /></a>I was shooting some families I am related to and I asked a set of parents if they wanted any individual shots. They casually asked for the kids to be together in one. The kids were very excited and glad to have their own time in front of the lens. The kids grouped up and wham bam.</div><div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Pic of the Day: There is a place for supersaturated photos. It's in Havasu Indian Reservation</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Hb_ypZosis1ZFcpsTudJ5_4nOY8HvzgkOVUxMo_9B9cbSGyyLiakKRgJT9c9W_k5Tx24gGX-pn_BaF-axVi-wL35l6nm4Xo174BzNt40Nh8PxO04_xY3VdJpk4vwm_p-MjtGTJ43Cv8/s1600/havasu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Hb_ypZosis1ZFcpsTudJ5_4nOY8HvzgkOVUxMo_9B9cbSGyyLiakKRgJT9c9W_k5Tx24gGX-pn_BaF-axVi-wL35l6nm4Xo174BzNt40Nh8PxO04_xY3VdJpk4vwm_p-MjtGTJ43Cv8/s320/havasu.jpg" width="253" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/markwetters/470804642/in/photostream/">Reference</a></span></div>SkyTanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08442008869361995718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3205720631421965032.post-33641408982277490042011-05-09T07:53:00.000-07:002011-05-09T07:58:13.117-07:00Lovin' LightroomI have really fallen in love with Lightroom 3. I had previously used Photoshop Bridge. With Bridge, I would apply some rudimentary settings. I would then take my images to Photoshop and apply actions (these are meant to be handled by Bridge, but I find that system clunky at best). The organization Bridge applied was nice and it allowed me to non-destructively make changes... <br />
Now, with Lightroom, it truly has taken my processing to a whole new level. I still get the non-destructive editing... but now I have so much more control over my images... from noise to components of tonality, to special looks. <br />
Besides having much more control over the organization, virtual copies, and snapshots of my processed images, the Presets have given me great control and creativity over my work. <br />
I began by downloading a few presets. I studied what had been done in those and then tweaked them to make my own. The next step was to create presets from scratch. <br />
It's kind of like going to a restaurant, finding something that really sparks your fancy, and then coming back home and trying to re-create it. I feel like I have the tools to do so with Lightroom. This is beginning to sound like an ad. But being able to re-create a look is really important to me, because it gives me the confidence to select a setting and take control of it and give it the feel that I want. In addition, it gives me the flexibility to offer my interpretation of the setting. It's like reading Jane Eyre and having my vocabulary soar to new heights... I just can't help but be inspired by the quality works of others. Enough rambling...<br />
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I have alluded in the past to enjoying <a href="http://cmphotography.com/" target="_blank">Cliff Mautner's work</a>. <br />
I have developed a few presets that help me get a similar feel to my photographs. I really like the low key look with the highlights bringing the viewers attention to just what I am trying to portray. It helps me communicate better through my images.<br />
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Here is an example... the first image is how it came straight from the camera:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi48Bd8-B87sIr0tcV_8SeZq0vUQu3Ht0iFCfm71Q0nPpBoMSkY_nfWV7JJP2Evf4dAD0aWddoHhdnIPRDmgzPXwNcF5z9T0aJu9S90V53ORAESCZ3ETLljXDRl6yjlcIJZuKT_vdOo9LE/s1600/DSC_5960.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="new"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi48Bd8-B87sIr0tcV_8SeZq0vUQu3Ht0iFCfm71Q0nPpBoMSkY_nfWV7JJP2Evf4dAD0aWddoHhdnIPRDmgzPXwNcF5z9T0aJu9S90V53ORAESCZ3ETLljXDRl6yjlcIJZuKT_vdOo9LE/s640/DSC_5960.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The part I want the viewer to focus on is the expression with an emphasis on the eye. They are over-exposed here. Since I am shooting in RAW format, most of the detail is going to be retrievable. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I made a setting that decreased the exposure by about 1.5 stops and separates out the tones a bit... bump up the lights, tone down the darks (basically creating contrast selectively, without doing much with the shadows or the highlights), and applied a vignette.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">With one press of a button (applying my preset), I get this:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTfrcneYyvVzKXWt0nfZy86BOlpJzhK94Ch8GPa_j4-sbpu1PKmO2f8HT6zcBLZrBEiZRqZ1nHAtT5r3Y1b8gku_eRoIjPHoWFtoDaEKukLY9JfqA_YV26dgCT_RzEEdJ4j9Zi5NU7SxE/s1600/DSC_5960-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTfrcneYyvVzKXWt0nfZy86BOlpJzhK94Ch8GPa_j4-sbpu1PKmO2f8HT6zcBLZrBEiZRqZ1nHAtT5r3Y1b8gku_eRoIjPHoWFtoDaEKukLY9JfqA_YV26dgCT_RzEEdJ4j9Zi5NU7SxE/s640/DSC_5960-2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">There are a few images where I would take them to photoshop or use the Adjustment Brush in Lightroom to do some selective lighting... but that seems to be the exception.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">So, I really like Lightroom and the control it gives me over my images.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Pic of the Day:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTEquztb2Nrw80idbl5OP7ovdP4hUKDSRlyl5Ds07_fs7zioFQK4nMjBdQEq1Rom1tchwtd7Mw7M706abeXwYwf167ilATvMNQflMzqaIanL0AxKOGNubtA0_fTrKJqE-_G4elhHEGRnE/s1600/philippe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTEquztb2Nrw80idbl5OP7ovdP4hUKDSRlyl5Ds07_fs7zioFQK4nMjBdQEq1Rom1tchwtd7Mw7M706abeXwYwf167ilATvMNQflMzqaIanL0AxKOGNubtA0_fTrKJqE-_G4elhHEGRnE/s320/philippe.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/pilou/">Reference</a> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"></span>This guy does some great work... He merges the real with the surreal with his photography and Photoshop in his work.</div>SkyTanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08442008869361995718noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3205720631421965032.post-30249000230758185432011-05-07T22:22:00.000-07:002011-05-08T06:20:01.670-07:00Game DayToday was busy... took my little point and shoot camera up to hike the Y in Provo with the Youth. Then did spring cleaning... took a break to run through the sprinklers and have a picnic... finally ended up over at the Gardens to shoot part of a wedding, with a break in there to do a prom group. Have to say... the prom group was a lot of fun (cute couples --- love working with the sweet sixteens)... got some good experience with the wedding shoot (thanks Suzie)... know what I would do differently next time... and hopefully I can share some of these. For today's post, here is a slide show of the prom shots. I shot in manual mode... Stopped down the exposure by 1 stop. Shooting at f4.5 and 1/400. It was in the shade, so I shot at ISO 200. Had a SB800 flash on the camera set at 1/128 and it popped the off-camera SB600 flash which was set to Manual 1/4 power at 50mm. I had an assistant (thanks Andy) holding the flash at about 3 meters from the subjects.<br />
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<embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="600" height="400" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fbrothertyler%2Falbumid%2F5604206859560452465%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed><br />
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And just a handful from the wedding shoot...<br />
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</div>SkyTanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08442008869361995718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3205720631421965032.post-79573406588524836132011-05-06T09:45:00.000-07:002011-05-06T09:51:59.843-07:00Light MeterLight Meter ----- Metering ----- Exposure Bias ----- Thinking Like Your Camera ----- Thinking Beyond Your Camera<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/oreilly/T1i500Da._V233634432_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="117" src="http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/oreilly/T1i500Da._V233634432_.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>LIGHT METER - <br />
Simply put, the light meter in your camera determines how much light is going to look correctly exposed. It then makes decisions based upon that information. In Program Mode, it sets the aperture (fstop) and the shutter speed -how big the window opens and how long it opens. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/MAX7/ZMETER.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/MAX7/ZMETER.JPG" /></a></div>METERING -<br />
The light meter can be pin-pointed to the very center of your frame (called Spot Metering), it can consider the entire frame (Matrix metering), or somewhere in between (called center-weighted).<br />
Spot metering is nice because you can point your camera to the very spot you want exposed correctly, press half way down (or lock the exposure) and then compose your shot and fire. Matrix metering considers the whole picture and tries to find an exposure that will produce the bets results.<br />
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EXPOSURE BIAS - <br />
Most cameras have an exposure bias.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.thephotographerslife.com/exposure_comp_arrow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://www.thephotographerslife.com/exposure_comp_arrow.jpg" width="200" /></a></div> That means you can tell it to under compensate or over compensate. Why would you want this? Well, what if you find that you just like lighter pictures all around. Then change your exposure bias up a few steps. <br />
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THINKING LIKE YOUR CAMERA -<br />
In order to correctly expose your image (especially your subject) - you need to think like your camera. Think correctly expose each part of your image... the background, the foreground, the subject, the highlights, the lowlights. You get one image that combines all of that... the trick is to keep it simple enough to be aesthetic.<br />
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THINKING BEYOND YOUR CAMERA - <br />
Landscapes and still life allow us to make multiple images taken at different settings (multiple exposures) and then combined them using software -- <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_dynamic_range_imaging" target="_blank">HDR</a>.<br />
For person shots -portraits, weddings, etc - we don't have that luxury. Here's a short video from a wedding photographer named <a href="http://cmphotography.com/" target="_blank">Cliff Mautner</a>. Here he is talking about using a kicker flash. But note that he talks about using an exposure bias (I think he speaks in terms shooting 1.5 to 2 stops below his ambient light reading).<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/7XnW8Wx7Tzg" width="560"></iframe><br />
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Finally, thinking beyond your camera. In Cliff's work, he does a lot of work with flash and/or directional lighting. In order to emphasize that single light source, he underexposes the rest of the shot. So he probably meters on something that he wants to underexpose... he has his exposure bias set down a stop or two -- he then sets the fstop and shutter speed manually to match that meter reading (most likely on spot metering or center weighted) -- then he kicks in a flash or has the window light do the highlighting for him. This is called low-key lighting, where the overall image is dark. Notice how your eye is led right to the highlighted areas.<br />
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So, I tried this myself one time with limited success:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_T1jef5lbR0g/TQbqXRyn2OI/AAAAAAAAL8w/irJBbaSYkCw/s640/DSC_4219keep.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_T1jef5lbR0g/TQbqXRyn2OI/AAAAAAAAL8w/irJBbaSYkCw/s400/DSC_4219keep.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_T1jef5lbR0g/TIRGuj68FXI/AAAAAAAALgE/65Y0j1AGV7s/s640/DSC_5521scott.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_T1jef5lbR0g/TIRGuj68FXI/AAAAAAAALgE/65Y0j1AGV7s/s640/DSC_5521scott.jpg" width="424" /></a></div>So the Pic of the Day is going to have to be Scotty... because he's 3 today. Happy Birthday Champ!SkyTanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08442008869361995718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3205720631421965032.post-36077606401525196632011-05-04T08:37:00.000-07:002011-05-04T08:47:06.898-07:00Understanding f-stop - how big can you go?I mentioned yesterday that we would be explaining the light meter. Let's hold off for a post until we get this f stop thing figured out. -Simply put, the light meter is a sensor that tells us how much light is bouncing back to the camera. -But more on that later.<br />
For now --- What is f stop? I will take a couple of posts to explain and really explore f stop. This is one of those things like Chemistry class for some pre-med students... or the Eagle Project that never got done... It is where people seem to hit a wall of understanding, give up, and go back to plan b.<br />
So how do we grasp it? First; trust me that it is really not unsurmountable. And please don't close your eyes, because we won't say the 'm' word. {a-hum, <strike>math</strike>}<br />
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Let's go back to our common ground with cameras... our eyes. The size of your pupil determines how much light enters your eyes. Your brain has a built in light meter and relay system that is very responsive... except for first thing in the morning when that system has been resting all night. If you look into a bright light, your pupils rapidly constrict down because of the meter in your head that is protecting your retina from too much light. In order to make out any detail, we need to have just the right amount of light. Too much is overwhelming and all we see is white. Not enough fails to illuminate the small details. It's all about recording reflected light on our retina. In camera terms, it's about getting the right amount of reflected light to the recording sensor (in digital) or to the film.<br />
Contrast the eye with a video camera - or your point and shoot camera. Think of what happens when you point the camera to someone in a room - and then to the window.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1427/1426119174_b0e68d80f1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1427/1426119174_b0e68d80f1.jpg" width="187" /></a></div><br />
The light outside is far brighter, but it takes about a second for that iris to close down so that it's not just a 'blown-out' white. After a second, the iris has closed down a bit and the correct colors and lighting outside are seen. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2718/4264389724_c9621cf936_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2718/4264389724_c9621cf936_b.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
But what happens to the inside? It becomes underexposed and maybe even black. So the camera is an all-or-none deal. One setting, one aperture. The above picture is exposing for the person inside the room (with less light reflecting off of the subject). While the other image has more light outside and the exposure is adjusted to that outdoor light, leaving the indoor detail underexposed and undetected. <br />
APERTURE: the size of the opening of the iris.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span">Terminology </span>time:<br />
Just like in our eyes, the brighter the subject, the more closed the aperture needs to be. <br />
THE NUMBER GAME:<br />
The f stop (sometimes called the f number) of the camera is a number such as 1.4, 2.8, 3.5, on up to 22. It is really a fraction. Oh no, fractions! Take a deep breath... It just means that if I am opening the aperture to an f stop of 22, it is really 1/22. Said in other terms... if I have a pecan pie in a glass dish and I shining a light on the other side of the dish. I cut the pie into 22 pieces. Only 1 of those pieces is missing, and the light can only shine through that one section of the pie. That's a really small iris, opening, or aperture. If I open the aperture up to 3.5, it is really 1/3.5. That means I cut the pie into 3.5 pieces. Then I take 1 away. That leaves a larger gap (or opening) for the light to shine through. One of three is much larger than 1 of 22.<br />
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Instead of a pie dish, your camera has a glass lens. And instead of pie, it has blades that open up or close down to make the aperture smaller or larger. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNYGooIrBkIB3AX-bc5v8kgcDvqPtac0Q1UL85luU9yrSSFddQiVo0jObgyiyBRj0ANtfwWBp19ikxeZ69yMpamgN9m66NeGRE6BkQoGV9FfAyw18V7zHNuJ_oyG8aPYCpQ8-FKFV75Uo/s1600/iris_f_22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNYGooIrBkIB3AX-bc5v8kgcDvqPtac0Q1UL85luU9yrSSFddQiVo0jObgyiyBRj0ANtfwWBp19ikxeZ69yMpamgN9m66NeGRE6BkQoGV9FfAyw18V7zHNuJ_oyG8aPYCpQ8-FKFV75Uo/s320/iris_f_22.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNYGooIrBkIB3AX-bc5v8kgcDvqPtac0Q1UL85luU9yrSSFddQiVo0jObgyiyBRj0ANtfwWBp19ikxeZ69yMpamgN9m66NeGRE6BkQoGV9FfAyw18V7zHNuJ_oyG8aPYCpQ8-FKFV75Uo/s1600/iris_f_22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>The iris in this instance is closed way down, most likely at f 22 (or 1/22)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3145/2976391505_212b8c2aa4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3145/2976391505_212b8c2aa4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Here are some example of iris size and their f stops shown upper left.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>The larger the aperture, the smaller the f number or f stop.</b> 22 is tiny aperture. 1.4 is all the way open - or very large aperture.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This begs the question of why is the highest f stop 1.4 and not 1? Wouldn't 1 be totally open? Well, yes, but as far as I know, 1.4 is the larges it can go. The blades on the iris open, but don't retract. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">For more explanation on calculating the f stop (or f number) <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F-number" target="_blank">click here.</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><br />
</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">In this post, we only talked about f stop in regards to light gathering. The smaller the f stop, the more light is able to reach the sensor (where the image is recorded). Thus if my picture is overexposed or too bright, I could stop down the f stop to a larger number to let less light in.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">F stop essentially affects two things... light entering the camera and depth of focus. Today we just spoke of f stop in regards to light. At another date we will try and tackle the depth of focus. It is critical, but can be difficult to explain.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Pic of the Day</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">taken at f 1.4</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2257/2443532425_94a76abfe0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="267" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2257/2443532425_94a76abfe0.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franiuk/2443532425/" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Reference</span></a></div>SkyTanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08442008869361995718noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3205720631421965032.post-15334242879516787552011-05-03T07:54:00.000-07:002011-05-03T08:03:33.712-07:00baby steps continued<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So yesterday was a review of the first 3 steps based upon a few conditions --- how close is my subject (lens), how much light do I have to work with (ISO), and do I want to add light (flash).</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The next step is where there can be a lot of variability. <span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: #999999; color: white;">Select a mode to shoot with</span></span>. Do I choose to shoot in P (program mode), A (aperture priority), S (shutter priority), or M (manual). Let's dive into these modes.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">If I want the camera to decide what settings to use, I choose <u><b>P mode</b></u>. I can probably count the number of times I have used P mode in the last year on one hand. But if we go back 12 years ago to my first SLR camera, I was in P mode virtually all the time. So I think of P mode as a great option for beginners. And for the more seasoned photographer, you can use P mode when you have a situation where you really need to get a picture fast and don't have time to think. This mode determines what f stop and what shutter speed. And if you have your camera in AUTO ISO, it will also determine what ISO to use.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Moving on... If I know my depth of focus, but don't want to concern myself with the shutter speed, I will choose <b><u>A mode</u></b> (aperture priority). This allows me to select the f-stop and then have the camera decide how long the shutter will be open based upon that need. I decide this based on two criteria... what depth of focus do I want and how much light to I have to work with. Opening the f-stop wider (smaller numbers like 1.4, 2.8, 3.5) lets more light in my lens but also decreases the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Depth_of_field" target="_blank">depth of field</a> (or focus depth). They are sometimes referred to as shallow focus and deep focus.<br />
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</div>I make more decisions based upon focus depth rather than shutter speed, probably because I am taking more portraits. So for me, <b style="text-decoration: underline;">S mode</b> is only rarely used. The exception is when I care about working with the motion of a scene. For example, water falls tend to look much more aesthetic when the water is flowing. In order to capture that, the exposure needs to be open longer (longer shutter speed). In this image, taken with my old Olympus point and shoot camera, I put the camera in S mode and chose a shutter speed of 1/3 (which is to say .333 seconds).<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3170/2953734510_dc3bed984a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3170/2953734510_dc3bed984a.jpg" width="228" /></a></div><br />
Finally <b style="text-decoration: underline;">M mode</b>, or manual. I won't spend much time here in this post, but I do spend probably 60-80% of my time shooting in this mode. When you find a style that works for you, when you want full control of the camera, or when you are shooting with a flash or two or three, M mode can really give you control of everything, especially your lighting.<br />
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CASE STUDY: <br />
My youngest child is playing in his room. There is diffuse light coming in from the window, so the lights in the room are off. Let's go through the steps so far...<br />
I know I want to do a close up, because for me with infants, I want to capture their expressions and the details thereof. So I keep my 24-70mm lens on and I will play around with the zoom, probably between 40-70 will be what I shoot. I am thinking higher ISO because the light from the window is my only source of light and the room light (ambient light) is very dim. So I try ISO 800. I could try as high as 1600, but 800 is where I stop. Finally, should I use a flash or not? The flash would fill the background with some light and make the room look more evenly brighter. But I decide I want to have the directional lighting the window is going to provide and I don't want to mess around with multiple sources of light... just the one window light. So no flash. I know that this is a potentially moving subject, so I put it in A mode and play around with the f-stop. 5.6, 4.0, 3.2. I am doing this while pointing my camera at the subject so that the correct shutter speed is selected by my camera. I see 250 (which is 1/250th of a second). This is plenty of speed to stop the movement and create a sharp image. So I snap a few shots...<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_T1jef5lbR0g/Tau-FTiJRcI/AAAAAAAANTU/oacvvdUsV4A/s1024/April%204.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_T1jef5lbR0g/Tau-FTiJRcI/AAAAAAAANTU/oacvvdUsV4A/s640/April%204.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>If you look closely, you can see the window in his eyes. This use of single light source creates some good dimension with lighter on his left side of face and darker on his right side of face. In addition, the background is less exposed than he is because he is closer to the light source (the window). This helps him stand out. My focal length is 70mm (zoomed in on this lens). With the help of my online <a _blank"="" href="http://www.dofmaster.com/dofjs.html" target="_blank">DOF calculator</a>, I can see that my focal length is about 3.5 inches (more on this later).<br />
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Tomorrow: more talk about the light meter in your camera and making your camera see what you see.<br />
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Pic of the Day:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglcAkFtS89t2tQPjaC9DY0urmfL7Vfk3mOiVmb7IFH8hmqJnvbNppgDq7IA20pOKQP6xulmoJTykbk2oX9OW-77rUct7LFVgm5-Zq6PQFsUchWEooUTox8PjEbFNwCE0boqjoc5dAIEgc/s1600/mudra.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglcAkFtS89t2tQPjaC9DY0urmfL7Vfk3mOiVmb7IFH8hmqJnvbNppgDq7IA20pOKQP6xulmoJTykbk2oX9OW-77rUct7LFVgm5-Zq6PQFsUchWEooUTox8PjEbFNwCE0boqjoc5dAIEgc/s400/mudra.jpg" width="265" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mimmopellicola/5680400853/in/pool-81192396@N00/" target="_blank">Reference</a></span></div></div>SkyTanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08442008869361995718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3205720631421965032.post-22726803039348218242011-05-02T09:58:00.000-07:002011-05-02T13:40:19.526-07:00breaking it down - aka "Baby Steps"Here's the scenario. I grab my camera, turn it on, adjust some settings, and go to take the picture. Why is it black? Yup, even I leave the lens cap on occasionally. <br />
<div>So what steps do I take? Today, I will start with the first three. Forgive me if I leave out any steps... this is the first time I have really thought about what I do step by step.</div><div><br />
</div><div>1) <span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #999999; color: white; font-size: large;">Decide which lens</span> to shoot with. Most of the time, I leave the 24-70mm lens on... esp for indoor shots and outdoor landscapes. If I am shooting portraits outdoor with more room to shoot or I want to grab some real detail, I grab the 70-200mm. And on some occasions, I will grab the 300mm. These are all <a href="http://www.beyondmegapixels.com/2011/04/photography-101-fixed-aperture-explained/" target="_blank">fixed aperture lenses</a> (f2.8). If you have a lens with variable f-stop (kit lenses that come with many cameras) no problem - I will address this in the next post</div><div><br />
</div><div>NOTE: Steps 2 and 3 are quite simultaneous</div><div><br />
</div><div>2) <span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #999999; color: white; font-size: large;">Turn on the camera and check the ISO</span>. If I am shooting low light, I will push it up to between 1250 and 2000. If I am out of doors it will be set at 200 or lower. And then you have the in between 400-800 where there is sufficient light indoors, but you are shooting a subject that will be moving quite a bit.</div><div>3) I decide <span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #999999; color: white; font-size: large;">whether or not to use a flash</span>. The flash will help highlight my subject, create ambient light, or act as a filler for shadows in the outdoor shots. (Here I also decide whether or not I will grab a second flash <a href="http://strobist.blogspot.com/2006/06/strobist-off-camera-flash-boot-camp.html" target="_blank">to be off-camera</a>)</div><div><br />
</div><div>Oh yah, this is a good time to take off the lens cap so I can move on to the next few steps...</div><div><br />
</div><div>...to be continued...</div><div><br />
</div><div>If you are ready for more of the WHY behind these steps, I have added some additional information here:</div><div><b><u>Step 1</u></b>: <a href="http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/camera-lenses.htm" target="_blank">lenses</a>... my subject matter and my depth of field are the two major deciding factors for lens selection. In general, for shooting landscapes (including skies) I want wide angle. At times, it would be ok to do a single portrait at something less than 35mm. Remember that distortion on portraits is generally <a href="http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=wide%20angle%20portrait#page=1" target="_blank">not very flattering</a>. Wide angle gives me large depth of field, so my focus will be infinite most of the time. As I go longer on my lens (higher mm or ZOOM), the shorter my depth of field or focus will be. Remember the <a href="http://www.dofmaster.com/dofjs.html" target="_blank">calculation </a>considers distance to subject, fstop, and mm of lens (remember to consider <a href="http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/crop-factor.htm" target="_blank">crop factor</a>).</div><div><br />
</div><div><b><u>Step 2</u></b>: the ISO. The reason I choose the ISO first is that it is the canvas of the image. If an oil painter used a napkin to paint on, the results would be sub-par at best... Same with a photographer shooting ISO 64000 on a little point and shoot camera. ISO 200 on an upper end camera is more like a proper canvas. The graininess of the image (or pixelation) is determined by the quality of canvas. Thus, with the newer cameras, they are, in this analogy, trying to make the smaller canvases work like larger or higher quality canvas material so that you can push the ISO more and more with better results. The size of the sensor is the major determinant in the quality of the image, especially as you begin to shoot in lower light and push the ISO higher. The challenge for camera companies is to have the processors (computers) in the newer cameras do more with less light (thus achieving higher quality images and less noise with the same size sensor). </div><div><br />
</div><div><b><u>Step 3</u></b>: to flash or not to flash - and to flash on camera only, or off camera as well - this is where we get into the exposure, style, multiple light sources, and much much more... so this is much to large to define here. </div><div><br />
</div><div>LINKS</div><div><a href="http://www.facethelight.com/iso.php" target="_blank">Here is a good link to ISO explained</a></div><div><a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/simple-dof-calculator/id301222730?mt=8" target="_blank">DOF App</a></div><div><br />
</div><div>IMAGE of INTEREST (Pic of the Day)</div><div>Tough image to expose correctly. Well done with the fill flash. Obviously off camera flash. </div><div>Shot at 48mm, f8.0 at 1/320 at ISO 400</div><div><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5297/5504042323_9b61bed194_z.jpg" /></div><div>From the photographers notes:</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;">Lighting -</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;">Alienbee AB1600, camera-left just out of the frame at 1/8 power into large softbox that was threatening to take off like a sail, and would've gone over the cliff that the b/g were standing on if not for an assistant with cat-like reflexes.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;">Bare Vivitar 283 at 1/16 power camera-right and behind couple.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/fergusonphotography/5504042323/in/set-72157603677988789/" target="_blank">Reference</a></span></div>SkyTanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08442008869361995718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3205720631421965032.post-69711549073082415742011-03-30T11:45:00.000-07:002011-03-30T11:45:06.382-07:00new platformFor a few years now, I have used Adobe's Bridge to organize and process my images, delving into Photoshop as needed.<br />
Well, I decided to try out Lightroom now that version 3 is our. I have debated Lightroom or Apple's Aperture. Due to not being happy with how iPhoto handles things, I opted for Lightroom. <br />
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Bottom line: I am sold. There are so many things I like about it. Not everything, but mostly. I have a few hang-ups with the way it brings in my images... also if I have multiple catalogs, they are seen completely separate to Lightroom. But all-in-all, it is a great way to organize my photos, process, (love the presets - especially as i have created my own), and the other modalities such as Web and Slideshow.<br />
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A few other qualms i have with it are the zoom factor is a preset amount... unlike Photoshop's zoom feature that allows you more flexibility (in my mind). In addition, the keyboard shortcuts are not very contiguous with Photoshop. And they sync (processing multiple images simultaneously); while it gives me more options, seems a little jumbly.<br />
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I really like the noise reduction, the graduated filter, adjustment brush options (with teeth whiten and skin soften modes), and the crop option that allows me to crop and re-align efficiently.<br />
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If you haven't tried it, you can download it and try it for 30 days... just beware if you have an older machine, it may be a little overbearing on your RAM, Video RAM, and hard drive space, as most Adobe products seem to be.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Here is a screen shot of the Web part of the program.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_202534682"><img border="0" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlKux2ykLBd6zpqw-QEotLH0YdnnBAckWsiyyaaPvKT4cgA5mme-CJ2PCM0bcDQRv-hJOM_ixL_rkOtNjZ7EWiFw_mTjzoGsQhr2F9QVsqdG39P1IvbViJ8UVOgdrqgDXO9Oit8HDKcGY/s320/LR_web.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><a href="http://www.gerritsen.com/test">Check out my Test page created in Lightroom.</a><br />
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In these images, I only warmed up the temperature to 5800K and then played with the graduated filers to selectively underexpose different parts of the images. I am willing to share those presets.SkyTanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08442008869361995718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3205720631421965032.post-86081459273991969312011-02-15T14:23:00.000-08:002011-05-11T08:07:22.792-07:00a word on sensor sizeEver wonder why pictures from old 35mm pictures looked a little better? Better color, better quality? Well it really comes down to what has replaced the film. It's a computer sensor. And like film, not all sensors are created equal. And the scary thing is that we are paying so much more... and we have to leave the "film" or sensor in the camera all the time.<br />
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It used to be if you had a hair or dust on your film, it was on one picture if it was on the film.<br />
Now, it's most likely on the sensor. That way it shows up on every single picture. Without going into too much detail, if you have a DSLR, you can have your sensor cleaned professionally for about $40.<br />
Or you can try youtube tutorials and try it yourself, which I have done with relatively good success.<br />
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There are downfalls to sensors and some definite advantages. I won't go into those, but you can read a technical look at this <a href="http://www.clarkvision.com/articles/film.vs.digital.summary1/index.html" target="new">over here</a>. <br />
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But what I really wanted to mention here was about the size of the sensor. A picture is obviously worth a thousand words, esp in this case... check out this image <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtuLmAovjdlTHdskLrjXgmUZ2jqDjAlU0WQzyrKQOOVWXUjMQdbWKLtBRZA8VO7pTXg_P11DO98kc6Ww5AYa_XGAclhsxeejuRG5P7nDHsSjl8fD0uvAA8YciIMUySqSTbpMlAeLBFiPk/s1600/SnapShot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtuLmAovjdlTHdskLrjXgmUZ2jqDjAlU0WQzyrKQOOVWXUjMQdbWKLtBRZA8VO7pTXg_P11DO98kc6Ww5AYa_XGAclhsxeejuRG5P7nDHsSjl8fD0uvAA8YciIMUySqSTbpMlAeLBFiPk/s640/SnapShot.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
The camera on the left (D700) has a full size sensor, which is just smaller than a 35mm film negative. The sensor on the left (from a D7000) is a cropped sensor. 1.5X crop as they say. <br />
With a larger sensor, the biggest benefit is more light gathering capacity. And light gathering is what it's all about. I wish I had some more comparisons... I would include the sensors on a point and shoot as well as the other extreme, a medium or large format camera.<br />
Here is a graphic illustration of some of the sizes of sensors<br />
<img height="212" src="http://www.gad.net/Blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/SensorSizeComparison-300x199.png" width="320" /><br />
The pink is the full size sensor (of a D700 or D3, etc in Nikons) while the blue and green are point and shoot sensors. The orange is the D90, D80, D300s, D7000, etc) <br />
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That is not to say that small sensors don't do a good job, but when lighting becomes more limited, the bigger sensors really "shine".SkyTanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08442008869361995718noreply@blogger.com0