Series: Behind the Photo

February 07, 2015

As many of you know, I spent the last week of January in London, and what many of you probably don't know is that I LOVE London. The people, the food (yeah, I said it. The food in London has really become fantastic and we had some great meals) and most of all the architecture. I love the buildings. Each and every one of them look like they could be the focus of a beautiful photo. I love how you could go into a Starbucks (not that I did) and it could be housed inside of a thousand-year-old building. I mean the Starbucks I often go to near my office is in a building that's nine years old. So when I found out I'd be going to London, I made sure to pack in a way that would allow me to bring my photo equipment. I even got a new bag for the trip that would allow me to bring everything I needed for photography but in a smaller bag. I went with the Lower Pro Runner 200 AW Backpack and I'm really glad I did. It's the perfect size for my camera and the three lenses I wanted to bring, which included the honking 70-200 2.8, which as you might now, is a pretty big lens. After the lenses there's still room for some extra batteries, the charger, memory cards and a case with some filters. It's a great bag for traveling and I highly recommend it. Not too big, not too small... just right.

Anyway, let's get to the photo. I chose this photo today because I have received a lot of questions about it and, frankly, it was a bit of a challenging photo to take.

To be honest, I thought pictures of the Parliament building and Big Ben all pretty much look the same. From this distance, there isn't a whole lot of options for shooting the building. You can just get Big Ben, or get the bridge and the clock, or part of the building and end with the clock, but I've always wanted to have a few good photos of this building. Ever since I first visited London, I wanted to come and get this shot and this was my opportunity. So, even though I didn't love the creativity needed for this shot, I really wanted the photo.

To make it a little different, I decided to make a panorama. For more info on how to make a panoramic image like this, type "pano" in the search box above and my previous blog posts on the subject should come up. Anyway, I decided to shoot a pano. Now, in order to get the soft, silky water I knew I was going to have to use some pretty long exposures which means having a really good tripod is a requirement. I took 7 photos, all overlapping by about a third and took them vertically to allow for the most leeway when using Photoshop to put them all together. If you shoot horizontally, you have less photo at the top and bottom to work with. When you use a good tripod, this is less of an issue since you're pretty much staying on the same horizontal plane, but it's still a good idea. I shot in manual mode so my camera wouldn't change the exposure if one image was a big brighter or darker than the others. If I shot on Aperture Priority, I'd run the risk of having different exposures for one or more of the photos, and when you try to stitch them all together you'll run into problems. Problems that can be fixed, but it's harder than it needs to be. So I shot each photo at 25 sec at f/18 and ISO 100. To get the 25 seconds I had to use a ND filter because it was already too bright when I took this shot. For this image I used a 10-stop ND filter from Hoya and it worked like a charm. I chose this exposure to have the shutter open long enough to make the water look soft and creamy but also so I didn't have the aperture closed down all the way to f/22 to maintain maximum sharpness.

Some people asked how I got that soft even blue sky. Well, this photos was taking at around 6:00 in the morning, so the sun hadn't come up yet. This is what we call the blue hour, which in the morning is before the golden hour and makes for really interesting and beautiful photos. I think photos look really sharp and clean at this time. 30 minutes later, the light totally changed and looked like this photo below.

So now the question is, if I was taking 25 sec exposure, how did I get that boat to be so sharp? At 25 sec, it should just be a blur whizzing by, right? So did I take a fast exposure of just the boat and use Photoshop to put it in? Nope! Wanna know the secret? Okay, but don't tell anybody... the boat wasn't moving. It was anchored right there in front of the building. Worked out great, huh?

After using Photoshop to stitch all the photos together and then to add some contrast and sharpness, erase a few dust spots on my sensor and clean-up some of the ugly scafolding that you can see still on the left of the photo... Voila! You can see the final image above and I really dig it. I've waited a long time to get it and it was totally worth it. Of course half the fun is getting up early, taking photos, then walking to the Borough Street Market for breakfast and coffee. It's amazing how much a hot cup of coffee can improve your photo taking abilities on a freezing cold, London morning.

Holiday Portraits

January 09, 2015

I've dedicated previous posts on providing tips for taking holiday portraits, so I'm not going to waste your time telling you what we've already discussed. If you're looking for tips for improving your portraits, especially those taken during the holidays, type portraits into the search box and the top, right side of this page. Doing that should bring up previous posts that were focused on the subject. I thought today's post I would highlight some of my favorite portraits I took over the last few days. Pictures of my best and cheapest subjects... my family.

As we did last year, we spent the holidays with family in El Dorado Hills, CA. It's a about 30 minutes past Sacramento on the way to Lake Tahoe. Well, I had lots of plans to take some landscape shots in nearby areas, but of course one of my main priorities this time of year is to take photos of the family, and especially the kids. Anybody with kids knows how fast they grow up and having new photos of them every year will help you remember how young, cute and awesome they were before they turned into the little terrors they are today. Even if you're kids are totally ugly, you'll want photos. I took pictures of these same kids last year, but I wasn't going to miss the opportunity to capture them again. The most beautiful family holiday photo is the photo that captures what your kids or family members are like now... this year. What is the "now" for your family? Do you have little ones who run around everywhere? If so, consider a photo like that for your photos, cause in the next few years your "now" will look very different. Capture something about today that will be unforgettable to not only you but your family!

When I'm hanging out at the house I usually have a plate of food in one hand and a drink in the other, but I never know when a great photo opportunity will pop up, so I always keep my camera close. I think it drives my family crazy, cause it's always near by... usually on the kitchen table, in front of the TV or hanging on the coat rack. You can be sure wherever it is, it will be in the way. I also always make sure when I'm just hanging out that my batteries are charged and the lens I want to use is on the camera. During this trip I mostly had my Sigma 50mm f/1.4 on my camera while I was in the house. It's a great lens to use in doors cause it's wide aperture can almost see in the dark, so I can still get sharp photos in relatively little light. I also always had my Canon Speedlite 580ex on my camera. Again, it's not used all the time, but I want it ready to go when I do need it. I actually found myself using it a lot this year. An off camera flash is one of those things that you don't realize how much it will benefit your photos until you start using it. Try it, you'll like it.

If you remember last year, I actually set up a studio in the garage and took portraits on a backdrop, with a full lighting set up and even snacks! This year I decided to go more causal. Don't just plan on taking photos around the tree or at some fancy family dinner. You never know when you'll have a great opportunity. I literally took my camera with me when I took the dogs outside for a pee, or when we hit the malls for those after Christmas sales. I just took my camera around with me and took photos when the mood hit, or found myself in a moment I really wanted to capture. Below are a few of my favorites from the week. No rules, nothing set up, just took 'em when I felt like it. I got some good shots and I know the family is really happy to have the photos, even if they think I'm really annoying at the time.

So I don't want to leave you without offering a tip. Some great kernel of knowledge that makes the last two minutes of reading worth it. Okay... here it goes. DON'T TELL YOUR SUBJECT TO SMILE!! Seriously, there's nothing that generates a faker, more uncomfortable, unnatural smile than to tell somebody to smile. Say something else... anything. I used i know a photographer that would have her subjects say "fuzzy pickle." When I'm taking pictures of kids, I usually include the word "fart" somewhere in my request. That always gets a laugh, cause come on... farts are funny. Anyway, try it. Say something that will illicit a nature smile rather than a forced, uncomfortable one. Oh, and when taking a family holiday photo, get everyone to close the gaps by getting as close as they can to each other. If you can see any background between two people (or worse crazy Uncle Bob), have them get in closer, tighter, for a more affectionate feel.

Thanksgiving Photo Tips (and how to cook the perfect bird)

November 23, 2013

So for those of you reading this in the United States, you know that Thursday is Thanksgiving. A time to give thanks, think back about all the wonderful things in our lives and, who am I kidding... eat a LOT of food. For those of you reading this who aren't in the United States, well, Thursday is, well, Thursday and what better day to take pictures than on a Thursday. I thought I would focus this post on tips to help you take better Thanksgiving day photos, or again, Thursday photos if you're in Canada. I also mentioned in the title a tip on how to cook the perfect bird. Truth is I really only said that to try and get you to read this post, but highly recommend the high-heat method. Message me for details, but you'll get a moist, crispy skinned bird every time!

Okay, so what's special about Thanksgiving. Well, there's usually a lot of family and a lot of food, so let's focus on tips that will help us take better pictures of groups and food. This is a combination of my own tips and ones I've found helpful over the years.

1. Charge your battery!

I can't stress this one enough. It almost never fails. You don't charge your camera's battery so it's about half-way charged when you start the day. You begin taking photos when people start coming over and when the turkey comes out of the oven and people sit down to eat... poof, like magic, your camera battery is dead and you have to charge your battery before you can take any more shots. It's not worth it. No matter how full you think the change on your battery is, charge it the day before, so you know it has a full charge. In fact, why not buy an extra battery so you'll always have one that's fully charged. Batteries are easy to come by and if cost is an issue (some DSLR batteries can be pretty expensive) look into the knock-off brands. Do your research online cause not all are worth it, but there are some really good ones out there that are often more than 50% less than the brand name versions. The battery I use in my Canon cost $60, but I have a three batteries for it and one cost $17 and it works great!

2. Break the camera out early

Depending on the type of party you may need to start taking pictures early. In my family we start drinking right at the beginning, so you have to start taking pictures early or you'll just end up with photos of weird Uncle Alex dancing on the table in a thong and a top hat. Okay, I don't have an Uncle Alex, but you get the idea. Arrive early to take pictures of the decorations, the turkey, the snacks, the bottles of wine, etc. before any people show up.

3. Get the group

Typically people don’t stay in a large group at parties; they are all spread out in smaller groups. While having everyone in the same room at the same time, get that group shot so you'll have it afterwards. Now if there's someone you don't like in your family. this is the time to politely ask them to get the hell away from the table so they don't ruin your photo. Every holiday demands several family group shots, and then a series of candids to complete the stressful, I mean, awesome day! However, these standard shots can be boring, so the best advice is to take pictures that are as unique as possible. You’ll want to position the family in such a way that you take into consideration the height and width of your frame (you might want to get a step ladder or stand on a chair to get a different vantage point) and position your family so they fill the frame. Since you need to be in some of the photos too, use a tripod and the auto-timer to get the composition you want and still get in the photo. The last thing you want is to have tons of photos from the day, with all of your family and not be in any of them. You need to be in some of the photos in case you get questioned for murder by the police. You'll need to have an alibi. Not that I ever have had to, but in case it happens, I want to be prepared. The goal for group shots is to get your entire clan in the photo, but not have too much headroom. Also, avoid using a flash if you can for a large group. It's really hard to light a large group well with a flash.

4. Capture the emotion

Keep your camera handy and turned on so you’ll be ready for those spontaneous expressions. Remember Uncle Alex on the table... yeah, that.

5. Be Candid

You can get some great shots of your family and friends when they don’t even know they are getting their picture taken. This is great for capturing emotion at the party. Candids capture your family when they’re not expecting it, so utilize a long focal length and fast shutter to capture singular moments that will tell the story of that holiday years from now. Let's be honest, candid shots are where the fun is! Posed and constructed shots can get a little tedious (and put a strain on your patience. I don't know about your family, but my daughter isn't exactly a pleasure when you ask to take her picture). You want to get your family – especially any young children – enjoying and experiencing the holiday without any conscious recognition of the camera.

6. Don’t be afraid to zoom in or out

Don’t be afraid of zooming in so your subject fits into your camera frame. This way you can capture the expression of the subject. Also make sure you get pictures of the party as a whole, don’t be afraid to zoom out to capture the entire room. Part of how you "see" the world and transfer that vision to your photographs is determined by what you focus on and how you decide to compose your image. Fill the frame with details that will evoke the spirit of the day. Maybe it's the turkey, a special bottle of wine, or even a loaf of your favorite bread. The idea is to imagine what images will have the most dramatic impact.

7. Avoid Red Eye

One of the most common occurrences when taking pictures of people at parties is red eye. To make sure your friends and family don’t look evil eyed have them look just over your shoulder rather than directly at camera. This should help reduce the chances of red eye in your pictures therefore saving you time having to take it out before printing them. Another fix is to use an off-camera flash or even no flash (no flash guarantees there won't be any red eye) if the room is bright enough. It's probably not, so an off camera flash is probably your best best. You can fine really good off-brand flashes for under $100. You'll use it a ton during the holiday season. Well worth the cost.

8. Try different perspectives

Don’t be afraid to try different perspectives throughout the party: get at eye level with the kids to get their perspective of the party or take pictures standing on a chair or staircase to get a shot of everyone at the party. Just don't get on the table. That's where Uncle Alex will be standing.

9. How to make the food look good

If there something about the food or dish before you that has caught your attention, what was it? Is it its shape or is it the texture? Answer this and you’ll know if you are going to need a hard or a soft light, answer this and you’ll know which angle is gonna be best to photograph your subject from. Let the food inform your approach to photographing it. You'll also want to consider where you shoot from. You'll want to take your picture from slightly above sitting eye level. I utilize this particular angle all the time when I want to lead the eye across and out of an image. It works great for full table settings, multiple dishes or an obscure background element. The key is to get just above sitting level so that you can capture the entire spread in the frame while minimizing negative space in the background. Also, take photos of the food after the eating has begun. Crumbs scattered about a half eaten pie dish hold a particularly charming appeal. Food is meant to be eaten, and we all generally find it pleasing to see bits and pieces of dishes picked out – a sign that someone is enjoying it. So take a timeout after a few shots of the perfectly prepared dish and start digging in! Then, reset your frame and show a few crumbs scattered about, a rumpled cloth napkin in the corner of the frame, an open sugar packet and half drunken espresso – you get the idea.

So that's it! You're ready to have an awesome Thanksgiving with lots of great pictures. Then, when you're done taking pictures, sit yourself in from the TV, put on the football game, eat yourself sick, have some dessert, eat a little more turkey and then go to bed at 8:30. You can start post processing your photos the next day. They'll wait.