On location portrait class 2012-10-27

We had a blast!!
Thank you all!!

Intermediate Level Outings 09-22-2012 and 10-06-2012

http://www.flickr.com/photos/hmcbean/8072651729/in/photostream

Group's Pool

Gabriel's pics South Beach

Intermediate Level Outing 09-15-2012

 

Group's Pool

Gabriel's pics 

Euro Photo Tour 2012

Hi everyone,

We just finished our 2012 European rendezvous with colleagues and students from different parts of Europe. We had a blast, and literally shot in every kind of lighting situations in different cities.

In Paris, we shot shoes at the Rue the Rivoli with real models and a lot of traffic.
Although the weather was not the friendliest, meaning a lot of rain and wind; we were able to use the water reflections at our advantadge, creating nice reflections on the wet shoes. Luckily it rained on and off.

Paris Photo Shoot

Participants:
John Lee
Dieter
Dennise
Miraille
Guy
Pierre
Silvie












We continued in Vienna, using Schonbrun Palace as the perfect background for wedding photography.
The weather was perfect, and the sky really blue.

Schonbrun Palace in the backgroung

Participants:
Franz
Dieter
Morris
Estelle
Francoise










Next, Budapest, an incredible city by the Danube river, the theme was "casual photography"with controlled lighting, using reflectors.
We moved a bench into a shaded area and played with different angles of incident light.
We had the chance to have a make up artist onsite.

White reflectors in Budapest

Participants:
James
Christine
Cameron
Gabor
Ella








In Firenze, we tried different angles shooting on a "gondola" using the "Ponte Vechio" as a colorful background.

Shooting from a moving Gondola

Participants:
John
Roberto
Mauritzio
Ciara
Nelly







While in Venezia, , the challenge was to use the Grand Canal as backgroung, while tryoing to get as much reflections on the water as possible.

Next to the Rialto Bridge

Participants:
John
Roberto
Mauritzio
Ciara
Nelly
Doug
Renzo
Martina
John Lee
Chiang Lou




Finally we gathered at the "Palazzo Grimani" for "Incontri con i grandi autori" a festival of Italian Photography.

 

Capturing Waterfalls

Waterfall photos can present unique challenges to photographers

By Russ Burden (OP Magazine)

Capturing great waterfall shots is not as difficult as it may seem. Keys to getting them are knowing what time of year to be there to get the best water flow, what time of day to photograph them, and deciding what shutter speed to use to either freeze the motion of the water or exaggerate its movement. Otherwise the same basic rules of good photography apply with regards to composition, handling the background, light, etc. Depending on the amount of spray it emits, you will need to bring an absorbent cloth to continuously wipe off your filter. This is especially true if you work close to the falling water. If you do work close, be especially careful of your footing as the mossy ground can be very slippery.

Although great waterfall shots can be made with a point and shoot, an SLR is superior as you can control the shutter speed which dictates the look of the water. A slow shutter speed allows you to create a cotton candy effect giving the appearance of falling white lace rather than water. A fast shutter speed freezes the drops of the falls. The cotton candy effect conveys a tranquil feel while the frozen drop effect exudes power and strength. It’s a matter of personal taste as to which look you prefer although you’ll often find that the amount of light dictates the shutter speed. If there’s too much, you can add a neutral density filter to slow it down, but if there’s not enough and the goal is to shoot frozen drops, you’ll need to return when the light is more intense.

Other than an SLR, there are a few key pieces of equipment you’ll need to get good waterfall shots. A zoom lens will give lots of versatility with regards to composition. A tripod is a must to steady the camera when making long exposures. A polarizer is highly recommended as it will remove the glare from water covered rocks surrounding the falls. As you rotate it, you’ll be able to see the effect through the lens. The only drawback is the polarizer will eat up 1 1/2 stops of shutter speed so if the frozen drop effect is your goal, you may have to forego its use.

If you’re looking for lots of water, spring is the best time of year as the melting snows feed the falls and produce the most amount of flow. Autumn is not known for torrents of water, but surrounding fall color more than makes up for it. Winter can provide great mood shots especially after a fresh snow. If you’re photographing falls in a tropical area, the seasons won’t have much of an impact as there’s always a lot of water. If you live in an area where the seasons change, visit the falls throughout the year to catch them in different moods.

A few ideas to think about when shooting waterfalls are depicted in the accompanying images. In photo number one, I used the flowing line of the stream to lead the eye up to the source of the water. In photo number 2, it pays to know the falls you’re going to photograph so you’ll know what time to be there when the daily rainbow appears. This is influenced by the time of year in that the position of the sun changes so if a rainbow appears in the summer, the sun angle may be wrong for autumn.

Dealing With Distractions

Article from: Outdoor Photographer Magazine

There's something about a pure capture that's extremely gratifying

By Russ Burden

Even a small distraction, whether in the foreground or background, can reduce a prize winning picture into a mediocre image. In some situations a photographer has control over eliminating them yet in others, a decision has to be made whether or not to press the shutter. The clone stamp and content aware tools work wonders, but there's something about a pure capture that's extremely gratifying.

As someone who is a firm believer in getting it right the first time, my primary strategy is to eliminate the distraction before I make the image. Depending on its size or whether I have control, I determine my first plan of action. When I photograph people, I have the luxury of communication and ask the subject to move to another location or a bit to the left or right. This makes a huge difference as to whether or not a tree, lamppost or other distraction "grows" out of their head.

In situations where communication is not possible, patience is often necessary. When I photograph wildlife, I find myself waiting until all the elements fall into place. Before I press the shutter, the animal has to be in the right light, strike a good pose, and be in a location where the background and foreground all come together. I often try to "will" this to happen. When it does, it's great. If I'm photographing flowers, I control background distractions with sheets of colored cardboard. I can also control the light using flash, a reflector, or diffuser. Another way to control distractions is to move to the left, right, up, or down. Too often I see photographers "stake a claim" to a location and never move. The better shot may only be a few inches away.

Compare the two images of the bee and note how the background is very distracting in one while in the other, the bee stands out. In the latter photo, I moved no more than a few inches to eliminate the foliage in the background. I used a two flash system for illumination and in that the foliage in the "before" image was close to the head of the coneflower, it was rendered too bright. I scooted over a few inches and shot from a slightly higher position so everything in the background was eliminated. Use your LCD to preview the photo and if there's a distraction, try to get rid of it using one of the above, or any other technique that comes to mind.

Visit www.russburdenphotography.com

Intensify Your Landscape

How to give your scenics extra punch when the situation calls for added intensity

By The Editors of Outdoor Photographer

There's a time for subtle, and there's a time to punch things up. Extra intensity is usually associated with punched-up saturation, but that only works when you have a shot that's strong to begin with. In fact, all of the techniques we discuss here are about bringing a photograph that's a nine up to a solid 10. Taking a weak shot, then leaning on the saturation slider, won't suddenly make it into art. But when you do have something special opening up in front of you, try some of these tips to take the shot to the next level.

Think Wide
1) When faced with wild, vivid sunset skies like this, many photographers pull out telephoto zooms and try to capture a small portion of the horizon, sun and sky. Instead of taking that approach, Steve Perry used a wide-angle lens and composed a shot that brings in a huge expanse of sky. He also got low and found a boulder to add interest in the foreground. The wide-angle perspective makes for a much more intense photograph. Also notice how the water has some motion blur in it. By using a tripod, Perry was able to choose a slower shutter speed, which gave the lapping waves just a hint of motion and a perfect blurred splash on the rock. Telephotos are very useful for many landscape situations, but when you have a sky with a lot of detail, color and drama, go for the wide-angle to intensify the shot. Also, look for a foreground element to add some visual interest and balance to the overall image.
Miners Beach, Lake Superior, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Michigan
Nikon D3X, AF-S Nikkor 14-24mm ƒ/2.8G ED, Gitzo 3-series tripod, Really Right Stuff BH-55 ballhead

Expand The Dynamic Range
2) Rich, colorful fall foliage is always a favorite for nature photographers, but dealing with the vibrant and often contrasty scenes is a challenge. HDR photography has revolutionized the way you can get the most out of a landscape like this one. To get the best results, you need to plan for the HDR capture. Here, Don Biresch made a series of five exposures one stop apart, ranging from two stops under to two stops over normal exposure. In the computer, he applied HDR software to combine the images. The result is an intense image that shows the vibrant autumn hues without looking overdone.
Austinburg Road, Tioga County, Pennsylvania
Nikon D3, Nikkor AF-S 24-70mm ƒ/2.8G ED, Gitzo tripod, Really Right Stuff ballhead

Lose The Horizon
3) In this scene of Yosemite's Bridalveil Fall seen from Tunnel View, the play of shadows and light positively makes the shot. Michael Warwick took the dramatic lighting a step further by choosing a 300mm telephoto lens on his Mamiya film camera and eliminating the horizon and sky from the frame. The result is a dynamic, graphic composition that makes it a photo to frame and hang on the wall. Notice, too, the sharpness in the shot. A sturdy tripod is a necessity for this kind of image. The sharpness down into the trees in the lower-left corner invites the viewer to explore the whole photo.
Bridalveil Fall from Tunnel View, Yosemite National Park, California
Mamiya RZ67, Fujichrome Velvia 50, 300mm lens, Bogen 3021 tripod and 3028 head, dual cable release

Experiment With A Polarizer
4) We always advocate getting things right in the field rather than relying on a "fix it in Photoshop" mentality. Using filters while you're shooting and seeing the effect they have becomes part of the creative process. Ya Zhang employed a combination of a polarizer and a split ND filter to make this shot. The polarizer cut the glare, helped darken the sky and intensified the red color in the sand. The split ND helped Zhang to balance the contrast above and below the horizon. Anytime you shoot with filters, it's a good idea to take at least one shot without the filter.
Monument Valley, Arizona
Canon EOS 5D, Canon EF 17-40mm ƒ/4L USM, Benro C-328 tripod, Arca-Swiss Monoball Z, Hoya HD PL-CIR and Singh-Ray ND 3G filters

Enigmatic Autofocus

Focusing Is For The Birds • The Dark Side Of Long Exposures • Big Images From Small Files • To Tilt Or Not To Tilt

By George D. Lepp With Kathryn Vincent Lepp

This flock of shoveler ducks was taken with a Canon EOS 7D set to ISO 400 and an EF 500mm lens with a 1.4x tele-extender (700mm + 1.6x). The exposure was 1/1000 sec. at ƒ/11. I had preset my focus by setting it on a stationary subject at the distance I expected the birds.

Focusing Is For The Birds
Q When photographing birds with long telephoto lenses set to autofocus, I’m having problems with the lens searching first to the closest point of focus, then out to infinity, before locking onto the subject. Since the birds are usually far away, I want the lens to focus to infinity first. Waiting for the lens to go through most of its focus range while the bird flies away is frustrating! Is this a lens or a camera problem? Can the camera firmware be changed to focus first at infinity?
R. Rockwood
Portland, Oregon

A Autofocus is a cooperative function of the camera and the lens. Even if you could, you wouldn’t want to change your camera’s firmware to always seek focus at infinity first because infinity with long lenses is a long, long way away. You would compromise your autofocus capability for the majority of subjects. There’s a better solution.

Most long telephoto lenses have a limiting switch that gives the choice of enabling either the full range of focus or only a distant range of focus. I hope your lenses have this capability; if not, you might want to consider a new purchase. Anytime I’m photographing birds in flight (or any subject moving quickly at a distance, such as runners, race cars or aircraft), I set the lens to the longer range to prevent exactly the problem you describe. It significantly speeds the lens’ ability to attain the subject quickly because if the lens is focusing first at its closest point, the subject in the distance is so far out of focus as to be undistinguishable to both the photographer and the lens/camera.

A technique I use to narrow the range even further when photographing birds in flight is to find a stationary object at the approximate distance at which I anticipate photographing the birds. I preset the focus on that subject, and then when I activate the autofocus on the birds themselves, the adjustment is small enough from the outset to enable a fast lock.

The Dark Side Of Long Exposures
Q I’ve seen images where water or surf appears very milky and smooth, sometimes even cloudlike. I’ve read that a neutral-density filter makes it possible to get such an effect. However, when I go beyond three stops using a Vari-ND filter, the image appears very dark in the viewfinder of my Canon EOS 7D. How does one use the Vari-ND filter, or any other filter, to achieve that dreamy look with water?
S. Kekre
Marietta, Georgia

A Neutral density (ND) filters limit the amount of light entering the lens, allowing a long exposure even in bright conditions. There are a number of single-density ND filters you can use to achieve the effect you want; they’re generally offered in two-, three- or four-stop increments, meaning that the filter cuts the light by the equivalent of a two-, three- or four-stop reduction in the lens aperture. The Singh-Ray Vari-ND offers a range of two to eight ƒ-stops of neutral density.

Here’s the process. First, set your composition and focus without using any filtration; if using a single ND filter, remove it. If using the Vari-ND, set it to its lightest setting (two stops).

Next, determine the shutter speed you need to render the water movement. With an ocean scene such as you describe, I might choose a several-second-long exposure to cover several wave patterns. With a waterfall, I might set the exposure in the area of 1/8 to 1/4 sec. Choose the rest of your camera settings (ƒ-stop and ISO) to support the shutter speed you want. If you’re using a single ND filter, you won’t have a lot of range to work with; only one ƒ-stop and ISO setting will probably support your shutter speed. The advantage of the Vari-ND is significant. With that filter on my lens, I can first set the exposure and shutter speed I want, then dial the filter to the setting that works with my combination.

To check and fine-tune the exposure, take a picture; look at the resulting image on the LCD screen. Then check the histogram to confirm you’ve achieved the correct exposure. Pay particular attention to the white end of the histogram to be sure that the milky water, usually the brightest part of the scene, isn’t blown out. If you have pixels up against that right wall, you’re overexposed.

Big Images From Small Files
Q I came across your note in a previous column (Jan./Feb. 2010) about making large (40x40) prints of images captured with small cameras, such as an iPhone. How can you do that without losing much of the image clarity?
S. Zaiontz
Via the Internet

A Well, it’s not about clarity. It’s about creativity. You can’t maintain the detailed information in a small iPhone capture if you enlarge it very much at all. If you do, the pixels themselves become a prominent part of the final image. The iPhone used for Dewitt Jones’ great images (referred to in the earlier column) has only 2 megapixels, enough for use on the phone’s small screen and to view in small sizes on a computer monitor. (Even if Dewitt has upgraded to the new iPhone, he still has only 5 megapixels.) To create a large-format print from an iPhone file, you need to move far from your original capture by processing and “tweaking” it a number of times. First, add special effects using apps in the iPhone (such as Photogene, Photo fx or CameraBag, to name a few), then interpolate the image to new dimensions and add even more layers of creative manipulation and give a painterly look with software such as the Topaz Clean and Simplify plug-ins for Photoshop. The file becomes a new photograph loosely based upon the basic forms and colors of the original.

Why would you do this? Because you can! No, that’s not the only reason. You probably take your iPhone everywhere you go, and even if you don’t have cell service, you still can use it to take advantage of an unexpected photo opportunity. If you have colors and shapes, you have your starting point. But if you want true, absolute, tack-sharp, high-resolution detail in a big print, you still have to capture it with a professional-level DSLR and high-quality lens, using all the techniques and equipment required to eliminate blur and gather as much detail as possible.

To Tilt Or Not To Tilt
Q I stumbled upon an article on Ansel Adams on the OP website (see “Shoot Like Ansel Adams With 35mm DSLRs,” 6/1/2008). A few of your photos were used as examples, using a tilt/shift lens for landscapes. What’s the advantage of a tilt/shift over shooting at a smaller aperture? Would it be worth investing in a tilt/shift for landscape photography?
N. Reed
Via the Internet

A A tilt/shift lens has front elements that can be tilted, which changes the plane of focus to more efficiently apply depth of field (the range of sharp focus) across a landscape. (If you want to know more about how and why this works, research the Scheimpflug Principle.) Used to maximum advantage, a tilt/shift lens can render a scene sharp from close foreground to distant background, as when photographing a field of flowers in an alpine meadow ringed by high mountain peaks. This apparent increase in depth of field can be achieved even with larger apertures, allowing shutter speeds fast enough to stop the movement of vegetation in a landscape. The use of very small apertures to achieve the same depth of field may compromise sharpness due to diffraction and/or movement of the subject or camera being emphasized by slow shutter speeds.

Tilt/shift lenses from Nikon and Canon come in a wide range of focal lengths, from 135mm to an ultra-wide 17mm. They’re expensive, but very useful for landscape photographers. I carry at least two tilt/shift lenses, the 90mm and 24mm Canons, when concentrating on scenic images.

The tilt/shift lens is useful in other ways, too. The shift aspect of the tilt/shift lens works to overcome vertical distortion (often a problem in architectural photography) and to capture three-image panoramas across the image plane.

Should you buy one? It depends on how serious you are about your landscape photography. There are other ways of increasing depth of field with any of your lenses (if there’s no movement occurring within the scene). You can take multiple images with different focus planes by moving through the subject from near to far and capturing slices of overlapping areas of focus. These multiple images can be assembled in either Photoshop CS5 or the stand-alone program Helicon Focus. The multiple-image composite technique enables virtually unlimited sharpness under ideal conditions, whereas the tilt/shift lens may solve depth-of-field problems in windy conditions as well. [Editor’s Note: An article by Willard Clay in this issue of OP describes several techniques for shooting and combining multiple images to achieve deep focus.]