Two of my favorite words: Summer Vacation!!
Not as relevant now that I work for a living, but I can still enjoy some time off now that my children are school age and get to enjoy the blissful and blazing summer months away from academia.
As a professional photographer, and some may say, a bit obsessive about my calling, I never really have a vacation, just one camera toting adventure after another, and if it happens to be when the kids are out of school, then….yes…it’s summer vacation.
So, in light of an academic hiatus, I thought I’d talk about making cool summertime photos.
I had the opportunity to take my family on an assignment to the panhandle (pre-oil disaster) and they got a vacation while I worked, but in my off time, I was the family photographer. I stayed true to the things I’ve been talking about in the previous “photo finish” pages.
The basics are constant, even if the venue changes: look for good light, remember the rules of good composition, frame the image, pre-visualize, go early, stay late, look for unguarded and candid moments…
Things that could change may be sand and salt water, protecting your gear while backpacking, taking the essentials while traveling light, and keeping your camera clean when you’re out of your element.
Sand and salt water: always a bad combination, the sea spray is brutal on everything, cameras included. Whenever your lens is new, clean and just out of the box, have a glass UV filter installed. It is the single best investment at keeping the front of your lens clean from everything, including sea spray. The simple clear glass filter screws onto the front of your lens, allowing you the ability to carefully wipe of the glass without actually touching the front of the lens. These glass filters at the most are about $60, most float around $25, and the best money you can spend to protect the front of your lens.
Backpacking, hiking, trekking or even long walks can kill your photographic passion when lugging everything you own with you. One thing I dreaded was photographing professional golf, for 18-36 holes, I would need to carry more than 50 pounds of equipment, in the hot sun, chasing golfers that were on my list. Those days would leave my exhausted and sore, usually taking a full day to recover from carrying my equipment and running (walking faster that the golf carts) the golf course.
When I’m adventuring with the family, I usually carry one camera in a small over the shoulder bag. I wrap my camera loosely in a hand towel, just a touch of protection, but I’m not swinging my bag or repelling of cliffs either. There are hundreds of products available to keep your camera safe, from neoprene wraps, to rubberized camera skins, to full harnesses that keep your camera snug to your body, if you can think of it, chances are, you can buy it.
This same hand towel works as a rag to keep the camera dirt free and dry when I’m in adverse conditions. When traveling (overnight) I usually carry a little air blower to remove dust and generally keep things clean. Canned Air works well when I’m back at home, but canned air requires a delicate trigger finger, let me repeat, delicate trigger finger with the compressed air in a can.
So, travel light, even the inexpensive lenses today have a wide range – wide angle to middle range zoom, and then middle range zoom to super telephoto. The drawback would be these lenses don’t do well in low light, but do you really go hiking in low light? If only one lens is the ideal, I vote for something along the lines of 24-105mm lens, a semi wide (landscape) lens that zooms into a medium telephoto (portrait) lens. In fact the 24-105 range is the main and go-to lens for a number of professionals I know, it does just about everything well.
Always keep in mind that today’s cameras are small computers, you would protect your laptop if the elements were unfavorable, and you’d never travel with your desktop system, pack light, keep it clean, and make great summertime images.
Spring is a time when I typically am drawn to cleaning up the gardens, planting new flowers, and really sprucing up the exterior of the house. I also take time to change a few of the art pieces inside the house, and for a while now, my bride has wanted really cool flower images for the walls. Thus, spring, cleaning, planting and redecorating all lead me to this month’s topic, macro flower photography.
There are a few tricks and techniques in photography that become more important as you get closer and closer to your subject.
Composition, lighting, focus, depth of field and color are the things that make or break good floral imagery.
I spoken before about composition, but in the case of macro work, it is most important to compose the entire shot within your viewfinder. In macro photography, since the subject is so close already, all the small details are very important. Cropping into a loosely-framed image deteriorates the quality of the image, and the deterioration is more noticeable in a macro environment. I prefer super close and kind of abstract images when I shoot flowers, but that’s not to say there are not other types of compositions too.
With every image comes an opinion about what is right and wrong about it. My lighting techniques have worked for me, but may not be your style. That being said, I use soft light and overexpose my images by half a stop to achieve the light and airy look of my botanicals. Soft light is the technical term for shade. I keep my flowers out of hard or direct sunlight when shooting, I haven’t yet found a need to use artificial light, studio strobes or movie (hot) lights; simple shade, filter sunlight and overcast days are what make up my flower photo formula.
I set the camera to manual and overexpose a smidge. What that means is that I let more light into the picture that what the camera says I need for proper exposure. I don’t let in much, but just enough to give my images an airy, glowing kind of look. Again, it’s what I like, my style, but there are dozens of different ways to shoot.
Depth of field is another technique that can enhance your floral photography. My style is for shallow depth of field, meaning, I open my lens to its widest aperture (smallest number) to make my images. I have lenses that will shoot at f1.4 and f2.8, making only one or two petals in focus and letting the rest of the flower fall out of focus.
Tripods are helpful, even with shallow depth of field, because with macro photography, even a little camera shake, shooting at a 30th of a second, becomes more noticeable the closer you get.
Other folks will use a tripod and shoot with the highest depth of field, preferring every aspect to be tack sharp, it works, just not my style.
Newer digital cameras have the ability to oversaturate your colors right in the camera. This is a feature I love when shooting botanicals, by tweaking your camera settings, it will produce richer and more vibrant colors during the digital capture of the image, before any computer work is done. Of course in postproduction, anything is possible. I have found that a touch over from the camera produces clean, colorful and crisp results.
And with newer digital cameras, especially consumer caliber SLRs and higher-end point and shoots, there is a macro feature built in. If your camera has a flower icon or button anywhere, that is what you need to push or activate to allow your camera to focus closer than normal. My point and shoot makes really good images when set on the close-up mode.
I hope these ideas will serve as a starting point and an inspiration for a little flower photography this spring.
A recent published piece by Steven Martine
Steven Martine, owner and lead creative of Steven Martine Photography and Videography has received the highest honor from his peers as the Digital Artist of the Year for still image and video production in Stuart Florida
Read More Post a comment (0)Wedding photography is an art like no other: stress levels are high, it’s physically demanding, and… as a photographer, you only get one chance to get it right.
As a wedding photographer for 17 years, I find there are many things to consider when shopping for a photographer for your special day. Recently I was asked by a dear friend and professional wedding and event planner to answer questions wedding photography, what to consider, and how to determine if a photographer is right for you on your wedding day.
Thus, here are a few tips for working with and finding a photographer on your special day.
1. Personality. Since you will be with this person for the better part of an entire day, make sure you (as a bride) get along with the photographer.
2. Body of Work. In today’s environment, anybody can be a photographer. Cameras are getting cheap now, and with a minimal investment and a business card, anybody can be in business. Make sure you look at a photographer’s work, ask how many they’ve shot, where they traveled, questions that reinforce the credibility and professionalism of the photographer. Think about what style you like and how the photographer shoots (examples would be documentary “journalistic” image-maker, portrait specialist, “computer heavy” stylized shooters, and now, even some fashion photographers have thrown their hats into the wedding ring).
I have many friends who wish I had shot their weddings for this very reason. As a professional wedding guy, I have shot destinations weddings from Hawaii, Portland, Denver the Caribbean and everywhere in between. I have the images and portfolio to prove it. Make sure whomever you look at has more than one or two brides in their books. If they only have a few, that’s a tell tale sign that they haven’t shot a lot.
3. Cameras. You don’t have to be an expert on photographic tools, but simply ask how many cameras they own. They must have more than two. Professional cameras and professional lenses help make better images. I don’t know a photographer out there who, when asked, will talk your ears off about the latest and greatest piece of equipment that they just got.
If a camera breaks during the wedding, can the photographer still keep going? This happened to a buddy of mine: A camera died in the middle of a shoot, he went to his bag, grabbed another and kept going. I will happily spend a couple thousand dollars for a back up so that I NEVER have to tell a bride I can’t shoot pictures because of an equipment failure…
4. Referrals. Ask your friends who they have and liked. References from the photograph are worthless, but referral from your circle of friends or your wedding planner are golden. There isn’t a planner out there who is going to refer someone who is going to make that planner look bad.
5. Commitment. Look for someone who is a full-time photographer, someone who has made the commitment to capturing images, and for someone who has been around for a while. Photography is a really difficult business to be successful in. Making a living, supporting a family and paying a mortgage is a testament to the photographer’s professionalism. I wake up every day thinking about pictures, some say I need mental help; others appreciate the fact that photography is my passion and I am spending all my hours chasing that, and working within the field of that passion.
6. Confirmation. When working with larger studios, confirm which photographer is going to shoot your wedding. Many big operations have multiple photographers, so try your best to confirm and meet the person coming to your special day. For all of the reasons above, it is important, try not to get the new guy on his first wedding.
When you wedding day is all said and done, all you are going to have is your memories and the images captured by your photographer. Hiring a good, solid, passionate and professional image maker should be high on your wedding list.
tearsheet from Stuart Magazine
Commercial and Editorial photography Steven Martine talks about composition and lighting techniques.
At 17 years old, standing in the Associated Press office of Portland, Ore., I met Jack Smith, a Northwest journalism legend. He asking me a question that refined my vision as a photographer: “What is the purpose of this image?”
And from there, I launched into the classic journalistic speak about changing the world, making a difference and creating a call to action. And then he said something that I’ll always remember: None of the aforementioned things will happen if the photo isn’t strong enough to prevent the reader from turning the page. Compositon had to be strong, content had to be powerful, and the moment had to be right. All three things had to work so the image will have the staying power that lands in on the front page, in the portfolio, or framed on your mother’s wall.
So, lets jump into composition.
There are some basics of composition that will help make your images stronger, more visually powerful, and ultimately reluctant to “turn the page”.
The basics of composition include the rule of thirds, changing your perspective, cleaning up the clutter, and filling the frame.
There are dozens of other tips, but these few will get you started in the quest for stronger, more powerful images.
To put it simply, the rule of thirds states one should never put the interesting aspect of the image dead center in the middle of the picture. When you frame and compose your shot, think of your viewfinder as being divided into nine small squares, and the premise of the thirds is that your center of interest is on one of those lines.
Changing your perspective: My dry cleaner smiles every time I show up with a story about “changing my perspective”. I have ruined suits and tuxedos simply striving for a better image and changing my perspective. Once I shot a preview for a county fair in a pig pen, and standing up just didn’t make for a good image, but a pig’s-eye view (i.e., on the ground with the swines) was the winning shot. I have been in the ocean, climbing up a tree, or standing on something less than stable, all in search of a better image. Call it what you want, but 99 percent of the images you shoot are shot while standing up. To make a more interesting image, change your point of view. A guy whom I admire greatly says that good photographers “bend their knees.”
Cleaning up clutter: Paying attention to what is happening behind or off to the side of your subject, and removing the “clutter” will lead to stronger images. My pet peeve is power lines showing up in photos; unless I am shooting for FPL, I don’t see why I should have power lines in my photos. Cleaning up also includes paying attention to anything protruding from your subject: trees, telephone poles, and such. Make sure the backgrounds are clean, and thus the subject pops a little better in the image.
Filling the frame: Robert Capa, one of the pioneers of wartime photography, said,“If your pictures are good enough, your not close enough.” This can be interpreted many ways, but compositionally, make your subject prevalent in your image. Do not ever photograph your mom and the Eiffel tower while she is standing at the base and you are so far back, trying to get the entire tower (from top to bottom) in the image. This is bad. Bring dear ol’ mom close to you, while you are still far enough away to capture the whole tower, and then she will be dominant in the frame, and the tower will be a detail in a different third of the image. Filling the frame with your subject is one of the easiest ways to make your pictures more dynamic. I am a fan portraits that show only two-thirds of a face, focusing in on the eyes and smile make for striking images.
Another important aspect of making a dynamic photo is waiting for “the moment”.
There is always a moment when everything happens and offers the best image possible.
Recognizing it, catching it, pushing the shutter button at that moment will lead to images that you will cherish forever.
It is best explained by the master himself, Henri Cartier-Bresson, who revolutionized photography by capturing what he called “the decisive moment.”
“Photography is not like painting,” he told The Washington Post in 1957. “There is a creative fraction of a second when you are taking a picture. Your eye must see a composition or an expression that life itself offers you, and you must know with intuition when to click the camera. That is the moment the photographer is creative,” he said. “Oops! The Moment! Once you miss it, it is gone forever.”
Stay focused and wait for the moment.
THE LAST TWO PARAGRAPHS WERE EDITED FROM THE CARTIER-BRESSON’S OBIT THAT APPEARED IN THE WASHINGTON POST ON AUGUST 5, 2004.
The holidays are a time for families to get together, catch up, celebrate, and inevitably take family photographs. I have been in charge of the family photos for as long as I can remember, and I can honestly tell you, that back in the day, I was an awful holiday-time photographer, I was 8 years-old…but still, I would have fired myself.
More than 3 decades later, I am still the one in charge of the family photos; in fact, I was invited to my sister’s wedding if- and only if-I would bring my cameras and my kids.
So, over the years, I have learned by trial and error. I am my worst critic and as a professional, I can easily see what is right and wrong with the pictures.
(Bless my mother, who still thinks my random out of focus “art” shots are worth keeping in the shoebox.)
The images that I am hoping to help with are the “party picture” shots that happen somewhat spontaneously at family gatherings. The tips and advice should help make those images a little better, and may even land one or two in a frame, as opposed to the shoebox.
Even with today’s foolproof point-and-shoot digital cameras, making a good family portrait requires a little planning.
Light is always an issue; more of it makes for better photography. Inexpensive point-and-shoot cameras are not known for being great in darker settings. Natural light and window light is a photographer’s best friend. One suggestion is to make your family portraits early in the day or afternoon. If you, as the photographer, line your subjects up so their faces are lit by the window light, and thus you have your back to the light, it usually creates a dynamic image. Be aware of casting a shadow on the subjects, since you, as the photographer, will be standing in between the subject and the light source.
If your family portraits need to be late in the evening, and thus lit by regular light bulbs, here are a few suggestions to make the image work: 1) Make sure your camera flash is on (a common mistake); 2) Turn on all the lights in the room you are shooting in. Again, light is your friend. Turn up your ISO (the little number on your camera that determines how much light sensitivity you will have);3) It is helpful to brace the camera on something, be it a bookshelf, door frame, basically substituting as a tripod (if you don’t already have one).
Playing with the ISO number is a little trick that will help indoor photography immensely, When you are shooting in straight daylight, your ISO should be low, say 100. Then while moving indoors, bumping it up to 400 (maybe even 800) will give your camera more light sensitivity, and at the same time, make your images a little bit more pixilated or “grainy”
So for this month, practice on getting a good and steady exposure. Tune in next moth, where I will focus on composition and how to make the properly exposed images even better.
Stay focused and happy shooting.
Over the past 20 years as a professional photographer, I’ve been asked the same question over and over again:
What is the best camera?
The answer is always the same: It’s the camera you have with you.
It may sound simple, but you can’t make an image without a camera.
Iconic images have been made by people who simply carried their own day-to-day cameras. Remember the tragic image of the Air France Flight 4590 Concorde that caught fire in July 2000? Or the image of the firefighter during the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing? Both were shot by some guy with a camera, not a “professional” photographer.
Which camera is right for you?
This is a question that I answer regularly for friends, family and clients, and it always comes down to a few key thin:
What kind of things do you like to photograph?
How much equipment do you want to carry?
And, of course, What is your budget?
Pointers to keep in mind when buying cameras
What you like to photograph will have a big effect on your camera choice. If you are one who just shoots party pics, daylight images of your kids in the park, a prize-winning catch, or your orchids to email to New York relatives, I suggest any point-and-shoot consumer camera that is 8 megapixels or higher. Point and shoot cameras are defined by the small size, and it comes with a lens that can not be removed and automatic features like exposure and autofocus. Most have image stabilization, the ability to shoot a better image in a light challenged conditions. Some higher-end-point-and-shoots have the ability to be turned into a manual mode.
Some of these cameras are just a bit larger than credit cards, but can shoot nice daylight images; they start to struggle when light (or the lack of it) is an issue.
I recently bought my bride a Canon Powershot SD780 (retails for under $300), and it was perfect for our vacation in Puerto Rico. She uses it regularly to document the lives of our two little girls.
But, when it comes to taking pictures of these two little girls on the soccer field, a beefier camera is required.
Enter the DSLR – digital single-lens reflex, basically, a digital version of the film camera we all carried in college. The cameras nowadays have a series of automatic features, the same found on point-and-shoot cameras, as well as the ability to change lenses. DSLR cameras have been packaged with one or two lenses, with prices starting as little as $600. Some brand name DSLR cameras can work with older lenses that you may already own. Nikon, for example, has never changed their lens mounting system, thus a lens from the ‘60s will fit on a digital camera body of today.(Although most automatic features will not work when vintage is mixed with new.)
The DSLR is a favorite for light travel; being able to change lenses, zoom into something and compose a scene makes the DSLR the camera of choice.
I recommend purchasing a pre-packaged system supplied by the big names in digital cameras. Both Nikon and Canon offer consumers great starting packages hat bundle a camera lens.
Then, of course, there are the professional-grade cameras and lenses, which are very durable, very heavy and very expensive. One of the biggest advantages to a pro-series camera is the “lag-time”, the time in between pushing the button and capturing the image. On a point and shoot, this could be a second or two, enough to make me crazy. However, when you buy a camera marketed to the professional, the lag time is unnoticeable.
Professional lenses will cost substantially more. Glass lenses are generally better and more expensive than their plastic counterparts. Professional lenses have bigger apertures that allows the photographer to let more light in the camera. For example hen shooting without a tripod or flash on hand in a darker situation-such as inside a high school gym or church-the larger apertures make up for the lack of light.
I occasionally shoot high school basketball for the local paper and it would be impossible with out the professional-grade lenses. I document more than a dozen weddings a year, and am always, always up against lighting challenges, so owning the expensive lenses allows me to make images that would otherwise be impossible, such as shots lit by candlelight in a dark church, for example.
Having the right tools for the job-whether it’s wedding photography, shots of the kids on a Saturday, or party pictures to update your Facebook, Keeps everybody smiling without having to say, “Cheese!”
