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Escalator to Heaven

January 9, 2012 / Bruce posted in Impressions, Thoughts / No Comments

Sometimes I get lucky when taking pictures, and this I think is one of those times. I had just got on the escalator and my camera was still on, so I just placed the camera just below my knees, angled it up a bit, allowed it to focus and then fired off a shot. Since I only got one chance at it I think I got pretty lucky with the outcome. With just a little minor editing in Lightroom I was able to get this result.

I should tell you though, I had no idea what kind of image I was going to get. I was not looking through the view finder, just holding the camera in the approximate position and hoping I had it right. In fact on this image, I didn’t even think about the f/stop or shutter speed, I just took the shot.

One day my luck will run out, but in the mean time, I will enjoy the shots I get. It seems however, that my better shots are when I don’t look through the view finder – go figure!

Use the Right Equipment for Low Light Photography

March 9, 2011 / Bruce posted in Impressions, Thoughts / No Comments

I am simply blown away by the capability of today’s digital SLR’s. The ability to shoot at incredibly high ISO and still get a usable image is just astounding.

I have a Nikon D700 that I’ve paired with the Nikon 24-120 f/4G Lens. I’ve always heard that the D700 was an incredible performer in low light, but I never saw this in my camera until I “up’d” the quality of glass I was using. Now I see what others have been saying. Look at this image:

My step-daughter was performing in a opera at CSU this last Friday and I went to see her performance. I took my camera of course. Before the opera started, the lights were down low and shining on the stage. I adjusted settings on my camera until I was able to get a good image. This meant setting the ISO at 6400 because the light was incredibly low. There was definitely noise in the image, but with minor adjustments in Lightroom, I was able to subdue it. Once the opera started, they turned the lights up a bit and I was able to shoot at 3200 ISO.

This raises the question, does the lens affect the noise at higher ISO ranges? Based on what I have observed, I would have to say yes it does. The previous lens I used I could go up to 1600 ISO before the noise was too much to save the image. I wouldn’t have even tried shooting at 3200 or 6400 ISO. However, with the Nikon lens, I was able to shoot at 6400 ISO and still have a usable image and could probably have gone to 12800 ISO and still have been okay.

In situations such as the image above, you find that you cannot use a tripod and have to hand hold the camera. Because the light is low, you have to adjust the ISO to allow a reasonable shutter speed with your lens wide open. The lens I used has Nikon’s VR II vibration reduction technology which is said to allow hand holding up to four stops, which works really well but I don’t think I can get four stops with it (depends on the person and how steady they are). This VR technology in combination with the camera’s ISO capabilities pairs well for low light photography. For the above image, I used a focal length of 98mm, and a shutter speed of 1/50 sec. There is no way I would have got an image this good without the VR technology of the lens.

So when you’re out shooting a concert, indoor sports, a play, or an opera (as I was above), make sure you are using the best equipment available or be prepared to be disappointed in the results. It’s expensive, but the results are worth the expense!

HDR without the “look”?

January 31, 2011 / Bruce posted in Informative, Thoughts / 1 Comment

Yes, I seem to be harping on this issue some, but I feel it is an important issue. Although you can achieve a number of different looks with HDR photography from very natural to surreal and beyond, the technique was developed to allow photographers to capture and render a scene that couldn’t be captured before due to limitations within the camera. However, the technique also opened up the ability to apply a creative and artistic twist to the image that was very difficult to do otherwise.

I tend to prefer a more realistic look in my HDR images. Realistic to the point that the only way you would know HDR was used in the creation of the image is if 1) you are a photographer and recognize the dynamic range of the image is more than a single frame can capture, or 2) I tell you it is an HDR image. My preference is just that, my preference or stylistic choice. It is what I feel presents the image in a way that is representative of my vision when I captured the image on my camera.

I could have presented this image in any number of stylistic possibilities that the HDR technique opens up, but this is the presentation I chose for this image because it matches my vision.

Because HDR photography has many different “looks”, it would be improper to categorize HDR as “a” look, which is what people tend to want to do. My argument is simple, HDR is not a single look, but many looks! So please don’t say an image has or does not have the “HDR Look”. Doing so demonstrates a lack of understanding in relation to HDR photography. Enjoy the image the way the photographer chose to present it, and not critique it for the technique that was used to create the image. This is what it is all about – really!

Your Own Worst Critic

November 7, 2010 / Bruce posted in Thoughts, Tips / 1 Comment

Let’s face it, when it comes to your photography who is the most critical? You! Okay, maybe not for you, but this is definitely the case with me. I am very critical of my photography! Take these two images:

November Sunset

Morticia

At first I didn’t like either one. I felt like the sunset picture was just a run of the mill “flat” sunset, yet this is one of my most popular images! I recently donated a framed image to a local Catholic school for auction, and this is the image they chose out of literally hundreds of choices!

As for the picture of Morticia (my cat), I can’t tell you why I didn’t like this one because I still haven’t figured it out. After receiving a lot of comments on how wonderful this image is, I stopped trying to figure out what I didn’t like about it, and started to look at it for what I did like. I’ve concluded that for a pet portrait, it’s pretty good! Yes, I can admit that I do good work sometimes.

A Mentor once told me, it isn’t what you think – it isn’t what the competition judges think – what is most important and determines what is good and what is not is what the people think. Forget about what you don’t like, if others like it accept that they like it and don’t be so critical about it.

So the tip today is to get other’s opinions before you trash an image. It’s helpful if some of those opinions come from fellow photographers, but don’t rely on their opinion alone. Sometimes there will be an appeal to the general public as in the sunset image above, and if you plan on selling to the general public it should be their opinion that matters most!

Hometown Project – #23

September 16, 2010 / Bruce posted in Hometown Project - 2010, Impressions, Thoughts / No Comments

Reservoir Road Fire

This hometown project is taking a little different view than normal, because sometimes it is when bad things happen that you really find out how good it is to live here. Fire is one of the elements that we in Colorado seem to deal with a lot, and this one was just a little too close to home.

This has been a particularly bad year for fires in Colorado. Just when they thought they had the Boulder Fourmile fire under control, the Reservoir Road fire started. This image was taken on Sunday evening after the fire had been burning for about 9-10 hours.

Reservoir Road Fire

This image was shot from over 6 miles away using a 500mm lens. Getting in closer was not possible due to the evacuations and road closures. (click on the image for a larger view)

As of today, this fire is about 40% contained and there are over 500 people working on it. It has destroyed two homes, numerous out buildings, and over 600 acres of forested land. The fire fighting efforts are hampered by the steep and difficult terrain, but they are making progress. Residents of the evacuated areas were allowed to go home yesterday and many just were overwhelmed with what was left of their property.

Support from all over the community came pouring in to help out those evacuated, and the support the fire fighting efforts. The local church across the road from where I live opened its doors to provide shelter for the evacuees and a staging area for news crews. There were many donations of food, water, and other supplies from all over the community. Yes, Loveland truely is a great place to live. People really care about one another here and it really shows when disaster strikes. I’m sure the same can be said of any city or town, but this week, Loveland residents stepped up to the need and took care of their own.

This fire was started by one of the area residents burning debris Sunday morning. The fire quickly got out of hand and is still burning today. Last word was it was unclear if charges would be filed. This is a sad situation for everyone involved, and for many, it brings an unhappy ending.

The Human Tripod Technique

September 15, 2010 / Bruce posted in Informative, Thoughts, Tips / 1 Comment

Recently I found myself shooting at an event. This had me moving all over the large field to get a variety of shots. Problem I encountered was that most shots I needed where shorter than me, consequently I needed to steady myself as best I could without the use of a tripod or monopod. Anyone who has tried to shoot in a bent over position will know just how difficult it can be to steady yourself and not introduce motion blur into your shots. Hopefully I can describe what I did so you can visualize it.

Leprechaun

Since I’m tall (6 ft 2 in) shooting a shorter subject can be a challenge. What I did was to go down on my left knee, then rock back until I was sitting on the heal of my left foot. I placed my right foot out so that between my left knee on the ground, my left foot, and my right foot a triangle is formed. This placed my right knee up to where I could prop my right elbow on this knee while holding the camera to my eye. This position forms a pretty solid base for shooting and also put me at the right height to shoot the Leprechaun!

Try this technique out for yourself and report back your experience with it!

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