Stone Field Reverie

With the warm-weather season quickly approaching (in the Northern Hemisphere), this PhotographyTalk article highlights a number of new underwater photography gear previewed at the 38^thannual Beneath The Sea 2012 show during late March.

1.   Backscatter introduced its GoPro Handle, which makes it easier to shoot with the GoPro camera. The lightweight handle is customizable for connection to a tripod or helmet mount. The GoPro Handle is even more versatile with a new filter module. The basic GoPro Handle is only $39.

2.   Backscatter also showed underwater video enthusiasts its Recon system, which is compatible with most handheld Sony camcorders.

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Although my experience in this part of the photography industry is limited to the world of bird and wildlife I would think that the rules are much the same across other genres of this medium.

I am quite often asked during my classes and seminars “how do you get your images published so often”?

There are a few answers to this question which I will share with you here from my experiences.

First of all, very few editors are interested in receiving just a photograph with a caption attached. This may be fine for contests and for posting in forums, etc., but editors are interested in the story behind the photo. And it has to be pertinent and interesting. For example, you may have an image of your cat and it may be the finest cat image on the planet but if it doesn’t make for an interesting story relative to what the publication specializes in it will likely end up in the trash. So make sure that if you are submitting images to an editor of a magazine that you give them something that will be of interest to their readership. Make sure the images are only your best; if the image doesn’t make you say WOW it probably won’t make anyone else say it either. There are courses out there on creative writing and courses specifically designed for writing for magazines, might be a good idea to look into that. I took one at a local college and it helped me immensely. Editors are always looking for good ideas to help make their life easier as well. If you think a particular subject would capture their audience, tell them why and present it with your story and your images. (more…)

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Get up early with the sunrise, stay out late with the sunset, this is when the light is at its best

If you have a choice, try to shoot early morning and late afternoon sunlight, this light is very soft and warm compared to midday.

Unless you are going for side or back lighting, make sure that the sun is behind you when photographing your subject

If you point your arms outwards 45 degree angles to both sides of your shadow, anything in that path should be properly lit when you have directional sunlight

If your shadow is shorter than your body length, the sun is too high in the sky for premium light and you will get more shadows and washed out colors

When possible, try to shoot at eye level with your subject

Always aim your focus point at the subject’s eye/s

Keep your shutter speeds high as possible to help freeze movements

When you are photographing your subject, be aware of what is behind it and if there are distractions such as branches, poles or leaves, try moving your position to eliminate the clutter.

Try to isolate your subject as much as possible.

When composing for your image try to remember to leave “positive” space for you subject to move or look into.

When you have a co-operative subject, keep shooting until the opportunity is gone. Don’t spend too much time looking at the one image you just took, keep photographing!

Move slowly and quietly whenever you can to not startle your subjects.

If your intended target/s fly or run away, sit down and don’t move, they may come right back

Try to research your subject and it’s habits, the more you know about them, the better your chances of photographing them will be

Learn your camera’s different modes and how to use them, if you shoot in Auto mode all the time, you will blow a lot of images, get to know manual and Av

Use a tripod when you can to help ensure sharp images

Always dress properly for the weather, nothing worse than being too cold or even too hot when you are trying to photograph wildlife

Be patient, the subject will come to you if you exercise patience and smarts

Enjoy the moment, it is all about appreciating wildlife and capturing it to share with others.

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What is photography? At a fundamental level, it is the arrangement of visualized elements within the limitations of the frame, according to compositional guidelines or “rules.” Virtually all of these guidelines are identical to those applied to paintings and illustrations. Photography and these other media have so much in common that it only made sense for early photographers to “borrow” these long-established compositional guidelines for the creation of what is now understood as a properly, or artistically, composed photograph.

The first consideration when composing a photograph is that it is restricted by the frame, just as paint can only be applied within the dimensions of the canvas. When you choose a scene or subject to photograph, the primary artistic challenge is to arrange the elements within the border. Your goal is achieve a balance with the broad underlying colors, basic shapes and contrast between light and dark areas of your image. When you are able to accomplish this, the viewer’s mind is highly receptive to your image, which creates an attraction and an interest in what you’ve composed.

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For many years I have been focused primarily on the wonderful world of bird and nature photography. It has provided me with countless hours of fun and many memorable photographs. I have travelled to many places around the globe and carried a lot of heavy gear along the way. It is something I have always loved and will continue to do the rest of my days. At times I have thought to myself how great it would be not to have to travel so far and carry all of that expensive, heavy gear with me. How nice would it be to handhold lighter equipment and to use a tripod that does not have to support 20 plus pounds of equipment! Welcome then, to the world of macro or close up photography.

Follow along with me as I delve into this new and fascinating world of photography and we will learn together as we go!

Macro or close up photography, as it is commonly called, has opened up a new world of fascinating and creative opportunities to see and photograph the smaller world around me. There is a whole world of creative and dramatic photos at your fingertips and at your feet if you just take the time to look around you. Flowers, butterflies, frogs, plants and insects can all make for some really fun and relatively easy photo opportunities. The best part is that it does not require extensive travel and the more expensive and heavy gear often associated with bird and nature photography. You can do macro photography in your own backyard, local parks, local ponds, streams, lakes, etc.

For the purpose of this article, we are going to take a look at the basics of this type of photography. What equipment you will need and, of course, some technical information and techniques.

Lets first look at what macro or close up photography is. Simply it is the close up photography of usually very small subjects. In a scientific sense it is a photograph of a subject in which the size of the subject on the sensor is greater than true life size. The ratio of the subject size on the image sensor compared to the actual subject size is commonly known as the “reproduction ratio”. Therefore, a macro lens is a lens that is capable of a minimum of 1:1 reproduction ratio or greater.

Equipment
When choosing macro equipment the first consideration should be the lens you will use. Some lenses claim “macro capability” but for best results I would recommend purchasing a true macro lens. Macro lenses are specifically designed for close up work. The lens will typically have a long barrel which enables close focusing distances. These macro lenses are optimized for high reproduction ratios. The true macro lens tends to perform best at its highest magnification capabilities but as an added bonus because the optics in these lenses are usually so good, you can also use the lens for other types of photography such as portraits with great results. Typically, most macro lenses will have 1:1 or 1:2 ratio capabilities.

When you first look at macro lenses you will see that they are offered in a variety of focal lengths such as 60/90/100/150/180mm. Here is a quick look at what the different focal lengths do differently from each other.

60mm range. Usually used for photographing objects or insects that are not made uncomfortable by a close approach. Also, this focal range will tend to give a very natural looking background. These lenses tend to be less expensive and a bit lighter but you give up some of the ability to stay farther away from your subject than macro lenses of a longer focal length.

90/100mm range. Great for photographing flowers and insects from a comfortable range, better working distance than a 60mm (meaning you can get the same magnification without being as close to your subject). This range of macro lens will be a bit longer, a little heavier and usually a bit more expensive than the 60mm range lenses. This is my focal length range of choice as it offers a good working distance capability, it is still very light and manageable when hand holding and it won’t break the bank.

150/180mm range. Excellent for working with subjects where you want to achieve maximum distance from them. Very high quality. Longer, heavier and more expensive than the other ranges. This focal length will also blur the backgrounds quite nicely which can be a very desirable effect with some images.

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Many photographers of the late 19^th/early 20^thcentury traveled throughout the American West recording the images of the Native American cultures that were quickly disappearing. No one, however, did a more masterful and comprehensive job—and paid dearly for it, in terms of personal relationships, financial assets and health—than Edward S. Curtis.

Curtis was born at the same time many photography innovations were being introduced. At his birth in Wisconsin during 1868, the reputation of Mathew Brady, as the consummate visual chronicler of the American Civil War, was firmly established. The dry plate process was introduced during 1871. The same year, 1885, that Curtis became an apprentice at a photography studio in St. Paul, Minnesota, at just 17 years of age, George Eastman showed the world the first transparent photographic “film.” During 1888, he had created the first Kodak camera; and four years later, the first commercial transparent roll film became available. One can only imagine how these inventions influenced a young man with a growing passion for photography.

Within 8 years (1893), Curtis was married, a father and a partner in a photography studio in Seattle, Washington. Most of his clientele were society women who wished to look alluring and elegant in the then current rage for portrait photos. His reputation as a portrait photographer led to Curtis’ first experience capturing the image of a Native American, Princess Angeline, a daughter of Chief Sealth of the Duwamish Tribe.

Curtis may have had a long, successful career as a portrait photographer and a quiet family life if he hadn’t helped a group of lost scientists during a shooting expedition of Mt. Rainier. One of the members of that group was George Bird Grinnell, a prominent academician of Native American cultures. This chance meeting and their ensuring friendship resulted in Curtis accompanying Grinnell and other scientists on the Harriman Alaska Expedition of 1899. Among the group were naturalist John Muir and the respected zoologist C. Hart Merrimam. During the two-month journey, Curtis recorded many interesting and first-time images of the Alaskan wilderness.

Later, Grinnell invited Curtis to join him for a scientific inquiry of the Piegan Blackfeet in Montana. It was during this trip that Curtis became passionate about Native American cultures. With his early collection of photos, Curtis held exhibitions and lectured to audiences throughout the U.S., and his images were published in major periodicals. This attracted the attention of President Theodore Roosevelt who hired Curtis to be the photographer for his daughter’s wedding and also record a number of family portraits.

With this growing reputation, Curtis was able to secure backing from the famous banker J.P. Morgan to concentrate solely on traveling throughout the American West to photograph Native Americans and their way of life. Once again, Curtis was in the right place and time, as he was able to convince some of the most well known Native Americans to sit for his camera. They included Geronimo, Red Cloud, Medicine Crow and Chief Joseph.

Not only did he capture thousands of images on glass plates with his 14 x 17-inch view camera, but also he and his assistants preserved more than 10,000 recordings of songs, music and the spoken words of his subjects. The more Curtis photographed Native Americans, the more they trusted him, giving him the name, Shadow Catcher.

Curtis’ 30-year project and more than 40,000 photographs became one of the most ambitious publishing projects ever, the 20-volume series, The North American Indian.

Such ambition took a terrible toil, however. Curtis’ wife divorced him during 1916. He lost $75,000 when a motion picture, In the Land of the Head-Hunters, documenting the Kwakiutl Tribe of Vancouver Island, failed commercially, although it was highly acclaimed. Family and financial disasters continued to pursue him, leading to the detriment of his physical and mental health. Eventually, Curtis recovered sufficiently to start writing his autobiography, but it wasn’t published until after his death during 1952, when he was 82.

Today, Edward S. Curtisis hailed as one of the greatest photographers, not just because of the volume of his work, but also because he understood the Native American’s perspective and was able to capture it photographically, preserving for all time cultures that are lost forever.

Photograph by Photography Talk member Justin Williamson

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If you’ve been a digital photographer with a DSLR camera for any length of time, then you may have seen that pupil-busting look in your photography friends’ eyes, the lens “crazies.” You may also suffer from this insidious malady, which can infect your bank account, robbing it of its will to live. In its extreme form, the lens “crazies” is manifested as an uncontrollable urge to acquire more lenses than you actually need. Hopefully, this PhotographyTalk article will serve as a slap in the face to bring you back to reality if the lens “crazies” have you in their grip.

1.   One of the classic mistakes of many first-time DSLR camera owners (and even experienced ones who should know better) is to focus all their attention on which camera body to buy. Wrong! The smart digital photography consumer understands that the process is quite the opposite. First, determine what kind of photography you want to shoot; second, select the best lens or lenses you can objectively afford for that type of photography; and, only then, concern yourself with the camera body that is compatible with those lenses. If you have the self-control to follow these three simple steps, then you will save yourself plenty of grief, stress and looks of dismay from your spouse when there is no money to feed and clothe your children.

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1.   As compact cameras have become smaller and built with improved features and specs and the major camera companies have entered the Four Thirds market, more digital photographers of every stripe are taking a camera wherever they travel. You, like many of them, may often wish your luggage included a tripod. Too many of them are so large as to be inconvenient when traveling and add weight you must carry, or results in extra baggage fees.

There is a solution, however, and it takes the form of the Gorillapod SLR-Zoom Tripod from Joby. It looks like a group of alien photographers left it behind after a travel-photography excursion to Earth.

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American Kestrel © David G Hemmings

I quite often get asked about which settings are best on the Canon Mk 1V for bird in flight photography. With that in mind, here is a quick how to guide geared towards users of the Canon 1D MK 1V. These settings can apply to other cameras and other camera manufacturers they are just labeled differently on and in the camera itself.

Here are a few important tips to get you started:

Exposure mode:
I almost exclusively use manual modefor exposing birds in flight. I do this because the backgrounds and the contrasts within those backgrounds often will change quickly and dramatically when tracking and shooting a moving subject such as a bird in flight. Aperture priority will tend to make too many exposure mistakes in this situation in my opinion.

Focusing mode:
Shooting in AI servo is highly recommended for photographing birds in flight and other fast moving subjects. Having my camera set to this focus mode will help the camera to track and acquire focus on fast moving subjects like birds.

Drive mode:
For this setting I shoot in high speed continuous drive. Depending on the make of your camera, this allows the photographer to shoot in frame bursts of up to 10 frames per second on the MK 1V.

Focus point settings:
I use a couple of different focus point settings for shooting birds in flight for a couple of basic reasons. I will shoot with the center AF point only when I am photographing birds in flight against a busy or varied background. This will increase my chances of focusing on the bird only and not having the camera confuse the subject and hunt back and forth between background and bird. When I am shooting against a background such as a clean sky or water background or backgrounds that are farther away I will use center point focus plus surrounding AF point expansion. Usually I use 9 expansion points.

Great Egret © David Hemmings

Tracking sensitivity:
I have the tracking sensitivity set to slow. This will stop the camera from changing the plane of focus too quickly to any object that intersects your camera/lens from the subject.

Focus technique:
Focus technique is a factor that is overlooked when it comes to birds in flight photography. Keep in mind that this is the most difficult type of photography I have ever done (and I have done a lot!). There are little tricks that make your chances of getting a great bif shot possible. One of those tips is what I call bump and runfocus technique. The first function of doing this is to prefocus, acquire and lock focus on the bird. Prefocusing at the anticipated distance of my subject is a big help in allowing me to find and lock focus quickly. When you are trying to track and photograph a bird in flight quite often the focus will miss the bird and lock on the background. When this occurs, I will “bump” the focus button lightly to attempt to focus again on the bird. Doing this will override the delay that is set by the tracking sensitivity function.

One other technique that I use in conjunction with the bump and run is to follow the bird visually after first acquiring focus and not try to refocus on it until it starts to go out of focus (by changing plane or distance) or until I know that it is at the point where I want to make the image. You have to actually let go of, or take your finger off the focus button and just observe and track. Once I am sure the subject is at the critical point I shoot a couple of bursts and hopefully end up with some great shotsJ This technique is so important for bif shots and requires tons of practice.

Lens focus limiter switch:
I will always have this set to the longest distance as this will improve the lens focus speed capabilities. Very seldom is a bird in flight ever inside the minimum focus range of your lens! the focus to get it in focus again. I do this repeatedly as I’m visually tracking the bird. When the BIF gets to the spot I want to start making pictures, I will focus and shoot all at once. I shoot in short controlled bursts trying to time the critical moments with the best wing positions, etc. Because I have bumped the focus along, the focus is very close to where it needs to be when the moment to make pictures arrives. Then when I focus and trip the shutter it happens very quickly. If I tried to focus constantly while the bif approached I would likely miss, focus on the bg, and miss the critical moment. My goal is to keep the bird close to in focus and in the viewfinder without focusing on the bg and to do this up until the critical moment arrives. Then I try to maintain the focus while making great pictures. Bumping takes lots of practice, but if you develop this skill, it will make your keeper rate go way up.

Great Horned Owl © David Hemmings

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  One of the most common questions I am asked in my nature photography classes is “what kind of equipment do I need to take good bird and wildlife pictures?” In the following article, I will attempt to answer this for you as well as provide you with some basic equipment tips for getting into bird and wildlife photography.

Let me start by saying that most of today’s dslr (digital single lens reflex) camera bodies are more than capable of producing high quality images. They all have more than enough megapixels to give the average user a large enough digital file to use for web sharing, printing, entering contests, whatever you choose to do with it. So, there is some good news already if you are a beginner. Don’t worry about the megapixels!

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