Good Question

Friday Night Photography Quote:

“Be daring, be different, be impractical, be anything that will assert integrity of purpose and imaginative vision against the play-it-safers, the creatures of the commonplace, the slaves of the ordinary.”
– Cecil Beaton

One of the Photography Groups on Facebook I am a member of just had an interesting question posted. We usually have beginners asking about how to shoot in Manual. This question had an original twist to it.

This person had asked the question:

OK so when shooting in Manual action wise. What is a good place to start setting wise?

Beginning photographers can sometimes get caught up in a new lesson. Where they get comfortable in that method and want to apply that to everything.

The idea of adding that something to the toolbox for them to use when situations call for it is a different concept. Shooting Manual for instance. It’s a very good thing to understand. Does it apply to All situations? Of course not. While shooting an event with one flash above my camera on a bracket and possibly a second light on a stand or being held by an assistant. I will shoot in manual. Portraits, landscapes and still life will also be in manual.

I think that once a person learns to shoot in manual everything else becomes a dirty word. I remember a few years back several ladies found a female Child Photographer that shot everything fully wide open. Yeah it’s a nice concept. Creamy Bokeh with wonderful light adding to the overall feel for the imagery. But fully open for everything? The slightest little off of Focusing Point will make that image unusable.

Portraits must have the eyes tack sharp. We want a soft background? I’ll stop down to f:4 or maybe f:5.6 and very rarely will I go lower. Even on my f:1.8 85mm portrait lens will I ever go fully open. Yeah it’s the distance from subject to camera. It also must take into account the factors of the lens. The plane of focus with an aperture of f:1.8 is going to be really thin. Would I do it? Nope. Would I recommend it to anyone? Again Nope! But if you want to do a Formal Portrait we can get the eyes sharp and still get a slightly out of focus ears and hair at f:5.6 and I’ve done it even at f:8 to frame the face.

Sticking to one concept for every situation might work. I say have many lessons and things in your bag of tools to pull out when situations arise.

One lesson that I like to teach to beginners is to force yourself to use one thing for at least a week. Preferably maybe even a month. For example if you have a lens you feel uncomfortable with using. Place that on your camera and walk around with it Shooting Everything for a month. This way you are forcing yourself to “See” through that lens and at the end of the month. The results will be You can use that lens when you need it and Not be afraid to touch it.

The flower image above was shot using my IPad. Manual on all settings. Sometimes shooting in manual with this is obnoxious but it can be done.

Getting back to action shots. I recommend using one of the semiautomatic settings. Shutter or Aperture Priority will make let the camera work a lot faster than our human reflexes can handle. Personally I prefer Aperture Priority. I will set the aperture and then keep an eye on my shutter speed. If it gets too low by changing my ISO which is set to manual I can force the shutter speed to go faster. This way I’m making sure plan of focus can cover the subject like a Bird in Flight.

Have a Great Weekend everyone.

Mark

#basicphotography, #photography101, #shootinginmanual, #beginnerphotography

Something to make you Go Hmmm!!!

Friday Nite Photography Quote:
HENRI CARTIER-BRESSON
[1908 – 2004] A French photographer. He is considered to be the father of modern photojournalism.

To photograph is to hold one’s breath, when all faculties converge to capture fleeting reality. It’s at that precise moment that mastering an image becomes a great physical and intellectual joy. – Henri Cartier-Bresson – From the book: “The Mind’s Eye: Writings on Photography and Photographers by
–Henri Cartier-Bresson

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In one of the higher Level Photography Groups on Facebook. There was a very heated/angry discussion on: Owning an Expensive Camera doesn’t make one a Photographer.

It does take a major time frame, meaning several years of learning.
Learning proper exposure, composition and processing. By processing I’m speaking about Editing in the Darkroom. In today’s technology the Digital Darkroom. The several examples that were given compared buying a Hammer doesn’t make one a Carpenter. As also buying a Pencil doesn’t automatically doesn’t make one a Great Author. Or how bout buying a set of Pots and Pans doesn’t make a Great Chef! See the comparison? It takes years of study. Learning to control these expensive High Tech Camera’s and take them “Off of Full Auto”!!!

Ever see the current wave of Images being Posted on Social Media or the Net in General? Out of Focus, Underexposed, Overexposed or just plane way too dark almost like a silhouette for Anyone to even be recognizable? If you’ve looked at the comments of these Images we See: Oh that’s a wonderful Image. You should be a “Pro”! Yes! I’m taking Offense at this!

I’ve Studied for years! I was an Apprentice for a Portrait Studio for a couple of years when I was a kid in my early twenties. I was a color printer, I ran the B&W Darkroom and I was also the Lightman. Long hard hours!

Getting back into Photography after putting my camera down for several years gave me the experience and insight to pick the Digital Photography up pretty quickly. I still had to master the exposure triangle which now includes the white balance. White Balance is the special changes of Light that we take for granted that’s all around us. From the Harsh Mid Day Sun to the Blue Cloud Cover. The slightest change in Daylight will Affect Our Cameras White Balance. In todays modern Computer Technology Marvel the Digital Camera the Auto White Balance is very close. Enough to be impressive! But if you look closely there is a Major Problem with this. That’s if your shooting lets say your Portrait Subject/Model. The Camera is going to see any Change in the Cloud Cover, the different changes in the color of the light in the shade and so on. So lets say you have maybe 20 images. Your going to have images of many different White Balance Settings that will make your whole run of images way different from each other. Very Inconsistent. Which looking to your Client/Subject or just Viewer is Way Unprofessional.

Now to put everything in proper perspective I’m Trying to Not Be a Snob!
There are extremely Beautiful Images being made by P&S or Phone Cameras.
I use a P&S when Traveling. It’s the People/Person that takes lets say Inexperienced Images and tries to pass them Off as High Quality and the audience goes for it. We meaning those that are seriously studying the Art of Photography and the creation of Beautiful Images take Offense to those that don’t care or don’t want to learn the true Art of Photography and pass off the garbage. That Is Called “The Dumbing Down of Photography”.

There is also another category of repulsive behavior. The Guy With Camera. This is the person that shows some kind of a mid range priced camera and passes themselves Off as a “Pro” but in actuality is trying to have exposure or even a Date with a “Pro Model”! On the Meetup Pages where Models and Photographers on All levels try to hook up to Shoot some fantastic Art. Either for Portfolios, Job Applications or just head shots. Everyone has a different reason. Usually it’s for some kind of a Trade. Maybe a Photographer needs to add the the Portfolio? Maybe a Model is just starting out and needs some Images for the Portfolio? It takes all kinds of needs that are met with the Social Meetup Places.

As someone who in the past was a “Pro Photographer” for many years. I know first hand that no matter how much I know. There is still more to Learn. Learning to do something New keeps me alive. Gives me Inspiration to do more. The Fact the discussion of Owning a Camera does Not Make One a Photographer annoyed way too many people in this Group. To the point of people were complaining that some of those in this thread were Snobs and Egotistical.

I just simply do Not Understand. I don’t understand how somehow someone can ask Me to do a Portrait or a Party for Free? You just push a Button! How hard is it to take a picture? Tell You what. If you think it’s Soo Easy then why Not Do It Yourself with whatever you have? If it’s Soo Easy why are you bothering Me?

You want to become a Golf Pro? You get yourself a Good Set of Clubs. You take Lessons and go to Classes. You first have to Pass several Sanctioned Tests from the Golf World to at least get you through the Door to Go Pro. Licensing, Certifications and so on.

In Photography we have Lighting Classes, Posing Classes and the ever basic Photography Class Learning how to take your Camera Out of Full Auto Mode! Years of reading and studying. Then it’s learning how to edit our Images. You think this is Cheap? Camera’s, Lenses, Memory Cards. Then we have Filters and Filter Holders. Major Lights, Light Modifiers like Softboxes and Umbrellas, the Light Stands. Tripods, Exposure Meters. Computers for Editing. External Hard Drives to Store the Thousands of Images. The Workshops and Classes are Not Free! If I go to a Camera Store do you think they will give me a Lens for Free? Extra Batteries? Power Packs to drive the Camera?

After doing All This! Someone has a Poor Image Quality and they are comparing that Image to an Image that someone on My Level has taken?
A Beginner? We All Understand someone has to start somewhere. We know the Normal Flaws that will Show Up. When we are asked to Comment on these Horrible Images how are we to respond? Oh that’s Great? Really?? Be realistic. We started out Not Knowing how to. We Understood that it will take Us a while to Understand and Deal with how to make a Beautiful Image. We Knew it wasn’t going to take us a Few Minutes. We Knew Then that it was going to take Us a Lifetime to Learn how to Create an Image that will Knock Your Socks Off!!

I’m going to post two Images to this discussion. One a Portrait I did with using a Higher Level Camera. The other a Landscape from when we were in Italy. That Landscape was shot with my P&S!
It’s Not the Tool. It’s Not the Paint Brush that creates the Art. It’s the person behind the Camera!

Everything that I’ve Said above. Keep that in mind:
If someone goes to a Paid Shoot with any Kind of Equipment except a
“Pro Level Top of the Line” what is the Client going to think of Your Ability?

 

Shooting Sunrise in Florence Italy.

Photography Education

Friday Nite Photography Quote:
I love spontaneous nature of weddings – that things aren’t always perfect. I also get to see the tender side of poeple, which is rare. It’s all about capturing the human spirit that is unique to each individual…
— Bambi Cantrell – Vision – Lowepro 2004/2005, page 71

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There are several Pro Famous or Not so Famous Photo Educators I refer to when recommending where to go to study, visit, or read to further your knowledge.
On the basic level I/We point to the idea of finding someone who has a similar style or shoots the subjects your interested in. When furthering your education and knowledge and you’ve already reached a certain Level I then like to point out that following/studying or at least watching one of the many Photographers that Help in Workshops or Video Tutorials that do things Much Different than you would.
We call this getting “Out of your Comfort Zone“!

 Get Out of Your Comfort Zone!

I see and hear Beginners or Newbies that ask me for Help make excuses so as to Not Go Out and Do Something that they may feel Uncomfortable doing. I Never Understood this. Is It Life Threating? No! Not for a second. Would it embarrass them? Maybe I guess if something might place someone in the Limelight I guess… but I seriously doubt it.
My question is “How Determined Are You to Better Your Photography that Your Producing“?
Where do you think your lacking in either skill or knowledge?
Is it your Processing Workflow? Is it your Lighting? Or how bout your Posing?
You see these three subjects are more involved than just reading the Instruction Manual that came with your camera. You now have to get yourself to Read, Watch Video Tutorials or actually get out and participate in one of the Many Workshops out there that Offer these Wonderful Learning Experience.
You can search on Youtube.com or go to Creative Live which both Offer a Lot of Videos and on Creative Live you can participate in an Online Live Lecture/Workshop which is like sitting in a Classroom with others. This is always a great situation because if someone who is also participating asks a question that you never thought of. That answer might give you something that might have never occurred to you.
Does it make you uncomfortable to sit with others that might be better than you?
Are you embarrassed to be among these people cause they might have better equipment than you?

Don’t Let that bother you…  Please! That equipment your looking at? That might be Rented. Someone might have Loaned that Camera or that Lens to the person standing in front of you. Remember they are taking the Same Class you are. If they were truly that much better than you then they would be giving the class instead of sitting next to you trying to learn the same things you are. Do they have different needs? We all have different needs. Thats why and how we learn from others around us.

Now where Is he going with this your asking? You see my Friday Nite Photography Quote above? The Quote from Bambi Cantrell? She is one of the Photographers that give Workshops on “How to Shoot Weddings“! She has a wonderful personality and a really Great Method of Teaching. Bambi has a wonderful delightful style of Weddings that it’s actually contagious. She has such a positive way about her that she makes you feel good about yourself and comfortable being in her presence.

Now I’m Not going to Post the Links to any of the People I’m Talking about. I’m also Not going to Post the Links to any of the places that Offer Workshops. I see people coming here and glancing at my Posts. But I never hear from most of you. I never see any of you clicking my Links. You want me to Post the Links in my Articles? Ask me!

Now I’m a trained Portrait Photographer. I don’t shoot Portraits as often as I would like and I also can’t devote as much time to Portraits as I would really like. I have a job in a different area other than Photography. My Goal is to create an Online Portrait Portfolio. Now I mentioned above about getting Out of Your Comfort Zone right? Well Shooting Portraits is an Art Form in it’s Own Right! You have to pay Attention to your your Camera like always. But hopefully your proficient enough by now that changing the settings is second nature to you. You also must pay attention to the Lighting that is pointed to your subject. Keeping an Eye on the Background directly behind your subject in case of a stray branch or something can interfere with your Portraits. You also must pay attention to your subjects Position? The Pose? The Tilt of the Head. The Position of the shoulders and the body posture. You must also have complete contrail of your subject to be able to Move, Turn, change positions and change angles All without Touching the Person… Are You Using Natural Light? Do you Need Reflectors or maybe a Diffuser or two? Are you using External Lighting? Are you watching your shadows? Now your camera: Are You shooting in Raw? Are you shooting in Manual or any of the Semi-Auto Modes.
There is a Lot to be aware of. That’s what I wanted to stress to you. Now you need to go to one of the many Video Tutorials available to Us on Creative Live.
Search out Sue Bryce!  She’s a wonderful talented Educator/Artist that will make you laugh because of her Positive and Bubbly Personality.

Both of these talented Educators shoot in very different Styles than mine. There teaching methods are also very different but highly affective. Get Out of the Box!
Think Out of the Box and Stir it up to Open Up your minds eye…

Like this? Hate this? Please Leave a comment!
Have a Great Weekend Everyone and Keep shooting.

Mark

Nothingness . . .

Friday Night Photography Quote:
A film is never really good unless the camera is an eye in the head of a poet.
— Orson Welles

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Walking around with your Camera at your Hip. Urban, Street, Architecture, People, Landscapes and or Wildlife. In the Studio you have an Idea in your head that you create for fruition. Posing, Lighting and angles whether Product, Portraiture and or Models. Fashion is also included in this as well. These can also be Outside.
Either one is a Creation from Nothingness……… The Artists Creative Eye almost has a mind of itself. Using a Camera is Only a Tool at the end of your hands that your fingers knowing the buttons, the dials. What and how to do for the Proper Exposure that We “See” inside our Heads. Is a Reflex for the Creative Thoughts. It happens without conscious thought. Or at least should!

Know your Camera!
Do you know what your Current Settings are without Looking?
I DO! After every Shoot! After double checking that my images were Uploaded to the Puter correctly. I first Format my Memory Card/s (In Camera). Then I set my Camera for what are MY Default Settings. This way if I need to Grab my Camera and run. Without Looking I know what my settings are and what MY Fingers Must do for the Current Situation at hand. What Lens is on my Camera Body? That will need to be checked! I’ve found that No Matter which Lens I was using last! It’s Not what I Need at that precise moment.

Can You Change Your Settings without Looking?
I Mostly Can! Certain things must be looked at though. Like the ISO Speed. I Always have it set for Manual starting at ISO: 200 But to change it on my Camera I have to look. I know my Autofocus is on Auto. I know my Shooting Speed Not to be thought of as Shutter Speed is set for “C” which is Continuous for Action! If need be I can shoot Single Images. But I know what it’s Set For without Looking!
Aperture is Set at f:8 and Aperture Priority! I can change this with just a Glance while Running if need be.

Why am I going on about this? Because I’ve seen and heard people complaining that even though they had a Great Once In a Lifetime Situation. The Image was Not Shot Properly to render an Image that the person could be Proud of!

You know what I’m talking about! That situation you find yourself in when your Heart Starts to pound inside your Chest! Your farhead starts to sweat because You Realize that where you are! What Your trying to do is That One Special Moment when You Understand that “You Better Get It Right”!

Everything I’ve Discussed with you from equipment to mindset. The creative Process on how and what should go on. Explaining what and how to do to change settings and why. From Lighting and even References to Help!

Do You Know Your Other Equipment?
Do you know and Understand Each Lens? When to Use which one under the Circumstance you have inside your head? Which Aperture is the Sharpest for that particular Lens? Yes!! It can and does change for each different Lens you have.
For example my Nikon 70-300mm VR f:4.5-5.6 The Sharpest Aperture for this Lens is f:8

Do you know How You Look if your shooting a Portrait or Even a Candid of a person if you have to ask them to Hold On a Sec while you either have to Check your Settings or even to Change Your Settings and are Concentrating on your Gear Instead of that Person? Those few seconds your taking can Make You Loose that Shot!
Animals wont Wait! People will loose patience with you! Children will Definitely Not wait or just leave you!!

This All Comes with Experience and a Lot of time practicing!!! But this… Everything I’ve been mentioning tonight. All of it! Must Be Practiced! Every time you go out and shoot. That should be another practice session for this!
This Will Help you in achieving a Higher Success Rate. How many “Good Images” did you get while shooting?

Should I Post an example of such a Situation? This needs thought! I’m Leaning to Not Post an Image! I want Everyone to Read this and Understand what It Takes!

Like this? Hate this? Please leave a comment on your thoughts!
Wishing All of You a Very Happy July!

Mark

Phew!

Friday Night Photography Quote:

I’m no part time dilettante photographer, unlike the bartenders, shoe salesmen, floorwalkers, plumbers, barbers, grocery clerks and chiropractors whose great hobby is their camera. All their friends rave about what wonderful pictures they take. If they’re so good, why don’t they take pictures full—time, for a living, and make floor walking, chiropractics, etc., their hobby? But everyone wants to play it safe. They’re afraid to give up their pay checks and their security that they might miss a meal. — Weegee

 

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What ever happened to Honor and Respect?
This past week alone I’ve seen mentioned in the News Media about Not One but Two that’s 2 Oil Spills from Shell Corporation.
Several people doing what ever they want because they feel Entitled!
Major Stupidity in Yellowstone..
One woman decided to Pet a Bison. Now this isn’t your average House Pet. It’s Not even a Farm Animal. It might be a Cousin to the Cow but Palease! Walking up to a Full grown Adult Bison to pet it?
Then there is a Gentleman who decided to Walk Off the Path at Hot Springs. Duh
He did what everyone who works at the First American Park tells you NOT To Do!
He found a thin crust like walking on thin Ice on a Lake. He went down and it was announced today Thursday June 9th that they are suspending recovery and No Longer looking for his body.

In response Yellowstone published a few Videos of bad situations that can and Will happen. In one short Video a Bison charges a crowd at a parking lot. In other a man gets a little bit too close to a Bison. Well the Bison didn’t like it and attacked the Man and sent him Airborne into a nearby Tree! I’m going to try to Link over to this one. I thought it was pretty funny. You people ever Hear about the Darwin Awards?
They list the situations of Stupid People doing Stupid Things and Dying in the Process. You Are Soo Stupid your Taking Yourself out of the Gene Pool…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNvTHOrTf_Y

Now that I vented for a little bit. You got it, as much as I want to. The Political Climate Nonsense is being discussed, debated and argued enough over on Social Media that I will NOT do it here.

Back to Photography……
Seems another famous Image is being argued about. The wonderful Image of the Afghan Girl with the most Haunting Beautiful eyes! Everyone is going on about Photo Editing like it’s a Bad Thing. I want to get something Out. The process of Photography Starts in the Creative Eye. Transfers over to the Camera and captures a scene. Then the Image is worked in one of the many Digital Darkroom/Editing Programs. This IS the Normal Process. Was the Normal Process even in the “Old Wet Film Days”!
This is an Artistic Process that differentiates those that have Artistic Talent from the Everyday Shooter. We can All go to the Exact Same Place. With the Exact Same Camera and Take the Exact Same Image! If there are 5 people doing this. Do you think ALL 5 People will come up with the Exact Same Image? Nope!
I’m starting to get the feeling that those people who are arguing against the Editing Process might be feeling Inferior and making excuses so they don’t either have to learn or spend the Big Money on better Equipment, Training and Time we have devoted to Learning Our Craft.
Just go to any of the amazing Images from Ansel Adams. Adams would spend Months working and editing the same image to create and make it the way he had it in his Minds Eye upon pressing the Shutter Release. He was Not Satisfied with an Image that was Straight Out of the Camera. We now call this SOOC for simplification. Seems someone who was a witness to the shoot I mentioned above about the “Afghan Girl”. Claims the Image is a fake. That it was Staged and Edited and looks nothing like the way that they saw it at that time!! Really??  LOL Think about it. Think about any Event or Affair you were at?? If I’m shooting lets say a party. First Off I go through All the Images and look for those I think are bad. Bad Lighting. Maybe my Light Didn’t go off. Maybe I messed up on my exposure. Maybe someone had their Eyes Closed. Maybe someone Photobombed the image. Or a distracting stray hand or something. We pull these out. Never to be seen upon again. We now edit those that we feel are workable. We Crop out and create better composition. Crop out distracting things. Increase Contrast. Improve Color. We might clean up the image a bit by editing out blemishes and dust. Edit Out that stray hair or interfering Branch from a Plant or a tree. Sometimes we might even make the Background go Dark to help keep the Main Subject more prominent in the Image. This Is Normal. This is Basic Editing. This Is Art! I will Never Ever Show a SOOC Image Unless it’s either on the back of my camera or shot from my Phone. Even my IPad has some basic Editors to enhance the Image.

I know several people who are very proud of the Images they shoot. They are Very Nice Images. Images that they should be Proud of. But are they Photographers? Are they Artists? Are they Creating the Image that they shot into the Image that was seen in their Minds Eye at that Magic Moment of Capture? Are they Creating an Image or just Taking a Snapshot? Are they thinking of Sharpness? In their mind are they thinking of the Correct Exposure for that Scene? Are they looking out for the Lighting and Color of the Scene? Are they going through the Idea of Composition at that Precise Moment of Capture to “Make That Image Better”?

Now I Will walk up to a person and ask them to turn this way. Move your hand slightly or lift your chin or tilt your head. Maybe I’ll move them a few steps to remove something from the background I don’t like but was fast enough to see “Before I Press my Shutter Button”. Is this Wrong? Not at All. It’s just something else that will Separate those that Know from Someone who can’t be Bothered!
I actually saw a Post from someone who made a Statement that IT’s Not Photojournalism? That it’s Corrupting a Scene and Not a True SituatSion? I say it’s Always been done. If you think it’s Not Being Done then Your Too nieve or just making excuses.

If your happy with  your images then fine. But don’t put people down for the Skill, Time and Money they have devoted to Photography because Our Images Are Art?
In this day and age when everyone has a Camera. I’m talking about Cell Phone Cameras. IPad Cameras. Even Point and Shoot Cameras. If your Shooting using Full Auto Mode of your Camera and Your Happy then Fine. You think your a Photographer shooting on Full Auto fine. Do I Ever Shoot in Full Auto? Does Any Photographer Ever Shoot in Full Auto? I Don’t! I can shoot normally in Aperture Priority Mode which is actually a Semi-Auto Mode or I will shoot in Full Manual Mode.

When I’m showing you one of my Images are They Ever shown without some kind of Editing? Never! Even if I Crop slightly. That is Editing. If you are shooting in JPG in your Camera. The Program that saves this Image on your Memory Card is actually editing your Image without you knowing about it. Do you also have your Camera set for Increase Color? Maybe an Increase of Sharpness as well? Guess What?
That is Editing done Automatically by the Camera on your Image…

See to me I don’t Like what’s Done by someone else that Sits in a Factory somewhere and Does Not Fully Understand what I’m Looking at or have in Mind for something that I “See”. I want Complete Control on how my Image will Look when I’m done! This is Why I Edit My Images. It’s My Creation! My Expression of what I have in my minds Eye! We call that “PreVisualization”. Walking around I see something and then upon Capture I make my Camera do what I want. When I want it so I can Edit the Image Later to make it Look Like What I Saw At that Moment when I was At That Exact Spot!

Have a Good Weekend! Before You go this Is What I’m Talking about. This was Captured with my Point Shoot at Sunrise when we were in Florence Italy.
Enjoy!

Shooting Sunrise in Florence Italy.

It’s Senior Time!

Graduates

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Are You Graduating? Do You Have Someone in Your Family Who Is Graduating? This Is Thee Perfect Time to Capture Your Memories for the Future!

Let Us Help You in Preserving Your Memories and Making these Memories Last a Lifetime!

Is Your Child Graduating from School? High School or College?

Are You thinking of Photographing Them Yourself? Aren’t You going to be Too Busy? Do you think you will be Satisfied with Your Images?

Don’t Take a Chance
On Loosing Your Precious Memories!

What Does Your Graduate Specialize In? Do they Play Sports? Are They Involved in Music or Dance? Let Us Save these Special Events for you!

We Are Located in Northeast Queens
Bayside – Douglaston – Littleneck
and surrounding areas

Contact Us for An Appointment:
http://markg-photography.com/wordpress/

What Are You Trying To Do?

Today photographers are much more interested in setting up strobe lights and doing technical things. To me, both then and now, technique is not that important.
— Alfred Eisenstaedt, Professional photographer’s survival guide by Charles E. Rotkin , ISBN: 0817454098

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I’m Asking You: What Are You Trying to Do?

Are You trying to Photograph a:
Landscape or an Object that is Not Moving?
A Moving Object like a Wild Animal or a Sporting Event?
Or something in Between?

You see the Basic Questions you Need to Ask yourself are:

First how much of the Subject will Need to be in Focus?
The second question is: How Fast Does my Shutterspeed Need to be to Stop the Action? Or How Slow does my Shutterspeed Need to be to let some motion Show?
The Question of:
How Bright is the Area I’m going to be Shooting in comes up Next?

These are the normal questions anyone needs to ask to start taking control of your Visual Environment for Photography!

Let me say this again:
These Are Thee Very Basic Understanding Principles of what is Photography!

Like my Quote Above Says from Mr Eisenstaedt. People do get caught up into the Way Too Technical Areas before they are Ready!
In Todays Idea of: What Is Photography and How does it Work?

You must Ask yourself if you are Ready to Take Charge of Your Photography to Improve your Results?
One of the funniest problems are people who want to buy a Camera that is Capable of taking really Nice Pictures with just about No Effort from them! The Answer is Simple! You Don’t have to spend a Whole Lot of Money on a Camera That can take very Nice Pictures. Matter of Fact Do Not Spend more than a couple of hundred Dollars/Euros for anything that might be able to fulfill your Needs!

But if your up to the Point of deciding that you are Ready to Take the Next Step.  Take Charge of the Camera so the Results are a Lot Closer to what you are Seeing inside your Head at the Time of Capture.

There Are No Shortcuts! There is No Magic Way that will make Great Pictures come from Your Head without Learning to Take Charge of Your Camera!

Yes! You Do have a Very Nice Camera! Yes! Your Camera can Take Wonderful “Snapshots”!

The First Thing You Will Need to do is to Learn HOW to Use Your Existing Camera and Take it Off of the Fully Automatic Mode!
Does your Camera do this? Of course it does. It Is Not Difficult to do.

I know it’s Terrible and I Hate it but at this Point you need to look at your Camera’s Manual to see how to take it out of Automatic Mode.
Let me just Say that the First Step to Taking Charge of your Photography is to Learn How to Use “YOUR” Camera!
My Father Hated this when I Informed Him: I Am NOT a Camera Salesman. I don’t Know How to do it On Your Camera! YES!!
I do Know How to do it On My Camera!! Not It’s Not Exactly the Same Way on two different Brands of Cameras.

The paragraph above is probably the most Important Step in your progress of Learning Photography. I can’t stress it enough. Before you do anything else. Learn what each Button, each Switch and each Menu Function does. Then Learn what it’s set to Now! Write this Setting Down and remember it. Then change it or try to change it. Once your done playing put  it back to the Number that was there!
This goes for Just About Everything on your Camera.

“For Now Do Not Touch the White Balance Settings”! Leave Them Alone and Leave this to Automatic. I will again Stress that to Understand Photography is to Understand Light! At this point in Time I’m going to Link over to the Manual Again! Sorry you need to read it to be able to understand the Next Levels of Photography I’m about to point to. The Manual is Not the Camera’s Manual! It’s the Basic Bible of Photography that I’ve recommended in my last several ramblings of trying to teach you how to shoot.

Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson

If you Have Any Questions about what has been discussed in these pages ask me. Leave a Note or Contact Me by leaving a Note or question in the contacts Forms. Or drop me an email at: Info@MarkG-Photography.com

Now start Looking around you! Look at the Light Levels!
Look at how the Shadows look. Are the shadows soft or harsh? Is the sky overcast or is the Sun Kicking it up and everything is super Bright? Look at the Lines of things! Building Lines the Tree Lines and so on!

Photography 101 Continued…

Friday Night Photography Quote:
The best pictures differentiate themselves by nuances…a tiny relationship – either a harmony or a disharmony – that creates a picture.
— Ernst Haas,
More Joy of Photography by Eastman Kodak (Editor)

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The most Important thing You as a Beginner must do to get better Quality Images out of Your Existing Equipment is to take it out of Fully Automatic. I am Not Saying You have to Rush Out and Buy something New. Use what you already have.
Learn How to Use and Control the Camera and take it Out of
“Fully Automatic Mode”! Do Not Use those Scene Modes!
You can Use the Aperture or Shutter Priority Modes.
In Shutter Priority You Set the Shutter Speed and the Camera will set the other options. But you Must Keep an Eye on the other Settings.

You are shooting a Sporting Event. Lets say a Football Game.
You’re trying to do a fast Grab of a player about to steal the ball, get the ball stolen from them or someone trying to Score. You Need a Fast Shutter Speed to Stop the Action. Trouble is its a Bit too Dark and your camera wants to Use a more Wide Open Aperture to let in more Light than you want. Why? Because keeping the Focus on a moving Target is tough. Focusing on a moving target with a very Shallow “Depth of Field” will make it impossible. How do you fix this real fast so you don’t loose the Shot? Raise up your ISO at least 2 to 3 Clicks and your good to go. The Camera might be setting your ISO on Auto as well. I don’t Like that. I keep my ISO on Fully Manual and I control its settings.

See why More “Depth of Field” is Now Important? If your shooting with an f:4 or even if your Lens can go to f:2.8 on a Person or a Wildlife Shot. You might Nail the Focus but because the subject is moving in an action situation. You might Only get part of the subject in focus and the other parts will be soft or completely Out of Focus. We are talking Blurry! Its Not the Camera that Not Focusing on the Subject. Its the Slow Shutter Speed thats Not Stopping the Motion! Or the very Shallow “Depth of Field” is Not fully engulfing your subject. Again! Your Image is Blurry!

This IS Why You Must Take Control of Your Camera!

Here’s a Link to BoredPanda so you can see what a Chart Looks like to Help Explain the relationship between the Aperture and Shutter Speed. This is Just An Idea and a fast Simple way to make this easier to understand.

http://www.boredpanda.com/photography-shutter-speed-aperture-iso-cheat-sheet-chart-fotoblog-hamburg-daniel-peters/

As much as I’m trying to explain the Basics to you. I’m going to Highly Recommend again the Book:
“Understanding Exposure” by Bryan Peterson

4th Edition is the latest from what I can make out from my Link over to Amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_0_17/176-3318382-0538244?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=understanding+exposure&sprefix=Understanding+Exp%2Caps%2C156

I want to make a disclaimer here. I have Nothing to do with Bryan or his publishing. Absolutely Nothing to do with the creation of his past or current Books. I am Only Recommending it for the Sole Purpose of trying to Help You my Fans and Readers on how to Improve Your Photography.
Why? Because to me it IS a Way of Giving back. I am extremely Thankful for those that have Helped me along the Journey I’ve taken with Photography.

Here’s a shot I had taken using Aperture Priority with an Older Nikon. This was a Nikon D80 with the Nikon 70-300 VR lens.
Everything I’ve discussed is the Basics of Photography and can be Used on Any Brand Camera. 

Questions? Thoughts? Like or Hate my discussions?
Please Feel Free to Join in.

Art in Education!

Friday Nite Photography Quote:

Let us first say what photography is not. A photograph is not a painting, a poem, a symphony, a dance. It is not just a pretty picture, not an exercise in contortionist techniques and sheer print quality. It is or should be a significant document, a penetrating statement, which can be described in a very simple term – selectivity.  – Berenice Abbott – in “Infinity” magazine, 1951.

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Art Photography 101

Like I had mentioned last week. A Photograph should draw you in. Lead the eyes of the observer into and thru the photograph. Capturing the imagination and the mind along the way. Whether it be an abstract, landscape, picture of an animal in the wild or a magnificent Portrait.

Basics to Basics
How do we get a proper exposure? I want to recommend the book called “Understanding Exposure” by Bryan Peterson. Here’s a Link for it:
Understanding Exposure

Bryan explains everything that needs to be said in a very understandable way. I always recommend this book for the Beginner.
Are you pictures dark or blurry? Can you just barely make out who or what is in your picture? Then whether you know it or not. Your Images are Not What they should be and can be better. All you need to do is spend a few minutes of your time “Learning Proper Exposure”. Are your Pictures blurry? It’s probably Not your focus. It’s because your Camera being in Full Auto Mode saw that it was dark and slowed your Shutter Speed to such a point that you can No Longer Hold Your Camera without shaking it. Giving you a very blurry image………….

Think about it? Your New Camera! Your Old from last year Camera? Your Cell Phone? or What Ever you do. What Ever it is?
It’s On Full Auto isn’t it? Well Isn’t it?
Your modern Day 21st Century Camera isn’t as smart as you think it is. Yeah, it’s very Smart. But it doesn’t know what your thinking. Like everything else in life. It is Your Responsibility to make at least a small effort to tell the camera what you want it to do.
For the General picture that doesn’t have anything difficult yeah. Your camera is OK!! But make it a bit difficult in the Lighting or subject where your background is a Lot different than your subject? Your picture Will NOT be exactly what you expected!

Next Week I will start talking about Photographic Composition.

If you have any questions post your questions here so others can learn as well as you. Let me say from this point I am a Photographer. I am NOT a Camera Salesman! I can Help you figure out what you need to do. But I Do Not Know Every Single Camera Out There!!
If and When I Purchase a Camera. I make it my business to then start to do research and try to learn what and how the camera works. I look on Youtube and search for the Brand and Model and watch all the Videos available.

You Spend a couple hundred Dollars on a very Good Camera?
Do you think the Camera will do things on it’s Own? Really?
It’s Your Camera. It’s Very Capable of taking very Beautiful Pictures. But if you want to Create a Picture that is Worth Hanging on your Wall it IS Your Responsibility to Learn how to control Your Camera.

For an Example here is an Image I had taken a few years ago. Everyone that comes here takes exactly the same picture. Does exactly the same exact thing day in and day out. How am I going to “Create an Image” that people will say “WOW” and ask me if they can but it to Hang on the Wall in their home?

This image was taken by me. All Rights Reserved!
Not to be Used Copied or Edited without explicit Permission!

Half Dome

Welcoming In The New Year!

We want to Thank All of you for Letting Us Help in Saving Your Precious Memories for Future Generations!

A Big Thank You Also to our Followers on our Blogs!
May you be Happy Healthy Safe and Prosperous for the New Year!

Mark G