Evening Portrait

0
September 19th, 2011 Permalink

I did an outdoor evening portrait session recently with Ethan. The light was beautiful, and he was completely in the mood for some pictures – always a great combination! These were shot in natural light with the Canon 40D and my trusty 35mm f/2. 1/320 at f/2.0 ISO200.

I did an outdoor evening portrait session recently with Ethan. The light was beautiful, and he was completely in the mood for some pictures – always a great combination!

These were shot in natural light with the Canon 40D and my trusty 35mm f/2. 1/320 at f/2.0 ISO200.

Graffiti

0
November 16th, 2009 Permalink

Even graffiti can make for interesting pictures…at times.                                              

Even graffiti can make for interesting pictures…at times.

20091110-20091110-IMG_1280

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

20091110-20091110-IMG_1281

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

20091110-20091110-IMG_1282

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

20091110-20091110-IMG_1283

Abstract Photography

0
July 23rd, 2009 Permalink

Who says all images have to be sharp and clear? Abstract painting has long been an accepted form of art. Why not abstract photography? After work on a fairly rainy day, I arrived at home and parked in the parking lot. As I looked through my front windshield, I saw a beautiful blur of colors [...]

abstract

Abstract

Who says all images have to be sharp and clear? Abstract painting has long been an accepted form of art. Why not abstract photography?

After work on a fairly rainy day, I arrived at home and parked in the parking lot. As I looked through my front windshield, I saw a beautiful blur of colors spread across the glass. I grabbed the G10, set for vivid jpeg, turned on the manual focus and back focused a bit, and shot a few frames like this. Personally, I love it.

More Powershot Photography

0
July 23rd, 2009 Permalink

I love photography. Anyone who knows me, knows that. When I first got into the hobbie, I was convinced I had to carry my best camera and lenses with me everywhere in order to make sure I got great shots. Inevitably, I’d have at least one camera, two or three lenses, a bag to keep [...]

I love photography. Anyone who knows me, knows that. When I first got into the hobbie, I was convinced I had to carry my best camera and lenses with me everywhere in order to make sure I got great shots. Inevitably, I’d have at least one camera, two or three lenses, a bag to keep them in, spare memory cards, and in the end – a sore back and shoulders.

Most experienced photographers will tell you this, though it’s not what the camera makers want you to believe, but it’s your skills and knowledge of how to use camera equipment – NOT the equipment itself – that determines whether your pictures will be good or not. I thought I believed that. But looking back, I can see now that it really took me a long time to make that head knowledge an experienced reality. That’s not to say that a good camera is not important, or that some cameras aren’t better than others, but given a good set of knowledge and skills around composition, lighting, and the basics of digital photography you can make great shots with even the most basic of cameras (see Power Shots With a Powershot).
These days, unless I’m shooting formally, I tend to carry as little equipment as possible. Most commonly, I use my Canon G10. It’s a great little camera that opens up a world of possibilities photographically speaking. It’s not so much that the camera itself takes good pictures (that’s a common misconception), but it tends to get out of the way a little more than most point and shoot models. Really, when carrying the G10, I don’t carry much else. I keep two backup SD cards in my wallet, and that’s about it. By the way – I love SD cards. I already have a full set of Compact Flash cards for my Canon 40D and Rebel XTi, but these little SD cards are just so much portable. Plus I don’t need a separate card reader for them on my laptop.
Here’s some examples of what you can do with a point and shoot camera, a little knowledge of how to use it, some patience, and a fun little girl.
Tip #1: Use the Cloudy or Shade white balance setting – even when you’re in clear light. Why? It adds a bit of warmth to your image.

Tip #2: Use flash outdoors. I know that runs counterintuitive, but when taking pictures of people outside, a little flash can go a long way – and I mean a little flash. I typically set my flash exposure compensation to -1 1/3 to -2 stops. This lets the camera balance in the background while adding a little light to the people in the foreground – eliminating dark shadows across their faces. You’ll still get enough directional light to keep the naturall shadows, but the really dark ones will be filled in.

Here’s another example of using fill flash outside. I’ve posted a few more below too.

All of these pictures were shot with the same point and shoot Canon G10 that anyone can pick up at their local Best Buy. All it takes is a little knowledge of how the camera works, the willingness to shoot without using the Green Box or Scene Modes, and some basic computer software (I use Lightroom but even Google’s Picasa, a free app, will work just fine), and you can really ramp up your own family shots.

« Older Entries