Off Camera Flash

Just a reminder: every now and then you should try to get the flash off the camera. It gives each shot a little different feel.

This can be done using a sync cord, infrared triggering device or, if you have a Nikon system, the camera's own pop-up flash will trigger a compatible speedlight--SB800 in this case.

For this shot I used a sync cord and held the flash in my left hand. This is a very common technique and usually when it is employed the flash is, understandably, coming from camera left. (You're holding the camera with your right hand and the obvious default is holding the flash up in your left hand.) As you can tell, however, the light in this photo is coming from camera right. All it took was a minor physical contortion. With the camera to your eye, bring your left shoulder under your chin, extend your left arm out to the right (take a quick peek to see that the flash is pointed at the subject!) and shoot.

A little extra effort and a simple portrait becomes just slightly more interesting.

Then and Now #7

I found this first image in my files recently and completely forget where I got it from or who shot it or when it was. I am still looking for that info and will report back soon. Meantime, hope you enjoy this installment of "Then and Now."

The Washington Monument is obvious, of course. On the right is the Museum of Natural History, on the left (you can just barely see it) is the Smithsonian Institution castle. The immediate foreground looks to be the Arboretum. Middle ground... no idea. Will update as soon as I can.

Cheers.

Update: Narrowed it down to early 1920s. (late teens, maybe) Buildings in the middle ground are likely USDA greenhouses.

Oh yeah, then there's mine. Shot from a Cessna 175, my friend Jal Mistry as pilot, Blackhawk helicopter shadowing us all the way. Fun!

Back In The Day...

Before our 35mm SLR film cameras evolved into the digital wonders they are today, a photographer who wanted a different "look" to his/her images was, for the most part, left the option of using different films. Negatives. Transparencies. B&W. Color. Kodachrome. Ektachrome. Velvia. Provia. Kodacolor. Fujicolor. Agfa. Ilford...

Depending on the results you desired--more contrast, less contrast, warmer tones, cooler tones--you needed to decide before hand which film or films you'd bring along. For instance, Velvia with its deep, rich blacks and vivid colors and strong contrast looks amazing on an overcast day in Autumn when the trees are peaking. But might not work quite as well for a nice soft portrait of the family. Several rolls of film designed for portraits and another designed for landscapes at the very least would be in the bag.

Today, all those emulsions are in the camera! Well, more accurately, they're in the computer. But the RAW information gathered on the CCD of your camera and written onto the CF or SD card therein provides the information needed for the computer program to make the best image, to realize the final photograph you envisioned.

When I saw this fellow walking along the rocks, in my mind's eye I saw a silhouette with dramatic clouds as backdrop. But as you can see in the first photo the tone is rather soft, and the silhouette weak.

It took a little fiddling in Nikon Capture NX to get the image I really wanted. (below)

It went from being a somewhat low-contrast Kodacolor print to a strong contrast Velvia slide. At least for me it did. What do you think?

Creating an Image.

There are myriad ways to make a photograph (or take a picture!). From the serendipitous to the thought-out-in-advance... and of course the continuum that is in between.

You may see something really groovy happening and happen to have the camera nearby, or you may have an idea--a concept--already in mind. Maybe it's a combination of both.

I went down to the canal with no concept, no real fleshed out idea. Just needed to go out and shoot. I spent about two hours walking around, looking. If something interesting happened--like a heron taking off from a perch--I quickly tried to capture it. (I did! Looks cool, too. Will see it here at a later date.) A couple of bicyclists or joggers headed my way, got them too. Then there was the shot you see (sort of) below. I found myself standing there watching the water rush by, listening to the birds, the wind in the trees... taking it all in.

In one direction I noticed an interesting possibility for a shot. Bringing the camera to my eye, I began looking for just the right composition. Moved a little to the left, then right, then up a little, walked forward.... Without tripping the shutter I kept moving around until it felt just right. When it finally did (sometimes it never does!) I took a shot and examined it on the LCD screen. Looked good there, too... but it needed the human element. I put the camera on the tripod, recomposed the shot and pre-focused to a spot down the towpath a ways. Then I waited. It was still a little early so foot traffic was still light. I decided to set the timer and at least get a self-portrait. Ultimately, people did ride, walk, run by in each direction. Got a few images to choose from and will probably go back for more... maybe bring a model just in case!

In the mean time, here's a double self-portrait.

European House Sparrow (juvenile)

So I walked out the door this morning to get something from the car. I noticed--nearly stepped on!--a young house sparrow sitting on the porch. I'm like, Hellooo... whattaya doin' there? He/she just sat there looking up at me chirping away. Alright then, I thought. Slowly back into the house, grab the camera and head back out. He's gone. No wait, there he is in the tree. Well he let me get close before let's try again. Slow approach, take a shot, move closer, take a shot, pop up the flash, take a shot, damn! it's on manual (1/128 power), quickly dig into the menu system and change to TTL, take another shot, keeps closing his eyes, take another. There, that'll do!

Alright little buddy, you've been very patient. I'll leave you be. Look tired. Thanks for the photo op.

Cheers.

And just so you know, that's a 35mm lens on the camera. I really wasn't more than 6 inches from the bird. They're very trusting at this early age. Hope I didn't imprint him. Next time I go outside he''ll think I'm his momma! Heh.

Summer afternoon.

Chasing the Frisbee.

Mazel Tov!

So, I shot a Bar Mitzvah this past weekend. Family deal, so no real pressure. (Heh!)

However, as with any event taking place in a big ugly auditorium lighting can be a bit of an issue. Here's what we're working with:

Ugh! OK, what to do? Well, you can throw a flash on the camera.

 

Yikes! A little harsh. Well, the show hasn't started yet, now what? Think fast. Run out to the car, get the light stand from the trunk and stick a strobe (Nikon SB800!) to the right of the stage. You can trigger that one with the strobe that you have on the camera and if you point this one at the ceiling you can get a nice soft fill light. Whew... let's see.

 

OK, then. Much more interesting. We've got a little more depth here. Also finding a good angle to clean up the background helps, too.

And here's the young man and proud parents.

Headshots

As I mentioned earlier, I do on occasion make portraits.

Kirk Penberthy is a voiceover artist and actor. (His website... here.) Among other things he's had parts in Homicide-Life on the Street, The Wire and the movie The Contender. Also, if you watched last year's Super Bowl you most likely saw this Coke commercial. Kirk's the moderator with James Carville and Bill Frist as the guests.

We did a photo session the other day and Kirk is kind enough to let me blog about today. (Thanks dude.)

The outside shot was done simply with a single speedlight (Nikon SB800) with a mini-softbox attached to help diffuse the light on his face. The speedlight was on a stand at camera right about a 45 degree angle between the camera and Kirk.

The photo inside was done with an SB800 shot through an umbrella that was placed high, directly above the camera. A white reflector is at Kirk's waist level just out of the frame. This helps fill in any unwanted shadows created by the main light. In the background there was another speedlight aimed at an angle at the wrinkled blue fabric creating a little bit of a pattern.

Oh and in case you people don't remember, Kirk is the father of this cool little fellow! And, of course, husband to the cool little fellow's mama (Mariel!) in that very same post.

Anyway, thanks Kirk. Fun shoot!

Serene.

So I walk into the room and there she is. Chatting with her mom (or dad?)... by candle light. Didn't want to spoil the moment so I quietly turned around, found the camera, came back and silently tripped off a couple shots. So peaceful.

Be Prepared.

The sun is setting fast and the sky is looking good. I've got a wide angle lens and I've crouched down so as to highlight the clouds. The flash unit is in my left hand, held out and up. I've dropped the exposure by about a stop (I'm guessing here!) and flash exposure is preset in manual mode and likely is at 1/16th power, which usually works at this distance.

Knowing your settings and distance beforehand makes it much easier to capture shots like this.

Also, in the background you can just make out the young man on the lifeguard's chair I shot earlier. (You can scroll down to the "Quality of Light" post to see it.)

Color Temperature.

Let's talk about color. Or, rather, the psychology of color. There is a school of thought out there that says we humans are comforted by "warm" colors and discomfited by "cool" colors. A crackling fireplace, candle light, a campfire, sunrises and sunsets... these tend to instill in us a settled, even soothed emotion. And the warmth (color wise, not just heat wise) is in no small part the reason for this relaxed feeling.

Before the digital camera explosion photographers employed various techniques to create this warmth in their photos. An amber glass filter over the lens or shooting with daylight balanced film under tungsten lights. Today, we have white balance (WB) control in our dSLRs.

We can adjust the settings so as to create a cool, bluish tint in our photos or, as I usually like to do, create a more warm, yellowish/orange tint.

Below are two examples. One is shot at sunrise on a hazy beach morning. The other is around a fire-pit and tiki torches. You can see the effect you get setting the WB to a warmer setting and what happens when you set it to a cooler setting. Everyone is different, of course, so you may not like the warmer tones. But generally speaking, it is the warmer tones that people gravitate to when looking through images. Keep this in mind when your making your photographs. Are you creating an image that attracts people or gives them a sense of unease?

This is necessarily an incomplete post. Feel free to pepper me with questions if you need this fleshed out a little more.

Meantime, dig out your camera's manual and have some fun playing around with your white balance settings.

 

Cheers.

Get this kid a Kilt!

Spent some time with the Penberthys yesterday. We met at Ri-Ra, a little Irish pub in Bethesda. The place was nearly empty. (Perfect!) A half dozen patrons at the bar, and a small group of musicians partaking in an Irish Seisiun. Fiddle, guitar, flute, banjo and bodhran (wooden framed drum). Quite the festive atmosphere. Made all the more so by the young Talan dancing in his own Cornish/English/German/Celtic/Groovy/Breakdance way. Spinning, twirling, falling down (on purpose!), getting back up, shaking his hips. He clearly had himself a blast! And so did we all.

I used only the on-board flash for these shots. Panned a couple of times as the tiny dancer zipped past me. As usual, a 1/4 cto gel over the flash to help keep the light balanced with the interior lights. That is all.

Cheers.

Wildlife Series. #6

Turkey Vulture
Cathartes aura

Want to hear a Vulture? Well, just click here. And, yes, it sounds just as beautiful as it looks!

Again, we're out over Great Falls. The first shot is an adult. (note the red head) The second, immature. (grey head) You very rarely get to hear vultures in the wild. The sound above was taken from an injured vulture in captivity.

These birds, like the herons in a previous post, never fail to give me an opportunity to practice my panning technique. Elbows in, eyebrow pressed to the viewfinder, steady breathing, turn at the waist, don't twists your wrists. And, oh yeah, hold the shutter button down for LOTS of shots! (don't forget to edit!)

You can see these creatures soaring (and not too far overhead) from the observation deck on Olmstead Island within the C&O Canal National Historical Park in Maryland.

This post concludes (temporarily, at least) our wildlife series. Will try to get back to posts of greater variety next week. Hope you enjoyed this brief venture into the wild.

Later!

Wildlife Series. #5

Common Loon
Gavia immer

Loon call...click here.

Admittedly, this is not the most compelling image. It's just that we don't often get to see a loon here in Maryland. Canada, Maine, Greenland...yes. DC, MD and VA? Not so much. Anyway, if nothing else, it has a call that is a little less gnarly than the last few I've put up!

Enjoy.

Wildlife Series. #4

Great Blue Heron
Ardea herodias

Heron call...click here.

I've been shooting this bird for years. They are everywhere at the canal. Quite often they'll fly right past you at eye level. Awfully cool looking bird, too! Look close enough and you can really begin see their prehistoric past. Birds as you may or may not know are direct descendants of dinosaurs. Dinosaurs! Fossils from the early Cretaceous period, discovered in the '90s, show bird-like therapods with "proto-feathers." Not only that, but modern day birds have a remarkably similar skeletal structure to some dinosaurs.

Pretty damn cool, huh? Anyway...as I used to tell my nephews, You want to see a dinosaur? Go look out in your backyard. Or, better, drive out to the C&O Canal or Great Falls and gaze at a few therapods! Til next time, peace.

Wildlife Series #3

Moose.
Alces alces.

Moose sounds? You know what to do... click here.

Still in Jackson Hole. Different day. Wet, cold, in search of big creatures. This guy was just sitting around, waiting out the rain. Next to me was (were?) four or five other photographers. I was driving by and noticed them standing out in this field, about a hundred yards from the road. Though I couldn't see what had their attention, I figured it was worth the stop.

I stood with them and shot on and off for about 30 minutes. The moose only moved to put his head down or lift it up to look around at the curious humans and their tripods. After I left one of the remaining photographers got a shot of him standing and shaking off the rain. I saw the photo. Water droplets spraying all around. It was a winner.

With wildlife photography patience is everything!

Next up in the series: Great Blue Heron.

Cheers.

Wildlife Series #2

The American Bison.
Bison bison.

If you'd like to listen to a Bison's grunt, just click here. (It actually sounds not all that different from my snoring! Yes...I know what you're thinking..."That Rachel is a lucky woman!")

I shot this fellow while at a workshop in Jackson Hole, WY. Actually he was a part of a huge herd. But then so was I! All around me were dorky little photogs like me snapping away in all directions. Must have been a truly ridiculous sight.

These beasts are very unpredictable. Seemingly mellow, peaceful one moment, the next they decide they don't really appreciate just how close you've gotten and whamo! ...you're twenty feet in the air then mercilessly stomped into the dirt! I was nervously on the alert for this possibility the entire time. I had the distinct impression few other photographers were, though, which made me even more nervous. Nevertheless, I--like all the others--continued to shoot away. I was at least using a 300mm lens, which puts some distance between the photographer and the twitchy beast.

Thankfully, none of them became irritated enough to go all postal on us. We all got our adrenaline rushes and our portfolio shots!

Very exhilarating.

New Series...Wildlife!

OK, so I thought I'd try a new series. A photo a day (or whenever I get around to it.) with a little commentary about who, what, where, when. The first theme of this series is "Wildlife." And the first creature is...

Western Diamondback Rattlesnake.
Crotelus atrox.

Click here to hear this rattler!

I had been hoping to see/photograph a rattlesnake while we were out west. Several days went by. Looking here, looking there...nothing.

At the Pecos National Historical Park, however, we were told to keep an eye out. Apparently, other visitors had seen them a little earlier. Well, we walked around looking under rocks, in the shade of little bushes and cacti and had just about given up when Rachel calls out, "I think I see one!" And sure enough, there it was, cooling itself in the shady part of an ancient Kiva. (Click here to see what a Kiva is.)

And yes, I did actually consider climbing down in there in the hopes of getting close enough to have it rise up and start rattling...but thought better of it. I still get a little jazzed looking at this photo. My first ever rattlesnake. Didn't see another one the whole trip, though. Must go back!

Cheers.