M.B.A....

Taking pictures can be difficult enough with lighting, proper exposer, focus, subject matter and the list goes on. Going to a

public aquarium in very dim light without the use of a tripod doesn't make it easier.

My wife and I recently went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. I took my camera gear with me to try and capture images of the life in the aquarium. While there was much to see and to photograph trying to capture the best image is a challenge.

First the M.B.A. doesn’t allow tripods or monopods into the building. The reasons for this are clear. Can you imagine with all the visitors to the aquarium, gawking at all the displays and then have some photographer(s) setup a tri-pod in front of said display. It would be a mess. People kicking the legs of the tripod, gear crashing to the floor. It would be complete chaos.

Some displays in the aquarium won’t allow use of a flash. In the large display tanks the M.B.A. discouraged the use of flash, because it drove the large pelagics to the rear of the tank. It seems the bigger fish are camera shy.

This is what I recommend for taking photographs in an aquarium setting:

1. Use the highest speed wide angle zoom you have access to. I used my Nikkor 18~70mm f3.5-4.5. I found this lens was not fast enough. I could have used my Nikkor fixed 50mm f1.8, but the wide angle wouldn’t be enough to allow the coverage of most display tamks.

2. Increase your ISO between 400 to 800. The higher your ISO the more digital noise will be seen on the image.

3. Use an off camera flash when possible. I used my Nikon SB-600 strobe. I had it hand-held and tethered to the camera. This gave me the ability move the strobe around the outside of the tanks to shoot through the glass and minimize the amount of reflection back into the lens. For more information on use of off camera flash, read the Strobist.

4. Also to help minimize the light being reflected into the lens (lens flare), I recommend a soft rubber lens hood. not only will his help eliminate lens flare, this will also give you a very soft seal when you push the lens up to the aquarium glass. I purchased a rubber lens hood for less the $10.00.

To be continued…

JOBY...

JOBY is the company name for one of the greatest tri-pod revolutions of our day. JOBY makes the “Gorillapod”. These flexible units are great. I purchased one for my trip to Guatemala last summer. I wasn’t going to schlep a full size tri-pod with me on my trip. I also only took my point-n-shoot Panasonic TZ3.

I was very surprised how well this little tri-pod worked. It was small, compact, light weight, and easy to use. I could stick it in smallest pouch of my backpack. Sometimes I would stick it into a jacket pocket, it is that small. I was very grateful for the small compact size when I was climbing the Pacaya Volcano, Guatemala.

Recently we used the gorillapod on our snowshoeing trip. We set up a shot in a snow meadow but didn’t have a place to put the camera. So I planted one of my wife’s hiking poles in the snow and wrapped the gorillapod legs around the top on the pole, set the timer and shuffled over next to my wife. 10 seconds later click and we had a great steady image.

This week I spent some time at the Macworld Expo. One of the exhibitors/venders was JOBY with their gorillapod set ups. I liked the one I have so much I purchased a second unit (Green) for my wife. I also purchased the largest unit they had for my Nikon D70s. I am sure this will come in very handy.
Side note:

While talking to the JOBY rep. I mentioned that one of the sockets on the leg keeps popping out. He asked if I had the tri-pod with me. I said “Of course I do” since I carry my point-n-shoot with me all the time. I pulled the gorillapod out of my bag and handed it to the rep. Upon closer inspection he noticed a little crack in the plastic. This would be the source of detachment of the ball-n-socket joint. The rep. looked at me, and I being the optimist that I am, expected him to tell me I was S.O.L. and he couldn’t do anything for me. Instead, to my surprise, he offered me an exchange right there and handed me back the old unit too. Now that is customer service.

El Libro…

If anyone is looking for some good “how to” reading for taking better pictures, I recommend a book written by Scott Kelby, The Digital Photography Book. It’s very informative and easy to read. Scott has a unique teaching style. He will tell how to do certain tricks like you were next to him asking the question. He doesn’t get into analytical detail on how and why, he explains this is how you do it and it’s done.

Now for the real exciting news. Scott Kelby has just written and published The Digital Photography Book Vol. 2. Woo-hoo… Once I found out there was going to be a sequel, I pre-ordered my copy from Amazon.com. It arrived a few days ago.

Each page covers a single concept on how to make your photography better. Every time you turn the page, you’ll learn another pro setting, tool, or trick to transform your work from snapshots into gallery prints. According to the author Scott, “This isn’t a book of theory-full of confusing jargon and detailed concepts. This is a book on which button to push, which setting to use, and when to use it.”

Here is a list of other books on Amazon.com that have been written by Scott Kelby. Good luck, and may your images always be tack-sharp.

Daffodil…

I took this picture of a white daffodil on New Years morning in the parking area of the Battery Mendell. I went to take shots of the Golden Gate Bridge. But “Magic Hour” only lasts a few minutes and then you move on to something else that will respond better in the increasing morning light.

I was told long ago that when you take picture of flowers never (if possible) take the picture of a flower straight down. It makes the flower look flat and ordinary. I shot this image not with my Nikon D70s, instead I had my Panasonic TZ3 in hand.

It was almost on my belly to capture an upward angle. I was trying to do two things: One get a bug’s eye view and two try to eliminate the Marin hills in the background from the frame.

I cropped this image, changed the aspect from landscape to portrait. I made some minor adjustment to contrast, brightness and saturation. I used Microsoft Office Picture Manager. It’s not very good photo editing not like CS3, but it’s all I have at work.

Here is a good on-line resource I use for photography tips in a pinch. Digital Photography School has a great article on Photographing Flowers


How to Take Pictures of Flowers
These simple hints will help you move the quality of your flower photos from good to great.

1. Get very close to the subject
Flowers can have stunning appeal from a distance by adding splashes of color to a scene, or lending a particular mood, but for truly dramatic flower photos getting in close is the best. This will enable you to draw attention to the intricate and fascinating details every flower has to offer.

Consider using your macro mode to get as close as physically possible or your portrait mode to zoom in and manage perspective distortion. Also, letting your flower spill over the frame of your photo will lend a larger-than-life appeal.

2. Clear the clutter
The best flower photos usually zero in on a single flower or small group of flowers making them very similar to portraits. So, just as you would for a portrait, concentrate on eliminating clutter from your view.

Accomplish this by using depth of field to blur background areas, by shifting your viewpoint to simplify the background, for example by making the background the sky rather than a field of other flowers, and by using shadows to obscure background areas.

3. Get the right light
Soft morning and evening light work best by enabling you to capture the delicate textures of petals and stamina. Backlighting works well to provide a broader range of colors, both solid and translucent, as well as to highlight the fragility and transience of each blossom.

Likewise, a deliberate use of shadows can enhance the mood and further concentrate attention on areas of high detail. Light diffusion panels widely available in camera stores can come in handy for many flower shoots as the best light can be fleeting and good shots can take time to compose.

4. Look for ways to complement colors
Look for ways to combine colors that complement each other, such as catching yellow and orange flowers against a deep blue sky, or red roses against a background of white clouds.

5. Arrange your own setting
While thoughts often settle on the outdoors and natural settings when flower photography comes up, some of the most stunning floral photos are those arranged down to the last detail in a studio-like setting. Think of flower heads floating in a silver bowl on a white-linen, candle-lit table and you'll be on your way.

¡Feliz Año 2008!...

An early morning image of the Golden Gate Bridge 45 minutes before sunrise. Happy New Year…

This image is actually take several minutes later further up the road. I have not converted the (RAW) image I really want to post into a usable jpeg. When I get it converted I will post that image... It's much better.

Image UpDate 05-2008