Photo ABCs

M is for Macro! (cont.)

A macro lens is good for flowers, too! Here's a shot of a tulip I took last weekend. It, and twenty similar shots, are available as framed, fine art prints, or canvas gallery-wrap prints at the Ordover Gallery in Solana Beach. (s is for self-promotion!)

M is for Macro!

Most people think of close-ups of flowers and insects when they hear the word macro photography. Everyday objects, as well, can become interesting with the use of a close-focusing lens.

Here is a shot of an old (but working) telephone in the Blue Swallow Motel, in Tucumcari, New Mexico, along Route 66.

L is for L-Bracket

This blog is about taking photographs and improving them, not about cameras or equipment. Here, I break my rule.

A tripod can improve your photography by giving your camera a firm base, eliminating camera shake, and aiding in composition.

Yet I am amazed by seeing photographers, amateur and professional alike, attach cameras worth many thousands of dollars to a tripod worth $500 or more with a mounting plate not worth the $15 it might have cost. (I admit I was guilty of this for years, and constantly was frustrated as these plates twisted and did everything but hold the camera steady!)

Do yourself a favor and invest in a custom fitted L-bracket for your camera. An L bracket allows you to precisely mount your camera on your Arca-Swiss style tripod head for an absolutely firm connection. You can also switch your camera instantly to a vertical position without affecting your composition.

There are at least three companies that make these brackets. I have used Really Right Stuff brackets for many years and have never been disappointed by their exacting craftsmanship and exquisite machining.

Do yourself a favor and purchase one of these brackets. You will never regret it!

L is for Lenswork Magazine

Studying good photography can be inspirational to our own photography. Opening most photography magazines, one would think that having the right equipment or software is what photography is all about. Equipment helps, but photography is about photographs, and the ideas behind them. Nowhere is this exemplified better than in Lenswork Magazine.

Lenswork Magazine, bar none, is the finest magazine devoted to photography. There are no articles about equipment, in fact, rarely is there a mention of cameras. There are portfolios, interviews with photographers, and opinion pieces about the art of photography by editor Brooks Jensen and others.

I look forward to the arrival of each Lenswork Magazine. It is a magazine to be savored, and to inspire your own photography. And don't be content to view Lenswork online. Holding the magazine you will be amazed by its print quality, and its excellence.

(now if only there were a magazine in the style of Lenswork devoted to color photography!)

L is for Lighting (cont.)

Master photographer Robert Turner states that when planning his landscape photographs, he studies the weather reports and tries to be at his location just before or after a storm front moves through, as the light at that time has a quality like no other. On my trips I try to take his advice. If it's raining, I pay attention to see if the storm may pass. A bonus is that sometimes a rainbow will appear. This picture is on Rt. 66 west of Albuquerque, New Mexico.

L is for Lighting

Some say there is no bad light for photography. Well, that may be so, but there certainly is better light and great light! Even if you are not taking a picture, train yourself to be aware of the quality of light. Notice the soft and warm light around sunrise and sunset! Note the soft, pleasing light on an overcast day, perfect for people or flower pictures.

Here are two shots of Maria Sharapova. The first is taken in the middle of the day, against the light.

This shot, at last month's Indian Well's Pacific Life Open, was taken minutes before sunset, a wonderful time for soft lighting.

L is for Landscape!

When I judge photo club competitions, I often see pictures which suffer from the "pretty scene" syndrome. That is, when we are at a pretty scene, we often just point our camera at the scene, hoping that it will capture how beautiful it was when we were there. Perhaps it will, but that doesn't make a good picture. A good picture needs good composition, lighting, and thought. When composing a landscape picture, a good rule is to try to include something of interest in the foreground, middle ground, and background. What's in the foreground should lead our eyes to what's of interest in the middle or background.

Here's a shot of the Meramec River, along Rt. 66 in Missouri. The fall colors of the trees and their reflections are certainly pretty.

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By including the rocks in the foreground, the eye is led into the scene. The dark waters to the lower right also add tonal richness to the picture.