Photo ABCs

N is for Night! (cont.)

Here's one of my favorite night shots. It was a 30 second exposure at the Wigwam Motel, in San Bernardino, California, along Route 66. The night sky of the city took on an unusual orange glow. I like the effect!

M is for Memorial Day

Take a moment and reflect why we have a special day called Memorial Day.

Now go and enjoy the barbecue!

N is for Night!

Shooting at night opens up another dimension to your photography. In most cases, the best time to shoot is when there's still a little color in the sky. Meter off of one of the brighter areas in the scene. If you're using film, remember about reciprocity failure (you need to expose for longer than the meter would indicate). If using digital, there is no reciprocity failure, so don't worry!

Many night shooters prefer film for its lack of noise and exposure latitude. Digital shooters have the advantage, of course, of instant feedback.

There is a website entirely devoted to night shooting, called Nocturnes. They offer workshops and online galleries to display night photography.

Here's a shot I took of the Arroyo Seco Bridge, in Pasadena, once part of Route 66. Long exposures will often pick up the glow of the city, and colors may appear different-- that's the fun of night photography! Get out your tripod and give it a try! (of course, watch your surroundings--be safe!)

M is for Museum!

A good way to improve your photography is to quit reading about cameras and go visit an incredible resource, an art museum! Every large city has at least one excellent art museum. San Diego is blessed with the San Diego Museum of Art. Los Angeles has the Getty, LACMA, and my favorite, the Norton Simon (in Pasadena). San Francisco has many, including the California Palace of the Legion of Honor, which I love for its art, its beautiful setting, and for its role in Hitchcock's Vertigo! Every time I visit a large city, (or many smaller ones), I seek out its best art museum.

You will learn more about what makes a good photograph by studying and enjoying great works of art than by reading about camera equipment. (just ignore most 20th century anti-conceptual art!)

M is for Motion! (cont.)

Sometimes Photoshop's Motion Blur filter can save a picture by blurring the background and emphasizing the subject.

Here is my ONLY photo of Lance Armstrong, taken at a race in San Francisco in 2003. It's not a good photo, but it's the only one I have!

I decided that the only way to save it would be to crop the photo, extensive Photoshop to salvage the exposure, and then a blur filter to blur all but Lance. I used a diagonal blur to make it more dynamic. It turned out well enough that I have exhibited it in a gallery.

M is for Motion! (cont.)

A popular and effective technique for adding motion to a photo is to use a slow shutter speed to blur the motion, and add a flash to also freeze the motion and highlight the subject.

You will read about front-curtain sync and rear-curtain sync if you read up on this subject. This refers to having the flash go off at the beginning of the shot or at the end. Many people recommend having the flash go off at the end of the exposure, for a more natural look. I actually prefer to know when the flash is going to go off--at the start of the shot. (If you're panning with the subject, it doesn't really matter, in fact, if you pan faster than the subject you get a nice effect.)

Here's a shot of a classic car parade on Route 66 in Springfield, Illinois. A shutter speed of 4/10 of a second blurred the background, added motion to the car, and the flash highlighted and froze the car.

M is for Motion! (cont.)

Sometimes it's fun to take motion in your picture to extremes. The more extreme, the smaller the ratio of hits to misses. But all it takes is one good picture!

Here's a shot of tennis star Rafael Nadal. Not only did I use a long shutter speed, I added camera rotation. I used various photoshop techniques to bring out the colors.

M is for Motion! (cont.)

It's fun to try motion shots with even longer shutter speeds. Needless to say, most attempts will NOT be successful!

Here's another shot taken at a Cinco de Mayo festival. The one static dancer centers the photograph, while the whirling dancers add excitement. The camera was not completely still during the exposure, this only adds to the effect. The effect is exactly what I was aiming for, but I had to sift through dozens of unsuccessful shots to find this one.

M is for MAC!

I again break my rule about equipment recommendations, but this time it's for the Mac Computer.

Apple, Inc. hires the best designers in the world. For a small price, you can, daily, enjoy the amazing ergonomics of a Mac computer. Buy one! If you need to use Windows, I'm sorry, but you can even do that on a Mac, too! (They say installing Windows on a Mac is easier than on a PC!)

Others have written at length on why to buy a Mac. My friend Lloyd Chambers writes here. My friend Ken Rockwell writes here. (warning, these articles are opinionated, as well they should be!)

Do yourself a favor, walk into a PC store, like Best Buy or Fry's. Then walk into an Apple Store. If you can't tell the difference in design, elegance and ergonomics just by visiting an Apple Store, (online, or in your local mall) well, keep using your PC.

I've added a link to the online Apple Store in the Recommended Merchants Column in the sidebar. Using that link, or the ones in this blog entry, will help support this site, and help you enjoy computing again.

M is for Motion!

Motion can add interest to a photo. There are probably at least a half a dozen ways to add motion to a photo. The simplest is to leave the shutter open long enough to blur a moving subject.

This shot was taken at a Cinco de Mayo festival in Old Town, San Diego. I originally wanted to show the colorful sun and red stairs, but when I saw the woman walking up the stairs, I knew I had a much more interesting photo. The shutter speed of 1/60 of a second was long enough to blur the foot.