…and on the Seventh Day
Image © Paul Rohde, Used with Permission
Apartment Community Photo Shoot
Here’s a quick sample from today’s stock photo shoot at a local apartment community. We had a great time even though the weather nixed a lot of our outdoor shooting plans. In spite of the crummy weather, we did manage to get some pool shots in during the 30 minutes or so that the sun decided to show up.
Thanks to everyone who helped out as models and assistants. I absolutely couldn’t do what I do without all your help.
Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 70-200 f/4L lens – 1/800 second, f/4, ISO 100
Using On Camera Flash for a Quick Outdoor Portrait
One of my quick-and-easy methods of shooting outdoor portraits is to position the subject with the sun at their back and then fill in their faces with an on camera flash. While this method of lighting is probably considered somewhat remedial for many experienced photographers, it is a technique that I get asked about on a fairly regular basis.
For this portrait of Bret and Jarica, I waited until the setting sun was just above a nearby building (the Federal Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City) and the shade line was closing in on the bench they were sitting on. By waiting for the last few minutes of sunlight, the background was almost entirely in shade. I positioned the bench so that the sunlight would provide a rimlight around Bret and splash a small amount onto his face.
Once I had the subjects in position, I adjusted the flash compensation of my on-board flash (Canon 580EX II) to fill in the shade with a natural looking light. I accomplished this with a minus 1 f/stop setting relative to the natural light. The camera was set to A/V (aperture priority) setting with the lens wide open at f/4.
When I have an assistant with me I will frequently shoot a portrait like this with reflector light to fill in the faces. However, on an evening like this one where I was working alone, a strobe created fill light serves as a nice substitute.
Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 70-200 f/4L lens – 1/400 second, f/4, ISO 400
Save the Date: Photowalking the Utah Museum of Natural History
Image Credit: Bryan Jones
The next Photowalking Utah event is quickly approaching. The outing will be a visit to the Utah Museum of Natural History. This will be the first ever Sunday event for Photowalking Utah due to scheduling and availability of the museum. Here are some details from Bryan Jones’ announcement at PhotowalkingUtah.com:
The University of Utah Museum of Natural History provides a number of opportunities for photographing unusual objects including dinosaurs, rare collections and artifacts from around the world. In addition the building itself provides for some architectural photographic opportunities that will not be available long as the museum is building a modern, new building up by Red Butte Gardens. There are a number of points to our visit:
1) There will be an admission based on a Group Reservation Price of $4.50 per person unless you are a U of U student/faculty/etc in which case the price will be free.
2) There will also be a “Toadally Frogs” in the Special Exhibit Gallery. Use a low light lens without flash to photograph some of these frogs in their display case. If you have a macro lens, bring ‘em.
3) Bring your tripod as we have been given special permission to use them for this visit.
4) UMNH allows for photography for private (non-professional, non-commercial) use of our exhibit areas and collections that are on exhibit. Flash photography is permitted in the permanent exhibits with the exception of exhibits containing life organisms, currently “Bugs Alive!”. The “Toadally Frogs” exhibit is limited to non-flash photography only, due to the sensitive nature of the live frogs.
5) UMNH has given us rights to post these photos on the Flickr and personal websites, however, they are not to be used for professional purposes. All photographs taken of exhibits and collections of objects in the Utah Museum of Natural History must be credited “From the Utah Museum of Natural History Collection” or “Property UMNH Collection”. They are looking for possible photographs to document the museum and the exhibits for their own website, so this will facilitate them finding images and asking photographers for rights to use them.
Date: Sunday April 19, 2009
Time: Noon – 3:00 pm
Location: 11390 E. Presidents Circle Salt Lake City, Utah 84112
As always, these events are open to photographers of all skill levels and type of camera used. For more information, visit the official announcement at photowalkingutah.com or the Flickr group announcement.
Shooting Film
Last month a few of us from Photowalking Utah put together a Film Shooter’s Photowalk in Salt Lake City. The evening outing was both reminiscent and frustrating for me as a photographer. Since I have a long history shooting film it was nice to remember how it used to be. On the other hand though, it was frustrating to shoot within the limits of film – namely the lack of instant preview, fixed ISO and limited exposure count.
I came away from the evening with a simple realization: I’m okay with never shooting film again.
It is not only the three reasons I listed above that made me come to this conclusion. The advances in camera equipment and lenses with things such as viewfinder information, metering settings, weather sealing, etc. have made today’s cameras a joy to use compared to their film counterparts of yesterday.
Today’s image is one of my captures from the photowalk. The shot of Mike Calanan and his Yashica TLR was taken with a Mamiya 1000DTL. The fisheye effect was added with a magnification filter put onto the standard 50mm lens.
Mamiya 1000 DTL, Mamiya 50mm f/1.8 lens – Exposure Not Recorded
The Unconventional Bridal – Part II
Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 70-200 f/4L lens – 1/200 second, f/4, ISO 400
Book Review: Fundamentals of Photography by Tom Ang
Today’s guest post was written by Utah photographer and Photowalking Utah member Rhett Olson. Rhett’s photography can be seen at www.rhettolsonphotography.com. Fundamentals of Photography is available at Amazon.com.
I started photography about ten years ago while writing a book, 100 Hikes in Utah. My co-author did most of the photography during our hiking and I would watch and ask questions. He would explain how using a high f-stop and long shutter speed in the slot canyons would give him enough light and keep all the walls in focus. I soon purchased a Pentax K1000 with a 50mm lens, a load of tri-X, and had a friend show me how to develop my negatives in my sink.Because I didn’t always have access to my photography friends to ask questions, most of my learning going forward (outside of experimentation) was done on photo.net. There, I read a little about everything. Lighting, posing, processing, printing, gear, it was all there.
When I picked up Fundamentals of Photography, it felt like the print version of my learning on the Internet, but conveniently compiled in one location. Even the book’s jacket says it’s “everything you need to know; from the most practical advice, to the most sophisticated nuances.”
Ang defines photography, then breaks down the process from manipulating the light, capturing it, then processing the image and outputting it. Each color-coded chapter is broken into logical sections that cover everything from demosaiking and in-camera processing, to controlling image tonality and color theory.
The discussion photography in the realm of both traditional film and digital make the book relevant to any photographer. Ang details the types and sizes of film (35mm, medium format, and large format) and the advantages of each. Developing, enlarging, and printing is covered as well. He also outlines a hybrid method of using both film and digital; capturing the image on film, then scanning to a digital file for processing and output.
The book itself is a sturdy paperback, built like a field guide. It contains loads of colorful images, charts, and graphs. The use of sample images to illustrate points help in the understanding of each subject.
One example of this is on page 90 where a portrait of a woman is created with multiple lighting setups. Each image is shown next to a diagram of lighting setup and a written description. This format allows the reader to quickly see changes from each lighting setup to the next.
The first reference section on page 324 is another example where Ang uses pictures and diagrams to instruct. There, he outlines the process of diagnosing processing and printing defects. The associated chart shows an image, then lists the image’s defect, it’s diagnosis, and how the defect can be corrected.
In summary, I think Fundamentals of Photography is a great reference book for photographers. It covers a breadth of topics and allows readers to easily zero in on a subject they are interested in, or are experimenting with, and learn more.
The Unconventional Bridal
Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 70-200 f/4L lens – 1/320 second, f/4, ISO 400
