Breaking all the Rules – Shooting Fireworks

July 7, 2010 By Marcel 2 Comments

When it comes to shooting fireworks, there are a number of recommended tips or “rules“.

1. Use a tripod
2. Use a shutter release
3. Use a low ISO
4. Use a higher aperture, F8 or above

So maybe these are great suggestions if you are to be a big display with lots and lots of fireworks, but my situation was a little different.
I did take a tripod and used the timer instead of the time release. That didn’t work. For a small town display, anticipating the timing was too tricky. So i took my camera off the tripod, put in on high continuous shoot mode, laied down on my back, bumped up the ISO to 1000 on my Canon 7D and shot at 2.8 at 1/6 of a second until the very end where I bumped it up to 1/40 of a second. Now remember f2.8 far away is very different than shooting f2.8 close up. And the results were not too shabby for breaking a lot of rules. The results remind me of a Harry Potter movie. Would they have been better if I had followed the ‘rules” well, they would have been different (sharper, etc) so it really depends on your point of view. It’s a good reminder that rules are guidelines and it’s up to us as photographers to decide when to use them and when not to.

Good Luck!

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Kodak Nature Walk – Evo ’10

June 30, 2010 By Marcel 2 Comments

For the Nture Walk sponsored by Kodak at the Evo ’10 Conference, I hooked up with Carissa Rogers from

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Composition – Photography Tips

June 24, 2010 By Marcel Leave a Comment

When taking pictures of our family, it’s easy to get stuck in the click and go mentality and we end up with the same shot over and over again. Here’s my family in front of the lake, now my family at the pumpkin patch, now my family in front of the Christmas tree my husband convinced me to drive 240 miles to cut down in the middle of a blizzard, and now here we again at Easter in the garden with the kids who have chocolate smeared all over their new Sunday best. We count on the context of the scene to make our shots appealing and they often are, but sometimes by just moving around and looking for a new angle can make your pictures so much more interesting not only to us, but to others as well .

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Shot #1 Welcome to Idaho! Nothing about this shot excites me. So what do I do? I move.

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Shot #2 Ok, this is more interesting, we’re getting a little warmer. Let’s take it one step further.

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Shot #3 So this is a totally different feel from Shot #1. I really love how the blue of the sky is matching his eyes. I like his expression and how his body just kind swags. I think growing up in front of a camera my son feels fairly comfortable having a big lens following him around.

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Shot #4 I take one more shot, with his head replacing the “O” of IDAHO. I’m thinking this is the shot I’m going to like best until I look at them at home on my computer and then I can see Shot #3 just works better for me. Good heavens, my filter over my lens is filthy (fortunately an easy fix).

Looking for that better angle isn’t rocket science, just a few steps one way or the other. Try it at home and let me know how it works for you!

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5 Basic Steps for Editing images / Photoshop Tips

June 2, 2010 By Marcel Leave a Comment

Editing your pictures for the web and quick prints should be an easy fast process. Here are the steps that I usually follow.

1. Crop (I do this first to help me know what I’m working with).
2. Brighten add Contrast (this can fix a lot of color problems).
3. Make color Adjustments (does the picture need more saturation, more warmth?)
4. Draw the eye to the most important part of the picture (use lasson to lighten area of interest, a simple vignette can focus the attention to the area of interest).
5. Sharpen

Following a recipe like this, just a few simple steps, should only take a few minutes and make a huge difference with your photos.

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See the Light – 5 tips for Natural Lighting in Portraiture

May 21, 2010 By Marcel Leave a Comment

Whether you’re just taking pictures of your kids or whether you’re moving into doing portraiture, learning to use natural light in your photos is probably THE MOST IMPORTANT thing for you to learn. Here’s a quick three minute video that will show quick tips that will help you dramatically improve your photos.

Here the 5 tips for natural lighting with portraiture one more time.

1. Proper Exposure.
2. Look for an even or darker background than your subject.
3. Turn your subject towards the light.
4. Reposition yourself.
5. Use a reflector (a white piece of foam core works wonders).
Usually it’s a combo of these techniques.

This video originally appeared on www.5minutesformom.com.

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You and Your Info Palette – Photoshop Tips for Photoshop and Elements

May 10, 2010 By Marcel Leave a Comment

I originally posted this video on www.myphotographica.com. I am now integrating my two blogs (for piece of mind). This is great little video that shows how to use your info palette, your histogram, and a cool filter I learned from Scott Kelby in Photoshop Elements and Photoshop CS.

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What Makes a Good Picture – Tips for Better Photos

May 7, 2010 By Marcel Leave a Comment

If you want to take better pictures, you’re gonna need to learn WHAT makes a good picture. This is a picture I shot, that I like. It’s pretty good, it has some elements I really like.

I can tell you what I think makes a good picture. Your definition may be different and that is what art is all about, but here are my thoughts.

1. Synergy and Composition – The technical elements all work together (depth of field, color quality, etc.) and the composition is well done.
2. Drama and Emotion – How is the moment crystallized? What does the picture make me feel?
3. Light and Luminosity – How the subject is lit? How does the light luminate through the image?
4. Gesture Texture – What is being conveyed? The depth, the value and range of tones are of quality.
5. Intimacy and Revelation – Does this photo take me into a world, I’ve never been? What do we know now that we didn’t know before?

If you say to yourself, “I just want to take pictures of my kids or my dog, do I really need to know that stuff?”
I don’t know, I guess it depends, do you want to take crappy pictures or beautiful pictures?
Learning to do good work is an investment, browse the photos of any great photographer and you’ll be inspired.

Here are my two favorite places to visit to view outstanding images. You will find work that moves you, photos that make think, “What the h#$% is that?”, and photos most likely you will hate. It’s fabulous! It’s a collection of some of the world’s best photographers in two places.
http://www.thecolorawards.com/

http://lucieawards.com/index.php

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Sabotage by Evil Dust Bunnies / Keeping Your Lens and Sensor Clean

April 30, 2010 By Marcel Leave a Comment

Do you know what RUINED this fabulous shot?

THESE, Evil Dust Bunnies! And you know what? They could ruin your photos too. Oh sure, the image may look just fine on your computer but zoom in close and then you’ll really know the quality of your shot. In this case, CRAP! The healing brush and blur tool in this case were very helpful.

If you have a digital SLR camera and you’re scared to clean your sensor, you should be. Read why: http://www.photos-of-the-year.com/articles/clean-sensor/ If you have OCD, I would recommend skipping this link altogether otherwise you may needlessly obsess about all the possible damage you may do to your camera (experience here).

But know if you send it off to be cleaned, be ready to wait for at least two weeks. If you feel brave enough to try to clean your sensor on your on, read this. If you have a digital SLR camera and you want to know how to clean your sensor click here. http://www.beyondmegapixels.com/2009/12/tips-for-keeping-your-camera-clean/

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