fingerprintphoto

flying over snow

2012-01-30T09:29:00.000-05:00

Over the weekend, I was given another opportunity to fly with Heath (first opportunity here.) This time it was over a snowy landscape that completely changed how the ground looked; the recent snowfall had covered everything with a fresh white blanket.

Normally, the lines created by farmland, and differences in soil, break up the landscape but with everything the same color and texture it was easier to notice the subtle rise and fall in topography. Therefore, I found myself just as interested in the abstract patterns in shadows as I was with looking for recognizable landmarks and trying to capture the essence of the world from above.

In all it was another glorious day for flying.

And, yes Heath, you were right…the queasiness is easier to handle the second time around.

Thanks again!

snow landscapes

2012-01-23T09:13:00.001-05:00

This past weekend finallybrought snow to Wisconsin worth paying attention to. Therefore,I ventured out for a drive to try and find some photos. I was pretty disappointed with the lack ofsunlight but there were some great landscape features that look very differentin a light snowfall. (It almost feltlike fog.)

Photographylike this can be quite fun (if you stay warm) when you look for interestingtextures, lines and patterns. (Kirsten, this photo below is when you passed me on the road.)

For the above photos, I decided on just driving out of town,since the 5 degree weather (and -10 wind chill) was a little much. The next day the weather was a balmy 15degrees, so I ventured a hike to Parfey’s Glen; a recently re-opened"canyon" that was washed out a couple years ago. I think I will defiantly need to head back therein the spring.

Technical thought process:

Photographically, snow canbe hard to capture right. The white of the snow and the dark of the rocks are at opposite ends of the dynamic rangeof the camera. This is made harder inovercast conditions actually, because it takes away all shadows that can revealthe texture of the snow. With no shadows it is just a mass of white. I was very careful not to under expose the snow too, the camera may not like it but I wanted that to be almost pure white.

For the driving around shots up top, I hadthe opposite problem. When shooting inthe fog (or light falling snow in this case) with a long lens, I am lookingthrough a lot of moisture in the air so everything actually becomes veryflat. Sure, I can expose the snow to be white, but the trees will look like they are light grey instead of dark. To "fix" this, I needed to really play with thecontrast by using the custom curves option in Light Room in order to see thedifference.

Like everything, photography takes doing and experimenting.

uw hockey

2012-01-18T13:11:00.000-05:00

Over the weekend, Sarah and I were invited to fill some empty box seats at a UW Men's Hockey Game. Not only was the game fun and the seats great but the company was definitely worth the price of free. UW winning was an added bonus for me, but the die-hard fans would probably only judge the evening by that single fact. Thanks Britton (that's the back of his head there in the first pick.)

If I ever go to a hockey game to shoot the event, I think I want seats right behind whatever piece of glass gets pounded the most...but you can't beat the seats we had for overall enjoyment of the game.

water drops on window

2012-01-17T15:19:00.002-05:00

First images of 2012 turned out better than I anticipated, things like this make me see the value of a macro lens even more.

Window condensation looking towards pre-sunrise blue sky:

best of every day 2011

2011-12-30T23:01:00.001-05:00

Taking my camera with me everywhere (sorta) is easy enough, but capturing moments takes more intentionality than just popping a couple snapshots here and there. But it gets easier the more I do it. And it helps to have a patient wife who lets me get lost in creating images.

Here are some of my favorite images from 2011's "everyday moments."

South West Photojournalism Conference

Tractor Rally as a protest?

Hiking at Devils Lake

Sarah's Garden (one of them)

Pirate Days

Just a random moment

Biking downtown with Sarah and her sister

another random moment in the office

Sarah's other garden

Hiking with some friends

Apple picking with little ones

Flying with Heath

Church leaders retreat

Thanksgiving with parents

Cookie decorating

best of 2011 nature snaps

2011-12-30T21:30:00.000-05:00

Some of my favorite nature images over the last year.

Enjoy.

2011 weddings and portraits

2011-12-26T23:15:00.000-05:00

Some of my favorite wedding and portrait images of 2011.

Well, OK, here is my favorite portrait of 2011:

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T12:48:00.003-05:00

Merry Christmas. May this Christmas be a season that effects the way you see the world for the year to come.

May you see Hope and Peace.

May you live with Patience and Love.

May you give Friendship and Grace.

A review of every lens on the market with a 35mm focal length

2011-12-23T15:41:00.002-05:00

Hello, my name is Matt Kirk, and I read a lot of gear reviews.
And I am disappointed with almost all of them.

When I look into a review, I want some sort of insight into how this sort of gear will be more effective; but most lens reviews care a lot more about qualitative measurement of sharpness, bokeh, and color fringes than I do. I do care about this (to a degree) but I want to know more about how this lens works in making images than how it performs technically. These kinds of technical reviews breed unhealthy attitudes towards lenses; it is foolish that people choose to use a lens because someone says that it is “good.” I hear a lot of this type of talk in photo chat rooms; hence I do not go near them anymore.

Therefore, I am going to write a lens review about what I think a lens review should be concerned with. This is a review for every prime lens on the market with a 35mm focal length. (i.e. If you shoot with a cropped camera like 1.5x or 1.6x, this is the 24mm.)

Sorry, this may be long...

Why the 35 works for me:
My photography tends to take on the form of story telling through environmental and candid portraiture; therefore, context is very important. Even when I am not photographing portraits, the context and story is still very important to me. Conversely, if I were a wildlife photographer, this lens may not work as well because I would need to focus on things farther away. For the relative distances between my camera and my subjects, I have found this lens works well, not just because of the field of view, but also how that field of view looks. It has a hint of both a standard and a wide angle. (Of course it does Matt, it is right in the middle of a 50mm and 24mm.) It is not as narrow as a 50mm so I can be closer to my subject for an environmental portrait, and yet is not as wide as a 24mm so it doesn’t have the extreme near-to-far distortion of a 24mm...and people don't look stretched out when they are near the frame. The 35mm can feel like a wide angle with a step backwards, and like a detail lens with a step forwards.

But this also is determined by how you see the world. I have always liked wide angles; without fail, I pick up a lens and zoom it to the widest that it can go. When I switched to a full frame camera, I thought I was in heaven with my 17-35mm, but I started noticing that there was a lot of disorder and confusion in my images. There was too much to look at and make sense of. Using a lens that is not as wide as I usually shoot, I was forced to think about how to fit things into the frame that I wanted. I started to jockey my position with the other elements in the frame in order to make it all fit and work.

Now I can go back to a wider focal length and see that I do not really need to shoot at the widest all the time. But when I do need to shoot at wider, I find that I have a lot more order to my images, and I am more aware of how the distortion is playing on my subjects.

(shot at 22mm, but with lessons learned from the 35)

Yes, it’s a prime:
A definite strength of this lens is that it forces me to think about my photography. Since it is a prime lens, I have to work a lot more at my framing. I can no longer stand still and compose any photograph in front of me by zooming, I need to be physically active. This is a good thing. Limitation breeds work, and work breeds creativity. I have learned more about composition by being forced into this focal length than I ever did with years of using zooms. Sometimes, zooms give me too many options, so it is easy to find a focal length that can work and create a good enough image. But what about creating great images? That requires work.

Some people call this concept of jockeying around for the best position “zooming with your feet.” I think this is a misnomer. The act of zooming changes your focal length, and therefore changes your lens properties. Yes I need to walk closer to my subject to fill the frame with their face, but this will never look like I zoomed to 105mm. If you want the look of a 105, you need a 105mm lens. Therefore “zooming with my feet” is not what I am doing. I am actually changing my subject to camera distance and therefore changing how this lens sees the world. If you stand in one place and zoom you lens, you are not seeing the world differently, just a smaller portion of the world. (That is sometimes a very powerful tool by the way.)

Many times I am a little scared to take only a prime out into the field for an assignment. I am always afraid of “missing the shot” because I do not have the "right lens." But if I were to carry every lens I may need, just in case, I would actually stifle myself. I have done this, I have become really frustrated with to many options, so I resorted to putting everything away but the simplest lens combination I had. Then I started to feel free.

“But Matt,” you are saying, “I can do all this with my 50mm too!” Yes you can, and please do. I have, and use, other prime lenses, and they all have this magic quality to them. I also have zooms, and I do use them. After using primes, it has changed how I use zooms too. I no longer carry all of the lenses I have access to out into the field; the idea here is to limit yourself, not cover all your bases. Know what you will use 85% of the time, and only take that. This was not intended to be “prime vs zoom” comparison. It is very difficult to compare apples and oranges. When you crave an apple, eat one. When I need the convenience of a zoom, I use that.

Finally:
I am not saying that the 35mm is my “shoot with one lens for the rest of my life” type of solution. I think that is a silly question, but it is a top choices to the age old question of which tool to use when you are not sure which problem to solve. Because of how it fits my style of photography and how it allows me to capture what I am attracted to; this lens is a great teacher, it stretches me, forces me to be creative with little, and allows me to enjoy what I am photographing.

An added benefit (and sometimes its biggest strength) is how light and small this lens is. After days of carrying around many pounds of glass, it is a treat to go this light. It is also gratifying to create compelling images with so little...it is like I am making the image and not the camera. Imagine that!

christmas cookies

2011-12-21T21:00:00.000-05:00

Almost every year (I am pretty sure) we head over to some friends house for a Christmas cookie making/decorating party. For me this means eating cookies and making photos...and less of the decorating cookies part, but I am ok with that.

see all the images here:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150549782217065.425945.647092064&type=3

a christmas blogpost

2011-12-21T12:08:00.001-05:00

Merry Christmas!
Hoping that your hollidays bring you reminders of a blessed year.

The above images were actually for this blog post at InterVarsity.org
http://www.intervarsity.org/blog/better-beard-christmas

One of my many photography duties here at InterVarsity is to create some of the images used in this blog, about half if I count right. This can sometimes be as simple as a book cover photographed in an intriguing way, or somethink specific...like a photoshoot of the Christma Beard. This shoot was fun because of its simplicity in concept (and lighting; a single 20"x20" sofbox, great for headshots at close range by the way) as well as the "talent." Thanks Adam, you really made the shot "work."

last images from the cabin

2011-12-16T08:00:00.000-05:00

OK, so I took several photos at our Thanksgiving Cabin Extravaganza. Here are my last images that I feel I just want to share...but don't fit into one of the last several posts.

macro for a new perspective

2011-12-14T08:00:00.000-05:00

If I am going to stay in one location for a while, I know that I will end up getting bored. Well, bored is not the right word, I will become familiar with the location and need a change of perspective. Since I see photographically more than I think I want to admit, macro photography is a great way for me to look at my surroundings different. One afternoon when I was feeling a bit "familiar" with my surroundings, I grabbed the macro and walked around outside...a total of about 35 yards in just under an hour looking for little hidden perspectives.

Here is a little explanation, although I didn't use flash this time...but now that I think about it, it would have added an extra element that I think could have kept me out photographing longer and possible create some compelling images.

games

2011-12-12T08:00:00.000-05:00

Sarah's family likes games, specially when we are ~~trapped~~ ~~and~~ ~~isolated~~ staying at a cabin for 7 days. The epic moment was completing "the most challenging puzzle we have ever done." - Sarah's Mom; the professional puzz-ler

camera button friday: bad weather photo

2011-12-09T08:00:00.000-05:00

I have talked before about how light is important to photography. It may seam that I am about to contradict myself, but hear me out. Sometimes, bad weather (not necessarily bad light) can create really great photography. My favorite is dense fog but heavy snow or rain can add a lot of drama. The trick is getting out in it and then keeping your gear dry.

I was reminded of this at our recent Thanksgiving Cabin Adventure; there was a some interesting weather that made photography more fun.

Yes the fog and the rain doesn't show up a lot in these photos, but it does make for a unique mood that I tend to like better. (Especially when the landscape looks so dead.) Having the great beautiful light can makes your landscape shots look like the front of a calendar, nothing wrong with that, but sometimes I really like the unexpected and moody feel of foul weather photography.

So this is not a contradiction, I still think good light is very important to photography. Believe it or not there is great light here. It is very diffused (because of the clouds) and therefore extremely soft. Just be careful including the sky...and if you do, be ok with it becoming a white blanket.

(post processing hint: you may need to really boost your contrast and saturation.)

Just for kicks, here are a couple images from last year that fall into this category.

sarah's kitchen

2011-12-07T08:00:00.000-05:00

This last thanksgiving, Sarah made everything. And she wanted to. It was clear who was in charge in the kitchen. I think she had a little fun.

But that is not why I am showing you these images..

Photographically, this was a major moment for me. I had decided to limit myself to using one small wide prime lens and letting the composition lead the photo...not my gear. This meant putting a 24mm f2.8 on a full frame camera, even though it is "not as sharp as other lenses." I have talked about using less equipment here so I won't again...but this was so much fun. I sat in one spot with the camera in my face for a while and waited for the elements to align correctly (people,) expressions to be great (faces,) and a moment to arise (a look or a gesture.) More on that here.

a thanksgiving cabin

2011-12-05T08:00:00.000-05:00

This Thanksgiving, Sarah and I hosted some family up at a cabin in Green Lake WI. It was a beautiful place to explore, eat great food, enjoy family, and hike around the conference center that housed our cabin. More images to come.

5 beds in 18 days

2011-11-27T16:28:00.001-05:00

I really missed my bed on a recent work trip that allowed me to sample 3 different places to lay my nogin ...

I only slept in mine for a weekend...

...before heading out for another week away from it.

I am glad to be back.

first snow

2011-11-11T08:00:00.000-05:00

On Wednesday, we got our first real winter storm. Several inches by the end of the day.

last of the fall colors

2011-11-09T13:50:00.000-05:00

This last weekend, at our Church's Leaders Retreat, I was able to get away for a while one morning to explore. I was thankful that there was still a little color left on some of the trees; this may be last of the fall colors that I get to photograph.

leaders retreat

2011-11-07T08:00:00.000-05:00

This last weekend took Sarah and I out of town for our Church Leaders Retreat. Fun was had on a night time hay-ride, getting lost heading to our bonfire, s'mores/mafia, games all night, mealtime chats lasting hours, enjoying the last days of 'warm weather' and forced fun in the form of Guesstures.

I think we did a little planning and oficial business in there somewhere....

photo group with a tripod

2011-11-01T08:00:00.000-04:00

I recently re-discovered these photos from several weeks back. We (the photo group I am apart of) trekked along a bike path that paralleled a stream. The idea was to see if we could get some colors as well as practice/learn some tripod techniques.

greek conference promo material

2011-10-28T08:00:00.000-04:00

One of the recent photography projects I have worked on for Intervarsity includes these "Magazine Shoots" for Greek InterVarsity. The idea being to promote Greek Conference this year with mocked up magazine covers highlighting the topics of this years conference.

The final product is now printed (on real magazine stock!) distributed, and up online to see.

http://gc.greekiv.org/2011/10/unfolding-soon/

The original, untouched shots.

Simple white or grey paper backdrop with a Single Strobe as key light (shot through a 3'x3' scrim) and a Studio Strobe as background light above the subject (through an umbrella.) And yes, we used a fan for the fmale subject to give lift to her hair. That was Erik's job...and he did all the design and photoshop work too but boy were his fan skills utilized!

flying in a small plane

2011-10-26T08:00:00.000-04:00

Heath and I bartered for his family portraits...well, our wives did at least. Sarah had the brilliant idea that for an hour (or so) portrait session, I could go riding in Heath's plane for an hour (or so.) I think I came out ahead in this one!

I have never flown in a small plane, and yes it was small: a 4 seater Cessna (I don't really want to call that a "back seat area" though, they were smaller the back seat of my old VW Bug from college.) We were airborne before I really felt like we were at speed and climbing without the normal "slam-you-into-the-back-of-your-seat-acceleration" that is typical to a passenger jet.

I really thought we would be thrown around a lot by turbulence (or the wind for that manner) and except for a few times, it was really smooth. It was also great to see places around town that I only know from the ground. From the air I felt like I could understand the scene I was looking at better, like I was looking at an object from more than one side at a time.

I did start to feel a bit queezy after about 30 minutes, now this was not all related to the movement of the plane but more so to the fact that I was looking in many directions (like to the side and behind me) through a narrow viewfinder and not looking up enough to get my barrings. Lets just say that I took a lot less photos the second half of the trip. But it was still amazing just to look.

I can see why this can be a great passion and addictive for many. A while ago, Sarah said that I should try and find a new hobby that doesn't have to do with cameras or computers...would this count?

I had a ton of fun, would love to do it again (without the feeling sick part of course) and am thankful to Heath for the great ride!

portraits - family of 6

2011-10-24T08:00:00.000-04:00

Taking portraits of people is a lot of fun, and I will be honest, shows how much control I have over my subjects. I do not mean this too sadistically (mwhaahaahaa) but more that people actually listen to my suggestions and trust that I know what I am going to make them look good.

This is not meant to make a point about my ego but to set up this portraits session as different: four young boys and a set of parents that know they only have limited control. I adopted more of a formula that saught to capture candid moments more than pose the family. To do this we walked around a park and reacted to what heppened.

My main goal when heading out to create portraits for the Johnson's was to try and get them all in one frame; smiling and generally looking like they tolerate each other. I was able to fake a couple poses but for the most part it was more about jockeying my position to see each face. It also helps to shoot a ton so that maybe all of their expressions would be on the pleasing side.

Looking back, I realize how much fun we all actually had. At first they all tried to act like good little boys but soon they reverted to their fun ways of boyhood dominance, revelry, and survival...which is fun once you know you have a couple images in the bag and you can start taking more risks with your photography.

There is something mystical about being let into a family's space to capture their intimate and real lives. I felt this with the Johnson's. I guess this is proof that they opened up to me as well. Thanks guys.

cedar campus promo video

2011-10-21T08:00:00.000-04:00

Earlier in the summer, I was able to visit Cedar Campus; one of InterVarsity's Training and Retreat Centers in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. I will not go off on the beauty but let you just see it. Here is the promo video for the Camp that we made:

This is actually one of the first videos that I have created that successfully used both stills and video as a story telling mechanism (well, other than when I have been forced to by lack of footage.) Most of the time I am focusing on gathering video and telling the story, so I am not able to create good images, but this trip I also had Mike to capture video (including the cameras mounted to boats!) so I was able to dabble in both. In this case, I feel the photos captured moments and showed the beauty that is different than video. But the Video also captures an essence that stills can not...both are complimentary in this sense.

My favorite photos I took can also be seen here.

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you can tell they're sisters

2011-10-19T08:00:00.000-04:00

When I was asked to create portraits of two sisters I jumped at the idea. The day before I panicked. I grew up with 2 brothers, and I was the middle child. I have never done this, nor do I know what sisters do together. So my wife came along to reassure me.

Here is a hint: let them be themselves. For this instance, it really helped that Sarah and I are already friends with Helen and Mimi, so they were were more likely to be natural. Which I was thankful for.

For me, portrait photography is becoming less and less about how to pose people and more and more about how to let people be themselves. And if you think about it, you will never learn that in a photo book or at a photo class...it is just people skills. And that is when they start having fun too.

Yes, knowing how the camera works, how it sees light, how to capture a scene...and yes a little bit of posing helps, but this is only one layer in a photo; the subject needs to reveal something about themselves for a great photo too.

more on story

2011-10-17T08:00:00.000-04:00

During another trek to the Apple Orchard, I was presented with three moods of a friends son within a couple seconds. I like each of the 3 individual photos, but there is something to having them as one...

Part of me wants to talk more about story (that original post here) and yet part of me just wants to enjoy these expressions. I think there is something more intuitive to photo story telling. Something to the fact that we are human we can relate to human emotions. Something simpler (but also more complicated) than what can be explained in a detailed evaluation of the characteristics of each photo. I wonder if we think about it to much, we would actually cheapen the photo.

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camera button friday: how to photograph fall colors

2011-10-14T08:00:00.001-04:00

The fall colors are starting to show...lets hope that enough pop at the same time to make it visible and that the winds don't get to excited and scare them all down.

How to shoot fall colors:
All other photographic techniques still apply (composition and exposure) when photographing fall colors, but there are also a couple tips for making the color look good in camera. It is even more important here to take photos in good light, and to expose correctly for that light; morning are best (evenings are a second best) because the light is coming in at a sharp angle and not making shadows under the leaves that make for very contrasty photos.

Overcast is great too, but like in all overcast days, don't include the sky.

Backlit leaves look great, but be carefull: a full tree of backlit leaves can sometimes look to dark, so focus on a couple leave at first and then see what more look like in the frame.

Ok, I know I said not to back light an entire tree, and normally it doesn't work, but here it did. This is not normal for me.

Front lit leaves show the best color, and this is best when you want to show an entire tree or many trees.

Shadow behind leaves makes them pop, if you expose for the highlights and let the shadows go black.

nature is more fun with others

2011-10-12T08:00:00.000-04:00

Yes, fall colors are fun to photograph, but I much prefer the story of people enjoying nature than just nature itself. For me a great scene is a starting point for the human story.

Hikes with friends, my favorite way to go.

In situations like this, exposing for the highlights is still the way to go...but with people adding to the scene, it is very easy to get frustrated with your exposure because people tend to stay more in the shade. It is an interesting balance and many times has me frustrated because my subject looks great to my eye but the camera has a hard time with the shadows and the highlights. I wish I had an overcast day for these times, but the sunlight was very beautiful. Believe it or not, it is still possible to appreciate scenes that may not photograph well.

pewits nest - a gold mine for photogs

2011-10-10T08:00:00.001-04:00

Last week, Gary Nauman and I were talking about a couple of the treasures of Wisconsin. He told me about Pewits Nest. As a graphic designer (and a painter, and great with wood cuts) I trusted him when he said it would make great photography. So when I woke up at 5:00am on Saturday, wondering if I should take advantage of the great weather and fall colors, I knew where I wanted to go.

It was a Gold Mine!!

Not a great place for hiking (it only took my 10 minutes to get in...and that was in the dark) but there is a great 300 foot long gorge that just makes for great photography. And with the fall leaves swirling in the water...I felt like a little boy who had been granted permission to get dirty.

apple picking with a little one

2011-10-07T08:00:00.001-04:00

There is something about a small one going apple picking, maybe it is the wonder?

Or is it the juxtaposition of big trees, and people to small hands and feet?

If this happens to look familiar, then you are right. I must only take one kind of photo. Last years version here.

katelynn and jordan's wedding

2011-10-05T08:00:00.000-04:00

Thank you for letting us (me and Steve) be part of your day. We had a blast, the setting was gorgeous, and you were both fun. Congratulations, My hope is that the best of your marriage is yet to come.

team photo

2011-10-03T08:00:00.000-04:00

A friend at work also sidelines as a state champion cyclist. His team just got a new sponsor (the bike shop in the photo) and new jerseys, so they wanted to show them off with a new team photo.

How to:

Scouting:

I went down the the shop the day before to see what the light and options were like. I had three options outside, one with the building in the background (and the shop sign) and another two with the lake. All had the same 2 problem: how do I get 50 people in a shot and still see everyone, and how do I light it?

Positioning:

I wanted to be looking up at the building so that I could get the sign in it, so the only option is to get everyone on something like grandstands or bleachers. Those are hard to find, and after a day of looking and calling around, I gave up. My normal solution is to limb a ladder (or a lift, like here.) In the end, that is what ended up happening because the team wanted to do the shot inside, so I guess there was a 4th option I didn't know about.

Light it:

I started off with 2 strobes, one on either side of me, really high up on stands. The tricky part for the big group shot (and tight spaces) is that my strobes are twice as close to the front row than they are to the back. And we all know (yes you should understand the inverse square law) that this means the back row are 4 times dimmer than the front. So I used another set of strobes, higher up, zoomed, and aimed for just the back. I was afraid of the image being flat so I actually didn't put my strobes perfectly at 45 degrees, or even at the same angle, between me and the group. I added another pair to the back to add an edge to peoples faces. The total: 6 strobes (half of them were borrowed) fired with 3 different triggering methods. For the smaller group shots, I just used 2 strobes in front and 2 in back behind them for a kicker.

Camera Button Friday: its all about perspective

2011-09-30T08:00:00.000-04:00

In photography, there are 2 main ingredients to an image: Light and Composition. More on Light here, but this is about composition. By definition, composition is how things are aligned (more on that here) but your perspective (where you are and what you see) is just as imposrtant. Getting your camera into an interesting location can sometimes be 50% of the shot...

This video it is 90% location.

I am not saying you need to become an astronaut to get good photos but the idea is there. For the rest of us here on earth, it may take a little more creativity:

Don't take photos at eye level
Look behind you
Intentionally put yourself in the 'rough'
Find a good foreground and shoot over/through it
Get closer
Back up to include more context

I know the last two are inconsistent but hear me out, many times taking a step back can add perspective or context to the scene, this has been a new way for me to show more about the 'story' of an image.

In short, look for a different perspective than the 'normal.'

(There is also an element of the unexpected.)

Play, explore and do something different.

camera button friday: story

2011-09-23T08:00:00.001-04:00

I know, I am cheating by re posting images from 2 days ago...but for a purpose.

The other day I was talking with a writer about photography. Trying to relate to what she knows, I connected photography to story telling (well at least the basics of story telling, think like a 5th grader now.) In a story, you can start with an introduction of the scene that sets the stage, you then introduce characters and their relation to the scene. You may draw out more details or interactions before you state a conclusion or result of the interaction. Bonus points to the best stories that have conflict and resolution, usually told by juxtaposition of two elements or a character with their environment.

Here is a VERY simple photographic story, with similar elements of the above. (If you really search, you can find the conflict...it is in the desire to fill the empty bag with deliciousness.)

For a writer, or anyone who understands the complexities of story telling, this may be way to simple and childlike for you. That is ok. But do go out and try it. The complexities of the actual photograph and the imagination of the viewer add in all the details that writers add with words.

Story telling is simplest in photography with a series of 3-7 images but the masters can do it in one!

first apple picking

2011-09-21T08:00:00.000-04:00

The apple picking of the season, hopefully the first of many.

We have never been this early in the season, it feels like Fall is falling a little sooner than normal. Lets just hope it is because it will be a long one, and not a sooner winter. We love this time of year.

sarah and shaun's wedding

2011-09-19T08:00:00.000-04:00

Congratulations Sara and Shaun,I hope you enjoy your images as much as I did taking them.

cedar campus

2011-09-16T08:00:00.000-04:00

Intervarsity has a couple camps that we use as retreat and training senters. These are beautiful camps to say the least.

I was able to visit Cedar Campus for a recent project. The uper penicula of Michigan truly is a beautifyul as the say. Not sure if I can say much more than that to do it justice.

water like silk

2011-09-14T08:00:00.001-04:00

One morning, I woke early and thought, “I should get out and photograph something.” I remembered a stream I had recently discovered, so I grabbed my tripod and ran out to the spot. Because the sun was still hidden behind the nearby hills, I was able to shoot everything with the same exposure...like it was all in the shade. I proceeded to race around like little boy who just got a new bike for Christmas. The fact that the light quality was great and that I brought my tripod (and filters like a polarizer and a new Graduated ND) really made this a lot easier than it should be.

How to: After finding a location, the biggest thing is that you need a good, solid tripod. This is hard because usually this means really heavy or really expensive. (Lets just say mine is not the lightest out there.) Second: I used a Polorizer to cut out reflections on the water and on the green leaves so that things were of a more natural hue...and it drops the light levels a bit too so that I could have longer shutter speeds. Finally, I tried out a new Graduated Neutral Density filter. This is just a piece of glass that I hold in front of my lens, it has a darker area on the top and fades to clear on the bottom, this makes the top of my frame darker than the bottom. This really helped in images like the first and last ones, where the light values in the trees were brighter than those on the creak.

new flashlight - new lightpainting

2011-09-12T08:00:00.000-04:00

I tried my hand at Lightpainting again recently. Both because I have not done it in a while as well as the fact I just picked up a 2 Million Candlepower flashlight!

[These look bigger when you click on them to make them bigger]

Lightpainting is basically when you set your camera to have a long exposure (like 15-30 seconds) and then use your flashlight to paint the scene. Wherever your flashlight lights up the scene your camera see that part of the scene...and only that part. The trick is to to create enough light (but not to much,) create even light (but no hot spots,) make it look natural enought to not feel like a street light (therefore paint unevenly,) and not catch yourself in the shot (wearing black and not pointing the light towards the camera help.) Mostly it is a game of trying, looking at the LCD, laughing, and trying again and again.

juxtaposition

2011-09-08T08:00:00.000-04:00

What does this mean?
What does it say?
How does it make me feel?

I have no idea but thought it was interesting.
Two trees withing 40 feet of each other, when I realized I couldn't take a photo that was clear enough in concept that included both I decided to try this juxtaposition.

frustration in the forest

2011-09-06T08:00:00.016-04:00

In a recent series of hikes in the woods, I became VERY frustrated with my photography. Nothing was coming out as I was seeing, envisioning or even hoping. This even after I wrote about how to photograph in the woods here.

I was so intent of finding the great shot (or creating it) that I was duped and blind. I knew how to shoot, I know how to see light, I know how to implement complicated exposure calculations, and I know how to press the shutter button…but I couldn't make a photo.

I felt like everything that I was capturing had been captured before and therefore was not a good photo. I felt like I had done this before, where is the ‘amazing?’

I tried carrying all my lenses, I tried only caring one, and nothing seemed to free my mind. I was so worrying about what I was not getting that I didn’t see and enjoy what I was getting.

There may be a life lesson in here somewhere.

Now that I have time to look at these images apart from the experience, I see they are not that bad.

lydia and josh's wedding

2011-08-29T22:45:00.000-04:00

I have posted about Lydia and Josh before (portraits here, wedding portrait teaser here, and a timing issue here) but this is the actual wedding. And one of the most visual weddings I have shot in a while. Combine the Coptic wedding service in one of the oldest churches in Madison (the Deacons were literally pulling Steve and I onto the stage to get the best shots!) with a great reception hall in an old Theater. We had a lot to work with. In situations like this I am very glad that I have the option of a second shooter, it allows me to be a bit more free in getting unconventional or risky shots.

Thanks guys, I had a blast...despite the heat and no air conditioning.

right place...right time

2011-08-26T08:00:00.004-04:00

Sometimes you just get lucky and you are in the right place. (It also helps to know how to capture it too.)

[Post storm as the sun breaks, always look away from the sun, down your shadow.]

"hope you like tomato based meals"

2011-08-24T08:00:00.000-04:00

Sarah's Garden has provided us with as many tomatoes as we had the entirety of last year, and we are not done yet. As Sarah was chopping up this weeks batch she said, "good thing you like tomato based meals, because we are going to have a lot of them this winter...maybe I will try my hand at salsa!"

beyond justice video trailer

2011-08-22T08:00:00.003-04:00

A little bit ago, I was in Detroit filming a video shoot for World Vision act:s and InterVarsity. Well, last week I am super excited to say, I finished the edit and sent it off to act:s. Stay tuned for release, and while we are waiting check out the article James wrote about our adventure...and one of the two trailers below.

within 1/60th of a second

2011-08-19T08:00:00.000-04:00

I am sorta surprised this doesn't happen more: A shot of mine, followed by one from Steve Salts during a recent wedding we shot together. They had to have been within 1/60th of a second from each other (our shutter speeds) for us to capture the same exact moment in time (proof because Steve caught my fill flashes in his frame.)

katelynn and jordan's pre-wedding portraits

2011-08-17T08:00:00.000-04:00

last week's goodness

2011-08-15T19:24:00.000-04:00

Last week brought the surprise of my best friend from High School making it into town. To celebrate we showed him around town and canned relish! (Welcome to the Midwest Tim!) Well Sarah canned, Tim and I watched until we felt useless then we started playing with the knives and 'helped' chop.

For Sarah, the surprise came in the form of her garden's goodness.

camera button friday: light and shade

2011-08-12T08:00:00.009-04:00

Given my last couple posts (here and here) I thought I would talk about the types of light I encountered while hiking in the woods. The problem is that our eyes (and the emotion in our souls) see a scene with much more latitude than the camera. I remember my first years hiking with a camera and getting very frustrated. The biggest reason was that I was trying to photograph in very contrast situations and the camera just can’t handle that.

Here are the cliff-notes: If the sun is out (not overcast) shoot only in full shade (no light is streaming thorough) OR expose for only the light and shoot things that are only in that light...therfore letting the shadows go black. If it is overcast (great!) shoot all you want but don’t include the sky, because it will be all white.

Let’s talk about the sun. To the camera, the sun is very bright, brighter by 3 times as much light than the shade (sometimes more if there is a lot of cover) and this is beyond the range of our cameras. Therefore, we can expose only for the sun or only for the shade. Not both. Here are 3 shots of the same scene: exposed for sun, exposed for shade and then "exposed for both."

Sure, the bottom shot will work in a pinch but it is not worth printing, so just accept it and embrace it like a silly uncle. Use manual exposure or Exposure Compensation (your most important button) to tell your camera which one to expose for. I usually try to avoid exposing for the shade (although it can sometimes work, especially if there are people in the shade) because when you have a lot of bright spots on your photo it looks funny…and our eyes tend to be drawn to the brightest parts of the scene.

Now here is the takeaway: look for subjects that are only in the sun (or wait for them to walk into it) expose for them and see how your images pop!! Letting the shade go black creates drama and can sometimes hide the clutter of a complicated scene. Once you get this idea down start taking risks (risk can sometimes yield good photos) and be adventurous: start looking into the these shafts of light and see what you can create.

What about overcast days? These are great! Now we do not have the problem of direct sun and dark shade…just differing degrees of shade (if you think about it, the clouds are creating shade all over our scene, kinda nice of them don’t ya think?) This can create great opportunities for hiking in the woods where shafts of light can usually ruin any composition. But it is not all great. Be careful of those shots that include the horizon or the big vista shots at the end of your hike. The light values in the sky are much brighter than the shade values on the ground, so your sky will go all white. In this situation, stick to shots that do not include the sky, like the details or be creative and get trees or hills to be your background.

But what about those days that are both? These are great because you get the best of both worlds...if you are patient. A side effect of paying attention to light is that you will learn to be aware of changing light levels. Like on days that clouds are moving, shading the sun for a bit and then not. Below is an image I was waiting for because the clouds were shading the scene, but I knew it would leave soon. I watched as several photographers came to take a similar shot when the clouds were blocking the sun. I saw them look at their images, take more, look at their images, and shake their heads. As soon as the sun peaked through to light up the subject with great light I took two frames and I looked around for the other photographers...they were off down the street looking for their next snapshot. They were not paying attention to the most important element in photography: light.

What about HDR? Well, if you are an HDR monkey and into that kinda thing, then sure, that is a way to take photos in contrast situations because you can use your computers to make it look "cool." I will not say that this is silly, or that there may be a time and place for it, or that some people over use it...no I will not say that at all. And no, I am not going to tell you how, because I have never done it. If you want to know, there are way to many tutorials online. But because you asked, this is my first...and so far only 'HDR' image. (by the way, it was faked: I didn't take multiple images or use an HDR program, it was one image...just heavily stylized in Lightroom.)

So there you have it. No matter what light you find yourself in, learn to utilize its strengths. But also remember that ugly light is unfixable, I am talking about harsh overhead light that is usually found between 10:00am and 4:00pm. So get up early or eat dinner late to take advantage of the great low light, and then learn to enjoy your surroundings when photogrpahy is not working...because your eyes (and your soul) can still enjoy nature, even when your camera can't.

.

weekend adventure: three parks before lunch – part two

2011-08-10T08:00:00.001-04:00

In part one, Sarah and I headed out to capture morning light. After breakfast we decided to hit up two more State Parks; Tower Hill and Governor Dodge. Two very different parks in size, length of hikes and the amount of people we ran into…but still great to walk around. By the time we got to Governor Dodge the light was pretty bad, after a couple shots I realized that photography was done. This was actually expected, so I put my camera away and did something every obsessed photographer has to re-learn: I enjoyed the hike without taking photos. This was short lived unfortunately. For some reason I decided to step into a Wasp nest and therefore invited one to take a huge chunk out of my leg. (OK, it wasn't really a huge chunk…and actually you can’t even see it but I have to exaggerate with something because; man, did that hurt!) So we headed back to the car, ~~I cried for 20 minutes~~ then we went to A&W for lunch.

It is amazing how much you can fit into a day adventure when you get up early enough.

weekend adventure: three parks before lunch – part one

2011-08-08T08:00:00.005-04:00

Sarah and I got up at sunrise on Saturday with the intent of an adventure. One element of our adventure was that I wanted to head out to get great morning light for photography, which always sounds so much better the night before compared to the morning of. But I was pulled out the door anyways. We headed out to Pheasant Branch Conservancy, a State Park we have ventured to many times before…just never at sunrise. Knowing the park is actually a great advantage in fleeting light, we were able to think through how the low light was streaking into different parts of the park and head there instead of slowly exploring and consequently losing all the great opportunities. I soon focused on getting shots looking into the sun; there was a interesting haze over different marsh lands that added a great effect. Once the light got harsh we decided to go to breakfast.

Part two is reserved for the other two parks we visited…stay tuned.

Oh, a note of interest: all but 2 of these images were taken with an out of date, consumer grade telephoto zoom.

Just sayin'.

Lydia and Josh Wedding teaser

2011-08-01T08:00:00.003-04:00

I normally don’t do this but here is a teaser from a wedding I JUST shot. I just couldn’t go to long without looking at these portraits. Steve Salt and I shot Lydia and Josh's wedding together, which we have done before, but what we have not done before is team portraits. This was a fun collaborative effort in creating some fun portrait in an amazing location. We would both brainstorm about location, poses, lighting and look. Even if it was my finger that shot the photo, it was truly a joint creation. After nearly 10 hours of shooting a wedding, Steve and I felt as giddy as school boys (well at least I did) as we ran around a very old Theater shooting to our hearts content. (Steves take on the shoot can be found here.)
Here a couple quick edits that I thought were worth showing in advance.

Thanks again guys, for the great day and the great location.

random photos take 2

2011-07-29T08:00:00.001-04:00

Another post acknowledged how life is getting in the way of blogging, here are just a smattering of images from random times: Garrett's surprise visit, saying good buy to Amy, discovering the Jeske's tire swing, debriefing a shoot over Mexican, cool light, and macro in the kitchen (or is it?)

random photos

2011-07-27T08:00:00.000-04:00

Since I am in the middle of a couple weddings AND life is getting in the way of blogging, here are just a smattering of images from random times: picnicking at American Players Theater, walking around Art Fair on the Square, Biking downtown, and Concerts on the Square. (to name a few)

camera button friday: simple portrait

2011-07-22T08:00:00.003-04:00

At its most glorified state, creating a portrait is an attempt at capturing an essence of a person in a way to better understand them; at its simplest form, a portrait is to show what someone looks like. Many times I have taken a technically good photo and the subject hates it, because they are overcritical of themselves and not because of anything I have done technically. Therefore, creating a portrait is both a technical feat and an artistic one…with a little luck thrown in

First the technical:
Since a portrait is about a subject, cleaning up the lighting and composition is key. There are many complicated and rewarding ways of accomplishing this and I encourage everyone to explore this….but the easiest way to do this is to utilize a medium telephoto lens to allow the background to fall out of focus. If you have a zoom, walk away from your subject and zoom in as far as you can. If you want the simplest portrait lens that produces the best results for under $1000, then buy a 50mm f1.8 lens for $100, go here for Nikon, or here for Canon. (Side note: a big f-stop is actually the smaller #, like f1.8 is ‘bigger’ than f5.6 and therefore shallower depth of field and lets more light in for low light situations.) This lens allows you to shoot at a shallow depth of field (due to the f1.8) and has the side affect of force you to think more about your photography (due to being a prime) if you let it.

Now the artistic:
1) The first thing I look for is good light. In the examples below, I looked for where the light was ‘glowing’ in from big windows and I watched for how the light was playing on the subjects face, hopefully lighting up both of the eyes. I have talked about this before.
2) Even having the best gear can make a bad photo…you need to know how to use it artistically. Below are a couple images I took with the 50mm f1.8. I intentionally used a big hallway that extended far away behind the subject to allow it go look out of focus, I intentionally squatted down or leaned slightly to the side to frame the subject into the background. Since all of these images were taken with the same fixed focal length (can’t zoom) 50mm f1.8 prime I moved around a lot to get all these ‘different’ shots. If you want the subject closer (or bigger in the frame) then move forward. Conversely if you want them smaller, scoot back and recompose. Warning, a little thinking and vision are involved here.
3) The last thing was how I related to my subject, well it was also first because I had been relating the entire time I was thinking about step 1 and 2, but it pays off after I have my subject in the right light and knowing how to use my gear. This is where being relational is super important to portrait photography because we need to be everything to everyone in order to make them feel comfortable enough with us to let their guard down and let their self show through. This aspect is the most important element to portrait photography…and usually the most overlooked in chat rooms and people that want to tell you gear is everything. Nobody will be able to tell you what lens or camera you used but everyone can tell if a pose looks fake, or a subject looks uncomfortable, or if the smile looks forced.

There are many other elements to portraits (lighting, or exotic location and people come to mind) but if you jump past the simple elements to soon, the true essence of a portrait can become overly complicated. Juggling all the aspects; knowing how to relate to your subject, seeing the light as your camera does, and thinking in general, are all things that require practice. Put yourself in situations that stretch you, and try to create a portrait that tells a story. A good portrait is created, sometimes by accident, and sometimes by painstaking intentionality.

walk in the light - and just a 24

2011-07-20T08:00:00.000-04:00

Similar idea to this post, I went out to a favorite sunset spot the other day with only a wide angle lens (if you must know, a 24mm on a full frame camera.) Like shooting with one lens can force you into creativity by making what you have work, frequenting a location is another way of pushing yourself into creativity by making you think of different ways of shooting the same scene. I have visited Pope Farm Park a lot over the years, but never captured these particular images.

kaitlin and randy's wedding

2011-07-17T21:19:00.000-04:00

Earlier this year, I traveled to their family farm for Kaitlin and Rand's portraits. To photograph their wedding, Mike and I traveled around a couple small towns here in Southern Wisconsin; from a cute chapel in the middle of a corn field, to three different bars and then off to the reception at the country club. It is amazing what a change in location does to photography and how it can refresh opportunities. (Second image below by Mike Libby)

a 50 and green

2011-07-15T17:53:00.002-04:00

I think I have said before that I like simple lenses for fun personal photography. I was at a workshop last weekend where I was working with other photographers teaching the use of their basic 50mm lens for great portraits. By the way, the 50mm should be the first lens everyone should think of upgrading to (and the cheapest lens out there.) There is something about it that forces you to be a photographer instead of a snap shooter...maybe it is because it allows/forces you to think more.

For a recent trip to Sarah’s ~~produce isle~~ garden, I slapped my old 50mm lens on my outdated camera. Yes I wanted a macro at times but I actually had a lot of fun…and was surprised by how ‘old’ and ‘inferior’ gear can still make pictures.

detroit video shoot

2011-07-11T08:00:00.008-04:00

A couple weeks ago, I was in Detroit for a joint video shoot with InterVarsity and World Vision act:s. Our assignment was to shoot York Moore talking about the biblical basis for seeking Justice. World Vision act:s will be creating a curriculum for students on college campuses for one of their most important campaigns yet. More to come as things develop.

My job was to make the video work visual. I had ideas of different compositions but the main location that I scouted 3 weeks earlier nudged me to seek a very symmetrically centered composition for York; the banks of the Detroit river, looking across to Windsor, Canada...the view slaves had as they swam to freedom (one of the visual themes of the video.) Below are photos of the 5 locations (starting with the riverfront) as well as screen shots of the actual Video.

facepainting for fireworks

2011-07-08T08:00:00.001-04:00

More photos from this night.
Sarah has some hidden talent with face paint, She was constantly mobbed by children wanting to be transformed into tigers, frogs of lions. Every time her response was "Oh yeah, I can do that."

fireworks on the 5th

2011-07-06T11:27:00.000-04:00

For some reason, here in Madison we like to have firework displays that are NOT on the 4th of July. Maybe it is so that they will not compete with each other, but a rumor is that security is cheaper on non-holidays. Anyway, our local park (Elver Park, right around the corner from us) shot off a great display on the 5th of July. It is also pretty cool that the church that we go to shares a property line with Elver Park. We opened up our back lawn for free parking, bounce houses, snow cones, and even face painting. More on that later but my goal was to get a couple shots that showed the space and the fireworks above. In doing so I needed to actually overexpose the fireworks a bit to get the right ambient levels to show the grass and whatnot. I also experimented with covering the sky with my hand for the first 10 seconds of the shot and then uncovered the sky for the second 15 seconds or so, that way the grass would burn in a little more than the sky and fireworks.

It seemed that this year the fireworks were a bit brighter when they exploded; cool for seeing bright lights but not cool for the camera. These shots of just the fireworks below we timed to start after the initial burst of light to just capture the trails of color.

I wanted to show the church in the foreground, but it was a bit dark and too big to paint with light, but the sign works. I opened my shutter for the exposure (turned out to be only 10 seconds of so here) and then fired off my flash to light the sign. It took a couple tries to get the flash at the right brightness to match the fireworks.

camera button friday: how to shoot fireworks

2011-07-01T08:00:00.002-04:00

There are a lot of posts on the internet on how to photograph fireworks. They can get complicated and can involve cable releases, stop watches, black cards to cover your lens during long exposures, tethering software to see the image instantly on your computer, and other specialist equipment. I don't get that complicated because I like to enjoy the fireworks a little too. (I just take my camera and a tripod.) You can search all you want for more informative posts but let this be mostly a reminder to take your camera and tripod out for any fireworks you may encounter this 4th of July.

Take a Tripod...even if you have one of the fancy cameras that can shoot in the dark. You will WANT a long shutter speed to show the motion of fireworks, like 15-30 seconds! Unless you are superhuman and have no heart beat, you can't hand hold it.

Know how to use Manual Mode on your camera. You will want to change the settings the camera thinks are the exposure. (If you don't have a manual mode, play with night mode or see if you have a 'fireworks mode') The great thing about digital is that you can play and check. The hard part is that we only have one, maybe two, nights of practice. Looking back at some images from the last couple years, I usually shoot at ISO 100, f8 and a 30 second exposure. That can all change of course, but it is a starting point.

*Keep in mind that your LCD screen will look brighter than is actually is because it is so dark outside...so if it looks perfect, it may not be bright enough of an exposure.*

Once you get things down, think also how you can take photos that may be different than others, or that show context or another element of interest. (The last two have a flash off camera to add in some light.) Search the internet for other images to see how other people shoot..then try something different.

Oh, and don't forget to have fun...not just with your camera but with other people that you may be sitting with. Don't ignore them TOO much.

recent intervarsity photo projects

2011-06-23T11:04:00.000-04:00

Things have been a bit crazy around here.

I am juggling 3 major video projects at this time, but every once in a while I get to play with a smaller photo project. Here are two.

Gary, one of the graphic designers, is updating a handout for campus along the topic of injustice and oppression under the question, "How does evil invade your space?". His concept was ~~stolen~~ borrowed (all ideas are modified ideas by the way, nothing is ever really new) from another campaign that wrote words on a photo of a face, his idea was to actually write those words onto his daughters face.

Camera Geekout: I lit it in front of both white and a black background so that Gary would have options. Key light on axis and a kicker on both sides for some glow. With the white backdrop I also had a light on the background to make it over exposed and a reflector on the floor to bounce light into the face more.

Final product, a 5x7 flier with info and questions on the back.

My second fun project has to do with a secret Video that we are doing. All I can show you is the movie poster that was created. You will have to follow twentyonehundred productions on facebook for all the release info.

Camera Geekout: I tried something different with the lighting. I put both a hard and a soft light to camera left. The hard light is providing most of the light and the 'dramatic' feel but the soft light is just adding in a little light for the eyes.

Final Product...........

happy fathers day

2011-06-19T13:10:00.000-04:00

Last year, a co-worker and I created a video essay as a personal side project. David told the story of fatherhood in his life. Coming along side David and creating the video side of his essay was a privilege and a joy. A great added bonus is that I came to appreciate my Dad quite a lot more. Thanks Dad, for being that loving Father that you are. I know I am one of the luck ones in today's culture. I love you.

Father's Day from David Hui on Vimeo.

camera button friday: blue hour

2011-06-17T08:00:00.020-04:00

'When' you take a photo is just as important as 'How'.

Lighting is one of the most important elements in photography (ummm, you are taking a photo of light remember) so choosing the right light is key. And yes, I used the word Choosing because you do have a choice, choosing not to take a photo is just as important as choosing to take a photo...but that is another post, we were talking about light. There are many great times durring the day to take photos in great light; this one is called Blue Hour. Why they call it an hour is a little silly because if feels like only a couple minutes, but it is a couple minutes durring the 'hour' after sunset where they sky turns blue. This is really cool when you want to mix artificail light with the fading night sky...but you have to wait for the levels to be the same.

before sunset....

after sunset durring 'blue hour' but to soon.....

just about right......

This is great when you want to show the photo was taken at night, but when you don't wnat the sky to be black. I just think it creates a fun mood, especialy for those fun summer nights.

Depending on the amount of artificial light (a single street light produces a lot less light than a stadium full) you need to wait until the light levels in the sky (lets call that ambient) drop to the light levels that are created by man. The hard part is that this will only last for a couple moments. Then it is gone.

I guess it is called the Blue Hour because there is about an hour where the sky is still blue...but depending on how much artificial light you have to match it to, you will only have a couple minutes when those light levels cross in intensity.

recent conversation

2011-06-13T08:00:00.007-04:00

"Can I help you?"
"Maybe. I am a photographer and I am wondering if you can help me with a personal project."
"Um, ok."
"I am challenging myself to create environmental portraits of interesting locations. As I was driving by I thought this would be perfect. Can I take your photo?"
"Sure, why not...where should I stand?"
"Here will work."

*click*

"Can I take a photo of your daughter too?"
"Me? Really? Sure."
"Lets walk over here."
"Here?"
"That would be great."

*click*

"Thank you!"
"No, thank you. Can I e-mail you the images?"
"Oh, please!"

camera button friday: too much equipment

2011-06-10T08:00:00.003-04:00

I am glad that the early influences on my photography (friends actually going to photo school) were not much into the gear craze. Most of the outings we went on actually had an unspoken code of less-is-more. We have all heard that less-is-more and yet we are all still lusting after more gear. At least I am.

Lately I have been trying to fight that by limiting myself to one lens. My current favorite setup (that I steel from work) is the 35mm prime on a full frame D700. I like it so much that I purchased a 24mm prime for my cropped frame D200 in order to have the similar field of view. I first started doing this lens combo because of how small and easy it is to handle, especially when you compare the 35mm prime to the monster 24-70mm f2.8...

...but I also noticed that this had other benefits, this actually has helped my photography (the limiting part not this particular lens.) There are a lot of post and forums that talk about how prime lenses are 'better' than zoom lenses because they limit you into creativity. I agree...but that doesn't make a zoom bad. There are times you need the convenience of a zoom (like weddings) but times that it is ok to stretch yourself (like on vacation or walking around town.) Primes can do wonders in stretching your creativity if you allow yourself to enter into to that creativity. If I had my dream kit, it would have both...but there I go again lusting after more gear than I need/can afford/deserve/need.

It seams counter intuitive, but having a lens for every occasion actually oversaturate my mind and I have a harder time seeing images. It is like I have to many options, like the grocery store when you have 36 options of peanut butter, you always have a hard time choosing what is best. To many choices stifles creativity. Limiting myself is hard at first, sometimes even frustrating, but if I stick at it I usually can create better images than I could if I was not being stretched.

Here are a couple images where I have felt free while being stretched:

So, what am I trying to say? For me, at this point of my photographic journey, limiting myself with lenses can bread creativity. This can be with one prime, or one zoom, or some combo that intentionally limits me so that I will NOT be allowed to capture every single photo I see, but it forces me to think. This may be different for me later in life and it may be different for you now...but try limiting yourself in some way if you want to stretch yourself.

After discovering this "limitation that breeds creativity," I actually looked it up and there is actually a really substantial following of the idea. Even a Wikipedia page. And if you are into it, Origami is all about this limitation...you just try and make an ornate spider out of one un-cut piece of paper without betting creative.

more from the port...and other locations

2011-06-08T08:00:00.001-04:00

A smattering of random photos (other than the Pirate Festival) from Sarah and my recent weekend getaway around the Milwaukee / Port Washington / Cedarberg / Harrington Beach State Park area. I felt like a true amateur vacation photographer: I was snapping away at great scenery in horrible light, resulting in mediocre photos. But then again, photography was not why we went.

No, this last photo is NOT an HDR! It is just an over-processed image from Lightroom...that remind me of my first car. (Try cranking your Recovery, Fill Light, and Blacks to 100!)

port of pirates

2011-06-06T08:00:00.030-04:00

Recently, Sarah and I got away for a quiet weekend and headed out to the quaint town of Port Washington. Unknown to us, this happened to be the weekend that Port Washington has its annual Pirate Days. Probably just an excuse for adults to act like kids because there were WAY more adults fully dressed up and ‘playing’ the part of Pirates. Some of these getups were pretty fancy with real swards, guns that fired, and teeth that looked like they have not been brushed in a lifetime. Think Renaissance Fair meets Civil War reenactment with a salty little twist (and a few less manners.) Interesting thing is that there seemed to be a larger percentage of bikers at this event…like they are the modern day pirates or something. One Powder Monkey I talked to (last photo) even claimed he was an extra in the last battle of the 3rd Pirates of the Caribbean movie….

It took a little building of my own courage, but I was glad I become bold enough to go up and talk to them...there is no other way of getting the photos that I really want except by interacting with them a little and breaking that brier and let them 'play' to the camera. Don't make the mistake I made though, I thanked the guy in the first photo for staying in character; he scoffed and said, "This is how I am normally, to get into character is to act like you lousy wallops."

camera button friday: the idea of seeing part 2

2011-06-03T08:00:00.000-04:00

Last week I started to talk about vision, or how you see a photo. I argued that this is just as important (if not more) than knowing how to use your gear. This post is my attempt to give an example of how this works for me.

At a recent InterVarsity conference, I saw these guys worshiping up in the front of the hall, arm in arm, without a care for what others thought. I thought this is perfect for what I want to convey: "Greek Conference is a place where you can get away from the world to learn about and worship God in community."

But there was a problem. How do I get what I saw (a great moment) into an image that others can feel?

Below is what the light was like. There are some stage light grazing...well, no, it was blasting the sides of their faces. I couldn't expose for both the highlights on their faces as well as the shadows around them at the same time. Yes I could have created an image by exposing for only the highlights (like the second image below) but it doesn't convey what I want to nearly as well as the final image.

As I looked and looked at the scene, I was really torn because I really wanted to get this image and I didn't want to admit that it was physically impossible. (I did think of HDR...but that was impossible because people were moving, I didn't have a tripod, and it would not have looked as real as I would want.) I eventually realized that I needed to get around to the left of them to capture the shadow side of their face. But this was risky, they would see me...everyone would see me because that is the front of the room! BUT, this would allow my exposure to be better and in turn solving my problem of mixed lighting and allow me to capture the mood that I was seeing. So I walked out in front of everybody and sat down on the ground.

My first shot I tried for the highlights, and yes this can be cool but not the image I wanted to capture.

I even tried a wide angle, but that didn't convey it either.

The combination of the tight shot, moving around in front of them to only capture the shadow side of the face, and then waiting for a moment; all culminated into what I was trying to say:

Yes I needed to know how to expose in a severely back lit situation, and how to frame my shot in a way that works...yes I needed a camera that could shoot in near darkness and a lens that will let in the maximum amount of light possible...but seeing the image is what made me do all that work. If I had not seen the potential in the situation I would have taken the first and maybe second shot and moved on.

Disclaimer: I am sorry for all the "I" statements here, I feel like I am talking myself up as a photographer that has it all together. Believe me on this one, I was stressing to get this shot to work...but I so wanted it to work! At this point in my understanding, I guess that is what Vision is.

camera button friday: the idea of seeing part 1

2011-05-27T08:00:00.030-04:00

I gave a photo tutorial about Vision at work the other day. I usually focus on Light and Form (otherwise known as Exposure and Composition) as the basic tutorial I have given many times, but this time I mixed it up a bit.

I recently read this quote from Elliott Erwin:

"Photography is just about seeing. You either see or you don't see. The rest is academic. Photography is a function of noticing things, nothing more."

(Yes, this is one of Elliott Erwin's images)

This gave me the language to start leaping into the realm of vision that my mind has been unconsciously playing in for a little while now.

I am starting to realize (after learning most of the required photography technique) that the “technical technique” is the way you produce the “image you see in your head” into a photo. First you need to "see" then you need to capture what you see in a way that represents what you saw; (duh, but stay with me here) all the technical knowhow is how you capture what you saw. Seeing comes first.

There are so many knowledgeable photographers out there (in this case, knowledgeable meaning they can talk about f-stops, camera lighting, and image sharpness) that are actually bad photographers because they have never learned to SEE! Yes gear and "know-how" is important…even necessary...but it is just a door that your vision needs to pass through to become a photo. It is like photo knowledge is the solution to your problem, the problem of connecting the photo you see to the final image that will communicate to others. But having the vision to see is the first step to creating an image.

The above images is a small example: I was at one of InterVarsity's camps last week, Cedar Campus, where I was trying to capture its beauty as well as the InterVarsity Students there having fun...but I was getting frustrated because all the photos I was taking were not conveying the feeling I had. It was not until this girl turned around so that I could see her smile did my feelings for the location come across in the photo.

Now I realize that this may be very intellectual for many. And that is OK because I thought that at first too. But if you want to create compelling images, I want this to be the lens that gear and photo knowledge are viewed through; as a way of expressing our vision not as the vision itself. I also realize that many aspiring photographers do not think they have a vision. You do. It is how you see the world. Sometimes naming something can trivialize the simplicity of it. Just know that seeing is just as important to photography as doing.

Next week I will better explain what I am thinking by telling you the story behind this image:

If you like this kind of talk about photography, check out David du Chemin’s blog, he has been thinking about this a long time…and even has a couple books on the subject.

want to buy a macro lens? Sigma 105mm f2.8 macro for Nikon

2011-05-25T08:00:00.003-04:00

I have been talking about macro a little bit here, and if you are thinking of jumping in fully, here is your chance because I have decided to sell one of my macro lenses! This is a Sigma 105mm macro lens (can focus up to 1:1) for a Nikon camera. The outside has had some lovin' (a couple scratches or wear marks that have worn at the outer coating of paint, but nothing deeper than that) but the optics are pristine! Comparing it to my Nikon 105mm it is indistinguishable in image quality. I have fallen in love with the 105mm focal length for macro because it allows a bit more of a working distance so that you do not shade the subject and/or scare it away. Brand new, this would go for $480 so I will sell it for $350. (Free shipping in the continental US!) For all the specs, see this link.

Let me know if you are interested or have any questions:
fingerprintphoto@gmail.com

Below is the actual lens and a photo taken with this lens.
thanks,
mk

Note: If you have one of the lower model D-SLR's that can only use AF-S lenses, this lens will NOT auto focus...but I only use manual focus on macro lenses anyway.