more on story

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

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

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

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

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.

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katelynn and jordan's wedding

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

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.

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