Photograph - Nightclub

Today being Friday, "end of the week, time to go out and party..." I thought I'd share and talk about this club photo.

One of you asked me how I do the lighting for my club photography. Though I don't want to get into the topic about flash just yet (saving that for later on), I will answer the following question:

"Did you use the built-in flash or an external flash?" The (short) answer is an external flash.
To be precise a Pentax AF360FGZ flash.



Why do I like this photo?
Using an external flash can add more depth and natural ambient-like lighting when properly used. For those starting off, notice the use of the rule-of-thirds. I've also cropped-in (positioning and zooming slightly) to focus just on the two subjects. I composed to a half-body proportion to keep their arms and drink within the photo.

Thanks for the question and enjoy the picture!

Funny Fridays!

I thought I'd end the week on a funny note!
I've worked at Astral Photo for over 5 years and in that time I've heard, from customers, some funny terms for MEGAPIXELS. A megapixel contains 1 million pixels (those little squares).
Here are a few of those terms. Enjoy!

"8 megabyte (MB) camera"

"10 pixel camera"

"That camera with 10X megapixels?"

"6 megapickle camera"

"8 MP film camera"

"7 byte camera"

"10 mega whatever camera"

"5 megapixies camera"

Photo Lesson - Lines and Patterns

The following is for DSLR and Compacts

The Flow

Everywhere in nature we can find lines and patterns. Most of the times, we don’t notice these things but hopefully after this lesson, you’ll begin to develop an eye for noticing natural patterns.

There are three directions for lines to occur in nature: horizontal, vertical and diagonal. And with patterns, there is a natural flow in one (or more) of these directions. So when looking through your lens or behind the screen, two things can be seen. Either you’ll notice a movement (or flow) of objects or people in one of these directions or you’ll see static (non-moving) objects along a certain direction. These directions may be obvious at times or they will appear in your frame when you move into position.

Lines

Often when looking at lines in a photo, we will follow it from one end to the other. They can divide, unify, or highlight certain parts of a composition. If they are interesting enough, they can become a visual topic in themselves. Depending on the direction in which the line is shaped, it can be of great help to lead our eyes to or from the subject or point of interest. This is what is considered a leading line. The shape of the lines can have great significance upon the mood of the photograph.

The following are examples of lines.

This photo was actually of the ceiling but I rotated it 90 degrees clockwise to give the illusion of a hallway.

Here the reflection of the wall caused a mirror effect. The wall acted as a line causing a flow towards the door.

Patterns

A person with a trained photographic eye will develop the ability to notice patterns even when he or she does not have a camera in hand. Whether the patterns are man-made or natural, patterns bring a sense of visual rhythm and harmony to photographs that, like a series of repeating notes in a melody, attract the attention of the human mind. Patterns appear whenever strong graphic elements such as lines, colours, shapes, or forms repeat themselves. The key to emphasizing patterns is to isolate them from their surroundings. By excluding everything but the design, you create the illusion that the repetition is infinite, extending beyond the frame. Telephoto and longer zoom lenses are excellent tools for isolating and extracting patterns by enabling you to exclude extraneous images. (Fodor’s: Focus on Travel Photography).

The following are examples of patterns.

Here each floor had the same layout giving rise to a repeating pattern.

This repeating pattern can either cause the eyes to start from the front and lead towards the back or vice-versa.

This is both a combination of lines and patterns causing the eyes to want to flow toward the center of the photograph.

Photo Tip - Simplicity

The following is for all.

The other day, someone told me they wanted to take a creative picture and that they could see the idea in their head but when it came time to take the picture, they said they could not do it because they did not have the experience I had. True it does take experience but what the person was lacking was not the entirely the experience but rather the simplicity. They were trying so hard to make it creative that it got complex and unattractive. As I mentioned in prior posts, first we must learn basics before we can create art.

My advice to that person is the same for many of my photos. Try to eliminate any clutter or background that does not add necessity to it. If you plan on using some element in the photo, often it is best to use all of it or none of it at all. Using part of the element only becomes more of a distraction. If you do this (and if by chance you are struggling to make the photo creative), your photos usually will come out more appealing and attractive than before.

I like to compare it to Sherlock Holmes. What ever you eliminate, that which remains, no matter how improbable must be the cause. Of course, here I mean what remains will be a clean, original yet simple photo.

Often, keeping it SIMPLE works best!

Photo Facts - Cameras in Cold Weather

The following is factual information

I thought I'd start yet another new segment. These postings will help to settle the many myths and confusion that get tossed around about certain photographic topics. Today it will be about if it is safe to bring your shiny new camera into the cold.
NOTE: The following is mainly for digital user. Those using film, please click the title for further details.

Montrealers brave some of the coldest temperatures (-25 C before windchill!) of any of the major metropolitain areas of North America. For the happy shutterbugs who want to capture their own "Koday Moments", a little cold won't stop them! But recently, myself and others were taking pictures and wondering, "Is it safe to take our cameras out in the cold"?

I've done some research and found a great article from the New York Insitute of Photography. In short, the main idea is not whether or not it is safe to take out the camera but rather what sequence is follow. Here's a summary of the article. The sequence that is usually followed:

1. Going from warm to blistering cold
2. What to do in the cold weather
3. Returning your freezing camera to the warmth

A major concern is condensation forming. As mentioned, "Do you have to worry about moisture condensing from the cold air onto the warm surface of the lens or the film or the electronics? No. One of the handiest winter photo tips to know: Cold air has low moisture content. There's little or no condensation when you go outside into the cold. (As we'll discuss, this becomes a problem when you go back inside.)"

From Warm To Cold!?
The big problem is loss of battery power! In cold weather, to be more specific, batteries maintain their amount of energy but lose their drive to push this energy into the camera. To help this:

• Keep your batteries, camera and flash near your body when exiting to the cold.
• Bring extra batteries with you when you go outside. Keep them close to your body too.

It's Freezing Out Here!
Now that when outside, you should keep the camera as warm as possible. Be prepared to take the camera out only when you are about to take the picture. Leaving the camera out won't damage the camera but rather its performance (the batteries in particular).

To help this, Sandisk has a line of memory cards known as the Extreme® class. It can perform at the same high speed as in normal weather from 85 C to -25 C. I actually had the oppurtunity to try this outside in -20 C (-31 C with windchill) and it worked just as fast!

Also, clip the tripod clip to the camera before heading out. That when you can easily snap it to the tripod with immidiacy.
Of course, don't forget to KEEP WARM! Unless you're a National Geographic photograher, it's not worth freezing to death to get that shot!

Ah! Warm Again!
Now you're ready to get back inside. But don't rush it! This is when condensation on the lens or inside the camera can occur possibly affecting the electronics. A great tip from the NYIP: "Condensation can play havoc with an all-electronic camera. This is where the suggestion of wrapping a cold camera in a plastic bag comes into play. The moisture will settle on the outside of the bag rather than on the camera's outside and inside surfaces. You can protect the delicate electronics this way. In fact, it's best if you place the bag on the camera while still outside, not when you bring the camera in."

Now that you got the facts, get back out there and take those great winter moments!

Photo Tip - Flash in Compacts

The following is primarily for compact cameras

Often people complain about the quality of flash photos with their compact cameras. They can see the people but the background is dark. There are two quick solutions to this. You can either turn off the flash and the camera will use natural (ambient) lighting (example 1) or you can use the night mode of your camera to add the background lighting with the flash of the camera (example 2).

Here are two examples to illustrate this idea.


(L) With flash & (R) Without Flash



(L) No flash Night Mode (R) With flash & Night Mode

Featured Model - The SUNshine Girl!

SUNshine Girl Mandi is 24 years old and she loves all sports. In her spare time she likes visiting her family and sleeping. You can see more of Mandi on ManUp! premiering on MenTV this Friday. (Stan Behal photo) CLICK HERE FOR LINK

Last year I really dove into doing fashion shoots. This was thanks in part to a girl, an unknown, who approached me for my projects. We both were rookies at it but together we really helped each other out. After several shoots, we became very good friends and today I can say she is no longer an unknown.

Mandi, now based out of Toronto, is today featured in the Toronto Sun newspaper and website as the Sunshine Girl, which features a new girl everyday. She will also be featured in the new men's gameshow ManUp!

Congrats to you Mandi!

News - Canada's Next Top Model

For all you aspiring Canadian models, Canada's Next Top Model tv show will be making a stop here in Montreal on Thursday, January 22. If you think you got what it takes, click the title for the link to the site for more details.

Photo Lesson - Composition Technique

Get It Right the First Time!

One of the skills that digital has taken away from us is the ability to produce on the first shot. Some people ask me what the advantage is to shooting with film. It would seem the most obvious answer, as well as the most overlooked, is the concept of getting the picture right the first time! We often think that photoshop is our ultimate savior when we mess up. But with film, there was no rescue plan after you took the photo. Because of the limited number of exposures and cost of developing, we often had to put much thought into our scene before capturing the photograph.

What You See (may be) What You Get

When looking through your viewfinder or LCD screen, you’ll of course see the objects and subjects. Now the question is what to do with them. You always have these choices. You can wait until these subjects move into the position you want (‘into your frame’). You can also choose where to place these subjects/objects. Lastly you can place yourself in a position that encompasses everything that will describe your picture.

To get a better understanding, imagine a picture frame. Now try to imagine how your picture will look like in that frame. For instance, where would the objects be placed or how would the person be looking at the camera. Try to get a sense of how you or someone would feel looking at that frame and what the picture would be conveying to someone. This concept is probably the best way in which to understand how objects and subjects should be framed in your photo (hence the term ‘framing’).

Vince Versace, a highly well known photographer and a Nikon Legend Behind the Lens has an interesting view in terms of composition. But I’ll be saving that for more advanced lessons!

The easiest and least stressful objective would be to take the photograph correctly the first time. Yes photoshop is great, but there is only so much that it can do. There are limitations to what it cannot fix or bring back. The less work you have to do after you've taken the photo, the more you can concentrate on taking better and more creative photographs.

Next post will focus on lines and patterns.

Photograph - Inauguration from Space

I thought this would interest some of you. It's an image that was taken from space of the Inauguration ceremony of now the President Barack Obama. All the dark spots are the large groups of people.

Click the title for interactive photo on CNN.com

I promise I'll be returning back to some photo lessons next!

Photograph - President Barack Obama

I thought that this photo would be appropriate to mark today's event, the Inauguration of the now American President Barack Obama. Many millions around the world will be watching the president-elect take the oath of office of President of the United States which will surely be a historical moment. Many believe his Inauguration speech will be motivating and inspiring to the likes of Abraham Lincoln or John F. Kennedy.

Change.gov, the Office of the President Elect, announced the release of the official portrait of President Barack Obama. The portrait was taken by the newly-announced official White House photographer, Pete Souza. What is unique about this photo is that it is the first time a digital camera has been used for the first official portrait release, as traditionally a film camera was used. This photo was taken using a Canon EOS 5D Mk II shot at f/10 at 1/125, ISO 100 and at 105mm.

"Today we begin in earnest the work of making sure that the world we leave our children is just a little bit better than the one we inhabit today" - President elec Barack Obama

Photo Lesson - Rule of Thirds

The following applies to regular and DSLR cameras.

One of the most essential lessons photographers will learn when starting off in photography is composition. It is one of the key components when wanting to be able to go from taking mediocre photos to truly creating and molding your photographic image.

Often I am asked by clients and people how I take such good photos. And often what I notice is that people either don't make the time for or willingness to learn basic composition. So I will make as short and sweet a lesson as possible to understanding this concept.

Rule of Thirds

When looking through your viewfinder or the LCD screen, imagine a grid is overlayed on that display. This grid divides the photo into three equal parts horizontally and three equal parts vertically. As a results, intersecting lines are also created. This essentially is how the rule of thirds is created.
How to Use the Rule

The lines and intersections on the grid are used for alignment of your subject or framing of your scene. Often, a subject is placed in the center of the frame. This can often be unoriginal and boring. By placing a subject along one of these lines or at one of the intersections, the photo can be of more interest and place greater emphasis on the subject.

To understand this, let us examine the following two images.

Rule in Play


With the first image, imagine how the photo would have been had we not used the rule-of-thirds. If the flower were in the center of the frame, the viewer would have been lead to believe that the idea of the photograph was to capture the detail of the flower. In fact, this was not the case at all. The flower is only telling part of the scene.
Indeed this scene depicts a wedding ceremony setting with several flowers following a line leading up to the one being focused on. Using the rule helps us to compose the scene as a whole as well as eliminate the unnecessary clutter of the pew to the left of the flower.



In the second image, again consider what would have happened had we placed the building in the center of the frame. A certain amount of the sky would have been seen above the building and the water fountain below would have been partially cut out. By having placed the building to align along the upper third of the grid, we have eliminated the unnecessary sky and kept the water fountain whole.

You've Discovered the Magic Formula!

Well not exactly. One thing about photographic rules is that they are meant to be broken! The rule of thirds is not some scientific formula that, when not followed, will not allow us to yield a result. Many experienced photographers do not end up using this rule ever. However, keyword is experienced. As I've mentioned, "before you can create a work of art, first you learn to draw a horse"!

Though this rule is not a yes/no indicator of what makes a good photo or not, it is essential to learn these rules to do proper composition when you first start off. Eventually with time, you'll develop "that photographic eye" to compose photos in unique and creative ways that don't necessarily follow these guides.

Photo Tip - SCUFI

In the first of many tips on photography, this post will focus on a concept I'd like to share with you called SCUFI.

SCUFI or Shoot Close Up For Impact, is a term I learned when I was taught photojournalism style photography. This skill is most effective when photographing a person (subject) or group of people. Often people will photograph a person and will either not properly place the subject in the photo or not shoot close enough (or zoom enough) to the person.

In photojournalism, the photos should be able to describe what is occurring and in terms of people, should convey the emotional reaction the person is having. The idea is to get closer to the person or to zoom in more. By doing so, you eliminate any unnecessary background (or clutter) or elements that would take away from the main subject. All that remains is the person or group, thus delivering the full impact (main idea or emotion) to the viewer.

On the left we have the two people in the photo but too much surrounding clutter that is not important to the photo. On the right, the photograph shows just the two people, showing the emphasis of the two friends and conveying to the viewer of idea of happiness.

The NEW Polaroid!

As I mentioned in the beginning, I'll be posting from time to time articles on new technology. Here's the first.
CLICK TITLE FOR LINK TO ARTICLE. www.steves-digicams.com

Remember those cameras that you would take a picture, then the photo would come out of the camera and you would blow on it, wave it in the air and wait for the picture to come out? (haha maybe not!). Those were known as Polaroid cameras. And last year, Polaroid decided to cease production of all instant film making Polaroid cameras eventually obsolete. Of course I had a feeling this was the final step before transitioning into the digital age. And as I had always suspected, Polaroid has developed a new digital Polaroid camera.

Announced at CES 2009 (Consumer Electonic Show), the Polaroid PoGo Instant Digital Camera can, in less than 60 seconds, print full-color, 2x3-inch prints. It is a big leap foward from its predessecor because of its use of ZINK technology. In short, "ZINK Zero Ink is an ink-free printing technology... a composite material that has embedded, heat-activated dye crystals. Before printing, ZINK Photo Paper appears white like regular photo paper. Once the pictures are printed, they are immediately dry to the touch, durable and smudge and water resistant". (Information provided by Polaroid Press release).

So in short, it uses special photo paper that, when heated, reveals the specific colours of the photograph. This is a similar process to dye-sub printing. So no ink or drying time needed. There is no specifications right now as to the resolution of the camera. My guess is it won't need more than 2MP since it is such a small print. Should be fun to see how the fad catches on with the new digital age!

Old School (Film)

This picture is done using FujiChrome SENSIA 100 film in my Canon AE-1 SLR film camera.

The effect of doing cross-processing gives either an old funky look or one in which the colors are warped and unusual. Its really creative!

To do this, go to any regular colour photo lab (C-41) and rather than asking for slide developing, ask them to cross-process the roll. What's fun about the pictures is that you will never be quite sure how the result will turn out!

This is corner Decarie & Pare at the Orange Julep.

You Have DSLR!

My first few series of blogs will be geared toward new DSLR users. I will post blogs on compacts thereafter. So enjoy!

So you got a DSLR for Christmas. Firstly CONGRATULATIONS! A DSLR will let you take pictures like never before with only your imagination as the limit!

Your first desires may be to take pictures like the pros or win the next Pulitzer prize. Whoa there! As my high school english teacher once said, "Before we can create a work of art, first we learn to draw a horse". Before you can shoot like the pros first there are a few things you should know.

Firstly, read your Quick Start Guide and get to really know the camera. Play around with it. Snap any and everything. Be comfortable with your camera. Understand the screen and its display information. Often many people do not know how to use even the most essential of functions on their camera and this prevents them from capturing great photo moments "because I didn't where that function was or what that button did".

When Lewis Hamilton is driving his F1 race car, he's not figuring out what certain buttons do or how the car will react on certain turns. He knows his car inside out. He knows how it handles and therefore focuses on driving and racing.

Here are a few pointers about the basic controls on your camera:
These are often the same on most cameras.

• Know where the DELETE (always garbage button), PLAYBACK (always the arrow inside a square) functions are and how to go through the pictures and how to zoom-in and zoom-out of photos.
• Know how to use function dial on the top of your camera. This is usually a mix of scenes modes and the manual modes (P, Tv (S), Av (A), M).
• Autofocus works by pressing half-way on the shutter button (where your index finger will lie). When the camera beeps and a point in the viewfinder lights up, continue to press the shutter completely down to take the picture. THIS IS THE SAME FOR COMPACT CAMERAS!
• Set the correct date and time on your camera! Surprisingly people forget to this and often photos get date/time stamped incorrectly.

Below are diagrams illustrating the controls.

You Have DSLR! (the rant)

The following is a rant. I won't do this often, but I have to get this out to start the new year right. CANON & NIKON ARE NOT THE BEST!? THEY ARE NOT THE ONLY BRANDS OUT THERE!!! So don't say I didn't warn you!

So Christmas 2008 has come and gone and you got or received an DSLR (a what?!). An SLR is a Single-Lens-Reflex Camera (D for Digital). Simply put, these are the cameras in which you can change lenses. And most likely you received a Canon or Nikon (typical). A Nikon D60 perhaps? (Most demanded and sold at Astral Photo and Best Buy). Though these are well known brands, it does not make them "the best"! (They aren't?!).

If there's one thing I've noticed, is that with digital cameras, consumers define "the best" with the most advertised brands. Though when asked why they chose their particular brand, many attributed it to "that TV ad with that celebrity", "because my friend has one" or simply "because they are the best" (again with no justifiable reason as to why).

By now you may wonder why I'm ranting. Before I can begin my advice giving, I'd first like you to know that I've used all the major brands. They each have their strengths and weaknesses. But I hear too many people brag about their gear and not know how to use it or even take good photos.

Often, at weddings, people ask the photographer what camera they shoot with (a Nikon D200, a Canon 1DS Mk III) and because they love the quality of the pictures the photographer took, they often will buy an SLR of the same brand. One should note that it's the photographer that took the pictures (one probably with much experience). So going out and buying the same brand, let alone the same camera, won't guarantee you the same thing!

I shoot with Pentax gear and many people believe my images are from a Canon or Nikon camera! ("Pentax? Never heard of them".) The truth is that when I present my work to my clients, the first thing they check is how good the photos are and not what equipment I am using. From experience I can tell you that if you know photography well enough, you should be able to use any gear!

So this is what I'd like for you to take away from this:

• Photographers make a photo what they are
• Photographers should know how to use their camera so that they are comfortable with it and it doesn't inhibit them from making a photograph
• Canon and Nikon are great but not the best! It should be WHAT IS BEST FOR YOU!
• Pentax, Olympus (& yes even Sony to name a few) are just as great.

If everyone has Mercedes or BMW and Lexus makes just as good a car(maybe better at times), why not be different?

Next posting will be lighter and photography inpired I promise!

A New Beginning

Hello to all!

I would like to welcome you all to my new blog! After much consideration and encouragement from friends, it felt like the right time to start a blog.

Whats this about?
This blog will focus mainly on (digital) photography and, from time-to-time, postings about the latest in technology. So why have I started this blog you may ask? For over 5 years I've been in the photo retail business and for even longer into photography. I have observed many things about people buying cameras, some of whom express real interest in the passion for photography, others who simply click-to-show. I feel I've gathered enough knowledge about photography and experience with people that its time to share it with you all.

Photos@514?
I've decided on this title (for now) because I live and breathe Montreal and found it difficult to find a site on the info superhighway that stopped over in Montreal. Alongside the photography info will also be useful tidbits pertinent to Montreal photographers.

The Mandate
It is my hope that this blog will help people of any age or experience to take better photographs even by as little as 1% and to have a deeper, more profound appreciation for photography!



"A photograph is a most important document, and there is nothing more damning to go down to posterity than a silly, foolish smile caught and fixed forever." - Mark Twain