Seven tips for shooting in tough lighting

Photographybay.com has posted some tips for shooting in difficult lighting.
It mostly applies to indoor, very dim lighting.

1. Shoot RAW
2. Use a Fast Lens with Manual Override or Manually Focus
3. Over/Underexpose Depending on the Shot You Want
4. Don’t Worry About White Balance…Yet
5. Crank Your ISO Up Modestly
6. Convert to B/W or Use Crazy Color Processing
7. Only Sharpen After You Noise Process

This should greatly help when shooting concerts and shows.

For more details, click the title above.

4 Principles of Photography Marksmanship

Photographybay.com has posted tips on how your stance should be when taking a picture. Similar to a marksman holding a gun, the guide suggests four ways on holding your camera:

1. Grip & Hold
2. Stance
3. Shutter Release
4. Breath Control

Funny enough, these tips co-incide with my philosophy of having a special forces type of mentality when shooting; stop being a machine gunner and hit your target right the first time!

More details can be found by clicking the title.

Happy New Year 2010!

Hello to you all!

I hope 2010 brings you a great new year of health and happiness and much new and interesting photography. 2009 was a busy year and so I'm hoping in 2010 I can find the time to post very helpful and important tips.

Take care this year and happy photography!

No time

Hello to all,

As you may have noticed, there hasn't been a posting since October. I've had very little time to write anything. So it looks like it'll be in the New Year that I write again.

So I wish you all Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas and a Happy New 2010 Year!

A little badmington anyone?

A funny image to start off the week courtesy of the Pentax Photo Gallery.

Photography T-Shirts – Cafepress.ca

Click title for link

Since its FRIDAY today, I thought I'd post something fun.

Ever walk the streets and thought, "I'd like everyone to know I'm a photographer!" (as if the big camera and lens wasn't obvious enough)?

Well over at Cafepress.ca, you can get a t-shirt to do such a thing! They have pre-made t-shirts with funny expressions or you can have a custom one made with your business logo.

Below are a few samples.

World Press Photo 09 Exhibition

Click title for link

For those of you interested in photojournalism, the World Press Photo association presents an exhibition of this year's most influential and eye capturing photojournalistic images from press photographers from around the world. "World Press Photo" visits 80 cities around the globe and makes its stop in Montreal Sep 4 – Oct 4 at the Just For Laughs museum. Featured highlights include the prize winning photo from American press photographer Anthony Suau.

The exhibition features other showcases such as "La Foire de L'Image" with a selection of over 400 images by
Canadian photographers.

(updated 09/27/09)

*I have just visited the exhibition. It really is worth the visit, especially at $5 for students. I, having been trained in photojournalism, really took in the depth of what the photo journalist tried to convey to us. It runs through an array of emotions and really captures the human condition, sometimes at risk of the press photographer themselves. Most note worthy was the emphasis on the 2008-2009 Georgia–Russia crisis, an event that many have or didn't realize went on.

The exhibition runs from 11am to 10pm every day.

Musée juste pour rire
2111 boul. St. Laurent
Tickets: 514-845-2322

“Ron Galella: "Photography With The Paparazzi Approach"

On Oct. 7, the Centaur will be host to photographer Ron Galella's lecture and slideshow entitled

"Ron Galella: "Photography With The Paparazzi Approach"

He has been dubbed `` the most famous and most controversial celebrity photographer in the world.``

For those of you interested in photojournalism or would like insight into the mind of the paparazzi, this will certainly be worth the look.

The presentation takes place Wed. Oct. 7^th at 12:30pm at the Centaur theatre. Admission is free but you must call ahead to reserve.

In conjunction is "VIVA L'ITALIA", an exhibit of Ron Galella's photographs of Italian and Italian American movie icons from the past 50 years. It runs from October 6 to December 6 in the Centaur Gallery.

*****************

Centaur Theatre Company presents
Ron Galella: "Photography With The Paparazzi Approach"

Wednesday, October 7 at 12:30 PM

Centaur invites you to attend a lecture and slide show presented by Ron Galella - the most famous and most controversial celebrity photographer in the world. This special event is presented in conjunction with "VIVA L'ITALIA" an exhibit of Ron Galella's photographs of Italian and Italian American movie icons from the past 50 years, from October 6 to December 6 in the Centaur Gallery.

Dubbed "Paparazzo Extraordinaire" by Newsweek and "Paparazzi Superstar" by the Miami Herald News, Galella is willing to take great risks to get the perfect shot. He has had two court battles with Jacqueline Onassis—the outcome being that he would be forever barred from photographing her or her children, Caroline and John F. Kennedy, Jr. (John later permitted Ron to photograph him at public events). He has been punched in the jaw by Marlon Brando (a $40,000 punch according to the terms of the out-of-court settlement), nearly killed pursuing Julie Christie along the Pacific Coast Highway, beaten up by Richard Burton's bodyguards before being jailed in Cuernavaca, Mexico, and hosed down by friends of Brigitte Bardot in Saint-Tropez. His iconic prints are displayed permanently on each of the 11 floors at the landmark Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. His work has featured in many published books and has been exhibited in museums and renowned galleries worldwide, including the Museum Of Modern Art in New York, Museum Of Modern Art in San Francisco, Tate Modern and the Helmut Newton Foundation Gallery. He is the mastermind behind the iconic photo of Windblown Jackie (Jacqueline Onassis) which catapulted his career to notoriety!

The slide show will encompass photography from all nine of his books: the upcoming Boxing with the Stars, and current and past books Viva l'Italia!, No Pictures, Warhol by Galella: That's Great!, Disco Years, Ron Galella Exclusive Diary, The Photographs of Ron Galella 1965-1989, Offguard: A Paparazzi Look at the Beautiful People, and Jacqueline.

Lecture to take place at Centaur theatre (453 St. François-Xavier, Old Montreal)

Admission is FREE but reservation is required. Please call the box office to reserve your ticket. (514 288-3161)

TELUS buys Black's for $28 M.

The company I work for for over five years has been acquired by TELUS mobility. The move was done by Telus as a means to gain further expansion of their mobile products, particularly in Ontario, prior to the arrival of new cellular telecom companies.

For those of you wondering, it means exactly what you are thinking; Telus phones will be sold in Black's (Astral) stores across the country. What does this mean for the image of photography stores? Nothing; nothing will change. In my opinion, Black's has always been the boutique photo store rather than specialty retailer.

Is this the right move?
Everyone these days, especially in these economic times, cannot and should try to survive on their own. Companies, especially in photography have been joining forces for years: Pentax with Samsung (now with HOYA), Sony and Minolta, Nikon and Sony, etc...

Is this a good move?
That we will just have to wait and see.

*Disclaimer
The above opinions are solely those of the writer and do no reflect those of TELUS, Black's or Astral.

Back to basics!

Hello to all!

Well I've been quite busy with my own photography business these past weeks. Now that the summer season is over, things have settled enough to start writing again.

Since it is back to school for many of us, many of you are looking to learn photography in a formal way. For those of you who live in the west island part of Montreal, there is one location that offers such teaching.

The DDO centre for the Arts offers a class once a week for 10 weeks.
Details are below. Click title for link.

THE ART OF PHOTOGRAPHY

10 weeks from Sept. 30 to Dec. 2

Wednesday from 7 to 10 p.m.
Teacher: Sheryl Ann Medicoff

This course is designed for everyone who wants to learn how to take a good photograph. You will be introduced to the art of photography while learning how to use your camera better. Students must have their own 35 mm or SLR digital camera with manual option and can either use black and white or colour film. (Not for automatic cameras). No darkroom work is involved. Not included: equipment, materials and printing (approx. $160).

Dollard Res.: $208.82 Others: $225.98

Photo tip: Night Photography

I had a friend e-mail me asking how to do night photography. I thought I would share my tips I gave him here. Night time photography is always as much fun as it it challenging. Here are a few tips to help it along:

• Increase the ISO of the camera gain faster shutter speeds. These may result in digital noise (graininess) but at least you've captured the content clearly.
• IS, VR or SR is only helpful to a certain degree. Since night photography requires exposures well beyond the capability of the stabilizers, it is best to use a tripod for all the shots and to to turn off the IS.
• Shooting on Tv or T mode (shutter priority) helps you to control the amount of light you see in the frame. The longer the shutter is open, the more light enters in.
• Use the timer mode at 2 seconds or a remote. This will avoid any camera shake caused by pressing the shutter button.

Photo Tip: Focus Point & Depth of Field

When choosing a focus point, you are not really choosing a certain point to be in focus but rather an entire plane to be in focus. If say two objects are the same distance from the camera, it won't matter whether you choose one or the other because both will end up in focus.

If the two objects are at different distance from the camera, choose the focus point on the object that is closest to the camera, then adjust the depth-of-field to blur (shallow or small f-stop) or not blur (deep or large f-stop) the object that is behind.

Photograph: Place Ville-Marie

Downtown Montreal at Place Ville-Marie
Featured in the Pentax Photo Gallery

Photo Tip: Compact Cameras for Natural Lighting

If you're trying to take a picture with natural lighting in the evening and it seems a little blurred, try boosting the ISO to a higher number like 400 or 800 instead of leaving it on AUTO ISO. This will make the camera work faster and reduce the amount of blur in your picture.

Photograph

Montreal Fashion & Design Festival 2009

Photography: Festival Mode & Design - Montreal

The following are tips for shooting the runway shows at the Montreal Festival Mode & Design

Since 2006, I've noticed a steady increase of photographers at this annual festival of fashion and design. Whether that's because the digital age has brought upon more affordable DSLRs or simply more shows like Canada's Next Top Model or Project Runway have brought fashion even more into the mainstream we may never know. In any case, the Montreal Festival Mode & Design is certainly attracting more photographers each year from the curious shutterbug to the die-hard wannabe paparazzi. We Montrealers are privileged to have free open fashion runway shows.



So for all you willing to test your skills out on the battlefield, here now are some tips and tricks for the festival.

(The following is modified from the New York Institute of Photography)

Study the Field
Consider what framing/composition ideas will work best for these runways. Notice the amount of room left below shoes and above the models heads in the full length photographs, and notice the relationship of model to background.

Position is Key
Expect a crowd fighting over the best positions to photograph from, and realize that you'll need to get there early. It is a free event so definitely first come first serve. If you get a great spot, do your best to keep it and maintain enough room to do your work. Before throwing any elbows or harsh words at the other photographers, though, remember you may see the same group at other events. Probably better to make some new friends. Remember we're all there to enjoy the show too.

Check the Lighting and White Balance
In the biggest fashion shows, you'll be working with the lighting that's provided. Remember to check your white balance, as you may need to switch to a "tungsten" or "indoor" setting. Also, taking some test shots early and checking the histogram — the graphic representation of the tones in the image — will let you know if you have your exposure right. Using spot metering will help you get faster exposures since you'll want to meter only for the available lights. Remember your metering may dramatically change as the model is walking until she finally stops.

Fast Lenses
You won't be controlling the light level, and may find this is a situation where a fast lens — a lens with a widest aperture of F1.4, F2.0, or F2.8 — may help you keep a fast enough shutter speed to freeze the action. Also, shooting at an aperture like F2.8 or F4 can let you create an image with the model sharply focused and the background thrown out of focus — a good effect in some situations.

Take Verticals
Runway photography means vertical shots. You are framing the model from shoes to hat, so turn your camera sideways. As well, this suits the pages of fashion magazines, especially if your goal is the cover. Most DSLR cameras have the option to add a vertical grip — which will make it easy to operate your camera in a vertical position. (Usually, they also let you add a second battery, which may be useful as well. It wouldn't be a good idea to run out of power in the middle of the fashion show.)


Remember, shooting off 10000000+ frames doesn't mean you'll get the shot you want! Get there early, study the runway, the lighting and anticipate what kind of shot you'll be getting.

And while you're looking through the lens, don't forget to look at the models :P!

Photo Tip: Better Beach Photography

The following is from popphoto.com

The best time to enjoy the beach is one of the worst times to take pictures. Harsh midday sunlight can ruin your shots, so experimentation is key. Prevent your camera from automatically under exposing your pictures by keeping it in manual mode. Cameras with spot metering will also allow you to quickly adjust the amount of light you want to capture. When photographing people, try using your flash to get rid of shadows—use a weak flash setting if your camera allows it.

For more tips, check out Digital Photography School’s list of beach photography tips by Darren Rowse.

Be Interesting... but be alone.

The other day a customer came in with hope in her eyes. She was looking to get a Pentax so that she could use the many lenses she had. She was gleaming when I mentioned the current line-up for Pentax. But then I had to break to her the terrible news: very few if any K20D/K200D were available from our stores. We had one K-m that remained.

As I had done with a few customers in the past several weeks, I checked our nationwide inventory and very few K20D/K200D remained. I found out that we would not be ordering anymore from the warehouse in the Philippines (meaning we will slowly stop carrying them in store).

So I went to check other big stores:
- L.L. Lozeau has a few K20D but no K200D for a few months
- Simons Cameras no longer lists either camera
- Forget Future Shop/Best Buy
- Photoservice.ca still has them listed

Nationwide:
- Henry's has the K20D & K-M listed
- TheCameraStore.com is the same story

I'm a big Pentaxian and I know for Pentax to continue to grow, they'll have to cut costs in these economic times in order to stay viable.

Sometimes we get smaller to get bigger

So as I see it, they are putting a lot of marketing into the fantastic K-7 to gain new market share, new and convert clients and that the profits gained will aid in new K30D/K300D down the line. But to do so, they'll have to stop or limit production of the K20D/K200D. They maybe don't have enough funds to fully promote and simultaneously run 4 different lines of cameras as the big 2 (Canon/Nikon) has.

However, if this is isn't the case, and if the K20D/K200D aren't officially discontinued, then I'm very upset at the above retailers. They would prefer to carry brands people know rather than provide all the tools they need.

Up until last week, we had the Nikon D300 & and K20D. Neither camera has sold in months yet we still have plenty in warehouse and probably would order another D300 if they sold out yet for Pentax we have few left and would will not order more should it become sold out (which it did for lucky customer last week).

This doesn't necessarily mean Pentax is on the out. By all accounts, Pentax worldwide is on the rise with their game-changer K-7, their lens line-up increasing, more people discovering and re-discovering the brand and their digital presence on the net with the ever growing www.pentaxphotogallery.com.

David Vs. Goliath
However it seems North Americans are hell bent on having competition as 1 vs. 1 mentality. BMW vs. Mercedes, Canon vs. Nikon, David vs. Goliath, evil vs. good. This I see is strongly reflected in our buyers at head office. In Asia & Europe, you can see much more brand diversity. In France, there are especially many more Pentax owners.

Pentax hopefuls are a unique breed; they love their cameras but they love the passion of photography more. And often they should alone (single Pentaxian among thousands of Canikonians).

In the last 4 weeks, I've upset a couple looking to get the K20D by not having anymore. A student asked my advice and was planning to get the K200D but could not find any in Montreal. A friend got the K-m but due to higher forces is being bullied into getting a Nikon.

And what about that photographer I started with? She can't and won't be able to find any Pentax cameras and though she was happy to see my vested interested in the brand, it ultimately was useless to convince her to stay with a brand that, although to many industry watchers is on the rise with the new K-7, seems to be interesting but alone.

*The comments and opinions are solely those of the writer and do not reflect the opinions and decisions of the above mentioned companies.

Festival Mode & Design - Montreal

Montreal is one of the fashion meccas of the world and is known for its diverse looks and multi-talented designs. To the world, Montreal is known for it's many wonderful festivals including the Montreal International Jazz Festival and the Just for Laughs festival. The Festival Mode and Design is no exception.

This festival showcases many fashions of well known brands and labels including Bedo, Dom Rebel and Foxy Jeans. It also features local designers, schools of design and now more integrated music performances including a performance by K-OS. The festival has also been expanded to reach from De Maisonneuve to Cathcart and the Place Ville Marie esplanade. The major highlight will be Saturday Night with the festival's lingerie and music performance.

Photographers are definitely allowed on the site but be warned, if you want the best shots, be ready to bunker down hours ahead and to deal with the immensely large crowds. I've shot freelance style at the festival for a few years and I can share with you a few tips:

• Depending on lighting, be ready to use a monopod for stability. I tried this once and found it more got in the way of my shots, so a Shake Reduction of image stabalization system will make it easier.
• Bring an 18-50, 17-70, 18-135, 50-135 or ideally 70-200mm f/2.8 lens for those runway shots.
• Although regular lenses will work with high ISO (800-1600), F/2.8 lenses will work best.
• Bring a portable strobe (flash).
• Use Av if you aren't comfortable with manual, set you WB and remember to use the selectable focus point on the eyes of the models.

With all that in mind, this is one of the few events of the year that many amateurs DSLR owners come to play photographer and practice their skills. It's certainly been a great testing ground for myself. Although many will be out and about trying to get THE SHOT (as I will be once again), please do try to be considerate and respectful of others. That way, we can all enjoy the fun and excitement of the Montreal Festival Mode & Design.

The festival is free to attend and will run from June 17-20 on McGill College.
The schedule of the runway shows is available downtown at the Eaton Center or online. Click the title for the link.

What Lens Should I Buy?

Click Title for Link

Summer time in Montreal is a great time to be taking pictures. There are many festivals, sports, events, concerts and places to see and find in our wonderful salad-bowl of a city. And when we are out, we want to make sure we have the right lens for the right type of shot. A common question I get is "what lens I should buy?" You already have your 18-55mm kit lens and now want to expand. The typical choice would be to get a zoom lens. Although it may be the natural second lens, it may not always be the right choice. Below I will cover two very important aspects of lens selection, conversion and range.

Is my 18-55mm lens the same as film? Do I see the same thing?

When you have a digital SLR, the lens range (focal length) on the digital body is not the same number. Let me explain. 35mm film had a very large surface area. With modern DSLRs, this area now being used by either a CCD or CMOS sensor is much smaller. As a result, the light entering the lens covers a smaller area. This means basically that you will get more zoom than what is marked on the lens but less wide-angle. So for Pentax, Sony and Nikon DSLRs, you must multiply the focal length by a factor of 1.5 (x1.5 crop factor). So if you put a 50mm lens on these DSLRs, it will give an equivalent-to-film lens of 75mm. This means that when you take a picture, it look like what a 75mm lens did on a film camera. So your 18-55 lens gives you the look of a 27-83mm or the old 28-80 mm lenses from a film camera. For Canons the crop factor is 1.6 and for Olympus it is 2.

So Who Cares What It Looks Like In Film!?!

Well this actually has an affect on what lenses we choose to use. Let's have a look at the ranges and their uses:

Lens Focal Length*	Terminology	Typical Photography
Less than 21 mm	Extreme Wide Angle	Architecture
21-35 mm	Wide Angle	Landscape
35-70 mm	Normal	Street & Documentary
70-135 mm	Medium Telephoto	Portraiture
135-300+ mm	Telephoto	Sports, Bird & Wildlife

The above are focal lengths for film cameras.

These are the ranges used for the different types of shots. Once you consider the crop factor, theri usefulness changes dramatically.
For instance, the 50mm prime lens is becoming a newly found favorite amongst digital photgraphers. It was popular in the days of film because it saw the same thing as what our eyes saw. Now on digital, it doesn't serve the same purpose because it gives a look that is more zoomed than what our eyes see.
The same can be said for wide-angle lenses; traditionally wide-anlge (despite above) cut-off was 28mm. Now with say a Pentax, having a 28mm lens is really like shooting with at 42mm film lens.
Even the most popular telephoto lens today, the 70-200 has changed. With a 105-300mm, it can be a little strong for traditional protraiture.

The factors that may be affected include the depth-of-field look and the perspective. If you are like me and want that traditional look, the way in how the picture was meant to be seen, think of the focal length after the conversion. For instance, I shoot portraits and I use PENTAX DA* 50-135mm f/2.8 because after the conversion, it's like using a 70-200. The way the DOF (bokeh) looks and the perspective it gives for my portraits is how it has always loked. I have used the SIGMA 70-200 f/2.8 and it was too strong for portraits, expecially in studio having to stand farther back.

Although many have only been shooting in digital and don't know what film would give as a result, it really depends on the end users preference to the final look of the picture. In retrospect, the landscape of digital photography will forever change. The purpose of one film lens will now change to suit a new look for a new generation. It has been partially the manufacturer's faults for not considering this. Pentax is one of the few that has taken this to heart early on. There is also Olympus that has factored this in and even Nikon with their new 35mm DX lens that gives the traditonally loved 50mm look.

Anyway you look at it, as long as you get your shot and "be interesting", the only question you need to ask yourself, "am I suffering from LBA - Lens Buying Addiction?"