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Monthly Archives: December 2010
Right Time, Wrong Place (And Avoid Foggy Lenses) -
Anyone who had a camera was taking shots of this sunset. It’s just one of those moments where you wished you were out in the country or had some impressive architecture in the foreground to go with the awesome sunset happening at the moment.
This will still do just fine.
(Click to see a larger, more detailed version)
This is why you bring your camera with you everywhere you go.
Stopping by a neighborhood store, I told Marguerite I’d catch up. Pop the trunk and grab the SLR. Quick check on the ISO and the white balance, click, click, click for three shots panned. Two more sets of three just in case. Then, back in the studio to see what happened, stitched them together. Yes, looks like it’s good enough for the blog.
Tip of the day:
How to avoid a foggy lens in winter.
Assuming you have a camera bag, In winter, I put mine in the trunk when traveling. If a good photo op comes up, and they usually do, I’m ready to shoot fog free. Because the camera gear is in a case or back pack, the transition from house to cold will be gradual. Later, when I take it out into the wintry air, it’s cooled down further and acclimatized. Almost never a foggy lens.
Bringing your camera back indoors from the cold, always leave it in the case, sling pack or back pack. This way it again transitions gradually to the temperature swing.
Note: The lens might be OK so check the view finder. Sometimes the warmth from your eye will fog it up on cold day.
Don’t know about arctic extremes or doing the Iditarod.
If you got a new camera this Holiday Season and need some help getting started and inspired, check us out at the Sharing Digital Photography Worldwide forums. Then join the friendliest bunch of budding photographers you’ll ever come to know.
Have fun and keep on clicking!
How Not To Be A Tourist
You know you’ve been bitten by the shutterbug when you veer off the beaten path more than you follow it.
When I got off the train at Riomaggiore (first, southernmost town of Cinque Terre, Italy) the crowd went to the right.
I went left.
If Marguerite looses sight of me, she knows that eventually, I’ll show up. Besides, if you get lost in Italy, at least you won’t go hungry.
I could walk only about 200 feet on the station platform in that direction where I noticed there might be a view over the brick wall. With everyone scuttling to get on into the town, no one was stopping to take a look. What I found intrigued me. When I look at this shot (below) I wonder a lot of things. Perhaps some of those questions might be just as obvious to you.
“I like to go out and find what I wasn’t looking for.”
Here’s what I found:
Riomaggiore, Italy
Turned out great as a 13X19 inch print. Something tells me this would be magnificent as a five foot high canvas print.
I’ll think about that. I found someone that does awesome gallery quality stretched photographic canvas.
There’s a whole big world out there to discover. Over time, I hope to take as big a visual bite out of it as I can. Anyone is welcomed to share and distribute my photos. Photography is meant to be seen, otherwise, it doesn’t exist.
Have fun and enjoy the hunt!
Share your photos with me at the Sharing Forums. Hang out with friendly like minded people. Yes, it’s free.
You Can Create Point And Shoot Magic!
You’ll be surprised what a pinch of imagination, creativity and basic photography know-how can do. With a little guidance in the fundamentals and some practice, anyone can take better photo with a point and shoot camera.
What is a point and shoot camera?
It’s a basic fixed lens camera, in other words, you can’t change the lens. Some are described as SLR-like for the simple reason that they look like a digital SLR (interchangeable lenses). Plenty of today’s point and shoot cameras are just as feature packed as the those SLR-like cameras. Point and shoot digital cameras are usually more compact than SLR-like. The retail defined lines are kind of blurry.
These are some of my favorite oldies shots I had taken years ago with a simple point and shoot and a mere 3.3 mega pixels. I added some text, printed and framed them.
This first one was taken in our local supermarket. Photo ops are everywhere.
Easy as 1, 2, 3
- Pick Up Your Point and Shoot Camera
- Apply Marc’s Basic Guiding Photography Principles
- Practice and Share your photos at the Sharing Forums
It’s not complicated.
You just need to know what the guiding principles are and then start using them. You can learn a lot about photography with a camera for under $300 these days. Some friends of mine recently stayed at a nature lodge on the west coast. Lynette Hunter came back with some great wildlife shots. Ellen Graham-Worling just purchased her point and shoot and is having a great time shooting everything in sight.
For under $300 you can get lots of zoom and mega pixels.
I learned a lot about taking photos with my good old 3.3 mega pixel camera some years ago.
NATURAL ELEMENTS 5 shots series.
Taken from the shoreline of Lake Simcoe just up the road.
Lake Ontario, Toronto, Canada
A beautiful bucket of flowers in front of a Toronto corner market.
A floral vendor in downtown Toronto.
All of these photos were relatively simple shots following an easy principle. Find something interesting and fill the frame.
You can do this!…and more.
In all my years of guiding online education, I’ve seen oodles of people become really good photographers starting out with point and shoot fixed lens cameras.
There was one more thing I had on my side back when I took these photos. Just enough editing know how to be dangerous.
You can post here too. Ask me anything. Click, click, click.
Utah Sunset – Today’s HDR View
On our last trip to Utah, after a day of hiking, my sister Lynn stayed back at the B&B. Every sunset and sunrise is one more chance to get some more shots in. Jumped in the truck and off to near by Arches Park. Caught some nice clouds with a gentle glow on the rocks.
Getting your exposures to create HDR.
HDR requires three individual shots. Not really. If you have a single RAW file format photograph, you can create your exposures in the PhotoShop RAW editor. Even a JPEG can be opened as a Camera RAW file and like regular RAW files, create your exposures. I might suggest three individual RAW works just a little better.
Today’s HDR photo pick.
(Click to photo enlarge)
The first step in creating HDR is to either “shoot” or “create” multiple exposures.
Multishot HDR – Shooting Multiple Exposures and Using Exposure Bracketing
What is exposure bracketing? Exposure bracketing used to take 3 shots with 3 different exposures. For HDR the camera’s exposure bracketing is set to +2, 0, -2. Look up the words “exposure bracketing” in the work index at the back of your camera user guide for more details.
This method works for still life. You would use a tripod and a cable release (or the self timer) to ensure that each exposure lines up when using an HDR processing program like Photomatix Pro. You can go directly to HDR tone mapping. Most photographers would shoot in RAW format and the HDR software can identify the bracketed exposures. When shooting, use the widest exposure bracketing setting your camera has, typically -2, 0, +2 for 3 exposures. Some Photographers will shoot and use 5 or more exposures.
Single Shot HDR – Creating Multiple Exposures from a Single Shot
This method works for scenes with any movement. Using Raw Format you can create the additional exposures required. It’s important that the initial photo you are using is well balanced with little or no hot spots (white with no details) and minimal opaque black areas. Because you only need one good exposure, you can now shoot hand held and consider any shot for HDR processing.
If you have any questions or ideas bubbling, post your questions anytime. 
120,000 Numbers Without Bursting Your Cerebral Cortex -
Even a 5th grader can understand this.
Hans Rosling Makes Education Cool.
Hans Rosling’s lectures combine massive quantities data to reveal the story of the world’s past, present and future development. In this video he tells the story of the world in 200 countries over 200 years using 120,000 numbers – in just four minutes.
Plotting life expectancy against income for every country since 1810, Hans shows how the world we live in is radically different from the world most of us imagine.
Explores massive stats in a way never done before.
At The Bruni Bistro (How does HDR work?)
HDR can make the simplest of photos pop and create truly remarkable prints. HDR photography better mimics what we see with our eyes by better exposing details outside the camera’s capable range. When someone comments that an HDR photo doesn’t look like a photograph, that’s good. Many of the HDR images we see on the web are often pushed way out to the edge and highly stylized, but when it’s toned down and processed with some finesse, it does the job of handling dynamic range.
What is HDR?
It’s an acronym for High Dynamic Range. Typically, 3 exposures are used (sometimes as many as 5 to 7 exposures).
- (+2)Very bright exposure. This one is utilized to better expose the darker range for details.
- (0)Average exposure. The base for most details.
- (-2)Very dark exposure. This exposure is used to better expose the lightest range of details.
Note: +2, 0, -2 signify exposure values.
Here are the 3 exposures we used to this example…+2, 0, -2.
Any average photographic exposure (in the middle) on it’s own is limited. The human eye is an incredible organic scanner. We’ve all taken photos, looked at them afterward, thinking, “It’s just not the same”.
If we put aside for the moment those far out HDR photos and look at one that’s a little more natural looking, we run into a strange problem. It doesn’t look like a photo. That’s because we’ve been looking at unnatural looking images for so long, we’re not used to seeing an expanded range of details.
HDR fascinates the eye. While all the good shooting basics (perspective, angles, light, composition, depth of field, etc.) still apply, the eye gets a lot more than it’s used and can get drawn into the details of a well rendered HDR image.
Let’s take a look at the effects on a simple snapshot.
Before…
I remember this scene very well. In this shot, not visible, are the large glass patio doors on the left, the main source of natural light. Then some secondary light from the small window in the back of the room. Being there, I could clearly see the details of everything across the back ofthe kitchen better than the resulting photo. The table cloth colors were deeper and the contrasts richer. The hostess (the delightful Sandra Bruni) was not so abruptly shadowed by the light either. I like the photo, it just does quite fell like what I had experienced.
After…
I’d define HDR photography as “dynamic range restoration”. The small window and curtains at the back aren’t so washed out anymore and everything in the background has a nice gentle light with details coming out from the shadows. The pretty details in the table cloth are more discernible and Sandra is more evenly lit. The overall scene is richer in visual details.
(Click to enlarge the After image shown)
HDR Software Applications
Photomatix Pro
Photomatix Pro has been around for a long time. It hasn’t been that easy or intuitive for beginners requiring hours of practice. However, recently with version 4.0.1, they now have “one click” presets to satisfy newcomers and let them have fun while they better master the art of HDR if they want to.
In recent years, a whole host of other HDR apps have joined in the market place. I’ve test driven some, but having worked with Photomatix so long, I understand how it performs intimately. If you’re just starting out, test drive some of them. They all have free full functioning trial versions.
The overall success of HDR photography relies on :
- A good photograph as a base. HDR is not intended to fix photos, it’s designed to enhance.
- Hours of practice with your HDR software.
- Skill at post editing HDR with a photo editing application like PhotoShop or PhotoShop Elements using a layer masking technique as outlined in the lower half of this diagram in this article.
Questions, quantum physics, how does the universe work? Just ask.
Egg Violence. Viewer Discretion.
Published in 2008, these scared eggs have a reason to be terrified. This video lead to a whole series of talking food gag videos that Daneboe helped create for JibJab and others.
Another best or the best.
Just a timing coincidence in rediscovering this short with the recent eggz photo shoot here in the studio.
Have fun! Fun is good.
So, you want to brush up on your photography skills…hmmm? Where to go?
Living Like Pioneers In The Suburbs?
Could you really grow everything you need? Imagine driving a truck for about a $1.00 a gallon and producing your own electricity on a household income of about $30,000 a year. It’s not a dream. Jules Gervais is doing it quite successfully with his family of four.
You can eat the entire front yard.
And down the side straight through to the back yard. It’s really amazing and drives home the point about how important a balanced, well functioning climate is for our existence. This is truly food for thought.
After the video, drop by the Path to freedom website. A treasure trove of ideas and information.
Your comments, ideas and suggestions are welcomed.
Thanks for dropping by.
Impressions Gallery is Back
This photo gallery (shown below) was first introduced as a feature on the front page for the MAMA Photography site launch. It’s been added back into the site by request.
Anyone can take great photos. If you’re just starting out and don’t know where to begin, join me at the Sharing Photography Forums. Everyone is welcomed regardless of experience.
The dragon fly photo seen here goes to show that photo opportunities are everywhere. That was in my back yard. I’ll show you how to get great shots and have some fun with photography.
(Click on any thumbnail to enlarge)
” I like to go out and find what I wasn’t looking for.” ~ Marc Mantha
Have any questions or comments? Share them.
You’re not shy are you?
Turning Photography Into Fun Concepts
Do you ever get an idea to do something creative with your photography skills? You come up with something imaginative and you can kind of visualize it. That just happened to me again. OK then, let’s see what transpires this time.
Hands on practice is always the best teacher and it sticks better. Take chances and have some fun.
Do you have some ideas bubbling?
My project needs the following ingredients:
- An egg
- An egg carton
- Bunch of head shots with a variety of expressions
And the results…
(Click image to enlarge)
Getting started.
I’m using a tripod and a remote shutter release. In lieu of the remote shutter release, you can use the self timer function common to all digital cameras to take your self portraits. Be sure to set the white balance and use the same setting for all your shots. I used the Custom White Balance setting.
Recipe for photo shooting fun:
NOTE: Everything is shot under the same lighting for visual continuity.
- Set up the egg carton and take some shots.
- Chew a piece of gum. Really, I’m not kidding.
- Put the gum under the base of the egg to hold it upright and take some shots.
- Now for your acting debut. Take several head shots of yourself or someone with various expressions.
Baking instructions: (Summary editing “outline”)
This is a lot to digest mentally for novices, but even beginning to understand the concepts brings you a step closer.
- First, the egg carton. Review those photos on your computer and pick the one you like best. I had to straighten mine just a little.
- Onto the egg heads. I chose the expressions of my head shots and cut out the faces with the polygon lasso and a really soft feathered setting. Then put the faces on the egg and size the faces to fit.
- Throughout the whole project, you’re being mindful of matching levels and colors so the faces and eggs blend.
- I duplicate the face layer and apply a strong gaussian blur, then add a layer mask to the top face layer. Using soft edge brush at about 33%, soften the edges and give yourself a smoothing face lift. When done, merge the two face layers. Repeat for each face.
- All your egg faces are done. You’re going to make it appear as if the egg heads are in the carton. For the front row, cut out (select) and copy the front of the egg carton, then paste into a new layer in the exact position as in the original carton image layer. This layer will be above (in front) of the original carton image and egg heads. When you place the front row of egg heads, it gives the illusion they are sitting in the carton.
- Place and size the three front row egg heads behind the front cut out of the carton. Add some shadows according to the light you used. You can use the burn tool for shadows and the dodge tool for some gentle highlights.
- For the second row of egg heads, using the original carton layer again, cut out the second row of carton peeks with any part of the carton you need to be in front of the back row of egg heads and place in your layers order accordingly.
- Place your final egg heads noting the ones in the second row are just a little softer to simulate depth of focus. Simply apply a light gaussian blur to the second row egg heads.
- Is it time for coffee?
The most important step: adding shadows
My art training gives me a hand up, but so does your experience in photography and understanding light.
Shadows are the key to adding realism. Not too much or too little. Take a close look at the shadows on both the egg heads and the carton. In the history panel, I add snapshots regularly for benchmarks I can return to when I don’t like how things are going – I don’t have to start from the beginning.
I can give you a good foundation and the confidence to started with PhotoShop and PhotoShop Elements. You just have to get started with a free online course at the HP Learning Center.
PhotoShop versus PhotoShop Elements. What’s the difference?
PhotoShop
- PhotoShop is the professional industry standard on the planet for photography and graphic design.
- Purchase cost is higher the PhotoShop Elements.
PhotoShop Elements
- Used to be touted as the scaled down version of PhotoShop but in recent years has become very robust with features and support for RAW files across all major camera manufacturers.
- A fraction of the price of PhotoShop and geared more specifically to digital photographers.
- More Auto Fix and Guided features for beginners and novice.
- Lots of advanced editing features if you want to go deeper.
How to get a free 30 day trail download.
When you go to Adobe.com’s download site, you have to create an account. It’s free and you get the privilege of access to all downloads and other cool resources.
Have fun!
Rule #1 & Marc’s HDR Photography Secrets Leaked
Always work on a duplicate and keep an unedited original. Why?
Your editing skills and technology will change. Favorite shots of the past can be revisited and reworked. However, the optimum situation is to use a digital photo where the pixels have not been pushed around. Using a previously edited photo will be like overcooked food. Cooking your photo further likely won’t make it any better. Also, when starting a new editing recipe, like food, use fresh ingredients and legumes. That’s the fist time I ever use the word legumes ever in an article.
Long before I knew what HDR photography was, I shot a scene some years ago not knowing that today it would restored more appropriately. I did edit a version back then, but it just wasn’t that close to what I remember seeing. The feeling wasn’t there.
Canyonlands sunrise digital revisit.
Here’s the finished work now. Next, the story behind it, the original images and first time ever released secret crib notes.
(Click the photo to enlarge)
The original images below where shot in Raw format. Raw photos are essentially free of any camera processing. Raw photos look pretty lame and that’s the point. You do all the editing. Your usual JPEG is processed in camera pretty extensively.
The natural range in light was so extreme, this required taking two shots to blend into one.
So here are the two images captured to meter (expose) the sky and foreground separately but properly. It’s not a plausible single shot.
Here’s how it was done. The sky shot, above on the left. Camera set to Center Weighted Metering. Center AF Point selected. Partially depress the shutter button with center AF point on the clouds. Recompose the scene and fully depress, click!
The foreground shot, above on the right. Same as above left sky shot, but pointing to the foreground below the horizon.
The focal length is wide and with a high f-number, a longer depth of focus from front to back is achieved.
Top Secret Workflow…Shhh!
I’ve outlined the work flow for you. It’s pretty technical and I’ll gladly entertain any questions.
Here’s the combination HDR and photo blending flow chart…
Over the years and thousands of edits later, it’s second nature.
It’s nice to find an old favorite and give it some visual justice.
There are so many ways to shoot and process HDR photography. This is just a wee tip of the editing iceberg. As always, more to come!
Do you have any suggestions for an article? Tell me about it.
A View Of Manarola, Italy
Manarola is the second village in the chain of five starting from the the south. Attached to the train station by a 200-yard tunnel, the town spills down a ravine to the wild and rugged coastline at the Ligurian sea.
The village homes are stacked like boxes in a shoe store with zigzagging pathways from bottom to top. No wonder the villages of Cinque Terre have become a must see destination for worldly travelers.
(Click photo to enlarge)
Photo Clam Panning Ball Head PC-40NS
PC-40NS Black Photo Clam
A Panning Head is used to shoot panoramas, a series of photos that overlap to digitally stitch them together for wide dramatic scenes.
Just when I thought there wasn’t much out there in the market, a little research proved that wrong.
As an alternative and on the cheap and cheerful side I tested the Manfrotto 804RC2 Pan Tilt Head with Quick Lock. I still maintain the quality and value for that product, but I was missing the simplicity and set up speed of the ball head. I’ve been using a ball head for sometime, but without the panning feature.
I just ordered the Photo Clam from Seoul, South Korea via eBay, more specifically the PC-40NS Black Photo Clam. Seems not a lot of major retailers have caught onto to this yet, not even B&H. The PC-40NS is rated to hold up to 35 kg (77 lbs) and other models well over 90 kg (200 lbs). Photo Clam is known for it’s super smooth movements and secure locking, I’m looking forward to testing this product.
With the lack or retail support in North America on the date of this article, eBay served the purpose with a Power Seller rated supplier where you could knock the “Buy Now” price down a little with counter offers.
Photo Clam Features
- Easy to handle plate clamp. A knob on the side of the quick shoe, allows for easy handling of the plate clamp.
- Powerful Main Ball . Load capacity of the ball is key. The ball head is secure and holds at any angle. No slipping or distortion.
- Ultimate Multi-Functional Grip. Main handle has a dial with a scale from 1 to 12. Allows for free movement of the ball head. Turning the dial knob clockwise, friction increases, locking the ball head into position.
- Secret function / Control Screw. By turning the screw with the tip of your thumb, minimum friction force is set, allowing the multi-functional grip to be loosened to the set position.
- One Touch Safety Button. One-touch slip stopper at the bottom of the Quick Shoe secures your camera and guards against accidental detachment and mishaps.
- Tripod Connecting Socket. Under the ball head, the 3/8″ socket is industry standard and compatible with most tripod brands.
Photo Clam ball heads make a difference
- Designed to handle extreme outdoor weather conditions.
- Perfect alignment with two built-in spirit levels.
- Compatible with most camera brands and sizes.
- Optimal adjustments, secure and precise positioning with friction screw adjustments.
- Offers exact degrees of precision for 360 horizontal pans with the panoramic base and locking knob.
Compatability
Industry standard 3/8″ female thread on the base, mounts to most tripod brands like Manfrotto, Gitzo, Velbon, Slik and more.
For mounting your camera or lens, you will need a double dovetail (aka Arca-Swiss) type of quick release plate.
Two options for plates:
- Buy a standard size plate which will fit practically any camera or lens system with ease and stability.
- For utmost security, stability and aesthetic integration, buy one of the Photo Clam camera-specific enginereed quick release plates. These plates are custom fitted to the body of the particular model of camera you own, ensuring the most secure connection between tripod head and camera.
Once it arrives and is tested vigorously, I’ll give you a review. Thanks for dropping by!
PS. By the time I completed writing this, a twist. More to come…
…Update February 17 – check out the final choice, click here.
Why Are My Photos Yellow and Orangey?
Indoor photography is where orangey colors are most common.
White Balance For Natural Color – Back To Basics
Some digital photography terminology confuses. White Balance sort of sounds like it might have something to do with exposure. White balance settings have no effect on exposure or how light or dark your photos are.
White Balance is about attaining natural colors.
First, let’s talk about light, leading into how to use the white balance features of your camera.
So many different kinds of light.
The challenge with photography, regardless of the type of camera you have, is to reproduce what you’ve seen and felt when you saw something worth shooting. Light has what is referred to as temperature from hot to cold.
Light temperature? Look at it this way…
High temperature light produces warm colors – yellowish, orangey to reddish color tones.
- Sunrise, early early morning natural light.
- Sunset natural light
- Indoor light (incandescent / tungsten bulbs)
- Most street lights in night photography
Low temperature light produces cold colors – blueish to purplish color tones.
- Bright midday natural light, particularly in winter scenes.
- Old style florescent indoor lighting.
- Overcast (heavy clouds) days.
(GOOD) Automatic white balance to the rescue!
Well not always. In full automatic shooting mode, you have no choice and can’t change the white balance settings. The camera takes it’s best guess and does well, but fails miserably sometimes. The next best choises are White Balance Presets common to most digital cameras, both point and shoot, and SLRs.
(BETTER) White Balance Presets – The next best thing.
Many brands sometimes spin their own terminology so you’ll be well served to take a look at your camera user guide to look up “White Balance” in the word index to see what you have available to you.
Typical White Balance Preset names might be:
- Tungsten / Incandescent (bulbs)
- The most common cause of orangey indoor photos.
- Florescent
- Shade
- Cloudy
- Sunny / Daylight
Simply select the white balance preset that best describes the environment you’re in.
NOTE: You may not be able to change the white balance setting in automatic shooting mode. Simply change to P (Program Shooting Mode or any other preset, semi-automatic or manual shooting mode) and adjust accordingly. P shooting mode is the same as automatic shooting mode, but allows adjusting of some basic featuress.
(BEST) Custom White Balance for the novice and advanced shooters.
If you go here, I can write a whole lot mumbo jumbo, and I might do pretty well at it. Regardless of any article you read on the subject, I believe this is the right time to take a look at your user guide and look up White Balance again in the word index at the back. Then practice and experiment.
Custom White Balance will provide the most accurate natural colors.
There are two kinds of custom white balance.
The first method is to take a photo of something white in your shooting environment, then selecting that photo as the basis for you custom white balance correction. The results are more custom to your shooting space. Some photographers just carry a white handkerchief and take a picture of that. On the trails I once took a shot of a white trail marker. Worked great.
The second involves using a white card. The more finicky love this.
(Note: A gray card is more often used for setting exposure)
Summary
You can compensate for light temperatures that produce dominant warm to cool color tones using the white balance function. When the camera has the right benchmark for white, it then renders colors that are more natural.
How was that? I’ll gladly help with any questions.
Well, that wraps up another Back to Basics.
Any comments?
Talk