Photography forum image of the month – April 2012

May 11, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Every month on our photography forum members nominate images that they like. Then at the end of the month I choose an excellent image and talk about why it rocks. The photo I choose is not necessarily the best one of the month. I’ve come to realize it’s not really logical to pit images from totally different genres against each other. That’s why there are categories in photo contests. I just choose a photo that has extremely strong elements that we can learn from.

Weeds yet to be by JustinRyan215

Weeds yet to be by JustinRyan215

This month’s choice is weeds yet to be by JustinRyan215

I chose this image for several reasons:

Perspective – The perspective here is not what we are used to seeing and it totally works. It gives the dandelion an abstract feel (for a second at first look, it looked like a jellyfish) yet we know what we are looking at. I really like the “starlike” wisp patterns that we are seeing here and this is wholly due to the perspective.

Processing – The processing makes the image pop without drawing too much attention to itself. I also like the vignette which helps frame the whole subject.

Exposure – Very well handled and this is a difficult subject. The whites (especially around the perimeter of the weed) have just enough detail to be as delicate as the dandelion itself.

For all these reasons, this is my choice for image of the month. Since we all have opinions, some members may disagree with my choice. That’s cool but THIS thread is not the place for debate over my pick, NOR is it the place to further critique the image. The purpose here is to suggest strong elements in the photo that we may learn from.

Congrats again JustinRyan215 for this seeing, capturing and processing this creative image.

Filed Under: Image of the month, Photographs

106 – White balance and why snow is blue

May 3, 2012 By 2 Comments

Photography podcast #106 discusses the often confusing topic of white balance and why sometimes the camera screws up our images like giving us blue snow. Correcting this is really easy and it just requires a bit of understanding of what is going on in the background.  In a very tight oversimplified nutshell, when we see something that has colour, it has that colour due to the colour temperature of the light source illuminating it.

Light a candle in a dark room and look at a white baseball; it will look orange. The same thing happens with white snow that looks bluish under cloudy overcast conditions because cloudy light is bluish. Our eyes might not notice the blue because our brain compensates for the cast because it “knows” that snow is white, but the camera often gets it wrong. In this podcast we talk about white balance, automatic white balance, the white balance presets that your camera comes with and setting a custom white balance. If you’ve ever wanted to improve the colour accuracy of your images, this photo podcast offers up some fast tips.

Colors and color temperature in photography

Left image - When we see an object that has colour, it has that colour due to the color temperature of the light source illuminating it. This is why if we take a white baseball into a room lit only by a candle, the baseball looks orange. The same thing happens when we take a picture of white snow on a cloudy overcast day and it looks blue. Right image - White light (the kind we see at noon on a sunny cloudless day) is actually made up of equal parts of Red, Blue and Green light. These are the primary colours in photography.

 

Blue snow in photography

Left Image - The camera's AWB (automatic white balance) didn't render this scene properly and the snow looks bluish because the day was cloudy and cloudy light is bluish. Right Image - I corrected this in post processing and the snow looks more natural to the eye.

 

AWB and 2 presets
If your image has a colour cast, to neutralize it, you add the OPPOSITE colour of the cast. 

 

Mixed lighting in photography

This image was lit with 2 light sources; the light coming from the stove AND overcast light coming in through the windows. AWB does a very good job here but is a hint too warm. The cloudy preset adds yellow to compensate for cloudy light which is blue. In this case it reproduces too warm. The Incandescent preset adds blue to compensate for incandescent light which is warm. Here it added way too much blue. The custom setting, where you take a quick reading from a grey card or use a tool like an Expodisc was the most accurate and best reproduced the scene.

Links /resources mentioned in this podcast:

Spinrite - To recover crashed hard drives
Allan Levene is running for congress!
Grey cards at B&H – Expodisc at B&H – Color meters at B&H
Photography tours in Montreal – One to one photography instruction by yours truly

- Wide open aperture is our regular forum assignment for May
- Texture is our level 2 forum assignment for May

If you liked this podcast and want to review it on Itunes, this link gets you to the main page

If you are interested in writing for our blog please contact me photography.ca (   A   T  ) G m ail  Dot co m (using standard email formatting)

Please join the Photography.ca fan page on Facebook

My Facebook profile – Feel free to “friend” me – please just mention Photography.ca
My Twitter page – I will follow you if you follow me – Let’s connect – PLEASE email me and tell me who you are in case I don’t reciprocate because I think you are a spammer.

If you are still lurking on our forum,
feel free to join our friendly :)  Photography forum

Thanks to Rob vE, Yisehaq and Robertv in Edinburgh who posted  blog comments about our last podcast. Thanks as always to everyone that sent comments by email about our last podcast. Although ALL comments are appreciated, commenting directly in this blog is preferred. Thanks as well to all the new members of the bulletin board. Most of the links to actual the products are affiliate links that help support this site. Thanks in advance if you purchase through those links.

If you are looking at this material on any other site except Photography.ca – Please hop on over to the Photography.ca blog and podcast and get this and other photography info directly from the source. |Subscribe with iTunes|Subscribe via RSS feed |Subscribe with Google Reader|Subscribe for free to the Photography podcast – Photography.ca and get all the posts/podcasts by Email
You can download this photography podcast directly by clicking the preceding link or listen to it almost immediately with the embedded player below.

Thanks for listening and keep on shooting!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Filed Under: Photographs, Photography lighting, Photography podcasts, Photography tips, podcasting Tagged With: ,

105 – Four tips to improve your bounced flash photography

March 28, 2012 By 4 Comments

Photography podcast #105 offers up tips on how to improve your bounced flash photography. Bouncing your flash off of walls and ceilings is easy and really softens the light which is often desirable especially in portraits. You can also achieve a much more interesting lighting pattern versus direct on-camera flash. You can often achieve great results with minimal effort and minimal help; I often use bounced flash when I am shooting alone and need a quick lighting setup.

The images below of my wife Carmy were shot in about 5 minutes against a slightly green wall in my livingroom. The tones in the face and background wall are similar but not identical in all images and I deliberately chose not to match them to see the subtle differences. These differences are due to the different ways that the light bounced around the room. There were windows in the room but the day was cloudy and no direct light was shining through the windows. Images are unretouched.

Direct flash versus bounced flash

The image on the left shows direct flash. Note the harsh shadow on the wall and the relatively even lighting on the face. The shot on the right, bounced the flash off the ceiling. The shadow is still on the wall but it is softer. The lighting pattern on the face is less even but more interesting to the eye.

 

Bounced flash photography

The image on the left used flash that was bounced off of the wall about 12 feet behind me. The image on the right used flash that was bounced off the side wall about 6 feet from me. Note the absence of any shadow on the back wall compared to the left image in the first set. When you try this for yourself make note of how far the bounced walls are from your flash. The farther the walls are from the flash, the harder the flash has to work and you may need to increase the flash's output.

 

Links /resources mentioned in this podcast:
Spinrite - To recover crashed hard drives
Photo podcast #4 – Fill flash
Photo podcast #47 – Flash sync speeds
Photo podcast #71 Portable flash

- Bright Colour is our regular forum assignment for March
- Silhouettes is our level 2 forum assignment for March

If you liked this podcast and want to review it on Itunes, this link gets you to the main page

If you are interested in writing for our blog please contact me photography.ca (   A   T  ) G m ail  Dot co m (using standard email formatting)

Please join the Photography.ca fan page on Facebook

My Facebook profile – Feel free to “friend” me – please just mention Photography.ca
My Twitter page – I will follow you if you follow me – Let’s connect – PLEASE email me and tell me who you are in case I don’t reciprocate because I think you are a spammer.

If you are still lurking on our forum,
feel free to join our friendly :)  Photography forum

Thanks to Neil Speers, Stephen Kennedy, Ken Wolter, Jonathan Ramsdell and Allan Levene who posted  blog comments about our last podcast. Thanks as always to everyone that sent comments by email about our last podcast. Although ALL comments are appreciated, commenting directly in this blog is preferred. Thanks as well to all the new members of the bulletin board. Most of the links to actual the products are affiliate links that help support this site. Thanks in advance if you purchase through those links.

If you are looking at this material on any other site except Photography.ca – Please hop on over to the Photography.ca blog and podcast and get this and other photography info directly from the source. |Subscribe with iTunes|Subscribe via RSS feed |Subscribe with Google Reader|Subscribe for free to the Photography podcast – Photography.ca and get all the posts/podcasts by Email
You can download this photography podcast directly by clicking the preceding link or listen to it almost immediately with the embedded player below.

Thanks for listening and keep on shooting!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Filed Under: Photographs, Photography lighting, Photography podcasts, Photography tips, podcasting

Photography forum image of the month – February 2012

March 9, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Every month on our photography forum members nominate images that they like. Then at the end of the month I choose an excellent image and talk about why it rocks. The photo I choose is not necessarily the best one of the month. I’ve come to realize it’s not really logical to pit images from totally different genres against each other. That’s why there are categories in photo contests. I just choose a photo that has extremely strong elements that we can learn from.

Jump - behind the shot by Richard

Jump - behind the shot by Richard

This month’s choice is Jump – behind the shot by Richard

I chose this image for several reasons:

Colour – Lighting – Exposure – The cool colours in this image work extremely well with the subject matter. I really like the bluish quality to the lighting in this image as it is in sync with the with colder season. The overall lighting which Richard graciously explains is also well done and I like the hues of the gelled speedlights. The speedlights highlight the child’s movements very well and capture an excellent gesture. In terms of the exposure, Richard confesses to to using an ND filter over the lens to balance the strobes and ambient light and this makes the shutterspeed longer. This was a very smart move that allows us to see a hint of blurred movement in the feet and different position of the hat.

Gesture and Story – The child is caught in mid-jump, playing and smiling. Even though the child is basically told to jump, Richard catches a moment that looks completely natural. For me this is a successful image of a child having a great time just being a child.

Post processing – the added wisps of smoke in the post processing are a lovely touch and blend in really well with the image and the intended concept of the image. The vignetting keeps our eyes well focused on the child and the child’s activity.

For all these reasons, this is my choice for image of the month. Since we all have opinions, some members may disagree with my choice. That’s cool but THIS thread is not the place for debate over my pick, NOR is it the place to further critique the image. The purpose here is to suggest strong elements in the photo that we may learn from.

Congrats again Richard for creating this wonderful image!

Filed Under: Image of the month, Photographs Tagged With:

Sneak peek invitation – New personal work by Marko Kulik

February 28, 2012 By 2 Comments

Hi everyone!

I’m Marko, the owner admin of the Photography.ca website. Normally when I post from the Photography.ca blog it is to publish a podcast, an image of the month or to feature photographs from different photographers. This post though is to invite you to see some new work that I have published on a new personal site called markokulik.com.

One of the reasons I started this new site is because I feel this Photography.ca website is devoted to the photography community at large and not my own personal work. But I have been shooting A LOT of personal work lately and wanted to feature the work in 1 place. In particular, I have been photographing cities at night using intentional camera movement and long exposures. You can see those images in the new gallery called Impressionistic Cities at Night. This is an ongoing project, and I will talk about and post new photos to that gallery regularly. I also intend to upload and talk about older work.

Although I almost never ask for favors…..I have a favor to ask if you enjoy my work. Please go to any page on markokulik.com and enter your email address at the top of any page to subscribe to updates. These updates will talk mainly about the work being produced and I will never sell, trade, share or pimp out your personal information in any way. You can cancel at anytime. Thanks so much in advance and here is a peek at the opening image on the site. Thanks again, Sincerely – Marko Kulik

Carré Jacques Cartier - Montréal by Marko Kulik

Carré Jacques Cartier - Montréal by Marko Kulik

 

Filed Under: Photographs, Photography blog entries, podcasting

Photography forum image of the month – January 2012

February 22, 2012 By 2 Comments

Every month on our photography forum members nominate images that they like. Then at the end of the month I choose an excellent image and talk about why it rocks. The photo I choose is not necessarily the best one of the month. I’ve come to realize it’s not really logical to pit images from totally different genres against each other. That’s why there are categories in photo contests. I just choose a photo that has extremely strong elements that we can learn from.

And miles to go before I sleep... And miles to go before I sleep by jumpinjimmyjava

And miles to go before I sleep... And miles to go before I sleep by jumpinjimmyjava

 

This month’s choice is (Click to see the larger version of this image) And miles to go before I sleep… And miles to go before I sleep by jumpinjimmyjava

I chose this image for several reasons:

1 – It tells or suggests a strong story & Composition – The title of the image is a well known phrase from a poem that many of us studied in High School (Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert frost). Just reading the title helps to support this image and veers our interpretation of it in a certain direction both with visual and thematic elements. I love the position of the man in this image. It’s close to the edge but not quite at the edge. This adds tension to the image and helps support the theme that “there’s still work to be done”, it’s not over just yet) .The wintry scene also supports the theme of a person in their sunset years but the image is bright, not dark, again supporting a thematic element.

I like the layered aspect of the image where the bottom of the image is darker than the rest. The middle part of the image shows lines moving from right to left. The top part of the image shows more sky and is distinct from the other 2 parts of the image. These ‘divisions’ or layers as I like to call them add visual interest to the image. Our eyes like them.

2 – Colour – The subtle colour palette in this image works very well for me, the colours are very harmonious. For me they are calm, well chosen colours. The blue of the jacket stands out really well against the white and brings our full attention to the focal point of the image. In addition, the blue of the jacket is complimented by other subtle blue tones in the image, again helping to create the overall visual harmony.

3 – Post processing – This image is a composite of several images or textures. I don’t know exactly how many but I’d say at least 3 (the snow flakes, the man, the wintry landscape). Either way the blending of the images is well done to my eye and each part of the image compliments the other parts.

And the whole image, is greater than the sum of its parts.

For all these reasons, this is my choice for image of the month. Since we all have opinions, some members may disagree with my choice. That’s cool but THIS thread is not the place for debate over my pick, NOR is it the place to further critique the image. The purpose here is to suggest strong elements in the photo that we may learn from.

Congrats again jumpinjimmyjava for creating this wonderful themed image!

Filed Under: Image of the month Tagged With:

104 – Backing up images like a pro versus a bonehead

February 15, 2012 By 5 Comments

Photography podcast #104 discusses strategies for backing up your images. One of my external hard drives that held tens of thousands of images failed recently. Even though I had a duplicate of the images on another drive, the duplicates were poorly arranged. This got me thinking about better and safer backup strategies. I’d DEFINITELY appreciate hearing about YOUR backup strategies.

Links /resources mentioned in this podcast:
- Crashplan.com
- Backblaze.com
- Carbonite.com
- Amazon S3 services calculator

- “Transportation” is our regular forum assignment for February
- Intentional Overexposure is our level 2 assignment for February

If you liked this podcast and want to review it on Itunes, this link gets you to the main page

If you are interested in writing for our blog please contact me photography.ca (   A   T  ) G m ail  Dot co m (using standard email formatting)

Please join the Photography.ca fan page on Facebook

My Facebook profile – Feel free to “friend” me – please just mention Photography.ca
My Twitter page – I will follow you if you follow me – Let’s connect – PLEASE email me and tell me who you are in case I don’t reciprocate because I think you are a spammer.

If you are still lurking on our forum,
feel free to join our friendly :)  Photography forum

Thanks to skcazador, amber, cartman75 and Glenn Iguanasan Euloth who posted  blog comments about our last podcast. Thanks as always to everyone that sent comments by email about our last podcast. Although ALL comments are appreciated, commenting directly in this blog is preferred. Thanks as well to all the new members of the bulletin board. Most of the links to actual the products are affiliate links that help support this site. Thanks in advance if you purchase through those links.

If you are looking at this material on any other site except Photography.ca – Please hop on over to the Photography.ca blog and podcast and get this and other photography info directly from the source. |Subscribe with iTunes|Subscribe via RSS feed |Subscribe with Google Reader|Subscribe for free to the Photography podcast – Photography.ca and get all the posts/podcasts by Email
You can download this photography podcast directly by clicking the preceding link or listen to it almost immediately with the embedded player below.

Thanks for listening and keep on shooting!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Filed Under: Photography podcasts, Photography tips, podcasting Tagged With: ,

Photography forum image of the month December 2011

January 12, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Every month on our photography forum members nominate images that they like. Then at the end of the month I choose an excellent image and talk about why it rocks. The photo I choose is not necessarily the best one of the month. I’ve come to realize it’s not really logical to pit images from totally different genres against each other. That’s why there are categories in photo contests. I just choose a photo that has extremely strong elements that we can learn from.

The Peace Bridge - At Last! by JAS_Photo

The Peace Bridge - At Last! by JAS_Photo

This month’s choice is (click to see the larger version of this image)  The Peace Bridge – At Last! by JAS_Photo

I chose this image for several reasons:

1 – Composition – This is a very strong composition and the bridge itself acts as a fantastic leading line. It guides our eye beautifully into the image. In addition, aside from the shape of the bridge itself, there are also other “mini-shapes” in the bridge itself as well as all around the image. These other mini-shapes add a lot of interest to the image.

2 – Tones and post processing – The bridge itself is selectively coloured in this image and I like that very much in this case. I feel it works and offers a new take on what is likely a heavily photographed piece of infra-structure. For me it suggests ‘something new’ being introduced into a city. The desaturation of the background compliments the bridge and really makes the bridge pop.

3 – Story and perspective – This bridge is still a work in progress and we can see a crane in the background that suggests this. We see the bridge “moving” toward the background which suggests to me something new being introduced to something older. The angle or perspective from which the image was taken was very well chosen to suggest this story.

For all these reasons, this is my choice for image of the month. Since we all have opinions, some members may disagree with my choice. That’s cool but THIS thread is not the place for debate over my pick, NOR is it the place to further critique the image. The purpose here is to suggest strong elements in the photo that we may learn from.

Congrats again JAS_Photo for creating this wonderful image!

 

Filed Under: Image of the month, Photographs, Photography blog entries Tagged With:

103 – Photography umbrella for rain and snow

December 29, 2011 By 5 Comments

Photography podcast #103 talks about a wet weather photography umbrella contraption that I recently put together. Basically it’s a GIANT golf umbrella and a sling.
I’ve been shooting a lot in the rain and snow lately and sometimes you need to have both hands free. This umbrella contraption allows you to keep both hands on the camera and works well in heavy rain or snow so long as it’s not too windy.

This giant 68" double canopy Gustbuster golf umbrella in a sling gives you close to 30 inches of dry shooting when it's not too windy.

 

A close-up of the sling I purchased from brellabag.com - It's pricey at $30. but works well when the sling is loaded with heavier items like a long lens or bottle of water.

Links /resources mentioned in this podcast:
- Golftown.com
- Gustbuster umbrellas
- Brellabag.com
- Podcast #88 – Rain photography
- “Lights” is our regular forum assignment for December
- Ugly ducklings – looking for beauty in everything  is our level 2 assignment for December

If you liked this podcast and want to review it on Itunes, this link gets you to the main page

If you are interested in writing for our blog please contact me photography.ca (   A   T  ) G m ail  Dot co m (using standard email formatting)

Please join the Photography.ca fan page on Facebook

My Facebook profile – Feel free to “friend” me – please just mention Photography.ca
My Twitter page – I will follow you if you follow me – Let’s connect – PLEASE email me and tell me who you are in case I don’t reciprocate because I think you are a spammer.

If you are still lurking on our forum,
feel free to join our friendly :)  Photography forum

Thanks to cartman75, Benny and Gale who posted  blog comments about our last podcast. Thanks as always to everyone that sent comments by email about our last podcast. Although ALL comments are appreciated, commenting directly in this blog is preferred. Thanks as well to all the new members of the bulletin board. Most of the links to actual the products are affiliate links that help support this site. Thanks in advance if you purchase through those links.

If you are looking at this material on any other site except Photography.ca – Please hop on over to the Photography.ca blog and podcast and get this and other photography info directly from the source. |Subscribe with iTunes|Subscribe via RSS feed |Subscribe with Google Reader|Subscribe for free to the Photography podcast – Photography.ca and get all the posts/podcasts by Email
You can download this photography podcast directly by clicking the preceding link or listen to it almost immediately with the embedded player below.

Thanks for listening and keep on shooting!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Filed Under: Photography podcasts, Photography tips, podcasting Tagged With: ,

Photography forum image of the month November 2011

December 21, 2011 By 1 Comment

Every month on our photography forum members nominate images that they like. Then at the end of the month I choose an excellent image and talk about why it rocks. The photo I choose is not necessarily the best one of the month. I’ve come to realize it’s not really logical to pit images from totally different genres against each other. That’s why there are categories in photo contests. I just choose a photo that has extremely strong elements that we can learn from.

Fight Club! by Lizardqing

Fight Club! by Lizardqing

 

This month’s choice is (click to see the larger version of this image) Fight Club! by Lizardqing

I chose this image for several reasons:

1 – Timing/Decisive moment. You gotta have a quick trigger finger to catch a moment like this or you will miss it. We’ve all missed fab opportunities like this, or misframed opportunities like this; good on Lizardquing for this fab capture.

2 – Composition – I really like the composition here. It is especially impressive given the speed needed to catch this image. I really like the faun at the right side as well as the position of the trees.

3 – Exposure/lighting/colour – Exposure looks very good here and could easily have been missed given the lighting. Good choice of shutter-speed to keep things fairly sharp but still reveal motion in the deers’ front legs. Lovely colour palette as well. The lighting is wonderful in this image, good on Lizardqing for being there early enough to capture.

For all these reasons, this is my choice for image of the month. Since we all have opinions, some members may disagree with my choice. That’s cool but THIS thread is not the place for debate over my pick, NOR is it the place to further critique the image. The purpose here is to suggest strong elements in the photo that we may learn from.

Congrats again Lizardqing for capturing this wonderful moment!

Filed Under: Image of the month, Photographs, Photography blog entries Tagged With:
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