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99 – Controlling brightness in photography

August 25, 2011 By 4 Comments

Photography podcast #99 discusses how to control brightness in your images. Our eye tends to follow or rest upon bright objects in a photograph and very often these objects or elements are not the focal point of the image thus causing our eyes to wander.

Controlling the brighter elements in a scene takes some planning during shooting, and some work in post-processing but ultimately your images will be stronger. You’ll also have way more control over the final image where you the creator of the image guide the viewer’s eye purposefully.

Brightness is well controlled in this image. Along with compositional curves, part of what makes this image work is that other bright elements in the scene are not competing with the bride. All eyes are on her as she makes her entrance. Image by Dominic Fuizzotto

Image by Richard Sparey - This lovely image of delicious pears suffers slightly from what I call weak edges. This causes our eye to wander out of the frame. It's more noticeable on printed white paper or on a pure white background.

The same image with the edges burnt in (darkened) quite a bit to show the effect. This helps keep our eyes from wandering. Thanks to Richard for allowing me to use this image.

Links /resources mentioned in this podcast:
- August’s regular assignment on the Photography.ca forum – Numbers – Photograph something with a number
- August’s level 2 assignment on the Photography.ca forum – Creating counterpoints
- Brightness problems and distracting elements – Podcast #44
- Neutral density filters and graduated ND filters – Interview with Darwin Wiggett –  Podcast #77
- Dominic Fuizzotto Photography
- Richard Sparey Photography


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

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

Thanks to forum members Northstone,  Scorpio_e, Howard J, Yisehaq, Bill Sorensen and useakme 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

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97 – How to photograph with hard light

June 11, 2011 By 4 Comments

Photography podcast #97 is a primer on how to use hard light. Hard light is trickier to use than soft light but there is NO reason to avoid using it. It just needs to be used appropriately. Part of using hard light and shadow in photography is being very aware of where the shadows will fall and changing your position or your lighting if you don’t like where they fall.

Here’s a couple of basic points when using hard light in photography:

- Hard light comes from a small light source relative to your subject. The sun IS a small light source in this respect because it is 93 million miles away from the earth.
- Hard light produces hard shadows which are good in many cases especially to reveal form.
- The farther the light source is from the subject, the HARDER the shadows.
- The farther away the light source is from the subject, the SHORTER the shadows.

To prove this to yourself take a flashlight into the bathroom and shut off the lights. Shine the light on your finger in front of the wall. Move the light around and you will learn a ton about shadows.

Hard light demo

Hard light demo - The image at left shows a shadow from direct hard sunlight. Moments later some very light clouds diffuse the sunlight to create a softer shadow at right. Had the sky been completely overcast (very soft light) almost no shadows would be present and this image would lose its punch and be totally boring. © Marko Kulik

Image by BzdegaPhotography

Image by BzdegaPhotography - The hard light totally works in this image despite the flare.

Carmy Working

Carmy Working by Marko Kulik - One hard light at camera left creates a shadow that adds to the gritty flavour of the shot

Their Objects by Marko Kulik

Their Objects by Marko Kulik - Candle light is hard light. This shot took quite a while to set up due to thinking about where the shadows would fall.

Judy Garland by George Hurrell - 1944

Judy Garland by George Hurrell - 1944. This striking portrait was shot 67 years ago by lighting master George Hurrell. The very dark shadows attest to the hard light used here.

Links /resources mentioned in this podcast:
June’s regular assignment on the Photography.ca forum – Breaking the rules
June’s level 2 assignment on the Photography.ca forum – Creative self portraits


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 forum members NorthStone, Wicked Dark, Howard J,  KawarthaBob and Jonny Hotshoe 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

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Photography forum image of the month April 2011

May 6, 2011 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.

Repetition in Monochrome by Casil403

Repetition in Monochrome by Casil403

This month’s choice is Repetition in Monochrome by casil403.

I chose this image for several reasons:

Spotting the scene – Abstracts like this are often all around us, and the vast majority of us will never ever see them. Looking is not the same as seeing. Seeing takes longer, it takes more time and more patience. Hats off to Casil for seeing this fabulous abstract.

Composition – Even though we are not sure what we are looking at, this abstract scene is very well composed and very deliberate. Both the curved lines and the straight lines in this image intrigue and successfully guide our eye through the image. The repetitive quality of the curves and lines is also very pleasing. In case people are wondering what the abstract actually is, Casil wrote …”it’s the reflection of a soffit ceiling on a mirrored pole.”

Post processing – Black and white was an excellent choice for this scene. The lack of colour emphasizes the graphic quality of the lines and patterns that we see. The tonal quality of the scene (good representation of tones) as well as the frame around the scene suits this image extremely well.

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 Casil for seeing, capturing and processing this wonderful find!

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

96 – Tripods for photography (the good stuff)

April 26, 2011 By 14 Comments

Photography podcast #96 is a primer on how to buy a great tripod, what to look for in a tripod and why you should buy a great tripod. (In the longrun, if you stick with photography long enough, you will be buying a great tripod eventually anyway)

If you are serious enough about your photography that you save money to buy great lenses, then this podcast won’t scare the crap out of you.

If you are into the cheap stuff, and are more concerned about overall price versus overall quality, be afraid – be very afraid.

Tripods and heads for photography

Tripods and heads for photography

Links /resources mentioned in this podcast:
Tripod article by Thom Hogan – a must read
Gitzo GT2540LLVL tripod at B&H
Manfrotto 055 Tripod plus 3-Way Pan/Tilt Head w/ Quick Release at B&H
The following companies make recommended ballheads – Arca Swiss – Acratech – Really Right Stuff - Markins – Gitzo – Manfrotto
Cheaper Carbon fiber tripods by Induro – Benbo (Remember to research and TRY specific individual models)
April’s regular assignment on the Photography.ca forum – Geometric shapes
April’s level 2 assignment on the Photography.ca forum – Creative underexposure


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 forum member Benny who posted a blog comment 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

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95 – Larry King family portrait – Interview with Laszlo of Montreal

March 21, 2011 By 1 Comment

Photography podcast #95 features an interview with Canadian photographer Laszlo of Montreal. In this interview Laszlo talks about a recent portrait session with Larry King and his family. In an effort to illustrate how keeping it simple can yield great results, Laszlo deconstructs this photograph while talking about lighting, composition and technique.

Larry King family portrait by Laszlo of Montreal

Larry King family © Laszlo of Montreal

Links /resources mentioned in this podcast:

Show us your parks is the regular assignment this month on our photography forum
Macro – closeup  is the level 2 assignment this month on our photography forum
If you liked this podcast and want to write a testimonial, it’s a great way to say “Thanks” and it’s super-appreciated

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 forum member Glenn Euloth (AKA Iguanasan on our forum) who posted a blog comment 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

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Vintage photo of the day March 17, 2011

March 17, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Today’s image of the day is called Stairs of Montmartre, Paris by the late master Hungarian photographer Andre Kertesz, and it was shot in 1925. Kertesz is one of my all time favorite photographers and more of his work will surely be featured in the future.

Stairs of Montmartre, Paris - 1925 by Andre Kertesz

Stairs of Montmartre, Paris - 1925 by Andre Kertesz

What makes this, and tons of other Kertesz images fantastic is the precise and deliberate composition. Kertesz was simply a master at guiding your eye to interesting places in the photograph. The shapes of the shadows and the position of the railings are both delightful to look at and they guide your eye perfectly toward the humans in the photo.

Kertesz was also keenly aware of all planes of focus in an image and how they work together. The connection between the foreground, midground and the background elements of this image helps to suggest a story as well as make the image graphically striking.

Filed Under: Photographs, Photography blog entries, Vintage photo of the day Tagged With: ,

Photographing Cityscapes – A City Mouse in Winter By Jacqueline A. Sheen

March 9, 2011 By 2 Comments

I love to photograph the city in winter. The light is like no other time of year since the sun is always low in the sky. Long shadows crawl across the snow creating interesting lines. The light often has a subtle pinkish glow that you only see in summer at daybreak. There is a clean crispness to the air and the landscape. The bare trees and snow covered streets create a clean minimalism you don’t have in summer.

I was out wandering about with my newly purchased 8mm fisheye lens on a crisp Sunday afternoon. The temperature was hovering at minus 20 C with the bit of wind chill. It was sunny and the snow was reflecting the light back on every surface. I was in the skate park with the idea I could try out some interesting experiments with the snow covered skate domes. The new C Train overpass also runs along the edge of the park, so I thought it would work well with the lens’s distortion as well.

Urban Trek by Jacqueline A. Sheen

Urban Trek by Jacqueline A. Sheen

The problems that a cityscape photographer faces in winter are not much different than what a landscape photographer would experience. Our terrain is generally a bit smoother but it is equally as cold, so I always dress about the same as you would expect to dress if you were out in the mountains. I am usually out for a few hours at a time, so I make sure I am prepared for the weather.  The advantage I have over the rugged landscape photographer is that I can find a Starbucks to warm up in pretty quickly when the going gets too cold!

If you are out in sub-zero temperatures for extended periods of time, you will have to consider how to care for your gear.  I usually carry an extra battery in my pocket but so far I have not had to use it. Recently, while out on the street on a crisp day of about minus 10 C, I noticed the sun shining into one of our plus 15s that is accessible from the street. I thought it might make for an interesting shot from the inside and climbed up the stairs to go inside. Well- myself, (I wear glasses) the camera LCD screen and the lens filter all fogged up as you might expect. After a few minutes the fogginess cleared and I was able to get the shot. I am told that having a filter on the front of your lens helps keep moisture off the lens itself so you may want to consider a UV filter for that reason. Also when I come in from shooting on a cold day,  I remove the memory cards  from my camera,  pack up the camera and lenses  in the bag, then I zip it up tightly. I let everything return to room temperature for several hours before removing the gear  from my bag. That way I avoid the problem of condensation on my camera and lenses.  Having a well padded camera bag is useful for this reason.

For this photo, which I call “Urban Trek”, I was lining up the 8mm fisheye lens to show off the circle of street lights in the park. Someone walked into my frame and I snapped the picture.  The idea of the urban trekker appealed to me. Here we have an urbanite facing the harsh cold elements surrounded by this stark bright landscape. His dress and posture further emphasize the cold temperatures as he quickly walks to his destination.

Jacqueline A. Sheen is a photographer living in Calgary Alberta, Canada. You can check out more of her work at www.jasphoto.ca and she also goes by the handle JAS_Photo on our photography forum.

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Photography forum image of the month February 2011

March 8, 2011 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.

Junk Yard Cat by Barefoot

Junk Yard Cat by Barefoot

This month’s choice is Junk Yard Cat by Barefoot

I chose this image for several reasons:

Mood – Lighting – This image has a great mood due to the wonderful lighting. The lighting is on the low key side and it’s totally working for me here. Even though the lighting is low-keyish there’s still quite a bit of delicious shadow detail.

Good suggestion of a story – This is also related to the mood but it looks to me like this car is in an old garage or barn. The car is also way old with loads of rust but it still serves a purpose, it’s not dead yet. It serves as a potential favourite resting spot for the cat.

Subtlety – Mystery – Surprise – I love the fact that my eye did NOT go straight to the cat in this shot and this is due to the fact that the bright circular thing on top of the headlight at right is the first thing we look at. I love that. Had the cat been brighter, the shot would have been more about the cat and our eye would have gone straight for the cat. This way, we get a better surprise when we notice the cat.

Composition – I dig the repeating circles and lines in this image as well as the point of view from which the image was taken.

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 Barefoot for seeing and capturing this wonderful scene!

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

94 – Turning day into night

March 3, 2011 By 2 Comments

Photography podcast #94 teaches how to turn day into night or late afternoon for portrait purposes. This technique is often used by wedding, fashion and portrait photographers. The goal of the technique is to make the sky look darker so that the model pops against the sky. This often adds mood and/or drama to a shot. We discuss 2 techniques; using flash and camera in manual non TTL (Through the lens) mode as well as TTL mode. We also touch on flash sync speeds.

This image looks like it was shot in the late afternoon but it was shot at 1pm. Camera mode was aperture priority using TTL flash. Exposure compensation was set to -3 on camera and +2 for the direct on camera flash. I would have taken the flash off camera for a better lighting pattern but it was minus 15 C and my model only had 5 minutes in her.

Links /resources mentioned in this podcast:

Show us your parks is the regular assignment this month on our photography forum
Macro – closeup  is the level 2 assignment this month on our photography forum
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

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

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 kat, Wicked Dark and Shant M who posted a blog comment 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 podcasts, Photography tips, podcasting Tagged With: ,

Photography forum image of the month January 2011

February 9, 2011 By 3 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.

A snowy morning by Bambi

A snowy morning by Bambi

This month’s choice is‚A snowy morning by Bambi

I chose this image for several reasons:

Mood – This image has a wonderful mood and this mood is created by the falling snow, the snow covered branches in the foreground against the darker toned trees in the midground and of course the figure in the background. A shallower depth of field with the sharpest elements in the foreground might not have been the obvious choice for many photographers, but it is rocking this image big-time! The shutter speed catching the suspended snow is also helping the mood. The Black and white conversion is very well done, and it suits and enhances the other elements contributing to the overall mood.

Composition – Very well done here! There are ‘layers’ of interesting things for our eyes to look at starting from the foreground and continuing to the background where the focal point (the person) is. Our eye is well guided through this wintery ‘tunnel’.

Exposure/shutter speed – Both are well handled here. The shutter speed ‘freezes‚ ‘ the falling snow here. A good exposure keeps the whites in check and offers up wonderful tonality with a good range of tones. If I have 1 teeny niggle I might burn in the lightest branches at top right by maybe 5%.

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 post 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 Bambi for capturing this gorgeous scene!

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

Photographing Cityscapes – A City Mouse Perspective by Jacqueline A. Sheen

February 7, 2011 By 3 Comments

I am a city mouse; there is no getting around it. Not for me getting up in the predawn hours to drive for hours out to country vistas waiting for the perfect sunrise. No. My milieu is the city. I live uptown and love it here. I walk just about everywhere I go. I encounter interesting characters almost daily and the bustle of rush hour makes my heart flutter just a little. When I leave the city, upon returning, the moment I see the city skyline in the distance my heart races just a little with the feeling one gets when they know they will soon see an old love once again.

Calgary Cityscape by Jacqueline A. Sheen

Calgary Cityscape by Jacqueline A. Sheen

Calgary is not a big city although it suffers a bit from urban sprawl. It sits nicely on the prairies, where the Bow River runs through it. The CPR railway also runs through the downtown core. This is a vibrant, wealthy city, that was built on a ‚”can do‚ pioneer spirit.

Calgary‚„s many skyscrapers afford some wonderful skyline photography. Because the city core runs east to west along the core, some really wonderful late day photos can be had from the western side of downtown facing east. The glass towers literally glow pink and gold. The downtown core itself is located near the riverbed in a bit of a valley, which makes for some awesome vantage points both at river level and from higher vantage points.

When photographing the city, I walk everywhere. It is not really much different than landscape photography in that respect. To see, really see what you are looking at, you have to slow down. I try to photograph the city in a way that shows off its beauty but at the same time, shows it in a way that the common commuter may not notice in their race to get downtown. Look up. Did you notice the classic art deco styling on that old building? ‚Did you see those gargoyles way high up on another?

Calgary is blessed in that the downtown core is vibrant and alive. There is an active arts community and there is much public and private funded art. The photo above shows a portion of a large sculpture that graces the sidewalk in front of one of the ‚”Oil Towers‚ downtown. It looks like a stylized dinosaur skeleton, which makes sense as all the oil reserves come from ‚”dinosaur bones‚ so to speak. Although the owners of the sculpture may not like my use of it to frame a skyscraper other than their own, when I saw the photo, the title came immediately to mind. ‚”This City was Built On Dinosaur Bones.‚

Jacqueline A. Sheen is a photographer living in Calgary Alberta, Canada. You can check out more of her work at www.jasphoto.ca and she also goes by the handle JAS_Photo on our photography forum.

Filed Under: Photographs, Photography blog entries Tagged With: , , ,

Photographing Architectural Abstracts by Lisa Couldwell

February 3, 2011 By 3 Comments

Living in the downtown core of a large city with some interesting glass towers makes for great opportunities to shoot urban architectural abstracts. The beauty of this type of photography is that sometimes uncooperative weather or light can make for some great opportunities to catch building reflections. So any day I feel the need to get out for a walk, I take my camera and head downtown to see what the towers will offer up for opportunities.

I guess the most important aspect of shooting these types of subjects is the ability to look up, vertical, sideways, basically any way that gives one a different perspective. When shooting, look for interesting shapes and reflections off the glass windows of the towers. This can be anything from the reflections of the other parts of the buildings themselves, to reflections of the sky or clouds, sunlight or other buildings in the area.

Energy Plaza - Calgary, Alberta by Lisa Couldwell

Energy Plaza - Calgary, Alberta by Lisa Couldwell

If you see something that catches your eye, try turning your head, body in a way that might perhaps give you a different perspective and if you see something, get the camera ready. I usually set my Pentax into auto-bracket mode because I like to have the option of an HDR shot to play around with when I get home. Put the camera to the eye and again turn the camera, sideways, on an angle or basically any way that intensifies the abstractness of what you see through the lens. Take your time and don’t be afraid to take several versions of the shot while moving the camera and your body into different angles as you never know what may work and what may not. When composing the image in camera, I often compose lines to move on the diagonal as this moves the eye through the photo and creates a pleasing perspective. I look for symmetrical and geometric shapes when I move and photograph. I will go across the street and try from a different street corner as well. The beauty of this kind of photography is anything goes and you never know what you may end up with just by moving either a few centimeters or several feet. (Just as an FYI, sometimes you may get hassled from security people but in Canada as long as you are on a public sidewalk and not on private property you have the right to continue to photograph.)

In this image, I really was attracted to the V shaped angle of the building, vanishing perspective, symmetry, and the reflections of the other windows and the clouds. I pointed the camera straight up and tried to angle it so it was perfectly symmetrical. I then autobracketed 3 shots at exposures of +.5/0/-.5 stops, combined them into an HDR image in Photomatix, converted to BW in Silver Efex and minor touch ups in Lightroom to really bring out the cloud detail.

Lisa Couldwell is a photographer living in Calgary Alberta, Canada. You can check out more of her work in the Pentax Gallery, on fluidr,‚and on Smugmug. She also goes by the handle casil403 on our photography forum.

Filed Under: Photographs, Photography blog entries, Photography tips Tagged With: , , ,
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