Painting with Light by Melissa and Zivan Mendez

Purpose
When we found out The Great Oaks Career Campuses wanted us to shoot a student project car to promote their Auto Collision Class, we thought it was great until we realized it would require a lot of light to do it right – (4) 800 watt-second studio flash heads to be exact – flash heads that we didn’t have at the time. Coming up with extra cash to buy a $400.00 studio flash head, or yet alone even rent one in Cincinnati, wasn’t an option. Sifting through the internet, we ran across a photographer who was using an arcane technique of long exposures to paint his subjects with light for better illumination, versus what a single light source can do, with an added touch of drama. So we decided to utilize the same technique on our car. Having a long exposure allowed us to spread the light in time, so-to-speak, using multiple flashes from a single head unit to effectively create a virtual bank of lights while providing a unique, defined look that hadn’t been achieved in any of Great Oaks’ previous images. 

What is it?
In our image of the car, we shot the light facing away from the camera. If you were to shoot the light facing the camera, the image would result in 1.)multiple rather brilliant light sources or 2.)streaks of light similar to the way a paintbrush streaks a canvas with paint. The type of result you get depends on the light source used. Speedlight flashes and studio strobes yield multiple light sources while fire and ordinary handheld flashlights (the kind you use on a campout) gives you the paintbrush effect.

Final Shot for Great Oaks Auto Collision

Knockout Color! by Rick Sammon

Good color in pictures is subjective. Some people like pictures that pop with saturated hues, while others prefer pictures more subdued. What’s more, we see colors differently at different times of day—even our mood affects how we see colors. In this article, I’d like to touch on the basics of color in digital photography, with the focus on getting the best possible image at the time of capture. To illustrate the techniques, I’ll use some pictures that I took on a recent trip to Panama, where my goal was to take color pictures of the three indigenous tribes: the Kuna, the Emberá and the Ngobe.

Look For Colorful Subjects

The first thing you need for a colorful picture is a colorful subject or background—or both! Seeking out color can be a good starting point to get the photographic ball rolling, especially when you’re traveling and trying to become oriented to a new location. So keep an eye out, as I did when I was in Kuna Yala photographing the women who sew molas.

Shooting Tips: Reverse Your Thinking to Create Stunning Landscapes
By Don Smith

The art of seeing in my opinion is a process which can be learned. I hear from many of my workshop participants that they "don't have a lot of artistic ability." I tell them "try reversing your thinking when in the field." Most amateurs tend to think subject first while most pros think light. Personally I am drawn to quality light and/or great color. In my visual process, subject ranks third on the list. Let's take a look at the two styles and see which category works best for you.

Let's start by examining the traditional way most of us approach photographing a landscape. We usually have a location, or a subject for that matter, which we want to photograph. Many times we are either on vacation or in a location not near our homes and we may simply want to make a record shot. This is thinking "subject first." In other words the old Seals and Croft song: "We May Never Pass This Way Again" plays in our brains and we simply accept the light that Mother Nature is providing - we have no other choice. If we have time in our busy schedules we may think early morning or late afternoon light, but nevertheless, we accept the light that is there, the main intent is recording the subject.

Tamron 17-50 2.8 VC Review

Tamron 17-50 2.8 VC at the Mississippi Gulf Coast

 by Jamey Oser

This summer, I had the chance to use the Tamron 17-50 2.8 VC during my family vacation to the Mississippi gulf coast.  I have had many opportunities to use and learn about this lens in the store, but this was the first time using it somewhere that you would actually enjoy what comes out of the camera.  I truly enjoyed using this lens in every situation I came upon. 

The first night we got there was the only time that I had a chance to use the VC (vibration compensation) and the super bright 2.8 aperture in low light.  When I needed to stop the movement of my daughters walking the beach, I could.  And when it got even darker, the tri-axial VC system worked so well that I could regularly get blur free pictures as slow as 1/13th second exposures hand.

Shooting Reflections with Digi Pixels

By Digi Pixels

Greetings Fellow Photographers!

Sometimes reflections can cause distractions or reflecting light into the scene where we may not want it. But this tip is about making use of the reflective surfaces we encounter in life to make more interesting and powerful photographs.

It takes a little practice to find interesting reflections and how they may be used effectively. Possibly the most common reflection photo is that of the mountain scene reflected in a lake. It is beautiful, strait forward and easy enough shot to take. Just setup a camera with a wide-angle lens on a tripod, then set the camera to a long exposure to get that wonderful calendar shot! But lets look beyond the most obvious shots and look at how reflective surfaces can play a very important part of your photography.

What is HDR?

What is HDR?

by Joe Myeress

I’ve had many people ask me, “What is HDR?” So I thought I would show an example of one of my finished images. I used 3 exposures, a normal exposure, an exposure underexposed by 2 stops, and an exposure overexposed by 2 stops. Then by using software, I like Photomatix or Nik HDR Efex Pro 2, the images are merged into one.

PHOTOGRAPHING HOT AIR BALLOONS

Photographing Hot Air Balloons by Joe Myeress

If you are looking for something different and very colorful to photograph, start making plans to attend the annual Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta in New Mexico.  The “most photographed annual festival in the world” according to Kodak, begins Oct. 6 and runs until Oct 14.

CREATING BACKGROUND BLUR

This was taken with a 18-200 Nikon VR lens, the tent in the background is for an outdoor wedding reception.

By Sheila Pack


One of the things I get asked about fairly often, is how to make the background blurry in an image. This is accomplished by using a wide open aperture (aka fstop) on the camera, sometimes by using specialty lenses, and focusing fairly close to the subject desired to be sharp in the image. The open aperture creates a shallow depth of focus, or depth of field, and allows the background to go soft. There are lenses available which have a maximum aperture of 2.8 (for zooms) or 1.8, 1.4, and even 1.2 prime (non-zoom) lenses. The lower the number, the shallower the depth of field when used wide open, creating that gorgeous, creamy bokeh, and, the higher the price tag. However, as you can see from the examples below, the look can be created (usually to a lesser degree of softness) even with an all-around lens like the 18-200 VR. The key is using the lens wide open.

TIME FOR FIREWORKS PHOTOS!

By Sheila Pack

With all the summer fairs and festivals, and the Fourth of July fast approaching, here are a few quick tips for getting good fireworks pictures.

First and foremost, you'll want to use a tripod. The slow shutter speeds necessary for fireworks photos are way too slow to handhold. Having a flashlight can be very helpful, since you're going to be working in the dark. Enough said.

If you're using a point and shoot camera, check to see if it has a fireworks setting in its preset modes. If it does, great! If not, try using the landscape mode. Both of these preset modes use a long focusing distance, and turn off the flash. The fireworks mode also turns down the ISO, one advantage over the landscape mode. If yours is one of the many which has some manual settings (but no fireworks mode), check to see if you can turn down the ISO yourself. Contrary to what you might expect, you want to use a low ISO, because, while the sky is dark, the actual subject of the photos, the fireworks, are very bright.