2013 - A NEW PHOTO YEAR!

Can you believe it’s 2013 already?  Where does the time go?

This month’s issue celebrates the New Year and, with it, the promise of new beginnings and fresh starts.  Our feature this month provides a roadmap to help guide you through organizing and backing up your digital photo library so that you can find your favorite images and feel confident they are properly protected.  We have also included some tips for winter weather shooting and experimenting with panoramic photography.  For those who have dreamt of test-driving a photography dream job, we have some tips on how to make that dream a reality.

Plus, if you’ve ever wondered what the graph is on the back of your LCD screen, we explain what it is and how it can help you improve your images.  Add in a few quick photo tips, and this month’s issue is complete. 

Remember that we’re standing by if you need help with any of the topics we’ve discussed.  We can assist with anything related to imaging, and we look forward to helping you with any project or dilemma, regardless of size.  Just give us a call or stop by the store!

New Year’s Resolution:

Organizing Your Digital Photos

The New Year signals a fresh start, a chance to start over or begin a new project.  Unfortunately, when it comes to managing our growing digital photography libraries, it seems the only thing we know to do is simply buy a larger hard drive.  The idea of sorting and organizing photos can seem a daunting task, but you’ll find that once you have a strategy and get started, it’s a pretty simple process.

If you’re thinking that there has to be a better way, you’re right.  We’ve got a plan designed to help you tame and organize your digital photographs so that you can find your favorites and free up some well-needed hard drive space.  The steps below are designed to be done on your schedule. You can even break them up into different time slots, such as one step per week.  Just make sure to finish the job so you can enjoy the reward of knowing you can now find those favorite images on a moment’s notice.

  

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.