Shinichi Maruyama - Kusho

^©2011 Shinichi Maruyama

New York Photographer Shinichi Maruyama is not a blogger, but for the past few years, his amazing water photography has been featured in blogs and galleries to great distance. The above is from his Kusho series and was recently on display at the Bruce Silverstein Gallery, New York. He creates this rich colored water by mixing in Sumi Calligraphy Ink. Be sure to check out more of Shinichi's work on his website.

Links:
Shinichi on Vimeo [with demonstration]
Current exhibition

Autofocus, When You Say So

^©2011 Curtis Harper

Autofocus (AF) is a great feature that was first introduced by Leica in the 1960's. This technology works by using the camera's sensor to define accurate focus. Some professionals simply live by manual focus and believe it is the only way, but again, we must realize that has it's place, just like a flash or a zoom lens.

Many times when shooting, you may find it annoying that you can't get the AF just right. You might accidentally focus on the background, or focus on an ear when you should be on the eyes. Well, there is an easier way! It is the AE Lock/AF feature. Some cameras come with this as its own button, while others may need to be mapped. Also, the terminology may slightly vary on different bodies.

When looking at the Canon EOS 50D pictured above, notice the AF-ON button. From the manufacturer, this is the same as pressing your shutter button half way to autofocus; however you can customize this. By mapping this to enable exposure lock, you can use your autofocus as desired, lock it, and then not have to worry about the camera changing focus every time you press the shutter.

To enable AE Lock/AF (EOS 50D):

1) Navigate to your Custom Settings Menu

2) Select C.FnIV: Operation/Others

3) Select 3: AE lock/Metering + AF start

4) Press OK

Now whenever you press your AF-ON button, AF will engage. Pressing and releasing the shutter will not change the focus!

Editor's Post: Follow Curtis

Splash - Mark de Roo

Splash (not actual title) ^©Mark de Roo

Netherlands based Photographer Mark de Roo is quite the artist. Many great photographs are born due to experimentation. When you combine this with talent and amazing models, you get a breathtaking piece. The above photo is just one from Mark's amazing Water portfolio. I highly recommend checking out Mark's website.

Mark is a Professional Photographer and frequently updates his blog. Unfortunately he does not speak much English, so the site and blog are written in Dutch. However, Photography is universal!