Planned Shots

Canon 1DMkIII | ^©2011 Danny Munson

There are many factors that go into getting that shot. Outside of the technical matters and just being a natural to Photography, lie the things like knowing when to bounce vs. when to shoot harsh light, slowing down the shutter speed when shooting a wedding reception, and "planning the shot."

The exposure above was taken by California based Sports Photographer Danny Munson. Of course, you could just get lucky and be there at the right time, but shots like this usually have more to them. Danny has an easy advantage being that he himself participated in the race pictured above, the Anger Management Criterium.

A few things to note in this shot: position, lens, movement and exposure. As you can see, the symmetry of the shot is the dominant characteristic. Danny knew if he released the shutter at the right moment, the shot would be well balanced. Next, the wide angle used not only captured all the riders, but provided a nice aesthetic quality to the image.

Movement can be shown in two ways, camera movement or subject movement. In this case, keeping the camera locked down showed a sense of motion as the bikers rounded the turn. And then the more technical part, the exposure. So many struggle with exposure, and learning how to use light is a necessary step to becoming a better Photographer. Here, the sun is clearly the brightest part of the composition, but not at all overpowering or distracting. A great book to read on exposure, whether beginner or seasoned, is Understanding Exposure [second edition, 3rd edition available].

Danny is the owner of D Munson Photo located in San Dimas, California.

Tip:
If you want to freeze the subject, pan the camera along with them as they go across your field of view. The result will be a motion filled background with a sharp, detailed subject.

Telamonia Jumping Spider - OrionMystery

^©2011 OrionMystery | Canon 40D

Kurt, aka OrionMystery, is a Macro Photographer based in Malaysia. Above is a picture of a Male Telamonia jumping spider. Kurt does a great job at capturing detail and nailing the focus right where it should be.

Macro Photography is more of a venture to most Photographers, only dabbling in enough to capture an all around good shot. But when you take the time Kurt does, you really learn the niche and gain a new understanding. He offers plenty of tips on getting better shots and shows some setup pics on his blog, Up Close With Nature.

Plains Milky Way - Randy Halverson

From Randy:

During the month of May, I shot Milky Way timelapse in central South Dakota, when I had the time, and the weather cooperated. The biggest challenge was cloudy nights and the wind. There were very few nights, when I could shoot, that were perfectly clear, and often the wind was blowing 25mph +. That made it hard to get the shots I wanted. I kept most of the shots low to the ground, so the wind wouldn't catch the setup and cause camera shake, or blow it over. I used a Stage Zero Dolly on the dolly shots and a "Milapse" mount on the panning ones.

This was shot on the Canon 60D and Canon T2i DSLR cameras.

Be sure to check out more of Randy's work at www.dakotalapse.com.

Camera+

Whenever I go out, I make it a point to have some type of camera with me, ready to shoot. 97% of the time, this is my iPhone. When I am driving around, I have my phone sitting in camera mode. When I see something, I just wake it up and I'm ready to shoot. This is a very simple way to capture more and get easy practice. Most of all, you will end up with thousands of pictures you may never use. If you are the type that can't hit the "delete" button, you may want to plan the more critical shot.

Using the native iPhone Camera, you can grab some great shots. However, software like Photoshop Mobile and Camera+ allow you to continue your creative vision without the use of a larger computer.

Camera+ is an award winning iPhone App developed by Lisa Bettany, aka @mostlylisa. She is part of the same team that developed the recent #1 App The Heist. The truth is, most camera apps offer the same thing: filters, zoom and focus, grids and borders. However, the way these tools are implemented may vary greatly. Camera+ stands out with it's easy to use interface, quick access controls and online viewing through an account on http://campl.us/ (similar to flickr). So all of these features are available elsewhere, but each user has their own taste, hence Canon vs. Nikon.

The tools available today almost leave the term "lack of resources" in the past. New York Photographer Joshua Brown recently published a book filled exclusively with pics taken using Camera+. Even though high technology is now available at the consumer level, which can negatively effect the professional market, we are also seeing creative restraints being lifted. This in return gives those that are passionate about their craft the ability to worry more about composition and less about a $6,000 camera body.

Be sure to check out Lisa's gallery and learn more about Camera+.

Links:
Lisa's blog
Josh's book [full preview!]

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!