Welcome to the 20th issue of PhotoFlash

Hi

Lots of exciting news this month at BetterPhoto. First, we've posted our winter schedule of online photo courses, and what an awesome lineup we have! In fact, instructor Charlie Borland has checked in with a brand-new and exciting course, "Lighting for Commercial Photography." For a rundown on that class and all of our offerings, go to:
http://www.betterphoto.com/online-photography-courses.asp

In this issue of PhotoFlash, don't miss the Featured Photo, the "Where in the World?" quiz, the terrific batch of photo discussions, and instructor Kerry Drager's article, in which he shares his thoughts about avoiding the crowds in popular tourist areas.

And, throughout November in the BetterPhoto Store, we put the spotlight on a wonderful book by one of our outstanding instructors: "Capture Your Kids in Pictures" by Jay Forman. For all the details about this Book of the Month selection, visit:
http://www.betterphoto.com/product/ourProductDetail.asp?productID=1204

To read the online version of PhotoFlash at our Web site, visit http://www.betterphoto.com/photoflashes/

Have a great month!
Jim Miotke
http://www.betterphoto.com/MG.asp?ID=124

In This Issue: Wednesday, November 03, 2004

• Featured Photo: Spinning Wheel
• Featured Article: When People Simply Get in Your Way ... By Kerry Drager
• Where in the World?
• New Photo Discussion 1: Spring in Wine Country, California
• New Photo Discussion 2: The Face of Change
• New Photo Discussion 3: Heliconia
• New Photo Discussion 4: Blue Autumn
• New Photo Discussion 5: Portrait of Cuban Girl
• New Photo Discussion 6: Autumn Splendor
• New Photo Discussion 7: Old Rocker Silhouette
• New Photo Discussion 8: Church Dome, Ajo, Arizona
• New Photo Discussion 9: My Reflection, My Reflection, My ...
• New Photo Discussion 10: Thunderbird Arrowhead
• New Photo Discussion 11: North Falls, Silver Creek
• New Photo Discussion 12: Prickly Place
• New Photo Discussion 13: Rock and Waterfall, California
• New Photo Discussion 14: Fog over Muir Woods, CA
• The Next Step: Where to Go From Here

Featured Photo: Spinning Wheel

Spinning Wheel This shot of a large ferris wheel was taken at night with an 8 sec. exposure, f22, ISO 100. I kind of thought the resulting image looked like a clock. © Wendy Amdahl Canon EOS 10D Digi...

Featured Article: When People Simply Get in Your Way ... By Kerry Drager
Many photographs benefit from a human presence. But in tourist areas and other popular places, too many people can create a "busy" picture with too many things vying for the viewer's attention. BetterPhoto author and instructor Kerry Drager offers his tips and tricks for keeping the crowds out of your pictures:
Read more...
 

Where in the World?
Can you guess where this picture was taken? If you think you have a clue, try offering a response.

To learn the correct answer to the last quiz - and see who came the closest, visit the previous Where in the World quiz.

© June Marie Sobrito Canon EOS Digital ...

 

BetterPhoto Launches Winter Online Course Schedule

Would you like to learn more about the principles of exposure, composition, digital photography, photographic field techniques, even Photoshop, or the business and marketing aspect of photography? BetterPhoto's exciting online courses cover such subjects as: beginning photography, composition and the art of seeing, digital photography, shooting technique, business and marketing, lighting and exposure, and Photoshop and specialty subjects. See the complete schedule at: http://www.betterphoto.com/photocourses/categories.asp Incidentally, our already-dynamic schedule of courses just got better: Join award-winning commercial photographer Charlie Borland in his all-new online class, "Lighting for Commercial Photography." In this 8-week adventure, Charlie shares his knowledge in a step-by-step approach to making the jump from lighting novice to experienced lighting technician. Check it out at:  Learn more...

 

New Photo Discussions

New Photo Discussion 1: Spring in Wine Country, California Spring in Wine Country, California © Brenda Tharp brendatharpphotography.co... Creating Visual Impact Beyond the Postcard: Creating Memorable Travel Photos 4-Week Short Course: Mastering Macro Photography 4-Week Short Course: Mastering Macro Photography (2nd Session) An ingenious shot, Brenda! In my opinion, the clouds dominate ... look how the plant rows and even the road draw the eye back up to the clouds once you come down to examine the barn. - Peter Lopez Response 1:Thanks Peter. It is one of those images that keeps the eye moving around, and I like that about this photo. Not always do you get the chance to balance everything out so that this happens! - Brenda Tharp See Brenda Tharp's Premium BetterPholio™ Visit Brenda Tharp's Web Site - BrendaTharp.com Take an Online PhotoCourse™ with Brenda Tharp: Creating Visual Impact Beyond the Postcard: Creating Memorable Travel Photos 4-Week Short Course: Mastering Macro Photography 4-Week Short Course: Mastering Macro Photography (2nd Session) Read this discussion online Respond to this discussion

New Photo Discussion 2: The Face of Change The Face of Change This 1996 U.S. quarter looked clean and shiny from a distance. But, under the scrutiny of the close-up lens the signs of age are revealed. This proud image bears the scars of thousands of exchanges, Sigma 70-300@300mm(macro mode) + Nikon 5T and 6T stacked close-up lenses; f22@1/200 sec. No PS © Wally Orlowsky Nikon D70 Digital ... Nice shot, good idea for the category! - Carolyn Fletcher See Carolyn's Premium BetterPholio™ Visit PickYourShots.com - Carolyn's Deluxe BetterPholio™ Response 1:Great macro, Wally! I love it! - Sanjay Pindiyath See Sanjay's Premium BetterPholio™ Response 2:Very cool idea, nice macro. Wouldn't it be interesting if you could track a coin's movement for a month? Mike ;-] - Michael Allen See Michael's Premium BetterPholio™ Response 3:This is excellent, Wally! I love the crop and the scratches ... plus the title (which you can take two ways). - Rob Friedman See Rob's Premium BetterPholio™ Response 4:Excellent macro! It is incredible to think how many hands have held that quarter. - Amy N. Cappelli See Amy's Premium BetterPholio™ Response 5:Nice macro and image design Wally! THe cross light really pops the texture of the coin!! - Murry Grigsby See Murry's Premium BetterPholio™ Read this discussion online Respond to this discussion

New Photo Discussion 3: Heliconia Heliconia Polaroid Image Transfer, handcolored © Kathleen T. Carr Polaroid Image and Emulsion Transfer Photoshop for Photographers with Guest Instructor Kathleen T. Carr Nikon FE2 SLR Came... Beautiful photo, Kathleen. This has the feel of a Monet painting. I want to explore Polaroid emulsion work. I understand one needs a camera with peel-back film. Any suggestions? Also I want to take your course. Thanks, Frank - Frank P. Luongo See Frank's Premium BetterPholio™ Response 1:Frank, thank you for your kind words about my image. You can either use a Polaroid camera that takes 669 peel-apart film, or some better options, I think, are the Daylab Copy System for using 4x6 photographic prints, or the Daylab slide printers, which use 35mm slides. Please check out the equipment information listed with my Polaroid Image and Emulsion Transfer course. The next course will be in January-February. I hope you can join in then. Kathleen - Kathleen T. Carr See Kathleen Carr's Premium BetterPholio™ Visit Kathleen Carr's Web Site - KathleenCarr.com Take an Online PhotoCourse™ with Kathleen Carr: Polaroid Image and Emulsion Transfer Photoshop for Photographers with Guest Instructor Kathleen T. Carr Response 2:This is so beautiful!! - Kathryn E. Love See Kathryn's Premium BetterPholio™ Response 3:Thank you very much, Kathryn! - Kathleen T. Carr See Kathleen Carr's Premium BetterPholio™ Visit Kathleen Carr's Web Site - KathleenCarr.com Take an Online PhotoCourse™ with Kathleen Carr: Polaroid Image and Emulsion Transfer Photoshop for Photographers with Guest Instructor Kathleen T. Carr Read this discussion online Respond to this discussion

New Photo Discussion 4: Blue Autumn Blue Autumn Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D (digital SLR) with 28-80mm zoom. HOYA Polarizing filter. © Peter K. Burian Digital Photography with Guest Instructor Peter Burian Miscellaneous Does... Wow, Peter!! This is so beautiful. Wonderful color and I love your composition. The texture of the water on the upper half is perfect for giving the colorful leaves an abstract look and the smooth water underneath is perfect for capturing the timber! Lovely! You have a fascinating gallery, I had a great time browsing. Thanks!! - Audrea Telkamp See Audrea's Premium BetterPholio™ Response 1:Thanks again, Audrea. This is one of my more abstract images, as you know. I mostly took wider-angle shots, but thankfully, I noticed this little "intimate landscape" since it made for the best images this fall. Peter - Peter K. Burian See Peter Burian's Premium BetterPholio™ Take an Online PhotoCourse™ with Peter Burian: Digital Photography with Guest Instructor Peter Burian Read this discussion online Respond to this discussion

New Photo Discussion 5: Portrait of Cuban Girl Portrait of Cuban Girl . © Bryan F. Peterson BryanFPeterson.com Learning to See Creatively Understanding Exposure Why did you choose F5.6 instead of F2.8? Did you want a little back ground or was it a matter of exposure? - John T. Cummins Response 1:John- The lens I was using was a 300mm f/4 and never one to shoot at wide open unless I absolutely have to, I chose, instead, f/5.6 - knowing that the closer I get to the middle apertures (f/8-11) I would record greater sharpness and contrast. Optically speaking, most all lenses are at the "sweetest spot" at f/8-f/11, yet either of these apertures seldom offer enough - or sometimes too much - depth of field, depending of course on what one is shooting. And since most lenses are NOT at their optimal clarity at wide open (f/4 in this case), it stood to reason that I could pick up a bit more clarity at f/5.6 without picking up more DOF in the background, which of course I didn't want.- Bryan - Bryan F. Peterson See Bryan Peterson's Premium BetterPholio™ Visit Bryan Peterson's Web Site - BryanFPeterson.com Take an Online PhotoCourse™ with Bryan Peterson: Learning to See Creatively Understanding Exposure Read this discussion online Respond to this discussion

New Photo Discussion 6: Autumn Splendor Autumn Splendor For this effect of soft glowing trees, I smeared petroleum jelly over my UV filter. Taken in the Washington Park Arboretum. Lens: 50mm, 1/80sec, f/10 © Monika Sapek Nikon D70 Digital ... Beautiful shot, Monica!!! I love the effects you used! - Sharon D. See Sharon's Premium BetterPholio™ Response 1:Excellent effect, Monika! I bet that was hard to clean!LOL!! - Terry R. Hatfield See Terry 's Premium BetterPholio™ Response 2:Sharon, Terry, Donna, Dan, Dan, and Brinn – I am really glad you enjoyed this image! I was reading so many times about this technique and always was too lazy to do it. I was just curious what it would look like and I must say, after I did it I liked it. Probably for those autumn trees wide angle lens would be much better, but I only had two UV filters for my 50mm of which I could use one and then after taking the photos clean it up at home. I used a very small amount of petroleum jelly, because the more you put on the less you are going to see through the lens. I took several photos trying to smear the Vaseline differently and each time it brought a different effect. I had a great time playing like that and had no problems cleaning my filter at home (I used a cleaning solution for lens and filters). So try it, guys - it's fun! Once again- thank you for your nice comments! Monika - Monika Sapek See Monika's Premium BetterPholio™ Read this discussion online Respond to this discussion

New Photo Discussion 7: Old Rocker Silhouette Old Rocker Silhouette Sunset at my ranchette, 35-70mm zoom lens, Fuji Velvia © Kerry Drager kerrydrager.com Point, Think, and Shoot: Beyond the Snapshot Field Techniques: Light and Composition 4-Week Short Course: Details and Close-ups 4-Week Short Course: Details and Close-ups (2nd Session) Nikon F5 SLR Camer... Great silhouette, Kerry! The chair is an interesting object to silhouette - most silhouettes contain trees, buildings, etc. Love the distortion of perspective the wide-angle provides. And the starburst at the bottom of the photo adds more impact to scene. For a starburst effect, do you need to use a small f/stop? - Frank P. Luongo See Frank's Premium BetterPholio™ Response 1:Hi Frank: Thanks for your comments ... I'm glad you like this image! A good observation about the subject: Most of my own silhouette subjects involve trees, buildings, statues, etc., but I also like to find other objects that have strong forms. And this old rocking chair is one of my favorite photo "finds"! ... A good question on the starburst effect: Yes, it was with a small aperture (high f/stop number - here, f/22). Also helping out in the making of starburst effects: Remove any filter - in order to cut down on the amount of sun flare in the image. ... Again, Frank, thanks for asking! - Kerry More Thoughts on Old Rocker Silhouette: This broken-down chair lies in an out-of-the-way area of my small ranch. But, although the chair is readily accessible, I simply never considered its photo potential ... until one day when I set out in search of "unusual" objects to use as potential silhouette subjects. Like most "self-assignments," this one opened up my vision to new possibilities! Normally, a sunburst would be a picture’s major focal point. But, in this case - with the wide-angle perspective - I chose to use the small sunburst as a "secondary" visual accent way at the bottom of the picture frame. A side benefit to this composition: Since I didn't have to place the starburst in a more prominent part of the image (i.e., higher up in the frame), I was able to catch the sun right above the horizon … at the height of the sunset colors and clouds! - Kerry Drager See Kerry Drager's Premium BetterPholio™ Visit Kerry Drager's Web Site - KerryDrager.com Take an Online PhotoCourse™ with Kerry Drager: Point, Think, and Shoot: Beyond the Snapshot Field Techniques: Light and Composition 4-Week Short Course: Details and Close-ups 4-Week Short Course: Details and Close-ups (2nd Session) Read this discussion online Respond to this discussion

New Photo Discussion 8: Church Dome, Ajo, Arizona Church Dome, Ajo, Arizona © Brenda Tharp brendatharpphotography.co... Creating Visual Impact Beyond the Postcard: Creating Memorable Travel Photos 4-Week Short Course: Mastering Macro Photography 4-Week Short Course: Mastering Macro Photography (2nd Session) Canon EOS 1N SLR C... I love this photo, Brenda! I have a penchant for architecture, especially churches. The sidelighting gives more depth and creates more impact. - Frank P. Luongo See Frank's Premium BetterPholio™ Response 1:Excellent, Brenda! The strong sidelight gives those clean, strong shapes a well-defined, chiseled look! Your composition has a wonderful flow to it! - Dan J. Holm See Dan's Premium BetterPholio™ Response 2:Thank you, Frank and Dan! I too like architecture, because I like design elements in my photos. It just called out to be photographed against that blue sky. - Brenda Tharp See Brenda Tharp's Premium BetterPholio™ Visit Brenda Tharp's Web Site - BrendaTharp.com Take an Online PhotoCourse™ with Brenda Tharp: Creating Visual Impact Beyond the Postcard: Creating Memorable Travel Photos 4-Week Short Course: Mastering Macro Photography 4-Week Short Course: Mastering Macro Photography (2nd Session) Read this discussion online Respond to this discussion

New Photo Discussion 9: My Reflection, My Reflection, My ... My Reflection, My Reflection, My ... 1952 Desoto convertible; 80-200mm zoom; Fuji Velvia 50 © Kerry Drager kerrydrager.com Point, Think, and Shoot: Beyond the Snapshot Field Techniques: Light and Composition 4-Week Short Course: Details and Close-ups 4-Week Short Course: Details and Close-ups (2nd Session) Nikon F5 SLR Camer... Dear Kerry Drager, I like this picture of yours better than most of the images in this category -- yours provides a lot more to think about, and it's got a nice humor. Thanks. - Alice L. Johnson Response 1:Hi Alice: Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts ... I'm pleased you like this photo! Kerry The "Story" Behind My Reflection, My Reflection, My ...: This is a recent addition to one of my continuing self-assignments: what I have named "Colors, Curves, and Chrome." I find that personal projects are a fantastic way to keep my creative vision in shape (after all, you're always striving to find something different) ... and, at the same time, produce some new photos. And, best yet, self-projects are fun, too! More thoughts: For my "Colors, Curves, and Chrome" series, I go to every car show I can ... in order to shoot the beautiful array of custom vehicles and restored classics. But I'm not out to capture overall views or "record shots"; instead (as the title of my project suggests), I'm looking for striking details and close-ups. Incidentally, "My Reflection, My Reflection, My..." was the result of what might be called a "small project within a bigger project" - in which I grabbed a tele-zoom and went specifically looking for reflections. This 1952 Desoto was quite a discovery! At the same time, this image actually serves a dual purpose: It also fits right into yet another continuing project of mine: Self-Portraits! - Kerry Drager See Kerry Drager's Premium BetterPholio™ Visit Kerry Drager's Web Site - KerryDrager.com Take an Online PhotoCourse™ with Kerry Drager: Point, Think, and Shoot: Beyond the Snapshot Field Techniques: Light and Composition 4-Week Short Course: Details and Close-ups 4-Week Short Course: Details and Close-ups (2nd Session) Read this discussion online Respond to this discussion

New Photo Discussion 10: Thunderbird Arrowhead Thunderbird Arrowhead f/7.1, 1/500s, Canon 100-400mm, 380mm, 160 ISO. Precision flying by the USAF Thunderbirds at Fairchild AFB in Spokane, WA. © Jim Kinnunen KinnunenPhoto.com Canon EOS-1D Mark ... Fantastic shot, Jim!!! I'm always really impressed with these kinds of shots. I had a chance at a stealth a few weeks ago and muffed it. Wow, how do you keep them in the viewfinder long enough to shoot? - Sharon D. See Sharon's Premium BetterPholio™ Response 1:Excellent image, Jim! - Leanne M.E. Boyd See Leanne's Premium BetterPholio™ Response 2:Thanks Sharon and Leanne! Sharon, I took about 250 images in 50 minutes that day. Getting them in the viewfinder so the AI-servo (AF) mode could track the planes was the hard part. Once they were there, the AF tracked them nicely! - Jim Kinnunen Visit KinnunenPhoto.com - Jim's Deluxe BetterPholio™ Read this discussion online Respond to this discussion

New Photo Discussion 11: North Falls, Silver Creek North Falls, Silver Creek . © Bryan F. Peterson BryanFPeterson.com Learning to See Creatively Understanding Exposure I am amazed at the size of the leaf. Is the waterfall as small as the leaf suggests? - Paul Thomas Response 1:Paul- It's an "illusion" caused by the use of the 20mm lens. The leaf is big (a big-leaf maple), but the fall is also large, about 20 feet wide and a 30-foot fall. And due to the wide-angle lens, it has simply "pushed" the falls back further than it actually was, making it appear small and distant. And when combined with the use of a large leaf in the foreground, that illusion is made greater. - Bryan F. Peterson See Bryan Peterson's Premium BetterPholio™ Visit Bryan Peterson's Web Site - BryanFPeterson.com Take an Online PhotoCourse™ with Bryan Peterson: Learning to See Creatively Understanding Exposure Response 2:Thanks, Bryan. I live - and learn. - Paul Thomas Read this discussion online Respond to this discussion

New Photo Discussion 12: Prickly Place Prickly place © Monika Sapek Nikon D70 Digital ... Awesome, Monika! An excellent b&w! The lighting, movement, composition, and textures are superb! - Dan J. Holm See Dan's Premium BetterPholio™ Response 1:Outstanding on this, Monika! Super lighting and textures. The title sure fits the photo! - Robin L. Wehrman See Robin's Premium BetterPholio™ Response 2:Excellent shot, Monika! - Carol L. Engstrom See Carol's Premium BetterPholio™ Response 3:Thank you so much, Carol! I like taking photos of cactuses. I like their shape, those different spikes on each of them, or beautiful and short blooming flowers. Glad you like this dark and spiky, image! - Monika Sapek See Monika's Premium BetterPholio™ Response 4:And you take such great cactus pictures. I didn't appreciate cacti (sp?) until I started with photography. Then I really started to see them - they are wonderful. - Carol L. Engstrom See Carol's Premium BetterPholio™ Response 5:I think I know what you meant, Carol. Before photography became my biggest passion, I didn’t appreciate the beauty of many things as I appreciate them now! There is so much to see and be captured in so many ways! And it’s so wonderful that we can share our visions of that with the help of photography! - Monika Sapek See Monika's Premium BetterPholio™ Read this discussion online Respond to this discussion

New Photo Discussion 13: Rock and Waterfall, California Rock and Waterfall, California © Brenda Tharp brendatharpphotography.co... Creating Visual Impact Beyond the Postcard: Creating Memorable Travel Photos 4-Week Short Course: Mastering Macro Photography 4-Week Short Course: Mastering Macro Photography (2nd Session) Canon EOS 1N SLR C... Great shot, Brenda! I love the black rock - it seems to anchor the competition. Also the stark contrast with the white of the waterfall. - Frank P. Luongo See Frank's Premium BetterPholio™ Response 1:Thanks, Frank. And since you've asked about exposures in past images, I can tell you that here, I metered off the brightest spot of the water area, and compensated my exposure by about +1 1/3 stops to keep the whites properly exposed. - Brenda Tharp See Brenda Tharp's Premium BetterPholio™ Visit Brenda Tharp's Web Site - BrendaTharp.com Take an Online PhotoCourse™ with Brenda Tharp: Creating Visual Impact Beyond the Postcard: Creating Memorable Travel Photos 4-Week Short Course: Mastering Macro Photography 4-Week Short Course: Mastering Macro Photography (2nd Session) Read this discussion online Respond to this discussion

New Photo Discussion 14: Fog over Muir Woods, CA Fog over Muir Woods, CA exposure data unrecorded. © Brenda Tharp brendatharpphotography.co... Creating Visual Impact Beyond the Postcard: Creating Memorable Travel Photos 4-Week Short Course: Mastering Macro Photography 4-Week Short Course: Mastering Macro Photography (2nd Session) Canon EOS 1N SLR C... It's like looking down from Heaven! - Janet L. Detota See Janet's Premium BetterPholio™ Response 1:Simple and yet so striking! I love this, Brenda, great job! - Lucia De Giovanni See Lucia's Premium BetterPholio™ Response 2:Thank you, Lucia and Janet! This remains one of my favorite images of fog from the Bay Area - San Francisco. (It was chosen for my book cover, too.) After the sun goes down, you get that wonderful pink/blue earth shadow effect at twilight, and being above the fog here, I was able to pick up the colors of in the fog, too. - Brenda Tharp See Brenda Tharp's Premium BetterPholio™ Visit Brenda Tharp's Web Site - BrendaTharp.com Take an Online PhotoCourse™ with Brenda Tharp: Creating Visual Impact Beyond the Postcard: Creating Memorable Travel Photos 4-Week Short Course: Mastering Macro Photography 4-Week Short Course: Mastering Macro Photography (2nd Session) Read this discussion online Respond to this discussion

 

The Next Step: Where to Go From Here

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If you would like to be featured in PhotoFlash, we look for photo discussions that educate, inspire, and encourage BetterPhoto members. In the spirit of helping others become better photographers, we encourage you to share details, tips, and techniques in your discussions... after all, that is what BetterPhoto is all about - honest answers for budding photographers.

Until next time, thanks for reading and keep having fun with photography!
Jim Miotke
BetterPhoto.com, Inc.

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