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Welcome to the 22nd issue of PhotoFlash
Hi
I hope you had a great holiday season and are all set for a fantastic 2005!
At BetterPhoto, the new year ushers in an exciting winter session of our online school, which kicks off this Wednesday. We have many outstanding new courses, along with our "tried-and-true" offerings. For all the details, visit:
http://www.betterphoto.com/online-photography-courses.asp
Also, we extend a huge invitation to any BetterPhoto members who would like to join Jim Miotke and Kerry Drager at a Winter Horse Roundup in Montana! This event (January 11th-12th) isn't a workshop or seminar; instead, it offers the chance to shoot colorful running horses and Western-dressed wranglers in winter scenery, while hanging out with Kerry and I. If you're interested, sign up with Triple "D" today, since there are just a few spaces left:
http://www.tripledgamefarm.com/horse-sessions.html
In this issue of PhotoFlash, instructor Jim Zuckerman offers valuable strategies for air travel with film; see Jim's article below. In addition, we have many terrific photo discussions, which include lots of excellent shooting techniques and insights.
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: Sunday, January 02, 2005
Featured Photo: Start of an apple pie.
 Start of an apple pie. 0585 Exposure;AV 22, TV 2 +1. 100 ISO RAW.Medium extension tube. Focal length-163mm. © Donnarae ~ DonnaraePhotography.com Canon EOS D60 Digi... |
Featured Article: Strategies for Traveling with Film ... By Jim Zuckerman
X-ray hazards present a constant source of stress for traveling photographers who shoot film, especially when an itinerary calls for multiple flights. In his excellent article, master photographer and instructor Jim Zuckerman shares his own tips, tricks, and strategies for film shooters. Check it out at:
http://www.betterphoto.com/article.asp?id=28
Jim, by the way, teaches these outstanding online courses at BetterPhoto: Eight Steps To More Dramatic Photography, Mastering Light, Creative Techniques in Photoshop, Making Money with Your Photography, Making Masterpieces with Corel Painter, Non-Digital Special Effects, Wildlife Photography, and the new Fundamentals of Photography Made Easy. For course information, go to:
http://www.betterphoto.com/online-photography-courses.asp
Where in the World? To learn the correct answer to the last quiz - and see who came the closest, visit the previous Where in the World quiz. New Online Courses Begin Wednesday! Not sure which class is best for you? Then check out our categories page, with classes fitting into one of the following categories: Beginning; Composition and Design; Digital; Lighting and Exposure; Photoshop; Business; 4 Week Short Courses; Specialty Subjects; and Field Technique. The listings also include the skill level for each course. Learn more... New Photo Discussions P.S.: For anyone interested, here's more: The "story" behind the making of this image: Overcast Light: Whenever the sky turns white, I turn my camera downward and start looking for small scenes that don't require a good sky. For close-up subjects like this, the soft-and-even light helps bring out the details and colors. Composition: Besides moving in tight on this plant - in order to fill my frame with it - I also chose a camera angle that produced a nice diagonal line of points. Depth of Field: In macro photography, the range of sharpness from close-up subject to distant background is soooooo narrow ... regardless of the f/stop used. In this image, I chose an off-center foreground point as my lens's "point" of focus. I used a small aperture (high f/stop number), and here's why: A large aperture (low f/stop number) would have turned the background into a total blur of soft colors and soft forms, while the small lens opening makes things less blurred ... in order to retain a hint of detail. Aloha, Stan, I hope your holidays are finding you fulfilled. This shot is with the new replacement for my 10D that was stolen!! These Canon 20Ds are mighty fine cameras (great servo focus and tracking!). This shot is hand-held with that newer style Canon 200mm L lens, standing right at the water's edge - hence, the "sand crab" action. I think you really put yourself and equipment in jeopardy shooting on the North Shore in this manner. The only flaw with action-on-the-fly shots like this is your horizon!! Oops!!? Aloha, and all da bes in da new year!!! I was going to get a model release but the Tiger did not look like he was in the mood to sign it. :) This is my friend's daughter, Megen, and I can't believe how fast she has grown into such a beautiful little girl. Seems like she was just born. I do have a medium format camera system, but for much of my work it has remained 35mm for the flexibility it offered me and the depth of field (I have the tilt/shift lenses from Canon). The Next Step: Where to Go From Here
Can you guess where this picture was taken? If you think you have a clue, try offering a response.
© Warren Ishii
HawaiianIslandImages.com
Canon EOS 1D Mark ...
With just a few days before BetterPhoto's Winter 2005 online school starts, now's your chance! Some classes are already filling up, so if you have been considering a course, don't hesitate to sign up.
New Photo Discussion 1: Succulent Plant Detail
This one caught my eye ... Love the crispness of the front points and the light.
Points of Light
Succulent plant detail; overcast light; Mendocino, Calif., Coast; 105mm macro; 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 N80/F80 SLR ...
- Kelly Heaton
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Response 1:Hi Kelly: Thanks for the nice comments ... I'm pleased you like this photo, and I appreciate your feedback!
Kerry
- Kerry Drager
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Field Techniques: Light and Composition
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4-Week Short Course: Details and Close-ups (2nd Session)
Read this discussion online
Respond to this discussion New Photo Discussion 2: Self Portrait
Way too cool, Helen!
Self Portrait
© Helen Hartel
Canon EOS 10D Digi...
I don't think my camera, Canon 10D, pops out this kind of portrait of me :-)
Very, very unique!
- Joannie M. Bertucci
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Response 1:I'm with Joannie!!!!!!!!!! WAY TOO COOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
- Leanne M.E. Boyd
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Response 2:Thanks, Joannie and Leanne, for your kind remarks. This was a fun photo shoot for me. The Walt Disney Concert Hall in downtown Los Angeles is a wonderous piece of architecture. In this photo, I'm reflected in the polished metal of the building.
- Helen Hartel
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Respond to this discussion New Photo Discussion 3: Tailslide ...
Fab action shot!
Tailslide.....
Christmas Day on the North Shore, Hand held shot, while dodging the waves on shore like a sand crab......Happy Holidays
© Michael Rogers
Canon EOS 20D Digi...
- Cathy I. Barrows
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Response 1:Hauoli Makahiki Hou, Mike! What a shot with that tight spin and lots of spray action on the wave. WOW!! Excellent work as usual!!
Much Aloha,
Stan
- Stan Contrades
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Response 2:Thanks, Cathy, for taking the time to respond. I appreciate it.
- Michael Rogers
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Respond to this discussion New Photo Discussion 4: The P h e n o m e n o n
Beautiful image, Marvellina. Awesome lighting and composition.
The P h e n o m e n o n
© Marvellina Chow
Nikon D70 Digital ...
- Jill Flynn
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Response 1:Very cool shot! Where was the light coming from? Was there a car's headlights under there? I absolutly love the halo of blues that was created by the bright light. Or was this created digitally?
- Peggy Wolff
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Response 2:Thank you for the comments. This wasn't created digitally. The light source was the sun, and this was just what I saw that day and I knew I had to capture this. I adjusted the curves in Adobe to make it more contrasty. That's all.
- Marvellina Chow
Response 3:Wow, Marvellina, that makes it even cooler! You must have been up high on a hill or something. I'm sorry for all the questions. I am such a visual person ... when I see something I don't quite get, I want someone to spell it out for me. lol
- Peggy Wolff
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Response 4:No problem, Peggy! Shower me with questions :) Well, this image was taken nearby the lake - many empty spaces, as you can see, and I was actually on a lower part of the ground, but those two people were still in my vision :) The sky was very clear, bright and bluish ... and I thought this would create a cool composition! imho!:)
- Marvellina Chow
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Respond to this discussion New Photo Discussion 5: Holiday Cheer
Give that kid a camera ... excellent image and capture Rob!!!!
Holiday Cheer
My son, Jack, noticed that the Christmas lights reflected in the wine glass were cool, so I decided to take a photo of it. Not a bad eye, for a 4 year old.
© Rob Friedman
Canon EOS Digital ...
- Charlene Bayerle
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Response 1:Wow, what an eye is right! It looks like M&Ms floating in the wine and air.
Very striking and colorful image, Rob
Congratulations to your son for seeing this and you for capturing it so well. I hope there was a camera under the tree for him ;-)
bill
- William C. Raco
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Response 2:How nice of you to give credit where credit is due! LOL! Very well composed; a beautiful, festive image, Rob! Congrats to the team of you two for creating it! :-)
- Patricia Marroquin
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Response 3:Fantastic image, Rob!!! Jack is definitely following in his dad's footsteps!
- Joy Brown
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Response 4:Great composition and DOF, Rob ... so is there a gene for photographic talent? If so, mine is recessive ;)
- Wally Orlowsky
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Response 5:Great shot, Rob, and great eye, Jack!
- Kathleen Clemons
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Respond to this discussion New Photo Discussion 6: Roadster Muffler
Hi, Bryan, 
Roadster Muffler
© Bryan F. Peterson
BryanFPeterson.com
Learning to See Creatively
Understanding Exposure
One-Year Stock Photography Course Extension with Bryan F. Peterson
My name is Tommy, and I would love to know how you created this fantastic image. Now, if my assumption is correct, then this gem of an abstract is entirely a true shot - meaning "not edited or manipulated". Am I correct? Great image, by the way! I love Abstracts.
From one photographer to another, Tommy
- Tommy Luca
Response 1:Hi, Tommy-
That was a shot done while on assignment for Kodak, which was about to release a series of ads for its new slide film, E100VS. And one of the days we shot for them was spent at a Roadster/Car Show outdoors in Oakland,
Calif. This is simply a chrome muffler of one of the roadsters, and then I had my assistant(s) stand behind me while holding various colored pieces of fabric, which. in turn, was picked up by the highly reflective surfaces of the muffler. The blue in the muffler is the only natural element, in that it is the blue sky. But the other colors came from the fabric - it is a "real" shot, since it's "as is" without any PS help ... and it is, after all, a color slide.
Bryan
- Bryan F. Peterson
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Learning to See Creatively
Understanding Exposure
One-Year Stock Photography Course Extension with Bryan F. Peterson
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Respond to this discussion New Photo Discussion 7: Carolyn
I love this, Josh. Did you have a black background, or did you extract the hair and all? It's really fabulous.
Carolyn
© Josh Hudson
Nikon D2H Digital ...
- Joy Zuckerman
Response 1:No trickery here. This is straight out of the camera ... didn't even play with the histograms. Metered for face with Sekonic L358, dropped power on hair light to match, and put her about 8 feet in front of a black paper backdrop. BAM ... instant portrait. Both lights had softboxes.
- Josh Hudson
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Response 2:Excellent portrait, Josh. Love your lighting here!
- Jessica McCollam
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Respond to this discussion New Photo Discussion 8: A Bengal Tiger
I took about 50 shots of this tiger. This is one of the few that was a keeper. Comments are appreciated.
A Bengal Tiger
I captured this Tiger (no pun intended) last June at the Disneyworld Animal Kingdom. I used my 70-200 4L lens with 1.4 TC. I had to shoot this with my lens between the bamboo fence post to get an unobstructed shot. Settings f5.6, 1/250 shutter, ISO 400 at 235mm. Shot was handheld.
© David Stearn
Canon EOS Digital ...
- David Stearn
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Response 1:David - I really like this. The colors are great. Very sharp. I think it is well-composed. Don't blame you for not asking him for a release!
- Diane L. Dupuis-Kallos
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Respond to this discussion New Photo Discussion 9: Zoomin' the Boulevard
Rob, I like this. The shine and color along with the motion blur is pretty cool. Did you use a flash on this? Nice work.
Zoomin' the Boulevard
Nikkor 18-70mm lens at 38mm, ISO 800, f/29 with a 1 second exposure panning with the car.
© Rob Bishop
robgbob.com
Nikon D70 Digital ...
- Jared Stillwell
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Response 1:Thanks, Jared! I did have the camera's built-in flash on, but I'm not sure how much that affected the image. This was a special open-header cruise, and the streets were closed to normal traffic, and there were large lights set up at the intersection.
- Rob Bishop
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Respond to this discussion New Photo Discussion 10: The King of Ornaments
Fabulous, I love it. What an amazing Christmas card this would make. Great color.
The King of Ornaments
Lens: 90mm, 1/13 sec, f/16, Exposure Comp.: -0.3 EV
© Monika Sapek
Nikon D70 Digital ...
- Sherri L. Regalbuto
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Response 1:This is so beautiful. I love the way the ornaments are arranged!!
- Donna Pagakis
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Response 2:I love the colours, the arrangement and the sparkle of the ornaments. Great lighting, too, Monika! Really, really pretty!
- Gerda Grice
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Response 3:Donna, Carla, Gerda, Kip, Darren, Dan, and Kathy – thank you for your encouraging words on this photo! I just picked some ornaments while decorating our Christmas tree and took a couple of photos of them. I simply couldn’t resist those sparkling colors! I am really glad you liked it! Thank you once again!
- Monika Sapek
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Respond to this discussion New Photo Discussion 11: Christmas Beauty
Great photo, Donna. It has so much depth. What kind of lighting did you use?
Christmas Beauty
f/5.6 - 1/50
© Donna L. Cuic
Canon EOS 10D Digi...
- Michelle Prince
Response 1:Thanks, Michelle,
Megen was real close to a sliding glass door, probably about 3 feet, and I was on the outside of the sliding glass door on the patio in the shade. But the sun was shining bright just outside the patio, so I used a reflector to bounce some light in towards her. I used the golden side of the reflector. I may have been using fill flash also but I can't remember on this particular shot. In PS, the properties said flash was an undefined value. so I probably did use flash but just a little.
- Donna L. Cuic
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Response 2:Hi Donna,
I've just gone through your gallery and I'm assuming all the girls in your photos are the children of your friend! They are some of the most beautiful children, and how lucky you are to have them for models! I really enjoyed looking at your gallery!
- Joannie M. Bertucci
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Response 3:Thanks, Joannie. Yes, I am very lucky. Those girls are gorgeous and they love to have their picture taken. It don't get any better than that. Thanks for the kind words about my gallery. I appreciate you taking the time.
- Donna L. Cuic
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Respond to this discussion New Photo Discussion 12: Rebel
Very nice shot, Andrea, and, don't worry, it's just a phase! :)lol
Rebel
f/11, 1/60s, strobes, white background paper, Canon 28-135 IS lens and one teenager.
© Andrea Garza
Canon EOS 10D Digi...
Ann
- Elisabeth Ann Gay
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Response 1:A great high-key shot ... excellent composition and exposure.
Janine
- J White
Response 2:Thanks for the comments. A phase, yes; wild child, yes. My son, nope, he's my friend's son ... whew! He was fun to photograph, and he loved his pictures even though he wasn't looking forward to it.
- Andrea Garza
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Respond to this discussion New Photo Discussion 13: Let's Call it a Day!
Gorgeous shot, Ali! The colors are amazing!
Let's Call it a Day !
Nikkor 35-80mm lens - Tripod - Grey Graduated Filter. Shot at Riviere Noire, Mauritius.
© Ali Hoolash
Nikon D70 Digital ...
- Judy S. Fung
Response 1:Wow - this is spectacular! Congrats! What kind of filter did you use? (I'm new to filters and only have a circular polarizer and uv haze.) What is a grey graduated? The colors are so outstanding!!
- Diane L. Dupuis-Kallos
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Response 2:Thank you all for your nice comments!
To Diane: A grey graduated filter is a filter that has the upper part darker than its lower part. It comes in different intensities and the grey grad filter is mostly used to balance the sky with the foreground, so that the sky is not overexposed and details are kept in the foreground. It is mostly used in situations where the camera CCD or film cannot give a proper exposure to both the sky and foreground elements due to high contrast.
Hope this has helped!
- Ali Hoolash
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Response 3:Wow - thanks so much for the detailed explanation, Ali ... I guess I'm off to the camera store to check it out! Thanks again and congrats on a spectacular sunset shot!
- Diane L. Dupuis-Kallos
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Response 4:Diane - another name for these are graduated neutral density filters. The best ones are glass (Singh Ray and other brands), and rectangular ones that fit in a Cokin or other holder are more versatile than round ones that screw onto the lens.
- Patrick Campbell
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Respond to this discussion New Photo Discussion 14: Lighthouse
Jeff, this is beautiful. Looks like a postcard. Well done.
Lighthouse
Nubble Light, Maine
© Jeff Wignall
The Joy of Digital Photography with Jeff Wignall
Nikon Coolpix 5700...
- Angela Stevens
Response 1:Wow, thanks, Angela. I just posted the photo a few minutes ago - you're very quick! This lighthouse does look like a postcard, and there are often photographers hanging out there late in the day to catch the last rays of daylight. On this particular day, I was one of them :) It's a very accessible lighthouse too - and there are no power lines, etc., blocking the view.
- Jeff Wignall
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Respond to this discussion New Photo Discussion 15: After the Rain, Acadia, Maine
I am amazed that you were able to find so many perfect examples of colorful leaves just sitting there waiting to be photographed. The stones indicate a manicured area, such as a garden, or a path of some kind, so is it possible that the leaves came from nicely pruned and well-kept trees? Tell me, is this how you found the scene, or were you in an inspirational mood and had your subjects posing for you? BTW, I really love this photograph and many of your other works. I am envious that you get such great photos with just 35mm and haven't made the switch to MF, or even LF (I'm not a fan of digital, even though I use it professionally). Because of health concerns, I don't get out as much as I use to, so when I do get the opportunity, I want to take as much information with me as possible. Thank you, and keep those beautiful images coming.
After the Rain, Acadia, Maine
f/16, time unrecorded, 100mm Macro lens, 81B warming filter, early morning (pre-sun)
© 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...
- Timothy W. Malone
Response 1:Thanks, Timothy -
This image is entirely natural ... the leaves from a nearby maple tree had blown down on to the pebbles on the beach, the night before. We'd had a windy rainstorm and I went out diligently, hoping I'd find some good pics, the next morning very early. I thrive on the found scene - the wonderful gifts that nature gives us when we're out there searching for beauty.
- Brenda Tharp
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Creating Visual Impact
Beyond the Postcard: Creating Memorable Travel Photos
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4-Week Short Course: Mastering Macro Photography (2nd Session)
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Respond to this discussion
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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