Macro Photography

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Macro photography is a great way to show your creative eye and to see things up close and personal.  "Macro" by definition means large scale, and in photography when employing "Macro" photography we are often photographing small subjects (bugs, small portions of flowers or leaves).  We are then showing the images at 5 times their actual size to emphasize the texture, color and overall detail of our subject.

There are specialized lenses for this type of photography, however even compact digital cameras can render outstanding results by using the cameras built in "Macro" mode.  When you look at lenses, often they will claim to be "Macro" lenses. But true "Macro" lenses give a 1 to 1 ratio and are often used to photograph stamps, coins and bugs.  These lenses are always prime lenses.  Although many zooms will claim to be "Macro" lenses they do not give the 1 to 1 ratio that a prime macro lens will.  What they will do is allow you to focus at a closer distance then a standard lens will.  As an example the closest a lens will auto focus may be 3 feet.  A "Macro" lens will allow auto focusing as close as 6 to 8 inches and almost always, at least the very least 1 foot.

Now lets talk about taking a "Macro" photograph.  You should always pay close attention to your background.  Try to ensure that there is nothing distracting in the background.  Be sure you are not casting a shadow on your subject, and set your camera flash to "Fill" which will help show your subject in greater detail and eliminate any shadows being cast by elements around your subject that cannot be avoided.  If you do not want to use flash you may have to employ a tripod for longer shutter speeds to eliminate camera shake.  Also when shooting a subject like a flower, shoot it at different angles and positions.  Be sure to crop in the camera rather then in the post process. This will allow you to print larger and with more detail which will otherwise be lost if you crop deeply into the photo after.

Now that you are armed with the information you need go out and shoot.  One of the best things about this type of photography is that you don't have to go far.  Your backyard, the fruit bowl on your counter top, or the flower arrangement in your living room, are all possible subjects for your "Macro" photography.  Good luck and happy shooting.

The above photos were taken with a non macro 28mm 2.8 lens. 

George's website

Home Portrait Studio

 Setting up a home photography studio

Do you own a DSLR?  Do your friends love your photography?  If you can answer yes then maybe a home portrait studio is just what you need.  It's easier then you think.  For about 500.00 dollars (not including camera, lenses and light meter) you can set up a studio in your home.

First lets talk about 2 types of lighting you can consider.  "Continuous light" is the most affordable option.  These light are constantly on.  The benefit of this setup is that you don't need a light meter.  Your camera will read the amount of light and use the built in meter to set the correct shutter and aperture for you.  You will also see where the light is falling on your subject and gives you great control over shadows.  Typically you would want 3 lights at a minimum.  1 main, 1 fill and 1 back light.  However if you intend to use a black background with dark hair subjects you will need to add a 4th light or hair light to your studio configuration.  This light puts light on the hair which helps to aid in adding dimension to your portraits  This type of light now comes in two types "Tungsten" and "CFL".   The tungsten lights can get very hot and burn out frequently.  The CFL's are a better option since they last longer (10,000 hours) and are cool.  This type of light has its draw backs also.  As the wattage gets larger so does the physical size of the bulb so you need a larger diffuser.  They also don't give off the same amount of light so more bulbs are required to produce the same brightness as using the hotter shorter lived tungsten bulbs.

Now lets talk about the second option "Strobe Lighting".  This type of lighting is a bit more expensive and more difficult to use.  It requires a light meter to ensure the correct settings on your camera, and replacing light tubes can be expensive and need to be ordered.  A modeling lamp is provided by these lights and allows a preview of where the shadows are falling.  With that said however care needs to be taken so you don't get shadows on the backdrop.  Strobes are used most frequently by pro's, but I am currently using continuous lights in my studio and am very pleased with the cost of running them and bulb replacement.  Another consideration when using this type of light is that not all DSLR's have a socket built into the camera to fire them.  So in many cases a hot shoe adapter needs to be added to the cost of this setup.

Now that you have decided which system works best for you go ahead and setup your home studio and start on your way to making your camera pay for itself.

For more information about lighting check out my previous blog on color temperature

Come into Lakeside Camera Photoworks to see our array of studio lighting currently on clearance!

 

George's Website 

Cell Phone Cameras vs. Compact digital camera

Does my Camera Phone have enough horse power?

( I posted this on my Facebook page in June 2011, and I thought I should share it with those of you who follow my blog.)

I recently read a blog where the author was basically writing the obituary of the compact digital camera.  His claim was that the cameras built into cell phones are so good now that there is no need for anyone to purchase a compact digital camera. Well maybe he is right.  If you choose to only view the images on your phone, or perhaps upload to your laptop or ipad,  then for sure you have enough resolution.  But wait, you need to take a photo of your daughters dance recital, or your son's game. Not enough zoom, not enough light means no Kodak moment of that precious event.

Ok here it is.  The basis of the medium of photography is light.  Take out your phone and look at the size of the lens on it.  Small enough?  Don't be fooled by how many megapixels your camera has, without enough light you have no chance to capture what you want.  Granted on a nice sunny day outdoors you can have success but take your phone indoors and its another story.  Adding to the problem of the cell phone camera is its inability to consistently focus well in low light or any light for that matter.  How many out of focus photos have you seen from a cell phones camera? And oh yea how could I forget?  Want to print one of those images?  If exposed well maybe you can get a nice 4x6, but if you want something larger, good luck. The image sensors even in the largest of cell phones are no match for the senors in a good compact digital camera.

Let me end with this.  Compact digital cameras are made for one purpose and one purpose only to take photos and HD video.  They do it better and faster then your cell phone.  So when shopping for a cell phone you can just move past all the talk about how good the camera in it is and be sure that the network you choose doesn't drop your calls.  Then go to the camera counter and drop about 150.00 for a decent compact digital camera and your photographic future will be filled with a million dollars worth of memories.

Recommendation

Fujifilm

Finepix JZ250

• 16.0Mp Resolution
• 3.0" LCD Monitor
• 25-200mm Fujinon 8x Optical Zoom Lens
• SD/SDHC/SDXC Memory Card Storage
• 100-3200 ISO Sensitivity
• 1280 x 720 HD Video Capture
• Lens Shift Image Stabilization
• 6 Scene SR AUTO Settings
• Built-In Flash
• Easy Upload and Searching

George's Website 

Posing like Pro

I wanted to talk about posing.  I get invited to look at a lot of photos.  I always try to be kind when looking and critiquing them.  Sometimes I will admit my facial expressions give me away!

So lets get started.  The first rule of thumb when posing subjects is to keep in mind their sex.  With men you want to be sure to have your subject tilt their head towards the back shoulder or away from the camera.  With a woman you should tilt her head towards the front shoulder or towards the camera.  With either men or woman you can also use a neutral head position (not tilted to the front or back shoulder).  Always try to keep your subjects at a 45 degree angle to the camera.  This helps to keep things in the proper scale. With woman you can have a more severe shoulder turn, but you should only use this method with a smaller framed subject.  If you remember those school photos you hate, you will notice that most times you were square to the camera with your shoulders going from one end of the frame to the other making your head look smaller then it should. 

Next remember to keep the camera vertical when shooting one to two people.  Its easier to fill the frame this way and you can even use this technique with a family that has small children.  Anything over 3 people should be shot horizontally.  You can add some interest to your posing when shooting horizontally by moving your subjects to one side of the frame.  How ever you should keep in mind the rule of thirds when doing this.

For those times you have more then 3 people in a group to photograph don't panic!  First get anyone who is unusually tall to sit down and put them in front.  Begin building in groups of three like stair steps. Also it's very important that you try to keep a half head height of distance between all subjects posed next to each other.  This is another rule that can be broken however be sure to be very careful when doing it or you may wind up showing one persons entire body and only the head of another. If this technique is used properly you will have approximately the same portion of each persons body visible in the photo.

Now one of the most important things to remember in posing "If you don't see the origin of the extremity, leave it out".  I have seen countless images where hands or feet showed no point of origin and it looked as if they didn't belong to any one in the photo.  Stay away from hands on shoulders or around the waist.

I have provided some sample photos that show some of these techniques.  I hope this helps, and happy shooting!

1. Basic female pose head tilted to front shoulder
2. Basic male pose head tilted to back shoulder
3. Half head height technique and diamond pose
4. Lrg. group stair step & diamond poses in combo
5. We broke all the rules and got a beautiful result.

George's Website

The rule of thirds explained - By Darren Rowse