Learning... it may be cheaper then you think

Only 16 days until start of the "Sunrise 2010 Exhibit."

Although I like this photo, it is missing the 3D effect that you can achieve with directional lighting.  In otherwords, I think think photo is a little flat.  Check out the photo in yesterday's blog to see if you don't agree.  To achieve directional lighting you need to get your flash off of your camera.  Move it to a 45 deg angle from your subject and see the improvement.  Raising it up above your subject a few feet to create what is called "loop" lighting.  I will discuss loop lighting in an upcoming blog.  To acheive directional lighting with natural light you need to study where the light is coming from and adjust your position or camera angle accordingly.

One more thing...

It has never been easier to learn photography, or whatever else you may be interested in.  The web has a wealth of information.  A lot of it is free.  But even the stuff that isn't free is very affordable.

Case in point... every time I receive the Extended Studies catalog in the mail from our local university I feel compelled to write a plug for Kelby Training, without which, I would be nowhere close to where I am today as a photographer.

I flipped open the catalog that I received in the mail today and saw that I can take a beginning Photoshop class for $349.  What amazes me, though, is that I can take as many online courses as I want over an entire year for only $199 through Kelby Training, and these are GREAT courses folks!  They are taught by top professionals in our field.  How cool is that!  You can find a class on just about anything photography related... wedding photography, Photoshop, web design, Lightroom... it goes on and on.  Another benefit is that you can take the same course over and over, if you're like me and it takes a few times to sink in.

That's enough of my sales pitch.  I am not tied to Kelby Training in any way, but you can probably tell that I think it is an awesome resource.  Check it out for yourself.

That's it for today.  Keep shooting!

Ryan 

Looking for a New Camera?

Due to my enthusiasm for photography people often tell me they need a new camera and ask me what I would recommend.  A friend of mine showed me this article by Kim Komando that provides some interesting information on cameras in the "under" $300 range.  With Christmas just around the corner I thought I would pass along the link... just in case anyone is interested.

The Kim Komando Show

Keep shooting!

Ryan

Ryan's "Top 10"

Ryan's "Top 10" is a list of the web sites/blogs that I have found to be extremely helpful in trying to better understand both the artistic and technical aspects of photography.  These are sites that I visit regularly.  This doesn't mean they are necessarily the "best" sites... I am sure there are a lot of great sites out there that I have never seen.  But they are very good and they provide a wealth of information. 

I have seen some blogs where they provide an enormous list of site/blogs that they recommend.  I restricted this list to my favorite top 10 so as not to overwhelm you with sites to visit.

This list may change, but there will always be just 10.  If I find another site that I like, it may bump one of the current recommendations off the list.  If a site is not updated (afterall, technology is constantly changing) and becomes stale, that recommedation will be bumped in favor of another.

For your convenience the sites are listed along with a description of the sites "specialty" in parenthesis (see right hand column of the Photog Buzz).  If you know of a particular great site that is not on this list, feel free to share it.  I will gladly check it out.

To the Moon - a lesson in composition

I went the the Reno Balloon Races this weekend to take some photos.  There were about a zillion cameras at the balloon races and I wanted to try and get a shot that was at least a little different from everyone elses.  The moon was still out on Friday morning when the balloons were heading up up and away, so I decided to keep my eye on the moon.  As soon as a couple of balloons lined up with it I took this shot.

Odd numbers make for good composition. Your eye tends to move around a composition made up of odd numbers... whereas your eye will jump back and forth between even numbers. I really liked the compostion of the two balloons and the moon (3 elements). That blue Nevada sky makes a perfect backdrop for this type of shot.

Camera specs in a nutshell; Canon 1D Mark III with EF70-200mm lens at 200mm, f/11 @ 1/500, ISO 800

Keep shooting!

Ryan

Sometimes Even Bad Photos Make Great Pictures!

Sometimes you need to just forget about the technical aspects of photography and just enjoy the picture for what it is. A great moment in time. If I was in a critical mood I would say that I do not like the column in the background that splits the photo in half. Also the lighting is a bit flat and lacks the contrast needed to give the photo a strong sense of depth.

But you know what? I don't really care about that stuff in this photo. This is a picture of my twins that I shot one summer afternoon in our backyard. They just happened to take a break from trying to kill each other and I caught this "look" they gave each other. To me the photo conveys their fondness for each other. It is more then a moment in time... it shows emotion. That's what I love about this photo and that is what I try to capture when I press the shutter button on my camera. That's not to say I'm always successful, but hey... at least I try. I converted this photo to black and white in Photoshop which I feel dramatically improved it by removing the "busyness" of the color.

Camera specs in a nutshell; Canon 20D with 17-85mm lens at 64mm, f/6.3 @ 1/80, ISO 200

It's Friday and I'm off to the Great Reno Air Balloon Races to shoot some photos with my photog buddy Randy. Hopefully I'll have a picture or two to share with you next week.

Until then... have a great weekend!

Ryan

Sometimes You Just Get Lucky!

I could have titled this blog, "Who Needs All That Fancy Crap!", but I thought "Sometimes You Just Get Lucky!" sounded a little classier.  I have a couple of cameras... my old Canon 20D and my newer 1D Mark III.  The 1D was a LOT more expensive then the 20D.  I typically take my 20D when I go places where I don't want to take my 1D... places where it might get a damaged... like camping, or boating, or as a backup to my 1D.

We were on a camping trip in northern California with some friends of ours when I spotted their oldest son explaining the finer points of rock climbing to their younger son.  The sun was coming through the trees and hitting at just the right angle to create this beautful aura and depth.  I had my camera set in aperture priority to f/8 so that whatever I shot should be in focus (unless I was to screw up the shot which is always a distinct possibility).  I threw the camera up to my eye and pressed the shutter.  The result is one of my favorite pictures.  I converted it to black and white in Photoshop which I feel gives it more emotion.  The simplicity and weathered look of the climbing wall in the background completes the picture.  Goes to show that you don't need the fanciest equipment to get a great photo!

Camera specs in a nutshell; Canon 20D with 17-85mm lens at 73mm, f/8 @ 1/100, ISO 800

Have a great Thursday!

Ryan

Fireworks 101: How to shoot em'

Our office is near Victorian Square in Sparks, NV and each Fourth of July they shoot fireworks off the top of the Nugget hotel and casino.  We have a great view of the festivities from the front yard of our office and each year I take the family and we head down there to set up on the grass.  Sometimes we invite friends, fix ice cream sundaes, and make a party of it.  I, of course, take my camera and shoot pictures.

Shooting fireworks can be a little tricky so I thought I'd let you in on a few secrets.  (I know... this would be a great blog to write leading up to the Fourth... maybe I'll re-post it then).  I took this picture last Fourth of July while sitting in my lawn chair.  Here's the trick.

For this type of shot you want to use a zoom lens so you can get in nice and close to the fireworks without setting your hair on fire.  I used my 70-200mm.  Set your aperture to f/11 so everything is nice and focused.  I controlled the shutter myself by setting my camera to bulb mode.  I simply pressed down as the rockets burst and released the shutter as the trails started to fade.  Don't have bulb mode on your camera?  No problem.  Just set your shutter speed to 4 seconds.  See how the picture looks and tweak your shutter speed as needed.

Camera specs in a nutshell; Canon 1D Mark III with 70-200mm IS lens at 85mm, f/11 in Bulb Mode, ISO 400

With a little practice you'll nail it!

Ryan

Photographer Joe McNally is the Man!

It's 4:30 in the morning and I'm so excited about Joe McNally's book, "The Moment it Clicks," that I decided jump out of bed and write about it for today's blog.  I mentioned a few blogs back that I had renewed my membership with Kelby Training http://www.kelbytraining.com/ , one of the most cost effective and efficient ways to learn photography and photoshop as far as I'm concerned.

As part of the deal for signing up, Kelby Training sent me two books ("The Moment it Clicks," by Joe McNally and "The Adobe Photoshop CS4 Book for Digital Photographers," by Scott Kelby).  The books arrived in my mail yesterday.  If you have read any of Scott's books then you know that this one is going to be awesome!

This is the first book by Joe McNally that I have read (I read the first 38 pages last night while sitting at my son's football practice) and it is such an easy read.  If you have ever been to one of Joe's seminars you know that he is a pretty funny guy who is VERY interesting to listen to.  He writes the same way!

The book is extremely informative, as Joe tell's you about each photo and how he set up the shot, but I also found it to be very inspiring.  It made me want to get out there and try new things, photographically speaking... to think outside the box.  I can't wait to read more!

To be blunt, the economy sucks right now.  I read on the internet that the recession is over, but apparently that news hasn't trickled down to Reno where I hang my shingle.  With great adversity, however, comes great opportunity... you just have to think outside the box.  Take a break from all the crap about the economy and bury yourself in a good book.  Who knows... it might just trigger your "next big move!"

Hopefully I'll see you back here tomorrow.  Keep shooting!

Ryan

Want a Great Picture? Simplify Your Background!

Welcome to Tuesday.  The kids are back in school and the world has returned to it's normal rotation!  I have been so busy trying to get this blog up and running that I almost forgot to write todays blog!

Today I thought I would share a quick, simple tip that can make your photos look a lot better... simplify your background.  Whenever you're going to take a photo take a quick look to see what is in the background... and foreground for that matter.  The less "clutter" you have competing with your main subject, the better your picture is going to look.

Take a look at this photo of my oldest son.  We spent the day up at lake Tahoe and I got this great shot of him leaping off the back of our boat.  It was smoky that day due to a forest fire in Yosemite so we could not see the shoreline on  the opposite side of the lake.  That lack of detail on the shoreline made for a very clean, simple shot in which my son is clearly the subject.  The boat in the background is a nice detail that gives an interesting scale to the photo and helps tell the story.

Another example of a pretty good shot but a GREAT memory.

Enjoy your Tuesday!

Ryan

A Night at the Ball Game

For todays blog I thought I would share one of my recent images with you.  I took my two boys to the Reno Aces ball game last week at the new stadium.  It's a beautiful ball park on the Truckee River in downtown Reno.  I took this photo as the sun was going down and the stadium lights were coming on.  Did a little bit of tweaking in Photoshop including using the lens correction filter to darken the edges.  It was getting pretty dark outside and I was shooting without a flash so I cranked up the ISO to 1600.  Shot in RAW mode.  Shutter speed was 1/80 sec at f/8.0 using my Canon 1D Mark III on a monopod with a Canon EF 15mm fish eye lens.

Ended up with a pretty good picture and a great memory.  Actually ended up sleeping with my boys that night on the outfield grass and watching "The Sandlot" on the megatron.  Good times!

Try to squeeze in some fun today!

Ryan

A Great Way to Learn Photography

It's Tuesday morning and another great day to be a photographer! I just started my Photog Blog and my goal is to write something everyday... Monday through Friday. Today I thought I would share about how I learned (and continue to learn) this art we call photography.

Over the years I have taken classes and attended seminars trying to become a better photographer. Some things have been really helpful... others not so much. I have taken several university classes for about $300 each and I attended the online degree program through the New York Institute of Photography. The problem with these learning venues, besides being expensive, is that I don't remember eighty percent of the information. Don't get me wrong... I think NYIP is a good program, but when I took it they seemed to be focused a lot on film photography, and I was deep into digital. I believe that has changed but you would need to check that out for yourself.

In my opinion, one of the best ways to learn photography and photoshop (a must know program for photographers these days) is through a web based program called Kelby Training. You may have heard of Scott Kelby, he is a wildly successful writer of photography and photoshop books. He started Kelby Training which provides online classes by some of the best folks in the business. And, what's even better, is you can take as many classes as you want, as many times as you want, without breaking the bank!

I just renewed my annual membership. It was only $179 dollars for the whole year ($199 if you are not a National Association of Photoshop Professionals member) and they threw in two books on top of it... "The Moment it Clicks" by Joe McNally and "The Adobe Photoshop CS4 Book for Digital Photographers" by Scott himself. I checked out prices at Barnes & Noble and the books alone cost $75. That means I am getting an entire year of top-of-the-line photography and photoshop classes for about a $100. That's a screamin' good deal where I come from.

I don't know Scott and he doesn't know me, so I do not get any benefit from making this recommendation. I simply think Kelby Training is an awesome way to become a better photographer and thought I would pass it on to you.

Check it out for yourself at http://www.kelbytraining.com/

Until next time...

Ryan