Feb 14, 2016 | California Nature Photography, Macro and Close-Up Photography, News
When I started my blog, I said that would keep it simple and use photos to show what I was talking. I will leave it up to you to research the finer details, as in using the software. My purpose is to show you that it can be done. If I can do it, you can do it. So here is the question? How do you get two objects with different depth of fields. Simple, using a tripod, take two shots of each object and then combine them in a “focus stacking” program such as Helicon Focus. Here is an example. I use Lightroom and Photoshop to do my focus stacking. There are other programs that do the same thing. One that comes to mind is Helicon Focus. Click Here for a free trial. Do your research. To get this shot really good, you need to take more than two shots. You need to take a shot of the space between both bolts and the closest bolt is a little soft on the lower left side. But you get the idea. Focus Stacking comes in real handy when photographing insects and flowers on a macro level. When your really up close, it is almost impossible to get a well focused dragonfly front to back. Sideways yes but front to back very hard. Ditto for a flower. One part is in focus the other is out. Very frustrating. The best way is multiple shots of the flower front to back, left to right. I usually shoot in quadrants, starting from the rear and work forward or starting in...
Feb 1, 2016 | California Nature Photography, News
I wrote about the rule of odds. Which is to use odd number of things such as 3 rocks rather than two, or 5 puppies rather than 4 if possible. Here is a very nice example of three mushrooms that seem to work. What do you think? We Love You Little One If I kept the two large mushrooms, it would work but would not be as effective. It maybe a little hard to see, here is the same shot only with a simple black border and key line to help keep the eye focused on the mushrooms. A simple matte can sometimes be the difference between an average photo and a winning photo. I usually try both ways and then make a decision. It also depends on who is going to judge the photo. If it is a bird shot and i submit it to a bird association, I most likely will not use a border. They want it natural. If I am submitting to a fine art competition, I may consider a border. We Love You Little One- with border and key line I submitted this photo as a macro shot with the border and key line. I should know how it did after February...
Jan 27, 2016 | California Landscape Photography, California Nature Photography, News
Landscapes are the toughest photos for me to get right. Recently, I decided I would pay more attention to my landscape shots. One of the first things I do now is to find a good foreground. I run around looking for something that will lead my eye to the background like a mountain, rock formation,giant tree or great sky/clouds. The foreground does not have to be exceptional but make sure that there is some contrast with the background. If there are leading lines, as in a string of rocks, flowers or bushes that sort of take your eye along the way to the mountains that is helpful. Also, you don’t want to stick the items in the very certain. Don’t forget the rule of thirds. Easier said than done right, yea right. Hat tip to all you landscape masters. Here is a simple example: Tip of the Shaft Note the plant adds a little more oomph to the photo. Your eye looks at the plant and then moves forward to the rock. It was not easy to find a plant that worked this way with the rock. That’s nature for you. This stool has three legs: Foreground, Background and Strong Light. I will touch on Background in another...
Jan 11, 2016 | California Nature Photography, California Wildlife Photography, News
I get asked that question a lot. In fact, I was speaking to a Canon employee at their Learning Center in Costa Mesa, CA last week and he asked me the same question. I think it is just like what cloths should I wear on a particular day. I change my camera settings to fit the situation. Since I am an outdoor natural light shooter here are my initial settings when I go out and photograph nature. f/8, 1/1500, ISO 400- I put my lens on auto focus and go to manual if the subject matter remains still. I shoot primarily in Manual or Aperture Priority. I adjust my settings as the circumstances dictate. I also use “live view” to determine my settings too. Click here for a description of live view. If I am following a fast-moving animal, I am usually on Auto Focus with a low or high burst rate, meaning how many frames I can click off at a time. Here are three different photos all using my initial walk around ready to go settings. I used a Canon 70×200 2.8L lens for all three photos. Note that having a glint in the eye of a bird helps make a bird photo better. Resting Pelican- Marina del Rey, CA Pelican- Marina del Rey Seagull- Marina del Rey One setting change on this seagull. The ISO was 200 not 400. That is why the photo is a little...
Dec 10, 2015 | California Nature Photography, California Wildlife Photography, News
As I said in a previous post, one of the three most important essentials to a good or great photo is IMPACT. So what do you do if you have a photo that looks pretty good but you feel it needs a little more juice. Based on my competition experience, I find that the judges know too that a certain photo needs a little more umph to get it in the merit classification. Often, the piece of advise is to add a border with the possibility of a stroke or key-line to hold the focus on the subject. These two items can really change how a photo looks. I know the purists will not like this but I think for the beginner photographer this is one easy approach without knowing a lot about Photoshop etc. Ready for Take-Off This shot was taken in Cape May, New Jersey. It was one of those anticipate and be patient shots. This Red Wing Black Bird never stayed still and it was windy in the marsh. When I looked at the photo in the computer I liked the action of the wings. It was perfect. I always wanted to get something like this but the situation never presented itself as it did on this day. As I looked at this image, I asked myself how can make this image even more impactful. When I do use Photoshop it would be for borders and key lines. Click here for description of a key-line. Ready for Take-off , with border and key-line This photo now has a black border and a little line that goes...
Nov 23, 2015 | California Nature Photography, Macro and Close-Up Photography, News
Sometimes you may want to look for a picture within the picture. There can be a gem hiding someplace within your larger photo. Here is an example. Swamp Ears This is a shot of a lot of lichen on a log. Only this particular shot is very small. The photograph illustrates a shot within the shot. Here is another example of a photo within the photograph. I took a portrait shot of a huge eucalyptus tree. The bark had a lot of texture and color. I played with the sliders to get even more color. I then turned the portrait to landscape which made the wave more noticeable. As an abstract, this came out pretty interesting. Interesting enough to get a Judges Choice and Best of Category in Fine Art. Eucalyptus...
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