Bracketing

In the section on HDR, I discussed Bracketing. Bracking is simply a feature most SLR digital cameras have (and some more expensive point and shoots) that, when enabled, takes three pictures when you press the shutter button. Those three pictures will be 1) propertly exposed at least according to what the camera thinks, 2) under exposed by one stop (or however many stops you want it underexposed using an SLR – point and shoots typically automatically choose the range), and 3) over exposed by one stop (or however many stops you want it over exposed using an SLR – point and shoots typically automatically choose the range). So you end up with the identical photos EXCEPT for the exposure. We have seen the advantages of this with HDR – the three photos get combined to produce a photo the is properly exposed on the bright spots and the dark spots – but even if you don’t use HDR, bracketing is a great idea for almost ANY picture you take! In tough lighting situations, the exposure the camera chooses isn’t always the best. And even if you are a skilled photographer that can create the desired exposure with a high degree of accuracy, many times, the under and over exposed photos end up being the better shot, particularly in tough lighting situations! The example below is of a group of people taken in direct sun. In a situation like this, faces often get blown out while the clothes are properly exposed. For some reason, WordPress wouldn’t let me post the third picture which was the overexposed picture and was not useful for anything. The example below isn’t great … when you use Bracketing, you will find some dramatic differences in exposures – sometimes, the pictures won’t even look like the same picture!

The medium image, even though looks good on the screen, printed the faces way too bright. Most of the picture is properly exposed, just not the faces.

The darker image is probably the best because the faces are properly exposed. This is the image that printed the best.This is the lighter of the three images and in this case, this is way too overexposed. In some situations, though, this might have been the most appropriate shot!This is the lighter of the three images and is way too light for any purpose!

Airplane Photography

Why does the photography part of your trip have to start AFTER you get off the plane? A few simple hints will help you take some amazing photos out of a commercial airplane!

Before

First, the automatic setting is fine BUT the P setting is better – a couple of specific settings will help your pictures tremendously. For some reason,even when the sun is out, the shade setting works the best. I suspect this is because of the materials used in the airplane window. Experiment, though … it may vary. Second, I have found that using shutter speed priority helps … even though it doesn’t appear you are moving very fast, the plane is moving at 500 mph and a fast shutter speed sharpens the pictures.

After

Of course, even though you are limited on your ability to move around and compose a picture, you can WAIT until good composition exists. Wait for a good picture! Additionally, if you have a choice, choose to sit on the side of plane AWAY from the sun; shooting into the sun doesn’t produce a very good picture (but worth doing anyway if you have no choice)!

Mountain Range in the middle of Nevada

Since you are shooting through a foggy window, the post-processing of the photo is critical. Increase the contrast SIGNIFICANTLY. Local Tone Mapping is also an adjustment that makes a huge difference in the image quality.

HDR – High Dynamic Range

A problem I have fought with ever since taking up photography again (digital got me back into the fun) was taking a picture with two VERY different brightness levels. Our eyes deceive us – what seems to be a perfectly exposed scene really isn’t because our eyes adjust quickly to the differences in brightness. Specifically, the sky is typically many time brighter than the ground but our eyes adjust and we see the detail in the sky and the ground the same! Also, some scenes are very contrasty – bright spots, dark spots, in between spots. HDR takes care of that.  As you can see in this first picture, the barn and ground scene is nicely exposed but the sky is completely blown out. You can see the clouds and just barely the white mountains behind them (Longs Peak) but there is no detail.

Ground Properly Exposed, Sky Blown Out

To produce a perfectly exposed picture, first take three identical images of the same scene. It has to be a scene with nothing moving. Higher end point and shoots and most SLR cameras have the ability to take several pictures of the same thing, one right after the other, but at different exposures.  This is called Bracketing. The camera will take three pictures, one exposed “properly” or exposed on whatever you expose it on, one “under” exposed so that the bright spots in the photo are now properly exposed, and one “over” exposed so that the dark spots in the photo are now properly exposed.  As you can see, the second photo is under exposed - the exposure of the sky is much better than the first photo.

Ground Underexposed, Sky Exposure Better

HDR software combines the three photographs and essentially chooses the properly exposed parts of each photograph and combines them into one properly exposed picture. The software usually has other options which improve the picture such as adjustment to contrast, etc. HDR software is available as stand-alone software but many times is bundled in fairly inexpensive software packages such as Corel Photo Pro X3 which I currently use.  See the final product below.

Sky and Ground Properly Exposed

Since I just started using HDR and have only experimented with a few pictures, I will update this specific post as I learn more and more!

Remember one thing though – and I harp on this throughout my photography blog – this technique WILL NOT make up for a poorly composed picture!

Reflection pictures aren’t necessarily great candidates for HDR since the reflection is often as bright as the sky and the whole purpose of HDR is to balance out the dark and bright areas, but it can still be effective (see reflection picture below).

Of course, one real advantage of “bracketing” or taking several pictures of the same thing at different exposures is that you might find that combining the pictures isn’t the best solution! Sometimes having part of the picture too dark adds intrigue and mystery to the photo! But unless you take the three pictures, you will never know (see picture below).

HDR Reflection Picture

Three photos taken, only this one used. Not combined with others for HDR picture.

Cropping

Cropping is one of the most useful tools photo software offers. Obviously, composing a photo when you take the photo is preferred but that isn’t always possible AND sometimes we see something in a photo we didn’t see when we  took the photo. (A quick interjection – review your digital photos from years past. Sometimes you will find “gems” your brain didn’t pick out as gems when you originally took and reviewed the photo. The photos shown here are a prime example.)  Shown are two photos. One was taken WHILE DRIVING (I know, I shouldn’t do that) thus the composition isn’t very good! The second photo is the cropped image of the first one. In addition to the cropping, I also added a little depth of field (some areas in focus, some not). Another reason to crop is to get a photo to the size you desire, i.e. 5″ x 7″ or 8″ x 10″. Of the photos I take and like, I crop literally 90% of those photos. As discussed in a previous post, composition is THE most important factor contributing to a great photo!

 

Original Photograph

 

Cropped Photo

Landscape Photography

An article by Gary Ladd in Arizona Highways magazine changed we way I did landscape photography. My landscape photographs weren’t bad but they lacked something really good landscape shots had – close ups! Taking a photo of the vastness of a landscape produces a boring photo much of the time. Your eyes and senses decieve you when observing beautiful landscape – what looks great to you, feels great, smells great, amazes you doesn’t necessarily look great as a photography. But add an intriguing forground to your landscape photograph can really produce a great photo. The foreground acts to set off the vastness and beauty of the landscape which, on it’s own, would be too small and too far away to instill emotion in the observer. An interesting and well placed foreground brings to life the smells, textures, and feeling of the landscape in the photograph. Remember to use the rule of thirds when placing foreground objects. The foreground can actually take up the majority of the photo by using 2/3 of the picture!See examples below!

Remember to use the rule of thirds when composing a landscape shot. In this case, the foreground fence is placed at the 1/3mark the the grassy field actually takes up 2/3 of the picture.

There is ALWAYS something in the foreground!

The reflection of the clouds serves as the foreground in this case.

Even though somewhat boring, the bench in the foreground adds some interest and feeling into the picture.

Even "unnatural" objects can be used as a foreground.

Can you recommend a camera?

I have had several questions lately about camera recommendations. The two primary types of cameras are the SLR, the big camera with interchangeable lenses and the point-and-shoot, a smaller, more portable camera. In most cases, I would HIGHLY recommend the point-and-shoot. Because of their portability, you will take more pictures, get better faster, and ultimately, have a better chance of taking “THE” shot! There are some situations where an SLR is superior and if your goal is to be a professional someday, buy an SLR. But if your goal is to take great snapshots, wonderful nature shots, and generally just take nice pictures, choose a point-and-shoot. Brand? There are a lot of good cameras but you are pretty safe going with a Canon or Nikon. Other companies do a nice job also. The new point-and-shoots have a lot of neat features: face-recognition technology, sports/action, smile-detection technology (will take a 2^nd shot if someone isn’t smiling – really!), image stabilization (for low light situations), snow scenes, foliage scenes, and on and on. You are only limited buy your desire to read the manual and learn all the features! Some of the bigger point-and-shoots have longer zoom lenses but I prefer the portability of a smaller camera and don’t find a REALLY long zoom very useful. Point-and-Shoots can even take very close close-ups – better than an SLR – because of their physical dimension.

This photo was taken with an older, 5 megapixel, point-and-shoot and was enlarged to a 30" x 20" for our living room.

Composition – The Rule of Thirds

The rule of thirds works. I don’t know why it works. I have read several page explanations of why it works and still don’t understand why.  But bottom line is that using the Rule of Thirds vastly improves the composition of most pictures. The best way to show you the rule of thirds is to show you examples but to simply explain it verbally, the primary subject of the photo is placed 1/3 of the way from the top to the bottom, the bottom to the top, left to right, or right to left – NOT in the center of the picture. This DOES NOT mean that  that the rule of third works all the time or that centering a subject in the center makes for a bad photo. But centering the subject at the 1/3 mark allows for “intrigue” – the rest of the picture, the other 2/3, tells the rest of the story and adds interest to the picture.

Placing Catherine on the 1/3 mark entices the viewer to wonder where she is running and how fast is she going!

Even a simple portrait can benefit from the 1/3 rule.

The main Columbine flower is at both the horizontal AND vertical 1/3 line. Usually the primary subject will be placed at either the horizontal or vertical mark but when appropriate, can be placed both.

Even though Sophia is the primary subject and consequently placed at the 1/3 mark, it is the REST of the picture that tells the story WHY she has such a big grin!

When placing the primary subject on the 1/3 line, the remaining 2/3 should tell "the rest of the story" but it doesn't have to. In this picture, it either tells the viewer where Sophia is OR is a simply colored backdrop for Sophia. Either way, the rule of 1/3rds makes this picture appealing.

The primary subject is Buddy but what he is doing and with who is "the rest of the story" (the other 2/3 of the picture).

The Basics

     Now that I have told you composition is the most important aspect of taking good pictures, I would briefly like to tell you a few other things that are more important than composition. Don’t laugh at them … you might think they are obvious but in my experience, they are the primary reason for missed shots!

This picture was taken while on a bicycle ride.

     Carry your camera with you ALWAYS. Everywhere you go. In your purse. In your briefcase. In your backpack. When you run. When you bicycle. When you walk. When you drive. You can’t take a great picture – or any picture – if you don’t have your camera with you. That great shot won’t wait for you to get your camera – opportunity pops up when you least expect it.

    

30 Second Rainbow Barn Photo

 That brings me to a funny, humbling story. I met a lady taking pictures at t lake I often visit to run and/or take pictures. We started talking photography and I proudly expounded on my knowledge that composition was the most important factor in taking a picture. After listening to me pontificate, she politely corrected me – THE most important thing to taking a good picture is to GET OUT AND TAKE THEM! It’s good to be humbled now and then. And she was right – part of the reason to take pictures is to get out and enjoy it all! Good pictures don’t always come to you – sometimes you have to go get them. If all you have is a big SLR, buy a point and shoot. The point and shoots do a surprisingly good job – under many conditions, as good a job as a big SLR – and they are easy to carry. If you only have a point and shoot, carry it everywhere. I mean everywhere. One of my favorite pictures I took when driving

Moose in Niwot? Glad I had the camera!

home from taking my daughter to high school; I saw an amazing rainbow and quickly (50mph in a residential neighborhood – ooppps!) drove to an old barn for a picture. The rainbow lasted about 30 seconds. Also, my daughter recently point to two moose in the neighbors yard. Moose? Moose don’t come down to these low elevations!

     A camera doesn’t work on an uncharged battery. If your camera uses AA batteries, carry a couple with you (Energizer Ultimate Lithiums are the best – expensive but last forever). If your camera uses a rechargable battery, buy a 2nd battery, charge it, and keep it with you. Make a habit of charging them now and then. Remember when going on vacations to take your charger with you.

    

Taken with my Point and Shoot Camera on a run

Over time, learn your camera’s setting, it’s features. I know you don’t want to hear this, but yes, read the manual. Don’t wait to use the camera before you have read the manual, though – start by using the automatic setting. Learning the features will allow you to do so much more with the camera. I go to my daughter’s track meets and see people with expensive SLR’s using the automatic setting – the pictures of their blazzing fast kids will be fuzzy! One doesn’t even have to understand what shutter speed is to pick the correct setting; many SLR’s come with a sports setting which will choose the fastest shutter speed possible considering the light and will capture their kids speed, a bird in flight, or even kids playing in the part. We will discuss specifics later.

     Now to the fun stuff … composition!

Introduction

Photography isn’t about mega pixels and expensive camera’s. It’s about capturing the emotion of the moment, whether shooting people or landscapes. Some of my best pictures were taken with my inexpensive point and shoot because it was physically with me, something not as easy as with my big, heavy (relatively) SLR. As a matter of fact, some of my favorite pictures were taken with my cell phone (see picture above)! Certainly expensive equipment allows you a few more options particularly in tough shooting situations (low light, fast moving objects) but shooting good pictures is about composition and creativity rather than equipment.
The following blog will assist you in simply taking good pictures by giving you some basic tools and ideas. My goal isn’t necessarily to teach you how to take an “Ansel Adams” even though the end result will be a few amazing shots. Your goal should be to properly compose a photo that, as I have said before, captures the memory and allows you or the viewer to feel or remember what that moment in the past was like. Remembering moments, whether good or bad one, is important for us as humans to learn.
Taking pictures is definitely a right-brained (creative side of the brain) activity with a little left brain thrown in (knowing a few basic rules of composition and how to use your camera). Over the years, I have noticed a huge difference in my ability to take pictures depending on my mood. Relaxed, awake, not worrying about work, happy – I take good pictures. Thinking about things other than where I am now, stressed, tired – I can’t quite capture the moment. Funny how that works. So, to take good pictures (and enjoy life!) be relaxed! Don’t worry about work! Don’t let your teenager’s hatred of you get to you! Enjoy the moment you are in – you have the ability to freeze time and capture the emotion and beauty of a moment forever.
Composition isn’t the only thing required to take a good picture – and not the only thing I will cover in this blog – but it is the most important. That being said, the rules of composition haven’t changed over the history of photography but what has changed are the options at our disposal to compose. Even though your goal should be to raise the camera and compose a great shot FROM THE CAMERA, adjusting the composition by croping the photo in the computer is also an option now. But you still have to understand how to compose first!