Amazon.com: The Moment It Clicks

This is not your typical "how-to" book, although you can learn a lot from it. Each 2 page spread contains a photo and a description of how it was done. A huge variety of photos are contained within these pages, from portraits to sports to product shots to just plain fun stuff.

Read each spread carefully as there’s a lot of information about light and lighting. He is one of the current masters of lighting, whether it’s available light or strobes.

You’ll also get to see inside his camera bag(s) and lighting kits. Those of you who suffer from NAS (Nikon Acquisition Syndrome) may want to skip those pages as it will just drive the desire!

Visit his blog for a dose of humor and a wonderful insight into the joy of being a photographer.

As it’s a few weeks away, you have time to make plans for viewing and photographing the event.

If you just want to view the eclipse you can probably see it from your back yard with a pair of binoculars. For a closer view, check with your local Astrological Society or college. Here in Denver the observatory at Denver University will be open to the public. Peering through their big telescope will give you a nice view.

I found a great article on photographing the lunar eclipse over at the MrEclipse.com website. All the info you need on exposure, lenses to use, how to create multiple exposures, and more is all there. The sample photos are rather impressive.

Go read up on the technical stuff and make plans to capture this stellar event.

Using a tripod will be essential for these shots. You shutter speeds will be rather long, especially for the outdoor shots. For clear and sharp pictures you’ll need your 3 legged friend.

Manual focus and manual exposure will work best for Christmas light photos. You’ll also want to set your White Balance to Tungsten (or Indoor) in order to properly record the colored lights. And you will want to turn off the flash.

Outdoors, start with ISO 200, F5.6 and 1/2 second. Shoot a few at longer and shorter exposures and then review your shots on the LCD. Proper exposure will vary depending on how many lights you have up, whether its dusk or dark, etc.

Everything you need to know is in the NYIP Holiday Lights article here. They also have some great ideas for shooting by candlelight and using HDR for the outdoor photos.

You can also check out this collection on Pbase by Tang. Similar style to Bruce, but it appears there’s more manipulated images from Tang. His stuff looks way cool too.

So, how is this done? First, you have to head over to Pier 1 or your local head shop for some incense. Try a few different ones, but get scents that you like.

Next, you need a room with still air. Shut off the AC or heat; you want to control the puffs of air that create the waves in the smoke. A wave of your hand is enough. A black background and a flash complete the package. (the white background images are negatives. Invert in PS with CTRL-I)

Different colors can be achieved using gels over your flash or by working the image in Photoshop. Levels, Hue / Saturation, Colorize, play with Layer Blending modes; try them all. You’ll be surprised at all that you can do.

Next time you’re cooped up in the house for a day or two, try some smoke photos.

A couple of basic tips for good Halloween photos:

• Shoot at dusk with (maybe) a little fill in flash at -2 stops. Get a nice balance with the ambient light.
• Use your tripod and longer exposures, especially of your pumpkin art. Boost your ISO to 400 or more if needed.
• Be creative. Use the wrong white balance for shifting all the colors.
• Use your flash off camera and to the side of your subject for hard shadows. Spookier.
• Use high or low angles and get close with a wide angle lens. Use the distortion to your advantage.

NYIP (New York Institute of Photography) has a great article on their website on capturing your best Halloween photos. Following their guidelines should help you make the most of your photo ops tonight.

Also check out the photo tips at Halloween Photography and pay attention to the sample images. These should give you some new ideas for creating your own memorable photos.

Lastly, review all 13 Halloween Photo tips over at Photokaboom. I especially like the idea at number 8, Light Painting. Grab your tripod and a strong flashlight or spotlight and go to town. You may want to use more than a 2 second exposure; maybe 10-15 seconds at f5.6 or so would allow you more time to light the area.

Have fun and be safe tonight. Don’t wind up like this!!

It’s quite easy to use the Rule of Thirds. Imagine a Tic-Tac-Toe board drawn upon your picture or viewfinder screen. Two horizontal and two vertical lines that evenly split each dimension into thirds. Some digital cameras even have an on-screen grid you can turn on to help guide you. If your camera has it, try it. Mine is on all the time.

As you can see here, it’s easy to imagine these lines as you’re shooting.

Note the placement in this photo of the flower buds.

I managed to get them at opposing Power Points.

Don’t you think this is a more pleasing photo than if the lower bud was dead center?

That would have pushed the upper bud almost out of the photo.

Having something cut off at the edge of a photo is not pleasing.

Small changes make big differences.

Some of the guidelines to follow are:

• The four points where the lines intersect are called Power Points and are good places to place your subject. It’s also good to have something on the opposing side for balance.
• Place your subject in any section but the middle one. Dead center is a compositional No-No.
• Use the lines for placing your horizon. Your photo will show more foreground or sky instead of being cut in half.
• Place your subject on the horizontal or vertical lines, again getting away from dead center.

Making simple shifts up, down, left, or right when you’re shooting can mean the difference between a snapshot and a photograph. Small changes can give you big benefits. Try using the Rule of Thirds and Leading Lines that I talked about last week. You’ll like the results.

Research the Zoo itself - Go to their website and get a map. Figure out sun angles before you even get there. Also check for a feeding schedule. Everyone’s active when they know food’s coming. See if they’ve posted about new baby animals as they make for great photo opps.
Take advantage of free admission days if they’re offered. It’ll be a bit crowded until all the little kids get tired and Mom decides to pack it in for the day.

Shooting through glass barriers - The real secret is to put your lens on the glass. Look for a clean spot with no scratches. Be sure your lens shade is on (a rubber one is best as it gives a bit) and don’t press too hard. As your lens focuses, the front will rotate or move slightly in and out. You don’t want to impede that movement.
Look through the glass first before you decide to use this technique. If you see a distorted image through curved or angled glass so will your camera. And some of the viewing areas (gorillas perhaps) have laminated or sandwiched glass for extra strength which results in wavy or textured glass. No sharp images thru this stuff.

Shooting through fences - If possible, just like with the glass, get right up next to it and place your lens so that no fence wire is in front of it. If it’s too far, try using a wide open aperture and shoot subjects that are ten feet or more beyond the fence. The minimal depth of field will render the fence as a blur. Shots of animals right next to the fence will also show the fence; can’t really help it.

Camera support - Check with the zoo first as some don’t allow tripods. Causes too much of a hazard for pedestrians and stroller Moms. A monopod is perfect for that extra bit of stability for your 80-200 or 70-300 lens. A pocket or tabletop tripod, or a beanbag, may prove useful at times. There’s usually lots of posts or railings to prop it up on.

Bring a flash - A fill flash will make a huge difference in many photos. Shooting dark furred animals with fill helps bring out the details on their coat. Set you fill for -1.5 or -2 stops; you don’t want it to overpower the existing light. Good also for shots of the family when everyone is wearing a hat!

Off camera flash for fishtanks - … and for terrariums with lizards and snakes. Use the wireless capabilities of your DSLR flash or an off camera cord. Get the lens on the glass again and use the flash off to the side, angled at your subject. Very effective.

Prepare for your next photo trip to the zoo and have a great time.

Remember that these are rules and not laws. They can be bent or even broken. If you want to add more impact to your photographs you should think about these rules, and today we’re talking about Leading Lines.

Just like it sounds, Leading Lines guide the eye of the viewer into the picture. They lead toward the subject, toward the focal point of your image. They draw the viewer in. A road, a fence line, the limbs of a tree, the petals of a flower, the sections of a hot air balloon, are all available for you to use.

Whether you use straight or curved lines will mostly be dictated by where you’re shooting. Either is effective, but they differ a bit. Straight, and especially diagonal lines, evoke power and dynamic flow. They ’speed’ the viewer to the focal point.

Curved lines are more subtle, meandering a bit before they arrive at their final destination. Curving leading lines slowly guide the eye into the picture. They’re more peaceful and subdued than their bolder and straighter counterparts.

The next time you’re out shooting take a number of photos specifically using Leading Lines. See if these images ’speak’ to you more so than others. If so, add this technique to your photographic bag of tricks.

One of the key things he stressed during his presentation was his goal as a photographer: Create images that evoke an emotional response from the viewer. Through previsualization he sees the final image in his mind. Then comes the task of selecting the right exposure, angle to shoot from, and lighting, to make that image come alive. The end results, as you’ll see on his site, are breathtaking.

To create an emotional response from the viewer, there should first be an emotional response from the photographer. The scene should somehow move you. Maybe it reminds you of a time from your childhood. Maybe it reminds you of your wedding day or a milestone birthday. Capturing an image of that feeling is your goal.

Compositional strength is essential to your successful photo. Use the rule of thirds, leading lines, S curves, dynamic symmetry, and any other tool in your bag. Choose the right subject matter and present it in a new and creative way. Tell a story with that single image by including (or excluding) certain elements. Use color to your advantage; bold singular color, color contrasts, color harmonies, or remove all color and revert to B&W. Think about how this image will pull that emotion from the viewer.

Lastly, crop your images to complete them. Many of Jeff’s images are long and thin, or square, or just not the standard 8×10 or 11×14. Don’t get locked in to the standard dimensions. Use what works compositionally. When framing your photos you can always have a mat cut to any dimension needed.

Don’t ruin a photo by constricting it to a standard dimension. Let it spread out and breathe. Let it unfold and evoke that emotional response.

The Strobist article has you using an umbrella directly behind the photographer. You’ll need to be fairly close to your subject in order to pull this off. It appears that this technique would work best for petite folks and not so well for big, burly boys.

The photographer who shot this way had a lighting diagram to show how to set this up. He used a free online tool over at SDG Photo Lighting Studio for producing a lighting diagram. It’s rather cool and would be great for anyone who needs to show details of their lighting setup. I can see photography instructors using this for their students.

You can go see what I created in less than a minute on the site.

You can add models in various positions, lights, backgrounds, reflectors and rotate and position them as needed. It’s even got labels for a Key, Fill and Hair light. You gotta try it.