NOTHING WRONG WITH BEING A 'LITTLE FLASHY'! NOTHING WRONG WITH BEING A 'LITTLE FLASHY'!

Now if you know anything at all about me, I am not known as the guy who often climbs to the highest rooftop and shouts to the world, "I LOVE MY ELECTRONIC NIKON SB-900 FLASH!" In fact, even if I was world-renowned for my electronic flash expertise, I could not, in good conscious, shout to the world from the highest rooftop that I love my Nikon SB-900 electronic flash, because quite simply I don't believe it is deserving of such a shout. I do own one, or shall I say, with great humility, I own five of the darn things, but let me be quick to say it is not because of some mad love affair but rather it is because of a combination of impatience and not looking before I leaped.

About a year ago, I decided it was time; time to put away my fears of an electronic flash and simply "go for it!" Needless to say I went for it alright and proceeded to buy 5 Nikon SB-900 Electronic Flashes since I KNEW I would soon be doing all sorts of "tricky, make you stop and scratch your head, kind of flash images and darned if I would be able to execute any of these ideas with a single flash." Well, despite having five Nikon SB-900 Electronic Flashes, I have had most of my greatest adventures with just one of them. I can't say which one, since all five are in the flash case and I just grab one and "go for it", but one thing I have learned in owning these five electronic flashes and it is this: with just one flash, a world of fun and adventure are yours for the taking. It seems everyday, I am discovering something new and a new idea comes to the surface and well, suffice it to say, that is exactly what happened two days ago in this wonderful wintry city of Chicago.

Tom Skilling, weather guru at WGN-TV, was forecasting still yet another "worthy" winter storm and since I missed the last "worthy" winter snowstorm of several weeks ago, (I was in New Zealand, so shed no tears on my behalf!), I was determined to try my hand at being a "little flashy". All I needed was some light snowfall and a willingness to arise before dawn. I had this idea to capture falling snowflakes against the dawn sky that would also include one of my favorite 'naked' trees over at Horner Park, just off Irving Park Blvd.

Now you might be asking yourself-"How is it possible to have a dawn sky of any color when it's snowing?" First of all, I wasn't expecting a clear dawn sky, but the typical grey sky that one gets with snowfall, BUT I also know that at this hour, even a grey sky will record a bluish hue and the bonus on this day was that there was a really small sliver of clear sky on the horizon, somewhere over Lake Michigan, cause I also recorded some subtle magenta near the bottom of my composition.

Okay, so there I was laying in the snow, with my camera mounted on tripod along with the Nikkor 12-24mm set to the focal length of 20mm. With my aperture set to f/5.6, I focused on the tree, and adjusted my shutter speed until a 1/15 second was indicating a correct exposure. All that remained was to fire up the flash in manual exposure mode, setting the flash to f/5.6 at full power AND then setting the zoom of the flash to 105mm. Now why would I set the zoom of the flash to 105mm when I am shooting with my lens at the 20mm focal length? Because I wanted the flash to travel further into the scene with thus illuminating snowflakes that are further away. This in turn created far more depth then if my flash were set to the 20mm focal length. Well, did it work? Seeing is believing and what was most surprising and NOT expected, was the initial reaction of myself and several of my trusted neighbors-at first glance it looks like one of those star-trail time exposures or even a meteor shower. Just another example of having fun with a single flash!


All my best
Bryan F Peterson
Founder/PPSOP.com

Shooting in Bright Sun

Most photographers, including myself, don't normally shoot under bright sun. The light is harsh and usually not very flattering for your subjects. Ideally, you want to use diffused light from a soft cloudy day or that magical early morning/early evening light. But sometimes you don't have a choice and you have to shoot in bright sun. You may be shooting an event that is outdoors. You don't have control over the time and you don't have control over the weather. So you have to make the best of it. Think outside the box, think perspective and most of all think shadows. Probably the only advantage about shooting under bright sun are the amazing shadows you can capture.

I took the following picture during a bright day at an old Western Town in Arizona. There were people walking around dressed in western period clothing posing for tourists. I noticed the shadows being cast on the dirt. They were fantastic. As I was looking down at the shadows, I saw a cowboy wearing knee high black boots pass by. They made an immediate impression on me. I asked the cowboy if he would pose for a couple pictures. He obliged and said yes. I asked him to turn around and told him I wanted to shoot him from behind. I got a few heckles and laughs from other cowboys. It was pretty funny. I sat on the ground, got very close to the cowboy (more laughs) and got out my wide-angle lens. I wanted the boots to be large in the frame with a strong shadow emerging out of the boots. The bright sun gave me exactly that. When shooting in bright sun, look for interesting shadows and show the connection of your subject to the shadow. The results can be striking. I shot this using my Nikon D2X, 12-24mm lens @ f/5, 1/320, 12 mm.
TIP: Think of the person, animal, object as a supporting actor. Your main character is the shadow.

Don't overlook shadows on walls. I took the following picture of my dog, Gracie. She loves to sit in the sun for a few minutes every day. The light is harsh, but the shadow is awesome and this portrait really defines her. I love how she is connected to her shadow and the contemplative look on her face. Don't overlook unguarded moments. They can be some of your most intimate portraits. I took this picture through my kitchen window. Gracie had no idea I was photographing her. Use shadows to tell your story, make it personal and keep it simple. I photographed Gracie using my Nikon D2x, 28-70mm lens @ f/10, 1/100, 48mm.

I took the following picture at a Renaissance Fair. It was a bright sunny day, so I had to make the best of it. I was photographing a group of dancers in period clothing. I loved their clothing, especially one of the female dancers. I noticed that every time she hopped, her skirt would fly up and expose these amazing bells attached to her shins. The flare and lift of her skirt looked so cool. The bright sun actually shined through her skirt and helped to illuminate the underside of her skirt. I knew I needed to photograph this from a very low angle to capture that and also shoot fast to freeze the skirt in mid air. I lay on the ground and started taking pictures of all the dancers as they passed by. And sure enough, she finally passed by, hopped and I got the picture. I took lots of pictures before I got the one I wanted, but it was worth the wait. Observe your subjects before photographing them. Look for interesting characteristics and ask yourself what you want to focus on or portray. Then take it one step further and think about perspective. Consider lying on the ground and looking up. It's a great way to photograph your subject. I shot this using my Nikon D2x, 12-24mm lens @ f/11, 1/320, 24 mm.

Neat buildings and architecture are perfect candidates for showcasing great shadows. I took this shot under a patio cover in Tucson, AZ. Bright sunny days in Arizona are a common occurrence all year round. The sky was a brilliant blue with patches of clouds here and there. I looked up and saw an amazing display of lines, light and shadows. The contrast of the bright blue sky against the architecture was beautiful. I thought it would look great to fill the frame with the slats of the patio cover and showcase the geometric pattern and interplay of light and shadows. Interesting shadows are not always on the ground or against a wall. Don't forget to look up. I shot this using my Nikon D2x, 12-24mm lens @ f/13, 1/200, 12mm.

TIP: Use bright sunny days to find interesting shadows. Look up, down on the ground, against walls .... every where. Bright light is not always bad, even when photographing people. Find an interesting focal point, think about perspective, tell a story, be creative with light and seize the moment!

Jill Flynn
PPSOP Instructor

Video Tips from Kevin Focht

Kevin Focht

Photographing Flowers

One of my favorite ways to photograph flowers is to move in really close, and fill the frame with a single flower, or sometimes just part of one. When I am making this type of image, I'm thinking more about line and color and shape, and less about capturing fine detail. When choosing your subject, look for flowers with great curves and soft color, such as roses, orchids, tulips and calla lilies. (Choose a pristine subject, when you are photographing this close, any flaw will be magnified and prove distracting). Really look at the flower you have chosen, examine it from every angle, decide what you find most interesting and capture it! This type of photography is interpretive, you want to capture what you are seeing and feeling about the subject in a simple manner.


You'll need equipment that lets you move in really close to fill the frame, use either a macro lens, extension tubes, or a wide angle lens with a reversing ring. Extension tubes are great, you can use them individually with larger flowers, or stack a set of two or three for really moving in close to smaller blooms.

Set your aperture to the largest your lens has, these images should be all about romance, soft and sensual, you don't want or need every detail in sharp focus. (If you are using a Lensbaby, use extension tubes or the macro filters and shoot wide open or with the F/2.8 aperture ring). Manually focus on a single petal edge, line or curve, and let the rest of the image go to soft blur. Shooting so close with such limited Depth of Field can create a very romantic image, with soothing lines and curves and relaxing colors. You can do this type of shooting year round, flowers can be purchased everywhere these days! Who couldn't use a little flower therapy in February? If you start practicing now, and you'll be ready when those spring flowers bloom!




Kathleen Clemons
PPSOP Instructor & Director of Student Happiness

Shooting Bird's Nest - Make The Best of Any Situation

On a recent trip to China, I got a chance to pay a visit to the National Stadium-"Bird's Nest", where 2008 Olympic Opening ceremony was held.
It's a cold week day afternoon in the winter, I arrives at the stadium around 5:00pm, the air is hazy and heavy. To my disappointment, all adjacent areas around the Bird's Nest are closed to public due to a Formula-One car racing event at the stadium that evening. Well, I just lost a great amount of point of views to shoot Bird's Nest as planned. Only one venue is open-the promenade in front of the stadium where tourists gather. I have no choice but going there and make the best of the situation.

As I am walking down the promenade, trying to find a good shooting position, the Bird's Nest went alive-the beautiful red and yellow lights lit up the whole stadium. I am filled with joy at the moment! What a roller coast ride-from disappointment to excitement. Usually, Bird's Nest is not fully lit every evening. Thanks to the car racing event, it's fully lit and I am here with my workhorse Canon 5D II, my 24-70mm and 70-200mm lens. Time to shoot.


I make a couple of wide angle shots, as shown above. To me, the images are just plain snaps, weak on energy and expression. What really caught my eyes is the lines, the curves and of course, the colorfulness of the stadium against the deep blue evening sky. Wide angle lens is definitely the wrong tool of choice to express these design elements in the photo, wide angle image includes too many distractions in the foreground like people, fences, trees, etc.


With the pre-visualized image in mind, I switch to 70-200mm lens and walk as close to the stadium as possible(leaning on the fences). At 200mm, I turn my camera and shoot the above images. You can clearly see the colors, curves, lines and textures. No distraction at all. By twisting the camera, I compose the image in which, the lines and curves run diagonally, making the image more dynamic and energetic. As rule of thumb, never forget to shoot both horizontal and vertical. It's a good habit and practice, particularly if you shoot stock images.


Tip: Although most of our images are shot in color these days, it's a good idea to think about the good old black and white from time to time. Especially, when you shoot a lot of night scenes or high contrast images, these are perfect candidates for black and white conversion. An excellent tool that does black and white conversion easily and gracefully, is Silver Efex Pro from Niksoftware, a plug-in for both photoshop and lightroom. The above images are the result of black white conversion using Silver Efex Pro.

Overall, Although I lost chances to shoot from different point of views of the Bird's Nest, I managed to make the best efforts within the limits of the situation, and got some decent images. As photographers, we have to adapt and adjust to whatever the situation are throwing at us, and make the best of it.


William Yu
www.chinaphotoworkshop.com

Shooting Bird's Nest - Making The Best of Any Situation

On a recent trip to China, I got a chance to pay a visit to the National Stadium-”Bird’s Nest”, where 2008 Olympic Opening ceremony was held.

It’s a cold week day afternoon in the winter, I arrives at the stadium around 5:00pm, the air is hazy and heavy. To my disappointment, all adjacent areas around the Bird’s Nest are closed to public due to a Formula-One car racing event at the stadium that evening. Well, I just lost a great amount of point of views to shoot Bird’s Nest as planned. Only one venue is open-the promenade in front of the stadium where tourists gather. I have no choice but going there and make the best of the situation.

As I am walking down the promenade, trying to find a good shooting position, the Bird’s Nest went alive-the beautiful red and yellow lights lit up the whole stadium. I am filled with joy at the moment! What a roller coast ride-from disappointment to excitement. Usually, Bird’s Nest is not fully lit every evening. Thanks to the car racing event, it’s fully lit and I am here with my workhorse Canon 5D II, my 24-70mm and 70-200mm lens. Time to shoot.

I make a couple of wide angle shots, as shown above. To me, the images are just plain snaps, weak on energy and expression. What really caught my eyes is the lines, the curves and of course, the colorfulness of the stadium against the deep blue evening sky. Wide angle lens is definitely the wrong tool of choice to express these design elements in the photo, wide angle image includes too many distractions in the foreground like people, fences, trees, etc.

With the pre-visualized image in mind, I switch to 70-200mm lens and walk as close to the stadium as possible(leaning on the fences). At 200mm, I turn my camera and shoot the above images. You can clearly see the colors, curves, lines and textures. No distraction at all. By twisting the camera, I compose the image in which, the lines and curves run diagonally, making the image more dynamic and energetic. As rule of thumb, never forget to shoot both horizontal and vertical. It’s a good habit and practice, particularly if you shoot stock images.

Tip: Although most of our images are shot in color these days, it’s a good idea to think about the good old black and white from time to time. Especially, when you shoot a lot of night scenes or high contrast images, these are perfect candidates for black and white conversion. An excellent tool that does black and white conversion easily and gracefully, is Silver Efex Pro from Niksoftware, a plug-in for both photoshop and lightroom. The above images are the result of black white conversion using Silver Efex Pro.

Overall, Although I lost chances to shoot from different point of views of the Bird’s Nest, I managed to make the best efforts within the limits of the situation, and got some decent images. As photographers, we have to adapt and adjust to whatever the situation are throwing at us, and make the best of it.

William Yu

http://www.chinaphotoworkshop.com

Senior portrait posing doesn't have to be that hard

One thing that I have noticed that other portrait photographers do, is go way overboard with their posing. They set up the subject and then take a shot, move the subject and take another shot and then repeat this over and over. They are working way too hard. Don't over do it with your poses. Work the poses and make your life easier.

If you look at this first shot, it's a really nice shot, so why go and move the subject again until you get the most out of the pose. You already have her in position, so why not just zoom in and take advantage of the nice pose.

All I did with this shot was zoom in to 200 mm wide open at f2.8 and look at how pretty that same pose is. Without even moving the subject, I have 2 sellable shots, and isn't that what we are after.

When I was shooting her, I noticed a nice red background behind her. All I had to do was get lower and shoot up at her. This did two things, it made the background red and I think this angle worked the best for her face. Shooting slightly up at someone makes them look a little more powerful, as in this shot. So without the subject even moving, I now have 3 shots that would not only sell, but I could group them together and sell them as a grouping! I just made more potential money in less time!

I do this a lot with my studio. First off, the clients aren't natural posers most of the time, and it is the hardest part of the job. Trying to find a pose that makes the person feel comfortable as well as looks good in the shot. Once you find a good pose, work your angles and your focal lengths and get as many useable shots as possible out of it.


If you look at the shots posted here in groups, they are all similar in the way I shot them. I start out long and then move in for a head shot. After that, I start walking around and let the subject stay put. The less they have to move the better. This technique saves you a ton of time and in the senior portrait business time is money. The more time you save, the more seniors you can shoot!

The next time you are ready to re-pose your subject ask yourself if you have worked the shot to it's full potential.

Kevin Focht
PPSOP Instructor