The Ugly [but fun] Truth

Over the last year I’ve been playing a lot with my smart phone camera.  I have to confess that I’ve actually taken photographs with it that I’ve later used as part of  my client projects.  Of course, I would never tell the client that. Given what they’re paying for the end product, it’s probably best that they believe that all the final images were originally taken with some high-tech, expensive piece of equipment.

So why would I choose a smart phone camera over all my other equipment? The simple answer is “because it’s there” – I always have it with me – AND there are times that it’s the only camera I have with me when I need one. 

Given this ugly little truth, what smart phone camera do I use? Well, first, I have an iPhone, so you’d think that I’d use the built-in camera – and I do . . . . . sort of.  However, I’ve found an “improved model” so to speak – by using one of the newer camera apps that works through my phone camera. The app is called “Camera +” and, if I remember correctly, it was either a free app or cost only ninety-nine cents. It’s available for iPhones – not sure about “droids”.

So, what makes this cheap app so worthwhile?  Let’s start with one of the most important features that you see when you first open it up.  When you touch the screen you’ll have your “auto focus: square [just like on the iPhone camera] but notice that there is a small “+” sign at the top right corner.  touch this and you have an “exposure” measurement that you can drag anywhere within the image.  What this does is to allow you to sample the light separately from the focus point.  It allows you to easily brighten or darken your image to its most effective level.  Simple – but it’s a big deal to get better photographs.

The next thing you’ll notice is the wheel just to the right of the center “camera” icon that you touch to take the photograph.  Touch the wheel and you’ll see that you have a built-in “stabilizer”, timer and “burst” feature.

• I’ve found that the stabilizer is really effective for doing close-up photography.  It allows me to get much sharper images when I’m trying to get up close and personal with a small object.
• The timer lets me preset the camera to a 5, 15 or 30 second delay in taking the picture. Haven’t used this feature yet – but it’s there.
• The “burst” feature is really cool – in that it allows you to take pictures at somewhere around 5-6 frames per second. Really incredible for those action shots!

While all these are great features – there’s even more! After you’ve taken a photograph you can go to the “edit” feature and apply 15 different picture styles – what they call “scenes” – including flash, backlight, cloudy, fluorescent, night, portrait, landscape and others.  There’s also a great “clarity” feature that opens up and sharpens the mid-tones and shadows without affecting the highlights [shades of Camera RAW!].

In addition to all this, you’ll also have the ability to crop and tilt the image as well as 27 artsy “effects” and 18 different “borders”.  While these are neat – they really aren’t the reason to get this app – though they do offer added fun.

While I’ve touched on many of the great features of this app there’s even more to discover as you go through “menu” feature.  I won’t go into all of it here – but take a look and see what it has to offer.

So, if you have an iPhone, I’d recommend that you get this app.  If you’re like me, once you try it, it will become your “go-to” smart phone camera.

“Talking” With Other Photographers – always a big help

You might have noticed that the word “Talking” in the title is in quotes. That’s because I’m “talking” figuratively here.  So what’s the point?

Well, it seems that unless you belong to a photography club or have the opportunity to spend a bit of time with fellow enthusiasts, there aren’t a lot of opportunities to just talk about photography, ask questions or share ideas.  Even my dear wife – who is always supportive of my work – has a limited capacity to talk photography before her eyes glaze over.  You’ve also probably noticed that an in-depth discussion of camera specifics or Layer Masks in Photoshop with a non-photographer usually ends well before you’ve lost interest in it.

However, in the last few months I’ve discovered some great photographers – amateur and professional – on the internet who like to share ideas and talk about photography issues. I don’t mean photography blogs. They’re great for sharing information and ideas, and can be very helpful, but it’s hard to have a dialogue. I’m talking about a real give-and-take of ideas.

So where does one find this fountain of interest and information.  While I’m sure there are several areas where you can go, I discovered it through my participation in LinkedIn [www.linkedin.com].  For those of you who aren’t familiar with LinkedIn, it’s a business/networking site for business folks.  This might sound a bit dry – but there’s more to it than just networking to look for jobs or to increase your business.  When it comes to photography, there are several discussion groups who talk about almost anything and everything under the sun related to photography, editing and more!  Here are a few of the groups that I’ve seen – and I’m sure there are many more.  The first two are ones that I’ve joined:

• Photography Group – subjects are more often business based  like  equipment, copyright issues, studio rentals, and websites, but can be a far ranging as recent discussions about editing apps for smart phone photography.
• Adobe Photoshop Group – discusses just about anything related to photo editing, including software, color profiles, watermarks, tablet vs mouse and a whole bunch of other stuff.
• Photographers and Photoshop Users
• Traditional Film Photographers
• Editorial Photographers
• London Photographic Association

The six listed above are only a small sampling of discussion groups available through LinkedIn.  You probably noticed that they also include international groups as well.

So there you have it – literally, at your fingertips.  The key is to first go online and join LinkedIn.  It’s easy to do and costs nothing.  You ought to look it over and see if this works for you.  I think you’ll find, as I have, that they can be interesting, useful and fun!  Best – Bill

Photograph – Picture – Image: some personal definitions

This post is probably going to get me in trouble with somebody.  When you see the three words in the title – Photograph, Picture, Image – you might think that I’m referring to the same thing.  Actually, I’m not.

This subject came up  in one of my earlier posts:  “Photography – Are You a Recorder or an Interpreter?” - 02/14/10.  Since then I’ve written quite a few posts and used these words hundreds of times.  While I try to use each word in a specific way, from time to time, I’m guilty of mixing them up.  Let me explain.

To understand why I view these three words as being different, you have to understand my philosophy as a photographer.  I tell all my editing classes that I believe taking the Photograph is only the beginning of the process.  I know that there are those folks out there who believe that taking the photograph is the beginning and the end to the process – no changes – no editing – no nothing!  While I do believe that you should do everything you can to capture the best photograph, I also believe that there is a lot more of YOU that you can put into the final product by editing.

This brings us to the second word – Picture.  I try to use this word purposely to indicate that it is something different from the original Photograph.  A painter or a writer make many changes while they are creating the final work.  I use the term Picture to define that same process.  Here though, I’m talking about the unfinished editing process – a work in progress, so to speak.

That brings us to the final word - Image.  I feel very strongly that when all the editing is done – when the photographer has finished putting their mark on the original Photograph – there is no other word that can be used other than Image.  By editing, this final Image has transcended the original Photograph into something new and different – a product of the photographers minds-eye.  As you can see in the images that I’ve used in this post, the Photograph and the final Image are significantly different. I wanted to say something more about the subject than to just capture the Photograph.  Editing gives me the ability to put myself into the work – to use my creativity – to produce a unique Image, all its own.

Some might say that this a small thing – merely a play on words.  I don’t think so.  For me it’s a reminder that photography is truly an art form.  By taking a Photograph, editing the Picture, and creating a final unique Image, each of us becomes a photographer/artist.  What do all of you think?  Best – Bill

Winter Outdoor Photography – rethink what & how you shoot & edit

There are certain words and phrases that are used frequently by those who really like outdoor photography.  They talk about the “great light”, the “beautiful colors”, the “beauty of nature”.  Unfortunately, we’re now in “winter-mode” for the next 3+ months – depending on where you live.  In Western Oregon, where I live, most of those superlatives disappear with the season.  While we do have some nice days, in general think rain, gloom, gray skies.

However, not to despair! Winter is a great time to get your creative juices going and rethink what and how you’re going to shoot outdoors.  One of the keys here is to keep your eyes open for different and interesting subjects.  Often the same subject, in another season, might be something you wouldn’t think of shooting – but in winter it can take on a whole new feel.  As an example, this image of a wetlands in winter is stark, but can be just as beautiful in the absence of what you’re usually looking to shoot.  Also, don’t be afraid to use silhouettes in you images, like these trees.  They add a very dramatic feel.

This same change of thinking also applies to how you might think about color.  Don’t worry about those beautiful, bright colors – how about muted colors or even black and white or sepia.  This image of a small pond and grass – emphasizing the busy, heavy texture - helps to give a “wilderness” feeling to the image.  Interestingly enough, this is no where near the wilderness – only a 5 minute walk from my front door.  I first finished this in black & white and wasn’t satisfied with how it felt – too harsh a feeling.  Only when I converted it to sepia did it feel right to me.  Sepia will often open up the mid-tones better, for a little softer feel.

In addition to all the foregoing, I always keep the emphasis on texture.  Texture, with a proper use of light and shadow can add a very emotive quality to your imagery. Now, I don’t mean taking a close-up of  tree bark or the texture of a rock – BORING!!  Use texture as an integral part of the overall image.  You see a lot of that today in all kinds of photography – with the use of HD, gritty, high texture images.  Even if you don’t normally like that for your own style – winter is the time to give it a try!  I’m sure you’ve noticed that texture has played a big part of all the images in this post.

Of course, for those who do a lot of  close-up or “macro” photography, winter still offers tremendous potential.  You won’t shoot a lot of insects or flower stamen close-ups, but there are still those plants that thrive in the winter.  This next image is of a plant that we have in Oregon all year – moss.  Actually, I took this one of the moss on my mailbox the other morning.  Goes to show, if you keep your creative eye open, even when you’re doing mundane things like getting the mail, you never know what you’ll find.

I also mentioned winter “macro” photography – and of course, ice crystals always offer the potential for interesting pictures.  However, I have to admit that there is a particular reason why in included this last image in this post.  I’ll explain in the next paragraph.

By the way – did I mention that all the images in this post were taken with my iPhone!  This includes the image of the ice crystals as well – using the macro lens of the “olloclip” attachment that I reviewed in my last post!  Just couldn’t pass up a chance to talk about it again! All of these images also had additional editing in Photoshop - but all the data to work with came from a relatively small, smart-phone image file.  it seems that there may be some truth in the old saying “It isn’t the camera – it’s the photographer” [and maybe the software too].  Sometime soon I plan to do a post on smart-phone photography and some of the “apps” for editing with the phone.  If you have any smart-phone editing “apps” that you like, let me know – I’d like to try them out.

You’ll notice that I didn’t talk about softer images of snow.  Talking about getting good snow shots can be another post in itself.  What I hope you’ll take away from this post is to open up your creative eye to look at things differently.  Winter images are often simpler, in that nature has stripped itself down to the bare, beautiful essentials.  As for color, don’t worry about how you’re going to render the final image.  It might be black & white, maybe sepia, or in more muted colors – or maybe all three.  Any of these can be equally as beautiful as those bright, colorful summer pictures you like.  The final, and very important, part of all this is to emphasize texture in your images.  Used effectively, it can bring significant interest to your imagery and really add an emotive quality to your work.  Give these a try – I think you’ll like what you create.  Best – Bill

The Best Xmas Gift – Ever!

OK – this may not be the “Best Xmas Gift Ever!!” – but, as a photographer, it’s one of the most fun gifts that I’ve received in quite a few years!

So, what gift could be this much fun?  It’s called the olloclip - and it’s an add-on to your iPhone 4, 4s or 5.  By “add-on” I don’t mean an “app” – I mean, literally, something that you physically “add-on”/attach to your iPhone!

Basically, the olloclip is a slip-on lens or – to be more specific – three lenses in one that gives your iPhone the ability to take a wider variety of pictures.  While the iPhone has significantly improved its camera – it’s still offers only a one-size-fits-all lens.  The olloclip allows you to add a macro, wide-angle, and fish-eye lens to your iPhone.  The end result is not only more interesting pictures – but you’ll have a whole lot more fun taking them!

Are the results really that good?  Take a look for yourself.  The first image is of a leaf taken with the phones regular lens. Then, using the macro lens, look at the close-up you get with the olloclip - details, right down to the hair-like filaments near the stem of the leaf.  But why stop there?  The optics are so good that the macro images can be blown up larger for an even closer look – with great clarity.  The sweet-spot for focusing is less than an inch from the surface and the depth of field is very shallow.  This results in an out-of-focus effect at the edges of the image – gives it that “artsy” look.

I have to admit that, while I enjoy all the lenses, the macro lens really offers some great opportunities for unique and very “artsy” images.  Check out the ones below.  the first is a closeup of an old pocket watch.  The next two give you an idea of what you can create with something as simple as a gear.

This next set of images shows what the wide-angle option can deliver.  At first I didn’t think a lot of this lens until I compared it to what my iPhone did without it – what a difference!  The first image you see here is with the regular phone lens.  The second is with the wide-angle lens.  I didn’t realize how narrow my field of view was with the regular lens until I compared these two.  I’ve also included a third picture of the same scene using the fish-eye lens.  It’s really quite surprising how much is pulled into the image.  It blurs a bit at the edges – but that’s to be expected.

I don’t think I’d use the fish-eye as much as the other lenses – but the next picture shows the fun you can have with it in other ways.  It does a great job of distortion – giving you a whole new way to capture a subject – though I don’t think our “doodle” Izzy appreciates this very much.  What I really like about all three of these lenses is that they all deliver high quality optics.

So far all I’ve talked about is how great this product is – are there any negatives?  The answer is YES.  The first negative is the cost.  The olloclip doesn’t come cheap – it costs $69.99, and there will probably be additional shipping costs if you buy it on line.  However, if quality = price then this is product is worth it.  The second negative is if you have a protective case on your iPhone the olloclip won’t fit over it.  You have to take off the case to slip the lens on your phone.  The third negative is the fact that if you have a protective film over the face of your iPhone, taking the lens on and off can peal it off your phone.  Unfortunately, this last negative happened to me as I was taking the “example” pictures for this post.  Given these drawbacks, is the olloclip still worth having?  My answer is YES!  With the fun I’ve had using it and creating some very interesting images, I’d have to say that it was money well spent!

Unfortunately, Xmas is over :>(    Now what you need to do is find and excuse to buy the olloclip for yourself.  Believe me, you’ll not only have a whole bunch of fun taking pictures that were impossible before – but also creating interesting images that you’ll enjoy sharing with others.  Best – Bill

Make This Year’s Xmas Card

Each year I really enjoy creating our very own, personal  Xmas cards for our friends and clients.  It’s a way to share my “artsy” side and many have mentioned that they enjoy receiving a unique card with the personal touch.  I’ll bet that you also have some great pictures that would make wonderful Xmas cards.

So, what to use for a subject – nature – animals – religious theme?  The best answer I have is to have fun and make it anything you like.  Now is the chance to really show off your creativity!  I’ve included some examples in this post that I’ve used over the years.

This outdoor image I used one year – while it looks like it’s somewhere “in the wild” – was taken at the local golf course that’s a three minute walk from my front door.  The point being is that you don’t have to look very far to find a nice image – even in your own backyard.

Another subject that works very well [though you may not readily think of it]  is architecture.  Of all the Xmas cards we’ve put out over the last ten years, the card with the picture of the orthodox church that I took in Russia has gotten the most comments.  So, if you have all those pictures of churches you’ve taken when you traveled abroad – now is the time [probably the only time] that you’ll be able to make any use of them.

I’m sure that you’ve probably noticed that both of these first examples are black & white.  Folks really like the “artsy” feel of black and white prints.  Also, these are “hand-built” cards.  By that I mean we took some blank card stock – sized our images to fit how we wanted them – made photo prints on our printer – cut them out – then used a glue-stick to attach them to the card.  The final touch is to take a pencil and write the title of your image and your signature on the bottom.  By the way, take the time to give some real thought to the title. The title – in relation to the image – along with the signature add a very “artsy”, custom touch to the card.

This last example is for all you folks who like to use your smart phones as your cameras.  I used to download my favorite iPhone pics to my computer – now I use iCloud and everything I shoot on my iPhone automatically appears in a “Photo Stream” folder on my computer!  How cool is that! From there I open them up and edit them like any other picture in Photoshop.  The point is that even a 2 megapixel smart phone camera can produce a pretty good card-sized image.  You never know where the image will come from or what it might be – but this one was taken at Griffith Park last Xmas when we were visiting our daughter in LA.  Just two dogs bundled up on a bench behind a snack stand – but I think it makes for a great Xmas image.

Whatever you do, be creative.  As for me, this year’s card isn’t going to look like any of these. It’s going to be something really different –  think “bars” [the drinking kind] – “Xmas lights” – “reflections” – and “funky”.

So,  if you really want to give Xmas cards that people will appreciate, comment on and – yes – even keep and collect from year to year, this is the way to go.  The costs aren’t much more than buying cards – it just requires some time in selecting and editing the image you want to use and putting the cards together.  Give it a try.  I think you’ll find out that your Xmas cards are going to be “keepers”.  Best – Bill

Photo Essays – a creative tool to help your business

So what is a Photo Essay?  In my mind it’s using photography to tell a story, but it’s not as simple as that may sound. Visually, it might involve the display of a group of images that – by their subject-matter – highlight a specific something you want to share.  It might be some aspect of our environment, our society, or just something that you find different or interesting.

When the subject is very narrow and focused the viewers have an easier time in understanding what the photogapher/story teller wants to say.  What I often hear however from viewers, and have experienced myself, is that questioning feeling as to what did the photographer actually have in mind?  While the images may be well done, and each has a strong emotional component, the story context is often lost.  That is why my preference is for an expanded Photo Essay - one that includes text to compliment the images and help tell the story.  Another reason why I like the expanded format is that I    enjoy writing, and by adding text I can create a more complex, multi-layered experience.  I’ve also found that the viewer walks away with a much deeper understanding of the subject.

While all of this sounds great, you have to remember that it takes a tremendous amount of time and work.  First you need a good idea – and believe me, that is no easy thing.  Then you have to shoot, edit, organize and write the Photo Essay - then find someone who will stage it.  Oh, did I mention, you also have to make it interesting for a large number of people.  When you think about all this, the whole idea may be more than you want to start Even given all that, I believe that creating a Photo Essay is still worth it. First, I have to state that I would never disagree with those who create Photo Essays for the sake of art or for a compelling social reason. That has always played a part in why I’ve done them.  However, I’m a businessman and, just as importantly, Photo Essay’s are a very effective marketing tool.  To put it simply – Photo Essay’s are good for your business.  Now, assuming that you’ve done your job well and created an interesting Photo Essay, you then have to take is several steps further and apply good business practices.

• Start with press releases.  You have to let the community at large know about the event – so get the word out.  A press release can often be up to 300 words and if you supply a picture with it, you’re more likely to get it published.  Make sure you have a “theme” picture that you use for this as well as any other local advertising that you do.
• Here is where having text as part of your Photo Essay can be a big help.  Use parts of that text to help tell the story in the press release.  This not only makes for a more interesting news release, but may also entice the newspaper to take an interest and write a more detailed piece.
• The text can also be used should the newspaper want to follow-up with an article on the Photo Essay.  Remember, they’re reporters – by having the text they don’t have to interpret the Photo Essay to their readers, just share the story with them.
• This has a two-fold benefit.  They have a better understanding of what you’re trying to impart in the Photo Essay, and they can tell a more complete – and hopefully longer – story to the readers.

Now, after the news releases are out, comes the show itself.  What better way to get your name, your business and your work exposed to a much larger audience – many of whom may never have heard of you before.  Of course you want to let all your clients know about it as well as be there yourself for the opening.  Now, I know that some folks may have a hard time with the “dealing with the public” aspect of this – but I can assure you that being there offers you a wonderful opportunity.  People will ask questions [I guarantee it] and this will allow you to share even more insights into the “how and why” you created the Photo Essay. What a great way to connect with a whole new group of people!

There’s even more potential built into all this.  Every time I’ve done a photo essay I’ve followed up by also creating a Powerpoint presentation and talk to go with it.  Then I go on the local ”speaking circuit”.  This can include local TV stations, civic and church groups and service clubs like Rotary, Lions, Kiwanis and others.  It’s this last group of service clubs that often have the city’s movers and shakers as members – so you’re getting your name and face out to an awful lot of people who have the potential to do you and your business some good.  It’s also not uncommon to get paid!  Not a bad extra.

So there you have it.  Yes – all of this is a tremendous amount of work.  Not only that, it’s also going to take a lot of time and planning to maximize the potential this tool has to offer.  The bottom line is – it will bring a whole lot of positive returns to you and your business.

There’s one more thing that I didn’t mention – that is the satisfaction  you’re going to have by having created a Photo Essay that can have an impact on other people – maybe your entire community.  As a creative person, what could be more fulfilling than to have affected, educated, maybe changed the thinking of another human being just because of your Photo Essay.  Best – Bill