Monday, January 12, 2009

Taking Pictures of flowers

Taking Pictures of Flowers is Probably not the best winter topic, but I am getting ready to do a class for a gardening group on how to take pictures of their flowers. So I thought in preparation I would write an entry about the subject. There are several aspects to taking pictures of flowers. The first is focus. Each camera is a little different, however you will want to use the one or two point or center balanced focus setting on your camera. I would also choose the vivid selection and set the light balance to auto.

Flowers are generally best shot in diffused light, rather than direct sunlight. Direct sunlight can dilute the colors and the details of your flower.

You can wait until a cloudy day or you can use wax paper to diffuse the sunlight if you need, by holding a sheet of it above the flower, making a shadow. Be sure the shadow covers the whole frame of the picture.


The picture to the right shows several common mistakes. First, the shadow is not covering the whole picture, then the bright sunlight reduces the ability to capture the texture of the flower and finally the back ground is not difussed and distracts from the picture. So this one is a reject.

BACKGROUND: If the back ground is too busy or detailed as noted in the picture above, it will detract from the focus on the flower. You can accomplish blurring the background with a wide or more open f stop (if you can control the f stop). If you have a digital camera that is more automatic, then you can focus as close to the flower as possible, making the focus range tight.


If you want to get even closer, then use your zoom. Every zoom has a minimum focus range. You are looking for the most zoom and as close to the subject as possible; most cameras will blur the background with this setting. The picture below was captured with the zoom- note the background is several feet from the flower and reasonably blurred, making the flower stand out.


Macro: Usually you do not need to use your macro setting to get a good flower shot, unless you want only a portion of the flower. I will discuss the use of the macro in another entry.


FLASH: Sometimes using a flash even on a bright day will darken the area around the flower reducing the background distraction.

Another way to control the back ground is to use some black masking paper several inches behind the flower. Be sure it covers the entire back ground and is slightly blurred in your focus. If done correctly your flower will stand out very well from the background.


Since I am writing this for a wide range of camera users, keep in mind some of the techiques will not work with every camera. The trick is to experiment with your camera. Many digital cameras have a flower or close up setting. I do not use this setting; I prefer the camera setting usually signified with the "camera" icon. With a point and shoot, I would use the auto setting for the white balance, shoot in the highest jpeg or tiff resolution possible, with jpeg it is usually called "fine". Then shoot the picture.

BREAKING THE RULES:The picure to the right was taken in very bright sunlight. I did not get the detail, however I did achieve a the effect I wanted. So even breaking the rules can be o.k. This is one of my favorites, and has been a popular one for my clients as well.

Taking a picture with the back ground in focus can be a good shot as well. It can set a wider tone and mood. It may take a few tries to get the picture you want. The picture below was done in Hawaii, and keeping the background in focus gave it a real sense of the natural setting of the flower. Yes I broke the rules...















The Picture above was shot in bright light with the shade of the woods behind the flower garden making the background dark.

What Kind of Camera: One of the most common questions I hear is what kind of camera should I use. Some of the pictures above were shot with a 5 megapixel point and shoot and some were shot with a $2000 digital SLR. Can you tell what camera was used?
One more thing: If you like any of the pictures and would like them for your walls let me know. stanley.jack@gmail.com.
copyrite 2009















Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Some Cool Camera's To Consider










Some Cool Camera’s

I am going to discuss some camera’s in price ranges from 100 dollars up to 400 dollars. These are good cameras but certainly not the only good ones out there. As I said I am partial to the Sony point an Shoot camera’s. You will find Nikon and Canon’s with similar features and prices. Most will serve you well. These are the three brands I would recommend. Many other companies have a good camera model but Nikon, Sony and Canon, have great cameras.





Sony Cybershot H50 Priced between $325 and $399



It is a full featured point and shoot. It touts the Smile Shutter technology that will automatically take the picture when the subject smiles. It also has face detection and will balance the focus on up to 8 faces. It is for the serious amateur or someone who just loves to take pictures. Unless you just want a digital SLR, this camera will do more than 99% of the population would ever use. This is a great camera, if you use your camera a lot and want great shots. You certainly will need to read the manual a couple of times to get the full benefit of the H50. And prepare for a Learning Curve for special situations. Check out the rest of the specs below.

Sony H50 Specifications
9.1 Megapixels
15x Optical Zoom / up to 81x digital Zoom
Smile shutter, face detection, intelligent scene recognition and Double AntiBlur
Solution.
Optical Image Stabilization
MPEG1 Movie Mode
Multi-pattern, Center-weighted, Spot Exposure Modes
80-3200 ISO Levels
JPEG File Formats
3-inch LCD
MS Duo / MS PRO Duo Storage Media (plus 15MB internal capacity)
Proprietary Lithium Ion rechargeable




The Sony Cyber Shot H10 Price $185-279



My wife owns this camera and uses it for her real estate business. She tried a couple of other cameras that did not fill the bill like the H10. Kim is a point and shoot diva. She does not like fiddling around with the camera, just wants great shots. The H10 had Delivered that. This camera has Optical stabilization like it’s big Brother the H50. It also has a digital range optimizer that tones down the highlights and brightens the dark areas, which gives you a very even tone. The H10 has the face detection, but you will have to catch the smile yourself.
If you want a little more challenge, this camera had a manual mode to allow you full manual control, if you want choose your own settings. This is a solid choice, for some one who uses their camera regularly. It is a lot of camera for the money.


Sony H10 Specifications
8.1 megapixels
10x optical zoom / 2x digital zoom
Optical Image Stabilization
30fps movie mode with sound
Auto and manual exposure
Auto focus
3.0-inch LCD screen
Memory Stick Duo and Pro Duo storage (with 31mb internal memory)
Lithium-ion battery pack





Sony Cybershot S750 price $99-160






The Sony Power Shot S750 is an entry level camera for anyone who wants to begin or continue taking digital photography. This camera is small and easy to carry (I would suggest a small case to protect the camera) in your purse or in a pocket. It has a 3x zoom which is pretty standard on this level of camera. And it has the added feature of face detection and a very decent ISO 1200 mode for lower light pictures. It is a good basic point and shoot and well worth the money if you are wanting a simple camera, easy to use and easy to carry.

Sony S750 Specifications
7.2 megapixels
3x optical zoom / 2x digital zoom
Face detection
ISO 1200 high sensitivity mode
30fps movie mode with sound
Auto exposure



Canon Powershot SD770 IS Price $145-190


The Canon Sd770 IS is a 10 megapixel camera, and like the Sony S750 it is very compact. You get a few more megapixels as this is a 10 megapixel camera. Canon’s lens-shift image stabilization, will provide a crisp picture, highly detailed, you will be pleased. It is a solid contender for the average point and shoot user. You won’t go wrong with this camera.

Canon SD770 IS Specifications
10 Megapixels
3x optical zoom / 4x digital zoom
Face detection auto-focus
Lens-shift Image Stabilization
Movie mode with sound
JPEG file format
ISO 80-1600
Auto and manual exposure
2.5-inch LCD monitor
Secure Digital card storage (32MB card included)
Lithium-ion battery

Regardless of the Camera you choose I would suggest you consider do you want a range finder to look into or are you o.k. with the screen. And what size screen works best for you. Once again let me know if you have any questions…
Jack

Saturday, January 3, 2009

What is the Shutter Release Button For anyway?

Most of us think we point the camera and push the shutter release button and everything should be fine. What you may not realize is that on most digital camera's the shutter release has two functions. The shutter Release of course, and it is also for locking your focus. You get the scene you want and the focus you want press your shutter release 1/2 way down and hold it and crop your picture and then when you are ready press it the last 1/2 way down to take the picture. Pressing the shutter release 1/2 way down holds the focus you have achieved as long as you hold it partially down. This can save you the frustration of poorly focused pictures. Read your user manual carefully for better instructions.

Friday, January 2, 2009

A Quick Fun Idea

Something To Try:::
Take your digital camera, dis-able your flash. Then take a couple of flash lights and after dark try taking a picture using different flashlight, an LED often will give a blue hue etc. Be sure to hold your camera still or use a tripod. can be fun. You may see some purple fringing, or even some blur. Take it play with it and see what you create. Let me know what you get.

New pictures on my gallery site. We were biking in Germany in September and this was on the motel desk infront of the picture on the wall. I couldn't resist. Check the gallery site www.jackartphography.com/ say you saw it here and you can purchase this picture at a 20% discount. This picture is copywrited by Jack Art Photogrphy.

What Camera Should you Buy...

What Digital Camera Should you buy? Great Pictures are done by the person not the camera……

If you are a professional photographer looking for a camera, then this is not your article. This is intended for the average person who wants to take great photographs.
First Ask yourself…
What Am I going to do with the camera?
If you are taking family pictures, vacation pictures, and want an easy camera to use, there are several fine choices. Basically there are two or three things to consider. If you know these answers you can more easily choose a camera.

Size Matters. If you rarely enlarged your pictures beyond an 8x 10, you will be fine with anything 3 megapixels or more. If you don’t really use your camera often and only want the typical 4x6 then a less expensive point and shoot will be a good choice.

How Much Zoom? Zooming in allows you to get a closer picture without being closer. However, it can be challenging to find the right cropping and catch the picture on the fly. Most point and shoots will have a 3x zoom. Some will have 5 or 10x zoom. The larger the zoom typically the larger the camera needs to be to make room for the additional lens space needed. I like a 5-10x zoom. My son loves his 3x zoom.

How Often Will I use the Camera? If you use your camera only a couple times a year, consider a camera that uses disposable batteries, (never store your batteries in your camera). If you use your camera regularly, see the discussion about Lithium Ion Batteries below.

Now you have defined your use. Begin looking at camera’s

Point and Shoot cameras are not what they use to be, they do a lot more!! If I were purchasing a Point and Shoot I would look at the Sony, Canon and Nikon lines.

Zoom comes in two forms.
Optical zoom which is most clear and accurate and..
Digital Zoom, where the computer in the camera creates a zoom based on logarithms. Good but less clear and accurate.
Many cameras will have both. This is ok.
I would look at a minimum of a 3x zoom.

Built in Flash… absolutely necessary and a minimum requirement. For most people the flash built in the camera will be more than adequate.

Macro Setting, allows you to focus very close to an object. You may not be use to such a setting but once you have it (it is usually already there) you will find it a lot of fun to play with.

Camera Battery: Unless you only use your camera a couple of times a year, I would avoid cameras that use disposable batteries. For the more frequent user, Lithium Ion batteries are great. A Sony with a Lithium Ion Battery freshly charged can take a couple hundred jpeg pictures on a charge, usually about ½ that if you are using the flash.

Some Great Cameras are available from Sony, Canon and Nikon. For point and shoot my personal favorite is Sony. My wife has the Sony H10 which is a great camera for almost everyone. It costs between $199 and $299.
For $99 to $200 you can find a great point and shoot with a 3-5X zoom in either of the above brands.
Today’s digital cameras can handle a wide range of photography and situations. Do not let someone talk you into more camera than you need.
Next Time we will talk about Digital SLR’s…. Jack