Flash??

 

Ummm.... ok. So I'm practicing the whole strobey light thingy. Ok, so I've mentioned that strobing is hard, right? It takes practice. If you don't have time to learn it, you're going to get really frustrated, really fast. Either committ to learning and seeing light or find a different hobby. The photo above is a self portrait. The goal of the photo was to light a portion of my face. Is the photo perfect? Well, it depends on what YOU consider perfect. Did I accomplish my goal and learn something during the process? Absolutely! To get the shot, I used my SB600, a shoot-through umbrella and the movie screen in my basement as the backdrop. Lesson learned: Patience is a virtue, Shutter speed is a God-send.

White Balance is a son-of-a........

For the record....If your White Balance is set to auto in your camera, please be mindful of the maximum color temperature that the automatic feature supports. Nikon's D700's white balance works quite well. Problem is, it only works between 3500-8000 Kelvin. Drop below 3500K and your pictures will look like yuck.

If you're thinking, "Oh, I'll just fix it in post," you're sadly mistaken. Thinking about clicking the auto white balance feature in Lightroom or PhotoShop? Yeah, well... good luck with that. Let me know how that works for ya. I'm not saying that it can't be done. I AM SAYING that there are better uses of your time than correcting the white balance of 300 photos that have various lighting scenarios.

Here's the thing. If you're using the auto white balance feature on the camera, do yourself a favor. Get some gels, and an expodisc. Now, I'm not saying that you HAVE to purchase those items, but I am saying that if you don't, you'll want to shoot yourself in the face upon viewing the results of not having utilized those items.

Nothing ticks me off more than crappy white balance. It's one thing to artistically use white balance. It's another thing to not know how to set white balance and proving that you're a moron.

Walking into the light....

Yeah, well.....obviously I'm getting ready to do the flash thingy. Yeppers. I've got a couple of speedlights (SB-900 and SB-600) and I think I'm ready to take on the world. Ok, well.... maybe not.

I'm reading Hot Shoe Diaries, Nikon CLS Digital Field Guide and Understanding Exposure all at once. My husband thinks I'm studying for the final exam of Photography Lala Land. It kinda feels like it too. This lighting thing is no JOKE!

Thanks to Hugh Toward over at http://www.cameracard.ca for being my guide and making plain English out of what I'm reading. This stuff can be complicated, but having Hugh is making all the difference in the world. Besides... who else can say that their Jedi-Light Master tutors them from Canada, eh?!! Hugh rocks! By the way, if you're looking for stuff... Hugh sells camera stuff!

Another day...

Photography is OVERWHELMING!!!!!! There. I said it. I'm not the first, and I definitely won't be the last. Photography is so overwhelming that I want to shoot everything and nothing at the same time. Perhaps I should spend more time with Adobe's CS5 Master Collection. Simply owning such a magnificent piece of software heaven isn't enough. I should learn to fully appreciate it. Eh, but not tonight. I'm tired.

My Big 'Fat' Street Photography

I love Street Photography anything remotely close to what I consider hyper-photojournalism. It's fun. It's amazing. It's anti-everything that people hate about themselves. I recently posted some of the street shots that I captured at the county fair. Whew! Talk about folks getting upset! The photos that got the most attention, were of very large women standing in line at various concession stands. Those photos hit a nerve.

Personally, I find a photo of an overweight person standing in the 'fried Oreos' line very amusing. Why are people getting offended, as if I had done something wrong? This was not an expose on 'Obese Americans', I took photos of situations that amused me.

At what point did 'fat' become a protected class? Is the expectation that 'Street' photography exclude fat people and only capture thinner people? Wouldn't that be an act of discrimination? I digress.

Pay no attention to the man behind the camera.....

...and don't hire him either. There seems to be some confusion about who or what a photographer is or isn't. Frankly, I think that the confusion is baseless. Yes, it's baseless. Why? It's baseless because the most important thing that a photographer isn't just some guy or gal with a camera. Consider the following:

1. If your great uncle Bob, get's a DSLR for Hanukkah, he is NOT a photographer.

2. If your mother's neighbor's step daughter from Iceland takes a class in in grade school on the history of Eastman Kodak and owns a polaroid, she is not a photographer.

3. Purchasing a D40 does not make a person a photographer. While I understand that some will make the argument for diffusion, sorry... it's not gonna work.

4. Owning a camera and hanging out at Nikon-Digital does not make a person a photographer.

5. Being a complete gear-whore of all things Nikon doesn't make you a photographer. It simply means that you either have parents who were generous with your trust fund or the cops are simply waiting to apprehend you and reclaim the money you stole from the bank.

I loathe folks who acquire a camera and then self-proclaim the title of Photographer within minutes. Did I say "loathe?" Perhaps I didn't use strong enough language. It pisses me off.

If you can't figure out why there's a yellow haze to your photos, maybe it's not a good idea to open up shop. Photography is serious. Titling oneself as Photographer means that you take full responsibility for immortalizing life. The word 'life' only has four letters, but it's a pretty big and powerful word. The word 'life' is SOOOOO important, that it keeps company with the likes of other big words such as 'civil litigation' and 'bankruptcy'.

People with cameras who don't have the chutzpah to post their work such sites as DP Review, Photocamel, or Nikon-Digital for C&C are not Photographers. Heck, GOD BLESS anyone that can manage to crawl past any of these forums with all of their teeth and their tails not tucked between their legs. The folks that play at these playgrounds can piss on an ant's ass from an airplane.

A good photographer can earn a lot of money. A good photographer cares about the quality of their work and the strength of their reputation.

A good friend will look at your photos and say, "Ooooh, nice pic!" A good photographer will say, "Are you fucking kidding me? You're gonna attach your name to that shit and try to sell it?"

Exposure Value: What The Hell Is It?

I'm sure that if you ask 20 people for the definition of Exposure Value, half will give you a definition for Exposure Compensation while the other half will provide an answer to a question that you didn't ask. In his book, The Betterphoto Guide to Exposure, Sean Arbabi writes the following definition about Exposure Value:

"... is a method that was created to simplify exposure combinations for certain measurements of light. The term is used throughout digital photography and can be a bit puzzling, since it's applied in a variety of ways: to measure light, for incremental settings in your aperture or shutter speed, for your meter using exposure compensation and so on. If you get a little lost in this section, move forward and then refer back to it from time to time; as you learn more about exposure, EV may begin to make better sense."

Now, if you're new photography (like me), the aforementioned paragraph reads like a pile of horse poo! Yep. It went straight over my head. After MUCH research, I've found a better way of explaining it. Upon reading my definition, you'll think, "Darn. That's it?"

Exposure Value is a 'nickname'. That's right. It's a nickname. Here's an over-simplified non-photography related example: I have a good friend whose name is Linda Consuelo Epstein. Instead of calling her Linda Consuelo Epstein, we call her Linn; it's easy to remember and suites her. Whenever someone says, "Hey Linn!" She knows that they are addressing her, because Linn, which is her nickname, is short for Linda Consuelo Epstein.

Here's another over-simplified example: If someone asks me my daughter's age, I COULD say, "Oh, she's 1,239 days (exposure value)" or "She was born October(ISO) 7(Aperture), 2006(shutter speed)." The combination of ISO, Aperture, and Shutter speed is Exposure Value.

Now, don't get me wrong, Exposure Value isn't just ANY old combination of ISO, Aperture and Shutter Speed, it's SUPPOSED to be the perfect combination of ISO, Aperture and Shutter speed for a given situation.

On a bright sunny day, if EV is 15, Aperture=f/16, ISO=100, and Shutter speed=1/125. How did I come up with that? I looked at the chart you ninny! No one in their right mind sits around and calculates this mess! NO ONE! EVERY ONE PULLS OUT A CHART! Could you calculate Exposure Value for yourself? Sure, but why bother? Your camera does it for you.

At this point you're probably looking for the Exposure Value setting in your camera. Sorry but you'll find not such thing, unless of course, you recognize that your camera's meter is the modern day abacus for Exposure Value. That's right, balance your camera's meter and you've in essence, calculated the right exposure.

So the next question is probably, "Why are people making this out to be more than what it is?" The correct answer is either because they can, or they are confusing Exposure Value with Exposure Compensation. Exposure Compensation is the adjustment that you make to an Exposure. Let's say you meter off your subject, and the perfect exposure is f/16, ISO 100 and shutter speed of 1/125 and you find that it's too bright. Making an adjustment to underexpose the shot by a third of a stop (-.3) is Exposure Compensation.

In summary, Exposure Value is perfect combination of Aperture, ISO and shutter speed for a given situation. Exposure Compensation is the adjustment to that exposure.

Oh No He Didn't!!!!!

Ok, so it's been an eventful day. Today I volunteered to shoot a birthday party for an Indian family. Aside from the cultural child-rearing differences, I had a ball. The families were quite hospitable, they insist on feeding you and it was a warm and loving environment. I didn't expect anything different.


The family found me on the internet, while looking for a clown. They couldn't believe that I'd take photos of their event free of charge. I gave them three hours coverage and I got just as much out of it as they did.

Now here's where things got a bit weird. While it's not unusual that there will be someone else at the same venue with a camera, it's QUITE unusual to have them follow you around and attempt to make the same shots! For every one shot he'd attempt, I'd fire off three and it really started to get annoying. I didn't expect to be the 'only' gig in town, but I did expect to be able to do my own thang and I don't recall requesting a second-shooter. The dude had gone rogue and copycat all in the same breath!

WHEW! It's HOT In Here!

For the record, I'm not one of those folks that doesn't believe that fire burns until I stick my hand in the flames. Nope. Not me. It's not that I have issues with taking risks, I simply have issues with taking unnecessary risks. Unnecessary risk is simply stupid. This is not to say that I've never done anything stupid. I'm just picky about my opportunities to be stupid.

I am pickiest when it comes to spending money. In a word, I'm CHEAP. Yadda, yadda, yadda....I know, I picked the wrong hobby in which to be a cheapskate. Just let me explain. I don't purchase cheap gear, I simply don't like to part with my money. I do however, after much bellyaching, purchase quality goods. Sheesh!

Ted, over at Nikon-Digital posted a REALLY great tip recently. He mentioned that he purchases backdrops from Home Depot. Go figure, eh? I thought that this was the best idea EVER! I ran down the street to my local Home Depot and picked up a 9x12 drop cloth. It cost me a paltry $20, WOO HOO! I also picked up some 3/4 PVC piping, two elbow connectors and a couple of t-connectors and VOILA! Instant backdrop and stand. The whole setup cost roughly $32 (and I'm a happy gal).

I also picked up a couple of clamp lights (cost: $6 each). I've got a roll of aluminum foil to make a reflector, some construction paper to make a snoot and a few other things.

Ok, so I'm sure you're wondering where this is all going, right? Well, if you haven't figured it out, you've got more problems than I could ever hope to never have. This is not my permanent setup (well, I'm sure I'll never trash the backdrops). I'm in learning mode and don't want to waste money on stuff I don't understand.

The future of 'strobiliciousness' for me may be a little snuggle time with Alien Bees (an idea I got from Mike Hodgson). Of course, I haven't ruled out speedlights just yet. Hugh at CameraCard just sent me some REALLY great photos that have got my brain-wheels a-spinning. Stay tuned folks, it's about to get HOT in here!

Walmart? Really?

Ok, so this is my first post of 2010. Where has the time gone, and can you believe that I've been hanging out 'round these parts for a year? Go figure, eh? And no, the 'eh' is not an import from Canada. I've always used that word. Ok, well... maybe it's not a word, but I think you get my drift.

Christmas was nice. Uber-hubby got me what I wanted, a new tripod. Yeppers, I'm the proud owner of Bogen's Manfrotto 190XB tripod with 486RC2 Ball head. Ooooh YEAH BABY! Me likey and love it long time! This was exactly what I wanted. Nothing like being married to a man that can follow instructions! Woot!

The next gift that he got was completely unexpected, as I only wanted a respectable tripod. This gift was in a huge box and too heavy for me to lift. Upon opening it, I discovered a huge angular item covered in packing foam. My immediate thought was, "This foam-crap is gonna get in my hair, choke the dog and take forever to clean off the carpet." Perhaps my thought was a bit ungrateful, but considering the fact that I am tasked with keeping my house clean and my hair brushed, it was warranted. At some point, the dog needs to be smart enough to stop eating every darn thing he sees.

In the box was a printer. Initially, I simply looked at it and wondered what the hell my husband was thinking. Yeah, In know you're thinking that I should be happy, but we're talking about a man who once gave me a sewing machine for Christmas and all of his suit pants to hem.

The printer didn't have a manual and I had to do some searching to find out whether or not it would be safe to operate and not set the house on fire. And it went a little something like this:

Me: Hi I need to get some information on this printer.

Kodak: Sure, ma'ame. What model is it?

Me: It's a 6850.

Kodak: Ok Ma'me. Which store are you calling from, Walmart?

Me: Are you trying to be funny?

Kodak: No ma'ame. Are you calling from a kiosk?

Me: Why are you asking me that? Why can't you simply tell me where I can order a manual or something.

Kodak: Ma'ame, your employer should have a manual.


Ok, I'll spare you the rest of the details. Yes, my husband purchased a printer like the one they have in Walmart. Yes, really. I asked Kodak's rep how many pictures I'd be able to produce and he said, "Oh, thousands."

At some point over the years, I must have had the "Why can't you get me what I asked for," conversation with my husband one too many times, and as men do, he misunderstood and THOUGHT THAT I MEANT, "Honey, please purchase everything that I say I like," to save his own ass.

I recall at some point in the year saying how kewl it must be to have a sub-dye printer. I NEVER said, "HONEY WILL YOU BUY THE PRINTER THEY HAVE IN WALMART?"

I'm not being ungrateful. I'm rather proud of my new acquisition. I just have to be mindful that I married the kind of man that will do anything to put a smile on face. Ok, but in all seriousness.... how many of my friends are gonna stop printing at Walmart and come to my house? I reckon it would make for great conversation during scrapbook parties.

Thanks, Babe!