Blue Pixel

I recently started using a different type of lens, which meant a number of good things for my photography. But first a little history…
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Recently I went to one of my nephew’s track meets to shoot some photos of him competing in pole vault. Not only did that give me a chance to get some nice photos of Jeffrey, but it let me work on some good/bad examples of different photo techniques. And that, of course, led me to write this blog post.
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Most of what I do these days is teach photography. Which means I often find myself in front of a bunch of people, doing a demo where I hope everything goes right. Occasionally, though, things go wrong, and that’s when life gets interesting.
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Last week I shot senior portraits for a friend’s daughter. As always, the three words “Subject, Light, Background” ruled what I did during the shoot. I already had my subject, so I needed to find good backgrounds and think about how I would use the light.
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I was on the road teaching a workshop last week, and part of it involved giving a little how-to on the basics of off-camera flash. The group was amazed at how easy it is. That’s true now, but it wasn’t always that way.
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I received an email from a friend who's headed to Iceland and hoping to photograph the northern lights (aka the aurora borealis). He was looking for tips on how to be successful, and after responding to him, I thought this might make for a nice blog post. Whether you're shooting northern lights, a starry sky or New Year's eve fireworks, the basics are the same.
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As photographers we know the importance of light, composition, background, exposure, and moment. But sometimes what you really need for a unique photo is a lot of lens, and that can help you make a photo no one else is able to.
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As someone who loves taking pictures, I try to have a camera whenever possible. It's not always convenient to carry an SLR, though, and point-and-shoots can be disappointing. So I was happy to hear that Nikon was entering the "small camera with larger sensor" market. And after using the J1 for a couple of weeks, I've become an ardent fan.
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I’m often asked what gear I take when traveling. And the answer is always the same – it depends on what I want to do. In the case of our recent vacation to Italy, the plan was to relax and enjoy the time together, not be out shooting from pre-dawn into night. Which meant little gear. But I still hoped to make some nice photos.
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My wife and I just returned from a vacation to Italy (yes, it was wonderful).The second night there, Sharon was tired and went to bed early, so I decided to take a walk. And was reminded once again that skill is important in photography, but luck can be even better.
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