Suzi Receiving Her White Coat

In some ways this is a follow up post to Shooting with a 50 mm prime.

The Back Story

I’ll keep this short. LOL, you believe that?  Okay, I’ll keep this short.

I’m in Irvine California this weekend.  My daughter Suzi is going to Med school here for the next 4 years.  Then 4 years or residency; which means 8 year in Irvine, CA about 5 minutes from the Pacific coastal highway and THE BEACH.  But I digress already.

Yesterday Aug. 8 was the “White Coat Ceremony” where each of the 104 students of the class of 2013 received their white coats and took the oath to do no harm.  Suzi said this ceremony is famous for being photographically unfriendly.  The distance to the stage is long, the balcony is high and the lighting is dark.  There were lots of people with point and shot cameras and even a few blackberry/Iphone snappers but most were getting blurry dark images of ghosts with white around them.  Remember this was a white coat ceremony.  All those white coats in a dark auditorium makes for a light meters nightmare.  There was a guy behind me with a very nice camera,  but from the back of the auditorium in the back row of the balcony, his zoom lens and pop-up flash weren’t getting him anything besides the well lite backs of heads for 5 rows in front of him.

Being forewarned of the conditions I knew the lens of choice was the 50 mm.  I mounted it on the camera and left for the cermony.  A couple quick test shots told me that everything happend very quickly and I needed to be shooting with a shutter speed of 400.  WHAT?  400 in a dark auditorium with no flash, are you kidding me?  I wasn’t kidding.

Here are the settings.  Shutter priority 400.  ISO 650 natural light (no flash).  Hand held shooting RAW. This lens goes to 1.8 and I”m sure it was there during this shot.

You can’t beat this little lens in this situation.  There were more images of the ceremony, but for Dad, this was the money shot and I got it.

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The sun would pop out then back behind a monsoon cloud. The others had gone to the cookie cabin for a peanut butter cookie. I stayed behind in the Tracker cooling off a bit from the hike we had just finished. The sun popped out like a spot light on this single yellow sunflower.

Before I could even get out of the car there was a lady out of her SUV with a camera in her hand shooting this same flower. Her vantage was the same as most, standing up looking down. When she finished I got out and went for the low road, shooting almost directly into the sun. I know she was thinking “Amateur”. Nobody shots into the sun.

I can’t blame her, I would have said the same thing if it had been me.  But I knew what I could do with this image.  And I could pick the flower or move the sun.  Therefore it was up to me to decide what the shot would look like when I put my hand to it not when I took it.

Get it right in the Camera

I’m a big believer in Scott Kelby’s “Get it right in the camera”.  Do as little in post as possible.  But as I stated above I couldn’t move the sun or the flower so I got the focus right and the subject right now I had to “fix” the light.

You can see the three images to the right.  Here is the progression.

1. As taken into the sun
2. Post process to HDR
3. Post process HDR  (remove distractions, darken background, increase contrast in background, increase saturation in background)

Quick Tip: When shooting outside in sunlight always snap on the sunlight hood.  It takes a few extra seconds and means you need to keep it in your bag, but it is worth the time and effort.

The final image is the mind’s eye result.  What do you think of the results?

What, you were expecting a camera?

When I first got my Nikon D40 I loved the quality of the images.  That camera has a very small footprint in your hand.  It is light weight and takes really good images with the “kit” 18mm – 50mm lens included with the camera.

But it wasn’t enough to satisfy the itch.

I had it 6 months when the D300 came out and for the first time in over 30 years I allowed myself to indulge.  I bought a new Pontiac Firebird in 1969.  Fresh out of high school and working for a living at Westinghouse in Mansfield, Ohio.  That was the last thing I bought simply because I wanted it until the D300.

I didn’t even bother with “Justification” for the purchase.  I wanted it, I drove to Phoenix to get one the first week they were available to the public and I drove home with the body on the seat next to me (yes in the box).

I got it home, snapped on the lens that came with the D40 and went out to find something to shot, anything, just let me shoot.  I WASN’T HAPPY!  The thing felt like an anvil in my hand.  It weighed a ton compared to the D40.  I came in from the venture and boxed the D300 up and was planning on taking it back the to Phoenix the next day.

It wasn’t supposed to be like that.  All the things I had imagined about this camera were amazing.  Everything I had read about it was positive.  All the people that got their hands on one before released raved about this camera.  The low noise, the shutter, the sensor, everything was positive.

I didn’t get much sleep that night.  Then I decided I had 3 day to return it, go ahead and use them.

I’m glad I did.  It didn’t take long for me to see the advantages the D300 had over the D40.  I love the D40.  I still shot with it on occasion.  The 18 – 50mm kit lens that comes with it is one of the best I’ve ever used.  But the D300 with a 12 megapixel sensor and lower noise imaging makes it a great camera for all occasions.

Where’s the Photo Tip here?

The tip, maybe should be try it before you buy it, because handling it in the store isn’t enough, you have to take it for a test drive.  This may mean renting one for the weekend and using it.  Or finding a friend who owns one and go shot with it for an afternoon,  (it will have to be a good friend for them to part with their camera even for an afternoon.)  For me the three days to take it back no questions asked was the perfect solution.

See the circles of dust ?

If you are using a Point and Shoot camera (one you can’t change the lenses on) then this post won’t apply to you.  But if you think a DSLR might be in your future, this will be something to consider.

Sensor Dust is the bane of a DSLR.  It shows up as circles.  It gets on the sensor when we change the lens.  It is can usually be removed with the newer cameras which have auto dust of features which can be activated from the camera’s menu.  Rarely does the sensor itself have to be touched.  DON’T EVER TOUCH THE SENSOR.

We are going to talk about how to find out if you have dust and a simple way to remove it 99% of the time.

Sensor Dust Detection

Blue Sky.  The best and quickest way to detect dust on a sensor is to walk outside point your camera at a blue sky and take the shot.  Blue sky for some reason really shows off sensor dust.  It always shows up as dark circles.  You can see in the photo above the dark circles.  Expand the image to see it full size.  Those circles are small specks of dust on the image sensor.  They are almost impossible to find in a photo with lots going on, but a blue sky makes them stick out like a sore thumb.

Removing Sensor Dust

I mentioned above that newer cameras usually have a sensor dust of in the menu.  Selecting this will cause the sensor to vibrate and usually jar small dust specks off the sensor.  But not always.

Great Tool. Mine is always in the bag or in a pocket

The method I use most is the Bulb to remove the specks.

The Process:

• Remove the lens
• Select Mirror lock up from the menu
• lock the mirror up by pressing the shutter usually
• Point the opening toward the floor (dust will fall down)
• Use the bulb to blow air on the sensor (usually 10 good puffs)
• while still pointed down shut the camera off (or whatever your camera calls for the drop the mirror back in place)

Preventing Dust on the Sensor

You can’t.  Dust will get on the sensor.  Maybe if you never switch lenses or remove the lens, but even then you stand a great chance of at some point having dust on the sensor.

But you can minimize the amount of dust.  Here are some steps to take to keep dust to a minimum.

1. Use that bulb to blow off the camera each time you take it out of the bag.
2. Keep the camera in the bag when storing it and keep the top zipped shut.
3. When you go to switch the lens blow off the camera around the lens before removing
4. Blow off the back of the new lens you are about to put on the camera before you attach it (this prevents dust riding in on the back of the lens and dropping on the sensor)
5. Use the Bulb a lot.
6. Don’t remove the lens in high wind or dust.

Take these preventive steps and you can minimize sensor dust.  If you have been out on a dusty shoot take a shot of the sky when you get back to check for dust.

But I have sensor spots on my images, what can I do?

Most post production software will have a healing or blemish tool, these work very well to remove sensor dust spots.  I usually set the size of the healing brush to be just a little bigger than the dust spot.  This way I don’t have move the brush, just click it over the dust spot.

Sensor Dust is a nuisance, but you don’t have to let it ruin your images.  Buy a bulb if you don’t have one.  Get in the habit of using it before a shoot, and when you switch the lens.  Send dust packing.

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We talked about cropping for effect a while back. This post is about another form of cropping;  cropping to make the image a Pano.

I’m not aware of any mathematical formula for what constitutes a Pano. The most common idea of a Panoramic image is the stitching together of several images to make a wide image.

Since the thumbnails for the gallery are all the same size you won’t see the pano effect until you view the gallery. And for a reason I’ve yet to figure out the viewing plugin I’m using sometimes splits galleries. This time it split the last two images off from the rest. You will need to click the next to last to view these two which are image and newsletter header.

A single image that is cropped to a 16×9 aspect ration rather than the typical 4×3 ratio is considered a Pano.  But if it isn’t exactly 16×9 it is still a pano crop.

Why would I want a Pano ?

There are a couple of places where I use pano images all the time.

1. As a Header image at the top of a website/blog
2. As the masthead of a newsletter
3. To create a sense of width and depth

The photo of cameras at the top of this site is cropped down from a single image to create the header.  I don’t want to take up a lot of the screen with an image so reader’s don’t have to scroll down to get to the words.  But I like images on websites and in posts.  A pano works well in this situation providing me the image appeal while not taking up a lot of screen real estate.

The same holds true of newsletters.  Once a month I generate a newsletter from selected blog posts from our Tucson Real Estate blog.  Each month I chose a new photo for the top of the newsletter.  Sometimes it is an event during that month.  Other times it about a season or time of the year.

Thinking Pano while setting up a shot

Panos are always in my head when setting up a shot.  Most of the time we are all thinking about the subject in the photo, or the framing of that subject.  Our thought process is usually tied to everything we see in the viewfinder.  Add pano to your mind’s eye when looking around for a shot.  I’m always taking photos that get the question “What are you shooting that for?”  Most of the time there is something in the viewfinder I want to use for a pano.  The entire scene won’t work. It often brings that question above.  But once cropped to a pano it is the perfect image for where I need it.

When shooting for a newsletter top, I often put the main subject to one side or the other and leave room for text on a dark background either to the right or left.

In the gallery to the right you can see some of the ways you can use a pano crop to make the image say what you want.

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We recently talked about shooting with an Ultra Wide angle lens. I also mentioned it cost about $1000 when I bought it. This isn’t a casual purchase. If it weren’t for our real estate business needing this lens I probably wouldn’t have one.
That’s not true of the 50 mm prime.

What’s a Prime

This might come as a surprise to you but a prime is a lens that doesn not ZOOM.  The way you zoom in and out with a prime is to move your feet.

Move closer to zoom in, move back to zoom out.

The 50 mm prime for digital is about the same as an 85 mm film camera.  An 85 mm is considered to be a portrait lens.  Sharp, and crisp.  Since most  consumer and Pro-sumer Digital DSLR cameras are not full frame they fall into this category where we convert them to the old standard.  More on this in another post.

For now lets talk about the 50 mm prime.

The one I have is a very low light lens.  It will go down to F1.8 for aperture.  It runs about $129.  You can get  a 1.4 but it will cost you hundreds more for that .4 which isn’t that much extra light.  This means I can shot in rather dark places without a flash.

I would use this at events where I can’t get close to the subject.  I really use this when I am at an event where flash is not allowed.  I can open this lens up and still get some very acceptable images.

This lens is sharp, I mean razor sharp.  I love the images I get with this lens.  I can crop in tight on a section of the image and have a great photo.

Poor Man’s Macro

I also pull my 50 mm out of the bag when I want to get up close without getting close.  It won’t let you get real close, 18 inches is about as close as I can get and still focus.  But that’s not usually an issue.  This lens already reaches out and touches the subject quite easily.

Almost every time I post an image to one of my profile pages taken with this lens someone will say “Great macro”.  I smile and say “Thanks”

I’ve thought about adding a Macro to my bag.  But they aren’t cheap.  The good glass will run between $400 – $600.  I have a few others on the list ahead of the macro.

Go in Tight

This lens isn’t one you use when you are in tight spaces unless you are shooting artsy shots.  If you want to capture the whole scene up close don’t put the 50 mm on.  But if you are a long way from the subject and want to bring it in close without getting close yourself.  This little beauty is one sweet piece of glass.

A 50 mm prime should be in your bag.  1.8 will do fine.  You don’t have to get fancy or spend a lot of money going with  a 1.4.  Save your shekels for other items to add to your photo tool bag of tricks.

All the photos in this gallery were taken with the 50 mm 1.8 prime. Most are cropped for effect; some are the entire image. All are great looking images from an inexpensive but excellent piece of glass.

Pick One

This is one of the best tips on photography you will ever get.  It isn’t about taking photos it is about picking which ones to share online.  It doesn’t matter where you are sharing them the principle is the same.  Shoot a lot, pick only one.

• Facebook
• Myspace
• Flickr
• Jpgmag.com
• Any photo sharing site

The principle is the same.  There can be only one.  This is what sets amateurs apart from a serious photographer.  Amateurs submit ALL the shots.  No one but you wants to see 5 pictures of the same thing all in a row.  Shoot a lot, but pick one.

This is one of the toughest things you will have to do.  YOU LOVE THEM ALL.  You want to share them all.  Remember “There Can Be Only One”.

Don’t Want to be a Pro

But you don’t want to shoot like a pro, consider this:

If you want to use Flickr for social reasons or maybe to meet people who may become clients don’t bore the hell out of them with 10 images in a row of the same thing.  Being a professional social media REALTOR(copyrightthingyhere) means looking professional even in your photo stream.

There is a workaround to this principle.

If you have two similar shots of the same subject, for example, one landscape and one portrait.  Put one image on one site (like Flickr) and the other on a different site (Jpgmag).  If there is only one put it on both sites.

It isn’t easy picking the one.  But it will pay off if you stick to the Highlander Principle.

My exception to the Rule

Family Gatherings, are my exception to this rule, but only a technical exception.  I submit these images to my Flickr account but make them only for family to view.  This way they can see all the darling images of their children and I don’t have all those family shots polluting filling up my flickr stream.

There Can Be Only One

Gone are the days when it cost a lot of money to take photos. Digital film is cheap and recycling is as easy as “Delete”.

Therefore, don’t skimp on the number of images you take. Especially if you are in one of these situations:

• You won’t be here again, (Safari in Africa)
• They aren’t getting married again soon
• There is a lot of wind
• The light is low or poor
• The light is fantastic
• You have your camera in hand and are taking pictures

That about covers the times to make sure you are taking a lot of images.  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve taken half a dozen shots of a particular subject and told myself “Enough already”  Then when I got back to the computer and downloaded the shots there was only one that really turned out.  But there was one.

If I hadn’t taken as many as I had . . .  Taking a lot of images to get “The One”  is a good habit to get into.

As an art form or by design converging vertical can introduce an element of mystique into an image.  But more than likely it is an indication you weren’t holding your camera level when you tripped the shutter.  In a cityscape with lots of tall skyscrapers this is to be expected.  When taking images that are important for architectural or technical purposes it is important to remove converging verticals.

What is a Converging Vertical

These are the lines of a building (usually walls) that if the line were mathematically extended beyond the image they would eventually converge or cross.  In real estate photography this is the one biggest complaint pointed out by the pros to the amateur newbies.  “You have to watch those converging verticals”.  It is like a rite of passage.  First to be told, then to tell a newbie once you have learned to fix your own.

See the walls compared to the grid

You can see when the grid is overlayed the walls in this image appear to be tipping back away from the street.  This isn’t the case.  It has to do with the angle of the camera lens to the subject.  In software like Photoshop Elements you can use the Filter Menu, Correct Camera Distortion tool to correct both vertical and horizontal distortion.  Here is the after of the same image with the vertical fixed.

Verticals Fixed

You can see how much better this looks and I’m sure the people inside the building feel better about the walls not caving in on them.

Whenever possible avoid converging vertical by checking your camera for level, or using a viewing grid in the view finder itself.  When you can’t avoid converging verticals remember to leave room around the photos edges.  When you fix converging vertical the image will be smaller.  Don’t crop the shot in camera then find out when you go to fix the verticals the top, bottom or sides of the building are removed from the image.

Converging Verticals Rule of Thumb

Allow 20% around the image edges when you know you have converging verticals to fix.  It will save you having to go back and reshoot.

Fix those verticals and your photographic reputation will improve.  Trust me, there are plenty of people judging your work and one item on everyone’s check list who is a serious photographer is converging verticals.

The photos for this post were graciously provided by Teresa Boardman.  She even put the grids on the images.  Thanks Grass hopper.

Tripod mount, shutter speed 1.3 sec. F8. Ultra Wide Angle at 14mm

There are only 365 days in a year. Just a little remedial math. Each year there are only about 10 days a year when the clouds are so thick they blot out the sun but for about 5 minutes as the sun slips behind the horizon it lights up the world with a thin wide red/orange light.

When it happens it doesn’t last long. The clouds and the horizon create the filter to shape the light and cast it in such a way the light is wide, but not very tall. The sky doesn’t light up. The sunset isn’t dramatic and spread out. It is like a bright spotlight with a gel placed over it and shutters on the top and bottom to force the light into a narrow beam.

Last night was one of those rare nights.  Monsoon storms all afternoon.  Heavy cloud cover and then the sun broke through the clouds on it way to say good night.  The slot was so narrow the top and bottom of the sun were cut off.  But for those few minutes when the light was laser clear it hit the mountains in a dramatic fashion.  You can see the clouds aren’t lite, and there is the hint of a rainbow to the left of the tree where a little light skips through the clouds.

HDR Post Processing

This image was very dark when originally shot.  HDR processing balanced the light.  A little sharpening added to put back detail the HDR processing blurred slightly.  The saturation level was set low to keep as much detail as possible making it necessary to increase the saturation of the mountains to bring the light back to the same level as when it was shot.

I removed some rust stains on the concrete below which I’ve called hecklers in the audience in a previous post.

Being Prepared For THE SHOT

I sometimes take a ribbing for riding around with a camera bag and heavy tripod with me where ever I go.  I’ll confess, (little confession) in the middle of the day I sometimes don’t bring the tripod along.  I figure I can handhold for about anything I’ll want to capture.

But during monsoon when sudden storms arrive and lightening strikes shoot from the skies like a Tesla Coil I keep the tripod close at hand.  If you want to get “THE SHOT”  keep your equipment close.

Add up those 10 days with a 5 minute burst of light and we end up with 50 minutes a year to be in the right place at the right time for such a capture.  How do you prepare for this kind of shot?

Plan Those Moments

As I drive around town, my image finder is always engaged.  If I see something I want to shot in a particular light I make a note of it.  If I can’t stop but see a shot I want in that same light I quickly look at the time and lighting conditions.  I have a whole mental databank of future images and times.

I scout locations and check lighting and angle of the sun.  I have some shots I know I will have to wait 6 months to get.  Why?  Because there are only a few days when the sun is going to set right over the spot I want it.  The sun is one light source we can’t move, we wait for it get where it is going. When it gets there we are prepared to capture the light.