Eyes On Photography

Florida Birds, Crocs and Manatees

2012-01-22T21:09:00.000-08:00

Everyone has a Bucket List. You know that long list of wonderful to-do items that you've always dreamt of doing sometime in your to-short a life. When I travel, I always do a mental check of my Bucket List and I see if I can fit something in. I just returned from Florida where I had been to for work before but never really had ever seen any of it. Florida was my wife’s idea and instantly I knew I could check off another item as the timing was perfect.

"Sure we can go to Florida, we just need to go to Crystal River to swim with the Manatees" I said. My wife asked "Exactly what are Manatees and why would you want to swim with them?"

Baby Manatee Resting (Francois Cleroux 2012)

After explaining what Manatees were, and then showing her pictures of them and then some videos of other people swimming with them, she still wondered why I would want to swim with them. I explained it had been a dream my whole life to swim with these incredible gentle ten foot long 1000 pound creatures. As usual I got a funny look; but also got the always approving nod from my always supportive wife. Thank you honey.

So we planned our trip; Fort Lauderdale, Key West, Fort Myer Beach, Crystal River and then back to Fort Lauderdale. Although the trip was primarily a much needed 'holiday', except for the Manatees, photography was not a primary goal so al,ong the way we hit Zoo Miami, Flamingo Gardens, the Keys and Key West, the Everglades, Crystal River, Disney's Magic Kingdom, Miami Beach and a few required Shopping Malls including Adventura Mall with over 300 Shops (must keep wife happy).

As most of you know I love bird photography and Florida is a birders haven. So I did try my best when time and location permitted to get some shots in. Without any real effort I managed to get some shots in of which I have posted a few images here and will post some more soon.

(Francois Cleroux 2012)

What I did do was to scout out where the best places are for Bird Photography in Florida and I also checked in with local photographers for the best hot-spots and some tips. This information I will also share shortly in another post.

Having recorded all the information I am now ready to return to Florida for a few weeks of "Bird Photography" which may be in two or three years’ time. I will plan the trip to co-inside with the largest birding festival in North America, Florida's Space Coast Bird Festival which runs January 25-30 this year. (http://www.spacecoastbirdingandwildlifefestival.org/)

Along with the tips and hot-spots and some web research and the festival it should be an incredible two weeks. of bird photography.

What little bird photography I did manage to do, I did everywhere. At the house in Pompano (Fort Lauderdale) in the backyard behind the pool in the canal we saw wild Muscovy ducks, Great Blue Heron's, American Bitterns, White Ibises, Cattle Egrets, Cormorants and some Black-Crowned Night Herons. During our drive thru the Everglades we saw many Pelicans, Great Egrets, Snowy Egrets, thousands of Cattle Egrets, Cormorants, and even the endangered Stork and a multitude of other birds I do not know.

Just on the road sides we saw Ibises, Great White Egrets, again tons of Cattle Egrets, some Flamingos, Cormorants, Storks, Spoonbills and even some Turkey Vultures. These Turkey Vultures have always been around in small numbers but large groups arrived a few years ago and now they are everywhere from Northern Florida to the Keys and from the Gulf Coast to the Atlantic Coast in large numbers. They are beautiful to see as they are fairly large and majestic when flying high above but are more rodent like when scavenging on the streets. After several days of seeing them everywhere and all the time they quickly became a nuisance. The locals hate them.

We saw the occasional Osprey and many small birds including various ducks and thru the everglades we spotted several large flightless green Alligators and/or Crocodiles (not sure which). We didn't manage to fit an airboat ride into the mix but did add it to the Bucket List.

(Wild Croc/Aligator? - Francois Cleroux 2012)

Our next trip will mostly be on the East Coast starting in the Keys to get some Fishing and Scuba Diving in and return visits to the excellent Blue Heaven Restaurant and the best place for Dessert in the Keys a small place called “Better Than Sex”. Make sure you make reservations to Better Than Sex. Then the Everglades again with an airboat ride. Driving up the coast thru Fort Myers Beach we will stop at some birding hot spots including some areas where the Burrowing Owls are to be found with a final stay at the excellent Plantation Inn at Crystal River for more Fishing, Diving and Swimming again with the Manatees.

(Francois Cleroux 2012)

Scuba Diving and Snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef was "Awesome". It could have been better if we had run into any of the larger animals like Rays or Turtles or even a whale but we did not. Snorkeling at the Three Sisters Springs with the abundance of Manatees was "Frickin’ Awesome!" Probably the most memorable thing I ever did (besides getting married). And just like when I last did some Scuba Diving in the Great Barrier Reef, again I decided I just love it. So my New Year’s Resolution (only one allowed and I saved it) is to do more Scuba Diving!

My next post will be about the Manatees, Crystal River and the Plantation Inn.

© 2012 Francois Cleroux

(Version 1.01 - January 2012)

Please feel free to leave comments, corrections, ideas, thoughts or suggestions.

Light Science & Magic; Fourth Edition

2011-12-28T15:14:00.000-08:00

This is by far the best lighting book I have ever read and probably the only lighting book a photographer would ever need except perhaps for a great subject specific book to the kind of lighting you require like a great book on Fashion Lighting that would give you insights on Industry trends, looks and faux pas.

Unlike most other lighting books, Light Science & Magic provides more than just set examples for photographers to follow. This book provides photographers with a comprehensive theory of the nature and principles and physics of light so that photographers will ‘understand’ lighting to allow individual photographers to use lighting to express their own creativity. With that understanding of light and with examples on how to light the most difficult subjects such as tricky surfaces, metal, glass, liquids, and extremes such as black-on-black and white-on-white, photographers will be equipped to tackle any lighting situation they may face.

This new Fourth Edition has more information specific for digital photographers, a brand new chapter on equipment, much more information on location lighting, and more on photographing people.

Authors: Fil Hunter, Steven Biver, Paul Fuqua
Publisher: Focal Press

The retail on this book is $39.95 U.S. but it is available at Amazon for less. Here is the link:

Light Magic & Science; Fourth Edition

© 2011 Francois Cleroux

(Version 1.00 - December 2011)

Please feel free to leave comments, corrections, ideas, thoughts or suggestions.

Workshop Changes

2011-12-10T17:24:00.000-08:00

Note - There will be no workshop on Monday December 12th. Next workshops will be as follows:

Black & White Master Class (Part 2) (1.5 Hours)

This is a continuation of the Black & White Primer. In part one we discussed JPeg or RAW and other camera settings. B&W compositional elements, should I shoot in B&W or colour, white balance, what to watch for, thinking in B&W. In part 2 we continue with best B&W subjects, B&W conversion in Lightroom, Photoshop and Silver Efex Pro, printing and tips and tricks. (Beginner to Advanced)

Date: Wednesday January 4th, 2012
Time: 7:30 pm to 9:30 pm
Location: KinVillage Community Center, Delta, BC
Cost: $10.00 for non Delta Photo Club members (Free for members)

A Hands-On Creative Evening of Photography (2 Hours)
(Postponed to Monday February 13th)

ATTENDEES MUST RSVP as space is limited! Please RSVP to francois@eyesonphoto.com

Attendees are asked to bring their camera preferably with a Macro Lens and perhaps their tripods to this fun and creative evening of adventurous photography. Different stations will be setup where different creative artistic subjects will be available to photograph.

Although some excellent images may be garnered from this hands-on workshop, the purpose of this class is to teach new techniques for photographers to take home for shooting indoors on cold wintery days. We will play with smoke, water, bubbles, ice, inks and other easily and cheaply available props. (All Levels)

ATTENDEES MUST RSVP as space is limited! Please RSVP to francois@eyesonphoto.com

Date: Monday February 13th, 2012
Time: 7:30 pm to 9:30 pm (Please arrive a little early!)
Location: Tsawwassen Alliance Church, Delta, BC
Cost: $10.00 for non Delta Photo Club members (Free for members)

Muse as Art and Exhibit-a Gallery Show

2011-11-24T23:01:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow evening an image of mine, or rather three images will be on display at the PHOTOHAUS Gallery in Vancouver. This is also the home of the great Vancouver Photo Workshops.

Tomorrow evening is the launch or rather the Reception to the start of the "Exhibit-a Gallery Show" which will actually be on display until January 6th, 2012. There are a total of 6 artists showing their work; judi ANGEL, john CONWAY, kyle MACDONALD, john BRANDRICK, alex KWOK and me. The images are all superb as are the artists. Katie Husmain, instructor and curator of this show has done a great job and I owe her a great deal of gratitude and thanks. I have learned a lot from her.

My images on display are the start or the launch of my own project "Muse as Art". The double sided 24" by 64.5" image on display called "The Exhibit" is but the first of nine images. For the Muse as Art project I have setup a web site at www.MuseAsArt.com where I will document my work, my learning processes and will blog on my trials and tribulations of creating these types of images.

I will blog on the concept, where it originated and how it has developed to this starting process. I will blog and discuss the images, the ideas behind the concepts of the images, their development and the technical issues in creating them.

Please be warned that there is nudity at this site and I hope it does not offend anyone but rather hope that it inspires other photographers and artists. The nine models that will make up this work are on side and rather enthusiastic about the project.

Jennie, the first model in The Exhibit print has been very supportive and as an artist herself, she has been very inspirational in creating this first image. To see the images and a few others that will be documented soon please check out the site.

All the information is on here.

Click to enlarge.

I invite everyone to come out to the Reception tomorrow evening (Friday November 25th, 2011) at 7:00 PM to help support all the artists. There will be refreshments and food and music provided by New York DJ Lady Lane.

Francois Cleroux

An Intimate Evening with the Epson 3880 Follow-Up

2011-11-16T00:26:00.000-08:00

Last night's workshop was my first time doing that particular workshop. It can be a little extra stressful as you are covering new material for the first time in front of a group. Also, one never knows what questions will be thrown at you. Will you know the answers; will you make a mistake or look stupid? Well I guess I usually do look stupid but when I do a class I usually do it because I am comfortable with the content I will be teaching.

Last night's class was mostly talk with a little show and tell at the beginning and then some Digital Workflow stuff specific to Printing and Photoshop and ICC Profiles in the later half. During the process I gave out some good tips and some warnings but more importantly there were some excellent questions asked.

For the first time I 'advertised' the class outside of the club (or on this site) at three other clubs but mostly because some members of those clubs wanted to know when I was holding this class. Turns out several of the people that wanted to attend the workshop e-mailed me to let me know they could not make it but that I was to let them know when I would do it again.

However, I did get a good response from the advertising in that we had a couple travel all the way from Duncan, a fair drive and a long ferry ride, just to attend the class. We also had guests from North Vancouver, Abbotsford and Burnaby. Note that most of the club members are from Delta (Ladner and Tsawwassen) and Surrey and Richmond. A great turn out.

The class went very well and I have received some great feedback already. During the class some questions popped up regarding acquiring some products or supplies I talked about. If you go to the Workshops Link (above right) on this site and then navigate to the "An Intimate Evening with the Epson 3880" workshop you'll find a link for a PDF file of Links and Information Sites. I will continue to add to this file over time but will list a few of these items people asked about here.

First up, you should protect you printer from dust and other debris and I recommend having a cover for your printer. After purchasing my Epson 3880 the first thing I did was order a cover for it. The one I found was a little expensive for a cover but after receiving it, it's an excellent cover! So much so that the TUMI cover is actually now listed on the Epson Site as an official accessories. I purchase a lot of my stuff from Amazon.com. Here is the Amazon link and the Epson link.

Amazon - Stylus Pro 3800 Tumi Printer Cover (Its cheaper here right now)

Epson - Stylus Pro 3800 Tumi Printer Cover - then click on OPTIONS

I discussed handling the paper before feeding it into the printer. You should use white cotton gloves to avoid getting fingerprints and oils on to the paper. Make sure to use them all the time after you have printed you images also.

Amazon - CK Products Large White Cotton Gloves, (Pack of 12 Pairs)

Once I have a page I lay it down onto an anti-static and grounded matte and then I brush off the paper (printing side) with a carbon anti-static brush. This serves two purposes. One, I clears off any debris or loose fibers that may be on the paper from the factory that can ruin a print. Secondly, by removing the static from the paper, you'll prevent the static from attracting debris, dust, cat hairs and such, from your home or printer as you position the paper onto into the proper feed tray. Again, make sure your printer is dust free.

Amazon - OP/TECH USA 3611242 Work Mat-Large (24 x 42 Inch)

Amazon - Kinetronics StaticWisk, 11" (280mm) Long Hand Held Anti-Static Brush - There is a less expensive 5.5" version of this brush.

Someone also asked about prints that continue to sweat, or as its called in the business "Out-Gassing". They also noted that they stopped printing on Luster papers because of this problem. What typically happens is after a print is made and then framed one of two potential problems occur. The first being that the print will develop a wave and will not lay flat which looks very bad. The second potential problem is that a thin white haze appears on the inside of the glass. This is called "Ghosting". Both of the problems typically happen because the prints were not allowed to dry properly. Based on the printer, the paper used, the ink type and the manufacturer of the ink and on environmental variables such as the relative humidity and the temperature and air movement, prints can take from a half a day to almost a week to dry out properly. You must ensure your prints are dry before framing.

So yesterday I described the process for dealing with this and will include this in future classes. Note that this usually happens with Luster and Glossy Papers and then again usually with Dye based printer but it can happen with Pigment Inks on Matte papers. After I make a print I lay it down face up somewhere dry and clean. I let it dry for at least an hour. I then lay a sheet of bond paper over top of the print. I use an acid free bond paper but you can use regular bond paper for this. And, actually, the thinner the better so do not use backing boards and such. Also, the paper needs to be the same size or larger than the print.

The next morning I look at the paper that is on top of the print. Chances are that it will be very warped and will feel almost moist. I then lay down another sheet of the bond paper over top of it and wait another day. I continue this process until the sheet of bond paper no longer 'waves' and feels completely dry. This process could take three or four days. For good measure you may want to wait one more day but it is usually good at this point.

If you are not going to be framing your print then this step is not necessary. But note that if you are selling it and passing it on to a customer, you should do this in case they get it framed right away. Also, having a dry sheet of paper on the print serves as a great way to 'protect' the print from dust and fingers and such. I usually leave this protective cover sheet on the print when I insert it into the protective polypropylene bag. Note that the bag, will act like a picture frame and may stick to the print if the print has not been properly dried. The cover sheet will help with this problem.

Here is the paper I use.

Amazon - Southworth Fine Business Paper, 25% Cotton, 20 lb, White, 500 Sheets

For the Poly bags I use the Crystal Clear Bags (TM). These are super strong museum quality acid-free and lignin-free crystal clear bags. The adhesive strip is located on the bag and not on the flap to better protect the print when inserting or removing it.

Amazon - Crystal Clear Bags 16-7/16" x 20-1/8" Crystal Clear, Protective Polypropylene Storage Bags, with Flap, 100 Bags

Another option for drying prints is this booklet from Adorama. This is a little more expensive but works very well. It also allows you to stack the print into a booklet which can save some space. However, these thicker pages will not buckle or wave and an indicator that everything is dry.

Amazon - Adorama Print Drying Blotter Book 19"x24" For Drying 16"x20" Photos

If you are looking for a nice cover paper to protect the image and pass on to a client, this Adorama paper works very well. Note that this paper will not work for 'drying' your prints. Here is the Amazon link but it is available at Adorama.

Amazon - Adorama Acid Free Print Cover Buffered Tissue Paper, 16" x 20", Pack of 100 Sheets

And lastly, I store my Bond Paper for easy and ready access in these Archival Methods storage boxes. Archival Methods makes a great line of boxes including some nicer boxes and portfolio type boxes for storing Fine Art Prints that are more suitable for showing clients.

Amazon - Archival Methods Print Lux Box 16.25 x 20.25 x 1-1/8", Black

For all those of you that attended last nigh. Thanks. And as usual, if anyone has any questions about any of this, printing in general, the 3880 or anything photography related, please ask. You can leave a comment here below or you can contact me via e-mail in the CONTACT area of this site.

© 2011 François Cléroux

(Version 1.00 - November 2011)

Please feel free to leave comments, corrections, ideas, thoughts or suggestions.

An Intimate Evening with an Epson 3880 Printer

2011-11-07T15:01:00.000-08:00

On Monday November 14th, 2011 I will be hosting "An Intimate Evening with an Epson 3880". This informal workshop will discuss all aspects of digital photographic printing.

Topics will include Printers, Paper Brands & Types, Inks, Terminology, Paper Handling, Care of Prints and Printers, Fine Art Printing, Color vs B&W, Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop, ICC Profiles, Soft Proofing, Monitor Calibration.

Date:       Monday November 14th, 2011
Time:       7:30 pm to 9:30 pm
Location: Tsawwassen Alliance Church, Delta, BC
Cost:       $10.00 for non Delta Photo Club members

Canon EOS-1Dx Overview

2011-10-18T10:29:00.000-07:00

Canon announces successor to EOS-1D/1Ds series

Canon has announced the new EOS-1D X professional camera, which replaces both the EOS-1D and EOS-1Ds series. The new flagship DSLR houses a full-frame 18.1MP CMOS sensor with a revamped high-precision AF system. The ISO range extends to 204,800. It also has two of Canon's new DIGIC-5+ processors. With a faster sensor and significantly enhanced processing power this means that the new 1D X has an impressive shooting speed of up to 14 frames per second. It also includes full HD video functionality.

Pricing and availability are not confirmed at present, but it seems likely that the new camera will be available in March 2012 for around $6800.00 U.S.

For more information, check out this overview page at DPReview.com:

Canon EOS-1Dx Overview

Scott Kelby's World Wide Photo Walk

2011-10-02T21:17:00.000-07:00

Today 23 people met in Ladner to head out on Scott Kelby's 4th Annual Worldwide Photo Walk in the beautiful BC sunshine. The photo walk started at the River House Pub. The walk brought us down some fairly mundane paths along the Fraser River, along a Marina and into a conservation area and two hours later back to the River House Pub. The walk along the marina was fairly dull as the boardwalk and river banks were mostly made up of fresh broken up rock and gravel. Even the conservation area was a relatively new forested area with very little flora diversity.

As a bird photographer I made sure I brought out my 400mm lens on this trip but all for naught. The area I live in and where this walk took place, Delta, is a heaven for birds of all sorts and so I assumed we would see some. Except for a few seagulls and a lone male Mallard duck, there was little else. Someone thought they saw a Grebe go under some bushes but when we looked down at the water and where we were we thought is was more likely a rat.

During the walk several people came to me and commented that this was not a great are for shooting. Parts of old Ladner are excellent as are the old docks and fisheries along the Ladner boardwalk. All have much more to offer photographers than what I saw along this path.

Having said that, this is the time to open your eyes, look around at this great world we live in, be creative and find or even make something to photograph. Several photographers on this walk are technically excellent photographers but may have found this task a rather difficult one. Others on the walk, have great artistic eyes and I know they will have come up with some great shots. Here I have posted a few images (good or bad) that I took on this walk. I hope you enjoy them.

I did get my hopes up at one point thinking I may be able to capture that one shot. Near the boat launch at the marina I spotted two snakes! When I tried to capture one they made off. With gear in hand I wasn't going to give chase into the brush but it was nice seeing them. Oh well, perhaps next time.

We ended the walk at the River House Pub to stop for refreshments, I had an ice cold Stella, and some excellent food. It was my first time at this restaurant but loved the great and friendly service and the excellent food. Making a food decision was difficult but choose the apparently famous Chicken Pot Pie which my wife also opted for. It was superb! All the other food at the table looked great and everyone had great comments. Needless to say, we'll go back.

All in all it made for a great day, some shooting, two hours of walking (as opposed to working), some great food and some great company. I nice way to spend a Sunday.

You can always click on the images and see them larger.

© 2011 François Cléroux

(Version 1.01 - October 2011)

Please feel free to leave comments, corrections, ideas, thoughts or suggestions.

Great Workshop at Vancouver Photo Workshops

2011-09-06T20:55:00.000-07:00

Exibition and Critique 12 Week Course

Vancouver Photo Workshops proudly announces our newest fine-art photography course with acclaimed local Photographer Katie Huisman.
Photography is an exciting way of seeing & sharing your vision with your audience.

‘Exhibition & Critique’ focuses on concept development & critique while working toward having a successful group exhibition.

Lectures and Gallery Visits will help connect you to the local Vancouver art scene.
Exhibition & Critique will support you in recognizing and developing your visual integrity as an artist & give you the opportunity to exhibit your work in a successful group exhibition at a local art gallery.

Exhibition and Critique - Detailed Course Agenda:
Class 1 Lecture – Introductions, Workshop outline, Goals & History Lecture
Class 2 Critique – Each artist must bring a collection of 10-20 images / 4 by6'" proof prints for critique and be prepared to discuss their work, sources of inspiration, conceptual ideas & visual integrity.
Class 3 Composition / Design Lecture – Rules and breaking rules of compositional elements and design, including color theory, how composition and design matter with image interplay when developing a body of work.
Class 4 Concept Development / Gallery Submission Guidelines – Concept development worksheet, writing an Artist Statement, Curriculum Vitae and Bio. Researching different types of galleries and other venues for contemporary artwork.
Class 5 Gallery Visit 1
Class 6 Guest Lecturer - Lynn Ruschiensky
Class 7 Post production / Presentation Workshop - File sizing for prints will be discussed along with any other post-production questions, presentation & installation methods for the exhibition will be researched and discussed.
Class 8 Gallery Visit 2
Class 9 Artist Statement Writing Workshop – each artist must bring exhibition
Considerations & Rough draft of artist statement pertaining to the body of
work proposed for exhibition.
Class 10 Final Critique & Artist Statement Review
Class 11 Installation
Class 12 Exhibition Night

Notes from Francois: Although this is a great workshop for those that are serious about their art and want to get involved in the art and exhibition world, this is a great way to tune into your own work and to take your images to the next level. This course is actually starting on September 15th (Website is incorrect showing the 8th) so there is still time to register and it's a great value. See you there.

Site: Vancouver Photo Workshops

Workshop - Introduction to Digital Photography

2011-09-04T21:40:00.000-07:00

Starts September 12th!!

An Introduction to Digital Photography

Learn more about your digital camera and how to use it effectively. This course will introduce basic camera terminology, demonstrate how to use 'all those buttons', and how to take better pictures through the understanding of the art of photography, exposure, composition and lighting. You will also learn what factors to consider when purchasing a new digital camera and have opportunities to ask questions about photos you bring to class with a view to improving your own artistic efforts. A DSLR is recommended but a Point and Shoot will do. Also a great class to take before buying a new DSLR Camera. (Beginners to Intermediate)

Workshop Outline

A Brief History of Photography
Light and Colour
Apertures, Shutter Speeds, ISOs
Depth of Field
Exposure
Art & Composition
Creative Consequences
The Camera
Sensors and Mega Pixels
File Formats (RAW vs. JPG)
Camera Types
Lenses & Accessories
Flash
Hands On with Your Camera

This course does not cover any aspects of Digital Workflow or File Management on the computer.
You can benefit greatly by having your camera’s user manual. Please bring it along to the third class. Lost it? Most manuals can be found on the Internet for free!
***An Outing session may be offered on of Saturday November 5th or Sunday November 6th depending on weather.

Presenter: Francois Cleroux
6 sessions; $50.00
Mondays; September 12^th, 19^th, 26^th and October 17^th, 24^th, 31^st. ***An Outing session may be offered on of Saturday November 5^th or Sunday November 6^th depending on weather.

Tsawwassen Alliance Church 7:30 pm.

E-mail: francois@eyesonphoto.com to reserve your seat. Seating is limited.

Great Deal on Adobe Lightroom 3

2011-08-31T21:12:00.000-07:00

OK, a great deal from our friends at Adorama in the U.S. A great place to buy from. Caution required when shipping to Canada. Watch out for brokarage fees. Use UPS WorldWide! and there will not be any fees. One day only!

Its currently $218.00 at Amazon.com!

Android, iPad, webOS and Flash!

2011-08-18T21:34:00.000-07:00

There is a great debate amongst photographers about which tool, or Tablet is the best for Photographers specifically. This is a tough one and there are several choices and some great pros and cons no matter what fence you sit on.

I have been sitting back and like others, waiting. During that time I have checked out several Android Tablets, the HP webOS Tablet and the iPad. Love the iPad and love the Photographers Apps that are available for for the iPad. The Android Tablets like the Motorola Xoom or the Asus Transformer rock, they are fast and there are also some great apps. The new pricing on the Transformer with the Dock Keyboard also rocks. Thinking about the HP Tablet using the Palm webOS, its dead. HP has officially dropped the product. So whats the problem, the problem is the the iPad has no Flash!!

Flash is almost a must for Photographers. Most photographers web sites use Flash, many apps for doing ROES (on-line ordering of Prints, Books and such use Flash (some are Java Based)). Want to check out Yosuf Karsh's website at www.karsh.org, sorry, you need Flash. The list goes on. Want to check out your own site? Most ready made photographers sites including and many plugin modules for doing your own site use Flash. Oh, check out a great Video on YouTube that a coleague did on their 5D MkII, oh wait, you need Flash.

So, if you want a great tool that you can work with and tether to your camera, have great Photographers apps, and have Flash, the best way to go is a MacBook Pro (it has flash!!) or any good PC Laptop like an HP or a Lenovo ThinkPad. Ok, so they are a little bulkier than a Tablet, but the MacBook Pro is not huge and neither are Lenovo's newest ultralites. You get anywhere from 250GB to 1TB hard drive space versus the Tablets 16, 32 or 64GB storage which is great for backing up your memory cards. And unlike the Tablets you can run Adobe Lightroom and CS5!! Can't do that with a tablet.

So Jobs hates Flash yet he leaves it on his Macs??? He apparently hates Adobe and Microsoft yet without them the MAC and Apple would be dead! Yes, you heard me right. Years ago when the MAC was nothing and alsost dead the only people that bought them were Photo and Video people and even then only because of the great A D O B E products they needed to run!! Yes lots of schools had Macs but they were mostly given away for almost free. When things started getting very bad for Apple (before the iPod revolution) on August 6th, 1997, Microsoft bailled out Apple to the tune of $150 million dollars. This boost and with some other help from Microsoft and continued support from the Photo and Video communities helped see them through to the iPod days when they finally flourished.

Jobs wants to kill Flash because he states there are other and better technologies out there? Several problems here: Where are they? Why is no-one using them? And Jobs doesn't tell you he has millions invested in the competing products and stands to benefit if Flash dies! Is he really looking after his customers? Think not.

Get a Mac or PC laptop, have your Flash and watch it to!

© 2011 François Cléroux

(Version 1.01 - August 2011)

Please feel free to leave comments, corrections, ideas, thoughts or suggestions.

The Stolen Scream

2011-08-14T16:34:00.000-07:00

This is a story about a stolen image. I have dealt with this having found someone that stole someone else's image and tried to pass it off as their own. I reported the stolen image to the real owner of the image and had the culprit removed from the photography site he was passing the image off as his own.

I have blogged about this (Photographer on the Web - Part 6 - Protecting Your Images) and I also cover this in my "Photographer On the Web" workshop. In the workshop I also give out many links including www.TinEye.com which you will see in the following video.

This is an incredible story, one that should be shared and one that should be thought about. In this video, Noam Galai, the photographer and the face in the stolen image tells his story.

Before you freak out about your images, note these were posted rather large on Flickr.com. They should have been posted smaller or should have had water marks. Note that smaller sites like DeltaPhotoClub.com and such have fewer viewers than the millions on Flickr and so images are less likely to be stolen.

Most photographers get very upset when they think about someone stealing their images. However, most don't give a second's thought about copying software or borrowing music for a slideshow or for personal use. Think about the millions of dollars and all the work that goes into creating software like Adobe Photoshop CS5. If it's OK for you to download an illegitimate copy, or a copy of a commercial Plug-In, why is it not OK for someone to STEAL your image?

So, please watch the video, learn from it, and if you are a borrower of music or software, think about what your doing. Paying for a great tool like Photoshop is worth every penny.

Also, as a final and funny note, listen to Noam talk about a Stock Site. How interesting.

Flash Required to watch video. Why do iPads not have Flash?

This Video was created by the fine folks at fstoppers.com. A great site, please check it out. This video is linked from YouTube. To support Noam, please check out his new on-line store. I just purchased a T-Shirt!

Original Image by: Greg Schurman

Note that award winning photographer and Delta Photo Club member Greg Schurman (BlooTung.com), has also had an image ripped off (above) and doing a TinEye.com search on this also gets seven pages of results.

Have your images been stolen?

© 2011 François Cléroux

(Version 1.00 - August 2011)

Please feel free to leave comments, corrections, ideas, thoughts or suggestions.

Stop and Smell the Roses

2011-08-09T20:25:00.000-07:00

"Look and think before opening the shutter. The heart and mind are the true lens of the camera.” - Yousuf Karsh

Two posts ago in Back To Basics I suggested that we work on getting Sharp, Well Exposed and properly Color Balanced images as part of the getting “Back to Basics.” Not forgotten and just as equally important to your images is the composition or rather the artistic aspects of the image itself. There are also some simple things we as photographers can do and some simple in-expensive tools we can use.

When we start out in photography we usually just head out and start snapping away. After learning the Basics we then often work on the composition and artistic aspects of our photography. We learn to slow down our process, look at all the corners, all the edges, look behind our subject matter, compose and re-compose until we get it right. Somewhere along the way we also learn to use all our pixels. Zoom in or walk closer to the subject if you have to or perhaps change the lens. This is all usually done using our tripods, right? Well it should be.

Going back to the basics is a great time to re-think, re-learn or re-introduce all these concepts back into our photography process. Just like we forget to do the basics we often forget to slow down and to do the artistic process properly. Remember, it’s about the photography, not about the post processing!

The photography process also includes the walking, getting fresh air, smelling the roses (literally), looking at your subject matter and studying it. Look at the light. Can you move the subject matter to increase the quality of the light or the shapes or forms of shadows to increase the strength of the image? If not, can you move or change your vantage point to change the light and shadows? Should you lie down, kneel or step up onto a base of some type? Should you make a note of the location and return to it when the lighting is better or perhaps when the weather conditions have changed completely, perhaps even covered in snow?

What about your lens, is it the right one to use in this specific situation? Do we want to capture a lot of the background and use a wide angle lens or do we want to narrow our focus onto the subject and separate the subject from the background using a shallow Depth-Of-Field (DOF) afforded to a long telephoto lens?

Now that you have the right lens, and the composition is perfect, what about a filter? Will a filter of some type help? Even in this world of Digital Photography, yes a filter will often help. Think Polarizer for blue skies and white fluffy clouds or to handle reflection off of water or water drops or just the reflection off of plants, specifically shinny leaves. Digital post processing does not work well in either of these situations, difficult in the first situation and impossible in the second.

How about a Neutral Density Graduated Filter for slight overcast days? I was just at an outing in the Pacific Northwest a few months ago with many members of the Delta Photo Club. It was an overcast day at the beach and I was using a Neutral Density Filter. Later that evening we were looking at projected images. Someone commented, “Where were you? I didn’t see those colors in my images.” referring to some slight blue and other colors in the sky. The filter ended up properly exposing the sky, not bleaching out the colors caused by over exposure.

Fixing this digitally would have required multiple exposures and then combining them using HDR software. All I used was a single filter that should be in every photographer’s bag. How easy.

I also used a non-graduated Neutral Density Filter, a fairly dark one, to allow me to use fairly long exposures. This allowed me to soften the ocean and to create a surreal artistic image. This image has not been properly processed for final print but it should give you the idea. Again, an in-expensive simple tool that should be in your bag that creates and image that would be rather hard to re-create on the computer.

So, go back to your photography roots. Think about why you do photography and what you want to accomplish. When on location, spend some time with your surroundings and “smell the roses”. Be creative and get the most out of your photography!

I will be covering Digital Filters soon and will be doing a workshop "Filters for Digital Photography" in spring of 2012.

© 2011 François Cléroux

(Version 1.10 - August 2011)

Please feel free to leave comments, corrections, ideas, thoughts or suggestions.

Another Great Workshop: Scott Kelby

2011-08-01T23:26:00.000-07:00

People always wonder why some of us photogs go to workshops or seminars, after all, they say "but you already know everything". Well, that's what I like about photography, and computers for that matter, you never know everything. There is always something new to learn; new trends, new techniques, new software, new hardware or the newest new cool filter. How could you know it all?

Scott Kelby working with a model at Kelby Training Live!

So a week ago several members of the Delta Photography Club when to see Scott Kelby's "Light It, Shoot It, Retouch It, Live!" workshop in Vancouver. Now, for those of you that do not know Scott Kelby (www.scottkelby.com), he is the number one selling photography book author in the world, a great photographer and probably the number one Adobe Photoshop guru! This guy is a "master" but more importantly, an incredible presenter. He is funny and he knows his stuff.

The workshop was a full day but right off the bat he was fun to listen to and within an hour the person sitting next to me said, "This workshop has already paid for itself!". The cost of the workshop for the whole day was $99.00 which included a great handbook, a few other handouts and all the free coffee you wanted. An better, if you are a NAPP member (National Association of Photoshop Professionals) it was only $79.00. What a deal.

So the whole day was great and yes, worth every penny. Lots to learn and like other workshops I attended this past year (Joe McNally, "The Moment It Clicks: Photography secrets from one of the world's top shooters" and other great books and Freeman Patterson, "Photography and the Art of Seeing: A Visual Perception Workshop for Film and Digital Photography" which is a Photography students must read, and again, other great books and Andre Gallant, "Dreamscapes: Exploring Photo Montages" and other great books), very, very, inspirational.

Every time you do one of these great workshops, your spirits are elevated, you creative juices start flowing and all you want to do is grab your camera and go out and shoot. This workshop was no different.

Scott Kelby and Me, July 2011

If you have never taken a photography workshop from a master photographer, I highly encourage you to do so. Specially if an incredible oppertunity presents itself. In the spring of 1984 I started planning to attend an Ansel Adams summer workshop. He died in April of that year and that incredibble oppertunity was lost forever. Do not let this happen to you, not the dying part, but missing a great opportunity.

© 2011 François Cléroux

(Version 1.00 - August 2011)

Please feel free to leave comments, corrections, ideas, thoughts or suggestions.

Back to Basics

2011-06-05T22:42:00.000-07:00

This post is a follow up to “Observations on Photography in the Digital Age (Updated June 15, 2011).”

Since writing the post “Observations on Photography in the Digital Age” I have continued to witness an abundance of bad work, or more specifically “technically poor quality” images. I have seen some incredible work, well thought out creative images, a few with very good lighting that would have made exceptional works, only to fail because the images were not even sharp. In two specific cases they were studio type shots with inanimate objects. If you can’t take a sharp picture in good lighting of an object that doesn’t move, you have a problem. Some images were sharp but because of exposure or color balance issues were also ruined. Again, really, can’t get something as simple as color or exposure right in a controlled situation?

It is very apparent that most photographers need to get back to basics. The basics are; Sharpness, how to create tack sharp images; Exposure, creating properly exposed images; and proper White Balance, getting the color right. Doing all this is quick and simple, and more importantly, free. Some people would suggest that doing the sharpness properly, specially using a tripod, spending time on exposure and taking the extra step to do White Balance properly would indeed take up more time. This now leads me to Francois’ theory

Sharp + Well Exposed + Good Color = Little Editing + Better Images!

When images are sharp, well exposed and properly color balanced, images need no or very little post processing or editing and further more can provide more predictable and repeatable results. And, more importantly, sharp well exposed and color balanced images end up with better tonal range with brighter cleaner colors that just pop more.

So, how do we get there? And how much time does it take? Well, let’s look at all three of these steps in detail. Note that I have writen about 'Quality' on this blog before which you may want to read "A Quality Affair."

Tack Sharp Images

First is the idea of tack sharp images. This obviously is the most important of the three properties. Slight exposure or color discrepancies can be tolerated and if done purposefully, or even by accident, can add to the creative process of the final image. I guess when I say this we could also add that blurred images or even purposefully out of focus images can add to the creativity of an image. Note that in both these cases the images are usually blurred or rendered out of focus on purpose, usually a great deal as to make it obvious, and for a purpose or rather with intent to portray a specific mood to an image.

Where exposure and color can be out so ever slightly, slight out of focus images just look blurry and out of focus. Even to the un-trained eye these images do not look good. To judges, these images break the first commandment of photography “Thou shalt not take blurry out of focus images” and as a result get trashed by way of receiving very low marks no matter how good or creative the image actually is.

Creating tack sharp images is rather a simple process. Use a tripod! A good tripod is not overly expensive and even a cheap tripod is usually better than no tripod. Over 95% of all pro landscape photographers and 99% of product photographers use tripods. Perhaps not all the time, but whenever they can, they do. Check out my blog post on "Don't Believe Me? Let the Pros Tell You!"

Next is the process of creating tack sharp images, or rather, how to use a tripod. I have a post you can check out here "Start to Finish Tack Sharp" and on Tripods, "Tripod-ology 101." Now, even if you do not have a tripod or cannot use one in a specific situation, there are things you can do to help improve your chances of getting sharp images. Learn how to hold your camera properly and how to ‘release’ the shutter without moving the camera a whole bunch. Use objects, walls or trees to stabilize your camera. There are many things that can be done, check out the internet for ideas and suggestions.

Watch your settings! Remember the rule of shooting at a minimum shutter speed of one over the focal length of your lens? Ie. 1/200 second when using a 200mm lens. Stick to that. Even with these settings you can get blurred images unless you are very capable at hand holding a camera very steady. Now with the added safety of image stabilization (IS), following this rule will see to it that your images will always be sharp.

Change the ISO if you need more light, do not decide that the IS allows you three stops and so you should now be able to shoot with a 200mm lens at 1/25 of a second! You will have blurred images! If you are very good at hand holding your camera steady, you can probably get away with one stop, ie. shoot at 1/100th of a second when using a 200mm lens, only if you have IS on your lens or camera. If not, you may want to stick with 1/250th of a second or even faster.

Attaching a camera to a tripod and using the appropriate camera settings takes very little time and effort. If you do not use a tripod, using the appropriate settings takes no extra time as you should be checking your settings anyway. When using the tripod you get the added benefit of slowing down your photographic process and you are given a better chance to check your composition, check all four sides and corners of your image and can better decide whether to move in or out to crop differently. Remember, use the whole frame, don’t waste those precious pixels!

Perfect Exposure

Back in the days of film, perfect exposure was critical. Even though film was generally more forgiving than digital sensors, the cost per picture was expensive. But now that there are no additional costs to take multiple exposures, the simple act of bracketing, which can be automated on most DSLR’s can ensure that you get the exposure right.

Now I’m not talking about close or good enough, but rather ‘perfect’ exposure. Whenever I talk about perfect exposure someone always states there is no such thing. They go on to say that as artists we can over or under expose on purpose to set tones or moods and so many exposures could be correct. That’s all very true, but in some way directly to the point. The ‘perfect’ exposure is the exposure that you as an artist want and the exposure that will allow you to create your final image without using the so very destructive ‘exposure’ sliders. No editing.

This process takes a little thought, a simple +1EV and -1EV exposure will usually not do the trick. Use your experience, meter for your mid-tones, decide if you want a slightly darker or lighter image and adjust the exposure. Take exposures at +1/3EV and -1/3EV of what you decided would work. One of these should be right bang on. If your new to photography and have little experience and skills to go on, shoot at + and – 1 EV, look at what exposure works best for you and then use that exposure to shoot three more images at +1/3EV and -1/3EV. Time required analyzing a scene and setting the proper exposure, less than one minute. Time required setting auto bracketing, 3 to 4 seconds! Cost, priceless!

White Balance

White balance is a bit of a trickier thing to talk about as it is a little more complex. That is, understanding the process is more complex but White Balancing an image can be very simple. I would recommend reading up on the internet on how to do White Balance so that you can understand the process and the science behind it. This will help out your photography in the long run. Here is a simple breakdown that is intended to get you on the right track. I do also teach a two hour White Balance class that is also meant as an introduction to White Balance and does not cover everything in two hours. Another important note is that White Balance is just a critical or even more so when shooting RAW for B&W conversions.

Also, keep in mind the following; White balance is a means of taking any scene under any lighting condition and making it look neutral (normalized) as if viewed in standard daylight. This can make images perfect but can also ruin perfect images. Huh?

If you are shooting a model where skin tone is important or a bride where the white of the white dress is important, or finally, in a studio shooting a product where the products color must match 100%, then a scene needs to be white balanced to make sure that you end up with the right skin tone, white dress, or product color no matter what kind or color of light the image was shot in.

Shooting a red sunset, a glowing snow covered mountain scene or the glow of a lush green forest, the glow or the red of the sunset is the important part that sets the mood of the scene. This is the natural light you are viewing the scene in and the color cast, the red of the sunset, creates the mood. White balancing these scenes would be a mistake. Why would you want the red of the sunset to be completely removed so the image looked like it was shot under normal daylight? Now, taken your camera is not capable of removing that much of the red but why would you try to neutralize it? I know most photographers shoot using AWB, and later in post processing add the red tones again?

The same issue applies to the great glow you get in a lush rainforest. Why would you want to completely remove that glow? How do you keep that glow, or rather that color cast? How do you keep the red of the sunset? Set your camera to Daylight! Now, with a sunset and with the forest scene, they are landscapes or rather images of larger vast expanses and the color casts add or create mood. Shooting a particular mushroom within the same rainforest requires a white balance that would make the mushroom look correct as viewed in normal daylight. In this case a custom WB setting would be required.

When shooting landscapes, you may want to White Balance the scene to take into account full sun conditions or overcast conditions that would affect the neutral colors of rocks, the whites of snow or he greens of trees. Again, here you may want a custom White Balance setting. How do you do that in a landscape? Here, you could use one of many devices available for the job. I use and prefer the ExpoImaging ExpoDisc (available in different sizes.) This will give you an excellent almost perfect starting point for landscapes, from there as an artist you can slightly warm up or cool down the image.

When shooting the model, bride, product or mushroom, you must White Balance the scene (*yes there are a few exceptions). We need the colors to look right. Here again there are many ways and products to achieve the same results. In Pre-processing (during the shoot) you can use your camera to do a Custom White Balance (CWB). Once set, you can shoot until the lighting conditions change.

Or if you prefer to control the White Balance in post processing, you have many options. You can photograph a white card or an 18% gray card. You can use a product like the WhiBal pocket card (excellent and cheap for the pocket version) or you can use the aforementioned ExpoDisc, also an excellent option. Or for the best control and best most accurate color correction, you could use a product many pro photographers use, the X-Rite ColorChecker Passport. This is one of my favorite products and I have a review posted here.

IMPORTANT: Yes when shooting in RAW you have full control of the White Balance, but without a reference or without knowing what the actual color temperature was when you shot the scene, all you can do in post processing a RAW image is a best guess. And worse than a best guess is using your un-calibrated monitor when making that best guess. Also, without using a proper reference (ie. White or Gray Card or ColorChecker Passport) your images taken from day to day, week to week will never be the same. They will not be consistent as each image will always be adjusted using the ‘best guess’ method.

Shooting a White Card for post processing takes only about 20 to 40 seconds only for an entire shoot as long as the lighting conditions do not change. Creating a CWB setting adds an additional 15 seconds or so to the process, if you prefer the Pre-Processing method. Using an Automatic White Balance (AWB) setting can add hours of post processing time as none of your images will have the same White Balance setting even when shot in the same lighting conditions (*when shooting hand help with just slight changes in composition).

Again, a little extra effort at the beginning can save a ton of post processing time. The cost for the White or Gray cards is under $7.00, the small WhiBal is under $20.00 and the X-Rite ColorChecker Passport is available for $99.00 U.S. There are many great benefits to the ColorChecker Passport and I would recommend you check it out properly. It is probably the best $99.00 I have spent in photography.

Results

The whole process of making sure your images are sharp, that the exposure is perfect and choosing the correct White Balance should become a habit. Once you are used to the process and it becomes second nature the time required is absolutely minimal. The sharp well exposed and White Balanced images will look superb with better colors, better tones and greater tonal range, naturally enhanced contrast, less noise, and greater sharpness. They will require very little post processing and results will be predictable and more importantly repeatable. This will add a consistency to your work and will give your images a more professional look.

The slight extra time of using a tripod will slow your creative process down and will make you think about your composition further enhancing or improving your images.

In the end, the whole process will mean you can spend more time doing photography and less time in front of the computer, with better results!

Over the summer or perhaps in the fall when classes and club sessions resume, make it one of your priorities to get back to basics. It will be worth the effort.

© 2011 François Cléroux

(Version 1.01 - June 2011)

Please feel free to leave comments, corrections, ideas, thoughts or suggestions.

Delta Photo Inspirations

2011-04-03T15:26:00.000-07:00

I have not posted in some time as I have been busy with putting on a Show 'slash' Event, the Delta Photo Inspirations (DPI). This event was a multi-day multi-component event that included three Juried Print Competitions (Birds in Nature, Open Colour and Open B&W; a Friday evening Print Exhibition and Reception with Awards, Food and Live Music, and a Saturday with four different Workshops, a Vendors Exposition, and Lunch with the day ending with an Award Winning News Photographer Wendell Phillips supplying a Keynote Speech. This was then completed with draws where we gave away over $3000.00 in prizes!

www.DeltaPhotoInspirations.com

We started this project with a small group of three, Sharon Wright, Rhoda Brooks and myself. Neither of us had ever put together something like this so it was going to be a learning experience. After several planning/conceptualizing meetings we decided that if we were going to do this it would be done professionally and the the event should run like if it had run in the past, ie, like if we knew what we were doing and we had run a show before.

I was going to look after the Vendor's Expo, Sharon after the Print Competition and Rhoda was going to see to overall flow and the Saturday Workshops. We quickly placed a call for volunteers at the Delta Photo Club where we were inundated with many offers of help. From this large group of volunteers we had three members taking on specific projects that included AV/Tech Support, Food Services and Money Collection/Registration. All the others were going to be helping hands on the days of the events.

Many meetings later brought us to the Print Competition Entry Deadline where images were collected, ordered and prepped followed by our Judging Evening where the Print Committee along with eight Judges scored all the prints.

Shortly after we met on the Thursday before the event to prep the venue, setup tables, clean the facilities and hang all the images. Friday saw a continuation of prep which now included Friday evening food, checking the AV equipment for all the classrooms and main hall and prepping for that evenings social.

Friday evening was great, this was our showcase of images where over 100 16 inch by 20 inch images were displayed, Awards were presented and Coffee and Deserts were served. We had excellent live background music supplied by Gatlin Saip. We had almost a hundred guests viewing images, socializing and generally enjoying the evening. A great start to the weekend.

After the event we had to re-structure the main hall, move tables, setup some new ones, move chairs and get ready for the Saturday Exposition.

Saturday Morning came way too early! I found myself at Timmies (Tim Hortons) with the NIK Software rep from New York at 7:15 am. On to the show. Once on location at the venue it was all a blur. Help setup the vendors, the instructors, help with all the little details. Luckily we had a ton of excellent volunteers that were everywhere and just did what was aked of them whenever something was needed.

Coffee and muffins were available for registrants and vendors. Registration for all the attendees went very well. All registrants were given Epson bags filled with an Epson Pen, a London Drugs writing pad, a schedule for the day, some brochures and discount coupons. Attendees then went on to their workshops. We heard nothing but praise for all the instructors at all the first and second session workshops.

Lunch was incredible. Well organized and excellent spread which included various sandwiches and Lox on Bagels, chips, veggies and fruit and an assortment of pickles and olives.

From the first break on to the end of the day the Vendors Expo was open to all (free) which had some incredible Vendors including Framer's Choice, Photo Experts, London Drugs, Ilford, Tamrac, Hahnemuhle, NIK Software, Microsoft, Wacom, Epson, and Technicare. All the vendors were excellent with great samples and tutorials. Epson demonstrated their new Epson Stylus Photo R3000 Printer fro the first time in Western Canada. They also had their award winning R2880 printer on display which was a draw prize at the end of the day. Thanks to all the vendors and London Drugs for their support.

The day then pushed on to Wendell Phillips' excellent Key Note speech (http://wendellphillips.com/). Wendell displayed and talked for over two hours nonstop displaying one incredible image after another. Wendell's stories were humanitarian and very touching and even brought some laughs. Wendell's speech was loved by everyone including non-photographers.

We ended the event with the raffles and draws of over $3000.00 in prizes.

The event was a lot of work but in the end everything ran very well because of all the volunteers. We had to do a big cleanup after the event to get everything back in order. The weekend was tiring but well worth it. We look forward to next year's event which will be bigger and better with six different workshops, a bigger vendors Exposition, and another awesome key note speaker.

Since then I have judged a CAPA Print Competition at the Langley Camera Club and will Judge another event at APAC in Abbotsford this Monday. I am also now prepairing to do the "Colour of Light - White Balance" Workshop at the North Shore Photographic Society on May 25th.

I have also prepped several articles that I will be posting soon.

© 2011 François Cléroux

(Version 1.00 - April 2011)

Please feel free to leave comments, corrections, ideas, thoughts or suggestions.

Inspiration

2011-02-06T14:18:00.001-08:00

Inspiration can come in many forms. A few weeks ago I was inspired by attending a workshop, a one day seminar and two lectures, by none other than Freeman Patterson. Freeman Patterson is one of Canada’s premiere artist photographers and probably Canada’s most renowned photographer. I have known of Freeman since my High School photography teacher gave me a copy of his book “Photography and the Art of Seeing” in 1980. Since then the book has been revised several times and has sold thousands of copies all over the world.

Freeman Patterson 2011, Vancouver, BC, Canada

The book, now called “Photography and the Art of Seeing: A Visual Perception Workshop for Film and Digital Photography” is a masterpiece that is must read for any ‘student’ of photography and is curriculum for most photography university students. This book is designed to teach you how to see the world around you, how to open your eyes, and how to photograph that world in more creative ways while expressing yourself as a photographer. Yes, it is a workshop with ‘exercises’.

You can gain a lot of insight by simply reading this book, you will however learn and gain the most by doing the drills or exercises. These drills bring you back to the basic core principles of photography, the image, your subject, how you see it and how to photograph it. One of Freeman’s great talents, apart from his photography, is his lexicon or terminology. He has a knack for expressing and putting forth what he wants to share and explain in ways that are easy to understand.

This book is for any level photographer, from beginner to expert. If you own this book and last read it many years ago I would recommend you re-visit this book. Winter blues getting to you or feeling un-inspired, read this book and do (or re-do) some of the exercises to get that inspiration back.

One thing I picked up from this book is that when I look around me and I just do not see anything to photograph I stop and force myself to ‘look around’ and photograph anyways. Often, with amazing results.

Last week I spent four days with Freeman including a whole day hands on workshop with him and seven other photographers at Vancouver Photo Workshops. Between this workshop and several lectures including a Gardening lecture, I again opened my eyes to the ‘possibilities’.

Light Birch, Cape Breton, NS, Canada

A few months back I was in Cape Breton and the weather and lighting was not behaving. Driving the Cabot Trail was less than awe inspiring as it was raining hard and the fall colors were nowhere to be seen. By late afternoon and with very little in the way of photos taken, I pulled over and forced myself to photograph. I had all but forgotten about these images until Freeman’s workshop and so I went back to the files sitting on my computer. The previous and following images are part of a series of six images I photographed that afternoon. This panning technique is directly from Freeman’s book that I read in the early 80’s and is done all ‘in camera’. Since the workshop I have printed all six images as large prints and I have already sold several. They look their best large but I have included two here. Hope you like them and hope they inspire you.

Fire Birch, Cape Breton, NS, Canada

If you are feeling those winter blues, you may want to check an old post called: Winter Photography Blues

© 2011 François Cléroux

(Version 1.01 - February 2011)

Please feel free to leave comments, corrections, ideas, thoughts or suggestions.

Project Based Learning

2011-01-05T09:49:00.000-08:00

Well another year has started and we should all have made, and broken, our resolutions by now. Now that we are all smarter and thinner, and now that we have quit smoking and eating, what should we do with the rest of the year? Time to think about photography again.

I am not one to make New Year’s resolutions but I do every year try to improve my photography. I started doing photography after a very long absence and new to the digital world in November of 2008 before leaving for a trip to Australia. I used the trip to re-acquaint myself with the camera, its functions and to learn what I could about digital cameras. During the winter I played around with Digital Editing and tried to learn as much as I could.

In very early spring I decided I needed a ‘project’ to force myself to learn as much as I could in a specific aspect of photography. This project based learning I picked up in the computer world. Doing a project is a great way to force yourself to learn, but, what would the project be?

Having picked up a few new bird feeders and already having an interest in birds and wanting to learn more about birds I decided my project would be Bird Photography. This simply didn’t mean just going out and capturing a few snapshots of birds feeding on the feeders but rather I would attempt to ‘master’ bird photography. I would learn about birds, their behavior and where to find them in the lower mainland.

I would then get out as often as I could and I would do it until I had a collection of exceptional bird images. Part of the process included capturing birds in flight, birds nesting, birds in their natural habitat and birds in flight. I would try to capture a variety of birds from shore birds to songbirds and raptors. I would then make sure that I would be able to extract the best possible images I could which meant not only shooting RAW, but learning everything I could about RAW, Importing, Editing, Color Balance, Sharpening, and other aspects of digital editing and finally learning how to print high quality images. All with birds. I dedicated all of 2009 to this and I succeeded. I sold several large framed prints of birds and even had one bird image published. Task accomplished.

It was no easy task, as there was a lot to learn with regards to bird photography. I spent hundreds (yes hundreds) of hours out shooting but I did befriend an incredible Red Tailed Hawk I dubbed Sid. After several months I was able to get within several meters of Sid and he let me stand there with my camera while he would continue to hunt for prey. I was lucky enough to photograph him on several occasions catching and eating several rodent species! An incredible experience to see up close made even better since I was able to capture it on film, or rather in digital camera.

Then, being new to the digital world I had a lot to learn with regards to the digital editing aspects of photography. New software, new processes, all new skills made easier when done on our rainy West Coast days.

Although I ended that year being a very good bird photographer and being fairly good at digital editing, I still had lots to learn. To this day I continue to photograph birds out of sheer passion and for the love of it. I also continue to spend hours trying to improve my digital processing skills.

In 2010 I choose another project, Flora Photography. Whereas I was shooting outdoors before and mostly with moving objects, I would now be able to shoot indoors, outdoors, and stationary plants and flowers. I would also be able to shoot with Flash and Studio Lighting. New camera skills and techniques to learn and new artistic and composition rules to master. Another great opportunity. I was able to shoot indoor plants on rainy days, head out on sunny and overcast days and shoot through the seasons of spring, summer and fall. It was another great learning opportunity and an even more successful year if you measure success in sales! Task accomplished.

We are now in 2011 and I have dedicated this year to learning and mastering B&W photography. This should be fun as it partly takes me back to my B&W roots of shooting film for the newspapers and the art I created in the early to mid eighties. I will now again need to learn or see things in a new way artistically and compositionally. I will have new camera and digital editing skills to learn including new printing skills.

I look forward to this challenge I have given myself for this New Year and I hope that you take on a challenge of your own. Next post will be a guideline on how to choose a project and some things you can do to help you succeed.

(Version 1.00 - January 2011)

Please feel free to leave comments, corrections, ideas, thoughts or suggestions.

Don’t Believe Me? Let the Pros Tell You!

2010-12-12T22:34:00.000-08:00

I have written and posted two articles on this site that promote the whole concept of “Quality” that both relate to my last post “Observations on Photography in the Digital Age” (http://www.eyesonphoto.com/2010/11/observations-on-photography-in-digital.html). My first was “A Quality Affair” (http://www.eyesonphoto.com/2008/10/quality-affair-this-is-second-article.html), and then “Start to Finish ‘Tack’ Sharp”. In both these articles I stress the importance of Quality.

I also teach two workshops that also go hand-in-hand with this concept. I have presented both workshops in the last two weeks, one at ArtShots and the other at the Surrey Photography Club. At Artshots I did a workshop entitles “A Quality Affair: From Start to Finish” where I discuss how to achieve the optimum quality throughout your entire workflow. I will be posting notes from this workshop soon.

The other workshop is titled “Tripod-ology 101” and it is all about Tripods, why use them, how they improve your photographs and so on. I have posted the notes from this workshop here (http://www.eyesonphoto.com/2009/11/tripod-ology-101-once-photographer.html).

I was just reading Outdoor Photographer Magazine, the December 2010 25th Anniversary issue and I came across a great article called “25 Best All-Time Tips From Our Pros”. It’s a great article, but one that I found rather funny as it contains some tips that I often try to pass on, not always with success. I know some of you out there have listened to me because I have seen your work improve and also because many of you have thanked me for it.

I would highly recommend that you read all 25 tips in the magazine (Outdoor Photographer) but here are a few of my favorites. I have taken only short snippets of the quotes from some exceptional photographers, but they represent my thoughts very well.

#14 – Take Your Time: “This is the essential ingredient in every photograph” – Moose Peterson

#15 – Lose The “I’ll Fix It in Photoshop” Attitude: “Never photograph under the assumption that Photoshop will save you from sloppy work. Always think of Photoshop as a way to optimize the best image you can come back with. The better the content, composition and quality in the capture, the better the final result.” – George Lepp

#19 – Your Feet Make the Best Zoom: “It’s easy to get lazy when using zoom lenses.” – William Neill

And my absolute favorite. . .

#21 – Quality and the Tripod: “We now have image stabilization and vibration reduction to allow handholding of the camera at fairly slow shutter speeds. No matter how good you think you are at handholding, your quality and percentage of keepers will improve when you use a good tripod and head” – George Lepp

It is specifically followed by an Editor’s Note: “Almost everyone of the pros we asked to contribute to this article suggested using a tripod”.

So as I mentioned, you may have chosen not to listen to me, but, perhaps you’ll listen to all the pros that wrote in and to the excellent magazine called “Outdoor Photographer.”

www.outdoorphotographer.com

And, a special note to the Editors of Outdoor Photographer, thanks for trying to teach us how to make better quality images.

© 2010 François Cléroux

(Version 1.00 - December 2010)

Please feel free to leave comments, corrections, ideas, thoughts or suggestions.

Observations on Photography in the Digital Age

2010-11-28T22:50:00.000-08:00

When I decided to return to Photography in late 2007 my first thought was that I would have a lot of new stuff to learn. I had all the basic to advanced photography skills from the days of film but now I would need to learn all there is in the digital world.

The reason for wanting to learn everything is because I wanted to create beautiful pictures. You wouldn’t think that creating beautiful pictures would require a lot of learning; especially considering all the skills I already had but the first step in creating an exceptional image is creating a perfect image in camera, on the sensor, right from the start. To accomplish that, there are a lot of things to learn, techniques to perfect, and processes to follow.

A few years have gone by and I am still learning and always trying to improve my images from both a technical and artistic perspective. A part of this process was taking the Canadian Association of Photographic Arts (CAPA) Judging Course and then spending a year doing a lot judging and studying so that I could become a CAPA Certified Judge. I continue to Judge to this day and I enjoy it tremendously. Being exposed to all the images and the wonderful creative work is a great way to learn and to keep up on new trends. It also, on occasion, shows you what can be achieved if you do everything right.

What I have noticed is that there are many good photographers out there that capture excellent images. What I do not see is a lot of excellent photographers as most good photographers lack the skills necessary to create exceptional images. My observations come from seeing many, many images, both digital and print, that are soft or outright out of focus, improperly exposed, have bad color balance or so digitally damaged by improper Post Processing because the original image was soft or improperly exposed or not White Balanced properly to start with.

Soft images are easy to spot in print, especially at 11 x 14 inches, but can be hidden and fixed up fairly well in digital format when done at 1024 x 768 Pixels and displayed on a projector. Exposure and color balance are also easier to fix and hide when digitally projected. In print however, it is much more difficult or even impossible at times. Finally, the digital defects (artifacts, ghosting, noise) caused by post processing images can often be seen even in digital images but are always apparent in print.

The results are that as a judge, I see a lot of technically bad prints and even bad digital images. I even know some excellent photographers that do this and I ask myself why?

Part or if not all the blame seems to come from the digital world. This comes from several factors; price, impatience and the attitude that it can all be fixed in Post Processing. I think a large part of this blame must go to the ‘now’ society we have created. Everyone wants instant results and with advanced cameras and some magical voodoo thing called “Image Stabilization”, they all expect their images to be perfect, all the time, no matter how bad the conditions or their skills are.

In the days of film, there was a cost associated with every click of the shutter. So, before we clicked we took our time. We looked at and observed our subject to make sure we had the very best angle to shoot from. We used a tripod to make sure we didn’t waste the shot. We composed our image and looked at all four corners and all four edges. When we were satisfied with what we saw, we calculated our perfect exposure based on lighting rules, in camera meters and if we were lucky enough to own a hand held light meter or better yet a spot meter we would use that in conjunction with the Zone System to calculate that perfect exposure. Digital has removed all this. People now take ‘snaps’ (word chosen carefully), many of them and only hope they have a good one. I keep hearing “I just shoot a bunch and I usually get something good”. Very often they only end up with a bunch of badly exposed soft images they need to fix. All this, because there is no cost associated with each click of the camera.

This new digital world has also helped create this “Now” generation. Everyone wants stuff now! I want to click once and see a perfect image. Cameras and their advertisements promise perfection and so perfection is expected, now. People just seem to be impatient and they just want to push that button. No sense walking around, taking your time, smelling the roses. You almost never see Tripods or people getting on their knees or, god forbid, laying down on their stomach. People will not even walk forward a few steps to get some foreground annoyances out of the way. Click, crop, edit, done!

So from these two things, price and impatience, we get a natural evolution into the digital world of “We can fix it in post processing”. We know for a fact that all the pros use Adobe CS5, or Lightroom, or Aperture or something equivalent and so, if we take any of our bad images and post process them the same way a pro does, we should end up with pro quality images. Right?

It wasn’t long before I started studying digital photography that I learned that the image coming out of the camera was the first and single most important step in creating a perfect image. In many ways, this is even more important now than it was in the days of film. This doesn’t mean it all starts with a quick ‘snap’ of the button, but rather, with a well-planned and perfectly executed ‘click’ of the shutter knowing and understanding the whole process from image capture to RAW image import to the final print. If that first step, the ‘capture’ isn’t perfect to start with, it won’t be exceptional by the time the print is created no matter how much work you do to the image. The final print may be made better than the original capture, but it will not be made perfect.

Lastly and not mentioned earlier is the digital world itself. Most people now view images on their Blackberries or iPhones and on occasion on their standard quality computer monitors at resolutions well below that of standard HD TV’s. These screens do not lend themselves to showing imperfections in images and so a lot of bad work flows from the process. Prints contain far more detail than what can be displayed by our monitors. Also, worse than the use on monitors is the use of Digital Projectors that are used by Photography Clubs including National Photography Associations, that still use the old archaic resolution of 1024 by 768 pixels.

Why would these National Associations promote such old archaic low resolution standards? Why would they not promote the use of the at least more modern day HD standard of 1920 by 1080 pixels that can be displayed on most modern televisions and projectors and almost all monitors? By keeping this old standard as ‘acceptable’ and even promoting this standard the National Associations are grossly doing a disservice to themselves and their members. They should be there to promote their art which includes promoting higher quality standards, not just acceptable mainstream standards set in the digital dark ages of almost twenty-five years ago.

Today, less than twelve percent of computer users still use the 1024 x 768 resolution set in 1987 and over half of those do so because of vision problems; not because of limits set by their current hardware. If the photography industry is to thrive and to prove itself as an art form to governments and the art society as a whole, it needs to wake up and promote better standards that will push its members to create better quality images; not standards that are designed to limit and stifle.

© 2010 François Cléroux

(Version 1.10 - June 15, 2011)

Please feel free to leave comments, corrections, ideas, thoughts or suggestions.

Composition

2010-11-15T17:33:00.000-08:00

(This is a work in progress but posted here as is for people that have been asking for this. Check back for edits and sample images)

What makes a good photograph? Is it the incredible subject matter alone? Is it the perfect technical aspects of the images, exposures, sharpness, color and so on? Is it the angle of view and composition that makes a great image? Or, is it all of these elements along with great overall quality?

Composition has to do with layout, positioning and overall balance. It includes the rules of thirds and many aspects of a photo including, simplicity, contrast, framing, viewpoint, lines, movement, direction of movement, diagonals, ‘s’ shapes and paths, curves, leading lines (vanishing points), mirrored objects, patterns, textures, and even Depth-Of-Field and so on. Even how a model is photographed, i.e. position of limbs and such is part of composition.

Just because one follows any of the rules doesn’t mean the composition will be good. Lighting, direction, subject matter, surroundings and so on can make or break the images composition. The rules can however be applied in many instances.

There are even instances where ‘breaking’ the rules just works. Then that would also be a good composition.

Composition is something that can be learned by looking at many photos but a good study and understanding is best gained from experience. Having someone explain what compositional elements are in a photo (or what elements are broken) and trying out all the different aspects can also be a great tool.

Simplicity

Simplicity Rules! This is a statement. Simplicity is king. Even before the rule of thirds, I personally think that simplicity should be the first thing you think about when composing a photograph. Try to keep you image "clutter free". Remember that you want to draw your viewer to the main subject of the photo as quickly and instinctively as possible. Here are 2 tips to help simplify your composition.

1- Get in close. To easily remove some of the distractions around your subject is to zoom in on it. Once you think your close enough, zoom in even more! This is a simple yet very effective way to simplify your image.

2- Simplify your background. You don't always want to get in really close to compose your image so the next thing to do is to remove the "clutter" from your background so that the eye isn't distracted away from your main subject. You can do this with 2 different approaches. The first one is to choose an even background. This could be a single-colored piece of fabric or paper or an even-textured surface like a brick wall. The second technique is to have a blurred background where all the elements blend into each other to form a blur of colors. A blurred background is created by using shallow depth of field (DOF).

Rule of Thirds

The Rule of Thirds is based on the fact that the human eye is naturally drawn to a point about two-thirds up a page. Crop your photo so that the main subjects are located around one of the intersection points rather than in the center of the image.

Golden Section Rule (Golden Mean)

It has been found that certain points in a picture's composition automatically attract the viewer's attention. Similarly, many natural or man-made objects and scenes with certain proportions (whether by chance or by design) automatically please us. Leonardo da Vinci investigated the principle that underlies our notions of beauty and harmony and called it the Golden Section. Long before Leonardo, however, Babylonian, Egyptian, and ancient Greek masters also applied the Golden Section proportion in architecture and art. The Chinese have applied this to Bonsai.

To get a clearer sense of these special "Golden" composition points, imagine a picture divided into nine unequal parts with four lines. Each line is drawn so that the width of the resulting small part of the image relates to that of the big part exactly as the width of the whole image relates to the width of the big part. Points where the lines intersect are the "golden" points of the picture.

Golden Triangles

Another rule is the "Golden Triangles". It's more convenient for photos with diagonal lines. There are three triangles with corresponding shapes. Just roughly place three subjects with approximate equal sizes in these triangles and this rule would be kept.

Golden Spiral or Golden Rectangle

And one more rule is a "Golden Spiral" or "Golden Rectangle" (you'll see why it's a rectangle in the tools section). There should be something, leading the eye to the center of the composition. It could be a line or several subjects. This "something" could just be there without leading the eyes, but it would make its job.

Diagonal Rule

According to the Diagonal Rule, important elements of the picture should be placed along these diagonals. Linear elements, such as roads, waterways, and fences placed diagonally, are generally perceived as more dynamic than horizontally placed ones

Point of Interest

Identify a primary point of interest before taking the picture. When you’ve determined which area is the most important to you, you can compose to emphasize it. (Studying advertising photographs is a good way to get acquainted with emphasis in composition.)

Framing

A "frame" in a photograph is something in the foreground that leads you into the picture or gives you a sense of where the viewer is. For example, a branch and some leaves framing a shot of rolling hills and a valley, or the edge of an imposing rock face leading into a shot of a canyon. Framing can usually improve a picture. The "frame" doesn’t need to be sharply focused. In fact if it is too sharply detailed, it could be a distraction.

Shapes (Circles, Areas, Triangles)

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Form

Form is the illusion of 3 dimensions in a 2 dimensional image. It is achieved through the play of light on your subject in a way that brings out the depth of the object. Soft directional light is best at doing this.

Cropping

Cropping is Key. A great photo that is improperly cropped can be ruined. Cropping can be used to control Balance and Summitry.

Contrast

A light subject will have more impact if placed against a dark background and vice versa. Contrasting colors may be used for emphasis, but can become distracting if not considered carefully.

Color

Hue: refers to the names of the primary colors, red, green and blue.

Value: lightness and darkness of the color - the amount of white or black added.

Intensity: the purity or saturation of the color

Monochromatic color: use of one color where only the value of the color changes

Analogous colors: colors that are adjacent to each other on the color wheel, e.g. yellow and green

Analogous colors next to each other on the color wheel "get along" and are referred to as being harmonious. Analogous colors are often used in visual design and have a soothing affect.

Complementary colors: colors opposite to each other on the color wheel, e.g. Blue-violet and yellow, represent colors positioned across from each other on the color wheel. Complimentary colors exhibit more contrast when positioned adjacent to each other - for example yellow appears more intense when positioned on or beside blue or violet.

Warm colors include: yellows, red and orange we associate these with blood, sun and fire.

Cool colors include: violet, blue and green because of our association with snow and ice.

Colors are called warm or cool because of our association with various elements in our surroundings. Red, yellow and orange are considered warm colors whereas blue, green and violet are considered cool colors. These contrasts are relative since yellow-green are cool next to red, orange or yellow, but would be considered warm next to blue-violet. Photographers can position different colors in an image to maximize contrast between them and also to provide perspective. Perceptually, cool colors tend to recede into the distance whereas warm colors appear to advance.

Viewpoint or Perspective

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Patterns

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Texture

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Symmetry

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Motion

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Direction of Movement

When the subject is capable of movement, such as an animal or person, it is best to leave space in front of the subject so it appears to be moving into, rather than out of, the photograph.

Leading Lines

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Unity

Unity refers to an ordering of all elements in an image so that each contributes to a unified aesthetic effect so that the image is seen as a whole. Failing to accomplish this results in the premature termination of the viewer's experience - they look away. There are a number of ways to achieve unity to attract and keep the viewers attention.

Dominance and Subordination

An artist or photographer attempts to control the sequence in which visual events in the frame are observed and the amount of attention each element receives. Making an element dominant can be done through size and color. Large objects dominate smaller ones and warm colored objects dominate cooler pale colored objects. Another way of achieving dominance is through positioning various elements within the frame. A centrally located object will draw more attention then one at the periphery. However the center is not the best place to position the most dominant element - usually just to one side of the center is more effective.

Another method to achieve dominance is through convergence or radiation or lines. The eye tends to follow these lines to the point where they converge.

Dominance can also be achieved through nonconformity i.e. difference or exception. If all the elements are similar and one is different in color, tone or shape- it will stand out and become dominant. The brown cattail leaf below is dominant because it is different from those around it.

Coherence

Coherence refers to the belonging together or the various parts of the artwork. In reality these parts may be unrelated, but within the confines of the image their color, shapes, and size form a sense of unity. Visual coherence can be achieved through the use of analogous color and color tonality. It can also be achieve through similarity of shape, color size or texture. However too much similarity can lead to boredom - we need some variety to add "spice" to the image.

Balance

Balance implies that the visual elements within the frame have a sense of weight. Large objects generally weigh more than small objects and dark objects weigh more than light colored objects. The position of the elements is also critical. We unconsciously assume the center of a picture corresponds to a fulcrum. A heavy weight on one side can be balanced by a lighter weight on the other side if the lighter weight is located at a greater distance from the fulcrum.

Another way to achieve balance is through symmetry. Reflections of the landscape in still water are an example of almost perfect symmetry. Reflections can take on an abstract quality that resembles a Rorschach inkblot used in a psychological testing. Rorschach inkblots are created by folding a piece of paper covered and filled with ink to form a symmetrical pattern.

Positive and Negative Space

Positive space is where shapes and forms exist; negative space is the empty space around shapes and forms. In the photo below the black area is negative space and it serves to balance the area in which the marmot and rock occupy. Areas of a picture that contain "nothing" are important visual elements that provide balance in an image.

Rhythm

Rhythm refers to the regular repeating occurrence of elements in the scene just as in music it refers to the regular occurrence of certain musical notes over time. In photography the repetition of similar shapes sets up a rhythm that makes seeing easier and more enjoyable. Rhythm is soothing and our eyes beg to follow rhythmic patterns. To be effective, rhythm also requires some variability - rhythm that is too similar or perfect may be boring. Therefore when composing your images look for repetition with variation. For instance if you are photographing a fence - one that is perfect will not hold a viewers interest for long, but one in which some of the posts are bent, broken, larger or smaller will generate more viewer interest.

Chaos

Chaos is a disordered state of elements and it is found frequently in nature. The goal of many photographers is to take a picture that exhibits some underlying organization so the viewer sees what the artists intends for them to see, but leaves enough chaos within the frame of the image so the viewer has to put forth some effort to explore and fully appreciate the image. New photographers often include too many elements in their images and can often improve their composition by removing unessential elements. Beyond a certain point, however an image that is too simple fails to hold ones attention (e.g. single leaf above has interesting elements but after a few moments I find little to hold my attention). Compare this to an image I took with my 4 x 5 camera of the rainforest shot below, and I find the rainforest image has so many textures and patterns that I can look at and explore the image for extended periods of time and still continue to discover things I have not seen before. The ability to introduce and handle complex elements within the frame of an image and still produce an effective composition requires a maturation of seeing that takes time to develop. I have also found that larger film formats encourage compositions with more detail and complexity then using smaller digital and 35 mm film based cameras. In short, the size and format of camera you use will also influence what you shoot, and how you compose your images.

Final Thoughts

Understanding elements of visual design and how they can affect our emotions can also help us make our photographic images more effective. However, keep in mind that no rule or guideline can ever guarantee success. A successful image depends upon a multitude of things that must come together including: timing, lighting, color, composition, and an audience sensitive to what it is you are trying to communicate. It is likely that many artists carry out design intuitively and arrange elements so they "feel right" and since art is in part a way of expressing our feelings to others no other guiding principle may be required. As Freeman Patterson put it so eloquently "Good composition is always harmonious with the design of the material being photographed", Art of Seeing 1985. Elements of design can be compared to the scales in music, they are starting points around which music is made but the elements are by themselves only building blocks. In conclusion, an understanding of the elements of design will not by themselves make you a better a photographer, but they can provide a framework in which to evaluate images and their effectiveness.

Another way to improve composition is to compare your images with those of others whose work you admire or respect. Mimicry is one way to begin to develop your skills and learning to copy the styles of certain artists is in part the road to towards developing your own style, although many artists may not admit to it. Take those stylistic elements you like and then integrate them into your own point of view. Evaluate and compare your work both technically and aesthetically against those of other photographers. Be realistic and critical when you evaluate your own images and edit your images ruthlessly. The better you become the more critical you will become of you own work and those of others. Listen to what others have to say when they view your images, what they like, what they don't like but always be true to yourself and what your vision is. My wife may not be knowledgeable about design, but if she responds to image I know others will too.
(Version 1.00 - November 2010)

Please feel free to leave comments, corrections, ideas, thoughts or suggestions.

Pole Adapter

2010-10-31T19:53:00.000-07:00

Since my post on the Magazine cover I have had several inquiries about how I took a self portrait from above so high.

Basically, the camera was mounted onto a pole and the pole is attached to the tripod head and extended about 25 feet or so. The pole I use is a standard painters/window washer's 40 foot fibreglass pole.

The hand grip is on the ground with a sand bag over it to keep it firmly down. About 5 feet up it is attached to the top of my tripod using a super clamp and at the end of the pole to attach to the camera I use a great little adapter made by Kacey Enterprises (http://www.kaceyenterprises.com/).

The adapter I used was the 'Kacey Pole Adapter' which is a very well made machined aluminum adapter that just screws onto the paint pole end. The other end of this adapter is designed for a standard Flash Head but using another adapter I can attach a Camera. All triggered wirelessly.

Now, Kacey has created a new adapter specifically for cameras called the 'DSLR Camera Paint Pole Adapter' which is better suited and will connect directly to a pole and a standard tripod head.

I like the one I have for Flash Heads and Umbrellas as that was why I purchased the adapter in the first place, but since creating that self portrait I have a few other ideas and will now order the actual DSLR Adapter... more photos to come.

© 2010 François Cléroux

(Version 1.00 - October 2010)

Please feel free to leave comments, corrections, ideas, thoughts or suggestions.

First Magazine Cover

2010-10-21T13:50:00.000-07:00

I was going to add the Day 4 of the Cape Breton Experience here but while at the airport in St. John’s Newfoundland I saw the new Popular Photography Magazine had just been released. I had to pick it up as I had heard that my photo was going to be in there.

On the cover of Popular Photography November 2010

As I grab the magazine I quickly notice my image on the bottom of the front cover! My first magazine cover! Anyways, here it is. You have seen the photo before . . . my self portrait on my little planet. I posted the blog as an ad for a Workshop on how to create the image.

Here is the link: http://www.eyesonphoto.com/2010/03/workshop-monday-march-15th-700-900-pm.html

(Version 1.00 - October 2010)

Please feel free to leave comments, corrections, ideas, thoughts or suggestions.

Late Fall Photography and the Weather

2010-10-20T18:31:00.000-07:00

Late fall travels can be a great time for photography but it also has it’s drawbacks. The largest of these can be the weather. I will discuss more drawbacks later but for now lets tackle some weather issues.

We had done some traveling in and around Cape Breton for several days and we did have a lot of off and on rain, mostly on. We were prepared for this as we both had our warm clothes, our Vancouver wet weather Gore-Tex parkas and pants and some waterproof hiking boots. If you are warm and dry, cold and rain are OK.

To keep my camera gear dry I use a LowePro AW-300 SlingShot All Weather Bag that has a built in Rain Cover and for my camera when I am shooting I use the Kata E-702 Large Rain Cover. I have previously posted an article on Rain Covers here: Shoot In the Rain with the Right Rain Gear.

Cape Breton Hillside Photographed in the Rain

With a lot of rain in Cape Breton and some very heavy wind-blown rain in St. Pierre and Miquelon, the Kata rain cover performed exceptionally well. Since my last review I have changed my camera strap to the excellent Black Rapid RS7 over the shoulder strap and the rain cover worked great with this new strap also. I still stand by my rave reviews of both the Black Rapid Strap and the Kata Rain Cover. Both excellent products.

So I mentioned that late fall can be good. Yes cold and wet but good nonetheless. For starters the lighting is different this time of the year and it can add warmth to Landscape images. The early setting of the sun can also be advantageous. The fall colours of course are only available this time of the year and if it happens to be wet with good lighting it can make for exceptional colours. If you can catch wet leaves with some sunlight it will add another dimension to your image. Shooting on stormy days can also be a bonus! Always take advantage of whatever is thrown at you. Early snow fall? Bring it on!

(Version 1.10 - October 2010)

Please feel free to leave comments, corrections, ideas, thoughts or suggestions.