How to take great pictures the Dan Thompson way...

How to take great pictures the Dan Thompson way...: Slideshow

2016-04-16T16:59:00.001-04:00

How to take great pictures the Dan Thompson way...: Slideshow: This is put out there for you to see a more complete collection of my works. The above slideshow is from my pixels.com galleries Plea... Check out all these other great images from pixels.com... barn art for sale

Slideshow

2015-12-09T07:23:00.001-05:00

This is put out there for you to see a more complete collection of my works.
The above slideshow is from my pixels.com galleries Please feel free to stop by and order up your favorite framed art. xxxxx www.2-daniel-thompson.artistwebsites.com xxxxx I'm sorry if I have been a bit distracted by my working on getting my www.fineatramerica.com page up and going, but I will be back shortly with another blog on how you too can improve your shooting skills.

Wide open spaces... Shooting panoramas.

2015-04-03T17:36:00.002-04:00

Wide open spaces are awe inspiring, but how do you capture that awe? Panorama pictures, thats how. This posting is to help you capture that awe.

The Panorama photo has been around for a very long time. It seems that as soon as photographers started shooting pictures, especially outdoor photography they have been wanting to capture the true grandeur of the world. The best way to do just that was larger than life, seemingly, was/is panoramic shots. These images are used to capture it all to its fullest. To go beyond our normal snap-shot view of the world, and to bring us into the image that makes us part of it. That's in part why TV's are now wider than before, and Cinema-Scope was such a big thing for movies back in the 50's & 60's. Panoramas make us part of the picture, not just an observer. ************ There are a number of ways to capture a great Panorama. The 2 best ways I have found to do a panorama shot. The easiest way and most predictable, I've found, is by cropping. Cropping is when you cut the image sown to what you want. I sometimes do this after the fact, but mostly I will intentionally from the picture to crop out the top and/or bottom part of the picture. This allows me to be more creative, because I can than determine what I want to keep or leave out of the picture. I can also better adjust the with of the picture, because sometimes I want something not a 3x4 or 16x9, but still longer than a standard picture. Another great reason to use the cropping method is that t can be done in a single very quick or very slow single shot, such as fireworks. This makes cropping a very practical and easy way of achieving these images. . The 2nd method is also easy and can offer some additional creative options for your shooting pleasures. This is using the panorama mode on your camera. Many of the smart phone cameras come with this built into their systems. The images I have taken with a cell phone can be quite impressive. They can also be very creative. If you do a slow sweep with the camera it should come out nice and smooth shot. You can move it more rapidly and come up with some interesting results. The reason these pics can be so variable is that they use a stitching program that connects together a number of pics together, thus the chances to come up with some unique images. I will use my phone for a creative shooting. My Sony A-58 also has a similar panorama mode as most smart phones, but its programming is geared towards a much larger and smoother stitching than phone cameras tend to do. I recommend with Dslr cameras to use a tripod as a stable shooting platform. For my intentional shots that I want as an intentional panorama this is my preferred method. . . . . .... So weather its by cropping or the camera taking panorama pictures can be fun and easy. The key to a good panoramic image are basically the same as with all your images...the rules I started this blog with so many years ago. ..... ...

... Here is a cool bonus tip... you can use your cell phone to take great fireworks and pics in motion by just using your panoramic mode by moving it just enough to start the camera and then leaving it steady in one spot, the subject of the image, till its done. Try it....you'll like it.

How to take great pictures the Dan Thompson way...: I just want to show you what I have been doing, an...

2014-09-19T18:33:00.001-04:00

How to take great pictures the Dan Thompson way...: I just want to show you what I have been doing, an...: I just want to show you what I have been doing, and let you have a chance to have a great print of the pics I have taken over the last 1...

2014-01-12T08:25:00.002-05:00

I just want to show you what I have been doing, and let you have a chance to have a great print of the pics I have taken over the last 10 months and my freelance carreer.

<><>><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><<><><><><><> Please take a moment to stop by and to see my gallery at Fine Art America by just clicking on their link. Enjoy. **************************************************************************************************** ++++++++++========++++++++========++++++++=======++++++++=======+++++++======+++++++=======+++++++++======= Let me know what you think. Dan Thompson

New camera...

2013-10-19T12:07:00.001-04:00

Fog On Trenton Canal
Gibralter MI

Sorry about the delay in the new posting of a blog. I have been researching and working on getting a new camera. I did. I bought a new Sony A58. I love it.

Ode To Steve S.

A building on Woodward Ave.

Detroit, MI

Floweer Closw Up

PW/4star Display Garden

Carleton, MI

1500 Woodward

Detroit, MI

I chose the camera I wanted, and needed. It does what I want, as you can see in the pictures I am posting in this blog. It doesn't need to be your camera, but it did have everything I wanted and needed in a camera, at this time. Most of the functions are easily accessible with a top dial and a easily worked screen mode settings too. I can also pivot the screen to add more shooting angles to my work.

Sunrise over dock remains

Grosse Ile, MI

Only LP falls in MI

Elbow Lake Park & Beach

Prescott, MI

Slow Crossing at Tanglewood

Hole # 2

History In Motion

Greenfield Village

Dearborn, MI

Detroit, MI

Look Up

Woodhaven, MI

Bridge at PW/4star Display Garden

Carleton, MI

Abandonded in the fields

Alger, MI

Old Man and the Sweet Water Sea ( Lake Hyron)

Shore line at 40 <i;e Lighthouse

Roger City, MI

Life is good.

Please remember to buy the best you can afford & feel comfortable with in your hands, for what and how you want to shoot your life.

The Giant Wheel

Cedar Point

Sanduskie, OH

Iargo Springs

Huron National Forest

Between Hale * Tawas, Michigan

Crown Of Light

Cedar Point

Sanduskie, OH

If you want to see more of my work, and to purchase a custom printed version for yourself please feel free to visit my artist web page...

www.2-daniel-thompson.artistwebsites.com

Just Off the Green

Grosse Ile Golf & Country Club

Grosse Ile, MI

Gone to market....

2013-01-15T05:33:00.001-05:00

This is not a lesson post. It is a For your information posting.

After a long search, and much consideration, I have decided on a market place for my photography. Please check out my new web page. It is through www.fineartamerica.com and gave me the the best and most complete options for people to take advantage of in choosing my art to fill their needs. Please enjoy.

http://2-daniel-thompson.artistwebsites.com

ps...

If you want me to add any particular picture or pictures to the market place, please let me know. I will be posting a new blog soon. ********************--------------------********************** Here is a god to see others, and more of my photos. mackinaw bridge photographs for sale

Its an animals...and Kids world...enjoy the expirience.

2012-12-15T12:37:00.000-05:00

Fox pups at Tawas State Park

Tawas MI

The challenge of taking pictures of wildlife, and kids, isn't that there isn't anything, or anywhere to shoot. The biggest issue is the same with almost all non-studio photography...timing. Timing is something that sometimes seems uncontrollable, and to a certain point is. The trick to timing is the old Boy Scouts motto..."Be Prepared." When your prepared, your chances of getting that great shot go up dramatically, if your ready for it to happen. Basically, if you go to a zoo, have the camera in hand...and have a big (zoom) lens...I like having a 55/70 to300mm in hand...really can't go wrong with it...so if your going out to get that first DSLR buy it now...and don't just settle for the 200mm, buy the 300, or at least 250mm...its worth every penny, and your best pricing usually comes with initial purchase. Sorry, a bit distracted there, but a good time to point it out to those that don't know.

My little Gizmo hunting through the sheets.

Home

Big Bear at the Detroit Zoo

Royal Oak, MI

www.detroitzoo.org

Peacock strutting his stuff.

Detroit Zoo

Royal Oak, MI

Kids aren't much different than animals, in that they are spontaneous, active, and the best shots somehow just happen. The great thing for pictures of kids is that they tend to be more predictable in where they will be to shoot. You still need to be prepared for their personalities to take over, that's when the magic takes over. Planned shots are great, but I find that the pics I like the best are the "extra" shots that get one or more of the kids trying to mess up the shot...that's their personality. Then there are times when its just them being themselves and their experiencing the world. That is the special glow that just makes those pictures extra special.

Planned shot of the young nieces & nephews

The extra shot...control was slipping quickly...

Neices fooling around with brothers football

Alex in his first car...ok it was his brother's then too...

Now driving a real car...you've been warned.

My nephew Jeremy chill'n in the hammock

My niece Erica...too cute

Ericka, my niece, and her cousin playing a video game...

Te wonders of kids and animals are what make life worth living, and the reason for having a camera for most of us. When you pan to be out in the world living life be prepared to get that great shot. it might come while walking in a park, at a family function, or just while your living life. Great pictures are there for the taking...so take them...plz.

Jake, Alex and a turtle

The Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center

www.virginiaaquarium.com

Virginia Beach, VA

So enjoy the process and remember your camera. It may just be a walk in woods, on the beach, or through a zoo when a great shot is available, so be prepared. I have missed more great shots of kids and animals than I have taken, just because I couldn't get the camera set for the shot quick enough. Be prepared.

Alex. Madison, and Brooke

at Christmas party 2011

Niece Ericka, & dad (Rick...Brother-in-law)

waiting...

One of the pups at Tawas St park

Tawas, MI

Gizmo being Gizmo...an in your face cat.

Brooke, Madison, Nate & Poppie enjoying a chance to play on a public bench.

Frankenmuth, MI

Butterfly at the Detroit Zoo

Royal Oak, MI

The late, great Snowball playing in a basket

Brooke, the dancer admiring one of her Christmas presents.

A squirrel checking me out in Elizabeth Park

Trenton, MI

Jeremy accepting his championship jacket for the Ernie Open 2011

A frog in the Rifle River

Aranac Co. MI

Cheap Thrills... Don't need an expensive camera to get great shots.

2012-11-14T10:43:00.000-05:00

Zinc Road

near Maybee, in Monroe County Michigan

The whole idea that the cost of the camera or type of camera you use to take the picture is not the final determining factor in the outcome of the pictures you take. the determining factor is much greater than that. It is ow you use the camera you have. All of the pictures on this page today will be from either a cell phone or a cheap (free) camera. This is to show that any camera you choose falls can get great pictures, if remember the the basics...see my previous postings. You just need to know your camera, think of what your shooting, and don't be afraid to work with what you have.

Sunrise over BASF Park in Wyandotte, MI

Broken tree

Near Hillsdale, MI

The Board Walk

Oscoda, Michigan

The Bishop Park Dock at sunset

Wyandotte, MI

Trees behind 33rd district court

Woodhaven, MI

Tallest indoor waterfall / fountain @ time of the shot.

Compuware building lobby

Detroit, MI

Teri Jerome (sister in law)

The White's landing dock

Catalina Island, CA

Sunset over Avalon

Catalina Island Ferry to Delray, CA

If you have been doubting what a cell phone can and cant do, just realize that all of the pictures above were taken with my cell phone. that isn't necessarily a big deal. the cameras on phones are getting very impressive, but these are all dumb phones...not a smart one in the bunch...all from "free" phones. The photos and phones all come down to the basics. Know your phone/camera and what it can and can't do in modes, effects, zoom capabilities. flash, and focus. set ups.

After The fall

Wyandotte, MI

Modes...black & white, special effects programming that you can adjust things and the such.

Effects are usually these days the photo editing apps that can be taken advantage of these days. I don't use anything more than the basics of the system. I try to get in the best position to do it in the moment. If I can't go in with the camera set to what I want to shoot I feel that I have wasted my time, or will be wasting my time later trying to correct the image to what I wanted in the first place. Why do that. Know what tools you have going in, and it will make the work that much easier...in the long run...and you will be looking for those opportunities to make memories, not just let them come. You'll be up at sunrise or out at sunset. Life will be more interesting.

Elizabeth Park walking entrance

Trenton. MI

Zoom... getting closer without getting closer. With your camera, and the zoom it may may not have there is one Small detail with these camera zooms is that they tend to be digital. Digital zooms expand the pixels, so you need to shoot with a higher pixel level, so the stretching becomes less noticeable, due to the size of the picture is larger. an optical zoom actually moves the lenses, thus moving the image closer to you. With optical zoom you have much more clarity when playing with the pictures, if you want...and far greater clarity.in the long run.

Blue Spruce

Woodhaven, MI

Flash... You might be thinking this is a simple yes/no question...it isn't. If you don't have a flash, you then to start moving people and ways of shooting around to have the light in the right place. I have been trying to tell my family all this for years, but they still shoot into the sun so nobody can see anybody faces, for they all in solute. Just shoot with the sun behind you, not them. If your lucky enough to have a flash don't be afraid to use it, but also know how far its light goes out from the camera. You normally won't be able to shoot a good picture with a flash more than a few feet away from your desired image. play & know how it works...you will start getting far better pictures when you know where you and you subjects need to be to make the camera work efficiently.

Tawas Point Lighthouse

Tawas State Park, Tawas MI

The Fernell Lens at Tawas Point Lighthouse

Tawas State Park, Tawas MI

Labor Day Sunrise over Lake Huron

On The Mackinaw Bridge

Straits Of Mackinaw, MI

Top of a sunflower

... Farm

Between Carleton & Maybee, MI

The use of a free or very cheap camera doesn't mean that you can't do great things with it. You might need to do some adjusting of the images in your computer. I take the shot, and then use my computer to tweak it back into what I actually saw that made me take the shot in the first place. My computer has, and I use windows live photo gallery to help me, when I need to.

A gander in Elizabeth Park

Trenton, MI

early Fall 2012 in Elizabeth Park

Trenton, MI

Mackinaw City Light & The Mackinaw Bridge

Mackinaw City MI

So, in conclusion, do not be afraid to shoot with that cheap camera or your phone. Just when you do, please keep in mind the basics. Know your camera, pay attention to the lighting, and where its coming from, and what your shooting...see previous postings for more on all these subjects...and enjoy.

Pinstrip...my cat ready to pounce.

A cool pic of Moffit Bridge and Maple Ridge Rd.

Rifle River Valley

Aranac Co. MI

Bridge the gaps... capturing the view of how people cross the gaps in life.

2012-08-26T19:49:00.001-04:00

Big Mac from Mackinaw City, MI

Bridge the gaps...

One of my favorite subjects to photograph are bridges. I find them interesting in so many ways, and can be captures in so many ways. You can shoot from on them, below them, down stream from them, in parts, in whole, or as art. It's all up to you, and your imagination. The important thing is getting the camera out and taking the shot.

Walking under Big Mac span

Between St Ignace & Mackinaw City, MI

Elizabeth Park bridge

Trenton, MI

Greenwood Rd Bridge over the Rifle River

Skidway Lake, MI

With bridges there are many ways to look at the structure. You can be below, on , down stream, or from a distance. The direction and angle, and setting, as seen above, can be a dramatic make or break for a shot going from just a nice picture to something very special.

Moffit Bridge w/ old digital

Along Maple Ridge Rd in Aranac Co. MI

Big Mac & Mackinaw City Lighthouse

Mackinaw City, MI Labor Day 2011

New bridge from under the old bridge over the Au Sable River

Huron National Forest between Hale & Tawas MI

When taking bridge pictures the big thing is obeying the first 5 rules I gave you, but you should also keep your shooting options open to play around. A not so interesting rust coloured rail bridge can look totally different and so much more interesting in black & white. it makes a big difference. Just see the difference from the Elizabeth Park bridges from fall colours & black & white. Night lights can also be a major difference maker to the views you can capture, too.

The Railroad Bridge over the Huron River

Between South Rockwood and Rockwood, MI

Elizabeth Park entrance bridge in Black & White

Trenton, MI

Big Mac (The Mackinaw Bridge) at night from Bridge View Park

St Ignace, MI

So, in conclusion, go out this Labor Day weekend...here in the USA...and shoot away. Walk Big mac, and take those shots of all its splendor from a view that's only available once a year. take a walk in the park or down stream, or where ever you want. Just don't be afraid to capture you own view of the beauty that comes in how we cross troubled waters, or move ourselves to a new place in life.

Go & shoot in peace.

The Boy Scout Bridge over the Rifle River

Near Skidway lake, MI

Moffit Bridge over the Rifle River

Maple Ridge Rd in Aranac Co. MI

Wood Canoe & Big Mac

Mackinaw City, MI

The old Bridge (now used for walking) over the Ausable River

Huron National Forest between Hale & Tawas MI

Morning view of the Moffit Bridge from Camp Fire Trail

Aranac Co. MI

The RailRoad Bridge over the Hron River

Between Rockwood and South Rockwood MI

Pathway bridge in Oakwood Metro Park

Van Buran Twsp, MI

B&W from the Bridge Walk

Over the Straits of Mackinaw, MI

Fireworks reminder...Detroit, MI / Windsor, ON on Monday...

2012-06-23T10:14:00.000-04:00

Detroit Freedom Festival Fireworks... June 25th this year

From Windsor, ON

Its that time of year again...at least here in the USA, and Canada. Its Fireworks time...ok, NOT in Wyandotte, MI anymore...why I moved...

Cobo Hall reflecting Freedom

Detroit, MI

The Late-great Wyandotte, MI Fireworks ;-(

Blue

Wyandotte, MI

Its easy...re-read my past postings over this and night-time photography. You really only need to need just a few things...

Oak St illuminations...

Wyandotte, MI

From Bishop Park

Wyandotte, MI

1- Fireworks. and knowing where they will be fired off, and the distance off enough from that spot to capture the full "bang" as desired.

Detroit, MI

Pre-Canada Day & July 4th Freedom Festival

Full Frame

2- Tripod. If your using a point and shoot with a fireworks setting of going "pro" with your (d)slr, a tripod is essential for stability. If your using a any camera, DO NOT let it auto set your ISO, if you can. Manually set it to 200. This will give you best "darkness" for a background for your shots, while letting the movement of the show to come out, and give that great "flower" effect.

Detroit People Mover & the 'works.

Detroit, MI

The last year in Bishop Park

Wyandotte, MI 6/2011 ;-(

3- Time. Here is the formula I use, and I ALWAYS maximize my f-stop setting... my camera of choice is f-22... then I set my speed on the camera...this is for (d)slrs...30 seconds for 1 fire-spot, 20 seconds for 2 fire-spots, and 10 seconds for 3 or more...anything more than 3 will be so spread out you'll need the time to properly catch it all. Just also remember to press the shutter button with the visible firing of the mortar...not the sound...light is much faster.

People Mover # 2

Detroit, MI

Wyandotte...again

That's it for the illuminations...

Oh, if your wanting to catch that great shot of the family with sparklers, and smaller displays, use the "night" mode on the camera...works great, because the light levels and duration can very dramatically.

No Fishing...With fireworks...anymore in Wyandotte, MI

2006

Flower Power...

2012-06-01T09:46:00.000-04:00

Its now May, so its flower time...

The Trillium Cross

Aranac Co. Michigan

The magic and Majesty of flowers has fascinated artist and man in general since the garden of Eden. It was easy back when painting was the only way to capture the true beauty of the flowers you could just paint out the flaws, or in some cases design your own flowers. Now with cameras we can do so much more.

My aunt's flowers at her Saginaw Bay farm.

Bay Co. MI

The art of shooting flowers is very individualistic like much of art. There are many ways to shoot flowers...groups, single blooms, in settings and too many others to truly elaborate on here. I plan on hitting on the foundations of all of them...Singles, groupings and settings. Ok theses are pretty much the basis of 95% of all pictures...so pay attention.

A single bloom at the Rush & Son Greenhouse (w/cell phone)

Romulus, MI

A wild configuration of Trillium's at Heaven on Earth

Rifle River Valley in Aranac Co. Michigan

Tree blooms along Oak St

Wyandotte, MI

There are a few basic ways to shoot flowers. Single bloom, small groups and in-mass.

A Wyandotte MI corn flower

Another Trillium at Heaven on Earth

Rifle River Valley Aranac Co MI

Another Wyandotte MI Bloom

In Memorial 10/2001

Vietnam Memorial Washington, DC

Cell Phone Sunflower

Monroe Co. MI

A Pine Cone and tree along Oak St

Wyandotte, MI

The single bloom pictures tend to be very popular. The key to a single bloom is the arrangement of the bloom in the picture compared to the background and the location in the picture. You usually want to center the flower in the frame, but when the back ground has interest too, then you may want to play it off to another part of the frame. When you do this, please remember the basics of composition...the rules of 3's and triangulation...see previous blogs about this. I also try not to be fooled by the "close-up" flower mode on the settings of your camera. I prefer the portrait mode, if Iam choosing. The reason is that with most flowers have a good amount of depth to the bloom, and need the extra depth of field that comes with the portrait mode compared to the close up.

Another thing I like to do is shoot into a dark(er) back ground, but I DO NOT use a flash when I do this. I want the flower to be the star of the show, so I make sure I have enough light to see the flower clearly, at a 1/60 or so setting with the camera. This gives me the deep, near black back ground without it exposing the background that a flash would expose...and can still a "texture" to the background.

fence flowers

Woodhaven, MI

pair of trillium's

Aranac Co. MI

flower shop flowers

Kent, OH

Fence end

Wyandotte, MI

Fence Gate

Sutton's Bay, MI

When shooting small groups of flowers I like to involve the background into the shot. By adding the background into the picture you bring more interest to the picture, and can bring the location of the shot into the "story" of the picture. So don't be afraid to use the flowers to create the interest in the background, or using the background to enhance the Flowers.

Cindie's garden

Trenton, MI

Blossoms along Oak St.

Wyandotte, MI

Hanging basket at the Rush & Son Greenhouse (w/cell phone)

Romulus, MI

The Bellagio Ceiling

Las Vegas, NV 6/2001

Thanksgiving grasses

Lake Erie Metro Park Gibraltar, MI

Field of wild flowers

Ogemawa, Co. MI

Mass groupings of lowers I like to set up into the frame in one of 3 ways.

The first way of the 3 is as a key part of a composition, but not the entirety, like the picture of the post ending. The flowers were/are used to both center the photo and at the same time give a depth of field. The flowers are used like the sea in a picture of a lighthouse or a boat.

The second is as a full frame grouping that fills the frame. This, unlike the small grouping full frame...flower shop picture...is that its the mass and not just 1 or 2 blooms that are intended to be the focus of the photo. The mass is the subject, not the the individual(s).

The last of the three is using a mass of blooms as just part of the subject in the picture. Using the mass of flowers to balance out the entire picture...an anchor to the composition.

Cobo Hall electric bloom (w/cell Phone)

Detroit, MI

The3rd stage Trillium

Aranac Co. MI (Mid May 2011)

Square flowers

Woodhaven, MI

cell phone

Sunrise...sunset...Do I need to say anything else?

2012-03-11T21:18:00.000-04:00

Wyandotte, MI sunrise

Sunrise...sunset...Do I need to say anything else?

The key to the best sunrise and sunset pictures is 2 things that need to come together...Time and location. OK, those are the key to all great non-studio shots. The key for these shots are truly T&L this time. You have to be there...on set...on time...at sunrise or sunset. It is a must to make it work.

Sunrise on Elbow Lake

Prescott, MI

The north tip of Grosse Ile MI from BASF park

Sunrise, Wyandotte, MI

I happen to live in the ideal state for these shots...MICHIGAN,,,both great waters to shoot sunrises that can carry fog through trees, misty lakes and ponds, great expanses of endless beaches on both the dusk & dawn sides of the state. The only bad thing is that in the summer sunrises can be at 5 am...and sunsets as late as 9:30-10 pm....ok use the rest of the day for exploring Pure Michigan...there is a lot to experience.

Sunset at the Suncoast casino

Las Vegas, NV

www.suncoastcasino.com

Sunset over Trenton MI, from Grosse Ile, MI

Sunset over frosty Monroe county MI ...cell phone

Back to topic...
The key to a great sunrise or sunset picture...other than getting up...or staying up...is to control the light cumming into the camera. You want to get as much in as you can, while still being in control of the shot. To do this I do one of 2 things. I either bring out my tripod and set the camera to shoot at the longest possible aperture (A-mode) and let the camera do its job. The other method, and my preferred...for most situations...method is to set the camera to the speed mode and I will lock it into 1/60...or even 1/45 of a second and let the camera to set the aperture. The keys to the speed setting is that you can still get a no...almost no movement in the picture at those speeds...IE: hand shakes. If you have a sillouet and/or sunset mode n your camera...use it. I don't have a problem if a person uses the tools that are given. They are great if you out with friends and want them in the shot...just remember to add the flash to the mode, or they will be just a blotch of darkness.

Guardian Angle as I left Catalina Island CA

4/2006...w/cell phone

facing east at sunset in Bishop Park in Wyandotte, MI

cell phone

A country road at sunrise along the Aranac & Ogemaw Co line

Near Skidway Lake MI

Mofit Bridge along Maple Ridge Rd

Aranac Co MI

Sunrise through the trees at Elbow lake near Skidway lake MI

Sunrise Surprise over Acme, MI

The other part of the picture is the subject. I know that many of you will be blinded by the light of the sunrise. The truly great shots can come from the mire presence of the sunrise. By just being there a little bit early or late you can get some great shots like I did of Wyandotte...see above... you can also get surrounding shots of how the light first strikes the trees over Elbow Lake. There are so many great shots that can get overlooked just because we get sun blinded. Remember sunrise after a stormy night can create an over flowing rainbow...if you just turn around.

A life boat on Grand Haven, MI beach

Sunset over Grand Haven, MI lighthouse

Avalon Casino Catalina Island, CA

Sunset over M33 near Exit 202 of I-75

Aranac Co. MI

Sunset over the Field of Dreams in Iowa

Take the time to enjoy the dawns and dusk, and everything that comes between. You never know when, as Bill Cosby would say "OK...everybody outta the pool." (God..."Noah").

Sunset over Humbug Marsh & Trenton Canel

From Grosse Ile, MI

Sunrise over Grosse Ile's Norther tip & Trenton Canel

From BASF Park

Wyandotte, MI

Sunset over a pond next to Emagin Theater

Woodhaven, MI

Sunrise over the Straits of Mackinaw

Labor Day 2012 ... from The Mackinaw Bridge

Sunset before the Freedom festival Fireworks Detroit, MI

from Windsor, ON

America's Next Top Model...Really? My venting on this "reality" show.

2012-03-03T22:37:00.000-05:00

Ok... America seems to like this blame the worker, the boss is ALWAYS right show. This show is severely flawed, down to its very premise, with the notion that the model is the reason for bad photography and bad pictures. That is absolute garbage. The models are great. I haven't found one yet that takes a bad picture...its the photographer that takes the shot, thus they are the reason for the failure of a picture.

Ms. Khaili Conway

www.khaili.com

It is the decision of the photographer what he shoots, where he shoots, what angle to shoot and when to shoot. It is all the photographers doing. The model is just the subject...the clay for the molding. All she/he needs to do is show up on time and do what the photographer ask.

? forget her name ... sorry ?

Khaili's model friend in Windsor, ON

Just because you can buy the equipment doesn't mean you should be paid for playing with it. The hacks they put these poor girls with as photographers is an insult to them...and us both as professionals and viewers...but it does explain all the crap that is out there.

Khaili & friend

Windsor, ON

Oh well, back to reality....

My nephew Jeremy

My nephew Alex

Bye...Bye

perspective of the photographer.,,,The Prayer...A true Love Story, That is...my life story...

2012-02-27T00:55:00.004-05:00

Tricia, My Passion, My Muse Aug. 1984

Jan. 2, 1966 - March 28, 2000

The persective of the photographer is a very important make up of photos that are taken, and why they are taken. The perspective I am talking about today isn't the physical, but insted the emotional. It is more times than not the emotional perspective that guides the photographer to the position from where they take their photo (s). That is why it has such an impact. I am posting the following autobiography, because it has directly, or indirectly impacted every shot I have snapped since August 1984. Enjoy.

My life story....

So you know from where I come.

This is an important part of photography...perspective of the photographer.

How it all began....

I was a kid at the time when I went to Mackinaw Island for a LCMS youth gathering for all of the High schools in the state of Michigan. We were all staying at a conference center that is now known as Mission Point Resort.

Mission Point Resourt on Mackinac Island, MI

www.missionpoint.com

I was to meet up with a friend, Wendy P. that had moved to another part of the state, but just before the gathering her dad took a call to be a Pastor way out in southern Ca. I was all alone at the opening night mixer/dance. It was being held on a dance floor on the roof of one of the buildings. The night was perfect. Full moon over looking Lake Huron and not a cloud in the sky. As I stood there all alone, missing my friend, I just said the simple prayer..."Lord, just let me find someone to dance with." I decided that I was going to ask 5 girls to dance, and if nobody said yes, I would go back to my room. I asked the first girl, she said no... I asked another, and she said she wasn't interested...the next 2 said thank you, no... The 5th girl, Teri Jerome, said no, I just want to be with my friends. I began to turn away, when a small voice came from behind the girl that turned me down, saying, "I'll dance with you."...it was Tricia. We spent the rest of the 4 days together, falling in love...teenage puppy love....

More to come....

Part 2...The time to grow...

When the days on the Island were over, we boarded our boats back to our homes, we both cried.

(Playing on a seesaw before heading home on different boats. My favorite picture of all that I have ever taken)

We wrote back and forth to each other for the next year or so. Tricia went back to her family farm in Reede City, MI. Her mom & step-dad were far from rich, and were divorced shortly after & Tricia, her mom, sister & 2 brothers moved to Lansing Mi. By this time the letters had slowed to almost nothing. Tricia was enjoying life as well as she could.

School wasn't very easy for her, she was dyslexic, She decided that she needed to get out of town, so she took a live in nanny position for a family in Texas, but that didn't go so well. It pretty much ended the letters.

I, Dan, went back home, back to Woodhaven & Carlson High school. I dated a couple of different girls, but I never saw them in the way that I could see them as my forever love. Actually I saved that for my notes & letters...I would sign them at the beginning as Friends Forever, and as things went on to Love Forever. Nothing special happened in this time period to me, except I got my first SLR. My only other life passion was sparked into full flame...Photography. I then went, sorta...commuter student, to Eastern Michigan University.

As I was working my way through school as a historical guide at The Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village, and later as a photographer for Auto Trader. Tricia was having some major problems in her life to deal with. She was walking in downtown Lansing when she had a grand maul seizure. She also came to the realization that her first expirence was really a case of date rape...she suppressed certain parts of the event. She was doing different jobs to get by, as she was taking classes at the local community college.

I was either in class, working, or on the road between school, home & work. I think I was the first real threat to the water tower...EMU students know what I'm talking about.
The fall of 1989 was going well for me. I was in school, and enjoying life. It wasn't so good for Tricia, she had a just broken up with a summertime boyfriend, she was working, but not feeling to good. She thought she had a walking flu when she was taken to the family dr. The Dr was sure it was just another case of the flu or a bad chest cold, but to be on the safe side he ordered a chest x-ray...that's when he saw it.

More to come later...

Part 3... Pair of Hearts

Tricia's Dr looked at the x-ray, with all expectation of seeing either nothing or signs of something not too major. Instead what he saw broke his heart, for he had been her Dr for a long time, What he saw was a heart that was more than twice the size it should be. Not good. She was sent to a near by cardiology dept at a local hospital. It was an infection of the heart muscle. She had no other options but a heart transplant. The long, it seemed to the family, but surprisingly short wait for a new heart began.

I was just going on with my life in 89. I was taking the summer off from having a day job that summer, so I could take a few classes that I needed. Life was good for me, except that I wasn't dating anyone. I was pathetic. I would go to sleep I would pray to see who I would marry. The funny thing is that the only person that ever came up in those dreams was a vision of a young, beautiful woman I had known for really only 3 days & hadn't talked to or heard from in years. So I brushed it off as just another crazy dream.

Tricia was now going through all the testing & doing everything the Dr.'s and her family were asking to do to keep going. She went from hospital to hospital all over the Midwest to find the right team to do the operation, if a heart came available. She at this time had met a law school student, Chris, she went out with him a couple of times, it was a good distraction for her at this time. He was there for her at the time, but her didn't like him. They knew it wasn't a good thing, but their concerns were elsewhere. The decided to stay in Michigan for the procedure, they chose the University Of Michigan Medical Center to do the job.

As the fall came & went nothing much happen for me. I was still just another EMU Huron student...this is the time period when they made the decision to changed their name to the Eagles. The funny thing is that the U of M hospital & EMU are only 10 miles apart. It was a bit strange that year for me, for some reason seemed to spend all of my free time between classes in Ann Arbor...spitting, into a strong wind, distance from the hospital...if I had only known.

Tricia at this time had been admitted to the hospital and was waiting. She was emotionally & physically at the breaking point. She was ready to "home", so one day they came in and told her & the family that they had a heart for her. Tricia turned it down. She wasn't ready for it, it was a devastating blow for the Dr.'s & the family. She just wanted to go home to heaven. Her mom & family were there for her, but she how hurt they were, so she took it to God. She said that she begged him to take her home, but she would take the next one, if it came available...almost never happens, usually they take you off the list, but they didn't think she understood what was happening, so they didn't. She did improve enough to go home from the hospital for the holidays.

I just spent the holidays with my family & went to Orlando on our Christmas brake. Nothing special.

February 14th 1990 comes along and I am all alone, nothing new for me. Just another snowy day in Michigan, as far as I was concerned. Not for Tricia.

For Tricia the day started out with her having a secluded Dr.'s appointment, but she was having a hard time finding someone to drive her there. Mom was sick, sister had to work, brothers had school & work. It came down to her grandma, she made a few calls & somehow worked it out to drive her the 70 miles, in a blizzard. At this time all the way down in North Carolina, a family of a 24 year old woman were having the worst day of their life, they lost a loved one In a car accident. With this passing, ball began to roll all around the country, The race was on.

In His time... part 4...

Yes the race was on, to get a heart from North Carolina to Ann Arbor Michigan. To get Tricia the 70 miles to n Arbor from Lansing. Normally this wouldn't be too much of a problem, but that day all of southern Michigan & northern Ohio were having a blizzard.

It was hard enough to find someone to drive her down for what everyone had thought was just to be a normal Dr appointment, not the surgery, but Tricia & her grandma were on the road heading to the hospital when they called to tell them the good news.

The Dr.'s wee having to fly down to North Carolina, and get back to Ann Arbor in just a few short hours... too much time & the heart would be useless. The flight down & everything in Carolina went fine. Things got interesting on their return...the weather caused the private plane to be diverted from Ann Arbor to Toledo Oh. About 60 miles away. It took a police escort to get the heart up US 23 to U of M medical center just in time to do the operation. As they did the surgery and were removing the enlarged heart that was so damaged that it literally fell apart in their hands. Trice said later that she could see this happen from outside herself, The new heart took over & did fine. After the surgery, when Tricia saw her mom for the first time, her mom cried, for she could see her daughter with the color of life again, for in the time she was waiting she had turned almost ash gray, everyone said. Judy (Tricia's mom) cries a river of tears of joy that Valentines day...There was never a better heart ever given to anyone for a Valentine day.

I was still just plugging away at school, deciding what to do for the rest of my life I was told that I needed to declare a major to graduate, so after some consideration & discussions with the university, we figured out that I had all but a couple of classes done in 2 separate areas... History & Sociology, great if you want to be a teacher, and deep down that is what I thought I would like to do. So, I went and talked to my dad, who had at the time been tacking for 30 years and asked him what I should do. I said, "dad, I want to be a teacher. " He said, "Please don't." He told me how it was when he came out of school and how it had changed. He didn't think it was at the time a good move for me. He was right. I would have to figure out my life later on.

Tricia on 2/21/1990 by her mom @ U of M Hospital

Tricia spent a good bit of the next few months in the hospital getting things all set with all the meds, not being able to work, having to give up her cat, and having to move out of her moms place. That last one was forced by social security rules at the time. She also decided that the guy that had been there all through this for her wasn't what she really wanted in her life. It was easy to have someone there for you when you don't see having a future, but things had changed. The hard thing was that he didn't want to accept this, so he went back to his home in New Jersey, but somehow continued to call & stalk her. With all of this happening & all the medications she was now on, depression soon set in.

I on the other had had found a great summer job that paid me just to drive around & take pictures of people selling their cars, boats, & other stuff...I worked for Auto Trader, I made over $8K that summer & fall...and back in 1990 that could pay for a lot of school & other stuff. I was going to take a real spring break. I was going to go on a Windjammer Barefoot Cruise.

It was January, now and the day that I couldn't get my deposit back on my trip had just passed. I had been up at school all day & got home (parents) after 10 pm. I was so tired just fell fast asleep on the couch, my mom through a blanket over me, and turned off the ringer on the phone. Around 2 am my mom came downstairs & woke me up....

Part 5...His time comes....

Mom came down & woke me up to tell me that she just got a call from a girl named Tricia, and she said she met me at Mackinaw Island. She just wanted to see if the number she found in some old letters was still a good number for me. She also asked her to tell me that she had had a heart transplant, and that she was o, but would like me to call her if I got a chance. After about a 1/2 hour...about 2:30 am...I couldn't wait to talk to her. I was on the phone that morning for more than 2 hours. We decided to meet a couple o days later in Lansing, where she was living. I had never been to Lansing before. I got lost trying to find her apartment. When I finally found it she came down to meet me & we went across the street to her mom & sisters place...the sister that turned me down for a dance. She actually told Tricia, before I came up that she thought I was a great guy.

So I met the mom on the first time I see Tricia in 7 years. We went out to see a movie, and dinner, we sat & talked, caught up some more, and just had a great time. I called her when I got back home, 2 hours later...about midnight, we talked for a while longer & talked each day for the next week by phone & I drove the drive another time just to be with her, to be her friend.

We then after a couple more trips up to Lansing, she came back for a weekend to meet my family & to where I lived. We were just really good friends, at the time, we ha a passion for each other that went beyond anything either of us had ever experienced. I actually did something just as we were pulling out heading back to her home, when I asked her for I was already knowing where I thought we were heading, so I asked her "Hypothetically, if I asked you to marry me, what would be your answer?' she just said I cant say yes yet. We held hands all the way back. Life was good getting better.

We thought everything was going perfectly, until we got into her apartment to see 20 messages on her phone, all from her old boyfriend from New Jersey. 20 calls in about 40 hours...there were probably more, but he ran out the recording time & counter. If you have ever heard the crazy, scary crazy stuff people can say. He called just as we were walking in. she took the call & even though I was standing 10 feet away I could sill here him clearly. It took her over 20 minutes to tell him off. He hung up finally.

For the next couple of weeks, as we drew closer, he didn't stop calling & doing as much ha rrssament as you could do from New Jersey in the early 90's. We were both praying that something would bring his harassment to an end. We didn't think it would be an end like it turned out to be. He just upped & died on the golf course, while playing in New Jersey. Tricia found out from his mom. They actually liked each other They both relaxed that the nightmare of what Chris was doing was finally over for Tricia, but it was still a sad day for her, so when she called to tell me, I drove right up to comfort her. That night, with all the emotions in the air we finally let our passion go to full bloom, it was my first time.

June was now approaching, I cashed in my cruise, so I could finish up my studies as soon as I could...I finished all my classes by August that year. We got a bit of a scare when she thought she was late, so when she went in for standard Doctors exam for her, they did a test for her. (We bought the wrong size one day...too small to even get on at all.) We had talked through our options as I drove her back to her home, before one of my evening classes. She was going to have the results by mid class break. I took my 15 min break to call her. She told me that she wasn't, it sorta broke both of our hearts that she wasn't. I though was wasn't going to stop loving her, I was actually just beginning to love her, so I decided to just do it...to ask her again, with out any hypatheticals, so I said "Tricia, will you..." She was yelling in the phone yes, yes, yes. I was stuck, happily, with what question I was asking.

Part 6...Happily after all...

So, I had to ask it..

We got engaged between classes for me, over the phone & without the question, at the time, ever being asked. Life is good. I went home happy, and told my mom what had happened. The first thing she said wasn't that we needed to get a ring now. So we did the next time we saw each other. We went to the local mall, foe we saw a few there the last time we went shopping. We went in & I told her to get what ever she wanted, so she went around the store, looking at all the rings & came across what was one of the smallest diamond solitaires they had, 1/4 karat. Its what she wanted, she had small hands & she didn't want it to be too big for her to live with. It was all her. As we were waiting for all the paperwork to get done, this was 1991, we saw & both of us entered a drawing they were having for a $500 shopping spree, it was something to pass the time. We then drove back to my parents.. home & showed the ring to my mom & sister, they went all goo-eyed over it. Everything was good, them my godmother & uncle invited us over, they had heard that she had accepted, & wanted to see the happy couple. We didn't think too much of it, it was just my godmother & uncle. Two very special people to me, for outside of her being my godmother, which is a very important position to Lutherans, because of the sacrament of baptism. It was also that my Uncle Nick was a survivor. He had come over after the was a young man & done a few things, including a jeweler. He did something at his retirement, from being a jeweler, 20 years before. He put away for all of his nieces & nephews, if they wanted them, engagement rigs. We were the last of them. The ring that Tricia chose, somehow, was a perfect match for the rings that had been waiting for u for 20 years. They are he rings I have around my neck in my profile picture.

The following months went by way too fast, but good times always do. I graduated from college, My 7-day-older cousin, best friend, fell in love with a special country girl. Her & Tricia became good friends. So the 4 of us were running around southern Michigan that summer as happy & carefree as 2 couples could.

There was only one small hick-up that year, After the scare & much discussion between the Dr.'s, our families, & ourselves. Tricia & I had to make a very hard & heart-breaking decision. We couldn't have kids. I sill cry every fathers day that I never could be the father of Tricia's kids & the more painful realization that she couldn't be a mother to my kids. The risk for Tricia, the baby, or both to die, or worse...sever birth defects were the reverse of the Mega-Millions odds. Some times it's just not meant to be.

The seasons passed quickly, We spent Christmas / New years in Florida, where we had Tricia's birthday...Jan 2nd...Life Was good.

Cousin Rusty got married on Valentine's Day, so we spent her 2nd anniversary of her transplant at a church watching 2 o our best friends get married. They still are & have a brood now running around Texas. Tricia didn't quite understand why, but she was feeling real bad that she wasn't sharing the day with her mom & family. She talked herself into believing that we would make it up next year. We were now deep into the prep for our wedding, set for May 16, 1992.... We had the church, the hall, the best man & maid of honor...we had almost everything. We were just missing 2 things.

1) Presents for the bride..s maids. Tricia really wanted to get them all something special, just from her alone. She was stumped at what she could do for them, then just a couple of weeks before the big day we get a call from the place where we bought her ring. She had won the shopping spree...Tricia had won $500 for anything she wanted in the store, so she got all of the girls in the wedding, flower girl to maid of Honor, and Tricia's mom all had new matching real pearl earrings. My sister wore hers on her wedding day; my niece wore hers to her graduation just last year. From not having anything for them, to all of them having heirlooms to b passed on for generations to come.

2) We were also wondering why the minister that was to officiate wasn't getting back to us on what we needed to work on to help make our marriage a success. So a sunday a couple of weeks before the big day, all he could say was that there was only one area that we needed to work on...money, and the only reason why we needed to work on that is the fact that we didn't have any.

The Wedding day came & it was beautiful It was in the mid to upper 80's & sunny in Lansing. To keep me & the guys happy us guys went out to a local golf course, and played around. There were about 20 of us in all out playing that morning, and I did the only thing I remembered of the whole day, I chipped in for birdie. Tricia, on the other hand was not feeling too good. She had a bad case of the flu. It was still the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. Life was good...very good...My dreams & Prayers had been answered...and in ways far beyond my wildest dreams.

....

Later that year, life threw us a nasty cure, Tricia's mom died unexpectedly. She was only 46.

>>>>

The following 7 years were full great joy, but not wealth for us. We lived life to the fullest, a diabetic & heart transplant couple could. Neither of us had any major health problems, we just enjoyed every day we had together. I found that my greatest moments of my life were the times I watched Tricia live hers.

:-( :- ( :- ( :- (

Tricia passed on to The Promised Land at 7:09 am March 28, 2000.

Life is good...because HE lives, and so does Tricia. She's just waiting for me.
This is my life story, and inspiration to take the best pics I can. I will work on adding pics to it soon...tech problems when I brought it over to the blog.

Dan Thompson
..........................................

HERE IT IS...

How I know she's alright....she sorta told me...

The night she died, I went to my mom & dad's for a couple of days, as we got everything taken care of with the arrangements. I dozed off on their sofa, again. I woke up & couldn't get back to sleep, it was about 3 am, again. I was flipping through the channels on their TV...a new 36"...when I came across CMT. The remote came to a dead stop. It would not go up or down the dial. The song that was playing was a song called "She's More"...by ???. The very next song was a little tune that runs 3:16 long..."I'm Alright"...It has a part of it that goes..."The skies has cleared, the sun is bright, I'm with a friend, and I'm alright..." As soon as the song was over, the remote went back to working just fine.

********************************************

Peace

Dan

From www.LHM.org daily devotions

Rebuilding the Ruins"

July 8, 2006

"I will ... restore its ruins, and built it as it used to be." Amos 9:11

Constantine's Arch is a tourist attraction in Rome. Unlike many such monuments, it was not built of new material. Constantine, the first Christian emperor, used the ruins of ancient Rome to build his triumphal arch. It stands as a symbol of a Christian empire rising from pagan rubble.

Joseph's life was in ruins. His own brothers had turned on him, and he faced a bleak future as a slave in Egypt. But when Joseph could no longer control his life, God stepped in. And Joseph became a great man who saved many people, including his own family.

God delights in taking the ruins of our lives and rebuilding them into His temple. It's when, by God's grace, we see our utter helplessness that we let Him take over. And as we give our lives to Him, He takes those broken stones and one by one, step by step, builds a beautiful cathedral, a life dedicated to His worship and praise.

Today I take the rubble of my life -- the willfully destroyed relationship, the pride that won't let me admit I made a mistake, the jealousy that has replaced love with hate -- and bring it to Christ for forgiveness and rebuilding. He delights in making a temple out of me!

PRAYER: Direct Your steps, O Lord, to the ruins I make of my life, and work Your salvation in the midst of them; in Jesus' name. Amen.

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I still cry myself to sleep some nights, when I can get to sleep...only out of exaustion, please pray for me.

She's waiting for me now...

Mirror, mirror....reflections and how to make them specialror.

2012-02-11T20:42:00.002-05:00

Mirror mirror on the wall...How can I capture it all?

A lake in Prescott, MI

Reflections can make some great images in many different ways. You can get perfect mirror images, some cool distorted or what I "grained: just makes the image reflections. or just the subject reflected. its all up to you, and each has its own considerations to think about when shooting.

Across Elbow Lake between Skidway Lake & Prescott, MI

Down the Mall in Washington DC

A Dam Bridge along the As Sable River in the Huron Nat Forrest

Lakes & Ponds are great for these shots. they give you some of the most important elements for the reflective pictures. Most notable of these elements is an edge between the subject and the reflection. This may seem a bit strange, but that break point, for some reason, makes the viewer more comfortable with it. It comes off more natural to us. This is a good thing, because it gives you a good base for your creativity in the shot.

Bishop Park Pier on The Detroit River

Wyandotte, MI

Elezabeth Park Bridge

Trenton, MI

At the bottom of High Banks on the Rifle Riveer

Ogamaw Co. MI

Down Stream form H.O.E. along the Rifel River

Aranac Co. MI

One of the more interesting things I find in doing reflections is something I really like...distorted reflections by movement of the water. Rivers and streams are great for this. The best way to capture both of these water based reflections is with a Tripod and the (A)perture (F-max to your camera setting mode). If a tripod isn't available I will settle for a 1/45 second speed (or as close as possible) in the speed setting mode. This use of the camera will maximize depth of field in the pictures.

Sunset over the Trenton Cannel & Elezabeth Park

From Grosse Ile, MI

The Huron River in Lower Huron River Metro Park

New boston, MI

Lake Belleville

Belleville, MI

Tawas Lighthouse in Tawas State Park

Tawas, MI

Another thing I like to have in a lot of my shots is what I call "grit". Grit is the stuff in the water that just there. They can actual make the picture so much more interesting than if it was a perfectly clean reflection image. Grit is good.

Rifle River...I think...Aranac Co. MI

Tree reflections from Island Park

Eaton Rapids, MI

Another treat way to play with reflections is to just shoot the reflected subject as the subject. This is a great way to capture some real cool abstracts...especially with choppy waters. I set my camera to faster speed, because the depth of field isn't as important. The image your shooting tends to be either as flat as a wall or almost that flat. that is why f-stop setting aren't much of a concern.

Back Side of Skidway Lake

Skidway, Lake, MI

Santa Monica Pier

Santa Monica, CA

Dock in Lake Erie Metro Park

Gibraltar, MI

Here is my final note on "Mirror" shots...
Bathroom mirror shots...that so many use for their profiles...should be a last resort shot...then NEVER...with a flash. Have timer delay on camera...USE IT. I don't take these pictures.

If you can see you or the camera in the mirror, you will see it in the picture. You should either change your position to the mirror or move the mirror. I shot mirror pictures everyday when I was running the portrait studio...that's why I don't have a great one to share...I got burned out with them, and I sold all of them i took...sorry.

Lincoln Memorial

Washington, DC

Huron River Delta 11/2006

Gibraltar, MI

Birds on the Stevensville, MI beach

Tlted view of the huron River near South Rockwood, MI

Not quite whole...Why do we need to see it all?

2012-01-21T19:54:00.000-05:00

3 Windows

Part of a Reed City MI Barn

Why do we need to see it all?

Carousel Pony

Belle Isle Conservatory

Detroit, MI

Have you ever seen something that you thought ....Wow that's cool, but only part of it. Take that shot. Don't be afraid to self edit the shot. Since there tends to be unseen parts of everything in pictures anyway, why not use this fact to your advantage?

Branch & Web

Reed City, MI

A parked Chevy in Wyandotte, MI

I find it very interesting to shoot only part of something. There are shapes surfaces and/or purely special parts alone of an object that just call out to be shot for their own sake. I try to capture their longing. When done right, they can be art on their own.

Fog & tree

Aranac Co. MI

A car at the The Downriver Cruise

Southgate, MI

A Lafayette, IN window

So take the time and look deeper and closer to find the real beauty in the subjects you shoot.

A door mail slot in Toledo, OH

Who needs it...Color that is...

2012-01-07T13:27:00.000-05:00

A farm view from Maple Ridge Rd.

Aranac Co. MI

The wonders of color are great, but the magic of Black & White is something special to photographers. When you can look past the reds, blue, and greens to the tones that they are made of does something inside you that makes you think. I find it stimulating.

Iargo Springs Huron National Forrest

between Hale and Tawas MI

Virgina Thompson (grandma) back in 1992

Miss you :(

I have shot many of the same things in both black and white and colour. I find that when I decide to do the black & white pictures it forces me to reevaluate the view of the world for that shot. I am not just looking at what I see but how I see it. Do I see it dark and foreboding, or light and bright with hope. Is it just part of a story, or is it the whole story. What is beyond the reflected light to the reflective light. Past colour, down to tone. I think that is why so many people love Ansel Adams work.

Waterfall Pictured Racks National Lakeshore

Munising, MI (The UP)

The As Sable River, down the path from Iargo Springs.

Huron National Forest

Between Hale & Tawas, MI

Black and White is a much easier to play with method of photography today than ever before, but way to under used. I'll admit that I don't shoot it the amount I should. the big thing that it has done for me is forced me into looking at the world completely differently than just what is presented to me on the surface, but insted I now look for deeper meaning, and "tonal" balance to life. This doesn't change the object of my view, but it does change my view of it. I tend not to see a glass half full or half empty, but as a a half glass. You start to force yourself to think much deeper than you ever did before.

Elizabeth Park grove

Trenton, MI

Old barn along Maple Ridge Rd

Aranac Co. MI

When you look at a subject for a picture and you are thinking colours aren't great, but there is something I just like about this. This is when you go and play with the B&W. If you are going out to an older spot to shoot, like a farm, a outdoor museum (like Greenfield Village...Dearborn, MI, or a old west/ghost town) or on vacation and are driving by an old battle field...these are all ideal places to play with the Black & White settings of the camera or phone your shooting. You'll be amazed at how quickly you will be looking at the world in a totally different way than ever before.

Late Fall Tree

Reed City, MI

The major deal with shooting in Black & White is to look past the color and look for the light. What I mean by this is that the key to the shot is all in the variations in the darks and lights of the subject. How the light falls...where the shadows fall...where and how it all comes together...or doesn't. Look past the color and into the light...or dark of what you are seeing. Once you can see the light of the world, it get much easier to see the world.

Twisted

Hillsdale, MI

Miners Falls in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

Munising, MI

Fog on a U.P. pond

Between Escanaba & Munising, MI

Tricia & I at Cedar Point in their old time portrait studio.

Sanduski, OH 1992

Walking bridge entrance to Elizabeth Park

Trenton, MI

Pathway at the Detroit Zoo

Royal Oak, MI

The Lighthouse at Tawas Point

Tawas State park

Tawas, MI

The Railroad bridge over the Huron River

Between South Rockwood & Rockwood MI

Thanks again for stopping by...

Dan Thompson

You better think...Rule 5...Think about it.

2011-12-31T20:04:00.001-05:00

Carnival in Lincoln Park, MI

Ok, it seems almost too easy, but how many times have you just picked up the camera and fired away...only to think later I just wish I had done this or that afterward. How do I know that this can be a big issue...I've done it too.

Bear and Butterfly at the Detroit Zoo

Royal Oak, MI

The boy scouts have it right..."Be Prepared." It is so important to taking great shots. I don't go out into a situation with out considering what I can be shooting. I go to the Detroit Zoo with both my standard portrait zoom (35mm-80mm) along with my big zoom (70mm-300mm) that I use for big exhibits, such as the bears. This allows me to shoot everything from a bear 70+ feet away but seemingly just he's almost on top of you or a butterfly not an arms length away. Its important to plan ahead, then your not going to be regretting it later. I carry my portrait lens for most family gatherings alone, because I know that I won't be in need of the bigger zoom. If I have an event where I cant get close, such as a kids performance for church or school I will get the big zoom out and plan to be further away with a clean, unobstructed view. I can actually end up with pictures you would swear I was in the front row, if you didn't know better. Just take the time and be properly prepared.

Only on Labor Day...Mackinaw Bridge

Between Mackinaw City & St Ignace, MI

Skidway Lake...Skidway Lake, MI

The third faze of the Trillium

Along the Rifle River in Aranac Co. MI

A Sail boat and The Benton Harbor Lighthouse

Ok, when I think about prepping for a shot that sometimes means thinking months in advance, like for certain times of the year where certain flowers or events happen. You need to do this some times. There are other times that the shot is just there, so keep a camera ready. This is much easier than it use to be with cell phones. Either way the picture comes to you take advantage of it.

Looking for those that died the day I was born on the Vietnam Memorial

Washington DC 10/2001

the Washington Memorial from The Lincoln Memorial

Washington DC 10/2001

The other thing you should be thinking about is what you see & how you can make it as interesting as possible. I like to sometimes alter the point of view of the camera to make it more interesting than the standard shots. I have taken more than one self portrait in a subject, just to make the viewer think, too. I like to turn some subjects on their sides...almost. I like to make people look at the world different, sometimes.

The Pointe Aux Barques Lighthouse

Port Hope, Michigan

A 52 year old Christmas ornament of my parents.

A Chevy pick up parked in Wyandotte, MI

I just ask you to think about your shots and how your using your camera. It doesn't need to be much... move a step right or left...zoom in or zoom out...shoot only part of the subject...choose when to shoot the the picture...taking the subject out of focus intentionally...or just turning the camera for a unique point of view.

A Forest of lite trees Bronner's CHRISTmas store

Frankenmuth, MI

So don't be afraid to think...out of the box. That is what will make your pictures yours.

Reed City MI barn Windows

Thank you again for stopping by...
Dan Thompson

Night Lights...Rule 4 continued into the low light of the night.

2011-12-25T08:41:00.002-05:00

Mackinaw Bridge from St Ingnas, MI

Shooting in low light of night isn't as hard to get those great motion shots as you might think. You just need the right equipment and the time to do it.

The Dancing waters of Las Vegas

The real key to begin with is to think of what you want in the shot, what you are shooting and what your shooting with...the camera. What I mean by this is the times when we go to concerts or other night events where everybody thinks that their little camera's flash will make it all the way down from the bleachers to the center court or the concert stage. It wont. If your lucky it may get 20...30...or a real powerful flash 50 feet. after that its just darkness. Better to know your camera, and how to use the big 3 of night photography...ISO("film" speed), Aperture (f-Stop), and speed settings. With these...of which the last 2 are more interchangeable wth slr & Dslr cameras.

A Carnival ride in Wyandotte, MI

If you have a digital Point &Shoot have a special mode called Fireworks that does manipulate these areas to create a motion picture...moving traffic, waterfalls and fireworks. Personally I like that your not as limited, but having to live with the outcome of the camera's decisions bothers me too much not to bring a Dslr & tripod to the event. That's just me, but if its all you have grab your beanbag or tripod and shoot away.

Iargo Springs in Huron National Forest

Between Hale & Tawas MI

When I go out to shoot night or low light pictures I always have my tripod. I also will be shooting most of the pictures in the A-mode set to the highest f-stop available. The reason is that I am seeking depth of field...as much as possible in focus...for the picture is to make it as spectacular as possible.

Miners Falls in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

Munising, MI

I do let my camera control the speed setting for the picture when I am in a set situation. The systems today do a pretty good reading of the light levels, so you can feel pretty comfortable in the calculations that way. It can leave you with amazing shots.

Lisa Loeb in concert 7/3/2006 at Suncoast Casino Las Vegas, NV

www.lisaloeb.com

Some Night pictures are a matter of knowing to mess with the ISO settings. I was at an outside concert late at night that said no flash photography, and I happened to be close enough to the stage to be able to get some nice shots. I just boosted the ISO setting to 400+ setting, and locked in the speed setting to 1/45 second and then didn't push the button till I got a f-stop reading other than low. It worked.

A carousel pony while in Lincoln Park, MI

If you can use a flash at night just keep in mind what you are shooting, and how it sits in the overall picture. by not keeping this in mind when you are using the camera can leave you standing, many times in front of a bunch of black night instead of the real background you are in front of. This is when you add the flash to your night setting...have a tripod or beanbag handy...because many of todays cameras will keep the shutter open to catch that backlight. Use these modes, when you can.

Freedom Festival Fireworks from Windsor, ON

For me, and may photographers the true test of your skills as a camera person is the fireworks photo. The reason is that it takes time, talent, planning, hope, and some basic knowledge...sorta like geometry or algebra...sorry dad for the comparison. The photography isn't the hard part. The equation isn't hard... f-22+ @ 30 seconds for one blast area and subtract 10 seconds for every other blasting zone...leaving a minimum of 10 seconds for the shot no matter the number over 3. USE A TRIPOD for this. It makes the shot possible. The rest is up to you. You need to know where they launch from. You need to be aware of other lights. You need decide if you want the full shot or just the boom. Thats you. I have given you the numbers. Now it is your toy to enjoy...

Wyandotte's last fireworks :-( ...per the Torrey city council...boo

Wyandotte MI 2011

The Detroit People Mover & the Freedom Festival Fireworks

Reflected Freedom

Cobo hall Detroit, MI

Exploding Oak St

2007 Wyandotte, MI

So it is possible to shoot a good picture in the dark. Just need to use what light you have, and be patient in its crafting. Now get a tripod and a reflective vest and enjoy the Dark...

Merry Christmas...HE HAS COME!

Carnival Carousel

Lighting up my life...Rule 4...Use the flash...and the sun.

2011-12-20T08:52:00.003-05:00

Rule 4...Use the flash...and the sun.

Sunset over the Grand Haven lighthouse...Grand Haven, MI

The use of light is what makes a photograph even possible. How we use it can dramatically influence what we see, and how we see it. Remember the optical illusions we all grew up with. All a matter of how we manipulate it determines what we see.

Flowers at my Aunt's home near Bay City, MI

Its easy to decide on what to shoot, but understanding the lighting aspect can either make it a shot to remember and take great pleasure in, or just another gee the camera didn't really capture it...moment. Where the sun is, or isn't can dramatically effect the image.

A Monroe Co. MI barn window...from the inside.

When you shoot into the light...back lit...can create a silhouette. Some cameras actually have a mode for this, to help you create this image. Its popular for sunset and travel pictures. Its not so for most people shots.

Leaving Elbow Lake

Skidway Lake, MI

The issue arises because many, if not most or all cameras read the total light levels, not where the light is coming from. It doesn't think...You need to do that, and to remember to set the fill flash on these shots. Yesterday was my family get together. I never turned the fill flash off. Too much light pollution. I needed to control the source of the dominate lighting...besides, most cameras today calculate these inputs unto their settings for the shot. Yea.

Tricia & our nephew Alex...

sorry an older pic that was scanned in.

Big window w/lots light...flash used.

Sunset over M33 @ Maple Ridge rd Aranac Co. MI

When I have side light or shadows I have to decide on what I think will be a better picture. That is, does the sun & shadows make the subject more interesting, or do I want to eliminate them. If you like the shadows and the way the light is coming into the subject, then just shoot. If you like the shot, but don't like ut, but still want the background and the overall image add the flash.

Taquanama Falls near Paradise MI

If you are planing on taking pictures of landscapes and still life nature plan for it. Find out if the place you want to shoot is facing east or west, so you can plan on having the sun in the right place so it is backing you up...not standing in the way of your shot. east facing subjects in the morning, and west facing in the afternoon. Also waterfall pics you want either near sunrise or sunset or overcast sky's. The reason for this is that you want to set up your tripod (or beanbag) set it to A-mode (aperture) to the highest lens setting (f-22 or higher) with the goal of 1/8 of a second or more for that moving water effect.

Trenton MI Flower

Most outdoor pics i will set it to S-mode (speed) and set it at either 1/45 or 1/60 of a second. The reason is that it will maximize the f-stop (aperture) to give me the best depth of field for the picture. For close-ups and portraits you want to either use the portrait or close up mode on the camera, if you have it. They are good for this...use it. If you just want to play around...take the f-stop down, in A-mode, to the point where the speed reads too high, then bring it back to a numbered speed level...the fire away.

Elbow Lake post

Skidway Lake, MI

I will do another blog on night shots sepratley.

Sun through a tree on Hidden Lake

Prescott / Skidway Lake MI

Carousel Horse at a carnival in Lincoln Park, MI

Light Speckled Road

Prescott / Skidway Lake Area, MI

Please answer the poll questions. They are designed to show me where I should be going in future postings. Thank you again for stopping by...

Dan Thompson

Loose those photo 10 lbs...add on to Rule 3

2011-12-13T21:01:00.003-05:00

Ok, its not a diet. Just a quick tip for not looking bigger then you, or they are. Turn the body of the subject...I like 25-50 degrees...even if its just the shoulders. This creates the illusion of depth, but also reduces the withe of the subject. This gives a more natural feel to the picture and also allows you to bring more people into the frame. I also like to group people in a manor as to form triangle diamond and or mountain range spacing in groupings of individuals.

My Tricia, by her mother...we think...I learned alot from Judy Reynolds

Rest in HIS Peace...Both of you...

Ms. Khaili Conway

www.khaili.com

Teri, Dale, Me, and Rick...my Chosen family

Tricia & me

You can add that same sense of perspective with a face on photo by using the background angling...see my self portrait above.

Please answer the poll questions. They are designed to show me where I should be going in future postings. Thank you again for stopping by...

Dan Thompson & the advertisers.

Happy Shooting...
Happy Holidays.

Great Shots begin now...Rule 3 - Fill the frame...

2011-12-12T09:24:00.002-05:00

Fill the frame.
Ok that was a hard lesson. Fill it. Fill it with something or nothing. Just don't over fill it.
You can fill the frame with either positive space...that is the main object of the picture. This can take up some to all of the picture. I suggest that if it is the main part of the intended picture, then fill the frame with it. Zoom in, or out to fill the frame. That's why you have a flash, and/or move closer to the subject of the picture...all the parents snapping pictures at their kids activities. Do it. Sometimes zooming out is as important...like a field of flowers, compared to just one.

Trillium Cross Aranac Co MI

Post and flowers in Trenton, MI

Now its time to go negative. This is the non subject space of a picture. I have used brick walls that are 70% of the picture as negative space, because i liked the interplay...its a big part of my self portrait on top of the page. Its the context giver to a photo. There are many times that the negative space is the picture.

Wall & window in Wyandotte, MI

Moffit Bridge over The Rifle River in Aranac County from Campfire Trail

Now to .positioning for a great shot is never an accident for me. I put myself in the best possible It isn't hard...find the view you think you want and shoot it. I have thought of pictures I plan to take for weeks and months, just waiting for the right shot & time. I have also had great snap-shots, but even those were not luck.

Nephew Nate Shooting me...

Think before you shoot.

Here is a pre-CHRISTmas gift...
The rule of 3rds and triangles.

With a good number of digital cameras I have seen a 9 box grid that is designed for you to line up your pictures. Use It! Most great pictures have a either a strong connection to triangular spacing and/or thirding of the picture...like folding paper. If you can keep this in mind, your pictures will be so much better off for it.

Elbow lake in the community of Skidway Lake, MI

Sunset over the Field of Dreams in Iowa

trees along The Rifle River in Aranac Co. MI

Please answer the poll questions. They are designed to show me where I should be going in future postings. Thank you again for stopping by...

Dan Thompson & the advertisers.

The TOYS...Rule 2...continued...accessories.

2011-12-10T20:32:00.001-05:00

When we last left I had gone over the basics of cameras in general. The final decision on what camera you do choose, I feel, you need to get your hands on one before you buy one. The camera should feel good in your hands, and you should be able to switch easily between modes, controls and all the other parts of the camera relative easily. You need to feel comfortable with your choice.

neighbor fishing in The Rifle River Aranac Co MI

That said...now to the extras...
Lenses
Flashes
Tripods
and
other stuff

These items can make a big differences in your pictures. The accessories can change your pictures, how you take them, what you shoot, and what you'll have in your galleries to come. Each one of the above list will take you into a new photo experience. Just a quick note...most of the following will have their greatest impact when working with a Dslr system. If you have the money, and are reading this, there is a good chance you'll get there sooner or later, so you should know it anyways.

A pair of Fox pups @ Tawas Point State Park Tawas MI

Close up of a car at the Downriver cuise Southgate, MI

Lenses...The final determining factor in many pictures. They can bring things closer, like the fox pups who were more than 75' away from me as I shot them playing. or you can get so close you can shoot the very back of an eye ball...sorry not showing any pics of that...lets just say...not a pretty pic of me. Lenses can be fish-eye, Zoom, fixed, auto focus or or just there. The choice of lens can change the world...or at least your view of it. Here are a few basics about lenses that people need to know.

Cell phone 33rd District court Woodhaven, MI

1- The lens size is important. The bigger the glass, and better cut, the better the picture will be. Its not an accident that the pros use cameras with high quality glass. It just works better. The P&S's can still do great for you, just realize that you tend to get what you pay for. Make it real simple on your self and buy quality. In P&S's this means, for the most part buy the name. Stay with the big boys...Nikon, Olympus, Canon, Sony (formally Minolta), Panasonic (Lumix) or anything with a Zeiss or Leica lens...and you should be OK.

Fall splendor of an Ogamaw Co MI tree

2- They label to the public P&S's zoom capability's differently. They tell you How much larger the object you are aiming at will seem compared to normal vision. Nikon is advertising their line this year this very way with claims on some of their cameras as high as 20x (20 times) closer. this labeling comes from the world of binoculars and shooting scopes. The thing to look out for is, again, optical (actual through the lens) and digital (manipulated by the processor) zoom. I will always prefer optical over digital, if possible...for you can always do even more digitally, if need be, later off the optically zoomed image, with less degradation...pixelization.

3- The Dslr zooms are normally given labels to dimensions in their manufacturing and/or scaling of the image related to past standards. Most Dslr base cameras come with a starter zoom lens. mostly a 18mm-55mm. This just happens to be very close in range to most P&S cameras. The major difference is that you can change out Dslr lenses as desired for your need. You can go fish-eye to an almost unlimited lens length. There are even a few telescope and microscope companies that are adaptable for Dslr's. With the right zoom you can see atoms or solar systems, now a days. Almost forgot...many Dslr companies have designed into their systems the ability to use older lenses. Please check it out with the makers.

Flashes...The portable sun. They can make most missed shots better. Most people make the mistake in thinking that their camera is smart. They are not. They read light levels, not where the light is coming from. The most made mistake, by people, is made when they rely on their camera to know to flash on people standing with the light coming from the rear...the silouets of the family standing in front of the picture window. Just force the issue...turn the fill flash on. then the camera can make the adjustments, but now with proper lighting. Same with side sun shots...it eliminates the shadows.

Ms. Khaili Conway

www.khaili.com

Now that I have that off my chest...lets get back to flashes. Most cameras...including more & more cell phones have a built in flash . these are great and for 90% of the people out there these will be more than enough. The only thing I would want you to do is to take a piece of clear tape and either a drop of white out or sized to fit tissue paper and tape over your flash with the tissue paper or white out the tape...tissue under tape...white out over the tape. What you've done is created a defuserr...the big studio umbrella... and this will soften the flash sightly & severely reduce red-eye. Another quick tip... try to shoot your portrait pics horizontally instead of vertical. The verticals in a confined area will cause aquard shadows, unless you have a slave to add an additional burst of light in those shadow cast areas.

Clinging vine in the deep woods of Aranac Co. MI

Detroit's people mover & freedom festival Fireworks

Miners Falls Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore Munising, MI

The last part of this posting is the odds and ends that should thought of as part of a photographer's tool chest. These include the following...

1- Camera Bag....Keep it simple. Buy one that will hold all of your need to carry stuff...flashes, extra lenses, filters, any cords, batteries and chargers, and storage devices...extra film or data cards.

2- Filters...These are "lenses for the lenses that can alter the colour you will see in your pictures...that blue fog in many movies is a filter effect. Better to do with a computer for that type of effect. Effect filters will give you some interesting options to work into your pictures...star filters. I don't use these. The only 2 filters I use are polarized and UV. I never take the UV off my lenses...they add protection and gives a truer image. The polarized is like sunglasses for your camera, so it is great for high glare situations....so here is another great tip for P&S users...buy a cheap polarized pair of sunglasses and shoot through them for snow and sea shots.

3- Computer... Do I need to tell you how much you can do with a computer to play with the images. I try to keep my pictures as clean and untouched by the computer as possible, but I will play with the brightness and other minor adjustments. What you want to do with your pics is up to you.

Sana Monica Pier 4/2006 Sana Monica CA

Lisa Loeb in concert 7/3/2006 @ Suncoast Casino Las Vegas NV

www.lisaloeb.com

In conclusion, here is my idea of what everyone wanting to take great pictures with their Dslr are...

Dslr body... preferably by a name brand producer.

18mm-55mm & 55mm-300mm lenses...the extra length on the 300 is worth every penny with the prices out there today

UV filters for all lenses...polarizers in the bag...see above.

extra storage...never have enough film as old photographers say.

Tripod with a tilt to vertical top, and quick release. Don't forget a beanbag for when a tripod isn't available.

That's it for the hardware part of the series. With the next posting we break into technique.

Another Carnival in Lincoln Park, MI

Please answer the poll questions. They are designed to show me where I should be going in future postings. Thank you again for stopping by...

Dan Thompson & the advertisers.

Knowlege is Power...Rule 2 - Know your camera....

2011-12-08T08:02:00.003-05:00

Know your camera...

Seems like an easy thing to do. Its a cell phone, point & shoot, or Single Lens Reflex (slr). It is either film or digital. These are the basics.

Camera Types

Need to know terms (basic information)

Popular additional equipment

So here is a brief description of each of the above cameras.

CELL PHONES

Oscoda, MI beach walk

Monroe co. MI sunflower

Elizabeth Park Trenton, MI

Cell phones. These are the newest and becoming the most widely used cameras on the market. The key to these is knowing what gadgets they have put into the phone. Some of these can shoot 3D pictures and video. Others are now claiming to be as good as a point and shoot camera, and can include a flash. Thee are not bad cameras, you just need to know what you can and can't do with yours. I can shoot fixed length (no real zoom) pictures. I can shoot black & white, sepia tone ( brownish toned, old style looking pictures) and a few other options. I can do some limited videos too. The key to good pictures with your cell phone is knowing these features. Play with them. Enjoy them. I personally can't wait for my carrier to have a 3D phone...Fireworks in 3D...

Film and Digital...the cameras to follow have been and/or are being made to shoot both. They all started out with film, way back when. Film set us up with a number of terms that are still used in cameras today.

The most important one to me is ISO...this was the speed rated settings that was to denote the light sensitivity of the film. 100 speed was for bright outside or flash pictures. 400 is for general photography...almost any situation. 800 is for low light situations...remember when all the films companies were showing dark birthday cake candle pictures...that's 800 speed. If you see a higher number like 1600...3200...6400...these are rare and are mostly used for high speed action pictures...football, basketball, car racing...that kinda stuff. I personally choose to shoot 200 speed, mostly because I have a camera that I can push it up or down the light scales with limited effect. The real reason that these ISO numbers are important is that they control the "grain" of the picture. The lower ISO #, the lower the speed of the film...the lower the grain...the bigger the picture can be made with out it getting grainy. In digitals it means needing to use more pixels to get the same quality. That's why you should be aware of that setting on your camera. Don't be surprised that many digitals tend to set their autos to 400-800 and can lead to shadow and silouets when not intended.

Point and Shoot cameras

Cool camper

Sun deck view from Suncoast Casino Las Vegas, NV

Gizmo

Point & Shoot cameras can both be film and digital. Most Polaroids are point & shoot cameras. These are cameras that range currently from disposable 1x use cameras that you can get almost anywhere all the way to high end European digitals that can be more costly than many Dslrs that pros use. What defines a point & shoot, to ,is a built in lens. They can be either a fixed or zoom lens. The zoom feature on these cameras can be either optical or digital. Optical zoom means that the lens actually moves to zoom in or out. The digital zooms make the adjustments to the picture by manipulating the image digitally. I personally prefer an optical because it is the image as actually recorded, and not manipulated in a way that could effect the image in the long run. Many of these cameras will have many of the same modes as Dslrs, and have high megapixel numbers. These cameras are very popular and do a good job for basic snapshot pictures. Great for beginners.

Dslr, SLR, and Medium Format

Fox pup @ 75+ feet in Tawas State park Tawas MI

Wyandotte MI fireworks

Bear at the Detroit Zoo

carnival in Lincoln Park, MI

Tree branch in Reed City, MI

Dslr and SLR cameras are the type that most professionals use these days. These cameras have inter-changeable lenses and have many more options on how you can choose to work within the system. I can use most of these like a point and shoot in one of the auto modes, or I can control everything. I can control speed, light, distance, focus, depth of field...all of it. I can do nothing, or everything. I control the speed it takes to shoot the pictures...from 1/3200 of a second to as long as I can hold the shutter release in. The great thing is that with this time control I can do pictures like the carnival and fireworks pictures. I can then go right to adjusting just what mode I want to shoot in, like the close-up / portrait mode as in the tree branch. You really can't miss with any of the new Dslr's that are on the market now. They are a good investment if you value your pictures as an important part of your life and memories.

No TV entertainment

SLR= Single lens reflex... camera uses a single lens that the photographer looks through, via a movable mirror cover, of the film...usually 35mm...periscope view.

Dslr = same as above, but instead of film it uses a digital light sensor device to record the image. They still have eye views, but most use the screens to set the image for the picture.

Mirrorless (Nikon 1, and similar) = Take out the mirrors, and eye view for the Dslr...keep most of the other stuff. They tend to leave out many of the upgrades and features that come in Dslrs

Medium & large format = This refers to the size of the "film" They were very popular with pros back when film ruled the roost, because bigger film meant bigger printable images w/o loosing clarity. they also had removable backs that could be changed in some cameras from Polaroid, to film, to digital backs in the later models. almost extinct.

Mega Pixel (MP)= this is the computer size of the image possible by the camera. The larger the MP in the photo then the larger prints you can make of that image. Want to put the print a billboard you'll need a 10mp or more file...most people need much less...think the images that take up your screen 400 times over.

in conclusion...yea...

There are many cameras you can choose to shoot, and they all have their pros and cons. You need to think of of what you want to shoot, how much you want to work in getting the pictures, and what you want to do with them. Don't forget to think about 5 years from now and what you will be planning to shoot then...marriages, graduations, travel...anything. These will be your history, so choose wisely, and make sure you feel comfortable with your choice. You wont go wrong when you do these things.

Good shooting...and send in some of your shots...and tips.

The Mackinaw Bridge

(new Smart Phone pics...Motorola Axis HD)

Sunset over M-50

West Of Dundee, MI 12/12/12

Student Show Prep.

Granton Ary Gallery ... Spring Arbor University

Spring Arbor, MI