For traveling photographers digital camera sensor dust can ruin your day or your entire trip!  A camera image sensor is an electrostatic device and easily attracts dust  particles to its surface and if large enough can ruin your images.

When I photographed clear plastic food containers for a manufacturing client several years ago I needed to increase the contrast significantly to make the transparent product stand out. I was astounded at the hundreds of dust particles adhering, like  a snowstorm,  to my digital camera sensor. Not usually an issue with complex multicolor backgrounds dust particles can wreck havoc when they are large and visible in a sky or plain background.  Auto sensor cleaning cameras had not been developed yet, so I ran to my local camera store and picked up a camera sensor dust cleaning brush system called Arctic Butterfly by Visible Dust.  A battery operated spinning brush achieves a static charge and when you gently stroke the charged brush on you cameras sensor it easily picks up all the dust.  It works so well that I frequently zoom in and scroll all over a plain color image (e.g. grey sky, white wall) and  stroke away when I see dust.

I know of an African safari tourist who thought using a blower brush on his camera’s sensor was the trick to remove dust but he didn’t notice that oil droplets and other gunk being sprayed from the blower would ruin every image taken on this once in a lifetime trip – so sad.  Cloning out the dust spots with your editing software is certainly a last resort option but get a life!  We would rather travel or Blog post than spending needless hours fixing images.

Here is an example of an image from a SLR camera  showing tiny dust spots in the blue sky:

This image was taken in Jordan’s Wadi Rum desert with a point and shoot camera.  Note the huge dust spot at the mountain side at the top right:

Even though my Canon 7D has auto sensor cleaning I take the Arctic Butterfly with me on my world travels just in case.  Noting that most cameras with auto sensor cleaning systems have a backup mode which really says “well, my sensor cleaning system didn’t work so let’s  automatically clone away the dust spot on all images”.  Moist pollen that dries and frequent lens changes in salt spray, windy or desert environments are particularly problematic. Well, SLR cameras seem to have dust sensor cleaning solutions but what about point and shoot cameras?

OMG! THE VACUUM CLEANER SOLUTION!

For about 3 years in my digital and travel photography lectures and classes, I always thought that point and shoot cameras don’t have sensor dust problems since the camera body is sealed and the lens is not removable. I did wonder about the pressure changes inside the camera from zooming in and out the camera lens – perhaps sucking in dust?  A  few years ago a cruise ship guest showed me his P&S camera with huge sensor dust spots that ruined every image.  When we visiting Jordan’s Wadi Run desert with 2 point and shoot and a SLR camera shooting out of a speeding 4 wheel drive with windows open became sensor dust hell for all cameras!. The SLR was easily cleaned but the other cameras were stowed to be dealt with on return home.  Fortunately it was the second to last day of a 3 month journey. Ultimately both point ans hoot cameras were exchanged under warranty.

Until last month I suggested the only solution for point and shoot sensor dust problems is to return the camera for professional dis-assembly and cleaning (a step frequently costing more than the worth of the camera) or buy a new one.  In a recent cruise ship lecture a woman piped out “I used a vacuum cleaner nozzle over my extended lens and it sucked away all the sensor dust”.  I repeated her comment in my next class and I had a very happy camper who did the same thing and got his camera back and operational without visible sensor dust at the start of a long travel journey.

For travelers vacuum cleaners are easy to find in hotels, cruise ships and shops (but not remote deserts!) so is this the ultimate solution for P&S camera sensor dust?  Will the powerful suction do away with tiny semiconductors or dislodge camera parts? Should this solution be only for cameras that will be tossed anyway?  Please share your thoughts and experiences on this apparent “easy” solution. Fill in the comments and your experiences with digital camera sensor dust in the reply section below.

Dust be gone?

By popular demand, I am re-posting, updating and giving more details/samples on this technique since many of my recent photography class and workshop attendees have asked me to do so in the Blog.

A simple flash technique for all cameras

I came across this technique about 15 years ago by accident while I was playing with my camera settings at a wedding reception when the lights were down low and the dancing started.  In the process of taking a  photo someone knocked my elbow and the camera rotated as I pressed the shutter.  When I saw the finished print I couldn’t believe or understand how I got the amazing effect of a crystal clear portrait of the bride and her family and a cool funky blurred background- but I do now!  I teach this technique at most of my digital photo classes, seminars and lectures. Try it during a birthday party or with your dining room companions.

For a little background, I tutored this technique to a gal from Calgary and a guy in Vancouver a few months later. There were individually on a trip to Africa’s Mount Kilimanjaro and one saw the other using this technique (very evident to see because it looks really weird from anyone watching you use it!) and in chatting, they found that they had both learned it from Dave the Rave (that’s me!) in private lessons back in Canada. What a small world! Well here it is… and I gave it a name: Dave’s Dynamo Effect ™ . I am certainly not the first person to uncover this trick but you may be hearing this firsthand here.

Dave’s Dynamo Effect (tm)

Facts: A camera flash will freeze close fast-moving objects in low light and has a limited distance range beyond which it has no effect at all. The duration of flashes vary by type and model, off-camera or built-in/pop-up and is typically between 1/1000 to 1/30,000 of a second. This is like a super fast shutter speed and when most or all of the light is from the flash (and not other sources) then you freeze anything to tack sharpness within the flash distance range, even if it is moving quickly. Objects that are beyond the flash range become more blurred if they move quickly or you rotate the camera. Therefore, in low light situations and with a very slow shutter speed you will get a tack sharp close moving object and blurred far away objects. Well, if the far way object, or background is not moving then you will get a dimly lit blurred background because of the slow shutter speed – boring!. Solution to this: Spin rotate your camera as you take the picture – this will cause the background to become ethereal looking, dizziness like, wild and crazy. Background lights will create a variable “falling star” trail increasing with more distance from the camera.

Find a backlit subject and use this effect during the daytime

You can get this effect on ALL cameras by using an option that sets a slow shutter speed and forcing the flash on. A common setting to use on a point and shoot cameras is party mode, night portrait or slow sync (the later usually found off auto mode by scrolling your flash button) or in scene modes. The best setting to use on all SLR cameras and some Point and shoot cameras is Shutter Priority (S or TV) with flash forced on and set a shutter speed between 1/10 sec to 1/35 sec.  If you can, vary the shutter speed as the effect will differ. Don’t forget to rotate the camera bigtime as you take the picture and everyone watching will think you are nuts! Try it. Some love this effect and some hate it! What’s funky is that no-one, even you, can duplicate the image again because they will be all different.

• Camera techie/enthusiasts s should set their  shutter sync to 2nd curtain for optimum results.  This will cause the trailing lights to go “in the right direction” but don’t worry about this setting if you don’t have it on your camera.   

Confused? Read the above again slowly, attend one of my classes or look at the photos – all taken with Dave’s Dynamo Effect (tm).

Rotate your camera in "Party mode" for creative lighting effects

Our motto is “Smile and the world just might smile back at you!” The only reason we come home now is to change clothes and visit our 5 grand children

Our inspiration to travel internationally came from our teen years when high school or family trips took each to Europe and by developing friendships with world travelers at home.  Experiencing foreign countries and ethnic cultures and photographing local people is our love and breaks down all of our preconceived (and totally wrong!) notions of other other races, religions and cultures. Visiting Muslim countries, the jungles of Panama and remote villages in northern Thailand will be some of our lifelong memories. Photographing AND sharing images with our subjects is an instant ice-breaker for us. See a prior post on photography of people you don’t know.

A successful travel photography lifestyle as a couple requires extreme patience with each other and the rest of the world. When either of us finds a world-beating photo or amazing cultural arts shopping opportunity the other accommodates the other and always. Respecting the others passion makes frequent world travel fun. If you don’t get along at home, you will definitely not get along while travelling. We see so many couples ruin a trip by not understanding how important a fellow travellers’ needs are.

“You must trust and let people you meet, whether locals and other travellers, guide and help you along. Sure escorted tours are easy but independent travel enables you to meet locals and smell the local roses spices. Be sure to research destinations, places to stay and do, travel videos and photo opportunities before arriving” states David enthusiastically.”

Peace of mind increases by having a safety net that includes extra copies of all documents, important phone numbers, credit card information and do not write down but memorize PINS.  Carry valuables in a money belt when visiting busy cities and popular travel destinations, pickpockets abound.  We each use a money belt for passports, tickets, cash and credit cards in all crowded tourist destinations without exception as we have met many travellers who have had their travels and plans ruined by a pickpocket. A backup camera, lots of memory cards, batteries and charger and several different cash accounts at different banks to thwart ATM issues are mandatory for us.

Our favorite destination is always our last one. However our many trips to the Greek Islands (there is no “bad” Greek island) and anywhere in Italy indicate European favorites and we intend in returning to Thailand soon to savor Thai food, people and stunning beauty.  Believe it or not,  Muslim countries like Morocco,  Egypt and Jordan  are also in our travel future, having nothing but great experiences there recently.

An evening gondola ride in Venice with an opera singers tenor voice and mandolin echoing off the canal walls, beach massages on the island of Koh Samui, Thailand and dining Brazilian style at the Porcão restaurant in Rio de Janiero are just some of their memories we cherish.

The best part of world travel is the travelers and local people you meet along the way. Eclectic Wayne and Pat Dunlap (their Blog: Unhooked Now; their amazing and brand new how-to book: Plan Your Escape! )  are a great inspiration to unhook from routine life and go for it; Effervescent Irini and her family, proprietors of the Hotel Hellas in Santorini for their love and enthusiasm anytime we visit there; and the lovely Zeena of Sydney Australia for keeping us travel energized with her phone calls, emails and Sydney tours after meeting her in Rhodes 6 years ago. The lovely hospitable Lisa who willingly hosted us in New York City near Central Park neighbors  Federico and Cristina  from Colombia who encourage us to go travel crazy and many others are just some people David and Anna have had the fortune to meet.  Our friendships and travel tales can literally fill a book, which they will do someday.

We use www.tripadvisor.com frequently to research places to stay and what others say about an activity or location. They can easily select a quality level and budget for each destination then contact properties directly online or by phone to confirm details and current prices. With today’s weak world travel economy direct phone contact can save lots of money versus published online rates.  We prefer 3 star family run hotels versus luxury chain hotels not just to save money but to meet locals and experience family life and ethic culture. They will splurge on fine dining in view restaurants but share a main course.

A mini laptop with WIFI and Skype permits free video calls to other Skype users and very inexpensive land line calls.  It is faster, easier and cheaper to find a WIFI hot spot and make computer calls than to seek phone cards and figure out how to use them in foreign lands. Besides, Skype video calls lets their grand children remember what they look like.

As frequent cruise ship passenger enrichment lecturers and workshop leaders,  we plan on continuing their world travels for the foreseeable future and explore the foreign lands thoroughly after disembarking the ships.

The Smith’s are addicted to world travel. Visit their Interface Images web site (www.interfaceimages.com ) and follow them on their Blog Images – Connecting the World  to see why.  They are truly dream travellers capturing the world one smiling face at a time.

More Travel Tips from Anna:

Watch out for the faux guides in Morocco and North Africa, they have many ways of manipulating their stories for you to become their friends only to find it will cost you big time at the end of the day. Watch out for photocopied money in Buenos Aires, we were at the Sunday market and were given some only to find out the next day at the deli they could tell it was fake from across the counter. Take taxis when there is limited time it is so worth it, perhaps share a cab makes for a fun filled day – local buses are easy and people are so willing to help you get to your destination.

Please remember to be courteous even if you don’t understand it only takes a smile and a nod of the head to try and communicate kindly.  Try to learn a few words before you go. Take lots of small denomination bills for tipping, it can make the world of difference to someone and not hurt you in the least. Buy local handmade crafts (avoid the middleman) wherever you go – there is always a story behind every piece of artwork. Take pins or small souvenirs from your hometown to give away – make someone’s day extra special. Discover Japan and possibly other destinations using the local Good Host Guide program, what a remarkable rewarding experience and you make new friends.

Finally, Make your Bucket List and Just Go For It – Remember Life is not a dress rehearsal – we go this way once!

Focus point is on the giraffe's head

Nearly all cameras have an easy to easy future called spot focusing or focus lock which  emphasizes your main subject but not many photographers use it.  This feature enables the subject to stand out from the background or foreground by being more in focus.  The spot focus of most cameras is set by pressing the shutter part way down (the “half-press”) and check for a colored square or a red dot or similar to appear in the viewfinder or LCD (indicating what will be in focus in the image). You then recompose while keeping the shutter pressed down partway (so your main subject is off center) , then press the shutter all the way to shoot. Even more dramatic shots can be achieved by using the “Portrait” setting or lower f  stop with the aperture control for a narrower depth of field.

These images demonstrate the dramatic impact that proper spot focusing gives to an image.

The focusing method can be set in the camera settings and varies from single point, multiple point and on some cameras -  face recognition.  If enabled, face recognition automatically detects human faces and focuses on the them without having to use the shutter half-press technique (but be sure the right faces have been selected). Better cameras can be set to make an audible beep to confirm that the focus lock has been set.

Another benefit of proper spot focusing in many cameras is that the image exposure is also set around the spot focus selection area as evident by these two  images.  On better cameras one can set the focus lock point and exposure lock point (often called AEL or Auto Exposure Lock) separately in different areas of the image using the shutter half-press and another button simultaneously. For the later “ambidexterity”  (is that a real word or did I make it up?)  of the digits is needed.  Not for those with severe arthritis!

Spot focusing requires auto focusing (vs. manual focusing) to be set and is one of the easiest camera settings and techniques to use to remarkably improve your images but it takes some practice to make it work well.  Try it until it becomes a regular part of your quality image creation technique.

Rachael's Birthday

Have some birthday cake

Traveling with your camera helps make friends fast!  We were strolling New York’s vast Central Park at 9am on a sunny October Friday and paused at the majestic Bethesda fountain to savour the view and brisk air. 

Anna spotted a young couple sporting a cute little black and white paper bag shouting  “Happy F**king Birthday”  in bold letters.  She asked if she could photograph the bag to add to our “funny signs of the World” collection and they said yes.

“It’s Rachael’s birthday today and she is my best friend” smiled a handsome young man named Allison “ have some birthday cake!” 

Anna and David with Rachael in Central Park

From the naughty bag came a partially eaten fancy cake topped with burnt out candles,  and napkins, plastic forks and a knife. We were suddenly gorging on double chocolate with creamy icing.  Yummy!!  We quickly shared taking photos of each other with our cameras while others around us laughed at the impromptu celebration in the park. 

We love photographing people we don’t  know, a subject covered in   a recent Blog post. 

We learned they are both Brazilian – he from Sao Paulo living in Boston and arrived just an hour ago to spend just a few hours that day with Rachael a native of Salvador de Bahia and living in New York City.   They were clearly not “just friends” but were willing to share their joy with a crazy outgoing couple  at least 35 years their senior. (but act much younger?) 

We strolled along and chatted together for while and when they learned we had visited and  loved Salvador de Bahia just a year or so ago they immediately invited us to stay with them on our next trip there and we reciprocated and exchanged email addresses with glee.  The two couples parted ways with big smiles and affectionate hugs and we pondered how this could all happen in just 30 minutes without a camera to create such an instant bond between strangers – another life lesson from a camera.

What luck!  As we arrived in Old Town the downpour stopped and the clouds quickly lightened to create the magical muted soft light ideal for the  aged and muted colors of this historic town. We jumped off the bus with glee -no emerald store tours or church interior visits for David – capturing the faded orange and yellow buildings, colorful local Palenquerras  (“photos for a dolla”)  and stunning architecture was job one. 500 images, 20 dollars and two hours later, we jumped happily back on the bus looking forward to viewing the results. We look forward to future visits as many sections of the old town are being restored to their former glory.

Palenquerra fruit seller in in old town colonial Cartagena, Colombia

Some of our first selects were post processed for a fine art look and feel of with a drama 3-dimensionality like a painting when rendered on canvas paper.

Old town colonial Cartagena, Colombia

Architecture in old town colonial Cartagena, Colombia

Even average images look stunning with the magic of Photoshop plugins. Do-it-yourself techniques or easy plug-in tools are great for enhancing travel images. On fine art canvas photo paper these images will look stunning. We will share how in future Blog posts.

We have just uploaded 50 of our select  world fine art images to a new gallery at Fine Art America – please check it out

Thank you for trying to guess “Where’s David and Anna?” for prizes but no correct answers yet. Here are 2 new hints:  Think: 1. Art Deco 2: Annie.  Visit our last blog post for details and prizes offered.   Get your answers in by Oct. 31 (Boo!) and Good luck! Oct 27/11 update:  CONGRATS! to Tomeu from Buenos Aires and Dominique from New York City for being the first 2 with the correct answer.  We are in the lobby of the New York City Chrysler Building!!!

Good grief …no Blog posts for over a month!  Well we have been on the high seas and elsewhere with an intensive itinerary. No time for Blogging as we were having too much fun!  Watch for future Blog updates with new travel photo tips, brand new images and amazing stories.

Where’s David and Anna? Hint: The location will be a surprise to most of our followers as it is not in an exotic locale.

The first two  persons to enter the correct and specific answer on the Comments below or send  to dave@imagebyinterface.com wins a complimentary (shipping included) “Travel Photography Tips” 2 hour DVD by David Smith.

CONGRATS! to Tomeu from Buenos Aires and Dominique from New York City for being the first 2 with the correct answer. We are in the lobby of the New York City Chrysler Building

Recorded in front of a live audience this informative, entertaining and inspiring presentation covers basic and creative travel photography techniques, camera settings and easy tips for creating and sharing travel images.  This DVD is available from Amazon as a DVD purchase, instant download or 2 week download rental. Buy ($25) from Amazon Rent  ($2.99) or Download  ($19.99) from Amazon