Stephen Shore – not all of his photographs are perfect either.

“Twelve significant photographs in any one year is a good crop.” –Ansel Adams

It’s a misconception that professional photographers create nothing but gems every single time they click the shutter.  But there are aspiring photographers out there that believe the pros simply don’t make mistakes.  Worse, they believe that one day, they will be capable of generating one quality photo after another without fail.  Even the greats – Henri Cartier-Bresson, Ansel Adams, Dorthea Lange, Annie Liebovitz – make mistakes.  Having such a misconception in the back of your mind is unhealthy.  It will get in the way of your progress and prevent you from learning.

I read an interview with Stephen Shore – another great photographer – where he spoke about having breakfast one time with Adams very early in the 1980′s.  Shore himself was a rising star, so I can only imagine that meeting with the likes of Ansel Adams must have been unimaginable.  Allegedly, Adams confided in Shore that his career and fame were based entirely on a few images that he took too many years earlier and he felt that he was tapped out.  This was a defining moment for Shore, one that pushed him to take more risks in his own work.  When you push boundaries, you’re bound to meet with failure time and time again.  I’m sure Shore has thousands of negatives hidden away never to be seen by anyone else.

So if the likes of Stephen Shore and Ansel Adams never expected every photo to be a gem, why should you?

Now get out there with your camera, and create lots of images that you will stow away from the public eye.  Push the boundaries, fail and learn.  Your gem is waiting.

This article originated at Shutter Photo Magazine. If you like what you have read, please visit our site for more great articles. Original Article: Not All Your Photos Will Be Great

Photography is often about capturing moments. But this isn’t a world of moments; time is measured in seconds or fractions of a second. Our brains are wired to see more than we realize.  Fortunately, our cameras are prepared to slice time into tiny bits as well. Sometimes, our cameras capture something that we didn’t see at first, and we go back and find that we’ve captured some gems. It’s not always an accident.  More often than not, it’s instinct: You anticipate those split seconds and press the shutter when you think that something will happen. As a photographer, you develop that instinct, but some genres depend on it. This week, we’re going to speak about a great sports photo, Go For It!!, by Amanda J. Cain who has proven that some fractions of a second are more telling than others.

Amanda’s photo is a fairly simple one. It’s essentially photojournalism, and so composition is not the primary focus. The focus, in fact, is about capturing a slice in time. That said, there are still some important elements involved, like the inclusion of the ball and the context of the other girls in the shot. Our athlete is seemingly all alone among a mass of opponents; this adds drama, of course. The ball is there to not only provide context, but it gives us an understanding of the girl’s intent. On the surface, she simply appears to be approaching the ball, getting ready to kick it. But her body language isn’t very simple.  It’s the awkward position that grabs me; her left arm (camera right) looks to be dropping and twisting into a weird position, almost like that would hurt if held for too long.  The body can’t hold itself in that position, so even though this is a frozen second, you can tell she’s in motion. Her head is lunged forward, dropping into position and her hips and shoulders are square with the ball. And the eye contact with the ball is nearly unbreaking. Clearly, she’s getting ready to launch this thing. I almost wish we had a burst sequence to really see the sequence here. But just this frame alone tells enough about that story. I bet the kick was quite powerful.

So that’s a lot that I garnered from Amanda’s photo.  Turns out the photo wasn’t all that simple, was it?  I believe that sports photography is often misunderstood and certainly under-appreciated.  It looks so very simple, but if it’s done well, it can put you right there, in the moment and on the scene.  Amanda’s photo does just that.

If you like sports photography, Amanda J. Cain‘s work is going to be right up your alley; it’s one of her specialties.  From professional sports to alternative sports (rodeo, skateboarding, etc.), it’s all represented.  She does live music and portraits as well, so there’s a lot to be inspired by.  But you don’t have to linger on Flickr alone, Amanda has a personal website as well where you can find examples of her best works.

This article originated at Shutter Photo Magazine. If you like what you have read, please visit our site for more great articles. Original Article: “Go For It!!” by Amanda J. Cain (Or When A Moment Is Too Long)

A camera bag is, in my opinion, a major component of anyone’s photography kit. Not only is it a means to protect your expensive
equipment, but it’s a way to organize your gear between shots. There are bags for all occasions, but I think I found the perfect bag for the part-time photographer with a day job. We’re talking about the BX2 Messenger Bag from Brenhaven. It is one of first two bags by Brenthaven that is specifically designed for the photography community. Or more specifically, it’s designed for the photographer on the go. Well, we got our hands on one and I’ve been using it exclusively for a little over a month.  In short: It’s a great bag and I really like it.  In this review, I’ll explain why I like it, but I’ll also outline some of the things that I think could be improved (nothing is perfect).

Brenthaven is a brand that you probably already know, but don’t readily associate with the photography industry. They made their name creating great products that surround and protect your other electronic gear like laptops, tablet computers and mobile phones. So they aren’t exactly new to the game, but they have only recently evolved into designing for photography gear. Ironically, I wasn’t aware of this new expansion of their offerings until I literally stumbled into their booth at PDN Photo Plus last October. I made note of it and noted it as a product worth looking for in our Photo Plus Expo wrap-up. So the first impression was lasting, and I’m glad to have gotten some real world experience with the bag.

Overall Design

The BX2 Messenger Bag sports an urban style that looks modern and professional.

The basis of the entire line is this special BX2 Gel. It’s not unlike the gel inserts that you can stick in the bottom of your running shoes, but the gel pad is quite a bit thicker in the bottom of this bag.  It offers unparalleled impact dampening which is the main selling point. It is a little heavier than traditional padding, but ounce for ounce, it offers far more protection for your gear than anyone else’s offerings. In the Messenger Bag, the BX2 Gel panels fill the entire bottom of the bag and it wraps around the bottom edge of the bag, coming up about two inches from the base. This is the main impact zone and it will protect your gear if you put the bag down to harshly or if it otherwise gets bumped. The balance of the bag does have more traditional padding, in part because the other areas are less likely to cause damage to your gear, but I also suspect this is to cut down on weight for the bag. So protecting your gear isn’t at all an issue for this bag. That is the primary goal, and I believe it does that flawlessly.

The layout of the bag is not unlike any other messenger bag on the market. The main chamber has two main parts: A laptop or book sleeve along the back and a larger storage area that can be subdivided to meet your needs. Included with the bag are four dividers with Velcro fasteners, two of which are entirely felt-like so that they can also have dividers attached to them. In my configuration, I created four chambers of varying size and then I subdivided one further to more tightly cradle my camera. I do wish the dividers were a bit more configurable, perhaps of different heights or wall thicknesses. I like systems that have at least one panel that is shorter. This would usually end up cradling the grip of my camera so that it doesn’t move and to dissipate energy of a falling bag. I do trust the BX2 Gel will do a better job than most padding, so I am a bit more comfortable not having the extra cradle wall. But it would be nice to have more options for organizing that main compartment, even a few extra pieces of each type of divider would help those picky about their layout (like myself).

The dividers offered basic organization. But it gets dark in there (note everything outside the bag is overexposed).

The inside of the bag is gray, only a shade lighter than the outside of the bag. So it can get pretty dark in there. The bag does include a
little LED light that is attached to an inside pocket to compensate. I’ve used it a couple of times to find small items, like a lost Micro-SD
card. But I can’t help but to think the flashlight is a bit of a gimmick. Why not simply use a lighter colored interior?

Organization is one of the main reasons I love this bag. Bear in mind, the bag is not going to be one that you carry to a portrait session. It is designed as something you’d carry on a daily basis, and so it has some organization for your camera stuff, but also for your day job. The laptop or book sleeve is large enough that I can easily carry my tablet or laptop. But you have a good 2-3″ of play in there that you could carry some sizable books if you need to. If you really need to carry a lot, the main compartment can easily be stripped of dividers and you can leave the camera at home. Aside from the main compartment, there are two side pockets – one Velcro, one zippered. The Velcro one is large enough to hold a drink bottle, though I don’t suspect it is designed for that. Its flap fastens closed with two tiny dots of Velcro. It works, but would like to have seen something more fool-proof like an entire Velcro edge. When the top flap is open, you can see two additional pockets – perfect for my journal or my business card wallet – and some pen slots. It’s just enough to get me through the day. There is also a large zippered pocket where the bag’s rain fly seems to have taken up residence, at least for me, though you could probably use it for any number of things like a train schedule or the camera’s manual. Finally, there is the small inside pocket where the bag’s flashlight resides. In addition to the flashlight, I keep things like spare batteries or my cleaning kit in there.  One really cool feature is that the top flap actually has a quick access zipper in it which makes it easier to access your camera in a hurry.  The flap is oversized so that it overhangs the corners of the bag so that everything is protected no matter how loaded up it may become.

Top of flap, strap, adjustment buckle (one side only) and shoulder pad. Comfortable, assuming you’re at least of average build.

From a carrying perspective, it is everything you would expect of a messenger bag. There is a wide shoulder-strap with a shoulder pad that is stitched into the edges of the bag. It has a slight angle to the way it fastens to the bag which allows for a more comfortable carrying position and likely less stress on any point where it is fastened to the bag. A minor flaw in the design is that there is only one adjustment buckle, which will pose some problems for smaller framed individuals. You would wear the bag across your chest, but if your frame is too small, shortening that strap to a comfortable length will result in the buckle – not the shoulder pad – aligning with your shoulder. Furthermore, the strap is stitched into the bag and the shoulder pad cannot be removed. So if you need that strap to be that small, the shoulder pad becomes little more than decoration. If only you could adjust either end of the strap individually, this wouldn’t be a problem at all.  There is a comfortable hand strap along the back of the bag to ease in carrying when it’s not on your shoulder. I’ll spare you the details, but it’s a pet peeve of mine when a bag doesn’t have a comfortable alternative carrying method. So thanks goes to Brenthaven for realizing that we need other ways to carry a bag.

One last item to note is that there is a stabilizer strap included with the bag if you need it. It goes between the strap and a point at the
corner of the bag (there is a loop on either corner) so that it hugs our torso when worn. This is for those who are riding a bike and don’t want the bag to swing freely. I didn’t use it except to try it out in concept, so I can’t say exactly how well it would work on a bike.  But it seems like it would do the job.

In Use

It’s difficult to find a bag that strikes a nice balance between the professional world and the desire to carry your camera all the time.  The BX2 seems to bridge the gap perfectly.  It looks professional, made of high quality materials with an understated aesthetic. It won’t turn heads as you walk into a room, but that’s what I like about it. When I’m pulling files out during a meeting, no one knows that I also have a camera in there. It simply blends in.  So the look of the bag is a major selling point for me.

That zipper opens to reveal the inside of the main chamber, good for quick access. It almost renders the flap useless.

I grew to really appreciate the quick access split in the flap.  Whenever I needed to grab my camera, that was the quickest and easiest way to get it.  The zipper is aligned just right so that no matter how much is jammed in the bag, I was able to get to my camera almost by muscle memory.  The quick access worked so well that it begs the question as to the purpose of the flap as a whole.  In theory, the only reason to open the flap entirely would be to access those organization pockets on the face of the bag.  Well, there is another reason for the flap:  It’s adjustable straps can be tweaked to keep your gear snug regardless of how much is packed inside.  But no, you won’t really use the flap very much…just that zipper in the top.

I try not to think of the bag as a camera bag.  It’s more of a day bag, or a briefcase, that just happens to hold my camera as well.  And I think that’s an important distinction.  Because this isn’t going to be a bag that you’ll carry around on your photography sessions.  It’s just a bag you’ll use on a day to day basis.  Don’t get me wrong, it does carry a good amount of equipment.  But there’s no feasible way to attach a tripod and you’re not going to be carrying your long or bulky lenses in the bag.  During the month when I was putting the bag to the test, there were two occasions in which I had photo sessions requiring more equipment.  I needed to switch out of the bag to accommodate the tripods, the extra flashes and all of the extra accessories that I needed.  The rest of the time, it helped me carry everything I needed.

What Fits In The Bag

To give you a rough idea of the size of the bag, I like to list what kind of equipment can fit into the bag.  This isn’t intended to be a definitive list as there are many ways to configure the bag.  And your equipment may be slightly different sizes than my own.  But this should give you some comfort level as to what could fit.

• Mid-Sized or Full-framed SLR camera body with mid-sized lens mounted
• Mid-range zoom – 18-135mm Zoom Lens (Roughly 7″ long with glare shield, mounted)
• Two small-mid sized lenses:  I carried my 50mm and my lensbaby side-by-side in the same partition with plenty of room to spare.  I could have very easily carried two telephoto lenses or two mid-range zooms or any mix thereof.
• Off-camera Flash
• A small laptop:  Mine is a 13.3″ Ultrabook.  A MacBook Air would also fit.
• Various accessories:  Lens filters, cleaning supplies, small notebooks, pens, and so on.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I have no serious complaints.  Sure, I wouldn’t mind a few extra dividers, and I wouldn’t mind a few tweaks to the shoulder strap.  But it’s a great bag that I really like carrying to work (my other job) and I surely don’t look as out of place as when I’m carrying one of my massive backpacks.  It’s just a good general use bag that also happens to hold a camera.  The gel on the bottom of the bag is really quite impressive.  Just to push your finger into it gives you a great deal of comfort that this bag is going to protect your gear.  I really do see myself using this bag as my daily bag moving forward.  But is it for everyone?  Well, probably not.  Some people simply don’t like messenger style bags.  Shoulder bag fans may not like it because it’s not designed to carry off one shoulder, you really do need to carry it cross-chest to get the most comfort out of the bag.  And of course those who don’t have a desk job will favor other, more specialized, bags.  But if photography isn’t your primary job and you’d like to things other than your camera, this might be the bag for you.

As of this writing the bag can be yours for about $136 USD (amazon.com) .

One of the side pockets. It works, but couldn’t we have a bit more velcro?

Things We Liked

• Great size and form factor – the messenger bag is a classic design.  Used as a camera bag, it’s still classic.
• It looks good – not too casual, not out of place in corporate world.
• BX2 Gel – seriously, that stuff is awesome and it does a great job protecting your gear.
• Quick-access zipper in top of the bag – get your gear quickly and easily

Things That Could Be Improved

• Shoulder Strap – it can only be adjusted from one side, making it less comfortable for smaller-framed individuals.  
• The Divider System – we’d like to see more dividers of different sizes for the ultimate in customization.
• Side Pocket (velcro dots) – two tiny dots to close the pocket flap?  We’d like to see an entire velcro edge so we know it’s going to stay closed. 

Additional Photos

This article originated at Shutter Photo Magazine. If you like what you have read, please visit our site for more great articles. Original Article: Brenthaven BX2 Messenger Bag Review

Editor’s Note:  This article was originally published on March 13, 2012 and it was among the first of our Common Photo Themes Series.  We republish it here as the series has since become very popular and we thought our newest readers should see it.  Enjoy.

Once a month, we take a break from the single photo spotlights to take a look across the entire SP@Flickr pool and reveal some common themes.  The purpose, of course, is to demonstrate that there are many ways to look at a common subject.  It is yet another source of inspiration.  This month’s theme is the sky.  Or, more specifically, the sky captured in dramatic black & white.  The sky can be quite dramatic, of course.  But captured in black & white, I somehow feel it enhances the drama, as you will see:

“Lava Flow” by Jonathan Robson

“Lava Flow” by Jonathan Robson

There’s nothing more dramatic than a sky with ripples and knurls like this one – except if you can capture it also in a  reflection.  The photo, Lava Flow by Jonathan Robson, is an interesting study in textures, between the sky and the grasses.  But it’s also an optical illusion.  If you look real closely, the water is actually quite still.  The reflection of the sky is just as clear as the actual sky.  But nothing is more clear than the dreams we have after viewing Jonathan’s photo.

“Neighbourly Hour” by Yazmina-Michéle de Gaye

“Neighbourly Hour” by Yazmina-Michéle de Gaye

A sky needs a reference point.  A horizon, a building…how about something in silhouette?  How about everything in silhouette?  Photographer Yazmina-Michéle de Gaye captured all of the above in her photo, Neighbourly Hour.  The structure is a powerful anchor, the point of sunset tucked away just behind.  And the sky becomes a great canvas upon which the silhouettes of the horizon and the building is cast upon.  Together, we have drama, beauty and rigid structures – a beautiful composition filled with everything we could ever want in our photographs (or in our lives).

“Down Fill” by Ray Rhodes

“Down Fill” by Ray Rhodes

There is an interesting relationship between the sky and the earth – The two go hand-in-hand.  Ray Rhodes knows that all too well as he sets up another composition with the two sharing the frame.  In this photo, Down Fill, I believe the sky’s lofty cauliflower puffs  wouldn’t appear as looming or as powerful.  I appreciate the fact that Ray centered the horizon – which is, to some, a compositional no-no.  By doing so, my mind is now poised and ready for The Grapes of Wrath.

“CBD Skies” by Kevin Thornhill

“CBD Skies” by Kevin Thornhill

The sky is so much bigger than all of us, bigger than everything we humans have created that we sometimes forget to attain a strong vantage point.  The higher we go, the bigger the sky – it’s the inverse of every other subject we could possibly photograph, so why not take advantage the way Kevin Thornhill has in his photograph, CBD Skies.  The real power behind this photograph is the fact that his vantage point shows us much more of the river, and the buildings and the boats look so small in comparison.  But the sky is as big as ever.  Besides, I like the feeling of lingering somewhere up there in the sky.  It’s harder to get back down to earth from here.

“Storm Clouds” by David Clark

“Storm Clouds” by David Clark

There is an interesting juxtaposition when man-made structures meet the natural environment, as if the two could be equals.  But in David Clark‘s Storm Clouds, we are reminded just how superior nature can truly be.  Whenever you capture the sun in the sky – even if it’s behind clouds – you must expect that the sun and the area around it will get blown out.  This is where you need to ignore the histogram and accept the missing details.  Clearly, as David has demonstrated, missing data isn’t going to hurt the power of your shot.  In fact, I’d say that the white hole immediately above the bridge makes for a focal point more powerful than we could have any other way.

This article originated at Shutter Photo Magazine. If you like what you have read, please visit our site for more great articles. Original Article: Dramatic Black & White Skies – Common Photo Themes

This direct-from-camera photo was shot at ISO 1000. Click to see full-size and you will start to see grain and color noise introduced, especially in darker areas. This is a direct result of higher ISOs.

When we speak about creating the perfect exposure, we often allude to the Exposure Triangle. The Exposure Triangle is comprised of three components: ISO, Aperture and Shutter Speed. We often talk about Apertures and Shutter Speeds, because they are the most variable of the lot. But ISO is really the cornerstone of the Exposure Triangle, and it’s one of the reasons why I often list it first when speaking of the three. Today we’re going to speak about ISO, how to use it and how it affects your photographs.

What You Need To Know

I could write a dissertation about ISO; the physics behind it, the mechanics and design constraints and of course how it has improved over the years. But I don’t need to do that as I think it would really confuse the issue (and most of you would probably fall asleep, not
something I’d like to have a reputation for). Besides, that’s not the purpose of this article.  In simple terms, ISO is a measurement of the sensor’s sensitivity to light. The higher the ISO, the more sensitive to light it is. In other words, you’ll need a higher ISO to take photographs under lower light conditions. With film, you would have to physically change the roll of film to change your ISO. But in what many see as an advantage over film, digital cameras allow you to change the ISO on the fly.

Not all cameras are created equal when it comes to ISO.  And one cannot assume that every camera will perform the same under different lighting  Some cameras handle it better than others.  There are many factors that affect ISO performance, but the main contributors are the type of sensor (size, resolution and type) and the camera’s on-board processor (which often provides a preliminary noise reduction).  Even closely related cameras from the same manufacturer may have different ISO performance.  You must experiment with different ISOs – much in the same way you experiment with different apertures or shutter speeds – to find the limitations of your camera.

How ISO Affects Your Work

Being able to change the sensitivity to light may seem like a great thing, but there is a major trade-off: The higher the ISO, the more
noise gets introduced. With film, the noise is simply in the form of a larger grain, which is not always undesirable, especially with Black & White photography. But on digital, the noise can come in the form of a higher grain with color shifts and artifacts. With some digital
cameras, high ISO is barely usable; just because a camera can support high ISO doesn’t mean you’d want to use it. The good news is that many of the latest cameras offer significantly improved high ISO performance. I’ve seen some very impressive results from some of the new full-framed cameras on the market where even at ISO 2400 and above, the noise is rather insignificant. There are even some cropped sensors on the market that have impressive results as well. So maybe one day in the future, ISO won’t even be a major concern.

Even if you had the camera with the best ISO performance on the market, you still couldn’t completely ignore ISO. The noise may be minimal, but it will still be there, impacting the overall quality of your images. For quality purposes, you would still want to go with the lowest ISO feasible for the shot. The needs will differ between shots. If you’re shooting stationary subjects with the camera locked down on a tripod, there would be little reason to use a higher ISO. A low ISO would mean a longer shutter speed, but with such a shot, that might be of little concern. The same would be true in a studio environment where you have absolute control over all of the lighting. The higher quality of the low ISO would give you a much cleaner image to start with when you needed to do some touching up. However, on the sidelines of an evening football game in the fall, it may look like the stadium is pretty bright, but may still not be very bright from your camera’s perspective. You need fast shutter speeds to capture action under those conditions, so pushing up the ISO is going to get you the edge. But the purpose of that type of photograph is vastly different. It’s about capturing the scene, maybe for the purpose of the newspaper, so you have a little bit more flexibility in the finished quality. The inverse is true as well. Suppose you’re shooting a stream or waterfall in broad daylight and you want to slow the shutter as much as possible. Lens filters are the ultimate solution, but a great place to start would be to drive the ISO as low as possible. Lower ISOs will result in longer shutter speeds. So a combination of a low ISO and a Neutral Density Filter (or more) would help to make that water silky smooth.

Final Thoughts

As with all technical aspects of photography, you can’t let the ISO aid in your laziness. Just because you can capture photographs in
relatively low doesn’t mean you always should. It’s one thing when you’re at a party and you’re just documenting some good times. But if you’re setting up for a fine art photo, bumping up the ISO is a last resort. Instead, you should consider using longer exposures (on a
tripod, of course), off-camera flash or other ways to introduce light into the shot. Light is your paintbrush, and there is no reason to opt for higher ISO instead of painting with light. Bottom line, ISO is simply one more tool, one more setting to tweak, and it should be
treated as such. So again I repeat: Keep the ISO as low as you can so as to guarantee the best quality image you can create.

This article originated at Shutter Photo Magazine. If you like what you have read, please visit our site for more great articles. Original Article: Know Your Gear: ISO Limitations