The Barefoot PhotographerⓇ

Sams Lake

2008-10-04T08:21:00.004-04:00

A few days ago I visited the Sams Lake Bird Sanctuary. It is finally completed!

The land was donated to the Southern Conservation Land Trust by the Sams family. The City of Atlanta was involved in this project to mitigate construction of the new runway at Hartsfield Airport. It seems like a lot of money was spent and it took a long time. The project was started in 2004 but a series of tropical storms washed it out -- literally. I am glad the space is here and it is so close to me.

I do have to admit that I am a little disappointed. After visiting the wetlands center in Clayton County – I had hoped that this space would be similar to that. A looping pathway would have made all the difference. Five million dollars was spent to get a half-mile mulch path, a few bat houses, a couple observation decks, and a gravel parking lot. Most of the lay of the land was not changed (from what I can see) – perhaps the pond areas were sculpted a little and some large rocks were placed to create the low-level dams to create pool areas across the property. From what I understand there will be more trees planted later this year – willows.

But – hey – why should I complain? It is a nice spot to go take photos and it is so darn close to me it makes it very easy!

I have been there before – after the last attempt at “building” the wetlands. I have seen egrets and hawks. The place was fine before anyone did anything. I think the developers realized that and changed their plans to fall in line with what nature was doing on its own.

Last week I watched a blue heron fly by. The big activity seemed to be butterflies and some frogs. About this time last year, there were pink masses of blooming meadow beauty there. I don’t see them now. It may be a little bit early. There is some goldenrod around. I saw a notice that there was a bird watching activity there this morning. I do hope there are events there to draw people to find it.
The sanctuary is located on Old Senoia Road in Fayetteville, between Harp and Redwine. If you turn onto Old Senoia near the rec. department ball fields (on Redwine) you will drive to the three-way stop at Hawn Road and continue through it. On your left, just past a couple homes you see a gravel drive -- skip this one (the gate there is always locked) and take the second gravel entrance. You have found it! It is open from dawn to dusk daily and there is no fee. If you do go there – and like it a lot – you might consider making a donation to The Southern Conservation Land Trust.

Of course I took some photos. I have been playing around with a new bit of software – a blog on it will come soon. The photo on the blog was taken in color and then manipulated with the software to give it an aged appearance. This is one of the bat boxes at Sams Lake. The photo was taken with one of my ancient Nikon lenses using the converter ring to adapt the lens to my new Canon camera.

Stool up for bid!

2008-09-30T15:19:00.002-04:00

I was asked to create a chair for the upcoming Christian City "Chair-ity" event December 1 at the Hollingsworth House in Fayetteville. Proceeds from the auction of the chairs created by area artists will go to help the children who live at Christian City have a great Christmas.

Check out the website for the event http://www.chair-ity-event.org/.

Fall Spiders

2008-09-28T09:08:00.003-04:00

It is fall and time to think about getting out and taking some great photos of spiders! Yep, spiders are easy to find and make great subjects this time of year.

When you are up and out early in the morning take a look at the webs on the power lines along the road. The sunlight hitting them full of dew make them sparkle and easy to see. Later in the day it is as if they disappear.

Look out in your own garden early in the morning, when the dew is still there, you will see what appears to be a little hammock cities of webs. I have a few of these on the bushes near the house and many of them stretched between the old stems in the yarrow patch.

Even stepping out of the door can be a haunted mansion experience. One night my son came home from work and said, “Be careful when you go outside in the morning, there is a huge spider web all across the garage door.” The next morning, by the time I went out, the spider was packing in the last bits of that web. It was the type of spider that puts up a new one each night and takes it all in when morning comes.

A spider that you see often this time of year is the Black and Yellow Argiope. The photo on the blog today is of one of these spiders. I took this photo September, 2007. The spiders you see in the web are the females. They are doing all the work – building webs, trapping food, etc. The males travel around from one female’s web to another. They seem to try to play beat the clock this time of year – they are in a race to get the egg sac in place before they die. The egg sac is bulb shaped and the color of a brown paper bag. I have found these sacs in the yard before hanging on the butterfly bushes. These spiders are so easily spotted because of their large web with a zig-zag pattern in the center – plus by now that spider is pretty large! These make good subjects since they are a good size, stay fairly still, and don’t run off when they see you coming.

Nikon to Canon

2008-09-23T08:18:00.001-04:00

I want to start out by saying thanks to Joe for the tip on this wonderful accessory!

My film camera is a Nikon. I almost say “was a” – but it is still around – still in the house – just not in use. The last time I took it out of the bag I noticed that the door on the back of the camera (remember where you would have to put film in?) would not stay closed. Some little spring or something – over time – must have broken.

So now what? I have this old, but great, camera that won’t function unless I get someone to fix it. And – even if I get someone to fix it – will I really ever use it? I doubt it.

So now what – again? I have some lenses that I really liked. The photos I got with them (and that camera) are wonderful. Since I am choosing to not repair the camera – what will I do with these lenses? At the time they were purchased, they were expensive – but now? Some would say – why didn’t you buy a digital Nikon instead of the Canon – then those lenses could have been used. Well, I didn’t – so that is why.

But guess what – I can use those Nikon lenses on my new digital Canon! A couple weeks ago I purchased an adapter ring on ebay that would fit to the Nikon lens and allow it to fit to the Canon body. The price was very low – under $20 for the product and shipping. This ring has no way to electronically have the camera and lens “talk.” This is as manual as using a Lensbaby. I have seen these adapter rings with electrodes fixed to them to perhaps allow the lens to be controlled by the camera settings. And, of course, these are pricier than the complete manual version.

I am completely satisfied with my manual version of the adapter ring. If you don’t trust ebay and usually stay away from there – Adorama has one for $50. The product at Adorama has an average 5-star rating. The website is www.adorama.com.

Now – you guys who switched from Canon to Nikon might be thinking – what about us? Well, from what I can tell in my quickie search this morning – I don’t think so. Going from Nikon to Canon is moving up in size – going from Canon to Nikon would be moving down and that is sometimes not as easy or practical to do.

The Nifty Fifty

2008-09-18T12:52:00.003-04:00

A few weeks ago a friend asked about a good low-light lens. My reply was the Canon 50mm 1.4. I knew she had a Canon camera like mine and I also knew how I loved using that lens in a low light situation. That was the lens I took to the aquarium with me and got excellent shots – even in the very dimly lit areas.

Since I recommended the lens to her – I was reminded how little I have used it lately. I have been busy with the Lensbaby and with my good all-round Tamron zoom. But that little 50mm had been neglected and left in the bag for a long time.

Purposely when I drove to Zebulon last week I put that lens on the camera and took with me no other. I loved the shots I got at that cemetery. As I was looking at the shots on the computer I thought, “Why don’t I use this lens more often?”

I think the reason why is that it is known as a ‘portrait lens.’ It is good to take great portrait shots – but it can take great shots of anything. Last night, at 7pm, I took Rosebud outside. She acted like she needed to go out – but all she did was sit in the grass, looking around the yard, enjoying the cool evening. As soon as I saw her sitting there, I ran in to get the camera – it still had the 50 on it from last week.

As I sat there in the grass with her – I was loving the shots I got. Rosebud is a reluctant subject. She will rarely, if ever, make eye contact with the lens. I have an old photo I took of her about 5 years ago that I love. I had not been able to get another I like as much as that one until last night.

Around 7pm – the light is going fast, especially on a cloudy day. The lens was great – no flash – no tripod needed. The depth of field for Rosebud’s portraits was great.

I plan to keep using this lens a lot in the coming weeks. If you have small kids or pets that are hard to catch and you need a fast lens for them or for mood shots in certain light – look at the 50mm 1.4. I know they came out with a 1.2 – but oh my gosh at the price on that one! I never used the 1.8 – so I don’t know the comparison with mine – but the price on the 1.8 is very tempting. A couple days ago when one of my regular photo magazines came in the mail, as I flipped through it I noticed a Sigma version of this lens available for Sigma, Canon, Nikon, Pentax and Sony.

Zebulon

2008-09-14T08:53:00.003-04:00

Last week I drove to Zebulon to drop off my photos for the Slow Exposures show. The show begins this Friday (September 19). I will be there in the afternoon on the 19th and 20th. The show is in Concord in the R.F. Strickland Building. This is a big show in a small town. I kind of like that.

Zebulon is a nice town. When I told my daughter I had been to Zebulon that day – she said that sounded like a different planet. Well, when you compare Zebulon with Atlanta; it is like a different planet. The little town is vibrant and has some interesting shops. The bookstore, A Novel Experience, was my destination for drop off of the photos. This bookstore is wonderful. It is large and full of many interesting things besides new and used books. I made a mental note that I do need to return to Zebulon with my camera and some time.

I did take my camera with me on the short trip to Zebulon. Not knowing exactly how long it would take for me to arrive, I did not stop on the way there. As I passed something of interest, I decided to stop on the way home – if I did not get lost on the way back!

Hollonville is another small town that I passed through on the way. Just south of this town I spotted an interesting old cemetery on the side of the road. There was a small place to pull off the road and that was it, nothing more. A peach orchard was just through some trees. On the way back to Fayette, I stopped here to take some photos.

In the cemetery, and the closest to the road, were false crypts. These are a coffin size and like structures that are built on the grave. The body is below ground – hence the name “false” crypt. These were very interesting and rather primitive looking. The slabs of stone were crudely cut and just laying on top. At the back of a couple of the false crypt were what appeared to be a tombstone built in to that side of the crypts. I have seen false crypts before – but none that looked like these. Of course I took photos. The lighting at the time was not what I wanted – and of course I want to go back.

There are many places like Zebulon and the cemetery on the side of the road – it just takes a little time to get out there and find them.

The Little Yellow Spider

2008-09-09T15:44:00.003-04:00

Sometimes you aren’t interested in taking a photo at all. Some days you can’t find anything that is interesting. One day you stop to think and realize it has been days – maybe weeks since you took a photo of anything. Or maybe you have been taking photos but you don’t care for any of them.

This has been my problem lately. I have been what you call, uninspired.

There have been times I could not wait to get out the door with the camera and back to the computer to see the photos. I would stand in my yard with so many options I did not know which way to go first.

My dry spell, rut, photographer’s block was no fun and I think – I hope – thank goodness – it is over. Thanks to a little yellow crab spider I spent quite a bit of time taking photos last night. Monday evening – after dinner – it is get the trash to the street for the next day time at my house. As I moved one of the large garbage cans I spied this little brilliant yellow crab spider. I think it must have come from the Brown-Eyed Susan flowers near the area. The color of the spider seemed to match the petals of the flowers fairly closely.

As I watched it I thought I needed to go get the camera. So I did. I put on the 10x close up diopter for some “super” macro action. For the next 20 minutes I took photos and chased the spider around the top of the can. At one point it was hanging suspended by a web thread. I had the camera on continuous shooting to take a series of it as it twisted and turned. The shots are not completely sharp as expected since the spider was in constant motion. After a short while – it swung over to my tripod! Had it shot the web over to the tripod like Spiderman swinging from building to building? As it made its way onto my camera strap – I found a small stick to lift it back to the garbage can. I took a few more photos and then decided I had traumatized this spider enough. But you know – that little spider never seemed to be afraid of me or my camera – it was incredibly feisty!

I think I had been in a rut because I have such a desire to always look for those photos that are different. There are only so many “butterfly on the bush” photos you can take. The little yellow spider was fun, unexpected, and provided me with some really different abstract images.

With this latest inspiration – I plan to go on a spider hunt in the backyard soon. Because I am such a reluctant gardener – there are plenty weeds and great places for spiders to live. I am sure I have quite a few.

Fall Photo Shows

2008-08-31T09:08:00.002-04:00

On Friday I received notice in the mail that three of the four submissions I sent in for the Arts Clayton Annual Juried Photography Competition made it through the jury process. So now I have three more photos to have framed for a show! I have been in need of a lot of framing lately! It is not a problem – and if it was a problem – it is a good one.

This Saturday, September 6, there is a launch party for Arts & Expressions magazine at Dogwood Gallery in Tyrone. The magazine is in its 6th year and is coming out with a whole new look. It is very exciting. A couple of my photos are featured in the “Gifts by Hand” section of the magazine – so I will definitely be there and the photos featured in the magazine will be hanging for the party. If you are in the area, come to the party, it starts at 6:30.

Greg Blair at Dogwood has been taking care of all of my framing needs lately. He is great to deal with and I love that gallery! It is quite a jewel to have in Fayette County. Check out the website www.dogwoodgallery.net

The next event after the magazine launch party is Slow Exposures in Concord. I will be at the show September 19 & 20. Greg has just about completed the framing for this show for me. I have to take the framed pieces to Zebulon prior to September 13. I am very excited about Slow Exposures. Slow Exposures is open September 19-21 and 26-28.

And now, the new competition comes after Slow Exposures at the Arts Clayton Gallery in Jonesboro. This show will hang at the gallery for the month of October. The opening reception for this show is October 2. For more information on Arts Clayton and the show, you can visit their website at www.artsclayton.org/gallery.

This is the first year I submitted images for both Slow Exposures and Arts Clayton. I am pleased to have made it into both shows.

In November I will be participating in a joint show with a local potter. We have talked about a doing a show together for quite a while – and now it is going to happen. The dates for this show are November 16-18 and at will be at The Hollingsworth House in Fayetteville. When the details are worked out and the website for the show is up and running – I will provide more information here.

In addition to all of these shows, this week I begin the fall session of digital photography and photo editing classes at the Fayette Senior Services Center. These classes end the week before Thanksgiving.

It is going to be a busy fall!

Michael C. Carlos Museum

2008-08-23T08:47:00.005-04:00

This past week I visited the Michael C. Carlos Museum on the Emory University campus in Atlanta. Not many people know of this museum. It has been around for quite a while. The collections at Emory date back to 1876. I am not sure when it became known by the current name. The building that houses the museum now was designed by Michael Graves. The photography policy here is no flash and none in the traveling exhibit. In the regular collection found on the first floor, I got some pretty good shots. The only lens I took with me was the Lensbaby. You can tell by looking at this photo the left side has that "Lensbaby slur." Next time I visit I think I will take my 50mm 1.4, it is good in low light and, well, no flash means low light. I did bump up my ISO to 800 since I was handholding and wanted to minimize handshake. The lighting is dim in the exhibit halls.

The Carlos has a spectacular collection of Ancient Egyptian, Greek, Roman, African, Asian, and Ancient American art. The museum also hosts educational programs and traveling exhibits. One traveling exhibit that will get the Carlos some notice is the latest King Tut exhibition that will make its North American debut in Atlanta this November. The Tut exhibit will not be at the Carlos – the Carlos is too small to host such an event on property. The Carlos is the host museum – but the exhibit will be at the Atlanta Civic Center. At the Carlos you will find a photographic exhibition in connection with the Tut exhibit.

The website for the Carlos Museum is http://www.carlos.emory.edu/ and the website for detailed information on the Tut exhibit is http://www.kingtut.org/.

If anyone reading is interested – tomorrow – August 24 – I will be at The Veranda Inn B&B in Senoia at 3pm for a program on preserving, duplicating, and restoring old photos.

Proper Camera Settings

2008-08-18T13:18:00.001-04:00

When you are taking photos are you so concerned with the settings that you can sometimes miss the shot or lose the idea?

Some photographers are very technical – they have a need to know all the settings to use when and where and then on top of that – they want to know why! What do I say to that? I say why worry about the "proper settings" and spend a little time on a spectacular composition!

When someone asks me "What settings do I use for (fill in the blank)?" Well – it is not such an easy answer. First, and the toughest part, is that I have no idea what their vision of the photo is. Their vision and idea that they wish to capture makes all the difference in how to approach settings for a certain shot. Add to this that usually the person asking me that wants a certain fstop and shutter speed that should deliver to them the perfect photo for the place, time, and idea.

I can't tell you. I can't even tell me – I take test shots to get a sense of what I have and where I am going with the photo at that moment.

Outdoors – let's think – the lighting varies from hour to hour and day to day. If you have a little cloud cover at noon on Wednesday your settings will be different than a cloudless sky on Friday. In July, 4 p.m. is very different than 4 p.m. in November. Indoors it is a little easier – but it depends heavily on the lighting you have. If I have no clue of the lighting in a space – how can I give a ballpark?

Don't be afraid to take the time to test shoot a couple photos. Look at the photo you get. Do you want lighter? Should it be darker? Is your subject in focus the way you want it. Now I know that little screen on the back of the camera can lie to you. Mine has lied to me plenty of times. I think I have something wonderful and then after I see it on the computer I realize that it is not so nice. If it is just an issue of the exposure being off – that is an easy fix with software. If my depth of field is not the best – then I just have to plan a reshoot. It is funny that seems like a major inconvenience now. But just think about when we all worked with film. You would have to reshoot something – but you would not figure that out as quickly as you can now. Now – if you have your computer handy – you can shoot something over right away.

OK – so what about the times you don't want to have to have a reshoot. What about when you won't get that chance. My suggestion is that if it is very important and you are very leery of you manual setting abilities – go for a more auto-type setting – like "portrait," "landscape," or whatever. The whole camera is your tool – all of the settings – even those dreaded "autoish" ones. People who look down their noses at someone who does not always shoot manual are – well – silly! A good cheat for going manual when you are unsure is to first put the camera on auto -- even take a shot. Notice the shutter speed and fstop the camera uses. Then review the image on the screen. If you want to do something different (and you probably will), use a more manual setting to tweak the auto a bit.

Don't be afraid to experiment when you have the opportunity – that is learning. If you have a time crunch or and once in a while shot – don't worry about going more auto. Always review your EXIF data to see the settings for those photos you love. Remember them, if for nothing other than a starting place, for when you are presented with a similar situation.

Slow Exposures

2008-08-16T08:17:00.002-04:00

I made it in to the Slow Exposures photo exhibition! I am very excited. This was the first time I had submitted images to the jury for this show. The letter I received told of an overwhelming response to the call for entries. Photographers from across the nation submitted 601 images to the jury and 71 were chosen to hang in the show. Two of my eight entries will be hanging.

The show opens Friday, September 19 at noon. The opening reception is Saturday, September 20 at 1:30pm. The Slow Exposures Ball is Saturday, September 20 at 7:00pm. Tickets are $50 per person and available by calling 770-567-3600. In addition to the framed pieces priced to sell, this year the show is offering print sales. You can order the print and it will be shipped to you by the artist. Also available, for the second year, is a book of the photos in the show.

In addition to these events – there are many other happenings associated with Slow Exposures. For full details and the story behind the show you can check out their website www.slowexposures.org.

Timing Can Be Everything

2008-08-13T13:29:00.002-04:00

Like most everyone else I have been watching the Olympics this week. The opening ceremonies were amazing and a photographer’s dream. Can you imagine having that as subject matter?

Watching all of the other events – while watching the sport action – I am also noticing the camera gear in the background. At one event (gymnastics I think) there was such a sea of cameras – it seemed the scene went on and on for quite a bit of space. The photographers are packed in tightly together too! It makes me wonder how they can breathe being so close to each other. I guess the photographers are not claustrophobic. Or, if they are, they are dealing with it in order to get the one great shot.

How can one person come away with that one great shot when so many are going after the same thing at the same time? There are certain athletes that are big names and draws for the cameras. You know when they are in action they have so many lenses focused on them – and the continuous shooting modes – these guys must be burning through the memory cards!

When you are taking photos with a group, it can be difficult to get a photo of “your own.” I have listened to the podcast of Brooks Jensen tell about submissions they receive at Lenswork. He says with many of the portfolios received, he can tell whose workshop someone has been to. So how do you stand out, be unique, not look like everyone else?

Part of it is timing. There is always that one person at an event that snaps at just the right moment to capture the split second something happens. It could be a news event – like when Jack Ruby shot Oswald. I have heard interviews with a photographer who took the photo just after that famous photo was taken. He told of how his friend, colleague, competitor, had shot his photo just a split second before he did. Of course the photo timing and the angle made that one photo famous. Many of the photos that stand out in our minds seem to come from big news events. These images make the memories of the events for us.

For me – the images of the Olympics are pretty predicable. The gymnast in poses and on an apparatus, the cyclists on bikes, boxers, runners, etc; all of these people are doing what is expected. Last night I was watching the swimming. Of course I saw Michael Phelps win another race. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of photos of Phelps swimming, warming up, stretching, etc. – doing what is usual and expected.

Today I saw a photo of Phelps that is very unexpected and I find it interesting. An AP photographer by the name of Itsuo Inouye captured the moment when Phelps finished the race. In this particular race, the 200 meter butterfly, he had experienced a problem with his goggles. They were filling with water and he was unable to see. The photo taken after the race tells the story of his feeling for those goggles! Timing on that photo was everything. The goggles are caught in flight. I first saw this photo on The Drudge Report this morning. I have searched to find the photographer to give proper credit.

Sunflower Buds

2008-08-07T06:53:00.002-04:00

Last spring I planted several large pots with sunflower seeds. I had a heck of a time getting the squirrels and chipmunks to leave the sprouting seeds alone. There are a few sunflowers getting close to blooming. There is one on the deck that is the largest and it is blooming now.

Last weekend I took quite a few photos of the bud as it was just opening. These are some of my favorite photos of the summer. One of the members of the photo club made a comment on Flickr that the photos showed movement. They do! When I look at them I see a crab's mouth parts moving as it gathers tiny bits of food.

The challenge with these photos and anything outside this time of year is the humidity. As soon as I stepped out onto the deck to take the photos – my camera fogged up. I used a microfiber cloth to clear the lens and snapped a couple as the lens was fogging over again. Those are kind of interesting.

The best thing to do – and I did this then and on another morning – is to set up the camera on the tripod or set it on a table and leave it for a few minutes. The other morning, I came back into the house to get a glass of water. After a little while, you return and the lens is clear. On a super humid day the cool camera lens will have the moisture in the air condense on it. Once the lens and camera comes to the same temperature as the outdoors, the condensation ends.

I am going to send one of the sunflower bud photos in to go with this blog. If you don't see a photo with the blog, check back later to look for it. I think flower buds make as good (sometime better) photos than the flowers!

Flat Creek Nature Area

2008-07-31T09:34:00.001-04:00

The end of July! It is hard to believe the end of July is here already! I had all these ideas of things I wanted to do and places to go and I haven't gotten to do most of them. Oh well.

Yesterday I visited another local spot that I had never been to before – Flat Creek Nature Area. The wonderful walk is located in the heart of Peachtree City. It is more of a swamp than a creek, in my opinion. It is one of those places where you most likely will need some bug repellent – I applied some before I left the house.

The walk entrance is located near the entrance for the Frederick Brown Jr. Amphitheater. In the parking area you will see a building that has "Flat Creek Nature Center" on it – but I have never found this building open or staffed with anyone. While on the walk my friend and I noticed numbers on the side of the decking. We kept trying to figure out what they could be for. Finally after many theories were tossed about, she came up with what I believe to be the winner. She thinks the numbers mark certain species of trees or plants and some where (maybe in the locked and never staffed nature center) there is a pamphlet that you can use for a self-guided tour of the area.

Down this trail and along the deck walkway it is dark – even on a sunny day. Most of the time we were out it was overcast. Occasionally the sun would peek out and give us interesting subjects in a spotlight. The foliage looked very healthy and a vibrant green. I took some photos for no other reason than to look up what kind of plant it is in my field guides. We started out early since it was forecast to become very hot. About an hour in we found the humidity increasing quickly.

It was disappointing to see trash scattered in the area, not much, but any is an eyesore. There were some signs marking tree species. We saw very few creatures while on the trail. One type of creature seen was fish in the more creek-like areas. The other creature spotted occasionally, usually too late, were spiders! I started carrying my camera on the monopod above me to break the web first. Walking into one is no fun, believe me!

I cannot wait for fall and a nice day to return to Flat Creek Nature Area. Of course, by fall, the spiders will be larger!

Photographing Your Jewelry or Other Collectibles.

2008-07-28T07:38:00.001-04:00

There may come a time when you would like to photograph a piece of jewelry or another small object. Keeping photos of jewelry is a good idea for insurance purposes – and really, a photo of any collection that is of worth is suggested. I like to suggest taking shots of individual items and then a group shot as well. Here are some tips on photographing these items. After you get the photos you want – where should you store them for safekeeping? The first thing I always think of is a safe deposit box. But if you don't have one or would like easier accessibility to them, you could just upload them to the internet to one of many online photo service websites. (Of course, keep a backup on CD or DVD or even just a jump drive.)

Many people think that macro, or even with some cameras super macro, setting is the one to choose for jewelry photos. If your piece is not very dimensional – maybe that is OK. With macro your depth of field is shallow, meaning a small section of the photo is in sharp focus and the rest is blurred. It is great, artsy – but it won't show a 3D object completely sharp. If your intent is to show the object – use a regular setting and zoom to get in close to the subject. If you have a high number megapixel camera – you can crop down to get just your piece if need be. Cropping does reduce the size of your photo file – so if you crop a photo taken with an 8mp camera in half – you end up with the same size of photo as if you had used a 4mp camera.

Landscape setting is the "semi" auto setting on most cameras with the largest depth of field. Portrait setting will probably get your whole subject in sharp focus and have the background slightly to very blurred (depending on how far the background is from the subject). If you are going more manual with this – choose a high number fstop – 11 or greater. The higher the fstop the more is in focus. The lower the fstop – below 8 usually – the more you have blur and sharpness in a photo. If I were doing jewelry I would choose aperture priority and play with my setting from f11 and on up to see what I get that I like best. Keep in mind that pros experiment with settings a lot to get the look they want – and they take a lot of photos.

If you need flash consider using auxiliary lighting instead. A flash can create an unflattering glare that will take center stage and perhaps hide details on a piece. Set your item by a window – take it outside. But do not go for direct sunlight as this will create glare and shadows. If you use a flash consider outside and something like fill flash. If you need more light and want to put a "spotlight" on the piece with a lamp – think about using a screen to soften the lighting. Use white plastic (like a Target bag) stretched on a coat hanger. Place this between the object and the light to soften the light and reduce glare on the piece. If you are using no flash and your camera's shutter is working slower because of it -- you may need a tripod or just place the camera on a table or any other steady surface. If you are using a slower shutter speed -- just the push of your finger on the button "could" give you enough camera jiggle to not have a super sharp photo. Set the camera down, put it on timer, push the button and stand back.

Think about your background. Many people I know photographing art pieces will use one large piece of fabric for a background and under the piece – that way there are no seams, lines, or changes in colors behind the object.

So take some photos! This is a great way to document your collection and practice with the camera – killing two birds with one stone.

The Rights of the Subject

2008-07-25T15:34:00.001-04:00

I have talked before about objects in the public domain that you think are – of course – public, therefore they are free from any strings if you photograph them. Wrong.

Recently, in a search on the internet for information on this very subject I found that the light show on the Eiffel Tower is a copyrighted work of art. Anyone photographing it or video taping the event can do so if it is for personal use. If you plan to show it in a gallery and sell it – you are violating the intellectual property rights of the copyright owner. The Empire State Building is another protected object. A photo of the New York City skyline is fine. But, if you photograph the Empire State Building – and clearly it is the subject of the photo – you are violating the intellectual property rights (if you use it commercially).

I read a story about Brad Pitt initiating a suit against photographers who took photos of him and his family. The family was outside their home – on their own property. The photographers were not on their private property – but they had tele-zoom lenses. These lenses allow the photographers to get pretty good photos without violating any trespass laws. Some other celebrity is doing a similar action – I can't think of who it is. Anyway – just because you are on public property or your own private property when you are photographing someone else – you still may have privacy issues to deal with. The issue would definitely get pushed if the photo shows another party in an unflattering way and you 'publish' it.

If a person or their property is easily identifiable in your photo and you think you may want to use it in a commercial way, you need to secure a release. When I say commercial way, I mean place it in the public eye. The only case I have heard of getting around this is the "art excuse." A photographer, Philip-Lorca diCorcia, had a show at a gallery in NYC called "Heads." The show featured head shots of people in Times Square. The photos were taken as the people just walked by on their way to whatever. One of the subjects, Erno Nussenzweig, felt violated. Not only was a large photo of his face hanging – it was offered for sale. The gallery was selling the portraits for $20,000 to $30,000. Mr. Nussenzweig claimed also that the whole thing went against his religion. He is an orthodox Jew with a certain sect that has a commandment about 'graven images.' But – he was on the street – just walking by and in public view. The photographer snapped the shot and the rest followed.

The lawsuit of Nussenzweig v. diCorcia was filed in 2005. In February 2006, the court ruled in favor of diCorcia and the gallery. The court ruled that the use of Nussenzweig's image was a form of artistic expression and that he could not block the publication, display or sale and that he was not entitled to any compensation from the sale of the artwork or any books. The court also deemed the lawsuit as untimely. The ruling was that Mr. Nussenzweig had one year from first publication to file a suit. In March 2007 this ruling was upheld by New York's First Appellate Division. In November 2007, the New York Court of Appeals sided with diCorcia and the gallery as well. (Sounds like Mr Nussenzweig kept appealing) They stuck to the timeliness issue and did not get into the whole using someone's image in art thing. They said that any privacy claims must be made within one year of first publication whether or not the subject learns of the publication during that period. So if you don't know about it, you better file a case anyway? OK

What does this tell you? If you take photos for your own personal enjoyment, don't worry about anything. Take the photos, look at them at home, don't sweat it. For me – it says get a release if you want to do anything besides have a photo in your home on display. If you plan to put photos on sites such as Flickr, you need to be careful and err on the side of caution. That word "publish" can mean many things to many people. One local museum clearly states in their photography policy, that you must read and sign off on prior to taking any photos on property, that 'publish' to them includes placing the photo on the internet and they mention Flickr specifically. If the appeals court did not want to touch the 'images used in art thing' – just think how messy that could become and costly it would be to have a problem. It seems much much easier to get a release and sleep easily.

Oh, and my trademark issue, I received an email yesterday with lots of "personal advice" from my infringer and she told me that even though she was right and I was wrong, she had changed the wording on her site anyway. Don't you just love it?!

Intellectual Property -- Trademark Issue

2008-07-20T13:19:00.001-04:00

As a photographer you have a responsibility to educate yourself about intellectual property. I suppose I need to say – as a respectable, considerate, ethical, etc…photographer you need to know the limits and boundaries in the every changing arena of intellectual property. Being a photographer you have it from both sides. You must learn to protect your property. You also must learn about the rights of others and be mindful not to infringe on rights or leave yourself open to a disagreement. I believe when dealing with intellectual property – it is best to err on the side of caution.

Almost two months ago now – I finally received my trademark registration for "The Barefoot Photographer." I wanted to protect my name and website. During the process I learned a lot about patience. Even though I had been using the name for a long time – my application process took almost a year to complete. I had one bump in the road along the way. Because of that bump I met a very nice photographer and hopefully she will get her registration soon. I believe we both handled that bump very professionally.

When the registration came through, I contacted a few people who had been using the name on the internet and perhaps locally. Everyone I contacted was very nice – very professional and there was no problem. Just recently I have had another bump – quite a large bump – and I can honestly say I am not dealing with a nice or very professional person. She did not begin using the term "barefoot photographer" until after my registration came through. She has a blog with that term in the tagline ("ramblings of a barefoot photographer"). Her blog is about her and her photography business. I have asked her (more than once) to remove that term from the blog and she will not – at least she said (and I have this in writing from her) that if it was shown to her that she was in error in using it – she would remove barefoot photographer from her blog – she would comply with my request.

Ok – so I give her my registration number with the US Trademark and Patent Office detailing that I had the rights to that terminology in services and class categories including photography services. Pretty plain – don't you think? You can easily verify this information with the USPTO. No, she did not think that was sufficient. Her feeling is that there are a lot of names on the internet like mine and some identical. What she is failing to realize is that the identical names – in the United States – have been contacted and are either in process of deleting things or have changed the names on their webpages. This also reminds me of the argument my kids have tried on me "but Mom, everyone is doing it!" The answer now is the same it was then, "no, everyone is not doing it."

I contacted the hosting company for her blog – nice people. I had a response within 24 hours that they were requesting she change it. She changed it alright – to another website! Well – this story is not complete yet – hopefully in the next few days I will get compliance with my request and that will be that. At present there are letters in the mail both to the person and to the web hosting company's legal department. To keep my records and cover myself in the event it does get to the point of calling my attorney – I have printed every email from her and her hosting companies (the blog site and the web hosting site). I even printed the page from Wordpress that says, "The authors have deleted this blog. The content is no longer available."

As photographers we must protect our intellectual property. You have to keep records, print emails, and document what happens in case things have to go to the next level. If you do not, you risk being able to prove what was discussed. My favorite part of this case is having in writing from her (in an email) that if it was proven to her she was in error, she would comply. Well, it was proven and she still did not comply. If I did not ask and demand this person to cease and desist the use of my trademark – well – my trademark would be useless. The same thing can happen with the use of your photos. If you allow your photos to be taken and used without permission or compensation – then how can you expect to do it later? There are many people who take photos from the internet without permission. You have to be ready for it and prepared to speak up. As my granddaddy used to say, "Peter, if you don't look out for #1, no one will." (I don't know why he called me Peter!)

The next blog will be about respecting the rights of the subjects you photograph.