Bil's Eye View

A tip of the hat to Bill Engvall

Fri, 26 Sep 2008 21:40:40 -0500

We've all seen signs like this. With apologies to comedian Bill Engvall, this is a "Here's Your Sign" entry.

As if a driver wouldn't notice that this road was closed. Duh.

Welcome to Indianapolis

Fri, 26 Sep 2008 20:00:00 -0500

Indianapolis is the 13th largest city in the United States, and the second most populated state capital in the country, and somehow, you'd expect a more sophisticated welcome to the home of Peyton Manning, the Indy 500 and more soybean fields that you can imagine.

The state seems proudest of its breadbasket with this sign, something I came upon while on my way to an in-law reunion. Seeing humor in photos is another way to keep interest in pictures, and this one seems to fit-- Indianapolis and all its skyscrapers, welcoming visitors with its soybean fields.

Silhouettes of years past

Thu, 18 Sep 2008 08:27:16 -0500

Splashing through the creek at York College could have been so much fun this summer; and you wished you could just forget about mortgage payments, gas prices, your job-- just for a moment.

Newspapers once used a lot of what we at the YDR call 'free art', that is, just photos that are fun, pretty, or unusual. Generally, however, newspapers have now steered away from this type of photo unless it goes with a story. By itself, it's too much 'fluff'. People want news, and photos that are linked only to those stories.

This photo was shot years ago on one of those miserable hot days in summer, when kids were finding ways to cool off. You see some interesting things just cruising around town...

Silhouettes are relatively easy to shoot, and often, especially with point and shoot cameras, you'll get a silhouette even when you don't want it. The light meter will read all the strong light from behind the subjects and adjust accordingly, giving the silhouette. Many cameras have a backlight mode which will allow more light into the camera, and put more detail in the subjects.

Breaking the rules, perfectly

Sun, 14 Sep 2008 11:14:28 -0500

Someone once said you must know all the rules in order to break them all properly. That's probably true in any field, but certainly in photography.

One rule I've generally gone with is the Rule of Thirds, where the main subject is at the intersection of horizontal and vertical rules, dividing the photo in thirds. It seems to give photos more life, less static.

But this photo, which won a first place ribbon at the York Fair, has the main subject -- the flamingo's eye-- smack dab in the center. As an experiment, I cropped the photo different ways, taking the black upper left corner out, accentuating it, etc. None of them worked for me.

And that the picture is nearly perfectly square isn't especially pleasing either, but rules are made to be broken.

And this photographer knew the rules and broke them-- properly and perfectly.

The details count

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 00:42:40 -0500

How often have you/me taken a picture of a wonderful scene, and it just doesn't 'make it'? It looks much better to your eye than in the camera.

On Monday, as I traveled through the backroads of southeastern York county, I found a serene pond, partially covered with lotus and lily pads. This late in the season, most of the flowers and color was gone. But there was a picture to be had, and as I often do, I obsessed about finding it. I spent hours staring at a single lily pad and a dragonfly (it could have been dozens of different 'flies). That's not like me; I have patience of a cocker spaniel puppy.

Found plenty of photos, made different by the fading sunlight, the dragonfly's exact position, the curling leaf.

And the pictures were interesting, including this one with the shadow of the dragonfly projected on the leaf below. It's still not as interesting as I saw. But without this shadow, a detail, the photo wouldn't be as strong.

There's tomorrow, always looking for the perfect photo. That's what keeps me going.
What pushes you to become a better photographer?

It's York Fair time, and life is good

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 12:21:27 -0500

York Fair week is, in my mind, one of the best times of year, for a carload of reasons. It signals the end of a usually hot, miserable summer (my least favorite season), football season begins, autumn and all its color may be just a month away, depending which part of the country you visit.

But of course, it's Fair time. Photographs are everywhere-- kids joyfully fighting with a stick of cotton candy, the animals, the carnival workers and of course, the rides. I wouldn't pay the high prices they ask to just enjoy the ride, but to get a picture, now that's another story.

Instead of getting the usual off-ride, blurry night action picture of a ride, take a camera on the ride, hang on tight and start shooting. If you are traveling the same speed as the rider, you might get a blurry background (that's a good thing) and some terrific expressions, as in this photo taken years ago.

I'll be at the fair every chance I get. It'll be over too soon.

Use contrast to create interest

Tue, 02 Sep 2008 10:13:33 -0500

Normally, when we think of contrast in a photo, it's lightness or darkness.

But use other kinds of contrast--big and small, short and tall, fat and thin, old and young or black and white --to create an interesting picture.

This picture of York's Matthew Dorgan, taken in 1981, shows Matt sitting in his grandparents' pool on a floating chair. His aunt, who was watching him, swam up behind and stuck her feet up. It created a kind of head-scratcher moment. It's kind of comical, the size difference.

It was unrehearsed, candid and funny. Have your camera to catch moments of contrast. It's more than light and dark.

First day of school

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 17:01:17 -0500

As our Mommy-in-Residence blogger Amy Gulli points out, the first day of school can be traumatic. And for the four-year old in this picture, maybe meeting someone just a few steps away from God in a Catholic school is even more intimidating.

While Sam (Amy's little doll) is finally understanding that school is indeed a good place to be, this kindergartner in the photograph wasn't so sure about his strangely-dressed teacher, a nun. He wanted to be anywhere but where he was.

Terrified.

This photograph was taken 30 years ago. By now, this little boy probably has kids of his own, battling the same kind of terror he did. Somehow, we survive.

To read more about Sam's last few days, click here.

Window washer does the job

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 13:45:25 -0500

While it might not be the world's most dangerous job, washing windows must be one of the most interesting.

This photograph, taken 20 years ago in downtown York, shows a washer hard at work, taken from an angle different than most people would see as they pass on the streets below. Maybe this picture's interest is the soap suds trails, but maybe it's more of a "wish I could try that for about a day."

Myself, I prefer a job where both feet are planted on the ground, with only an occasional fling in the air, under water, or upside down.

The easiest sport to photograph

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 23:36:15 -0500

Someone once said that mankind's successes are printed on the sports pages, and its failures on the front page.

I like shooting sports.

And most are fairly easy to photograph, once you understand the game and anticipate the action.

But I have a tough time shooting volleyball. Getting a picture at the net is easy, much like under the net in basketball. But to get a truly strong, interesting and different shot is another story entirely. Anticipation is important while shooting sports, and despite my eons of covering volleyball games, I just don't get it. Field hockey is another-- the whistle blows and play stops every seven seconds.

But without question, the easiest sport to shoot is auto racing. The cars are always in the same place, same speed and light. Just crank up the shutter speed to stop the action, and shoot away. The only way to make a racing picture interesting is to slow the shutter and blur the background. Or be lucky enough to be standing where some poor soul will wreck. It's like hockey-- everyone goes to see the fights, or wrecks.

Maybe that's why when Tony Stewart showed up at Williams Grove on Tuesday, everyone had a camera, sometimes two.

Next time you buy a camera, take it to a track. You can't help but get superb photos, and the cars roar past so often you can experiment all night.

Shooting the falls

Mon, 11 Aug 2008 19:31:40 -0500

Waterfalls are one of the few things that can look totally different with a simple change in camera exposure.

This photo, with a tiny falls that looks delicate and soft, was shot with a shutter speed of about one-half second. Other frames were shot at a speed even slower. Use something rock-solid to steady the camera.

But turn that shutter speed up, freeze the splattering of the water on the rocks, and the waterfalls suddenly becomes a torrent of action and splashing. The higher the shutter speed the better, but at least 1/500 of a second.

It all depends on what kind of picture you're looking for-- raging action or quiet beauty. And don't dismiss the possibility that this small waterfall can look angry. Give it a try. You might be surprised.

This photo was taken while biking the Great Allegheny Passage.

The Great Allegheny Passage

Mon, 04 Aug 2008 23:52:21 -0500

While it might appear that the Big Savage Mountain tunnel in Maryland is ribbed with arches, it is just the light that makes it appear so. A biker is silhouetted against the bright light at the other end.

While bicycycle touring the Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) from Cumberland, Md., to near Pittsburgh last week, the 3,200 foot-long tunnel provided welcome relief from the heat. And it was a sign that our long climb up the mountains was nearly over.

We'll have an Excursion in the Record later on, but for now, know that the GAP in an interesting path, and is easy enough for families and laid-back recreational bikers (like me).

For more information on the trail, click here

It's only work...

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 22:56:39 -0500

For a few years now, I've been shooting a Family Night slide show for The Arc of York County's Camp Pennwood. It takes some time, a few mornings for a couple weeks during camp. Then I run to work to shoot for the YDR. During camp, organizations like the York County Sheriff's Department and McGruff the Crime Dog (above) present programs. The York Alliance Church youth group brought a carnival to camp last week.

One of my favorite quotes says "It's only work if you'd rather be doing something else." So, shooting photos for The Arc isn't work. It's a pleasure seeing young people-- generally high school and college age-- spending the summer as camp counselors. And of course, it's a pleasure photographing some of my favorite people-- the campers.

In fact, there is only one photograph of mine hanging in my house. And it's a photo of a Camp Pennwood camper named Timmy from many years ago. It's a very special photo.

If you have some spare time or spare change, The Arc is a great place for both. For its website, click here

Celebrate the Fourth

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 19:51:40 -0500

Photographing fireworks is incredibly easy, and it impresses the daylights out of your friends when it works. If they only knew how easy it was. You point the camera, and open the shutter. Fireworks (the explosion) is easy. But strong composition and showing the crowd which is there is another problem entirely.

Of course, the people in the foreground will all be facing away from you. And they'll be backlit, just a fraction of the light in the sky reaching the crowd on the ground.

Photographers get plenty of silhouettes, a few people lit by a fill flash, or buildings lit up with enough existing light to show up in the frame.

The above exposure was about 30 seconds-- for the bottom of the frame. And maybe five or six seconds for the top. I used a black card to block out the top (fireworks) while keeping the shutter open for the bottom. No double exposures or computer manipulation is allowed.

I'm all for trying something new to get better photos. If your fireworks photos look terrific, and you'd like to share your expertise, let me (us!) know how you did it.

Mirror lenses are old fashioned

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 17:18:06 -0500

A while back, one of our intern photographers noticed my ancient 500mm mirror on my desk. He picked it up, inspected it like an geologist looking over a fossil and asked, "Where's the autofocus?" There was no autofocus. That lens is older than most of the reporters at the Daily Record.

The photo above was taken with the 500 mm mirror lens. I bought it used nearly 30 years ago, and it's still one of my favorites. It's less than six inches long, fits nicely into a small belt pack and weighs almost nothing, making it wonderfully handy on walks through the woods. I don't think Nikon even makes mirror lenses anymore.

The Record's 400 mm lens weighs almost 12 pounds, and is optically shorter, but at least a foot longer in real length. The 400 is a favorite among sports shooters,and one that's seen along football sidelines. It's huge and heavy. But it's a beautiful lens. It's quick, sharp, and at least three f-stops faster than the mirror lens.

I couldn't carry the 400 through the woods and survive unless I'd find someone to haul around this massive hunk of glass.

So, look at my 500 as a short cut. The picture above wouldn't have happened without my 500, and it would have been impossible with a shorter 80-200.

The problem, of course, is that the 500 is awfully slow at f8. Once the sun goes behind the trees, put this lens away. And another problem is obvious in this photo-- all those circles. It takes away from the heron here, but sometimes, it's an unusual element to the photo. The circles are just the result of the mirror images bouncing around inside the lens.

It's the lazy man's long telephoto. And if you find another 500mm around, let me know. This old girl should have been put out to pasture years ago.