Tesar Photography

Best Commercial Ever

2016-02-18T08:34:00.002-05:00

I just came across this commercial today and I have to share it. This video is so touching in so many ways, just watch!!!

This is pretty damn awesome! Source: https://www.facebook.com/adaptivetrainingfoundation/http://www.adaptivetrainingfoundation.org/
Posted by Raccoon TV on Saturday, February 13, 2016

Do You Ask Yourself, 'Why are my images cutoff, or 'Cropped,' When I Print Them'?

2016-01-28T07:00:00.000-05:00

Hey guys, I wanted to put this out there, because I see so many people out there on the different social media sites asking this question a lot. Why are my images cut off when I get them printed?

First of all you need to know a little bit about cameras and their internal sensors. Each camera has a different imaging sensor that captures the image. Most, if not all 'consumer' cameras and DSLR's have what they call a 'cropped' body or image sensor, as opposed to the higher end cameras, which are considered 'Full Frame' Cameras.

The main difference, for the average person, is when it comes to printing your photo. Obviously the higher end cameras have much better sensors, functions, and much greater differences than this post will go into. So, I am only going to mention the photo size difference here. There is a big misconception out there that photo labs are cropping the photos and consumers are led to believe that 5x7's and 8x10's are standard sizes. In part thats true, but for the mid-range DSLR's and point-and-shoot cameras, because of their 'cropped body,' the true proper sizes, if you want the image you see to print out fully on photo paper are as follows: 4x6, 8x12, 10x15, 11x17, 20x30, but good luck finding an 8x12 or 10x15 frame.

Now on the other hand in 'Full-Frame' cameras, which most are around $1200 and up, what you see is what will print out in the more 'standard' sizes like: 5x7, 8x10, 11x14, 16x20, 20x24, 24x30.

I believe the reason being is that way back when, when Kodak first started printing images, the cameras they used were essentially 'Full-Frame' film cameras and obviously only photographers that could afford them used them, and could charge whatever they want. When the technology came along to make the cameras smaller, they obviously had to make the sensor smaller so it was more affordable for the average consumer. This in turn effected the way the photos printed. Because the 'standard' sizes were the only sizes used for so many years everyone just sticks with it.

So lesson learned here, if you are shooting on a 'cropped body' camera, make sure you leave enough room around the edges to be able to print the standard sizes.

‘What makes photography a strange invention is that its primary raw material are light and time’

John Berger

Highlights from the 3rd Soccer Game

2016-01-27T19:00:00.000-05:00

'The most important thing you learn as a sports photographer is anticipation - not where the action is taking place, but where it's going to take place. Not where the subject is now, but where they're going to be.'

- Lawrence Schiller

Two Reasons Why I Always Bring My Camera With Me

2016-01-20T08:59:00.001-05:00

Why do I always have a camera with me, or atleast in my car? Simple, you never know when an image might present itself. Take the photos below for example, my 2 reasons, I captured the sunrise this morning on my way to drop my boys off at school. I had the camera right next to me and could see the colors starting to become more vivid as the sun was rising. I always go the same route, passing a grass farm field, and every morning (well school morning) I get to watch the sunrise. Sometimes its dark and eerie, or foggy, or rainy, but not today. Today was absolutely gorgeous and I couldn't resist to pull over on the side of the road and take, literally 2 minutes: 1 min to get the settings right, and another to capture a couple images.

It's that easy and simple, so remember don't leave home without your Camera, and make sure your batteries are charged, your card is formatted, and lens clean: I will be talking about that in an upcoming post, possibly a video, so check back for that in about a week.

f/9.0 1/15th sec 800 ISO, focal length 35mm, Av Mode

f/9.0, 1/20th sec, 800 ISO, focal length 37mm, Av Mode

‘Photographs open doors into the past, but they also allow a look into the future.’ - Sally Mann

Quick Tip - Format Your Memory Cards Before a Shoot

2016-01-20T07:00:00.000-05:00

Formatting your memory cards may not be a top priority on your list of things to do before a photo shoot, but it's an important and necessary step in order to maximize the efficiency of them. Even though you may delete the photos from your memory card, it's still using memory from them and robbing you of the full storage capabilities. Most, if not all DSLR and I believe even Point&Shoot Cameras offer the option to Format your card in the menu section. Check your particular Camera's info guide to see how to do it. On Canon Camera's (Like the T3 I'm currently using) it's in the menu section under the first yellow tool icon. Make sure your images are saved somewhere other than the memory card before you format it, as formatting erases all the left over junk left behind.

This is the memory card I'm currently using:

'The best images are the ones that retain their strength and impact over the years, regardless of the number of times they are viewed.'

- Anne Geddes

Processing Images in Lightroom

2016-01-19T17:58:00.000-05:00

Today I am going to be writing about image processing and the way I personally do it. First of all before I start, I'd like to give a shout out to Jared Polin from FroKnowsPhoto for introducing me to Lightroom and the editing process, and well basically everything I know about photography. (P.S. - Jared if you happen to see this post, send me a RAW shirt so I can feature it on here.) Speaking of RAW, as he puts it, always, always, always shoot in RAW mode, if you have the capability.

If you are shooting in jpeg just so you can get the photos too the client faster, I guarantee they aren't as good of quality as they can be and if you are having the issue of taking too many photos too process, then you need to focus on better quality images, and less quantity.
Mind you I am not a pro, nor do I make a living from photography, but would one day like too, I am a very enthusiastic amateur photographer, for now.

As I said earlier, I use Lightroom (Currently LR4), to process my images. After I import them, I quickly go through and weed out the ones I don't like, at this point I'm not too critical because if I capture the moment, but the lighting is off, I can always bring it back in the editing process. Once I narrow it down, I go through them individually and process each one. I will eventually be putting out a video on this and let you watch as I process some of my images.

I always make sure the camera settings in LR match the camera and lens that I used. I then start from the top and work my way down the sliders on the right hand side, starting with exposure. I almost always bump up my contrast between 30-50, sometimes higher for black and white images. Everyone is different and will process their images differently, but this is the way I like to do it.

The best thing about shooting in RAW mode is that I can tweak an image anyway I want too and always be able to revert it back to the original, or export it halfway through, or if I process it, print it, don't like it, I can go back and make the correct changes without ever affecting the original file. And always make sure you have a back-up for your back-up!!

Below is a screen shot of a before and after, left is original and right is processed.
This is just an example of how you can make an image pop with color, without over doing it, check out the levels of the sliders on the right for how I processed this image.

'Photography, as a powerful medium of expression and communication, offer an infinite variety of perception, interpretation and execution.' - Ansel Adams

Youth Soccer Slideshow

2016-01-18T08:00:00.000-05:00

I absolutely love making memories with my children, so I put together this slideshow of their first 2 soccer games. At the end of the season I am going to pick the best of the best of the best pictures of each child and create a stunning sports video of each of their seasons. So stay tuned and keep checking back for that video and more!!!

"Capture the moment, and it will capture your heart"
- Michael Tesar

Youth Soccer Slideshow

Capturing Marina Jacks, Sarasota, Fl

2016-01-13T09:16:00.002-05:00

The other day was so gorgeous down here, I couldn't resist going down to the local marina and create some stunning images. I was there for about an hour before the sun became too harsh. I took over 200 images, ended up with about 50 that I imported to edit, and out of those I ended up with 18 that are worthy of sharing. The following are the best out of the 18. If you would like to purchase a full resolution professional grade photo, you may do so by clicking the following link: http://pixels.com/profiles/michael-tesar.html

All photos were taken with a Cannon EOS RebelT3 with a cannon lens 18-55mm IS, always shot in RAW mode and imported to Photoshop Lightroom4 on a MacBook Pro via internal card slot. Location was Marina Jacks - Sarasota, Fl (Home of the #1 Beach in the US rated by Trip Advisor - Top 25 Beaches in the U.S.)

"You don't take the photograph, you make it"
- Ansel Adams

As always please feel free to like, comment, and share these posts.

Marina Jack, Sarasota, Fl - 01/12/2016

Paradise in Sarasota, Fl

f4.5 1/1600th sec 200ISO Purchase

Ringling Bridge, Sarasota, Fl

f5.0 1/800th sec 200ISO Purchase

Sunrise at Ringling Bridge

f4.5 1/2000th sec 200ISO Purchase

Sailor's Dream

f8.0 1/100th sec 200ISO Purchase

Paradise

f4.5 1/640th sec 200ISO Purchase

Boater's Paradise

f8.0 1/640th sec 200ISO Purchase

Sunrise at the Bay

f8.0 1/400th sec 200ISO Purchase

Spinning Around with the GoPro

2016-01-12T13:44:00.000-05:00

So the other day my boys were swinging on their swingset and asked me to twist them around on the see-saw swing (I don't really know the name of it, but thats what I call it) and thought, this might make a cool video using both perspectives, one from me, and one from him holding the camera. I used Imovie on a MacBook Pro to edit the video.
As always, feel free to comment, like and share my posts.

Photographing My Boys First Soccer Games.

2016-01-10T07:12:00.002-05:00

My boys had their first soccer games yesterday morning, so naturally, as both a Dad and an Amateur photographer I was really excited! We woke up early and got everything prepared and in the truck. Game time was 9:00, and we had to be there by 8:15. I was a little concerned when the sun started to rise, cause now I could see that there was a dense layer of fog everywhere. The sun was barely lighting up the sky, like a very dim soft light.

This photo gives you an example of how foggy it was

f5.0 1/500th sec 400 ISO

I started off in Manual Mode, and set my ISO at 400, Aperture was set low and shutter speed between 1/250 and 1/500th sec. This was my first time shooting any kind of sports and both my boys were playing at different times, so I had time to adjust. As the sun rose, the light kept changing, and towards the end of the 2nd game it finally came out a little and I ended up with some pretty good images.

The following are the best ones (in my opinion). I took over 200 photos, and ended up with about 60 decent ones per child, to import and adjust in Lightroom. Out of that I ended up with about 30 per child. I did have to do some pretty dramatic changes on some of them in Lightroom, so I won't be enlarging these more than a 10 x 14 or so due to grain issues.
I hope you enjoy, please don't forget to leave a comment, share, like, and keep coming back for more.

These images are from the first game 9:00 - 10:00

f4.5 1/160th sec 400ISO

f5.0 1/200th sec 400ISO

f5.6 1/200th sec ISO 400

f5.6 1/250th sec 400 ISO

f5.6 1/640th sec 400 ISO

f5.6 1/400th sec 400 ISO

f4.5 1/320th sec 400 ISO

f4.5 1/1,000th sec 400 ISO

The next series of images are from the second game 11:00-12:00

f5.6 1/800th sec 400 ISO

f8.0 1/320th sec 800 ISO

f16.0 1/400th sec 400 ISO

f14.0 1/400th sec 400 ISO

2016-01-07T09:22:00.000-05:00

I'm back!!! it's been a while, you know, Life and stuff. Anyways I hope everyone had an Awesome Christmas!!! I know we did, my wife got me a Brand New Mac Book Pro 13." I've always had a PC with windows, but this is a complete game-changer and brought me back to the love of Photography!!! I am so pumped for the New Year and have already taken some awesome shots with my Camera. I am still using the Cannon Rebel T3, but maybe purchasing a better, longer lens in the near future. I am going to try and post atleast once a week so keep checking back.

Here are some shots from the last couple of Days..

The following 3 Photos were from this morning, 01/07/2016, around 7:30-8:00 a.m., the temp was 57 and it was very foggy out. I had a hard time getting the exposure right. I tried Av (Aperture Priority) mode and Tv (Shutter Speed) mode. All photos are taken on my Cannon Rebel T3 w/ the EF-S18-55mm f3.5-5.6 IS II.

f8.0 1/80th sec 1600 ISO

f5.6 1/200th sec 1600 ISO

f6.3 1/100th sec 800 ISO

These were taken at a Local Park on 01/03/2016 around 10:00 a.m.

f6.3 1/200th sec 800 ISO

f4.5 1/50th sec 100 ISO

f4.5 1/320th sec 100 ISO

f3.5 1/400th 100 ISO

f5.6 1/125th sec 100 ISO

I edit all my photos in LR4 on the Mac Book Pro, I will eventually order the monthly photoshop bundle, but for now I have to use what I have. Remember to leave a comment, or Email me your thoughts or any good photos you want me to share or talk about. Till Next Time,

Happy Shooting!!

Vanguard Alta Pro 263AT Tripod Review

2012-05-25T08:00:00.000-04:00

Ok so Jared, from, Fro Knows Photo is back with another great review. This time he is reviewing the Vanguard Alta Pro 263AT Tripod. Everyone knows that a good tripod is well worth a little cost. This one is great because it is on the lower end of the pricing scale, yet very sturdy, reliable, and will last you 10+ years of excellent service. So go ahead give it a try. Don't forget to stop by the Amazon Store for all your photography needs.

Nikon 28mm f/1.8G AFS Review From FroKnowsPhoto.com

2012-05-24T21:18:00.001-04:00

Nikon just released it's latest Lens, the Nikon 28mm f/1.8G AF-S NIKKOR , and Jared Polin, A.K.A 'The Fro' from Fro Knows Photo put out his review. Jared has an Amazing Photographic Talent who knows what us, 'Amateurs,' like to hear when it comes to reviews. Since I don't have the ability, yet, to get my hands on the latest equipment, I will post Jared's reviews, along with a link to his website, as well as a link so you can purchase the type of equipment he is reviewing. So enjoy the video. Don't forget to visit my Amazon Store for all your Photography needs

Adam Lerner's Latest LR4 Video, HSL Color Picker

2012-05-23T10:37:00.000-04:00

Here is an awesome video brought to you by Adam Lerner. He talks about the HSL color picker in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4, which can be amazing for Real Estate Photography. Eventhough he focuses more on the couple in the photo, watch what the sky does.

How To Properly Market Your Home or Property

2012-05-22T18:07:00.000-04:00

Marketing your property correctly is the most important aspect when trying to sell. The industry today is a lot different than it was 10 years ago. With so many people using the Internet and social sharing sites, professionoal high resolution photos are proven to be essential for marketing. Real estate photography is being proven to be quite essential. Studies have shown that when people are searching for a property or home, they will frequently create a list of their favorites, depending on the photos they have seen. They will then notify their Realtor of those properties they are interested in. Even if your property is exactly what they want, their more apt to pass it by if you have undesirable photos. One other thing you might want to consider is, staging the house, this is important when your trying to get your buyers to understand the property and it's potential.

A couple quick tips about staging;

- First of all, de-clutter, this will make the spaces seem larger and more appealing.

- Second, hide all your personal stuff, for example tooth brushes, soaps, pet supplies, etc...

- Thirdly, make sure the yard is picked up and grass in mowed. Make it appealing from the outside so buyers will want to see the inside.

Lighting a key element when capturing stunning photos for the property. Mid-day is usually good for interior photos, as long as you dont 'blow out the windows.' If you want to make a more dramatic look on the exterior, you may want to consider taking the photos at or near sunset. Also, make sure you take photos of both the front and back, or even do an Aerial shot. You will also want a wide angle lens, such as the, Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC HSM Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras to make the spaces look as large as possible. As far as processing the photos, you will want to make sure you do your post processing in Adobe Photoshop CS6 , Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 or any other professional editing program. Make sure that when your processing the photos, they don't come out too unrealistic looking. You want to present the property as realistic as possible, but in a flattering way. I personally use Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 , cause its quick, easy, and you can save your settings to use for multiple photos. I will be posting a video on LR4 shortly. When posting your listing, you will want to provide the most accurate and detailed description you can. The goal is too draw the reader in without boring them. For example, which description sounds better, both are of the same house:

- This Single Family 3br 2ba, 2942sq.ft. Contemporary home Built in 2010, has a spacious open floor plan with cathedral ceilings. The living area has a highly desirable southern exposure overlooking the caged solar heated pool and large lake. The Living room, kitchen, family room and master bedroom have hurricane proof sliding glass doors The living room features a wood-burning fireplace, and surround sound pre-wired for theater-like entertainment. A spacious den/office. AHS warranty plan. Mature luxurious landscaping, circular paver driveway and excellent "curb appeal". Two car garage. Located in a gated, 24 hour guarded community with an active family/social program."

- Spacious floorplan, pool, lanai, updated kitchen, 3/2/2, gated community

I think you would agree that the first description is a far better choice. You will also want to make sure that the description is composed properly, especially making note of the features. Although you don't want the description so long that it bores the readers.

I hope this article helps
-Michael Tesar
Tesar Photo

The Swan & Dolphin Resort Photo Slideshow

2012-05-18T14:21:00.000-04:00

Florida Sunset Photo Slideshow

2012-05-17T16:13:00.000-04:00

So I put together this little slideshow featuring some of my sunset photos taken at Marina Jack, Sarasota, Fl on 05/11/2012. I used my Canon EOS Rebel T3 , tripod, and a remote shutter. My photos were edited using Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 and made into a movie slideshow using Windows Live Movie Maker.

Beginner Real Estate Photography Tips

2012-05-16T17:39:00.000-04:00

Even with the recession, real estate is a billion dollar market in all the major developed and developing countries. What do you think is the first thing people see when scouting around to buy property? The answer would be the pictures of the property in question. Human beings respond better to visual stimulation. Therefore, quality and interesting photography matters a lot and if you are a real estate photographer you should take it seriously. Why? Because your livelihood depends on it! If you are trying to sell real estate photographs to realtors and they are not worth the dollars the realtor pays, your effort goes to waste. Real Estate Photography Tip #1: Capturing the Best Images The intention is to sell the property so your photography should definitely be appealing to the people who view them. Try to highlight the best features of the house; the features that potential buyers will like to see matter the most. The photography also depends on the nature of the property - residential or commercial. Actually the pictures should showcase your talent and skill. While searching for realtors to see the images, sometimes you need to provide samples so capturing the best of images will greatly help to clinch the deal. Real Estate Photography Tip #2: Selling the Images To earn a living in real estate photography professionally, give yourself 1-2 years of time for creating a solid base of clients. You can set up a professional website with your portfolio, current projects (if any), specialization, skills, and lots of high-definition clear pictures for prospective buyers to see. Of course, you need to do a lot of marketing for getting the clients. Begin by scouting the area you are living in and any others that you have easy access to. Contact the realtors in the area, show them sample images and if luck is on your side, you will land your first deal soon! Real Estate Photography Tip #3: Getting High Profile Clients Getting high profile realtor clients who will buy your pictures is not easy because there are always better photographers around you and also you lack experience in the beginning. So after working for a year or two with local realtors, think of migrating towards getting high profile clients. The pay rate is definitely higher but you need to have real skill and knowledge to get an edge over others. Question yourself - what is there in you that sets you apart from other real estate photographers? Once you answer this, build on that aspect for better projects.

What Type Of Content Do You Want To See

2012-05-16T07:00:00.000-04:00

If you're new to this blog, or have been following me since I started, and you have some ideas as to the type of content you as a reader want to see. Then I would like to hear about it. I am fairly new to blogging and would like all the help I can get. Do you like the site as it is or are there some improvements I could make. I want to keep this as much of a real estate and resort photography blog as much as possible. There isn't a whole lot of info about real estate photography out there, and there's a serious need for Good Quality photos in the Real estate business.

Please e-mail me your suggestions @ www.tesarphoto@gmail.com

Follow @Tesarphoto

My Favorite Photo From Epcot

2012-05-15T05:30:00.000-04:00

My family and I went to Disney World a couple weeks ago and while we were there, visited a couple of the theme parks. We found out that Epcot was hosting HGTV's International Flower and Garden Festival. I brought my Canon EOS Rebel T3 and snapped more than 500 photos. One of my favorites is of Epcot, I was so excited how this photo turned out, but it's nothing like seeing it in person. There was so much inspiration there, my wife was actually trying to take the camera from me because I couldn't put it down. I will be posting more and more of my best work, along with videos and tutorials. I am going to keep this as a Real Estate and Resort Photo Blog, so check back often, I have some exciting changes coming soon.

1/160 sec, f/10, ISO 100, 32mm

Landscape Photography

2012-05-14T16:28:00.001-04:00

Landscape Photography
by: Agnes celina

Very few of us are not inspired by majestic mountains, wide expanses of lush green grasses, fallen autumn leaves, sunsets or dewy glow on the land in the mornings. So, photographers thought that if human mind and heart is so pleased and attracted by these landscapes and scenes, then why not capture them and possess them. As this thought aroused interest, landscape photography emerged as a very fascinating hobby as well as career.

Landscape photographers try to pick up the feel and spirit of a scene, so that the person viewing it doesn’t miss on the emotions part. Now, a lot of us are interested in how to compose these landscape photographs. Well, you might go about a few instructions and make your photography improved.

First of all, try picking a really good time to capture the scene. As mentioned earlier, the reddish sunsets tinged with yellows and oranges or the soft, cool glows in the early mornings, are examples of the best time to shoot, as they create very unique impressions in the photographs. Try capturing the sky with cloud build ups or the ground covered with scattered leaves to include feel into the snapshots.

Just because its landscape, it doesn’t mean the photographs have to be horizontal all the times. In fact, you should go for the opportunity of changing the orientation to vertical whenever its possible or when you feel it would add to your variety without missing out on any element of the photograph.

In case, you use a telephoto lens, it is very hard to keep the camera very still for sharp, professional looking snapshots. In this situation go for a tripod and position it in such a manner that you don’t let go of any central object. Also, try capturing an old tree or fencing or something that conveys a meaning to the viewer as it adds to your landscape shot’s worth and interest.

Photographs with high color saturation and contrast usually capture more attention of the viewer. For this effect, you could attach a polarizing filter so that you capture the finest of details in every photograph you take. This is usually very helpful when taking photographs that have all light tones or dark tones that you might fear would merge together and not stand out as separate items.

You should balance the light coming from all sources in your snapshot and try capturing most of the landscape both far and near. A tip for all of the interested ones out there is try shooting the same landscape in different seasons or at different times to add to your variety and observe patterns and changes. It could be very interesting to notice how a place looks at different times of the day and the year.

A common frustrating problem which occurs in photography is leveling. For this purpose, you use a tripod with a built in level, as unleveled snaps do not seem very appealing or professional. So good luck to you with your photography experience!

About The Author

Visit Landscaping Burlington, Snow Plowing Burlington

The author invites you to visit:
http://www.elpm.ca

HDR and Flash for Real Estate Photography

2012-05-14T16:23:00.001-04:00

New Sunset Photos At Marina Jack, Sarasota, Fl 05/11/2012

2012-05-12T00:39:00.005-04:00

These photos were taken on 05/11/2012 at Marina Jack, Sarasota, Fl with my Canon Rebel T3, a Tripod, and A wired Remote Shuuter Release. I also attatched a CPL (Circular Polarizer) on the second shot. The photos were edited using Lightroom 4.

ISO 100 0.8sec f/29 37mm w/out CPL

ISO 100 1/25sec f/4.0 28mm

Please feel free to download and share my photos, but please do not print or manipulate the photos in any way. I also ask that you link the photos back to http://www.tesarphoto.blogspot.com Thank You Very Much for your understanding.

Whats New in Adobe Photoshop CS6

2012-05-11T00:30:00.002-04:00

New Hard Drive = More Storage

2012-05-02T21:02:00.001-04:00

Just picked up a 750 GB External Hard Drive today from Best buy, so now I have plenty of storage to house all my photos and videos. I'll be adding a link so you can buy the same one I did. Chow