People are among the hardest subjects to photograph well. Not only do you have to manage the technical aspects such as lighting and exposure, and esthetic elements such as tone, color and composition, but you have the capture a human connection between you and your subject as well. With the outdoor portrait one may have plenty of light to shoot with, it is often too harsh, especially at around midday.

Most of the photos were of friends and family. Which is understandable because they’re usually readily available to pose as models and they’re certainly easier to photograph because of the preexisting bond between subject and photographer. Kudos to the brave few ventured to take pictures of strangers. It’s a much harder task because one has to overcome an initial shyness to establish a connection. Successful photographers have either an innate ability to create that rapport or have worked hard to learn how to do it.
Here are 5 of the top examples that readers have sent in.

Carolyn Silva of Jackson attended the Lodi Street Fair with her husband and friends. She took a some photos of them but then decided to try to get some strangers. At first her shyness got the best of her and she let a couple of photo opportunities slip away from her. But then she worked up the courage and was able to get some great shots of people she just met. I liked how Silva used the tent opening to frame vendor Joyce Montgomery, owner of Sadie Mae’s Catering (specializing in southern home cooking), used to red color in background to tie things together visually. Silva used a Nikon D5000 DSLR camera with a 18-55mm Nikkor lens and utilizing a fill-flash technique.

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Christy Dunn of Linden took this photo of her 4-year-old daughter Cami playing with her dog Allie in their backyard with a Sony Alpha SLT A55 and 35mm lens at around sunset. Dunn basically photographed the shady side of her daughter with the setting sun providing a nice glowing “rim” light to her hair.

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Former Record reporter Jennifer Torres Siders, now Community Relations Manager with the University of the Pacific, photographed her 3-year-old daughter Alice near their backyard vegetable garden in Stockton with a Canon 30D DSLR camera under open shade conditions. With Alice peeking around a brick wall she captures the innocence and shyness of childhood in her daughter’s face.

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Letty Balderas of Stockton took this photo of 8-year-old Brenna Schweininger in Modesto with a Canon 40D DSLR and a 24-105mm lens. It’s an excellent example of using a combination of open shade and fill-flash to help balance the light on her subject.

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15-year-old St. Mary’s High school student Sydney Spurgeon of Stockton is a burgeoning young photographer. She and her parents make “assignments” of different subjects and events for her to take pictures of a few times a month. For this challenge they went to the University of Pacific graduation and a Stockton Ports baseball game. She approached total strangers at both events and came up with some great photos

At the Ports game Spurgeon photographed 4 unidentified Little Leaguers at a Stockton Ports baseball game at the Stockton Ballpark in downtown Stockton with a Nikon CoolPix camera. Despite a busy background she avoided any unwanted objects from sticking out of their heads and captured a certain spontaneity even though they were looking right into the camera.

The challenge is going on a little break until next month with the next assignment to be announced on June 10. See you then!

“Fill the frame” and “get in close” is a mantra for photographers. Another saying is: “If your pictures aren’t good enough, then you’re not getting close enough.” Most photographers will tell you that you should crop “in camera.” That is to say you should compose your pictures, whether by zooming in with your lens or by using your feet to move in close to your subject, all within the frame of your camera rather than cropping after you take the picture (in the darkroom or on the computer). And in a perfect world this is true. It makes you a better photographer by seeing the picture and its composition the way you want it through the viewfinder and allows the camera to capture the photo at its maximum resolution. But the world is far from perfect. There are times when you’re “shooting from the hip” and you don’t have time to change a lens or frame the scene perfectly or when you do have a long lens but it’s just not long enough. That’s when cropping afterward can improve the visual impact of the photo.

You can crop your pictures through a photo editing software like the pricey Adobe Photoshop (more than $600) but there are other less costly alternatives as well. Adobe’s Lightroom runs about $200 and Photo Elements is around $150, and there are even numerous free photo editing programs that can be found online. I even downloaded a free cropping app for my iPhone (it works pretty well too!).

There are times when you need to crop when the scene you are photographing doesn’t fit the aspect ratio format of your camera. Digital SLR cameras mimic the 3:2 (width by height) format of 35mm film, while point and shoot cameras and the newer Micro Four Thirds cameras follow the 4:3 format (similar to the traditional old CRT television screens). But sometimes a photo that you see may either be long and thin or square-ish in composition. The only way to capture your vision is to crop off the unwanted portions of the image.

Sometimes your telephoto lens isn’t long enough and you can’t move in closer. It’s then that cropping is the only answer in making your subject dominant in the photo. Sporting events are notorious for this. Although sometimes you may want to be out on the field to get the shot, that’s an impossibility. You can’t always predict where the ball or players are going to be at any given moment and sometimes they can be far across the field, too far away for even then longest lens. There will almost always be at least some plays where they’re too far away.

Finally, cropping can alleviate if not cure, some mistakes that we all make from time to time. Let’s say you take a photo of Aunt Bessie, and the background is cluttered with a telephone pole sticking out the top of her head. OK, OK, perhaps you should have watched out for those things before you took the picture and positioned her in front of a simpler, better background, but for whatever reason it didn’t happen. By simply cropping in tight around Aunt Bessie you may not be able to totally eliminate the visual distractions, but it can at least help to minimize them.

Cropping isn’t a panacea. You can only crop so much until it affects the quality of your photos. Sharpness, noise and contrast will be adversely affected if you crop too much. Cropping won’t turn a bad photo into a perfect one (or even a good one). It’ll just make it better than it was before.

If you have the option, it’s always better to move in closer to your subject, but when you’re limited in your movement or if the scene isn’t the same shape as your camera’s format, and when it’s done in moderation, cropping can be an effective way of improving your photos.

They can be posed or candid photos of people (no pets or animals, or self-portraits – we’ll save those for another challenge), just remember the tips from my April 4 column on photographing people outside.

1. Entries can be emailed to me at coto@recordnet.com. Type in “Outdoor Portrait” in the subject line.
2. Include your name (first and last), hometown, and the kind of camera you used.
3. Include the name (first and last) of your subject, their relationship to you (relative, friend or stranger off the street), their ages (if they are juveniles) and where the photo was taken.
4. Any interesting anecdotes or stories on how you took or came to take the picture.
5. The deadline for submission is Monday, May 13. The top examples will be published on Monday, May 20 with an online gallery of all the photos on the same day (Photos have to be shot between April 29 and May 13).
We’ll see you then. Have fun and good shooting!

Several groups preformed for the gathered crowd, among them the Brubeck Institute Jazz Quintet. Members of the quintet are among the best and most talented young Jazz musicians in the country.

The current quintet, Adam Goldman on standup bass, saxophonists Thomas Kelley and Rane Roatta, drummer Malachi Whitson, and Paul Bloom on the electronic keyboard performed on a small stage on Main Street using a small generator to power the sound system.

In about the middle of their set, Bloom announced a song, an original composition that they were about to play. As soon as the last words left his lips, the generator quit on them, apparently out of gas. A few minutes passed as those in charge tried to figure out how to get power to the group but to no avail. Since the keyboard was the only instrument that needed electricity, the band decided to play a tune anyway. Bloom sat out as the rest of the band played a Brubeck tune (“The Duke”, I think).

Improvisation is a key element of Jazz, and with some quick thinking they improvised on the situation and the quintet became a quartet with barely a skip in the beat.

They can be posed or candid photos of people (no pets or animals, or self-portraits – we’ll save those for another challenge), just remember the tips from my April 4 column on photographing people outside.

Along with good lighting, getting in close and watching your backgrounds, capturing a good expression helps to make for a great portrait, whether outdoors or inside. Here’s a tip: If you’re having trouble getting a natural smile from your subject(s), tell them to make a funny face for one picture. Immediately afterward they’ll likely laugh, give you a more natural expression and then you can snap a quick shot.

1. Entries can be emailed to me at coto@recordnet.com. Type in “Outdoor Portrait” in the subject line.
2. Include your name (first and last), hometown, and the kind of camera you used.
3. Include the name (first and last) of your subject, their relationship to you (relative, friend or stranger off the street), their ages (if they are juveniles) and where the photo was taken.
4. Any interesting anecdotes or stories on how you took or came to take the picture.
5. The deadline for submission is Saturday, May 11. The top examples will be published on Monday, May 20 with an online gallery of all the photos on the same day (Photos have to be shot between April 29 and May 11).
We’ll see you then. Have fun and good shooting!

When I covered Winton Marsalis and his big band in concert on March 22 at the Bob Hope Theatre in downtown Stockton, I had just the first two songs to photograph him playing (which is normal at most big concerts). I, as well as the three other photographers, expected him to be at the front of the stage. There was, after all, a single microphone placed several feet in front of the bandstand just left of center stage. Many of the band leaders/musicians of the Swing era, such as Glenn Miller or Benny Goodman, would direct their bands off to one side then step out in front when it was time for their own solos.

When the concert started, the band members filed out and took their seats in the bandstand. I expected Marsalis to take the stage after the others were seated, perhaps take a bow and then start up the band. But he didn’t come out from the wings or at least seem to come out. Suddenly Marsalis’ voice boomed over the speakers, surprising everyone. He had bypassed the front of the stage and walked directly to the last of three rows of tiered seats where the band was. He acknowledged the crowd, then began the first song and sat down and performed with the band. I was standing about 50 feet away from the stage on the aisle on the right side wall of the theater along with other photographers. When Marsalis sat, he nearly disappeared from view blocked by a phalanx of trombonists. I moved around a bit but was only able to get a slightly better view of him (at least I could see his face). He was in the worst possible position to photograph him. To top things off, he was in the darkest, worst-lit spot on the stage.

I expected him to play a solo, at which point, I hoped, he would come down to the microphone at the front of the stage, or at least stand up and play. The song wore on, and it didn’t seem like he was going to do either. I made some quick mental calculations on the angles on the other side of the stage. I estimated that there might be a slightly bigger gap on that side than the side I was on. Rather than wait for him the play a solo, I made a tactical decision and hustled out to the lobby, crossed over to the left side of the theater and positioned myself almost directly opposite my original spot.

I was right. Between the drum set and music stands I could see Marsalis better, but only a little better. But the lighting was even worse. What little light there was was even worse on the new side. Soon the song ended (without a solo by Marsalis), and the second (and for me, the final) song started. This time Marsalis did play a solo but didn’t come down to the microphone or even stand up. He just stayed seated (another trumpeter had a solo after Marsalis finished his and he stood up to play). I looked behind me and saw that the other photographers had followed my lead and were now on the same side of the theater. The second song was over all too soon, and we were done and out of there. The photos I got were just OK. They were usable, but nothing to write home about.

Sometimes due to circumstances, the choice isn’t between taking a good photo and bad one, but rather a bad one and not getting a shot at all.

They can be posed or candid photos of people (no pets or animals, or self portraits – we’ll save those for another challenge), just remember the tips from my April 4 column on photographing people outside.

While good light is a main ingredient for a good portrait, don’t forget the other basics for a good photo: Get in close and watch your backgrounds. The key is to get them all working together.

1. Entries can be emailed to me at coto@recordnet.com. Type in “Outdoor Portrait” in the subject line.
2. Include your name (first and last), hometown, and the kind of camera you used.
3. Include the name (first and last) of your subject, their relationship to you (relative, friend or stranger off the street), their ages (if they are juveniles) and where the photo was taken.
4. Any interesting anecdotes or stories on how you took or came to take the picture.
5. The deadline for submission is Saturday, May 11. The top examples will be published on Monday, May 20 with an online gallery of all the photos on the same day (Photos have to be shot between April 29 and May 11).
We’ll see you then. Have fun and good shooting!

Most people when using their DSLR cameras never venture further than using the “program” mode of the exposure systems. In “program” the camera sets both the shutter speed and aperture. Some more adventuresome picture takers may use “shutter priority” (you set the shutter speed/the camera sets the aperture) or “aperture priority” (vice versa). Very few will go completely manual. Many may think that it’s too hard to understand the arcane workings of shooting manual: the “whens” and “whys” of setting everything yourself. But in manual, you’re the one that’s in control. You, not some computer algorithm, get to choose how closely your pictures will turn out to your vision of the scene.

But at first it may be difficult to learn how use your camera in manual mode. Fiddling with the camera’s controls may be confusing to some. Those using point and shoots or camera phones may not want to make the jump to a DSLR just because of that reason. If only you could gets some hands-on practice before committing to purchase an expensive camera.

Well, fear not. Canon Canada has created a cool interactive website that teaches the “exposure triangle” (shutter speed, aperture and ISO) of manual exposure, but also gives you some practical experience on how to do it. It will teach you that a small aperture will give you greater depth of field than a larger one and how shutter speeds can be used to stop or blur motion. So whether you already have a DSLR or are planning to get one, this site can help you use it to its full potential.

They can be posed or candid photos of people (no pets or animals – we’ll save them for another challenge), just remember the tips from my April 4 column on photographing people outside. The above photo of golf pro Joe Smith, right, giving golfer Kurt Abell some pointers at the Dryden Park Golf Course in Modesto was shot using a fill-flash technique to fill in the shadows.

1. Entries can be emailed to me at coto@recordnet.com. Type in “Outdoor Portrait” in the subject line.

2. Include your name (first and last), hometown, and the kind of camera you used.

3. Include the name (first and last) of your subject, their relationship to you (relative, friend or stranger off the street), their ages (if they are juveniles) and where the photo was taken.

4. Any interesting anecdotes or stories on how you took or came to take the picture.

5. The deadline for submission is Saturday, May 11. The top examples will be published on Monday, May 20 with an online gallery of all the photos on the same day (Photos have to be shot between April 29 and May 11).

We’ll see you then. Have fun and good shooting!