Taking Sensational Colour Photography In Low Light Outdoors

Photograph by Timo Balk, a very talented Melbournian.

In New England there is a very distinct time known as the “leaf peeping” season. This is when the foliage is at its peak and the landscape is full of reds, gold, and many brilliant oranges. This is also a time when dramatic skies can make the colors even more intense or remarkable, but this period tends to last only a matter or two or three weeks. By November most of the region is devoid of leaves, and full of the dull grays and browns that will not be replaced with green for almost six months.

What can a photographer do during the gloomiest parts of this season? How can you head outdoors and photograph blunted stalks of corn against the haunted and leafless woods? Actually, many photographers can find moments of intense “sweet light” during such a season, and make images that are both dramatic and quite inspiring.

What is sweet light? It is usually the hours of dusk and dawn when the lack of brilliant sun makes colors bolder and the overall setting much more photogenic. The midday sun tends to wash out color and cast harsh shadows which tend to be an unpleasant photographic environment. The duller weather months, however, are often overcast and mimic the conditions found in the hours of sweet light. This means that a photographer should be looking for spots of color in their duller surroundings because the conditions for capturing them are at optimal levels.

For example, although the frosts may have killed back all of the remaining green foliage, there will still be fields full of pumpkins and winter squashes. Their brilliant orange and mustard yellow colors will really “pop” in the overcast weather. This is also a time to photograph the gorgeous red barns of the region too.

Another subject that can really shine in between the end of autumn and the beginning of winter are the seasonal birds that seem to burst out of the trees and shrubs. For instance, a male cardinal against a backdrop of dark branches and leafless trees is a truly stirring sight.

There are some considerations to be made before heading out into a duller weather setting, however, and they usually include the intentions of the photographer, the environment, and the actual weather at the moment. The planning on the part of the photographer is crucial to success. It is not good to leave the situation entirely up to chance, and knowing where to go on the day in question is the only way to take a successful image. Scouting out those pumpkin patches or knowing where the frost is going to lie heavily on the long grass is vitally important to creating the best dull weather photographs.

Mastering The Art Of Group Portrait Photos

 

Family in Bikaner by Aline Dassel

Whether a group photograph is at a company event or a family picnic, there are some reliable techniques for making it unique, dynamic and successful. It all begins with the photographer’s perspective on the group itself. Rather than waiting until it is time for the photograph to be taken, the photographer should spend some time observing the group and the individuals within it. They will see the various mini-groups that exist and this can help to make the group shot more natural and “warm”.

For instance, if a photograph is to be taken at a family event and the photographer notices a few people continually attending to an older member of the family they may want to make sure that these people are placed near one another in the image. Quite often this sort of arrangement leads to physical contact between people, and this creates emotion in the final image.

Another issue where any group portrait is concerned is the setting and background. Depending upon the size of the group and the location of the gathering a photographer may not be able to control the background. If there is an unappealing or distracting background the photographer has two easy ways to deal with it. They can find a way to get above the group which converts the ground beneath them into the background, or they can get themselves down lower and shoot looking up at the group. This, however, can give some unflattering effects to the bodies of those in the front and should be used when the proper lens can prevent such a thing from occurring.

Regardless of the type of group and the setting or environment, there is always room for an alternative approach to the image. The group might be asked to put their arms around one another’s shoulders, leap into the air, make the same face, or say the first word that comes to mind rather than the proverbial “cheese”. This can lead to spontaneous outbreaks of laughter, which will then deliver the goods for several great follow up shots.

This brings us to the final tip which is to plan on moving quickly during a group portrait shoot. If you plan ahead for such techniques as those listed above you will need to request them, implement them, and use them as quickly as possible. It doesn’t pay to have a few ideas in mind and then get only images of a bunch of people looking a bit bored or tired because you didn’t work fast enough.

Article by Amy Renfrey.

Photographing New Orleans

I do love N’awlins. Paul and I went there a few years ago and sat out on our porch of a house we leased in the French Quarter. The wind was howling and Willow trees were nearly bent over.

Downtown New Orleans

“Goodness, it’s a bit blowy,” I said in my location ignorance.

We then turned on the tv and on came the news. We were warned that an F4 was fast approaching the city, and would move around the city, and to “batten down the hatches” and stay indoors.

We nearly dropped our dinner in fright! We were like two Chicken Little’s! Weren’t F4’s something like winds of up to 300 k’s an hour?

“Oh my god!” we both exclaimed to no one but each other, over the fierce, howling wind. We just ran around in circles for about 15 minutes. “What do we do?”

We had no idea what to do, what not to do, or what to pack, or what to secure…or…or…

I imagined the house lifting off the ground like Dorothys house in The Wizard of Oz. I tried to shake the images out of my head, logic telling me that couldn’t possibly happen….that we’d be flattened instead.

Being from Melbourne (cool climate, like USA’s Michigan), we had never been on the outskirts of a cyclone/tornado before, let alone near one or even seen fierce wind like it.

The lovely African American woman, who owned the 100 year old, newly renovated Victorian house, calmly came over and checked to see if we had a torch in case we lost power. She was a cool as a cucumber. She assured us that it would go around us, not through us. She said “this sort of thing happens all the time and just stay indoors, we’ll all be fine, it’ll pass soon.”

I can’t imagine what she must have thought of these two, neurotic Australians going into cardiac arrest at the mere mention of a bit of bad weather.

Then, to add more excitement to our experience of America, we left there three days later and flew to beautiful Charleston. ( I adore the south). We flew, in a tiny plane (not enough room to stand up in), AROUND an F5, for the love of God. It took us 5 hours to get to a place that was normally a nice 2 hour plane trip.

I nearly damn well kissed the ground when we landed. Even the pilot was sweating, asking “Is everybody alright?”

I got off the plane and nearly had another cardiac arrest from the unforgiving, unrelenting, remorseless humidity. I went from a reasonable body temperature to a sweating, dripping ball of “Oh my goodness it’s humid isn’t it!”

Standing outside the airport saying “Is it always this hot?” was a dead give-away that I was “not from around here”.

What I really wanted to say, in a high pitched screech, was “Bloody heck, I’m friggin melting! For the love of all things good and pure, get me into some air conditioning!”

I was actually shocked that humidity could be that bad. But coming from Melbourne where there is no humidity, was a big wake up. Everything was damp inside the place we stayed; the clothes inside suitcases, our sheets and bedding, our hanging towels, table surfaces, my jewellery was even damp.

Seriously, I love the southern part of the USA, it’s fantastic. I cannot wait to visit again. Next time we’ll see Nawlins in the Spring.

 Photo copyright http://nimg.sulekha.com/Others/original700/2008-9-2-12-54-21-eebb08f178fb4ddbb8470a69e1473bba-eebb08f178fb4ddbb8470a69e1473bba-2.jpg

Photographing The Noosa Jazz festival

I had a wonderful opportunity come my way recently. That was to photograph a Jazz festival in Noosa, Queensland. Here are a couple of shots from the festival.

Taking these pictures was a great experience. I used a 200mm lens, changed to ISO every single time I shot a photo, and even in shaded daylight I eneded up shooting with 800 ISO and sometimes 1600 ISO.

Don’t be fooled. High ISO isn’t just for the night time or long exposures. It can be extremely helpful when you shoot in shade and you have a camera that goes up to even 3200 ISO, which mine does, thankfully.

With my old cameras, I was not able to go up this high. And using the Nikon D300, it’s so user friendly it may as well greet you in the morning with a smile and a cup of coffee…that’s how wonderful this camera is.

I’m not into the “Canon Vs Nikon” game. I love them both for different reasons. When people assume I dislike Canon simply because I am holding a Nikon…well, that’s just ridiculous. I don’t compete with them, I love them both.

I use the Nikon D300 for professional work simply because of ease of use. The old lenses I have on my 20 year old film camera fit perfectly on my D300. How’s that for consistency? Gotta love that feature of Nikon.

At the same time, I love Canon for the quality and the lightweight of their cameras. After a day of shooting with my heavy 200mm Nikon lens, my arm muscles hurt! With Canon, I don’t get this so much.

So there you go. It’s not a competition for me. Canon Vs Nikon? No such thing. They are both fantastic.

If you want to see more of my photos from the Noosa Jazz Festival, just visit www.AmyRoberts.Zenfolio.com.

Amy

P.S “Roberts” is my married name, incase you’re wondering.

Drummer Getting Ready To Play For The Afternoons Set

Jazz Guitarist Playing A Gentle Melody

These pictures are subject to copyright. You cannot copy these images or take them off the site without permission. To get permission all you have to do is ask. Don’t be sneaky. There is no need. Ask me and I will let you know if you can use my photo or not.

Looking Closer At Your Digital Photography

You know, light is pretty important in photography. In fact it’s really the most important thing. Yes, you’ve heard me say this before, but how often to do we take a picture then get it home and realize it as blurry or the light is not quite right?

 Take careful note of the clarity of your linear objects. For example, take this photo that I took.

Manly Train Station Steps

Looks ok ,right? Composition is right and the exposure is good? Look closer… I took as a good example to show you that even though you might think you can get away with a tripod in low light, you actually can’t. Low light might as well be midnight to your camera.

 

If you enlarge it, you’ll quickly see that not using a tripod has its consequences. The lines are blurry and as a result, satisfaction is no where to be seen. Do take note of the clarity of your lines such as hand rails or lamp posts. Particularly metallic lines in images are a really good way to tell if your image is really sharp.

The reason I say to enlarge your images is because if you want to frame the photo into an 8×10 for example, then looking at it quite large on the computer gives you an idea of what it will look like on the wall. If you notice a few things you don’t like, then those things become more pronounced when you print and frame it.

Also, there are not many photographic places that print digital images in true black and white. Be ready so see some slightly washed out grays and decrease of tonal range in your digital black and whites. You’ll notice the mid-tone grays are the most affected.

You do have to be conscious about every move you make with black and white photography. There are more requirements to produce really top quality images and the secret lies in the post-processing. But, it’s a precision art well worth it.

Happy Shooting,

Amy Renfrey

The Many Faces Of Daisy

Last year one of my cats, Paddy, died. His sister “Feathers” was so stressed out by the loss of her brother she experienced health problems for a short while.

I was heartbroken and missing having two cats. I didn’t know if I was ready for another one. So I decided to foster a neglected and abandoned cat to see if it would work out. We didn’t know if Feathers would be ok with a second cat after her brother died. We all loved Paddy very, very much.

A woman from an animal foster organisation called “Pets Without Partners” told me she had a cat that needed a home desperately. I agreed to take her on a foster-care basis only and that I wouldn’t be getting attached as this was a trial process and I was still grieving over Paddy.

The minute this foster cat came to me I fell in love. Her name is Daisy and she’s lived with us now for 10 months. She’s a real character with a big, loving and gentle personality. She’s fantastic and I just love her dearly. She doesn’t “replace” Paddy but she brings us a lot of love, joy and fun. She’s a gem and we love her very much.

She’s got her own blanket, bowl, water dish, bed, tennis ball, old socks and a peg on a string.  She especially loves the couch on front of the heated air conditioner unit. It blows warm air from the wall onto the couch and she stretches out on her back, tummy exposed, paws up, head back and mouth open. It’s very sweet.

She’s incredibly smart. She’s work out how to push the curtains aside horizontally to get a better look outside the window. She’s worked out many things around the house like this.

Daisy loves to talk. You can have a conversation with her. I have learnt what types of “meows” she has and what meow means what. If you talk to her, she’ll keep talking right back all day long. I love that she’s very vocal.

When we come home in the afternoon, we see her waiting in the window. As we approach the front door, she jumps down and pushes back the curtain next to the door to get a better look. We open the door and she talks and talks to us! She will roll on her back and talk some more. She really loves us.

Feathers didn’t like her to begin with, but over time she’s gotten used to having Daisy around. She’s okay with her now.

Daisy is very attached to me, wanting to be with me all day. She doesn’t want to be alone and when I’m home, will be by my side (literally) as long as she can. She just loves company. These breeds don’t like being solo.

Daisy is part Norwegian Forest Cat.  You can read about the breed here.

Norwegian Forest Cat

I hope you enjoy these photos.

Amy

Traveling Overseas with Photographic Equipment

Travel and Photography? Always be careful and take into account other considerations when travelling.

Anyone travelling overseas may want to bring along some of their photographic equipment, and while this is a great idea, it is also advisable to really scrutinize this extra baggage to ensure it is all going to be necessary. Also, it is a good idea to consider the following as well:

• What do you “need” – Few photographers or travelers will require every lens, filter and item in their photographic equipment. Consider just how quickly you might ruin your trip with a sore neck, back and shoulder pain from the weight of a few extra bags of gear, or even worse an insurance claim on lost, stolen or damaged equipment. Think about your travels and pick the minimal equipment required – for example bring the basic body with only one or two lenses, and if the camera is point and shoot this is even easier to transport, a reliable flash, small tripod, extra batteries and memory cards all in a single case if possible.
• Consider the case – If you have costly camera equipment you might want to invest in solid and reliable carrying cases, for every day use as well as for long distance or international travel. Cases intended for camera equipment will have large pockets and padding placed to protect objects from damage or scratching, and may even have isolated areas for spare memory cards, batteries or even film.
• Don’t forget your memory – There is a wide range of light and portable digital photo storage devices available; ranging from the ever-popular iPod to media players intended to store vast numbers of digital images. Each has a unique manner for loading files from a camera or memory card, and if a laptop computer figures into such an equation it may be better to invest in an alternate device or more memory cards to avoid carting around the computer along with everything else.
• Checking in – Prior to arrival at the airport it is wise to investigate your airline’s carry on limitations. You really do not want to arrive for an international flight to discover that you are obliged to “check” thousands of dollars worth of equipment.
• Insurance – It is always a good idea to contact an insurance agent when traveling, especially if the traveler will be bringing expensive equipment along. Many travel agencies make special travel insurance policies available at the time of booking and it is a good idea to consider some coverage for cameras, computer and video equipment if these will be included in luggage for the trip.

Amy Renfrey

Brisbanes Valley Jazz Festival 2009

Recently I had the fanatstic experience of photographing the Valley Jazz Festival. It was a wonderful week and I am so pleased I was able to photograph some truly outstanding talent.

I have posted some “snaps”taken with my very contrasty Canon 300D. It’s a basic camera and the sensor is a bit strange but I thought I’d post some of the basic images here.

Over the next week or so the profesional black and white images I took will be posted on the Jazz website www.valleyjazzfestival.com and wil be for sale. Until then, enjoy!

Happy Shooting.

Amy

Drummer From The Kate Wighton/Dave Spicer Project

Drummer from The Kate Wighton/Dave Spicer Project...And His Beautiful Hand Made/Taylor Made Wooden Drum Kit. It Had A Beautiful Warm Sound To It.

The Kate Wighton/Dave Spicer Project Doing Souch Check

The Kate Wighton/Dave Spicer Project Getting Ready To Perform