5 Favorite Pics from Project

I like this picture because of the shadows the trees are making.

I also like the colors in the foreground and the dark blue of the sky.

It would have been nice to have more going on in the sky, it's kinda bland.

I do like the blue though.

I really liked how all of these pictures turned out.

It was a simple landscape piece, but I feel like that's what makes it fun.

I also love how the blue in the background really gives a great backdrop.

The way the branch lays is nice, as well.

I really like this picture.

This is one of my favorite from Yellowstone.

I absolutely love these dead trees. So cool.

The branches are awesomely shaped and I like the focused/out of focus areas complementing eachother.

Once again,t he sky was really blue that day and I think it makes a great backdrop.

I appreciate these birds... and this picture.

It took me forever to get them to fly and so this was quite the accomplishment for me.

I like the motion blur of the wings and the fairly infocus heads and bodies.

The splashes in the water add to the dynamic.

This is another really simple picture.

I love reflections and the colors are fairly bright in this one and I like it.

I also like the angle of the reflection..

I really liked the work of this photographer who would set up scenes to represent certain mental states. Her pictures on "writer's block" and"obsessive compulsive disorder" were extremely interesting. I really wanted to find her, but after an unsuccessful attempt to google her, I've given up and am just going to post a few of my portraits I've been workin on recently.

Rocky Seniors Display

To be completely honest, I did not make it to the exhibit this week.
However, I did some research on the exhibit and was able to view a couple pictures that were displayed.

I was able to find out that there were three seniors whose art was included in this particular exhibit. Those three are Cassie Scheidecker, Krista Hoyes, and Monica Geary.

I found an article (after googling the exhibit) about the exhibit that had a photo attached by Cassie Scheidecker. The photo was of a person, presumably her, who was playing the guitar, but her arms and hands were surrounded by barb-wire. This photo was intended to represent the struggles Scheidecker has with a severe case of arthritis and how it complicates the things she loves to do. I found this particular composition inspiring, touching, and very emotional. It was an amazing photograph.

doesn't get more real than this. :)

Nie Nie Dialogues:

There is a blog that I like to read frequently.
It's by a woman named Stephanie Nielson.

She was in a airplane crash a while ago,
and suffered severe burns on most of her body.

She is an avid blogger and uses creative
photography to show the essence of her life
at home with her kids and husband.

She doesn't do photography professionally,
I believe, but her work is so amazing, down
to earth, and real. I admire it with
gusto. It really shows life in it's purest form
and I really relate to it.

And she uses a canon rebel xsi. *smile*
Plus! Her whole life style is based around
vintage everything, which is totally
awesome...

http://nieniedialogues.blogspot.com/

Photography Assignment

USE OF THE COLOR RED

This is a branch off of a crab apple tree on campus

I used the lowest f stop (4) on my EF-S 55-250mm IS

A REFLECTION AS A MAIN POINT OF INTEREST

I focused on the one rain drop and the reflection of the branches you can see in it

I also used my EF-S 50-250mm IS for this shot

A SILHOUTTE AS A MAIN POINT OF INTEREST

This shot was taken in Rim Country with Dave's 70-200mm IS during sunset

I used a low f-stop and a low shutter speed for this photograph

USE OF LENS HYPERFOCAL SETTINGS

As I was looking through my photos to post on my blog, I realized that I had forgotten to take a photo using the hyperfocal settings on my camera. I, therefore, took a photograph that was "somewhat" in focus and used editing tools to sharpen it as much as possible. To have done this correctly while shooting, I should have raised the f-stop up and consequently brought my shutter speed down. However, this picture was taken at (I believe) an aperture of 5.6 which is typically too low to get a clear, focused picture from front to background.

USE OF PANNING/BLURRED MOTION

I used a panning motion while trying to capture this bird at Rim Country. However, in the process, the settings on my camera were not accurately placed and I could have not had my camera completely steady, plus the movement from the bird gave a little blur to the picture. This was also taken using Dave's 70-200mm.

DETAILED CLOSE UP

This was taken on Rocky's campus of a tree branch attached to a tree. I used my 50-250mm to take this shot and put the f-stop down to a 4 to create a highly blurry background and a small focus point.

CLEAR USE OF THE "RULE OF THIRDS"

This tree was shot in a prairie dog town in Rim Country. It was a lone tree in the plain of the town and I thought it somewhat interesting. I tried using the Rule of Thirds to evening split the landscape and create a photograph under this particular rule.

YOUR PICK

I like this photograph because it gives a clear, focued look of the branch and the snow placed on top of it, but you also get some snow falling in the background which I think looks pretty cool. :)

Randy Smith

www.randysmithphoto.com

So I was on a search for commercial photographers again.
I typed in "commercial photography" and this guy caught my eye.
His name's Randy Smith and he does a wide variety of commercial photography.
Some of his genres include aviation, travel, vehicle, and product photography.
I found his work inventive and interesting.
The whole commercial photography field gets more and more appealing.
check it out.

Britney Higgs Photography

I officially got my website up last week, thanks to help from Dave.

It's a work in progress, definately, but I'm just glad it's up and running!

http://britneyhiggs.smugmug.com/

Wildlife Portraits
Leave Wide-Angle Lenses in the Bag
It is better when shooting wildlife portraits to not use a wide-angle. This is because of the distortion that occurs when using a wide-angle lens. The perspective in which a photographer uses a wide-angle lens does not, for the most part, fit into wildlife portraiture.
Telephoto Advantages
Keeping your distance can be important while shooting animals that you could potentially hurt or that could potentially hurt you. Therefore, telephoto lenses come in quite handy. A telephoto’s “narrow angle of view also allows for a colorful-blurred out background and different focus points on your subject that can give it an artistic edge or whatever look you’re going for.
Build a Three Layer Picture Space
We saw this in a previous section. This is when you spilt up the picture into three planes – foreground, midground, and background. The foreground is composed of the blurred visions, or maybe greenery, insignificant subjects, or other things that are not crucial to have in focus. The midground is composed of your subject and this should, usually, be in focus. The background should also be out of focus… or whatever you’re going for.
Sizing up the subject
Don’t spend a whole lot of time shooting just any wildlife. Find the most attractive. J
Facial Features in Focus
To us humans, we care most about the facial features of an animal, therefore photographers usually tend to put their faces in focus.
Group Portraits
To take a wildlife group portrait, try focusing on only one subject and letting the others complement that particular subject. Try to capture the way the subjects relate to each other and the relationship that they have.
Lighting
Two best times for lighting: early in the morning or late in the afternoon. Take your pick.
Finding Photogenic Landscapes
Color First
In a great photograph, there is amazing color. Therefore, when shooting a landscape look for bright colors that capture the eye… particularly red.
Clouds Make the Difference
Clouds just emphasize the beauty of a landscape. Different photographers have different opinions on what kinds of clouds make the best portraits. In the book, the author says a few of his favorites are “the cotton ball, and cumulous variety.”
Calm Atmosphere for Detail
When you are by a body of water, there’s no wind, and the reflection of the mountains are shining off the top of the water, you have an amazing photograph and take the opportunity to shoot it.
Let It Snow
Snow and the “fog, mist and falling snow infuse ordinary landscapes with a moody energy.” Depending on the look you’re getting, shooting in the snow is a great way to get an artistic, creative landscape photo.
North/South Camera Angles
These particular camera angles will “record landforms when they are illuminated by sidelight.” To catch the lighting just right, using north/south angles will do that for you and you will be able to capture amazing photographs.
Foreground Detail
Catching foreground detail puts a certain beauty into the picture. The foreground detail is what catches your eye and brings you into the picture. It can have a pretty awesome, dramatic effect.
Lunar/Solar Accents
Check your calendar for awesome lunar/solar accents then go shoot ‘em!
No Human Artifacts
For “the most peaceful and productive experience” try really hard to find landscapes that are free from human symbols (telephone poles, highways, ect.) and humans to get that rustic, authentic feel to your photograph

Getting Close/Animals in Action

Getting Close

Wildlife Rules:

If a subject is running/flying/swimming away from you as you approach... then stop moving towards them. Give your subject some space. Plan on spending some time at the place where you're wanting to capture a subject... let them come to you.

Do your homework:

Find out where your subject is going to be, the enviornment that they are usually at, at a certain time and wait there.

Keep your distance:

This is pretty self explanatory. :)

Stalking strategies:

"stay low, move slowly and quietly" when subject is not eyeing you.
Rest every once and a while, to make sure not to move up to quickly
get ready to shoot at any time

Don't Fence them in:

wildlife will feel threatened if you close them in, so avoid it at all cost. You could end up getting trampled, hurting the wildlife, or just losing a good shot.

Vehicles make good blinds:

Use your vehicle as camaflouge!

Peanut Butter Incentitives:

Some photographers like to use bait to bring their subjects to them. This is under your personal disgretion on whether this is ethical or not.

Animals in Action

Be on site before the sun sets:

This is crucial to good photography. Make sure to be there before the sun is setting and you can get some awesome photographs.

Lower that Tripod:

Get down to eye level to provide a more intimate, at their level, kind of feel.

Shoot first, edit later:

Don't be looking at your camera while you're in the field... you may miss some amazing shots!

Sharping your focus technique:

Use manual focus to focus an image that is in motion. It is often harder to try and use auto focus in these situations because the camera is usually not quick enough to pick out the spot of focus.

Build a stage to capture action:

There are many different techniques where you can "build a stage" if you know what a subject will do... to get some great photographs.

Modifying Natural Light

Modifying Natural Light

One size fits all:

It may be a good idea to find filters that fit all lenses... that way you don't have to worry about getting a filter for each lens.

Polarizing Filters:

These filters create "greater color saturation by reducing or elimintating reflected glare" when you are shooting plants, flowers, and water. (be careful when using this filter with a wide-angle lens because the form of the lens will distort the overall coloring will using a polarizing filter.)

Split Neutral Density Filters:

So these filters are great! The book explains they are a "photographer's best friend." This filter is half clear, half darker gray so that you can, for example, darken a light sky to get the proper exposure of the land in your photograph.

Graduated Neutral Density Filters:

This is like the split neutal density filter except that sometimes, when you have a landscape where the sky and the land is not split 50/50 and you may have some trees, plants, or other objects that are more in the sky part than the land, and with a split neutral density those objects would be under exposed, or completely blacked out, therefore, the graduated neutral density filter gradually gets darker to try and avoid that.

Standard ND Filters:

These are used most often for "blurred motion" photos. It decreases the light that is captured with a very low shutter speed that is needed to blur a photo.

Color Modifiers:

These type of filters are your "color-enhancing and warming filters" to assist a photographer in the look they are going for in a photograph.

Blue/Gold Polarizing Filters:

These are used for "sunny days" to "reduce flare, bump up color saturation on land and water, and boost density and chroma of the blue sky."

Portable Reflector:

Dave brought a couple of these to class. These are round, flexible reflectors that reflect light and give you a certain look, whether it is more warming tones, cooling tones... ect.

Fill-in Flash:

Fill-in flashes are used as extra light that you may need, along with natural light, during photographing.

Designing the Picture Space

Dominance:

This section talks about the focus of compositions. In a more basic compostion, you may have on dominant feature that you are basing your photograph around. In more complex compositions, you may find dominane in more than one object. Focusing on those dominant features to create create your breathtaking photographs is a good skill to learn.

Color:

I think that a photographer's taste in the way that they choose to present color in a photograph varies between different photographers. However, the colors in a photograph are what tend to obtain the emotion, awe, and relation for people when looking at photography. Bright, brilliant photos with colors that catch the eye and are luminate in the composition create a masterpiece.

The Center of Interest:

Part of being a photographer is having the creative eye to find a focus or an element that you are wanting to shine in a photograph. When trying to place the center of interest, the center is always a good idea because that is where the eye tends to lead to. There is also the rule of thirds. This is when the "center of interst is to be placed one-third of the way from the top or bottom of the frame and one-third of the way from either side."

Colorado Trip

Kendra Timm - Senior Photos

This trip included my first real senior photo shoot. It was a great experience and I am excited for this upcoming November as I have a few other jobs already lined up. I feel like this practice is really helping my photography skills and I'm looking forward to continue it and learning along the way.

Okay, I'll fly to Colorado to take your picture

Portrait Photography Trip

Colorado

Commercial Photography

So I have never really considered commercial photography, not that I think I wouldn't like it, I just never really thought of it. The other day, through a series of googling, I was trying to find a photographer, whose gallery I had went to see years ago, in Fallon, Nevada and I came across a few photographers in that area that do commercial photography. They were honestly pretty amazing. I've been inspired. The creativity that has to come along with commercial photography is most interesting and captivating to me. I would love to be able to play around with it.

I couldn't find the website that was my favorite for commercial photography, but this one was pretty sweet as well:

http://www.olgaminkevitch.com/gallery/advertising/advertising.html

Billings Sunset

I caught the sunset. And made it more interesting to me...

for the moment. :)

Four Pictures

Four Picture Assignment

These are my awesomely creative photos (cough.)

Meet the only plant in my house and the fish tank where my fish Charlie lives.

1. Low f-stop resulting in need to adjust shutter speed (higher)

***Notice the b.l.u.r. in the background.***

Yeah. That's the result of a low f-stop.

Yeah.

2. Higher f-stop resulting in the need to adjust shutter speed (lower) and I had to up my ISO to 1600 to get the same (or nearly the same) exposure as the one with the lower f-stop

***Notice in focus background***

That would be the result of a higher f-stop.

That's right.

3. This was taken with a somewhat fast shutter speed.

***Notice the shutter speed was able to "somewhat" stop motion (a.k.a. the bubbles moving in the fish tank)***

4. This photo was taken with a lower shutter speed, thus, the bubbles are blurry as the particular shutter speed was too slow to capture motion.

***Notice out of focus bubbles.***

Four Pictures Assignment

Narrow Depth of Field

To create a narrow depth of field in a photograph, you need to set your camera to a low f stop, and depending on the amount of light, you need to adjust your shutter speed to complement the low f stop. In low light situations, you may need to bump up your ISO so your photograph doesn't come out too dark.

With a low f stop, you are only going to have a small portion of your photograph in focus and the rest will be blurred. The amount of blur in the photograph will depend on your lens and how low the f stop is. (f/1.8=very blurry or not much is in focus, f/22=not blurry or everything's in focus)

On my rebel xsi, the aperture button is on the face of the camera. You have to hold that button down and use the shutter speed dial to adjust the f stop. The ISO button is near the shutter speed dial; both are located on the top right of the camera.

Wide Depth of Field

To achieve a wide depth of field, you need to do the opposite of what you would with a narrow depth of field. Your goal is to get most, if not all, of the photograph in focus, therefore you need to have a higher f stop. From there, you need to adjust the shutter speed and ISO to fit the right exposure with this particular f stop.

(Note: The above mentioned steps are if you have your camera set to manual. There are aperture and shutter priority settings that makes this process easier. In that case, you set your aperture or shutter and the camera does the rest for you to achieve the right exposure.)

Short Exposure

With long and short exposures, your focus is shutter speed. The dial for shutter speed adjustment, as mentioned earlier, is found on the top right hand of the rebel xsi. For a short exposure, your shutter speed needs to be relatively fast. Depending on what you are shooting and the speed in which the object you are shooting is moving... the shutter speed needs to be adjusted. (Faster the object=Faster shutter speed.)

Long Exposure

To get a long exposed picture, once again, use the shutter speed dial and instead of raising the shutter speed for a short exposure, the shutter speed needs to be slow for the long exposure. Long exposures are for inanimate objects, or for blurring of motion. In those situations, the more blur you want, the lower shutter speed you want.

Modifying Natural Light

I found this section of our book quite handy because I've had many questions myself on what filters I should use for different effects that I'm going for.

The book talks about polarizing filters, split neutral density filters, graduated neutral density filters, standard ND filters, blue/gold polarizing filters, and some other items to use while creating the light and colors that you are looking for.

Probably my favorite, or the one I might find most useful is the Split neutral density filters. This is used by a lot of landscape photographers and it enables them to use part of the filter, that has a grey tint on it, to cover a highly lighted area, or overexposed area of the shoot, to darken that part of the image. Genius. :)

Yellowstone Trip

YELLOWSTONE

Here are a few photos that I took on our trip to Yellowstone a couple of weeks ago. I found myself trying to do a lot of macro photography, that seemed to grab my interest the most. I also caught myself dripping with envy the majority of the time at the million other photographers there with incredible lenses and tripods... It was very humbling for me and my 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS. :) I still had fun. It was also the first time that I shot all of my pictures raw.

A dead tree in between sulfur stuff... some form of growth around a sulfur pool

the colors in this area amazed me...
dead trees really captivated my attention on this trip..

I was trying to get the small drops of water on the limbs of this plant-thingy

This is as far as my lense would go.

Exposure

Achieving a great exposure is much easier with digital cameras than it used to be with a traditional film camera.

On a digital camera, a photographer is able to adjust the shutter speed, aperture, and ISO to create the perfect exposure for what they are trying to shoot.

Another great thing about digital cameras is that there is a setting on your cameras that allows your display to entail a histogram letting you know the levels of the photo and what you may need to improve on for better exposure.

Evaluative/Matrix metering is much better than average metering and should be set as default on your camera. Spot metering focuses on a central spot that represents about "6 percent of the picture area." Center-weighted metering, however, gives about 75% to the center of the photograph.

There are automatic settings on your camera that allow you to simply turn to that setting and the camera will do either the shutter speed, aperture,or ISO for you. However, I prefer to use only the manual setting so that I can have full control over my camera.

Higher shutter speeds are made to capture motion. Lower shutter speeds are used for low-light settings and while shooting objects that are not moving, or holding still. The lower aperture, f stop, that you have, the more light is going through into your lens, and therefore the higher aperture or f stop, the less light coming in through your camera. Having a low f-stop also focus on one small object or area and blurs out the background and surrounding image. Lower ISO images give you a better quality image and a higher ISO helps in low-light situations, but you sacrifice higher quality photos.

You can use different techniques while shooting white and light scenes, such as increasing the exposure by a stop or two to create more vivid light in the photograph and really capture those lighter tones. The same goes with darker areas, only instead of increasing the exposure, decrease by a stop or two.

Super-telephoto Lenses

Super-telephoto Lenses

The next section we were to read in our wonderful Nature Photography books was the section on super-telephoto lenses. At the beginning of this section, Fitzharris explains to us that the super-telephoto lense that would most likely be worth your next purchase would be one with 500mm f/4. He suggests this lense because it is less expensive and lighter than the 600mm, although the 600mm has the greater reach.

Zoom Telephotos

Fitzharris explains to his readers that zoom telephoto lenses are "becoming more common" with today's photographers and he mentions one in particular that seems to be the "ideal choice" for nature photography: the Nikon 200-400mm f/4 VR.

Brand

Under this section, the author describes to his audience the types of brands of super-telephoto lenses that have the highest quality. Canon, of course, is on that list as well as Nikon. He mentions a few other brands but explains that with those particular lenses, they do not reach the total capacity that a Canon or Nikon brand can.

Lens Speed

This particular section really caught my attention, becuase it says that the lens speed is not as important as it use to be, thanks to better technology in lenses today. When I am shooting, I always get nervous to shoot with higher ISO because of the fear of not getting a clear, clean composition. However, Fitzharris explains that with the "development of digital sensors which produce excellent quality up to ISO 1000" is now possible. Amazing.

Close Focus

Close focusing talks about the ability to add an extension tube to your lense in order to capture large photos of small animals, plants, or other tiny objects while still getting a clear, beautiful picture.

Image Stabilization Sharpness

I think IS on the lense is one of the most ingenious things invented. I have this tool on both of my lenses and find it immensely helpful, it's not even funny. The exciting part is that IS or VR in the Nikon's case comes on super-telephoto lenses as well! And they greatly improve your photos by turning, for instance your "600mm f/4 into a super-fast 600mm f/1.4 without losing any depth of field."

Lens Color

This section merely hits on the "style" of your lense. Fitzharris warns that, even though "black super-telephoto lenses are classy and white one are intended to reflect heat, neither is suitable for nature work." That's right.. for the sake of the chance of getting an amazing picture, you need to go redneck and buy yourself a camouflage painted lense. Sacrifice the beauty of the lense for the beauty you'll create.

Let's play the 50's

Abandoned diner in Chester, Montana. Something we decided

to play with. I need to do some serious editing to

make the photo more realistic, but I'm really

excited about the potential. :) This was so much fun.

An abandoned old car in Chester, Montana. :)

Once again.. so much fun.

Invasion of the Bees

Reading Overview -"Nature Photography"

Part One

The Right Equipment

Basic Kit

According to Tim Fitzharris, writer of "Nature Photography," the type of camera that most photographers, whether professional or just beginning, rely heavily upon an SLR digital camera (SLR standing for "single-lens reflex.")

Fitzharris explains in the first section of the book that there are a lot of major advantages for having a SLR digital camera. These cameras are fairly more accessible and easy to use then "traditional" film cameras from the past. He talks about how it is easier to enlarge a digital picture and how the quality of that picture will be better than a film produced composition.

Another upside to the digital SLR is the "ability to adjust ISO speed of individual takes to match shooting conditions." There are many programs out today, such as Photoshop and Photoshop Elements that also can help to tweek these types of things on a computer.

Tim Fitzharris also strongly recommends the purchase of a tripod. This tool comes in extremely handy when you are trying to shoot darker areas with less light and need to use a slower or extended shutter speed on your camera. This stabilizes the camera and allows the camera to take a significantly clear photo. He recommends that tripods with tubular legs are the best way to go. He also mentions that metal legs are really heavy, cold in the winter, and hot in the summer, so can result in problems while hiking to shoot. Fitzharris also recommends that photographers start out using a ball head on their tripods instead of pan/tilt heads with levers. Ball heads are just easier to use all the way around.

For shooting wildlife, Tim explains that a photographer will need to get a super-telephoto lense to capture wildlife from a distance and still achieve clear, brilliant photographs. He explains that the "ultimate in super-telephoto lens quality" is within the Canon's image stabilizer or if you use a Nikon (silly people, Canon's the way to go! :) ) it is called the vibration reduction. All new lenses supply these two tools and are very VERY useful in the field.

Simple zoom lenses are recommended by Fitzharris for landscaping photography. This is so you can capture more area than you particularly wouldn't if using a super-telephoto lense.

Labor Day Expedition

We found this amazing hippy van and had to shoot with it. So much fun. :)

Chipmunks, Tripods, and Cameras

The little guy in my title picture lives in Estes Park. My husband and I took a hiking trip up through the Rocky Mountains before we left Colorado this summer. There were quite a few different kinds of wildlife on the trails and I was fortunate to capture this little guy.

I have a tripod. But it's a cheap Target brand. It worked for messing around.. but I'm ready for an upgrade.

I use a Canon Rebel xsi. I love it. I find it easy to use and very flexible to do what I try to do.. :)

Portraits

Here are a few portraits in my portfolio

Warning: they are amateur-ish. :)

But it sure was a lot of fun to practice during these.

CAMBLIN FAMILY

Railroad tracks in Holyoke, Colorado.

BRITNEY HIGGS

self-portraiture project.
KAYLEE AND TYLER CAMBLIN

couple of my favorite kids in the whole world.

SAMMY HIGGS
My husband's an awesome sport. :) He hates his picture being taken,
but when I see a spot I want to shoot, he willing steps in and poses for me. :)

TAYLOR HAIDLE
This is one of the photos taken the day we found the old abandoned house on the side of the road. My favorite has disappeared somewhere in my computer. Can't find it.

BRITNEY HIGGS

Self-portraiture project. This one was challenging... but fun.:)

I need to redue the editing... someday..

CAMBLIN FAMILY

Taken in Holyoke, ColoradoTAYLOR HAIDLE

This is pre-editing. I need to fix some shadows. :)

TAYLOR HAIDLE

This photograph was taking on the road between Sterling and Holyoke, Colorado.

We saw this amazing rainbow and stopped to capture it.

The exposure is somewhat overexposed... and there were

raindrops on my lense...

but it still looks like it could be used in a skittle commercial

so I thought I'd throw it in here. :)