vinoy park

Photography Tip - leave your DSLR camera on!

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If my Nikon DSLR was not on and ready I would have missed this surprise chance in Vinoy Park FloridaPoint & shoot digital cameras, especially early ones, really used up batteries a lot.  So much so that people would turn them on and off between shots all the time.  I have noticed this practice continues with some of my DSLR photography students as well.  However, with a DSLR camera, there is no reason to turn it off between shots.  These cameras automatically go into a meter-off (sleep mode) that you can choose to happen in a set amount of time, and with the meter off and the backscreen off, a DSLR uses basically no battery power.  Thus, there is no reason to turn your DSLR off until you are putting it back into your camera bag at the end of shooting.

In fact, this practice of turning off the camera can lead to missing shots.  I was walking along the seawall in Vinoy Park one time and all of a sudden a dolphin surfaced right below my feet!  My Nikon was on and already set in default settings for getting a good shot in the light I was in, which allowed me to in just a split second be able to make the above dolphin photo.  Having to turn my camera on would have caused me to miss it.  Be sure and keep your DSLR on from the time you take it out of your camera bag until the time you put in back in to make sure you are always ready to capture any sudden photography opportunities.

Festivals of Speed 2013 St. Petersburg Florida Vinoy Park Concours d'Elegance

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The car that greeted visitors at the Concours d'Elegance Festivals of Speed 2013 in Vinoy Park St. Petersburg Florida - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/8 ISO 200 7-exposure HDROn a very sunny day in Vinoy Park in downtown St. Petersburg Florida I strolled into the Concours d'Elegance Festivals of Speed 2013 with a media pass and my Nikon.  I spent as much time talking to people there about cars and their car related products and services as I did making photographs.  I already posted images of an orange Lamborghini and a chrome Nissan GT-R.  The photos below are a few car details that caught my eye.

1930 Cadillac hood ornament emblem at Festivals of Speed 2013 Florida - Nikon D300 Nikkor 105mm VR micro @ f/4 ISO 200 1/800thI first thought this was a Rolls Royce hood emblem and had to do some research to identify it since I never made any other photos of the car.  I found out it was actually a 1930 Cadillac.  

Porsche Cayman bokeh look at Festivals of Speed - Nikon D300 Nikkor 105mm VR micro @ f/4 ISO 200 1/800thI like the lines of the Porsche Cayman very much.  I used a large aperture to show only the front fender in focus letting everything toward the back of the car start to disappear.

The Maserati logo on a Gran Turismo at Festivals of Speed Vinoy Park Florida 2013 - Nikon D300 Nikkor 105mm VR micro @ f/4 ISO 200 1/1250The distinctive Maserati logo found on the side of a silver Gran Turismo at the Festivals of Speed.  Using a 105mm prime lens forced me to look for details as getting an entire car into the frame in a crowded car show was impossible.  

Default Sunny Day DSLR Camera Settings f/11 1/320th lowest ISO

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My DSLR photography students often ask me what settings should I use?  Well, that is a very hard question to answer as there are any number of factors that would determine how one would set the five settings necessary to produce a well exposed and sharp shot.  So for this photography tip I offer my default sunny day settings.  If it is a sunny day, before I leave the house I would set my DSLR to the following in general:

aperture:  f/11

shutter speed:  1/320th

ISO:  (lowest for your camera)

Of course there are factors like what lens you are using, what type of subject, etc., etc., but if you are looking to make a shot like the one above on a nice sunny, Florida day, try starting with the default settings above.

Family Portraits at Vinoy Park St. Petersburg Florida Grandfather & Granddaughter

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Grandfather & Granddaughter in Vinoy Park for a portrait session - Nikon D300 Nikkor 80-200mm @ f/7.1 ISO 200 1/200th Strobist: SB-800 to frame left & SB-600 to frame rightI have been fortunate recently to photograph friends and repeat clients.  Well, this time I had the chance to photograph both, so I was very pleased to receive a phone call asking for a Father's Day present portrait session.  We chose Vinoy Park as our shooting location and it was thankfully a not too warm evening in St. Petersburg, nor too windy as that far out park often is.

Grandfather & Granddaughter are all smiles in Vinoy Park - Nikon D300 Nikkor 80-200mm @ f/10 ISO 200 1/250th Strobist: SB-800 to frame left & SB-600 to frame rightThe 30-minute portrait session went by very quickly.  The star of the show, young Brooke, was all smiles most of the time, as most of my shooting focused on photographing her with her grandfather and fellow classic westerns fan Paul, whom I first met a few years ago at the dog park.

The whole family in Vinoy Park for our portrait session - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/8 ISO 200 1/250th Strobist: SB-800 to frame left & SB-600 to frame rightThe above shot was actually the first one of the session as I prefer to shoot the group shots first, then move on to ever smaller groups and pairings.  Featured in the background is The Pier, a doomed structure that is supposed to be torn down next year, but I will believe that when it actually happens.  If it is, then it will serve as a nice time stamp for when this photograph was made.

Vinoy Park Pet Portrait with Beth and Logan dog St. Petersburg

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Beth & Logan in Vinoy Park for their human & pet portrait session - Nikon D300 Nikkor 80-200mm @ f/7.1 ISO 200 1/100th Strobist: SB-800 @ 1/2 power to frame right SB-600 @ 1/4 power to frame leftOn a blustery evening I met long-time dog park friend Beth and her Australian shepherd Logan for a dog and human candid portrait session.  As I have written about before, it is much different when working with a client you already know, in fact I would go so far as to say it is nearly totally different.  We started out with The Pier and Tampa Bay as the background. 

Candid pet portrait with Beth & Logan dog - Nikon D300 Nikkor 80-200mm @ f/7.1 ISO 200 1/60th Strobist: SB-800 @ 1/2 power to frame left SB-600 @ 1/4 power behind benchNext we went over to the bench with the best view in all of downtown St. Petersburg.  From it you can see the entire downtown skyline with a fantastic sunset view on most evenings.  Logan, however, was much more interested in passing inline skaters than the view!

Candid smiling pet portrait with Beth & Logan dog - Nikon D300 Nikkor 80-200mm @ f/7.1 ISO 200 1/60th Strobist: SB-800 @ 1/2 power to frame left SB-600 @ 1/4 power behind benchIt was way, way too windy to use any light modifiers besides a couple of diffuser caps on my speedlights.  For this shot I placed one on a lightstand to frame left and the other on a tripod directly behind the bench.  I used my trusty Nikkor AF ED 80-200mm f/2.8D lens for all these shots.  The wind though did have one benefit, that being keeping temperatures very tolerable and actually rather comfortable, even for me shooting and scurrying about setting up the shots.  

Beth & Logan all smiles in Vinoy Park - Nikon D300 Nikkor 80-200mm @ f/5.6 ISO 200 1/100th Strobist: SB-800 @ 1/2 power to frame right SB-600 @ 1/4 power to frame leftIt was a lot of fun to make these photographs for Beth and Logan.  By nature a portrait session including a dog has to be candid so for me it was just a matter of getting my lights where I wanted them and letting Beth enjoy spending time with Logan and pushing the shutter.

Model Portfolio Shoot in Vinoy Park St. Petersburg at Sunset with Shane

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Featuring The Pier in the background of this model portfolio shot - Nikon D300 Nikkor 80-200mm @ f/5.6 ISO 200 1/60th Strobist: SB-800 @1/2 power with diffuser cap to frame left & SB-600 @ 1/4 power with diffuser cap to frame rightI met Shane through Model Mahem and we soon setup a model portfolio shoot deciding on Vinoy Park in downtown St. Petersburg as the location and I suggested having the main shot idea to feature The Pier in the background, since in its current form it will only be around another two years or so.  That is the photograph featured above with me shooting from flat on my stomach to get the composition I wanted.  In the fading dusk light I thought that black & white suited the image better than the minimal color left in the original.

The setting sun blazes the sky yellow in this model portfolio shot - - Nikon D300 Nikkor 80-200mm @ f/8 ISO 200 1/250th Strobist: SB-600 @1/4 power with diffuser cap to frame left & SB-800 @ 1/4 power with diffuser cap to frame rightScheduling our model portofolio shoot just in time to catch the last bit of the sunset, I was able to make the above shot featuring a vivid yellow sky as the background from our vantage point in Vinoy Park and still include some of the local features in the background to put the photograph in a specific setting context, instead of a generic sunset that could have been anywhere.  Once again I was lying flat on my stomach to make the above shot.

The lights of The Pier provide the bokeh in this night shot - - Nikon D300 Nikkor 80-200mm @ f/5.6 ISO 200 1/60th Strobist: SB-800 @1/2 power with diffuser cap to frame left & SB-600 @ 1/4 power with diffuser cap to frame rightThis was the final shot I took of the model portfolio session.  I always like to end on an image that I know I will actually use, whenever possible.  In my model portfolio shoots quantity is not the goal, but rather producing a select few images that neither I nor the model already have in their portfolios, unless a model approaches me to recreate one of my shots.  I knew even before scheduling the shoot I wanted to make a shot like this featuring the lights of The Pier as bokeh in the background.

Shane was a great model and expressed the exact right emotions I was looking for in order to make these photographs.  

Sun setting through downtown St. Petersburg Florida HDR

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Sunset through the trees in Vinoy Park St. Petersburg Florida - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/8 ISO 200 9-exposure HDR tripod mounted with cable releaseVinoy Park is my favorite spot in all of downtown St. Petersburg.  It juts out offering panoramic views of the downtown skyline and also The Pier and Tampa Bay too.  It is the best public place to watch the sunset in the area also, well, maybe the top of The Pier is just as good.  I am always looking for different perspectives, trying not to just use my own eye level for composing shots.  For this one I closed the legs of my tripod so that I was shooting just from about a foot off the ground.  This also allowed me to get the sun right under the tree's lowest branch.

  • Photography Tip:  Use your tripod at its lowest height, or lay on your stomach if no tripod required for a unique, low perspective.

Marina view from Vinoy Park St. Petersburg Florida - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/8 ISO 200 9-exposure HDR tripod mounted with cable releaseMoving in front of the tree in the lead photo reveals a marina, on the far right Vinoy Renaissance Hotel and in the center 400 Beach Drive tower.  There are benches to sit on to enjoy this view.  I cannot imagine there are many sunsets they go unused.

North Straub Park in St. Petersburg Florida - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/8 ISO 200 9-exposure HDR tripod mounted with cable releaseAll along the downtown St. Petersburg area are parks like North Straub Park above that offer quiet places to sit and enjoy the green environment that city developers very wisely preserved.  It is these parks that in my opinioin make St. Petersburg the most beautiful area to live in all of Tampa Bay.