Photography Tips

Nikon MC-30 Cable Release Review & Photography Tip

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My own well-worn Nikon MC-30 cable release which is an essential piece of gear in my bagI am a very firm believer in having the right tools for the right job, and if you own a tripod, then you certainly should own a cable release as well.  Cable releases tend to only work with a select few DSLRs based on the connection the camera has.  The cable release for my Nikon D300 is the Nikon MC-30 which at the time retailed for $99, but thankfully Amazon.com had it for just $49 on sale.  It currently is priced at $55.61.  There are cheaper cable releases for other cameras and of course much more expensive ones with LCD screens and more functions.  For my $49 I got the most basic cable release you could get, a small rectangle of plastic with a shutter release button and a lock button.  That said, it does its job very well and I have gotten my money's worth out of it.

It just plain feels cool to use a cable release, like you are an old-time photographer.Why do you need a cable release if you already have your camera on a tripod?  Because the act of pushing the shutter with your finger can and will produce shake even with your DSLR on a stable tripod.  Using a cable release along with a tripod insures the most stable shooting method.  Plus, it just plain feels cool to use a cable release!  It will make you feel like an old-time photographer.  It is just another tool, along with a good tripod, that really, really helps you relax while out in the field making photographs.  

The lock button on the Nikon MC-30 helps when shooting in bulb modeThe one feature of the Nikon MC-30 cable release is its lock button, or rather switch on the side of the device.  Being able to lock the shutter open is very convenient when using bulb mode.  This way you do not need to keep the shutter pressed the entire time, you can just lock it.  When I photograph fireworks, I lock the shutter open allowing me to concentrate on blocking the front of the lens with a card.

The unique connector port for the Nikon MC-30 on my Nikon D300Refer to your particular's DSLR maker's website for which cable release will work with your camera because there are several different port connectors on cameras.  One complaint about the Nikon MC-30 is that connecting it is awkward due to the small line up point markings on it, but I actually always attach it blind because the bend of the cable naturally lines up with the pin connector!  Likewise, I never screw the cable onto the port, I just push it in and it has never popped off.

Even at its current price, the Nikon MC-30 can seem very expensive for essentially a piece of wire with a button on it, but I believe the value of having one and using it will definitely help your photography.

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    • How to Photograph Fireworks - 4th of July Fireworks St. Petersburg Florida 2012

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    4th of July Fireworks over downtown St. Petersburg Florida 2012 - Nikon D300 Nikkor 80-200mm @ f/11 ISO 200 10.5 sec tripod mounted with cable release covering lens frequently with a cardThere is an art and methodology to photographing fireworks that if you have the necessary gear is pretty fun.  To photograph fireworks properly you need:

    • DSLR camera with bulb mode
    • Lens with appropriate focal length for your location
    • Very stable tripod
    • Cable release
    • A stiff card large enough to cover the front of your lens

    Other tips for shooting fireworks:

    • Choose a spot with a clear open view (obviously!)
    • Choose a spot that is upwind (so smoke does not blow into your shots)
    • Include foreground elements (do not just shoot the fireworks themselves)
    • Do not record overlapping fireworks (will just look blown out in one spot)

    4th of July Fireworks in St. Petersburg Florida 2012 - Nikon D300 Nikkor 80-200mm @ f/11 ISO 200 27.4 sec tripod mounted with cable release covering lens frequently with a cardThe actual process for making and recording a multiple firework image:

    1. While still light out focus on something where the fireworks will be
    2. Set your focus to manual focus so you do not have to worry about autofocusing in the dark
    3. Use manual exposure mode set to bulb mode and f/8 or f/11 & your lowest ISO
    4. Hold the shutter open with your cable release when seeing a streak going into the air
    5. Cover the front of the lens quickly & carefully with the card
    6. When the firework explodes remove the card for a split second
    7. If another firework explodes in a different spot, remove the card again
    8. Repeat step 7 a few times then release the shutter

    4th of July fireworks finale in St. Petersburg Florida 2012 - Nikon D300 Nikkor 80-200mm @ f/11 ISO 200 28.8 sec tripod mounted with cable release covering lens frequently with a cardI also try to avoid removing the card for fireworks that are just bright balls of light as these tend to overexpose and just look like all-white blobs.  Overly bright fireworks can also reflect light onto smoke in the sky ruining the shot.  The ideal is to catch a streaking firework trail going up, a low firework explosion, a middle one, and then a very high one.  This evening they tended to explode in the same spot like three times in a row, which is no good as the overlapping makes them start to again look like an all-white blob.  If you are patient, study the patterns of explosions, and use good technique exposing the front of the lend with the card, then you will give yourelf the best chance at creating a satisfying fireworks multiple explosion image.  

    Post a link to your fireworks shots in the comments below!

    Photography Tip - It only has to interest you - drumsticks

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    These drumsticks & their case interested me - Nikon D80 Nikkor 80-200mm @ f/4 ISO 400 1/200thI first and foremost make photographs that interest me.  This for the most part even applies when I am shooting for a client as I trust they hired me because they liked my past work and know that I will bring that same perspective to their shoot as well.  I made this drumsticks shot while shooting a Brett Eldredge concert for an event client.  This photograph may have no interest to anyone but me, but that does not come into my thinking at all when I made the image.  I was drawn to the satchel the sticks were sticking out of in particular.  It looked very old and worn and thus must have a great story behind it.  I never talked to the drummer about it, but I wanted to make a photograph of it for my own memory and for me to wonder what might be the origin of the satchel, was it his father's before him, or given to him by a drummer he looked up to?  Those questions interest me, even if I can never get an answer to them.

    I included this image in the 240+ I delivered to the client.  It may just be a throwaway image, but for me it will be a reminder of that concert and shooting that job.  

    Shooting what interests you first and foremost is what one should really only ever do in one's personal shooting.  I cannot imagine doing otherwise really.  When just going out shooting (not for a client) why would you ever shoot anything that does not interest you?  Likewise, shooting something you think will be interesting to others, but is not interesting to yourself, I cannot imagine the point in doing that and I would also imagine the results of those photographs would be very subpar at best.  

    If no one else in the world finds the photograph interesting, but you do, then that is still a successful photograph.  That is my thinking.

    Use Negative Space when composing photography tip

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    Composing with negative space - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/11 ISO 200 1/400th

     I often tell my DSLR photography students to "fill the frame" when composing shots.  I also recently wrote about how not including the entire motorcycle makes for an image with more impact.  That said, another composition technique follows just the opposite of those and calls for using negative space in the frame to be part of the photograph.  

    In the above image instead of filling the frame with the palm tree, or using a rule of thirds type of composition, the palm tree is composed as to look small and isolated allowing the negative space itself to be the main subject of the photograph.  Filling the frame with negative space gives the impression of great expansion, or rather, no end once the eye reaches the edge of the frame.  The viewer's eye continues on past the edges filled in by their own imagination of what goes beyond.  

    Post a link to your example of negative space composition in the comments below.

    Use a 50mm lens as a macro lens photography tip

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    Bokeh created by using a 50mm lens - Nikon D300 Nikkor 50mm @ f/2 ISO 200 1/400th natural lightMacro lenses are expensive.  They are great, but if macro photography is one of many types of photography you like the cost may not be justified, even though macro lenses often can be great for portraits and other things too.  Before you spend $500 or $1,000 or more on a dedicated macro lens, I suggest getting a 50mm lens first (if you do not already have one, which you should!) for about $120 which can be used as a kind of macro lens and see just how much you like macro photography.  If you cannot get enough of it, then investing in a dedicated macro lens would be worth it.  If you are pleased with the results you are getting with the 50mm lens, well then you saved hundreds of dollars and you also get all the other benefits of a 50mm lens.

    The flower image above was made with a 50mm f/1.8 lens @ f/2 with no special lighting, just ambient.  Post a link in the comments below to macro images you made with a 50mm lens.

    Removing the photograph background but preserving foreground details for depth

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    In an attempt to further refine my own skills with using the "Refine Edge" function in Photoshop's Quick Select tool I made the above photograph of Kiki right here in the living room.  I knew beforehand I would be removing the background and painting in a new one.  I have really started to like using this technique lately, especially when adding a pure white background.  However, when including a full view of the subject, replacing the entire background be it with all white or any other color a lack of depth can result as the foreground and background are exactly the same.  As you can see in the finished version on the right some shadow and light remain on the floor around Kiki's paws.  After doing my usual edits to the image, the process I followed for making the digital backround was thus: 

    • Quick Select the floor area only & increase its contrast
    • Using the Eye Dropper tool select a color from the increased contrast floor (gray-ish in this case)
    • Increase the area Quick Selected to included everything except Kiki herself
    • Using the Brush tool at 100% paint the background up until the edge of the floor
    • Change the opacity to 40% and paint the floor area until a uniform gradient appears 

    In am happy with the process I used to make the digital background in this case, but I would like to improve the smoothness of the gradient/transition of the background to foreground even more by using every smaller opacities to brush it in.

    The finished final image of Kiki with gray background added in Photoshop leaving floor light and shadow for depthAlas there is no editing I can do to make Kiki not look like a sad puppy.  This was right before our usual dog park time and I think she was wondering why do I have to sit through this when we could already be on our way to the park!  Next time I will attempt her portrait in the morning.

    Get images like these of your dog or cat or pet done right in your own living room . . . contact Jason today to reserve your shoot!

    Detours in your photography - both temporary and permanent

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    Have you taken more temporary or permanent detours with your photography?Your photography path should take detours.  Some of them will be temporary, while others will be permanent.  A temporary detour can come when you get a new lens and are able to make a photograph you could not before.  You may take a few month detour into only producing HDR images, which often happens when a photographer discovers this Pandora's Box of photography techniques.  

    Permanent detours can arise with increased photography knowledge.  These can be detours in personal shooting style, subject matter and shooting techniques.  The horrible vignettes you used to put on every portrait you made early in your photography career?  The detour away from those cannot come soon enough!  Blurry night images because you did not have a tripod?  Gone once you invest in a proper one.

    I have made several significant, permanent detours in my (relatively) brief professional photography career.  I started out thinking I would work with others, but that really turned into more of a temporary detour.  I was focused on weddings and portraits, but a free business meeting consultation lead to my biggest detour to date switching my focus to commercial, event and teaching photography.

    That was last year's big detour.  I expect another one will come sometime this year.  

    My photography tip then is to expect photography detours and recognize which ones will be temporary, and which ones will be permanent.