Photography Tip - use portrait orientation for long tall subjects like a great egret

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Photography Tip - portrait orientation allows the great egret to fill the frame - The Pier, St. Petersburg, Florida

  • Setup:  Nikon D300 Nikkor 80-20mm f/2.8D @ f/4 ISO 200 1/2000th 

Getting into a fixed routine of using landscape orientation with your DSLR is easy.  After all, the DSLR seems to be designed to be held horizontally.  However, only using landscape orientation eliminates 50%+ of composition possibilities!  Not to mention it makes it extremely awkward to photograph long, tall subjects like the above great egret.  Perhaps the best criticism I was every given about my photography was there there were not enough portrait orientation shots (thanks Jeff!).  I was told that over two years ago.  Ever since then every time I shoot I am mindful of using an appropriate amount of landscape and portrait orientation shots.  Maybe now you will be too.

When shooting in portrait orientation, I like to hold the grip part of the DSLR up, which allows me to still wedge my left elbow into my body creating a stable shooting position.  The highest end DSLRs (i.e. $5000+) come with a vertical grip built in.  However, many other DSLRs do have vertical grip accessories available for them made by the manufacturer.  Another benefit of using a vertical grip is that it houses more batteries so you can shoot longer.  

This great egret photograph is available for commercial license and fine art print

Golden Glow Medical Spa & Mahajan Medical Center Largo Commercial Photography

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Reveal face & skin reading camera - f/5.6 ISO 200 1/50th SB-800 @ 1/4 power hotshoe mounted (both shots)The doctors and medical specialists of Mahajan Medical Center and Golden Glow Medical Spa in Largo, Florida recently moved both facilities into a new building.  I was hired to photograph the examination rooms, procedures while they were being performed, as well as staff headshots and building exterior photos for use on their business website and in future promotional materials.  

For me, it was my first time seeing such spa related medical equipment and I have to confess it all looks rather scary to me.  I was asked what treatments I do for the skin on my face, and I of course replied that I am a Man and take after Clint Eastwood.  I can only hope to age and have such a rugged looking face as he has.  

Golden Glow Medical Spa neck skin treatment device - f/5.6 ISO 200 1/60th SB-800 @ 1/4 power hotshoe mountedPhotographing the procedures meant working in very tight spaces.  I normally prefer to use off-camera-flash, but that just was not possible this time.  Since the rooms were small though, there was always a wall or a low ceiling to be able to bounce my SB-800 Speedlight off of while it was mounted on my Nikon D300's hotshoe.  

Medical procedure & examination rooms - Golden Glow Spa Largo FloridaThe medical center and medical spa rooms were intermixed with some looking like traditional examination rooms seen in hospitals as well as rooms with a much more relaxed vibe.  All the rooms also had wall-mounted HDTVs!

Therapeutic massage at Golden Glow Medical Spa - Largo, Florida - f/5.6 ISO 200 1/40th SB-800 @ 1/4 power hotshoe mountedThe woman giving the massage above was a real character.  From a distance she looks very petite, as she is hardly five feet tall.  Up close though you can start to see her muscles.  She proudly told me that she is a bodybuilder.  Seems like a very good quality to have in a masseuse!  She suggested I come back sometime and get a massage myself as she saw all the heavy camera equipment dangling from my neck and around my shoulders.  Maybe I just will.

Brand new building housing both Mahajan Medical Center & Golden Glow Medical Spa - 7-bracket HDRI arrived on site very early (at least for me) at 7:45am in order to be able to photograph the exterior of the building without any cars in the parking lot.  The sun had not yet risen above the roof of the building which I think coincidentally added a sunrise glow to the Golden Glow Medical Spa facia.

DSLR Photography Lesson with Taryn & Scott and a Nikon D5100 & Canon XTi

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Scott with his Canon XTi and Taryn with her brand new Nikon D5100 - St. Petersburg DSLR Photography LessonThis was my first time to teach a DSLR Photography Lesson to a brother and sister.  Taryn lives in St. Petersburg, but her brother, Scott, now resides in Amsterdam.  So while her brother was back visiting, and since she got a brand new Nikon D5100 as a mother's day present this year, all things fell into place for our lesson this morning, including massive humidity!  Scott had had his Canon XTi for awhile, but still was mostly using it in auto-mode.  Since he lives and travels around Europe so much helping him during the lesson get the most out of his DSLR will hopefully allow him to one day return to the U.S. with a fantastic European photograph portfolio.  

Photographing a great egret in downtown St. Petersburg during our DSLR Photography LessonWhile practicing how to photograph moving subjects and how to make a flash portrait in the shade, Scott used Taryn as a model and vice versa no doubt allowing for numerous outtake photos for each to have a laugh over.  We later came across a great egret that was too busy hunting its lunch (lizards) to be bothered much by the siblings getting some wildlife photography practice.  I instructed them to get down at eye level to the bird and to also remember to use portrait orientation for some shots, especially when its neck was elongated upwards.

It was a very fun and interesting two hours.  While Scott is soon to return to Amsterdam, I may see Taryn again for a future lesson.

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    Father and infant son wedding day St. Petersburg

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    Wedding tuxedo going on the groom's baby - f/5.6 ISO 200 1/160th Strobist: SB-800 resting on bed + natural window lightI had never seen an infant baby being dressing in a tuxedo before.  While photographing a recent wedding in St. Petersburg there was a lot of time to photograph both the bride and groom getting ready, as well as their infant son.  After getting dressed himself, the groom started to dress his son.  The order he chose for getting dressed was perhaps unwise as the baby threw up onto his dad's shirt in the process.  Luckily, another suitable shirt was on hand for the groom to change into with only a small spot on the baby's shirt that no one would notice.

    Babies dominate attention, and even on the couple's wedding day I felt more people were excited about seeing and holding the baby than perhaps the wedding itself.  I am of course immune to this power baby's seem to have and was drawn to photograph him more because of his unusual attire and the fact his father was dressing him and soon to be married.  That was a scene I had not witnessed before and was the source of my interest photographically.  

    Sandpiper Tradewinds twilight wedding couple - f/5.6 ISO 800 1/60th Strobist: SB-800 at 1/2 power to frame rightFor a brief few minutes the couple and I after their wedding ceremony had time for a few romantic shots.  I wonder on the baby's wedding day if he will show any photographs of himself that I took at his parent's wedding during the reception slideshow?

    Cadillac CTS with Model Tampa Commercial Car Photography Part 2

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    Model: Amber Car: Cadillac CTS setup: f/11 ISO 200 1/100th strobist: SB-800 @ 1/2 power to frame left, SB-600 @ 1/2 power to frame center-right

    This second set of photographs featuring model Amber and a Cadillac CTS photographed in front of the Tampa Convention Center feature some of the images chosen by the client (part 1 featured my initial favorites from the shoot).  It is always interesting to me to see which photographs the client chooses as compared to the ones I chose.  This time, only one photograph of the client's ten purchased images overlapped with one of my top three.  We were close on a second, with the client choosing just a slightly different pose than the one I did.  Too bad about that too because I had already done the major edit (removing several background buildings) on the pose I chose!

    Model: Amber Car: Cadillac CTS Setup: f/10 ISO 200 1/200th Strobist: SB-800 @ 1/4 power to frame left, SB-600 @ 1/4 power to frame center-rightAll that said, the three featured client choices in this post are now also in my favorites as well.  I believe it is really important to get one or more sets of eyes on all the photographs from a shoot in order to really discover all the best ones.  If the client had not chosen these, I may never have bothered to give any of them a full edit and thus they would have never made it onto my site or into my portfolio.  

    The idea to have Amber look at her watch as if she were bored or waiting impatiently on someone was my own.  The client had told me at the beginning of the shoot that he wanted an element of the unattainable, of something hard to maintain, hard to keep.  So I thought if you want to have a beautiful woman and a cool car, you better arrive on time, at the very least!

    Model: Amber Car: Cadillac CTS Setup: f/11 ISO 200 1/100th Strobist: SB-800 @ 1/2 power to frame left, SB-600 @ 1/2 power to frame center-rightThis was a great project to work on as the client provided me with a clear vision for the photographs while at the same time letting me put my own creative touch on the setup of the shots.  Plus, add in a model who can pose gracefully on the hood of a car (not easy!).  That equals pretty much the ideal situation.  

    Photography Tip - broken habits create new opportunities

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    Snell Isle Sunset St. Petersburg Florida - f/8 ISO 200 3-bracket HDRThe most peaceful part of my entire day is when I take beloved puppy, Kiki, for our after dinner, sunset walk around the "big block."  We start out on the very path pictured above and walk along Smacks Bayou aways often spotting dolphins and manatees.  However, this evening just minutes before we were to set out on our evening stroll, a sudden heavy rain fell, then stopped, then started again.  Our walk was, sadly, washed out.

    However, this break in our routine created the chance for me to photograph the above scene.  I still took Kiki out for a quick call of nature, saw the sunset, and thought to myself, "a real photographer would go back inside, grab his/her camera, then come back out and photograph this putting aside one's disappointment at not being able to go on a peaceful stroll.

    So, an irritation produced an opportunity.  If your usual schedule gets sidetracked, look for new photography chances because of it.

    St Jude Cathedral Wedding in St Petersburg Florida

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    St. Jude Cathedral Wedding in St. Petersburg Florida - f/6.3 ISO 400 1/50th Strobist: SB-800 @ 1/4 power to frame left SB-600 @ 1/4 power to frame rightBrian and Kelsey had a very fun and jovial wedding.  I do not think I ever saw less nervousness in either the bride or the groom before a wedding.  The fun continued through the wedding ceremony that referenced Disney story lore at length.  I had heard from Kelsey that they were Disney fans, but I had no idea the priest would be making theme park ride metaphors during the ceremony!

    Ruby Red Slippers on the St. Petersburg Florida bride - f/5.8 ISO 400 1/80th SB-800 Speedlight hotshoe mountedKelsey told me she was also a big Wizard of Oz fan.  Therefore I was not surprised to see her wearing very Dorothy-like ruby red slippers under her wedding dress.  I could find no yellow brick road to use in the foreground, unfortunately.

    St. Jude Cathedral bride & groom during the ceremony - f/4 ISO 200 1/125th SB-600 Speedlight hotshoe mountedThis was a Catholic wedding which has an hour-long ceremony.  Since the bride and groom do not stand right in front of the priest all the time, there were several opportunities for clear photographs of the couple, which is rare during wedding ceremonies.  I could also not go within a large marble circle surrounding the alter area so using my trusty Nikkor AF ED 80-200mm f/2.8D lens was a must.

    feeding each other cake at wedding reception - f/5.6 ISO 800 1/60th SB-800 Speedlight hotshoe mounted @ 1/4 powerAlthough the above shot shoes a very animated cake feeding custom, what followed was very neat and orderly.  I have to say I am disappointed that nowadays couples do not smash cake into each other's faces.  To me there is then no reason to perform this custom if it is just a neat nibble of cake.  I liken it to find out the sex of one's baby before delivery.  Just takes the fun out of it, at least to me, though it must be said I am very fond of maintaining old customs.

    garter belt surprise at St. Jude Cathedral wedding reception hall - f/5.6 ISO 800 1/80th SB-800 hotshoe mounted at 1/4 powerThe DJ prompted the bride & groom to tell the guy who (reluctantly) caught the garter belt when to stop hiking the belt up the lucky bouquet catcher's right leg.  During this I wondered to myself, what if the woman who catches the bouquet is wearing pants?  Do all women who attend weddings wear dresses or skirts?  I will make a point of observing this at the wedding I next photograph at the end of June.