Sunset Beach Florida Panorama Landscape at Twilight

in

Sunset Beach Treasure Island Florida at Twilight - click to view at 1800px - 4-shot panorama image - available for commercial license and fine art print

I have heard that Montana is called Big Sky Country.  Picturing that in my mind has fascinated me for years.  I have lived in claustrophobic places, where glimpes of the sky are all that is allowed.  Fortunately, for a majority of my life I have been able to gaze westward across a 180 degree expanse of the Gulf of Mexico.  The horizon is not infinity, it is Texas.  Still, since 1992 when I first discovered Sunset Beach, it has become a sacred place to me.  

A whole novel could be written about my time on that half mile strip of sand over the past 19 years, though I would not want to share those stories, at least not yet.  For now I will only share the view that has given me solace and freedom of mind.  

Candid Family Beach Portraits Sunset Beach Treasure Island Florida

in

Juliana & family on Sunset Beach Treasure Island St. Petersburg - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/8 ISO 200 1/100th Strobist: Nikon SB-800 Speedlight @ 1/4 power to frame left & SB-600 Speedlight @ 1/4 to frame rightRESERVE CANDID FAMILY BEACH PHOTOGRAPHY IN VIVID COLOR FOR YOUR FAMILY TODAY!

It was very nice to see Juliana and her family again after having first met them last year when I photographed her 7th Birthday Party.  At that time she was missing most of her front teeth, but this year her smile was brighter than ever.  Mother Nature provided yet another stunning Florida sunset of the Gulf of Mexico to be our background for our candid family beach portrait session.

Juliana & a sand dollar - Sunset Beach Florida - Nikon D300 with Nikkor 50mm @ f/2.8 ISO 200 1/1600th natural lightWhen we first arrived at my preferred spot on Sunset Beach, Treasure Island Juliana found half of a sand dollar on the beach.  Soon after she found the other half.  That seemed like good luck to me so I thought the sand dollar halves should be in one of our photos.  When you shoot in good natural light, as you can see, there is not even need for fill flash.

"Avant Garde" Father Daughter Beach Portrait - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/8 ISO 200 1/100th Strobist: Nikon SB-800 Speedlight @ 1/4 power to frame left & SB-600 Speedlight @ 1/4 to frame rightJuliana and her father had kind of just wandered into these positions between shots.  It caught my eye and I scrambled to get my lights in position to light both Juliana (far in the background) and her father (large in the foreground) before they could move.  In the end I asked Juliana to look at the lens to produce the final image above.

Father & Daughter Candid Family Beach Portrait - Nikon D80 with Nikkor 80-200mm @ f/4 ISO 200 1/320th natural lightI hope these photographs serve to illustrate that not every family beach portrait session attire needs to be white shirts and blue jeans.  I suggested that Juliana and her family wear what clothes they feel they look their best in, although I think Juliana's mom had final word on her wearing that dress since she told me that was not how she dressed every day.

Each with their own style - candid family beach portrait - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/8 ISO 200 1/100th Strobist: Nikon SB-800 Speedlight @ 1/4 power to frame left & SB-600 Speedlight @ 1/4 to frame rightI always like there to be some clouds in the sky at sunset time as they add interest to the background by reflecting the rays of the setting sun.  I once heard, "a cloudless sky is the enemy of the landscape photographer."  I would not say that for beach portraits, but for sure I prefer clouds over no clouds.

Candid little girl beach portrait - Sunset Beach Florida - Nikon D300 with Nikkor 50mm @ f/2.8 ISO 200 1/1600th natural lightI like to let kids do what they like during a candid portrait session as they are the types of photographs I like to make best myself.  The feeling when shooting is totally different too.  There is a certain tension in a photographer's mind that arises when having to position people for a shot, rather than the photographer moving about the subject freely shooting when instinct says so.

Letting the setting sun dominate this family beach portrait - Nikon D80 with Nikkor 80-200mm @ f/6.3 ISO 200 1/200th Strobist: Nikon SB-800 Speedlight @ 1/2 power to frame left & SB-600 Speedlight @ 1/2 to frame rightFor the above type of shot one of course needs to use manual mode to make the exposure do what you want as aperture priority or shutter priority modes would not allow one to get the results as seen.  Radio triggers for one's strobes are necessary too as I was shooting with a long lens not nearly close enough for Nikon's built in Commander Mode triggering method.  

Juliana is a natural model - Sunset Beach Treasure Island Florida - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/8 ISO 200 1/100th Strobist: Nikon SB-800 Speedlight @ 1/4 power to frame left & SB-600 Speedlight @ 1/4 to frame rightJuliana is a natural model.  The above pose was just one of like five she went in and out of in succession.  It was hard to keep up!  Of course when the subject feels comfortable in front of the lens and knows how to best position themselves, then it just makes the photographer's job all that easier allowing for more concentration on the creative part of photography.  Also, you can see that I pretty much settled on f/8 ISO 200 1/100th for my strobist shots during this session.  Once I get the settings I like dialed in, that also frees me to focus on just composition, etc.

Juliana as ballet dancer at twilight - Sunset Beach Treasure Island Florida - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/4 ISO 200 1/160th Strobist: Nikon SB-800 Speedlight @ 1/4 power to frame left & SB-600 Speedlight @ 1/4 to frame rightThis was the final shot of the night that required a couple of takes, but Juliana did her part very well!  I forgot to ask if she takes ballet lessons or not.  

The first time I tried this staggered family positioning - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/8 ISO 200 1/100th Strobist: Nikon SB-800 Speedlight @ 1/4 power to frame left & SB-600 Speedlight @ 1/4 to frame rightDuring this family beach portrait session I tried several new things, which is key to me, as I have done many of these types of shoots and I am always trying to avoid repeating myself looking to add if not entirely new shots at least variations.  This time there were several totally new images, like the above staggered positioning from shore to water.  It helps to have had a three person family.  For sure at least having an odd number makes the composition work better.

The better you know the people you are photographing the easier it is to produce satisfying images.  Therefore, it is not surprising that my second time photographing Juliana and her family was one of my all-time favorite family beach portrait sessions.

   

DSLR Photography Editing & Workflow Lesson with Kamila in St. Petersburg

in

This afternoon I visited Kamila at her very nice new home for another DSLR Photography Lesson focusing on workflow, editing and also getting the exposure right for very specific shooting conditions.  As you can see, Bob the Yorkshire Terrier was an integral part of the lesson as well!  Kamila had a list of questions ready (good idea), the first of which was deciphering what all the symbols and buttons on the back of her Nikon SB-700 Speedlight mean.  This piece of Nikon gear is not very intuitive at all, not that really any speedlights are.  Although there are way more dedicated buttons on the back of the SB-700 compared to the SB-600 model it replaces, the SB-700 actually seems more difficult to use, at least at first.

Once the mysteries of the speedlight were solved we moved on to DoF (depth of field) issues, specifically making sure both father and baby are in focus during a tightly framed portrait using a 35mm f/1.8 lens.  After checking the photo in question's exif data, and seeing the aperture of f/3.2, it was easy to diagnose the problem as being the result of too large of an aperture.  I advised Kamila to use f/8 or even f/11 to insure the in focus plane is large enough for both sets of eyes.  We practiced this by using two stuffed animals on her sofa to produce an image with no DoF problems.

We concluded the lesson discussing what computer hardware and software would help improve her workflow, which now is rather disjointed and definitely not as efficient as it could be.  She mentioned maybe getting a new Mac soon, which I said was a great idea because then she could use the excellent Aperture 3 to process, organize and edit all her RAW images (once she makes the switch to shooting in RAW).

I look forward to our next lesson which will be about using off camera flash, possibly even two speedlights, and of course to seeing Bob again too!

Canon XS DSLR Photography Lesson with Suzanne in St. Petersburg

in

Halloween lights provide the background in downtown St. Petersburg for my first DSLR Photography Lesson with SuzanneSince neither of us had trick or treating plans, I met Suzanne for our first DSLR Photography Lesson in downtown St. Petersburg early in the Halloween evening.  There was surprisingly little spooky activity happening and no one in costume to photograph.  Still, we managed to practice no less than five shooting techniques in our first of four 2-hour lessons!

Suzanne was already familiar with some photography terms and just needed clarifying and instruction on how they all tie together, especially in the DSLR world.  Also, since she already knew how to change some of these settings on her Canon XS, we were able to practice more than usual in a first lesson, especially since the early sunset time in late October afforded a chance to practice motion blur shots.  

I look forward to our next lessons which will cover photographing sunsets, action shots and more!

Best Friends Man and Dog in Black and White

in

Terry receiving a kiss from my dog Kiki with his dog Sadie receiving a hug - Nikon D300 with Nikkor AF 50mm f/1.8D lens @ f/2 ISO 800 1/800th (the dogs were just running which is why the shutter speed is so high)The relationship between a man and his dog is a very strong and unique one.  I believe the uniqueness comes from the fact the relationship is for the most part non-verbal and non-human language based.  Communication between man and dog is much more emotional, instinctive and primal (I use the word man here on purpose as I can only speak from my experience).  It is easy for me to read Kiki's body language, and very easy for her to read mine.  I do not have to tell her she is coming with me when I go outside, she knows if she is coming or not by the clothes I put on.  If pants and a button up shirt, she heads to her crate.  If shorts and socks, she knows its probably dog park time or some other outdoor activity that includes her.

For the love of dirt . . . Nikon D300 with Nikkor AF 50mm f/1.8D lens - black & white processing using Silver Efex ProI believe it was the first time just us four best friends went somewhere together.  Terry is my eldest friend, since the 7th grade, and Sadie has known Kiki since she was a young puppy.  I cannot confirm it, but I am pretty sure Kiki would consider Sadie her best friend.

Sadie moves well, but Kiki is built for speed . . . Nikon D300 with Nikkor AF 50mm f/1.8D lens @ f/2.8 ISO 800 1/640thAt first, there were no other dogs at the Land O' Lakes Recreation Center dog park so Sadie and Kiki for the first time were in open space alone together and could run freely side by side.  Given all that space one wonders why Kiki needs to run so close to Sadie!

Terry momentarily takes the lead! - Nikon D300 with Nikkor AF 50mm f/1.8D lens @ f/2 ISO 800 1/800thIt occurred to me while I was editing these photos that I appear in none of them.  For me that is not so bad as I know I made them and the perspective I am seeing in the photos is the same that is in my memory.  I wonder if it is easier for someone to remember the happenings in a photo that they themselves do not appear in?  Does pushing the shutter to preserve the scene also stamp it into the photographer's memory better than someone else being behind the lens and that person later seeing themselves in the photograph?  

Photography Tip - Keep your lens cap in your front pocket

in

I always keep my lens cap in my right front pocket so I never have to look for it and never lose it.The more time you spend looking for your lens cap and various other photography accessories, the less time you have to focus on your client and get the shot.  Even if you are a hobbyist photographer, the perfect photography opportunity seldom waits so if you are fumbling for something in your camera bag you may end up out of luck.

Photography Tip:  Keep your lens cap in your right front pocket

I have always kept my lens cap in my right front pocket.  Even when I made the above shot right here in my living room I still put the lens cap to the lens I was using (50mm f/1.8) into the right front pocket of the shorts I was wearing.  

Where do you keep your lens cap? 

  • Read more photography tips
  • Reserve your own 1-on-1 DSLR Photography Lesson with Jason today!
  • Learn more about the lessons

    • Nikon D700 & Nikon SB-900 Speedlight DSLR Photography Lesson St. Petersburg

    in

    Barbie relaxing during our 6th DSLR Photography Lesson with her Nikon D300 at the New Dali MuseumBarbie returned from her many travels for our sixth DSLR Photography Lesson this morning at the New Dali Museum in downtown St. Petersburg.  As you can see from the photo above, she makes herself very comfortable while doing photography.  We were not on a beach but under a large tree behind the museum that has a pathway made up of of broken shells.  

    We kept the flash on the camera for today's lesson, but still produced creatively lit portraits (unfortunately I had to be the model!).  I really like using the Dali Museum location for photography work, and of course photographing the museum itself, especially at twilight, can produce dynamic results (see here).

    I had Barbie really concentrate on thinking which settings to use before pushing the shutter as we shot in various lighting and background situations.  As a photographer, as you move to the next location you should already be thinking of what kind of shot you want to make, which in turn dictates which settings you will need.  If you change light between locations and keep the same settings, well, the results will of course be very overexposed or underexposed.  Even though it's all digital, I do not like to waste shots.  Plus, if the shot is too bad it gives me no reference to use to hopefully perfectly dial in my settings by the second shot.  

    Lessons with Barbie are always fun and before she travels again we need to finish our remaining two lessons!