Canon T3 1-on-1 DSLR Photography Lesson in St. Petersburg with Ken

in

Ken focuses his Canon T3 during our 1-on-1 DSLR Photography Lesson in downtown St. Petersburg FloridaMy 1-on-1 DSLR Photography Lesson with Ken was a long time in the making.  He first contacted me in November of last year, and at last his schedule freed up so we could meet in downtown St. Petersburg.  Ken had some familiarity with photography terms and he did read his Canon DSLR manual.  We began the lesson by going over in detail how to change the necessary settings on his specific Canon T3 camera body for shooting in manul mode.  Up until then, Ken had been shooting in auto-mode.  My introductory 2-hour lessons are designed so that the person never has to use auto mode again and can shoot in manual mode just like the pros do, and really how a DSLR wants to be used.

After having that in-depth tour of his DSLR, we practiced how to control DoF and make the background disappear and create a subject surrounded by bokeh (photography term for out of focus background).  We also covered a few shooting tips including favoring shooting flowers in shade rather than the harsh midday sunlight of Florida, and as much as possible when shooting in direct sunlight, to get your back to the sun.

I look forward to seeing Ken's progress when we meet for our next photography lesson soon.

Nikon D7100 1-on-1 DSLR Photography Lesson in St. Petersburg Florida with Joe

in

Joe with his Nikon D7100 during our 1-on-1 photography lesson in St. Petersburg FloridaJoe was visiting Florida from out of state for a series of photography excursions with Rick Sammon.  Those were largely about having the chance to photograph unique subject matter like dirtbikes jumping in the air and running horses.  Still, I guess I should feel flattered to follow up photography instruction by Rick with my own 1-on-1 style lesson!  

What Rick wanted to learn from me was my (patented?) 5-step process for making a well exposed and sharp photo in any given shooting situation.  He was already shooting in manual mode, but wanted to get better at it.  I told him there is a very exact and repeatable process for shooting still subjects in manual mode.  Photography really is science and math, at least as far as getting exposure right.  There is no mystery to it.  The process I teach tells you exactly if this, then do that in a very specific order.  Now composition and making a final image that delights people, that is another matter for practice!

Joe and I plan to stay in contact once his Florida vacation is over for receiving feedback on his photographs he makes as he learns my 5-step process better.  

Tampa Jet Center in Florida at Dusk

in

A view from Tampa Jet Center with Raymond James Stadium home to the Bucs in the background - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/8 ISO 200 5-exposure HDRI have had the chance to attend several events at the Tampa Jet Center in Florida.  Most of my photographs focus on the cars and people at those events, but I liked the airport setting itself and as one cannot exactly stroll onto a runway and make photographs legally in most situations, I appreciated the unique opportunity I had to shoot on the tarmac.  Luckily Mother Nature provided a nice background as the setting sun sent some orange light into the clouds at dusk that evening.

Florida Fine Art Photography - Pelican Texture Composite

in

This is a composite of two images, with a texture abstract photo blended over a pelican photo.I have a folder of abstract and texture photographs I keep for when I want to make composite images like the one above.  It is fun sometimes to spice up an image by combining two (or more) photographs in a complementary way.  

A blurry photo of a bookshelf was overlayed onto the photo of the pelican in Photoshop.  I just adjusted the opacity of the book case photo down a little and set the blending mode to Overlay.  Then I layer masked a little of the bookshelf image off of the pelican to make the pelican look cleaner.  Digital Photography School has a good tutorial on how to do this if you would like to try it yourself!

Photography Tip - use repeating patterns & shallow DoF composition

in

These are hanging lights in a dark restaurant. I just popped in and asked someone if I could make a quick photograph of them.I do not often give composition tips, nor get around to teaching them so often in my 1-on-1 DSLR photography lessons because I usually focus on the practical aspects of making a well exposed and sharp image in any given shooting conditions.  Once someone knows how to do that, then the creative aspect of photography can come into play, and that is something that can only be taught to a certain extent anyway.  Either you have talent composing a photograph, or you do not.

Of course there are some composition tips that can definitely help out, or if you find yourself using the same composition style over and over, reading a few new ideas can provide some new inspiration.  

These are hoops on a rack in an accessories shop. Same situation, I asked someone inside if I could take a few photos, and they said yes!The two example photos in this blog post show a combination of two composition techniques, the first is obviously shallow depth of focus (DoF) and the other is repeating patterns.  The latter is something I am always looking for when out in the field.  I am a big fan of including repeating patterns, the more creative and abstract the better, in photographs.  Shallow DoF can be used on any subject matter, but when combined with a repeating pattern I feel has an even greater visual impact. 

Favorite Five Photographs of 2013

in

The five photographs below represent my personal favorites that I made in 2013, from various categories.  The process, as always, for selecting my favorite images of the year is based on if the photo made me feel emotion.  Another factor for choosing is if the particular photograph was a breakthrough for me in terms of technique or content.

Severe lightning strikes in St. Petersburg Florida during a powerful June 2013 storm - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/8 ISO 200 bulb mode lens covered until strike tripod mounted with cable release

1 - Lightning Strikes Downtown St. Petersburg - category: nature, long exposure

This was by far the most dangerous photograph I have ever made.  I did not purposefully go out into a lightning storm.  I was teaching a photography lesson along the downtown St. Petersburg waterfront as I had done hundreds of times before.  You may have heard the saying that a storm can come out of nowhere, well that is what happened this time.  Dark clouds could be seen rolling in that including funnel clouds dipping down!  Then the lightning started.  It was a lesson teaching how to shoot from a tripod which allowed us both to get a chane to capture lightning.  The crack from this lightning bolt was the loudest I had heard in over 20 years.  I ran to cover along with the student just after making this shot as rain began pouring down.  It was a bit scary and a little risky, but it resulted in the photograph that makes me feel the most emotion from 2013 because of it. (read the original photo story for this image)

 

Lamborghini Gallardo LP 550-2 Tampa Car Photography Shoot in Ybor City - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/8 ISO 200 1/320th with two speed lights behind custom ADV.1 Wheels

2 - Lamborghini Gallardo in Ybor City - category:  car, strobist, Photoshop

It was a good year for photographing cars as I got to photograph a number of special sports cars and super cars.  I ended the 2013 shooting year with this Lamborghini Gallardo shoot.  It was a mid-day shoot, but I knew I wanted to create a dark, atmospheric shot nonetheless.  Using mostly digital photo editing skills, I transformed the shady street the Lamborghini was parked on to look like a dark alley.  I also placed two speedlights under the wheels creating the glowing effect at the bottom, something I had never done before. (read the original photo story for this image) 

 

Father holds his baby girl in the air at Madeira Beach Florida - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/6.3 ISO 200 1/250th - Strobist: SB-800 @ 1/4 power beside camera & SB-600 @ 1/4 power to frame right

3 - Father Holding Up Baby Daughter - category: portrait, candid, strobist

Making portraits on the beach is always an unknown due mostly to weather.  If there is no great sunset, so be it.  If there is, then the sunset background canvas helps make any ordinary photo look special.  Then if you can add subjects willing to do something different placed in optimal lighting from two speedlights, the results can be one of the best beach portraits I have made.  This type of shot is full of pitfalls from shadows falling on the subjects face to the baby not having a happy expression.  For this particular portrait, everything fell right into place. (read the original photo story for this image) 

 

After 10 seconds, a swinging ship on a pendulum looks elliptical at St. Rafael Church Festival Snell Isle Florida - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/16 ISO 200 10.5 sec tripod mounted with cable release

4- Carnival Ride on Snell Isle - category: night photography, long exposure

I am a nostalgic person.  It delights me greatly that a small carnival travels from who knows where each October to setup right across the way from my apartment.  One day just a grass soccer field, the next a wonderland of excitement that reminds me of going to them as a kid.  Now when I visit this carnival I do not go on any of the rides, I just observe with my eyes and then my camera capturing what the eye cannot even see.  Then I eat deep fried Oreos and go home and overnight the place returns to a quiet soccer field. (read the original photo story for this image)

 

Great Egret looking straight at the lens in St. Petersburg Florida - Nikon D300 Nikkor 80-200mm @ f/5.6 ISO 200 1/1000th

5 - Great Egret Looks Awkward From Straight-on - category: bird, nature, perspective

This area of Florida provides close access to all kinds of large wading birds, like the Great Egret.  From most angles, they are very beautiful and elegant birds with their long slender necks and white plummage.  However, if you remove the dept of their shape and look at them from straight-on, to me, they look incredibly odd and like another creature entirely.  One is so used to seeing these birds from the side perspective, that from the front, they look almost unnatural, not unlike how Beavis should only be observed from the side. (read the original photo story for this image) 

My Favorite Five Images of 2012

My Favorite Five Images of 2011

My Favorite Five Images of 2010

My Favorite Five Images of 2009

--please post links to your own favorite photographs in the comments below

Return to Colt Creek State Park Florida

in

Kiki in the open fields of Colt Creek State Park with friends in the background - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/11 ISO 200 1/250thFour years went by fast, which was the time span between my first and second visits to Colt Creek State Park (official website).  The park was like a wetlands during that first visit in September, but it was all dried out on this December visit.  In the wide open spaces and fire roads, it felt like being on a ranch, and I thought Kiki would make a good working farm dog.

Rare wide open space in Florida is part of Colt Creek State Park - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/11 ISO 200 1/100thI like Colt Creek State Park specifically because of its wide open spaces, a rarity in a Florida park or anywhere in Florida for that matter.  It felt like being in another place, perhaps Montana or some other big sky area.  We saw no people the entire time out in the park on the trails proper.

A lonesome palm tree in Colt Creek State Park - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/8 ISO 200 1/80thWhen I see a single palm tree like this growing out of the grass all by itself, I wonder if it thinks how did I come to be the only one of my kind around?  Does it feel naked?  Or perhaps it likes the clear solitude from which it sprang.