Email: brqyvn@gmail.com
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Friday, December 23, 2011
Keeper or Dud? 26 of 365
Hi Photographer friends,
This is an old image from Maine. I actually took this picture with a 3.35MP Nikon Coolpix around 1999-2000. Iwish I could retake this image with my Pentax K-5 with 16MP, but I can't.
I hope Pentax and all other Camera Companies copy the design of the Sony NEX-7.
 |
| That is a Digital Camera I would love to own. |
Email: brqyvn@gmail.com
Hi Photographer friends,
Yes, I'm probably one of the biggest and most loyal fan of Pentax equipment and that will never change. However, with the soon-to-be-available Sony NEX-7, I am hoping that Pentax will develop a similar Digital Camera. The availability of the NEX-7 has been delayed because of the flooding in Thailand, but once the shipping resume, I believe it's going to be one of the most sought after Digital Camera.
The camera seems to incorporate everything that photo enthusiasts have been asking for. It includes a APS-C (23.5mm x 15.6mm) sized 24MP CMOS sensor, the first really usable Electronic View Finder (EVF), a mirror-less body, a small footprint, interchangeable lenses (any lenses with adapters, including Pentax, Canon, Nikon and more), a 3" 921,600 dots tilting and swiveling LCD Monitor, 12 fps shooting, 1080p movie @ 60P and 24P just like the Pro Film Makers, Object Tracking AF, etc, etc,.
You can read a review here by Luminous Landscape.
Sony makes sensors for other brands of camera makers, Pentax included. I believe that the next DSLR or Mirror-Less camera from Pentax will incorporate this 24MP sensor. I just hope that they make a mirror-less camera with this 24MP sensor and make it compatible with all Pentax DA / DA* lenses. An APS-C mirror-less camera from Pentax would complement the K-5 or any future Pentax DSLR.
Hi Photographer friends,
Yes, I'm probably one of the biggest and most loyal fan of Pentax equipment and that will never change. However, with the soon-to-be-available Sony NEX-7, I am hoping that Pentax will develop a similar Digital Camera. The availability of the NEX-7 has been delayed because of the flooding in Thailand, but once the shipping resume, I believe it's going to be one of the most sought after Digital Camera.
The camera seems to incorporate everything that photo enthusiasts have been asking for. It includes a APS-C (23.5mm x 15.6mm) sized 24MP CMOS sensor, the first really usable Electronic View Finder (EVF), a mirror-less body, a small footprint, interchangeable lenses (any lenses with adapters, including Pentax, Canon, Nikon and more), a 3" 921,600 dots tilting and swiveling LCD Monitor, 12 fps shooting, 1080p movie @ 60P and 24P just like the Pro Film Makers, Object Tracking AF, etc, etc,.
You can read a review here by Luminous Landscape.
Sony makes sensors for other brands of camera makers, Pentax included. I believe that the next DSLR or Mirror-Less camera from Pentax will incorporate this 24MP sensor. I just hope that they make a mirror-less camera with this 24MP sensor and make it compatible with all Pentax DA / DA* lenses. An APS-C mirror-less camera from Pentax would complement the K-5 or any future Pentax DSLR.
 |
| The most promising Digital Camera on the horizon for 2012. |
 |
| EVF and articulated LCD is a perfect combination. |
 |
| One of the best all around layout and size. |
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Do you have a Pentax K-5? Are you buying him/her a Pentax K-5 for Christmas? You need this e-book.
Email: brqyvn@gmail.com
Hi Photographer friends,
Do you own a Pentax K-5, K-r, K-x, K20D, K10D or K100D? Are you buying him/her a Pentax K-5 for Christmas? Then...you need this e-book. It's never too late for this as a Christmas gift as the e-book is electronically downloadable within 15 minutes or less, after purchased.
We also carry e-books for most of Pentax DSLRs.
You can also download a demo to check it out.
We also have e-books for most Pentax Digital SLRs. Link:
Do you own a Pentax K-5, K-r, K-x, K20D, K10D or K100D? Are you buying him/her a Pentax K-5 for Christmas? Then...you need this e-book. It's never too late for this as a Christmas gift as the e-book is electronically downloadable within 15 minutes or less, after purchased.
We also carry e-books for most of Pentax DSLRs.
We also have e-books for most Pentax Digital SLRs. Link:
Keeper or Dud? Image 25 of 365
Email: brqyvn@gmail.com
Hi Photographer friends,
Sequoia National Park in California, is it a keeper or a dud?.
Your opinion matters. I cannot judge my own pictures. I like them all equally. I am putting a coffee table book together for my friends and family, with a collection of my best "keepers" out of 365.
Thanks for looking,
Yvon Bourque
Hi Photographer friends,
Sequoia National Park in California, is it a keeper or a dud?.
Your opinion matters. I cannot judge my own pictures. I like them all equally. I am putting a coffee table book together for my friends and family, with a collection of my best "keepers" out of 365.
Thanks for looking,
Yvon Bourque
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
The new generation of photographers, iPhone, smart phones and mirror-less cameras.
 |
| Cellular phone, Digital camera and video cam, computer, all in one small package. |
Hi Photographer friends,
The new photographers
You would have to live under a rock not to know how far photography has evolved in just the last few decades. It’s pretty much a given, when you talk to someone about photography, that you are talking about digital photography. Chances are that if you are under twenty years old, you never used a film camera in your life. That’s not a bad thing, it’s a good thing.
Technology has evolved so much, that even an iPhone can capture equal or better pictures than most of the currently available digital point-and-shoot cameras. The new iPhone 4S has a Sony 8-Mega Pixel backside-illuminated CMOS sensor and a newly designed f/2.4 lens with an equivalent focal length of 38mm (when compared to a 35mm camera). It can produce good 8” x 10” print and even bigger. However, less and less people care about printed images.
I my SLRs cameras but I guess technology is about to pass me by if I don't do something soon.
The newer generations of photographers don't make prints, they share their images on the Internet and email them to each other. There is nothing wrong with that, it's a young people's world after all, and it has always been that way. Did you know that Flickr has more images posted that were taken by iPhone, than any point-and-shoot or DSLRs. It's just so practical. The iPhone (or other smart phones) are with you all of the time. You can take a still image or a good video, and post that on the Internet in minutes.
Technology has evolved so much, that even an iPhone can capture equal or better pictures than most of the currently available digital point-and-shoot cameras. The new iPhone 4S has a Sony 8-Mega Pixel backside-illuminated CMOS sensor and a newly designed f/2.4 lens with an equivalent focal length of 38mm (when compared to a 35mm camera). It can produce good 8” x 10” print and even bigger. However, less and less people care about printed images.
I my SLRs cameras but I guess technology is about to pass me by if I don't do something soon.
The newer generations of photographers don't make prints, they share their images on the Internet and email them to each other. There is nothing wrong with that, it's a young people's world after all, and it has always been that way. Did you know that Flickr has more images posted that were taken by iPhone, than any point-and-shoot or DSLRs. It's just so practical. The iPhone (or other smart phones) are with you all of the time. You can take a still image or a good video, and post that on the Internet in minutes.
 |
| Big and heavy DSLR, my favorite type of camera, in Pentax, Nikon and Canon. |
The size is obviously an advantage. Speaking of sizes, DSLRs have to be somewhat bulky because of the prism and mirror. Sony has recently announced the NEX-7, a compact digital camera with interchangeable lenses, 24 MP sensor, great Electronic View Finder, tilting LCD screen, and top-notch image quality.
 |
| Sony new NEX-7 |
I love my DSLRs, but soon, I too will probably get a mirror-less camera because it just makes sense and it's so portable. Companies have tried for several years to introduce a good mirror-less camera, but the Sony is the first that makes a lot of sense. It has an APS-C sensor with 24 MP. Now that's the wave of the near future.
I will always keep my DSLRs, as I also kept many of my 35mm SLRs, now gathering dust... but I like to look at them. They will soon have new companions...the DSLRs.
You either go with the flow or you are left behind. The day I stop going with the flow, is the day I will start pushing daisies.
Thanks for reading,
You either go with the flow or you are left behind. The day I stop going with the flow, is the day I will start pushing daisies.
Thanks for reading,
Yvon Bourque
Keeper or dud? Image 24 / 365
 |
| It feels different when a rattle snake is actually staring at you from just a few feet away. |
Hi Photographer friends,
I guess this is just another boring image of mine. I still would appreciate your opinion...keeper or dud? I cannot judge my own images. I like them all.
P.S. Here's a comment I received today. Maybe some of you will understand why running a Blogsite, for free, using my own time, is not always rewarding.
*******************************
Martin has left a new comment on your post "Keeper or dud? Image 21 / 365":
What the hell happened to your site? I have followed for years and enjoyed the advice. Contiued to follow you even when I switched from being a Pentax user to Nikon. This reader does not enjoy looking at your photos, good and bad everyday - who cares - I do not. There numerous other sites better suited for those who want to demo their skills and be evaluated by others. Your blog has become boring not informative. I'll keep with you for a few weeks more, then it is decision time.
*******************************
Well Martin, whoever you are, this blog is not solely written for you. I regret that I don't have time to write articles just for you, but there aren't enough hours in a day to do that, and even if there were! I guess it's your big decision time.
If that isn't a demonstration of "Entitlement*", what is?
* entitlement (plural entitlements)
- the right to have something
- something that one is entitled to (or believes that one is entitled to)
- (politics) a legal obligation on a government to make payments to a person, business, or unit of government that meets the criteria set in law, such as the Pell Grant and social security in the US.
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Keeper or dud? Image 23 / 365
Email: brqyvn@gmail.com
Hi Photographer friends,
At the end of the 365 consecutive image ratings, I am planning to turn the keepers into a book for my friends and family, or anyone that would like a copy for that matter. The book will be made with "Blurb" and available to anyone. It is very difficult to evaluate your own images because you remember the location as you saw it, you remember the smell and hear the sounds, all of which do no help in being unbiased toward the photo.
Monday, December 19, 2011
Keeper or dud? Image 22 / 365
Email: brqyvn@gmail.com
Hi Photographer friends,
At the end of the 365 consecutive image ratings, I am planning to turn the keepers into a book for my friends and family, or anyone that would like a copy for that matter. The book will be made with "Blurb" and available to anyone. It is very difficult to evaluate your own images because you remember the location as you saw it, you remember the smell and hear the sounds, all of which do no help in being unbiased toward the photo.
Hi Photographer friends,
At the end of the 365 consecutive image ratings, I am planning to turn the keepers into a book for my friends and family, or anyone that would like a copy for that matter. The book will be made with "Blurb" and available to anyone. It is very difficult to evaluate your own images because you remember the location as you saw it, you remember the smell and hear the sounds, all of which do no help in being unbiased toward the photo.
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Keeper or dud? Image 21 / 365
Email: brqyvn@gmail.com
Hi Photographer friends,
At the end of the 365 consecutive image ratings, I am planning to turn the keepers into a book for my friends and family, or anyone that would like a copy for that matter. The book will be made with "Blurb" and available to anyone. It is very difficult to evaluate your own images because you remember the location as you saw it, you remember the smell and hear the sounds, all of which do no help in being unbiased toward the photo.Edit
Hi Photographer friends,
At the end of the 365 consecutive image ratings, I am planning to turn the keepers into a book for my friends and family, or anyone that would like a copy for that matter. The book will be made with "Blurb" and available to anyone. It is very difficult to evaluate your own images because you remember the location as you saw it, you remember the smell and hear the sounds, all of which do no help in being unbiased toward the photo.Edit
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Keeper or dud? Image 20 / 365
Email: brqyvn@gmail.com
Hi Photographer friends,
Keeper or dud? Image 20 / 365
Friday, December 16, 2011
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Monday, December 12, 2011
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Saturday, December 10, 2011
The iPad 2, increasingly becoming a serious tool for photography - Workflow for iPad 2.
Email: brqyvn@gmail.com
Hi Photographer friends,
I purchase my iPad 2 about seven or eight months ago. I bought one with Verizon 3G capabilities. The Verizon 3G is only $20.00 for one Month, no contract required, and you can repeat that indefinitely or just the months you need it. I wanted one specifically because of the Wi-Fi and 3G Verizon network capabilities. I purchased the 32 GB and thought it would be enough but wasn't sure because pictures do take a lot of memory space.
There wasn't all that many outstanding apps for photography then, other than pictures emailing and all sort of fun applications. There wasn't much available to seriously edit photographs. I never thought that the iPad 2 could be good enough for my photographic workflow, photo albums, and other activities tied up to photography.
It's still not fast enough to replace my Asus PC equipped with the i7 processor, 12 GB of RAM, a 23" monitor and software such as Lightroom 3, Photoshop CS5, or a good iMac with Aperture, but it's getting closer.
The game changer with the iPad, in my opinion, is when the operating system was upgraded to the iOS 5 operating system. The biggest bonus that tagged along with the new operating system is the implementation of the iClouds. With iClouds, files, images, emails, etc don't necessarily have to reside on your iPad 2, occupying precious memory space. You can sync your iPad 2, or all other Apple devices, and even a PC with iTunes installed, to the iClouds. Apple gives you 5 GB of space for free on iClouds, but you can purchase more. It's $40.00 for an additional 20 GB or $50.00 for another 50 GB of space, with a renewable fee once a year. That's not bad at all.
Now, the iPad 2 is still useless unless apps are available to import images from your camera, or other computer, or from the Web. For serious editing, you really need to be able to import RAW files as well as JPEG files, from your camera. With RAW files imported to your iPad 2, you could have a first pass at the full image parameters, such as white balance, exposure, major crop,etc. Then a good post processing app could be used to do the final tuning to your converted file (usually JPEG). Finally, you should be able save your final image, send it to a printer, or email it, or post it on a Social Media such as Twitter, Facebook or send the image to a Web Album such as Picasa or Flickr. That's a lot of work for a small device such as the iPad 2, which has a limited amount of memory. I didn't think the iPad 2 could perform these tasks.
Well, I'm here to tell you that it can be done. This makes travelling so much easier. Although Laptop Computers are small enough to carry, they are still cumbersome. The iPad 2 can fit in most camera bags or you can simply hand carry it. In a plane or public transportation, you can use the iPad for other entertaining purposes as well, while going to or from a photo shoot..
Of course you can import images in RAW from a photo album, a file sharing app such as DropBox, or file sharing from iTunes. That's not really what I need. I am assuming that the use of the iPad 2 is for when you are away from your home or base computer, just you, your camera and the iPad 2.
You need a Wi-Fi connection (maybe at the hotel where you are staying at or campground or at many of the coffee shops and restaurants). All McDonalds have free Wi-Fi. If Wi-Fi is not available, the iPad 2 has the capability to log on the internet via a Cell Phone Provider. In my case, I use Verizon 3G and likely will have access to 4G when it becomes available everywhere.. That service is also available with AT&T and soon with Sprint.
So...here's is my iPad 2 workflow:
 |
| Apple Camera Connection Kit |
 |
| Photoraw app |
 |
| Snapseed app |
Once you are done with the post-processing, you can share the image(s) through Email, Flickr, Facebook, Twitter or print them if you have a wireless e-printer. There is a new breed of printers that you Email your image to and it automatically print whatever you email to it.
Try it, you will be surprised.
P.S. I never erase the content of the SD memory cards until I'm home and can import them to my main computer with Adobe Lightroom 3, which is my main catalog.
Other apps I use:
 |
| SIMPLY HDR |
I will write about each app in the coming weeks.
Thank you for reading
Friday, December 9, 2011
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Daily: "Is this a keeper or a dud"? - No.11 / 365
Email: brqyvn@gmail.com
Hi Photographer friends,
* Keeper or dud?
* Worthy of enlargement and framing?
* Could it be incorporated in a future book?
* Could I sell the image to the public?
* Should that particular image be available through a Stock Photography Agency?
* Whatever?
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Daily: "Is this a keeper or a dud"? - No.10 / 365
Email: brqyvn@gmail.com
Hi Photographer friends,
Hi Photographer friends,
* Keeper or dud?
* Worthy of enlargement and framing?
* Could it be incorporated in a future book?
* Could I sell the image to the public?
* Should that particular image be available through a Stock Photography Agency?
* Worthy of enlargement and framing?
* Could it be incorporated in a future book?
* Could I sell the image to the public?
* Should that particular image be available through a Stock Photography Agency?
* Whatever?
Download the free Manual for the AlettA Stabilizer Generation-II
Email: brqyvn@gmail.com
Hi Photographer friends,
Download the free Manual for the AlettA Stabilizer Generation-II and see what it's all about. We have only a few dozens Stabilizers left in our inventory that are guaranteed to arrive at your home before Christmas (USA only). Our next shipment will arrive in January. What a great gift for your beloved photographer. Check it out: alettaphoto.com
Hi Photographer friends,
Download the free Manual for the AlettA Stabilizer Generation-II and see what it's all about. We have only a few dozens Stabilizers left in our inventory that are guaranteed to arrive at your home before Christmas (USA only). Our next shipment will arrive in January. What a great gift for your beloved photographer. Check it out: alettaphoto.com
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Daily: "Is this a keeper or a dud"? - No.9/365
Email: brqyvn@gmail.com
Hi Photographer friends,
Hi Photographer friends,
Today we have an image that was post-processed using NIK software "Silver Efex Pro 2". Post-processing is not for everyone as it does alter the image you actually captured in your viewfinder. However, with today's available tools, one could look at pure photography as well as manipulated photography as a form of Art. I personally draw the line when you alter an image by adding additional objects or persons in the photograph. This is especially true if you are shooting an event or practicing photojournalism.
* Keeper or dud?
* Worthy of enlargement and framing?
* Could it be incorporated in a future book?
* Could I sell the image to the public?
* Should that particular image be available through a Stock Photography Ag
* Worthy of enlargement and framing?
* Could it be incorporated in a future book?
* Could I sell the image to the public?
* Should that particular image be available through a Stock Photography Ag
Monday, December 5, 2011
Daily "Is this a keeper or a dud"? - No.8 of 365
Email: brqyvn@gmail.com
Hi Photographer friends,
Yesterday, I received several comments about the Sprinklers image of Yesterday. Many wanted to see a landscape image of the sprinklers photo shoot. I decided to display it today.
* Keeper or dud?
* Worthy of enlargement and framing?
* Could it be incorporated in a future book?
* Could I sell the image to the public?
* Should that particular image be available through a Stock Photography Agency?
* Other comment:
Hi Photographer friends,
Yesterday, I received several comments about the Sprinklers image of Yesterday. Many wanted to see a landscape image of the sprinklers photo shoot. I decided to display it today.
* Worthy of enlargement and framing?
* Could it be incorporated in a future book?
* Could I sell the image to the public?
* Should that particular image be available through a Stock Photography Agency?
* Other comment:
Sunday, December 4, 2011
My daughter's newly published book: The Loki Variation.
Email: brqyvn@gmail.com
Hi Photographer friends,
The Loki Variation
My daughter "Sabrina" is very talented when it comes to writing. She writes like I wish I could. She has just published this science fiction on Amazon. I read the book and from the first paragraph to the last paragraph, I was on edge. She did a lot or research before writing the book, and what's scary is that it could actually happen in real life. Take a look at it from the link or by going to Amazon.com and search for "The Loki Variation".
Book Description
Hi Photographer friends,
The Loki Variation
My daughter "Sabrina" is very talented when it comes to writing. She writes like I wish I could. She has just published this science fiction on Amazon. I read the book and from the first paragraph to the last paragraph, I was on edge. She did a lot or research before writing the book, and what's scary is that it could actually happen in real life. Take a look at it from the link or by going to Amazon.com and search for "The Loki Variation".
Book Description
Sasha is woken up in the middle of the night by the screams of a little girl she doesn't know, and she never imagined that her next few moves would put her in the middle of trying to survive the end of the world.
Derek's vacation hadn't even started when he found himself fighting for his life against something he had never dreamed could be possible. With his dog, Ripley, he must find a way to make it in an unfamiliar town teeming with unspeakable horrors.
Sanjeev unknowingly helps create the epidemic that threatens to annihilate the population, but his options have run out and he is forced to choose between his humanity or his scientific endeavors.
Strangers meet under apocalyptic circumstances, and have to rely on each other for survival. What begins as an unsteady, uncomfortable partnership to stay alive turns into a make-shift family who will do anything to save each other from the threat of the Loki Variation.
Derek's vacation hadn't even started when he found himself fighting for his life against something he had never dreamed could be possible. With his dog, Ripley, he must find a way to make it in an unfamiliar town teeming with unspeakable horrors.
Sanjeev unknowingly helps create the epidemic that threatens to annihilate the population, but his options have run out and he is forced to choose between his humanity or his scientific endeavors.
Strangers meet under apocalyptic circumstances, and have to rely on each other for survival. What begins as an unsteady, uncomfortable partnership to stay alive turns into a make-shift family who will do anything to save each other from the threat of the Loki Variation.
Thankyou for reading,
Yvon Bourque
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Daily "Is this a keeper or a dud"? - No.6 of 365
Email: brqyvn@gmail.com
December 3, 2011
Hi Photographer friends,
Is this a keeper or a dud No.6?
I am continung the one picture a day for the next 365 days. I want to see what I can produce in a one year period. Out of these 365 pictures, how many will be keepers? This is also posted on Twitter, Google + and Facebook. If you'd prefer to view this year long essay through a social Media, let me know. Include your email, and I will send you an invitation. brqyvn@gmail.com
* Keeper or dud?
* Worthy of enlargement and framing?
* Could it be incorporated in a future book?
* Could I sell the image to the public?
* Should that particular image be available through a Stock Photography Agency?
* Other comment:
Comments are not always pleasant, but they let you know what people think.
December 3, 2011
Hi Photographer friends,
Is this a keeper or a dud No.6?
I am continung the one picture a day for the next 365 days. I want to see what I can produce in a one year period. Out of these 365 pictures, how many will be keepers? This is also posted on Twitter, Google + and Facebook. If you'd prefer to view this year long essay through a social Media, let me know. Include your email, and I will send you an invitation. brqyvn@gmail.com
* Keeper or dud?
* Worthy of enlargement and framing?
* Could it be incorporated in a future book?
* Could I sell the image to the public?
* Should that particular image be available through a Stock Photography Agency?
* Other comment:
Comments are not always pleasant, but they let you know what people think.
Friday, December 2, 2011
Daily "Is this a keeper or a dud"? - No.5 of 365
Email: brqyvn@gmail.com
December 2, 2011
Hi Photographer friends,
Is this a keeper or a dud No.5?
Keeper or dud?
Worthy of enlargement and framing?
Could it be incorporated in a future book?
Could I sell the image to the public?
Should that particular image be available through a Stock Photography Agency?
Other comment:
Comments are not always pleasant, but they let you know what people think.
December 2, 2011
Hi Photographer friends,
Is this a keeper or a dud No.5?
I am presenting one picture a day for the next 365 days. I want to see what I can produce in a one year period. Out of these 365 pictures, how many will be keepers? This is also posted on Twitter, Google + and Facebook. If you'd prefer to view this year long essay through a social Media, let me know. Include your email, and I will send you an invitation. brqyvn@gmail.com
Keeper or dud?
Worthy of enlargement and framing?
Could it be incorporated in a future book?
Could I sell the image to the public?
Should that particular image be available through a Stock Photography Agency?
Other comment:
Comments are not always pleasant, but they let you know what people think.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Welcome The Holiday Season In A Digital World
Welcome The Holiday Season In A Digital World
By: Yvon Bourque
The holiday season is here, and it is time to celebrate, time to share, and time to use your digital camera. Holidays bring out the shutterbug in all of us. Children, decorations, foods, and the signs of winter are all wonderful memory makers and keepers.
Don’t wait for the first celebration to pull out your camera. Right now is the time to check that your system is in good working condition. Check batteries and order spares, download existing images from memory cards or buy more, shine lenses and LCD screens with a lens cloth and invest in a case to protect it all. If your camera needs to be replaced, the latest technology is available at some of the lowest prices ever.
Time To Shoot
One of the benefits of the latest digital cameras are advanced features that help users capture images that rival those of the pros. While there are many benefits to hiring professional studios, a do-it-yourself digital endeavor can produce great results. Here are some tips:
The holiday season is a wonderful time to capture childhood. Children move around so take consecutive shots, since most expressions will be more candid on the second take. Try shooting sporadically from unusual angles while they are engaged in a holiday activity. Experiment by kneeling down as if you were a child looking up, and then climb to a higher point-of-view and shoot down. Remember not to shoot directly into their eyes when using a flash to avoid “red eyes” or set your camera on the red eye reduction mode if available.
Invest in a tripod or stabilizer and set your camera’s timer to be sure you show up in some of the holiday images. Just compose your picture in the viewfinder or LCD with a spot held at which you can quickly move into. Start the timer and quickly assume your position in the group. This technique always makes everyone laugh and is a perfect way to freeze your happy holiday moments.
Because light is so tricky inside and out during winters hours, take advantage of in-camera shake reduction technology built into both digital SLR and compact cameras. The shake reduction function allows you to shoot in low light at slower speeds without flash and avoid blur.
Even though it’s chillier outside this time of year, step outside for some of your most stunning holiday images. Nature offers beautiful landscape and snow scenes. The “golden hours” of low winter light in the early morning and late afternoon hours can help cast a bronze glow on your images.
Move close to all your holiday subjects. A common mistake in photography is the tendency to want to include everything and everyone in one picture. The results are often tiny little people lost in the overall picture or a mediocre image with too many details to appreciate. Get close to your subject. When you think you are close enough, take the picture and then take another one even closer. Holiday memories are everywhere, and not just on faces. Zoom in to capture a snow-capped pine cone, a delectable dessert, or beautiful ornament hanging from a tree.
Even if the weather is frightful or the tropical beach getaway is delightful, shoot to your heart’s content with one of the new weather-resistant compacts and digital SLRs available in the market. PENTAX offers the weather-resistant bodies and lenses in its K series digital SLR line as well as compact cameras. E-Books are available for most Pentax DSLRs.
If you have made the leap from a compact to a digital SLR and you use an external flash with bounce capabilities, point the flash at an angle toward the ceiling. It will bounce off the ceiling and produce a softer light. Better yet, most DSLRs are capable of shooting at high ISO with excellent results, using only ambient lighting.
Experiment with action shots with your DSLR camera using a tripod and slow the shutter speed down. Check the results on your monitor and keep trying until your shots are sharp except for a slight blur of the moving subjects to create a feeling of movements. The slower shutter speed also works without the tripod. If children are running around (which they usually do) handhold your DSLR and follow your subject on a horizontal plane. Take the picture as the subject passes in front of the camera, while following the movement. This is a technique called panning. Your subject should be in focus, while the arms and legs are blurred, and the background laterally smeared, giving a sense of action.
Don’t shy away from night photography. Colorful holiday lights on homes, trees and in parades are perfect subjects if you set the camera on a tripod and set the timer or a remote shutter release for longer exposures without flash. Another beautiful effect is the cross-like reflection of each light you can obtain from various filters, or just try using a piece of window screen placed directly in front of the lens for similar results.
Know which digital SLR lens is best for each setting. Standard lenses offer angle of view nearly equivalent to that of the human eye for general photography. Wide angle lenses are great for group shots around a holiday table, landscapes, or whenever more surrounding subject information is desired in the shot. Macro lenses are for close-ups of small subjects such as flowers, greenery, jewelry, and ornaments. Zooms offer a range of focal lengths in one lens for close-ups of action and wildlife from a distance and allow photographers to change composition while staying in the same place. Telephoto lenses are for high-magnification in order to get close to the action including wildlife, portrait and sports. The photographer moves or changes focal length in order to change composition.
Time to Share
In addition to print and online cards, consider creating CDs or DVDs of images you’ve captured throughout the year. Most computers and some cameras include software to help you. You can even set the slide show to music with MP3 music files and add movies you’ve captured with the movie mode on your camera. Your local photo retailer has more details.
One of the hottest gifts over the past year is the digital frame. If you’re giving one this season be sure it is pre-loaded with images and ready to play right out of the box. Displaying digital frames and playing CDs during parties and celebrations is a festive idea to bring everyone closer.
Join an online photo sharing site and share your images with friends and family all around the world. Just like your photo dealer, many sites offer printing services as well holiday gifts such as t-shirts, coffee mugs, calendars and more, adorned with your favorite pictures.
If you are one of the millions of scrap bookers who create memory books to give as gifts, check out some of the latest digital camera technology that features in-camera photo frames, icons, and other features to embellish your images.
Will this be the year you join millions of others in the blogosphere? January is a perfect month to initiate a blog filled with images so you can look back twelve months from now at the year 2011.
In today’s digital photography world, the equipment, processing, and techniques that were once reserved for professionals are available to everyone. Your local camera dealer and the Internet are valuable resources to learn more and shop for your photography system. Enjoy and happy holidays!
Yvon Bourque is a freelance author and photographer. He and his wife, Anne, live near the Mojave Desert in California. His blog, http://pentaxdslrs.blogspot.com is a popular rendezvous for photo enthusiasts all over the world.
Daily "Is this a keeper or a dud"? - No.4
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Email: brqyvn@gmail.com
Hi Photographer friends,
Is this a keeper or a dud No.4?
I am presenting one picture a day for the next 365 days. I want to see what I can produce in a one year period. Out of these 365 pictures, how many will be keepers? This is also posted on Twitter, Google + and Facebook. If you'd prefer to view this year long essay through a social Media, let me know. Include your email, and I will send you an invitation. brqyvn@gmail.com
Keeper or dud?
Worthy of enlargement and framing?
Could it be incorporated in a future book?
Could I sell the image to the public?
Should that particular image be available through a Stock Photography Agency?
Other comment:
Comments are not always pleasant, but they let you know what people think.
Email: brqyvn@gmail.com
Hi Photographer friends,
Is this a keeper or a dud No.4?
I am presenting one picture a day for the next 365 days. I want to see what I can produce in a one year period. Out of these 365 pictures, how many will be keepers? This is also posted on Twitter, Google + and Facebook. If you'd prefer to view this year long essay through a social Media, let me know. Include your email, and I will send you an invitation. brqyvn@gmail.com
Keeper or dud?
Worthy of enlargement and framing?
Could it be incorporated in a future book?
Could I sell the image to the public?
Should that particular image be available through a Stock Photography Agency?
Other comment:
Comments are not always pleasant, but they let you know what people think.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)