tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53483146354961424092023-12-18T02:31:37.894-05:00The Siggins Photography BlogNews and commentary related to photography, nature, conservation, and anything else on my mind at the moment.Richard Sigginshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14939281700134450520noreply@blogger.comBlogger360125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5348314635496142409.post-51719239867795236282021-03-14T12:54:00.001-04:002021-03-14T12:54:17.305-04:00New Option For Enlarging Digital Images<p>Rarely do I need to enlarge a digital photo. My camera creates a 26 megapixel images that is 6240x4160 pixels. This is big enough to make a 20 inches by 30 inches. But, sometimes I have to crop an image down and end up with a much lower resolution photo. Printing these cropped photos can create a print that is blurry or have blocky pixels.</p><p>In the past, I have used the Resize feature that comes as part of my On1 Photo RAW software to enlarge my images. It has always done what I thought was a decent job. Recently I saw an <a href="https://petapixel.com/2021/03/13/adobe-photoshops-super-resolution-made-my-jaw-hit-the-floor/" target="_blank">article </a>on a new feature in Adobe Photoshop called "Super Resolution" which claims to use Artificial Intelligence technology do double the dimensions of an image. The author was pretty impressed so I decided to give it a try myself.</p><p>I did a couple tests comparing the result from On1 Photo RAW and Adobe Photoshop. The best example is this photo of a Puffin taken in 2019 using a Fuji X-T3 and a XF18-135mm zoom lens at f/5.6 and ISO 400.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW48D1j_eDSaMA1bB-ZIGXygqDaTUJ6S48LvB7217-np5blOK_kc2uvrsaygNpFmoTNZIfaBW6024-CKiHL8jIChWR0-yoMLx054A3a_3Bw3ss-1HO9k1Oow4N83hIAU59hyphenhyphenYwbv8OCFw/s2000/puffin-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW48D1j_eDSaMA1bB-ZIGXygqDaTUJ6S48LvB7217-np5blOK_kc2uvrsaygNpFmoTNZIfaBW6024-CKiHL8jIChWR0-yoMLx054A3a_3Bw3ss-1HO9k1Oow4N83hIAU59hyphenhyphenYwbv8OCFw/w640-h426/puffin-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Unedited RAW Image</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>For the comparison I doubled the dimensions of the image to 12480x8320 using each program. I then ran the result through the Topaz Denoise AI, which cleaned up some graininess and sharpened the photo a little. I then saved each version as a full resolution TIFF file for comparison.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGHy2LKP9kaJs6_EMK72k2-quwH2pSOzjaL7GMcztj3gu8WpXfBExnByzyZJBn44gDAW4X_UiBiwHdWZhgRUe5Ao5RxKIJ2J-4jxfglgKkYCFWslBHrPqWFBTfOzNl6grs6uBjOPb2gg8/s1928/Compare1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="975" data-original-width="1928" height="324" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGHy2LKP9kaJs6_EMK72k2-quwH2pSOzjaL7GMcztj3gu8WpXfBExnByzyZJBn44gDAW4X_UiBiwHdWZhgRUe5Ao5RxKIJ2J-4jxfglgKkYCFWslBHrPqWFBTfOzNl6grs6uBjOPb2gg8/w640-h324/Compare1.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Click on the side-by-side comparison to zoom in.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZdSFzYRU_eAjRPLqCQF4dHu_XthL_OUD8y7A2p0H_CFCRa6NQeLTxqnNW8RbX66TFYs2W4jk98SCKVR2M6NA3_l6U6-Yyx1Q38mW3zlMEzq30OIiG-mW4wNcKKJ8iW41uNLFMDsZfx_0/s1928/Compare2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="974" data-original-width="1928" height="324" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZdSFzYRU_eAjRPLqCQF4dHu_XthL_OUD8y7A2p0H_CFCRa6NQeLTxqnNW8RbX66TFYs2W4jk98SCKVR2M6NA3_l6U6-Yyx1Q38mW3zlMEzq30OIiG-mW4wNcKKJ8iW41uNLFMDsZfx_0/w640-h324/Compare2.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>The On1 versions on the left exhibit the "wormy" effect that can be created by Fuji cameras. The Photoshop versions on the right don't have this problem and appears to be a much better image when viewed at 100%. Because the Topaz Denoise AI software does a great job at removing the wormy noise from Fuji RAW files I decided to repeat my test running Denoise AI before enlarging.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0R2laeL6xrvc_y8wDwwj5wtvJ6XHiPlu7e_70D1hY1z7RoIwVNOhtiMevRyj3SGr8arod9pSbODkAA41FpGBP40AgY8Av5XjsjMmZYEG6YdMzopSQOTjkZnewj-v5U5Epdc25JQ-4ijE/s1924/Compare3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="968" data-original-width="1924" height="322" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0R2laeL6xrvc_y8wDwwj5wtvJ6XHiPlu7e_70D1hY1z7RoIwVNOhtiMevRyj3SGr8arod9pSbODkAA41FpGBP40AgY8Av5XjsjMmZYEG6YdMzopSQOTjkZnewj-v5U5Epdc25JQ-4ijE/w640-h322/Compare3.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG-is66L3wIgK_XjEnzS8Umy-aahAfjPgMHcCcDDFdwBuDR_AVhE7vW1LaHdkit6_FAz3ZckCJTFdgHc7OXmWA8sHqZNf5pnlxrZd4qP2v5GaESh2lNnpDz3BdRUNaCKae1m_faSOgzmA/s1928/Compare4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="981" data-original-width="1928" height="326" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG-is66L3wIgK_XjEnzS8Umy-aahAfjPgMHcCcDDFdwBuDR_AVhE7vW1LaHdkit6_FAz3ZckCJTFdgHc7OXmWA8sHqZNf5pnlxrZd4qP2v5GaESh2lNnpDz3BdRUNaCKae1m_faSOgzmA/w640-h326/Compare4.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>Even when zoomed in to 100%, it's hard to spot the difference between the On1 Resize and the Photoshop images. I've only done the comparison on a couple images. There may be cases where one program or the other will work better depending on the image. <br /><br />The Photoshop Super Resolution tool only doubles the dimensions of the image. The On1 Photo RAW Resize tool allows you much more control to create an enlargement to your desired dimensions.</p><p>Perhaps the best application for enlarging an image is when you have had to crop down because you just couldn't zoom in enough. The example below was cropped down to 2920x1947 or 5.6 megapixels. I used Photoshop to enlarge it to 22.7 megapixels. I could make a reasonable quality print of this at 26x17 inches.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixPriVBirJQyMKAdKRFaavY-Xrv9gWh_ui8spkkbkFqdfOCumRdW5zcjbjRFLoo3HGOqksYWFnrEziCIOKbR9lu_Ban347XiRysDYNf5Ek_1mi1EqHPAusDtvw7HckBMbcJCRqTw3xtyA/s1800/_DSF1681-Enhanced.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixPriVBirJQyMKAdKRFaavY-Xrv9gWh_ui8spkkbkFqdfOCumRdW5zcjbjRFLoo3HGOqksYWFnrEziCIOKbR9lu_Ban347XiRysDYNf5Ek_1mi1EqHPAusDtvw7HckBMbcJCRqTw3xtyA/w640-h426/_DSF1681-Enhanced.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>Photoshop Super Resolution or On1 Resize are tools I won't use very often, but when I need them I can pull them out and possibly solve a resolution issue.</p>Richard Sigginshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14939281700134450520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5348314635496142409.post-45254898564957571522020-10-13T11:44:00.005-04:002020-10-13T11:45:47.966-04:00A Day In The Fog<p>Back on July 4, 2012, June and I hiked up to the Mount Cammerer Fire Tower in the Smoky Mountains. It was a beautiful day and I got one of my favorite photos from the Fire Tower that day.</p><p style="text-align: center;">You can click on any photo to get a larger view.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTzhjkpUUlC8MEZoOJJLIY5UkyXUeoz9BLIptyKAgsXC5l7jQ5UV6si9c9SKopm5XjqMQBz-07Ki-jEwDlWuRZOlQLMdMgD6837dxCnwpVuD_BVQoaJXUUv95t8R21x3dD-iVmyiV_0cM/s2048/Cammerer-20.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTzhjkpUUlC8MEZoOJJLIY5UkyXUeoz9BLIptyKAgsXC5l7jQ5UV6si9c9SKopm5XjqMQBz-07Ki-jEwDlWuRZOlQLMdMgD6837dxCnwpVuD_BVQoaJXUUv95t8R21x3dD-iVmyiV_0cM/w640-h426/Cammerer-20.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from Mt. Cammerer Fire Tower in 2012<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Our daughter Holly joined us yesterday to hike back up to the fire tower, hoping for another epic view. The weather forecast was for partly cloudy and only a 20% chance of rain. What we got was 8 hours hiking in fog and rain with no epic views.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA7s2HQwPCST8B3esK7A_PU3N_P80OKCh9hYY-SFiCNtKXecOBZ9j-7dFPjLRoERMcOEgJ-QQu2av9ZDsCyGOmF85WCF7RAcWv8SsfJueI1_DMFSFikupOIMkF-18ed9_FO6ICABhbNBQ/s2048/Cammerer-10.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA7s2HQwPCST8B3esK7A_PU3N_P80OKCh9hYY-SFiCNtKXecOBZ9j-7dFPjLRoERMcOEgJ-QQu2av9ZDsCyGOmF85WCF7RAcWv8SsfJueI1_DMFSFikupOIMkF-18ed9_FO6ICABhbNBQ/w640-h426/Cammerer-10.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view on October 12, 2020<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>While fog is not great if you are looking for that mountain top view, it is great for photos in the forest. The cloud cover and fog make the light very even and soft with no really bright spots. I took advantage of several "photography breaks" on the 5 1/2 miles up. Here are some of my favorites.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_1OtEY8OVkLZ3cdjSFIgnrtvNoKDjnXhqPnxqxM0H8FVvP4WOEEj0yCljEPfHAy5WmAseUV0o3c9YXERSXeKJUPN1y5CUYbFGw9EzPgVnax6s5vQTdSoacmuUHVPc5qOV91czCYsRglQ/s2048/Cammerer-1.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_1OtEY8OVkLZ3cdjSFIgnrtvNoKDjnXhqPnxqxM0H8FVvP4WOEEj0yCljEPfHAy5WmAseUV0o3c9YXERSXeKJUPN1y5CUYbFGw9EzPgVnax6s5vQTdSoacmuUHVPc5qOV91czCYsRglQ/w426-h640/Cammerer-1.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>At the beginning it was misting rain and overcast, but no fog. The trail was often covered with leaves. Sometimes is was solid yellow and other times solid red, depending on the type of trees.<div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimtKFw6_zlPvo29tWCGglN9taABYChw90joN1yAOV6IReyScRAUEwUpLWl7bMYLw19CcXkfnbe5ApucWxVXTNSCPFbQUHRSZd8W5xz3zl5_bHxEaNK7rWWUMTRdIGWOeL8HxPZUkpLqjs/s2048/Cammerer-2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimtKFw6_zlPvo29tWCGglN9taABYChw90joN1yAOV6IReyScRAUEwUpLWl7bMYLw19CcXkfnbe5ApucWxVXTNSCPFbQUHRSZd8W5xz3zl5_bHxEaNK7rWWUMTRdIGWOeL8HxPZUkpLqjs/w426-h640/Cammerer-2.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cosby Creek<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div>The fog got thicker as we continued the climb into the clouds. These are the conditions I really enjoy. The fog makes everything mysterious and beautiful.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn7A27ScQ5mlQzrkZqhzR-kF7uQ-oL0lzttFkppKY0pTukw-_tflnCxVkd7O3pVU8QFwBMZ4YAJbU7XomD2x76ruiggKPB4PTOPCIB98DFii5pZki3XrWVuiya2MwAZwKgPxturD_gvgY/s2048/Cammerer-4.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn7A27ScQ5mlQzrkZqhzR-kF7uQ-oL0lzttFkppKY0pTukw-_tflnCxVkd7O3pVU8QFwBMZ4YAJbU7XomD2x76ruiggKPB4PTOPCIB98DFii5pZki3XrWVuiya2MwAZwKgPxturD_gvgY/w426-h640/Cammerer-4.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKbXd7p5gRSZpAMsjnDpe_Z_J-QFA4SRuS7krMxjygBahdptLMYTxB5m2U2ojbwyKix7CP_D64nE0OGAyed395zXqxHbZKeTl2sOrZx6-csBo-ULebTJ28Jv5huOfmd6p6wXdZs5M95Wg/s2048/Cammerer-5.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKbXd7p5gRSZpAMsjnDpe_Z_J-QFA4SRuS7krMxjygBahdptLMYTxB5m2U2ojbwyKix7CP_D64nE0OGAyed395zXqxHbZKeTl2sOrZx6-csBo-ULebTJ28Jv5huOfmd6p6wXdZs5M95Wg/w426-h640/Cammerer-5.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGvwqTbtF21OiwcWmxFePKyCriwMic1GFrGxR0Y7kGCzC3ReAYR-KllQ_nAXs8YBwCyUSYJ5gZsGmsenfnbLGrgxXJGjE8YkfEmyOOFIhohZXxMA6gj4VTdmLH759toHU7AzWuezo24DY/s2048/Cammerer-6.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGvwqTbtF21OiwcWmxFePKyCriwMic1GFrGxR0Y7kGCzC3ReAYR-KllQ_nAXs8YBwCyUSYJ5gZsGmsenfnbLGrgxXJGjE8YkfEmyOOFIhohZXxMA6gj4VTdmLH759toHU7AzWuezo24DY/w640-h426/Cammerer-6.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9FcR7-b4pgNCxv34J29-Bw0Wy2R6IITnH1oa-_cT77EkyftDEd-pI2hwBFtKGW_TYvE7_tUgdB4tpWqfLvrrpMtRHNviI1ZXSG1zwa-uc4xEc5gOpDyTQFYzcSSIqOs2xvnwdORDBNhs/s2048/Cammerer-7.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9FcR7-b4pgNCxv34J29-Bw0Wy2R6IITnH1oa-_cT77EkyftDEd-pI2hwBFtKGW_TYvE7_tUgdB4tpWqfLvrrpMtRHNviI1ZXSG1zwa-uc4xEc5gOpDyTQFYzcSSIqOs2xvnwdORDBNhs/w426-h640/Cammerer-7.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC3iNTw0WHyhzM4p8jn4TOq_vRBXVSJAOEyGQATwo3P-ogvhOdNGwewE6q96PQ_j0JSe6UaKcLCp1IIU-VSyZG7BXHwOYrFNwUzs5OEO1jsFrZhNiuuECjmMlQU0rKaKpwUlGnwVigyeo/s2048/Cammerer-8.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC3iNTw0WHyhzM4p8jn4TOq_vRBXVSJAOEyGQATwo3P-ogvhOdNGwewE6q96PQ_j0JSe6UaKcLCp1IIU-VSyZG7BXHwOYrFNwUzs5OEO1jsFrZhNiuuECjmMlQU0rKaKpwUlGnwVigyeo/w426-h640/Cammerer-8.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitFzdyID3AGwG4heLw5ZDtmH63exeC6Otq6Gr5rlq7lAscgrjpQzCZxpcrKXi1MsJFR8XK7IM6Cjbuld4-k1GM76DFga2mC1k3f0iggQiq3p_2BF0jbNIQtgduXOVH3xRzl1V53LIfoxY/s2048/Cammerer-9.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitFzdyID3AGwG4heLw5ZDtmH63exeC6Otq6Gr5rlq7lAscgrjpQzCZxpcrKXi1MsJFR8XK7IM6Cjbuld4-k1GM76DFga2mC1k3f0iggQiq3p_2BF0jbNIQtgduXOVH3xRzl1V53LIfoxY/w640-h426/Cammerer-9.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>This is not far from the top. The fog was not as thick and we could see further down the trail.</div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU9BVebMLYW_-DPhwRk8fWcV9PtF8lD89qddog9dcfrLRsxgwVEPMeuRj00DNGHcdCeV2yY0QLZhwGUiKHcV1YPUUgPKq3VjskRPwzZeoiGD2W8v5kvNEzoF_cT5DCugb6wY33NM2jdoc/s2048/Cammerer-11.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU9BVebMLYW_-DPhwRk8fWcV9PtF8lD89qddog9dcfrLRsxgwVEPMeuRj00DNGHcdCeV2yY0QLZhwGUiKHcV1YPUUgPKq3VjskRPwzZeoiGD2W8v5kvNEzoF_cT5DCugb6wY33NM2jdoc/w640-h426/Cammerer-11.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Proof we made it!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>The fire tower is at an elevation of 5,054 feet, about 3,000 feet above where we started. It was built by the Civilian Conservation Corp (CCC) in the 1930s. The men who built the lookout drilled and blocked the stone by hand from a quarry about a hundred yards downhill from the tower. Some of these stones weighed as much as 600 pounds! The architectural style used for the lookout was called "western" because it didn't require a raised structure to see above the trees.</p><p>After a short lunch inside the lookout we headed back down the trail. About half way down we saw something we hadn't seen all day. The sun broke through the clouds and we could see other mountain ridges in the distance. The rain had stopped and things were warming back up. Not long after, the clouds closed in again.</p><p>It was a long day. We are already talking about doing it again when the forecast is for no clouds.</p></div>Richard Sigginshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14939281700134450520noreply@blogger.com0Mt Cammerer, Cataloochee, NC 28785, USA35.7634311 -83.160983199999997.4531972638211528 -118.31723319999999 64.073664936178844 -48.00473319999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5348314635496142409.post-10120289742753934402020-08-06T13:38:00.003-04:002020-08-06T13:38:42.022-04:00Creative Use of Shutter Speed and Long-ExposuresThere are a couple camera settings that can be creatively manipulated to make your photos more interesting. The lens aperture (the opening that lets light in) controls how much of the scene is in focus or the Depth of Field (DOF). The shutter speed (how long the lens is open letting light in) controls how moving subjects are captured. Playing around with the shutter speed when photographing lakes, ocean shores, etc. can be fun and produce some very different looks.<div><br /></div><div>To illustrate I have taken the same photo and different shutter speeds. Take a look at these two.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigXnhyphenhyphenxl9BVUJmu6FYaAkKwuKaJvhO6zYRRxPqpinOMe7x-iAcUWiPELbDbwqfo_oY06lO4V53dyIe-8gxsDEbUlXcy01dfw5tKRCNmX6IIVrGLRZvgwLVq3j5KfDYC7g2zPGOPCVClYw/s2048/speed-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigXnhyphenhyphenxl9BVUJmu6FYaAkKwuKaJvhO6zYRRxPqpinOMe7x-iAcUWiPELbDbwqfo_oY06lO4V53dyIe-8gxsDEbUlXcy01dfw5tKRCNmX6IIVrGLRZvgwLVq3j5KfDYC7g2zPGOPCVClYw/s640/speed-2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">f/7.1, ISO 3200, 1/17 second<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQqPhCH58H73fFMFWxYI0L-9w7CF_C6df4ZsrUtUy-dbd8dHfEteEvLsiSdrWspzj9uqlM5PldyCgGj2N8EHSD3OdY6fhVMEFApkyfMOOkLnOt6fb8XUbWF8N32rkYfjHShC447duVrUM/s2048/speed-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQqPhCH58H73fFMFWxYI0L-9w7CF_C6df4ZsrUtUy-dbd8dHfEteEvLsiSdrWspzj9uqlM5PldyCgGj2N8EHSD3OdY6fhVMEFApkyfMOOkLnOt6fb8XUbWF8N32rkYfjHShC447duVrUM/s640/speed-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">f/22, ISO 160, 14 seconds<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>The first photo had a shutter speed of 1/17 of a second, which captured the light chop on the surface. The second photo had a long shutter speed of 14 seconds and turned that light chop into a milky surface. Everything else in the photo was not moving and looks pretty much the same.</div><div><br /></div><div>Here's another example.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPo6Yg92-pmvUpcMT0xxC5tjz0FH21YokG_C8Buyhwm9Xa8sbHu0n9cMi4Y9YGLNkMRQW1XnSevkPLSReK_3OBaeu7WI5lyBC7VQ4ci548WuEtcmG5TYr3rCqm0lRmPkwYQKBOtZWJgoU/s2048/speed-8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="display: inline !important; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1125" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPo6Yg92-pmvUpcMT0xxC5tjz0FH21YokG_C8Buyhwm9Xa8sbHu0n9cMi4Y9YGLNkMRQW1XnSevkPLSReK_3OBaeu7WI5lyBC7VQ4ci548WuEtcmG5TYr3rCqm0lRmPkwYQKBOtZWJgoU/s640/speed-8.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">f/8, ISO 1250, 1/55 second<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh59R_8YdNKZCKqmO7sFwRCPJ9zkLYSz9b9T7XTqQCUBtKA7pwIZ1aXa1aVLqX9PtoMOkfn5Gie98Yn4UrZyfjNhli85ahLsJFEsyfmVxsQ_U77RRdo5HuGvo0ANQBt18Jtfka292mtwjU/s2048/speed-7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1125" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh59R_8YdNKZCKqmO7sFwRCPJ9zkLYSz9b9T7XTqQCUBtKA7pwIZ1aXa1aVLqX9PtoMOkfn5Gie98Yn4UrZyfjNhli85ahLsJFEsyfmVxsQ_U77RRdo5HuGvo0ANQBt18Jtfka292mtwjU/s640/speed-7.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">f/22, ISO 160, 1 second<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><div>You may have noticed that the ISO and aperture are also different in each photo. I changed these settings to get the shutter speed I wanted. The lower the ISO number, the longer the shutter speed to get the same exposure. The higher the f-stop number, the longer the shutter speed. If I want t long shutter speed I will start by setting the ISO as low as it can go (160 on my camera). I will then change the aperture until I have a shutter speed I think will give the effect I'm wanting. Because the aperture controls the DOF, I will make sure it is such that I have the DOF I want.</div><div><br /></div><div>It's hard to see in the example above but the clouds in the 1-second exposure are slightly blurred because they are moving. When the shutter speed is very long and the clouds are moving across the sky you can blur them as well in your photo.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGp1HrDIUQ7WoXSyEetRb7dz5nE-osNY18BVM8LEgj7SGbKxCy7UGl5E8yvh36z6jM8pb8MiJP5RLWSC5iW9R9R5Orw5uQ1eLALmb7YYw9vlnMZeLrFdUml68FlGqOLSOLDO9cGHASrPw/s640/speed-9.jpg" width="640" /><br />f/20, ISO 200, 120 seconds</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy7yOlInmKEXwIokFDdCIXDqnxlJu0j4JUnaNUENNlHqr3QeeLz4prf3Pc6S758-5DFXGiEhQfdWKIFxnaV6uUlBcdFexs9FWFgUyEdgpEtnHrckElFcD7SZ1HKVzTAMSID_oj7NW7hBg/s640/speed-11.jpg" width="640" />f/22, ISO 200, 120 seconds</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>In both photos, you can see the clouds were moving from left to right. You can make a very dramatic photo if you can position yourself so that the clouds are moving toward your camera.</div><div><br /></div><div>Anything that is not moving in these long exposure photos will be captured sharp with no motion blur. Sometimes even water is still enough that the reflections are crystal clear.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1428" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0XiwMy3owfaPiOVafWfgK5xIeLvO3HDUCe7u8xki1DHZ6vx0ho4ZSmXJ-XwLrMYQmCxalr-gWvvkUX52QNr1LUU4q4JxlcmwazeIl38IX8h9WRFZmd8IIcQviW5wWULiuU0DQMRdAmSY/s640/speed-10.jpg" />f</div><div style="text-align: center;">/22, ISO 250, 7 seconds</div><div><br /></div><div>Long exposure photography can be a lot of fun. Grab your camera, put it on the tripod, and give it a try. Then let me know how it comes out.</div>Richard Sigginshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14939281700134450520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5348314635496142409.post-86716217362339320872020-08-02T14:54:00.000-04:002020-08-02T14:54:40.602-04:00Breaking Out The Creative Juices<div class="separator"><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></div></div><div>June and I have been in a dry spell where we didn't get out to photograph much at all beyond what can be found in our yard. Last night we tossed the cameras and tripods in the car and headed to the mountains to see what we could find to photograph around sunset. It was a great evening where the juices started to flow again.</div><div><br /></div><div>When we drove through Johnson City and the way to Unicoi the temperature was 88 degrees. By the time we reached Beauty Spot on Unaka Mountain, the temps had dropped to 73! Much nicer!! When we arrived we discovered more cars than I had ever seen up there. There were many people enjoying the cool mountain air and spectacular mountain views. Most appeared to be college-age and I think we were the oldest by about 30+ years. No worries. We picked our spot and waited for the show to begin.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh76DVlJh0-z4OFuap9B_QLd9FCFdciVDMdKBavFVF4nsWoB_DfZGVlTWH8cFhHolPgvuWJO0ooB8X9iBciZNMsDWN_G0-sifL2D2SsJRG8I5UJAGS2ToB0aZ_MMWU2o-TNprERlTmrdJc/s2000/sunset-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1112" data-original-width="2000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh76DVlJh0-z4OFuap9B_QLd9FCFdciVDMdKBavFVF4nsWoB_DfZGVlTWH8cFhHolPgvuWJO0ooB8X9iBciZNMsDWN_G0-sifL2D2SsJRG8I5UJAGS2ToB0aZ_MMWU2o-TNprERlTmrdJc/s640/sunset-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">June's Sunset Photo<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div>When we think about sunsets we hope for a beautiful scene like June's photo above. I'm proud of her photo. It was the first one I posted after getting home around 10:30. But there are many ways to photograph a sunset.</div><div><br /></div><div>One way to change it up is to shoot wider.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-fl4RpWIFpyTz_Scsc1JJ2VzbtU3DZrblo6k1pU63GnsJ9YUQiPO3fuNDxHHdzRD0PA0tJ8m7HBzgPJYe_8kGIYvZe7aKgd-ds6hNweAcgVZO39fPsB4GqlauouD-00LtaajkdtTf0Ds/s2048/sunset-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-fl4RpWIFpyTz_Scsc1JJ2VzbtU3DZrblo6k1pU63GnsJ9YUQiPO3fuNDxHHdzRD0PA0tJ8m7HBzgPJYe_8kGIYvZe7aKgd-ds6hNweAcgVZO39fPsB4GqlauouD-00LtaajkdtTf0Ds/s640/sunset-4.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wide-angle 14mm (21mm full-frame equivalent)<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Maybe use that same wide-angle lens to emphasize the foreground while including the sunset in the background.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7OFSdWycdxIto2qc3b_rumuPdkLJ7_tOF1YpgtmsjMqbldQiFdlXgeQgKWE8xooPsrTgfG1j9la_oRmPipQKI-PkiWKyGUBStRs2_DugdgIzlnzQwWtn-woFRGDG9cTZNBeJvmFjcU00/s2048/sunset-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7OFSdWycdxIto2qc3b_rumuPdkLJ7_tOF1YpgtmsjMqbldQiFdlXgeQgKWE8xooPsrTgfG1j9la_oRmPipQKI-PkiWKyGUBStRs2_DugdgIzlnzQwWtn-woFRGDG9cTZNBeJvmFjcU00/s640/sunset-5.jpg" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Maybe swapping out the lens for a telephoto zoom to include just part of the sunset.</div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQBLgi0tQHH4_LJDAf7HYrfQpl8bwszMT1FP3Xd0p8YIgtxuM51PGV_Gww0MHB0-3-zZRmGwLvL9fydp9Z1rGDNPP6A8JTuNp0SHzeL3KqzC7gIWr0xgHimyPJw5UEujz_XUc3wnBbAeU/s2048/sunset-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1196" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQBLgi0tQHH4_LJDAf7HYrfQpl8bwszMT1FP3Xd0p8YIgtxuM51PGV_Gww0MHB0-3-zZRmGwLvL9fydp9Z1rGDNPP6A8JTuNp0SHzeL3KqzC7gIWr0xgHimyPJw5UEujz_XUc3wnBbAeU/s640/sunset-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">46mm (69mm)<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyu2d5peU-RtrDhGgEoU5JelysfoD5UuABxtfcO0XTabwbT37aRULoxk592yF53muEaKLYIB9aANUDK6ytJO5lAKfBplU-0c449vwtYVXnk277iYvsOEI6jfGjpJnCiSsajhlLxloWZnI/s2048/sunset-6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="983" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyu2d5peU-RtrDhGgEoU5JelysfoD5UuABxtfcO0XTabwbT37aRULoxk592yF53muEaKLYIB9aANUDK6ytJO5lAKfBplU-0c449vwtYVXnk277iYvsOEI6jfGjpJnCiSsajhlLxloWZnI/s640/sunset-6.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">66mm (100mm)<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz96vY8HPUGRBeEC0AnCde2MOxb8T2U0M4bl3poJf1RCh-KdVcVl8AHT5XmZ5zb8JZLUB3vS3vQCZtG8A0GxPKfvEr_6-3HkEzsC2KCkj0GkReG7BP4DRCduF9-GOmMYx8Hy4BMOaeCUA/s2048/sunset-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="794" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz96vY8HPUGRBeEC0AnCde2MOxb8T2U0M4bl3poJf1RCh-KdVcVl8AHT5XmZ5zb8JZLUB3vS3vQCZtG8A0GxPKfvEr_6-3HkEzsC2KCkj0GkReG7BP4DRCduF9-GOmMYx8Hy4BMOaeCUA/s640/sunset-3.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">104mm (156mm)<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>By swapping to a longer telephoto zoom lens I can zoom in on just parts of the sunset.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSNAwPeT87rLB_jNwrq5zgo-P3o3c5eeWu_tNmOwLpq4VZkUobAYJgLk3PtP3vBnUEXk9uF2Q1DYjAcCt-G4CQhiGnXOHZa4nbsvddrDGC0VevSYp6rgNixRRMdI2moFmpmfOHsvrKExk/s2048/sunset-10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1154" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSNAwPeT87rLB_jNwrq5zgo-P3o3c5eeWu_tNmOwLpq4VZkUobAYJgLk3PtP3vBnUEXk9uF2Q1DYjAcCt-G4CQhiGnXOHZa4nbsvddrDGC0VevSYp6rgNixRRMdI2moFmpmfOHsvrKExk/s640/sunset-10.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">177mm (266mm)<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF1CzJigET-J9v2p4w6wcN1Trt0TmeGR9dCGhOCEiZSPW6-4DQyRMdZB-eOB6ICIQwLcvBJIOD6qFAAxirXe4etKYZryw0Fz4I_wgPFpUgIW9X5ByAzBheoqD403PSMcbT4yPUaJHFevg/s2048/sunset-7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="977" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF1CzJigET-J9v2p4w6wcN1Trt0TmeGR9dCGhOCEiZSPW6-4DQyRMdZB-eOB6ICIQwLcvBJIOD6qFAAxirXe4etKYZryw0Fz4I_wgPFpUgIW9X5ByAzBheoqD403PSMcbT4yPUaJHFevg/s640/sunset-7.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />400mm (600mm)</td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRAQRylTDE-_rPlxlOBszJgENCS_VJcKOZiYRWYesLB02f3H0d3AhX98qAOtgEHLbbYpN1eVGN6z23ClWBus3CiFem2Sqc1_kI1XOFgIoOJr9kBjZKNwbWdUNrlxhk92BDUVIMBWNq6FI/s2048/sunset-8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="780" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRAQRylTDE-_rPlxlOBszJgENCS_VJcKOZiYRWYesLB02f3H0d3AhX98qAOtgEHLbbYpN1eVGN6z23ClWBus3CiFem2Sqc1_kI1XOFgIoOJr9kBjZKNwbWdUNrlxhk92BDUVIMBWNq6FI/s640/sunset-8.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">400mm (600mm)</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Too often we shoot from the same spot using the same lens and the same focal length. Don't let this habit squash your creativity. These photos are just an example of how changing the lens and focal length can result in vastly different photos of the same subject. <div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div>Richard Sigginshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14939281700134450520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5348314635496142409.post-66963373486603478192020-07-23T17:47:00.001-04:002020-07-23T17:47:49.002-04:00Why I Use Exposure Compensation<div>Most of the time modern digital cameras will do a pretty good job adjusting the shutter speed, aperture, and/or ISO to get a well-exposed photograph. Other times the photo comes out too dark or too bright and can't be saved. Why does this happen and what can be done to get a better exposure?</div><div><br /></div><div>Digital camera light meters work by evaluating light reflected off objects in the frame. Depending on if you are in aperture priority, shutter priority, or manual, the camera will attempt to adjust one or more settings to make the overall exposure close to a standard middle gray (also known as 18% gray).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9T4xETomSQayW3O1M3gXa0LaLKyH-T7Eg2F5DEMi_x0FmdyEvCFGVCdsmKggUkpMaGNSpEm1klTl51Xs74F-WVJTW11bJ8u1V5CfndGfnzar4el9xOLUuYe4h-JDv_gq0mtP9XNKpCGA/s1024/Middle-Grey-v1-1024x105.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="105" data-original-width="1024" height="64" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9T4xETomSQayW3O1M3gXa0LaLKyH-T7Eg2F5DEMi_x0FmdyEvCFGVCdsmKggUkpMaGNSpEm1klTl51Xs74F-WVJTW11bJ8u1V5CfndGfnzar4el9xOLUuYe4h-JDv_gq0mtP9XNKpCGA/w625-h64/Middle-Grey-v1-1024x105.jpg" width="625" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>If most of the things in the frame are very dark, the camera will attempt to brighten up the exposure. If the subjects are mostly bright it will darken the exposure so the overall scene is close to 18% gray. As smart as modern cameras are, they can't tell what parts of the scene are important. While the overall scene may be properly exposed, the important subject may be too dark or too bright.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbIvcGLq06U1j_ZM1f6Im3NRFhe7pQbW3t5H-XvS-jSBjlej7c3vUGMzd2U8kn7Xx63PW8z5iHMDGvNseKmbmpcoVJyAnA7jCsqm5pxMmAVaNk7Bs8mXwo4bfFMcJv4L_q1JMXDyCimc8/s2048/EV-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="416" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbIvcGLq06U1j_ZM1f6Im3NRFhe7pQbW3t5H-XvS-jSBjlej7c3vUGMzd2U8kn7Xx63PW8z5iHMDGvNseKmbmpcoVJyAnA7jCsqm5pxMmAVaNk7Bs8mXwo4bfFMcJv4L_q1JMXDyCimc8/w625-h416/EV-2.jpg" width="625" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Default exposure - 1/1000 sec., f/6.4, ISO 160</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>In the photo above, the bright sky behind the Bluebird caused the Bluebird to come out dark. There are a few things that can be done to fix this problem. I could (1) set my camera to spot metering so I only measured the brightness of the bird, (2) move so the background is not so bright, or (3) use Exposure Compensation to adjust the exposure.</div><div><br /></div><div>In most cases, I don't change the metering mode when photographing wildlife. Switching metering modes on most cameras is cumbersome. The bird would be gone by the time I made the changes. </div><div><br /></div>Exposure Compensation allows me to override the exposure settings that were determined by the camera, in order to darken or brighten images before they are captured. On my Fuji X-T1, X-T2, and X-T3 cameras there is a dial on the top of the camera that I can turn to quickly and easily adjust the exposure compensation. Unfortunately, exposure compensation is not as easy to change on all cameras. You will need to learn how to change it on your camera.<div><br /></div><div>Using the Bluebird as an example, I adjusted the exposure compensation to make the photo 1 2/3 stops (EV) brighter and took the photo again.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCZVOSbVeL_j_XQ8MdG-blm2VtxfSIGDk4lHrQH4nFRRpBdeNMXoUMzufGMfnHtTZotcpssMgO4Uz1QIPS_gipRN82euHdRV-vNJ_z5S750rFzpXzoZOsHjKPXIu0hyphenhyphen62Hp60gRQOtAqY/s2048/EV-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="416" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCZVOSbVeL_j_XQ8MdG-blm2VtxfSIGDk4lHrQH4nFRRpBdeNMXoUMzufGMfnHtTZotcpssMgO4Uz1QIPS_gipRN82euHdRV-vNJ_z5S750rFzpXzoZOsHjKPXIu0hyphenhyphen62Hp60gRQOtAqY/w625-h416/EV-1.jpg" width="625" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">+1 2/3 EV exposure - 1/1000 sec., f/6.4, ISO 320<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>When photographing birds I have my shutter speed and aperture fixed and let the camera adjust the ISO. When I told the camera to make the photo 1 2/3 stops brighter it did so by doubling the ISO. You can see the second photo is noticeably brighter than the first.</div><div><br /></div><div>How the camera makes the adjustments depends on what mode you are using</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Aperture Priority - the camera will leave the aperture where you set it and adjust the shutter speed.</li><li>Shutter Priority - the camera will leave the shutter speed where you set it and adjust the aperture.</li><li>Manual with Auto ISO - the camera will only adjust the ISO. This is the mode I was using.</li><li>Exposure compensation may not be available if you are using Auto mode.</li></ul></div><div>Being mirrorless cameras, my Fuji's show me the adjusted exposure and live histogram in the viewfinder as I am composing the shot. With DSLR cameras you may have to make a shot, check out the exposure, adjust and shoot again. An alternative is to use exposure bracketing to automatically take 3 or more shots at different exposure compensation settings.</div><div><br /></div><div>There is another alternative that can help get the right exposure. The problem in this example is that sky is too bright compared to the bird. Sometimes we can maneuver ourselves to change the background to something closer to the brightness of the subject.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-YqtYew2t4CnGdDvm4oANWiiHCTzO8rpvPUdrxnZ1NNasyeSE8nPpHPjRknYLK8AtXVpvhYsDxOq00wwMr7XnbUerpqV4fjybav9s7HRJ_r6CbBlADO3hs_yEEdnu1cvx1KMsVi4BFcw/s2048/EV-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="416" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-YqtYew2t4CnGdDvm4oANWiiHCTzO8rpvPUdrxnZ1NNasyeSE8nPpHPjRknYLK8AtXVpvhYsDxOq00wwMr7XnbUerpqV4fjybav9s7HRJ_r6CbBlADO3hs_yEEdnu1cvx1KMsVi4BFcw/w625-h416/EV-3.jpg" width="625" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1/1000 sec., f/6.4, ISO 1250</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>In this third shot, I moved so that there were trees behind the bird instead of the sky. I didn't have to make any adjustments to the exposure. Most of the time it's not practical to move but it does a great job when I can.</div><div><br /></div><div>I hope these three examples and explanation gives you a feel for how Exposure Compensation works. I suggest you figure out how to use it on your camera and give it a try.</div>Richard Sigginshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14939281700134450520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5348314635496142409.post-85563211705472045932020-04-20T18:03:00.000-04:002020-04-20T18:03:57.236-04:00Breaking the Macro Habit When I think about making photos of flowers a Macro lens usually is what I have in mind. A Macro <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMXjN9j9IBfbknbeHNtIts6OUYx3l6Py3BT8n5yPfHodIsTfP_P6JOPn8oBjuxYkRAHPEVsmV4N3HVRfyULpUQEhEYBMMHlhWFpC9_5xXVSUBZd34CRkv_Bv9BNewhD96QJlZBlOMjbPU/s1600/macro-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMXjN9j9IBfbknbeHNtIts6OUYx3l6Py3BT8n5yPfHodIsTfP_P6JOPn8oBjuxYkRAHPEVsmV4N3HVRfyULpUQEhEYBMMHlhWFpC9_5xXVSUBZd34CRkv_Bv9BNewhD96QJlZBlOMjbPU/s400/macro-1.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trillium photo taken with an 80mm Macro lens</td></tr>
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is designed to make very sharp photos while focusing up close. When using a Macro lens and the camera on a tripod, a photographer can make some awesome photos of flowers.<br />
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Using a Macro lens for flowers might just be a habit to break. Today I started with my 80mm Fuji Macro and added an extension tube that allowed me to be able to focus even closer. After wandering around the yard for a while I decided to put the Macro up and get my favorite fun little lens - the Fuji 35mm f/2. <br />
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The 35mm focal length is equivalent to a 53mm on a full-frame camera. That means, the 35mm is my "normal lens". A scene viewed through a normal lens appears to have the same perspective as the way your eye sees it. This is a very small lens, making it fun to carry around. It also has a minimal focal distance of less than 14 inches. It has a bigger depth of field, making it easier to get sharp photos without a tripod. It's a fun way to break the mold and try something new.<br />
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Here are some photos I took today using that normal lens. They are all hand-held. Some are cropped. All were using the Fuji Velvia film simulation which gives them vibrant colors.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsVMJzQWfMB8lCladPhLs9wh5k9RHhgCIKTwZqTSWzLX9AsmBr-8tKTBKotGyInE02HlSixcF9keLKdVuCIt80Pxx93MAS_DC1BdhEtiLu4EZvmU59BZDyrhE7KQedoaV7eTrHwTaH3Bo/s1600/flowers-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsVMJzQWfMB8lCladPhLs9wh5k9RHhgCIKTwZqTSWzLX9AsmBr-8tKTBKotGyInE02HlSixcF9keLKdVuCIt80Pxx93MAS_DC1BdhEtiLu4EZvmU59BZDyrhE7KQedoaV7eTrHwTaH3Bo/s640/flowers-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">f/2.8</td></tr>
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The dogwood photo includes some of the background, making the pink flowers stand out.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik_AzFtJAREyxo_pB_nrI_iTy_KwMirLu787Kn3jS0DHcfeHYmgijqtqRvZWdo2o_pP98bNAlq5iHbR1zhu6BmlQPA5gjCblKW8CUyKcofMoaHOTBQGjGeyaf4IZqMOqU5p8Cx8yTA-RI/s1600/flowers-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik_AzFtJAREyxo_pB_nrI_iTy_KwMirLu787Kn3jS0DHcfeHYmgijqtqRvZWdo2o_pP98bNAlq5iHbR1zhu6BmlQPA5gjCblKW8CUyKcofMoaHOTBQGjGeyaf4IZqMOqU5p8Cx8yTA-RI/s640/flowers-2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">f/3.6</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF7IEIvnxGPztqrWp1pwUohWXj_l5W3RH9cDYgBCx2v4SwEI68fEGs23WGvCrqJzrwjhwzMsAe9vm2sFE9U6YqxShbGPl9EE0kGCGGQQ-gmEWmsdd5trUYyLZ5t3sBQrDtP6zF-zNV-OE/s1600/flowers-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF7IEIvnxGPztqrWp1pwUohWXj_l5W3RH9cDYgBCx2v4SwEI68fEGs23WGvCrqJzrwjhwzMsAe9vm2sFE9U6YqxShbGPl9EE0kGCGGQQ-gmEWmsdd5trUYyLZ5t3sBQrDtP6zF-zNV-OE/s640/flowers-3.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">f/2.8</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVvdLWu7fGkF21I_JT-hmXhzPPRSuz38nnIsouloWFo4XGj1OFsBNKg2aGt14-BrnscKgPVuU9f8qNE7T5QOkFm3TSvaDGx7Jl0fy0_tWVLuxdN3NgdaBlTFTQuwjJgmceMSJ6Vxky7Qk/s1600/flowers-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVvdLWu7fGkF21I_JT-hmXhzPPRSuz38nnIsouloWFo4XGj1OFsBNKg2aGt14-BrnscKgPVuU9f8qNE7T5QOkFm3TSvaDGx7Jl0fy0_tWVLuxdN3NgdaBlTFTQuwjJgmceMSJ6Vxky7Qk/s640/flowers-4.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crop of the previous photo</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdMh1Pry52akSn__Ol47WZv-VAO3FbCgq0MKW-RaFPHcjnADeliSMKHxbVwcm2I4mfWOQNO_j30wMIh87Oenrrtwgt8JyUo0XuRTBzic_zbVs0DWKoS568k_nCaOczEZxjmwEERVWiq60/s1600/flowers-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="800" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdMh1Pry52akSn__Ol47WZv-VAO3FbCgq0MKW-RaFPHcjnADeliSMKHxbVwcm2I4mfWOQNO_j30wMIh87Oenrrtwgt8JyUo0XuRTBzic_zbVs0DWKoS568k_nCaOczEZxjmwEERVWiq60/s640/flowers-5.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">f/2.8</td></tr>
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The point of this illustration is to say we shouldn't let our photographic gear constrain our creativity. Use a wild angle for a close-up, use a big zoom for a landscape, try using a Macro lens for portraits. Let's use our "safer at home" time to be creative.<br />
<br />Richard Sigginshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14939281700134450520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5348314635496142409.post-40957464449589259812020-03-30T13:37:00.000-04:002020-03-30T13:37:53.085-04:00"How do you know that?" Characteristics of light in photographyThe depth of field (what's in focus) in this photo is pretty small. About all you can read is the one line - "How do you know that?" <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtzNi1Q1dF1k5reZR1eUEAQRQ0zgqk2RRgeEQZfwdimr_QvwHMmyrNz-ksoVkCq91gi70uOf_5Brw_Q7mT5s9oLa2OlBjLKfP4No1dCSTCCjnXAPxhQ53FoHCr6P1jiVLNs7Hi8IBFhyphenhyphenE/s1600/Light-6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1228" data-original-width="1600" height="490" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtzNi1Q1dF1k5reZR1eUEAQRQ0zgqk2RRgeEQZfwdimr_QvwHMmyrNz-ksoVkCq91gi70uOf_5Brw_Q7mT5s9oLa2OlBjLKfP4No1dCSTCCjnXAPxhQ53FoHCr6P1jiVLNs7Hi8IBFhyphenhyphenE/s640/Light-6.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I don't consider myself an expert photographer but I do enjoy sharing what I have learned, often the hard way, over the years. Most things I've learned from experience and that's how I "know that." One of the best ways to share what I've learned is by example, which I try to do when blogging.<br />
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Being at home more has led me to experiment photographing things around the house. In this case, an old non-fiction book and a pair of antique eyeglasses my dad gave to me. They belonged to a relative but no one remembers who. I'm not great at still life photography. I do better at making photos of things that have been arranged for me, like wildflowers and mountains than things that I have to arrange. However, we grow by working on things we are not good at.<br />
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The very first topic in my photography class is what I consider the most important. It is not camera settings, the latest gear, or posing beautiful subjects. I consider light the most important element in photography. The right light can make a photo but even the most beautiful subjects can be poor photos in the wrong light. Photographers love to talk about good light and bad light. Light is not good or bad, but different kinds of light work better in different situations.<br />
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Light has three characteristics<br />
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<ol>
<li>Direction</li>
<li>Color</li>
<li>Hard (direct) or soft (diffused)</li>
</ol>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicCcW92hRMQ7ehJ_XEYw2QoAto-MAlZIAdXlBe0mjFkHY7pGnl5ZndjZzIEd8dLm9qeSoQ9W-7xyug5AUoLpoNeIjQUWkBuueaCQyBmLJZ-w41_pTW-655rT2e7tVWpL2uRlD8weHYPXA/s1600/Light-7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicCcW92hRMQ7ehJ_XEYw2QoAto-MAlZIAdXlBe0mjFkHY7pGnl5ZndjZzIEd8dLm9qeSoQ9W-7xyug5AUoLpoNeIjQUWkBuueaCQyBmLJZ-w41_pTW-655rT2e7tVWpL2uRlD8weHYPXA/s320/Light-7.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Color Under LED Lights</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
I want to show you a little example of hard vs. soft light using a couple examples of photos I made with the book sitting on our kitchen table. Above the table is a hanging lamp with 5 LED bulbs. To the right is a set of French Doors that lead out to a covered deck area. Those two light sources have different characteristics.</div>
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The lens aperture and focal length in these two photos are the same. The LED lights made the paper very yellow when using the auto white balance setting. I corrected the white balance (light color) in each photo to be as realistic as possible. <br />
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<div style="text-align: left;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9FblrBn1QVDfdzaCUdiP93FhmLavz02pNnS0YbPeeELKqv-jmHOkOfTK7SSF_vTneojScxjEDetaZ0y3FwbKHIeyCsYIeV92wZx-STP6-oj1HFtyFSlXVhWyuCchuDIl4cP6zHaYynh0/s1600/Light-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9FblrBn1QVDfdzaCUdiP93FhmLavz02pNnS0YbPeeELKqv-jmHOkOfTK7SSF_vTneojScxjEDetaZ0y3FwbKHIeyCsYIeV92wZx-STP6-oj1HFtyFSlXVhWyuCchuDIl4cP6zHaYynh0/s640/Light-4.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Direct Overhead Light</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrLkJWRlLehnXs0acd5C6mawPc4SvL2E_Z_Pobw_hsoET9JM__MZW5phQr0hNqaPsv6xTrzlbpGXGJS4-a3Xu_BU89yFIPGGtAMxywDcTTgREgLLGLwuJGsl-P-UTguE09Nu0tlzfZxnE/s1600/Light-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrLkJWRlLehnXs0acd5C6mawPc4SvL2E_Z_Pobw_hsoET9JM__MZW5phQr0hNqaPsv6xTrzlbpGXGJS4-a3Xu_BU89yFIPGGtAMxywDcTTgREgLLGLwuJGsl-P-UTguE09Nu0tlzfZxnE/s640/Light-3.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Indirect Side Light</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div>
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<div>
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<div>
Notice the shadows in the first photo. They come from the overhead lights. In the second photo what shadows can be seen are faint and soft. The overhead lights also made the tabletop brighter. The indirect light from the right made the book in the background brighter.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5K9qmB-PLEYxgSWJsMpyzLFYA9JwZZfwUg0E9GlL6d8vREd3-1Zu72GtxiExnlBDwKyvwaSfiUEKoVxiJF9l4vAODZdlFfwNiE59x1lauO4M4JdNrVmmjI4BgkzIuaEPt6ILj8fTYRWY/s1600/Light-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5K9qmB-PLEYxgSWJsMpyzLFYA9JwZZfwUg0E9GlL6d8vREd3-1Zu72GtxiExnlBDwKyvwaSfiUEKoVxiJF9l4vAODZdlFfwNiE59x1lauO4M4JdNrVmmjI4BgkzIuaEPt6ILj8fTYRWY/s640/Light-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Indirect Light</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaMeTFzaRNhW23FZSHOvApeupWBCh5yuEJg-3GxOC8C9kJIqqXew3r47wa8GxCPva1Mu0-jjflRTe5VMxmMjDqkvc1boOdO45khePugtRAA87sdP1upmadXv-ddtt7eTxeI2UFgoUyU3I/s1600/Light-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaMeTFzaRNhW23FZSHOvApeupWBCh5yuEJg-3GxOC8C9kJIqqXew3r47wa8GxCPva1Mu0-jjflRTe5VMxmMjDqkvc1boOdO45khePugtRAA87sdP1upmadXv-ddtt7eTxeI2UFgoUyU3I/s640/Light-2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Direct Overhead Light</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div>
In the second example, you can see how the direction of the light creates different shadows. The photo with the indirect light coming from the right created a shadow in the crease of the book. The direct light also overpowered the indirect light and minimized the reflections from the door in the lens. The indirect light highlighted the brass hinge and the color of the eyeglass arms.</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
“There are no rules for good photographs, there are only good photographs.”</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
–Ansel Adams</div>
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<div>
Neither photo is right or wrong, just different. As the photographer, it is up to us to use the light in our composition to emphasize what we want and de-emphasize what we don't want. </div>
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<div>
Before making your next photo think about the light. Where is it coming from? Is it creating hard shadows? Is it warm and pleasing or blue and cold? How can you use that light to make a better photo?</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Richard Sigginshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14939281700134450520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5348314635496142409.post-31861344951907313082020-03-23T16:23:00.002-04:002020-03-23T16:23:51.478-04:00Using The Depth of Field When Photographing Small SubjectsThe world outside our homes seems to be getting worse and worse. As I write this at 3:30 PM on March 23, the US now has the third-highest total cases, adding over 8,000 today. A couple more days and we may pass Italy. By the time you read this, the world will have changed again one way or another. <div>
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The dichotomy of worrying breaking virus news and the world of nature is extreme. Walk outside <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyltpNIWzR-iGEagQ0ssT1UxJdfbaaA_Hv3Wfqk3c50_tSrwWyx9H8P4Qu18_UpNXxX-7DbxnwIDzChmVXRIJp9E4Ifm655VwWgrz9ey1YLk-LvJiQuauSUWZ1MqwirdY9x599wTRXhb8/s1600/toothwort-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1162" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyltpNIWzR-iGEagQ0ssT1UxJdfbaaA_Hv3Wfqk3c50_tSrwWyx9H8P4Qu18_UpNXxX-7DbxnwIDzChmVXRIJp9E4Ifm655VwWgrz9ey1YLk-LvJiQuauSUWZ1MqwirdY9x599wTRXhb8/s400/toothwort-2.jpg" width="290" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aperture = f/5.6</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
and check out what's blooming. We have a flower garden where we have been planting native wildflowers for several years. Yesterday June and I took a hike and saw wildflowers bursting forth everywhere. The world of nature marches on just as it has since the beginning of the world. </div>
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Photographing flowers is a perfect thing to do now. We can do it while keeping socially distant and being surrounded by nature will improve our outlook and health. June and I took our cameras on our hike yesterday. We didn't have tripods, which would have made a big difference in the quality of our photos but we were there first to get exercise.</div>
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This is all leading up to my photographic tip for today -- the importance of the aperture setting when making macro (close-up) photos of small objects, such as flowers. Those of you who have taken my class should remember I refer to the lens aperture as the depth-of-field (DOF) control. By adjusting the aperture (opening in the lens that lets light in) we control how much light is captured by the camera and how much of the scene is in focus. The depth of fields is the distance between the camera and the nearest and the furthest objects that render the image to be in sharp focus. By adjusting the aperture we control the size of the DOF - more or less in focus. Understanding this is critical to making good macro photos, where the DOF is tiny.</div>
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I am including some examples in this blog to illustrate my point. With one exception, these were all taken on our hike yesterday with my Fuji X-T3 mirrorless camera, an 80mm macro lens, and without a tripod. It was an overcast day with little breeze to move the flowers. </div>
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You can click on any of the images to get a larger view and then use the left and right arrow keys to flip through all the images.</div>
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The first example was actually taken in our flower bed before our hike. This Lungwort plant is a volunteer that just showed up a year or so ago. It looks a little like Virginia Bluebells but the leaves are mottled.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjf6uBMBcZ7_DDCnoDLZXnKgKhZfhVXIOvZnwLdlrCcU3v3bl6k4yxHpWtx4F0WJtBP_UljMhS7gAEUcj3TMC2IMB_bouUzXjvqeprFSlbG0xX42gt_A6OosHKr4QRMv5rxpFYU5LCiKU/s1600/lungwort-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjf6uBMBcZ7_DDCnoDLZXnKgKhZfhVXIOvZnwLdlrCcU3v3bl6k4yxHpWtx4F0WJtBP_UljMhS7gAEUcj3TMC2IMB_bouUzXjvqeprFSlbG0xX42gt_A6OosHKr4QRMv5rxpFYU5LCiKU/s400/lungwort-2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aperture = f/5.6</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixJ7WGhpaioQzCLVlw9W8Y9H0Ff3yW345SW45iRqqoZMkNO33y216C3RLcb-pUT-M3eGXuoJhADPxjP85CNPVuUgZWAMSXCKjxJGN7KIiyR1Gsu3DbSRbmrtct4pS9D71I0jqFmJdDu50/s1600/lungwort-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixJ7WGhpaioQzCLVlw9W8Y9H0Ff3yW345SW45iRqqoZMkNO33y216C3RLcb-pUT-M3eGXuoJhADPxjP85CNPVuUgZWAMSXCKjxJGN7KIiyR1Gsu3DbSRbmrtct4pS9D71I0jqFmJdDu50/s400/lungwort-3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aperture = f/13</td></tr>
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<div>
The first thing you notice is the background in each photo. At f/5.6 it is blurry and at f/13 it is more in-focus, but still not sharp. I think the background in the first is less distracting, however, some of the flowers are clearly out of focus in the first one. Which is better is a matter of personal taste. There are many different aperture settings that I could have used.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGSIo5HKyfEWhNIBfy7F8WOZcR_vRr0QNlLbZ4amegmkiYp9uqWd1vi1L-J-RVooPh0RQ3RQmGEV42VJDFSKRe_1du7sZRQTGcPm8RRpGOXMLpqSxcmGeBPD_Os-acuS5Y00IZmk7v31E/s1600/mosstab-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1348" data-original-width="1600" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGSIo5HKyfEWhNIBfy7F8WOZcR_vRr0QNlLbZ4amegmkiYp9uqWd1vi1L-J-RVooPh0RQ3RQmGEV42VJDFSKRe_1du7sZRQTGcPm8RRpGOXMLpqSxcmGeBPD_Os-acuS5Y00IZmk7v31E/s400/mosstab-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Moss Brush, uncropped, aperture = f/2.8</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAd9qFie4EA6PuNBsRSNIwSzSriylQzGn3lNnKyP2Z-cVbITggHp6ZyP6XTYzQgJDIJrt57Hi-mQixL7r1SPVzNbQxx9KYixiXJGtc5DmSIxTZGD6pky71OlmWTzmhZaHHb1HE0259-yQ/s1600/mosstab-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1155" data-original-width="1600" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAd9qFie4EA6PuNBsRSNIwSzSriylQzGn3lNnKyP2Z-cVbITggHp6ZyP6XTYzQgJDIJrt57Hi-mQixL7r1SPVzNbQxx9KYixiXJGtc5DmSIxTZGD6pky71OlmWTzmhZaHHb1HE0259-yQ/s400/mosstab-2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cropped, aperture = f/2.8</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
This next example is the same photo. I cropped it down so you can see how small the depth of field is at f/2.8 using a macro lens. The depth of field is maybe 1/8 inch in this example. The important thing to understand here is focusing on the right spot is critical in macro photography. Not only do you need to think about how much to keep in focus, but you also need to think about what is in focus. The "in focus" range is 1/3 in front of the focus point and 2/3 behind it. With DSLR cameras, the aperture is wide open before you make the shot. Most cameras have a DOF preview button, which will allow you to see what the photo will look like at the set aperture. </div>
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I shot this pair of Spring Beauties at three different settings</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh72Wk1B_rXwtgzdqpr5OBmZsvxHzqDOMcQu8NPirfADyvW4Tx2CFKBCvC_6JY_632GrDOOt0Z92B0trifK9RwUO06-Ml9MbChvOt_d_d0_gqRPS-h2_QTPJ4YfVgjQ9kXSFh700Mn2Hlk/s1600/springbeauty-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh72Wk1B_rXwtgzdqpr5OBmZsvxHzqDOMcQu8NPirfADyvW4Tx2CFKBCvC_6JY_632GrDOOt0Z92B0trifK9RwUO06-Ml9MbChvOt_d_d0_gqRPS-h2_QTPJ4YfVgjQ9kXSFh700Mn2Hlk/s400/springbeauty-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aperture = f/8</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHPPRCO4IB9VwJn4BnvhflJ2iURJkfw3nLq2bjlF3Owpxkm1O5HYPdgg23JRmwDLEbahh9Ti2-NmcwklZLgdm5WSOu8fwwufSWcdHwwd-pFGqh7VcgDQoQ23QHmBlie8GbeNhWvUC23zU/s1600/springbeauty-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHPPRCO4IB9VwJn4BnvhflJ2iURJkfw3nLq2bjlF3Owpxkm1O5HYPdgg23JRmwDLEbahh9Ti2-NmcwklZLgdm5WSOu8fwwufSWcdHwwd-pFGqh7VcgDQoQ23QHmBlie8GbeNhWvUC23zU/s400/springbeauty-2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aperture = f/5</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh90n2G9i06JSNDd-1r1FviUvB5DVCElItXAB209d9deK1bPpAa030fwE4trRnakwU-7m3lMyOjLYHq_9DYgaekHkREi5U5voRF3ucVTRp3SHUfrxnWVIsjM7jBy1MNio__y7D9YuBJPDA/s1600/springbeauty-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh90n2G9i06JSNDd-1r1FviUvB5DVCElItXAB209d9deK1bPpAa030fwE4trRnakwU-7m3lMyOjLYHq_9DYgaekHkREi5U5voRF3ucVTRp3SHUfrxnWVIsjM7jBy1MNio__y7D9YuBJPDA/s400/springbeauty-3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aperture = f/3.6</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
Notice how the depth of field changes at different settings. The most noticeable difference is how blurry the background is. Even at f/8, both flowers were not completely in focus, which brings up my final tip for macro photography. Because the DOF is so shallow, the position of the subject(s) in the composition can make a big difference. The Spring Beauties were at slightly different distances from the camera. If I had moved the camera so the two flowers were the same distance away I could have gotten more of them in focus. In the final example below, I positioned the camera so I was shooting perpendicular to the spiral of this Christmas Fern.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_mHAwrp_afNeFZVJfsvyByZpNprxkiPX0RMU4Rli0LQPmwE3fmewLTXGlvfE7cD4Qo2m-vHEbLnYp7sDgq3fJnKQe3JQhbVtaIlvk2B9xXkh4Cio-1f7aiLWAhONLzT1foLPvqSB0YVY/s1600/christmasfern-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1407" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_mHAwrp_afNeFZVJfsvyByZpNprxkiPX0RMU4Rli0LQPmwE3fmewLTXGlvfE7cD4Qo2m-vHEbLnYp7sDgq3fJnKQe3JQhbVtaIlvk2B9xXkh4Cio-1f7aiLWAhONLzT1foLPvqSB0YVY/s400/christmasfern-1.jpg" width="351" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aperture = f/5.6</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
Although I had a relatively wide aperture (f/5.6) and a shallow DOF, most of the curl is in focus. If you look closely the front of the curl is in focus, but the back edge is not.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
With these examples, I hoped to illustrate the importance of controlling the DOF in order to create a more pleasing photograph. The best way to really understand this is to go out and try it for yourself. Set your camera in Aperture Priority mode and make the same shot at different aperture settings. The camera will adjust the shutter speed accordingly. If you have the ISO set on automatic it will adjust that as well. Then take a look at each shot and see how things change. You'll find you like some better than others. Then remember to try multiple settings on all your macro photos.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Now, grab your camera and go out in nature. Just be sure to stay 6 feet away from those other photographers and hikers.</div>
Richard Sigginshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14939281700134450520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5348314635496142409.post-58211496886912572572020-03-20T12:12:00.000-04:002020-03-20T12:12:04.107-04:00More Time On My Hands = More Photo TipsWe are all living under conditions that are extremely different from just a few weeks ago. Half the sessions in my Photography Class were canceled, and places I frequent on a regular basis, such as the gym, are closed. I'm spending more time walking but today it's raining so I'm spending my day indoors. That means I have time to invest in things I've been neglecting, such as blogging, updating my website, and editing photos in my archive.<br />
<br />
I feel bad that I wasn't able to finish my last photography class. I promised to finish it when things return to normal, but I'm not sure when that will be. So instead, I'm going to share much of what is in my class here in my blog. Here's the first installment...<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP2Fq1nC3YBsDe5LmrYPQdmdylunzbDTC5FOg3eKVJXKtU0KH1JneyWe8UtA2h71GyLn7nBSFzSulmbfVCqGCUL7CjDIZqm0AuLO-XK691_hpBBPIHqn9FlQTfyB5L0aypP6jRVAhVjPY/s1600/backgrounds-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1185" data-original-width="1600" height="472" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP2Fq1nC3YBsDe5LmrYPQdmdylunzbDTC5FOg3eKVJXKtU0KH1JneyWe8UtA2h71GyLn7nBSFzSulmbfVCqGCUL7CjDIZqm0AuLO-XK691_hpBBPIHqn9FlQTfyB5L0aypP6jRVAhVjPY/s640/backgrounds-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bluebird on a yard decoration</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Yesterday was the first day of spring. Flowers are coming up and the birds are busy. Lately, we have noticed a pair of Bluebirds in our front yard each morning. Today I opened the window and got my camera and long zoom lens out to see if I could get a shot or two. They didn't cooperate as much as I hoped, but they did give me material for today's photo tip.<br />
<br />
When composing a photo it is important to pay attention to the background. Watch out for things that will take away some of the beauty of the photo. In this case, our neighbor's camper was in the background behind the male Bluebird.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjQRhkTOhNMjlwkncz-UZplvi2gaikbP9VLecLAMCyNVS5qe3VjzKZZxp-4dwHKEmL4HCojXDnzhHyxcueW4Y6LPnHOZSKHOAi9FGeKdL8sDCFNwTYFDs3EgDKGsrYLBp0rx8lAw-NMvM/s1600/backgrounds-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjQRhkTOhNMjlwkncz-UZplvi2gaikbP9VLecLAMCyNVS5qe3VjzKZZxp-4dwHKEmL4HCojXDnzhHyxcueW4Y6LPnHOZSKHOAi9FGeKdL8sDCFNwTYFDs3EgDKGsrYLBp0rx8lAw-NMvM/s640/backgrounds-2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bluebird With Camper</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I was shooting at a wider aperture (f/5.6) and zoomed in to 400mm, which blurred the background a little. You can still see the white of the camper. It looks unnatural and not exactly what I wanted. <br />
<br />
By getting a little lower I was able to shoot over the camper and include the green yard instead. All I had to do was do a few deep knee bends.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit4FiiULfqXMiVwAbQLsPmTU7UkbsZ9SJIb5htwUxbScEQcZhgwHRELskvO1T4kvSCwJmzwQLkBuI97WLAxAVzBrPZ9G-x_5i2JtY3YQ1fbUmi1EgVvF6ncafP72eYp4jP_xJQhRaUmGU/s1600/backgrounds-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit4FiiULfqXMiVwAbQLsPmTU7UkbsZ9SJIb5htwUxbScEQcZhgwHRELskvO1T4kvSCwJmzwQLkBuI97WLAxAVzBrPZ9G-x_5i2JtY3YQ1fbUmi1EgVvF6ncafP72eYp4jP_xJQhRaUmGU/s640/backgrounds-3.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No Camper!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This is a simple little example to illustrate the tip:<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>Check the background when composing your shot</li>
<li>If there is something that will distract from your photo try to remove it by moving to a different spot, either side to side or up and down. </li>
<li>This tip applies to all styles of photography.</li>
<li>Now, make this a habit by shooting as much as possible.</li>
</ol>
<div>
Outdoor nature and wildlife photography can be fun and is a great way to destress. Look for opportunities to make some photos, while staying "socially distant".</div>
Richard Sigginshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14939281700134450520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5348314635496142409.post-83127497550885243222020-01-05T23:02:00.000-05:002020-01-05T23:02:13.111-05:00Spring 2020 Basic Photography Class in KingsportMy Spring 2020 Basic Photography Class has been scheduled for March 5, 10, 12, and 17. The class will start out with learning the basics of photography - light, shutter speed, aperture and how to use them on your camera. From there we will get into color, composition, lighting, techniques and photographic gear selection. We'll talk about some common photography challenges and how to overcome them. We will go over different photo editing packages, organizing photos, printing, and sharing online. The class will be a combination of classroom teaching, practicing our new photography skills, and reviews of photography assignments.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTCqh5dZBadku8Osk1d_p6z_5CsKnNIWTv-zpDfEod6ZaLZKY9qLoeKqTW26dB7NAFxrWR8e29WyvODIpuGuUqUzjdXv2bLpE_mRzfQtceTqATlBMoou0BsF9YI81fSHD4B3jBhaIvzX8/s1600/class-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1161" data-original-width="1600" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTCqh5dZBadku8Osk1d_p6z_5CsKnNIWTv-zpDfEod6ZaLZKY9qLoeKqTW26dB7NAFxrWR8e29WyvODIpuGuUqUzjdXv2bLpE_mRzfQtceTqATlBMoou0BsF9YI81fSHD4B3jBhaIvzX8/s320/class-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
The class is designed for photographers of all ages who have a DSLR, mirrorless camera, or advanced compact camera. <br />
<br />
Classroom sessions are March 5, 10, 12 and 17 from 6:00 PM– 8:00 PM in the Eastman Employee Center. There will be one field trip on Saturday, March 14 to practice what we have learned. The Saturday time will depend on what works best for the majority of the students.<br />
<br />
In every class we will have time for:<br />
•<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Review of Homework – yes, we are in school again.<br />
•<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Problem Solving - Bring your camera and problem photos to class<br />
•<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Question and Answer<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcq_ty-8IlGIbk11CqeDfa29un9QkMgIcrldg7Y12YwzYuf_34emx5uyPwFaXdcbOMnKm6R3LOvOJy5v5gs60BcIE19JKCnN9hGsB4LYo4IZ6AN59DNMQwHOEohPC9s3aAP8yW_CZjBfo/s1600/class-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcq_ty-8IlGIbk11CqeDfa29un9QkMgIcrldg7Y12YwzYuf_34emx5uyPwFaXdcbOMnKm6R3LOvOJy5v5gs60BcIE19JKCnN9hGsB4LYo4IZ6AN59DNMQwHOEohPC9s3aAP8yW_CZjBfo/s400/class-2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
The class is open to Eastman Camera Club members. The good news is anyone can join the club by going to <a href="https://eastmancameraclub.net/">https://eastmancameraclub.net/</a> and clicking on About near the upper left of the page.<br />
<br />
Cost - $45/person. Maximum of 14 people per class. Please sign-up at the Toy F. Reid Eastman Employee Center (229-3771)<br />
<br />
Contact – <a href="mailto:rcsiggins@gmail.com">rcsiggins@gmail.com</a><br />
<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>423-416-1258<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Richard Sigginshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14939281700134450520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5348314635496142409.post-22097015226068747882019-10-13T10:19:00.000-04:002019-10-13T10:19:33.247-04:00A Useful Weather Page For Outdoor PhotographerIn my opinion, the most important part of photography is light. Sure composition and a sharp technique are key elements to making a good photo, but if you follow the light you can find the composition and use your photographic skills to make a great photo. As outdoor photographers, we are at the mercy of the weather to give us the light we want. <br />
<br />
I have used an App called The Photographers Ephemeris or TPE for years. It will tell me where the sun and moon will be for any given time and place anywhere in the world. This is more than just knowing when the sun comes up or goes down. It will tell me the direction and angle of elevation, which will tell me how the sunlight will affect the scene. You can use TPE for free on the web <a href="https://www.photoephemeris.com/tpe-for-desktop">https://www.photoephemeris.com/tpe-for-desktop</a> or buy a smartphone version for a few bucks. Check it out.<br />
<br />
Besides the sun, other major factors include clouds, wind, dew, and rain, There are many weather apps and websites available. One website I find useful is Weather Underground <a href="https://www.wunderground.com/">https://www.wunderground.com/</a> because of the useful information on the 10-day forecast.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEcIJjLzTr2K1GhF-KSZgwDeZxq0kLnubfyZH1SxCLExB5D0Vdf1oICvxQC_kIMcJZZiEM4jQuapV1gP3MutP-LXFcDlDk00E9T5hxVw9Azh8O23_IooeyhVEq8IOGnysph8XKDRqJuRw/s1600/weather.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="855" data-original-width="1226" height="446" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEcIJjLzTr2K1GhF-KSZgwDeZxq0kLnubfyZH1SxCLExB5D0Vdf1oICvxQC_kIMcJZZiEM4jQuapV1gP3MutP-LXFcDlDk00E9T5hxVw9Azh8O23_IooeyhVEq8IOGnysph8XKDRqJuRw/s640/weather.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
Some key pieces of information available on this single page.<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>General forecast - Partly Cloudy for today.</li>
<li>Forecasted temperature and dew point. When the temperature falls below the dew point you get dew on the grass, flowers, etc. making for great macro photos.</li>
<li>Cloud cover - sometimes you want lots of cloud cover to give nice soft light. Other times you want scattered clouds for photos that include the sky. The example above shows cloudy in the morning and burning off around noon.</li>
<li>Wind speed - this is important if you are wanting to minimize plant movement in the image. In this example, the wind is forecast to pick up around noon.</li>
</ul>
<div>
Using this example I can see that the morning is best for macro photos of flowers and the afternoon might be better for big landscape shots.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
As photographers, we have a wealth of information that can help us plan our outings and improve out odds of making great photos. Now, go out and make some.</div>
Richard Sigginshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14939281700134450520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5348314635496142409.post-47538908306639541192019-09-13T19:58:00.000-04:002019-09-13T19:58:02.201-04:00Registration is open for the next Basic Photography Class<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiRI1QHOvpbyjPFuCl8nhdZrKIOgOAUY7BFGDv7Xsxd5SmMPaPje-ahodHGcZeCsOBJZmNNEdeS144mJu2_JH_nVHIq7gu4BtBRKynI6buf1mUWQtV5Zu-9eVz0Dn7H0E_m2FOlEPSNSI/s1600/class-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiRI1QHOvpbyjPFuCl8nhdZrKIOgOAUY7BFGDv7Xsxd5SmMPaPje-ahodHGcZeCsOBJZmNNEdeS144mJu2_JH_nVHIq7gu4BtBRKynI6buf1mUWQtV5Zu-9eVz0Dn7H0E_m2FOlEPSNSI/s400/class-2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
I teach a basic photography class about 3 - 4 times a year. The next one has been scheduled for:<br />
<br />
Thursday, Nov. 7 6 - 8 PM<br />
Tuesday, Nov. 12 6 - 8 PM<br />
Thursday, Nov. 14 6 - 8 PM<br />
Saturday, Nov. 16 TBD - outing time depends on what works best for the class.<br />
Tuesday, Nov 19 6 - 8 PM<br />
<br />
That's 10 hours of instruction!<br />
<br />
The class will start out with learning the basics of photography - light, shutter speed, aperture and how to use them on your camera. From there we will get into color, composition, lighting, techniques and photographic gear selection. We'll talk about some common photography challenges and how to overcome them. We will go over different photo editing packages, organizing photos, printing, and sharing online. The class will be a combination of classroom teaching, practicing our new photography skills, and reviews of photography assignments.<br />
<br />
The class is designed for photographers of all ages who have a DSLR, mirrorless camera, or advanced compact camera.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirtIwdqJZHMW3oy5IrZsgAgoUtnmIJxvi2jC-QILMEOJm-5UcHT5OxPQoPkugwVJGtVbIj_mLWIHRN-MmCwUUNBhYv4ljNQ0Rc6-cUBqjlUFv5sN5WlMa9u4rrXkh-hMNKYalJK102d9U/s1600/class-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="858" data-original-width="1600" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirtIwdqJZHMW3oy5IrZsgAgoUtnmIJxvi2jC-QILMEOJm-5UcHT5OxPQoPkugwVJGtVbIj_mLWIHRN-MmCwUUNBhYv4ljNQ0Rc6-cUBqjlUFv5sN5WlMa9u4rrXkh-hMNKYalJK102d9U/s320/class-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Classroom sessions are November 7, 12, 14 and 19 from 6:00 PM– 8:00 PM in the Eastman Employee Center.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
There will be one field trip on Saturday, November 16 to practice what we have learned. The Saturday time will depend on what works best for the majority of the students.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
In every class we will have time for:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Review of Homework – yes, we are in school again.</li>
<li>Problem Solving - Bring your camera and problem photos to class</li>
<li>Question and Answer</li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
The class is open to Eastman Camera Club members. The good news is anyone can join the club by going to <a href="https://eastmancameraclub.net/">https://eastmancameraclub.net</a>/ and clicking on About near the upper left of the page.<br />
<br />
Cost - $45/person. Maximum of 14 people per class. Please sign-up at the Toy F. Reid Eastman Employee Center (229-3771)<br />
<br />
Contact me if you have questions – richard@thesiggins.com<br />
423-416-1258Richard Sigginshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14939281700134450520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5348314635496142409.post-47377369879009083492019-08-09T17:17:00.000-04:002019-08-09T17:17:41.415-04:00Photo Adrenaline and The 1%I got to do something few of my fellow photographers have gotten to do. I went with June and five friends to Machias Seal Island Migratory Bird Sanctuary (MBS). It is a tiny, treeless oceanic island in the Bay of Fundy rising barely 30 feet above sea level. This is one of the best locations where Atlantic Puffins raise their young before heading back out to sea. It was something I was really looking forward to.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMyvlS1ILeRI7GEgcIiP_BMmG7v5fizb5_NexoyqRLg37E8SYBXYju25Q-obIdgtE0966hDOqWOlQs533LCHq-9ptrwbkEjaGAOcMCGsbhHcJp5v9gXL0yB48XFAdanlHC8stnNMiI1p8/s1600/terns-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMyvlS1ILeRI7GEgcIiP_BMmG7v5fizb5_NexoyqRLg37E8SYBXYju25Q-obIdgtE0966hDOqWOlQs533LCHq-9ptrwbkEjaGAOcMCGsbhHcJp5v9gXL0yB48XFAdanlHC8stnNMiI1p8/s400/terns-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
To get to the island you have to take a boat from Cutler Maine or Grand Manan Island New Brunswick. The number of visitors is strictly limited and you have to make reservations months in advance to get one of the trips in June and July.<br />
<br />
Once we got there, we were instructed while on the island to always walk with a Tern Stick above our heads. The ArcticTerns were also raising young on the island and they will aggressively attack anyone without the protection of a stick above their heads.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOdYWt-0gHCqhyphenhyphenk2os7xJMGz8SrKLNi6BT79bOxbdXFEvTrKsPLrr_8gHbRxL-bxJ2JdSpCzoLNiFuT_kGKTyAbrCsQrn0QEsGe9_Qn24qP-zI-EyXWWxZcn2W0F1NvlHdZaExnIlyXek/s1600/terns-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOdYWt-0gHCqhyphenhyphenk2os7xJMGz8SrKLNi6BT79bOxbdXFEvTrKsPLrr_8gHbRxL-bxJ2JdSpCzoLNiFuT_kGKTyAbrCsQrn0QEsGe9_Qn24qP-zI-EyXWWxZcn2W0F1NvlHdZaExnIlyXek/s640/terns-2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tern Attack!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghSdg8Ln52FeiI_5eAZgX4J8rQpqSb95LcBA3uEYciXnTqWYS6DC8nMT8QxKO0WFpxD1iNH3SsgLd0KX7BCG5fe6jyNW5laJpvqEC77E9HCywOcUaYgk2HnAUKJJHqLgzzILqOJeuswFA/s1600/term-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghSdg8Ln52FeiI_5eAZgX4J8rQpqSb95LcBA3uEYciXnTqWYS6DC8nMT8QxKO0WFpxD1iNH3SsgLd0KX7BCG5fe6jyNW5laJpvqEC77E9HCywOcUaYgk2HnAUKJJHqLgzzILqOJeuswFA/s640/term-3.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Arctic Term With Lunch</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_4UjQUWRuBSiKB_YwoNx1Qvf43RuOywU0UCb4MogDv_592Ycme5fDXFqaQR-QGI05SU31odGGyCuIyS3kYvHKJxpZfoyszZ18aFSDi_0BWv7eMBt03qAPTG-P-_xZl2rczAQQPUizT0U/s1600/puffins-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_4UjQUWRuBSiKB_YwoNx1Qvf43RuOywU0UCb4MogDv_592Ycme5fDXFqaQR-QGI05SU31odGGyCuIyS3kYvHKJxpZfoyszZ18aFSDi_0BWv7eMBt03qAPTG-P-_xZl2rczAQQPUizT0U/s320/puffins-2.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Camera and Bird Blind</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
After being given the strict rules of the island, we were led to one of several bird blinds where four of us stood shoulder to shoulder for about 45 minutes while photographing Puffins, Razorbills, and those aggressive Terns.<br />
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As I said, I was looking forward to photographing Puffins. Once we were in the blind and opened the tiny windows, we saw hundreds of Puffins all over the rocky shore of the island. They were everywhere and many were just a couple feet away. Sometimes they looked right at me.<br />
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My photo adrenaline was pumping and I shot 1,439 photos in the one hour and 45 minutes we were on the island! Now, what am I going to do with that many photos? Realistically, I should only need about a dozen photos, or less than 1% of what I shot.<br />
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Reviewing my Puffin photos I can identify several mistakes I made.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnnmtZMQDs3S5_d1D-RNz8HdIvKMLD0LqTe82JiqSwloIylnK5xxQjqrW7vfS7kYKxqioWNlNchq6x0zwFo7W-nOo7NkXzP5oE4zvzMnl8N0biVNLnmT9wK4NYAJOzjaN9WfTxCw2noDw/s1600/puffins-6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnnmtZMQDs3S5_d1D-RNz8HdIvKMLD0LqTe82JiqSwloIylnK5xxQjqrW7vfS7kYKxqioWNlNchq6x0zwFo7W-nOo7NkXzP5oE4zvzMnl8N0biVNLnmT9wK4NYAJOzjaN9WfTxCw2noDw/s640/puffins-6.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">400mm, 1/2000 sec, f/18, ISO 10000</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<ol>
<li>Using a center focal area caused me to crop off the Puffin's feet when they were very close. I should have moved the focus area higher in the frame to avoid this.</li>
<li>Many photos are very similar. I could have worked harder on composing more interesting environmental photos, shots that show cute behavior or other compositions rather than firing like a semi-automatic machine gun.</li>
<li>I have many shots of the back of the bird where I can't see the eyes. Why did I shoot these? Adrenaline!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpPfCnqD4NIiQyuiam9vmXAbZIPRIuAMAgrQKUhCxpBosrT4iA5-7o4eQ9dmfD5bNCTmqjPHkwkjK0k8SFCIeHGRKx_Wm5slY0Kx1NgGa1YtnBpPP5LhLHRjECf4NvrBXGgUVJUzvvY-k/s1600/puffins-9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpPfCnqD4NIiQyuiam9vmXAbZIPRIuAMAgrQKUhCxpBosrT4iA5-7o4eQ9dmfD5bNCTmqjPHkwkjK0k8SFCIeHGRKx_Wm5slY0Kx1NgGa1YtnBpPP5LhLHRjECf4NvrBXGgUVJUzvvY-k/s400/puffins-9.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
</li>
<li>Those shots of a Puffin with several small fish hanging out of their bill is rare, or it was for our group. I only saw a Puffin with a fish once, and it quickly jumped down between rocks without turning it's head for me.</li>
<li>Trying to focus on a bird in flight with foliage in the background is futile. In most of these shots, the camera focused on the background, not the bird. It was much easier to focus on the bird when they had clear skies behind them, then track them. Once I lock on, the camera can do a much better job keeping the bird in focus, even when they fly by the foliage.</li>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ4GPlB5YBSxlN6FfSfuCUo0cKmGzwqX0Jx5_wzO33tDT-bwR-iqaG5IkBHNyn1kFkxmJXJx_Iwai2XMa_vC8yzyfPSaLR3hCVVJx8vx7wiV6dwteB9EP8flVLo-olZF5lW8jLNQNQQdU/s1600/puffin-7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ4GPlB5YBSxlN6FfSfuCUo0cKmGzwqX0Jx5_wzO33tDT-bwR-iqaG5IkBHNyn1kFkxmJXJx_Iwai2XMa_vC8yzyfPSaLR3hCVVJx8vx7wiV6dwteB9EP8flVLo-olZF5lW8jLNQNQQdU/s320/puffin-7.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Puffin With Fish</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<li>When the birds were very close, the depth of field where things are in focus was small. I needed to shoot with an f-stop of f/8 or higher to get multiple birds in focus.</li>
</ol>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCwfZ9ytt-nlwEcktxOaz-nTYmBhrtehMB533VRtb4EvWlsjEkPjPs_Uhu7O3Ot_4eLdqym6uLY59pCao42O0bZMipj2RjHbXgF98A6GIcinXUkp82Mi5TxyK9p0nmLiXSdL5-3bQioyM/s1600/puffins-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1085" data-original-width="1600" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCwfZ9ytt-nlwEcktxOaz-nTYmBhrtehMB533VRtb4EvWlsjEkPjPs_Uhu7O3Ot_4eLdqym6uLY59pCao42O0bZMipj2RjHbXgF98A6GIcinXUkp82Mi5TxyK9p0nmLiXSdL5-3bQioyM/s400/puffins-5.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Razorbill</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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It was mostly foggy while we were on the island, which I understand is the normal weather condition. The fog made shooting birds at a distance difficult. Either the camera couldn't focus or the fog made the photos too hazy. I did get a few clear shots at a distance, such as the bird in the water and the one in flight.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmZJu_HBaLJo_ZkQlPN1g1RQoXzmM15lLvCKEAWItKrCkaYEyQAQgHgEuHfD_OUDey6d_AvV-ckwu5vNBJ0aoUapJ5wiI5-8neP6nxR6RwEryYrD5HiAsJya3dMPleeyVoN9fCE23J-4Y/s1600/puffins-10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmZJu_HBaLJo_ZkQlPN1g1RQoXzmM15lLvCKEAWItKrCkaYEyQAQgHgEuHfD_OUDey6d_AvV-ckwu5vNBJ0aoUapJ5wiI5-8neP6nxR6RwEryYrD5HiAsJya3dMPleeyVoN9fCE23J-4Y/s640/puffins-10.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div>
<br />
I have now reduced the 1,439 photos from the Machias Island trip down to 175. I have picked 15 that I like, which means I have reached my goal of narrowing my photos down to the 1%.</div>
Richard Sigginshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14939281700134450520noreply@blogger.com1Machias Seal Island, Grand Manan44.502302 -67.10126819999999344.4966395 -67.1113532 44.5079645 -67.091183199999989tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5348314635496142409.post-61063084419811536402019-07-28T15:24:00.002-04:002019-07-28T15:24:52.422-04:00Use Limitations To Unleash Your CreativityOver the years I have gathered quite a collection of cameras and lenses. So much so that when June decided to try her hand with an interchangeable lens camera I was able to give her a mirrorless camera and three lenses. This is my backup camera and three lenses that I no longer use but never got around to selling. Not counting the three lenses I gave June, I have six lenses covering focal lengths from 12mm to 400mm (18-600mm in full-frame terms). Because I use a cropped sensor mirrorless camera system I can easily carry all those lenses in a single backpack. I pretty much have unlimited flexibility with which to create my photos. I found this flexibility was putting me into a creative rut. I was relying on my collection of lenses to come up with a good composition. <br />
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Don't misunderstand -- each of those lenses serves a different purpose, from fast wide 12mm lens for night sky photos to the 100-400mm zoom for wildlife photography. Sometimes I would use a lens that is typically not used for a given style of photography, such as using the 100-400mm zoom for landscapes, but most of the time I was relying on a zoom lens to compose the photo without making other efforts to be creative.<br />
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Recently we took a couple trips to Knoxville Tennessee, Michigan, and Indiana. For a couple outings on those trips, I took only one lens - a 35mm f/2 prime (no zooming) lens for my Fuji XT-3 mirrorless camera. I recently added this lens to my collection because the 35mm focal length is close what our eyes see (normal lens) and the wide f/2 maximum aperture allows me to shoot in low light conditions and to blur the background in my photos. It's a tiny little lightweight lens on a small mirrorless camera that doesn't attract much attention or weigh much at all. I can carry it all day long and no one pays much attention to the little camera and lens.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeShXbgdcONa-aGsheMY99Qa2mnxo2mV3I361UaQx5Awm-bJb6l4NFX98FoauAJbFKoabYOWSwczPsMkYg3mqWd2NIkaGMTTENNRO9EC3GpFNnspo3azwe2vwWeglHlvvMS6H2y6TvHlU/s1600/Creative-12.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeShXbgdcONa-aGsheMY99Qa2mnxo2mV3I361UaQx5Awm-bJb6l4NFX98FoauAJbFKoabYOWSwczPsMkYg3mqWd2NIkaGMTTENNRO9EC3GpFNnspo3azwe2vwWeglHlvvMS6H2y6TvHlU/s640/Creative-12.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">f/2 at 1/50 sec, ISO 800</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
By limiting myself to a single focal length I had to compensate by moving around to get a good composition. The wide f/2 aperture allowed me to shoot in dark places I couldn't with other lenses, such as the bar, but at the same time, I had to think about creatively using the depth of field.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht5a7w-aEbPZMBeqja17vmp2Xo-PfnsZmtVueum7-duZ74EVa5-TWY3I90HkKJVKFZnh6OslLPJhksb1zEvlPRaApDf3fyBLfxPYiEakJjbWZJyMvvUiaQORQBuNczxPsTGt55V3lceX8/s1600/Creative-3.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht5a7w-aEbPZMBeqja17vmp2Xo-PfnsZmtVueum7-duZ74EVa5-TWY3I90HkKJVKFZnh6OslLPJhksb1zEvlPRaApDf3fyBLfxPYiEakJjbWZJyMvvUiaQORQBuNczxPsTGt55V3lceX8/s320/Creative-3.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">f/4, 1/1600 sec, ISO 4000</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL9pxSAVGrqwQlLZ9pFUWukSj5fRuXyWWKa921G8Hir7h0imCD7Oen5eNg-5POI0Y4AdDS_-6amZu2UqRUb3Zj5M5Qd40WWUOjl6-Bx5kTBkUKaLbSxGIk11nM7TdhSoQojRaZxe-w3R0/s1600/Creative-1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="1600" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL9pxSAVGrqwQlLZ9pFUWukSj5fRuXyWWKa921G8Hir7h0imCD7Oen5eNg-5POI0Y4AdDS_-6amZu2UqRUb3Zj5M5Qd40WWUOjl6-Bx5kTBkUKaLbSxGIk11nM7TdhSoQojRaZxe-w3R0/s320/Creative-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">f/2, 1/10 sec, ISO 400</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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I found myself having to look around and find new perspectives. While waiting outside a gift shop, I found a whirlygig that had some cool shapes. I could use the f/2 aperture to blur out any distracting elements in the background. I focused on water dripping from a pipe. I found a single yellow petal from a Sunflower in a bed of red leaves (I didn't put it there, this time.)</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-KZtv5Qc9wIpTGNW3wEy5H2X_ArspM8naMBr820tSfNTE5Yi6zB7e-fJCZACqlNmcvOV-JFPoWiLI9hxKwjortSAZU6X5za95nv9R0rt6e5JyAMBk4-JgpdSN4sh1a5ou-mCXKL_G70k/s1600/Creative-2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-KZtv5Qc9wIpTGNW3wEy5H2X_ArspM8naMBr820tSfNTE5Yi6zB7e-fJCZACqlNmcvOV-JFPoWiLI9hxKwjortSAZU6X5za95nv9R0rt6e5JyAMBk4-JgpdSN4sh1a5ou-mCXKL_G70k/s640/Creative-2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">f 5.6, 1/90 sec, ISO 320</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpQsC6LXWiPzEEeGmivk4Vfna_OVpL2cF3dXqHlJ29AsOi_Ytq1xtfWpIMMna5fC7iehlUotirEQ5hQCzPxc6yjeRlSQS1tTHIp3uNXip6sOBU7hDGQxsC5loBDaWpdzSgzq5gu4s7Txg/s1600/Creative-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpQsC6LXWiPzEEeGmivk4Vfna_OVpL2cF3dXqHlJ29AsOi_Ytq1xtfWpIMMna5fC7iehlUotirEQ5hQCzPxc6yjeRlSQS1tTHIp3uNXip6sOBU7hDGQxsC5loBDaWpdzSgzq5gu4s7Txg/s640/Creative-5.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">f/2.8, 1/2000 sec, ISO 200</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Sometimes the 35mm focal length worked out, such as the bridge photo. Other times I had to work to create a pleasing composition because of physical barriers that kept me from being able to stand where I wanted, such as the boat and lily pad flower and the red/orange flowers where I had to cut off the left petal.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZDw6Sg64z2aS6K6Dmpu4C41SDl38KVEkYfj-vCpLiTMCWgge3PRhreY8YtWkbVDcNmT4PrIm2x_TMqTYUSowFnqhs0cjqt7U8rEPOiADLbDPtujPTKwB7_0f7mfmeXRkohOf1y-jYGpA/s1600/Creative-4.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1244" data-original-width="1600" height="496" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZDw6Sg64z2aS6K6Dmpu4C41SDl38KVEkYfj-vCpLiTMCWgge3PRhreY8YtWkbVDcNmT4PrIm2x_TMqTYUSowFnqhs0cjqt7U8rEPOiADLbDPtujPTKwB7_0f7mfmeXRkohOf1y-jYGpA/s640/Creative-4.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">f/7.1, 1/100 sec, ISO 200</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCzlhQVlEo2dWpHkN4YUted8g-dT58m4D7Uz8o9sBpp84R6sGZ-MhRy2vbK6dRa2UCHX7vY18zlLuVynvE8sDB_zPQsGQxV3QTt7m4p5CIuMHseIIwhdhWyVY3nhl5idT8WS8z7o7pkmA/s1600/Creative-7.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCzlhQVlEo2dWpHkN4YUted8g-dT58m4D7Uz8o9sBpp84R6sGZ-MhRy2vbK6dRa2UCHX7vY18zlLuVynvE8sDB_zPQsGQxV3QTt7m4p5CIuMHseIIwhdhWyVY3nhl5idT8WS8z7o7pkmA/s320/Creative-7.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">f/16, 1/120 sec, ISO 640</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I found that I enjoyed my single-lens outings and found some creative photos that I might have missed if I had relied on my arsenal of lenses. My new photos don't look like the thousands I have already taken. By restricting one area, I have opened up my creativity and made photography fun.<br />
<br />
Give this a try. You don't have to restrict yourself to a single fixed focal length lens. Restrict yourself in other ways -- only make photos that contain a specific color. Only do portrait orientation photos. Limit yourself to a specific aperture or shutter speed setting. You might find you have more fun while learning to be more creative.<br />
<br />
Here are a few more photos from those single-lens days.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIJpA5yazdU728fD8SMRcHmig9aDhVTmQOBiLAzx8na9e13PeBb9xXKth5H0HN_xEyelXszvj6Jgb27K1N1TSu-5ioWa0I-lYzFJmGLUJ7niAkHMLMftlbGx2NFljOg_VuFVDa4bibwy4/s1600/Creative-6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIJpA5yazdU728fD8SMRcHmig9aDhVTmQOBiLAzx8na9e13PeBb9xXKth5H0HN_xEyelXszvj6Jgb27K1N1TSu-5ioWa0I-lYzFJmGLUJ7niAkHMLMftlbGx2NFljOg_VuFVDa4bibwy4/s640/Creative-6.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">f/5.6, 1/105 sec, ISO 400</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT0Rca4KaLveEYI6T2gohwgxsnQ-vZrikZuhAkh380DrvZCg0Szy6GjdwdQOwMvjZfZOcu7tKsAA4ZMad-oyDX1f9CHlMCHyY9dF7EzJXp3VsWNlBmusH158BXTaFWagZaX7XcHu483sQ/s1600/Creative-8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT0Rca4KaLveEYI6T2gohwgxsnQ-vZrikZuhAkh380DrvZCg0Szy6GjdwdQOwMvjZfZOcu7tKsAA4ZMad-oyDX1f9CHlMCHyY9dF7EzJXp3VsWNlBmusH158BXTaFWagZaX7XcHu483sQ/s640/Creative-8.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">f/5, 1/150 sec, ISO 200</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOp_sLNUxxF8kx6WLyNl1vLg8rIgWLfXU8cc9GYCnySLhTrRDInFPHNxzzXJmSFs2Av-lNE-nWbp7JA4jZm-jcwkZo37NhTWqghp6kNzTaZ7OCPaOs6b5zmOi-yh3JgiKrEwMJjGmlZQU/s1600/Creative-9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1139" data-original-width="1600" height="454" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOp_sLNUxxF8kx6WLyNl1vLg8rIgWLfXU8cc9GYCnySLhTrRDInFPHNxzzXJmSFs2Av-lNE-nWbp7JA4jZm-jcwkZo37NhTWqghp6kNzTaZ7OCPaOs6b5zmOi-yh3JgiKrEwMJjGmlZQU/s640/Creative-9.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">f/2, 1/125 sec, ISO 160</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghSGn_McTd_RUCYZ8Xv6GzxiCQkSD76kfhPOWLotaGCgNYAjM29qSeHhdCCrcQRgqMHtTh7lrubZH337CWOTC_evuQo0OmbQQJrY4dFbTanczet0bvM49df25cOENqHKdE3IonBFDWd8M/s1600/Creative-10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1248" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghSGn_McTd_RUCYZ8Xv6GzxiCQkSD76kfhPOWLotaGCgNYAjM29qSeHhdCCrcQRgqMHtTh7lrubZH337CWOTC_evuQo0OmbQQJrY4dFbTanczet0bvM49df25cOENqHKdE3IonBFDWd8M/s640/Creative-10.jpg" width="498" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">f/2, 1/50 sec, ISO 1000</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyqbByqrAM_I5qu2sl_DI35DJHkyDV4P4qZVhm2jJSYGB2ZSLZ0QolyQdpf42vFKQodYyXhxazhT2Uuhk-_3pkqk1z-EbvagUkPmLxiAV-RYO2YtJmUryH4YTULG2WjbkGDczr-J80nHg/s1600/Creative-11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1127" data-original-width="1600" height="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyqbByqrAM_I5qu2sl_DI35DJHkyDV4P4qZVhm2jJSYGB2ZSLZ0QolyQdpf42vFKQodYyXhxazhT2Uuhk-_3pkqk1z-EbvagUkPmLxiAV-RYO2YtJmUryH4YTULG2WjbkGDczr-J80nHg/s640/Creative-11.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">f/4, 1/45 sec, ISO 160</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />Richard Sigginshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14939281700134450520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5348314635496142409.post-20911964039329986252019-07-07T12:18:00.000-04:002019-07-07T12:18:10.941-04:00Don't Be A Digital HoarderHere are a few tips on dealing with something that can be difficult for some people to do - deleting photos.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBVCqB5BSH-7EFJ0_avFosxsSRiw8s6gh-KTeQpTeBRQqVb3JRTxj66l8c5HmHDUpLL7lV8Vy-6oNpiqWKNVctJZb7XPb1VYtemqB2gh0dt1TGw2z1NG8TpMpdEd0cS1kJlHcy9u-C6vI/s1600/culling-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1262" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBVCqB5BSH-7EFJ0_avFosxsSRiw8s6gh-KTeQpTeBRQqVb3JRTxj66l8c5HmHDUpLL7lV8Vy-6oNpiqWKNVctJZb7XPb1VYtemqB2gh0dt1TGw2z1NG8TpMpdEd0cS1kJlHcy9u-C6vI/s400/culling-1.jpg" width="315" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Violets from a walk in a local park.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
In the age of high-speed digital cameras and huge memory cards, it's easy to make several hundred photos in a day. This is especially true when visiting a place rich with photo opportunities, such as a National Park. It can be true when just going for a walk with your camera. Sometimes when I load the photos on my computer I will have an overwhelming number to deal with. Here's what I do to manage those.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNDlZKruDY74NpcrTpW5Zggn4T6D7t4FcJOua4sMirGM0ZBdHMBcO1khGbwVVC-MJb17DNFMzFIvwBP6hVKczbV-ssu1r8DmYkyj2ub1BXLxSq8hayZSiGozwrSY8os2mVTepCTJ7qsJM/s1600/culling-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1005" data-original-width="1600" height="402" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNDlZKruDY74NpcrTpW5Zggn4T6D7t4FcJOua4sMirGM0ZBdHMBcO1khGbwVVC-MJb17DNFMzFIvwBP6hVKczbV-ssu1r8DmYkyj2ub1BXLxSq8hayZSiGozwrSY8os2mVTepCTJ7qsJM/s640/culling-2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sandhill Cranes from Hiwassee, TN.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>I use Adobe Lightroom to manage all my photos on my home computer. First thing I do after loading the day's photos is to quickly go through and mark the obvious duds as rejects, then delete them. There is nothing special about how Lightroom does this. Other software tools allow you to quickly get rid of the duds. The important thing is to get rid of those bad photos.</li>
<li>I find I want to pick a few photos to quickly edit and share online. There is nothing wrong with this, as long as I don't stop there, leaving a lot of abandoned digital images on my computer.</li>
<li>Wait a few days then go through the photos again, picking out some more favorites to edit and more importantly, deleting more. I always have lots of photos that are just so-so that I will probably never touch. My camera will shoot 11 frames a second on high-speed mode so I find I also have many images of the same thing. I use the Lightroom compare feature to cull those down to one or two to keep.</li>
<li>The final step is one I don't always do but can be the most important. I will go back to the photos several months later and go through them again. At this point, I will have several that I edited, and some of those are marked as my picks or favorites. I want to be aggressive here, deleting the majority of those unedited photos. Sometimes I'll find a photo that I hadn't edited that turns out to be a keeper, like the two in this post. Most of the time I find I still have a lot of photos not worth keeping. It is this final step where I do the most clean up. When we come back from a photo outing we are excited about our photos and don't want to delete them. It's amazing how much easier it is to get rid of them a few months later. This morning I went through just three photo outings and deleted 549 images. </li>
</ol>
<div>
Like a closet or garage, it's easy to let digital images get cluttered on your computer. Be aggressive and don't become a digital hoarder. </div>
Richard Sigginshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14939281700134450520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5348314635496142409.post-90863362094635224172019-06-25T18:52:00.000-04:002019-06-25T18:52:47.748-04:00Fun With PanningPanning photography can be fun and frustrating. Fun because you can make some fantastic photos that really grab a viewers attention. Frustrating because it is not easy and takes some practice. The good news is you can do this with most any camera that allows you to set the shutter speed.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu0MgDCZApFm7QOp58bs4IRM03mf4XK_5Lrva7oPsVeLQwvlidb0Wn9-7SbOB1ztKMICsQHXxDy4TZ8CNmphQjBW_dKsRHt4aOlMeVAlVONwMYlvmoy-DK9-UpOOtbNDKPrpIuZXp3c4c/s1600/Panning-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu0MgDCZApFm7QOp58bs4IRM03mf4XK_5Lrva7oPsVeLQwvlidb0Wn9-7SbOB1ztKMICsQHXxDy4TZ8CNmphQjBW_dKsRHt4aOlMeVAlVONwMYlvmoy-DK9-UpOOtbNDKPrpIuZXp3c4c/s640/Panning-4.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A panning example. 1/15 sec, f/13 at 27mm (full frame equivalent)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Panning is a technique where the photographer pans the camera along with the moving subject keeping the subject close to the same position in the frame. When done correctly, and with a bit of luck, you end up getting a <i>relatively </i>sharp subject but a blurred background, like the photo of the red Mustang.<br />
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Recently June and I were exploring downtown Knoxville, Tennessee around the Market Square. It's a fun place to practice street photography, which is candid unposed photography of people, typically in an urban setting. There are plenty of interesting people in downtown Knoxville on a Friday night, doing many different things. One thing we saw lots of were people zipping around on e-scooters. People on scooters make great subjects for panning because:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>They are slow moving</li>
<li>They are on predictable paths</li>
<li>The main subject is people</li>
</ul>
<br />
You can do panning with other subjects but faster subjects moving erratically are more difficult to photograph.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXM4OVT7QrdkbuUWA2i_0wG99STjLDAaOsWniypjmvzRZ0uUL_ajzm-2sqLPduxpaPH582JQyYMhXTA1nr4vCaeMdUjgnNLYnju0izOkdF4NOF_2nADKx7C8G1wmz_5Z773kipvIM91JM/s1600/Panning-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXM4OVT7QrdkbuUWA2i_0wG99STjLDAaOsWniypjmvzRZ0uUL_ajzm-2sqLPduxpaPH582JQyYMhXTA1nr4vCaeMdUjgnNLYnju0izOkdF4NOF_2nADKx7C8G1wmz_5Z773kipvIM91JM/s640/Panning-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Too slow. 1/10 sec, f/14 at 53mm</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>Setting up the camera</b> - You will want to be in Shutter Priority or Manual Mode. For a slower moving subject, such as scooters and bicyclists, you will want a shutter speed between 1/15 and 1/30 of a second. Using a shutter speed slower than 1/15 will make it difficult to avoid motion blur in the subject, as in the motorcyclist above. You may need a faster shutter speed when photographing a faster moving subject.<br />
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Set the camera to continuous focus tracking so that it will adjust focus as the distance to the subject changes. Using burst mode or continuous shooting mode will allow you to take many shots as the subject moves by you. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheY7SYj_gGHREpaB2nNzninLPNgVIVPlRARU7rUB-roB4E6lz2KKdplfdbXE2ITMlXExqHYGXAC7P4P3dAIInliDqUeTtwpHN4lN1zEJTCSoNV5Zgpf6eCKHepC8TbW52VtyXg1nH2PSo/s1600/Panning-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheY7SYj_gGHREpaB2nNzninLPNgVIVPlRARU7rUB-roB4E6lz2KKdplfdbXE2ITMlXExqHYGXAC7P4P3dAIInliDqUeTtwpHN4lN1zEJTCSoNV5Zgpf6eCKHepC8TbW52VtyXg1nH2PSo/s640/Panning-2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1/18 sec, f/11 at 53mm</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>Setting up the shot</b> - you want to position yourself so your view of the subject is perpendicular to the direction of motion, as seen in these example photos. This will minimize the change in camera to subject distance and improve the odds that the camera will be able to keep the subject in focus.<br />
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Be aware of the background. Just like any photograph, you don't want a bright colorful background to distract from the subject. Also, watch out for objects in front of the subject as you pan.<br />
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I like to zoom out a bit and crop later to get a better composition. As the subject approaches center them in the photo and press the shutter. In burst mode, the camera will keep taking photos as long as you keep your finger on the shutter or the memory buffer fills up. The key is to keep the subject in the same position within the frame. It's not as easy as it sounds and this is the part that takes practice and a bit of luck. Keep shooting while the subject moves past you.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTWGY2HGR6y4AOW26Pf5E1Gv6WW0fHZXKxiLMQ4kgvCwJEnz9Fq6wcCD7YLTPS2y2eICmCPE6L8dt-pl9UEeYuPEaQQJ6U1i0Sifw7lXCx9RiIlF5pU51qyUsLrAK7-16sS9VaRpveMxE/s1600/Panning-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTWGY2HGR6y4AOW26Pf5E1Gv6WW0fHZXKxiLMQ4kgvCwJEnz9Fq6wcCD7YLTPS2y2eICmCPE6L8dt-pl9UEeYuPEaQQJ6U1i0Sifw7lXCx9RiIlF5pU51qyUsLrAK7-16sS9VaRpveMxE/s640/Panning-3.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1/15 sec, f/11 at 53mm</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Go out and give this a try. It will take a lot of practice so be patient. You can practice by heading to most any downtown area where there are cars or people passing by. Add your comments to this post to let me know how you're doing.Richard Sigginshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14939281700134450520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5348314635496142409.post-45077531072316986192019-06-16T18:10:00.001-04:002020-09-24T16:03:04.968-04:00Let's Get Rid of The NoiseI don't usually do software reviews but sometimes I run across a tool that is so much better than what I have to work with that I have to tell others about it. This time it's <a href="https://topazlabs.com/denoise-ai/" target="_blank">DeNoise AI</a> from <a href="https://topazlabs.com/" target="_blank">Topaz Labs</a>. <br />
<br />
I have plenty of photo editing tools, including Lightroom Classic, Photoshop, and On1 Photo RAW 2019. Until recently I have resisted the siren call of the latest greatest piece of software that will make all my photos look fantastic. I find it's better to be proficient in a few than to have a toolbox of expensive packages that I rarely use. About a month ago I saw a review of the DeNoise AI package and thought I would give it a try. Several friends use Topaz Labs software but I had not gone down that path. They offered a free trial so I decided to give it a try. I'm glad I gave it a try. I'm now the proud owner of another piece of software for photo editing.<br />
<br />
The reason I decided to put the $79.99 down and buy a copy is the quality of the images that come out of the software. I like to photograph birds, which means I'm shooting at shutter speeds of 1/1000 - 1/2000 second. My long lens that I use for bird photography works best at f/6.4. That means I am often shooting at high ISO values that result in noisy photos like the one below.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuHzN2Xp8gMZWjTCWdRDaSSoBG2A_VuRFRpPRIAMevEdkDujM1i1Guuen-Y6oPqLWyxeQAI1gE3L2vzwlZAu2zzyYMUNVbzL-itgqscmopVKOXAvF09frWAw9LXnvrHSHqYIAMdWNIEH8/s1600/Noise-1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1508" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuHzN2Xp8gMZWjTCWdRDaSSoBG2A_VuRFRpPRIAMevEdkDujM1i1Guuen-Y6oPqLWyxeQAI1gE3L2vzwlZAu2zzyYMUNVbzL-itgqscmopVKOXAvF09frWAw9LXnvrHSHqYIAMdWNIEH8/s640/Noise-1.jpg" width="602" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1/1000 sec at f/6.4 ISO 12800</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This photo is cropped down to about 25% of the original size of the RAW file out of my Fuji X-T3. You can see the noise in the background. That's more noise than I like. I used the Lightroom Noise Reduction tools and was able to remove some of the noise, but lost some of the details in the bird.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCuwM-HqHPSOJCcZNeJERuN5AdYBNMES4zEuRPHM0Fsua4nIKgiJPhyphenhyphenCBmCOHB7xt1NKXb_rTy4kVqin4Ji1K9YdV9aqEmvfcQ6B7qcK15phEgY8YtGBnkMmqyAhUxwkLbxz_ScQd8LhA/s1600/Noise-2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1508" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCuwM-HqHPSOJCcZNeJERuN5AdYBNMES4zEuRPHM0Fsua4nIKgiJPhyphenhyphenCBmCOHB7xt1NKXb_rTy4kVqin4Ji1K9YdV9aqEmvfcQ6B7qcK15phEgY8YtGBnkMmqyAhUxwkLbxz_ScQd8LhA/s640/Noise-2.jpg" width="602" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lightroom Noise Reduction Applied</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The last version was editing using DeNoise AI.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEv1iRS1UH9mcXUFOqIS9J91hHbRrVi6jTP4RrZqBx0CUgj2_4YyCQWObOMdS8g_AL8FBCOG_FfnnFUucIGG1F7Lu64qUTHTRpeUkrkTvbpsTv3052O4a6D2misdDLPmXKK6STWSHR1v0/s1600/Noise-3.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1508" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEv1iRS1UH9mcXUFOqIS9J91hHbRrVi6jTP4RrZqBx0CUgj2_4YyCQWObOMdS8g_AL8FBCOG_FfnnFUucIGG1F7Lu64qUTHTRpeUkrkTvbpsTv3052O4a6D2misdDLPmXKK6STWSHR1v0/s640/Noise-3.jpg" width="602" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Topaz DeNoise AI</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
The Topaz software was better at removing the noise and did a much better job at retaining the details in the feathers, eye, and claws. If you want to compare each version, click on one and then use your arrow keys to flip through each one on your screen.<br />
<br />
The DeNoise package is easily called from within Lightroom or Photoshop. You can also open and edit files outside these packages. It an take a few seconds to process the image. On my desktop system it makes good use of the graphics card processing power to speed up the process. This is something Adobe has yet to get working correctly. You experience may vary, especially if you are using a laptop.<br />
<br />
Here is another example showing before on the left and after on the right.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdTQ5txNhIhSt-p4GUTd7IoyUtpx07VQSrqOLAx4RhaBvybebdukvmcyCLcNlHtW9i9ia41Df7vKaH0ayXfGR7P5dmK6DSeeYHTslY72K8RVyNtUXCN_jYXm4egucy-nxggTmZ58MXH8k/s1600/Noise-4.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1110" data-original-width="1600" height="442" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdTQ5txNhIhSt-p4GUTd7IoyUtpx07VQSrqOLAx4RhaBvybebdukvmcyCLcNlHtW9i9ia41Df7vKaH0ayXfGR7P5dmK6DSeeYHTslY72K8RVyNtUXCN_jYXm4egucy-nxggTmZ58MXH8k/s640/Noise-4.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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This is not a tool I will use all the time. A properly exposed image with ISO values of 800-1600 may not need to be run through DeNoise AI. However, I will be using it on any high ISO images where that nasty grain shows up.<br />
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Now, the team at Topaz Labs is not perfect. Their website has many broken links and I know of one photographer who had trouble getting their copy activated after purchasing. He had some difficulty with their tech support but in the end, he got it working and is happy with the product.<br />
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I suggest you give the free trail a test drive and decide for yourself. Use this coupon code for 15% off any Topaz product. <a href="http://topazlabs.refr.cc/richards"> http://topazlabs.refr.cc/richards</a>Richard Sigginshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14939281700134450520noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5348314635496142409.post-52488965439579727322019-05-19T14:27:00.000-04:002019-05-19T14:27:01.619-04:00Using Exposure Compensation“E<i>ach day brings new opportunities, allowing you to constantly live with love—be there for others—bring a little light into someone's day. Be grateful and live each day to the fullest.</i>”<br />
― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart<br />
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Light is the most important part of photography. Without it, there would be no image, no memories, no joy in a photograph. But, too much or too little light can be detrimental to our photos. Understanding light is key to making better photos. <br />
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Our cameras don't understand light. They have powerful computer processors that measure all the light coming in through the lens and hitting the sensor, but they don't know anything about the subject, what is important in the photo, or what is unimportant. The software developers who program those processors write algorithms to take all the inputs and make a decision on the three factors that make up the exposure triangle - shutter speed, aperture, and ISO. Depending on your camera settings one, two or all three of these are constantly being adjusted depending on the light the camera sees at that instant. Without knowing your composition your camera can sometimes make bad decisions.<br />
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Take this photo as an example. The conditions were harsh. It was a bright sunny day with harsh direct light. The breeze was blowing and the Columbine flowers were in constant motion.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-hEOKWLUtoxV3w11aOjVo5-2KnmFzX81CQp72QBThkn2SefKvL5tmH5-23vD8yLBxcWCBt76GfGXSnGanX5ys2UdM6_EOTGqlRgPl3yXK_MlI_Hy0oWrqauGWgJML1gzndMrAqj5zzEs/s1600/Compensation-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-hEOKWLUtoxV3w11aOjVo5-2KnmFzX81CQp72QBThkn2SefKvL5tmH5-23vD8yLBxcWCBt76GfGXSnGanX5ys2UdM6_EOTGqlRgPl3yXK_MlI_Hy0oWrqauGWgJML1gzndMrAqj5zzEs/s640/Compensation-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1/4000 sec, f/2.8, ISO 1600</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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I was shooting with an aperture of f/2.8 to create a shallow depth of field making the center flower stand out from the background. The high ISO was to get a very fast shutter speed to freeze the motion of the flowers. The camera saw all the light and decided on a shutter speed of 1/4000 of a second. Even with that fast shutter speed, there was too much light. Although the overall exposure was not bad, the main subject was overexposed and the photo was ruined.<br />
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There are a number of ways to fix this, and none involve post-processing (editing) on a computer later. If you are comfortable shooting in full manual mode, you set the aperture, shutter speed, and ISO while keeping an eye on the histogram. My personal preference is to stay in aperture priority mode, where I spend most of my time, set the ISO, and let that advanced processor in the camera figure the shutter speed at that instant. Remember I said the flowers were constantly blowing around. That made the light constantly changing. Instead of setting the shutter speed myself I gave the camera a hint that the exposure needed to be turned down. <br />
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Almost every camera (even some cell phones) has a setting called exposure compensation. It is often a button on the top or back of the camera that has a <b>+/-</b> symbol. Some cameras have this setting buried down in a menu. This typically only works when the camera is in Program, Aperture Priority, or Shutter Priority mode. By using exposure compensation I was able to tell the camera to alter the calculated exposure by a given number of stops. In this case, I dialed in a -2 EV exposure compensation and shot again. I also lowered the ISO to 400 because I didn't need it that high to get the shutter speed I was wanting.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9cAamukBYwYkRkogtRw60R4s66bkNmLvEvzvBWqSzs2WmvpVlhtdCNyJhxt1QHZjAFFr8sWbb2pKE7_02nqb8DG7VEFOeYljnG1ljfEnRcSSDCvWok4bYm4oJlP5y7tPlgREcTg7mxho/s1600/Compensation-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9cAamukBYwYkRkogtRw60R4s66bkNmLvEvzvBWqSzs2WmvpVlhtdCNyJhxt1QHZjAFFr8sWbb2pKE7_02nqb8DG7VEFOeYljnG1ljfEnRcSSDCvWok4bYm4oJlP5y7tPlgREcTg7mxho/s640/Compensation-2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1/6000, f/2.8, ISO 400</td></tr>
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Now, the subject of my photo is properly exposed. The background is now almost black. That works great because the background is unimportant and making it dark it makes the red flower jump out.<br />
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A common exposure problem occurs when the background is brighter than the subject. By default, the camera will expose so the subject is dark and the background is correct, like in this photo.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjykYrXtLaTkzTZgMQyrUNAetjkJ2YuhPu5b_qR1_MrZbGLmAHCWYgallEoTx0ksZ3xgPKhY2I-soegLCQj3hNLrbRGY14IofA3gFACQOSQj8GH8gfRyB60QWRhYeE10LyfG79x_VlAwHM/s1600/Compensation-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjykYrXtLaTkzTZgMQyrUNAetjkJ2YuhPu5b_qR1_MrZbGLmAHCWYgallEoTx0ksZ3xgPKhY2I-soegLCQj3hNLrbRGY14IofA3gFACQOSQj8GH8gfRyB60QWRhYeE10LyfG79x_VlAwHM/s640/Compensation-3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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By dialing in a +1 2/3 EV exposure compensation I am able to brighten the bird so that details in the feathers and eyes can be seen. By making this adjustment the sky becomes overexposed. This is fine because the subject is the bird, not the sky.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDl82TzY86cWnnEjROOShbhxPZfOZ4PEEM2KOOM68yHMXWw8CZs3FlcmzV_Skb9b43b5uHr_qrp7_NoOvkBtNMC_04t1tYK-r1o5Vrt4QbJais5stesenPv_l6k403O0C0yEDxf6mcyAc/s1600/Compensation-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDl82TzY86cWnnEjROOShbhxPZfOZ4PEEM2KOOM68yHMXWw8CZs3FlcmzV_Skb9b43b5uHr_qrp7_NoOvkBtNMC_04t1tYK-r1o5Vrt4QbJais5stesenPv_l6k403O0C0yEDxf6mcyAc/s640/Compensation-4.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The key to knowing when to adjust the exposure compensation is knowing what the subject is and if it is properly exposed. If the subject is too bright or too dark, throw in some exposure compensation to properly expose the most important part of the photo.<br />
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You may be tempted to assume you can correct the exposure later in post-processing. Don't be fooled. Parts of your photo that are overexposed often cannot be brought back and brightening underexposed photos can introduce digital noise. It's much better to get the exposure right when you make the photo than to try to correct it later.<br />
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If you find this tip useful please subscribe to my blog to get future tips emailed to you. If you have questions, feel free to contact me and I'll do my best to answer them.Richard Sigginshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14939281700134450520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5348314635496142409.post-55914851429456021362019-02-20T19:56:00.000-05:002019-02-20T19:56:24.366-05:00Slow down and wait for itOn a recent trip to Death Valley National Park, I was out wandering the Mesquite Flats Sand Dunes early one morning. I was looking for lines and shapes in the dunes that might make interesting compositions. It was just over an hour past sunrise and the sun was still low in the sky, giving some nice side light. It was also overcast and the sunlight was constantly changing.<br />
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I made the first shot below while the sun was between clouds. I had hiked all over the dunes looking for a composition like this with a leading line, ripples in the sand, and no footprints. The low side light produced some nice dramatic shadows in the sand, which was also one of the elements I was looking for. <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTy2KM2VdBOfKZg1XlZknr05aCT00phPBkQtrneUv9rgtij5NT9dc-2YNFxp6ICsz7m1B302Kmco9TARJ-OLuCiPVVbVuXCjSzglvEG9HCMXTMmTCuKIGNZIgkM63ZMlMbidzcvh2pU2g/s1600/light-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTy2KM2VdBOfKZg1XlZknr05aCT00phPBkQtrneUv9rgtij5NT9dc-2YNFxp6ICsz7m1B302Kmco9TARJ-OLuCiPVVbVuXCjSzglvEG9HCMXTMmTCuKIGNZIgkM63ZMlMbidzcvh2pU2g/s640/light-1.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First Shot</td></tr>
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About 30 seconds later the sun went behind a cloud and without moving the camera I got a different photo.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHypQqbsT4QeM7qQdfl39WCNcJ04YJ8uXX8rOcMh3z90cNZ8v3gJr7rVVc531Msl9CndY89OJ8_G1rdJ6HHcfXjZ_wOAZ5shGnEwEu2jdzEx6Kk3s9FuZwPvTf_nQ-ghxIwMYi6oPqYMY/s1600/light-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHypQqbsT4QeM7qQdfl39WCNcJ04YJ8uXX8rOcMh3z90cNZ8v3gJr7rVVc531Msl9CndY89OJ8_G1rdJ6HHcfXjZ_wOAZ5shGnEwEu2jdzEx6Kk3s9FuZwPvTf_nQ-ghxIwMYi6oPqYMY/s640/light-2.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Second Shot </td></tr>
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I actually like the second shot better. There was enough indirect sunlight to make the ripples in the sand and the shape of the dunes stand out, without the high contrast shadows. What looks good is subjective and you make like the first one better. The thing about art is there is no right answer.<br />
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Sometimes we shoot like we are in a hurry. Set up, make the shot, move on to the next one. It pays to slow down and wait for different lighting. You don't know what you will get.Richard Sigginshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14939281700134450520noreply@blogger.com2Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes, DEATH VALLEY, CA 92328, USA36.6151215 -117.1131444000000111.093087 -158.4217384 62.137156000000004 -75.804550400000011tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5348314635496142409.post-42437554042244839972019-02-15T18:28:00.001-05:002019-02-15T18:32:26.598-05:00Basic Photography Class March 28, April 2, 4 and 9.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqQeQUSg3lQBzSEAJEBm-yRUm0tXANmO6wipDCIMYX-6FPvwwUWielFAvSguU8vtB0x65AjqmKt9vZ0o1gRRgHydMrx1FSj3GNibL-SUmUEiU7e1JKy9Jlk06r0iAeKhcNe2rdVFreqEw/s1600/classpromo-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqQeQUSg3lQBzSEAJEBm-yRUm0tXANmO6wipDCIMYX-6FPvwwUWielFAvSguU8vtB0x65AjqmKt9vZ0o1gRRgHydMrx1FSj3GNibL-SUmUEiU7e1JKy9Jlk06r0iAeKhcNe2rdVFreqEw/s400/classpromo-5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I will be teaching my Basic Photography Class starting on March 28, 2019. The class will start out with learning the basics of photography - light, shutter speed, aperture and how to use them on your camera. From there we will get into color, composition, lighting, techniques and photographic gear selection. We'll talk about some common photography<br />
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challenges and how to overcome them. We will go over different photo editing packages, organizing photos, printing, and sharing online. The class will be a combination of classroom teaching, practicing our new photography skills, and reviews of photography assignments.<br />
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The class is designed for a photographer who has a DSLR, mirrorless camera, or advanced compact camera.<br />
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Classroom sessions are March 28, April 2, 4 and 9 from 6:00 PM– 8:00 PM in the Eastman Employee Center. There will be one field trip on Saturday, April 6 to practice what we have learned. The Saturday time will depend on what works best for the majority of the students.<br />
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In every Class we will have time for:<br />
<ul>
<li>Review of Homework – yes, we are in school again.</li>
<li>Teaching</li>
<li>Problem Solving - Bring your camera and problem photos to class</li>
<li>Questions and Answers</li>
</ul>
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The class is open to Eastman Camera Club members. The good news is anyone can join the club by going to <a href="http://eastmancameraclub.com/">http://eastmancameraclub.com/</a> and clicking on About near the upper left of the page.<br />
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Cost - $45/person. Maximum of 14 people per class. Call Eastman Recreation Office at 423-229-3771 to sign up. This is a popular class and always fills up so don't wait. Contact me if you have any questions.<br />
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Richard Sigginshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14939281700134450520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5348314635496142409.post-60312409516286605032019-02-09T14:24:00.000-05:002019-02-09T14:24:22.305-05:00Change Your PerspectiveHere's an example that shows how changing your camera position relative to the subject can make a difference in your photo's composition.<br />
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I took these two photos earlier this week in Joshua Tree National Park. The first one was taken at 5:52 PM using a focal length of 52mm (78mm in full frame equivalent terms). <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0tjeEAac4mmFDJ7c1KRUYae3wWe3SjHYOFIL0GQl_zrOGCvrdtELivsDXCcvpCxy7OzUEn9OUytXP-8QGpPFky1rBaMx3N6BKIaiMCSCbAInpCW3kHart25wp1TA08rF6F4W_Q0s2EGA/s1600/perspective-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1280" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0tjeEAac4mmFDJ7c1KRUYae3wWe3SjHYOFIL0GQl_zrOGCvrdtELivsDXCcvpCxy7OzUEn9OUytXP-8QGpPFky1rBaMx3N6BKIaiMCSCbAInpCW3kHart25wp1TA08rF6F4W_Q0s2EGA/s640/perspective-1.jpg" width="512" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">52mm from closer</td></tr>
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I intentionally stood where the crescent moon would be between the branches. I like that composition, but I didn't stop there. I took several more shots of the moon and that tree. <div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFoaYOBq5qWWMprjMuMe1GZC-A-OZSUQDgxIdNLLedfox2lBlM0jgqxnZAWLZR671QkFH53DJTSrPb4lvnuy8RXwhyAt8U3OjLBhVEE-AQhXI-gpuxAIldw9ybZNUg-fCSOiOICbjuy7E/s1600/perspective-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1280" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFoaYOBq5qWWMprjMuMe1GZC-A-OZSUQDgxIdNLLedfox2lBlM0jgqxnZAWLZR671QkFH53DJTSrPb4lvnuy8RXwhyAt8U3OjLBhVEE-AQhXI-gpuxAIldw9ybZNUg-fCSOiOICbjuy7E/s640/perspective-2.jpg" width="512" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">88mm from farther away</td></tr>
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The second photo was taken less than two minutes later. I stepped back several feet from the tree and zoomed in to 88mm (132mm). Simply moving changed the position of the moon relative to the tree. Zooming in also increased the size of the band of warm sunset color and made the moon appear larger relative to the tree.<br />
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Neither composition is "right". With all art, it is a matter of personal taste. I hope you enjoy one of these photos and get some value from this blog post. Please leave a comment and let me know.<br />
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Richard Sigginshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14939281700134450520noreply@blogger.com0Joshua Tree National Park, California, USA33.873415 -115.900992299999988.3513805000000012 -157.20958629999998 59.3954495 -74.592398299999985tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5348314635496142409.post-9847141814099323942019-01-11T11:12:00.000-05:002019-01-11T11:12:32.982-05:00Welcome New Subscribers. Here's something on Black & White LandscapesCan converting a color photo to black and white improve it? What type of photos work better as black and white? How is shooting for black and white different?<br />
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I've been writing this blog for several years. Sometimes I write a new post almost weekly. Other times, I'm not so diligent. Recently there have been several new people subscribe to the blog and that has motivated me to try to do better. Here's my first post of 2019.<br />
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Winter in East Tennessee can be challenging for nature/landscape photographers. The trees are bare, there are no flowers. In fact, there is very little color to be found during the winter months. When blessed with a nice snowfall we have abundant opportunities to make some beautiful photos of snow scenes, but that doesn't happen very often. Except for sunrise rise and sunset, most days are grey and blah.<br />
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Some of the best color in the winter is around streams where moss grows on the rocks, like in this photo from Rocky Fork State Park.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHMN96yTHb0QEte6dV0EElipnKysd7pW9Fze_r72SIhBc6YMeoISUTeu0d7_kiGX2eT8g_dSmaC9M3rRVwHfl0itiOX-F_BgrEfj2sQ6VkcN_4EpOctxGy0KXfz7M8L5O7EE38OEP3F6k/s1600/BW-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHMN96yTHb0QEte6dV0EElipnKysd7pW9Fze_r72SIhBc6YMeoISUTeu0d7_kiGX2eT8g_dSmaC9M3rRVwHfl0itiOX-F_BgrEfj2sQ6VkcN_4EpOctxGy0KXfz7M8L5O7EE38OEP3F6k/s400/BW-1.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rocky Fork</td></tr>
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Streams and waterfalls are some of my favorite subjects to photograph. I try to capture the movement of the water using a longer exposure of around 1 second. This can result in a photo with bright white water and darker surrounding objects. I've found high contrast scenes like this can be dramatic when converted to black and white.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioFLwKff05SZ-Lqh0B5CUxnAAAS_lPv6GDG8gnr8vKMh4VUg5mw43aQ22g4GUaw8wT02R5_U6lBM_R-vT-EkQLA6UU-kwGQkSVE8np1y2o7X5WpCcDNpirLxnv8Y-zMaN7UvxeX9A4HUc/s1600/BW-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioFLwKff05SZ-Lqh0B5CUxnAAAS_lPv6GDG8gnr8vKMh4VUg5mw43aQ22g4GUaw8wT02R5_U6lBM_R-vT-EkQLA6UU-kwGQkSVE8np1y2o7X5WpCcDNpirLxnv8Y-zMaN7UvxeX9A4HUc/s400/BW-2.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Converted to Black & White</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
When color is removed the composition and the tonal range of light in the photo become more important. The tonal range of your landscape is basically the amount of highlights, darks, and every shade of grey in between. Highlights are your brightest whites, darks are your dark blacks.<br />
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When you are shooting a black and white photo, you should shoot in color and convert to black and white in post-processing. That will give you the most control of the tonal values when editing the photo later. If you shoot in black and white you will not be able to change the tonal values of different colors, such as making the green moss brighter in the example above.<br />
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You have to think differently when composing a black and white photo. Without color, you’re dealing strictly with light tones now. You should try to use that to your advantage when composing your shot. Instead of relying on color to separate your subject or draw the viewer's eye, look for light to create a dramatic photograph. Shapes and lines can be important compositional elements in a black and white photo. Often a high contrast photo will work great as a black and white. Things such as texture become more important when color is removed.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit851KFASRpDHfOFNQKtWONdj5PyAw2vvw4kZyTi-f4MtQL8d_tDfQLhyphenhyphen2y637S4QyZfpKqev4E8HgyDXL8hMkfXaL9zjQquD8dVDKr96HN-WGyXUKP-gIZgfxpdLBKVQ7S3aNiLhkFF8/s1600/BW-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="661" data-original-width="1600" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit851KFASRpDHfOFNQKtWONdj5PyAw2vvw4kZyTi-f4MtQL8d_tDfQLhyphenhyphen2y637S4QyZfpKqev4E8HgyDXL8hMkfXaL9zjQquD8dVDKr96HN-WGyXUKP-gIZgfxpdLBKVQ7S3aNiLhkFF8/s640/BW-4.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Glacier National Park</td></tr>
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The photo from Glacier National Park is one of my favorite black and white landscapes. There is dramatic light, high tonal range, interesting clouds, and plenty of detailed texture in the trees and mountains.<br />
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Visualizing a scene in black and white is a skill that can take some time to develop. Setting your camera to black and white can be a helpful tool when trying to visualize the black and white shot. Just remember to take a color shot as well.<br />
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Below are a few examples from a recent trip to Rocky Fork State Park near Flag Pond, Tennessee. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj31AAE6ongogOjf87b5mFV7CtZuAfNhnFmtC8UyRXRYNUUFqWyIQDR5Uql7DxZEsNWOW5ex_1YImxObG05t61oXBjak2K4vnixKtOOKFonyGXMyrWXiE-vjb5lcTsnXzRhbb41-MPrVr0/s1600/compare1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj31AAE6ongogOjf87b5mFV7CtZuAfNhnFmtC8UyRXRYNUUFqWyIQDR5Uql7DxZEsNWOW5ex_1YImxObG05t61oXBjak2K4vnixKtOOKFonyGXMyrWXiE-vjb5lcTsnXzRhbb41-MPrVr0/s640/compare1.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZGZ8ZtJMcqLKaSVYQk9GkkWUsqBVwTqDEi4tpgro0x5c7VHI3-30PfO_XxWrj38voKh2YPv0MaYh08pIdi_a8NPg_jXgqqS1LbU2_ifiviEYErKQiMIL1mzRpthA4taueENIh35BSRIk/s1600/compare2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZGZ8ZtJMcqLKaSVYQk9GkkWUsqBVwTqDEi4tpgro0x5c7VHI3-30PfO_XxWrj38voKh2YPv0MaYh08pIdi_a8NPg_jXgqqS1LbU2_ifiviEYErKQiMIL1mzRpthA4taueENIh35BSRIk/s640/compare2.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRmHFmN5u-OIew6zfXtBgb-xoWXe-d-mEOU8Murdp2r9Hd95hQGX0CmnhA_UHyYD7bAmfyBasOYwLETm-q8bd-a8r8ULn8NsqsqnwS8iGePft9yrQR9gd3QB8mENH1rfzlroWgdw5Xov0/s1600/compare3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRmHFmN5u-OIew6zfXtBgb-xoWXe-d-mEOU8Murdp2r9Hd95hQGX0CmnhA_UHyYD7bAmfyBasOYwLETm-q8bd-a8r8ULn8NsqsqnwS8iGePft9yrQR9gd3QB8mENH1rfzlroWgdw5Xov0/s640/compare3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Making black and white photos can be fun. Give it a try and let me know what you come up with.Richard Sigginshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14939281700134450520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5348314635496142409.post-63275698492846036552018-11-14T17:06:00.001-05:002018-11-14T17:07:15.371-05:00What If You Lost All Your Digital Photos?Hey photographers, this question is for you. Where are your photos stored? Are they all on a single computer? Are they backed up? Where are the backups stored? What if you lost them all?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDKVWLzqr9K8hpGlYhK8S-pmV55RyFW0_JbPq9se6psaBtBDboD6AsltVz5myYN6xok6UUOn0inQ6HlNSUxOd55XQ2yjCIRzX56jhUfz0_crzaSZCiauG2WgtprepqXzwKcEYRPnWachk/s1600/burned-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1396" data-original-width="1600" height="348" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDKVWLzqr9K8hpGlYhK8S-pmV55RyFW0_JbPq9se6psaBtBDboD6AsltVz5myYN6xok6UUOn0inQ6HlNSUxOd55XQ2yjCIRzX56jhUfz0_crzaSZCiauG2WgtprepqXzwKcEYRPnWachk/s400/burned-1.jpg" width="400" /></a>Our neighbor's house burned a couple weeks ago. Thanks to a heroic neighbor, they all got out safely. However, their house and contents didn't fare as well. A demolition crew is currently tearing down the house and piling everything in large construction dumpsters to be hauled off. By this time next year, they will be back in a brand new home, with new furniture, clothes, dishes, TVs, computers, etc. All the material things can be replaced. What about the digital things that were in the house? Computers and hard drives don't hold up very well to fire and water.<br />
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If you had a disaster in your home or office, how would your digital images fare? Would they be gone forever? Unless you have backup copies somewhere else then fires, floods, broken pipes, etc. can wipe out your images and local backup copies.<br />
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I have all my digital image files on a Network Storage System (NAS) with RAID drives where they are protected from failure of the hard drives. Other disks are backed up every night. Sounds pretty safe, but all those copies are in one location. Recent events have gotten me thinking of off-site backups. My plan is to buy some external hard drives, copy all my important files to them and store them somewhere outside our home. This solution is only as good as my diligence in keeping the off-site copies up to date.<br />
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I've looked into backing up my files to the cloud. The problem is my internet connection is limited to 3 Mbps upload speed. It would take about a month to upload my images to the cloud. Then, every time I come home from a trip I would have to upload a thousand or more images. This doesn't sound sustainable.<br />
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What are your solutions for protecting your digital image files from disaster?<br />
<br />Richard Sigginshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14939281700134450520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5348314635496142409.post-41337273506475385792018-10-11T22:05:00.002-04:002018-10-11T22:05:15.336-04:00And The Winners Are...The people have spoken and the votes have been tallied. <br />
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">
The winning photos for the 2019 calendar are</h2>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEFX0sGHwCG9zMcm2Qs6hPfGhw76eOXCJL9MEeIp7jmAtYjoXa4TPUOPqMOjXqbmjlsJYhaHAbtmWKll-TMha2FV8PnTYQFKPimqVolXmktXpoHaQt2lNolAuor7X9hLnV7HElJCA-Kwk/s1600/portclinton-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="927" data-original-width="1200" height="494" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEFX0sGHwCG9zMcm2Qs6hPfGhw76eOXCJL9MEeIp7jmAtYjoXa4TPUOPqMOjXqbmjlsJYhaHAbtmWKll-TMha2FV8PnTYQFKPimqVolXmktXpoHaQt2lNolAuor7X9hLnV7HElJCA-Kwk/s640/portclinton-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First Place - Port Clinton Lighthouse at Dusk</td></tr>
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<ol>
<li>Port Clinton Lighthouse (#24)<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA3NXDZwa6AKQK1pzGVKD7NE3m1W8FIeutBlIQH-8Hk-K6eike2GxzXrz_ZNceNMxk0pydm4GzVo_DkYhqicajhIfOdTPWl6nTGKRAoecvEPYTIkXBT2iAHEsWzPR7nZ0pwk5YUab4GU4/s1600/tiptoes-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="927" data-original-width="1200" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA3NXDZwa6AKQK1pzGVKD7NE3m1W8FIeutBlIQH-8Hk-K6eike2GxzXrz_ZNceNMxk0pydm4GzVo_DkYhqicajhIfOdTPWl6nTGKRAoecvEPYTIkXBT2iAHEsWzPR7nZ0pwk5YUab4GU4/s320/tiptoes-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Second Place - Tip Toes</td></tr>
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</li>
<li>Tip Toes (#8)</li>
<li>Storms On The Horizon (#34)</li>
<li>Monet at Bays Mountain (#3)</li>
<li>Tahquamenon Falls SP (#2)</li>
<li> Mount Shasta (#23)</li>
<li> Lady Bird Johnson Grove (#19)</li>
<li>Oconaluftee River (#4)</li>
<li>Morton Overlook Sunset (27)</li>
<li>Cades Cove Methodist Church (#7)</li>
<li>Foggy Morning at WPSP (#12)</li>
</ol>
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All the photos are still available for viewing <a href="https://www.thesiggins.com/SpecialProjects/2019-Calendar-Candidates/" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>
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Why only 11 photos? Well, I said I would pick two from my recent trip to The Grand Tetons National Park to round out the 13. I took over 3,000 photos in six days on that trip. I ran through those that were landscape (wide) orientation to fit on the calendar pages and quickly picked 24. With the help of June and Holly, I narrowed those down to these two.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlmHx9zU7UsJASCICiLhYu_raU1LFEF_-caLJtSo7r7G8PhKpUqB0JKSvuAoVhUEqsat4vBgXRktRtwtF7FTOoz5mCzysosYiIGqdGxo22qTd8mhNGX6G-t23zzW8xxITq1QM2AQR1JEQ/s1600/tetons-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="797" data-original-width="1200" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlmHx9zU7UsJASCICiLhYu_raU1LFEF_-caLJtSo7r7G8PhKpUqB0JKSvuAoVhUEqsat4vBgXRktRtwtF7FTOoz5mCzysosYiIGqdGxo22qTd8mhNGX6G-t23zzW8xxITq1QM2AQR1JEQ/s640/tetons-2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">T.A. Moulton Barn</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFD11MQQU9-yX-5e7P2gvemQ53PMj7af2tULRNI8NkAqTGfLYxcvPwP8Yf6AUBKmH-HtHAetgKRoVmM4ngif7WuQeZ60jm62c7OGqtCGOlfigV43O_KjTDr0loFi8sqgQXFoYsYoTZNcs/s1600/tetons-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFD11MQQU9-yX-5e7P2gvemQ53PMj7af2tULRNI8NkAqTGfLYxcvPwP8Yf6AUBKmH-HtHAetgKRoVmM4ngif7WuQeZ60jm62c7OGqtCGOlfigV43O_KjTDr0loFi8sqgQXFoYsYoTZNcs/s640/tetons-5.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mount Moran From Oxbow Bend</td></tr>
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It wasn't easy picking two out of 3,000. Since I took these on the cusp of my past 12-month range, I may use some Teton photos in the 2020 calendar.</div>
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Thanks to everyone who helped select the photos by voting. You really make my life easier and make the calendar better. I'll be finishing up the calendar layout and sending it off to the printer soon. It's not too early to pre-order your calendars. Just send an email to <a href="mailto:rcisggins@gmail.com">rcisggins@gmail.com</a> and let me know how many you want. They are still only $15.</div>
Richard Sigginshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14939281700134450520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5348314635496142409.post-24637391492527582842018-09-28T09:28:00.000-04:002018-09-28T09:28:32.396-04:00Registration Open For Next Basic Photography Class<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZdEEs_L5OC4auf6SaB6JTfdiBDF2Be51fTsyn316B8RoOZGkEJszYTWVHndJrE-SBRrZLVQ1HJOBT04ka8dJ38xtn5RtXNO1pBb53K0t5LDdj9DPXhm60jEiCx561Jm75mJWiDMUeB6Y/s1600/class-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZdEEs_L5OC4auf6SaB6JTfdiBDF2Be51fTsyn316B8RoOZGkEJszYTWVHndJrE-SBRrZLVQ1HJOBT04ka8dJ38xtn5RtXNO1pBb53K0t5LDdj9DPXhm60jEiCx561Jm75mJWiDMUeB6Y/s640/class-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
I will be teaching my Basic Photography Class starting November 8. This is a popular class and always fills up. The class will start out with learning the basics of photography - light, shutter speed, aperture and how to use them on your camera. From there we will get into color, composition, lighting, techniques and photographic gear selection. We'll talk about some common photography challenges and how to overcome them. We will go over different photo editing packages, organizing photos, printing, and sharing online. The class will be a combination of classroom teaching, practicing our new photography skills, and reviews of photography assignments.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheAqZToI28oBhHiN08iwKleJ5ndMBbAvP_tTz1HfadVfsh7Fm32tXolVJMbc0hh_aIlPLRtMg7eNP6Xl1W0NItHUCvFXV00K27cmN7yp7AnHDTSbRRg55sF8Ix6-P6uz4DWk8te347GGs/s1600/November-Grid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1011" data-original-width="1600" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheAqZToI28oBhHiN08iwKleJ5ndMBbAvP_tTz1HfadVfsh7Fm32tXolVJMbc0hh_aIlPLRtMg7eNP6Xl1W0NItHUCvFXV00K27cmN7yp7AnHDTSbRRg55sF8Ix6-P6uz4DWk8te347GGs/s400/November-Grid.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
The class is designed for a photographer who has a DSLR, mirrorless camera, or advanced compact camera.<br />
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Classroom sessions are November 8, 13, 15 and 20 from 6:00 PM– 8:00 PM in the Eastman Employee Center. There will be one field trip on Saturday, November 17 to practice what we have learned. The Saturday time will depend on what works best for the majority of the students.<br />
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In every Class we will have time for:<br />
<ul>
<li>Review of Homework – yes, we are in school again.</li>
<li>Problem Solving - Bring your camera and problem photos to class</li>
<li>Questions and Answers</li>
</ul>
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The class is open to Eastman Camera Club members. The good news is anyone can join the club by going to <a href="http://eastmancameraclub.com/">http://eastmancameraclub.com/</a> and clicking on About near the upper left of the page.<br />
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Cost - $45/person. Maximum of 14 people per class. Call Eastman Recreation Office at 423-229-3771 to sign up. Contact me if you have any questions.<br />
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Richard Siggins<br />
<a href="mailto:rcsiggins@gmail.com">rcsiggins@gmail.com</a><br />
423-416-1258<br />
<br />Richard Sigginshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14939281700134450520noreply@blogger.com0