Landscape, Nature And Travel Photography

Recently I had a horrible experience getting a much needed photo for an assignment due to increased traffic and limited space. Here are 3 critical steps I learned to overcome these obstacles.

#1: Arrive Early & Be Assertive
I make it a habit to always arrive early to the location of my shoot. This enables me to find the best location to work, scope out different shots, set up shop, locate new & old friends as I wait and ward off others who might intrude on my working space. It’s very important that if others are intruding on your space that you be assertive by give them a clear message as to where your working space begins and ends.

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#2: Defend Your Space, Never Give An Inch
If others are not getting the message stand your ground. The minute you give an inch is the moment you lose the respect of those around you. This can be incredibly difficult and even tiring if enough traffic is present interfering with your shoot, but it is worth it in the end. Gaining the respect of those around you will ensure that you can work effectively to get the shot you’re after.

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#3: Never Miss An Opportunity to Turn Lemons into Lemonade
While it may seem unorthodox that you have to be assertive and defend your space it is quite normal. In time it’s important to always reconnect with those you’ve had troubling encounters with to reestablish a professional relationship. While awkward at first it’s important to take the high road as you never know how or when word of mouth may impact your ability to get work published or obtain future assignments.

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Photo details here

Have other tips that I’ve missed?
Add a comment and let me know how you cope with such circumstances.

Technorati Tags: photography, wildlife, how to, tips & tricks, Elephant Seal, nature, space, traffic

Special thanks to John Frisch for use of his original image.

A few weeks back I was hunting for music that I could use on a web based video and had a challenging time. As a photographer who cares about rights to my work being respected, I felt it was important to share that same respect to musicians whose work I wanted to use. Searching and gaining permission to use music for my photo video proved to be a huge challenge and got me to respect the Creative Commons initiative all the more.

While getting permission to use All Rights Reserved creative content is as simple as asking permission it can be frustrating. I’m normally a very patient person, but when I had my video ready to go and I found the music I wanted to use it seemed like an eternity to hear back from the artist. Eventually the artist wrote me back 48 hours later and gave me permission to use any of his work in the future regardless of current licensing designation. I was lucky and found a very cool artist to collaborate with.

Ultimately I burned a lot of time searching for music. It would seem that there is a huge opening for a site to be created matching artists who want to share their work in conjunction with other artists for promotional and non/pseudo-commercial purposes. To me having a directory that matches musicians and photographers to use each others work for mutual promotion seems like a win-win proposition. Until my dream of such a directory becomes a reality below are 5 copyleft resources to search for music and 5 royalty-free stock music resources.

An important note:
Music designated as “No Derivative Works license” cannot be used for photo videos as explained on this Creative Commons page Legal Music for Videos.
So even if you find music you like with this CC license you’ll still need to retain approval from the artist, so build in approval time as you plan your videos release.

“Under CC licenses, synching the music to images amounts to transforming the music, so you can’t legally use a song under a CC No Derivative Works license in your video.“

5 Copyleft Resources For Music

1. CC Mixter
2. Internet Archive
3. Jamendo
4. Proud Music
5. Film Music by Moby
   “‘film music’, is for independent and non-profit filmmakers, film students, and anyone in need of free music for their independent, non-profit film, video, or short.
   If you want to use it in a commercial film or short then you can apply for an easy license, with any money that’s generated being given to the humane society.”

5 Stock Music Resources (Pay to License)

1. StockMusic.net
2. Shockwave-Sound.com
3. Triple Scoop Music
4. MediaMusicNow.co.uk
5. MagnaTune.com

Technorati Tags: stock music, copyleft music, copyleft, royalty-free,   royalty free, music, photo video, photography

Adobe Lightroom has been a critically important application to my photographic workflow, but from early on watermarking functionality has been limited. The standard copyright text line provided by Adobe Lightroom is enough, but lacks the ability to be customized giving photographers using it some level of individuality. As noted in my earlier blog articles on watermarking watermarks are not only functional to avert image theft, but a key component of branding.

Enter LR2/Mogrify, a Lightrooom plug-in created by Timothy Armes, that adeptly fills the void. Mogrify provides functionality to apply borders, text and graphical watermarks. Mogrify also harnesses the power of Lightroom to batch process photographs. The combination of these functions makes for an incredibly valuable photographic solution.

Since the end of 2008 I have been a diehard LR2/Mogrify user. The cost for Mogrify is what you are willing to pay. It is donation based and receiving the activation key opens up all functionality with in the plug-in (otherwise you’re limited to watermarking 10 images per export).

How I Use Mogrify
Once I finalize my highest rated images per photoshoot (post-process, add metadata, etc.) I select one or all and right click to Export my photos for web display. In Lightroom I use the Mogrify plugin to Read more…

Since my Twitter post 5 Tips to Get The Most Out of Twitter was received so well I wanted to make the most of my recent 4 hour flight and write down and share some additional Twitter tips. Just because I’m unplugged (or supposed to be) doesn’t mean you can’t be optimizing your use of Twitter. I guarantee that if you take into account these 5 tips you’ll see an improvement in response from others you interact with on Twitter. Enjoy and feel free to post questions or tips of your own. I’ll be replying as I can during my travels across the Northwest.

1. Fill out your Bio
While this may seem obvious taking the time to thoughtfully do this will quickly enable others to assess who you are and the common interests or expertise you might share with others. I would argue that it is essential to include a URL to your web site so people can look beyond the brief description to learn more about you. In the short space provided give a concise overview of who you are and what you’re interested in (i.e. share your interests). This area of your Twitter page is equivalent to your 30 second pitch.

2. Tweet your interests
Do you walk the walk or just talk the talk. If your tweets don’t match your bio’s stated interests or area of expertise people will likely be less inclined to follow you. Twitter unlike other online communities makes it easy for others to see if your online persona matches your online activities. If the two do not match you’re likely to confuse those evaluating whether to follow you or not. While your recent past tweets may vary day to day be sure to stay on subject for your area of stated interest or expertise. This will ensure that as people find you they’ll see that you have varied interests, but are staying true on some level to your stated interests.

3. Follow & Be Followed
Once you follow someone on Twitter they receive a notification email with a snapshot of how many people are following you and how many people you’re following. If that person sees that you’re disproportionately following people to the number of those following you it will be a red flag that you’re a potential spammer. Following thousands of people while two dozen follow you will make others think you’re either a spammer or desperate for attention. It’s best to avoid either of those perceptions. Start slow and build a following as you follow others. Others will certainly be more apt to follow you when they see what you’re tweeting and how many others are interacting with you on your Twitter-stream

4. Don’t wait for someone to follow you
Twitter is a great medium to make contact and converse with people that might otherwise be out of reach to you. Take advantage of that and talk with others you find interesting even if they’re not yet following you… in moderation of course. A witty comment or a a brief conversation is enough to give others an introduction to who you are and spur them to follow you. In this sense be pro-active rather than passive in your use of Twitter. Don’t assume others will magically find you. To interact with others direct a comment at specific person by using the @ designation (Ex. @ashtonkutcher what tips do you have in meeting and marrying a sugar mama?).

5. Custom Background Images
An image is worth a 1000 words and in the land of 140 characters a background image can provide an enhanced view of who you are providing a window to your personality and interests. Many people now create custom background images with extended bio information on the left edge, inclusive of their web site, social media sites/accounts and standard contact information. This is a creative way for you to express yourself all while giving others a fast view of where else they can find you online.

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You’ve found my blog, but you’re only seeing the tip of the iceberg… follow me on Twitter and FriendFeed. I also invite you to listen and subscribe to my podcast “EXIF and Beyond” featuring photographer interviews and the chronicles of creating some of my photography

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Technorati Tags: Social Media, Twitter, Best Practices

For those of us that live in dryer climates humidity can be a mysterious factor to account for when traveling. Significant moisture in the air around us can impact equipment in a variety of ways in some instances quite drastically. Not all cameras have the same level of weather protection. Many professional bodies are weather/water resistant, but not water proof thanks to the presence of rubber gaskets. Most cameras lack this type of protection increasing the risk of catastrophic equipment failure if exposed to too much moisture. With that in mind the following 10 tips should be considered when using a digital SLR in high humidity environments.

1. Use Desiccant Packets
Desiccant packets are often found in new product shipments to absorb moisture. As I can, I save these packets to reuse in my camera bag when traveling. If you’re not the saving type it is possible to order new desiccant packets online. While its impossible for these packets to absorb all the moisture in a camera bag that you’re in and out of often, they can make a difference on segments of trips where a camera bag is not opened or opened infrequently.

2. Minimize Lens Changes
In an ideal world having one lens per camera body would the best solution for high humidity environments. In this situation you’d have one lens on your camera body the entire length of your trip so that humid air never enters your camera. Few people outside of the professional circle have this luxury, so it is important to minimze the number of times you change lenses when in the field.

3. Keep Moisture Out of the Camera Body
If keeping one lens on your camera is not possible think about keeping a teleconverter / tele-extender on your camera body at all times ensuring that no moisture enters your body when changing lenses. Teleconverters / tele-extenders are often used with longer focal length lenses and seldom with other shorter focal length lenses. If you’re shooting wide this tactic may not be very practical.

4. Change Lenses At Night
If Tip #2 or #3 is not a possibility reduce the introduction of moisture into your camera body by changing lenses when atmospheric moisture is at its lowest point. This happens when the temperature is coolest often late at night or early in the morning.

5. Avoid Fogged Lenses
Keep your camera gear at the same temperature as the ambient temperature of your shooting environment to avoid fogging. Fog can appear on the front of your lens and in less than ideal cases on the rear element of your lens if your gear is cold and brought into a warm and moist environment. If keeping your gear with you is a necessity (such as being brought into an air conditioned hotel room as opposed to being left in a car) wait for your camera gear to warm up before use.

6. Regularly Wipe Down Your Equipment
The most common ways moisture accumulates on ones gear is from high atmospheric humidity, rain or your own breath as you use your camera. Regularly wipe down your gear in order to minimize long standing moisture on your camera that might seep into unsealed openings of your camera body. Keeping on hand and using a super absorbent camp hand towel can help a great deal.

7. Keep Sensitive Equipment in Ziploc Bags
While not perfect, keeping sensitive equipment in Ziploc bags can also reduce the negative effects of high humidity. Ziploc bags do wear out if opened and closed often, so this tactic might be best for equipment that is used less frequently. Combining the use of desiccant packets and Ziploc bags could be a great hybrid approach.

8. Carry Multiple Lens Cloth
Even with the best of planning fogged lenses happen. If you’re in the field for an extended time lens clothes quickly become damp. For this reason its a great idea to have multiple lens clothes on hand, using one while the other dries out in the sun

9. Don’t Let Your dSLR Slip From Your Grip
Use a wrist or neck strap to keep slick cameras from working loose of your grip. In hot and humid environments the human body will release a great deal of moisture in the form of sweat. With sweaty hands it will be very easy to accidentily drop a lens, camera body or camera body with a lens on it.

10. Dry Your Hands
Dry your hands before changing batteries and CF cards. This will minimize introduction of moisture, inside the camera, that might later condense upon returning home. Keep in mind this will be particularly true the sweatier you are.

Bonus Tip
Toward the end of your trip utilize a hotel room air conditioners to dehumidify your gear. No need to place your gear too close. Having your equipment out and your camera bag open can be enough to help pull away a build up of moisture.

Do you use your digital SLR in high humidity? Have additional tips? Be sure to add them in the comments and thanks for reading.

This weekend is Fleet Week here in San Francisco and given numerous emails I’ve received about photographing the event I thought I would consolidate my tips to photographing the Blue Angels. Following these tips should put you on the fast track to walking away with some great photos.

Logistics – Be Prepared
In San Francisco that means get to the show very early. Parking is always a challenge and will test your patience. Don’t let the search for parking ruin your day. If you want to avoid that aggravation then take public transportation and/or park far away.

Bring a lunch or a snack. Get the nutrients and fluids you need in your system ahead of time so you can keep your eye on the show and not your bag of chips.

Finding an unobstructed view can be a challenge. Arriving early will not only enable you to find the best location possible but will give you the time to scout out various spots to set up.

Know Where Center-Point Is
Center-point is the physical location that all Blue Angels maneuvers are centered around. This is the mark they aim to criss cross over and navigate around. For Fleet Week here in San Francisco that point is in front of Aquatic Park. Knowing this location is critical if you plan to capture the Blue Angels Criss-Cross maneuver.

Location, Location, Location!
As with realestate location is everything. In San Francisco for Fleet Week there really isn’t a bad spot. I have taken photos of the Blue Angels from a variety of locations over the years including Aquatic Park, Fort Mason, Pier 39, Crissy Field,  Angel Island, and around the Golden Gate Bridge. Depending on what type of photo you want, what background subjects you’d like to have and the amount of hiking or crowds you’ll have to deal with choose appropriately. Honestly there isn’t a bad spot.

Focal Length
It is possible to get great photos of the Blue Angels here in San Francisco with virtually any focal length. Most air show photographs that you’ll see are taken with longer focal lengths to zoom in on the planes.  What focal length you’ll need for such shots depends on your location and the magnification factor of your dSLR. Its possible to get great tight photos using a focal length of anywhere from 200 to 400mm. Unless you’re very far away a longer focal length is over kill. In addition super long focal lengths make it challenging to track the planes. With that being said it is possible to get phenomenal photos of the Blue Angels with a shorter and even wide focal length. Shorter focal lengths enable you to capture not just the planes flying overhead, but the crowd around you.

Normal Autofocus or Servo Mode
You’ll have to experiment with this. For those that are unfamiliar with the difference… Autofocus requires you to half click the Shutter Release Button to focus on your subject.  Servo enables you to focus your subject in or near the center point of the frame and as the subject moves closer or farther the camera automatically focuses for you. The upside to Servo is that you can pan with a subject with minimal work to keep it in focus… in theory. If for any reason your camera confuses your point of focus your camera will keep your subject, the plane(s), blurred. If this happens enough you’ll be ripping your hair out. To avoid this you can stick with the normal Autofocus and half click and shoot quickly as you pan. This can take some practice.

Capture the Action with a Fast Shutter Speed
Greater than 1/800 sec for slower maneuvers
Over 1/1200 sec for faster maneuvers
>1/2000 sec for speed demonstrations
To attain such fast shutter speeds you’ll need to pay attention to what ISO your camera is set to. 400 ISO is a good starting point, but if weather conditions are cloudy you may need to bump your ISO up.

Don’t Use A Polarizer
If you do minimize the polarization to get the fastest shutter speed possible and to minimize over darkening the sky.

Include Your Surroundings
Clouds add a heightened sense of … altitude. Landmarks and people provide a needed sense of scale.

Be Considerate
Fleet Week brings out tons of people. Sure you may cross paths with someone having a bad day, but its in your best interest to take the high road with most any confrontation. Remember that this is a family event and there will be many kids in attendance. If you’re in a location where you might obstruct the view of a child or shorter person do what you can to move and clear the way for them to see the show.

Have Fun
These tips should put you on track to get some great photos and have an even better time at the event.

If you take photos of this weekends Fleet Week airshow add a link in the comments. I’d love to see what you come away with.

Prints
Like the photos displayed here? My Blue Angels photos can be seen and purchased directly via my photo archive Blue Angels 2007 and Blue Angels 2006

Technorati Tags: Photography, Photo, Tip, Blue Angels, Fleet Week, airshow, San Francisco, California

One thing I’ve trained myself to do over the years while out in the field is to look in the exact opposite direction of what I’m focused on photographing. I call this creative exercise “The Law of Opposites“. If I’m looking in front of me, I’ll check behind me. If I’m looking up, I’ll look down. If I’m looking left, I’ll look right. You get the idea.  The reason for this exercise is to break free of tunnel vision. With almost absolute certainty I’ll find myself focused to the point of distraction on something widely recognizable such as an iconic landscape subject. When looking in the opposite direction you view the world with a blank slate so to speak; all your visual preconceptions are cleared from your mind and you thrust yourself into something new that your brain has to reprocess.

Almost always I’ll photograph my primary focus, but as I wait for lighting conditions to improve or after I’m done I’ll conduct this exercise. Not only does this keep my mind working, it also helps me become hyper aware of my surroundings. Granted this exercise doesn’t guarantee that you’ll capture an image more impressive than your primary subject, but it will certainly exercise your minds eye.

An example of the “Law of Opposites” creative exercise in action…
After locking in on fog clearing to reveal the Grand Teton mountains, I broke my focus to look at what was underfoot and under-tripod. Dew had collected on lupine leafs in the field I was standing and if you looked close enough you could see other lupine leaves in the dew drops. I swapped lenses and began photographing the lupine. Upon review later I found that my macro photos had turned out far better than my landscape images. A perfect example of the “Law of Opposites” helping me see something I’d likely have otherwise missed.

Technorati Tags: photography, macro, law of opposites, lupine, leaf, dew, stock photo

For over a week now I’ve been fighting off a really bad cold. A couple doctors appointments, a trip to the ER, lots of coughing, asthma attacks and walla! I’m back after a bit of being hibernation to recover. For those who’ve yet to get this bug do your best to avoid it. I’m still going to be shaking off the effects for a week or two I’m sure.

So with all this drama I’ve fallen way behind on my blog reading, my photography and tracking anything of interest online. Today I stumbled across a video tip on Joe McNally’s blog about holding your camera. I’ve read and seen several tips on this to date but this one is different and therefore worthy of passing on. Enjoy.

Technorati Tags: sick, hibernation, photography, tip, Joe McNally, camera, holding, video