Camera Basics 101: ISO

ISO is a very basic setting, that should be considered one of the top settings you will need to regularly adjust.  With digital cameras, the ISO pertains to how sensitive the sensor is to light.  The higher the ISO, the more sensitive the sensor will be and the brighter the image.  However, higher ISO's will introduce more noise.  Noise is the added grain that can ruin the sharpness and soften the image.

In the day's of film, ISO pertained to the film's sensitivity.  It used to be that you would have to change a roll of film to get a different sensitivity.

So how do you know which ISO to choose for an image?  Look at your content.

Noisy Image at ISO 3200 captured with Nikon D50

Camera Basics 101: Aperture Explained

Aperture is a fairly simple concept to understand, and once you know the basics of it, you are well on your way to capturing the images you want to create.  The aperture that you set determines how wide open your lens is and how much light can get in.  A smaller aperture therefore needs a longer exposure to capture light than a larger one.

The numbers are backwards from what you might think, much like golf.  If your number is smaller, your aperture is larger and more open, letting more light in at once.  If the number is higher, the more closed and smaller your aperture.  Inside your lens there is a series of blades that come closer together or spread out more depending on these numbers.

f/1.8

Up and Down days.

Every job has it's ups and downs and photography is no exception. Occasionally I will find myself sitting at home wondering why my career is not where I think it should be, and if I'm really good enough to make a living off photography.  This is normal.  It's easy to get on top of the world one day, and then lose all confidence the next.

Start selling stock today, and see why it's so great for photographers

If your not on Flickr yet, it is now time to join!  I've found it helps bring traffic to both this blog, and my personal site.  It's a great place to showcase your work and to get feedback on results from recent shoots.  I recommend joining many groups that reflect what you shoot and which equipment you use.  From there you can post your images in groups and people will view and maybe comment on your images.

Every pro needs a professional website

Let's face it, the internet is not the fad that Dwight from The Office claims it is.  It is here to stay.  I've now had a website for over 3 years, and have finally designed one that I feel really represents my work, you can view it at www.cnwphoto.com.  After looking at sites I liked on the web I found one that really stood out to me.  It's professional photographer Cole Barash's site at www.colebarash.com.  I noticed at the bottom that it was created by a company called Livebooks. They are running a free 14-day trial, and after that, it only costs $39 a month.  Not too bad for the photographer with little time to manage a site, and not much experience with design.

The art of delicate light balance

This is the shot that I took 2nd place in the Teva Mountain Games with.  My lovely assistant/girlfriend (Kelly) helped carry my 18.6 pound alienbee battery pack and flash head halfway up Vail mountain.  I highly recommend getting an assistant of your own (especially if they don't charge....)

Local Newspaper Coverage

One of the most important things a photographer can do, is to market their name.  By doing this you create a sort of "brand" around your name, and people begin taking you as a much more professional/elite photographer.

With the cover and article in Photoshop User, I decided that now is the perfect time to contact a local newspaper and have them run an article about my recent career achievements.  If you have something big you plan on doing as a photographer, or a big accomplishment then I highly recommend getting your name out to a local newspaper.  It plant's the seed in potential clients minds and will help you land more clients when you market yourself.  Name recognition is HUGE!

Here is a copy of my article, with the image on the cover!!

Protecting your flash from mall rain

Notice something wrong here?  Took this with my blackberry at the Greeley, CO mall.  It's the only light source for the photo booth with santa.  I guess the umbrella protects it from those slanting rain storms through the mall.  Let me know what you think they were hoping to accomplish!

Backpack Brag

Heres a quick note that all photographers should remember:

Not only should you tell your athlete/friend/family/model (whoever you want to impress) how heavy your backpack is, you should also have them pick it up and see for themselves.  This makes you look like the badass you truly are for carrying it around.  Maybe tell them about the time you crossed the entire Gobi desert carrying it, with only one bottle of water, and a small bag of trail mix with no problems.  Any variations will suffice, and can only impress.  Laughter will help set the tone of  a shoot, and loosen up the models.  Anything funny or just ridiculous (though the Gobi story is %100 true, trust me.) will be a huge help on a shoot.

Preparing for a stock shoot...

The day shoot seems like such a simple idea, you get your models together, head out and shoot.  Easy right? 


Read more by clicking link below...........................................

The Update E-mail (what is it? Why will it improve my business?)

The update e-mail is sent when I have something new happen to my business. It does not need to be big or exciting, just something that's either changed, or improved.  When something like this happens, such as an update to your website, a good change in business policy, just about anything that could be viewed as a positive thing, send out an e-mail describing it.  When I update my website, I like to send out a broadcast e-mail to all of the people that I am currently working with, or have worked with before.  This reminds clients that you are working hard, and motivates them to view the new update.  Although this is not direct marketing, it does start the gears turning.  Almost every time I have sent out an update, a client has contacted me with either more work, or desire to purchase an image.

My most recent update described my cover and spread in Photoshop User magazine this month.  Next time you have an update, send out that broadcast e-mail to everyone, and enjoy the work that may come from it.

Anatomy of an Image #2

This image is actually very simple to setup and make.  The first and most important detail, is to find a corner that has fairly good natural light on it.  You can tell by the shadow under the biker that the sun is providing a lot of light for the image, and that it was captured towards the middle of the day.  To freeze the action, I set my camera up to it's highest sync without going into FP sync mode.  This way I have more power to work with from the strobe, which in the case of this shot, is a Nikon SB-800 powered by a quantum battery pack for super fast recycle times.  The flash is placed just out of the left side of the frame, and because I knew the rider would be leaning inwards, is set on the ground.  If you raise the flash, you lose some of the accent lighting on the bike frame, and right leg of the athlete.  It was also placed low, since I was shooting at almost ground level.   The closer you get to the action, at a lower angle, the more aggressive a biking shot will become.  Set the flash at about 1/4 power to blend well with the pre-existing natural light.  I also put it far enough in front of the rider, to catch and light his eyes.  For midday, the lighting is already harsh, so throw the flash zoom at about 70mm or more, to give it more punch.  Send the rider through once and test your light output.  You can also have the rider stand on the corner and test.  Pre-focus on the spot where the rider looked most aggressive and tilted before each shot.

This shot was captured at ISO 125 with an aperture of f/5.6.  It helps secure focus, and darkens the background to shoot with the aperture a little more closed.

Thanks to Kyle Green for hiking a bit to get the shot.

Architectural 101

Both of these shots are from last night's shoot.

Architectural photography (In my opinion) is one of the most technical types of photography in existence. Like anything else, it's all about perfect timing, the a colorful sky with a few clouds, and as much flash lighting as possible.  Oh, harsh sunlight can blow the shoot, and you need to run around like a maniac to get your lighting just right and still manage to look professional in front of the client.  No hesitations are allowed here, if you pause to think, nod up and down and move a little every once in a while to make it look like you are not panicking.  The last thing a client wants is a stressed out photographer.  I generally always shoot exteriors/interiors right around sunset.  Not because I'm too lazy to get up early (we all are somedays..)  but because the light just works for me at that time.  If the shot doesn't seem to be working, relax, cause the light will just get better and the moment for the shot will come.

Architectural photography can be very tricky in mountainous areas.  The sun can set hours apart for different houses on the same block.  This occurs if there is a large mountain is present.  Plan ahead.  Arrive early.  Impress the client.  I like to show the occasional (only a few per shoot) image on the back of the camera, and tell them how much better it will look when I'm finished color-correcting it.  Using color-correcting as a term instead of editing can help the client believe that your shots don't even need editing because you are so good.  Capture the shot, grab your stuff, pretend it went well even if you don't think it did, and move along quickly.  Lingering too long instills doubt in the client.  Would you think someone was an expert if they spent 45 minutes capturing one photo of your bedroom?

One thing that really helped my architectural work is actually the post-processing.  You can theoretically light up a large complex room with one flash, thanks to photoshop.  I will angle the flash many directions to cover dark spots, capture an image with each direction, and use quick layer masks to light the whole image evenly.  It takes some practice so you will want to try it in your own home first and perfect the masking art.   Of course, if you do have a lot of flashes, go crazy!  I usually always bounce the flash to avoid unwanted glare, either off the wall behind where I'm shooting, or the ceiling directly above me.  If there isn't anything that will create glare, I sometimes shoot the flash direct.  I use a diffuser box on it to spread it everywhere, and set the flash head as wide as it goes.

Always look for the little details in every room you shoot.  Lights look better on, always light the fire and if you can't, place a flash with a red gel in the fireplace.  I use the LumiQuest FXtra gels for this because they are affordable, and always stay on my flash.  Make sure everything is arranged in a pleasing manner, and make sure your angle truly is the best for that room.  Shooting ultra-wide will work fine, because you can use distortion control in photoshop after and retain straight lines.

There's a million more things to be said about architectural photography, but I feel this is a good start.  Please comment below if you have any questions, and I will be following this up soon with more information.

Getty Images!!!!

It is now official, I have 5 images currently for sale on Getty's website, and will have many more soon! Those 5 are just the start from a small first submittal.  You can view the images I currently have available by clicking this link.  The numbers will be growing quickly so check back regularly.  This is one of the bigger things that has happened in my career, and it took a LOT of work over this summer.  I would like to say thank you to all of my models that have helped me out (shooting for free and often)!!  Without you guys this would not have happened.  Also, thank you to Kelly for believing that I can do this, and always telling me I'm the best photographer in the world (Even though all girlfriends are basically required to say that to their boyfriends about what they do.....haha).  I'll have a new post up tomorrow on techniques.  

Featured Photographer in Photoshop User and a Cover!!!

www.photoshopuser.com

Just got the new issue of Photoshop User magazine!  One of my photos was used for the cover, and I was also the featured photographer for this month's issue.  You can view the full size pages including the cover by clicking on the images above.  You can learn more about me by reading the Q and A section of this feature.  Enjoy!  By the way, articles and covers usually just don't happen due to luck, so get out there and start contacting any magazines and promoting yourselves.

Moving into a new neighborhood with a bang!

Come on Vail Police, is three officers the best you have??!!  Your going to need more than that to take Daniel and I out of business!  (At least that's what I would have said if I was more of a badass).


I had just finished moving into my new neighborhood on Saturday evening.  Sunday I needed a shot of myself with my LumiQuest gear for an upcoming ad campaign.  Luckily I had an idea for a location that was just outside my apartments window, under a bridge.  My friend Daniel Milchev (Check out his AMAZING work at www.photovenom.com) was on hand to help capture the photo.  We walked over to the bridge around 9 PM last night with two LumiQuest Softbox III's (For soft even light that allows me to look beautiful) on Nikon Sb-800's, and a LumiQuest FXtra gel pack (For creating a red light on the wall behind me) on a Nikon Sb-600.   We captured the shots using the Nikon Creative Lighting System which allows settings for flashes to be changed in camera, and automatically determines the necessary amount of light for each flash group.


When we arrived at the location, we immediately noticed the wall covered in graffiti.  This would make a  great backdrop for the shot!  I stepped into position, holding the Softboxs in each hand, and with the gel on a flash right next to and behind me.  Daniel controlled camera and flash settings, and was shooting my Nikon D300 with the 50mm Nikkor 1.8D (One of the sharpest, cheapest lens you can buy).  


We decided that we were almost done and were going to shoot 1-2 more shots just as a precaution, when the shoot took an interesting turn.  Two flashlights came peaking around the corners under the bridge, and a loud "POLICE" was yelled at us.  Though this may be shocking the first time it happens, I'm fairly used to it by now due to shooting urban skiing on rails at night.  The police had received a call from one of my new neighbors (thank you whoever you are, now everyone will know me as the troublemaker).   Daniel and I had to leave the location, and carry the flashes up to meet with the police.  By this time there were three squad cars and officers because it must have been a slow night.  Or maybe because other photographers were out and they had the whole force on looking for those troublemakers. The officers ran our ID's (thankfully no warrants out for me or Daniel).  And told us that this looked suspicious.  They also checked for spray paint cans because they believed we had painted the graffiti.  We were drilled with questions and were asked repeatedly why we would be shooting under a bridge. Finally they left, and we called it a night.  Today I will probably meet my neighbors, and hopefully they will know me already from my reputation due to the "Grand Entrance"!

Camera Basics 101: Shooting RAW

(If you've just arrived for the first time at All Photo Buzz, there is an index on the right side that will allow you to look at only the articles that interest you.  There is a LOT of free information here, so take some time and look around.)


I remember when I first started shooting.  The camera arrived at my house, and I had no idea where it would honestly take me!  About 4-5 years has passed since that day, and I still feel there are a million more things for me to learn.  Today, shooting in RAW format almost all the time is the most important lesson for my career.  Almost every commercial client is looking for either a RAW file straight from the camera, or a TIF file after being edited in photoshop.  


When you shoot in JPEG, your camera automatically makes all the editing calls. It adjusts the exposure, shadow brightness, highlight darkness, curves, sharpening, and many others.  Then it compresses the image down by saving only a few details in similar areas.


This can be great for those shoots where the client doesn't require the highest quality images, and for shoots that involve repetition.  If I'm shooting a bike race to sell images directly to the racers, I will shoot in a mode that records a RAW file and a JPEG.  This way I can get the photos online for sale as soon as I am home.  If the JPEG doesn't look right, I can still open the RAW file and do my own edit.


The rest of the time I am ALWAYS shooting in RAW mode.  One day several years back, I received a call from Powder Magazine.  They were interested in using one of the photos I had submitted!  The file was originally a JPEG, that I had upscaled(never do this!!!) to a TIF file to meet their submittal requirements.  The editor asked that I send him a RAW file.  When he heard that the original was  a JPEG, he almost instantly turned down the image. I sent him the actual JPEG, and he realized that I had done a lot of editing to make it look like what he was seeing.  


It's extremely disappointing to lose a sale simply because you didn't know any better, although I'm sure this happens to everyone at some point in their early career.  Think of a RAW file as an untouched image.  The file is still full size, and has the capacity for a lot of editing.  It's also far more forgiving if your original is over or under exposed.  If you are becoming serious and still shooting JPEG all the time, switch the file setting in your camera to RAW now.  Through all the control you gain and potential for MANY more sales, you will never look back again!


Remember:  All RAW files require some degree of editing.  They will generally lack contrast when you first open them, and will always need some degree of sharpening.  They are also very large files, so get a large external hard drive.  Once you learn to edit them however, you will never want to shoot any other way.

Spontaneous shopping cart shoot

8 PM: Model arrives, no image is planned, lets brainstorm!

8:30 PM: Driving around using headlights looking for random location.

8:35 PM: Decided on shot! Shopping cart in the woods with model asleep and posing in it!

From here, we had to decide the best way to "borrow" a shopping cart from the grocery store. This involved dropping the model off, having him take a cart around back, driving to the road up a hill behind the store, and hiking up it with the cart. For future reference, metal shopping carts are freaking heavy and awkward to load on top of a Toyota Corolla's bike rack. Without bungie cords we managed to strap it down with the bike tire straps. Surprisingly no damage was done to my car, and the cart barely moved.

I knew a 4wd road nearby that we could access via back roads so as not to be stopped by the police(they would not understand that we were just borrowing the cart). The road was definitely not meant for a corolla, but we managed to get pretty far up it, and shoot with the cart.

For these shots, I used 2 nikon SB-800's on the sides, my Quantum Battery packs, a Lumiquest Softbox III on the right, and a Lastolite Trigrip Diffuser, and silver panel on the left. I would set the camera on self timer, then run and hold the trigrips. For most of the shots I fired at ISO 100, F/4.5, and a shutter speed of 1/50th. The temperature was in the upper 40's Fahrenheit, so the shoot did not last too long. Not bad for a random night with no plan whatsoever! My advice from this shoot: It's better to go out and shoot with no plan at all, than to forget the shoot altogether. Also, look everywhere for props and unique locations! This shoot was finished by 10:30 PM, and the cart was safely delivered back to the store. Gotta love free props!

One more note: The images above are all unedited RAW files(I will be editing and updating them soon!)

APB Learning Index

Introduction to AllPhotoBuzz
My Gear

Camera Basics 101 Series:
A beginner series teaching all the basics.

1.  Focusing 101
2.  Shutter Speed 101
3.  Aperture 101
4.  ISO 101
5.  RAW 101
6.  Extreme Sports
7.  Tips for mountain biking photography
8.  Shooting for the LOVE of Shooting
9.  White Balance 101
10. Radio Triggering 101
11. Cleaning your camera's sensor
12. Backup your drives!
13. Fireworks
14. Skateboarding 101
15. Zen Photography and the Multiple Flash Approach
16. Composition 101
17. Setting flashes up on uneven ground
18. Great place to go learn how to shoot professionally
19. It's all in the location and style!

Video Training:
1. Make your photos pop with lab mode in photoshop
2. Selectively brighten shadows in an image using photoshop
3. Remove Logos From Your Images

Editing Basics:
1. Raw Conversion with Lightroom
2. Dodge and Burn

Free Lightroom 3 Presets:
1. Fall *PoP* Presets
2. Grunge Presets
3. Cold and Warm Grit Presets
4. Action *PoP* Presets

Advanced Shooting Skills:

1. The art of delicate light balance
2. Anatomy of an image #1
3. Anatomy of an image #2
4. Anatomy of an image #3
5. Anatomy of an image #4
6. Anatomy of an Image #5
7. Anatomy of an Image #6
8. Architectural Photography
9. Sunny 16 rule
10. Shooting HDR
11. Balancing fill flash with ambient light (Architectural advice included)
12. Creating soft and even light

Tips Articles:


1. Top 20 Random Tips
2. Top 20 Things I wish I had known when I started out
3. Do's and Dont's of Skiing Photography
4. Tips for Mountain Biking Photography
5. Tips for shooting Lacrosse
6. Inspiration to make you a better photographer.
7. Shoot what you love to shoot!
8. 10 Tips for shooting action sports like a seasoned pro
9. Don't Give Up!
10. Skiing Shoot Tips for Any Day
11. 5 Great Posts on Skiing Photography
12. Shoot for Fun!  Not Just Money.
13. 10 Tips That Will Take Your Skateboard Photography to the Next Level
14. Bret Edge's Five Steps to Better Photography
15. Get Outta that Funk!  Go Shoot!
16. 10 Awesome Photography Articles and Tutorials for Learning and Inspiration

Product Reviews and Impressions:

1. LensBaby First Impression
2. AlienBees
3. LensBaby Lens System Full Review
4. The Curse and Blessing of New Gear
5. Rechargeable Sanyo Eneloop Batteries
6. Yet another IPad post for the net...
7. Nik Software HDR Efex Pro Reviewed

Marketing Skills:

1. Cold Calls
2. The update e-mail. What it is, and how it will improve your business.
3. Self-promotion (Photoplus expo and my trip to NYC)
4. Advice for making more sales, TODAY
5. Enter competitions to create a name for yourself
6. Creating a Portfolio the right way
7. Magazine Submittal Season
8. Eliminating the "Specialty work mindset" (Sell your work to the world!)
9. Marketing your Photography is Not as Obscure as You May Think

Running Your Business:
If you are starting as a professional, or have been at it for a while, read these to learn what you will need to know.

1. Pricing (Your Professional life depends on it!)
2. Up and Down Days
3. Start selling stock today and see why it's so great for photographers
4. Every pro needs a professional website
5. Calibrating your monitor
6. Learning necessary photography skills
7. Something to keep in mind when you start out.
8. The Ins-and-outs of Event Photography
9. Keep it simple and remember why you love photography!
10. Get Published in Magazines!!
11. Find your inner peace with good pricing and great clients
12. Handling your finances (estimates-through-actual profits)
13. Real Estate Photography: Lucrative and Easy to Market
14. Purchasing only what is necessary to run a great business
15. Selecting shots for magazine submittals
16. Shooting Stock: Tips and Ideas
17. Business Cards and Branding for your Photography Company
18. Get Sponsored!

Photographers Blogs You Should Follow:

1. Joe McNally
2. Focal Flame Photography
3. Chase Jarvis

Technical:

1. Certain Camera Settings will lower your continuous shot quantity
2. The High ISO revolution
3. The 50mm prime, and why you need one
4. More Accurate and Sensible Focusing for your Nikon or Canon


Photoshop Techniques:

1. Shadows/Highlights Masking with Photoshop CS4
2. HDR imagery
3. Use Photoshop Smarter with Configurator
4. Make your photos *POP* like the pros do!
5. Photoshop 101: Sharpening
6. Photoshop Actions: Speed up your computer time
7. Layering exposures in Photoshop

Shoot Journal:
Not only do these cover my experiences during a day of shooting, but also offer MANY useful tips/advice on capturing photos and what to do when things go wrong (believe me they will!)

1. Ladies restroom photography, need I say more?
2. Skateboard Denver
3. Setting up a Stock shoot
4. Portrait Under Bridge/ Moving into the new neighborhood with a bang!
5. Senior Portraits (with explanation of setup)
6. Spontaneous shopping cart shoot
7. Sunny day mountain biking stock shoot
8. Firefighter Training
9. Frost Bite, Gray Skies, and Photography
10. Forest Fires
11. Crankworx bike finals and the sunny 16 rule
12. Crankworx bike part deux
13. Crankworx bike part 1
14. Keystone DH biking photo shoot
15. Commissioned day shoot at Winter Park
16. Desert Stock Photography
17. Teva Mountain Games: Day 1
18. Teva Mountain Games: The Rest of the Story
19. Slack Lining
20. Winter Park Day Shoot
21. Real Estate Shoot: Main House, Carriage House, Hot Tub, All in One Shot
22. Studio Portrait Session

Photo Challenges:
It's important to challenge yourself as a photographer and always seek improvement!

1. PhotoMerge Challenge Pitch
2. PhotoMerge Challenge- My Results (advice for creating a merge)


Photo Events/Competitions:

1. Worldwide Photo Walk (Yearly)
2. LumiQuest Photo Comp (Monthly)