Summer Hike

     Last Summer my oldest daughter's church group took a Sunday afternoon excursion to a nearby hiking area.  I was asked to come along as a chaperone/photographer.  Well I like hiking, and I sort of do like taking pictures too, so....

Great bunch of girls with their awesome teacher Ms. Sharon

The girls all had a blast despite the heat

The trail ends at the waterfall.  Apparently the cool stream was very inviting...

They couldn't resist.

An uninvited visitor,  just passing through.

and the finish.. 

     This is a great group of girls.  They have really bonded these last couple of years under the leadership of their wonderful teacher, Ms. Sharon.  Everybody had a great time that day, including myself.  It was well worth enduring the heat and humidity to watch them laughing and playing in the rapids.
   
     I took lots of pictures, these are just a few.  I shot with my 55-250mm lens... very lightweight, and very versatile.  It's long, so I can zoom in tight for close-ups.  And it is just wide enough that I can get a group shot as long as I stand back a little ways.

     Everyone enjoyed seeing the pictures.  Ms. Sharon printed a bunch of 4x6's to give to the girls.  I also put together an Animoto video which the girls really enjoyed...







     Hoping to do it again this Summer, maybe it will be a little cooler this time :)


Tim

photo jabber blog by tim wyler

beginner photography tips for new dslr owners

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A Day at the Beach

     What family photo album would be complete without the shots from the big summer beach vacation!  The sun, the surf, hot sand, sunburns, jellyfish......   well you know.  It's still good classic family fun!  

the classic sandcastle building shot...  it's a must.

               Zoom in tight...                              Avoid distracting backgrounds...

A different perspective...

 The details...

Must include some beach vegetation!

     When capturing those family beach memories on camera, all the normal photographic rules apply.  But  here are a few extra tidbits which may help you yield better beach results...

• The plastic bag trick...  Ever walked out of your cool condo with camera in hand, ready for action, until the warm moist tropical air hits that camera lens and suddenly you're all fogged up?  Before you head out, put your camera in a plastic bag and set it out on the balcony for 20 minutes.  Your lens will adapt to the warm temperature and you will avoid the dreaded fog-over.
• Consider an old camera.  Keep in mind the sand and salty air do not make for a friendly environment for your nice shiny new camera.  Sure, you can bring the good one out for your portrait shoots.  But for those- hangin on the beach and just shooting some snapshots days, bring an old camera along.  Try to keep it protected when you're not using it.  And NEVER wipe the lens with a sandy towel or shirt.  
• If you're using a DSLR, do No Not Never change your lens on the beach.  Sand in Camera = Bad.
• As always.... Try to shoot in good light.  This means early or late in the day.  Avoid mid-day harsh sunlight.    - Having said that, we are just talking about vacation pics here.  It's perfectly fine to capture your memories at any time of day... just understand that your better photos will come in good light.
• Avoid busy, distracting backgrounds and zoom in tight on your subject. 
• Shoot from different perspectives...  Get low with lots of sand in the foreground.  Or try wading out into the water and shooting back toward the beach.
• Capture the details... the sand castles, the umbrellas, the little toes in the sand, etc...
• When shooting your fancy, dressed-up beach portraits... use fill-flash, so your sky will be pretty  and blue.
• Don't forget the all-important sea oats!  It's a requirement that you shoot your beach portraits in front of beach vegetation.  (usually dressed in khaki and white!)  

     

Tim

photo jabber blog by tim wyler

basic tips for beginner photographers

better family photos

Senior Moment

     I shot some senior portraits for our nephew last weekend.  We took a bunch of pictures, this one is my favorite.......

     The very soft, directional light is what really makes this image.  I wish that I could take credit for the lighting setup, but it's really just ambient light.  The overcast cloud layer was providing nice soft, even light, which can be a good thing.  But without any direction, this light can look somewhat flat and uninteresting.  In this case, the old shed, which my nephew is leaning against, is blocking the ambient light from his left side, thereby creating the look of directional light coming in from his right.  Studio photographers call this Subtractive Lighting - removing light in order to create shadows, which add definition and dimension to the subject.  Okay, so.... now I've changed my mind-  The soft, directional Shadows are what really make this image!


Hope you like,
Tim

photo jabber blog by tim wyler

tips for new beginner dslr photographers

Something Different - Blue Angels

     Last summer my family and I made a visit to the US Navy Air Museum in Pensacola to watch a Blue Angels practice session.  If you've never been, you should go... it's Awesome!  The Blues fly a full show routine, sometimes repeating certain maneuvers until perfect.  The spectators' stands are much closer to the action than at a typical airshow.  I knew it was going to be a great photo op!

     If I was going to shoot the Blue Angels, I wanted to take some serious glass!  I decided to rent the Canon 100-400mm L series lens.  Great reach, quick focus and super sharp image quality make the 100-400 a great airshow lens.  I rented mine from Lens Giant, they had a good rate on an 8-day rental.  

     I shot several hundred photos each of the two days we went.  I shot the whole time in high-speed burst mode, which on the 40D is 6.5 frames per second.  My Auto-focus was set to Continuous AF (servo mode), with all focus points selected.  I never use Multi-point focus for portraits because I can't control exactly where the focus goes, but it works perfectly shooting airplanes in the sky.  

     Going back for the second day helped me get some good shots that I missed the first time.  I learned to anticipate what was about to happen.  We were very lucky the weather was perfect both days.

6.5 fps is not fast enough!  Took me several attempts to get this shot.

me with the big Canon canon

     I'll definitely be going back again sometime.  If you get a chance to go -the Blue Angels practice schedule can be found on the Navy Air Museum website HERE.  note- Get there EARLY!

Tim

photo jabber blog by tim wyler

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basic tips for beginner dslr users

Force the Flash

     Today I grabbed my wife's Panasonic Lumix point & shoot camera, along with one of my favorite models, for a couple of quick shots to demonstrate the effects of using fill-flash for outdoor portraits.  Yet another beautiful, unseasonably warm day here today.  

     

     Bright afternoon sunlight overhead- so certainly no shortage of ambient light to work with.  But I don't want harsh afternoon sunlight directly on my subject's face, so I placed her back toward the sun.  Now she has great accent lighting on her hair and shoulders, but her face remains shaded.  I left the camera in Auto mode and took a shot.  As you can see in the first image above, it turned out okay.  

     But it's so super easy to make this okay-looking photo look better.  (I'm just talking about the exposure here, the subject is beautiful in either photo).  So I sorta remember saying something in a previous post- (This One) about the evils of using in-camera flash for portraits.  I think I said "Never Never", but what that really means is  "Never except for maybe Sometimes".  Actually I can and do stand by my previous declaration, as it was referring specifically to Indoor portraits.  Using in-camera flash for Outdoor portraits is not only acceptable, it's a really great idea.

     When shooting outdoors, the job of your camera's flash is to provide fill-light.  It's just a subtle little kiss of extra light  to fill in the shadows on the face, give a little catchlight in the eyes, and help separate your subject from the background.  

     For my second shot above, I set the camera to "Forced Flash On," and I took the same shot.  The effect is subtle, (as it should be) but I think it really improves the look of the photo.  Most point & shoot cameras have a button with the little flash/lightning bolt symbol to access the flash menu.  Simply set your flash to "ON" or "Forced ON" or whatever the term is used by your particular camera, and shoot away.  Be aware these tiny built-in flashes are pretty weak, so don't try this from across the yard.  

Hope you like,
Tim

Shooting Long

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     I shot this photo of young Reed at his family's home last Fall.  It was a great session with a great family.  I had a lot of fun and I think we came away with some pretty good images.  But Reed was not particularly interested in having his photo made this day.  Sometimes that makes it more fun.  These little ones can be squirrelly and evasive...I like the challenge.  And these shots often turn out to be the best images because they capture the child in a natural state, with real expression and emotion.
     Armed with my long tele-zoom lens, I managed to grab this shot as he popped up from behind a hill.  I love shooting portraits with a long lens.  This photo was taken at a focal length of 214mm.  You can see how the long focal length compresses the foreground and the background in the photo.  It's possible to get a similar look by shooting at a wide aperture setting, but I just really prefer the more isolated look I get from the long lens.
     When running and gunning with quick moving subjects, it's usually best to stick with ambient light.  This shot was lit by the sunlight coming in from camera left.  A thin overcast cloud layer diffused the sun slightly and provided a great soft light.

Hope you like,
Tim

photo jabber blog by tim wyler

digital photography tips and techniques for new dslr shooters

Bending the Rules

     In a previous post entitled Magic Hour I mentioned the ideal times for shooting outdoor portraits being morning and evening.  Mid-day overhead sunlight is awfully harsh and contrasty.  Another post, Soft Window Light warns against using your on-camera flash for portraits.  But rules are meant to be broken, or at least bent.  In this post we will do a little bending.

     So let's face it, we can't control everything.  Sometimes we need to take pictures outdoors, under harsh mid-day sun.  Understanding it's not the ideal light, there are a couple of tips we can follow to help improve the look of our sunny subjects.  

     First - set your camera's White Balance setting to "Cloudy". This will give your subject's skin a slightly warmer tone.  If you want to go even warmer, try "Shade".  Second step - turn ON your camera's flash.  Your "fill flash" will help fill in the hard shadows and even out the light on your subject.  Remember if you are using a small built-in flash, you will need to be in fairly close, probably 6-8 feet, in order for your flash to be effective.  

     Hope this helps.

Tim

photo jabber by tim wyler

simple tips and techniques for taking better pictures

     

     

Magic Hour

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250mm f5.6 1/80 sec.

     Whether you're shooting landscapes or portraits, with a DSLR, a Polaroid, or an iPhone, this one simple tip is virtually guaranteed to always always dramatically increase the amazingness of your outdoor photos!  The Magic Hour (or Golden Hour) actually occurs a couple of times per day.  The first hour of daylight and the last hour of daylight are without question, the premier shooting times for nearly any type of outdoor photo.  Low on the horizon, the sun's light is softened and diffused by the atmosphere, producing a warm, soft glow that bathes your subject and makes images look awesome.
     Try this test - Take a photo at 1pm.  Then go back out and take the exact same shot just before sunset.  You'll be amazed at how much you're photography improved in just a few hours :)

photo jabber blog by tim wyler

simple digital photography tips and techniques