Long Exposures plus Social Etiquette during shoots

This past summer has been quite an amazing photographic journey. We, by we I mean my business partner and I have embarked on some new processes and techniques that further enhanced the visual qualities of our photographs. It was said best in a conversation this past week, (by myself of course)  “I will always be a student of photography. As much knowledge as we can and have obtained about the traditional practices of photography, we will always be in a constant state learning as new processes, technology, cameras, and software enter the photography industry and continue to change the photographic medium.”

With that said, here are some Long Exposures that I began working on this past summer. Using no cable release, nor a remote, or wireless cable release, these photographs were made with my hand remaining on the shutter release for as much as 5 minutes.

Landscape of Memories

 

 

2:30 in the morning, the water is moving peacefully down the river. The clouds are rolling gently over head. Shooting stars pass quickly through the night sky. My hand grips the camera firmly. My finger depresses the shutter release. Minutes later, the light from the LCD screen illuminates my face as the image appears. For a moment, my breath escapes me.

 

Social Etiquette as defined by wikipedia.com is as follows “ etiquette is a code of behavior that influences expectations for social behavior according to contemporary conventional norms within a society, social class, or group.” How does this definition play a role in photography? Well, from time to time, people tend to forget their manners and throw out the social etiquette that comes manners. While on a shoot for a client this afternoon, a family took it upon themselves to include themselves into our setting. With total disregard for what was taking place, the shoot they were interrupting, they moved in and took over a section of the backdrop we were in the process of using.  Is it rude to jump into someone else’s shoot and take over the area that a photographer and client are using? Of course it is. From time to time I have had individuals take notice to what I was photographing, during travels, street photography, or even in areas that I photograph often, and come up and stand next to me and make almost the same photograph. This is blatantly rude and disrespectful. One could take this as a compliment. You notice something that people were passing up and it generates the attention of others to the point that they themselves want or feel the need to have the same image that you are making. This also falls into the spectrum of social etiquette and improper manners.

Is it easy to delicate a situation where someone else essentially moves into your spot? Chances are no. If they swoop in and take the spot and start setting up, this spot might be their money shot. Which in that case, they will not be quick to give the spot up, even though they essentially took the location from you. Approaching the person/people about this may cause a nasty confrontation, which if you are present with a client, may not be a good idea.  Especially for business.  What are your options at this point? Well, for us we went about with our shoot. Moved down slightly and let them do “their thing”. While on looking, we took notice how the “photographer” (father of the family) was posing the family in a very unpleasing lighting situation. This validated for us that taking the spot over was a mistake on their part. Nasty shadows crept over the family members from the high key natural light that was splashing over them. The over powering speed light was no doubt giving the subjects way to much light at this point. Our shoot moved on smoothly. Minutes later, the family breaks apart and leaves saying “sorry and thank you” very impolitely. Did this deter us from making some very satisfying portraits? Not at all, it was just a socially and unprofessional way of creeping in on a location that was already in use. The point of all this, be respectful of when choosing a location to shoot in. Make sure if you are going to be close to another photographer, that you are not interrupting their shoot or being a part of their back drop. After all, you wouldnt want the same thing to be done to you, would you? I’d hope not.

 

Composition

The elements and arrangements within a composition, as well as the composition (composition defined for visual arts ) of the photograph itself make up a very large portion of the over all image. The other remaining elements are creativity and of course LIGHT. Seeing as how photography is based on light and the principals that make up light. There are certain rules that need to be followed in composing your photographs. Some times elements, objects, and people are already presented in a composed manner and it is just up to us to make the photograph. Other times, this can be the tricky part, we have to compose and arrange the elements ourselves. This can be done by physically moving the elements and objects, or by physically moving around them and getting creative with how you position the camera as you are making the photograph. The angle and position in which you take can give a dramatic and some times impressive composition that gets you away from the boring, blah, snap shot qualities that can be made. The Digital Photography School has a great post that discusses The 5 Elements of Composition. A post that should be read, even if you are a seasoned pro. There might be something written in the post that could give you a new idea. Or might spark some sort of creativity.

Photography explained

IPhone and your DSLR: Controlling your Canon or Nikon DSLR with an Iphone or Itouch

I do not own an Iphone or Itouch (to bad my small Ipod support this feature). However, if I did this is something I would consider purchasing. A company called Ononesoftware has released an interesting application. DSLR Camera Remote It is the first application outside of the Speak Polish (an application that can translate, listen to, and repeat the Slavic language) application that I have seen that is worth having. Boasting it self as the “next generation of cable releases”, this impressive piece of software has a list of functions that seem pretty impressive for a cell phone. After all, it was merely a few years ago cell phones didn’t even have a camera.

Key Features include:

Remote firing, Remote adjustments, Image review, Live view, Intervalometer (used to trigger exposures), and Zero configuration.

Priced at a mere $19.oo this application will not break the bank, but break you free from your being trapped behind the lens, and possibly make you look cool. Well thats a given, but regardless of the wow factor, this app does seem to be a progressive step forward for ingenuity when it comes to cell phones, photography, and cameras.

For a list of update features that this application is capable of running, check out the site.

DSLR Camera Remote

Northampton, MA: Some personal thoughts and images.

The best way to describe my feelings towards Northampton is as follows, “ I am in love with Holyoke, but have a torrid love affair with Northampton.” On the average I can be found in one of these two towns making photographs. I work, manage, operate, and co-own a photography business in Holyoke, yet can be found enjoying the culture and night life that Northampton has to offer. For a few years now I have been wondering around Northampton, photographing the city as I see it. Documenting my time in the city to the point that it feels like home now.

These two photographs represent a different view of Northampton than most people will see. A view some people would rather not try and see, but very much enjoy seeing when presented to them. They also represent how this past summer I hit the pinnacle of memories formed in Northampton. This summer has brought the most changes in my life at one time. Some great, some good, some ok, and some bad. But within the bad still exists beauty. I have a much more fond appreciation for the time spent in Northampton this summer. Moments I dare not forget.

 

These images are grainy. This is due to being shot handheld at a slightly higher ISO than I would normally be found using. It was in the absence of a tripod that I was forced to use such a high ISO. These images were also shot from a dynamic vantage point. I.E scaling a fire escape to get this view.

Sitting in one of our regular places to grab a quick slice of pizza, Sam’s always has something going on inside or outside. And of course plenty of memories line the walls of Sam’s. What can truly be said about Northampton in one post and 3 crappy/quick photographs? Nothing more than one word, love. Which also happens to have been the theme for this summer as evenings were spent in Northampton.

I’ll end with this thought in mind.

“I could spend a life time photographing my memories of Western Ma, but the ones I want to remember the most I keep where no one  else can see them”

Personal Relationships: How they affect your photography.

People are constantly entering our lives. Occasionally there are those that make a tremendous impact on our lives, work, careers, our way of thinking, and possibly our ways of seeing and viewing the world around us. When a person can enter your life and give you a new perspective on your photography or open your eyes to something you have been looking at, but have not completely seen, then you have met a person that has truly impacted your photography. Having someone in your life that makes this much of a difference can be the greatest relationship you have outside your image making.

Personal relationships can not be confused with professional relationships and or the relationships with employees or colleagues. Personal relationships are the close ones we have with girlfriends, wives, boyfriends, husbands, family, and the close friends we keep. How do these relationships really affect your photography? Well in a number of ways. Families are always a big fan of your photography. There is that obligation to admire your photography even if they do not understand it. They will always be the ones to say something is nice, even if they don't know why it exists.

Girlfriends, wives, husbands etc fall into a slightly different category. They are the ones that we are the closest with. The people that we discuss our work with the most out side the professionals, employees, and contacts we keep that are connect to our photography. Having the right person that falls into this category is what I am referring to.

Here is my example: This past summer, someone entered my life and made an impact on my photography, the way I view my own images, and made me look inward and challenge a few of my beliefs and some of the ways I had been thinking about my photography. This is the first time any one person had ever made such a difference in my life and my photography. I have made some invaluable contacts that have given me some great resources to further my photography, however, this was not the case this time around. This summer I presented my photographs, a large collection of my images, to this person. It was the first time that I sat down and explained every image to someone that wasn’t a photographer. This challenged me in many ways. I had to clearly explain not only the reasons as to why these photographs existed, but how they were constructed. From composition to what I was seeing, thinking, and feeling when I made them. In the end what really took place was a self critique and concise explanation of my photographs. What was simply amazing was how my explanation made this person understand what they were looking at and was able to understand why these images exist.

Over the course of the next few days, I continued to think about how explaining all my photographs to someone who isnt a photographer and have them understand what I was thinking, seeing, and feeling when I made them, gave this person a total and complete understanding of the images. I started to think about how more photographers should be doing this. Finding someone who is so interested in our photographs and can question their existence, yet at the same time understand visually and intellectually the aesthetics and even appreciate the images, is an exercise we as photographers and artists should be doing more often. The point of this exercise is to be able to clearly defend our photographs and image making and give an inquisitive mind answers to questions they may have formed. If someone is truly interested in what they are seeing, they will question you. It also makes a world of a difference if this particular person you are conversing with, or involved in a personal relationship with, is intellectual and educated. The most questions that will be asked ,would come from someone who understands what they are seeing and can form their own opinions yet interpret the images.

As photographers, sometimes the best way for people to truly get to know us sometimes, is through our images, photographs, and the way we visually interrupt the world around us. Taking the time to understand our photographs, way of seeing, and thinking,  is giving someone insight into who we are as photographers, artists and who we are as a person/people. When a relationship of this caliber exists and these elements fall into the right place, then this personal relationship can and should impact our photographs, work, and how we see things. Like I said, for me this situation forced me to look inwards and challenge what I was already thinking and seeing. This is how a personal relationship can affect the quality of photographs, work, career, and even allow us the see ourselves in a new way.

For the first time, I was able to grow as a photographer and person due to a personal relationship that met all of these qualities. Some times these relationships come to an end, or these people may not exist in our lives any more, but does this mean they are really gone? or do not exist if they aren't physically there? No, because looking inwards and being able to see something that you didn't realize was there, even though you see it every day, means that this person has made an impact on your life and photographs. This immortalizes the person that is able to make this happen. They may be gone or not there at the moment, but they are still there because of the possible changes that took place.

Personal relationships can truly out weight some of the other relationships we may keep. How we choose to allow these people in our lives is up to us. But when someone enters our lives without warning and graciously changes our views, seeing, and thoughts, then this is a person worth keeping in our lives, and some times it isn’t up to us to be able to control this. But in the end it is worth having in our lives.

These two photographs are a prime example of  what viewing something we see every day, in a newer way, really means.

 

Copy Right: Jeffrey Byrnes Lenshare.com

Update: Technical Issues

This past week has been filled with technical problems as well as a few photographic issues that have come up. Mixed with all that and then some. Lenshare has seen its share of dilemmas in providing a consistent article daily. This is going to be coming to an end. The piece about work flow and integrating new software and new processes into a studio or even personal work flow is still in the works. That, as well as another great piece featuring the affects of personal relationships and the side affects they can cause when it comes to making photographs is also in the works. The premise for this article has been a few months in the making. This piece may give you a chance to reflect on your life, your photography, and the people that directly affect your work, and possiblely enhnace the quality of your photography. These pieces plus a few helpful tips and suggestions about photography are what is instore for this week.

Stay tuned...

Un-Scheduled Vacation

It has been a few days since the last post was made. This past week has been beyond hectic. It was basically a vacation, but not really. This coming week there will be a few posts made about Adobe Lightroom 2. Lightroom 2 is a great work flow program that I have been working with and testing for our business. Over the past week or so we have been trying to set up the fastest workflow we possibly can. Lightroom plays a huge factor in getting our work to our clients faster than ever. This is just one topic that I will discuss about the features Lightroom has to offer.

This past Friday night/Saturday morning, we had quite the adventure. We made photographs in Turners Falls, MA. Turners Falls is home to the Hallmark Institute of Photography. A photo school that gears students to enter a career in photography. A school that I do not have the strongest feelings towards. For reasons left un-said at the moment. During the time we spent making photographs around the town. Roughly an hour and a half. We encountered some very entertaining people. One intoxicated individual,  stumbled towards us uttering the following,  “Fucking Hallmark students”. It was a bit annoying to have this man verbally assault us as we were in the middle of making some intense photographs. In fact, he was one of three people who made the poor assumption that an individual with a camera should automatically be stereotyped and labeled a Hallmark student. Over the past few years living in the area that I have, this is a stereotype that I have subjected to a few times. Each time it is just as bothersome as the last. Moving forward an hour. As the drive back was about an hour, we arrived in Holyoke Ma. The city in which our business/studio resides. Entering Dwight st, we immediately caught wind of a fire. We knew exactly what was happening, plus the blatantly obvious orange glow that took over the sky in section of the city we are familiar with. Over the next two hours, we made photographs of the fire. We responded before any other form of News Media showed up. The local news papers didnt even make it out during the actual blaze. Here are a few of the images they missed out on.

These are just a few of the 900 combined images we have. Me Tim Lastwoski, Co-owner spent a great deal of time ensuring the images we were making would be different than any other photograph that was being shot. Which even lead us to taking over a roof top adjacent from the fire. When I say adjacent from the fire, I mean we were so close we were getting soaked from the water being sprayed onto the flaming building.

During the day today, I discovered that the third floor of the building had a bomb strapped to an electrical box. The fire was ruled out an arson. The bomb is being investigated. There was a very rude individual that also took it upon himself to verbally assault anyone who was covering the fire for the purpose of the news and or media. He screamed and yelled at me, my friend, and my business partner. It was an uncalled for display of idiocy on his part. All and all, it was an adrenaline rush to be as close to the action as we were. We were so close, we felt like we were a part of it…

This week has a lot in store for lenshare and its readers. A new site will be launched too. So please be on the look out for that. It is a site that will reduce the amount of images I post here and give more free space for other photography related content enriched posts.

Stay tuned!

Featuring: Barry Chignell from FreePhotoresources.com

Barry Chignell, founder of Freephotoresources.com has been doing a phenomenal job with his site since I have been following it. I can not remember how I managed to find his site just after he began posting on it, however I am glad that I did. And for a number of reasons to. Lately, I have noticed that Barry has been doing a little bit of HDR processing with his photography. In fact, the level of work that he has been putting out made me stop and think, he may have a few good points that the Lenshare readers might find interesting. I contacted Barry and asked him a few questions about HDR photography. Below is his response as well an image that he wanted to share on Lenshare. I am very pleased to be able to have Barry as a contributor and guest on Lenshare.

“I think that HDR is playing a positive part in photography as it offers a completely different technique and style that photographers can try.  It has also caused the production of software such as PhotoMatix and features to be added to photo editing software like Photoshop.  Until the introduction of software like Photoshop and Photomatix the photo equipment and software available was of a lower dynamic range than we see with our own eyes.  With these tools we can now truly portray the scene.
HDR's debated in most photography forums on the net.  Some people love it, some hate it with a passion, because it's one of those techniques that has a fine line between 'wow, that’s amazing' and 'you've butchered that photo'.  What a lot of these people don’t realize is that it is not the technique that they love or hate but the person that has created the photo and applied the effect. The great thing is that HDR is being discussed, I am not sure if any other photography technique causes so much conversation?
I became interested in HDR photography after seeing photos by the likes of Trey Ratcliff and Dave Hill. I love the way in which the technique allows you to capture every detail within a scene.  For some shots I apply a very subtle HDR 'effect' just to bring out highlights, lowlights or mid-tones and give the sky a bit more definition.  For other shots I may go for a stronger effect (such as the St Peter's Church shots) where the process compliments the colours and textures

The photo that I have chosen as one of my favourites and something I wanted to share is the LillyPad, I love this shot for it's simplicity, for this reason I was very careful with the processing and I am very happy with the result.”

"A great HDR shot is one that is balanced and sympathetic to the scene that it is capturing"

HDR photography is a topic that I tend to discuss quite a bit of on Lenshare. Even though the process has been around for a little while, it is still a big topic for discussion. Especially considering the photographers that Barry has mentioned have been constantly evolving and working progressively in new directions. We are still in the beginning stages of HDR photography. It is a process that can give a dramatic feel to an image and or scene.

Below are a few examples of HDR that I have made. Each photograph is a combination of 3-7 bracketed exposures. Each photograph has its own level of tone-mapping to enhance and bring out the brilliant-saturated colors that are visible.

The next few images represent how composing an image for HDR is a very selective process. Not everything will look good using the principals and processes of HDR. This is where you (the photographer) has to choose a composition that will look outstanding in HDR. It is very important that the choice of colors and composition are a major contributor in making your HDR images. Here is an example of a poor choice in making an HDR image.

This image is very muted in the colors or lack of color that is present. It takes on a semi-monotone quality while still retaining the full range of highlights, mid-tones, and shadows (the elements that make up an HDR image) This is a prime example of choice of colors and composition play a vital role in the end result.

The image below is what the composition looks as a single image. It is nearly a perfect exposure for a single non-HDR photograph. Here you can see the color/temperature of the light and how it affects the end result of the processed HDR image. It is also not just about the color of the lights and or temperature, time of day makes a difference. For example, if this photograph was shot at a different time of the day where the lights were not on and natural light filled the composition, the colors would be more vivid and brilliant. Factors like these are what you should be considering when you’re thinking about making HDR images.

HDR is best known for producing  brilliant, very illuminated, sometimes over saturated, and vibrant colors. The best HDR images sometimes take on a surreal and almost painterly affect. As you can well see, the colors and temperature do not give this feel at all. HDR photography is still trying to make a name for itself. As Barry mentioned, it is a subject that generates a lot of discussions. Some positive, and some not so positive. Here at Lenshare we are supportive and feel that HDR is a very positive aspect of digital photography. It is something that we do not shoot or produce exclusively, as we find ourselves consumed by many different aspects of photography. In conclusion, HDR photography is a process and technique that requires a more conscious awareness when it comes to achieving the end result. Get out and shoot some HDR images and have fun. Email us here at lenshare if you would like your HDR images featured in an article.

Black and White Photography Plus Photographers Worth Mentioning.

What can be said about black and white photographs and black and white photography that hasn’t already been said? Well quite a bit actually. The advancements in the photographic medium over the years have allowed for new ways to convert images into black and white photographs. With the new ability to convert images to black and white, big strides have been made in the printing aspects of digital photography. This is something that I am not going to go into to much depth about. My focus with this article is to discuss photographers that work in solely black and white. But just let me say, the latest printers that are being sold now allow for smoother tonality, better gradation, and produce a finer detail in the final prints. Paper manufactures have also developed specific papers just for black and white printing. If you are not yet currently printing your own images, this is something to keep in mind when deciding to move forward with your photography and buy a printer. Shooting black and white is still a great deal of fun.

Sitting next to me is a half dozen publications, (photography magazines) that each contain something discussing black and white photographs. Each magazine also contains a good number of black and white images. One of the publications, Digital Photo Pro even has a Black and white special. This article that I found on the site is not part of issue in print that I have, but it is able to defend my thoughts on black and white photography still being a huge aspect in photography. What was in the issue that I have thumbed through numerous times is an article about Michael Creagh  michaelcreagh.com The article discusses his use of black and white in his fashion photographs. I found it to be a very inspiring piece that talks about his dedication to working some projects solely in black and white. He developed a style and a reputation for his black and white photographs. It is hard to work in a market and industry these days and focus on just black and white. One look at his website will show you that he does use color in his images. I find that being able to work in both areas makes you a more rounded photographer.

Having been classically educated in black and white and color photography, I feel that I have more of rounded education than a student currently enrolled in a program that focuses specifically digital photography. I find myself doing about a 50/50 spilt when it comes to color and black and white photography. My interests with black and white do out weight color sometimes. This is the reason behind searching all my magazines to find the best possible articles that discuss black and white photography. When it comes to making black and white photographs, you have to think and see images in black and white. There is more of a thought process when it comes to making photographs black and white. Black and white offers a timeless quality to images that color otherwise can not.

Below are two images that show the contrast of color vs. black and white. On the left is the color image. Not a very appealing image because of the color of the available light. Converted to black and white this images takes on a quality that the color image doesn’t portray. When me and a fellow photographer were standing in this location, we were discussing how we much rather be using 50 speed  black and white film. Why 50 speed? Well, 50 speed would give us almost zero grain and allow us to make large prints. 40”x60” is around the size we were thinking.

 

Now on to some amazing photographers. This is just a small list of photographers who’s use of black and white images have helped make a name for them.  These photographers may not be familiar to you, but it is worth it to know who they are.

Rodney Smith is well educated and amazingly talented photographer. Portfolio His masterful images offer a somewhat surreal quality to the viewer.

Elliott Erwitt is another Master of black and white photography.

  

Garry Winogrand was a street photographer known for his portrayal of America. “Winogrand was known for his portrayal of American life in the early 1960s, Many of his photographs depict the social issues of his time day and in the role of media in shaping attitudes. He roamed the streets of New York with his 35mm Leica camera rapidly taking photographs using a prefocused wide angle lens. His pictures frequently appeared as if they were driven by the energy of the events he was witnessing. While the style has been much imitated, Winogrand's eye, his visual style, and his wit, are unique.”

Sally Mann is a very controversially talked about photographer.

Annie Leibovitz being sued and some Nikon News

Annie Leibovitz: This past year has not been a very good year for Annie Leibovitz. I wrote a post back in the winter about how shes has hit serious financial turmoil. This was the second of two posts I wrote about her in the past year. Leibovitz makes more news Leibovitz made a bold move this year by selling off the rights to her work past, present and future. Now she is making more headline news in PDN PDN one of my favorite photo publications has a news article that discusses the Lawsuite involving Leibovitz. I truly feel bad for Annie. Over the past few years she has been dealt her share of misfortune. Now, things are harder than ever for the American iconic photographer. I have always been inspired by her work, photographs, and her life story. I watched a documentary this past year that showcases her entire life. From the begining of her career as a photographer and her days of shooting Rolling Stone up until the last book she published, I have been moved by her sucess. Now that she has hit these issues, I feel a little less than insipired. I can only hope that she will recover from these hardships.


Nikon News: Nikon releases new cameras.

-Nikon D300s

-Nikon D3000
-Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR II
-Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II

As a Nikon user, I know that both of these cameras have the ability to make some great images. I always look forward to seeing what Nikon is putting out for cameras and lenes. If I was to suggest a camera to an amature, I would suggest the D3000. If I was to suggest a camera for a more advanced user, someone who knows their way around a DSLR, I would suggest the D300S. I have used the D300 and have seen some great results with it, so the D300s being a newer version only means that the cameras capabilities and features are stronger. Check them out!