Featured Guest ~ Exploration Thursday!

"Feathery Sunrise" by Christine Kapler

(1/1250 sec.@ F/3.8, ISO 400, 105mm fl, macro, Nikon D300)

Today's blog is with a special guest. Last week I mentioned macro photography. Well today's guest has continuously mesmerized me with her magical macro images of feathers, rain drops, and flower petals, as well as her bird photography. And I knew I had to share her photographs with all of you and her evident passion for what she does. Her name is Christine Kapler, and here she is to explain a bit about the type of photography she loves; 

"Macros or close-ups come to me quite naturally. I don't really take landscape or people photographs at all. With the exception of birds in the wild, macro is what I love to do.

Rain and sunshine are my friends. Once I see something what looks unreal at the other end of my lens I'm thrilled and I can't keep from photographing it. Anything can be turned into some kind of abstract when photographed with a macro lens. I use a Nikkor 105mmf/2.8 VR lens. This lens is my work horse."

"There is another side of me, that gets excited as well. When I see a bird in action, I get the same thrill and I can't help but photograph them. I'm not a morning person, I like to stay up late. But when I'm on holidays I get up as soon as I see the sun coming out and I'm out too with my camera waiting for some action. However, if there was any rain during the night, I will be out with my macro lens taking pictures between petals, grass and leaves."

"The important part of my photography is post processing. I shoot only in RAW format; it gives me flexibility to work on my pictures later in Lightroom. All my pictures are processed only in Lightroom, they are not photo shopped. I play with light and white balance. I move sliders until I get the look I have seen through my lens when shooting."

"The picture "Feathery Sunrise" was taken a while ago; I didn't like it at the beginning, as I wasn't able to pull the right colour. Then I went back and did it two months later. A tip from photo pro Bryan Peterson's book helped me get the desired color.The feather I used in this picture is a natural bird feather I found outside when photographing birds. I sprayed it with water to make the overall image more interesting and to have something to focus on."

"Hanging There in the Wind"

(1/200 sec.@ F/4.2, 105mm fl, Nikon D300, macro lens, -1/3EV, ISO 200)

"The other picture "Hanging there in the wind" was taken in Mexico in the morning after night rain. It is an edge of secretia leaf covered with raindrops.

I cropped it a little to make a nice composition and the rest is basic adjustment in Lightroom from raw to jpeg."

.... Macro photography. Like stepping into another world. Be sure to see Christine Kapler's photostream here. Look for her incredible bird images on her flicker page as well. And you can catch her profile here for more info. You can also contact her through flicker if you wish to purchase a print!

Huge thanks to Christine for allowing me to feature her work here, I am constantly impressed with her eye for creative possibilities. I find her images very inspiring, and it's my hope that you will too.

Thanks for tuning in today for our guest post! Have a great day folks!

Night Lights ~ Wide Angle Wednesday

"Marina Magic"

(4 sec.@ F/8, ISO 100, 18mm fl, tripod, remote shutter, late dusk)

I love evening strolls. It's where I decompress, and become reflective. When the weather's just right, I like to come down to the bay front with the hubby or a friend... sometimes I have to make sure I don't have my camera. I know, can't believe I said that either. But it's true. If I have it with me, I can't always relax and walk, I'm so busy seeing shots that I can't pass up. But then sometimes if I don't have it I can't relax, cause I see all the things I should be getting if I only had the camera. Must it be so complex? 

This was taken on a true photo night, when my photo rambling partner Kelly and I set aside time to ramble and shoot the bay at sunset. And it's the best of both worlds... I relax AND get cool night shots.

The more I photograph at night, the more I'm learning about the capabilities of my camera actually. Anyone who knows me knows I'm more concerned with composition, lines, and design than calculating hyper-focal distance off the top of my noggin. But I also know that in order to effectively portray those elements I also need to understand how best to use my gear.

I've discovered I learn about my camera best at night. I take for granted how to photograph daytime scenes in most cases. In ideal lighting, I can anticipate how little the camera will need to work to get a shot. I know how to meter, adjust, shoot and feel confident I got it. But for the image above, it makes me take my time. I begin to understand how aperture affects the lighting, creating blazing flares or star burst effects. How no matter how low my ISO is dialed down, if my exposure is unnecessarily long, I'll get more noise or less detail, so finding the right shutter speed is a precarious balancing act. And for years I had no idea I needed to turn off the one feature that is supposed to help with camera shake or any movement if the camera is on a tripod... the Vibration Reduction feature on long lenses. Simply because it'll want to fight against what's anchoring it. It's meant to give you better control handholding. And not for anchored exposures.

The image above just seemed quiet and a bit romantic. The type of setting I like to stroll through. I made sure I kept the winking lights warm to complement the deep blue. And the extra sky gives a feeling of vast open space surrounding the marina.

For some excellent night photography tips I'd check this out once you're done reading today's post. I know I'll be getting to know my camera better all this year.. out in the dark. Relaxing AND doing what I love.

Thanks for the ramble folks, and have a good one! 

Keep Out ~ Telephoto Tuesday!

"Look But Don't Touch"

(1/125 sec.@ F/11, 85mm fl, 55-200mm zoom, midday bright light, center weighted metering)

Revisiting an older image today. One I took with my trusty telephoto... from a dirt road. I was dying to explore this run down farm house, oh the photographic material that would have been at my disposal. But there was wire around the house and an ugly sign down the road that said "Keep Out". Not to mention a rather large sounding dog on the farm over the hill to the left of the property. And he didn't sound happy that a car had stopped. His road too I guess.

So I made do with what I had at my disposal. I'm no rebel, and I'm usually a big chicken when it comes to unknown elements I must admit. Got as close as I could without falling into the roadside ditch (wouldn't be the first time) and used my longest lens. The light was slightly harsh that day, but I did my best to ensure highlights wouldn't be blown out, and the resulting shadows suited the subject regardless. Nothing fancy done to this in editing. Just some contrast adjustment and some high pass sharpening...

I think prowling someones property unannounced, whether it's inhabited or not is a bit creepy to say the least... no matter your reason. I'm hearing about too many photographers being chased off properties and farmland and we're beginning to get a bad rep. Standing by the car on the road is one thing, capturing the scenery, but exploring without permission is something else altogether. Especially when if you introduce yourself, most people will grant you permission, and even come along to see what the heck you find so interesting about their old rundown shed. Sending them a print at the end of the day doesn't hurt either. It's called being considerate.

And asking permission also ensures your safety. After asking a farmer on a tractor about this building I found out it was no longer safe inside, there was structural problems after so many years of neglect. I thanked him, and he asked to see the final picture I snapped. Seemed to think it was alright. And that I was indeed a real photographer.Apparently people pose as photographers so they can case a joint for later exploits. It had already happened to him and his old house pictured above.

Glad all I used was the telephoto and obeyed the signs. So photogers, let's be respectful of older properties. And be safe too.

Thanks for the ramble! Have a good one!

5 Things I've Learned ~ Mono Mondays!

"Where Even the Rocks Grow" - Eramosa Karst

(1/50 sec.@ F/8, ISO 160, 18mm fl, kit zoom, mono pod, overcast light, pattern metering)

Having to do a B&W every week has really helped me realize what tips and principles I've needed to apply to each ramble I go on. So I thought I'd share what I've learned over the last couple years with all of you. Ready? Here's five things everyone needs to remember if they want to make better B&W images... beginner or not.

1) When at all possible, refrain from allowing the camera itself to convert your color photo into a monochromatic one on the spot. If you haven't figured it out yet, your camera's auto settings are good for one thing, generalizing every scenario you give it. Including your B&W's. Your camera comes with software, basic perhaps but better than the actual camera, to put on your computer... somewhere in that small program is a way for you to convert the image yourself, controlling your contrast, brightness, etc... so that you get a B&W that pops. The version your own camera gives you will generally be flat and with a minimum range of tones.

2) Lighting is STILL important. You can't just ignore your exposure or settings because you won't be looking at it in color. On the contrary, now you need to pay desperate attention to the light. The quality of shadow and highlights is always key to begin with. Don't relax that simply because it's B&W. Subjects and shape alone can't carry the bulk of the image, as folks tend to let a color image do. Worried you may not get the light just right? Shooting in Raw is key for me. It allows me to edit and tweak areas that need some help later on without destroying the initial quality of the file.

3) Refrain from "image salvaging". I'm referring to those that constantly go through their weaker images left over from a shoot and decide to try them all out as B&W's when they don't work in color. I know I've done it, I'm not too proud to say. Instead, train yourself to look at a new composition and see it's color and monochromatic possibilities before you take the shot. B&W conversion shouldn't be a last ditch effort to save a shot. This is something I've emphasized to myself every time I explore a new subject. And it pays off. I knew taking the image above that I was going to love it as a B&W.

4) Remember Tone, Form, and Texture. Great range of tones comes from sizing up your light, weather conditions, subject, and knowing then how to get a good exposure of your scene or subject. Again, you may have to be brave and get out of those auto modes. Tones are important, and can be tweaked further in editing. It comes down to this... your blacks should be black, your whites nice and white, and a wide variety of greys in between.

Form should be taking the starring role in your composition. Too often people snap a photo of a scene they like without knowing why exactly they like it. B&W makes you aware of what one thing is anchoring the scene, grounding it. It is what needs to grab your attention, since color won't.

Texture becomes a way to enhance and ensure your image has detail and definitive light. Texture isn't popping? You need better light, lower in the sky, or coming from the side so as to highlight all the details that make up an engaging B&W,

5) Lastly, B&W can be useful for subject studies. Scenery or weather/lighting conditions not ideal? Sky looks flat and cloudless? Go tight. Close framing of unusual natural elements, story telling shots of a single subject on the street, wild perspectives of close architectural elements... could give you the best shot of the day.

Black and White. More versatile than you thought. And these are just the tip of the iceberg... but these really are second nature for me, so I thought I'd share. Any other key tips you can't live without when it comes to B&W? Leave them in the comments section! Thanks for the ramble... and have a good one.

NOT a Macro ~ Floral Friday!

"Quietly She Waits"

(1/640 sec.@ F/4, ISO 125, 50mm prime lens, tripod, overcast light, pattern metered)

Delicate petals, rich color, dramatic framing. All reasons why I love taking images like this. You can fill the composition with a single subject and it never gets old, for me anyway. But, like many things in the photog world an image like this gets different reactions. Some will say of this photo, "lovely close-up!" (at least if they like florals) and I've had others say, "great macro!"

Which is also a nice thing to have said to the photographer. But the later would be wrong. Quite simply because this in not in fact, a macro.

Now, most would say..."close-up, macro - big diff." But there is. A macro gets you so close to the subject that it's tiniest details can be captured. So much so that you can lose the sense of scale associated with the bug, flower, or dew drop the artist chooses to capture. And obviously you use macro type gear to achieve it. Macro lenses, extension tubes, bellows, lens babies, they all are needed to make that uncompromising macro image. Like the ones you'd see at a friend's site here. And there is more to read about macro photography here.

Knowing that, when you look at the image above you then know it's just a close-up. My prime lens (my portrait lens for most days) emphasizes detail and soft depth of field under low light, allows me to get in fairly close, and then I can crop in even closer if I feel like it provided I'm shooting in RAW and working in a large file. This also works very well with my modest telephoto too. Except instead of leaning into the flower, I'm at least 4 feet away and zooming in tight. And it's still a dramatic image without needing additional gear which is always nice. But hey, if anyone wanted to donate a macro lens to my meager collection, I'd not turn them down. Anybody? Hello? Ahem... moving right along then.

This was taken last fall in the Gage Park Rose Garden, in Hamilton. I loved its perfectly shaped petals and the subtle color infused around the edges. A very graceful, innocent specimen. Like a young girl. Eagerly waiting to be noticed. Waiting for her "close-up".

Have a great day gang. Thanks for the ramble! Next week our featured guest will be a fellow photographer from Canada who really truly excels at macro photography. Prepare to be amazed.