Hold The Eye Images

Gay Pride Parade 2013 San Francisco

Wow! is the only description I can give. Let's be clear, it was a cross section of society, everyone seemed to be out supporting the Supreme Court decision, not just gays.

I

I loved this one!

This  was one of the largest groups in support/

Family members were out in full force showing their support.

All stripes and all sorts of signs.

I could go on and on but you get the point. This was a cross section of folks coming out so to speak in celebration of this time in history. I also have to confess it was a photographers paradise. Everyone wanted to be photographed, everyone seemed to have a camera, from expensive DSLR's to Ipads.

Here's a pic of two guys admiring a photo they took of themselves with their Ipad while another guy with his Iphone takes a picture of them looking at their Ipad. AND, if you add me taking a picture of both of them, you have a threesome or foursome! Pictures, pictures, pictures, the new language.

People gathered up immediately if you asked. Here's an example of two photographers grabbing a shot of a street group. The guy on the right just asked.

Some photographers, maybe all of us at times, want to grab a shot when the subject isn't looking.

Another photographer shooting an interesting way to carry cigarettes.

Now some things create a lot of attention and photographers, as in this situation. Can you guess? The smile may be a give away.

OOPS! Puppies!

And when you capture puppies, you have to check the image.

Back to the puppies, here's the real view!

Another view I love! Check out all the different types of cameras and all snapping a pair of puppies.

Enough of that stuff, here is the puppy that stole my heart! You have to love this owner.

However, I was the only photographer watching the small puppy all the rest were..................!

Everyone had cameras!

I was even the subject of  some photography? It must have been my hat..........or can't tell!

There are some interesting things to shoot, thus all the photographers. Here is a small collection of interesting images aside from the purpose and point of the parade. Notice the full trash can?

There is always a dollar to be made for any event. DC does this the best!

The front of the parade was represented by " Dykes on Bikes"

Getting ready to "mount up"!

The Parade.

Everybody loves a puppy!

Quick smoke before you lite up.

And there are some images that make a photographer run!!

And this is why he was running!

And they all loaded up.

And off they rode!

This couple drew a loud applause since they were just married.

Even a few Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts marched in the parade.

Couples marched with their family.

And I could go on and on with images. But I need to wrap this up, so the highlight for me was the car carrying Sandy Steir and Kris Perry the plaintiffs in the Supreme Court historic case. They were clearly moved as they entered the parade and received a very loud ovation.

And a special moment for Kris that speaks for itself. 

 

 

 Brian and I did a podcast following the parade which can be heard here. You can also find an enhanced podcast on iTunes.

 

 

 

 

Feeling the Vibe aka Curves in Photoshop

Back from Nicaragua, spending lots of time finishing the images for the client; Opportunity International. I did take some time to out to hang out at the Grand Dell Jam, the first time in several weeks that I have attended. As I have written about before, I use two opposing flash units set at 1/4 power manual and use the camera f/stop to control the light. This week, I used rechargeable batteries that were charged before my Nicaragua trip for use in country. Well guess what my batteries were at best at 80%(my fault for not recharging) so the light was not consistent from the flash units. In fact one of the units kept taking forever to recharge and wasn't very useful later in the evening. So what did I do? I shot bright and corrected with curves. In photoshop, you open curves, and bring straight down the right hand point of the curve. This immediately darkens the image which then can be adjusted with a brush tool on black. White paints back in the darkness, black paints in the light. You need to adjust the opacity to something around 60% to start with. Sometimes, I adjust the opacity to 40% to begin with and build from there. Here's an example; keeping in mind, I'm painting light from two flash units.

You can use a light hand in painting as this example illustrates.

Or even a lighter touch with the light as this example illustrates. Here I'm really painting out the light, allowing the flash in the image to rim the dancers.

Sometimes I get heavy handed with the light for effect or just foolishness on my part. It's fun to create the light patterns you need or be creative with something new. Here is the heavy handed approach. I use the light to isolate the expression of individuals.

Another heavy handed approach; where I use the light(dark brush) and dark(white brush) to create a scene.

Curves in Photoshop is a powerful tool to help manage the light in your images. It allows you to use light as a paint, creating the drama you want.

Astro Landscape Photographer Rick Whitacre talks about his Photography.

This is an enhanced podcast so you can see the images as you play the podcast if you use an Apple computer/Ipod/Ipad. However, I'm adding the images and links in this blog for easy reference. First the images. 

"Camping under the Stars" McWay Falls California. Rick gives you the inside scoop on how he captured this image in the podcast.

"Milky Way and Sea Stacks"

"Star Trails East"

"GGB Under the Stars"

"Horsetail Falls by Moonlight"

"Milky Way Over Half Dome Panorama"

"Moonbow and Star Trails"

"Moonrise Over Black Rock Playa"

"Black Rock Playa Star Circle"

This Podcast is enhanced which means Apple devices should be able to see the images if played from iTunes; however, if you can't see the images, listen here. The links referenced in the podcast are listed below.

Rick's Website: http://www.whitacrephotography.com/

 

Rick's Book on Night Photography

Lance Keimig's Book

Star Circle Academy

What Makes A Good Photographer?

Just returned last night from Nicaragua in time to post the latest Podcast; What Makea A Good Photographer. Brian and I recorded this before I left. As always, you can download on iTunes under Hold the Eye Image Podcasting or listen from this blog. More images from Nicaragua coming soon.

What Makes a Good Photographer

Brian and I talk about this on our latest podcast. As always, you can click the link or sidebar. You can also download in iTunes under Hold the Eye Images Podcasting.

Granada Nicaragua the historical city "New Spain"

Granada was built by the Spanish when they first came to the Americas thus the title given to the new city. It is the most preserved of any of the colonizations in existence today. The homes are linked with large courtyards, the size of the home being determined by the number of doors. Also there is no segregation between the wealthy and the poor as in the states. Homes with six doors are beside and connected to ones with one door. Once inside the difference is apparent. Multi-door homes may have  very large court yards with pools, gardens, etc. and are quite beautiful with the internal architecture, or the small ones may have one or two rooms. The exterior is the same, the number of doors is the giver away. In fact, they are taxed on the number of doors.  This gives you an idea of the street, some of the steps within this photo are fabulous homes, others much less so but all look similar from the outside.

 The street is alive with subjects for a photographer, here is just a few examples.

A young man not to happy about a couple kissing next to him.

One of my favorites a little girl from a poor home finds pleasure in a small doll,  so real, so universal.

Education for those fortunate is half a day but work is tough as this photo illustrates. I think about the kids in my neighborhood and the this young man, and think how fortunate we are.

Make no mistake this is a friendly place. While walking around, I became lost, walked into different neighborhoods with no recognition so I started asking for directions. Most folks do not speak English, but I got my point across and the young man below, helped me find my way. He pushed his bicycle to my hotel, then rode home. Great guy as you can see.

This image was taken from my hotel, which was very nice. You can see how the homes are mixed.

A rooftop view of the city.

Finally from my hotel the receptionist Anne from Denmark. The hotel is owned by a Danish couple whom she knows, so she is spending a few months working here. Here English is terrific as well as her Spanish, makes me feel like a dunce. Anyway a portrait of her from the lobby. 

I'm writing this blog from the hotel lobby and just experienced an earthquake, shook the floor and walls but no damage. About to finish the gig here in Nicaragua some downtime between shoots. All is well, humid, and tropical. No time to proof read, sorry for the typos, grammar errors, or writing errors.

Personal Photo Project Part?

I have no idea how many times I have posted images relating to my personal photo project but you get a few more today. I'm heading out tomorrow to Nicaragua for a photo shoot for Opportunity International. This will involve photographing some projects they have invested in as well as doing some interviews in country for OI. Besides planning for the adventure, I have been shooting plenty on my personal project. Being busy is not an excuse for neglecting personal work. It is the learning process. So let's go with some shots from last Sunday's tribute to "Little Walter" and if you don't know him, try Google. First a harmonica duo that really rocked the house.

And to give you some insight into the night, here's a peak into the evening. I love to photograph scenes where there is a lot going on, takes a bit of time to study them and see all the action. In this one, a couple dancing, band playing, pictures and video being shot as well as an interesting group of folks. Lots of stories here.

Finally for the evening, it wouldn't be fitting without a stage portrait.

For all these images, I use two Nikon SB900's opposite each other controlled by pocket wizards set on manual.  Here are some more from previous nights with the same setup. I don't normally finalize with color but this one cried for color.

I don't think I have to explain this one, I loved how the harmonica player was sounding.

And more dancing chaos from the musicians.I may have posted this, my memory is going.

Well enough of the personal project update and a few closing thoughts. First personal projects are really important; I have become such a believer of this from my own personal experience. Secondly they are difficult, keeping on track, and finding time is a struggle. And finally, selecting something that you are interested in takes you down a road with no road signs and that's wonderful. OK, one last picture, I mean that's what I'm about. The Sax and hands of Frankie Ramos who has been playing for more than 50 years. Guess what he's still great.

The Role Filters Play in Your Digital Photography

Filters played a critical role in photography in the days of film but digital photography has changed the landscape(no pun intended). In the film days, an Enhancing filter was great for those popping colors, now you have different tools in camera and post processing. But! There are still some critical filters that help with lighting, water, sky, and mid day sun. In this latest podcast, Brian and I discuss our favorite filters in digital photography. You can use the sidebar or download the podcast from iTunes under Hold the Eye Images Podcasting.

I will not be notifying you of next week's podcast, I will be shooting in Nicaragua for client Opportunity International. So you have to be on the lookout yourself unless I have the good forture of wifi which I'm not counting on. The title of next week's podcast is "What Makes A Good Photographer".

Leica Summicron 50mm f/2.0 lens and a Leica M9

The location is a blues bar with strobes(Nikon SB900's, manual 1/4 power) mounted on a drop down ceiling opposing each other across a dance floor. They are arranged so one strobe lights most of the dance floor and the band, the opposing one also lights the dance floor and a bit of the audience.
The Leica M9 is a manual focus camera, ISO 800, f/4.0 for all these images. Because the room is dark, zone focusing was used for the most part. I would from time to time, recalibrate the focus for changes in distance. This type of focus seems like an obstacle but in fact helps with the capture. If you rely on auto focus as I do often, in low light just when you find that special moment, the focus "hunts" and you lose the shot. With zone focusing, you are pretty much dialed in all the time so you can concentrate on finding the "moment". Here are some more images. 

You may be curious about the post processing, I added some contrast to the images and desaturate to provide more focus on the facial expression which is where the story is told. 

There are lots of small stories in each of these images as well as an over riding story. I like for the viewer to be able to see it all. The critical technique is not in gear but in watching the crowd, being ready for that special moment. A small camera is not intruding and for the most part goes unnoticed. With your camera, you are hunting for those revealing moments.

The flash units are mounted with the Pocket Wizard Flex TT5 programmed to basic in the wizard utility. On camera, I used a low profile Mini TT1 also programed to basic to trigger the flash units on manual.

Want Inspiration From A Book? Check out Chris Orwig

I'm not talking about religion but photography. There are lots of "how to" books on the market but the ones I really like are the "how to think before you shoot" not "how to shoot". Books that get inside your head making you think about your photography, offering insights that resonate and maybe causing you to pause. I really enjoy reading these kinds of books, reading a paragraph, putting the book down and thinking about what was written. Yep, you can't speed read these jewels, they are meant to make you reflect, and take your time.

One author who certainly fits this category is David DuChemin a well know prolific writer. Another writer who fits this category is Chris Orwig. Specifically,"People Pictures; 30 Exercises for Creating Authenic Photographs" and "Visual Poetry: A Creative Guide for Making Engaging Digital  Photographs". Both of these books make you think, think, and think. You can't ask for more than that. I found the lead up to every exercise very thought provoking in "People Pictures".  There is plenty of content to ponder and reflect on within your own photographic style and interest. I should add this book is titled  "People" but it is very relevant to all styles and subject matter. The next book, "Visual Poetry" says it all in the title. If only that described all our photography. Like "People Pictures" this book makes you think, get out and try some new things, look at the way you shoot from a different perspective, and most importantly I was inspired to shoot more and keep making changes. And, you get plenty of perspectives. A entire A List of photographers are interviewed asked these questions; What inspires you?, What makes a photograph good?, What character qualities should the photographer nurture?, What is your advice for the aspiring photographer?, and the answers to these question from a host of photographers is very interesting. You also get loads of "Additional Resources" links to to everything from gear to websites and blogs of great photographers. You get advice on everything from camera lenses to insurance for your gear.

  As I said in the beginning of this blog, I often read a paragraph, put the book down and just pondered what I had read. So for me, these books were slow reads. These books were a joy, informative, and said important things to me. What else can I say?

 Maybe a quote from the book; this is from "People Pictures....." Page 320/3344 of the E-Book.

"After reading the quotes, take 15 minutes to craft an idea of your own.

'Good art is not what it looks like, but what it does to us'

Henry David Thoreau

'A great portrait can have beautiful lighting, a curious location and a pleasing composition, but it's a sense of vulnerability that really makes a picture exciting for me.'

Chris Buck

'The difference between an average photograph and a really fine photograph is the willingness to admit doubt.'

Evan Chong

'A good portrait is like a good song. You can listen to it again and again.'

Platon

'A good photograph is one that communicates a fact, touches the heart, and leaves the viewer a changed person for having seen it.'

Irving Penn"