Hold The Eye Images

The Eyes Have It! Wynwood Walls Miami

I just returned from 6 days in Miami and one of the tops I made was the Wynwood Area where murals are painted on many of the buildings. The wall paintings are striking but one of the most interesting things that struck me were the eyes. So I snapped a few pics. 

So above you have drama, crazy, and camouflage. You wonder what was in the head of the artist as they were painting. 

Above all but one looking directly at you.

Wild, crazy and realistic eyes, certainly attention getting. 

I some painting the eyes are made to stand out in others they blend in. 

It is interesting the way paintings use the eyes. Photographers are taught the eyes must be in focus, it's all about the eyes whether you are photographing man or beast. Yet you can see that painters come at this from a different point of view. Some use the eyes like photographers, others paint the eyes with drama, some make the eyes blend in. Much more flexible thinking than "the eyes must always be sharp". 

Makes we wonder if photographers build themselves too tight a box? 

I haven't drawn any conclusions, certainly it's just a walk in the park so to speak. But it has me thinking and that's good.

A Photo Discussion by David duChemin

I like the way photographer David duChemin thinks. There are a lot of great photographers but thinking photographers who are articulate enough to pass on solid insights are not common. I'm not talking about gear reviews or camera discussions but conversations about the image. As David paraphrases, image capture is about serendipity, luck, subject knowledge and experience. But the more you do it, the better you get at finding these characteristics. I like that thinking and absolutely believe it to be true. David is beginning a new podcast/video series on the image. Here's a link to the first one. Often times a photographer can not adequately explain a great image, simply because the journey to the image is a long road of failure and learning. Many people just want to know the camera, settings, and location. Unfortunately that tells nothing of the capture. David is beginning a series which will help with all this. 

Interview with photojournalist Al Golub.

Al Golub is a photojournalist, wildfire photographer, bird photographer, and NFL photographer. He has been in this business for 40+ years, covering everything from the KKK to 49'er games. Before you listen to the podcast, you should visit his website here.

 

Light, Light, Light, and a Band Photo Session

Let's begin with "it's all about the light"

Brian Tramontana(above) and I were working on the lighting for a band photo. We were not trying to do the "prom shot" of just standing up the guys and snapping a grinning photo. Rock/Blues bands shouldn't have photos like that. The scene is grungy where they play or at least in everyone's head it is, lots of people sweating...etc. So we wanted good photos but not perfect ones. Lens flare, bright lights the kind of things you get from a stage.

So we began with a white seamless that we spray painted randomly. Next we put 3 LumoPro LP160 Quad-Sync Manual Flash units behind the seamless on slave. After some experimentation we selected 1/8th power as the optimum setting. The issue was balancing the speed lights with the other lights that I will describe.

Next we had two Profoto strip lights angled at the 5 band members from each side of the seamless. Thus you see why we had to balance the speed lights with the strips and the fill which is next.

The fill light for the white seamless was an Elinchrom Quadra Ring Light set at 3.0 with a blue gell. When we switched to black seamless, we used an Elinchrom Octabank with a Profoto head for the fill light. I shot with a Nikon D800/24mm/f1.4 lens with a pocket wizard MiniTT1 and a PW-DC-N10 cable connected to the camera to avoid battery issues with the MiniTT1.  So here's the early stages of setting up this scene. The basic light setup without the fill light dialed in yet.

You get the picture, now the question, how to show the personality of the band, get some photos without looking too staged? Well it turns out, these guys have a lot of really good energy and are really funny. So, I just started shooting while they were talking to each other, telling funny stories and having a good time.

And as you can see a little problem with the center flash not being quite high enough. We changed this later in the shooting. But they kept talking, having fun and I kept shooting.

You might ask what about the lens flare? I shot for the flare with a wide angle. The photos can't be perfect for a band shot, they need a sloppy look. And it's easy to clean them up a bit.

Switching around between color and black and white is simply a matter of taste. But as you can tell, there is no posing for these guys yet.

A color version of the shot, the guys just being a band.

Now I started with a bit more direction, they were in a good mood, so asking them to be arm and arm didn't destroy the moment only positioned them a bit more.

 

And a black and white version for kicks

And things began to get even better.

 

So now I switched gears with a black background, more staged, less spontaneous BUT as this point I had a lot of energy going for me within the band.

And now the "mob shot" or "Good Fellows" pose.

So there you have it, a selection of photos from the progressive shoot. The key was the energy of the band, they clearly enjoyed each other's company so turning that loose and just watching things unfold. The lighting was set up in advance, so we didn't do a lot of technical things except roll an Octabank around for the black backdrop. They were being themselves and I was just the observer. Brian Tramontana is a master photographer who is always a big asset to any photographic project. At one point I was so caught up in shooting, he walked over with a small ladder and said try this! I laughed at myself being caught up in the moment ignoring an obvious improvement, get a bit higher.

I wanted to get some photographs that had multiple applications, showing the energy of the band, not just "pop and smile". The band delivered and I captured the moment for them.

The light added the drama, the band added the personality, and the camera captured them together.

Here's Brian's photograph of me as we were setting up the lights and trying different power settings before the band arrived.

Someone asked about the "star burst" on the strobes. The camera f/stop creates this. In this case, I was shooting at f8. I was just a bit off the sweet spot of the lens. The wide angle lens helped with creating the lens flare. The images were cropped in final processing.

 

The Two Biggest Mistakes in Flash Photography!

Every photographer should know how to use flash, and use it appropriately. In this podcast, Brian and I talk about two very common mistakes in flash. 

 

Photography Composition Part 2- Catching the Moment

I could call it luck but that would be selling it short. It's more about the power of observation, seeing that something special, catching the moment, or finding that special person to photograph. 

Photography is about waiting and watching, sometimes nothing happens, but that's rare no matter where you are. Below is a photograph in Monterey Ca on a very rainy, wendy day.  Now this is not an amazing photograph but the power of a storm has tremendous potential for images. 

And you can't complain about not "living by the ocean". In the image below, I just laid down my glasses and pen? Images are everywhere, the key is seeing them.

Here's another example, just catching my friend Joe looking away. He wasn't aware I taking this picture. 

You can be walking down the street and see something as in this image below. 

 

 

And if you have kids, you have no excuse for missing that moment. 1992 Barcelona Olympics. 

Imagery is not about gear but observation, persistence, and time. That's why if you are serious about your photography, a personal project will focus you, bore you, then take your photography to a new level. Shooting the same subject over time forces you to try new techniques, perspectives, look for different moments..........and the list is endless. When I shoot commercially, I don't often have this freedom, I'm asked to photograph something in a certain way, this is not experimentation. Normally the images are specified, have a purpose and someone representing the client is in the studio with you. Not all commercial photography is this cut and dry but I'm making a point about pushing your photography and you ability to see. And, to simplify it, if you don't take photographs, your photography will not improve, there is no substitute............no substitute. 

What do you think about photo contests?

In this latest podcast Brian and I talk about photo contests and are they good or bad for your photography. Many photographers wear their "photo ribbons" like badges of client acquisition, while other photographers disparage contests as simply marketing techniques to get your email or attendance at events. Whose is right?  

Photographic Composition

Composition is mostly style and taste. With that said, I might not like your composition and you might not like mine. Rules don't matter in this conversation unless you don't know what you are doing; in that case take a photography class. In serious photography you work on your personal vision of the world, how you see things, how you like to portray events, your vision so to speak. So I'm going to speak about my personal vision; how I like to portray things, rules I like to follow...etc. 

First, I like people or people representations in my photographs. To me unless you are actually seeing something for the first time in history or seeing something for the first time in a certain way, you need people. That's because we are people and we connect better with people in photographs. But they need to be important to the subject. The second thing, I like complex photographs, ones with many pictures within one single image. Lots of things going on, images that make you stare and look around a bit. Ideally they relate to a single theme. Here is a simple example from a recent shoot. 

Here is a more complex image from a similar structure. As you can see using the mirror, the stage, and the expressions on the faces, you get a feel for what's going on. With no sound, it could have been a revival, but it was a song that resonated with the audience. You even see someone selling CD's in the middle of the chaos. Because I held the camera over my head, I was able to actually see the moment I wanted to capture.

Let's look at other examples where the subject is different. Here the foreground is the key, since he is the featured singer, but captured while sitting and eating.

Another similar example. The mouths caught my eye and the implied energy of the moment.

My goal is to put lots of things in the photograph. In this image, several people caught the eye of the camera which I found interesting.

Other times, not so many people but still a complex image.

Fun moments have stories, like this one.

Sometimes I just catch a moment that's too interesting to pass up. I saw the dance move of the woman on the right and waited for her to repeat it. She was caught up in the music which enhances the feeling of the image.

Another moment to important to pass up, different subject but same idea. A cowboy dad looks over and talks to his son. Very special moment.

 

Another interesting moment; The Clinton Library, in his personal residence, the sun setting and the American flag. All the elements to create importance.

 

A different kind of image, a lone man in his boat on the San Francisco Bay. Negative space creates interest and a moment.

 

Again, it's all about the moment, seeing the image that says something, or implies a story.

 

And the image does not have to be perfect if it has impact. 

 

Some images stand the test of time on a personal level; as my Rwandan friend and guide here showing me the photo of his dad who was killed in the genocide. This photo is in the National Memorial in Rwanda, and this particular day was one of mourning for those killed. I was privileged to photograph him and his father.

I'm not sure you can make sense of this blog and my explanation. I sort of found some photographs and thought about "why I took the photograph" what made it special for me. Photography is evolutionary, not static. Shooting style and techniques change over time, interests change, and your compositions change to reflect your new vision which is an accumulation of all these elements. This time next year, bet my technique has changed, and my interest refined. This all comes from shooting and photography begins and ends with taking lots of pictures. That's how I feel today January 9, 2014. The best to you all this coming. 
 

2014 Resolutions Part 2

Brian Tramontana and I decided to talk about our New Year's resolutions in our latest podcast. As I wrote in the last blog without some action plan/road map, the exercise is just a "feel good moment". We wish you the best for the New Year!

 

What are your 2014 Photography Resolutions?

The obvious response are resolutions around areas that you feel will help your photography improve. But before you go about setting down New Year's resolutions, read this.

Now that you have read the article which you will instantly find accurate, your thinking orientation changes. Shooting more is no longer a goal; rather setting a schedule to shoot on a regular basis is process you establish that enables shooting more. James Clear is correct in his thinking. It's not so much the goal but the road map to get there. If you can't create a roadmap, then you don't have a goal then you just have puff. Obviously this applies to more than photography. Let's say you set a goal to lose 20lbs. The most important element is the critical path getting there; another way of speaking about the roadmap.

People set goals to make themselves feel good. You know the problem so you proclaim you are going to fix it. A smile crosses your face, you feel good about the declaration but in reality you are clueless about the roadmap or at best given the process to get there a cursory thought.  I know this to be true because I have done this very thing many times and felt great, assuring myself I would be successful. But I didn't spend the time to think through how I would do this realistically. And realistically is the key word. For losing weight I could always tick off foods I wasn't going to eat, but everyone knows that does not work, even though it feels good. Realistically is the operative word for describing the gameplan for achieving the goal.

Now let's get back to photography. Most photographers don't shoot enough. I'm not talking about shooting the same thing over and over. The old adage "if you do what you have always done, nothing changes or you get what you always and gotten" applies to all aspects of life including photography. One suggestion to changing your photography for the better is to take on a photo project. Now you may think shooting a project will be repetitive but I assure you if you stick to it, your photography will change, you will see things differently and you will enjoy the process. The key is selecting a subject you are interested in on many levels not just photography. Because to capture the essence of something, you must understand it. So selecting a project/subject that interests you makes the process much easier to manage. I promise your photography will change in ways you can not conceptualize now. This is just one idea. 

Another idea is to change you shooting style completely. Shoot with one lens and a camera, just your iphone, or just one light. But whatever you choose, stick with it. This will help you see the world differently, it's not as immersive   as diving into a project but will tax you skills nonetheless. So where is the roadmap with these ideas? Well if you shoot with one lens or an iphone exclusively, you are really going to have to think through what you shoot. You don't have the options you had before, it is real work to get images you like. Your eyes will be opened to new things unless you simply give up. Let's be honest, changing your style means a lot of images you don't like for a period of time until you figure it out, i.e. how to get images you like with the limited instruments. When you finish, say in a year, everything will be changed, on that you can bank; if you stick with it. 

I find that problems leads to learning in photography, if you don't constantly present yourself with problems the learning is slower. Some beginning photographers may say everything is a problem, I need solutions, not more problems. To that I would agree, so master your current issues before creating more. For beginning photographers, shoot manual, for advanced photographers shoot with one lens or one light, for old hands keep doing projects. It's the manageable failures that lead to progress all of which begin and end with pressing the shutter. I like to fail! It keeps my juices flowing, keeps me in the game, makes me work harder, concentrate more and focus more clearly. But you have to have a roadmap to keep going, if you don't giving up is too easy. 

There is no reason to set goals or resolutions that have no likelihood of success. A gamplan that you think will work, along with an implementation plan are needed to reach the outcomes you want. Good luck with the New Year and may 2014 exceed you expectations in all aspects of your life! 

Ok, here's a picture I loved from 2013; it is the last shot of the closing blues jam at the Grand Dell Saloon. Shortly thereafter, the Saloon closed the doors after nearly 40 years. You will have a similar shot when you conclude your project, hope you are so excited you can't wait.