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Google conversion

Blogger in their infinite wisdom decided to upgrade us lowly blogger bloggers to google blog services. Not wanting to be left behind I clicked on the convert featuer. Everything seemed to work fine until I attempted to upload an image. I used to use Hello to upload images, but it won't work now, and when I try to use the image button in blogger it doesn't work either. And of course they have made it impossible to interact with a real live help person. Until I can figure this out I'm off working on my new photography book. But you can email me if you have questions or would like to hire a photographer for an event. My email address is: kdentonh@@ix.netcom.com (less the extra @ sign).

Photography Adventure - Ringing in the New Year

2006 went out with a rock band and 2007 came in with a rock band. If you've read my posts for a while you know I have done photography for bands. This New Years I was invited to photograph Saints and Heroes gig at the United Methodist Church in Elsberry, Missouri. This church has a great event for kids that includes bands and sports activities throughout New Years Eve and into the morning. What a great way to spend New Year's Eve, with bands, music, kids and God.

While I was there Dare 2 Dream also performed and asked me to photograph their gig as well. I've also done photography for this band in the past. And the icing on the cake was that the Travis Lee band and family were visiting, a third band I've had the opportunity to photograph in the past. It was such a great time seeing everyone and seeing all these young people have such a good, safe, time.

My recommendation for photographers photographing bands (especially in churches), is try to get some shots during practice when the lights are up, use a tripod or stabilizer when you want to use natural light, and be within flash range. Also, a wide angle lens will allow you to get more of the audience and band members together. I also had some fun with filters.

If you need an event photographer, I can be reached via email at: kdentonh@@ix.netcom.com (take the second @ sign out, I put an extra one in to discourage auto spammers).

Here are a few shots of the event.
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The sun illuminates this flock. 

We're here.  

Trio 

Photography Adventure: Sandhill Cranes

It wouldn't be Thanksgiving without a trip to Northern Indiana (the Jasper-Pulaski fish and wildlife area) to view the sandhill crane migration (see my December archives for last year's entry on this same subject). November is a peak month for the cranes to come together. The flocks descending on this little field number in the thousands. The noise is breathtaking. Watching them leaves pause for questions such as, how do birds fly thousands of miles and know where to meet along the way? They must understand the difference between a gun and a camera because the viewing platform was packed with photographers that were shoulder to shoulder and the birds didn't hesitate to land and perform their dances for us.

I enjoy seeing the photographers and discussing techniques and equipment with them. Most photographers this day were using Canon's with long lenses (400 mm or more). A few were using spotting scopes. One gentleman had a spotting scope with a camera mount attached for a small 3x pocket point and shoot camera. A neat innovation but he explained that vinyetting (dark edges around the outside of the frame) is a problem with this set up.

So how do you get a good shot of birds in flight near sundown? ISO, ISO, ISO. Set your ISO between 800 and 3200, depending how dim the light is. I like 1600 the most. This allows you to freeze the action in lower light conditions. What about shutter speed and F stop you may ask. It depends how much light there is, so here is a little trick. Set the ISO high, then put the camera in program mode, push the shutter button half way down and see what settings the camera chooses. Take a shot and see if you like the results (digital screen viewing). If you like what you are getting you can keep shooting in program mode (program mode does a pretty darn good job). If you prefer the shot a little brighter or darker, go out of program mode to shutter speed priority, choose the speed program did and adjust it higher to make the shot darker or lower to make the shot brighter. Remember though the longer the shutter is open the more blur you will get. Sometimes that makes for nice artistic shots so don't totally rule blur out.

Now let's talk about focus choices. Focus options vary on different models of cameras but most have single or continuous. Single focus allows you to compose on a subject, move the camera and retain the original focal point to adjust your composition. This is NOT what you want for moving subjects. Continuos allows the camera to refocus as the subject moves. Here is the tradeoff. As light gets lower the time it takes the camera to focus can increase. It could eventually get so dark that the camera can't focus. If this happens switch to manual focus, pick a spot to focus on, and wait for a bird to enter the spot in focus. My favorite focus method for moving subjects though is AIServo. This is available on Canon SLRs. AIServo is a smart focus technology that not only tracks a moving subject, it calculates, based on the speed of the pan, where the subject will be next. Although it doesn't hit the mark every time, most of the time it does a great job. To get best results with AIServo focus, pan evenly at a steady pace.

That leaves metering mode. Metering the light for wildlife is critical to getting the shot you want. The default metering mode for most cameras is area metering. Area metering looks at all the available light for the frame, and adjusts the brightness accordingly. The problem with this method is backlit subjects, especially birds that only take up a small portion of the frame, will become sillouettes. Sometimes that looks nice and artistic and you want that effect, but not all the time. The answer is to spot meter. Unfortunately not all cameras have a spot meter mode. Spot metering will also brighten the background and can blow out the sky, so consider how much cloud cover there is and see what works best for you. The other alternatives are center weighted or evaluative. With center weighted the camera meters only the center area. With evaluative it averages across areas. Spot metering is one featuer that the Canon 30D has but the 20D did not have. Some point and shoot cameras have it though. Don't be afraid to adjust your settings and see what the results are.

Here are a couple links where you can learn more about the Sandhill Cranes:
http://www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild/publications/scranes.htmMichigan Sandhill Crane

site:http://www.michiganaudubon.org/bakersanctuary/crane.htmgeopic

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Altar 

Black Madona shrine in Eureka Missouri 

Bison on tap 

Lone Elk Lake panoramic (made with three photos and Canon's Photostitch software). 

A bull who doesn't like photographers. 

A tesla plasma ball. 

Photography Adventures in Fall

Fall is a great time of year for landscapes and bull elk. Castlewood state park, approximately 7 miles west of St. Louis' Interstate 270, offers one of the St. Louis area's most breathtaking landscapes. In Lone Elk Park, at Interstate 44 and highway 141, you drive by herds of bison and elk. The elk come out in the evening before sunset. If the light is low when you are photographing the herd, remember to crank your ISO up and stablize the camera as much as posible. Long shutter speeds in low light make blury pictures.

I've also had fun with photo merges and panoramics as usual. Most of the time I prefer using Photostitch for the panoramics, but occasionally I'll use Photoshop's photomerge feature.

NewsFlash: Creve Coeur Camera's camera expo will be held 11/18/2006. Come early before the best models sell out. The early bird special, 10% off all digital and film cameras and camcorders, only lasts from 8 am to 10 am. This special absolutely ends at 10 am so come early. There are usually lines at opening. I'll be at the store on Telegraph road, a mile and a half south of I-255, in the Schnucks plaza behind the McDonalds. One more thing to remember, since that special is for such a short time and there are long lines this is NOT the time for in-store one on one classes. Decide which camera you want to purchase before the sale. Come by before the day of the sale and myself or another photographic consultant will help you choose your model. For more information about the Expo, visit www.cccamera.com. Here are some tips to help you decide which model of camera to buy.

1. Ask yourself what type of photography you like to do.

• If you like to do: Kids, family, vacations, you probably don't need a lot of zoom. A standard 3x zoom camera may be all you need. Some of these are the ones that fit in your pocket.
• If you like to shoot birds and wildlife: You need a lot of zoom. 10x or 300mm or more zoom. A digital SLR (single lens reflex) that you can change the lenses on, or a large fixed (non-removeable) lens camera may satisfy your needs.
• If you work in insurance or real estate, a wide angle lens will allow you to photograph rooms and the entire building from closer range. Meaning you don't have to walk across the street to shoot the building, and you don't have to break a hole in the wall to back up enough to get the entire room in the shot. Unfortunately point and shoot cameras almost never come with a wide angle option. So get an SLR. Also be sure to get the kit. Digital SLR kits come with an 18 - 55 mm lens. 18 gives you the wide angle you need. When you buy the kit the lens is only $100 more than if you bought the body without the lens. Buying the lens separately can cost up to $600 more than buying one with the kit.
• If you shoot action: sports, car races, horse races, birds in flight... You need a fast camera. SLRs are rated by frames per second. Consumer level digital SLRs start around $600. Yes, you have to spend more to get a fast camera.
• If you participate in watersports or have young children: A water resistant camera is a good choice. Pentax W20 is a class 8 waterproof digital that can take pictures under water for up to 30 minutes. The price has come down on this model considerably in the last 2 years. Another feature to look for if you have small children is the in body zoom lens. That means the lens doesn't extend out when you turn on the camera. The most common breakage is caused when someone drops a camera and hits the extended lens.

2. What makes an SLR better than a point and shoot? SLRs are faster, have higher ISO, and, with the ability to change lenses, allow you shoot the kind of pictures you want to shoot for any situation. SLRs also offer multiple focal points, allowing you to choose where in the frame your main subject is, and thus you can compose your photos more creatively. SLRs cost more and weigh more though.

3. If you've decided to buy an SLR, which manufacturer should you buy? That is a tough one to answer because everyone you ask may have a personal bias.

• The first thing to consider is if you already have an investment in lenses. If you have autofocus lenses from your film SLR, they will work on the same manufacturer's digital SLR. So if you do have several film lenses, stay with the same manufacturer.
• Another thing to consider is your long term lens needs. If you plan to buy a lot of lenses over time, Nikon and Canon offer more lenses than other manufacturers. Canon offers the most and their lenses are more often in stock. If you only need the basics, a wide angle and a 300mm telephoto, most brands offer those options. Pentax is a high quality, reasonably priced SLR. Photo quality wise, Nikon does the best job, but I don't usually recommend Nikon to amatures because it is harder to learn to use. For ease of use choose Pentax or Canon. Disclaimer, these are my opinions and someone else may tell you something different.

A final thought. If you are struggling with whether to spend the big bucks or not, consider how long you intend to use the camera. A person who buys an inexpensive camera, a year later buys an upgrade, and a year later buys another upgrade, eventually getting to a model that will grow with their abilities, spends a lot more money over time than the person who buys the more versatile camera initially. But if you don't expect your photography to change much over the years, just getting one that meets your most common needs may be all you need.

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After photoshop, I M a sad emu r u? 

Before photoshop, closing blues. 

Admit it, I'm cute.  

Purina animal chow stick to go please. 

Tisk tisk tisk, I'd wave an index finger at you if I had one.  

Monkey bars, a great place to pick up chicks. My mother may be a baboon, but at least she listens to me. 

lalalalalallama 

Where's that little girl I trampled 12 years ago? 

It's not easy being green. 

My brother's a referee and my other brother is an escaped convict.  

Photography Blues

This month I made my last trip to Exotic Animal Paradise, just North of Springfield Missouri. Paradise is closing October 1, 2006. I have taken my kids to this drive through animal park almost every year since I moved to Missouri in the early 80s. The visit was bitter sweet.

Similar to visits of years past, I drove through miles of hilly landscape inhabbitted with herds of herbivores. We bought the animal chow sticks to feed them only to find the reduced herd was full and most were not interested in eating. But we had a great time taking pictures of these beautiful animals at close range.

My most memorable moment at EAP was when my daughter was about 6 years old and she was riding a young camel. The camel unexplicably reared, flailing it's forelegs at it's trainer. The trainer ran in fear as my daughter dangled by one arm from the camel's saddle rack. I ran from the boarding platform as my daughter fell to the ground. From my perspective it looked like the camel was trampling my daughter. She lay on the ground, the camel over her, legs going up and down like pistons.

My motherly instincts kicked in and I charged the animal. The only thought in my mind was to get that camel off my daughter and I planned to do it with a football shoulder block. Luckily that didn't have to happen, because as most animals know, there is no fury like a mother protecting her infant. The camel saw me charging and took off running to the far side of the area. Once the camel was away from Brenda, she popped up like a jack in the box. She was a little shook up but was otherwise fine. To this day she hates camels.

At least we can still enjoy them with a camera, from a safe distance. :)

Oh, another thing that made this a blue day was that I made a mistake I previously warned my readers not to make. When we were indoors taking pictures of the baboon baby, I set my white balance to tungsten light. That wasn't the mistake. The mistake was that I neglected to turn it back when we went outdoors. So my pictures all had a blue cast to them. Photoshop helped some, picasa warming filter helped some to. But some still look blue. sigh, but appropriate for the day anyway.

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Osprey 

Great Blue Heron 

The end of another excellent day. 

Osprey (note: We counted 3 mated pairs of Osprey this year, up over one pair a few years ago, and that was just in the fraction of the lake we navigated) 

Samburg Ditch 

Osprey