2009 | Photocrati

The Tuesday Composition: Areas of Low Contrast, Negative Space

Tree Ballet, Mono Basin, California — Tree Ballet. Mono Basin, California

If you like this article, you can now get the book! Joe has expanded the “Tuesday Composition” series into an inspiring new ebook on composition, especially for nature photography. Check it out: The Tuesday Composition.

Last week we discussed areas of high contrast, this week we’re going to turn around and say a few words about low contrast areas and how they contribute in a composition.

At least one of these effects shouldn’t be too much of a surprise if you read last week’s column. If our eye tends to gravitate over time towards the high-contrast parts of a composition, then it more or less equally gravitates away from the low-contrast areas of the image. I won’t dwell on this aspect of it, if you want a nice, simple example start with the tree at the head of last week’s column and notice that the valley walls don’t pull your eye the way the tree does.

But as much as that’s true in last week’s tree, it is even more true for Tree Ballet. Save for three small areas of the image (the bare trees and a couple patches of dead grasses) Tree Ballet has no real detail or contrast whatsoever. Whereas the small amount of detail in the valley walls in Morning by the Merced will occasionally pull your eye in to look at what detail is present, the complete lack of sharp detail in Tree Ballet does not. We say that most of this image consists of “negative space”. “Negative space” is the art term for space around the subject of an image. The large area of this image devoted to negative space is important to this image, it emphasizes the cold, isolating fog. (more…)

Olympus E-P1 Review: Field Test Report

Peter Burian tests this 12.3 megapixel interchangeable-lens camera with HD Movie mode and a wealth of SLR-style features

The first Olympus Micro Four Thirds system includes the E-P1 camera, two lenses, adapters for other types of lenses and a compact flash unit.

In their promos for the 12.3 megapixel Olympus E-P1 camera, the company often referred to the heritage provided by their Pen series SLRs first introduced in 1959. That’s understandable, because the Pen models were unusually compact and featured classic styling.

Those qualities also apply to the E-P1, available in a white or silver stainless steel body with silver or black (optional) lenses. That’s where the similarities end however, since the Pen SLRs were small format cameras, taking two photos on a single frame of 35mm film. The E-P1 also accepts interchangeable lenses, but it’s not an SLR nor a small format camera in terms of sensor size. Even so, the new Olympus Micro Four Thirds concept certainly has a great deal of appeal and it should be as successful as the Pen concept was in the 1960’s and 1970’s. (more…)

How to stand out in the client interview

Of all the things that I do, from the late nights working on new lighting techniques to the hours of building wedding albums and retouching photos… nothing is a stressful as the client interview. When a client comes in to interview you about shooting their event, it’s like the worst job interview in the world. Unlike other jobs, photography is so subjective that just being able to convince someone you take good pictures isn’t enough.

You have to convince them that the pictures you take are substantially better than the pictures that your competitors take, or at the very least, possess some form of artistic merit that screams for them to hire you. While it’s true that they would not even be speaking to you if they didn’t like your work, it’s also true that there are usually at least a few other photographers in town who produce work similar to yours. This is why it’s important to differentiate yourself from those photographers during the pitch. (more…)

Essaouira Report: The Gnaoua (Gnawa) Music Festival

tewfic_pink_gnawa
I recently returned from the coastal little town of Essaouira in Morocco, where the world-renowned 12th Festival of Gnaoua Music took place from June 25 to 28. This is an annual event, religiously attended by fans of international and African music since it’s the venue of many world-class musical groups, generally from Africa, Europe and the Americas. To me, the attraction was to photograph the exotic Gnaoua musicians during their performances, as I had heard they had small–almost private–seances in various parts of the little medina in the very heart of Essaouira.

Gnaoua (sometimes also spelled Gnawa) music is a mixture of sub-Saharan African, Berber, and Arabic Islamic religious songs and rhythms, and it combines music and acrobatic dancing. Aurally and historically, its main influence is traced back to sub-Saharan Africa, but its current practice is concentrated in north Africa, mainly Morocco and Algeria. However, I have discerned similarities between Gnaoua music and folk songs from Sudan, so perhaps its influence extends even further. (more…)

Introduction to Death Valley: Part 2, Geographic Extremes

Capoeira Storm, Badwater, Death Valley — Capoeira Storm. Badwater, Death Valley

Death Valley is a land of extremes. In part one of this series, we talked about its vastness and extreme temperatures. But another way in which Death Valley really “takes geography to eleven” is in elevation. Death Valley’s low point, Badwater, is nearly three hundred feet below sea level but is located almost directly between Dante’s View (over a mile “up” on the near canyon wall) and Telescope Peak, just across the valley at over eleven thousand feet above sea level.

Both the highs and the lows have much to offer photographers. (more…)

The Super Wide Portrait

Want to have some fun next time you’re shooting environmental portraits? Then think wide! Just when you are about to pack up that gear and call it a wrap, pull out that super wide angle lens and try something different.

The Super Wide portrait

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Introduction to Death Valley: Part I, the Sand Dunes

Dunes Photographers. Death Valley National Park

Death Valley National Park is both a famous and challenging place to photograph. A desert, Death Valley is one of the hottest locations in the world with recorded temperatures as high as 134 °F. It also usually features dessicatingly low humidity and a nearly universal lack of shade. The Valley is enormous, over one hundred miles and thirty miles long, often leaving you shooting a long distance from wherever you’ll be sleeping.

And yet I keep going back. There’s just too many great photographic opportunities there, and even this brief (two or three part) introduction will only give a short taste of what’s available.

Let’s start with sand dunes.

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Q and A: What are the fastest memory cards?

Question

I want to get the fastest memory card for my Nikon D200 for sports photography. However, after doing some research on the Internet, I’m confused. Which one is really the fastest? Several companies claim that they have the “fastest” cards, but the UDMA cards are supposed to be the fastest. Which one should I buy? D.M.

Answer

That’s a valid question, D.M., for anyone who uses CompactFlash (CF) cards but also for DSLR owners who use SDHC cards. Before answering however, I need to emphasize one essential point. No matter which camera you use, it’s impossible to increase the maximum framing rate by switching to a faster memory card. i.e. If the specifications indicate a top speed of 5 frames per second, you will never be able to shoot at a greater speed (because of a mechanical limitation). (more…)

Managing Client Images

My clients come from the full spectrum of business types – everything from one and two person start ups to multi-national corporations. Each of these clients, of course, have unique needs and expectations, but I’ve come across one area that more and more clients are in need of. Digital Asset Management (DAM.) Most of the larger corporations have a system in place already, after all they’ve been dealing with this issue for time immemorial, and if there is anything large groups like to do, it’s set procedures and systems. However, many smaller clients are just beginning to realize that they need to keep better track of their images. And, if you’re working with startups, chances are they have no idea that this will become an issue for them later on. This is an opportunity for you to educate them and set them on a good path now. (more…)

Canon PowerShot G10 Review

A 14.7 MP pocket-size point-and-shoot even the pros use.

I don’t know of any point-and-shoot camera that commercial advertising shooters have used more than Canon’s PowerShot G-series. Yes, there are other very capable point-and-shoots out there, but none has garnered the G-series’ rep. As with its predecessors, the G10 remains the flagship in Canon’s point-and-shoot lineup, and as such, this camera proudly carries the colors into the heat of battle.

Canon G10 (front). The compact Canon G10 features an equally compact 5X zoom. Startup is quite fast--fast enough so as not to miss a vital shot. Copyright ©2009 Jack Neubart. All rights reserved. — Canon G10 (front). The compact Canon G10 features an equally compact 5X zoom. Start-up is quite fast. Fast enough so as not to miss a vital shot. Copyright ©2009 Jack Neubart. All rights reserved.

The G10 ups the ante in resolution, compared with earlier models in the G-series, delivering 14.7 megapixels (MP). That gives you enough real estate for cropping. Granted, it’s a CCD chip. Chatter on the Net is that the next G will be the G-whiz wunderkind, with a CMOS sensor adding new vitality into this series. (With that said, should you buy the G10 or wait? Well, you’ll need to read further.) (more…)