Each of us have been influenced by someone at one time or another. I'd like to share with you what photographers influenced me most and why. I'm sorry but Ansel Adams was not one of them.
A good friend of mine by the name of Oliver J. Bochantin (O. J.), introduced me to photography while we were stationed together in Belgium in the early 80's. I have since lost contact with him but if not for him, I wouldn't be writing this blog and you wouldn't be reading it. Not to infer that millions of readers are reading this anyway.
Although I learned from O. J. we were both transferred to different parts of the world and I was left to figure out the rest on my own. I didn't really produce any quality shots consistently until I read several books years later.
The first book I purchased was Michael Langford's 35mm Handbook "The problem-solving book for every photographic situation". This book is mainly for the amateur photographer but none-the-less it was a good start.
Bryan F. Peterson, who by the way is an excellent photographer, wrote 4 books but I can only comment on two: Understanding Exposure and Seeing Creatively. Understanding Exposure really defined what mode I shoot on a regular basis, which is the AV mode. There are many times that I change the mode but if you were to open my camera bag you would find my camera set on AV. Seeing Creatively another excellent source helped me understand to not look at things for what they are. For example oil spots on the road after a rain. If the sun is hitting them just right it makes an interesting photo. I must admit I haven't taken such a photograph yet, but who knows, maybe someday I will.
Another outstanding photographer and author is Dan Heller. Of all the photographers he has inspired me the most, not because of his technical expertise but because of his business sense. Don't get me wrong his photographs are very inspiring as well. Dan is also the author of several books but the two that I have read are: Profitable Photography in the Digital Age and How to Make Money with Digital Photography. By far Dan is an out of the box thinker and it's probably the reason he is so successful.
So by now, if you've made it this far, you've probably realized that the only training I've had is self-taught with the help of many good books published by excellent photographers. But it is thru these photographer's books and websites I obtained valuable information that has helped me grow as a photographer immensely; and I still use them as a source of reference.
If you are a budding or established photographer I highly recommend the above photographer's books as a must read. There are several other good books by Lee Frost, Bill Smith, and John Shaw that you may find valuable in your quest to become an inspiring photographer.
Happy photographing and please share your thoughts and comments.
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Photographing Parades
Usually I would get straight to what I'm blogging about but, because this is my first blog, I'd like to give you a brief introduction. Digital photography is what I blog about. However, if you still use film many of these techniques still apply. So let's move on. Oh! One more thing, you can visit my website at
dannylbaker
Photography is an amazing art. If you are a photographer, professional or otherwise, we all have something to contribute; and can always learn from one another. So please enjoy and I hope what I write will help you. Keep in mind I am not the definitive source of photography but what I've learned through my trials and errors I would like to share with you.
I recently photographed the Honolulu Festival Parade in you guessed it Honolulu, Hawaii. I photographed this and other parades but I was much more successful because of the lessons I've learned from previous parades. Photographing parades can be somewhat challenging, because just when you think you've framed the perfect shot someone stands up and either partially or completely blocks your shot. On the other hand parades can produce some very interesting and unique photographs.
Once you've decided to photograph a parade, the day before walk the route of the parade at the same time of day the parade will take place. This will allow you to look for spots you think would be a good location to shoot from. Also find where the parade begins and ends.
Walking the parade route gives you several advantages such as determining how the sun will effect your shots. Depending on the time of day the sun will be an important factor. Also it is a good idea to find where the parade begins and ends. Here you can find some very good candid shots and if you are photographing people you may need a model release. These are good locations to get the model release. One more thing, be mobile which brings us to our next consideration.
There are times you will be stationary but you must be able to move when necessary. Too much camera gear is just as bad as not having enough. So select the lenses and accessories you need and leave the rest at home or in your hotel room if you're traveling. I highly recommend at a minimum bring a tripod, a zoom lens (preferably 24-105mm), and a gadget bag. Two additional lenses to bring along are a 70-300mm and a 50mm f 1/8 which is good for low light situations. Also don't forget to bring 1 or 2 additional memory cards.
During the parade things will be moving and I've found that if your camera is equipped with the sports function it works pretty well with this setting. But, as always experiment with different settings because no one setting is perfect for the whole shoot.
Although this is brief and doesn't go in to detail about photography techniques it will be very helpful the next time you photograph a parade. Happy photographing and please share your thoughts and comments.
dannylbaker
Photography is an amazing art. If you are a photographer, professional or otherwise, we all have something to contribute; and can always learn from one another. So please enjoy and I hope what I write will help you. Keep in mind I am not the definitive source of photography but what I've learned through my trials and errors I would like to share with you.
I recently photographed the Honolulu Festival Parade in you guessed it Honolulu, Hawaii. I photographed this and other parades but I was much more successful because of the lessons I've learned from previous parades. Photographing parades can be somewhat challenging, because just when you think you've framed the perfect shot someone stands up and either partially or completely blocks your shot. On the other hand parades can produce some very interesting and unique photographs.
Once you've decided to photograph a parade, the day before walk the route of the parade at the same time of day the parade will take place. This will allow you to look for spots you think would be a good location to shoot from. Also find where the parade begins and ends.
Walking the parade route gives you several advantages such as determining how the sun will effect your shots. Depending on the time of day the sun will be an important factor. Also it is a good idea to find where the parade begins and ends. Here you can find some very good candid shots and if you are photographing people you may need a model release. These are good locations to get the model release. One more thing, be mobile which brings us to our next consideration.
There are times you will be stationary but you must be able to move when necessary. Too much camera gear is just as bad as not having enough. So select the lenses and accessories you need and leave the rest at home or in your hotel room if you're traveling. I highly recommend at a minimum bring a tripod, a zoom lens (preferably 24-105mm), and a gadget bag. Two additional lenses to bring along are a 70-300mm and a 50mm f 1/8 which is good for low light situations. Also don't forget to bring 1 or 2 additional memory cards.
During the parade things will be moving and I've found that if your camera is equipped with the sports function it works pretty well with this setting. But, as always experiment with different settings because no one setting is perfect for the whole shoot.
Although this is brief and doesn't go in to detail about photography techniques it will be very helpful the next time you photograph a parade. Happy photographing and please share your thoughts and comments.
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