Silver Ring Thing Team Photos

I had the privilege to spend an afternoon with the Silver Ring Thing Team. "SRT promotes the message of abstinence until marriage centered in a relationship with Jesus Christ through two methods: a Live Event and a small group program called SRT 434." [SRT home page]

The team is an amazing group and is made up of leaders from all around the country.

We spent the afternoon at their office in Moon Township, PA, shooting some team photos 'indoors' then we traveled to the South Side of Pittsburgh. This image was taken on an overpass from Station Square to the docks along the river. The structure of the overpass made for an tremendous photo opportunity and the Lord provided an amazing day of weather. We could not have asked for a prettier day. There were beautiful clouds in the sky and the temperature was perfect.


I converted the image to an 'antique black and white' in Lightroom 2.0

We took over two hundred images throughout the day and every image is filled with enthusiasm and fun. I had a a great time!

I say this often and I mean it every time but photography and documenting life through photography is way too much fun to be legal. :-]

The last two photos show only a partial side of the fun and enthusiasm of the team. The team is a 'blast' to be around and always ready to show their joy and love for Christ!

The image of the team under the 'tree' was taken in a parking lot in Mt. Washington. Whoever painted the scene did an great job!

SRT, thank you for the opportunity to spend the day with an amazing group and the privilege of documenting an afternoon of your wonderful life!



Colossians 3:23-24 And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.

Creative Exposures and Depth of Field

Do you wish you could get the image to jump off the screen or print? Do you wish you could understand why some photographers images look so different than yours?

1. Take your camera out of auto or program mode. [They have a purpose but not for creative images.] If you want a ‘creative’ image, auto or program mode will let you down. To create an image that screams creative begin to experiment with manual mode.

When an image is exposed, many combinations of shutter speed and aperture will render an image ‘exposed’ properly. However, normally only one image will scream creative when the shutter ‘clicks’.

Using any lens, place the camera in manual mode. In the viewfinder you will notice your exposure meter. To obtain an exposed image typically the line is in the middle of the meter or on 0. Adjust your shutter or aperture to set a ‘properly’ exposed image. [We will discuss how to use creative exposures in future lessons.]

All of the following combinations of shutter speed and aperture render an ‘exposed’ image via the meter on my D200 with the ISO at 1250 using my 70-300vr @ 70mm. [I am doing this exercise in my basement office with only one overhead light on.] Which exposure is correct? According to technical terms, they all are appear to be ‘correct’ but only one combination will render an expressive or creative exposure. Keep in mind the larger the number on your aperture the greater the depth of field. E.g. The depth of field [or what is in focus] is much larger on f/10 than f/5.6. Therefore, the correct exposure is the exposure that creates the image YOU are attempting to create. If you want a large depth of field [landscape image] where a large portion of your image is in focus, then you would use f/10. However, if you want to create an image where the subject is in focus but the background is ‘blurred out’, then you would ‘open’ up your aperture as much as possible.

Shutter speed: 1/30

Aperture: f/5.6

Or

Shutter speed: 1/25

Aperture: f/6.3

Or

Shutter speed: 1/20

Aperture: f/7.1

Or

Shutter speed: 1/15

Aperture: f/8

Or

Shutter speed: 1/10

Aperture: f/10

The above image I shot at f/5.6 with a shutter speed of 1/250 second and the lens I used was the Nikkor 70-300vr @ 250mm. Notice how the background is blurred out. If I used an aperture with a greater depth of field [f/11], the background would not have blurred out and the singer would have been lost in a sea of background clutter.

Go out and try this experiment. Have fun and enjoy taking pictures of life!

San Rocco Days 2008 -Aliquippa, PA

I had the opportunity to shoot the 'crowning' of my beautiful niece as queen of San Rocco Days.  This image was shot at f/4.8 and 1/500 sec @ ISO 400 & 200 mm [Nikkor 70-300vr].  I converted the first image to a black and white in Lightroom 2.0.  Both images had their respective frames added in CS2. 

Today's tip: Getting the blurred out background.

Many folks ask; 'how do you get the background blurred out'?  In this case it is a result of the combination of focal length [200 mm] the aperture [f/4.8] and the distance I was from my niece.  

If you have a telephoto lens try this experiment.  Zoom to 200 - 300 mm, open the aperture as wide open as you can go.  In most cases the aperture will be in the 4.5-5.6 or in some cases 6.3.  Then zoom in on your subject and walk to your subject and away from your subject [changing the distance between you and your subject] and notice how the background begins to change.  The depth of field is changing which is changing the area in focus [in front of your subject and behind your subject].  If you want to study more on the subject, goto Online DOF calculator. The site is a tremendous resource in learning about this amazing subject.  

 

The third image was taken at the Steelers training camp and if you notice the background is 'blurred' out in this image also.  The combination of my distance from the subject [which was not too far, maybe 20 feet], the focal length [240 mm] and the aperture [f/5.6] created a very nice image with the subject in focus and the background 'blurred out' [Bokeh].  I will discuss more about this subject in future posts but my first suggestion.  Have fun, practice often, and capture the beauty of life!

Steelers Training Camp 2008 in Latrobe, PA

I was invited by a friend to shoot from the field during the Pittsburgh Steelers training camp. First, it was a blast! Any chance I can get to shoot I jump on due to my love of the art! Second, I give sports shooters credit for what is required of them to shoot sports. Even with my Nikon 70-300vr combined with my D200, obtaining 'great' images were very challenging. The second major challenge is to anticipate where the action will be next. The quaterback drops back to throw, I watch his eys, he is looking left, I look left, he throws right... Ugh! I missed a great shot. It is not the same as a wedding or other event. Maybe it is due to experience but the action appears to be more predictable to follow. :-)

In the first photo I was very close to where the kickers were practicing and obtaining a usable photo was possible.

As always I shot this in RAW and converted in Lightroom 2.0 to a B&W image with a white vignette to create a different look. This picture is of Jeff Reed [3].

The second photo is of Willie Parker, star running back for the Steelers. This too was taken in RAW and converted in Lightroom 2.0 to a B&W using different techniques. One noticeable difference is the darker darks and the dark vignette rather than the light vignette along the sides.

More 'artistic' images from the Steelers training camp are available on my site

Low Light Photography Part 3

This shot violates a few points from my previous post. How? I shot this at 1/25 second. Yes, the image shows movement but it is exactly the mood I wanted to present. How did I shoot this image?

1. I waited until the moving spot light was focused on the front right side of the guitarist which caused a silhouette effect. This was shot at f/2.5 and 1/25 of a second.
2. In post processing I converted this to a black and white image using Lightroom.

The amazing part about digital photography is the ability to practice, experiment, and delete. Have fun and get out and experiment.

Low Light Photography Part 2

If your camera has different focus points, take the time to adjust the focus point to the area of the photo you want in focus. [Please read your manual if you are unsure how to change the focus points.] On my Nikon D200 and D50 the adjustments are made on the back of the camera. The D200 has a 'lock' feature to ensure the focus point doesn't change when the camera is brought up to the eye.

When you are shooting wide open [aperture to the smallest number e.g. f/1.8] the area in focus will be very small. Hence, if you do not change the focus point and leave it in the middle nothing of value will be in focus. In this case I focused and exposed on the face of the closest guitarist [singer] and used spot metering combined with manual exposure. If I would have used aperture priority, when the light moved over the second guitarist from the front guitarist my camera would have changed the shutter speed to match the change in light. I have found in low light photography manual exposure is the setting I use more than aperture priority. This might not work for you but my suggestion is to experiment using manual exposure combined with spot metering and make note of the results.

Experiment, practice, and have fun!

More to follow...

Low Light Photography Part 1

I have the opportunity to shoot many events each month in little to 'no' light. Most of the events I shoot do not permit the use of a flash. Over the past seven years of shooting in low light venues, I have learned many tricks, tips, and techniques.

1. I heard a famous, experienced photographer say, "You are taking a picture of light with a subject in it." I forget who stated it but the phrase stuck in my mind. Especially when I am shooting in low light or almost no light events.
2. Use the 'fastest' lens you can afford. My suggestion is to purchase a 50mm f/1.8 or f/1.4. Currently, I use my 50mm f/1.8 as my main lens in a low light situation. However, this image was taken with my Tamron 17-50 f/2.8.
   
3. Study any available light and determine if you can use it as fill light. If you are shooting a youth event and the light is 'moving' the key to success is to pre-expose the shot and 'lock' it in by using 'M' manual mode. The reason I use manual mode is to avoid the moving light from adjusting my exposure when I do not want it adjusted. If you shoot in aperture priority, then you run the risk of the shutter speed changing which could cause you to get an overexposed or underexposed image. Typically, I find if I can get the shutter speed at least to 1/30 or 1/60 of a second with my lens wide open most of the shots will not appear 'blurry'. This shot was taken at 1/50 and f/2.8. I exposed the shot on the upper left of the image to ensure the face of the drummer was not blown out. This caused a dimensional look and added some impact to the image. The drummer's left had has some blur in it but it shows 'action'.
   

Nearly run over by a bunch of fans

I was standing on the side of a fence waiting for the golfers to finish when out of the corner of my eye I noticed a fast approaching group of people. Little did I realize my life was at risk. :-] The fans nearly knocked me over as they attempted to obtain the autograph of their favorite golfer.

Wow, I never realized photography would be considered a contact sport.