Multiple Exposure Photography

Posted on April 18, 2012 by Master Photographer

Photo by Scott Bourne – Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs Creative Commons

According to Wikipedia – a multiple exposure photograph is:

“…the superimposition of two or more individual exposures to create a single photograph. The exposure values may or may not be identical to each other.”

In the old days, we did this in camera – and using some of the newer digital compact cameras (and even a few of the pro bodies) the multiple exposure feature is built in – meaning you can shoot more than one subject on a frame.

But another way to accomplish this is to shoot multiple frames (in the case above three) and then blend them together in post.

For this image, I created a canvas in Photoshop CS5 that was three times wider than it was high. Then I copied each photo onto a layer inside Photoshop and blended the layers together. Then I cropped out the excess areas and the result is a nice action shot showing this grizzly bear as he fishes near Geographic Harbor, Alaska.

Try this if you’re after something a little different. Shoot an action sequence of two or more shots and then try blending them together for one simple photo. It can be fun and the results can sometimes be much more interesting than any one image could be.

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Abstracts: Don’t Forget To Look For The Little Things Next Time You’re Out With Your Camera

Posted on April 14, 2012 by Master Photographer

Photo by Scott Bourne – Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs Creative Commons

While in Alaska I was after eagles. I made thousands of eagle photographs. But I’m always keeping one eye open for something unique or special or just abstract. I love abstract photography. I play little games with myself wondering if people can guess what the object I’m shooting really is.

In this case, I came upon the harbor at sunset. The light was hitting this extremely colorful, rainbow-colored boat and the reflection caught my eye. The above photograph is the result. Would you have recognized that as a boat sitting in the water?

The dictionary says abstract is: “of or pertaining to the formal aspect of art, emphasizing lines, colors, generalized or geometrical forms, etc., especially with reference to their relationship to one another.”

For whatever it’s worth, I think the image I made of the boat qualifies. How about you? Do you shoot abstracts? If so feel free to post them in the Photofocus Flickr gallery.

2012 Eagle Trip Wrap Up

Posted on April 11, 2012 by Master Photographer

Photo by Scott Bourne – Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs Creative Commons

2012 Alaska Eagle Trip Wrap Up

This is my final post about this year’s eagle trip in Alaska.

This year’s eagle trip had the usual themes for me. I got to spend time in some of the most beautiful outdoor scenery in the world. I got to spend time helping a friend. I got to spend time with friends. I got to make new friends. I got the chance to tell the story of the eagles with my camera. I got to preserve moments in time that will last beyond my time here.

This year, I figured out that concentrating on type of shot, i.e., perched, flight, fight, prey, etc., at a time yielded the best results.

As with every trip I take these days, I discovered that taking less and less gear is always the best policy. I had lots of cameras and lenses with me but only took one or two into the field. This helped reinforce my policy of concentrating on one thing at a time. I’m doing some of the best photography of my career right now and I can tell you for sure that I am carrying less gear than ever.

In the past, I would have missed several shots due to gear wrangling and the associated hassles that come with that. This year, there were days where I simply went out on the boat with one camera and one lens and a card wallet and I got great stuff.

The irony is that I own every single photo gadget known to man, but I find myself using most of it less and less.

In fact, next year my plan is to bring not one piece of gear WITH me. I’m going to have Borrowlenses.com ship EVERYTHING I need for the trip. As they did last year, I had them ship backup stuff so in case something went south I was ready. But now I am convinced I can have them take care of all of it which means no hassle with planes, or worrying about gear being stolen or damaged by TSA, baggage handlers, etc.

I also did something this year that I usually advise people NOT to do. I took cameras that I was totally unfamiliar with and used them in a critical shooting situation. The good news is that the new cameras I was testing, primarily the Canon 5D MK III and the Nikon D4, performed so well there were no worries.

This year’s eagle trip was great. I continue to face medical challenges that makes these trips harder and harder but I feel worse if I do NOT go so – I go.

My admiration and respect for the people who live and work here full time continues to grow. It’s a tough environment with harsh weather, a difficult economy and a certain sense of isolation. Yet almost everywhere I went I was enthusiastically greeted and warmly received.

I have some of the best guides around helping. And I am now so confident in my abilities to get great eagle shots here that I plan to offer a workshop/tour this time next year with my pal Robert O’Toole.

We’ve done a great deal of scouting and secured permits, licenses, guide and outfitter relationships and can actually guarantee people that we can put them in close proximity to eagles.

If you like the pictures I’ve been posting from this trip stay tuned. I’ll guarantee anyone who knows how to operate their camera portfolio-quality eagle pictures if they come on my workshops here next year. I’ll have more information soon. I’m first making these workshops available to my core supporters. If there are any spots left I’ll mention them here. If you’d like to be notified by email, send me notice to photofocus@me.com.

I want to thank my guides and the people of Alaska for another great experience. And most of all, I want to thank the eagles who allow me to tell their stories and love them. It’s an honor to speak for the birds.

2012 Eagle Trip Wrap Up

Posted on April 11, 2012 by Master Photographer

Photo by Scott Bourne – Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs Creative Commons

2012 Alaska Eagle Trip Wrap Up

This is my final post about this year’s eagle trip in Alaska.

This year, I figured out that concentrating on type of shot, i.e., perched, flight, fight, prey, etc., at a time yielded the best results.

The irony is that I own every single photo gadget known to man, but I find myself using most of it less and less.

This year’s eagle trip was great. I continue to face medical challenges that makes these trips harder and harder but I feel worse if I do NOT go so – I go.

We’ve done a great deal of scouting and secured permits, licenses, guide and outfitter relationships and can actually guarantee people that we can put them in close proximity to eagles.

Analyzing My Alaska Eagle Photos & Results From Three Top Cameras

Posted on April 10, 2012 by Master Photographer

Photo by Scott Bourne – Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs Creative Commons

I’ve finally had time to look through the 1000s of images I shot in Alaska on this year’s eagle trip. I think I did better than last year, which is surprising since two of the three cameras I was using were literally right out of the box. Normally, I count my knowledge of my camera as part of the reason for my success. I think it’s better to understand everything you possibly can about the camera you have, rather than worrying about buying the next best thing. But since I like to test cameras in real world situations, I took a chance. Luckily my existing familiarity with the Canon 1D MK IV and 5D MK II made using the MK III easier than it would have been if I’d gone in cold. Likewise, I have lots of experience with the D3 and D3s but the D4 moved the menus and buttons so it was a little harder for me. In the end, I got great shots from all three cameras. But that brings up an interesting point. The 1D MK IV – which has been out for a while now, offered me the highest percentage of keepers. So it’s not always the new thing that brings you success.

And speaking of cameras, I got my 103,279,271th reminder that too many of you think the camera is the secret behind success. I got lots of email about the Alaska trip that went something like this:

“I love the picture of the eagle doing _________ and I just HAVE to know, which camera did you use on that one.”

Sigh…

As if THAT camera would make THAT person a master wildlife photographer. Believe me folks if there were such a thing as a magic camera – I would own it. And I’d even tell you where to buy it. But there isn’t.

You can have the best camera in the world, but if you don’t have the passion, the eye, the experience, the hunger and the subject knowledge – you won’t get the shot.

I’ll wrap up by talking about subject knowledge. There is no substitute for knowing your subject. I’ve photographed birds for a long time, and lots of raptors and lots and lots and lots of eagles. I’ve learned a great deal about them. I study them at an ornithological level. The more I know about them, the better my pictures turn out. That holds true whether you’re photographing birds, brides, food, architecture, or any other subject.

Here’s another way to look at it. Say you were standing in China Poot Bay photographing eagles with gear that was inferior to that of the man shooting next to you. Say that he had 10 years of photo experience more than you – but you had 10 years more study of the subject – I’m willing to bet you’d get the better shots more often than not.

So don’t worry what camera I used – worry about learning how to get the most out of the one you have. Photograph things you know and care about. Develop your eye. Practice. Apply yourself. Develop a thirst for great light. Get to know everything you possibly can about your subject(s). Like David DuChemin says, “Gear is good, vision is better.”

My Favorite Eagle Portrait Ever & How Photographing Human Portraits Made Me A Better Wildlife Photographer

Posted on April 7, 2012 by Master Photographer

Photo by Scott Bourne – Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs Creative Commons

I am very proud of this photograph. I’ve photographed literally thousands of eagles, but this simple headshot is one of my favorite eagle portraits of all time. It may not be your cup of tea, but it’s exactly the kind of thing I aim to do.

When I make a portrait – whether it be of a person or a bird – my job (as I see it) is to celebrate that subject. I want to tell their story. I want 100% of the focus on the subject. I want everyone who sees the photo to instantly recognize it. I like simplicity. I like basic forms. I like rich color and horath curves. I like to fill the frame and make the shot sing.

Now what’s interesting about all this is that I learned these techniques while photographing people. Many of you may not know that I’ve spent more time photographing people than I have wildlife. I learned from masters like Dean Collins, Monte Zucker, Don Blair, Joyce Wilson and a host of others. Many of the techniques I learned from these fine photographers permanently influenced my style and approach. And I’ve carried them over into my wildlife photography, particularly when I make “bird portraits.”

I don’t do one single thing differently when photographing birds or people. When I make a portrait of either I try to accomplish the same things. I like a creamy, smooth, out-of-focus background so as not to distract the viewer. A clean background draws attention to the subject. I also like a complimentary – natural background. The blue works just fine here.

I like the subject to fill the frame. If it’s about them then make it about them. Eliminate anything that doesn’t increase attention on the subject.

I like to focus on the eye. If I get that sharp, then I don’t worry about anything else.

I like to anchor the subject in one corner of the frame. This is a natural place to put the subject since the human eye seeks balance in the portrait. I like to have room for the subject to move through the picture so in this case, there is more room on the side of the photo where the eagle is looking.

I try to get a pose that is natural. In this case, it doesn’t get any more natural than this. I can’t speak Eagle so I gave the bird no direction. He did as he pleased.

Lastly I try to find one little gem that helps tell the story. The smaller the better. I like it to be something you have to look for. Here it’s the bead of water just about to roll off the eagle’s beak.

You’d be surprised how many things you learn in one photographic discipline can be used in another. I strongly urge you to try this on your own. Learn one kind of photography you would never think of doing and see how it impacts what you usually do and how what you usually do impacts the new task.

It’s fun and educational and who knows – it may just start you off on another path!

Why Instagram Is About More Than Photo Sharing

Posted on April 6, 2012 by Master Photographer

Guest Post by Tamara Lackey – Follow Tamara on Twitter

I have been using Instagram for about nine months now, so I feel like I can finally deliver an opinion on this wildly popular app.

Initially, I thought the concept was to take a photograph every day with your iPhone, run a simple little filter over it, and post it while checking out others’ images. Over time, though, I started realizing that it could be about much more than that. It could be about showing a slice of your life and getting a very visual feel for how others are living, too. And not just about how we’re living but what we’re experiencing, the way we’re experiencing it, and how we literally see it – even most interestingly, how you and I see the world differently.

In the last couple weeks, for example, I’ve used Instagram to:

1. Show how a goose smiles (she was probably hissing, but I’m going with smiles)
2. Playfully question the expression of one of the models on a current Calvin Klein ad
3. Show off a batch of homemade, oven-fresh bagels
4. Play with a new batch of app textures and toning to showcase color and light
5. Display how my 80-pound dog hogs my little girl’s bed
6. Pose with Woody Allen (ish)
7. Share a real-time shot taken from top of the empire state building
8. Release a Mona Lisa-style portrait in a cafe
9. Share an image of the impressive burn lightning strike left on the car i was driving in
10. Snap a shot of the police, lights blaring, in my rear view mirror, while I was pulled over (unrelated to lightning strike)

The reason Instagram works so well as an everyday image-sharing app is because the shots are taken with a device most of us typically carry everywhere, our phone. We can naturally capture more of the variety of our life, and more of our vision. And the beauty of it is that shooting with your phone also showcases your ability to use the core aspects of photography that transcend fabulous gear and lighting equipment: basically, composition, interaction, and effective use of whatever light options you have.

No, these shots aren’t exactly “perfect” – but neither is life.

Photographers That You Should Know About – Henri Cartier Bresson

Posted on April 1, 2012 by Master Photographer

Photo by Maurizio Zanetti (Creative Commons)

This is the fourth in my “Photographers That You Should Know About” series – you can see the last one here - which links to the first two.

Henri Cartier-Bresson lived from 1908 until 2004. He was considered by many to be the father of street photography. He specialized in a photo journalistic style using 35mm cameras at a time when many of his contemporaries were using view cameras.

He set the standard for “reportage.” He thought of photography as a way of life. For almost five decades he used a camera to document life with a camera – but he thought of the camera as a version of painting – which he studied as well.

While much has been written about Bresson, I still find young photographers who have never heard of the master. He’s worth study. In my own personal experience – looking at his approach to photography, I learned a few things.

Bresson was interested in getting to the action. He traveled the world in search of stories that mattered and was in the middle of some of the biggest stories of his time. Whether it was Africa or the liberation of France during WWII, Bresson made it his business to go places for his photographic endeavors.

He didn’t think about photography as art so much as simple expression of truth. He often spoke badly of “artists” such as Ansel Adams and preferred a journalistic style that counted more on capturing what was happening rather than making it pretty. This has set up what is now the classic division between the masters – those who considered themselves artists and those who considered themselves truth tellers. The battle rages even today.

One of Bresson’s most interesting (and perplexing) quotes was “Once the picture is in the box, I’m not all that interested in what happens next. Hunters, after all, aren’t cooks.” – Henri Cartier-Bresson

I have to admit that I have pondered that statement for years, moving from point to point – trying to understand it. I’ve concluded he meant that getting the shot right (and true) in the camera was his highest calling. He didn’t do his own printing. He spent all his time looking for a chance to use the camera. It’s a very different approach than that taken by others who pursued modern art photography.

Bresson was also big on talking about the picture not the camera. He primarily used a Leica 35mm camera with a 50mm lens for almost all his images. He would immediately be hated in every camera forum now available because he would make fun of those who talk about and contemplate gear rather than vision. He would see that as a complete waste of time. He’d rather be shooting.

All that said, the two biggest lessons I’ve learned from my study of Bresson are:

1. The precise moment is more important than the event where the moment takes place.
2. The subject of the photo is always more important than the hobby, craft, science or art of photography.

Bresson was interested in life – it was simply the fact that he used a camera to capture it that made him famous. You could learn a great deal by studying this man. And I hope you do.

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Bad Weather Means Getting Creative – Alaska Eagle Trip Report – Part 2

Posted on March 30, 2012 by Master Photographer

Photo by Scott Bourne – Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs Creative Commons

See the EXIF data below…

I’ve been in Alaska for almost a week. I head home today. While in Alaska, we’ve had everything from bright sunshine, to snow, to rain, to sleet, to dark ugly skies. On the last day of the trip, we had ugly, rainy weather. The choices are stay in the hotel or go out and shoot. I went out to shoot.

One of the things I like to do when there is poor light is use it as an excuse to get creative. Since there was no reason to try to shoot eagle portraits or fishing, I decided to do pan blurs.

Working with slow shutter speeds, I panned with the birds as they flew past me. Using shutter speeds between 1/15th and 1/50th of a second (in shutter priority mode.) I simply tried to keep the birds in the frame. The chances for success improve if you have the birds flying across your field of vision as opposed to right at you.

It usually takes several tries to get something that is both artistic yet still recognizable as a bird. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but I consider this art so in my mind, anything goes. And it beats sitting in the hotel when you know there are hundreds of eagles nearby!

I made several attempts over a three hour period and the image above is my favorite.

Give this a try the next time you’re faced with less than optimal conditions. Who knows, maybe you’ll get something that you like?

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Bad Weather Means Getting Creative – Alaska Eagle Trip Report – Part 2

Posted on March 30, 2012 by Master Photographer

Photo by Scott Bourne – Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs Creative Commons

See the EXIF data below…

One of the things I like to do when there is poor light is use it as an excuse to get creative. Since there was no reason to try to shoot eagle portraits or fishing, I decided to do pan blurs.

I made several attempts over a three hour period and the image above is my favorite.

Give this a try the next time you’re faced with less than optimal conditions. Who knows, maybe you’ll get something that you like?

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Category Archives: Articles

Multiple Exposure Photography

Abstracts: Don’t Forget To Look For The Little Things Next Time You’re Out With Your Camera

2012 Eagle Trip Wrap Up

2012 Eagle Trip Wrap Up

Analyzing My Alaska Eagle Photos & Results From Three Top Cameras

My Favorite Eagle Portrait Ever & How Photographing Human Portraits Made Me A Better Wildlife Photographer

Why Instagram Is About More Than Photo Sharing

Photographers That You Should Know About – Henri Cartier Bresson

Bad Weather Means Getting Creative – Alaska Eagle Trip Report – Part 2

Bad Weather Means Getting Creative – Alaska Eagle Trip Report – Part 2