Macro Photography – Guest Post by Robert O’Toole

Posted on May 19, 2012 by Master Photographer

Guest post by My Robert O’Toole – Follow Robert on Twitter

Thanks to Scott Bourne for giving me the chance to share my latest macro set up images with you. I hope this post inspires you to get out and try some macro photography. I am a professional nature photographer based in Los Angeles. Over the last month I put together a simple lightweight low cost macro flash system for the very highest image quality and performance with my new D800E.

Honey bee hovering over a Calandrinia flower. The 180mm macro’s small angle of view
makes it my favorite lens for clean smooth backgrounds.

Nikon D800E, Sigma 180mm f/3.5 EX APO Macro HSM lens, single Nikon SB-R200 flash with diffuser 1:8 power, handheld, Manual mode 1/250th sec, f8, ISO 500.

Geranium flower close up. Tech details same as above.

Daisy full frame close up. Focus was critical since depth of field at this magnification ratio is paper thin.

Tech details same as above except for f5.6 and ISO 100.

Daisy close up image crop at 100% view or actual pixel view in Photoshop. Hard to believe this image was made handheld with a single flash.

Calandrinia flower close up. The 180′s long working distance makes lighting much easier than shorter focal lengths. Tech details same as above except for ISO 250.

Calandrinia close upimage crop at 100% view or actual pixel view in Photoshop. This level of image detail in this image is amazing but when you consider that is was made handheld it is almost unbelievable.

Macro photography tips

1. Shoot handheld or with a monopod for the best flexibility and speed.

2. Photograph early, late or on cloudy days, use a diffuser if you have to shoot in bright sun.

3. Use flash for the best sharpness and most detail possible and always diffuse the flash.

4. Balance daylight and flash power for natural looking images and to avoid dark backgrounds.

5. Use the longest lens possible for clean backgrounds and the most working distance.

6. Improve your skills, vision and use the best techniques, do not get caught up buying expensive complicated equipment, keep it simple.

My equipment list:
Nikon D800E, MB-D12 with EN-EL18 battery and BL-5 Battery Chamber Cover
Sigma 180mm f/3.5 EX APO Macro HSM lens
Nikon SB-R200 Wireless Remote Speedlight diffused
Nikon SX-1 Attachment Ring for SB-R200
Nikon SY-1-72 72mm Adapter Ring
Nikon DK-17M Magnifying Eyepiece

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Free Video Tutorial – Equalize Command in CS 6.0

Posted on May 17, 2012 by Master Photographer

Guest Post by Rich Harrington - Follow Rich on Twitter

Rich offers a tutorial on using the Equalize Command in Photoshop 6.0.

DISCLAIMER: This post isn’t intended to be definitive – we’re not claiming this is the ONLY way or even the BEST way to accomplish this task in Photoshop, Aperture, iPhoto or any other post-prodcessing program. We’re merely offering it as A way you might accomplish this task. These tips are free, offered only because they might be helpful to someone.

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This Post Sponsored by:
Viewbug - Fun Photo Contests
Kelby Training - Use code KTSBA12 to save $20
BorrowLenses.com - Renting Canon, Nikon, Olympus & Sony, bodies, lenses, etc.
SmugMug - Professional Photo Sharing
Digital SLR Store - Cameras, lenses, accessories and everything else.

My Favorite Camera Bags – Updated May, 2012

Posted on May 16, 2012 by Master Photographer

It’s been two years since I originally wrote my post recommending camera bags. For me – things have changed since then. I’ve been focused on carrying less gear and reducing my carry load. So my personal favorites have changed. Here’s the list of the camera bags I now use and recommend.

NOTE: I’ve reviewed many bags here on Photofocus, but as I often say, there is no perfect bag. Just as I wouldn’t think of owning just one camera lens, I wouldn’t think of owning just one camera bag. You need different bags for different tasks. You need bags for transporting gear to the job and bags for working from ON the job. With that in mind, here are my favorites, in no particular order.

Tenba ProDigital 2.0 Messenger

I reviewed this bag here – http://photofocus.com/2010/01/07/tenba-prodigital-2-0-messenger-mini-review/ – it’s a great gadget or computer or compact camera bag. When you want a bag that doesn’t scream “CAMERA BAG” this is it. It works well as either a laptop/briefcase or a small gear bag for things like flashes, compact cameras and other accessories.

Gura Gear Kiboko

I reviewed this bag here – http://photofocus.com/2008/11/04/wildlife-photographer-launches-new-photo-bag-line-twip/ – it’s a traveling/transport bag. Is it my imagination or are airline overheads getting smaller? If you want a bag that (if not overstuffed) will fit in almost ANY airline’s overhead bin, the Kiboko is for you. It’s light weight and is the best bag I’ve tried at getting my gear TO the field. It also works well for simply storing gear in at my studio.

Think Tank Photo Airport Addicted V 2.0

I recently reviewed the Think Tank ~ Airport International V 2.0 at Photofocus.com. This bag is a great solution for any photographer who wants to both transport and protect their gear. The only negative (and this is a very small nit) is that in order to be tough enough to protect your gear it also has to be heavy (and expensive.) Those small nits aside this is a very safe choice

Adorama Joe Farace Reporter II Backpack

Unfortunately the only way you’ll find this bag is to buy it used or to grab one of the few originals being sold on Ebay or Amazon. I have no idea why Adorama stopped making it. It’s a great bag and I’m listing it here because this post is about the bags I like and use. Here’s the original review on Photofocus. Perhaps a letter-writing campaign to Adorama will bring it back. But it’s the best (and lightest) camera bag for the money I’ve ever seen. Period. It just works. It’s very light. It holds enough gear to work out of and it’s cheap.

ThinkTank Photo Airport 4-Sight

I recently reviewed the 4-Sight at Photofocus. This bag is very unique because it is a four-roller bag dedicated to photography. It’s super light weight and will fit in most overhead bins on airplanes – even the small ones. I’ve quickly become addicted to the easy way it rolls around and the reasonable amount of gear it holds given its small size and very light weight.

CONCLUSION

If your favorite camera bag isn’t on this list – it doesn’t mean it’s a bad bag. It just means it’s not MY favorite. But I think any of these would be a safe choice as part of the average photographer’s bag arsenal.

One Man’s Trash Is Another Man’s Treasure – Try To SEE Photos In Everyday Places

Posted on May 10, 2012 by Master Photographer

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

I recently bought a condo at Las Vegas City Center. I still have my house in Henderson but on nights when I want to hang out on the Strip it saves me the half hour drive home battling all the drunks on a weekend.

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

While City Center certainly had a rough start the place is now a mecca of beauty and magic. Next door to my condo is Crystals. It’s a very high end shopping center so I’ve been taking morning photo walks there to both familiarize myself with the area, get a little exercise and work my photo brain. I’m using nothing but my iPhone 4s camera phone and the things I am both seeing and shooting are amazing. I made some large canvas prints of the abstracts I found and actually sold them to the shopping district!

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

In any event, these images look like they are otherworldly – perhaps distant galaxies or universes but they are just fountains found on the main floor at the shopping center.

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

Tens of thousands of people walk by these fountains daily without seeing these images. That’s because they look at them vertically. I decided to shoot DOWN on top of the fountains horizontally and got some pretty stuff. At least I like it.

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

The whole point of this post is simple, you never know what is lurking around the next corner that may be camera ready. Be ready. Open your eyes, your mind and most importantly your heart and see what you can “see.” It’s particularly fun with just a smart phone camera or a point and shoot. That way the gear doesn’t get in the way and you can just have fun.

Five Steps Toward Becoming A Master Photographer

Posted on May 1, 2012 by Master Photographer

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

Sorry – none of these tips involve buying a magic camera. But if you try them, based on my own experience, they will help you become much better at producing images that matter.

1. Stop comparing your gear against anyone else’s gear. It doesn’t matter that Ernie in your local camera club has a better lens. All that matters is what he does with his lens and you do with your lens. Almost any lens you can buy today is better than those made 50 years ago. Some very iconic photographs were made with gear you’d scoff at today. Stop obsessing over gear.

2. Try to understand what it means to have vision. I’m not talking about the gift of sight. I’m talking about the ability to slow life/time down and to FIND things to photograph that others would pass on. Start with the icons. Photograph in places like Yosemite and Yellowstone. You’ll easily find the places where great images are made. Once you find out what those places look like, practice using the same VISION you used to make those images in smaller venues where the great stuff is less obvious.

3. Go on a photo walk – but don’t take your camera. Ansel Adams did this weekly. He’d go out scouting with nothing more than a #90 yellow Wratten filter, a notebook, a pen and a cardboard cutout that approximated his various lenses. He’d walk about taking notes, looking for subjects and how the light struck them at various times of day and various times of year. He’d explore. He didn’t take the camera because it got in the way of his ability to “see” what he later wanted to photograph.

4. Care about, know about, think about, dream about, learn about, talk about and downright fall in love with your subjects. If you shoot landscapes, know all that there is to know about the landscape. If you shoot wildlife, learn all that you can about your subjects. If you make people portraits, try to see the people who sit in front of your camera as real human beings with the same goals, hopes and aspirations for a successful, happy life as you. If you can do this, your photos will stand out from the crowd.

5. Stop thinking about about the reward and spend all your time thinking about the journey. You’ve probably heard this expressed in other ways. Here’s an example: When you were a little kid, one of the best things about going on vacation with your family was the expectation – the counting down the days. The actual event is usually a little less glorious than you think it will be. It’s the journey that matters. In photography, taking stock of all the little things you learn and experience along the way does eventually, after ten thousand mistakes and many years, turn you into a master photographer.

If you haven’t yet started thinking in these terms – try starting today. I am rooting for you.

How To Copy My “Cranes In The Fire Mist” Shot

Posted on April 30, 2012 by Master Photographer

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

Some of you are aware that one of my most successful photographs was made at Bosque del Apache New Mexico a few years back. It is called “Cranes in the Fire Mist.”

There is a part-time photographer (calling himself a pro) who seems obsessed with everything I do and who recently claims he got his “own version” of my shot. Well first I am flattered that he wants to copy me, but I want to point out it’s not that hard – especially the way I think he did it.

The railroad pond (the area where my shot was made) is officially off limits at Bosque. The Refuge and the railroad company have posted no trespassing and no parking signs there and the Refuge has said they will prosecute people who violate the law. Additionally the railroad company has claimed they will also take legal action against trespassers. This past November, I witnessed police citing at least two photographers who went beyond the signs to try to make the shot.

So – for someone to have made their own version of “Cranes,” they either committed a criminal act and ignored the no trespass sign, or more likely – they cheated. And I”ll show you how.

Note the photo above. It’s similar to my original shot but it’s made in an entirely different location. I made this photo too. It’s NOT the same shot though. In fact – it’s facing west not east and it’s made in the late after noon not at sunrise.

The Farm Loop Road as it’s called at Bosque turns on itself at the west side of the refuge. There’s one part of that road where – if you know what you are doing – you can position yourself so that when the birds are landing in the late afternoon sun, a golden glow and the appearance of “mist” can occur, making it possible to copy my shot. The key is using a very long lens and getting someone to drive quickly through that area while you wait for the dust to kick up. That is what creates the illusion of the mist. In my opinion, it’s cheating compared to the way I originally did it – which is wait out nature to get the result – but hey, to each his own.

But it’s important to note to my would-be imitator that anyone who wants to – can try to make the shot. I encourage it! Get yourself to Socorro, New Mexico next November and give it a try. But don’t shoot from the railroad pond unless you want to risk interaction with the cops. Additionally, the Refuge management isn’t too happy about the loads of photographers who visit Bosque each year and incidents where people ignore the signs at the railroad pond will only make the situation worse for everyone.

As a side note – If any of you are interested in learning how to make the same shots I do – just ask – I’ll gladly share my story and any tips I can to help you do so safely – no matter who you are.

Three Random Things I’ve Found Out While Using The Canon 5D MK III

Posted on April 29, 2012 by Master Photographer

You may have already known all this since many of you are much smarter than I am, but just in case…

1. You can use a zoom lens while in video mode, but it has to be a fixed (not variable) aperture lens so that the exposure doesn’t change while you record.

2. Canon’s ALO (Auto Lighting Optimizer) setting is designed to deal with high contrast situations. But in Manual mode it looks crappy. So Canon has designed a custom option that allows you to turn off ALO in all but P, TV and AV modes.

3. When looking at images on the LCD screen you can overlay any of three grid display options (3×3, 6×4 or 3×3+diag) to check the composition of images.

Photofocus Podcast 109

Posted on April 25, 2012 by Master Photographer

NOTE NOTE NOTE NOTE NOTE: The Photofocus Podcast Feed HAS CHANGED!

Here is the new feed: feed://feeds.feedburner.com/photofocuspodcast

PLEASE BE PATIENT – OUR SERVERS SEE LARGE LOADS ON PUBLISHING DAYS. THE DOWNLOADS MAY GO SLOWLY BUT THEY WILL FINISH.

Download episode here…

Download alternative link…

Sorry we’re no longer providing show notes.

Hosted by Rich Harrington with guest host Scott Bourne.

Here’s Why I Don’t Talk Much About Third Party Camera Lenses

Posted on April 23, 2012 by Master Photographer

For all of you who use and love third-party lenses, this post isn’t an invitation to outrage. I am merely expressing my opinion about my OWN experiences. With that in mind, let’s continue.

I am often asked why I don’t give more coverage to third party lenses. There are many reasons, including the fact that the smaller companies won’t send me review samples. Also, the third party lenses just don’t get as much attention here because my audience isn’t as interested in them. Third-party lenses have a much smaller market share than the lenses made by the camera manufacturers. But the big reason I don’t give them much coverage is that third party lenses are a gamble – and if you gamble and miss – it can be an expensive gamble.

I have used and owned several great third party lenses made by a variety of manufacturers. Not all third-party lenses are bad. But I have also used some pretty mediocre third party lenses. While photographing eagles in Alaska recently, I tested a few lenses from a well-known third part lens manufacturer that just didn’t work well with the new cameras, particularly the Nikon D4.

The lenses in question would either have focusing issues or would simply start shutting down due to random error codes. Even worse, I got spurts of five black (blank) frames several times while shooting a third-party lens on the D4. What if those were once-in-a-lifetime shots? I can’t get them back.

I’ve always said that third party lenses, particularly the expensive, high-end versions, can be a good investment but that quality control is usually what you give up when you go that way. Nikon and Canon do a much better job in my experience than the third-party companies at making sure that no bad “copies” of lenses get shipped.

This recent incident has me more convinced than ever that if you’re shooting something important, or if you’re a professional, you want to choose your lenses carefully and remember that shooting with a third party lens can be risky. If you get to Alaska and that’s your only lens and it craps out on you – you’ve traveled a long way, at great expense for nothing.

The problem often happens because the third-party lens manufacturers aren’t able to keep up with all the changes in the new camera bodies. If you have an older camera this is less of a problem.

One last thing – if you do decide to buy third-party lenses stick with their pro lines. They are usually the closest to the manufacturer’s specs.

The bottom line is this. If you look at the prices, you may or may not save significant money buying off brand. You may even end up with a great lens – I have had several – but there is also a chance that you’ll end up in trouble and on a critical shoot, that can be bad news. So tread lightly and good luck.

Photographic Composition Tip – Look For Something That Stands Out

Posted on April 22, 2012 by Master Photographer

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

If you want to help your photos get noticed – arrange your composition so that the viewer needs to work just a little bit to find the treasure. Here, there is one bright stand of orange poppies sticking out amongst an entire field of purple flowers. The eye is naturally drawn to the thing that doesn’t appear to belong. And that’s exactly what I am going for. You’ll also note the placement in the lower right corner of the frame – homage to the rule of thirds. Lastly – I shot with a long lens to compress the distance between the single stand of poppies and the lavender. When you combine composition tactics like this it helps the photo stand apart from the ordinary tourist shot of a field of lavender.