Project 12, Month 11, Movement

Movement is on the composition project timeline for this month.  This includes moving the subject or the photographer as well as composing pictures of moving subjects.

Things to Consider:

• Fast shutter speeds freeze action  (You can consider any shutter speed over 1/250 seconds as fast)
• Slow shutter speeds create blur and create a sense of motion (You can consider any shutter speed under 1/60 seconds as slow - and you'll need a tripod or other stabilization to avoid "camera shake")
• Learn to balance shutter speed, aperture, and ISO for proper exposure.
• A sense of movement can be created through proper composition. For example,
• Lines
• Subject placement
• Shapes (for example, S-curve)
• When shooting moving subjects, compose the scene so they face the center of the frame. 
• Leave more space in front of the subject than behind them
• Give them room to move.  Don't have them bumping their noses on the edge of the frame
• Remember to break this rule when appropriate.  You may want to create a sense of where they have been or (what they are running from!) by leaving more space behind than in front. 
• Don't hesitate to move the subject when possible to get the best picture.  This is done to remove distracting elements, to add interesting elements, and/or to improve lighting.
• Move you! Just taking one step in one direction may improve the composition.  When composing the perfect scene remember to move you - up, down, left, right, and all around - to find the best angle of view and to get the best lighting,

Suggested Readings and Photographic Examples:

1. 10 Tips for Stunning Action Photography by Jim Harmer at Improve Photography
2. Composition and Movement by Richard D. Zakia at Masteringphoto.com; short illustrated article
3. Composition - Creating Movement and Exposure Basics - Shutter Speed at Stoke Dasoul; very short article
4. Photographing Sports and Action at Geoff Lawrence.com; well illustrated, comprehensive article
5. Introduction to Shutter Speed in Digital Photography by Darren Rouse at Digital Photography School; short, but fairly comprehensive introduction
6. Leaving Space Behind Moving Subjects - Composition by Darren Rouse at Digital Photography School; short, well illustrated article
7. Moving Into The Frame; The Dynamic Motion, Gesture, And Intent  by  Jim Zuckerman at Photographic; short illustrated article
8. Moving Subject by Chandra Avinash at Nuvvo; short illustrated article on panning
9. Taking a Picture of a Moving Subject with Your Digital Camera at Dummies.com; 10 short tips
10. The Best Way To Learn Sports Photography by Simon Bray on Phototuts+; 10 tips; illustrated

YouTube Videos:

1. Shutter Speed from Michael the Mentor; 3:14 minutes; simple and clear explanation
2. DSLR Basics: Aperture, Shutter Speed, and ISO from PhotoExtremist; 9:58 minutes; good explanation of the exposure triangle - begins with Shutter Speed
3. Photography Tutorial on Shutter Speed with Corey Reese from Corey Reese; 5:33 minutes; good examples for capturing the motion of a stream
4. How to Photograph Action from about.com; 2:08; brief explanations for shooting action shots
5. Digital Photography - Photographing Outdoor Sports from FroKnowsPhoto
• Part 1, Get Out of Auto, 3:51 minutes;  how to set ISO and aperture priority mode
• Part 2, Shutter Priority, 4 minutes
• Part 3, Anticipation, 3:38 minutes; anticipating action 

Project 52, Week 44, Triangles and Squares

This is a lot like last week's project except the object is to compose pictures with triangles, squares, rectangles, cones, cubes, cuboids, boxes, pyramids, and etc (any geometric shape except circles).

Things to Consider:

• The shape or form can be the main focus or take a supporting role.
• The object/element can be an actual shape/form or it can be implied.
• Search magazines or online for photos and paintings and try to identify shapes used by the artists. (See Power of the Triangle, comment # 10)

Suggested Readings and Examples:

1. Power of the Triangle at Jake Garn.com; illustrated article on how the simple triangle can improve your photography; also read comment # 1 by Steven Rose. 
2. Photography and Triangles by Coastline Studios at Sickles Insight 
3. How to Photograph a Box by Tinnesee at Squidoo
4. The Triangles of Photography by Rolando Gomez at Lens Diary; illustrated article; warning - skimpy bikinis.
5. Triangles stock photos and images at Fotosearch; over 10,000 images (you can search here for other geometric shapes and forms)

Other stuff:

1. Retired postman and 115,000 post boxes by Lyle Brennan at Mail Online; illustrated article
2. 7 Wonders Photography Series: The Pyramids by Nina Krimly at junkie.net; pictures of pyramids

creativeLive in New York City Sale

I love free! I love sales!

creativeLive is in New York City this week showing FREE live workshops from 4 different photographers on Thursday (today, October 25) and Friday (October 26).  While the workshops are live, you can buy the workshop videos for $79 (includes all eight workshops).

As a bonus - all videos from prior creativeLive workshops given by these photographers are also on sale.  Just click on their names from the blog post to find their workshops.  Everything from glamour to senior photos to lighting to hair/makeup to marketing to photoshop to food workshops.

But that's not all! (as they say on T.V.) The sponsor Bay Photo has provided discounts to their products, and contest prizes.  (Other sponsors also have special deals available - check them out on the creativeLive blog.)

(Note: these workshops start earlier than usual for creativeLive because they are in New York City not Seattle.)

AND.....

Don't forget Kevin Kubota's Photographers Ignite on Friday night from 7 PM - 8:30 PM (EST).  If you miss the live show, you can watch later on the Photographers Ignite website.

Halloween Photography Tips

It's almost Halloween - a fun, yet scary time to take pictures.  Here are links to some articles that may help take the fear out of this year's photographs.  And a couple that might put it back.

Taking Halloween Photos:

1. How to Photograph Halloween by Jerry Walsh at Wikinut; 9 part illustrated article
2. How to Take Great Halloween Pictures at New York Institute of Photography; illustrated article on photographing Jack-O-Lanterns, gremlins, goblins, and ghouls.
3. Halloween Photography Tips by Darrin Rouse at Digital Photography School; very short illustrated article
4. How To Photograph Kids Wearing Halloween Costumes at The Fun Time Guide.com; some good basic tips
5. How To Photograph Lit Pumpkins & Halloween Lights At Night at The Fun Time Guide.com; some good basic tips
6. Photographing Halloween at Kodak; brief illustrated tips
7. How to Photograph Zombies by Liz Masoner at Digital Photography School; short illustrated article
8. 5 Halloween Photo Tips by William Sawalich at Digital Photo; short article
9. Halloween Blacklight Photography by Liz Masoner at about.com; very short illustrated article
10. Halloween Photography Tips by Liz Masoner at about.com; 4 very short articles (spooky lighting, creepy angles, special effects, and "set it on fire")
11. Bringing Graveyards Home – How to Photograph in a Cemetery by Chris Molnar at Halloween Alliance; short illustrated article; (Always be respectful when photographing cemeteries)
12. How To Photography: Composing Hair-Raisin’ Halloween Photos at PhotographyTalk
13. 13 Photographic Techniques for Spooky Halloween Photos at Step by Step Photography; well illustrated article

Other Stuff :

1. How to Create a Really SCARY Halloween Portrait by Robert Grant from LearnMyShot; 3 1/2 minute YouTube video 30 Photoshop Halloween tutorials: horror, creepy and scary by Michael Garmahis at Garmahis
2. Halloween - Street Photography by David and Sonya Newell-Smith from BargeSlideShow; 10 minute YouTube Video
3. This Nikon D3 DSLR Halloween Costume Actually Works by Stan Horaczek at PopPhotocom; Tyler Card's Halloween costume; vimeo video
4. How To Photograph Ghosts by Stephen Warner at about.com; short article
5. Halloween hauntings: William Hope's spirit photographs at The Guardian; photos of spirits created by William Hope in the early 1900's.

Low Light Photography Tips:

1. Low Light Photography Tips by Nasim Mansurov at PhotographyLife.com; illustrated article
2. Low light photography: 40 pro tips for any situation at Photography Monthly; 4 professional photographers give their 10 tips for low light photography
3. Low Light Photography infographic from SnapBlog:

Snapsort's Low Light Photography Infographic

Project 52, Week 43, Circles

We're not doing anything different this week than the first two weeks of the months, except concentrating on circles.  The object is to compose pictures with circles, spheres, and/or cylinders. 

Things to consider:

• The "circle" can be the main focus or take a supporting role.
• The object/element can be an actual shape or form or the circle can be implied.
• Practice the other compositional guidelines.

Suggested Readings and Examples:

1. Improve your photography: Shoot in circles at Josh Larkin Photography; illustrated article on how shooting circles can improve your photography. 
2. Circle Photography at Redbubble; just photos
3. Circles stock photos and images at Fotosearch; over 120,000 images (you can search here for other geometric shapes and forms)
4. Giant Spheres Created with Light Painting by Michael Zang at PetaPixel and Photo Gallery Ball of Light at Denis Smith photography; cool photos
5. Breathtaking Photos Using Clear Marble by Oliver Pickup at Mail Online; photos taken through a marble (clear glass sphere) by Caleb Tenenbaum

Giving Back

  #Giving Tuesday begins November 27, 2012.   Mark it on your calendar!

The premise behind #Giving Tuesday is simple - In November, we (in the USA) have one day for giving thanks and two for getting deals (Black Friday and Cyber Monday.) Let's set aside one day for giving back. Donate money and/or time to your favorite charity, help a neighbor, donate gently used household items and clothing, volunteer at a local organization. Do it as an individual, a family, a neighborhood, or a team building project at work.



I first heard about this movement from Charity Navigator, an organization that evaluates and rates charities.  Charity Navigator has suggestions for giving back that don't include money or even much time as well as information on giving wisely and ratings for charity organizations. 

See links on right under Giving Back - Paying It Forward for photography based ideas.

Project 52, Week 42, Form

Form refers to the three-dimensional quality of an object. 
Forms are lines and shapes with volume.
Circles and squares are shapes. Spheres and cubes are forms

"Form has four basic components: line, shape, texture, and perspective. All of these are made visible by differences in the intensity of tones. But their appearance is modified by the quality of light and its direction. When the intensity, direction, or quality of light changes - lines, shapes, texture, and perspective change and the appearance of form is altered." Garry Black Photography Workshop Notes

Things to Consider:

• Form is created through light, color, tones, contrasts, and shadows.
• Side lighting helps create a sense of form by creating deeper shadows and emphazing texture.
• Always remember the other compositional techniques.  The Five Minute Photography Course from Garry Black Photography Workshop Notes; briefly lists and explains basic principles of composition. 

Suggested Readings and Examples:

1. Discovering Form in Photography by Juergen Roth at Apogee Photo; well illustrated article defining line, shape, and form and how to communicate a sense of form through composition.
2. Shape and Form in Composition by Aamir Shazhad at PictureSocial; explanatory article comparing shape and form
3. The Best Way to Learn about Composition by Andrew Gibson at phototuts+; a good article on composition - the illustrations accompanying the paragraphs on form demonstrates the difference between shape and form and how light is used to show the form.

Lytro Camera

What's shaped like a stick of butter, has a lens at one end, a touch screen at the other end, and takes pictures that you can focus after you take them? 

The Lytro camera.  It comes in Hot Red for $499 (16 GB, 750 pictures) and Electric Blue, and Graphite for $399 (8 GB, 350 pictures)  Yes, it's pretty pricey, but isn't it cool?

Click on any link to connect to Lytro and

• Get more information . 
• Play with the "living pictures" - click once to refocus, twice to zoom.)
• Learn how to use the Lytro camera.

New Photography Guide from FroKnowsPhoto

Jared Polin has produced a 3 hour guide to teach beginning photographers about DSLR photography fundamentals.  It is currently on sale at 30% off and includes a 20 minute bonus video for creating a 5 year photography plan.  (Regular price: $97, Launch price: $67)

You may have seen Jared's popular FroKnowsPhoto instructional videos on YouTube.  If not, check out his style of teaching at the photo video guide page where you can see a short excerpt from his new course, or watch one of his tutorials on YouTube or his website.

Jared has a video this week on Photographing Kids at Digital Photography School; you can find a DPS review of the new course here.

(I don't get any compensation for this post, but I know my readers are looking for reasonably priced fundamental photography courses.  I haven't purchased the course so I can not review it and this is not to be considered a recommendation.)

Project 52, Week 41, Shapes

This week we look for a fundamental composition element: shapes - circles, rectangles, squares, triangles, pentagons, etc.  A shape is a space outlined by elements such as lines, color, and value. It may be an actual solid object (such as a wall or window or traffic sign) or may be more of a perceived shape (such as a group of people arranged in a circle or triangle or a mountain range or the space between two converging lines).

Things to consider:

• Be creative.  Look for shapes everywhere.  A horse race track is a circle/oval; the starting gate and stands are rectangles. 
• A shape should be distinctive, but does not necessarily have to be a geometric shape. A photograph of a horse and jockey taken in silhouette shows a distinct shape.
• The S-curve is a shape.  The eye completes the lines to see circles, one on top of another.
• Composing a group of people by arranging them in a triangle can create a more interesting picture than having them all in a row at the same height.
• The American Heart Association publishes calendars that feature a picture with a heart shape subject each month (flora, fauna, islands, birds, hands, etc.)

Suggested Readings and Examples:

1. Visual Design Elements: Shapes at Ultimate Photo Tips; illustrated article - illustrates perceived shapes
2. The Tuesday Composition: Circles by Joe Decker at Photocrati; illustrated article
3. Circular Compositions by John Suler's PhotoPsychology at Flickr; illustrated article
4. Hearts, Triangles, and Circles at FotoSearch; just pictures
5. Examples of Shape Photography by kelsibrenna; 5 examples

creativeLive in New York City

CreativLive is going across the county to New York City this month.  They will host two days of speakers (four per day) and present it live and FREE October 25 and 26, 2012.  Click creativeLive NYC to read more about it and see who the speakers are.

Free Bonus: CreativeLive will also carry Kevin Kubota's Photographers Ignite on Friday night (October 26).  "Ignite is a style of presentation where participants express their passion for photography with five minutes to speak on a subject of their choice, accompanied by 20 slides that autoadvance at 15 second intervals."  Visit the Photographers Ignite blog for more information.

(I'm not affiliated with creativeLive or Photographers Ignite in any way - I just appreciate good quality FREE stuff.)