Project 52, Week 50, Break a Rule

Suggested Readings and Photographic Examples:

1. 5 Reasons to Break the Rules of Photography by carlspringphoto at DigitalRev

Project 52, Week 47, Thanksgiving Family Portraits

Thanksgiving is a good time to get family group photographs, whether it's two people or twenty.  (And yes, friends count as family. Sometimes more so than your actual relatives.) 

If you don't have a family or can't get together with your family and friends this week, maybe you can volunteer to take someone else's photos, or create your very own project that is pertinent to you.  Compose photos with a Thanksgiving or autumn theme, using the composition techniques we've been practicing this year.

If you're wondering what family portraits have to do with "movement", you've never tried taking a good group photograph that included everybody, all at the same time, standing still, smiling, and not looking silly.

Things to Consider:

• Get prepared. 
• Check your equipment and charge your battery the night before. 
• Make sure you have a digital media card with plenty of space in the camera. 
• Plan your shots (as much as possible).  Do you want one large group and then individual groups?  Do you want a table shot and an outdoor shot? 
• You may want to set up a special photography area with a backdrop and/or props for some shots.
• Practice using any new equipment before you need it.
• Don't expect perfection. 
• Get that classic shot with everybody at the table, but get another group portrait away from the table.
• Keep a camera handy and get plenty of candid shots. 
• Get in the shot.  I recently heard a story from a professional portrait photographer who used Photoshop to create a family portrait.  After the father's death, she had to use Photoshop to put the father in a picture with the mother and three children because they had no family group photos that included him. 

Suggested Readings and Examples:

1. How to Take Great Thanksgiving Family Portraits by Amanda Herron at eHow; a lot of great tips
2. Thanksgiving Photography Tips at Exposure Guide; short illustrated tips, photos include setting suggestions
3. How To Capture Thanksgiving With Your Camera at New York Institute of Photography; short illustrated article
4. Shooting Thanksgiving Photos and Get-Togethers at Lifepics; short illustrated article
5. Thanksgiving: family photo tradition by Barbara Curtis at Mommy Life; short illustrated article - maybe not the best technical photos, but a lot of heart

Project 52, Week 46, Move it! Move it! Move it!

Sometimes you need to move the subject to compose the best shot.  Sometimes you have to move you.  This week pick a subject and photograph it from several different viewpoints and camera angles. 

Things to consider:

• Remember to look left, look right, look up, look down, look all around to find the best angle.
• Moving the subject or the photographer can help improve a composition by eliminating distracting backgrounds or by adding more interesting backgrounds or framing. 
• Moving the subject or the photographer can help improve improve the lighting.
• Sometimes you don't need a zoom lens - you just need to move your feet.  Compose a photograph by shooting several feet from a subject for a wide angle shot, then move up a few feet and take another shot, then move forward and get a close up.  Watch the depth of field.

Recommended Readings and Examples:

1. Finding Fresh Angles to Shoot From – Digital Photography Composition Tip by Darrin Rouse at Digital Photography School; very short illustrated article
2. Composition: Not Just About Positioning Your Subject, But About Positioning Yourself Too by Darrin Rouse at Digital Photography School; very short illustrated article
3. Beginner’s Tip: Get Closer by Peter West Cary at Digital Photography School; very short illustrated article
4. Choosing the best camera angle photography tip 6 minute YouTube video about moving you or the camera for different angles; by SilberStudios
5. Composing Your Shot at GCF LearnFree.org; short illustrated article with comparions photos

Project 52, Week 45, Action Shots

November may not be the best time for me to get action shots as my state is frequently cold, wet, and dismal at this time of the year so who wants to go outside?  But there are many opportunities for interesting and experimental indoor action shots. (Like dropping an olive into a martini and capturing the splash, or dropping a red cherry onto a bowl of vanilla ice cream - you'll have to be fast to get that shot at my house before it disappears.)

There are basically two types of action shots in still photography: 

1. Freeze the action - the subject and background are sharp and in focus
2. Blur the action (which is not the same as a blurry photo!) - the subject or the background is  blurred.

Things to Consider:

• Fast shutter speed freezes motions, sometimes so much that there's no hint of motion at all.  You may want to compose the shot so that the motion is implied. For example, a picture of a person jumping in the air or a running horse with feet off the ground.
• Show shutter speed creates "motion blur" creating a sense of motion. 
• Motion blur: the moving subject or the background is purposely blurred instead of sharp  (Tip: if it looks good - say you composed it that way on purpose)
• Panning: Tracking a moving subject with your camera - either you and the camera move with the subject or you stand still while following the subject with the camera.  Subject should be in focus while everything else is blurry. 
• When photographing something like a race or marathon, you may want to set up the composition ahead of time.  Perhaps even have someone pretending to be a racer on the race path/track so you can decide where to position you and the camera in advance.  After all, you can't very well make the actual racers go back and do it again just because you missed the shot! 

Suggested Readings and Examples:

1. Understanding Shutter Speed – A Beginner’s Guide by Nasim Mansurov; beautifully illustrated article on shutter speed
2. Back to Basics: Five Tips to Freeze Action and Motion by Tiffany Joyce at Beyond MegaPixels; short illustrated article
3. Tips for Action Photography by Tiffany Joyce and Steve Russell at Beyond MegaPixels; short illustrated article
4. Photo Composition # 2: Images that Mean ACTION! at BigNoseBird.com; short illustrated article 
5. 10 Tips for Capturing Action Packed Moments by Jim Harmer on ImprovePhotography
6. Basics of Photo Composition by Connor Walberg on Action Photo School (APS); illustrated article on composition and framing
7. Motion Blur Photography by Erik Kerstenbeck; illustrated short article
8. Master the Art of Action Photography in 8 Easy Steps at APN Photography School; illustrated short article
9. Mountain Bike Photography Technique by Seb Rogers on DPReview; illustrated article includes panning, lens choice, and lighting as well as composition
10. Blurred Panning Techniques at The Global Photographer; short illustrated article
11. Panning in Composition by Scott Simmons at Learn Outdoor Photography; very short article with 1 photo
12. Capturing Motion Blur in Camera Explained by Tiffany Muellar at Light Stalking;

Photos for inspiration:

1. 28 Extreme Action Shots by Lee Milthorpe at Smash & Peas; 26 (mostly crazy) shots with a few tips
2. 15 Stunning Images Using Blur to Portray Movement by Darren Rouse at Digital Photography School
3. 40 Awesome Examples of Action Photography by Bill Jones at Photo Argus

YouTube Videos:

1. Splash Photography Technique - No Flash needed a 5 minute video from LearnMyShot
2. River Landscape Photography: How to photograph Moving Water a 5 minute video from LearnMyShot
3. DSLR Tips: How to blur action shots for a feeling of speed a 6.5 minute video from LearnMyShot
4. Shooting A Strawberry in the Water-Creative Photography Ideas and Images with Bryan Peterson a 2.7 minute video from PPSOP.
5. Digital Photography 1 on 1: Episode 15: Panning a 6.5 minute video from Adorama TV

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.)

Project 12, Month 10, Shapes & Forms

Shape is a 2-dimensional element while Form is viewed as a 3-dimensional object.

A shape is a space outlined by elements such as lines, color, and value.  It may be an actual solid object (such as a traffic sign) or may be more of a perceived shape (such as a group of people arranged in a circle).

"In the two dimensional world, there are three simple geometric shapes. [ circle, rectangle, and triangle]. ... Shape is to form as a square is to a cube.  In the three dimensional world, the basic geometric forms are cube, sphere, pyramid, cylinder and cones."  (Aamir Shahzed )

"Forms are defined by their lines, shapes, and volume ... Photographing form can be capturing an overall contour of a three-dimensional object - say, a flower - or composing an image from an unusual perspective and capturing its shape in an abstract way." (Juergen Roth)


Things to consider:

• Everything has a shape of some kind.  It may be one simple geometric shape or it may be a combination of the basic shapes.  It may be an actual solid object or an implied/abstract shape or form.
• Repeated shapes make a pattern. 
• A silhouette is a shape whether it's of a person, a cat, a tree, or a street sign.  
• Camera angle/position is important. An element viewed from the side will usually have a different shape and form than when viewed from the front.
• Use of light and shadow is very important when photographing a form. Side light usually works best to add shadows and depth.

Suggested Readings and Examples:

1. Discovering Form in Photography by Juergen Roth at Apogee Photo
2. Use of Structures in Photo Composition by Kim Rormark at Digital Photography Tips Online; very short article 
3. Advanced Composition: Using Geometry by Christina N. Dickson at Digital Photography School; well illustrated article
4. Use a triangle as a composition technique by Jim Harmer at Improve Photography; tip # 9
5. Photography Composition: The Golden Triangle Rule by Mira Crisp at Crisp Photoworks; well illustrated article
6. Shape and Form in Composition by Aamir Shahzed at Picture Social; illustrated short article
7. Capturing Shapes and Patterns in Outdoor Photos by Layne Kennedy at Photoguide; 90 second YouTube video
8. Emphasize Shape and Form in Macro Photography by Thomas Clark at Dummies.com Macro & Close-up Photography; a short illustrated article
9. Form, Shape and Space by Charlotte Jirousek at Cornell University from the Art, Design, and Visual Thinking course;
10. Shape and Form, Reflections, and Combining Multiple Elements by Andy Long at First Light; 5 paragraphs on Shape and Form
11. Elements of Design Shape & Form 1 by CanadaDadProduction; a 1:49 minute YouTube video
12. Image composition, stable, instable, diagonal, powerful and spiral composition at artmediaphotography.com; more illustrations than words; uses art to show compositional elements - look for square, triangle, circle, and spiral.  (Tip: read down in columns instead of across)

Project 52, Week 40, End of Summer

Autumn has begun in the Northern hemisphere.  The trees are turning color and school has started again. 

We have completed 3/4 of this year's projects so let's take a break from learning a new compositional tool and employ what we've already studied this month by composing photos of fall patterns, repetition, rhythm, and textures. 

Examples:

• Sweaters and coats can offer a good source for texture.
• A bike rack at a local school can create a pattern - with or without bikes. Look for one that creates a rhythm.
• A row of yellow school buses
• A stack of books, or pencils, or lunch boxes
• Geese flying south or water fowl filling a pond
• A row of home canned tomatoes or grape jelly
• A harvested corn field
• A basket of apples
• A carpet of crunchy golden leaves on your front yard
• An ivy covered wall at your alma mater

Things to consider:

• If you're in the forest - Get close for texture, step back for patterns.  Then try the reverse.
• Experiment with horizontal and vertical shots of the same subjects.
• Step out of the box and locate some out-of-the-ordinary scenes of patterns or textures.  Don't just do the usual trees and leaves.  (If you go on a search for unique back-to-school photos, do be respectful of the children.)

Suggested Readings and Photographic Examples:

1. A Photographic Journey Through Autumn in the Northern Hemisphere by Peter West Carey at phototuts+; illustrated article
2. A Detailed Guide to Photographing Fall Foliage by Christopher O'Donnell at the PhotoArgus; a well illustrated longer article; look for photos of patterns and texture

Sale at creativeLive on John Greengo Classes today

As usual, this is a little late but today (September 25, 2012) creativeLive is presenting a free four hour "in-depth step-by-step tour of the Canon Rebel T4i (known in Europe as the Cannon EOS 650D) with photographer John Greengo.  This is "a hands-on introduction to [the] camera's operations, detailed instructions on how all the menus work, and instruction on how to shoot great photos with this specific camera model"   (In December, he will hold a class on the Olympus OM-D EM-5.)  The live class runs from 9 AM - 1 PM (PDT), but there should be re-watch opportunities through the afternoon and evening.   [The class can be watched live from 12 - 4 EDT; for other time zones check out this Time Zones Converter.]

Through today, all of John's course videos are on sale, including the 2012 Fundamentals of Digital Photography.  The Fast Start camera courses are $30 (regularly $50) and the 5 day Fundamentals course is $100 (regularly $150).

John is an excellent instructor. I know because I have viewed and purchased two of his courses.  He "teaches photography with a unique blend of illustrations, animations and photographs". 

Project 52, Week 39, Texture

Texture refers to the surface of an object. It adds dimension and depth to a flat photograph.

Things to consider:

• There are three reasons to use texture in photography: Detail (the texture is the focal point), Drama (actively supports the focal point), and Information (gives information about an element). 
• Perfect textures can be boring. Look for little (or big) imperfections, as well as variety in shadows,colors, tones, lines, etc.
• Don't forget to move - up, down, left, right and all around. A slight change in lighting or camera position can make a significant difference in how well texture is rendered in a photograph.

Suggested readings and photographic examples:

1. How to Photograph Textures by Nasim Mansurovs at Mansurovs Photography; 10 tips with illustrations
2. Photographic Composition: Texture as a Design Element at Valerie Hayken Photography & Design; shows a good example of how lighting can effect the way texture is seen in a photograph
3. Texture Photography Essentials and Tips by Ron Bigelow at Picture Correct; short illustrated article on the 3 reasons to use texture in photography
4. How to Photograph Texture (Lighting for Texture) by Robert Grant from LightMyShot.com
5. How to Apply Textures to Your Photographs by James Brandon at Digital Photography School; tutorial on using Photoshop

Wikipedia Photography Contest

I'm always the last to hear gossip or news so this is a little (actually, a lot!) late, but I'm passing it along to you because you may find the lists of historical places interesting for future reference. 

Wiki Loves Monuments 2012 is an international photography contest taking place this month (September 2012.)  As echoed in the title the subject of the contest photographs is national monuments and cultural heritage.  There are 18 participating countries - check Wikipedia for more information on your country's specification and prizes.

In the United States, the subject of your photographs must be listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  Even if you don't have time to enter the contest, the state lists may be invaluable for vacations and other photography opportunities.