Category Archives: book reviews

“Slow” an ebook review

November 14, 2012 by admin | Comments Off

Craft and Vision has released their latest ebook, called “Slow – the Magic of Long Exposure Photography” by Andrew S. Gibson.  As you might guess this ebook is about long exposure photography. Mr. Gibson has authored several other ebooks that are available on the Craft and Vision web site. This book covers a lot of different techniques, shows examples and goes over the necessary gear and recommended camera settings. The sample images are quite well done and will serve to provide some creative inspiration for the reader to go out and try something new. Techniques covered include panning while exposing, and also what is known as In Camera Movement or ICM. ICM can look a lot like camera shake and while you experiment with this technique it can get frustrating but it is possible to create some very interesting images, it can be very artsy. Gibson also suggests checking out the ICM group on flickr, I also recommend that, if you scroll through some of the pages, there are some very, very creative images. There were some of some aspens in fall color that had a very painterly type quality, beautiful and impressionistic. None of these techniques are new, I first read about them in a book from Freeman Patterson called  “Photography and the Art of Seeing” but it is nice to have a refresher.

Another chapter is devoted to using flash while doing your exposures, the flash is used to freeze the main subject, a person perhaps, while allowing the area that is not illuminated to be blurry or show motion. One of the examples is of a  lady on a revolving carousel, and the background shows the motion in the background and the subject  is frozen in time because she is illuminated by the flash. He explains the difference between first and second curtain sync.

Andrew also covers the more traditional long exposure images, from several seconds to minutes or even longer and generally using a tripod for support. He goes on to explain the advantages of neutral density filters and polarizers. In addition to the information and examples he also includes interviews with two other photographers who use long exposure photography but with very different styles, with examples of their work, so there is plenty of inspiration available.

This ebook is quite reasonable and is normally priced for $5, however, you can get it for $4 if you use the code “Slow4” when checking out from Craft And Vision. If you would like to get more than 1 ebook use the code “Slow20” for a 20% discount on 5 or more, both of these codes expire on November 18, 2012.

I recommend the ebook if you are interested in long exposure photography or just want to learn more or be inspired to do something different, the techniques are pretty standard but it is a source of inspiration and good refresher.

Portraits of Earth – a new ebook

September 5, 2012 by admin | 2 Comments

Portraits of Earth is the new ebook from David DuChemin. David is a photographer who has been known for taking people portraits and showing the human side of events, so what is he doing writing a landscape photography book? Well, like David mentions in his ebook, landscapes are really just portraits of the Earth. They can inspire as well as inform the viewer, emotions can come into play and just the sheer beauty of nature is something to share. This ebook is not so much about gear, but about looking for the possibilities and crafting your shot with more care to complete your vision. He also gives some tips for gear, and how to use it to capture the light that you see when exploring new vistas. He talks about filters and how they can enhance an image and the best ways to use them. He also talks about some general gear, like tripods and other useful items.  He also goes into details about how to handle specific types of scenery, like fog and snow. Also there are some nice tips for some processing techniques and can give you some ideas to try in your own images.  The book is filled with pictures from his travels around the world, visiting places most of use are not going to see, I know I wish I could go to some of these places. So does that mean you have to travel to exotic locations? No it does not, but he does show you through examples of how to apply leading lines and to use light to tell your story and capture your vision as well as composition topics and some discussions on why and how he made the images as well as the exposure information.

So why should you consider this ebook? Well for me I like the way David writes, his writing style is easy to read and understand and you feel that you are having a conversation with him, he explains his motivations and tries to not make it too technical. Photography is a an artform that requires some technical knowledge but it also requires the artist to “see”, so there are fuzzy concepts to go with the  geek. You can purchase this ebook for a very low price of $5, however if you click on the link and use the code EARTH4 before Sept. 9, 2012 you can get it for $4, Click here for Portraits of Earth While you are on the Craft And Vision site you might want to check out their other ebooks. I have personally found the following titles to be very useful, The Power of Black and White, Light and Land, Exposure for Outdoor Photography, and Close to Home, all of the ebooks on the site are well written and informative, and if you want to get several ebooks use the code EARTH20 for a 20% discount on 5+ ebooks, this code also expires Sept. 9, 2012.  So get some good, cheap, informative ebooks and inspire yourself to get out use what you learn. I know I have.

 

Portraits

March 13, 2012 by admin | Comments Off

Portraits: a lot of photographers make their living taking them but they are a subject I seem to not do very often, so I have set out to change that a bit. Part of my quest has also involved lighting and learning how to light without relying on natural light. I usually prefer natural light but it does not always cooperate when you need it. I think I am finally feeling a bit more comfortable about using flash and have a better understanding in how to use it and how to set it. I had a lot of previous misconceptions and always used to rely on the camera to set all the flash settings, and I often found out that was not optimal. Yes it did light the subject but often in a way I did not find appealing so I am slowly getting more familiar with how to control it. Manual control is your friend!

Portraits are hard for me, mostly because of lack of experience I think. I also am a relatively shy person especially with people I do not know. This last weekend I tried to take the hardest portrait of all…. the self-portrait. This is difficult for a lot of reasons, primarily the subject and the operator are on the same side of the lens, which makes controlling the camera a bit difficult. One option is to use a remote and a self timer and just start guessing. Or have a stand in to use for composing and framing and focusing and then do the footwork to take the image.  The option I chose was to use my Motorola Xoom tablet! There is a nicely done application from the Android Market called DSLR Controller and it works great for controlling the camera. I was able to hold the tablet in my hand while in front of the camera and see the live view of what the camera was seeing. This allowed me to focus, change exposure, take images and review them and either delete them or let them stay on the memory card. This setup actually made it fun and left me to play with the lighting and the exposure. Of course the subject matter I was stuck with and I did not have to entertain or relax the subject. Here is one of the attempts that I liked.

 I had my camera setup on a tripod and the Xoom tablet attached via the usb cable, so I was able to focus and control the exposure and camera settings from the tablet while I was staring into the camera lens, how cool is that? I used two speedlights, the first was off to my right and fairly high up, this 580exII had a Honl travel softbox with a warming gel, set at about 1/2 power. Behind me was another flash that had a small grid and a purple gel. The grid made for a small spotlight effect, I wanted to create some feel of separation from the background. A very simple and easily transportable setup.

Below are a few more examples of portraits that I have made using a similar setup, but I was behind the camera this time, this was from a class I took on using off camera flash.

 

So where does this leave me? Well I am getting the technical aspects down but what else is there? I am quite happy with these, but there is always room for improvement. That is the great and interesting thing about photography is that it is a constant challenge.

The team at Craft and Vision, who publish some really excellent ebooks, have come out with an ebook dealing with portraits. It is written by David duChemin, who takes some fabulous portraits. Here is a shot of the cover, and it is called “Forget Mugshots  10 steps to better portraits”

 

This book  is not meant to cover the technical aspects of taking a portrait, it gives you some insight in how to get a portrait that is attractive and has a sense of emotion.  This is all about how to make a compelling and natural looking portrait. Things like engaging your subject to make them relax, how to get the person to open up and act natural. There are some interesting and compelling things to try, exercises to help the photographer break out of the mold of standard cut and dry portraiture. He also shows some examples and talks about the methods he uses to break down the barriers. A lot of what he says will help you break out of the mold and step away from conventional thinking to apply creativity and create portraits that you and your subject will both enjoy. David duChemin has a really down to earth manner of writing and is really good at stimulating thinking about improving your own vision, I find him to be a good motivational author.

This ebook is available for the nominal price of $5 and if you order it before March 17 you can get it for $4 using the code: “Mugshots4” when you check out. Click here to visit Craft And Vision.  You will also find a lot more useful and informative ebooks there. Well worth checking out some of the titles. If you do decide to purchase 5 or more ebooks enter the code “Mugshots20” and save 20%. Remember these codes expire at midnight on March 17.

I hope that this will get others to look into doing portraits and I am always happy to answer questions, and if you want to have your portrait taken….please feel free to contact me. Thanks.

 

Improve your photography – for FREE!

December 1, 2011 by admin | Comments Off

Well it may not be a completely truthful statement, it is however, still a free item. What I am talking about is the new free ebook from Craft and Vision. The ebook is called Craft and Vision, and if you click on that link you can download it for free. This book contains 11 chapters by 9 different authors that will give you tips and suggestions that might improve your photography and help you get to the next level. While it will not work miracles, it can provide food for thought.  Looking at new concepts and also re-enforcing standard techniques can help you help create better images.

There are chapters on how to read a histogram, on how to direct viewers eye to emphasize your intent, and composition. There are chapters with valuable advice, like how to take better portraits and make your images more dynamic, and much more. Is this a worthwhile ebook? Definitely and the price is certainly right, you cannot go wrong. While you are there you can check out the other volumes that are available, all for $5 each. There are some great informative titles.

One of the reasons I am recommending their books is that I have found inspiration from them. I have read many of them, and it has helped me get over a creative hump. I was getting tired of reading endless forums debating the same hardware issues, the same questions over and over, call it a form of burnout. I am now thinking more about the creative aspects, and looking at and seeing things in a different manner.  Trying to improve my craft. There is some great advice in these books and the price is reasonable which is refreshing in this day of over commercialism. So check out their free ebook by clicking on this link to the Craft and Vision free ebook.

Feel free to send a link to this blog post to all your friends and camera buddies, help them improve their photography. Feel free to comment here as well. I hope you find it useful. 

Studying composition is a good thing…..

November 15, 2011 by admin | Comments Off

I think every photographer goes through periods of change, ruts develop, distractions happen, and sometimes life just moves on seemingly without any control.  I know I go through periods when I can’t seem to get a pleasing image, at least in my opinion. Is this from lack of trying, or maybe trying too much? Sometimes a spark is needed to help provoke a new way of looking at the world. A type of creative spark, something to break out of the mundane.  I know personally I have been kind of uninspired in my photography, oh I still enjoy it, but maybe I needed such a spark. One thing that has been a distraction is my love for gear and things that are technical. I get wrapped up in it, and soon I am playing more with the gear and hanging out in the forums looking and reading about gear. While gear is good, gear is just a tool. The main part of the equation is the image.  So lately I have been trying to avoid the gear and focus more on the photography. In the field I am carrying fewer lenses and less gear and that is making things a little easier, easier to be creative. To use the tools that I have with me, rather than rummage through all the equipment.

I stumbled upon the Craft And Vision website and David DuChemin’s posts on the Pixelated Image Blog and a lot of things he had to say resonated with some of the feelings I have been having and helped me to look at things in a different “light”.  Namely, photography can be difficult, and it really is not so much about the gear, but about the “vision”. The Craft and Vision website has a lot of inexpensive e-books about various aspect of photography and essays to make you think about the “craft”.

The most recent one to be released is Beyond Thirds – A Photographer’s Introduction to Creative Composition by Andrew S. Gibson. While this ebook is not intended to be a full treatise on composition, it does give some fuel for thought. The book for me was a gentle prod to make me think about composition when I am taking an image. I know I get pretty reflexive about using the “rule of thirds”, it has been ingrained into my thought processes from reading many other books and making conscious efforts to use that rule in some of my images. Well, as the book points out “rule” is a harsh term and that it really is more of a guideline. Not all images work well using thirds as a guideline, this book served to remind me that there are other considerations and other ways to compose an image. The book does go through and shows some nice images and discusses the merits of the particular composition selected by the author. It did make me think about how I am creating images and to think about how I want to capture my vision and intent.

I mentioned that it is far from a textbook but it is gentle prod to think about how to express yourself and how to improve your images. The price of the book is a very reasonable $5, Click here to purchase Beyond Thirds – A Photographer’s Introduction to Creative Composition by Andrew S. Gibson. If you use the code BT4  when you check out, the price is only $4, OR you can use the code BT20 to get 20% off when you buy 5+ PDF ebooks from the Craft & Vision collection. These codes expire at 11:59pm PST November 19th, 2011.