Aloha and Eureka

Hi All

Just a quick note say aloha and eureka.

Aloha: I will be teaching at the Maui Photo Festival and Workshops later this year.

Eureka: Among other activities, I will be sharing some pictures from my Eurkea Springs workshop earlier this year.

Info on my Events page on my site.

ila Al Leka' الى اللقاء
(That's See You Later in Arabic, which I'll be saying after my Kuwait workshop.)
Rick

SLR Snapshots to Great Shots Week: Day 3 - A-Depth is A-OK

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This week's blog is devoted to SLR tips - in honor of the Wiley DVD that I am currently shooting on the new Canon Rebel T1i (available this fall). All the photos were and will be taken with that camera. It's a also to celebrate my new SLR classes on Kelbytraining.com (available now).

A-Depth is A-OK

Certain Canon cameras, including the T1i, offer an A-Depth mode. When the camera is set to this mode, it "sees" all the elements in the scene and picks the best focus point for good depth-of- field. It's an A-OK mode for quick snapshots.

For max depth-of-field for scenic photographs, here is what I do:
1) Use a wide-angle lens;
2) Select a small aperture;
3) Set the focus 1/3 into the scene.

I photographed this biplane at the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome in Upstate NY. A great place for fun - and fun photographs.

The top photo is the straight shot. I created the bottom photograph using Topaz Adjust. See my plug-in site for more info - and how-to tips.

Make pictures,
Rick

SLR Snapshots to Great Shots Week: Day 2 - Use Rembrandt Lighting


This week's blog is devoted to SLR tips - in honor of the Wiley DVD that I am currently shooting on the new Canon Rebel T1i (available this fall). All the photos were and will be taken with that camera. It's a also to celebrate my new SLR classes on Kelbytraining.com (available now).

Rembrandt Lighting is Nice Lighting

Compare these two pictures, both of which were taken by window light. For the picture on the right, I had my friend, Paula, look toward the direction of light. For the other shot, she was looking away from the window. My point: have your subject look toward the light source (in most cases).

Window light can produce Rembrandt lighting, which is illustrated by the picture on the right. If the shadow on the shaded side of your subject’s face is too dark, use a reflector to fill in that shadow.

When shooting by window light, you’ll need to boost your ISO to prevent a blurry picture caused by camera shake. Or, you can use a tripod.

Take the time to work with the light and you'll get more professional looking pictures – turning your SLR Snapshots in Great Shots.

You can read more about exploring the light is my book, Exploring the Light.

Explore the Light
Rick

Quickie Contest!

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I took these pictures today during the taping of my Canon Rebel T1i DVD. I like them so much I had to share them with you... and run a quickie contest.

The first person who get all three answers correct gets a copy of my book, Face to Face, which features my favorite people pictures and tips. (US shipping only.)

1) What exposure mode did I use (Av, Tv, M, P, Green, Portrait, etc.)?
2) What very important tip do you think I'd give to newbie photographers?
3) What people photography tip do you think I'd give?

Good luck.

Make pictures,
Rick