Canon 5D/7D San Miguel de Allende Diaries #3

Day #2 PM Today we made pictures, rather than take pictures. What fun! 

We encountered a police officer near a park who was dressed in a traditional uniform. A perfect subject for making a picture.

We asked him if we could take a few photographs, and he quickly said okay.

We had spotted the background earlier in the day - which was a block away from where we met the officer. We walked down the street together. When we got to the location, we directed the the officer to pose in different positions. We took a few pictures (we were shooting HDR) and then said farewell to our new friend  - promising to send a few photos.

When you are out in field, make pictures. Lots more fun than simply taking pictures.

This is an HDR shot compiled from three images. We asked the officer to stand perfectly still during the photo session. See! HDR can, indeed, work for people pictures, too.  

More on HDR at the Plugin Experience.

Explore the Light,

Rick

Canon 7D/5D Diaries from San Miguel de Allende #2

Day #2: Walked the city for about four hours this morning. Met many artists who live here. It's quite an artistic city.

Tip #2: Awaken the artist within with Plug-ins. Many plug-ins let you alter the reality of a scene. When you alter the reality, your pictures can take on an artistic look - and feel. 

Here's another tip when shooting in a city: Get up and out before the city "wakes up," and be prepared to walk for a few hours. Comfortable shoes are needed. A map, too.

I used Topaz Adjust on these two pictures. In each picture, the colors, details and contrast was boosted.

More on plug-ins at the Plugin Experience.

Explore the Light,

Rick

Canon 7D/5D Diaries from San Miguel de Allende #1

Day #1: Had a blast shooting HDR last night inside the cathedral in the main square. 

Tip #1: When you fly, and-carry everything you will need for at least two days. That includes your tripod and an extra pair of socks. My bag is supposed to arrive today....

For this HDR image, I took exposures at 0EV, -2 EV, +2EV, +3 EV and +4 EV. Canon 5D Mark II w/Canon 15mm lens. HDR image created in Photomatix.

Explore the light,

Rick

The blog post sponsored by ScanCafe - where you can get cool scans of your old slides.

ScanCafe Photo Contest 11/09: Light Illuminates, Shadows Define

Here is a favorite photo adage of mine: Light Illuminates, Shadows Define. That's a good adage to keep in mind when doing all types of photography - because we need to see the light!

This month's ScanCafe photo contest – the first you’ll see here on my blog – is about shadows. The assignment: try to create a portrait with beautiful shadows - or a beautiful shadow - on the subject's face.

The first place winner receives a $100 gift certificate from ScanCafe. The two runners up each receive a $50 gift certificate.

Email your entries (less than 2 MB) to: sammon@scancafe.com. Please include a brief description of your lighting set up - so others can learn.

Contest ends November 30, 2009. The winners will be announced and the image will be shared here on my blog on/about December 15th. Each month we will hold a different contest.

The contest is open to amateurs and pros, because. . . "Amateurs built the ARK, Professionals built the TITANIC."

For a quick lighting tip, click here. And for another, click here.

Good luck!

Explore the Light,
Rick
P.S. What? You are letting your old slides and prints sit in a box or drawer? Yank 'em out of there and get them scanned. Enjoy them as they are or play with them in the digital darkroom. Stay tuned for some of my scanned underwater images.

Learn About a Subject When Travelling

One of the real joys of travel photography is learning about other cultures and sharing that new world with others back home.

Here is a natural light portrait of a man I met in Alaska. He was giving a lecture on Alaska’s indigenous people. Most of the people who saw him simply snapped his picture and walked away. I took the time to find out a bit more about him. What I learned gives the photograph much more meaning to me, and to those who read about this native culture.

His American name is David Ramos and his native Alaskan name is Aaskuwat'eesh. He is Raven, of the Gineixkwaan clan of the Owl house. His owl headdress is made of abalone shells, ermine fur, rabbit fur and sea lion whiskers. To signify the Owl house, David is wearing a sewn beaded owl around his neck. He is also wearing a copper necklace. David’s clan is called the “Copper Digging Clan” because he comes from the Copper River. The clan used copper for money.

I took this picture in a bar on a cruise ship. By carefully framing David in front of a plant and a wooden wall, and by using a Canon 28-105mm zoom set at 100mm to slightly blur the background, and by placing David near a window for flattering side-lighting, I was able to create the effect that the picture was taken on location in a village, and not a on a ship with 2,000 passengers.

As a way of saying “thank you” for posing for my picture, I e-mailed the photograph to David, which he greatly appreciated. When you photograph a stranger, sending a photo to him or her is not only a nice gesture, it’s very important, especially if you promise to do so.

Explore the Light,
Rick