Carnival of Venice: A Cool Place for Colorful People Pictures. Dates Set for 2012 Workshop!

in , , , , , ,
The Carnival of Venice (Carnevale di Venezia) is an annual festival held in, where else, Venice, Italy. The event starts about two weeks before Ash Wednesday and ends on Fat Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday.

Carnevale is a great opportunity for people pictures - and to eat great food and to buy Venetian glass.

If you plan to go, below are a few photo tips. (I am running a photo tour to Carnevale in 2012. Shoot me an email if you are interested in joining the photo fun: ricksammon@me.com)

But first, here is a short movie with some music that includes the photographs in this column. It's just for fun.

I took all this photographs with my Canon 24-105mm IS lens – my favorite lens for people pictures. For the flash shots, I used my Canon 580 EX II.

Okay, on with the photographs and the tips.

Choose a creative angle (opening image for this blog post). Break the traditional rules of composition and look for unique angles.


Make the picture – don’t just take the picture. Take the time to expertly position a subject or subjects in a scene. Remember, when you are behind the camera, you are the director of the shoot. It took me about 15 minutes to set up the above photograph . . . after which dozens of other photographers crowded around me and pushed and shoved for the same shot, making it very difficult to shoot. Be prepared - and warned.

Shoot with your shutter speed in mind. Blur or freeze the subject with the correct shutter speed. The choice is yours.
Choose your camera settings carefully. Check your ISO, white balance, aperture, shutter speed and focus to ensure the end-result you envision in your mind’s eye.


Think color. Look to see how colors can compliment each other in a scene.


Be aware of the background. Know that the background can make or break the photograph.


Look for body language. Body language greatly affects how the subject comes across in a photograph. Pay extra attention to the subject’s hands.


Fine-tune your flash pictures. Use exposure compensation to reduce the light from the flash to the point where your picture looks like a natural light shot.

Create a sense of depth. Use the different elements in a scene to add a sense of depth and dimension in your photographs.

Have fun with the experience! What more can I say!

You'll find more tips on people photography in my apps: Rick Sammon's 24/7 Photo Buffet and Light It!

Explore the light,
Rick


P.S. I will be doing a workshop during Carnival in 2012. Let me know if you are interested in joining the photo fun. I know the good places to eat, too! Email me at ricksammon@ me.com.

Be My Guest Monday 12/20/10: Rob Sheppard

in ,

It's "Be My Guest Monday," the day of the week that's turned over to a talented guest blogger for a quick tip.

Today's guest: Rob Sheppard

Tip: Get the subject out of the middle of the frame.

The craft of photography can be intense – you need to consider lens choice, shutter speed, f-stop, focus point, light and more. The results can be worth the effort, but wouldn’t it be nice if at least once you could do something quickly and easily to get better photos? You can! There is one quick step you can take to make your photos better and it relates to composition. Get your subject out of the middle of the frame!


I know this is not new advice, yet it is something we all have to pay attention to. It is very easy for subjects to end up in the middle, especially when we are excited about what we are photographing.

So what’s the big deal about subjects in the middle anyway? Does it really make a difference? I could just say that you will not see pros putting subjects in the middle of the composition very often except for a deliberate effect, which is true, but doesn’t tell you much.

There is actually research about images and centered subjects. It turns out that viewers of an image of a centered subject look at that centered subject and not much else in the photograph. Viewers of photographs that have a subject that is out of the center will look at the subject and look at the rest of the photograph. Their eyes will go all over that photograph and they will stay with the image for a far longer time than the centered subject. That means that when a subject is centered, the viewer will look at the picture and figure that they know it all by seeing the subject in the center, then move on. They don't spend time with your beautiful photograph. They don't find it as interesting.

On the other hand, this means that when a subject is out of the center of the frame, your viewers will enjoy the experience of looking at your photograph more. They will spend more time with the image. They will look all over the photograph.

So if you want a quick, one step way of getting better pictures, simply look at your subject and compose your photograph so the subject is somewhere other than in the middle.

Rob Sheppard

Nature and Photography

Editor-at-large, Outdoor Photographer www.outdoorphotographer.com

Dress for Success, Especially While on Safari

in , , ,
The opening picture for this blog post says it all. I took the shot 15 years ago while on a foot safari in South Africa.

Our guide is removing a BIG thorn from the sneaker of the girl dressed in pink. Sneakers on safari? Pink on safari? Not!

As always, when you are traveling, dress for success – as illustrated by these shooters (fellow Canon Explorer of Light Darrell Gulin in white) on one of my Africa workshops. Research your location well in advance of your trip, and bring the appropriate clothes.

So . . . we had been out on foot since dawn. I had been carrying my heavy camera backpack for hours. It was mid-afternoon. Hot. Dry.

I was exhausted. I asked our guide, "How much further is it back to the camp?"

He replied, "Well, it's not that far, but it's not that close."

Use that line the next time you are on a family road trip when your kids ask you, "Are we there yet?"

Explore the light,
Rick

P.S. I may be doing a photo safari to Africa in 2011. Shoot me an email if you are interested. If you come, wear hiking boots and safari clothes . . . please. Email: ricksammon@mac.com.

If you go to Kenya, plan your trip around the annual migration of the zebra and wildebeest. It's an amazing site, and an amazing photo opportunity.

Make Photo Magic With the Magical Mirror Effect. Win a Copy of My Book, Exploring The Light!

in ,
From time to time I post magical mirror images here – simply because they are fun to create.

If you don't know how to create the magical mirror effect in Photoshop, click here.

Below is a before-and-after example of how you can turn a really boring shot into a much more creative image with this effect.

I would like to see some of your examples of the magical mirror effect. Post a link in the Comments section here on the blog - rather than on facebook and twitter. You just might inspire others, and you might find some inspiration yourself. Or . . . you may get discovered as a creative image maker!

What's more, I'll pick my favorite mirror image on January 1, 2011 - and I'll send the person (if he/she lives in the US), a copy of my best-selling book, Exploring the Light.

Explore the light,
Rick

P.S. Yes! I used the Swirl effect to swirl parts of the images. Click here to learn the technique.