My Latest Quick Tips - From Iceland

Hey Gang - I don't know if you follow my Rick's Quick Tips on You Tube, but my latest Quick Tips video - shot in Iceland - are on my Google+ page.

Look closely at the above image. It's an HDR shot. The water is so clear that you can see through it!

Iceland is all about Landscape Photography. Here are the lenses I use for my landscape images:
Canon 8-15mm zoom lens
Canon 14mm lens
Canon 17-40mm lens
Canon 24-105mm IS lens
Canon  70-200 f/4 IS lens

I hope you can join me on my 2013 Iceland Adventure. Info on my Workshops page.

Explore the light,
Rick

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The Camera Looks Both Ways

The camera looks both ways - in picturing the subject, you are also picturing a part of yourself.

Remember this tip when photographing people. Realize that the mood, energy, feeling and emotion that your project will be reflected in your subject's face and in his or her eyes.

Photographs:
Top left, India. Natural light.
Top right, Panama. Refecltor used to add light to the eye.
Below, Papua New Guinea. Flash used to add light to the eyes.

Speaking of the eyes, most of the time, if they are not well lit and in sharp focus, you've missed the shot. This goes for close-up wildlife photographs, too.

When I photograph people, I always carry a speedlite and a reflector/diffuser kit with me add light to the subject's eyes if necessary.

Note that if you shoot eye-to-eye (at the subject's eye level) the person looking at your photograph will relate more to the subject than if you are shooting downward or upward.

My two favorite outdoor portrait lenses:
Canon 24-105mm IS lens
Canon  70-200 f/4 IS lens

My reco for a refelctor/diffuser kit.

Explore the light,
Rick

This post sponsored by Drobo, which recently introduced the Drobo 5D.

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Another Rick's List: 4 Tips for Sunrise Pix

Hey Gang - I was in the NY Times today,  sharing my top tips for sunset pix. Check it out!

Explore the light.
Rick

This post sponsored by Adorama - great gear at great prices.

Still in Love with the Still Image

I'm at CES in Vegas, giving presentations on still photography. Good fun, for sure.

Tons of presentations here on video, which is cool. But ya know what, I am still in love with the still image. Something magical about it.

How about you? Share your thoughts in the Comments here on the power of the still image. I'd like to hear from you.

Here are the comments on Google+. And some comments on facebook.

Explore the light,
Rick

P.S. If you like to photograph cowboys and cowgirls, check out my South Dakota workshop. Info on my Workshops page.

Quick Landscape Photography Tips

Here are some quick landscape photography tips, which you can use in Iceland, or anywhere :-)
- cut the clutter, isolate interesting elements in a scene;
- crop creatively, crop out distracting elements to give photographs more impact;
- don't leave home without a polarizing filter, to reduce glare on water - and to darken a blue sky and whiten white clouds;
- pack a ND filter,  so you can use slow shutter speeds to blur moving water when shooting in bright light;
- most lenses are sharpest around f/8 . . . just keep that in mind;
- focus 1/3 into a scene for max depth of field;
- remove all filters when shooting toward to the sun to avoid lens flare and a ghost image of the sun in your photographs;
- don't skimp on tripod, you must use a sturdy one;
- use a foreground element to add a sense of depth to a scene;
- shoot HDR in high contrast situations. Lot of HDR info in my iHDR app;
- envision all the enhancements you have in Lightroom and Photoshop. It's quite amazing how much control we have over shadows and highlights, and contrast and color, in the digital darkroom. Plug-ins are also great for enhancing landscapes.

As always, explore the light,
Rick

This post sponsored by Adorama - great gear at great prices.