My Speciality is Not Specializing, But . . .

As you guys know, my specialty is not specializing. That is, I like to do it all.

That said, I really enjoy photographing people - indoors, outdoors, in bright light and in low light, with a flash and without a flash, and with HDR.

Here are two more shots from my Florida Photo Caravan Workshops - which is about half over. Left is a daylight fill-in flash shot. Right is an HDR image.

I teach all this stuff on my workshops. Everyone makes good pictures.

If you can't join a workshop, check out my on-line classes. Learn at your own pace.

If you'd like to learn about HDR photography, check out my iPad app, Rick Sammon's iHDR.

Explore the light,
Rick

P.S. Just added: Someone on Google+ asked if my "Girl in the Red Hallway" shot was really HDR. Sequence below. Someone else asked about the alignment of the picture in the bottom left of the frame. Just careful composition.

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Nice Light + Good Composition + Interesting Subject = Good Photograph

I took the shot above on Day 1 of my Florida Photo Caravan workshop. After a sunrise shoot in St. Augustine, we headed to Old Town for some street photography.

I helped the workshop participants with some travel portraits. Above is my favorite  image from the shoot.

We:
• Asked the man to move from the bright sunlight into the shade, and positioned him against an interesting background.
• Composed our pictures with the subject off center for creative composition.
• Shot an angle angle to create a sense of depth in the scene.
• Shot eye to eye, which is more interesting than shooting downward.

We all got great shots! And had fun while we were at it.

Photo info:
Canon 5D Mark III
Canon 17-40mm lens
Nik Silver Efex Pro/Full Contrast and Structure

I took the shot above today on Day 2 of the workshop. Once again, we made the picture by positioning the model in front of a cool background - the Magic Beach Motel. Here, the shadows added extra interest to the scene - and image.

Both photographs illustrate a simple photo philosophy: nice light + good composition + an interesting subject = a good photograph. They illustrate something else: sometimes, flat light is nice; and sometimes, strong light is nice.

For more on light and composition, see my on-line classes.

Photo info:
Canon 5D Mark III
Canon 24-105mm lens 

Explore the light,
Rick

This post sponsored by x-rite.

X-Rite is the global leader in color science and technology. The Company develops, manufactures, markets and supports innovative color solutions through measurement systems, software, color standards and services.

Check out:
ColorMunki
Passport Color Checker 

Why Pay For a Web Site When You Can Get One For Free?

Why pay for a website when you can, basically, get one for free? It's a good question. Here are some answers . . . and why I switched to Squarespace.

But first, free is not always free. Even on free sites you need to pay for a custom name, such as www.ricksammon.com. So why not pay a few extra bucks to have a custom name and an awesome custom site?

Also, the biggest investment you make when you start a site is the time it takes you to set it up, so ideally you want to start off with the best technology out there – so that you don't end up spending more time and money in the long run, or even worse, get stuck with something subpar.

Okay, here's why paid sites are better for serious and creative photographers.

24/7 Customer Support - I put customer support first for two reasons: 1) It's very important to the web site host, because they want you to be 100 percent happy with your site and their service; 2) It can be very important to you . . . if you, like me, are not web design savvy and need tech support. Squarespace, in addition to 24/7 customer support, offers live chats and training materials. Someone is always on hand to help you.

Sites Look Great on Any Device - Paid sites like Squarespace have designers who work hard to ensure that your site - and your images - look great on any dievice.

Total Creativity - Sure, free services like eBlogger (where I used to have my site) and WordPress, offer different templates. But paid sites simply offer more creative options - in design, colors, looks, layouts and templates.

Professional Look - Even if you are not a professional photographer, that does not mean your site should not look as professional as can be. Paid sites make you look your best.

Unlimited Number of Pages - Free sites usually offer a limited number of pages and galleries. Paid sites offer as many pages and galleries as you like.

Galleries - Most free sites don't offer galleries, which is of the utmost importance to photographers. And speaking of galleries, check out my Galleries on the left side of my site.

Special Gallery Features - Some paid sites offer cool gallery features. Squarespace, for example, lets you edit your pictures within the site before you press "Publish" for the best possible presentation of your images.

Load Time - Paid sites have mega servers so your site loads quickly. If you are as hyper as I am, this is a very important feature :-)

One of the features I especially like about Squarespace is that you can quickly and easily drag and drop images, videos and so on into pages and posts. This feature (screen shot above) makes it easy for me to post - almost every day.

Use one-click to get started with your own awesome Squarespace site. 

Good luck . . . with your new site.

Explore the light,
Rick

Make Pictures, Just Don't Take Pictures

We make pictures on my workshops, rather than just take pictures. That's what we'll be doing on my 3rd Annual Florida Photo Caravan, which beings tomorrow here in St. Augustine, Florida.

We'll be shooting at, among other places, the Magic Beach Motel in Vilano Beach. Follow along this week for photos and tips.

Here's how I made the above picture:

I used my Canon 17-40mm lens set at f/22 and focused 1/3 into the scene for max depth of field.

My camera: my trusty Canon 5D Mark III.

I used my Tiffen 2-8 stop ND filter to get a slow shutter speed (1/4 second) in very bright light. An ND filter, by the way, is one of the best investments you can make for your outdoor photography. More to come on this filter later in the week.

I had my wife Susan drive the car very close to the camera to add a sense of depth – and interest – to the scene. We turned on the lights for added impact.

In Adobe Camera RAW, I boosted the Clarity, Vibrance and Blacks.

I added the frame using Image Borders in Nik Color Efex Pro. All my plug-ins are listed on my Save on Creative Plug-ins page.

Above is an example of simply taking a picture. Borrrrring.

So my friends, make pictures, don't just take pictures. Come on a workshop and join the fun.

Explore the light,
Rick

This post sponsored by x-rite.

X-Rite is the global leader in color science and technology. The Company develops, manufactures, markets and supports innovative color solutions through measurement systems, software, color standards and services.

Check out:
ColorMunki
Passport Color Checker 

Embrace Distortion - it's kinda fun!

Here's a quick tip:  Embrace distortion. It's kinda fun.

We'll be shooting at this location - the Magic Beach Motel in Vilano Beach - on Sunday during my annual Florida Photo Caravan. Stay tuned for updates.

I used Topaz Adjust to add impact to this image. All my plug-ins are listed on my Save on Plug-ins page.

All my workshops - on which we have a lot of fun - are listed on my Workshops page.

Explore the light,
Rick 

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