Who Says a Tripod Can't Be Fun?

Hey Gang! Who says a tripod can't be fun, as well as functional? Not me. And not MeFoto. These guys recently introduced a line of cool, colorful and sturdy tripods that are also lightweight and compact: great for street and indoor photography.

I like the gold-color model, but check out the other colors and make your own tripod fashion statement.

These tripods are not meant to support super, heavy-duty telephoto lenses. Again, they are great for street photography and for photographing indoors in low-light situations. 

For shooting with long lenses and in the field, I use my Induro CT214 Carbon Fiber tripod with my Induro BHD2 Dual-Action Ball head. That set up is kinda fun, too!

Speaking of low-light and street shooting, here is a favorite low-light street shot that I took on my Route 66 Road Trip earlier this year. 

Explore the light,
Rick

Day 6: Seven Days of Sunrise/Sunset Photography Tips

To celebrate the release of my Photo Sundial app, which runs on the iPhone and the iPad,  I am running a series here on my blog: Seven Days of Sunrise/Sunset Photography Tips. Each day I'll share two tips from the Gallery section of the app, for a total of 14 images. Check out all the images in the app, which is on sale for only $2.99 until September 30th.

Today is Day 6.

Above: Expose for the Highlights. In high-contrast situations, it’s important to expose for the highlights. Make sure your camera’s highlight alert feature is activated and avoid “blinkies.” Also check your histogram and make sure you don’t have a big spike on the right. Location: Spearfish, South Dakota.

Above: Have Fun with Plug-ins. Plug-ins can help us awaken the artist within by removing some of the reality from a scene. Here I used Topaz Adjust to increase the color, detail and contrast to my image. Location: Angkor Wat, Cambodia.

Read more about Photo Sundial - the app that helps you find the position of the sun so you can make awesome images - and much, much more.

Explore the light,
Rick

Cool Savings on My Great Sand Dunes National Park Landscape Photography Class

Save a few bucks! Get 50% off my Great Dunes National Park landscape photography class. Click here for details.

You can post photos and share your images with the group (and me) for comments! Kinda cool!

Explore the light,
Rick

Day 4: Seven Days of Sunrise/Sunset Photo Tips

To celebrate the release of my Photo Sundial app, which runs on the iPhone and the iPad, I am running a series here on my blog: Seven Days of Sunrise/Sunset Photography Tips. Each day I'll share two tips from the Gallery section of the app, for a total of 14 images. Check out all the images in the app, which is on sale until September 30th for only $2.99.

Today is Day 4.

Silhouettes. When photographing someone against a sunrise or sunset, have him or her look directly left or right so you can see his or her profile. If the person looks at or away from the camera, you will not be able to recognize him or her. Also, underexpose just a bit to add some saturation to your image. Finally, activate your camera's Highlight Alert feature and make sure the area around the sun is not overexposed. To soften the image above, I used the Duplex filter in Nik Color Efex Pro. Location: Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

Rule of Odds. If you have the opportunity to photograph an even or odd number of subjects, go for the odd number. For some reason, the rule of odds usually makes for better composition than the rule of evens. Location: Moro Bay/The California Photo Fest, where I will be teaching this October. Be there or be square.

Read more about Photo Sundial - the app that helps you find the position of the sun so you can make awesome images - and much more more.

Explore the light,
Rick

Day 3: Seven Days of Sunrise/Sunset Photography Tips

To celebrate the release of my Photo Sundial app, which runs on the iPhone and the iPad,  I am running a series here on my blog: Seven Days of Sunrise/Sunset Photography Tips. Each day I'll share two tips from the Gallery section of the app, for a total of 14 images. Check out all the images in the app, which is on sale until September 30th.

Foreground Element. When possible, use a foreground element to add a sense of scale to your photograph.  Also, the more “layers” you have in a scene, the greater the sense of depth. In the photo above, there are three layers: bird in the foreground, birds in mid-frame, and the mountains/sun in the background. Location: Bosque del Apache, New Mexico.

Horizon Line. Usually, placing the horizon line in the center of the frame is boring. When the sky is interesting, place the horizon line at the bottom of the frame, and vice versa. Location: Kenya, Africa.

Read more about Photo Sundial - the app that helps you find the position of the sun so you can make awesome images - and much, much more.

Explore the light,
Rick