Photo Of The Day By Vassili Balocco

Travel Checklist For Photographers

The Allure Of Drones For Photography

There is a good reason why so many of us have dozens, if not hundreds, of mobile phone photos taken from the tiny windows of airplane cabins. There is an undeniable beauty in seeing our planet from hundreds or thousands of feet above the ground. Patterns and textures that couldn’t possibly be seen from the surface appear in various tapestries. It really is an amazing thing to behold and it’s why I am so thankful to be alive at a time when drones are so affordable and capable. With a few moments of setup, I can send my very own UAV hundreds of feet into the air to get compositional perspectives that would be otherwise impossible. It truly is marvelous!

Sadly, reality is a far distance from the ideal picture when it comes to use of drones. It seems as if you can’t go a week without reading about another instance where selfishness, ignorance or a combination of the two manifest themselves when a drone operator chooses to ignore common sense and law by flying their UAV in restricted areas or during times of emergency rescue (such as blazing forest fires). The ignorance of such acts has had serious ripple effects on the rest of the us, with sweeping flight bans and overly-complex regulations regarding where and when you can operate your drone.

Still, despite the seemingly never ending bad press and stigmas surrounding drones, I absolutely love mine (I’m currently flying a DJI Mavic 2 Pro) and happily fly it whenever it is permitted. I always find myself in complete awe every time I send my drone up and out over sweeping landscapes. I am constantly delighted when my newfound perspective allows me to discover areas that I’d otherwise never get close to or see them in a way that would be otherwise impossible.

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See more of Brian Matiash’s work at matiash.com.

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Take Better Travel Photos

Develop An Eye For An Eye In Portraiture, Part 3

In part 1 and part 2 of this three-part series, I covered numerous considerations of how to develop an “Eye for an Eye” in portrait photography. In this final installment, we’ll take a look at how to make the light work for your portraits, no matter if your subject is people or animals. 

My business motto is, “It’s All About The Light.”  When it comes to this critical aspect, I could write volumes of information. Generally speaking, the easiest source with which to work is soft light produced by bright overcast light. The light wraps around the subject and softens the edges of facial features, which allows the photographer to make great portraits at any time of day. The contrast range between highlights and shadows is low and a nice soft highlight is shown in the eye. The sun’s contrast is cut by a canopy of clouds, which creates even and diffused results. Facial contours are wrapped in a cloak of soft light that creates a natural look. Additionally, it’s bright enough to use a low ISO that results in cleaner, less noisy files.

Another benefit to shooting in bright overcast conditions is the person isn’t subjected to the bright sun that results in the discomfort and unappealing look of squinting. People aren’t their most attractive when they contort their eyes as they deal with the sun’s brightness. Even if the subject is tolerant of the sun’s intensity, eye sockets go dark and ugly shadows are created under the nose and chin. This is also true with wildlife subjects.

Obviously, I love bright overcast conditions to make portraits, but living in Colorado and leading safaris to the Serengeti has taught me how to deal with intense sunlight when I make headshots. Fill flash and a MagMod fresnel system have become my biggest allies. I also utilize collapsible reflectors or diffusers but usually limit their use to macro subjects that I can approach closely. Complex mathematical calculations once required to obtain successful fill flash photos are ancient history. Modern SLRs with dedicated flash units make the task as simple as mounting the flash to the camera, turning both on and dialing in the proper amount of fill. Although my camera body has high-speed synch capability, flash power is cut drastically when it’s engaged, so I try to synch the amount of daylight with fill flash to 1/250th of a second or slower. Along with the MagMod, I can add light to shadow areas of wildlife subjects that are relatively far away.

The amount of fill is determined by contrast ratios. I strongly encourage you to test out different lighting situations to dial in proper combinations. When you perform these tests, cover everything from full sun to full shade. For each situation, in one-stop increments, dial in different ratios of fill from minus two stops to plus one stop. As the frequency with which you work with fill flash increases, you’ll find yourself fine-tuning it in one-third stop increments to produce the exact effect you want. It does take some time to get it down pat, but the effect of fill flash is unobtainable using software. Yes, shadows can be brought up, but because I profess “It’s All About The Light,” if I add flash and bring up the shadows in post-processing, the results are drop-dead gorgeous! I’ve made very successful images using fill where otherwise I wouldn’t even press the shutter if it weren’t for the supplemental light.

When the sun is intense and strong shadows are evident, I’ve used flash as my main light. I power it up to override the intensity of the sun. This creates a situation wherein the exposure is governed by the flash. For example, the ambient light gives me a reading of ƒ/8 at 1/250th second, but the subject is illuminated with contrasty light. I power my flash to go off at ƒ/11 and rotate my aperture ring to ƒ/11. As a result, my subject is accurately exposed by the flash. Shadows are tamed and I effectively darken the background by one stop, which allows the subject to stand out more prominently.

Reflectors can have similar results, but they’re not as precise nor are the results. Also, the angle of the sun limits their use and the distance the light can be thrown is much more limited. Additionally, they often require an assistant, especially if it’s windy. The advantages are that they come in a gold tone to add warmth, they’re a lot cheaper than flash and they don’t eat up batteries. They do work well if you can get close to a subject and precisely aim the bounced light.

Developing an “eye for an eye” is fun and challenging. For every session, my goal is to have every photo be a keeper. Although this may seem unrealistic, it keeps me striving for perfection. It keeps me in practice trying to capture the decisive moment. It keeps me looking for better ways to improve compositions. It keeps me on my toes looking for ways to improve the light. Most importantly, my love of nature is nurtured and keeps me in the field, endowing me with the richness and intrigue of all wildlife species. 

Visit www.russburdenphotography.com for information about his nature photography tours and safari to Tanzania.

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Photo Of The Day By Linn Smith

Photo Of The Day By Anna Berger

Embrace Your Obstacles In Photography

An exercise that I often do when I find myself in a creative funk is to review all of the photos that I’ve worked on and shared in one form or another, starting with the oldest. Many times, I’ll pick up on a theme or evolutionary change that invariably sparks my creativity and gets me out of that funk. One revelation I had during such an exercise was how far I’ve come with appreciating obstacles in my frame.

The photographer I was a decade ago would look at scenes like these and immediately walk right by them. “There are too many damn trees in the way!” is something that I’d likely bark to myself. I suppose that’s a natural progression of growth for me. I usually start with something laid out in a clear, sensical way and work on that until a visual jump occurs.

I don’t think there is a particular amount of time that has to elapse, or a certain number of photos that have to be taken, before your outlook on such things change, but I am sure that a change does occur. It affects the way I see things now. What used to be obstacles and chaos now resembles more of a narrative—you just have to arrange it in the right sequence.

It’s also really refreshing to begin seeing in this new way because it opens up an entirely different area of opportunity to create unique photos in locations that I have visited frequently. I’m not trying to say that you have to ostensibly accept obstacles just because it illustrates my own growth, but there is an underlying theme of being able to identify what those obstacles mean to you. Your obstacles can be wholly different than mine and they can be more figurative than my very literal ones. The general key is to see whether you can translate them into something creative.

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See more of Brian Matiash’s work at matiash.com.

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Photo Of The Day By Angie Strader

Photo Of The Day By Jessica Nelson

Develop An Eye For An Eye In Portraiture, Part 2

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Photo Of The Day By Clayton Peoples

Photo Of The Day By Dean Cobin

Photo Of The Day By Lemelin

Photo Of The Day By Kim Hang Dessoliers

Photo Of The Day By Douglas Croft

Photo Of The Day By Hank Libby

Develop An Eye For An Eye In Portraiture, Part 1

Throughout the history of the art world, major changes and advancements have occurred. During the evolution, it’s seen both revolution and realignments. Regardless of the changes, one aspect has remained constant—portraiture has remained a common subject.

Starting with petroglyphs of hunted animals to the hypnotic eyes and haunting smile of the Mona Lisa to snapshots of your loved ones to wildlife portraits made in the bush, all are created to capture and preserve facial expressions and emotions. As photographers, we strive to press the shutter at the decisive moment to make this happen.

In a fraction of a second, photographers can preserve what takes painters and sculptors months to bring into existence. Imagine going to the Serengeti and hoping the lion or cheetah cubs pose while you chisel the image in stone or set up your oils and easel to capture the moment. A camera is a wonderful tool that permits us to preserve a decisive moment that would otherwise just be a memory in our minds.

Whether wildlife or people are your primary focus, the same tips and techniques can be applied, so this week’s tip is a twofer! Bonus time. Regardless of the subject, both technical and creative guidelines should be adhered to in order to create a successful portrait.

Technically, the subject should be tack sharp and the exposure spot on. Aesthetically, the composition should be pleasing, have an attractive tonal range, depth of field should be used strategically and the light should complement the subject. Expression and emotion should be highly addressed. Putting all the ingredients into a pot to create a successful meal is easier than you think if you adhere to the following concepts.

The technology incorporated into today’s cameras has eased the burden of attaining proper focus and exposure. What used to be a challenge is now a photographer’s luxury. The accuracy with which autofocus allows sharp photos to be made has evolved exponentially. The same holds true for in-camera metering systems. 

Even with all the advancements, by no means are cameras foolproof. As with any tool, it needs to be used properly. Make sure the autofocus point is squarely placed on the most important part of the subject, most often the eye.

I once overheard a conversation between a disgruntled customer and salesperson about how the $2,000 camera body he just purchased doesn’t focus properly. He had with him a photograph of his two kids to “prove” his point. The horizontal image had an out of focus son on the right and an out of focus daughter on the left. What was in focus was the background. The photographer failed to realize the centrally located focus sensor was placed between his children and the camera focused precisely where it should—on the background. Operator error!

Camera manufacturers put a lot of thought into the production of their products to ensure photographers get the perfect shot. Cameras have autofocus lock buttons that allow the photographer to hold a focus point and then recompose the picture. Additionally, back button autofocus is gaining popularity. Either would have worked in the above example of the two kids.

This also holds true in tricky lighting situations. Exposures can be locked in. Take a reading off the most important section, press the shutter down halfway and recompose. With the shutter pressed halfway, the exposure remains locked.

As your photography evolves, you’ll find yourself wanting to override the camera’s automatic settings because you can make better decisions than the camera’s “Auto” settings.

Check out next week’s Tip of the Week for detailed information and settings to control the overall look of your portraits so you can develop more of an “Eye for an Eye.”

Visit www.russburdenphotography.com for information about his nature photography tours and safari to Tanzania.

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Make A Wide Shot With A Tele Lens

Photo Of The Day By Connie Shearer