photography – Page 3

Jan 09 2012

My attempts at Aurora Photography so far

To date I have attempted to shoot the Aurora Borealis twice. The first time was in September in the Peace Region, just north of Fort St. John, and the second was just recently over the holidays in Yellowknife, on the Dettah Ice Road.

Both times I tried different things and got very different results. Ironically, I think my first attempt was better than my second. Lets take a look and compare.

ISO400, 11mm, f/8, 30 seconds

ISO200, 16mm, f/13, 70 seconds

The biggest thing you will notice is the shutter speed. The first time I left it open to the longest preset of 30 seconds, the second time I used the BULB setting and timed it to about 70 second.

I’m not sure why I tried 70 seconds on the second attempt. Partly I think it was because when I had first gone out the lights were not out as strong, but they did end up coming out. As I scoured Flickr afterwards I think the most common shutter speeds are 15 and 30 seconds. It makes sense as you can see above in my first attempt. The ISO is also a mystery to me. I’m afraid to go any higher that ISO640 in fear my photos will look graining. What I have noticed on Flickr, is that if you want the foreground to show use a higher ISO. If you want it to appear more of a silhouette use a lower ISO. I read that my Nikon D90 works best at ISO200 so I had it there for my second attempt.

What I am struggling with on some level is my cameras capabilities. I’m read over and over that it is not the gear you use, it is how you use it. I tend to disagree with this when it comes to the Aurora. Obviously camera that are better suited for low-lighting will shine through in quality. For the time being though I have the D90 and I’ll stick with it.

These are some of my lessons learned in the first two attempts with Aurora. Do you have any advise and do something that works for you?

Dec 31 2011

Dave’s 100 Best Images of 2011

I’m still wondering if I even took 100 photos in 2011 that I actually like, never mind having an entire blog post with all 100.

Dave Brosha definitely did have at 100 photos, heck he probably has a 100 favourite shoots of 2011 as well. That guy was busy. Check out his top 100 on his blog at the link below.

Dave Brosha Photography » My 100 Best Images of 2011.

On a side note, this is one of Dave’s top shots and it is of a talented Yellowknifer by the name of Pablo. Looking at this photo makes me think Pablo would make for a good double if they were to ever redo the movie Passion of the Christ. What do you think?

Dec 21 2011

KyleWith: Photographer Kyle Marquardt

[podcast]http://static1.squarespace.com/static/53888dece4b0b0e91301d66b/t/55b33b90e4b026c10917fa9a/1437809615461/kw_kylemarquardt.mp3/original/kw_kylemarquardt.mp3[/podcast]

Click here to download or listen on an iOS Device

Don’t let the fact I butchered his last name stop you from checking out Kyle Marquardt’s work, because it is quite good. Kyle, like many photographers I have talked to, discovered his interest in photography at a young age. For Kyle it was high school. He tells me he took pictures of everything and had his camera with him everywhere. After high school he decided to pursue it further and go to Ryerson University in Toronto for Photography.

Kyle’s career started out much like anyone else’s that would want to get into professional photography at a young age, he became an assistant. Whether for a wedding shoot or in a studio, he would be there helping. He also tells me in the show, that a large part of learning was making mistakes and he did make some along his way.

So how did Kyle end up going to the Arctic, Antarctica and around the world? Well it all started with a Travel Company he volunteered at. He would make them slideshows and edit their photos, but eventually they saw his potential and offered him a trip to the Canadian Arctic, so off he went. Then of course one thing lead to another, which he explain in full detail in the show.

If you ask Kyle what makes him think of “warm and fuzzy”, he’ll probably tell you his over 50,000 Google Plus followers. He is extremely humble about the attention and makes the daily effort to post a photo across all networks. For him the Social Networks are a great way to get his photos out there, but also a good learning tool to get people feedback. He is also more than willing to teach what he has learned and often has a Photoshop tutorial on his blog for others to use.

It was a real pleasure talking with, Calgary based Photographer, Kyle Marquardt. He is on a journey that is exciting and he is earning it. To hear all this and more, be sure to listen to this episode.

Be sure to check out his website/blog, Facebook Page, Twitter and of course Google Plus.

Thanks for listening and don’t forget to Subscribe on iTunes or by Email here.

Don’t forget if you know someone doing something interesting (or another photographer or yourself) send me their info, I want to talk to them!

Nov 27 2011

Erika Lange and her Hats

I have been wanting to get into more portrait photography for a while now, but have always lacked a subject. I’m not confident enough with myself to pursue it yet without fooling around and seeing what I come up with. This was my chance to practice, with Erika who approached me about the idea.

Erika recently got some new hat or as we Canadians like to refer these head toppers as, toques, and wanted some pictures with the hats. I thought sure why not, I need to improve on my skills. The other thing I have often struggled with when it comes to portrait photography, is location. I don’t know the area too well and am sometimes unsure as to where to go. Luckily, Erika did. She live in what they call the Old Fort. It is one of the original Fort St. Johns, yes there were many, before it moved up and out of the valley of the Peace River. So surrounding her house is forest with trails that lead to the river, perfect for photos.

Personally I like candid photos better. I like catching moments, not having to try to create them. I think a photo will make a bigger impact on the viewer if the subject isn’t looking at the camera, as if it isn’t even their. That being said, if a person want to expand the opportunities they must be diverse and that is my plan. I will admit I did start getting into the shoot when I started directing Erika where to look, where to point her head and watching how the light was hitting her face. I’m improving, I promise. Who is next?

Nov 24 2011

Cabin in the Woods

On Saturday of this past week I took a quick drive out to Charlie Lake in attempt to capture some of the fresh snow. While I got over 100 shots of the snow and frozen lake, I got this one of a friend’s cabin. It has been tone-mapped to give it that HDR appearance.