Shutter Mike Photography

The deadline for holiday shopping is getting closer.  For anyone who has an amateur photographer on their shopping list here are 5 gift ideas under $50 that any amateur photographer.

1) Remote Shutter Release – For anyone taking night photographs or long shutter exposures a remote shutter release is a great tool to have in their camera bag.  It allows the photographer to release the shutter button without actually touching the camera.  This cuts down any any excessive movement of the camera that may blur the image.  If you are buying one as a gift you will want to make sure it is compatible with the camera your gift recipient is using.  Whether you are buying a Remote Shutter Release Cord from amazon.com or someplace like  B&H Photo they all list which cameras the remotes are compatible with.  Prices range from $10 – $20.

2) Back Up Battery – I always keep a fully charged extra battery in my camera bag.  There is not much worse than being out shooting and seeing the low battery icon flashing with no fresh battery on hand to replace it.  Like with the remote shutter release you will need to know what make and model of camera is being used to make sure you match the battery to the camera.  There are no universal options with this one.  But again some quick online research will get you what you need to know.  You can find digital camera batteries on amazon.com and often on eBay.  Depending on the brand and where you find it they can range from $25 to $50.  If you are finding them much higher than that you can consider a generic version, just make sure it is compatible with the camera.

3) Memory Cards – A supply of memory cards is essential especially when going on longer photography outings where you may not have the opportunity to download your images often.  If your photographer is shooting in RAW format the cards can fill up quickly.  Once again you are going to need to know what type of camera is being used because you must get the card format that is compatible with the camera.  Card sizes range from 1 GB all the way up to 64 GB now.  The higher the capacity generally the higher the price.  But you can get a good mid-range card with 4 to 8 GB of storage for about $20 – $30 if you shop around.  You might even find some great sales on higher capacity 16 GB cards for that same price range.  Check digital camera memory cards at amazon.com, electronics retailers like frys.com or in brick and mortar stores like Target or Costco.

4) UV Filter – Digital cameras don’t generally need filters for the lens as the effects of a filter can be done with camera settings or post-processing on the computer.  But a standard UV filter placed on the lens will protect lens from scratches, dust and weather without impacting the result of the image.  When selecting the filter the specific camera or lens brand does not matter but the diameter of the lens will determine which filter you need to buy.  You can get this information from the front of the lens.  There will be a size in millimeters preceded by this symbol: “ø”.  For example ø55mm.  Keep in mind that if your photographer has multiple lenses they may not all be the same diameter.  You can get UV filters from good old amazon.com as well as any online or brick and mortar camera or electronics retailer. They range from $7 to $20 each so you can easily get one for each lens and stay within budget.

5) Camera Bag – I am of the thought that you can never have too many camera bags.  Depending on the “assignment” you will want to bring different equipment.  For a long weekend shoot the big guns may be required so you can bring multiple lenses and equipment.  For a short day trip you might just need one lens and the camera itself.  A mid-size bag makes a great gift.  It allows for the photographer to bring just what is needed and easily tote it around for the day without too much baggage.  I love the over the shoulder “slingshot” type bags, but there are a lot of options in the $30 to $50 range.  As with most everything now the design options are expansive and you are sure to find something that matches your photographer’s tastes and style.  Ebags.com is a great source for those $30-$50 camera bags and you guessed it you can always go back to amazon.com for a great selection of camera bags.

These are just five of many options for amateur photographer gifts for the holidays or any time.  Simple equipment, how-to books, gift certificates to photo printing sites are all things they are sure to love and can put ot good use for their hobby.  Happy shopping and Happy Holidays.

Allan Houser Sculpture

The Phoenix Desert Botanical Garden is hosting an exhibit entitled Allan Houser: Tradition to Abstraction featuring the large scale sculptures of Allan Houser.  Houser is considered one of the best-known American artists of the 20th century and is often referred to as the “father” of American Indian sculpture.  The exhibit features 18 of Houser’s sculptures that, as the title implies, range from very traditional Native American themed pieces to much more abstract works.

The Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix does a display of luminarias every December to celebrate the season.  The luminaria has a Spanish and Mexican history and consists of a candle inside of a brown paper sack weighted down with sand.  Traditionally a Christmas decoration in the Southwest, they are said to give a lighted path for Christ.

I used the lowest aperture (f/1.7) on my 50 mm prime lens to capture this night scene without the aid of a tripod.  The ISO was set at 400 due to the low light.  When the image is blown up the camera shake is more evident.  I could have increased my ISO to 800 or 1600 to get a faster shutter speed and gotten more noise or of course used a tripod to reduce the camera shake.

Time is running out on this exhibit.  But if you are in the Phoenix area and have some free time during the holidays it is well worth visiting.  The Phoenix Art Museum has a partnership with the Center for Creative Photography at the University of Arizona in Tucson, AZ to exhibit some of the 3.8 million archival items and 80,000 fine prints in their collection.

The Face to Face, 150 Years of Photographic Portraiture exhibit runs until January 10, 2010.  It is not a huge exhibit with about 70 portraits.  But it includes work by some well known portrait photographers such as Edward Weston, Alfred Stieglitz, and Diane Arbus.  The exhibit presents early portraiture from the 1800s up to modern times.  It is a very well done display of some of the best of the best when it comes to portrait photography and well worth a trip to the Phoenix Art Museum.

As a bonus, the museum itself is a piece of art.  It is a modern building with lots of concrete, glass and steel.  The lines and structure of the building are a great compliment to the art it houses.  I did not get a chance to photograph the museum or its grounds on this visit, but I plan to go back to see what kind of images I can capture.

I love the depth of field that my f/1.7 50 mm prime lens allows me to capture.  I have been using this lens almost exclusively since I bought it because it is such an excellent all purpose lens.  this particular image was taken in Tucson at St. Philips in the Hills Church.  I focused on the bougainvillea flowers in the foreground with a large aperture (4.0) giving me a shallow depth of field making the cross behind them blurred.