Shutter Mike Photography

I have taken 1000s of photographs over the last few years but I have had very few of them printed.  Most are displayed digitally on this blog or Flickr or Facebook or stored on my external hard drives.  For the most part I just never think to have my photographs printed.  I suppose if I had done a lot of film photography before getting into digital photography I would place more significance on the printed image.

However, I was recently awed by a print of one of my images enough that I may have to rethink my whole view of having my photographs printed.  It started with being followed by and and following @photocanvas on Twitter, aka ZaZa Gallery.  They were offering free 16 x 20 canvas prints in exchange for a review of the finished product.  Free is a price I can get into and was happy to oblige.

The hardest part of the process was deciding which image to have printed.  Not having had any canvas prints done before I was not sure how it would turn out or what image would look good in this format.  I decided on one of my favorite images (on the right) of the Barrio Historico in Tucson, AZ.  I love the pops of color on the three doors and the clear blue sky above the adobe building.  So I sent the image off with no idea what to expect in return.

The result was amazing.  I got a 16 x 20 canvas print with a mirror wrap (that means the image is “mirrored” or repeated as the canvas wraps around the edges of the frame) and was blown away.  The colors were true to, if not better than, my original.  Every detail of the image is crystal clear and vibrant. The construction is very solid using archival canvas.  All I can say is “wow.”  This particular print runs $68.  I have never price shopped canvas prints so I have no idea of this is high, low or right in the middle.  But for the quality of the final product i got it is well worth it.

My friend over at Awesome Toy Blog forwarded me an article from the British Journal of Photography about photographer’s rights in the UK.  There has been a lot of buzz in photography news lately about the rights of both amateur photographers as well as photojournalists in the UK being impeded upon by the police.  Although you hear similar stories of “harassment” from the police of photographers here in the US, the British seem to have taken it to a whole new level.  All in the name of anti-terrorism.

New laws that recently went into effect in the UK  could result in jail for photographing police. The laws:

allow for the arrest – and imprisonment – of anyone who takes pictures of officers ‘likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism’.

This seems to leave a lot of room for interpretation by the police while limiting the rights of the photographer even further.  There have been stories of everyone from press photographers to wedding photographers being stopped, questioned and even detained for what the police determine to be “suspicious” photography behavior.  I would hope this would be no more than a minor inconvenience for the truly innocent but at the same time it seems to be taking things too far.  Especially when images of more and more public spaces are readily available to anyone on the web via Google maps and live web cams that record more and more of our everyday lives.  Are the terrorists really the ones standing in front of Parliament with their Canon DSLR snapping photographs?

I have done a few posts on the rules of photography such as how various composition methods from leading lines to framing an image are designed to make a more visually pleasing image.  One key point I believe is important with all the rules of photography is that you have to know how and when to break them.

I am participating in a 365 Photo Project hosted by Faded and Blurred.  One of my recent images was taken under tungsten lighting and I did not adjust the white balance settings in the camera to compensate for the yellowish/orange glow that is omitted by normal household bulbs.  Nor did I do any post processing work to make it “right.”  This elicited some comments that the white balance was “not right.”  From a purely technical standpoint I totally agree with the commenter.  This image is not “correct” according to the rules of white balance.  However, as photographers, amateur or professional, we have the benefit of “artistic license.”

Artistic License – the freedom to create an artwork, musical work, or piece of writing based on the artist’s interpretation and mainly for effect.

I intentionally left the orange glow given off by the tungsten lighting of the room because I felt it resulted in the image that I was looking to create.  It sets a mood and more accurately reflects the true setting of the scene.

The constructive criticism that you get from fellow photographers when sharing your photographs on sites such as Flickr is a huge benefit.  So I do not object to one of my images being interpreted as being “not right.”  But I stand behind my  belief that as long as I know and can follow the rules of photography I am free to break those rules to interpret a scene or subject and create an image with my creativity added.  But you do have to have a base understanding of what you are doing before you are free to deviate.

In our post-9/11 world photography news has been filled with stories of the rights of photographers, amateur and professional alike, being questioned and tested.  Security guards and police officers stopping photographers everywhere from shopping malls to train stations claiming photography is banned is nothing new.  If you know your rights as a photographer and have the ability to remain calm and polite these incidents are usually no more than an uninformed “officer” and an inconvenience.

However, there are some legitimate bans on photography.  The latest comes from Washington DC and the National Archives.  Effective February 24th tourists will no longer be able to take photographs inside the National Archives, the home of the US Constitution and other historically and politically priceless documents.

This has some photographers up in arms as their right to photograph and even document these documents is being squashed.  But according to the National Archives, the reasons for the ban are not “terrorist” related as is often cited by as the reason for stopping photographers in other public places.  Being hundreds of years old, the documents housed in the Archives are obviously in a fragile state to say the least.  Up until recently they were housed behind filtered glass to protect them from the building lights and the unknowing or delinquent tourist who ignored the “no flash photography” signs.  But the filters made the documents have a greenish hue which, again according to the Archives, diminished the tourist experience.  So they removed the filtered glass, placed the filters on the lights themselves and banned all photography.  Easier than policing the few tourists who could not or would not comply with the rules I suppose.

In the case of this photography ban, we have the point-and-shoot, sock-and-sandal tourist who does not understand they are part of the bigger world and their actions impact others to blame.  I understand that the National Archives are doing their job to protect America’s priceless historical documents.  Unfortunately the amateur photography is a casualty.  For professionals and the media arrangements can still be made to photograph within the Archives.  The rest of us can grab one of the free pre-printed photos of the constitution and make mental pictures.

Sometimes finding a subject that interests you and makes you want to photograph it can be difficult.  But if you think “outside the box” and consider subjects beyond a physical object you can broaden your possibilities immensely.  One way to do that is to look at color as the subject.  In a nutshell, that means the actual object is of much less significance and the color of that object becomes the actual subject itself.  Pick any color or combination of colors you like and seek them out regardless where they are or what adorns them.  Reference back to color concepts such as complimentary and analogous colors and just have fun with it to see what you can come up with when you focus on color as the subject of the photograph.

The site I mentioned a few days ago, Faded & Blurred, is hosting a 365 photo project.  What is that you ask?  It is when you take one photo a day, everyday, for a year and share it with the group participating in the project.

I signed up for this as a challenge to myself.  I shoot as often as I can, but the daily obligations of life often prevent me from picking up my camera for days at a time.  There are also days when I have no motivation or inspiration to photograph (although they are rare).  So to be “obligated” to produce one photograph a day for an entire year I will be forcing the photography I love to become a part of my daily routine.

I image one of the hardest parts at the beginning of this project will be to remember to do it everyday – until it becomes routine.  After that is will be finding daily inspiration in something and making the time to do it.  But I am excited by the possibilities and the challenge.

If it is something you are interested in doing you can join the Faded & Blurred community here and check out the Flickr group where the daily photos from participating members will be posted.

The fundamentals such as proper exposure and composition are a critical part of photography.  By understanding these photography fundamentals you can improve your images immensely.  But there are also some very basic things you can do without much studying or mastering new concepts.

1) Know your camera, really know it! – Whether you have a point and shoot or an advanced DSLR your camera is a sometimes complex machine full of features, buttons and dials.  The best thing you can do to really know your camera  is to read the manual from cover-to-cover.  The manual will give you all the basic information you need so that you can become familiar with all those functions and dials and buttons.

If you don’t have a manual for your camera you are not out of luck.  There are a couple of options for missing camera manuals.

• Most camera manufactures have online versions of their manuals available for download.  Here are some of the more common ones:
  • Canon Camera Manuals
  • Nikon Camera Manuals
  • Sony Camera Manuals
  • Camera Manuals Online – a comprehensive resource for many makes and models
• For an even more comprehensive “manual” than the one that came with your camera try the Magic Lantern series of books.  These are well written and detailed guides to your camera that guide you to everything you need to know about your camera.

2) Take your time – Rushing through a photo shoot is going to result in images that look like you rushed.  Take the time to explore your subject; to shoot from different angles; to really think about what you are shooting and the end image you would like to capture.

3) Pay attention – Pay attention to your surroundings and those of your subject.  Yes, the subject itself is important, but so is everything around it.  A distraction in the background can ruin the perfect shot.  If you have ever seen a tree growing out of the top of someone’s head in an image you know what I mean about the background.  But it is not just the background that is important.  All the elements of the setting can influence the final image.  Here are just a few things to be on the look out for:

• Shadows – yours, your subjects and any others that might be creeping into your image
• Distractions – in the background or in the foreground – anything that takes the focus off your main subject
• Lighting – Glare, bright spots, dark spots, uneven lighting

4) See what everyone else is doing – One of the best ways to improve what you are doing with your photography is to see what your fellow amateur photographers are doing.  The Internet is full of resources for this.  Look, ask questions, make comments, post your own photos, ask for feedback.  Participate in the online photography community.  Here are a few places to start you off:

• Flickr
• Faded & Blurred
• Photo.net
• My Shutter Space

5) Shoot, shoot and shoot again – Cliche as it is, practice makes perfect.  Even if you don’t know the difference between shutter speed and aperture you can improve the images you capture by shooting and shooting often.  But don’t just shoot.  Take a critical look at your images and note what you like and what you would like to improve on next time.

There are many Christmas light displays, both public and private, in the Phoenix area.  Some of those are stand out opportunities to capture some Christmas spirit with your camera.  As Christmas fast approaches there is still time to get out and see and photograph some of these beautiful displays.  Here are some of the more colorful and well done displays around the valley.

1. Mill Ave – The APS Fantasy of Lights displays 1000’s of lights in the Mill Ave. District in Tempe.  The combination of the historic buildings and the bustling atmosphere of Mill Ave. with the Christmas lights make for some ideal photograph opportunities.  With a tripod and proper exposure settings you should be able to create some great holiday images.
2. Arizona Biltmore Resort and Spa – The Biltmore’s Christmas decorations are very classic which is appropriate for this classic Frank Lloyd Wright influenced historic resort.  From the enormous live tree towering over the hotel to the collection of ginger bread houses these Christmas decorations and the architecture and furnishings of the resort make for a great setting for photography.

3. LDS Temple – Mesa, AZ – The Mormon Temple in Mesa does a fantastic job of stringing up the Christmas lights.  The large temple complex is decorated with traditional Christmas lights and biblical scenes.  Set against the backdrop of the monolithic stone temple this makes for a chance to capture some beautiful images.  Be sure to take the time to explore the details of the temple grounds; particularly the reflecting pools that bring a very different perspective to the building and Christmas lights.

4. McCormick Railroad Park – Scottsdale, AZ – The McCormick Railroad Park in Scottsdale drapes most every surface of the trains in Christmas lights.  There is also a carousal and miniature trains on display which both make great subjects for holiday images.

5. Desert Botanical Garden – Los Noches de Las Luminarias – I wrote about the garden’s holiday display in the past and the garden generally makes most of my top photography lists for Phoenix.  This display is much more of a traditional Southwest Christmas than the flashy bright lights of the others.  But it is ideal for exploring with your camera and capturing some brilliant images.

Time is almost up!  If you are one of the last minute procrastinator shoppers and you have a photographer on your Christmas list this year, you are in luck.  Here are a few gift options for photographers that you will not even need to leave your computer to buy or pay extra for express shipping.

1. Flickr Pro Account – Flickr is one of the most widely used photo sharing sites on the Internet.  It is especially popular among amateur photographers.  They can post their images and share them with fellow photographers for feedback.  It has a strong amateur photographer community as well being popular with the casual snap shot takers.  For most people the free version of the Flickr account will suffice.  But for the avid amateur who has a lot of photos to share the free version is probably too limiting.  So the Gift of Flickr is perfect.  Flickr makes it easy for you to buy a year subscription to a Pro account for $24.95 and even provides a gift card for you to print.  And no need to fight your way through the mall on Christmas Eve.
2. Mozy Online File Backup – There is one thing every digital photographer needs and that is BACKUP.  Burning CDs can become tiresome and you still need to store them somewhere safe.  One of the best online storage services I have come across is Mozy.  For $4.95 a month you get unlimited storage space to keep a  backup of all your digital images perfectly safe.  You will have to get a little creative with the gift giving on this one as I was not able to find a “gift program” from Mozy.  But it is something every amateur photographer needs and will be grateful for.
3. Magazine Subscriptions – Yes, I know this is the digital age and print magazines are considered passe by some.  But I am not the only who still loves thumbing through and reading an actual physical magazine.  And there are some great photography magazines out there.  For under $20 you can get some of the most popular photography magazines sent right to the photographer on your list for a year.  They will be reminded of your generosity 12 more times in the coming year.  Sounds like a win-win situation!
4. Photo.net Membership – You may not be familiar with photo.net, but chances are the photographer in your life is.  Photo.net is part Flickr – but geared to the professional and serious amateur photographer rather than the casual online photo sharer – and part all encompassing photography resource.  It is designed for critiques of member work – a critical step in improving one’s work – as well as sharing information and ideas with fellow photographers.  You can easily give a 1 year membership for $25 and set the photographer on your Christmas on their way to being part of a great online photography community.
5. Gift Cards – Yes, this is the old stand by “last minute gift.”  But hey, they work and are more popular now than ever.   One all-purpose gift card that any photographer can use to find something they are sure to like is the amazon.com gift card. I think the general rule is that if Amazon doesn’t have it, it doesn’t exist or at least you don’t need it.  With a huge selection of photography books as well as accessories for most every camera a gift card to the online superstore can go a long way.

So stop procrastinating and take advantage of some of these great last minute Christmas gifts for the amateur photographer on your list.