Sue's Place

Collages Are They For You?

2009-11-30T18:30:00.003-05:00

I have to admit I am not a big fan of collages but I am always interested in getting as many of my shots seen at once and collages are a great way to do this.
A word of caution: stick to one subject and even though contrast can be good in a collage it can be a big mistake.
You can tell a story story or you take one subject and break it up as I did here. How many panels will be your next question; too many and it will look too confusing. If you choose only two make sure that they are strong images so they project a complete though. Framing and colour has a big impact on a collage and again sometime less is more. Keep both simple, after all a collage is busy to begin with.
AS I SEE IT

Make Frustration Work For You

2009-08-30T11:04:00.003-04:00

After seeing some remarkable shots with the Raynox 250 I knew I just had to have one. This would of course mean having to order one online and waiting...not my strong point. So off we went to Windsor Ontario, the next biggest city nearby to order the lens and browse the camera shop. To my surprise the sales clerk pulled out a Hoya Close Up Lens Set. After making his sales pitch I gladly walked out of the store with them.

My impatience may have paid off paying 1/2 the price of a Raynox lens. The set includes 3 different lenses for 3 different depths of fields or stacked for a super close up. But the frustrations were just only about to begin. I'm the type of person who expects results right away. This goes for every part of my life. I wasn't ready for the learning curve and a high one it is. Close up lenses are unique in that they focus on different parts of a subject depending on your distance, lighting and how steady you and the subject are. At first luck plays a huge part and then practice. I sure wasn't going to get beat here and I wasn't about to count on luck so away I went.

My mission was to lean how to use this set and to learn fast. Well...I'm still learning with every shot. They say practice makes perfect well, I'm going to need a ton more practice to get anywhere near perfection.

So when impatience and frustration sneaks in on you, use it to your advantage and milk it for all it's worth. In the end you've gotten a lot of practice and are a step closer to your goals. You can see my attempts here http://www.flickr.com/photos/sue90ca/sets/72157621994658443/

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Where You Least Expect It

2009-08-12T09:37:00.002-04:00

Most mornings I take a walk around my property looking for something to shoot or something to spark my creativity for the day. There are very few mornings that I find nothing to peak my interest. Some mornings I seem overwhelmed with the choices. Why make choices? There is no cost if you are digital and it take relaelatively

little time to upload to your PC. So shoot everything and anything from the ground to the sky and what ever is in between. Move branches aside, lift up leafs, look behind rocks or even random shots from the hip.

Sometimes the camera doesn't see just what you see or how you see it; take advantage of this and rely on your camera to pick up the most subtle and interesting things. The world changes everyday and so should your photos.

AS I SEE IT

OH NO! Photographers Block

2009-07-03T16:27:00.004-04:00

From time to time we all experience photogaphers block. You sit there and just stare at your camera as if waiting for it to tell you what to shoot next. You sit, you stare and stare some more. This can be so frustrating that your camera finds its way back into it's case. This is a real NO, NO and you don't have to get to that point. Recently I joined a forum on flickr http://www.flickr.com/groups/1065531@N25/

that chose a photo for the members to recreate. We were allowed to put our own spin on it and perhaps to even improve on the photo. I found this a perfect way to beat a photographers block. The photos were amazing and very creative. So the next time you say "I don't know what to shoot" go to Flickr and click on Explore. There you will find Flickrs most interesting photos and perhaps one that you feel you can recreate and perhaps even improve upon.

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Playing With Light

2009-04-18T15:36:00.002-04:00

It took me 8 months to start playing with light...why so long? Well like most beginners I am terrified to loose a great picture by playing too much with the settings. Perhaps now I have enough of what are considered good photos that loosing one isn't such a big deal anymore? What ever the reason it took me this long to adventure away from what was safe. Using a combination of metering modes and exposures can bring you into a whole new realm of photography. It's only been a few days and I have had a few very successful shots with my new settings. This has been encouraging enough to continue on this new adventure. It's a real challenge since what should work often doesn't and what shouldn't often does in photography. So although people are willing to give you great advice and excellent direction....each day, each hour, each minute brings a different light and a whole new picture to each of us.

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Outside The Box

2009-02-23T12:34:00.005-05:00

I must admit I have a tendency to be a purist when it comes to photography. I have a hard time liking HDR and other post processing. It is a stretch for me to even do a simple conversions to black and white.

So lately I've decided to adventure outside my comfort zone. I have to admit I do like using light as a post process more than I do adding things or altering the photo to make it totally different than what the photo started out as.

Photography is much like life; you may not like to try different things but when you do you usually surprise yourself at how well you do. Challenging yourself can be difficult but when you start small the challenge seems small.

I have been very surprised at the positive comments I have received with just the smallest changes I've made to some of my photos.

Try something different in your life and start out with the very smallest of changes. Watch and listen for the reactions from others. These reactions will let you know if you are heading in the right direction.

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You Never Know

2008-12-19T08:38:00.008-05:00

Sometimes life hands you some pretty neat surprises. I received mine this year with an interview with PhotographyBB magazine. I've only been a forum member for a short time but already it feels like home.
Dave the owner and operator of this site also creates this wonderful online magazine. I was chosen as featured photographer for the "Holiday Issue". I have had one photo published in Photosho magazine prior to this but it does not compare to this interview.

The interview includes some of my life background, my camera gear, some of my advice and many of my favourite photos.
Please visit me at the magazine and read my interview. You can download all 11 copies of PhotographyBB in PDF format. I guarantee that each magazine holds surprises and tons of techniques for the beginner or the professional photographer.

http://www.photographybb.com/magazine

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Where Are Your Photos?

2008-11-17T07:30:00.006-05:00

What do you do with all your photos? If you are like me I tend to keep the original, keep a fixed copy; sharpened, adjusted levels etc. and a final copy that is framed and perhaps signed. This can create a lot of photos. Burning to CD can be costly once you start getting into the 1000s so I turned to DVDs. You can store more than 3000 pictures on a DVD and less than a third of that on CDs.

I do keep my stash of DVDs and CDs close to me so when I do get in the mood to see my shots they can be quickly accessed. Sometimes doing this brings about some very neat surprises. Take the shot of this smoking water drop for instance. I was going through my latest DVD and spotted this little gem. Not sure how it escaped me the first time? So keep your photos close at hand and make it a point to browse them often...you may be in for a neat surprise.

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Don't Be Afraid

2008-10-31T16:54:00.006-04:00

When trying something new we often get afraid but with photography you have to always be trying something different. I've never been successful at water shots, or so I thought. Today was just one of those days when I took the chance. I carefully thought about what I needed and of course the answer is light and lots of it. I opened the curtains, turned on several lights and booted up my flash. With a big swallow I put it on Macro and began shooting. I took many shots and was surprised that several were okay...but just okay. What makes this shot good is the pattern the water took; it's not just a stream or a drop but it is a combination of different shapes, sizes and forms. Now that I'm not so afraid of not getting it right I can work on a better background and a sharper image.

UPDATE: I have just been informed that all that extra light to aid with the flash wasn't necessary. In fact it could have taken away from the photo. Well guess I'm just going to have to try again. A photographers goal is to keep trying and improving no matter how scary that may be.

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Noise is Okay

2008-10-31T09:50:00.010-04:00

High ISO...you know you're in trouble...or are you?

Sometimes you just need to take the chance of shooting in low light with a high ISO. The new P&S are not all that great when it comes to shooting with a higher ISO but that shouldn't stop you. There are times when a little noise isn't too loud in a photo. For example the shot of the lamp post was taken at the beginning of sun set. Sure it has noise but in this case as in many it does add a different feel, and it feels okay here. In this particular case it is more of a result from compression than noise but to most of us amateurs it looks the same. Should you choose to shoot with a lower ISO in low light you'll get a blurry shot and in most cases I'll take the noise over the blur.

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Photography At Any Age

2008-10-20T10:27:00.005-04:00

Getting into photography at a later age is a huge challenge. When you reach a certain age things start to slow down and that include your reflexes and learning curve. Owning a SLR can be out of the question as you get older; the learning curve is very high not to mention the cost. A great alternative can be a higher end point and shoot. Today the P&S are indeed clever.
I was given the Canon S5 IS 12x zoom for my birthday...what a wonderful gift. Of course I was very intimidated by all the buttons and settings; I previously had a Sony pocket P&S.
I think these high ends are as close as you can get to a DSLR without all the expensive lenses. This camera boasts a super macro that is superb and 12x zoom that is to die for. As with all high zoom P&S it has it's limits but it is my favourite feature.
Back to the challenge: there are so many different settings from full auto to full manual with some funky stuff in between. For those who are memory challenged they have a save your setting, setting. But I keep forgetting to use it? So even us older folks have an alternative to the SLRs.
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