TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY

This month, I am focusing on factors to consider when visiting famous, iconic places. I have chosen Taos, New Mexico, as my example. I have visited Taos at least three, maybe four times.

Yes, there are always those well-known iconic must-see places we hear about or see on the Internet. In the case of Taos: The Taos Pueblo and Ranchos Church. The latter was photographed by Ansel Adams and painted by Georgia O'Keeffe. They both captured it from the backside.

I encourage all photographers and tourists to go beyond the obvious. Look for those hidden gems that quietly and silently lurk around the corner. Talk to people, the natives, the locals--they can offer lots of valuable information about history, places, and subjects of interest. Capture the culture, the architecture, and those off-the-map places. And, if you can, go at different times of year.

As far as how and when to get your photos, I urge you to get out of the habit of always taking photos at eye level and landscape (horizontal) mode. Additionally, photograph at all times of the day, including twilight and nighttime.

Now that you have a list of factors to consider, let's look at some examples from historic Taos, New Mexico.

Let's get one of the most obvious and well-known subjects out of the way: the San Francisco de Asis church, also known as Ranchos Church. It is, indeed, a beautiful church, constructed between 1776 and 1818. Both Adams and O'Keeffe captured it in landscape (horizontal) mode. Although I have images like that, I am sharing a "portrait" mode image that highlights the shapes, forms, and texture.

When I looked at the church from the front, several options became apparent, including the structure's front facade. I liked this scene below, however, because it captures the religiosity of the place.

One of the years I visited Taos; it occurred to me to photograph it from the back again, but this time a tighter shot and at night. I converted the original image to black and white. In the original high-resolution image, the stars are visible.

Now, for the other iconic, must-see place in Taos--Taos Pueblo. It's an incredible, and occupied village, if you will. During one of my winter visits, I captured this image with the snow-capped mountains in the background. "Why no people," you ask? One of the most rewarding attributes in photography is patience. It takes patience to be patient.  

A close-up of the amazing way this pueblo was built. As I was getting this shot, I heard a deep, manly voice say, "We charge for that, you know." I turned around and saw a resident behind me. He was joking, of course, but for a second there, I thought he was serious. 

Look for the unexpected. If we get rid of labels- in this case, "Adobe" and "Pueblo," our minds open up to see the non-obvious. Leave yourself open to these opportunities.

Talk to people. Some residents in the pueblo are artists, and some leave their home front doors open, as an invitation to go in. I did just that during one of my visits and met Meko. We talked about art for a while. Before I left, he allowed me to take his picture in his home gallery. 

I walked around the downtown Taos Plaza at night to see what I could find. I wasn't disappointed. I loved the artificial lighting against the turquoise and adobe backdrop. The red chile ristras added a punctuation mark. That ladder had been there for a while. 😊  

I discovered three other areas around Taos from my research and by talking with the locals. The first is a historic site called Hacienda de Los Martinez. It is a really cool place to visit, to go back in time, and to photograph. I have only one of many to share with you-- a black-and-white rendition of a mysterious passageway in the hacienda. 

Outside of town is an old bridge that crosses the Rio Grande. It's called the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge. I went over the bridge with a friend, who is a town resident. When I asked him to stop after going over the gorge, what I liked more than the bridge was its shadow falling on the gorge and the Rio Grande. 

A few miles out of town is an extremely unique place that is totally opposite the Taos Pueblo. It's known as the Greater World Earthship Community. The 300+ acre solar and wind power community is quite a curiosity. Put it on your must-see list. Here is just one of several images I created.

I hope I have given you enough ideas for your next travel photo adventure. Have fun and go back home with more than just those famous and well-known iconic places.

www.elivega.net

 

     

EMOTIONS 

You wouldn't think emotions have anything to do with photography, but they do. Have you ever looked at some of your images on your computer and said to yourself, "I don't remember those power lines being there!" The most painful comment is something like, "It looked better when I was there." 

We tend to shoot with our emotions, not our eyes. That's why it really "looked" better when we were there. We were emotionally engaged with the scene; so much so we didn't take the time to detach ourselves from our emotions to see if there was anything within those four corners that we didn't want there. We just didn't see the distraction.

Lesson? Stop. Take a deep breath, and make sure your image answers the question, "What made me stop?" Whatever your answer to that question is, try to translate that into something we call a photograph. 

The best photography is found where technical know-how and creative aesthetics meet. It's not enough to have a good understanding of camera dials, buttons, and menu items. It would be like an artist on canvas knowing about different brushes, paint application techniques, and color theory without understanding good composition. Artists on canvas can create their compositions; photographers need to find their compositions.

I am including a few images in this post. For all of them, I asked, "What made me stop?" But, instead of quickly taking a shot, I took a few seconds to ask myself how I could translate those feelings, sensations, or moods into a photograph. That's where the technical know-how comes in. My right brain (the aesthetics part) shakes hands with my left brain (the technical know-how part) and says, "I've got an idea, and this is what I need from you."

I overexposed this scene +1 2/3 stops to give more detail to the foreground. Otherwise, due to the fog over the lake, the image would have come out underexposed.

When I got to the top of this hill to look out at sunrise over the misty, foggy valley, I felt so serene. But, when I got my first shot, it didn't translate my feelings of peace and tranquility. It occurred to me to switch my WB (white balance) to Fluorescent. Yes, Fluorescent. And, voila! This image looks the way I felt that morning. The image below is how it looked before I switched to Fluorescent. 

             

I was leading a workshop in Rocky Mountain National Park. We were coming out from under a canopy of trees, in the shade, when I saw this opening filled with golden sunlight. We were literally coming out of the darkness. I underexposed this image to turn the foreground trees into silhouettes, thus increasing the contrast between the darkness and "the light."   

I underexposed this scene by 1/3 stop to make sure it didn't come out too washed out in the early morning light (overexposed). I liked the faded La Sal Mountains in the distance and sunlit flora in the foreground.

When I got to the bottom of this waterfall, I felt a sense of peace, even though the fast-rushing water from the waterfall was fast, furious, and loud. If I had let my emotions get the best of me, I probably would have gotten a photo of "frozen" water gushing down and hitting these boulders. It would not have reflected my sense of peace. By detaching myself from those feelings, I was able to think through the process and determine what shutter speed would give me the look that reflected my feelings. Answer: a shutter speed of 1/6 of a second softened the rushing water splashes of the waterfall. Again, don't shoot with your emotions. Translate your images to reflect those emotions.   

I decided to include this last image to show how emotions can get away from us. This image, of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, gives me a sense of drama, ruggedness, intensity, and scale. That's what I sensed when I looked out at the wide and deep canyon. When it comes to photography, the eyes see too much. Yes, I saw much more of the canyon than this image shows, but if I had taken the wide view my eyes saw, I might have lost the drama, the intensity, the ruggedness that this image depicts. The image below was taken with a 10mm focal length. Yes, you can see more of the canyon, but, to me, it's not as dramatic as a zoomed-in, in-your-face kind of image, as above.

Art is subjective. Photography is art. So, decide for yourself: What image can I create that best reflects my emotions?

www.elivega.net          vegaphotoart@gmail.com

   

 SEE WITH YOUR IMAGINATION, NOT YOUR EYES

As strange as it might sound, I see with my imagination, not my eyes. I look with my eyes but see with my imagination. 

A non-photography analogy might help to explain what I mean. We are all familiar with folks that buy what, to us, are dilapidated houses. We even wonder, "Why?." They see what we see, but they also see what we don't see: the potential. That is, how that dilapidated house could look, if......

In the same way, I can see a rather generic, non-descript scene or subject and see its potential. I call it extracting, as I discuss in my book, Right Brain Photography. I can see a picture within a picture. It requires looking beyond the obvious. It requires un-labeling. Un-labeling allows me to see, not objects, but colors, shapes, forms, etc.  

I offer my Right Brain Photography ZOOM classes through the following OLLI programs (Osher Lifelong Learning Institute): University of Hawaii, University of Utah, Colorado State University, Pittsburgh University, and Vanderbilt University.  

I have four examples to share with you today. For all, I will share a "before" image (what my eyes saw) and an "after" image (what my imagination saw. I will also explain how I created the "after" images.

The image on the left is what my eyes saw. As I scanned the scene, I noticed some cute little white flowers. They're barely visible below the rock that's between the two boulders on the left. At first, they didn't impress me much. They were just cute little white flowers. But then my right brain kicked in and imagined those little white flowers moving. 

I set up my tripod several feet away from the flowers, on the right side of that pond. I zoomed into the flowers with my telephoto lens. I loosened my tripod head. I set my camera for a slow shutter speed (1/5 of a second) to allow me to slowly move my camera. The resulting image made the flowers appear to be moving. I saw with my imagination.

          

   

Look at the scene on the left. It's in a butterfly pavilion--lots of large plant leaves and steel beams. I saw some dainty but beautiful pinkish flowers (on the lower left). I also saw a couple of large ladybug-type decorations with lots of red on them. My imagination saw a straight line between those flowers and the red on the ladybugs. My color theory from my former art days saw a good blend between the pink (flowers) and the red (ladybugs). I saw a close-up of a white/pinkish flower with a red backdrop. I walked up to those flowers on the left and aimed my camera up toward the red part of the ladybug decoration. Voila! What I imagined looked good in real life.

  

Again, the scene on the left below looks very generic. It's the kind of scene most of us would simply walk on by, waiting for something to hit us between the eyes. If you look carefully, there are some icycles hanging under that large boulder on the left. That's what got my attention after I scanned the scene. What if I just extract that, and only that, from the mundane scene? How would that look?

                                    

While walking to the car after lunch in my hometown, I saw this rather mundane scene. However, my imagination saw art: color and shapes. I asked my friend who was with me at the time to hold up my large piece of black material behind a couple of those plants. I carry that large piece of material in the car at all times. The resulting image is on the right. 

Look with your eyes but see with your imagination.   

              

Feel free to ask me any questions regarding the concept of seeing with your imagination.

vegaphotoart@gmail.com     www.elivega.net      

  

WHY, HOW, & WHEN YOU NEED TO OVERRIDE
YOUR BUILT-IN EXPOSURE LIGHT METER

I am going to explain this in non-technical terms. Let's start with the problem, before I get into the solution. All cameras have a built-in exposure light meter, which measures reflected light, not the light falling on a subject--that's the problem. Why is it a problem? Let's think in terms of black and white for a moment. If we photograph a black or very dark subject, the meter will lighten it up to get it back to gray. If we photograph a white or very bright subject, the meter will darken it to get it back to gray. It will always try to bring the lighting, the exposure, to middle gray. Why? It was designed to give us the "correct" exposure, i.e., gray. 

In color photography, "gray" would be mid-tones, between black or very dark and white or very bright. Instead of getting a white snowman, the meter, trying to give me the "correct" exposure, will give me a gray snowman.

Below is an in-the-field example of this problem. I was at White Sands, New Mexico recently. Before I go on, click on the link and notice how gray the white sand looks. Now, back to my story. When I was at White Sands, I made sure to take a couple of instructional photos for my classes and workshops. Before and After, if you will. Below is a photo of gray white sand. That is what the built-in exposure light meter gave me, which I knew it would. This is a field, real life, example of the problem.   

Okay, so now we know about, understand, and see the problem. Before I share the in-camera solution, let me set the stage. I shoot on AV exposure mode, that is, aperture priority. Obviously, if someone shoots on manual exposure, the adjustments or solutions would also be done manually. Now, back to shooting on aperture priority. I am in total control of my desired depth-of-field, or f/stops, which is my style. In the above example, once I set the f/stop I needed to get the depth-of-field I wanted, the built-in exposure light meter gave me the corresponding shutter speed it thought I needed in order to give me the "correct" exposure. You've already seen the results of that.

The solution. Every camera has an exposure compensation dial on the camera body. It is a very tiny round or square button with a +/- in it. It is either on top of the camera or on the back of the camera. Rather than spend too many words explaining how it works, I'll let this gentleman explain it for you on this Youtube video. You might need to go to the index of your camera manual to find where it is.

If my subject, my photo, comes out too dark, like the White Sands example above, I need to move my exposure compensation scale toward the + side. Plus means more and more means more light. It sounds counterintuitive, but think of it this way. Below is a crude scale of bright-to-dark.

                                                                       White/bright
                                                                               |
                                                                               |
                                                                    Gray or mid-tone
                                                                               |
                                                                               |
                                                                      Black or dark

The example of the grayish-looking white sand came out gray or mid-tone--See the scale above. 

The solution is to move my exposure compensation dial to the + side. To the overexposure side. But, that does not mean I am overexposing the white sand. What it does mean is I am overexposing from where the built-in exposure light meter took me--to gray or mid-tone. I wanted a photo of white sand. So, I did just that: moved my exposure compensation dial, in this case, to a +1 1/3 stops. And I got this result. See below. 
                                         

Now, that is white sand. The + 1 1/3 is not a magic formula. The amount of "overexposure" needed is based on how bright the subject is, the lighting on the subject, and how much space the white subject takes up in the frame. First, I estimate, make the adjustment, and look at the results. If, for example, + 1 1/3 is close but not quite there, I might go with a + 1 2/3. It's all about how I want it to look, not how it should look. It's about getting the right exposure, not the "correct" exposure.

Below are more end-result examples and the amount of exposure compensation I used to get those results.   
                                                                             +2/3                                                     

+1    

+1

+1 1/3

+1

+1
(I didn't want it so white that I would lose the details in the sand)

And here are the first two examples again, side-by-side.

          

     

Before I leave, let me say this about black or very dark subjects. The steps are the same, except in reverse order. I want a black or dark subject to come out that way. If it comes out too light, I will go toward the minus (-) side on the exposure compensation dial, to keep it dark or black.

So, please remember. If your subject is white or very bright, you're going to have a problem. Move that dial toward the + side until you get what you want. If your subject is black or very dark, you're going to have a problem. Move that dial toward the - side until you get what you want.

Now you won't go home with images that are too dark or too bright. 

Eli Vega

www.elivega.net

vegaphotoart@gmail.com 

FIREWORKS

 The 4th of July is under two months away, but it will be here before we know it. In preparation for it, and to give everyone a chance to "practice," I thought I would share my long-trusted techniques with you. They have never let me down. And, yes, for some of the results, i.e., images, I may need to do some fine-tuning, like cropping and darkening the areas around the fireworks. With that, let's get started.

First, find out where the fireworks will be when you get there. In most cases, In most cases, the local newspaper or local radio stations will inform you as to where they they will be launched. Locate that area with your camera. Give yourself enough space (focal length) to cover part of the reflections (if any) and the highest point of the fireworks displays. This is an estimate at this point. You can always crop later if necessary.

Equipment needed: a tripod, zoom lens--example: between 18mm-200mm, depending on how close or far you are to the displays. A cable release or remote trigger. Set your camera's shutter to BULB. Set f/stop to roughly f/8--you might need to change to f/9 or f/10 during the evening, if the bursts come out too bright. You can shoot RAW, but I've shot JPEG Fine with excellent results. Set lens to manual focus and estimate your focus distance. Auto-focus can easily be tricked, with so much movement in the evening sky. You will also need a square or rectangular piece of opaque material--enough to cover the lens. Let's call this the "cover." Example: camera manual, small piece of poster board, etc. Make sure it's not thin and flimsy. In essence, that will be your shutter speed.

STEPS: Set up the camera's estimated position. Most shots work better vertically for me. Keep the lens cap on until it's time for the fireworks. When the first bursts start, look through your lens, notice where they go and how high they're going. Adjust the camera and focal length accordingly. Focus on near-infinity--you can tell if you got it right by displaying the first burst.

Now, the fun begins. With the cover on and your finger on the cable release/remote, when the next burst explodes, click the shutter while quickly removing the cover out of the way, then put it back within 1-3 seconds (experiment with the time during the evening). 

Throughout the night, experiment with two-three bursts: Click the shutter and remove the cover, then place it back, but leave the shutter open with your finger on the cable release or remote trigger. Take the cover off again when you see the next burst, then cover it up again. You just combined two bursts in your image! Repeat the process with three bursts, or with just single bursts. You'll be amazed. Have a fun 4th of July!

Below are several examples from past experiences. If you're in the northern Front Range in Colorado, Estes Park always has a great "Fourth" display! I have seen great displays in Branson, Missouri, Grand Lake, Colorado, and in Hot Springs, Arkansas.

So, read your local paper or listen to your local radio station and find out where the fireworks in your area will be launching from. Follow my steps above and have fun with it! 

If you live in the Hot Springs, Arkansas area, contact me for a field lesson before July 4th. 

www.elivega.net     vegaphotoart@gmail.com

 PHOTOGRAPHING EVENTS

Events are both challenging and fun to photograph. They're challenging because so many variables interfere with a good shot. They're fun because you just never know what you're going to find.

I improve my percentage of keepers by knowing and preparing for the challenges. Here is a key list of what I anticipate: wall-to-wall people, confined quarters, unexpected action--the need for quick grab shots, and the need for fast shutter speeds. 

Given those challenges, here is a list of preparations: I'll need to be ready to used wide-angle capability to be able to photograph subjects while in crowded spaces; telephoto capabilities to isolate subjects from the crowds if needed; a low-number f/stop setting to blur the backgrounds behind my subjects; and, to make sure I have the continuous shooting mode set on my camera. 

Remaining calm, relaxed, and just enjoying the activities allows me to spot the right subjects to photograph, be ready for split-second moments, and make on-the-spot adjustments, as needed. 

With that introduction, below is but a sliver of examples from my collection. 

In my hometown of Hot Springs, Arkansas, we have an awesome horse racing and gambling resort. Once a year, they have a horse-racing derby (women's hats) competition. It draws a lot of attention--huge crowds! After spending some time photographing the horse races, I started looking for women with big hats/derbies. As I saw a competitor walking across in front of me, I quickly aimed my camera her way. Click! An f/stop of f/6.3. 

In Nederland, Colorado, they have their annual winter Frozen Dead Guy Days. Lots of folks dress outlandishly, well, "deadly." I shot this "dead guy" at f/10 to cover the entire crowd. 

The Chalk Art Festivals in Denver, Colorado are awesome, as well! Such beautiful chalk art is painted on the street, just to disappear in the following days. The image below, at quick glance, looks like the artist is painting a mural. For this one, I stretched my arms out almost over the artist's head and clicked. I made sure I had a high enough ISO in order to get a fast shutter speed--it's impossible to keep my camera steady with outstretched arms. ISO= 640. Shutter speed: 1/250   

Several miles northwest of Denver is Steamboat Springs. It can get miserably cold up there in winter! But, that doesn't stop them from having chariot races, yes, in the snow! 

A word of caution. When there is this much white snow in the scene, it will trick your built-in exposure light meter into underexposing this type of scene. You will need to adjust your exposure compensation dial to, maybe, a +1 stop. Be careful with brightly lit scenes. 

Then there are car show events. I love to photograph those classics. Here is where wide-angle focal lengths come in handy. I stood close to this cool pick-up truck to get away from the crowd of people behind me. But, with my zoom lens set at 19mm, I was able to get my shot with no people in the shot. And, just like the image above, I had a lot of bright white to handle. I set my exposure compensation dial to a + 1-stop to keep the white truck from coming out underexposed.  

For this image of an artist at work, I wanted everything in sharp focus. This was during a 10-day art event that included an artists' studio tour. I wanted enough depth-of-field, but it was not very bright in his studio. So, to have my cake and eat it too, my settings were: f/8, shutter speed of 1/250 (his potter's wheel was rotating rather fast). In order to get that speed in that lighting scenario, I needed an ISO of 12,800--the highest ISO I have ever used.

Photographing horse races is challenging, but fun. I shoot those at f/8 because it's not about blurring the background but trying to get two or three horses all in focus. Shutter speeds are also critical, especially when the horses are moving perpendicular to you at a very fast speed.

I mentioned at the beginning that we have horse racing in my hometown. For this image, my f/stop was f/8; shutter speed at 1/1600. ISO at 1600. It was a cloudy day, so I needed to pump up my ISO to get a fast shutter speed. 

So, find out when your next event is in your town or neighboring towns, and have fun capturing the action. Make sure to determine in advance what f/stops and shutter speeds you will need. If the action is about to begin, like horse races, take some test shots, aiming your camera where you will be shooting, and make any necessary adjustments before the action begins. Have fun!