LENS CAPTURE

Vol. 2 No. 2

In the first post of the New Year I spoke about the B&H Event Space. Below is a series of images shoot during the recent Nikon Wireless Flash Hands-on Workshop with Shooting Stations. The class was led by Paul Van Allen, Nikon's National Training Specialist. Paul gave a short overview on how Nikon's Creative Lighting System (CLS), and menu selections. Then the fun started.

Drooping tulip side lit by single flash.

Soft folds of plain white printer paper lit from below with a blue/red gelled flash.

Gumball-filled wine carafe tipped over onto blue shelf liner,
lit from behind under a tent of white foam board. 

Low power flash diffused by white printer paper sits inside cheese grater
while a second blue-gelled flash sit behind it illuminating the background.

Vol. 2 No. 1

[Editor's Note: I thank everyone for their support over the past year. Your kind emails and comments, and your participation in the various Lens Capture Photo Walks have made it a very rewarding experience. Now begins our second chapter. Thanks again.]

So, you are now the proud owner of a new camera. Now what?

You probably didn't even wait for the battery to fully charge before snapping off a few pictures. Soon after, reality set in. Your expectations began to fade. The fantastic imagery you imagined didn't materialize on the LCD screen. First attempts yielded poorly exposed, possibly out-of-focus drab photos. And maybe even the thought "this camera takes lousy pictures" crossed your mind. I counsel you to not rush back to the retailer to trade it up to a more expensive model that takes better images. The problem is not the camera but "you!" [Boy, that's wasn't too reassuring - was it?]

It's okay, step back from the ledge, all is not lost. The camera is designed to record great images. You, on the other hand, need to be trained. The camera is incapable of taking great photos without your interaction. You just need to learn the tricks - I mean, techniques towards better photography. And you can learn, don't doubt yourself. While it's not rocket science, it will take some commitment on your part.  But, the payoff will be well worth it.

The three (3) "P's" have been my mantra along this winding road of photography - practice, patience, perseverance.

• Practice - learn your camera, its features and settings, and what they actually do.

• Patience: your photos will go from blah, everyday, seen it before, no big deal boring images - to hey there, check this out, that imagine pops! It will happen. But, you must be willing to endure. Gotta start somewhere.

• Perseverance - take lots, and lots and lots of photos. And then, keep taking more and more and more. Do yourself and the rest of us (that includes family and friends) a favor by only sharing the very best of what you capture. Do you honestly believe the world's leading photographers snap a "keeper" every time? No way - it doesn't happen. Every "at bat" doesn't yield a homerun. But the more opportunities, the better your chances are at hitting one.

A few other words of wisdom that I hope will make your journey easier to navigate. Carry your camera whenever possible. Your cannot get a great shot if the camera is back home, and you're not. As world-famous commercial photographer, Chase Jarvis points out in his best-selling book, The Best Camera Is The One That's With You: iPhone Photography (Voices That Matter)," you do not need an expensive camera to be creative. But you do need a camera to share your vision with others. High-end digital SLR, point-and-shoot, or a camera-phone will do, only if it is with you to capture the moment.

Look at photographs made by others. What works, what doesn't. Every day, I check out some of the new uploads on flickr®. What was their subject? Do I like the photograph? How did they bring focus to it? How did they simply the shot so as not to distract me from their subject?  Or, why don't I like the shot? This is an important step in training yourself to recognize good composition.

Participate in a photo walk. Keep checking back here at Lens Capture for information on upcoming photo walks. I plan on holding at least one every couple of months. It's great to get together with others that enjoy photography. Sharing idea and your individual point-of-view, help to inspire others. I always get creatively stimulated through the interaction that occurs during these photo walks.

Attend a workshop. Don't stop learning. Workshops are a great place to broaden your knowledge and learn the techniques to making better photographs. If you're in the New York Metropolitan Area, check out B & H Superstore's Event Space for a listing of upcoming free workshops.

Photography should be an educational requirement in high schools and colleges because it makes you see and appreciate the world differently. When you start composing a photograph, you become more aware of your surroundings and the elements that begin to define your subject.

Don't believe me, start using that new camera.


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