Learning Baseball

Coach K, the head baseball coach at East Stroudsburg University, hosted his summer camp starting today. It is an excellent opportunity for boys to learn how to swing the bat better and more consistently. This camp is all about repetition and learning!

I arrived just after lunch with my camera and monopod to begin capturing the action. I positioned myself along the first base side and fairly close to the batter. My goal was to capture the nuances of the batter’s swing and hopefully get the ball in the photograph as well.

I ran through a lot of frames in a short time and thought to myself, “Boy, I’m so glad this is a digital camera!” It is just so much cheaper and easier with a digital camera. I can quickly discard the ones I don’t want. After a while, the boys started playing some games where they were instructed to put their newly learned skills to use. It was obvious that the hard work paid off and some very nice line drives came off many of the bats.

Then I got to thinking… Just as the boys are learning the parts of a good swing, so I am learning some of the fundamental ways to photograph baseball. The boys need to learn about the batters’ swing and I need to learn more about photographing the game they love to play!

So, I am learning baseball. What are you learning?

A Photojournalist Approach

Yesterday I photographed a reception for my cousin, his new bride and the ladies at the venue in their pretty Lace Flower Girl Dresses. They were married in Mexico but since all the friends and family couldn’t get away for the big day, they had a reception so everyone could party with them closer to home. It was a great day, with loads of friends and family, good food and drinks, and games.

I had the enjoyable task of trying to capture some of the flavor of the day with my camera. It was fun to just blend into the background and snap a few photos of people in conversation and laughter. Kids and adults both had a wonderful time and the photos were relatively easy to capture.

I have not had a ton of experience with this photojournalistic approach, but it sure was enjoyable. I used my 70-200mm lens so I could keep a comfortable distance and try to capture special moments as they happened. One thing I learned was the importance of staying in a spot and being patient. Just looking around and observing people in conversation and some of their mannerisms was extremely valuable. I watched for a while and then could often anticipate where the action might take place.

This style of photography often times called photojournalism attempts to caputre the natural action as it happens. Yesterday I enjoyed stepping into the role of photojournalist. It was different and it was fun.

Do you do any photojournalism?

Emotions

My son, James, and I just watched Dances with Wolves tonight. This is one of my all-time favorite movies. It has been quite a long time since I had seen this movie and my hadn’t seen it before tonight. As we watched the movie we experienced a variety of emotions: happiness, anger, empathy, and great sadness. Obviously this movie was successful in stirring up all kinds of emotions.

Shouldn’t our photographs do the same? We take photos all the time and we attempt to capture incredible moments that tell a story. After all, the old saying is, “A picture is worth a thousand words.”

If this is true, then we owe it to ourselves and to those who view our photographs to make sure that we capture and even evoke emotion with our photos. You can view a hundred photos, most of which appear ordinary and flat; but when you find that one photo that expresses emotion you immediately know it.

So, are you attempting just to capture colorful subjects or are you willing to create photographs that evoke emotion?

Big Prints

Today I just picked up some 11″ x 14″ prints that I had ordered plexiglass face mount prints for a photo exhibit. I have had plenty of digital photos printed before, but only one or two of this size. 11″ x 14″ prints show a lot of detail and make for beautiful prints. The photos I had printed are all wildlife subjects: elk, deer, and birds. To see the hairs of the hides and the plume of the feathers on these photographs is absolutely amazing!

If you haven’t printed a large print, you really need to give it a try. Take a few of  your favorite photos and print them or have them printed by a professional photo lab. See how larger photographs look and then share them with others.

I am looking forward to getting my photos into frames and seeing the finished product. There just something about a physical print that is unlike anything else. Computer images and digital frames are okay and easy to share, but large physical prints are something else. I believe that photos were meant to hang on walls and be seen by people. I am eager to share these prints with others. What about you? Do you have photos to share? How do your large prints look?

Be Camera Ready

The Boy Scouts have a great motto: “Be prepared.”

I need to heed this great advice more often. Here is the scenario: I am in a town or driving along a country road and spot something that is photogenic. My camera is tucked away in the camera back or, worse, sitting at home. This example of ill-preparedness happens much too frequently. We have to be ready at a moment’s notice to capture the action or moment. We cannot waste our time digging through camera bags or kicking ourselves for leaving the camera back home.

I know it is not New Year’s Day, but can we make a resolution or promise to be better prepared and start practicing ways to be camera ready? I am seriously going to try this. What about you?

Looking Forward

There are a lot of things to look forward to in photography. The next shoot, the next equipment purchase, or the next photo to print. There is plenty to look forward to in photography.

I personally am looking foward to the upcoming Photo Walk on July 18th. It looks to be an exciting event and 20 people are already signed up. You can find more information here. I hope you can join us!

I also am looking forward to our upcoming Pennsylvania Elk Photography Experience in September, too. I always like to find an excuse to be out on the mountain with the elk, but joining fellow photographers just makes it that much better.

What are you looking forward to?

Keeping Track

Photographs, finances, and equipment all need to be kept in good order. Keeping track of these items is imperative. Digital images can be lost on computer hard drives and finances can go astray if you don’t keep track of them. If you want to venture into the world of photography, you will require an instant approval same day loans, because today’s photographers require quality and efficient equipment, so do not expect too much.

I like to use spread sheets for keeping track of all sorts of things. I even have a spread sheet to keep track of my favorite chocolate milk! Don’t believe me? Next time you see me with my laptop, just ask me and I will show it to you. But lately I have discovered the value of some other sofware programs to keep track of things. Adobe Lightroom 2 is a great programs for keeping track of my digital images. I can also crop, edit, and print my photos with this software, but it also does an excellent job of keeping track of and sorting digital images. You can even add photos to collections.

Financially I have used Quicken in the past, but I am now switching over to Quickbooks so I can track customers, vendors, inventory, and much more. There will be a learning curve to be sure, but I think it is well worth the struggle.

How do you keep track of things?

Out of the Darkroom

I cut my photographic teeth in the days of film. Some people never had the privilege of loading a camera with a roll of film let alone watching a print slowly develop in a darkroom tray or smell the unique smell of developer or fixer baths. I thoroughly enjoyed my time in the darkroom from loading a tank with film to develop it, to making the contact sheets, to enlarging prints, and even dodging and burning. I have fond memories of time spent in the darkroom.

Now, things have changed. Film is almost a thing of the past. Oh, I know some people still prefer film but they are in the minority. Polaroid stopped making their instant film and even Kodak has cut their production in making rolls of film. The digital age has arrived in full force and is here to stay. It is time to come out of the darkroom.

Many of the procedures we used to perform in the darkroom can now be performed in the full light of day. A compact flash card can be “developed” by sticking it into a card reader and transferred to a computer hard drive. Enlargements can be made without worrying about light ruining the process. And dodging and burning can still be utilized but now in the light. The details of the process have changed but there are many similarities.

I do miss the darkroom sometimes myself. I miss the mystery of watching and waiting for an image to appear on an 8″ x 10″ piece of paper. I miss the sights and smells of the darkroom.  I even sometimes miss the trying task of loading a developing tank with a roll of film!

I now work almost entirely with digital images and I enjoy this process, too. It may be different but it still presents some of the same challenges that we had with film. I have come out of the darkroom and into the light. I still have many good memories of the darkroom, but I am quite happy with this new process. And now I don’t have to worry about a family member opening the darkroom door at an inopportune time!

What Gets Your Goat?

Today I was at a wedding venue just looking around. I saw several photographs hanging on the walls representing, I suppose, those photographers who have been at this venue before. Some of the photographs were stunning. There were a few traditional poses and even the frames were of matching colors. All in all it was a nice representation.

However, there was one photograph that got my goat. It was of a newly married couple in an archway. The only problem was the archway was not straight. The photo was just slightly off kilter. At first I thought maybe the photographer was being artistic in this approach, but the more I looked at this photograph the more it bugged me. Here was a photograph in a prominent location that looked quite amateurish–not good for the venue or for the photographer.

So what gets my goat? Well, off center and out of balance photographs for one. I also do not appreciate photographers trying to be cute. Sure, Photoshop is powerful software but I’ve seen it over done way too often. Keep it as natural as possible, at least in my humble opinion.

So, what gets your goat?

Light

It’s been raining a lot lately and when it’s not raining the sky is still cloudy. Not great days for getting out with the camera… Or is it?

Light is the most important component for photography. Without light there is no photograph. The literal definition of photography is “painting with light.” So light is a necessary ingredient for us, so what are we to do when the skies are cloudy and the sun isn’t shining?

Well, the clouds actually help us. That’s right. The clouds diffuse the light, making the light softer and more pleasing than a bright mid-day sun. Also, have you ever noticed how colors appear to be more vivid on cloudy days?

So the next time it is cloudy, grab your camera and enjoy that different light. You will be able to capture stunning photos even when the sun doesn’t shine!