It Takes Its Toll

Canon 5D, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens - 1/80 second, f/4, ISO 250

Morning Prayer

Canon 5D, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens - 1/1250 second, f/4, ISO 100

Morning Kayaker

I just returned from an Easter weekend visit to Lake Havasu City, Arizona. While the trip was more about family than photography, I did manage a bit of time doing some shooting.

This early morning black & white capture of a lone kayaker in the Bridgewater Channel was captured from the famous London Bridge (which was relocated to Arizona in 1971). Had I taken the image from this spot a few hours later, the channel would be filled with powerboats and spring breakers.

Canon 5D, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens - 1/40 second, f/9, ISO 100

Austere

Canon 5D, Canon 70-200 f/4L lens - 1/125 second, f/10, ISO 100

Rock Star

Canon 5D, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens - 1/200 second, f/4.5, ISO 100

50mm f/1.8 lens - Put One In Your Bag

I frequently receive email questions from photographers that have upgraded to a digital SLR camera. One of the most often asked questions is about additional lenses they should add to their kit. The lens I recommend more than any other is the 50mm f/1.8. This lens can be had for under $100 (Canon) and is a great addition to any photographer's gear bag. The inexpensive little lens offers numerous advantages including:

- One to two f/stops faster than a standard 'kit' lens
- Very narrow depth-of-field for a great blurred background
- Extremely compact and lightweight

The Canon version of the lens feels very cheap light due to its plastic build. Don't let this deter you. The optics are very good, especially considering the low price.

Today's image of Kenneth during a video presentation at one of his classes was taken with this lens. The combination of the fast lens speed and a high ISO made the shot possible.

Here are links to the lens for Canon & Nikon:

Canon 50mm f/1.8
Nikon 50mm f/1.8

Of course, if price is no object you can do what my scientist friend did (you know who you are) and cough up some real cash for a Canon 50mm f/1.2 :)

Canon 5D, Canon 50mm f/1.8 lens - 1/20 second, f/1.8, ISO 800

Holly

The rapt attention a photographer can elicit from a subject with a single piece of cheese is somewhat amazing. Though, I find this method works best with participants of the four-legged variety.

Canon 5D, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens - 1/125 second, f/8, ISO 100

Don

Canon 5D, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens - 1/125 second, f/6.3, ISO 100

Amrik at ISO 1600

Today's image is an example of putting image stabilization and high ISO to use when photographing in a dark environment. I made this casual portrait of a restaurant owner in the extremely dim lobby of his Indian restaurant in Provo.

This was shot hand held with a relatively long shutter speed of 1/10 second. Typically, shooting at this speed without a tripod would result in an image too blurred to use. This is where advances in lens technology helped out. My everyday walk-around lens (Canon 24-105 f/4L IS) has image-stabilization built in. While this won't help with moving subjects, it will dramatically assist in reducing camera shake. Using this feature combined with a high ISO (1600) and me bracing myself against a wall, I was able to capture a very usable portrait of Amrik.

Canon 5D, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens - 1/10 second, f/4, ISO 1600

Little Cowboy

Canon 5D, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens - 1/125 second, f/9, ISO 100

Wasatch Moon

Canon 5D, Canon 70-200 f/4L lens with 1.4x extender - 1/400 second, f/5.6, ISO 160

Chilly Model

Canon 5D, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens - 1/200 second, f/8, ISO 200

My Favorite Model

Canon 5D, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens - 1/125 second, f/8, ISO 100

Lion Hunter

Canon 5D, Canon 70-200 f/4L lens - 1/30 second, f/7.1, ISO 800

Which Eye Do You Use?

When it comes to looking through your camera's viewfinder, which eye do you use?

I find that most of my photographer friends use their right eye, while I use my left. The reason is that our natural tendency is to use our dominant eye in activities that require one eye. Since I have cross dominant vision (I am right handed, yet have a dominant left eye), I use my left eye when photographing (you can read more about Ocular Dominance here).

Does this have any affect on our photography? Nope. The only difference I find is that my nose leaves more smudges on the LCD when using the left eye.

So, which eye do you use (and are you right or left handed)?

Canon 30D, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens - 1/60 second, f/5.6, ISO 100

Climber's Grip

Canon 5D, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens - 1/50 second, f/5, ISO 160

Monday Morning

Canon 5D, Canon 70-200 f/4L lens - 1/13 second, f/4, ISO 250

On the Train

Canon 5D, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens - 1/30 second, f/4, ISO 500

Sepia Tone Photography

Most people know what a Sepia Tone photograph looks like. But do they know that the term originated with the use of pigment from a fish cephalopod?

Sepia tone is a type of monochrome photographic image in which the picture appears in shades of brown as opposed to greyscale as in a black-and-white image. It was originally produced by adding a pigment made from the Sepia cuttlefish to the positive print of a photograph taken with any number of negative processes. The chemical process involved converts any remaining metallic silver to a sulphide which is much more resistant to breakdown over time. (Source: Wikipedia)

Now you have some useless photographic knowledge to impress your friends with.

Canon 5D, Canon 70-200 f/4L lens - 1/200 second, f/5, ISO 100

London Bridge

Canon 5D, Canon 70-200 f/4L lens - 1/125 second, f/4.5, ISO 50

Backlit with Sun

Here's a quick tip for creating a dramatic portrait: Use the sun as your backlight.

I made this capture of Dean in downtown Salt Lake City by placing the setting sun at his back and then providing subtle fill light with a reflector. It can be a bit tricky to line up your camera and subject to avoid lens flare, but when done correctly it can provide nice results. On this shot, I particularly like the glowing outline around his body.

Canon 5D, Canon 70-200 f/4L lens - 1/1600 second, f/4.5, ISO 200

Photographing Babies? Get Down!

Here's a quick and easy tip for photographing babies: Get Down!

By placing yourself at eye level with your subject you will create a much more natural and pleasing capture. As an added bonus, the child will likely be more interested in what you're doing and you will have a much higher chance of capturing a great expression.

Today's image of Christian is an example of this technique. During a church barbecue at a local park I noticed him crawling around in the grass and got down on his level. He immediately became curious of what I was doing and began watching every move I made. It was then fairly easy to capture a nice expression.

Canon 5D, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens - 1/200 second, f/4, ISO 100

Top Shelf

Photographed aboard the Alaska Railroad en route to Denali National Park.

Canon 5D, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens - 1/30 second, f/4, ISO 500

Framed

I shot this portrait of Jenna for a request I received from a graphic designer. For lighting, I used a simple three monolight setup in my studio:

- Softbox main-light to right of camera
- Umbrella fill-light above and behind camera
- Single light on backdrop

Canon 5D, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens - 1/125 second, f/10, ISO 100

Erin

Canon 5D, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens - 1/125 second, f/4, ISO 100

Looking Out

Canon 5D, Canon 70-200 f/4L lens - 1/400 second, f/10, ISO 100

Erik

Yesterday's post of the crime scene photo shoot created some strong reactions. Here are a few that I received:

"Absolutely disturbing" -Dave
"Love it!" -Kris
"We should have mixed blood" -Harley
"Sick and wrong" -Michelle
"Love the lighting" -Scott
"It was great!" -Erik

The last comment quoted above was from Erik, the "Victim" in the shots. Erik is the teenage son of a regular reader of LeggNet's Digital Capture. He had a great time modeling for the shoot and is looking forward to working with us again. Laying on a concrete floor for extended periods of time while lighting is set up and adjusted can be mundane, yet Erik was extremely patient and cooperative to work with.

Today's image is one I shot of Erik between scenes at the Saturday shoot. While walking past this window, I saw this great light and quickly had Erik pose for a portrait. It was nice to capture a friendly photo of him in the midst of all the simulated carnage.

Canon 5D, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens - 1/20 second, f/4, ISO 400

Confluence

con·flu·ence [kon-floo-uh ns]
-noun

1. a flowing together of two or more streams, rivers, or the like: the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi rivers.
2. their place of junction: St. Louis is at the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi rivers.
3. a body of water formed by the flowing together of two or more streams, rivers, or the like.
4. a coming together of people or things; concourse.
5. a crowd or throng; assemblage.

Today's image was captured at the confluence of the Chena and Tanana River in Fairbanks Alaska. The Chena River (on the left) is relatively clear as opposed to the Tanana River (on the right) which is extremely cloudy caused by glacial silt.

Canon 5D, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens - 1/125 second, f/13, ISO 160

Morning Spruce

Captured on a foggy morning in Fairbanks Alaska.

Canon 5D, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens - 1/80 second, f/9, ISO 160

The Kiss

Canon 5D, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens - 1/50 second, f/4, ISO 200

Seeing Things in a Different Light

If spending three days last week with famed photographer and teacher Kenneth Linge did one thing, it was to re-invigorate my lookout for great natural light. Kenneth is a master at using existing lighting to create stunning portraits.

I noticed this great afternoon sunlight being deflected through the window of a Salt Lake City hotel on Saturday. The light, combined with the reflection, made a very nice portrait setting. My always willing model Sarah stepped in to pose for the quick capture.

Canon 5D, Canon 70-200 f/4L lens - 1/160 second, f/4, ISO 160

On a side note, I am heading out to Alaska today for a week or so to attend my nephew's wedding. I haven't been back to Alaska in over 10 years and I am excited to see how things have changed. It is rumored that I will have Internet access where I am staying so I can occasionally post to the site. But in case I don't - enjoy this pleasant photo of Sarah until my return.

Out to Pasture

I photographed this old truck on an abandoned farm in Draper, Utah. Shooting it just before sunset captured the wonderful gradient tone in the sky. I used a strobe to fill in the shadows a bit.

Thanks to fellow photographer Dale for giving me a heads up on the location of this old farm.

Canon 5D, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens - 1/100 second, f/8, ISO 100

Portrait for the Pageant

My two daughters are participating in a scholarship pageant this summer. One of the requirements of the event is that the entrants provide a black & white photo for the pageant publication. The girls requested that we have a special photo-shoot for these photos.

Today's photo is Elisabeth's favorite from the shoot. This hair adjustment pose was not planned, I just happened to catch her as she rearranged her bangs. The left hand in the hair along with the serious expression combine for a rather dramatic shot.

The lighting setup consisted of a softbox above the camera with an umbrella providing fill to one side. A third light was used to wash out the white background.

Canon 5D, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens - 1/60 second, f/9, ISO 100

My Father

Happy Father's Day, Dad!

Canon 30D, Canon 24-105 f/4L IS lens - 1/15 second, f/4.5, ISO 400

Street Photography

I took a walk around Sugar House on Saturday afternoon. Sugar House is a rather liberal pocket within Salt Lake Valley that many outsiders wouldn't believe exists in this conservative community. For more details on the area, check out Bryan Catherman's post on his Hopeless Writer blog.

I usually find when I am walking around taking pictures that it is easy to strike up conversations with, and ultimately photograph, interesting people. I don't know if it is the professional looking camera gear that makes people want to talk, but a lot of them do.

Today's capture of Robert is an example of this. While photographing the bulletin board behind him, I asked how we was doing. We then chatted for a bit about some of the happenings in the area. After our conversation I asked if I could take his picture - he readily agreed.

Do you prefer to sneak your street photos of people or do you like the bolder "How you 'doin?" approach?

Canon 5D, Canon 24-105 f/4L IS lens - 1/30, f/4, ISO 100

Play Ball

For this capture of an empty baseball diamond, I used some fairly aggressive settings in Photoshop CS2's CHANNEL MIXER tool to convert the shot to black & white. I pushed the BLUE slider to the 200% level and then used a negative 100% setting on the GREEN slider to even out the levels. This technique resulted in the very dark dirt and the washed out sky.

Soon though, I won't be using the CHANNEL MIXER adjustment layer for my black & white conversions. My upgrade to Photoshop CS3 should arrive this week and I will begin using the new BLACK & WHITE adjustment layer feature. This is just one of the (many) reasons I opted for the upgrade.

Canon 5D, Canon 24-105 f/4L IS lens - 1/40 second, f/16, ISO 50

Escape

Canon 5D, Canon 24-105 f/4L IS lens - 1/160 second, f/4, ISO 50

A Roll of the Dice

Canon 5D, Canon 24-105 f/4L IS lens - 1/250 second, f/14, ISO 50

Rocky Creek in Black & White