How Much Of A Master Photographer Are You?

How Much Of A Master Photographer Are You?

One very cool feature of our upcoming PhotoPro Expo is the "LIVE" juried print judging taking place on Thursday, February 2, 2012.

I entered my first print judging way back in 1978 - I was just a babe back then :~) But, what a thrill it was to watch the images being judged and hear the judges comments.  It is one of the best learning experiences one can have in their professional careers. 

One Of The Best Learning Experiences Ever!

When you enter print competition, you set the bar higher on your own work.  You learn what you need to do to improve your work, make those improvements and score higher the next time around. The net benefit for you and your business is that by raising that bar on quality, your raise the quality bar for your clients work too.  You'll be amazed at how much better your delivered images look going out the door once you begin participating in Print Competition.

PhotoPro Epos's Print Completion has three components; 1 - the Actual Judging, 2 – the Clubhouse Print Lounge where you get the chance to bet on the judges scores maybe winning you some big bucks, and 3 - our Coach's Corner where you can get your images reviewed and critiqued by expert and successful image makers.

Enter The Juried Competition – Here’s How

I've discussed the actual print competition recently at DigitalProTalk [link].  You can also download all the details and rules right here. But the other cool thing we're doing this year is introducing our Digital Cafe Print Lounge where you can bet against the judges as to what the print score will be.

Be Part Of The Fun – Bet To Win!

We are piping all the digital images into Clubhouse Print Lounge along with full audio of all the judges scores and comments.  You can buy into a "betting" round for only $10 and are allowed to select scores for 20 images. The person in that betting round with the most scores closest to the judges will split the pot - not bad.

This whole thing should be a "hoot". It was originally tried last year at  New Orleans Convention and went over like gangbusters.  To assure the success of our Print Lounge betting activities, my good friend, Ralph Romaguera and his wife Cindy, who were the originators and very instrumental in the success of New Orleans competition are flying up to be sure things go smoothly for us too.  You don’t want to miss the fun and it should be a "hoot"!

Coaches’ Corner – Critique and Review

The third component of our print competition is our Coach's Corner image review.  You do not have to enter the print competition to participate in our Coach's Corner. Any one attending PhotoPro Expo or even just visiting the Tradeshow Expo is welcomed to bring their images by for review.

All you need to do is show up with your portfolio of images. Your image portfolio can be comprised of loose prints at least 8x10 inches or larger, an album, or even presented on your iPad or laptop computer.

To participate in our Coach's Corner you'll need to drop LaDawn an email at ladawn@ziser.com so she can get you scheduled with one of our Master Image Makers and Coach for your personal critique. 

That’s it gang – join the FUN - it’s going to be a great time!  -David

Quick Hit Monday: All The Latest News; Lots Of Inspiration: and Photoshop Freebies!

Good Afternoon Everybody,

I'm back home today and sticking around for about 4 days before we head off to New Orleans for the big Imaging USA Convention on Friday.  It was kind of nice to come back to all the Christmas decorations still decorating our home. Heck, I even caught a whiff of the pine scent still lingering from the main Christmas tree.  Alas, the job of taking it all down begins today. 

As usual, it's a busy week.  I'm finishing up guest blog posts for Rick Sammon, B&H, Datacolor; working on my Digital Newsletter which goes out this week, and trying to keep DigitalProTalk on schedule.  AND, on top of all that, I'm continuing to push the word about our PhotoPro Expo happening in only 3 weeks!  WHEW!  Let's get right to todays news.

The Latest News From PhotoPro Expo!

One of the main events at PhotoPro Expo this year is the juried print competition [link] where you can win part of the $5,000 in prizes and trophies being awarded. Every year photographers will submit their favorite images to be judged by our esteemed panelists.  It is truly one of the best ways to improve your photography. I can remember my first print competition many years ago  – I selected my four favorite images, printed them up to 16x20 perfection, and submitted them to the jury panel. I was pretty disappointed when my highest scoring print only scored a 79, just to point shy of a 80 score blue ribbon print.

I continued submitting prints year after year in the early days of my profession and within four years was taking the top awards at the state and regional conventions. In fact, one of my images scored a perfect 100!  That was quite a thrill. It is an excellent way to compare your work to others in the photography profession. You can get all the details of this year's PhotoPro Expo Print Competition right here. 

Why Print Competition?

Anyway this year's PhotoPro Expo Print Competition is a wonderful opportunity for photographers to see how their images stand up against their peers. We all think we are so good until we see our work compared to other really great photographers. The excitement this year begins on February 2, the first day of our PhotoPro Expo. It's exciting to watch the prints being scored and hear the judges comments. It's easy for me to sit there for hours and just hang on every word.  I did an earlier blog post discussing what the judges are looking for in print competition [link].  If you are seriously considering entering the print competition, I suggest you give it a read right here.

Bet On The Print Scores & Win CASH!

At this year's PhotoPro Expo Print Competition we have a brand-new treat for all photographers who enjoy the judging process. This year we are hosting our Clubhouse Print Lounge where you'll be able to bet with the judges.  The photographer most closely guessing the judges’ scores has a chance to take home $50-$100 in the process. We have my good friend, Ralph Romaguera, flying all the way in from New Orleans to moderate the event. It should be a great time and a lot of fun.

Win The LexJet Award & $200 Gift Card!

Also this year we are offering a brand-new print award sponsored by LexJet. Any photographer submitting their entries on LexJet media will be eligible for the LexJet award which includes, not just a beautiful trophy, but also $200 in LexJet media. I think this is a wonderful opportunity for someone to take home a great prize. Lexjet has available an outstanding blog post on just what is involved to win the Lexjet award. You can find that link right here.

To be eligible to enter PhotoPro Expo Print Competition, you need to be a member of the PhotoPro Network. The cost to join is only $49 a year and there are a ton of membership benefits just for joining including being able to enter the PhotoPro Expo Print Competition. You can get all the details about PhotoPro Network VIP membership right here.

Seriously, Wedding Photography

Hey gang, I've got three great links for you today pertaining specifically to wedding photography. I found all three excellent reads. 

Denis Reggie: The State Of Wedding Photography 2012

The first is from a post [link] from my good friend Denis Reggie who photographs the top weddings in the country. Denis, like myself has seen wedding photography change dramatically over the many years we have both been in business. I've certainly blogged about the state of affairs here DigitalProTalk many times. Here is another great article on that topic right here from one of the industry leaders – highly recommended.

BTW, Denis will be offering complimentary portfolio reviews this Sunday afternoon at PPA ImagingUSA in New Orleans at 2:00 p.m. along with Joyce Tenneson. Please come by the Canon trade show booth with a selection of your images... laptop, iPad, or an album is fine. We hope to see you in New Orleans.

History Of Engagement Rings With 40 Wedding Ring Photography Ideas

This second link discusses the history of wedding rings.  As a wedding photographer, I've always been this interested in wedding customs not only in the United States but also around the world. I encourage you to give this quite interesting article a read right here.

In addition to picking up a little bit of history on weddings, the article also includes 40 very creative wedding ring ideas that you just may want to incorporate in your next wedding shoot. Some of these images are off-the-wall, some are quite beautiful,  but they all get the creative juices flowing  when looking for new ideas on how to photograph the wedding bands.

Winter Wedding Light Painting
I found the image below and this third link really interesting. Years ago I was photographing a Fourth of July wedding and the bride and groom asked me to find a way to use sparklers in one of my wedding photographs that illustrated the Fourth of July holiday. I set the camera on a tripod and held the shutter open while they traced the heart through the air with the burning sparklers. As they touched the sparklers together at the bottom of the “heart” I fired my off-camera flash, had them kiss, and got a great image.

The photographer featured in this post, Danny Turcotte Jr., used something completely different – steel wool. Yes, that's what I said steel wool. I didn't even know that you could set fire to a piece of steel wool but apparently you can. Anyway he came up with this great wedding photograph – why not give a read right here on exactly how he did it.

So What Have You Done Lately – A Little Inspiration 

One of the highlights of my week is to peruse Zite on my iPad and find interesting sources of photographic inspiration and then share that information with you, our DigitalProTalk readers. This week I have three great links that I think you'll really, really enjoy. 

Top 20 Young Photographers 2012

The first features the top 20 young photographers of 2012.  Check out the link right here to see what some of these new top guns, like 21 year old Faye Thompson above are accomplishing photographically. As I look through the list, and yes, you will recognize a few of the names, it sure puts me in awe of the talent these young photographers exude.

As you review this list of wonderfully talented photographers, I also want to point out that PhotoPro Expo’s very own Lindsay Adler is featured in this list. Yes, Lindsay is one of the speakers presenting at our PhotoPro Expo in just three weeks. Her fashion work is truly amazing. She has an eye for color and composition that rivals the best of the best. I sure hope you can check out her program here at PhotoPro Expo in three weeks.

44 Beautiful Eyes Photography

I also enjoyed looking through the images of this link. You know, a person's eyes other Windows on the world. How we photograph a person's eyes is important in capturing the essence of our portrait subject.  Each of these images [link], captures something truly special in each one of the subjects featured in this post.

10 Beautiful Landscape Photos From Chip Phillips

And finally, some of the most inspirational links that I find feature landscape photography. There's a lot of great landscape photographers but the images featured in this post are just absolutely amazing. I always enjoy making landscape photographs myself as we tour around the country and the world. I just wish that when I press the button that occasionally what I capture is something similar to these incredibly beautiful images featured in this post today.

Photoshop Freebies

I got some great Photoshop freebies for you today. Just consider it is my New Year's gift to all of our DigitalProTalk readers.  All kidding aside, I think there's some great resources  that we can all use on or 2012 projects. Enjoy!

• 30 Free Photoshop Actions Which Never Fails To Amaze: [link]
• 25 Useful Dirt Texture Collection: [link]
• 80 All-You-Need Photoshop Brushes: [link]

Thanks to H.W Capps, one of our DPT readers, for sharing the link with me to share with you.

One For The Road; 20 Mile High Flying, and Dropping iPads

I don't know about you but I'm just not a huge fan of watching lots of YouTube videos. But, every now and then one comes along that captures my attention.

iPad Survives 100,000+ Foot Fall From Space

This YouTube video posted by Mashable [link] shows how they used a weather balloon to carry an iPad about 20 miles in the air just at the edge of space then pop the balloon and let the iPad drop 20 miles back to earth.

It's a fascinating video because they filmed both the accent and the much more rapid descent of the iPad. Their entire balloon apparatus also included  GPS devices that they could use to track where the iPad finally landed.

It was amazing to me that after rising nearly 20 miles into the air and then dropping 20 miles back to earth, that the iPad landed only about 70 feet from where they had released it.  To have such little drift over that 40 mile iPad journey the wind sure must've been nearly non-excitant.  Anyway, like I said, I don't watch many YouTube videos but the scientific aspects of this one  piqued my curiosity, hope you enjoy it too.

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Hey gang that's it for me today. I have Tom Nickell, CEO of Delux Gear, stopping by for a visit. Delux Gear is a brand-new company and is producing some very fascinating photography gear for the wedding and portrait photographer.  I can't wait to see what Tom has to show. I'll fill you in on our visit in tomorrow's post.

Have a great rest of the day and I'll see everybody tomorrow for a brand-new episode of Technique Tuesday: 5 Fabulous, Fantastic, Fun Ways To Super Cool Backgrounds.

See you then, David

The Most Important Tool In Your Gear Bag

Good Morning Everybody,

Can you believe we are almost at the end of 2011?  Time flies when you're having fun.  We've got some personal items, Christmas with LaDawn’s family, on our plate today so let's get on with today's post.

The Most Important Tool In Your Gear Bag

How important are F-stops and shutter speeds in your life?  In many of the comments I read on my DPT posts the question comes up all the time about why I used this shutter speed, that F-Stop, a certain ISO, etc…..  and it got me thinking.  Are those numbers all that important?  Well, the quick answer is of course they are.  But let me ask again, are they the most important aspect of photography.  I would have to answer categorically - NO!

Of Course F-Stops and Shutter Speeds Are Important

Wait, don’t leave yet - hear me out. Obviously shutter speeds and F-stops are important to your photography. The proper use of both, including the appropriate ISO all can be used to finesse the image to it's final result.  Shallow depth of field can be used to isolate the portrait subject from the background. Panning a race car at a slower shutter speed can really increase the feeling of motion in the finished image. High altitude ISOs allow us to capture images never before possible.  And all this is good.

But, what is the best thing we can learn to do for our photography? Better said, what is the most important item we need to practice, learn, and still continue to practice if we want to be a great photographer?  The answer - learning how to see.  And that includes knowing how to effectively spot and capture the moment and compose the image for maximum impact for the viewer.

Too many photographers get "mostly" wrapped up in the "nuts and bolts" of this profession, let's call it the "craft" of this profession.  And that is good - it's the "mostly" part of the previous sentence that will "kill" any chance of you becoming a great photographer.  You may indeed be a good photographer but never a great photographer if you forever languish in the nuts and bolts tool shop of this profession.

The Journey To Greatness

A photographer can become great if he/she constantly strive to learn how to see and constantly raise their expectations as to what the final image should represent.  Visualization is the key - knowing in your mind's eye what you want the camera to capture.  And, unfortunately this important element does not come easy or fast to many photographers.  For most of us, our journey to "greatness" is a process that we need to exercise often, if not everyday.

I’m surely not claiming any greatness on my behalf.  I still look over my images and know I could do better.  But one thing I continue to do - is practice, practice, practice!  I love the piece of advice I received from one of the outstanding photographers of our time, Jay Maisel, when I asked him why he always had his camera with him.  Jay quickly answered, "You can't take a picture without a camera, and you never know when that great photograph will come along.  I'm always ready for it."

It was an eye opening remark for me as a photographer who has been in business longer than I will admit in this post. I nearly always had a camera with me where ever I went.  The difference today is that I ALWYS have a camera with me now - yes, ALWAYS!

And did I say practice was important too - of course.  I defer to Malcolm Gladwell's 10,000 hour rule he references in his book "Outliers".  The bottom line of that chapter was that great/successful people spent 10,000 hours working on being great and/or successful.  How many hours have you got invested?  Are you close yet?  And even when you invest those 10,000 hours, is that it?  Is that the time to quit?  No, it’s time to start your next 10,000 hours.

Not many photographers care about being great.  But some us want to push the envelope.  Some of us want to continue to learn and grow. To not do so would be anathema to ourselves and our profession. How great do you want to be? The choice is up to you.  Maybe it’s time to set aside the nuts and bolts for a while and simply grab your cameras and practice, practice, practice!. 2012 is just around the corner so let’s all set new goals and shoot for the stars.

-Food for thought.

p.s. You may also like this related article entitled:

How to Be a Great Photographer [link]

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Hey gang, that's my soap box speech for today.  We've got a family gathering this afternoon and Chef David needs to return to his kitchen duties and continue with all the preparations.  So it’s off with my camera and on with my apron;~) Then dash away, dash away, dash away all!

I'll plan to see everyone tomorrow for another Business Day Thursday post.

Have a great one and I'll see you then,  David

"Wrong Side Of The Bars"

"Wrong Side Of The Bars"
©David A. Ziser

This image was captured during another down-the-street photo walk yesterday. I had given myself an assignment to shoot with Sigma’s 85mm F1.4 lens exposing the images at only F1.4.

As I passed by one of the homes I liked the streaking bright light across the rough textured wall on the other side of the fence.  I framed up the shot and pressed off a few frames.  The very wide aperture threw the bars of the fence well out of focus.

Next it was into Lightroom 3 where I tweaked the colors and tonalities. Originally the fence was quite a bit lighter, but with the “Black Level” slider, I was able to darken it’s tones considerably.  The darken result was to give the image the look, in my eyes, of a prisoner’s view of haunting prison bars.

The bright streaks of light beckon the prisoner to hope and freedom, but the dark bars forbid him from making that journey.

Camera specs: Canon 7D fitted with Sigma 85mm F1.4 lens @ F1.6 (it got nudged up from F1.4 inadvertently), 1/800 second, ISO 200.  Enjoy!  -David

Doing Image Competition Right!

Good Afternoon Everybody,

I spent a good bit of the morning readying our Help-Portrait images.  Sarah is taking over and will complete the final retouching on them.  The plan is to get them down to Costco tomorrow for printing. 

Thanks to everyone who offered suggestions on how to get the best color from Costco’s printing services.  I thought the best was the online upload of the images and even gave it a try.  It really works quite well.  The only problem – I can’t pick them up at our Cabo Costco it only works in the states.  Back to Plan B – try to QC the printing at the store, language barrier and all.  I’ll keep you posted.  There’s bound t0 be a lesson in here somewhere ;~)

That’s the latest update from this part of the world so let’s get on with todays post.  Hope you enjoy it.

Doing Print Competition Right!

OK, we just wrapped our Hot Shots Image Competition and I hope you have had an opportunity to see the results.  Now you’re fired up and want to enter and make a great showing next time around, maybe even make it into the Top 10!  What are a few key things you can do to enhance your chances of scoring well and maybe even winning?

I thought yesterday was a great post first, because it was jammed packed with great images and secondly, because if you hit the PPA links near the end of the post, you got some great insight as to what the judges are looking for in an image.

Today, I want to ramp it up another notch and point out one of the easiest things you can do to your images that almost guarantee a  point or two increase in your score. And that, is the image presentation.

Key Lining Is A Nice Touch

In our image competition we saw some great images but what was it that set the winners apart from so many other entries?  It was how they were presented to the judges.  Let me show you what I’m talking about.  Let’s look at the first image below.

I remember when this image came up on my screen – I loved it! It was beautifully photographed and had quite a dramatic feel to it.  What it was unfortunately lacking was a better presentation.

Hey, I know this “image competition thing” is new to many of you which is why I’m taking the time to share with you some tried and true secrets of the top competitors. 

Now let’s look at the next image.

Again, we have a striking image.  I have to admit, I like the blurred water in the first image better.  So what is it about this image that adds a  bit of a coolness factor to its presentation?  It’s the key lining around the image, isn’t it?  The very small line around the image makes it seem to pop right off of the page.

Now what happens if we do the same thing to the first image we looked at.  Check it out below.

The thin little key line did a nice job of really showcasing the maker’s image.  I also punched up the flowing water’s highlights by using the dodge tool in “highlight” mode. It made a BIG difference, didn’t it?

Slim Line Cropped Images

Check out the next image below. Kind of different isn’t it?  What makes it so different – the super slim crop.  It’s so different from the majority of the images submitted.  And, it’s that difference that catches the judges eye.

To add an element of surprise by adjusting the print presentation is a favorite technique used by many master photographers over the years. This image did not score as high as I would have scored it, but that’s what image judging is all about – differences of opinion.  During a regular competition like we have scheduled for PhotoPro Expo 2102 in February, the  five person judging panel will really get “lively” as they challenge, discuss, and re-score the images.  It’s exciting to watch.

Match The Mounting To The Background 

Let’s take a look at the next image.  I think it’s gorgeous!  It’s simple, elegant, and beautifully presented.

It’s the “white on white” matting of this image that makes it so striking for me.  Do you see what the maker has done?  Instead of just presenting the image on just any color background, white was used to compliment the solid white background of the tulips. Key lining finished the job for a great image presentation.

Key The Key Line

Let’s take a look at one more image.  Again, it’s just a simple, yet beautiful bridal portrait. But what makes it stand out as a great image presentation?

Click on the image to make it larger and notice how the maker used two key lines in this case, each key line picking up the subtle tonalities of the yellow bridal bouquet.  The maker of the tulip image above did the same thing. Both image just seem to jump off the page.

So there you have it, a few ideas, tips, tricks, and techniques of the trade that you can use the next time you enter a image competition.

Good luck!

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We have just a few more days remaining in Mexico and we’re planning to enjoy every one of them. The sunshine is calling and I don’t want to be late so I’ll catch you later.  Have a great one!

See everybody tomorrow.

-David

"Line Of Sight"

"Line Of Sight"
©David A. Ziser

Here is another abstract I made during one of our walks down Finestera street this past week. I saw the sunlight reflecting off the wall and carefully positioned the camera to just have the front wall connect with the back wall above it.  That left just a slight sliver of black to contrast off the bright yellow of the sunlight.

Both walls were heavily textured because of the concrete construction process used down here.  I accentuated those textures in Lightroom with a combination of adjustments.

Next, I adjusted the colors, hues, and contrasts of the scene to arrive at the color palette I wanted for this image. The subtleties of textures and colors playing against the bright yellow streak of light make for an enjoyable visual experience.

Camera specs: Canon 7D filler with 18-200mm IS lens at 145mm F8.0 @ 1/200 second, ISO 320.  Enjoy!  -David

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Hey gang, I’m shortening the post up early today.  It’s the last day down here with our friends, Cindy and Ralph who will be leaving tomorrow, so we’re hanging with them all day. 

Over the weekend I’ll re-cap our HOTS Image Competition and Review.  It went great BTW.  I’ll also post the winning images and prizes too.  Lot's of folks asked when we’ll be doing it again.  I’ll let you know on Monday.

Have a great weekend in what ever part of the world you live and I’ll see you bright and early on Monday.

Adios Everybody,  David

"Shadow Play"

"Shadow Play"
©David A. Ziser

A simple, easy photograph that makes good use of lines - horizontal, vertical, and diagonal along with the implied textures of the shadow play of the thatch like roof above. It was made while taking a short tour of one of the golf clubs in Cabo.

I played with the interpretation both as B&W and color and prefer the B&W rendition.  I softened the shadows even more to give the image an even softer quality.

I love photographing this kind of subject matter when we’re visiting Mexico.  It’s so different than what we’re used to seeing in the Midwest especially at this time of year.

Camera specs:  Canon 7D fitted with 18-200mm IS lens 200mm, F5.6 @ 1/250 second, ISO 200.  Enjoy!  -David

Quick Hit Monday: All Photography Links - All Day

Good Morning Everybody,

I can't believe this is our 6th day here in the land of sun and fun - time just flies by when you don't have much to do ;~)  Ha - it's back to work today.  More finishing touches on PhotoPro Expo 2012 brochure, getting ready for Hot Shots Print Competition and webcast this Thursday, and getting started on my program outlines/articles (due in two weeks) for Photoshop World coming up In Washington DC next March 26, 2012.

Yep, it's still kind of busy - even in Cabo. Nevertheless I've still got a few good links for you to check out today on Quick Hit Monday.  Here we go.

Monday Morning's Best Photography Links Of Interest:

The Diplomatic Photograph Of The Century! [link]

How do you photograph 100 Heads Of State, all who speak a different language and get them to stand in the right position, and all smile at the same time?  That was the challenge for my good friend, Terry Deglau, who was working at Eastman Kodak at the time.

CNN interviewed Terry about the experience and the challenges he faced to capture this most important photograph.  I've heard parts of the story over the years but seeing Terry's interview really brought those many challenges into view.  It was an amazing photographic feat.  Check out Terry's interview right here.

Prime Lenses: Pros and Cons: [link]

Hey folks, check out this well written post over at Picture Correct before you purchase your next lens.  It's a very informative read for all photographers.

Introduction To Night Photography: [link]

I always enjoy a little night photography.  I rely on my camera and my intuition to get my best images.

If you're looking for a place to begin, check out this article right here.  It's a good read.

Photojournalists Becoming A Thing Of The Past?  [link]

Yes, this is one of those very scary stories and points up just how quickly the photographic landscape is changing for so many photographers and videographers.  Give it a read right here.  It's important we constantly strive to be creative and never rest on out laurels.

Photographer Shoot-off: Lara Jade VS Joey L.: [link]

Those of you that have ever followed the Strobist know that Joey L. is an accomplished, world class photographer in spite of his very young age.  Lara Jade is also a fantastic fashion photographer.  This post at Joey's site is a great de-construct of the thought processes both photographers went through to get their respective final images.  I love these kinds of posts that invite the reader into the mind of creative people.

Iceland Time-lapse Photography: [link]

This beautiful short time-lapse film right here was captured during the Icelandic Midnight Sun in June of 2011 and has become a recent viral video garnering over a million views in the last few months.  A hope this will provide to you a little Monday morning Inspiration for your soul.

Video of Wave Destroying Canon 5D Mark II at (Where Else?) Cannon Beach: [link]

OK, I'm going out on a limb on this post.  If you get queasy watching a $2,500 camera getting trashed, please do not hit this link!  Oh, alright - everything turns out fine anyway so go ahead and hit the link above.  Filmmaker Kurtis Hough was shooting the Pacific Ocean with his Canon 5D Mark II at (irony of ironies) Cannon Beach in Oregon when a wave took down his entire rig. You won't believe this story and video.
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Hey gang, that's it for me today.  Our friends Ralph and Cindy Romaguera arrived yesterday and we're all hanging today just chillin' in the Cabo breezes.  Hope things are as sunny in your part of the world ;~)

Have a great rest of the day and I'll see you tomorrow,  David

Wednesday Wonderfulness: Creative Self Assignments

Good Afternoon Everybody,

We got a short day today. As a matter of fact we are only working a half day today. Unless we have some last minute orders, we have most everything caught up for holidays which is always a relief. Today LaDawn and I begin the holiday festivities with family so I'm going to keep today's post short and sweet.  Here we go.

Wednesday Wonderfulness: Creative Self Assignments

I think one of the best ways to get your creative juices flowing is with self assignments. Those self assignments can center around photographing shapes, colors, the alphabet, focal lengths, f-stops, shutter speeds, etc.  What I'm suggesting is to pick a theme like F1.4 and then make a whole series of images just at that single f-stop. Another way to do it is to select a certain lens focal length and then just make all your images at that single focal length.

I recently talked to my buddies up at Sigma USA and asked them if they could loan me one of their new 85mm F1.4 lenses. Happily they said yes and I should be getting that lens today... yippee, it just showed up!

I've said it a1 million times  that I'm just not a “fast glass” type of a guy.  I've always preferred image stabilization to fast class. I've also never been a fan of medium telephoto lenses.  I'm a wide angle lens freak and have always enjoyed exploring the outer reaches of the widest settings of my wide-angle lenses.

My good friend and Ace number one assistant, Nicholas Viltrakis, tested both the Sigma 85mm F1.4  and the Canon 85mm F1.2 lens.  He opted to go with the Sigma 85mm F1.4  mainly because  it saved him about $800 over the cost of the Canon lens and he loved its sharpness. Both lenses are really on the mark optically.  In fact Popular Photography magazine, in the current issue, named the Sigma 85mm F1.4 as one of the sharpest lenses they tested in that range. That's why I wanted to get my hands on one and give it a test drive.

Okay, I said I'm not a fast class guy and I'm not a fan of the medium format telephotos. So, why in the world would I want to test drive Sigma’s 85mm F1.4?  Here’s why. A few weeks ago when photographing a Bar Mitzvah, Nicholas brings his Sigma lens along to the shoot. He graciously offered me a chance to give it a try. After that short test drive, I fell in love with that lens.

Now you know I'm also a huge fan of high ISOs. I also love to capture candid expressions of the guests attending these events with just the natural light of the reception. That is exactly what I did capturing the image above. As you know, that light can be very, very dim. After trying Sigma 85mm F1.4 for a few images, The image was captured at 1/80 second @F1.4 at ISO 3200. It looks great and consequently I was hooked. The lens was just long enough to allow me to get my "reach-out-and-touch-somebody" candids  and the combination of the F1.4 aperture and my high ISO shooting, I had no problem at all capturing the images I wanted.

My New Self Portrait Assignment

So, what else can I use this lens for? I'm really looking forward to giving it a try out on a trip to Cabo coming up next week.  I plan to do one of those self assignments again. I plan to keep the lens at F1.4 and shoot away at about any and all subject matter I can point the camera at. I'll have the lens attached to my Canon 7D making the effective focal length of the lens 136mm.  My friend, Kent Smith, will have his Canon 5D with him so I can give the lens a workout on that camera as well.

Anyway the bottom line is this; Give yourself a few of these creative self assignments and let your creativity go wild. What happens is that you'll be working outside your comfort zone and your creative mind and your emotions will be experiencing something that they may not have experienced before. It's these kinds of visual exercises that can really help us improve our photography. I think it's something we should practice at least once a month maybe even once a week. If we truly want to advance ourselves in the field of photography then explore, experiment, and gather some additional knowledge. . It's always a fun, exciting, creative, sometimes frustrating eye-opening experience.

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Hey gang, that's it for me today. Were heading out the door the next couple of hours and enjoying our first taste of Thanksgiving day dinner. I want to personally wish each and every one of you a Happy Thanksgiving!! I'll have a few thoughts on the Thanksgiving Day holiday tomorrow.

I hope to see you then. – David