Take the time to slow down and see

Over the years, photojournalists reach a point where they refine their personal approach to shooting skills. Each approach is different, but most of whom I have talked too all agrees that the basis a visual approach is the trained ability to see everything in great detail.

The late Frank Hoy, who I had as an instructor at the Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University taught his students an exercise in detailed seeing called the EDFAT – Entire, Details, Frame, Angles, and Time, a method I still use  today.

I organize a photograph in terms of using three categories: the establishing shot, the medium shot, and the close up.

One of the traits of being a good photojournalist is to slow down, observe on what's going on around you and then start making pictures. Many times I've just walked through a village, and watched without taking a picture, a habit that I still do today. While making images in a fishing village, I parked near the marina, observed what was going on and then started capturing images of fishermen working on their boats, offloading fish, preparing for the next day, net mending and fishing.

The old saying, “what you see you can photograph” only applies to someone who sees in detail. So take the time to make a short field trip as a practical test method. Sling your camera on your shoulder and carry it with you while you learn to see deeply and in detail during a short walking tour in an area where there are a lot of people, and then take pictures.

Some days can be Ying and Yang

Toshi and I decided to take a different route on our daily walks. We've come this way often and photographically it's never yielded any decent images I was proud of capturing. Maybe on those days my balance and awareness wasn't in harmony with one another. I've seen this scene many times as we passed and never stopped. However, today we stopped and much to Toshiro's displeasure and impatience, I was able to capture the simple beauty of the leading lines and color contrast of this vine growing up a fence.

No Pain, No Gain.

This weekend instead of watching the Super Bowl I headed out to Damon Point in Ocean Shores, Washington to capture some images of the Snowy Owl, visitors from the Arctic, who, don't make it this far South.

Traveling around Ocean Shores is one of those places where if you don't know where you're going, then it takes awhile to get there.  Pulling up in the parking lot, getting the gear together, I asked a couple of passing photographers, where the Owls might be. They pointed down the beach and said, "you see that grassy area about 1 1/2 miles, that's the location, but then you have to walk another mile or so to reach where they are."

So, armed with a 400mm lens, a tripod, two cameras, and batteries I headed off.  Walking down a sandy beach with your feet sinking in the sand is bad enough, but carrying 50 plus pounds of photographic gear made the trek a bit more difficult. It was a nice afternoon and with the grassy area getting nearer, the walk because easier.

Once there, the owls were easy to spot, because of all the bird watchers and photographers gathered in one or another location. Still, I have to walk through the tall grass, over and around huge driftwood logs that were washed up on the beach to get near enough to take photos.

The owls were amazing raptors, sitting there on a piece of driftwood or perched in a tree,  just letting the hordes of people walk around their location. I set up my gear and was able to capture the two-and a half foot tall bird, until they either grew tired of people and flew to another spot.  Where they went, we all went. It was kind of like following a pro golfer up and down the links during a tournament.  Unless, you were in that right  shooting location  it was hard to capture them in flight. However, I did get some really photos of them in the evenings "magic light".

 My feet, shoulders, back and legs hurt from totting the gear to and from,  but before relaxing,  I needed to  download, edit, tone and caption images to send off to UPI before soaking my weary bones in a hot tub.

Waking up early even more sore and stiff from the previous day, I packed up, and headed out with hopes of capturing the owls in flight.

My hopes were dashed when a passing a returning photographer, who mentioned that she was able to capture a grouping of owls in one area, but they flew off in different directions. What a depressing thing to hear. I envisioned only capturing the same type of images from the evening before.  I almost gave up, turned around to head home, yet, I continued onward.

This time there wasn't  too many photographers and bird watchers, so I was able to get within a closer range to make images.  I only carried a 300mmf2.8, and 70-200mm f2.8, two camera bodies, extra batteries, a 1.4 and 2x extenders. No tripod today, I decided to hand hold my lenses making it easier to follow the birds when they took flight.

You can't image the excitement I felt while looking into my preview screen and previewing the landing, flying and taking off photos. I spent the  better part of the morning into the late afternoon following the birds, and even managed to caption some frames of two of them together and afterwards decided to head back down the beach to car. I was even more so tired and sore, however, I'm a firm believer in that old adage, "No Pain, No Gain!

Here's a few of the images I capture.

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2930266467123&set=a.2930263667053.130032.1574841571&type=1&theater
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2922805000591.129875.1574841571&type=3

Learning the finer art of Patience

There are times when I like getting as one in nature and capturing wildlife or landscapes pictures. Don't get me wrong, I'm still passionate about being a photojournalist and a sports shooter, however, getting lost in nature is refreshing at times. Waiting for the sunlight to be in the right position, or an animal or bird to come within your frame sometimes is a test of patience.

While in the Navy and stationed in Pensacola, I became friends with another photographer, who happened to be a avid deer hunter. While I liked to shoot deer with a camera, he, on the other hand was a compound bow hunter, was looking for a hunting companion and started giving me lessons. 

It was pretty neat going out in the afternoons and flinging arrows at deer targets and after a few short weeks I was ready for my "first" kill.

I didn't care about getting up at dark thirty, driving out into the woods and waiting in the cold for hours in hope of bagging a deer, but after a few hunts I was become comfortable while our in the woods. At times we often saw deer, however, they never came within bow range.

When I returned home my wife, Amy , would inquire, "Is Bambi safe, how about it's mom and dad?" So, I told even through we didn't bag us a deer, it was a lot fun, getting out early, watching the early morning ground mist burn off with the rising sun, listening to the birds and getting as one with nature.

Rick talked me into trying another technique, tree stands. Not only were you able to get a higher vantage, but at higher level your human sent would be harder to detect and if  you applied some nasty smelling liquid called "Deer in Heat", hopefully would bring deer withing shooting range. He selected an area with plenty of deer runs, we both chose trees at opposite runs, climbed up a tree and set up the stand, sat and waited.

It wasn't long before I got lost in my thoughts while scanning the area for deer, watching the sunlight reflecting off the wet leaves really brought out the beauty and contrasting fall colors of the various trees. I wished I was holding a camera instead of a bow.

Suddenly, a shout broke the tranquility of a peaceful morning, "For Christ sake will you shoot that deer!" I looked down and noticed three or four deer, not 20 yards from me munching berries off a bush, but after hearing Rick's outbreak, their little white tails rose and off they disappeared down the trail from where they came.

Once again I could safely tell Amy, "Bambi's parents were safe." It was a quite ride home, until Rick finally broke the silence. "What were you thinking, why didn't you shoot the deer?" I went into detail about getting lost in my thoughts while enjoying nature's beauty.

That morning was my last bow hunt.  I'm still the "great white hunter" and instead of a bow, I hunt with a camera. I did, however, come away with many lessons learned by spending hours in once location, but more importantly, I learned that sometimes it takes patience and time to capture that special photograph.

Capturing story telling travel photos

 

If you are like most photographers who fill up digital cards with photographs to put together a personal vision of your travels or, you might be assembling a power point/slide show in hopes that they will wow folks, and if you have hopes of someday impressing travel section newspaper or magazine editors and art directors with your story telling pictures, then you will need to educate yourself on how to take better travel pictures. One way that might help is to study the magazine content.

Photography and travel go together like peanut better and jelly. Many of us like to travel to places filled with beautiful landscapes and interesting people and for most part; your photographic journey begins just beyond the front door.

At an recent slide show I presented on travel photography, a person asked, “I’ve been to some of the same places as you and own some of the same equipment as you do too, but my photographs aren’t as good as yours. Why?”

The only difference I’ve come across between professionals and amateurs are, that the professionals think before they photograph. A scene I’ve witnessed more than once shows the difference: A camera-toting tourists, spots a scene worth shooting. He momentarily breaks loose, throws his camera to his eye, fires off a few images and then returns to his group.

The difference? A professional photographer will always leave his family at home when they are out working. Only kidding, I’ve know National Geographic photographers who have taken their family along on six-month-long assignments. My wife and family have been on vacations from the Grand Canyon, to Hawaii, Tokyo, Hokkaido’s Ice and Snow Festivals to bullfights in Portugal and to the Panamian rain forest. And when it comes to having to wait for me to get that “shot”, they’ve got to be the most patience family in the world. Besides, it helps to find a hotel with a swimming pool and hot tub for them to relax and play in while I’m out photographing.

My wife says I’m interesting to watch as I photograph. Why? Because, I’ll study the scene to either take mental notes or to jot them down in a notebook. Then taking time to walk here or there, climbing up high or stooping low to find a choice angle and location from which to shoot from, and then only to decide to return later for the beautiful colors of early morning or evening lighting.

Here’s some tips I’ve prepared by learning the hard way, from experience making “mistakes” in the field.

Research in advance of going, spend time at the local library or on the Internet and earn all about your destination. Look for information on cultures, customs, weather, history, politics, wildlife, industry, sports and festivals. You’ll get an idea on what types of photographs you’ll be able to take, what equipment you’ll need as well as what to wear and how to get around.

Using light. Light is the strongest element in photography. Study travel magazines and you’ll notice most of the photographs are either taken in the early morning or late afternoon hours. That’s because the quality of light during these times is much more pleasing to the eye, because it’s warmer with deeper shades of red, orange, yellow. Shadows are also longer, adding a sense of depth to the height and width to the scene you are photographing.

Take photographs that tell the whole story of your travel destination. This means packing your wide-angle and telephoto lenses and photograph people, landscapes, wildlife, flowers, markets and buildings. Shoot a wide variety of indoor and outdoor pictures. Photograph everything, even the food you eat! And be ready to shoot under any lighting conditions.

Ask yourself what’s unique about this place. Editors and art directors often look for establishing shots, the trademark that “says something about your travels in visual terms. Get an idea on what to shoot, go to a local card shop and look at picture postcards of the area’s landmarks.

Great pictures are make, not taken. A photographer studies the scene and chooses the elements/subjects to include in the scene. Don’t be afraid to crop in your viewfinder, only adding your real subject and capturing that only. It’s very tempting to include too many elements in a picture because of the beauty of a scene. Being selective with what elements you add will make a more dramatic image. Think about making a picture rather than taking a picture.

Look for different angles in your shooting. There’s no rule that states that all photographs must be shot from eye level. Take a variety of images of your subject shot from different locations. Change photo angles and switch lenses, as this will change your photographic view as well.

Keep your subjects interested. Most travel photos will be of people in various situations. You’ll find that people make the most interesting photos and you need to find a way to communicate with them. I carry a foreign language dictionary for each country I visit and learn some phases that might help when I want to photograph someone. Speaking a phase of the local language gives the subject a chance to warm up to you.

Dare to be different and break the so-called rules of photographic composition and be creative. Listen to your instincts and shoot pictures from the heart! 

Love for the game

I spent last six days last week (July 16-22) covering the West Central District 2 Big League Baseball Tournament in Silverdale, WA. The 16-18 year-old players  from Arizona, Washington, Northern and Southern California, Hawaii, Nevada and Oregon were competing in a tournament where the winner advanced to the World Series played in Easley, South Carolina. In the six days, I shot over 9,000 frames during the 16 games and here are a few of my of my favorite images. While most games were pretty much lopsided victories, some were close, including the championship game between the California teams. With the score tied 1-1 going into the bottom of the 7th inning Northern California scored the winning run on a wild pitch throw by the Southern California reliever. Good luck to the Northern California team, do West Central District 2 proud.

Being there is what matters

One phase a photographer doesn’t want to hear is, “Hey, you should have been here earlier!” This is just what I was greeted to from the front desk clerk as we checked into the Grand Canyon Lodge.  

We planned to arrive a few hours or so before sunset at the South Rim so that I would have ample time to setup and take pictures of one of the Worlds Seven Wonders basked in what photographers call, “magic light.”

It was so cloudy I didn’t think there wouldn’t be any picture taking possibilities, but the clerk mentioned that weather conditions constantly change around the canyon and he’ll ring the room if there’s a break in the weather.

Settling in for the evening, I attached the camera on a tripod and waited. Sometimes, we’re blessed with a little luck and a few minutes later I received the call, only to run outside to see the canyon surrounded by clouds and being lit by a ray of sunshine. However, I was able to capture a dozen shots before the canyon was once again socked in.

There’s another saying photographers’ use, “It’s 95 percent being there and five percent dumb luck.” In this case that phase was all too true.