It has been a while, and we're back in the saddle.

Hi there.

Family Photography can be way cool.... and fun!

It has been more than a year since I wrote any tips.
Maybe you thought I had said all there was to say,
or maybe you thought I had said all I know.

Nah. I've just been busy.

I've been working Ithaca Virtual Tours, creating fabulous 360° virtual tours for Real Estate, Bed and Breakfasts, Funeral homes and Wineries. The tours are fun to create, but a bit on the complex side.

I've been working with a beautiful Adirondack Resort on their photography...

And a great deal of other things, but the most fun I've been having recently is photographing families.
There is a dynamic involved with families that goes beyond photography, and well into the realm of psychology.

Many of you with your fancy cameras are asked by your friends to photograph their families. I'm going to help you by sharing a couple of my most treasured trade secrets. I can guarantee that your family photos - whether it is your family or someone else's, will be better than ever before.

First, get to know them. The time you spend before doing photography will pay you great dividends, especially if there are children involved. Go ahead. Roll around with them on the floor. Play peek-a-boo. Talk video games. Find something nice to say about them that is real. Teenagers in particular can spot insincerity a mile off.

What you are doing is changing your subject's perception of you. You started out (in my case) as the big furry fuzzy scary man called "the photographer", and morphed into a big furry friend who happens to carry a camera. This difference in perception makes ALL the difference. Well, MOST of the difference.

I'm going to skip past posing and lighting, I mean, I have to keep SOME secrets, don't I?

Magic words. You'll love this.

You have all heard "Say Cheese", and your little subjects create that screwed up, "smile for the camera" look that doesn't ever occur in real life. I'm convinced it is an alien effect... Don't ever use "cheese". Bad word.

Here is what I do:

"Say ONE!"  usually followed by silence unless you are photographing a Union group like I did this past Monday. Their returned "ONE!" almost blew me off the step stool...

"No, I mean it. Say ONE!"
"one?"

"Say TWO!"
"two." (not quite so hesitant...)

Can you glare and smile at the same time? It helps. Play with them. "Seriously, do this!!!"

Now, they are in to it.

"One!"
"ONE!!"

"Two!"
"TWO!"

"TURKEY!!!"
This word is the most unexpected thing that they ever thought they'd hear in a photo session. The smiles are genuine, real and beautiful. Be prepared to take several photos in rapid succession to get the whole effect; the confused look while they process what you said, the beautiful smile at the end of the word, and the laughter after.

Other words can have the same effect, like "Chicken", "Girlfriend" (greatest effect on 9-11 year old boys) and anything else you can come up with that is a surprise. "Pickle!" You will have them trying to guess what you will come up with next...

So why am I going through this? Isn't photography "painting with light" and, at its core, a technical pursuit?

No. Photography is capturing emotion in light, and dark, and color. Without emotion, a photo is nothing any more exceptional than a page of newspaper. The emotion of "fun" is what brings back great memories every time you see that photo.

Monroe Payne

Always remember, the EXPERIENCE is every bit as important as the photography.

That is what makes a portrait special.

Until next time.

Please visit my new, upgraded, updated and very pretty new web site, and wander through the galleries of art, Mommy n Me, families, weddings... and I would appreciate you signing the guest book as well.
Click here: Monroe Payne Photography - Ithaca Photographer to visit.

I'm going to say the "C"-word...

Hide the Children.

Lock the doors, and wait for it.

I know you're not ready, but it's for your own good. It's coming.

There are less than three months before....

CHRISTMAS!!!!

It has been a while since we talked. Life has come and gone with a vengeance. We are all returning to normal with a renewed hope and determination for a wonderful future. I hope and pray that your fall and Christmas season will be wonderfully blessed.

So why am I talking about Christmas so early? Well, it's not just Christmas but all of the special occasions that happen in the fall and winter, starting with Columbus day and it's fall colors, Halloween with its decorations and really fun costumes, Thanksgiving gatherings, the avoidance of Black Friday and of course, Christmas.

I see so many photos taken by my friends of their holidays that, well, aren't very good.

So for the next several weeks, I'll be adding my 2 cents about how to make your holiday photos worth keeping and showing year after year.

If you are like I was, and thought that the "P" on the camera stood for "Professional", there is still hope. (For the record, it stands for "Program Automatic") 

Let's start with the photo of the Christmas Tree. With no flash, it's dark and blurry, with flash it's all washed out with the tree too bright, lights barely visible - there seems to be no way to make the photo look like the beautiful, warm, aromatic tree that you just decorated.

First, I can't help with the aroma. You need a live tree for that, and I'm not about to do a scratch n sniff photo of a tree.

But I CAN help with the image.

First, find your owners manual. Develop a good, working, meaningful relationship with it and your camera. Knowing which button to push for what is usually buried in that document, and with enough perseverence, you will find it.

My students are tired of hearing me say "If you want to capture the image that nobody else can, you have to DO what nobody else is willing to DO." This starts with reading and learning the owners manual, which is usually the most neglected enclosure in the box.

Adjust your ISO to the highest it will go - usually 800 or 1000 for point and shoots. Turn the Christmas lights off. Take a photo with no flash. You want the room to be darker than "perfectly exposed", but still be able to see detail in all parts of the room.

OK, now turn the Christmas lights on.

Take another shot. You will see that the lights are overexposed, and that the image is brighter than you had expected. This is ok for the moment. Here is where your owners manual comes in. Adjust your camera to underexpose by one stop. You can find an adjustment in your menus that should be able to accomplish this. If not, you will have to look at the image you just took and read the data - 1/30 at f4 for instance, switch the camera to manual and adjust to 1/30 ad f5.6. You will have to play to get the image you want.

Once you get the exposure right, now it is time to work on the composition. Anybody can stand up and take a photo of a tree straight on. It looks mousy, uninteresting, no matter how well decorated. Discouraged? Don't be.

But remember, what made your tree the wonder of Christmas morning? First, I bet your first memories of Christmas morning had your eyes at about 24 to 30" off the ground. The tree was huge and went on forever, with mountains of presents underneath.

I know from experience that 24 to 30" off the ground is the most painful level for taking photographs. Do what you have to do. Endure. The results will justify your pain.

Zoom way out to try to capture most of the tree, but to increase the feeling of size, let parts of the tree spill outside the frame. And move to the left or right of center. Straight on photos with the tree in the center are uninteresting. Put your self off center, and put the tree or your center of interest off center in the frame. Remember the rule of thirds.

Back earlier in this blog I spoke of "The Sniper Method of Focus". Now would be a good time to revisit that post.

That's a lot to digest for one session. Your homework? Go find the owners manual! Even if you have thrown it away, I'll bet you can find it on line. Learn the modes, and how to adjust your camera. These cameras today have great capabilities, but only if you know how to access them!

My Camera - Does it really matter what I use?

Camera. Does it really matter?

I have been told that "It isn't the Violin, it's the Violinist!"

I've also been told that "a camera is a box with a hole in it."

An Instant of Joy

And many other platitudes with some truth to them.

So it is with this question.

Composition is the first key to a great photograph. To identify what you want to photograph and capture the emotion and the beauty of a scene, it needs to be composed properly. Much of what I have written in these posts have had to do with the elements that make a great photograph. These elements are in the eye of the photographer and have nothing whatever to do with the camera.

The camera is a box with a hole in it. YOU decide what goes through that hole.

But no matter how well you compose an image, if the lens is dirty or cheap plastic like in the disposable cameras, don't expect to find competition winners among the prints. There are limits...

Most cameras have settings that you can adjust to get the best image, like ISO, flash on or off, or scene settings. Most name brand cameras also have very decent quality lenses and sensors. There are a few things to watch out for though.

Digital zoom. Turn it off. Now. I mean it. Stop reading, go get your camera and its manual, and turn Digital Zoom off.

Good. Optical zoom uses movement of the lens elements to adjust the zoom. That is great, and your image quality will not degrade as you zoom in, but digital zoom is another issue altogether. With digital zoom, the image you see is a progressively smaller portion of the image that falls on the sensor, until the image you see is only 100 K of the 10 megapixel sensor, or 1/100 of the resolution and clarity that the camera is capable of using only optical zoom.

The Power of a Kiss. This expression only lasted an instant...

The other fault inexpensive cameras have is the annoying delay between the time you release the shutter and when it finally takes the image. This makes it really difficult to catch the kiss, the puppy who was posed perfectly but has disappeared by the time the camera decided to take the photo, or the magnificent wave you saw crashing in on the beach.

It can be maddening. But it is the price you pay for using an inexpensive camera.

I use Canon products, currently the Canon EOS 5D Mk II. It is a 25 megapixel camera, and when I press the shutter release, it takes the photo instantly. As a pro, I have to have camera and lenses that can capture the instant, the emotion and the fun. It is what I am paid to do. 

Does the camera make me a better photographer?

No.

But it DOES make my images better, clearer, more instantaneous and reproducible to a larger size.

So you see, It isn't the Violin, it's the Violinist...... but a good violinist will sound better on a Stradivarius....

Until next time!

What's in a background?

Amanda Ryen

All of the elements of a great photo need to come together to make it, well, great.

The subject, whether it a vista, flower, family or house, needs to be properly positioned in the frame, so you can show your viewer exactly what you want them to see.

The foreground needs to direct the viewer's eye where you want them to look.

The background, however, is the key. A lousy background makes a lousy photo, no matter what you do. A background has 2 purposes. First, it gives a sense of place, if that is what is intended. For those images where "place" is not necessary, the background should be either completely blurred out, or just not there.

Where place IS necessary, the background's second task is to NOT DISTRACT from the subject, or possibly even add to the subject's impact.

As you might imagine, I have difficulty coming up with examples of images where I messed up.

Oh, take notes here!

Sage thought for the day. If you screw up a photograph, delete it. It never, ever happened. Then, when people see your library of extraordinary photos, they get the idea that all you EVER take, are perfect photos. It's OK. Your secret will be safe with me.

So,  The little girl with antlers and flowers growing out of her head. This is a classic example of timing gone awry. I confess, this little beauty was showing off a flower girl dress, and was so awesome in her performance that I did not notice the background. Also, the child on the lap on the right hand side distracts from the image.

Kathy Nelson

Backgrounds can add so very much to an image. In this portrait of Kathy Nelson who owns a research data analysis firm, the background adds to the personality she has. She is shown (quite accurately) as someone who is friendly, approachable and comfortable to deal with; but also classy, learned and at the top of her field. Without the appropriate background, the image would have been not nearly as effective.

Sometimes, the moment is right, the expressions are perfect, the lighting is grand, and... the background is covered with trash and people. In this case, prepare yourself for a Photoshop session. David and Lauren here are on a beautiful path in a nature preserve in Harrisburg, PA. The problem was that the path had people and trash all over it.

After several hours of Photoshop work, cloning, adjusting levels, erasing and general enhancements, we got the results here.

Next week, your camera. Does it really matter? No...... and yes....

Oh! Homework! Go to a park, or the lake shore, or even your back yard or work... it doesn't matter. Have someone pose for you, and by YOU moving, not them, experiment with your background. Can they hide the garbage can? Can you bring out the personality of the background? Does it add to their composition?

Play! Have fun! You haven't been to a park in too long anyway.

Until next week!

Warning! Technical Term Ahead!

Depth of Field

Straight from Wikipedia: "In optics, particularly as it relates to film and photography, depth of field (DOF) is the distance between the nearest and farthest objects in a scene that appear acceptably sharp in an image."

When I was first learning photography, this was where my eyes glazed over and my brain shorted out.

Lets go back to last week and compare the little mountain and the little portrait on the wheel.

The mountain, or "Landscape" mode makes the aperture as small as possible, and adjusts the length of time that the lens is open so that the sensor or film receives the proper amount of light. The effect is to keep the foreground and background all in crisp focus.

Monroe Payne: "Cornell Rain"

In this case, you have a "Great" or "Large" or "Long" depth of field, or a large area that is acceptably in focus.

Now to the little portrait icon, or "Portrait" mode. In this case, the camera opens the lens as wide as possible to get the plane of the face in focus, but blurs out everything else, in front of and behind the face. Of course, this doesn't HAVE to be used on a face. It's just a good example.

Kim McAlear: "Dew"

This gives you a "Short" or "Small" depth of field.

So how can you use this?

It is our job as photographers to capture images that tell the story, but ONLY the story. A photo of a statue might be nice, but if the photo also captures, in sharp detail, the messy garbage can across the lawn, it takes away from the impact of your image.

We need to eliminate distractions, but I'll cover that in greater detail next week. Controlling your depth of field is one of many strategies we can use to eliminate those distractions.

Conversely, if we have a spectacular, sweeping landscape with some beautiful flowers in the foreground, the image really loses credibility if the flowers are blurry.

Chelsea Gordon: "Guitar Strings"

So where can we use depth of field as an end in itself, as an artistic tool?

Check out Chelsea Gordon's exquisite study of Guitar Strings, or Kim McAlear's Flower with Dew for examples of extremely short DOF. Large aperture, shorter exposure. f1.8

Jennifer Path: "Across the Fence"

Then look at these great depth of field images by myself and Jennifer Path. Small aperture, longer exposure. f22

Modern cameras have aperture priority settings. Lets go back to our little wheel. Aperture Priority means that the camera will accept your aperture setting manually, then magically adjust the shutter speed to compensate. The setting is usually identified as "A"-something. Canon cameras show "Av" on the wheel... The example last week just has "A".

Monroe Payne: "Theater Entrance"

Homework for this week - play with the aperture priority setting on your camera. Use the guitar strings and the barbed wire fence as templates. Then, intentionally set the aperture the other way. See which way is better. Have a little fun with it.

IthacaStock.com images by Kim McAlear, Chelsea Gordon, Monroe Payne and Jennifer Path. Please visit their galleries at IthacaStock.com.

IthacaStockTips is a free service from IthacaStock.com, and is intended to be used by individuals to increase their proficiency in photography. The information here may be copied and used, provided credit is given to Monroe Payne and IthacaStock.com LLC.

Settings

Booooooorrrring....... to quote Mindy when she was 14....

Owners manuals are a drag, but surprisingly useful from time to time. But they are not known for their riveting prose, or their story line. Remember the Manual in "Beetlejuice?" "This reads like stereo instructions..."

I'll try to make a little sense here of those little icons on the dial or screen of your camera.

Every camera is a little different, so I'll stick to the basics,

First, is automatic. This assumes you have no brain, and are only barely capable of pressing one button. The camera does everything for you except aim. It determines whether you need flash, how to focus, what your exposure should be, whether your hands shake, and if you've had too much coffee.

Ok, yours might look a little different...

Automatic has some uses, particularly in those spur of the moment instances, where if you have to think, you will lose the moment, and the shot. But in most cases, I avoid automatic. But not coffee.

Second, and more useful is "P" or Program Automatic. We are slowly taking control over from the little computer in the camera. We can determine whether to use flash or not, and we can compensate for the overall brightness of the images. The camera wants to see an "18% Gray" image. The palm of your hand is a good approximation of the brightness of 18% gray. But what if you are shooting on a sunny day in a snow covered field? The camera will try to average the scene at 18% gray, making it look muddy. In this case, you can tell the camera to overexpose the image. The reverse is true for dark scenes.

Now we get to the icons, or little pictures on the wheel. The little face is "Portrait Mode", which adjusts the camera to blur out the background while keeping your subject in focus. Yes, the camera is still thinking for you, but you are telling it to think in a very specific way.

The little icon of the mountain does exactly the opposite of the portrait mode. It tries to get everything in the viewfinder in focus from the extreme foreground to the distance. It does this by making the aperture smaller, and increasing the ISO (sensitivity of the sensor).

The flower icon means "Macro" mode, or extreme closeup. It allows you to take very crisp images very close to your subjects.

The Sports icon tries to get clear images of things that happen very fast, like hockey or lacrosse.

I have to admit, I don't use those settings, except "P", but it is good to know what they do.

My goal for you, is to have you thinking for yourself, rather than depending on a thumbnail sized electronic brain do it. But while you are learning, play with these settings, see what they do and how they affect the images you take.

Next week, we'll play with "Depth of Field". I promise it will be riveting!

Focus: The Sniper Method

Welcome to sniper school.

Do you ever wonder why snipers can hit their target from so many yards away? Why are they so accurate? What is it that they do that makes them so good?

It is the very breath that they take and their control of it that helps them hold the gun steady, and allows them to hit their target.

So how does that relate to cameras and focus?

Most of us shake a bit. Some of us shake a lot. I will try here to show you how to shake less, and follow through in your photo shooting.

Look at how sharp the focus is. This image
was hand held, using the techniques in this tip.

Here is part 1.

Hold your hand out in front of you.

Take a deep breath. Hold it for about 5 seconds.

Now  let it out slowly. It should take about 10 seconds.

If you are like most people, your hand will almost stop shaking completely between 6 and 10 seconds.

When you prepare to release the shutter (take the picture), breathe exactly the way we just did it. Pick the camera up to your eye, deep breath, then let it out. Squeeze the button between 6 and 8.

Here is the hard part. DO NOT take the camera down from your eye until you are done exhaling. It is called "follow-through" and is just as important for the photographer as it is for the baseball player. Or the sniper.

Homework for tonight is to breathe deeply, and get used to the idea of breath control. Go take some photos. Inhale, exhale slowly, THEN take the camera down. It will take a while to get used to it, but your crystal clear images will be well worth it!

Next week, what all of those settings mean - or at least some of them...