I cheated to get this sunrise shot

Pretty much everyone loves sunrises and sunsets. The colours and the mood created are amazing. Here is one I took today.

Thirty seconds after this was taken, at least four shutter bugs appeared and filled in the foreground - lucky for me I was done.

Other than noticing that the shutter bugs perched themselves alongside the safety rail, some with tripods, some not, I didn't pay much attention to what they were doing. But I do  know that I cheated to get this image, Here's how:

1. 20 mins before this time, the colours looked promising, so I was looking around for a spot to put my camera to frame the scene I was hoping to get. Trying different things, not liking most of my choices, then finally I  honed in on what was working and ended up under a large tree and used the branches and safety rail to frame the skyline.
2.  I used a tripod and a remote shutter release.
3. I bracketed my shots so I have room to move creatively, ie if I wanted a silhouette shot or something else.
4. The interplay between the colours and the city skyline are the main characters here, but I like creating a supporting cast. In this case the branches balanced the space and the gorgeous colours in the sky were being bounced off the hand rails.

You can't always (consciously) "see" what you have shot. There is a lot to notice in this shot, eg the tops of the skyscrapers and the arms of the two illuminated cranes created nice converging diagonals.

Next time you're up early for sunrise, don't forget to cheat! :-)

have fun! ☺

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Birthday, Baptism or Bar Mitzvah?

So you have a family gathering coming up, may be a birthday party, baptism or bar mitzvah and you are the person responsible for taking that important shot. Here is a check list to go through (well) before the day.


1. Google images, yes look at what other people have done and check out what you like.
Take note of :

• How are the people positioned? If you linked the heads together, are the heads making a triangular shape, or some other shape? 
• Is the background sharp or did they use a small F-stop to keep the people in focus but blur the back ground? 
• Where is the sun? If out doors, is the sun to the side creating shadows or behind the photographer so the people are in full sun? 
• If in doors, who is sitting and who is standing? What general shape is the group creating? Is there symmetry in the shot? Is the shot candid or corporate looking with formal poses? 

2. Take out your camera, flick to the Aperture Priority and play with the depth of field by using the f-stop. You want to learn how to have the foreground in focus but the background blurred and then have everything in focus. The former needs a small f-stop like f4, the later needs a large f-stop like f11 or f16.

3. Practise how to focus on a spot. If your camera has an auto focus, can you alter the focus point? This will help when taking a portrait style shot because you need to make sure the eyes are laser sharp!

4. On the day: play it safe and set the ISO to 400 and decide (based on whether you want the background blurred or not) on either the Aperture Priority or Time Priority. An ISO of 400 will keep the shutter speed fairly quick (helping to keep the image still) just in case you are shooting in the day and then indoors in the evening.

5. As you change from day time outside to evening inside, don't forget to change your white balance from "sunny" or "cloudy" to "incandescent" or "fluorescent". These light conditions give off different colours and you don't want your favorite aunt with a redish or greenish complexion.

6. Be creative, if you don't like the result you don't need to show anyone! Have the camera at different angles and heights. When taking a group shot with ladies sitting and gents standing, get the camera at the ladies eye level rather than standing and pointing the camera down. The difference in perspective is significant.

7. If you use post editing, make sure you have captured enough information by pushing the histogram right without blowing out the whites. This will help keep the shadows noise free when lowering the exposure afterwards and then you can do some artistic work on your favorite images.  



One final point, don't forget to shoot the venue before the day (and before guests arrive) if it is  special to the day.

Here is a shot I took recently of a restaurant that is used for wedding receptions in my part of the world. Shooting in low light doesn't mean it is impossible, just trickier.

have fun! ☺

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I love taking Black and White Images

I do like taking black and white images.



Here is one I took recently.

The tonal variations of black and white creates an instant mood.

May be it is time for you to play with black and white images again. Here are a few tips to look out for when deciding if an image would look good in black and white.

1. Good tonal range between the important features in a scene.
2. Good tonal range within a key element or the object of the photo.
3. Good saturation of colours before you use Photoshop or some other digital lab to turn your shot into black and white.


have fun! ☺

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What is your reason for taking photos?

I was in my local store a couple of months ago queuing up at the check out. The couple behind me had a new born baby, as in 1 week old. People were  around them showing interest in the new baby giving best wishes for the future and so on. Before leaving the store I pulled the dad a side and explained to him one of the best decisions of my life. I explained to him that I have been taking my daughters photo since she was born and every year on or very close to her birthday I take another image. This has been going on since she was "zero". I explained further that what makes it so special is that she has always been photographed in the same blue dress her mum owns. So we have a sequence of images that show her growing into this dress - crawling, cruising, playing an instrument, lots of developmental stages, and in the last year or so it has occurred to me that I am now taking images her children (in many years time) will enjoy seeing.

My journey in photography started as a preparation for the day my daughter entered this world - what was your reason to start? Does it still fuel your passion for images? Is taking special images now a vital part of your family tradition?


May be it is time to dust off the camera and feel that passion again.

Here are some suggestions to get you started...

1. Shoot for the waste basket.
Have fun and get acquainted again with some of the controls. Put the camera on Aperture Priority mode and play around with small F-stops and large F-stops and see the difference. Then set the camera to Time Priority mode and play some more.

2. Have a project.
If you start with a project that does not have the sun in the frame, it will be easier to control the exposure.

3. Keep it simple.
Go and have fun without any huge expectations of what comes out. Just note what works and keep going.



On my desk I have, like most parents, special images we get to see every day. One of the images I have is a shot of my daughter walking for the very first time where she is walking from grandma's arms to mum's arms. The image technically isn't the best: I didn't use a flash and from memory I needed to use a 1/2 sec exposure on about f4 but it is one of the most special images I have.

I was ready and my camera was very close by. May be it is time to get out your camera and have fun again.


have fun! ☺

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