Sunrise in Wyoming

Last week I travelled up 1-80 through Wyoming and up to an historic site called Martins Cove. Martins Cove is the site where in 1856, Mormon pioneers emigrating to Salt Lake City, were caught in an early winter storm. Rescuers made their way from Salt Lake to help bring the emigrants to Salt Lake City.

This picture was taken early morning as the sun began to rise using a Leica D-Lux 4. You can see the reflection on the hood of the car.

Images from Oaks Christian

The team takes the field

The team captains taking the field. These guys look pretty imposing.

Malcolm Jones, one of the top 30 recruits in the country.

Nick Montana, Quarterback for Oaks Christian

I had the good fortune to be invited to attend a football game at Oaks Christian in Westlake Village in California. The High School team is ranked 9th in the nation and has some recognizable names on the roster. Nick Montana, son of Joe Montana is the quarterback and his backup is Trevor Gretzky, son of Wayne Gretzky. Also on the team is Trey Smith, son of the actor Will Smith. The image above was captured with a wide angle lens of 14mm. While you can see almost everything, you cannot make out the players.

We were able to roam the sidelines and capture images of the game.

Night games can be a challenge as the best shots are taken with really long lenses (200mm to 600mm) and those lenses typically don't let in a lot of light (Aperature) unless you spend a fortune.

So one way to get the job done is to set your ISO (Sensitivity) to as high as you can get and still get a nice non-grainy image. Then, in order to catch the action (reduce the amount of blur in the action) you'll need to set the camera to "S" and set the shutter speed somewhere greater than 1/250 of a second. That way you'll capture all but the fastest of action without a blur. If there is enough light, set the shutter speed higher but remember, the "wider" the aperature (lower the number) the less depth of field you'll have.

That means you have to pay attention to keeping the image in focus.

First mobile post

Birthday Party for Vanessa

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Last fall we celebrated the 14th birthday of our daughter Vanessa. As you can see by the birthday cake, she chose an outdoor theme for her birthday.

Years ago I developed a strategy for using images to tell a story. That strategy involved scripting out the different shots that would help me tell a story with my camera.

For a birthday party this involves taking a number of shots that once done, makes it easy to create a DVD Movie or Photo Book. Following are a list of shots you might want to consider when taking pictures at a birthday party:

1. Creating the invitations
2. Delivering the invitations
3. Each of the guests as they arrive with presents in their hands
4. The decorations in a wide shot
5. The table setting in a close up shot
6. The cake (before you cut it)
7. Lighting the candles
8. The presents (before they are opened)
9. The guests as they celebrate of play games
10. The parents, family and other special guests
11. Blowing out the candles
12. Opening the presents
13. Pictures of individual birthday cards
14. The birthday boy or girl holding standing with the present and person who gave it to them
15. Cutting the cake
16. Eating the cake and ice cream
17. The party "mess" with wrapping paper and food
18. Saying goodbye as the guests leave the party
19. The tired/sleepy birthday boy/girl

You could easily take 40 to 50 interesting pictures during a party. That way, you'll have plenty of option for making great photo books and other cool personalized photo products that you will cherish for years and years.

Argentina Summer of 2008

Another of the families we visited in Argentina last summer showed what we're capable of when we have little in the way of personal possessions. These children were part of a three generation household where sisters, their husbands and children lived in a small house with grandma just off of a dirt road.

This family was well off compared to some of the others we met. While we were there, they had a watermelon cooking on the stove top filling the room with a wonderful aroma.

Thin walls separated the families, sometimes made up of a blanket. The parents and children typically wore what we'd call "sweat suits" or "warm ups" since they keep you warm in the cold and relatively cool in the summer.

Where ever we went, houses were neat and clean as were the people. Most houses were open to the outside and it was easy for dust and dirt to be blown into the house ever time the wind blew.

What amazed me was their ability to adapt to their circumstance. The lack of possessions and the need to conserve brought families closer together. The small space caused them to interact constantly with each other by playing, reading or just enjoying mate socially.

Desert in the Morning

Last week I flew to Las Vegas and then on to Los Angeles to interview a couple of candidates for an Executive Sales Position at our company. I stayed overnight in Los Angeles and then took the early morning flight out of LAX back to Salt Lake City. Usually when you fly out of LAX, the plane takes off over the ocean and then circles back as it gains altitude.

The only camera I typically have in my pocket is my iPhone. I love to look out of the window and see the patterns formed by nature. As we approached the desert between Death Valley and Las Vegas. This was the view as the sun rose in the early morning.

It's a real challenge trying to capture images out of a streaked and scratched plastic window, but if the sun is just right and you put the lens close to the window, you can minimize most of the problems taking the image through plastic or glass.

If You Follow A Cat Long Enough

We have three cats. Tofu, the oldest, a male Siamese. Sia, a female Siamese and her half sister Nara.

My daughters Laura and Vanessa like to grab the camera and follow the cats or dog around. They take a whole bunch of pictures and occasionally when they follow long enough, they'll get an interesting picture. That's Sia who is yawning and Nara who is on the grass.

Since I now have about 500 pictures of the cats everywhere, I'll work with the Laura or Vanessa to reduce those to the best and most interesting. Then I'll delete the rest to save space and the headache in the future of organizing them.

They Just Grow Up Too Fast

Our youngest daughter Laura was in her first concert recital last week. This year, her first in middle school, she decided that she wanted to play in the band and wouldn't you know it, she picked the oboe!

Bands today sound a lot better than I remember when I played the trumpet, baritone and trombone in middle school. We were all very pleased and proud of Laura's performance.

I guess she can pay attention when she wants to.

Photo Tip: Use focus to center attention. You can create a center of attention by using you lens wide open (lower numbers like 2.8, 2.0 etc) The lower the number, the more control you will have over what is in focus and what is not.

Spring City, Utah

This weekend I travelled to Spring City, Utah for the funeral of Kathleen, a great aunt, one of my grandfathers younger sisters.

Spring City was originally settled in 1852 by James Allred and his sons. The Wakara War caused the settlers to leave for Manti and they later returned in 1859 to resettle the area and call it Spring City.

Spring City is about 100 miles south of Salt Lake City and is now considered an artistic haven with lots of local art galleries and small private museums.

The stone church above was built in 1902 and the influence of the early Danish settlers can be seen in the architecture. The church faces almost due east and so the early morning sun provides beautiful natural light. The annex to the right is a later addition to the buildings original structure.

I used a wide angle lens and framed the church with tree branches. You can see early buds emerging on the trees. Based on your personal belief, the emerging "buds" could represent a "re-birth".

Mother in Law

This past week, my Mother in Law passed away after a year long battle with cancer. Bette was raised by her grandmother, married and raised seven wonderful children.

During the last week of her life, as she lay in bed, the family gathered around her where we all shared memories of her great life. We had collected pictures from all of the family members and were able to create a video presentation and photo books.

The day that she passed on, we brought the photographs into the room and using a video projector, showed the images on the wall. As each image appeared, members of the family shared their stories telling us the story "behind" the picture. There was laughter and tears as old family memories were recalled.

Sharing these moments while Bette was still alive brought a spirit into the room that each person felt. It was undeniable that Bette not only heard the stories, but approved of the gathering. Each child had their own confirmation of this special moment. In the past, I had always considered these images and stories something that helped us recall and remember a special life after the person had passed on.

If you ever have the chance, be sure to share these special moments with the person you love while they are still here. The comfort you receive will be unforgettable and help bring comfort during a time normally reserved for grieving.

I chose the pictures above from hundreds available because I felt that they each told a special story. Bette as a young child sitting on her grandmothers porch. Then thirteen years old, in her prime. On the Bonneville Salt Flats during her "hip" period and finally, with her grandchildren, being the life of the party.

Also From Las Vegas

While walking from my hotel to the convention center, I noticed a little sideshow in the parking lot. Three or four motorcycle riders were jumping over the Boost vehicle from a ramp set up on the right. I stopped where the palm trees framed the rider in mid air (a little hard to see because of the lack of resolution on the iPhone). Also, I had to click the camera shutter when the rider was lined up with the palm tree on the right in order to get him in the middle. Cheaper cameras often have a delay between when you push the button and when the image is captured. You have to practice a little and then try a couple of times to get it right. I got lucky and got this on the first try.

Pics from the Road (literally)

This week I was on my way to Las Vegas for the Photo Marketing Association (PMA) show. Somewhere around the city of Nephi, in Utah, the sun rose lighting the sky. I quickly grabbed my iPhone and rolling down the window while going 75 miles per hour, snapped the image above. The air was clear and you can see the remants of three old hanging glaciers on the mountain.

Armenia

In Armenia they still make their bread daily. These women are making a thin flat bread called "lavash". My daughter took this picture with a point and shoot camera. The image captures a key part of the Armenian culture.

Longing for Summer

I've always had a fascination with closeup images. It seems to me that in life, we typically keep our distances, not wanting to encroach on anyone or anything. By getting closer, we can observe a whole new world of sights and sounds. Getting closer is not all that easy. First, you have to change your perspective. You need to find the level of your subject. Then you need to get close. Focus becomes key and that means paying attention. Putting the main subject infocus while allowing the background to "blur" signals your attention to detail.

Last summer, when I got out my old 85mm lens and decided to look around the yard for things to take pictures of and found this flower in a large vase on the deck. I tried a few hand held shots and then got out a tripod to make it more steady. The lighting is natural as the deck is on the north side of the house and like all north light, it is usually pretty good. I tried stopping down the lense to get just the right exposure and focus.

Airplane Windows

"There is an art, or rather a knack to flying. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss."

Douglas Adams, Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy

I fly alot in my job and everyonce in a while, I'll pick up the iPhone and take a shot out the window. The top image was taken enroute to Las Vegas while the bottom image was shot coming back to Salt Lake City.

New York City

Took a quick trip to New York City and stayed at the Marriott Marquis in Time Square. This image was shot out the window using my iPhone.

The iPhone does pretty well in a pinch, but with no focus or lighting control, you get just what you expect.

While the images are not really "print" quality, they work well in a DVD production or streaming video because those technologies have a lower resolution requirement. It has to do with the difference between printing with ink (dots) and illuminating pixels (light). An image that is very small or even low quality can often look pretty good on a TV or Monitor.

Try taking an image with your camera phone and then printing it out and viewing it on your monitor. You will see the difference. Don't delete those images! You never know when you might need them.

Argentina

This past summer we had the once in a lifetime opportunity to take a trip to Argentina. Our daughter Liz was just ending her 18 month LDS mission where she had been teaching and living with the people in Salta and Tucuman.

During our stay there, we got to meet many of the people that she had gotten to know. This three generation family lived in a small home that you entered by going in through the garage. In the garage, there were two cars, up on blocks having their engine overhauled.

We all sat around a big table and talked. Grandpa sent one of older children out to a nearby store and they came back with soda and sweet treats. After the treat, we all shared "mate" which is a social drink made of yerba mate leaves steeped in hot water.

He showed us some beef from his freezer offering to cook it for us on the spot. If the Argentinians are proud of one thing, it is their beef.

I asked if I would take some pictures by the blue door (I loved the color). Grandpa nodded and added in Spanish that the door was made of "real wood". He was very proud of the door.

Views from Snow Canyon

After the rain yesterday, we decided to go up to Snow Canyon and hike around. The rain made the sand a deep red color and the skys remained overcast for most of the day. Got hit by a couple or rain drops on the way out.

I captured a lot of images and liked the ones that go low to the ground the best.

Snow Canyon Utah

Rained last night. The sun came out this morning. Looking north toward Snow Canyon from Entrada. Entrada is where they filmed High School Musical 2.

cRAZY cATS

We have a couple of crazy cats. The cat in these images is named Sia and her sister is named Nara. Sia love to play. My girls will take a flashlight and shine it on the ceiling and Sia will "talk to it" and then unexpectedly launch herself 3 to 4 feet into the air and bat at the light. She will do this again and again until the light is turned off.

This is play for her and she is persistent. I put the camera angle low in order to emphasize the leap into the air. Orson Wells, the filmmaker used this technique to great effect in Citizen Kane (1941) and The Magnificent Ambersons (1942).

Blurred images can be a metaphor for action or speed. Camera placed low to the ground or beneath subject can be used to convey the power of the subject to the audience.

Favorite Places

We love to travel and one of our favorite places is in St. George, Utah. Our new favorite place is the Inn at Entrada. This image was taken early this morning in one of the Casita's at the Inn. Not only did I find the warmth of the light and the sharpe it created compelling, but it reminded me metaphorically that there are new opportunities all around us. All we need to do is open the door.

Make Sports History

aVinci Media www.avincimedia.com is releasing a new Youth Sports centered multimedia product branded with the ESPN SportsCenter theme. All images, audio and video are authentic, licensed content. You can add up to 15 images or in the near future video clips to create a lifelong memory of your sports glory days. You will be able to create DVD's, Photo Books, Poster and streaming files.

The video on this blog is grainy due to limitations of the blogger player but if you make your own, you can get both DVD and HD quality. Better samples will be available at the aVinci website sometime in the next couple of weeks. There are solutions for most sports and even a template that pokes a little fun at those of us who are a little beyond our prime time.

More later...

Tips: Sports Photo's and Shooting Indoors

The image above was taken by a collegue at work. She was formerly the photo buyer for Walmart and she has a new Nikon digital camera that she loves. Her comments on the image are below:

Tips from an Expert

My name is Debby and I love to take digital images. I was formerly the Photo Buyer for Walmart, so I got to see lots of new and cool stuff. I shoot a Nikon D300 and just love it.

My daughters are sports “nuts” and I love taking pictures of them running, hitting and overall being your everyday sports hero.

I shot the image above and was it a challenge. Indoor Volleyball is fun but photographing the athletes can really try your patience. First the lighting is bad, second they don’t let you use a flash (imagine the spots in the athletes eyes) and third, there’s a ton of action out there and freezing the moment requires the right shutter speed.

I had to experiment and complete with about a half dozen other parents jockeying for the best shot. I’d like to share what I learned.

Invest in a good camera and read the instruction manual.
Digital images are FREE. Take lots of pictures. Some will be bad, but there will be some real gems!

Try different shutter and aperture settings on your camera to get different effects. Bad pictures are free too.

Lighting in a gym is horrible. You will have to play with the ISO settings on your camera to get the best shot. You may have to decide which is more important, the perfect density on a picture, or stopping the blur on a subject.
Buy a Photoshop program. My favorite it Adobe Photoshop CS3. My daughter prefers PICASSA.

My favorite trick…if your favorite picture was taken under poor lighting and seems washed out, turn it black and white!

As the technology of digital cameras improves and becomes less expensive more and more parents are becoming sports photographers. Have you been to a Little League game or High School volleyball match lately? At least a half a dozen parents are clamoring for the best shooting position. I am one of those proud parents. See you in the bleachers!!!

Creating Interest with Image Framing

Creating interest in an image can be the result of many factors. In the image above a simple boat ride down the calm river signals impending doom. In this example, the image takes on special meaning because the children are "framed" by the open mouth of the whale.

By using simple surroundings to frame the image, you can create new meaning and make the image memorable for the future to come. The picture has elements of place (where the image was taken), emotion (fun, excitement) and persons. It also has a little satire in the idea is that the children do not yet have any idea of the fate that awaits them. This technique is commonly used to great effect in Hollywood movies.

Use interesting place, positioning and camera angles to add new meaning. You'll need to keep your eyes open and explore camera placement to get the right effect.

Red Rock Hotel Lobby Images

Images from the Red Rock Hotel

Image Orientation: Portrait

Most amateur photographers shoot "landscape" oriented images (horizontal) more than 90% of the time. Landscape is the natural orientation of the camera and of your peripheral vision. However, by turning the camera sideways"portrait" orientation (vertical) you can emphasize the subject giving it increased meaning and interest.

Above is an image (portrait) of the lobby at the Red Rock Hotel in Las Vegas. As you can see it was Christmas time. They have a huge chandelier in the lobby that is maybe 50 feet tall. This was shot in natural light.

Consider using portrait orientation for individuals (not groups), buildings, canyons and anything that has a vertical orientation.

The rooms at the Red Rock are beautiful and the rates were fantastic. We booked our room through Allegiant Air (http://www.allegiantair.com/) and got an even better deal.

Saving Images: Resolution and Format

Tip: Be sure to save your digital images offline even if you use an online photo site. Consider storing your images on a Photo DVD (pictured above) a Photo CD, on a digital media card or on an attached disk drive. That way, you will always have access to your original images in their original size and format.

When you upload your digital images to an online storage provider or photo site, be sure to check out what size image they store.

Some size re-size your images in order to make their storage more efficient. I was making a photo book for a friend and she sent me a Photo CD that she had ordered from her online provider. I loaded the image onto my computer and made the book. When the photo book came back, the images were very low resolution, looking grainy. I'd seen this many times before, so I took a look at the file sizes and sure enough the image on the disk were less than 200k! I'm guessing that the original files were some where around 5 megabytes.

I went to the online photo site that she uses to see what their policy was and after some looking found that they defined "high resolution" image size as 1,000 x 1,000 pixels. A camera that takes 12 megapixel images has an image size of 4256 x 2832 pixels. I checked another well known photo site that specializes on photo books and they "suggest" using 1,280 x 1,280 pixel images in their full page 8 1/2" x 11" photo books.

You might also want to check out what type of digital press they use to make the photo book and the settings they use on the press to print. I've seen photo books printed on a number of presses and there really is a quality difference. We like to use providers who use HP Indigo presses. we have a very picky retail partner who will only allow the use of the Indigo press for printing her customers books.

So why do they downsize? Simple, when you are storing millions (or billions) of images, the larger the file sizes, the more costly the bandwidth and storage. I talked to one online site that used to store 600 x 600 and upgraded to 800 x 800 and it cost $35 million to do the upgrade.

Be careful with downsized images. You'll run into big problems if you ever want to make a larger print or crop the image.

Working with Walgreens, aVinci Media has introduced a Photo DVD Archive product. The Photo DVD not only stores up to 4 Gigabytes of images (7 times the capacity of a Photo CD) but it also includes a free slideshow using forty (40) of your images set to music. You can watch the slideshow on any TV or Computer with a DVD player. The product is available on the in-store photo kiosk. As of January 15th, it is available in approximately 2,000 stores. It will roll out to all Walgreens stores in the next 30-45 days. The cost is less than $8

Photo Tip: Indoor Natural Light Photography

It's possible with the sensitivity of new digital cameras to take indoor or night pictures using natural light. Natural light is much less harsh than flash. The picture above was taken in a restaurant during a family party. In order to make sure your image will be in focus, set the ISO (film sensitivity) to a high number like ISO 2000. It is also best to have a lens with a wide aperture. I've found that an aperture setting of 2.8 is a must if your subject is moving. Once you capture the image, be sure to check the digital display. If your camera allows you to zoom in, you can choose an area, like the eye or hair to see if you can see detail.

One issue to using an ISO above say ISO 2000 or ISO 3200 is that the higher the number, the more "grainy" the image will appear when it is enlarged. A little practice will help you find the perfect setting. Natural light will add character and a softness to your subject.

One last tip, be sure to double check your White Balance. If you are shooting under fluorescent lights, you can get a greenish cast to your images. If you have a nicer digital camera, you should be able to set the white balance or use the "Scene" choice option to ensure the right color balance.