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.