Rockin' On: Photography

Recognizing picture moments

2012-02-10T13:31:00.005-05:00

I take a lot of photos of Fiona. She is just 29 months, a little young for a camera. I've given her my Canon S90 but she finds it difficult to frame an image while depressing the shutter button. She has the interest and I'm going to let her keep practising.

As important as it is to be able to handle the camera, it is just as important to know what stuff to shoot. What makes a picture? This is the question that every photographer must answer.

Fiona is getting there. She is developing "a photographer's eye." When she saw her first angel decorating a lawn at Christmas, she cried, "Gaga! Take a picture!" I did. And she checked my work. She knows how to activate the rear display screen and advance through the images stored in the camera. She's quite at ease making comments on my work.

The other day she was learning how to grate cheese. It was a first for her. First time stuff like this make a memorable moment --- a picture moment. "Take a picture!" she ordered, and then turned back to her work. She knows grating cheese makes a picture and not saying cheese and grinning at the lens.
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Things to consider when shooting kids:-

Try and get down to the child's level
In most case, do not shoot the tops of heads.
Faces are important. Try and capture an emotion.
It may be a still picture but often a little captured-action helps.
Try and compose while shooting. Think final composition.
Try for a moment captured and not a grin-for-the-camera shot.

Shooting news with less than the best

2012-01-23T15:21:00.000-05:00

A newspaper quality shot of Ken Lewenza, national CAW president.

The other day I covered a rally in London, Ontario. I was writing a story for the Digital Journal and needed art to accompany my piece.

As a former newspaper photographer, I can appreciate the advantages offered by top-of-the-line equipment: No shutter lag, great motor drives and phenomenal image quality.

Unfortunately, the one disadvantage is price. No longer working for a newspaper, I can no longer afford the best. So, I shoot with a Fuji FinePix HS10 and a Canon PowerShot S90. I carry a spare set of batteries at all times for both cameras.

I have one other problem when I am out shooting news. I have a heart condition. Ideally, I would have liked to be on stage shooting with the local news folk but if I had a "spell" and I was on stage, it would be embarrassing and disruptive. I staked out a spot in front of the stage. And I did have a spell and was able to ease myself out of the crowd and find a seat to recover.

My small, shoulder case with two cameras and spare batteries is quite light. It is light even for me.

I think my shots from Saturday are proof that reporters can get usable shots using simple equipment. They may not get the images that a photographer would, the shutter lag alone is enough to prevent that, but they will get good, usable stuff.

One needs at least one overall crowd shot. One quick shot from the stage delivered.

A real strong selling point when it comes to my kit is the wonderful zoom lens on the Fuji FinePix HS10. It goes from a wide angle to super telephoto and it does it with a twist of the lens, rather than a push of a button. I much prefer the manual approach over the motorized one for setting the focal length of the lens.

I'd write more but you get the idea, I'm sure. If not, check through some of my older posts about these two cameras. If you write me, I'll reply or add to this post so that all can benefit.

Good shots are made at rallies using all focal lengths.

Capturing those special moments

2012-01-20T15:08:00.001-05:00

Shot RAW, colour is better than jpg but I still missed the peak moment.

My last post looked at saving a special moment by cutting and pasting together two images taken moments apart. It's a Photoshop ruse, for sure. But, I posted the "trick" and the voting was almost unanimous: The doctored picture was best. Even the subject in the manipulated image voted for the Photoshop worked pic.

Well, wouldn't you know it. I was back shooting a similar picture just this past weekend. This time it was grandma Cathy, grandpa Bill's wife, who was celebrating a birthday. I decided to use my Fuji FinePix HS10 set to best picture capture mode. I left my Canon PowerShot S90 in my bag. Also, I shot the image RAW.

I like the colour and detail in the highlights better in the Fuji image. But the moment captured was not the best. It is a moment too soon. The peak moment was still to come. I missed it.

There are advantages to cameras without shutter lag. There are times I sorely miss my high end Canon SLR. Motor drives are no match for good reflexes. A fast camera with no shutter lag, teamed with a blazingly fast motor drive, attached to a flash capable of firing as fast the motor drive, ah, now that is the answer to all my problems but one: Money. A camera like that makes my money problems much, much worse.

I'll just have to keep getting by.

Is this allowed or not? You be the judge.

2012-01-10T21:00:00.001-05:00

This is two pictures taken moments apart merged.

Get a picture of grandpa and Fiona blowing out the birthday candles. It was an order.

In the old days, when I worked at the paper and used top of the line Canon pro digital SLRs, such a picture was a breeze. I might even bounce just a touch of flash into the scene to pump up the shadow detail.

But that was then and this is now. I am not at the paper and I no longer have that gear. In dark situations I shoot with a Canon S90. In this example today, I shot on auto at f/2.0. But, even f/2.0 wasn't a big aperture to capture a picture after the candles were blown out and I wasn't fast enough to capture the action the first three times.

That's right, I shot this action four times in order to get one picture. I liked that one picture but my wife didn't like grandpa in my fave picture. She liked him in a shot taken moments before. No problem, except for the morality of it all, simply grab the grampa's face from one image and paste it over top of top of the other photo.

At the newspaper, this was a firing offence. In this situation, it is a keep peace in the family procedure.

I actually like the unmucked-about-with picture best. I like the way grandpa's face looking down leads me to the action below. What do you think?

Shooting with the best is no guarantee of quality

2012-01-01T00:03:00.002-05:00

Lifted from the site of a well respected newspaper.

I know the equipment that is used by the photographer who shot the above photo. The stuff is the best. The image is, forgive me, very poor. I'm sure it was cropped from a larger image. I'm sure there is an explanation for the poor quality. Still, it makes a point. The very best equipment does not guarantee that the final image will be good quality.

It so happens that I shot something similar. Here is my take on this image. I took my image, not with a top of the line DSLR, but with a point and shoot. Granted, I didn't use as long a lens but if I had I would have used a tripod and the smallest aperture possible.

Whatever, I don't find the out-of-focus image professional.

Take a lesson from this. Don't feel you can not do good work because you don't have the best equipment. You can do some damn fine work if you learn to work within the limits imposed by your gear. And, you can do some damn awful work with some awfully expensive camera gear.

Happy New Year!

Blow this up and you still have a better image than the pro.

Sometimes a picture is served with your dinner

2011-12-27T09:36:00.000-05:00

For the recipe, please follow this link: Judy's broccoli and cheese soup.

Recently I was reading a humorous piece on what it's like to be married to a photographer. One item drew my wife's attention: one must accept the fact that a photographer, significant other rarely eats a great meal while it is still hot. They are too busy shooting pictures of the meal!

My wife read this and smiled.

The picture with today's post was quick and easy. Light was supplied by a large window in our kitchen dining nook. The attractive china and flatware were simply my wife's choice for use on Boxing Day. The red background is simply the plastic, placemat. The camera was a Canon S90 set to the automatic, available light setting.

This all went so quickly, I still enjoyed my soup steaming hot.

Note: This image would not work professionally. The reflection of the photographer in the spoon ruins this for professional use. A simple white tent of some sort to hide the photographer and supply a clean, white surface as the reflection is called for. With the help of an assistant, two dish towels can be held taut above the subject, with the camera lens poking between the towels to capture the image. The camera lens can easily be removed later in Photoshop and the harsh white of the dish towels subdued.

Better or worse? You decide.

2011-12-10T22:18:00.001-05:00

Recently I saw the above image shot and posted to the Web by my nephew. I really like his work and I like this image but, to my eye, it had a cast: a red or deep pink cast. Look at the cement. On my monitor the cement appears quite pink.

I took the image into Photoshop and using the grey eyedropper tool in Curves, I tried to neutralize the red cast. Using the eye dropper set to sample a three by three pixel area, I clicked on various areas of the image that I believed might well be a neutral grey. When I thought I had the red just about gone, I tweaked the individual colour curves to remove any linger remnants of errant colour. What do you think? Is the picture improved or weakened?

I find that correcting the colour even makes the detail in the young woman's sari pop.

Family visits and memory photos

2011-11-30T12:02:00.001-05:00

My nephew is a perfect example of the "be there and be ready" kind of photographer. He is not big on equipment. His camera of choice at the moment is a Canon PowerShot, G series. The quality is good. I have no complaints with the images I have seen.

The strength of his camera is not its ultimate quality but its small size. If he sees a picture, his camera is always handy.

Family visits are a great time for seeing pictures. If you haven't seen each other recently, there is that new-moment quality keeping one's eye alert.

When his niece, not yet three, figured out how to get a drink from the public drinking fountain, my nephew grabbed the picture. He captured the memory. Nice.

Later, he watched as his uncle's granddaughter, just more than two years old, did some serious wall climbing. The wall was the uncle. The picture was great. Oh, those who worry about ultimate quality would not be happy. The light was poor and the image is grainy. If you fall into that group you will not be impressed. My guess is that the naysayers are in the minority.

I love the little girl's confident expression as the little girl climbs up her grandfather's chest to a height of more than five feet.

Grandpa is holding the child by her arms and not her wrists. There is more care being taken here than one might think.

My nephew is an architect and when his uncle and the granddaughter began building a tall "castle" together, this was sure to build to a picture moment. It did.

One can quibble over the angle; It might have been an even better shot if taken from a spot a little to photographer's left. This would have put granddad completely in the picture.

But we must remember, we are capturing family moments, not perfect images for the National 'G'. In a family photo album, this image is a ten.

Note: my nephew is NOT using his camera's build-in, straight on strobe. This is good, in my opinion. I will take available light over flash almost every time. It helps to keep the feel of an unstaged moment with subjects unaware of the camera.

It was a firing offence.

2011-11-13T19:43:00.001-05:00

When I worked as a photographer at a newspaper, we had a rule: If it couldn't have been done in the wet darkroom, we were not to do it in Photoshop. Messing too much with pictures was a firing offence.

Get it right when you're shooting it. Distracting backgrounds and off balance compositions have to be eliminated in the shooting and not in Photoshop. Get caught taking something out of the background and you might well find yourself being taken out of the newsroom.

That said, outright lies in photographs were quite another matter. The chain that owned the paper for which I worked saw nothing wrong with using models in news photos; The paper I worked for saw this as a travesty.

Which brings me to today. I am now shooting with a Fuji HS10. It's slow. The shutter lag can be a killer. It can be awfully hard to get the composition just so. Today's image had too little water at the bottom and was a little shy on the left, too.

I took the image and, using content aware in Photoshop, I added extra water on the bottom and left.The picture looks better but is it still an honest picture? Doing what I did is sorta creative but does that allow this to slip by under the umbrella defence of art? It is hard to take too much credit for the craft, that credit goes to the software writers at Adobe.

I know if I still worked at the paper, I would leave unbalanced swans alone. Is this still a good rule? My gut feeling is this question risks stirring up a lot of unbalanced critical comments.

It was a firing offence: Part Two

Newspaper photographers are not supposed to manipulate images. They are allowed to adjust the tonal range, make blacks black and whites white, but this is not seen as manipulating the image. This is just making a good quality print.

But the day could have been flat and the dull-toned image might be accurate. Still, it was O.K. to change contrast. In the wet darkroom it was as easy as changing the paper grade.

Please check out the following link to the well known Pulitzer Prize winning photo by John Filo showing a kneeling, young woman screaming over the body of a fallen student, one of four killed when National Guardsmen fired in to a crowd of demonstrators.

Note the missing fence post above the young woman in the image taken from Life magazine. It is stuff like this that my old editors were trying to prevent. But today, with the ease that Photoshop can alter an image, almost seamlessly, adding water to a picture, water that is in fact there but cropped out by the camera, can get oneself into the deepest of job-threatening, doo-doo.

Newspapers and news magazines like National Geographic don't need to be defending their images. The National G. knows first hand how yielding to the temptation of improving an image in Photoshop can lead to red-faced embarrassment than can't be as easily Photoshopped away.

The National G. once was caught moving the pyramids and another time was accused of adding water to an image in order to use a horizontal image in a vertical format on the magazine cover.

The technology has made the modifying of images very easy and very tempting. If you work at a newspaper, the Devil uses Photoshop. Take care.

Memory Colours

2011-10-24T21:53:00.001-04:00

Took two shots, then wind blew away the yellow leaf.

When I worked at a daily paper, one of my responsibilities was preparing colour separations for publication. I learned that sky blue, grass or foliage green and some other colours such as tomato red are memory colours. Oddly enough, memory colours vary from culture to culture. For instance, I was taught that North Americans like their memory colours, especially sky blue and foliage green, more vibrant, more saturated than Europeans.

I don't know whether or not this is completely true but I do know that brightly coloured pictures in the paper were received better than dull ones — even though the dull ones might have more accurate.When I think of fall, I think of incredible colours. Impossible colours. Like the colours in today's photo.

This image was shot RAW and punched up before being converted to a jpeg. Then it was taken into Photoshop and posterized before being saved. (Image -> Adjustments -> Posterize...)When doing stuff like this to images, always keep a copy of the untouched original. The bold look you like this year, may simply look cheesy next year.

Point-and-shoot zooms have changed photography forever

2011-10-19T00:20:00.002-04:00

When I got into photography my camera had a fixed lens. Then, in the '60s I discovered the single lens reflex camera and ordered a Pentax Spotmatic from Asia Photo Supply in Hong Kong. I can still recall the excitement when a large, wooden crate arrived with my new gear. I had a 28mm lens, a 135mm lens and a 300mm lens.

But because it took a crate to carry all that stuff, I often didn't have all that stuff with me. Often, I was back shooting with one lens.

Today, almost every point-and-shoot has a zoom lens and many have lenses capable of emulating my entire camera kit from the '60s. The pictures today were taken with an older Canon S90 but they could have been shot with any one of dozens of little cameras.

For the dandelion picking picture, I set the lens to wide angle. For the shot of Fiona enjoying a high-flying ride on a swing, I set the lens to its longest setting. For the picking dandelions shot, I wanted to see some context. I wanted to see the little girl surrounded by grass with the suburban neighbourhood in the distant background.

For the swing shot, I wanted to try and show the flying, mane of red hair and the child's reaction to being pushed hard, fast and high. The long lens setting allowed me to fill the frame.

What is important here is to capture the moment just after she has reached the highest point and is beginning her return. Stopping action with point-and-shoots can be difficult. If you nail the shot at the instant the little girl is changing direction, you will have a tack sharp picture but the flying hair won't be flying. But, if you wait too long to shoot , she will very difficult to frame properly. Set your zoom to a long lens setting, I used 105mm, and be sure to shoot lots.

A shot in the dark

2011-10-12T12:33:00.003-04:00

I shot today's photos with my Canon S90, a model that has now been superseded by the Canon S95.

The little point-and-shoot had two features that attracted my attention. One, it had an f/2.0 aperture available when emulating a 28mm lens on an SLR. This f/stop lets in twice as much light as the more common maximum aperture of f/2.8.

Two, it has a little trick up its sleeve that allows it in dark, picture-taking situations to treat two adjacent pixels as one. This ups the light sensitivity of the camera while cutting the photo file size in half. If all you want are snap shots, this is a good trade-off. When set to low-light, the camera also turns to a brute strength strategy and ups the ISO rating in use.

When I saw my granddaughter, Fiona, sitting with her grandmother, both engrossed in a television program, I thought picture. The light was poor; It was night. But with the camera steadied against the television stand, I squeezed off some shots. I should take Judy into Photoshop and brighten her face a little but overall I'm happy.

Later, I caught the little girl running up and down a "stone" path she had constructed through our kitchen using place-mats. Again, I grabbed my Canon S90, set it to low-light level photography, braced the it against a chair, and shot away.

Personally, I like the low-light level shots better than the ones illuminated by the little camera flash. The colour in the picture may be off a bit and there might be more grain or noise marring the image but it has the feeling of the moment. I have a personal hatred for direct, harsh, on-camera flash. Deciding to shoot available is not a difficult decision for me.

Don't let low light levels stop you from taking pictures. Make sure you have a camera eager to take a shot in the dark.

One example of enhancement correction

2011-10-01T15:30:00.000-04:00

In my last post, No tripod? No problem, I mentioned that the images were posted without colour correction. I believed that a little time spent in Photoshop might improve the flesh tones of the little girl and remove the overall blue colour cast in some of the images.

Here is an example of what I was referring to.

Enhanced.

Not enhanced.

The enhanced image has had the colour warmed in Photoshop using Curves to add yellow and remove a bit of cyan. The contrast was pumped up a little using Levels. The picture has not been saturated.

No tripod? No problem.

2011-10-01T12:52:00.000-04:00

It is dark in our living room for available light photography. My little Canon PowerShot S90 needs every bit of help it can get. One easy way to make pictures in these situations better is to use a tripod to steady the camera; This removes camera shake from the picture-taking equation.

To steady a camera, one may immediately think tripod or monopod. But often something a lot less official will not only do but do wonderfully. For shooting these photos of my granddaughter, Fiona, I steadied my point-and-shoot on the front of Fiona's yellow, toy bus.

This had the advantage of providing quick sideways movement to frame the picture. The little, toy bus has wheels, a tripod or monopod doesn't.

To show what is possible, I posted these pictures without any enhancement other than cropping plus sizing and sharpening for Web display.

The creativity involved in taking a picture doesn't stop with the camera.

A better camera would capture a better picture

2011-09-24T23:49:00.000-04:00

I loved the look of my niece's dog taking a break from all the company. The light seemed right: Soft with a hint of direction resulting in nice highlights and there were subtle catchlights in both eyes. What could go wrong.

It is times like this that a DLSR looks good. The better quality lenses on DSLRs would make this picture snap in a way that my simple Fuji FinePix HS10 can't.

On the other hand, I can't afford a DLSR accompanied by a small case stuffed with interchangeable lenses. Also, with my failing health, carrying a bulky and weighty bundle of camera gear with me all the time is out of the question. The HS10 with its super zoom answers my needs.

So, I find myself grabbing my Fuji bridge camera, lying flat on the floor, bracing the camera and my hands against the carpet and squeezing off a couple of shots before the mutt decides he's not a model and stops posing.

When I was shooting pictures for my living, this quality would have been questionable but still acceptable; Hey, I worked for a newspaper. I'm no longer shooting pictures for money but for fun and simple cameras supply fun at a price I can afford.

When buying a camera buying one you can afford is always a good idea. Remember, if you shoot a lot, it is just a matter of time until you drop your photo buddy. I've dropped my HS10 a number of times. I'm getting old and clumsy. If I were to break my HS10, I would shed fewer tears than if I dropped an expensive lens or a pricey DSLR. Replacing my HS10 would hurt, but it wouldn't break me.

No matter what camera you use, always try and capture that that attracted your eye in the first place. If your lens isn't long enough to crop the image in the camera, crop the picture afterwards. The only caveat is to make sure the new, cropped shot is still a large enough file to make a good image when printed or displayed on the Web. (Images for making prints require from 150 dpi up, check with your printer; While images for Web display can get by with 72 dpi. And smaller files load quicker; Another reason for keeping Web files small.)

Colour, Shape and Moment

2011-08-14T23:07:00.001-04:00

When I saw the circular slide I was hesitant to let Fiona use it. It's too long, too steep, I thought. But a young mother who was watching her child at play noticed and instructed me in a very firm tone, "Let her."

Hey, what does an old geezer know? I went with mom's expertise and told Fiona to go, and she did. "Whee!"

I didn't get a picture of her first time sliding down a tubular slide but I soon had a chance and I took it. Brightly coloured plastic, great shape, laughing child. Put all this together properly and you've got a picture.

This image can be made even stronger by cropping off the holes on the left side. This moves Fiona father away from the centre of the image. This crop also removes the distraction in the lower left corner, putting more emphasis on the child.

Note the quality: This is a resized and cropped image from a larger image saved as a jpeg.

Although I have had problems timing action when using my Fuji FinePix HS10, it all came together for this image. The long zoom lens makes framing images such as this very easy. The picture was shot as a RAW file and some minor changes were made in Photoshop before saving the shot as a jpeg.

Also notice how the line of the diagonal line made by the slope of the slide runs to the lower, left corner of the image. I'm partial to this style of crop and try to achieve this in the camera whenever possible.

You don't have to imitate this but you should try to crop in the camera as much as possible. With point and shoot cameras, the less after-shooting-cropping the better. Point and shoots do not have the ultimate quality of SLR cameras. The files from cameras like the HS10 suffer when cropped, especially if they must be enlarged to bring them back to their original size.

Shooting Food

2011-07-20T14:59:00.000-04:00

Shooting good shots of plates and platters filled with of wonderfully prepared delicious cuisine is a lot easier than many food photographers would have you believe.

The first step is finding the proper subject. For this you may not have to look any further than your favourite diner. Go early in the evening while the sun is still shining, sit near a window and voila, you're ready to rock 'n' roll.

For creating a smashing food shot, I look for the same stuff that makes the food itself appealing. A nice mix of colours, textures and shapes plus an eye-catching composition. Like I said, all the very stuff that makes a meal memorable also makes a food photo worth taking.

By sitting next to a window you will have eliminated one of the big problems encountered while shooting food: Poor light. Unless you are trying for effect, warm incandescent or cool green fluorescent lighting can destroy what promised to be a fine food shot. Shoot under soft, clean daylight delivered through a non-tinted window and your whites will be white and all your colour vibrant and clean.

Next, try and keep the ISO setting low. You do not want coarse noise to detract from your image. By shooting at a low ISO and choosing a small f/stop - something that gives a lot of depth of field like f/11 - you will capture lots of that all important detail. You do not want to miss the texture on the mash potato patty or the the small specks of spice enhancing the colourful vegetables.

This means that you may need to contend with a slowish shutter speed - like 1/15th of a second. A simple, pocket tripod may be necessary for the best results.

And shoot fast. The food will be at its best the moment your server places it in front of you. And if you are shooting your partner's food as well as your own, your partner will be at his/her best at the moment the food arrives. Take too long getting your shot and both your partner and the food will grow stale.

For more about the food in today's post see: London Daily Photo.

Get those knees dirty

2011-07-10T13:04:00.000-04:00

Getting down low, knees in the dirt, yielded this shot. Nice, eh?

I used to tell my students, "If your knees aren't dirty, you are not chasing all the picture angles. Get those knees dirty!"

Saturday was PhotoCamp London 2011. The last part of the morning was a PhotoWalk. I watched as a woman, Mary Lou Roberts, took pictures of some wild Queen Anne's Lace. At one point she was shooting the common, white, weed blooms from underneath and capturing quite the uncommon picture.

Later I talked with Ms. Roberts and learned she had taken some instruction from Dave Chidley. I once worked with Mr. Chidley when we were both on the photo staff of The London Free Press. She learned the get-your-knees-dirty rule from Mr. Chidley.

Today, I pass the rule onto you.

Bright Sunshine: Wait for passing clouds

2011-07-09T22:50:00.000-04:00

Saturday was PhotoCamp London 2011 and one presentation was a live model photo shoot. The models, a man and a woman, were both professionals and it showed. They were very comfortable in front of the camera(s).

Unfortunately, the day was fiercely bright with a strong sun casting harsh shadows. Not the best light for fashion photography.

On the bright side, there were a lot of large, fluffy clouds dotting the Saturday sky. If possible, at times like this watch the sky, watch the clouds and shoot during those minutes when the day turns momentarily overcast.

Flowers: Metaphors for life

2011-07-07T12:59:00.000-04:00

There was a time when I thought of flowers, I thought of full blooms. I wanted peak action. No buds and no wilted petals. Just gorgeous flowers in their prime.

And then I experienced Sheila's art. Sheila, at the time, was painting flowers. She didn't narrow her focus to just blooms, the climax of the story. No, she captured the whole tale from bud to bloom to fading away forever.

Now, I see flowers entirely differently.

Today's image was shot with my Canon PowerShot S90 set to automatic. The jpeg was taken into Photoshop CS5 and the endpoints set; I was careful not to blow out the highend values in the yellow petals.

The foliage was already quite dark in the original image but, approaching Photoshop like an electronic darkroom, I burned down the edges even more. I do not use the burn/dodge tool. I selected the area on which I wanted to work, feathered the edge and finally darkened the selection using Curves. I stay away from the burn/dodge tool, although a fellow I worked with at the paper used it all the time.

This image has also not been given a lot of saturation. The jpeg image looked good right from the camera.

Watch for portrait moments

2011-07-06T15:59:00.000-04:00

Fiona had had a big day: A long stroll through the neighbourhood, an action-filled visit to the park, a good dinner with her favourite vegetable — broccoli. Now, feeling a little sleepy, she plopped down on the loveseat in front of the television for a little quiet time.

This image is almost a straight jpeg from my Canon PowerShot S90. The endpoints have been set and the edges burned down but generally this picture required very little enhancement. This image hasn't even been hit with any extra saturation.

The light is good in this room. There are two windows: One behind her illuminating her hair and one off to the side giving the nice, soft portrait lighting. The white ceiling reflects nice clean light onto the subject.

If I had a DSLR I would use a lens in the 85mm to 105mm range and try and shoot with the lens as wide open as possible. Something like f/2.8 or f/4.0 would be good. The fast f/stop minimizes the depth of field, allows for a lower ISO setting and a higher shutter speed. A win, win, win proposition.

If your camera has a portrait setting, try that. You might find it softens the subject a bit much but try it; Find out whether or not you like the effect.

When composing your shot, if you have the person looking off to the side as I do, try and leave a little extra space on the side of the image where they are looking. Your picture will feel better balanced.

With my Canon PowerShot S90, I must confess, I simply picked up the camera, composed my image and shot.

Texture, and more, makes this picture

2011-07-02T22:28:00.000-04:00

This weed, captured going to seed, is amazing: The big, gossamer-like balls are magical. You cannot go wrong taking a picture like this. The thing to remember is to get close. Fill the viewfinder with the texture that attracted your eye and excited you visually. You want people to see this weed as you did. Force them. Don't show too much. Don't give them the chance to miss the picture since you didn't.

The image works for me for lots of reasons:

1 - texture (The soft, gossamer like white fluff supported on spiky struts.)
2 - repetition of shapes and repetition of the size of those shapes
3 - lines of direction - They are almost classic perspective lines.
4 - colour (Warm toned brown works well juxtaposed the warm green background.)
5 - clear centre of interest (It's actually circled with lines from all over the image leading the eye to it. This is a centre of interest that cannot be missed.)
6 - tones (Dark tones at the bottom give the image visual support.)

Grab shots can be nice

2011-07-01T17:23:00.000-04:00

This shot could be better but its a nice grab shot.

Personally, I like pictures of flowers immediately after a rain storm. The light is soft and puts a wonderful catchlight on each water droplet decorating the flower petals. But an open shade grab shot still makes a fine memory picture.

I've been playing with shooting RAW. I'm having mixed results. I'm not sure that more control is always a good idea. I'm not convinced my decisions are always better than the camera's. I tend to like warm images. Because of this, when I enhance a RAW image it tends to be warmer than possibly it should be.

Also, working on a RAW image encourages me to play with the image more than I normally would. And trust me, I don't require all that much encouragement. I tried to keep the highlight areas from blocking up as I worked to make the foreground lily pop from the picture. The foreground lily is cleaner and brighter than the others. I'm not sure that the effect looks natural. It may look a little forced.

Here is an image shot with a Canon SD10 point-and-shoot a couple of years ago. It was shot as a jpeg, with the endpoints set in Photoshop to maximize the contrast. It has been enhanced very little compared to today's lily picture.

Clearly, the after-the-storm lighting gives far more punch to the image and the water droplets are a fine visual addition. This image makes today's photo look flat, a bit on the lifeless side.

Give it your best shot

2011-06-22T22:49:00.000-04:00

My Fuji Finepix HS10 is a bridge camera; It is not a full-blown DSLR. When I saw a gorgeous dog playing a fine, energetic game of catch, I knew I wanted a picture.

But wanting and taking are two different animals. With the sun setting I knew my picture of the leaping dog could itself be a dog. I knew it could be ruined by the very action I was trying to capture.

Never let reality stop you from trying. You'll never win if you never play. Always take the picture. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

I set my Fuji FinePix HS10 to sports shooting and used the Best Frame Capture setting. Was I lucky? Did I succeed in capturing the leaping dog in the gloomy light of sunset?

I think I was lucky. Not totally successful but I think the picture still works. (Remember, I'm only shooting for the Net. A don't ask a lot of my equipment.) The best part of the night was that I got practice shooting action with my HS10. The next time I see this, hopefully earlier in the day, I'll get a great picture for sure. I promise!

If you can set your shutter speed, set a speed of at least 1/500 second. A setting of 1/1000 is even better for stopping fast action like this. You might need to up you ISO setting and accept a little noise in order to use such a fast shutter speed. Your lens will be wide open but if it is a zoom it may only open to something like f/4.5. If your lens is that slow, you may have problems unless you are will to boost your ISO as high as 6400. Good luck!

Image quality: How much quality do you need?

2011-06-20T16:11:00.000-04:00

Had to run a little Lowbanks art before running the boring shot below.

Having worked for many years in the newspaper business, I've learned to set the bar pretty low when it comes to image quality. When pictures are translated into halftones with 100 dots to the inch, a lot of quality is lost. Also, when images are at the mercy of a backshop pressed for time and forced to cut corners to save time and money, those halftones may be of poor quality. And we have yet to consider the newsprint on which the pictures appear: yellow, thin, blotter paper.

Now, I am shooting for the Internet and my images must be reduced to 7-inches at 72 dpi and saved as jpgs in order to ensure they load quickly. I'm still kissing off quality.

Iron arches in the blocks to the right of the centre marten house are not visible.

The above shot of the beach at Lowbanks, Ontario, is 156 KB sized jpg file. If I wanted to make a large print, the enhanced file, from which the Internet file was created, is a massive 28.5 MB TIFF file. It was created from a RAW file captured by my Fuji FinePix HS10. Look at the flag in the middle of the picture and then run your eyes down the flag pole to the breakwall.

Iron arches in blocks are visible.

Do you see some small, steel arches sunk into the concrete blocks just over to the right? No? That's because detail easily seen in the large file has been lost in the small. Pictures destined for the Internet lose a lot of detail.

The image in which the iron arches are visible is a jpg cropped from the full-sized TIFF file. Unfortunately, in order to show you this cropped image I had to jpg it in order for blogger to accept it. The actual file has much more detail, even in the grass.

Recently, I read some posts on the Nothing Special photo blog. I found them inspiring. The author's writing made me think about quality in a way that I haven't thought about quality since art school.

At the newspaper, only one photographer shot RAW. One other photographer experimented with RAW but soon rejoined the jpg shooting group. Because of the image quality loss inherent in the newspaper business, most of us figured there was nothing to be gained by shooting RAW. I believe we were right.

I no longer work for a newspaper. Maybe it is time I started paying a bit more attention to quality. I am experimenting with shooting RAW. I cannot afford a different camera but that will be part of the challenge: How to squeeze the most quality from a bridge camera like a Fuji FinePix HS10 or a true point-and-shoot like my Canon S90?

Cropping in camera and other tricks

2011-06-19T13:15:00.000-04:00

Crop in-camera for photo files that make better enlargements.

Learn to crop in-camera. Short of buying a better camera, learning to crop your pictures as you are taking them is one of the most important steps you can take in improving the quality of your images.

Simple point-and-shoot cameras do not deliver the best quality images. My Fuji FinePix HS10 is especially poor when I am forced to enlarge an image. With my Fuji, blowing up the image is a very apt description of what occurs. Always keep in mind that the Fuji is a bridge camera; It is not a full blown DSLR.

Filling the frame is often enough. Unfortunately, with my HS10 sometimes when I blow up an image I discover soft, smudging areas. This can be visually very annoying. These smeary areas are where the in-camera algorithm for controlling noise has gone a little overboard.

I have been finding that if I shoot important images as RAW files and not jpeg I can skirt some of these issues. Photoshop CS5 Extended has better noise control algorithms than my Fuji. Or I can choose not to eliminate noise at all.

I have been criticized in the past for using Photoshop. Too expensive, I've been told. Well, watch for sales, I say. I managed to buy my copy for about 70 percent off list. Stay alert and maybe you will be lucky, too.

If you click on this image of Fiona, taken with my HS10, the image will enlarge. In the original, non-jpg file, if you took a close look at the buttons on her shirt, you could see that each of her pink buttons has two holes. This image was shot RAW and enhanced in Photoshop CS5 Enhanced. I stayed completely away from noise reduction in enhancing this image.

One other lesson has emerged here. If you intend on making very big prints, save a TIFF file along with any other files you may save. JPGs have their place, and with luck will make good enlargements, but to be safe keep an enhanced TIFF file in the wings ready to send off to be printed.

For Best Quality:

Use a DSLR to shoot your pictures. If this is not possible, it isn't for me, then make sure to:

Fill the frame when shooting.
Shoot RAW.
Shoot the largest file size that your camera is capable of shooting.
Save the enhanced image as a TIFF file.
Stay away from JPG if you want maximum quality.

Click to enlarge. In the original, non-jpg file, one could count the button holes.

Full, unenhanced photo from Fuji FinePix HS10.

2011-06-14T14:00:00.000-04:00


The image file straight from the camera. Double click to view whole file.

I've read a lot of criticisms on the Web about the quality of the images delivered by the Fuji HS10. The criticisms are valid but one must keep in mind the size and cost of the HS10. I have a poor heart. I'm not going to carry a top-of-the-line DSLR and a couple of high quality lenses everywhere I go. It is just not going to happen.

The Fuji is not a bulky, heavy monster. It is a joy to carry; It is not always a joy to use. It can be slow to react when the shutter is depressed. But, if you've got the patience in most cases you will get the picture.

A program for enhancing your pictures also helps. For publication on the Web, I usually enhance my pictures, resize them to a width of 7-inches with 72 pixels per inch and sharpen before placing them on one of my blogs.

File size reduced, image enhanced and sharpen, and finally posted on Web.

I gave up a couple of fine Canon EOS DSLRs when I left The London Free Press where I was a staff photographer for more than three decades. I confess, I miss those superb cameras and my bag of lenses. That kit was valued at more than $30,000 Canadian.

I can afford to miss that kit; I cannot afford to miss the $30,000 I'd need to spend in order to replace it. If you shoot for fun and are more concerned with your overall images than pixels, you might find the new Fuji FinePix HS20 to your liking.

If you are into ultimate quality and have the bucks to afford to play in the big-boys' sandbox, go to the blog Nothing Special and click on Fuji HS10 near the bottom of the Index to Articles. I don't believe the author of this blog has tested the HS20 at this time.

Shooting RAW may have advantages.

I was surprised that the Nothing Special blogger has been amazed at times by the HS10. He seems a tough critic to impress. That said, I can't see him being too happy using either an HS10 or HS20.

Reading Nothing Special's posts made me look at my pictures with a more critical eye. I've started experimenting with shooting RAW. This, I hope, will keep the in-camera algorithms in check and prevent the blurring and smudging that occasionally mars photos.

The shot of Fiona was shot RAW and reduced in Photoshop for inclusion in this post. The quality of the large image indicated there may be advantages to shooting RAW. For instance, no smudging anywhere of grass blades into a smeary patch of green as happens with jpegs.

Watch the light

2011-06-07T09:02:00.000-04:00

Photography is about light. No light; No photography.

A stunt favoured by cave tour guides is to turn off all the cavern lighting when the tour reaches the deepest point in the earth. People discover without light, they cannot see — nothing, nada, zilch. The world in an unlit cave is a black void. Encouraged to wave their hands in front of their faces, they cannot see their hands no matter how close to their faces they are waving them.

For many people on such tours, this is the first time in their lives they actually have "seen" total darkness. Total darkness is pretty rare. For this reason, to find a spot where no photography is possible you may have to head for some caves.

If you head for the hills at night, simply bring a tripod and you'll be fine — especially if you have learned to watch the light.

Take today's picture taken in a relatively dark restaurant. To grab a photo here demanded a careful reading of the available light. First, there was some light coming through a wall of windows some distance away. It was nice soft light but weak and made weaker by the time of day — dusk.

The lights on the walls offered a way to backlight some scenes to force subjects to pop free of the background. (So often, in these situations, dark hair simply disappears into the dark background making for ill defined subjects.)

Even with most light coming from behind, I got a shot.

Using a Canon SD90 set to available light photography in a dimly lit environment, I supported my arm and held it in a position such that the wall lights gave a nice glow to the waitress's hair.

I tried to time my picture taking to a moment when both waitress and customer were still. When they were going over the menu, I saw my opportunity. I shot lots, and lots didn't work. Camera and/or subject movement ruined a number of shots. (I used a similar approach to capturing the interaction between the Bud Light Lime crew and a couple in a London, Ontario restaurant.)

Personally, I don't like straight on flash photography. Sometimes one has no choice but to fall back on one's flash for light, but if you can accept the coarseness of high ISO settings and the loss of a fair number of shots to movement problems, learn to watch the light and you will grab some nice unguarded moments.

Shooting Fireworks

2011-05-24T10:47:00.000-04:00

Shot with Fuji FinePix HS10 set to "Fireworks." Photoshop for multiple images.

To shoot fireworks you need a rock solid steady camera and a long shutter speed. An expensive camera is not necessary. A good quality, solid tripod is a blessing, but anything to hold your camera steady will do. Once, while working for the newspaper, I snuggled my camera deep into a big, heavy camera bag and with the lens pointing out and up at the fireworks, I got my picture.

In fact the picture I got wasn't just good but really great. Shooting from such a low angle, with a really wide angle lens, it might have been a 24mm, I captured not only the fireworks but some of the spectators sitting in chairs. I popped a little flash into the picture to add a little detail to the spectators. This was a story picture, a picture of the event, and not just a picture of fireworks.

With a fully manual DSLR camera:

Shot with a Canon SD10 compact point-and-shoot.

First, think picture. Good photographers are creative artists first and skilled technicians second.

Find a good vantage point for your shots. Ideally, you want to capture more than just a burst of colour in a night darkened sky. A picture that addresses the who, what, where, when and why of the event will be the stronger and far more interesting picture in years to come.

My shot of the girls watching the fireworks at a neighbourhood park was shot with a simple Canon SD10 point-and-shoot set to extended night exposure. I found an angle to silhouette the girls against the bright smoke from the fireworks. I was lucky enough to captured three bursting rockets in one shot. Love it!

Here in London, the fireworks are sometimes launched downtown over the forks of the Thames River. The obvious picture here is a huge, colourful burst or two with colourful reflections in the water below. If you can find and angle to show a few tall downtown buildings in the background, all the better.

With picture thinking out of the way:

Ensure the camera is rock solid. Any movement during the exposure will ruin the picture. Obviously a good tripod is the easiest answer. Anything less can lead to frustration. Sometimes, in a pinch, you will be able to find a support for your camera at the event but this is not to be counted on.
Choose a focal length to match your vision but be prepared to change this during the show. Wider is usually better than longer for capturing the context of the event. Telephotos will fill the frame with exploding fireworks.
Set your focus at infinity. You will always be quite a distance from any major fireworks display.
Set the aperture. I usually start with f/8 and stop down to f/11 if necessary. Remember, f/11 lets less light into the camera than f/8.
Set the shutter speed to "B" for bulb or time exposure. With the shutter set to "B" you can depress the shutter button a moment after hearing the boom of the fireworks rocket launching. This way the shutter is open when the display starts. Keep the shutter button depressed until the burst begins to fade. This may be three or four seconds. If the bursts are coming quickly, one after another or overlapping, try holding the shutter open long enough to capture multiple bursts. If you find that you are causing the camera to move during the exposure, try using a cable release. With a good, solid tripod, a cable release is rarely necessary.
Set the ISO. This does not have to be high. I have had good result shooting from ISO 100 to ISO 400. Fireworks are incredibly bright. High ISO settings are not necessary and may result in overexposed and/or grainy, images.
Don't use your flash, in most cases. It will do nothing but possibly burnout the nearby foreground with overexposure. If your flash is built-in, turn it off. (This doesn't mean you can't experiment. You're shooting digital; You've got nothing to lose.)
Check your images as you shoot, making sure the bursts are not out of frame. If you have a zoom lens, you can tweak the focal length if necessary.

To summarize:

Find your vantage point.
Mount your camera on tripod and frame your shot.
Choose the focal length of your lens.
Set the lens to infinity.
Set the aperture - f/8 is a good start.
Set the shutter speed - "B" or time exposure is best.
Set the ISO. ISO100 often works. Do not use an ISO higher than 400.
Turn off your flash, if necessary.
Check your images as you work.

If you have a point-and-shoot, your options are limited and they change from camera to camera. You still need a good tripod but after that you may be at the mercy of your camera. My Canon SD10 had a long, nighttime setting that was excellent for shooting fireworks.

Dedicated fireworks setting: Fuji HS10

My Fuji FinePix HS10 actually has a dedicated "Fireworks" setting. I find the HS10 chooses a time exposure that is a little short but it does work. I may try shooting fireworks using the HS10 in manual mode next time.

And if you don't mind altering reality a bit, you can always take your pictures into Photoshop or another photo enhancement program.

Red Rock, Ont.: Fireworks shot out a bathroom window. No sturdy tripod.

Unenhanced vs. enhanced photos

2011-05-22T15:11:00.000-04:00

I always print my digital images. I grew up printing my pictures in a darkroom and feel very uncomfortable not "printing" my digital images in my electronic darkroom: Photoshop.

The first image is an unenhanced grab shot of a number of goslings cuddling together to protect themselves from a cool, spring breeze. I racked the lens on my Fuji FinePix HS10 well out and shot the goslings with the camera handheld. Double-click to see the image full sized.

Unenhanced image as it came from the camera.

The second image has been taken into my electronic darkroom, Photoshop, and has had the white point set, the contrast has been tweaked using Curves, a little colour correction has been applied and then the colours have been saturated just a little. Finally, the image has been sharpened.

Enhanced image.

Whether you like what I did or you don't, it is clear that what the camera gives you is not the final say. Remember, the colour and the contrast delivered by the camera is not always dead on accurate. Photographers have been burning and dodging since the dawn of photography. There is little reason to stop now.

Clicking or double-clicking the above images should give you the larger, full-sized images.

Join "City Daily Photo"

2011-05-21T17:40:00.000-04:00

Have fun, learn a little about your town, and force yourself to fine tune your photo skills --- all the while sharing your town with the world.

My health has been giving me some serious problems of late and I have been letting down the "daily photo side." I really am sorry as it is a good group of people. Some of the members are damn fine photographers.

I took today's picture from the parking lot at my family doctor's office. I loved the imaginative balconies, the hard light accenting the strong, repetitious shapes and bringing out the texture in the concrete. The bright, blue sky next to the grey and red-brown of the apartment was another plus.

Check out City Daily Photo and if your town isn't being represented, think about it. If it is being represented, note if a picture is really posted every day. If not, why not contact the person running your city's site and see if they could use a shooter. They just may love having the help. (I know I would.)

Cheers,
Rockinon
londondailyphoto1@gmail.com

Pictures roll in with the fog

2011-05-20T09:27:00.000-04:00

You can set your white point almost to the max; Your strongest black is a gray.

When I saw the fog this morning I knew I had a picture making moment. Fog delivers beautiful images where normally the scene would be too busy to be worth taking. The fog mutes distant colours while making those very close to the camera pop in comparison. Fog adds mood and depth to an image with distant, distracting backgrounds fading gradually into the soft mist.

Sometimes the fog itself can be the focus of your images but for most pictures apply the usual rules: Have a strong, main subject, watch your composition and shoot fast. Fog can lift without warning.

A little selectively applied saturation helps this lilac bush pop.

Saving pictures with sharpening.

2011-05-18T19:49:00.000-04:00

Enhanced with Photoshop Smart Sharpen.

I like to say that sharpening doesn't really work, and it doesn't. It is actually an edge effect that increases contrast along the edges in an image, giving the illusion of sharpness. The truth is the sharper the image, the cleaner the edges and the better sharpening works. All that said, if you are using an image small on the Web or simply making snapshot sized photos, sharpening can save a picture that is just a little too soft when it comes to focus.

Unsharp mask, despite its name, is usually the best choice for sharpening. There are three controls to be set when using unsharp mask (USM): Radius, threshold, amount. I usually use a radius of about .8 pixels, a threshold level of about 3 and for amount I like to vary the percent but 100% is a good starting point. The radius controls the size of the edges affected (too much and you will not sharpen small details); The threshold controls the brightness level at which sharpening starts (too low a setting and you sharpen grain); and the amount is the overall strength of the sharpening effect (too much and you will produce the infamous halo effect known as over sharpening.)

A couple of caveats: Sharpening is irreversible. Always save an unsharpened original. (I always save my original, unenhanced images. I save my enhanced images under a modified name and thus do not overwrite my original image.) And always apply USM last. Sharpening is the very last thing you do to an image before saving it. Remember, digital images are inherently a wee bit soft; A wee bit of USM before saving is always a good idea.

If you have Photoshop, I have CS5, you might play with the Smart Sharpen setting. I have been quite impressed with it thus far. Click on the Smart Sharpen link to see the Adobe instructions. USM emulates an method used in the good old days of film to give the illusion of a sharper image. Smart Sharpen takes sharpening control to another level.

For more details on USM sharpening, click on this link to the Guide to Image Sharpening. Read the info in the guide and you will know more than the average pro photographer about USM.

It gives me nuts!

2011-05-15T12:24:00.000-04:00

My little Fuji FinePix HS10, and it is rather little compared to a full-fledged DSLR, is fun. Yet, I have to agree with the little boy who said about something that bothered him, "It gives me nuts!"

For years I shot with a high-end Canon EOS DSLR. The quality was superb. Now, shooting with what is essentially a sophisticated but dated point-and-shoot, I have to make some trade offs. I say dated because there is now an HS20 and it reportedly fixes some of the problems that I have encountered with my first generation camera.

But what the HS10 lacks in absolute quality, it makes up in fun. I shoot for the Web or to make small snapshots. The quality is more than adequate for my needs.

This shot of a young bride dancing with her father was shot at ISO 800. I popped some straight on strobe into the scene, punching up the highlights and to opening up the shadows a smidgen. I set the zoom to its widest setting, 24mm, laid down on my stomach and with the screen on the camera back pulled out and rotated, I composed my picture.

I may not have ultimate quality but I have a picture with visual impact. It is a different shot from the one being captured by the photographer standing off to the side with a high end Canon camera equipped with a pro telephoto 'L' lens. It is a judgement call but I prefer my angle. Now, if I just didn't have the shutter lag I must contend with. (Reportedly, the new HS20 is not bothered by shutter lag to the same extent as my older model.)

Fuji FinePix HS10, lens cranked out to telephoto. Auto.

With ultimate quality well out of my reach when shooting indoor stuff like the above, I must cover myself by shooting other images outside using lots of available light. Unfortunately, it was heavily overcast on the day of the wedding. Shooting inside a covered gazebo, I was still up against some low light level issues.

Note: When shooting the bride, groom and groom's parents, I was well off to the side to stay out of the way of the photographer hired to shoot the wedding. This angle has the benefit of making for a tighter grouping with almost no dead space between the subjects' heads.

I got the images I needed with a camera I can easily carry and I'm happy --- even though the little devil can really "give me nuts."

Rules are made for breaking

2011-05-08T23:46:00.000-04:00

Wide angle setting on a Canon S90 on fully automatic. No room to get back.

Never shoot a portrait with a wide angle lens. It's a rule. Use something between 85mm and 135mm. I like 105mm, myself.

Yet, if the space is tight and the portrait is begging to be shot, forget the wide angle rule.

My granddaughter loved the blue Jelly Dog the moment she saw it in the store. Her dad made the mistake of letting her hold the stuffed animal "temporarily." Giving up that blue doggie was tough but Fiona did it. But her dad couldn't give up the stuffed dog as easily. He carried the memory of his daughter's delight and subsequent disappointment for days --- until he returned to the store and bought Blue.

I saw Fiona clutching Blue tightly to her cheek while sitting in her backward facing car seat. The 85mm was out; No room. The 28mm was in and so was the picture. So she's a little distorted, I can live with that.

The lesson: always take the picture. Always. If it doesn't work out, so what. But if it does . . . Eureka!

Fuji FinePix HS20: good for newspaper reporters

2011-04-29T15:57:00.001-04:00

The HS10 captured both the speaker and the screen image.

For more than three decades I was a staff photographer for a daily newspaper. First, I worked in Sault Ste. Marie and then, after earning my BAA in filmmaking from Ryserson, I went to work for the Blackburn Group in London, Ontario, owner of The London Free Press.

During my time at the papers, reporters rarely took pictures. Double-threat folk were rare. Today all that has changed. Reporters shoot both still pictures and video and photographers carry video cameras, do online reports and write the occasional story.

I humbly suggest that the new Fuji HS20 may be the camera that today's reporters should be carrying. It is an even better camera than its predecessor, the HS10, and I use the HS10 for shooting news and posting to the web.

Colour excellent but Photoshop needed for sharpness.

The other night I covered an indoor event at the Covent Garden Market downtown. I set the camera to capture indoor scenes, triggered the Best Frame Capture (BFC) and easily grabbed some shots to illustrate my story. Using BFC is important as it is hard to time picture-taking perfectly with a point-and-shoot. There is less shutter lag with the new camera.

I was very happy with the exposures, although the images did benefit from a brief visit to Photoshop. This was mostly to sharpen the shots before posting to the web. Using the lens zoomed to telephoto indoors meant that I was shooting at a wide-open aperture setting with a very long lens. Absolute sharpness was, I hate to admit, poor. Thanks to Photoshop the images were fine for the web and would be equally good for publication in a newspaper.

I would not like to make a huge enlargement from the two images shot with at telephoto.

Newspaper reporters cannot devote a lot of time to their pictures. Remember, they are covering a news story. They need to follow what's happening and grab some good quotes as well. This means they must learn to think pictures. They must know what they want and then get it and be done with it. Reporters can't waste time taking too many pictures.

I staked out a position where I hoped I would be able to line up a monitor in the background with a speaker in the foreground. When a slide appeared on screen announcing the name of the event behind councillor Judy Bryant, I wasn't lucky, I was ready. Likewise with the mayor, Joe Fontana. With publishable pictures of both Fontana and Bryant captured, I grabbed one last shot showing the density of the audience and showing some of the well-known Londoners in attendance.

(Below) The fellow in the lower right is sketching out his vision for downtown London. This is perfect. This image captures both the reason for the event while, at the same time, illustrating its success.

At wide angle the images were sharp as expected.

My story, complete with art, ran here and here. I'm still not a great reporter but I am proving that both jobs can be done successfully by one double-threat reporter/photographer.

Pixels and quality

2011-04-20T14:39:00.000-04:00

Shot with a Canon SD10 set to macro photography. Camera was hand held.

There is a belief when it comes to pixels, the little light gathering units making up the film-replacing chip in your digital camera, that more is better. As many are now learning, this is not necessarily so.

I noticed this when I moved up from my little Canon SD10. The images I captured with that simple, little camera with its 4MB sensor were quite phenomenal.

I went to the library to research this topic but I have been slowed by some health issues. Please, come back in a week and maybe I'll have a post and some answers.

This was also shot with my Canon SD10. This time a tripod was used.

Cheers,
Rockinon

Shooting a simple portrait

2011-04-18T21:08:00.000-04:00

Shot with a Fuji FinePix HS10.

The definition of portrait photography has broadened quite a bit over the past decades but staying tight on the subject's face is always a winning approach. Capturing good catch-lights in the eyes is usually a plus, especially if the picture is a positive treatment of the subject. If the subject is brooding, all bets on the value of catch-lights are off.

Recently, I entered a portrait competition and submitted a loosely cropped picture of Fiona asleep. It was cute but was it a portrait, even an environmental portrait? When I saw some of the other entries I decided I had interpreted the contest assignment far too broadly.

The winning photo was a beautifully lit cat. The image was sharp, it was full of detail and it was cropped nice and tight. There were catch-lights in the eyes. It shouted portrait about as loudly as it shouted cat. It deserved to win.

The shot today of Fiona is better. It's tight but there is a little bit of camera movement. This image isn't sharp enough to be a winner. And, if you look at Fiona's chin and upper lip on the right, there is a gray shadow that should have been removed in a photo enhancement program like Photoshop. The gray tint would be much better rendered in warm, pink flesh tones.

Getting this image presented some hurdles. One, it had to be shot with the lens zoomed in a little to a mild telephoto setting. Wide angles are poor for shooting portraits, especially if you are in close. This made handholding the camera a bit harder. In situations like this it's best to brace the camera if possible, although the stabilizers in today's cameras help a lot.

You must also watch the focus. In a small room, it is easy too be too close to the subject for the lens to focus accurately. You must be careful; The small image on the back of the camera may look sharp at a fast glance. It can fool you. When you download the image, you will find the image is only acceptable when viewed very, very small.

One answer to the focus problem is to shoot just a little looser than you'd like and crop the resulting image to the portrait you were aiming to shoot right from the beginning.

Think: subject, environment, composition

2011-04-10T16:01:00.000-04:00

I shoot so many pix of Fiona, she brought me my Fuji.

When shooting pictures don't just think subject; Although, a fine subject can often carry a weak picture. Try to think subject, pictorial environment (background/foreground) and composition.

The subject should be almost stand-alone good. Fiona is back-lit and captured in the middle of an action. She's not looking at the camera. All in all, there is nice feel to this image of a small child.

Adding, or maybe I should say not taking away, from the importance of my subject is the great expanse of gray pavement. There is little in either the foreground or the background to distract us from Fiona. The only colour in the picture is the little girl; This is a bonus.

The composition helps to strengthen Fiona's importance in the picture. She is dramatically placed high in the top right corner with a strong, dramatic diagonal shadow guaranteeing our eyes go straight to the her.

With today's digital cameras there is no excuse not to experiment. Shoot lots and stay alert. This isn't the only good photo from this shoot but it was my favourite.

Art, craft , repetition and visual delight

2011-04-08T11:51:00.000-04:00

Repetition of visual elements is commonly found in both works of art and works of craft.

This fence, sighted in Mount Brydges, Ontario, is a beautiful example of a style of fencing that was very common in the Canadian province a century ago. Sadly many of those fences are now long gone. This fence is in such good condition that it is possible that it is a reproduction but if it is, it is a good one.

The repetition found in a fence is so obvious, so clear, that one may enjoy it without thinking much about it. In fact, we may focus more on the craftsmanship, on the skill that it took to create such a beautiful addition to this home's appearance. In works of craft, the repetition is perfect.

In art works, the repetition may not be perfect but the essence of repetition will still be found. What makes the following picture work, for me, is the contrast between the gentle repetition of the piles of railway ties and the craftsman-perfect repetition found in the railway tracks.

The fog is a bonus, adding atmosphere, and an extra visual delight to the image.
__________________________________________________________________
Both images were shot using my Fuji FinePix HS10. The fence shot took advantage of the wide angle coverage offered by the HS10's zoom, while the shot of the railway ties was taken using the telephoto end of the range.

Why I like my Fuji HS10

2011-04-06T23:27:00.000-04:00

This image has been reduced in size and saved as a jpg for faster page loading.

There are naysayers about bridge cameras like the Fuji HS10. These critics sing the praises of DSLRs and high quality long lenses. These critics are right, except that a camera in the hand is worth any number of cameras elsewhere. And that is why I like my little Fuji; It is always with me.

Also, the Fuji is very affordable and that has got to count for something. When I retired, the money I was paid for just one used pro lens, my much loved Canon f/1.8 200mm telephoto, paid for my Fuji bridge camera, for my little point-and-shoot, for two sets of batteries for both cameras, the SD cards and more.

And the Fuji gets the job done.

On the way home from a dinner downtown, I sighted some deer in Woodland Cemetery. It was dusk and getting dark. The cemetery gates were locked. As I walked to the iron fence, I turned on the camera, zoomed out the lens to 720mm and checked that the auto was on scenic. I braced the small camera against the fence, framed and shot.

I'm happy with my HS10. But if I wasn't retired and a little short of money, I'd sell my little friend and move up to the soon-to-be-in-stores HS20. It sounds like another little gem.

Work with your tools, not against them.

2011-04-02T18:07:00.000-04:00

Check the quality of these images. Only a couple have obvious issues.

Cruising the Net, I came across this page of pictures posted to Picasa. I thought, "Those look familiar." And they were, because they were mine. I shot all the pictures of the Morgans Over America tour in 2005 using a simple Canon SD10. This miniature camera, now almost tens old, has a fixed wide angle lens similar to a 28mm on a 35mm SLR.

It is a nice lens, if limited. The camera doesn't appear to use any destructive noise eliminating software on the pictures. The images are amazing: great colour, superb sharpness and a very smooth gradation of tones. It's too bad the file size is only 4MB but I have squeaked 14X20 enlargements out of the files by carefully cropping the images in the camera as I was taking the pictures.

When constrained by a lens, go with the flow, yield to reality, and frame your images to take advantage of the lens you have. Don't frame for the lens you wish you had. Nothing will teach you how to perfect your eye for wide angle photography like being forced to see the whole world through a wide angle lens. Try and accent the foreground, think composition using the complete scene, shoot images that gain from displaying a deep depth of field.

I have retired that little gem and replaced it with a Canon S90 and a Fuji HS10. I love the S90 for shooting available light. For shots demanding a wider lens or a really long ones, I love my Fuji. Yes, I know that both cameras have their weaknesses but for me their strengths rule.

Please check out the images from MOA2005; Click on them to enlarge. Just think: If this fine selection of images is possible using just a Canon SD10, what is possible with a camera like the Fuji HS10?

The replacement HS20 is big improvement over the original camera. I highly recommend the HS20 to anyone who wants to have serious fun with a camera but doesn't have the spare change for a true digital SLR. The HS20 bridge camera is a bridge to fun.

Wide angles are perfect for accenting the foreground.

Grab whole scenes, taking advantage of the great depth of field.

Think about your pictures; Don't waste time damning your puny camera.

The electronic darkroom for the 21st century

2011-03-27T19:12:00.000-04:00

Sometimes people ask me why I like image enhancement programs. Take a look at the two pictures of my granddaughter shown above. The one has not been enhanced and the other has. There is no question which is which.

I enhanced, or as I like to think of it, I printed the image on the right using Photoshop CS5 --- a version I just bought this morning from Adobe. I saw a link on Flickr to a sale price being offered by the Adobe Store. I moved quickly and got lucky. The link no longer works.

I did notice a box on the Adobe site that said: "SIGN UP FOR SPECIAL OFFERS. Please email me Adobe Store special offers and new product announcements."

I can't guarantee that you'll get an offer you can't refuse, but it's worth a try.

As I have said in the past, I think of Photoshop (my photo enhancement program of choice) as an electronic darkroom. Before you get too critical about my work on my granddaughter's picture, remember this is fast and dirty "printing."

I don't get too fancy. I just select gross areas and burn and dodge. I don't use the provided burn and dodge tools but the levels and curves screens instead. Working this way is quick and for most of us the quality is up to the standards set by the traditional wet darkroom of decades past.

Now that I own Photoshop CS5 who knows, maybe I'll tackle the program properly and learn how to do work surpassing those quality standards of old.

Hold your ground

2011-03-19T12:33:00.000-04:00

Taken in tight, up close, and in front with a wide angle.

When I was working as a newspaper photographer an important thing to remember was to hold your ground. Some of the best pictures are taken when the action is coming right at the photographer.

Very little can beat an exciting image of a basketball, out of control, and speeding towards the camera. Unless, of course, it's a picture of the photographer getting hit.

Finding a position in front of the action can often make for shots that truly involve the viewer. For instance, when shooting football action when the ball is being played deep in the end zone, shots taken with a long lens from off field and behind the goal posts are great. This angle maximizes your chances of capturing some import facial expression, too.

As today's point-and-shoot photo shows, even a simple shot of a child can benefit from being taken from this viewer involving angle. Don't forget composition (the circular opening), capturing ongoing action and background (the low camera angle captured mom to her dismay but I like it better than cropping mom off at the neck).

So let's get out in front and damn the torpedoes. Well, maybe I'd draw the line at torpedoes.

It's about people not pixels.

2011-02-28T22:38:00.000-05:00

Cameras like the Fuji HS10 take the worry out of available light photography.

Fuji Canada has a photo contest and I entered the picture of Fiona shown above. The contest is focused on portrait photography. I had thought of doing something traditional. Find a blond (man or woman, boy or girl, light hair is what I'm looking for here) or an older person with greying hair, place a bare-bulb table lamp behind them and one bare-bulb table lamp off to the side and in front and, if necessary, place a white sheet of bristol board off to the side bouncing light into the shadows.

Then I watched as Fiona fell asleep in a dark bedroom. The curtains were almost completely closed.. The light looked great but there wasn't much of it. I thought, "not to worry." With a pose like that I'll work with the light I've got.

This is where today's sophisticated point-and-shoots show their strengths. Fiona tends to move a lot while she sleeps. Working fast was important. This picture opportunity was not going to last. I grabbed my Fuji HS10 and set it to automatic.

This picture was shot hand-held at 1/6 second at f/4.0. Today's cameras with their sophisticated stabilization systems make hand-holding possible even at such extremely slow shutter speeds. I accepted a pushed ISO setting of 800, but then I am not a stickler about noise.

I figure pictures like this are not about pixels but people.

There is one glitch with this image: Colour cast. If you look carefully at the white sweater at the bottom of the picture you will notice a cyan colour cast. If I had noticed this before, I would have removed the cyan stain.

Remember, the room light was almost non-existent. This image is much brighter than the actual scene. When digging deep into dark shadows to make an image, one can expect some problems: colour shifts, colour casts, confetti-colourful noise and blurred detail resulting from over-enthusiastic noise control by the camera software.

Print the picture small and most problems disappear. Print the image large and most folk will view it from some distance and again most problems will again disappear. I have 16X20s that were printed from 4MB files taken with a Canon SD10 and folks have raved about these framed pictures. No one has ever pointed out the technical shortcomings because these are strong images.

Of course, if you are shooting for publication then all bets are off. Unless your technical shortcomings add a patina of style, your images will just come up short in the eyes of an art director.

(If ultimate quality is important to you, and think carefully as for many people it is very important, then take a look at the blog Nothing Special. This blogger knows his stuff and will point out the stuff that I was once also concerned with. My resolution/contrast charts and Macbeth Colour Checker now sit gathering dust in my basement.)

Rules are for breaking

2011-02-21T22:39:00.000-05:00

The Rule of Thirds in action.

I have talked at times about shooting children and how one must get down to their level to get the best pictures. Well this is usually true. But like most rules it is made to be broken.

Just don't throw out all the rules at once.

Study today's picture of my granddaughter. The little tyke is asleep in her car seat. I quietly folded the carrying handle back behind the seat and turned the bright yellow duck so that some of its face was visible.

I positioned myself directly above the sleeping child. Note the composition. Think Rule of Thirds. To apply this rule cross the picture with two lines horizontally and with two lines vertically, dividing the image into thirds in both directions. The image is broken into 9 sections.

The four lines are useful for placing strong, directional elements in a photo. Think horizons and trees, etc. Placing strong points of interest at, or near, the intersections of these lines makes for a naturally balanced image.

All three heads, the child's, the teddy's and the duckie's, are approximately at an intersection of two lines. Following this rule while shooting comes naturally to some photographers but many more have to apply it consciously at first.

By activating three of the intersections in my picture of my granddaughter note that the heads trace a triangle in the same way that stars form the Big Dipper in the night sky. In art school we were told this implied triangle gave the image a solid base and added quiet strength. Remember, a lot of this compositional stuff is found after the fact — much like the Big Dipper appeared after the stars were formed.

It is important to shoot lots and, if you can't recall the Rule of Thirds while your taking your pictures, think serendipity and keep an alert eye while editing.

Shooting Kids

2011-02-15T23:49:00.000-05:00

Fiona likes her puzzles.

Get down on the level of the child for good shots of kids.

When I saw Fiona, my granddaughter, down on the floor putting one of her puzzles together, I saw a picture. I grabbed my camera, in this case my Fuji HS10, and dropped to the floor. By getting down low, one sees a lot of the little girl's face and can easily see her look of concentration.

This shot was taken with the zoom lens set to 24mm. The shot was illuminated with window light pouring into the bedroom through a very large window.

Personally, I think the best pictures of kids show them engaged in one of their usual day-to-day activities rather than simply posed looking at the camera. I like the small amount of subject motion blurring the little girl's reaching hand. The movement adds to the documentary feel, the unposed moment captured feel, of the image.

I kept the puzzle pieces in the picture as I thought they added to the story. I'm still debating whether or not the picture could be improved by cropping off the puzzle piece at the bottom right. Cropping the picture so that the puzzle piece disappeared would make for a very deep picture with very little width. It might be very dramatic. What do you think?

One warning. Note the distortion in this picture. That is the result of using such a wide angle lens. If you want less distortion, do not use such an extremely wide lens. Get back a bit from your subject and use a longer lens. Doing this will minimize distortion but it will also give a flatter, less dramatic, perspective.

Cheers!

Shooting food

2011-01-22T14:13:00.000-05:00

See it, like it, shoot it, eat it!

I have it from a respected source that at one time photographers specializing in food photography were paid thousands of dollars for an image destined for a national magazine. When I went to art school in the '60s shooting great food pictures was an accepted art and craft.

When shooting soup, drop clear marbles into the broth we were told. These would settle to the bottom and force the vegetables, or whatever, to the surface. We were instructed to use shaving cream for whipped cream as it would hold together longer under the lights. Spraying food with glycerin to give it a "wet look" was an accepted practice. Bluntly, we were taught to cheat. But those days are gone.

Today it is very important to shoot honest food pictures. If the picture needs trickery, you may need a lawyer. This is especially true when shooting product shots for ads and the like.

So, if you like to shoot food, go for it. Take your time, pick your subjects, and you can produce pictures as good as the big shots. Today's picture shows a blueberry and cauliflower salad served on a bed a baby spinach with a fig and lemon balsamic vinegar dressing. It tasted as good as it looked.

Like so many of my food shots, this was shot in our kitchen in the seconds before sitting down to eat. It is illuminated by soft light pouring in through a large window. I admit that I chose the blue placemat for the picture but other than that this salad is just as it appeared.

My wife's the food artist. I'm the photographer. (This image could be even better if it was taken into a photo enhancement program to have the shadow at the bottom of the image lightened.)

Shooting food:
1. Use food that inspires you.
2. When starting out, keep it simple. One slice of back-lit lemon can be enough of challenge for a first picture. My favourite subjects are fresh plates of well-prepared food immediately after they have been brought to the family table.
3. Soft but directional light is often best. This light minimizes deep, dark, harsh shadows. Large windows work well but the glass cannot be tinted, as does bouncing one's flash against a white ceiling. This is where a TTL flash shows it strengths.
4. Try different lens. In tight with a wide angle gives a dramatic perspective to your image. Shooting from farther back with a long lens can make some parts of the subject 'pop' on account of the decreased depth of field. Speaking of depth of field, play with shutting down your lens and teaming this with a slow shutter speed; Often a bit of depth of field looks good with food pictures.
5. Keep the light clean to keep your colours faithful.
6. Be creative and gives this all the attention that you would give any picture.
7. With some subjects you must learn to work fast as bubbles break, froth falls and steam vapourizes and all disappear in seconds.

So work fast, shoot lots, try some different approaches and above all, "Have fun!"

Good luck!

There's a little reason posts are sporatic: Fiona

2011-01-18T10:43:00.001-05:00

Both images taken with Canon S90.

For more than a year this collection of blogs enjoyed regular, almost daily, posts. This activitiy has come to a grinding halt and for that I apologize. With both of us in our early 60s, my wife and I have taken on the quite enjoyable task of babysitting a beautiful little girl, Fiona, our granddaughter.

The kid's awake!

The little tyke can be quite demanding --- in a sweet sorta way. I can't move without having Fiona following along. Working at the computer is completely out, unless I want to visit YouTube and share some videos with the kid. She loves movie trailers like the ones for Tangled or Despicable Me and music videos are always worth a look.

As you can see from today's picture, Fiona arrived asleep. I have just a few moments for an explanatory post; Judy tells me the little girl is starting to stir. I best get ready to share a banana and maybe a crushed and chopped pear with the kid.

Have a great day,
Cheers,
Rockinon!

Amazing. The best got better!

2011-01-05T23:03:00.000-05:00

Fuji FinePix HS20

Fuji has announced a successor to the FinePix HS10 bridge camera: The FinePix HS20.

I loved the HS10. It wasn't perfect but then it wasn't a lot of money either. The HS10 looked like a DSLR but it was really a glorified point-and-shoot. When it came to its weaknesses, and it did have them, one had to cut this camera a bit of slack. It delivered well on its promises and to expect more would have been unfair.

Come March it is a new game and a new standard. The soon to be in stores HS20 has raised the bar on what to expect from a DSLR wannabe. It promises more, lots more, and my guess is that it delivers.

The bar is now so high that there will be times when owners of bigger, bulkier DSLRs, complete with a bag of lenses, will wish they had the new Fuji.

Shot with the HS10. The new HS20 promises to be even better.

The following is from the Fuji press release and will be updated later. Or just click over to Digital Photography Review for their excellent look at the upgrade to my much loved HS10.

High Speed and Sensitivity
The newly developed EXR Processor and EXR-CMOS sensor in the HS20EXR allow for pristine images to be taken in fast-shooting situations or in low-light environments. The combination of the two technologies creates a fast transfer circuit for quick process and reading of files for high speed shooting and Full HD movies, and the EXR-CMOS sensor itself, where the wiring layer and photo diodes are reversed, creates higher sensitivity for taking impressive images in low light conditions.

Intelligent Processor
With the improved intelligent processor, taking photos can’t get much easier. The GUI, with its new rich user interface that dramatically improves the appearance and searching functions of menus, might be one of the first things you notice, but the most notable benefits are speed and image quality. Additionally, the FinePix HS20EXR can now recognize an impressive 27 scenes. While shooting, the camera configures each scene and recognizes the perfect setting and automatically takes the best quality picture, with a single touch of a button.

Click on photo to view HS10 image quality.

EXR Technology
The EXR technology adds further versatility by modifying its behavior according to the lighting condition. Users can either let the EXR Auto mode choose the correct setting itself, or pick from three manually selected options:
• High Resolution Priority – can be used when you’re after exceptional image quality.
• High ISO & Low Noise Priority – can be used in low light conditions where the combination with the BSI sensor makes for superb results.
• Dynamic Range Priority – takes two pictures and combines them to provide a range of up to 1600%.
With these unique sensor combinations, capturing great pictures has never been easier.

Capture Moving Subjects
The FinePix HS20EXR’s strong mix of sensor and processing technologies allows breathless action shots to be captured, and the continuous full resolution shooting at 3fps, 5fps, 8fps or 11. fps at an eight MegaPixel resolution, will make sure the action is stopped in its tracks. The FinePix HS20EXR also eliminates the need to worry about slow auto focusing or shutter lag. The new solution’s contrast Auto Focus system takes approximately 0.16 seconds (minimum) to focus.

A long lens can make the impossible shot possible.

A 30x Zoom Lens
With a 30x zoom range covering focal lengths from a super-wide 24-720mm (35mm equivalent), the FinePix HS20EXR is ready for anything. Boasting high quality FUJINON optics, the manual zoom lens is now even easier to operate thanks to a reduction in the size of the flashgun. Zooming through the range can be done quickly and precisely to ensure perfect framing for every shot.

The FinePix HS20EXR also is equipped to fight blurring, a common problem when using longer focal lengths. Dual Image Stabilization combines a mechanically stabilized CMOS sensor with high ISO sensitivities for total anti-blur protection. Together these technologies reduce the blurring effect of both handshake and subject movement to provide sharp, clean and clear results even at the longest zoom settings or in challenging lighting conditions.

HD Movie Capture
The FinePix HS20EXR offers an impressive level of video functionality. With the ability to capture movies in true, full 1080p HD quality, the FinePix HS20EXR delivers high sensitivity with low noise for movies captured in low lighting. In addition, movie files (.MOV) are captured with H.264 high profile compression for smaller file sizes without sacrificing quality. With a mini-HDMI output connector, it is easy to connect and view images on your HDTV (HDMI cable not included).

High Speed Movies
Versatility is further increased thanks to the High Speed Movie options, which include capture at an incredible 320 fps. With features like this, even the fastest moving subjects can be captured and watched in slow motion.

One Touch Controls
The FinePix HS20EXR sports a full complement of sophisticated manual and semi-automatic shooting modes and photographic controls. The extensive external controls give the more advanced photographer direct access to virtually every control they will need for uninterrupted shooting, and the specially designed chassis includes dedicated command buttons for quick and easy key functions such as ISO, white balance, focus and metering. The large command dial, manual focus ring, twist and zoom lens barrel, bright, clear electronic viewfinder, high quality tilting LCD screen and deep hand grip ensures the camera handles well. AA batteries (ships with alkaline) provide excellent performance (up to 300 shots with Alkaline batteries) combined with the convenience of a universally available format when shooting for extended periods away from main power.

The FinePix HS20EXR also offers these additional features:

• RAW / RAW+JPEG Shooting: The FinePix HS20 has the ability to shoot both a RAW and JPEG shot simultaneously. RAW is for ultimate quality shots via post processing, JPEG is for great quality with no need for further post-production work.

• Motion Panorama 360°: The sensor extends the sweep range to 360˚ (shots can also be taken vertically). Combined with high quality Fujifilm printing, sweeping and impressive scenes can be taken, showing fine detail, low noise and high resolution at 180°, 240˚ or full 360˚ panoramic ranges.

• Purple Fringing Reducer/Corner Resolution Enhancer: The EXR processor has the capability to spot and reduce purple color fringing, most common on dark subjects against light backgrounds. In addition, the EXR processor improves the resolution at the corners of an image for more uniform image sharpness.

• Super Intelligent Flash: The FinePix HS20EXR offers a flash control system which efficiently controls the level of flash for a given exposure to produce beautifully balanced flash illumination across the foreground and background. Super Intelligent Flash is most useful in macro photography where the contrast between subject and background can be especially challenging, but is also effective for night and backlit photography.

• Multi-Bracketing: The FinePix HS20EXR has 3 bracketing functions useful for high level photography: Film Simulation Bracketing (which automatically sets Film Simulation to PROVIA, Velvia and ASTIA for simultaneous capture of 3 frames), Dynamic Range Bracketing (which automatically sets dynamic range to 100%, 200% and 400% for simultaneous capture of 3 frames) and AE Bracketing (which automatically sets exposure range to even, under and over for simultaneous capture of 3 frames).

• Face Recognition: Users can register up to eight (8) faces, along with names, birthdays and categories, and the HS20EXR will prioritize focus and exposure right on the faces of those special people. Users can also use Image Search to view images of a registered person.

• Face Detection and Automatic Red-eye Removal: To provide perfectly exposed and focused portrait shots, the FinePix HS20EXR is fitted with Fujifilm’s latest Face Detection technology which is able to track up to 10 faces simultaneously, at almost any angle to the camera. The system instantly corrects red-eye and then saves both the original and the corrected image file automatically.

• PhotoBook Assist: PhotoBook Assist lets you select and organize images in your camera to create a digital photo book. You can download the photo books to your computer using MyFinePix Studio software that is included.

Pricing and Availability
The FinePix HS20EXR will all be available in late March 2011 and will be priced at $499.95.

NOTE: For complete camera specifications, please go to: http://www.fujifilm.com/products/digital_cameras/

Rescue deleted pictures

2011-01-01T10:58:00.000-05:00

A rescued Boxing Day photo

Before I downloaded my pictures from Boxing Day, I committed an oops; I erased my SD card. "Oops!"

If this happens to you, there is a solution: Image Rescue from Lexar, the card manufacturer. This program is available for both PCs and Macs and costs but $33.99 U.S., a bargain.

I first learned of Image Rescue while working at The London Free Press. I returned from shooting some aerials and the images wouldn't download. There had been a card error. The camera had had an oops.

Image Rescue found all the images, downloaded them and placed them in a folder on my computer.

Two warnings: First, sometimes damaged images are not complete. There may be only a partial image on the card. In cases like this, complete retrieval may be impossible.

And the other caveat is that Image Rescue 4, the version that I used, does not work when a camera is used to download the images from the card in question. A USB card reader/writer is necessary. I had to buy a USB 2.0 card reader/writer as my card is designated SDHC. My older reader/writer did not work with my SDHC card. Image Rescue could not find the device until I used the USB 2.0 reader.

I picked up a USB 2.0 card reader/writer at Tiger Direct for $6.99. Another store, right across the street, was asking almost $30 for a similar reader. Don't overpay for a simple card reader.

That said, if the problem is human error, all the images should be salvageable. Just do not take any more pictures using the card in question. You do not want to overwrite any of the "erased" images.

A few years ago I took pictures in Antelope Canyon in Arizona and Walgreen's lost the images when cutting a CD. If I had stopped using the card containing the lost images, I could have salvaged the shoot. I should have bought a new card and retired the other until I got home and retrieved the lost images using Image Rescue.

Continuing to use the card was the biggest oops of all.

I should contact someone like Grey Boyer, of One Horse Studio, and buy a picture of the famous canyon. With all my own images destroyed, this is my last remaining option.

Unfortunately, with something like lost Boxing Day pictures you don't have someone with the talent of Boyer backing you up.

Merry Christmas

2010-12-25T11:12:00.001-05:00

Merry Christmas

and a

Happy New Year

to all!

. . . and now to go and watch Fiona unwrap her gifts. Maybe I'll post some pictures. I do hope you are all having as wonderful a Christmas as I am.

Cheers!

Fuji HS10: the good, the bad and the ugly

2010-12-22T09:13:00.000-05:00

Shot in California, lots of luck here. This would make a good enlargement.

I have had lots of hits from folk seeking information on the Fuji HS10. I can tell this is their interest from the posts they've hit, the time they've spend on this site, and the pictures they've downloaded.

I use a Fuji HS10 and as I have said before, "I love it." But I say I love it, not like it. It is a fine little camera for the price. But that loves comes at a price not measured in dollars and cents --- as if love could ever be measures in such a crass manner. You give up a certain amount of control. There are times that you're at the mercy of your camera. Thank goodness it is a merciful little thing.

Love the moment, but it is clearly soft when enlarged.

If you are a serious photographer with goals of making huge prints and even possibly selling some of your work, this Fuji may not be for you --- especially if you shoot a lot of action stuff.

That said, if you are like me --- rather challenged in the money department --- then the Fuji HS10 is worth your consideration. I don't have to make large prints. If my pictures carry on the Web, I'm happy. If my image files are good enough to make good snap shots, I'm happy.

And when it all comes together, you can make incredibly large prints from the Fuji HS10 files and I am sure my best shots would look great published. It is just that I cannot be sure when shooting, not one hundred percent --- especially when shooting action, that the picture being taken will be up to snuff.

The colour is off but I love the moment. It's a good file.

When I was a working pro, this was not good enough. My Canon EOS was expected to be perfect --- and it was. But it cost thousands, and that was without a lens. The bag of zooms I carried added more thousands to the cost of my kit and added lots of weight. The cost of camera bodies has come down but the cost of the lenses is still high, although if one opts for lesser quality lenses one can get by.

In other words, the choice isn't as clear cut as it once was. The spread in dollars is no longer as great but neither is the spread in quality.

In the end, I don't have the money.My back is failing. I don't have the health. But my shooting eye is as good as ever and I my love of photography as strong. My Fuji HS10 brings me great joy without being a burden.

I still shoot news, now for the Web. The Fuji delivers.

If I was just starting out in photography, if I wanted a good, little camera to learn about the art, if not the craft, of photography, I'd buy a Fuji HS10. Because this camera is essentially a point-and-shoot, much of the craft is handled by the camera. The art is up to you.

p.s. My Fuji has fallen at least three times. Once, it fell far enough, and hard enough, to scratch the viewing screen on the back. (I said, I was getting old.) Unlike me, the little camera has taken it all in stride, showing no signs of slowing down.

But I do try and take care of my little friend. I have a clear filter on the lens made especially for protecting the lens on a digital camera.

See it; Shoot it. I love my little Fuji HS10.

Google "Rockin' on: Photography" Fuji and check out some of the other pictures taken by this little camera and posted here.

So remember, this is an amateur camera and not a professional one. It suffers from shutter lag, and has some trouble with follow focus but it has a zoom that works just like the ones on the cameras owned by the big boys. If you shoot for the Web, this is a camera worth considering.

We still need the "darkroom"

2010-12-19T20:44:00.000-05:00

Almost all pictures can be helped by a little Photoshop.

More and more newspapers are having their reporters take pictures. That's O.K. That's right, I think it is about time reporters shot some of their own art. Today's cameras make shooting a quick head and shoulders or a fast shot of a crumpled fender easy. I say free up the photogs for the stuff that requires a skillful photographer.

Just because reporters are now also shooters does not mean the paper can get by without trained photographers. Unfortunately, the folk in charge of today's newspaper chains can't see past the bottom line. If they could, they would still have lab staff. With the wet darkroom gone, these bean-counters let all the lab staff go.

And along with all the folk they showed the door, they also moved a lot of concern with picture quality out of the newsroom. Don't follow the lead of the newspaper folk. Set up a darkroom, an electronic darkroom, and "print" your pictures.

At a minimum, this photo needed white and black points set.

I use Photoshop. But I have played with Adobe Elements and Adobe Lightroom and found them very good for the price. On vacation, caught without Photoshop loaded on my laptop, I resorted to using ACDSee to enhance my images.

Compare today's two pictures. The top picture has been "printed" in the electronic darkroom (Photoshop). The bottom picture is just as it came from the camera. The difference is not always this dramatic but almost all images benefit from some "printing."

And now you know why, if your paper is like The London Free Press, why the images in your paper are occasionally so poor.

Addendum: I noticed that this post was hit by someone at The London Free Press. So, I quickly found an image shot by a reporter, John Miner.

In the old days a picture shot by a reporter was printed by the lab staff. When the lab staff was let go, the duty fell to the photographers. Now, with the photo staff severely chopped and under great strain, I'm not sure who enhances the pictures shot by reporters. From the looks of this example, the answer is no one.

John Miner's a bright guy, very talented. There are some nice things about his shot. The movement, the one foot off the ground and the other lifted. The flying snow. But the image is presented to the reader in a very poor manner. The picture says: "We don't care about quality."

I am not suggesting that John Miner or the photo staff should enhance this image. This could be done by the modern equivalent of the old lab staff and this would free photographers for shooting and free reporters for reporting. Both should be encouraged to be two-way people but with reporters the emphasis would be on the writing and with photographers on the art.

That said, if papers were using their staff wisely, they would be amazed at the untapped talent in their newsrooms. For instance, one photographer at The Free Press started out in a journalism course. Originally, this fine shooter wanted to be a reporter. As a double-threat person, a two-way person, this photographer would do a superb job if given the chance, and the time to do it right.

As I was saying, almost all images can benefit from a trip to the "darkroom."

Best point and shoot

2010-12-12T09:10:00.000-05:00

O.K. I don't know what THE best point and shoot is. I don't know you, nor do I know all your needs. But the following are three suggestions as to great little point and shoots that in the right hands will keep a photographer busy capturing life's important moments.

Love that f/2.0 wide angle.

My first suggestion is actually two suggestions: either a Canon S95 or a Panasonic Lumix-DMC LX5. I own the Canon S90 and I am quite satisfied; It does what I expected. This means it is not perfect but it answers my needs.

My first need is a fast lens. In most cases, I do not like straight on flash photography. All too often, for 1/1000th's of a second you destroy the light and the shadow that drew your eye in the first place, and replaced that with harsh, straight on strobe.

Both the S95 and the LX5 have very fast, for point-and-shoots, lenses. At wide angle both can be opened to a maximum aperture of f/2.0. Nice.

Team a fast lens with a big chip and you have set the stage for a camera that can shoot usable images at ridiculously high ISO settings. Both cameras, I believe, top out at 12,500 ISO! If you think that's crazy, you're right. Images shot at such a high setting suffer, but they are usable.

Owning the Canon S95 has been a delight. The shutter lag is noticeable to me, but then I used a DSLR for many years with absolutely no shutter lag. If you prefocus the camera by depressing the shutter button half way, the shutter lag is maybe a fifth of a second.

A small camera is always handy. My Canon S90 is rarely far away.

The Lumix LX5 seems to be Panasonic's answer to the Canon S95. And, although I haven't used an LX5, the specs and the reviews indicate that it is a fine response indeed. If size is all important, the smaller Canon wins. With a slightly longer lens, the Canon may again be your choice. But the Panasonic sports an 24mm wide lens rather than the Canon's 28mm, the chip in the Panasonic is slightly bigger and the LX5 has a lot of other nice bells and whistles to keep those with technological savvy more than happy. Check out the comparison of these two point-and-shoots on Snapsort.

Let me end this with some info from Dana Wollman's recent article in the Huffington Post. Note how Wollman starts right out by accenting the S95's small size when declaring the Canon the best point-and-shoot.

Pros: About as compact as a deck of cards, the S95 looks like any other point-and-shoot, but its photos are lovely enough that even people used to carrying bulkier, more advanced digital SLRs will be impressed. Although it's the same size as other cameras, the body feels particularly solid, well-made.

This camera from Canon Inc. has an unusually large sensor for a small camera, which means clearer, sharper pictures, especially in low light. It takes generally beautiful shots and does a better job of blurring the background than other point-and-shoots. The camera also shoots HD video (1280 x 720) and has an HDMI port, enabling people to connect the camera directly to a high-definition television. Serious photographers looking for a lighter camera will enjoy the various manual controls.

Under low light levels, the Canon S90 sings.

Cons: The S95's battery life is relatively short: Canon says it can take up to 200 photos on a charge, whereas competing models such as the Panasonic Lumix-DMC LX5 ($399) claim to take up to 400. The shutter button is small. Also, the S95's 3.8X optical zoom – about what you'd get on a $99 camera – might be too shallow for some people.

Let me add, the short zoom criticism also holds for the Panasonic LX5. And one should never leave home without a second, charged, spare battery. Never! I spent almost six weeks traveling across North America last summer and not once did I miss a picture because of a dead battery.

Since relatively short zooms may not answer all your needs, I know they don't for me. That is why I also own the Fuji HS10.

I love that little camera but note I said love and not like. It has some, what my wife would call, idiocrazicies. The time lag is truly annoying but when that little camera with its incredible zoom delivers, all is right with the world. There is a clunker of a work-around for the shutter lag problem and I've learned to rely on it but it is still a clumsy work-around. I talked about this in length here: Best Frame Capture.

A long lens is sometimes one's biggest need. Think Fuji HS10.

Of course, since buying my Fuji HS10 other camera makers have put out competing models. Still, all things considered, I remain happy with my HS10 and can't see dumping it in the foreseeable future.

You may have noticed one common thread here: Size. I carried a "door stop" camera for years for work. I don't want to lug a monster camera and bag of lenses in my retirement.

In the end, if you do your homework, you will love the camera you buy and you will make beautiful pictures together.

And if you want the 'marriage' to work, don't have a wandering eye. Lust destroys relationships.

Find the bright, clean light

2010-12-12T00:08:00.000-05:00

Shot with my Canon S90. S95 is latest version.

My home is poorly lit. I'm green. No, I'm not a leprechaun. I'm an aging environmentalist.

This means that when I shoot pictures inside my home at night, I have a problem. I hate flashes. They destroy the ambiance, the light and the shadow that made the picture worth taking in the first place. Bit when I push my cameras to high ISO ratings, even my Canon S90, I get a lot of noise. Not good.

The answer, if one has a camera with an external flash, is to use the external flash and bounce the light against the low, white ceiling. If you don't have such a camera, or don't have an external flash, you're almost snookered.

The only answer is to search the home for any small brightly lit patches and maybe one will be suitable for photography. I searched and I found one spot - my kitchen. The florescent lights are bright and daylight balanced. I encourage Fiona to play in the kitchen and when she does something picture-worthy, I capture it.

This attitude of watching for light that does the job, light that answers your photographic needs, is very important. Learn to watch the light and work with it. And if the light is wrong, if it is outside, one can wait. Remember, you have some control over when and where you take your pictures. Keep your options open.

Telling a photo story.

2010-12-02T11:29:00.000-05:00

Canon S90 set to automatic and hand-held. Image enhanced in Photoshop.

London, Ontario, has a great ice pad at Storybook Gardens. The rink is scheduled to open this coming Sunday and staff are hustling to prepare a proper ice surface. The weather is cooperating, its cold, and workers are spraying the cold concrete with water.

Shot at dusk and the sky darkened in Photoshop.

But the beauty of the Storybook Gardens rink is not just its size, it's an almost kilometer long loops filled with gentle curves. The rink is situated in a park dedicated to well-known storybook characters and stories. Kids can find Humpty Dumpty in the park, and the Old Shoe that served as a home for the old lady and her brood, and more. In winter, Christmas lights add to the atmosphere.

It is a cool spot and recently I had the chance to get some images of the park prior to its opening.

The trick here is to try and tell a story. Clearly the watering of the ice pad is a core image. For this you must set some clear goals: The water spray must be backlit to make it pop in the dark, the pavement must be wet with puddles to reflect the colourful lighting, and the large size of the pad and its curved shape must be clear. Shooting at dusk makes this all just a little easier. The shutter speed is faster. Still, bracing the camera on any solid, suitable surface is an excellent idea.

The Christmas lighting must feature in at least one shot. The outline of a steam locomotive was the obvious shot but it was important to include of the curving ice trail in the picture. This photo essay is about a location and we must work to locate each picture, where possible.

After getting permission, I shot the train lights from behind. Note the rink.

I have often heard folk complain about the poor focus of their point-and-shoots. This can be a problem, I must admit. That said, I use point and shoots as I can't afford better. (I'm retired.) One trick that will work with almost all cameras is to aim the camera at whatever must be in focus, partially depress the shutter release (this causes most cameras to focus), and then with the release kept depressed you recompose your image and shoot. With today's oh-so-smart cameras you may have to watch the on-screen focus indicators to be sure that both you and the camera agree on what should be in focus.

Remember to shoot lots. This is especially true if you are shooting for the Web. You are not constrained by a finite expanse of paper on the Web, so take advantage of this fact. The rink can be seen behind the Christmas lighting locomotive but it is not especially clear. Punch up your photo story with one good image of the rink.

Photoshop is expensive. I own a copy because I am an ex-teacher and ex-photojournalist. At the least consider buying a program like Photoshop Elements to punch up you images before "publishing" your images on the Web. I like to think of this as electronically printing my pictures. Photoshop is my electronic darkroom.

Action's important.

Lastly, if you have any pictures in your files to round out your photo story, now is the time to dust off one or more of those images. Voila! You've told your story.

Oh, one last thing: Simple news pictures do not require model releases before publication. Even so, I often speak to the people in my images and make sure that they do not object to being in one of my online publications. If someone were to object, I would remove their image without argument.

To see how this approach worked with the same pictures presented on a different site, read my article on photostories posted on Digital Journal.

Soft focus? Sharpen 'em and keep 'em small.

2010-11-23T22:30:00.000-05:00

Fiona's mom painted the picture behind the little girl back when mom was but a little girl. I was holding the baby but managed to get off one quick shot. The painting was in focus but the baby was soft and the whole image was very yellow from the hallway lighting.

The original file was quite yellow and Fiona was soft.

I set white on Fiona's shoulder, then selected Fiona and sharpened just Fiona using Unsharp Mask. I admit to cranking it up quite high. Almost to the max.

Then I reduced the image for the Web and sharpened the whole image with just a small touch of USM.

Surrounded by art

2010-11-14T21:50:00.000-05:00

We are surrounded with art. Patterns often result when our stuff is factory made. And with plastics everywhere, colours are everywhere.

A fun game, and one that teaches one to see photographically, is to look for a picture somewhere in the immediate vicinity. When I decided to play, I was in our kitchen.

I played the game recently and the result is today's picture: A lettuce washer/spinner. It has a translucent, blue plastic top with a white plastic shape inside. I noticed the top sitting in the dish rack, back lit by sunlight entering the room through the dining-nook window.

Now, look around and find a picture. You do have your camera handy, don't you? If not, for shame.

Sequencial shots can rival video

2010-11-04T06:57:00.000-04:00

I like video. I like being able to not only see but to hear what's happening. I have shot some quick videos of my granddaughter that I simply love. It is wonderful to have captured her little laugh for eternity.

That said, often I do not have the time to watch (or show) a video but I want to see (or show) more than just one quick, shot. At times like this, one option is the photo sequence.

You can't always be showing your cornered friends and work cronies little videos of your daughter, or in my case granddaughter. Watching videos takes time, and time is often in short supply. But, few folk will balk at spending a moment checking out your latest little sequence.

Blogger technical note:

I have linked and embedded two videos in this post. Linking was done by simply clicking the link icon in Blogger. Embedding was just about as easy. It required nothing more than finding the video in YouTube, clicking "Share" and then selecting the "Blogger" tab. If you have more than one blog, make sure you are sending the video to the correct blog. The video will appear in a new post. To move the video to another post, simply copy and paste the HTML code into the new location.

Shoot available

2010-10-27T20:31:00.000-04:00

When I first got into the photojournalism game, my boss accompanied me on my first assignment to show me the ropes. Seems a little boy had found an injured squirrel and had nursed it back to health. The paper wanted a picture of the kid with his somewhat wild pet.

When we got to the home the little guy was quite excited and ran for his squirrel. With the squirrel perched on his arm, the little boy waited impatiently to have his picture taken. I shot a few available light shots with my Pentax Spotmatic to kill time as my boss set up two lights. He insisted on the highest quality for the images destined for the paper. Always use two lights, he said, and a 120 Rolleiflex camera.

As he worked the little boy's smile sagged and the squirrel began getting antsy.

With everything in place, my boss started the shoot. Snap! WHOOMP! The two flashes fired. The little boy closed his eyes and the squirrel headed for a place unknown, not to be seen again, at least not until after we left.

When we got back to the paper, my boss's one and only picture, shall we say, sucked --- big time. My available light picture ran in the paper. I never touched the Rolleiflex and I rarely used two lights. One of the other photographer taught me to use bounce flash instead.

Today, I still try to shoot available as much as possible. Today's picture was shot at f/2.5, at 1/80th second at an ISO of 640 with my Canon S90 set to Lowlight automatic.

There is a large window behind me. That's important. Set the scene such that it unfolds where there is ample light. Don't make the shoot any harder than it needs to be. Think light, think time of day, think location and then sit back, camera in hand, and let serendipity take over.

Photoshop: a fast fix

2010-10-18T22:40:00.000-04:00

Credit: Photo Illustration by Rockinon

I do a little reporting for an online citizen-reporter driven newspaper called the Digital Journal. Writing for DJ is good practice for someone who's still thinks he may someday be a reporter/photographer.

Today I was asked to write a piece on a report by an influential research group. The report recommended opening the Canadian telecom industry to foreign investment. My story, Canada's telecom industry needs foreign participation, needed some art and it had to be ready in minutes.

I took my cell phone, turned it off and on so that the Bell name was momentarily displayed, and took two quick pictures. The exposure setting for the first picture captured the cell phone screen and the Bell name. The second exposure overexposed the screen but captured a fair picture of the cell phone itself.

I took the two images into Photoshop and selected the screen showing the Bell name from the one image and pasted it on top of the second image. In levels I viewed both layers but only activated the one with the screen and the Bell name. Using skew I distorted the screen to overlap the blank screen in the second image. The handles are found in each corner of the selection. When I was happy with the results, they weren't perfect but they would do to illustrate a news article, I merged the layers and saved the image.

How to improve your pictures: Cheat!

2010-10-12T21:41:00.000-04:00

Mallard duck shot with a Fuji FinePix HS10 set to emulate Fujichrome.

Remember memory colours? Green grass, blue sky, flesh-tones, these are all known as memory colours. For years film manufacturers all had their own ideas on how our memories remembered these colours. When film became history, replaced by digital chips, memory colours were reworked. Today some cameras will even allow you to emulate famous films from the past.

So, if we are all in agreement that accurate-when-compared-to-reality colour is not what any of our cameras --- film or digital --- give us, are we not free to fudge our colour accuracy a little? And if you're shooting for yourself, hey, why not match the colours to your memory?

I love to punch up my highlights and anchor my pictures with a solid dark tone base. I love to smack 'em with some saturation and finally whack 'em with some sharpening. If I were submitting these images to someone for publication, I'd refrain from the above. But I am not, and so I do.

Note, the colours in today's picture. Now, those colours are the way I remember them.

Covering a news event with a Fuji FinePix HS10

2010-09-26T22:35:00.000-04:00

When I worked for a daily paper, I had oodles of the best gear. I had two DSLRs, three zooms lenses, and four prime lenses. My slowest lens was an f/2.8. My zooms were f/2.8 throughout their zoom range. It was wonderful.

Now, I often get by with one glorified point-and-shoot. Today I grabbed some shots from the Strength Behind the Uniform charity walk and run held in Springbank Park here in London, Ontario.

I used my HS10 on auto, plain auto and sports auto, and found that often I'd have picked a slightly different exposure but I am living with its choices. I must admit that at times Photoshop is a godsend. I'm going to spend some time soon with ACDSee to see if I can do complete image enhancement without falling back on Photoshop for such stuff as working on feathered selections.

If you are curious about my news shooter results, check out my post on London Daily Photo.

More than one way to shoot a scene

2010-09-21T16:31:00.000-04:00

Whenever you shoot a picture, remember there is more than one way to shoot any scene. Why is this important? Because, some of the possible approaches can be better than others. Don't just shoot and move on. Take some time and take a number of angles, a number of views, use different lenses and at different settings.

When I saw the three boats rafted up on Lake Erie off Port Stanley, my first thought was a tight, close-up. I cranked the lens on the Fuji HS10 to its max, 720mm, and shot. I used the best frame capture mode as I like to have choices on how a moving person is depicted. I like the composition to suggest action.

But there is more to this moment and so I shot a few more images. I especially liked the following picture, I may even like it more than my first shot. It locates the three boats clearly just off the sandy beach. One person has called the second image "romantic."

Note the crude dodging of the boats in the first image. I was going to correct this but then thought I would post it as a warning to others. Either work on only specific areas or feather selections with great boldness. Half measures can look less than half as good.

Canon S90: More Low Light Level Shooting

2010-09-19T11:17:00.000-04:00

I like to 'print' all my images. I very rarely just accept an image as it comes from my camera. When I noticed Fiona sitting on the floor hugging her fluffy, white seal, I grabbed my Canon S90 and set it to the low light level setting for dim lighting.

On this setting, the camera automatically treats two adjacent pixels on the sensor as one and as result the file size of the images drops from 10MB to 5MB. On the plus side, the image noise is not as high as one would expect when shooting at ISO 3200. The camera picked a shutter speed of 1/30 second and set the lens to f/4.9.

Image straight from camera on left; image after Photoshop on right. (Click to enlarge.)

I took the best image into Photoshop where I cropped it and straightened it by rotating the crop box. Next, I corrected the colour by clicking on the brightest area of Fiona's white sleeve. I determined the specific spot by going into Levels (Control-L) and while pressing the Alt key, Option on a Mac, I slid the white triangle at the right-bottom of the histogram until the black screen had a bright white speck. That white speck was the brightest white in the image. I returned the white triangle to its starting point and clicked the white area with the white eyedropper.

I then set the endpoints for the picture in Photoshop. I held the Alt key and moved the white triangle and then the black triangle. In this way, I controlled the whites that were blown and the blacks that were plugged. I find it best to blow as few whites as possible --- I try to stick to spectral highlights --- and to be a wee bit generous in the plugging of blacks. This ups the overall contrast of the image, giving it more punch.

Then, I selected Fiona's face and tweaked the endpoints of the selection using Levels and I tweaked the skin tone by going into Curves and removing a little yellow.

My last step was to resize the image for the web (7-inches deep at 72 dpi) and give it a whack of USM (Unsharp mask: Amount 160% / Radius 0.4 pixels / Threshold 3 Levels).

Was I totally happy with my Canon S90 results? No. The shutter speed the camera picked was awfully slow and this made capturing movement difficult. I could have done better with a DSLR and a very fast lens --- f/2.8 or faster.

On the other hand the S90 is always handy because of its small size and the images it does capture are quite good. I may not be totally happy with my little point-and-shoot but I still totally love it.

Get down to their level!

2010-09-13T22:15:00.000-04:00

When shooting children and pets, getting down to their level will often yield the best pictures.

This picture of Fiona was taken with my Canon S90 on the low light level setting. This kicks up the ISO and cuts down on the expected image noise. If I had a better camera, a DSLR with a top mounted flash, I would have tried bouncing my strobe off the white ceiling rather than shooting at the higher ISO.

Without a flash, find your angle and if possible brace your camera. You face enough difficulty trying to stop the movement of the child or pet; don't add camera shake to the equation if you have a choice.

And if you are protesting and saying, "But your camera has a flash." You're right but straight on strobe is the flash of desperation and with lots of window-light I wasn't that desperate.

Memory Colours

2010-09-09T17:46:00.000-04:00

One often hears arguments about digital photography and how film was better. Film depicted the world in a more accurate manner, or so many people believe. Don't count me among them.

If thirty years ago you had shot the same scene with Kodachrome, Ektachrome, Agfachrome and Fujichrome, you'd have had four different renditions of the scene. As I recall from my own experience the Kodachrome would have been warm, the Ektachrome cool, the Afgachrome warm but not like the Kodachrome and the Fujichrome would have had an intense brightness of colour that would have blown away all the others.

One important place to look for the differences in the films would have been grass or foliage. The green of foliage or the blue of the sky is a memory colour. The choice of how a film renders a memory colour is important and there is an amazing difference between films, or today, between chips.

In the days of film we used to modify the colour of our printed images using filters in the printing process. Today we use Photoshop. Some days I hit my images with lots of colour as it is how I like to recall the scene. My memory colours are bright and bold like the Fuji colours of the past.

Best Frame Capture_A Detailed Look

2010-09-05T09:39:00.000-04:00

Click image to enlarge and examine this ACDSee frame grab.

If you are thinking of buying a Fuji FinePix HS10 to shoot sports because you heard that it can crank out ten frames a second, think again.

I tried an experiment. I set my HS10 to the sports photography auto setting, put the camera in Best Frame capture mode, and shot some pictures of joggers. I learned a lot and a lot that I learned was not good.

I found that my camera was not good at following focus. In fact, it was poor. With fast action approaching the camera, the best images were captured immediately after depressing the shutter button. The longer the button was depressed, and the closer the subject was to my camera, and the longer the zoom in use, the more out-of-focus my results.

I am still going to try and shoot a football game this fall, but I have no illusions. It will be tough.

Click image to enlarge: Endpoints set, colour corrected, USM applied, all in Photoshop.

The Fuji Finepix HS10 can deliver the goods when it comes to sports photography but at a high cost in missed pictures. But, if like me, you do not have the money for a proper DSLR, nor the desire to carry a larger camera and all its associated lenses, the Fuji is still a good little camera.

One note: I am finding the best program for enhancing my images is Photoshop. Mostly I use Levels to set the endpoints, and curves to modify contrast and do colour corrections. Often I select areas and apply selective correction --- I think of this as similar to burning and dodging in the old wet darkroom days. For instance, I tweaked the face of the runner in the enhanced image. I always sharpen using USM (Unsharp Mask).

When should I use my flash?

2010-09-03T12:55:00.000-04:00

When should I use my flash? Seems like a simple question, but it's not. If there is enough light, I favour available light photography. If my flash is a micro unit built into my point-and-shoot camera, I will push my luck, and my ISO, and stay with available light photography as long as possible. I prefer noisy pictures to flatly lit ones, but that is a person preference.

Handheld umbrella bounce.

When I worked at a paper, the answer was different. Back then, I had a powerful strobe with a swivel head and I always carried a small umbrella. Holding my umbrella behind and off to one side, I bounced the flash into the middle of the umbrella. Using the centre pole of the umbrella as a pointer indicating the path of the bounced light, I would aim the umbrella at my subject. (Check the dressing room picture of a model shot prior to hitting the stage at a local fashion show.)

In white painted rooms with white walls and ceiling, one can forgo the umbrella and simply bounce the flash into a ceiling/two wall corner. Either the corner trick or the handheld umbrella approach will allow one to shoot with at a much smaller f/stop and thus get cleaner, sharper images. This is so important when striving for the best images for publication.

Yesterday was my granddaughter's first birthday. She was one-year-old. To shoot with flash or not was the question. I went without and I'll show you one of my images and let you decide if I make the right decision.

First, I shot the image with my Canon P90 set to available light photography. This automatically ups the ISO and changes the way the camera treats the sensor pixels. At the available light setting, the camera marries adjacent pixels for lower noise at high ISO settings. This cuts the image size form 10MB to 5MB but I can put up with that.

Original Image

Cropped and enhanced

I took the resulting images into Photoshop Elements and enhanced the images using the automatic colour correction feature. I am testing Elements at the moment and that is why I used this program.

Next, I selected parts of the image that I felt still needed some colour correction and made some gross corrections using Photoshop and Curves. I always give my selections a bold amount of feathering. Bold approaches worked in the old wet darkroom and so I use this same approach in the new electronic darkroom.

With the image looking quite good colour wise, I set the endpoints in Photoshop Levels. Hold the Alt key down while moving the endpoint triangles. When moving the white point the image will go white and only the areas with blown out whites will be shown; When moving the black point the image will go black and only the areas with plugged blacks will be shown. With Mac running Photoshop, hold the Option key.

When done, I gave it a small amount of Saturation (8), resized the image for the Net (7 inches deep at 72 dpi) and lastly I sharpened it using Unsharp Mask. (Amount: 160%, Radius: 2 pixels, Threshold: 3 levels)

I confess, I tweaked the overall contrast with one last visit to Photoshop Curves. I grabbed the curve at the shadow end and therefore put a bit more weight to opening up the shadows but it not a big deal for most of us. The resulting image looks good on screen and will make fine prints for the family scrapbook.

Macro Photography

2010-08-24T14:34:00.000-04:00

All the rules you follow to achieve your usual shooting style should be applied when shooting macro-photography. Watch your background and keep clutter to a minimum. Try and work with contrast in tone and colour in order to make your subject pop. And try for the maximum sized image while keeping the subject absolutely sharp.

That is where this image suffers - it is a little small and a tad lacking in ultimate detail because of this. But the copper toned top of the Japanese Beetle contrasts nicely with the green foliage and the rich colours make for a strong image.

The really nice thing about macro-photography is that you can make images that are real grabbers without so much as leaving your backyard. And most point-and-shoots today offer macro photography as one of the myriad of shooting options. So, get out there and have some fun --- and get some great pictures, too.

Telling a story with your pictures.

2010-08-22T19:29:00.000-04:00

Pictures should always tell a story. The story can be simple or complex but there should be a clarity of thought evident in all your shots.

Years of working as a news photographer taught me the importance of paying attention to the story telling being delivered by each picture.

Seeing some young people unloading kayaks for an afternoon run down the local river, I immediately thought of my other blog --- London Daily Photo.

I shot images of the unloading, the launching and the paddling. The first two images are rich with lots of action. I am especially fond of the composition of the unloading picture with the curved jogging trail adding a wonderful sense of energy to the image.

These images just didn't happen, but I didn't set them up either. I scouted each scene, found the angle that held the most promise and then shot the action using the best frame capture mode of my Fuji Finepix HS10.

Some mention should be made of Photoshop. All images were enhanced using Photoshop. Each picture had the endpoints adjusted with Levels and the overall brightness of each image was modified using Curves. After hitting the images with a little Saturation, each picture was sharpened using Unsharp Mask.

This is the approach that one should strive for when shooting such stuff as vacation pictures. The holiday photo album will be far more interesting, if you do.

A fine camera for reporters

2010-08-18T09:04:00.000-04:00

Strong pictures to illustrate a story are now in reach of reporter two-way folk.

The line separating reporters and photographers is becoming blurred. When a good camera kit with a big selection of lenses cost a small fortune, it was impossible to offer reporters the toys given photographers at the same newspaper. This is no longer true.

The news shooters may have faster lenses but there is no longer any reason for reporters acting as two-way folk to be given a complete losing hand when it comes to camera gear. I would highly advise any paper to give super zoom cameras like the Fuji FinePix HS10 serious consideration.

These cameras may not capture the ultimate in image quality but then newspapers don't require such high quality. My Fuji shoots images that would look just fine printed on newsprint with an 80 line halftone screen.

Reporters are bright people and many are very image literate. With a good super zoom these talented reporters could report both verbally and pictorially and they could do so easily and quickly.

Last night I had to post a response to a feature that ran in my local paper. I made a loop through the suburban area that was discussed, quickly took a lot of pictures to illustrate my points, and within hours of deciding to write my piece I had it online, complete with art.

See: Rockin' On: the blog --- 21st Century Suburbia. You don't have to read the piece, this isn't trolling. Just check out the images taken with the lens on my HS10 set anywhere from 24mm to 720mm. The exposures were set by the camera and saved as simple jpegs. I did nothing fancy. I did nothing that a reporter could not be expected to master.

For another example of what a reporter could do with simple equipment and enthusiasm, see:
Canoeing the Thames (in Ontario). Reporters could do this. They are quite bright people. Honest.

Now, about photographers also writing articles . . .

Best Frame Capture Mode

2010-08-08T15:40:00.000-04:00

According to Fuji, "With this mode, you can half-press the shutter button and the HS10 will start to record photos. Then, when the special moment happens, all you have to do is fully press the shutter button and the camera will capture that shot and the 7 previous shots, ensuring that you will have every moment of the action recorded, and giving you the opportunity to select whichever was the best shot!"

A big weakness of point-and-shoot cameras vs. DSLRs is the shutter lag from which point-and-shoots suffer and DSLR cameras don't. The HS10's Best Frame Capture mode delivers images that slipped by during the camera lag moment.

For today's picture the HS10 delivered seven images, taken in quick succession, from which I selected the best. The downside is that the Fuji camera takes more than ten seconds to write all seven images to the SD card. Until the camera is done, no more picture taking is possible. Win some, lose some.

Since I cannot afford the alternative, nor do I want to tote about the weight of a DSLR plus a number of lenses, I'm happy. I think I'm winning more than I'm losing shooting with my HS10.

Now for a note on composition:

I believe with images like the above it is important to have the lines of the stairs perfectly parallel to the top and bottom of the picture. If you've got Photoshop, you can Select -> All and go Edit -> Transform -> Skew to correct the little compositional errors. Don't try to correct too much with skew, do most of the work in-camera while shooting. This keeps the distortions introduced by Photoshop from becoming obvious.

For another post on Best Frame Capture, check out: Best Frame Capture_A Detailed Look.

The benefit of a long lens

2010-08-06T21:13:00.000-04:00

Most often a long lens, like the 720mm zoom on the Fuji FinePix HS10, is used to get "close" to a distant subject. When I saw today's picture I wanted to put distance, real distance, between me and the subject. The pavement dust would be bad enough on my camera but, unlike the man operating the cutter, I didn't have a face mask. The HS10 allowed me to get quite a ways away and still capture a fine photo. You just have to love that 720mm zoom.

Another use for continuous shooting

2010-08-04T22:43:00.000-04:00

Continuous shooting at 10 fps guaranteed a sharp image.

The thistle looked like a picture but it was waving sporadically in the light breeze. Trying to time the shot to the lull in the wind was near impossible. The shutter lag kept messing up my timing. So, I set my Fuji HS10 to continuous and soon had an image. Don't just think sports action when considering the value of the continuous shooting feature.

Fuji FinePix HS10 Meets Bruce Cockburn

2010-07-18T00:49:00.000-04:00

Tonight was a big test of my Fuji FinePix HS10; I took it to a concert.

Remember, I'm a retired newspaper shooter. I once used top of the line Canon EOS cameras. I often shot concerts with an f/1.8 200mm prime lens. I was never concerned about the light; With an f/1.8 there is always enough light. And with such a massive, large f/stop, I could use any shutter speed necessary to stop the action on stage. As for the ISO setting, I always went lightly, no big boosts here; I wanted to minimize noise.

Tonight I had none of that. I had a lens which when zoomed got progressively slower. I'd be lucky to shoot at f/5.6, I thought.

So, I gambled with the shutter speed; I picked 1/320 second. I gambled with the ISO; I set it to 6400. And, I truly threw the dice with the f/stop; I used Auto!

And I won my bets! Or at least I think I did. What's your opinion? Feel free to comment. (This was written quickly last night on returning from the concert. Read on to get the in-depth scoop.)

Everything I've read about the Fuji HS10 made worry about trying to capture a singer on stage with this camera. I read that the lens was incredibly slow when zoomed, the pictures were soft and smudged looking when shot at anything faster than ISO800 and the camera was impossible to use without a tripod when zoomed all the way to 720mm.

Now, one rule of photography is not to decide you cannot get a picture before pushing the shutter button. Photography is not about equipment; Photography is about photographers. Clearly there are limitations imposed by equipment. But more often the limitations are imposed by the shooter. You can't do much about the equipment problems but you control the photographer --- you.

Before leaving for the concert, I brushed up on my knowledge of the camera. The HS10 is one complex piece of equipment for a fellow who places the Canon SD10 in the Parthenon of point-and-shoot. I confess, I still have not truly mastered this hi-tech tool.

Getting to the concert early, I sat down close to the stage and began preparing the camera for the concert. First I set it to Sports Action figuring this would force the camera to make decision based on stopping action. I shot a few quick pictures of the audience and immediately learned that this would not work. The shutter speed chosen by the camera was simply too slow.

I set the camera to shutter priority. If you don't understand shutter priority read the entry posted on Digital Photography School. I set the shutter to 1/500th thinking that was a good starting point and I shot some more pictures. I assumed that the stage lighting would remain fairly constant. Not enough light.

I then started playing with the ISO setting. Remember all major full settings make changes of one full stop (to be technical step not stop but let's not be silly). So, change the ISO from 100 to 200 and it is similar to opening the lens another f/stop.

I moved the ISO from 100 to 6400: A change of 5 stops! And I shot some quick preliminary pix. They looked good exposure wise but they suffered from camera movement. I'd have to brace the HS10 somehow, I thought.

Lastly, I increased the dynamic range of the camera one increment. I'll confess I don't know exactly what this does but it sounds good. I had read the extreme setting resulted in increased noise and I didn't want that and the factory setting, I read, allowed highlights to burn out. I picked the in-between setting.

Immediately before the concert I walked to the front of the stage, squatted down and staked out my position --- not quite in front of the mic. I didn't want every picture marred by a mic blocking my view of Cockburn. The really fine thing about my "seat" was the wooden barrier. I could shoot under it while pushing the top of the camera firmly against the wood. This steadied the camera.

After Cockburn appeared I realized that I didn't need to shoot at 1/500th second. I moved the shutter speed setting down to 1/320th. The camera was picking f/stops in the f/5.0 range --- sometimes a little faster and sometimes a little slower. This looked good to me.

I pushed the high speed continuous shooting button and I was ready to rock.

So, you want to be a better photograher. . .

2010-07-17T07:30:00.000-04:00

Yes, this was taken with my simple Canon SD10. Cool, eh?

. . . and you've come here looking for information on the best camera. Forget it. Stop the search. Unless you are a pro or a truly advanced amateur, the camera is not the big deciding factor in whether or not you shoot good stuff. It's you!

I googled "photo club London Ontario." Found the local photo club and checked out the images. Wow! These shooters are good.

This does not come as a total surprise as years ago I wrote a photography column for the local paper. One column dealt with the The London Camera Club. I interviewed the then president and featured some of his work in my column.

Canon has released a new camera. This would hardly be worth mentioning except it has one feature that puts it apart from the crowd: An f/2.0 lens. I'm talking about the Canon SD4000 IS.

With my Canon SD10 I found pictures just outside my door.

For seven years I played with the first camera in the now long series of SD cameras, the SD10. It was laughably small --- I was used to big DSLRs with giant, heavy lenses as I worked at a newspaper. But I soon learned, or should I say rediscovered, that once one learns to work within the limits imposed by one's camera, the joy of photography is there to discover.

I loved that little SD10. With only an f/2.8 prime lens, it taught me to see the picture in the overall scene. No zooming in to crop out unwanted stuff. Make a composition or move was the demand. I got a lot of exercise running about taking pictures with that camera. And it was worth it.

Go to my site Rockin' on: the Blog and scroll down while looking on the right side of the screen. You'll fine a little slide show of images almost 100% of which were shot with my ultra-compact SD10.

Don't get hung-up on equipment. Get hung-up on photography. Get hung-up on you. Go google "photo club" and add your own hometown. Find some like-minded keeners. Document your world and enjoy.

Once you can shoot successfully within the confines of a simple camera, you are a photographer ready to take advantage of the almost unlimited world of high-end DSLR photography.

My SD10 taught me the importance of composition and light.

My look at the Fuji FinePix HS10

2010-07-16T21:31:00.000-04:00

Since posting my personal thoughts on the Fuji FinePix HS10 I have been directed by readers to a number of Internet sites carrying full reviews of this Fuji superzoom.

Many of these had serious reservations about the camera. Pictures of playing cards taken under poor lighting were shown to be grainy. Action shots, poorly composed and rather uninteresting, were shown to be poor. (I don't take pictures of playing cards in the dark. Not my thing. So, I really wasn't all that interested.)

One reads these reviews, looks at the pictures, and it is clear that these folk are shooting for fun. I am and I like the HS10. Straight from the box, set to the no-brainer Auto setting, I got some great pictures. Were they too noisy? Too soft? Oh, please . . .

Full post: Rockin' On: Photography.

The first thing that is important in any photograph is the photograph. A camera is nothing more than a tool for taking and making pictures. The HS10 is not only a good tool straight out of the box, it has features that allow it to grow with the photographer. Using the HS10 can be a challenge but that is not a bad thing if rising to the challenge delivers great images while making you a better shooter.

The HS10 is not for everyone. A newspaper photographer would be driven wild by its infuriatingly long shutter lag. And I can see some parents be ticked off when they miss a shot of their child because the camera is busy writing the last picture to disc and is not ready for more action. To these people I say, break down, spend the money, buy a DSLR. There really is no other answer.

But if you're like me and what you want is a serendipitous camera, one that you can have with you almost all the time --- I don't recommend taking the HS10 into the shower --- then this Fuji offering is worth considering.

Enlarge the image below. It was a chance moment. Driving along the Pacific Coastal Highway, I chanced to see some kite-surfers. I stopped and fired off some quick pictures. It was fun to do and it was even more fun to see the fine moments I captured.

For a more detailed look at the ultra-fast continuous shooting capabilities of the HS10 please check out my post discussing the Best Frame Capture mode.

Click on this image and examine the slightly cropped file. I'm impressed.

Fuji HS10 Unretouched Image

2010-07-14T07:31:00.000-04:00

This is an untouched, downloaded straight-from-the-camera, image. This Fuji HS10 image of a hare is not even cropped. I took this at the Hacienda at Fort Hunter Liggett in California while on holidays. The image is not perfect but it suffers from nothing that cannot be corrected in almost any image enhancement program: Photoshop, ACDSee, etc.

One reads a lot about the noise problems, etc., of the Fuji HS10. Double-click this image and take a close look at the quality. It is a perfectly fine image file in my book.

Cheers,
Rockinon.

Serendipitous Cameras_Fuji HS10, Canon S90

2010-07-11T10:33:00.000-04:00

Taken with a Canon SD10 Digital ELPH.

I call point-and-shoots "serendipitous cameras" compared to the professional DSLR cameras that I used while working for the local newspaper, The London Free Press. Truth be told, all photography has an element of the fortuitous, of chance, of luck.

It is this reliance on luck in photography that has many refusing to accept photographic images as art. This shows a lack of understanding of what many believe constitutes art. There is art and there is craft. Point-and-shoot photographers, especially those with their cameras permanently set to "Auto", are the purest of artists. These shooters keep the intrusion of craft into their art to a minimum.

I've always knows that there was a certain amount of chance involved in getting a fine photo. But it wasn't until my wife bought me a Canon SD10 Digital ELPH that I began to truly appreciate what removing the craft decisions from photography really meant.

The little Canon SD10 fit into the watch pocket of my jeans. It had no zoom lens, it could not be manually focused, nor could one change the f/stops or shutter speeds. On the plus side, it had an f/2.8 prime lens; This isn't fast but it isn't slow either.

Dinner: opportunity to make/capture art.

Always with me, because of its size, I began to see beauty worthy of a picture everywhere. I could fill a photo album with shots of my dinner plates alone. My wife's a good cook, and like all good cooks, she mixes the craft of cooking with the art of presentation.

My little SD10 lasted more than seven years and it taught me a lot. When I retired, read hit by a layoff at the newspaper, The London Free Press took "my" cameras. You see, "my" cameras were "their" cameras. I was left with three lenses: a Canon 200mm f/1.8 and two smaller prime lenses. I was also left a little short of money.

I sold my lenses and replaced all my newspaper gear with what I hoped would do the job on a shoestring: a Canon S90, a Fuji HS10 and a Dell Studio XPS notebook. Of course, I also added a big helping of serendipity to my camera bag. These are cameras that thrive on luck.

One big drawback of almost all point-and-shoots is shutter lag. The little SD10 prepared me for this nonsense. I now anticipate and for this I am rewarded. Check out the kite-surfer pictures captured on vacation in California.

The Fuji HS10 has a sophisticated "Best Frame Capture" setting, but at the time I shot the surfers I wasn't as sophisticated as the camera. I simply set it to point-and-shoot and shot. And was pleasantly surprised.

Action is good but an overall shot is a must --- must show a surfer and a kite.

So, why two cameras? They serve two different purposes, that's why.

The Canon P90 is a small camera, the expected point-and-shoot shape and size, making it is easy to carry at all times. But, where the P90 shines is when used for available light photography.

It actually has a specific low light setting that changes the way the camera treats the scene and the picture file it creates. First, the S90 has an f/2.0 lens which lets in twice the light of an f/2.8 lens.

Available light makes this shot work in a way a flash would not.

Next, when shooting on the low light setting the Canon marries adjacent pixels, treating two smallish pixels as one large pixel. This, of course, ups the sensitivity of the chip while cutting the noise. The f/2.0 lens allows shooting in low light without pushing the chip into the realm of the ridiculously high ISO numbers. Although, that said, I believe the Canon is more than willing to shoot at speeds as high as ISO 12,500 if pressed! I'm not sure I'd be willing to accept the resulting pictures.

In a pinch, the Fuji will also shoot in low light. In fact, it has a trick or two up its menu-sleeve but I still prefer the Canon. In a future post I'll discuss the Fuji solution.

Without a flash, there's context. Don't you hate a black background in flash pictures.

Where the Fuji HS10 shines is . . . uh, everywhere else. The 24mm wide angle lens with the zoom retracted is very handy as this is a true wide angle and not a wimpy 35mm setting as is so common. But the real mind-blower of the HS10 is its 720mm telephoto with zoom extended to its fullest.

Tweaking the endpoints of the Crazy Horse bust would improve image.

On vacation in South Dakota, I climbed the Crazy Horse Memorial. This is only possible one weekend a year. I thought I'd like to post a news report in the Digital Journal on the event and for that I needed some good art. The Fuji HS10 came through in spades.

The two biggest disappoints I have with both the Canon S90 and the Fuji HS10 are:

1. I just don't think either consistently delivers the bright, rich colours that my old Canon SD10 produced. Neither camera has the latitude that I expected. But, if you have Photoshop, or a program like ACDSee, this problem is easily corrected. Also, the Fuji has a DR (dynamic range) setting. This may help solve this problem. We'll see in a future post.

2. Both cameras suffer from shutter lag but in the case of the Fuji it can be exceedingly frustrating. The Fuji promises a shooting speed of ten frames per second and delivers - but that is it. You don't line up shooting bursts, one after another as one does with a highend DSLR. One lives with a blank monitor a lot of the time.

I have taken some action shots with the HS10, the kite-surfing pictures for instance, but I found that I had to choose my moments carefully. Grab a shot and then wait for the image to be processed.

I talked with another owner of an HS10 and was told that I should be shooting with an SD card with a speed rating of 10. My card, a Lexus 32GB Platinum II card, is only rated a four. But folk on many photography forums say the HS10 itself does not take advantage of the faster speed cards. These "experts" are quite certain that my card is more than adequate.

A fine car, my Morgan took us to California and returned us home.

As for the many complaints I have read in online reviews of this camera about image noise, etc., I can't complain. On my holiday when push came to shove, both cameras delivered the goods. Neither the light-gathering abilities of the Canon nor the incredible zoom of the Fuji ever let me down. I filed pictures and a story from my almost six week adventure across North America in a 42-year-old Morgan roadster to the Digital Journal almost daily. Only the lack of an Internet connection stopped me. For instance, there is no Internet in Yellowstone National Park at the moment.

I'm going to try and have some of the work from my Morgan trip published and that will be the kicker. How will these images look on a printed page after setting the tonal endpoints and colour values in Photoshop?

My money says that they will look stupendous.
_______________________________________________

For a very good and very complete look at the Fuji Finepix HS10 check out the review on "imaging resource." The review gives a good overall view of the camera plus some indepth technical stuff. The article is very nicely done.

The same site has a review of the Canon S90. The reviewer writes, ". . . the good news is that the Canon S90 does deliver better performance in low light, and its optical quality is impressive relative to the camera's size." Personally, I found myself more in agreement with the review in the New York Times by David Pogue. If you have the time, read both.

The compact Canon S90 is always handy and it gives great results in available light.

Complementary Colours Make Pictures Pop

2010-05-25T22:54:00.000-04:00

Shot with my Canon PowerShot S90.

While trimming a yew at my front entry, I noticed this flowering plant hiding under the dense, green foliage. It wasn't there last year and neither my wife nor I planted it. So, what is it? It sure is pretty.

Note how the reds and greens really pop. This is because they are complementary colours which means they are opposite each other on the colour wheel. The use of complementary colours is intrinsically a high-contrast approach.

This was shot after the sun had moved to behind my home. In order to dig into the deep shadows under the yew, waiting until the front entry was in deep shade really helps. I always like it when colour and not brightness is the defining feature.

Note: This was shot with my little Canon point and shoot. I carry this little camera at all times. It is in a small LowePro case hanging from my belt.

A splash of colour, a drop of rain

2010-05-22T22:43:00.000-04:00

This blog is on hiatus. See my previous post for an explanation on why I won't be posting again until sometime in July.

But today I took Fiona out to inspect the garden foliage and flowers after the rain stopped. I had to return with my camera to share some of the images.

Now, what was I saying about taking a much needed break?

An important link

2010-05-19T08:48:00.000-04:00

My nephew sent me this link to National Geographic Photo Tips.

I'm about to head off on an extended holiday and I am finding it impossible to devote the necessary time to this blog. Please allow me to share this link with you.

Enjoy. Shoot some pictures. Have a good summer.
Cheers!

Two cameras and one is almost a ten

2010-05-15T23:49:00.000-04:00

Taken with a Canon S90.

The testing of my two new cameras continues. The Canon S90 still amazes me. I love it. Small, always with me, this is an important feature. An f/2.0 lens and relatively noise-free high ISO images make this camera a keeper. (There is, of course, noise at higher ISO settings but far less than I am used to having to endure. And as a former news shooter, I am more impressed with the moment captured than the little bit of noise.) The baby picture was taken with the Canon S90.

With this little camera, it fits in my shirt pocket, it is see a picture, take a picture.

Taken with a Fuji HS10.

Also, taken with a Fuji HS10.

The Fuji HS10 is solidly built. (I tested it by dropping it.) I love the true zoom lens which zooms not when driven by a motor but when twisted by hand. Nice. And the quality of the images its excellent in my book. Both the images of the geese at Springbank Park with taken with the HS10.

Fuji Finepix HS10

2010-05-05T17:45:00.000-04:00

When I worked at the paper, I loved my long lenses. When Fuji announced the HS10 point and shoot with a 24mm to 720mm (equivalent) zoom lens, I knew that I had to have one --- and now I do. It is an amazing piece of equipment. I'm in awe. (Although I must admit that there is another 30Xs zoom, the other is from Panasonic and it too has gotten good reviews.)

Today I noticed a Jay at the bird feeder, grabbed my HS10 and with the lens cranked all the way out, I shot the bird through the dirty, kitchen window. I have cropped the image but not resized it. I saved it as a medium quality jpeg but I did not apply any sharpening. Oh, and I tweaked the levels in Photoshop and hit the image with a little saturation. These are bad habits left from my years of enhancing image files for their eventual printing on newsprint.

I can't wait to shoot some stuff without a dirty kitchen window in front of the lens.

Fujifilm HS10 hits the stores in London

2010-04-14T07:42:00.000-04:00

Shot with lens zoomed to a setting comparable to 720mm on a 35 DSLR.

It's here. The Fujifilm FinePix HS10 is in London stores. I don't want this to be an ad but it sure may seem like one. After more than four decades shooting pictures for a daily newspaper and carrying two camera bodies and up to five lenses, I have replaced everything with two point and shoot cameras: a Canon PowerShot S90 and a Fujifilm FinePix HS10.

With all those years of professional shooting, this may come as a surprise but I don't believe in anything but automatic when it comes to cameras --- not completely true but close enough to be true. Auto can fail big time, but generally you're pretty safe sticking with the automatic settings. If you're shooting for fun, that decides it --- shoot automatic.

A few weeks ago, I purchased a Canon S90; Yesterday, I picked up a Fujifilm HS10.

Today's London Daily Photo picture is this chipmunk. This is just the third image shot with my new Fuji. It has a 30-times zoom and it is working at its max here. The camera was hand-held but braced against my kitchen door frame.

Years ago one of Canada's top newspaper shooters told me he always kept his cameras on automatic in order to be ready to shoot in an instant. Oh, he might use manual when shooting something that allowed time for finagling and fine tuning --- a fashion shoot for instance --- but for a sudden moment it was auto for this prize-winning shooter.

I think the image of my chipmunk, shot on automatic right from the box, says he was right.

Can't shoot it? Direct it!

2010-04-04T10:32:00.000-04:00

When my granddaughter fell asleep in my arms, I thought picture. But I couldn't shoot the picture while holding the baby. The solution was to ask my daughter to shoot the picture. She has a good eye and so I had confidence. I coached her along, telling her where to stand, and I told her what to include and what to crop. Still she was holding the camera and made the final visual decisions. The resulting image is a merging of my original vision and her talents.

In photography always remember the most important thing is to get the picture --- even if you can't shoot it.

My instructions? I wanted the sleeping baby's serene face to be featured along with my large arm and hand which are cradling and protecting the child. I wanted a clean, simple picture --- one that makes a "quick read."

Shoot what's there, not what you wish was there.

2010-02-16T21:53:00.000-05:00

A common complaint among photographers is that the photograph just didn't happen. If only they had had this or that, or this had happened or that, they would have gotten a great picture. The picture they wanted just wasn't there.

News photographers know one must shoot what is there and not worry about what isn't. News shooters know that photographers make pictures.

In the summer this is a merry-go-round and it makes an easy picture. Colourful carousel horses and sometimes laughing children, you can't go wrong. But horses or no horses, I needed a picture and I got one. It was posted on London Daily Photo and it got some good comments.

Cheers,
Rockinon

Colour, Texture, Composition

2010-01-29T23:01:00.000-05:00

You may have noticed that the companion blog to this one is titled London Daily Photo. Every day a new photo is posted to that blog. It does not have to be shot the day it is posted but it must be shot in London. There are hundreds of sites worldwide with bloggers pulling the same stunt. Some are quite remarkable. Having only a Canon SD10 Digital ELPH, I have limits but I try.

As we have discussed, colour can make a picture. Green leaves or red roses are obvious but if you keep an alert eye you will see more --- lot's more. Now add shapes to your image and strong lines. Often texture will also enter the equation as it is almost impossible to eliminate texture from an image.

These bolts of fabric are actually horizontal but holding the camera at an angle added dynamic diagonals to the picture. The highlight reflections mated with the soft shadows give the diagonal stripes volume and the loose fabric breaks the striped pattern and softens the overall effect. A small burst of fill-in flash makes the highlights pop while cleaning the colours of the fluorescent green of the store lighting. The fabrics all have a similar texture and this helps to tie the image together into one smooth presentation.

Lastly, in Photoshop the highlights and the shadows were placed at the extreme ends of the Levels histogram and the image given a small amount of saturation --- 16.

Always be aware of these ideas when you are shooting any picture. Colour, texture, composition --- compose in camera if possible. If you do, you will have winning images; Trust me.

f/2 and a digital SLR would've been better

2010-01-04T21:27:00.000-05:00

Forgive me. I know; I know. It's another baby picture.

Yet, I love the way this little girl is so obviously interested in the puzzle on which her grandmother is working. The little girl went to the doctor for her check-up earlier in the day and the doctor said, "This kid is bright." I'd say he was a bright doctor, very observant.

Note: If you have a SLR digital camera, or any camera that allows the setting of the f/stop and has a large image sensor, use a large f/stop. Something like f/2 or f/2.8 would be good with a 28mm lens. This will help to throw the background out of focus.

I am using a simple, old point and shoot with a small, 4 MB, sensor and so do not have this control. I must take what the camera gives me and that is far too much depth of field. (Note: when I say large sensor, I am talking about its size in area. For instance, 35mm cameras have more depth of field than 120 cameras at the same f/stop.)

Before shooting this picture I turned off the incandescent ceiling light to prevent having a yellow cast staining the image and made sure that the curtains were completely open. I also wiped the little girl's mouth; She is quite into bubble blowing and it does not add to her carefully managed image.

Cheers,
Ken (Rockinon)

Moments

2009-12-31T06:40:00.000-05:00

Sometimes moments don't look like moments; They are just too good. The pose and the lighting are just too right.

I ordered the little girl holding my granddaughter, "Don't touch your hair." She was about to brush the strand from in front of her eye. I snapped the picture.

The edges have been darkened but that is about all. Even the crop is just as it came from my little camera, an old Canon SD10 Digital Elph. Burning edges was cool in the '60s and I still live in the '60s.

If you can work with clean, soft window light - the glass cannot be tinted - go for it. Stay away from the straight-on, built-in, on-camera flash, if you can. For the most part, that in-your-face harsh light causes red eye and kills the look that attracted you in the first place.

If you must use flash, and your camera will allow this, bounce the flash off a white ceiling or other suitable white surface. Doing this prevents red eye and gives a more natural looking light.

This picture is shown almost exactly as it came from the camera, except for the burning down of the edges. This burning style was cool in the '60s. It is very dated today. I still live in the '60s and so I get away with it. I don't encourage others to live in the past.

Here's wishing you a very Happy New Year!

Patterns make pictures

2009-12-06T08:59:00.000-05:00

Our world is often composed of patterns. Think of the honeycomb created by bees or the simple patterns made with paving stones used around our homes. I love the interplay between the repeating pattern of paving stones soften by the organic green lines of moss. The bright green moss flourishes between the hard, concrete bricks.

Getting low and using the strong light of a late afternoon sun adds detail and contrast to the image. The golden patina added by the light of the setting sun helps to pull all the elements in the picture together

Artistic Filters

2009-11-30T17:59:00.000-05:00

I have never been big on filters that take one's photography and make a ersatz art work. But I like to play and recently I downloaded Paint.NET. It had an ink sketch artistic filter. When I played with it the result reminded me of the work of the late London artist Clark McDougall. McDougall died of a brain tumour at the age of 59 back in December of 1980.

McDougall did a number of paintings in which objects in the scene were outlined in black paint. A painting from this period hung on the wall at The London Free Press when I worked there.

The filter created an image that reminded me so much of McDougall's work that I went ahead and applied the filter. McDougall did it better.

Computer Died, Blog Stalled, Back Thursday!

2009-11-25T23:54:00.001-05:00

I'll be back - Thursday. I have a new computer. Yeah!

When shooting food, tell an action-packed story

2009-11-12T18:57:00.000-05:00

This may not look like a photo blog, but it is. The first picture, the biscotti being dipped in coffee, shows what we can do with biscotti. It is a tight shot, cleanly lit by soft but directional window light and tries to follow a lot of rules.

Notice that the finger nail on the thumb is clean and trimmed short. It is not only your model's hair you want neat and trimmed for a shoot. (The hand model is me. I shot this with one hand holding the biscotti and the other holding the camera.)

Note the focus. The image is very nicely focused on the biscotti. You can actually see the texture of the biscuit. Also note the background, the table cloth is from Menton, Provence, where France butts up against Italy. And the coffee cup is the kind found in bistros everywhere. When shooting food pictures, do not forget to give some thought to your props.

It is too bad a little more of the handle does not show. This is a strike against this picture. An important detail is missing. If the handle had appeared in the upper right, it would have made a great diagonal leading the eye into the picture and played nicely against the diagonal of the biscotti. This is why pros often used to shoot Polaroids before breaking down a set.

Now, give a quick check on how these biscotti images were used to illustrate a post on making biscotti. Note how, at the end of the post when I am talking about how many biscuits this recipe makes, I show you a mess of biscotti running right out of sight. Art can break up a page but it is best if it fits neatly with the words. These two, words and pictures, should be partners and not acquaintances.

Note: all images shot with an old Canon SD10 Digital ELPH and not more than a minute was spend shooting. Why waste time taking pictures when there's fresh coffee and biscotti to be enjoyed?

Work with the camera you have . . .

2009-11-10T22:17:00.000-05:00

When you take pictures, work with the camera you have. In other words, if you have a wide angle lens and nothing more, do not try to shoot as if you had a telephoto. A wide angle will include foreground that the telephoto wouldn't. So include the foreground and make it look as if that's the way you always saw the picture.

Until I retired, I was a telephoto kinda guy. I had a long a torrid love affair with a 200mm f/1.8. Ah, the stuff that lens and I did together. We were a team. But that was then and this is now.

Now, I have a small, almost seven-year-old, point and shoot and I am learning how to take pictures all over again. It has a fixed lens; it's a 28mm and, to a pro, it's slow at f/2.8. But, we are learning to work together. I think we make a good team. Try cuddling up to your camera. Work with it and not against it. I'm sure you'll find it rewarding. Cheers, Rockinon (Ken)

Colour can make a picture

2009-10-30T23:16:00.000-04:00

Just colour is enough to make a picture. Shoot these hosta leaves from some distance, include the whole wilting plant, some leaves flat upon the ground, and you've got a picture of a fall plant - a record shot at best, but most likely a simple snap shot. Get close, shoot just what attracted your eye, the bright gold colour, the mix of tones and the tonal shading in bold, almost quilted appearing, stripes - and you've got a picture.

Now, go out and enjoy the last days of fall.

Cheers,
Rockinon

Small camera, big city

2009-10-27T01:17:00.000-04:00

Visiting Montreal, I had my little Canon SD10 ELPH tucked in my pocket at all times. Well, not at all times as sometimes it was out taking pictures. The subway was shut down briefly the first night I was there. I got a picture while standing about waiting for the trains to begin running again. When they did, I got another picture.

In light such as this, experiment with the different scene illumination settings. Try the automatic white balance, the tungsten, and the others. Possibly use more than one setting while shooting your images and then pick the best images when you get home.

With lots of time to kill, even the broken squares in the tile floor began to look appealing. I thought, Photoshop.

Tar spot makes a picture

2009-10-25T16:34:00.000-04:00

Over the past weekend, my wife and I visited Montreal. Strolling an elegant, older neighbourhood, I noticed many of the colourful, fallen maple leaves exhibited large circular tar spots, the indicator of a distinctive fungal infection of maples.

As the overall health of the tree is seldom threatened, approaching tar spots as graphic elements in a fall leaves composition did not seem too callous. I tried to find at least three affected, fallen leaves with each a different colour. I framed the image with a triangular composition that also drew on the rule of thirds for success.