How to Shoot Cities at Night

On the 96th floor of the John Hancock Tower I saw so many folks take out there P&S cameras, point at the skyline, and fire the shutter with the flash going off. This creates a wonderful flash reflection from the glass! Not the skyline desired.

So how to shoot through glass to get the best pic possible. First make sure the glass surface on your side is free of smudges, next set focus to infinity, set f stop to 3.5-5.6 range and most importantly, put the lens on the glass window, flash off. Compose and here is the trick to get the sharpest pic............. set the self timer control to two seconds, exhale, hold the hands steady and depress the shutter. With practice you will get a decent shot.

Of course, the ideal way is to have no glass and a tripod!

A little PP in PS and you have a usable image. Enjoy, Jeff

Wedding at the Bean

The Bean!! A gift for photographers. The large chromium coated bean sculpture in Chicago's Millenium Park is a place where a photographer can spend all day. There are stories in stories, all captured in the Bean's reflections. The sky, the skyline, the plaza crowds, and in this fortuitous moment a couple about to get married posing for their photographer.

Shot with a Panasonic Lumix LX5, F5.6, ISO 80, AWB, slightly edited in Photoshop.

Enjoy, Jeff

The Old Bike

The old bike of Woodstock.Taken with the iPhone 4, I loved the textures and simplicity of design, edited in Camera+. Enjoy, Jeff

How to Shoot Street Portraits

The street portrait at a distance. A grab shot using a Canon SX 10 camera at 560mm! Across the street this man saw me and permitted the shot. Originally in color, I converted it to a high contrast B&W using Spica App for the iPhone.

Other ways are just to blend in, looking like a tourist. Use a wide angle lens that would equal 35mm on your DSLR, prefocus and leave on manual or hyperfocal focus.

Enjoy, Jeff

A lesson in seeing and perspective.  A simple walk with dog along a new route with fresh eyes. I saw this simple design of utility wires converging in the distance. Shot with my always camera, the iPhone4, using True HDR and then further edited in Adobe PS Express and Dynamic Light. Enjoy, Jeff

Coyote in Snow

The Yosemite coyotes are not too afraid of humans. I suspect they are thrown snacks occasionally. These coyote was right behind our condo at Yosemite West. Shot with a Tamron 28-300 on a Maxxum 7D. Enjoy, Jeff

Yosemite Pre Dawn

I love this graphic shot taken at 4:30 in the AM, just as dawn is starting. The crescent moon was captured, with the deep rich blue of the sky. Maxxum7D with Tamron 11-18 wide angle zoom. Enjoy, Jeff

Yosemite Valley at Morning

Taken with a Minolta Maxxum 7D DSLR, this early morning shot shows the value of getting up early to catch great light. This soft warm light creates a mood, an emotion which can make your images stand apart. A Tamron 11-18 wide angle zoom captured the scene. Enjoy, Jeff

Yosemite Valley Rainbow

Taken with a Panasonic Lumix LX 5, this beautiful scene unfolded after a day of intermittent snow and rain. Lesson, after a rainstorm at day's end the patient find rainbows!