Camera Samurai

My friend Scott recently sent me a Twitter message asking where to get a chromakey background and how big it should be. I hope I was helpful, suggesting a few different places I have bought such things. Honestly, just between us, I am a big fan of eBay for this sort of thing. Yeah, I love B&H and Adorama, but the real bargains for things like this, which do not need warranties, is eBay.

The other part is a little more complicated. This goes for any kind of background, not just for chromakey. When I set up a shot, I typically start assembling the equipment with the background. It’s just going to sit there, as the least dynamic piece of the shoot. See the picture below:

The subject goes in front of the background, then the camera and the lights are off to the sides (not pictured in drawing). You want to have about four to five feet between the subject and the background. This will eliminate shadows from your lights. Then your camera has to be some distance back, depending on the type of lens you use and how tightly you crop the image.

Based on all this, you may need a larger background from time to time. For most shots you want a perfect isosceles triangle between the camera and background. Those angles shouldn’t change a bit. All you might change is the distance between the camera and subject.

Here is an easy way to see how large a background you will need for your shoot. Set up your camera where you think it should go and have a friend put markers at the edge of what you can see. Or do it yourself, for crying out loud! Measure between the two points and you have the width of your background.

If your area marked is too wide, move the camera closer or else change to a lens with a more narrow angle. You can also improvise a bit by simply cropping in Photoshop when you are done with the shoot.

On a related note, keep an eye out for an upcoming post on what different types of lenses can do to your picture. We will look at wide angle, normal and telephoto lenses and discuss how they make the photo look different.

Technorati Tags: background, chromakey, shadows, isosceles triangle

I have been working with candy for a few weeks, so here is a video of my latest shoot – photographing candy. As you know, food photography is one of the things I love most. The hardest part is being stuck with all the sugary goodness after I am done shooting. Whatever will I do with it?

Technorati Tags: candy, photographing, food, photography

This picture was taken at the Clarendon Metro station in Arlington the other night. Notice the ghosting effect the people have, due to the long exposure. Eight seconds will certainly do that! In addition, I set it to ISO 100 and f13, so I have the best sensitivity and an okay f-stop. I would rather have gone to a smaller aperture to get a better depth-of-field but this turned out pretty well, I thought, for a spur-of-the-moment shot as I was waiting for someone.

Does all this mystify you? Do you want to learn nighttime photography? Just let me know. Also, sign up for my email newsletter so you can learn more about upcoming classes, workshops and fun educational events. I have a workshop coming up about nighttime photography and all the variables that go into a great photograph.

I know you are dying for a preview, so here are some of the necessary ingredients:

• Stability – A tripod is essential if you are going to be out shooting at night. For the picture above, I improvised and used a newspaper box. Hey – sometimes you have to improvise.
• Depth of Field – Know how to adjust depth of field so you can get the photo you want.
• Remote Control – This keeps the camera from moving as you press the shutter release. This little tool, likely just a few dollars, can save you the headache of getting home, only to find that your pictures are all blurry.
• Creativity – Bring an open mind and the realization that there may be more than one way to get the photo you want. Again with the improvisation.

Please come join me. Like I said, sign up for my email newsletter and you can stay on top of everything that is going on. I look forward to seeing you soon!

Technorati Tags: picture, Clarendon, Arlington, long exposure, nighttime, photography, photograph, picture, photo

Many thanks to LA-based photographer Lan Bui for posting a video showing how he works. Lan and his brother Vu shot pictures of Ryanne Hodson and Jay Dedman, who are some of the nicest folks in the world, in addition to being very creative people who could appreciate the wacky, dynamic style that Lan has.

Simply watching other photographers work can help you improve your own craft. Photographers are visual people by nature, so don’t be bashful about asking others if they mind you watching them work. Seeing how Lan moves, directs and how close he gets to his subjects is very inspiring and educational for me, on top of being fun. Enjoy the video, borrowed from his site.

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Technorati Tags: Lan Bui, Ryanne Hodson, Jay Dedman, dynamic, photographer, video

I wrote before about slating in the field and in the studio. Sometimes doing such things is a little harder than it appears, especially if you arrive somewhere and know you will never be able to quickly write down the name in a notepad for future reference. Let’s face it – some of these foreign names are difficult to remember to spell, even when sounded out phonetically.

Who would have guessed there were two N’s in this name? I had gone there to visit a friend who told me he was staying at what sounded like “Wat Yanalangsee” but I was able to decipher this well enough to locate the temple. You get used to certain accents when you immerse yourself in them, I suppose.

This linguistic challenge, coupled with the crowd of monks greeting me, made it necessary to quickly snap this slate image instead of triple-checking the spelling in my slate notebook. After that, I could focus on getting the shots I wanted, knowing that I could later reference the photo for any information I needed.

Technorati Tags: slating, slate, photo