Photo of the Week: Flower and Graden Photo Tips

The 2013 Epcot Flower and Garden festival is quickly approaching.  I thought I'd take the time to pull out a decent garden / flower photo.

If you are going this year there are two general rules to follow when filming gardens or flowers.  If it's a garden you want to do a panoramic or landscape shot that includes some of the surrounding area. This gives life to the  photo and makes it pop.

If you are filming a flower you generally want to zoom in or get as close as possible and set your aperture as low as you can go.  An f-stop of 3.5 or smaller is best.  This will put the flower in focus and blur out everything else.  This really draws attention to the single flower in a garden it also draws out it's details. 

Photo of the Week: The Haunted Mansion

The Haunted Mansion is creepy during the day.  At night it can become downright sinister.   The main reason for this is the lighting.

Did you ever notice that at night they light up the mansion to have eyes and a mouth?  Look close and you will see it. 

Another cool effect happens under two settings. 1st - put your camera on a tripod (or a trash can) and set your exposure to at least one second.  This causes people to blur and look like ghosts.

The other setting you can use is a double exposure.  If your camera has this feature it will take two fast exposures and combine them on the same frame. This will create see through people.  It's a really fun effect.

The example above is a timed exposure.

The final fun fact about this photo is the fact it was taken in color.  When you take it in color you can convert it after the fact and normally use multiple filters.   Black and white photos actually have different color filters.  In the case above I used a red filter.  A red black and white filter often gives the photo a more sinister, darker look.

Photo of the Week: Fireworks Meets the Electric Water Pageant at the Polynesian

This photo was taken over at the Polynesian.  You truly get a new perspective over there.  If you have the time you should try to see the Magic Kingdom fireworks from Polynesian and from the top of the Contemporary.  In both cases it's almost like seeing a whole new show.

For the photo geeks: The octopus is a little blurry thanks to the time delayed shutter but the fireworks came out great. I switched to the in camera dynamic color mode. That comes in hand for fireworks shots.  The main mode I used is shutter priority which means I told the camera how long to expose each shot but that mode lets the camera pick what aperture to use.

CMDTA's Photo Tips for the Average Joe: How Your Flash Works

Some people have asked me why I tell people to shut off their automatic flash when taking photos. My answer is simple.  Most people do not know how their flash works and they end up ruining their photos with the flash. 

It might be good if I take a minute and go into some details about a camera’s flash system so people know why it can either enhance or ruin their photos.

Before I go into details let me explain that if you are taking photos of people (or a subject) who are less than twenty feet from you it is normally a good thing to leave your flash on.   If you are taking any other type of photo chances are your flash needs to be off.

Have you ever taken a picture of Cinderella’s castle in low light to find out that you have a great picture of people nearby but the castle is not so good?  This is a common flash mistake.  You see it a lot. Every single sporting event, every showing of Wishes or Illuminations, or any nighttime display is loaded with a myriad of flashes.  Almost none of these photos come out correctly.

When you enable your flash most cameras drop what is called the ISO level.  To put it in simple terms the higher the ISO the less light you need to capture a photo.  If the ISO didn’t drop with a flash everything captured would be insanely bright (that’s not a good thing). 

You might wonder why you would want a flash at all if a higher ISO can be used.  The higher the ISO level the higher the noise level.  Noise is that grittiness that makes your photos ugly.  So in theory you want the lowest ISO possible (the least noise is at 100). 

I hope I haven’t lost anyone yet.  When you kick on your flash your camera thinks your subject is close. That’s why it speeds up your ISO because it thinks the extra light from your flash is going to illuminate your subject.  If you are taking a picture of Cinderella’s castle your flash is not going to reach that far so you would need to shut off your flash.  When you shut it off your camera bases the settings it is going to use on the available light.  In this case the light coming off of the castle. Your picture will be of a higher quality as long as there is enough light coming off of the castle. 

How do you know if your subject is close enough to use a flash?  There is a term for this. Every flash has what is called a “Guide Number” or “GN.” I’m not going to go into detail because the GN is based on a lot of factors but in really rough (and I mean rough) terms the GN normally means how far your flash will go.  For example a GN of 25 typically means your flash will go up to 25 feet. If you bought your camera outside the states your GN might be measures in meters.  If that’s the case remember to multiply it by about three to find out how many feet it will go.  You can normally find out how far your flash will go in your user manual or online.

At this point I want to put a disclaimer in.  Do not go online and but a new flash for your camera because it has a high GN.  Like I said GN is based on a lot of factors.  If you buy a flash based solely on GN you might as well throw your money away.

The bottom line is if you want to use your flash keep in mind how far it will go.  If you subject is not in that range – turn it off!

Oh and as a side note – If you are on a dark ride or show your flash should NEVER be on.  Beyond being insanely rude your pictures are not going to come out.  You might wonder why.  If you promise to NEVER do it I’ll tell you.  The scenes in the Haunted Mansion, Pirates, or the Voyage of the little mermaid are perfectly lit.  If you go busting out your flash you will never get the photo you want.  You are going to get a crappy photo that you’ll most likely throw out later and you will annoy a bunch of people in the process.

Photo of the Week - CMDTA on Vacation - Sunset at Sea

This is my first non-Disney photo of the week.  It is a travel photo though.  This was taken far out to sea during sunset.  If you want to capture this you'll need to do the following.  First you'll need to put your camera on sunset mode.  This will actually darken the photo a little but it will make the colors more intense.  Next you need to zoom in.  This photo is at a zoom of about x28.  Next you should use a tripod.  It's really hard to keep a camera steady when you are zoomed in like that. If you don't a have a tripod you can use a railing, trashcan, or other flat surface.  Finally you should use a polarized filter.  This doesn't really darken the photo all that much what it does it cut down your glare. You can get one on Amazon for about ten dollars or get a pack of three different filters for less than twenty.

CMDTA's Photo Tips for the Average Joe Part Two

I actually had feedback on part one of Photo Tips for the Average Joe.  One thing that one of my friends asked me was if I could do an overview of the different default settings on the average camera.  I know I already covered a few.  I'll list those here as well a number of others.  Keep in mind these settings are off a Fujifilm Fine Pix camera.  Fuji tends to have more settings than the usual point and shoot.  I'm only going to cover the settings found under "scene" selection menu on most cameras.

Sport - The name of this setting is rather deceptive.  It doesn't really describe what it does.  "Action" would be a much better name.  If your subject is moving this is your setting.  For this setting to work you need a lot of light because the shutter speed is very high.  Most people think of using this mode just for people but you can do much more than that.  This is your setting for waterfalls (debatable), while on Kilimanjaro Safari, pictures taken from the Tomorrow Land Transit Authority, and other fast moving subjects.

Night - Some cameras have multiple night settings.  This is the general setting.  I like to call this setting "Dusk"  I think it's a much more fitting description.  For this setting to work you need some light and you need to keep still.  You normally do not need tripod with this setting but that really depends on the picture. This is a good setting for Spaceship Earth, Cinderella's Castle, or the other well lit items at night.

Night Tripod - As you'd imagine you need a tripod or nerves of steel to use this setting.  The shutter speed is very slow so any movement will result in bluing.  This is good for taking pictures of the moon, cityscapes, and things lit with only a street lamp.

Fireworks - This is for taking stylized pictures of fireworks.  I saw that because it uses a long exposure which results in streaking.  To get these results you need to use a tripod.  If you want more of a snapshot of fireworks you need to use a different mode.

Sunset - An interesting mode that you won't use very often.  It depends on the fact that you are pointing the camera directly at the sun.  Some cameras also use a filtering software to enhance the color saturation in the photo.

Snow - Believe it or not this setting is almost like the Sport setting because the shutter speed is very fast.  If it wasn't you'd get an over exposed photo. When shooting in snow there is far more light than almost any other situation.  You have your normal light and the light bouncing off the snow.  This mode also has a filter to reduce the white balance in the photo.

Beach - Very close to Snow.  I really don't know why you'd need both.

Flower - This setting was designed for up close photos with high color.  It uses software filtering and some manual settings to achieve this.

Text - This setting is really designed with contrast in mind.  It's meant to make the test really stand out so you can read it after.  You might think you'd never use this mode but it actually works well for taking photos of signs around Disney World.

Pro Focus - This mode gives a very sharp focus on the foreground (your subject) and a soft focus on the background.  You'd use this over Portrait when you want pictures of you loved ones but still show a little of what's in the background.  It really does give a cool result.  This is a mode you'd want to play around with.

Pro Low Light - This mode is good for any low light situation but you need to know what's going on to get the best results.  You don't need a tripod for this setting but it helps.  Your camera is actually taking multiple photos and merging them to enhance the photo.  What it does is take a normal, and under exposed, and an overexposed photo and then tries to fill in as much detail as possible.  You get some odd results.  What I mean by odd is unnatural.  It creates a photo that doesn't really exist but sometimes you get some really cool detail with this mode.

Natural Light - This mode tries to capture what you are seeing without filtering it.  Often this results in the photo having a yellowish tint.  It was really designed to take pictures of people without a flash.

Natural + Flash -  It's not the previous mode with a flash.  It's a mode that takes two back to back photos.  One with natural light and one with a flash.  This is a great setting for taking photos of characters indoors.  I'm not kidding.  USE THIS MODE.  Use it anytime you're taking photo of someone inside unless a flash would be distracting.

Portrait - This mode is designed for taking photos of people up close and when they will be the only subject of the photo.  You do not want to use this if you have any kind of background you want to capture.  This mode normally adjusts the aperture of your camera to blur out the background and only focus on the person.

Enhanced Portrait - This mode is the same as Portrait except it filters the photo to bring out the persons skin tone.  I'm not sure if it really improves your results it just makes them different.  You'd have to play with both to see which you like better.

Landscape - This is a great mode in most settings when your subject is more than 10 feet away.  This is a very dynamic mode.  Before I got my new camera this was the mode I used the most because I don't take many photos of people.

Image Size - This is not really a setting like the ones above.  It's actually a sub-setting that can be used with any of the above modes.  Image Size refers to the layout of your photo.  4X3 is the classic photo size that works well for most shots.  3X2 is the classic portrait size but you can get some fun results when using it on other pictures.  16X9 is the wide screen, landscape, or panoramic size.  You can get some awesome results with this if you practice a little.

CMDTA’s Photo Tips for the Average Joe

I am by no means a professional photographer. I do however enjoy photography. I never took a class or read a book. I learned how to take decent photos through websites, friends, and studying what other people do. There are some tips and tricks I’ve learned over the years that can really help the average person take better photos.

The point of this post is to inform people of some of the most common mistakes. In most cases these tips are very simple and easy to follow.

1 – Turn off your flash – Listen to me now and believe me later. Your flash has ruined more photos than you can count. I know your camera wants to use it. 99% of the time your camera was designed for taking up close pictures of people. If you are not doing that, TURN OFF THE FLASH. When you’re camera is in flash mode it’s trying to capture what is no more than ten feet in front of you. The flash will drown out anything beyond that. Don’t feel bad if you didn’t know this. Have you ever seen the Super Bowl or another major sporting event? It’s true a majority of people do not know this.

2 – Learn your camera – The average point and shoot camera is getting more and more complex as time goes on. Just knowing what your camera can do can open up a whole new range of photo possibilities. I’ll help a little. Most cameras that offer different modes have some in common. Portrait – This one is almost useless for your average user. How often are you taking photos of someone up close and don’t want the background? In some cases it will blur the background. Auto – If you turn off the flash you can use this almost anywhere. It automatically decides what mode to use. 90% the camera is going to be right as long as you turn the flash off. Landscape – This is good for anything more than 20 feet from you. I also find that this is one of the best modes for capturing fireworks without the use of a tripod. Fireworks – If you are using a tripod this is a great mode. If you do not have a tripod, never use this mode. I’ve never met anyone who could stay perfectly still long enough to use this mode.

3 – Research before you buy – I am not saying you have to spend hours going over reviews. I am saying that you at least need to do some research. Go online and just search “best digital cameras.” Avoid the sponsored sites. Don’t be intimidated when you go onto the sites. They normally list three to five categories. You want the entry level or point and shoot. Between two or three sites you’ll be able to determine a good camera that will fit your needs.

4 – Take two of every photo – Thanks to digital this doesn’t cost anything anymore. You might wonder why you would want to take two of every photo. The main reason for doing this is for quality assurance. People shake and move. Taking two photos greatly reduces the odds of you having at least one good photo.


5 – Push your trigger down half way – If you don’t know what I’m talking about don’t feel bad. It took me about a year to figure out that my trigger button had two phases. When you push down your trigger half way if tells your camera to focus but not take the photo. This way you can tell what is in focus and what’s not. When everything is the way you want it push down the rest of the way and you get your photo! Ever take a picture of your family to later find out the background looks great but your family is blurred? This will fix that problem.


6 – Be random – The best photos of people are taken when they are not posing. It’s also true that the worst photos are also taken when people are not posing. My point is: take a bunch of photos when people don’t know you’re taking photos. Be sly about it. You will get some great photos. It’s very hard to pose people. It’s even harder to frame someone who is posing so they look good. Why is that? It’s because posing isn’t natural for most people. They put on a forced face, stand awkwardly, and are not themselves. When you randomly take a photo you get that person in their natural state. That can be good or bad but it’s worth it.

7 – Know your cameras limitations – People tend to have high expectations and then when they don’t get results (for a number of reasons) they blame the camera and think it’s a piece of junk. You will not get the photos you’ve seen of Cinderella’s Castle at night, Spaceship Earth at night, amazing fire works photos, or great shots of the interior of the Mexico Pavilion. You won’t get those photos because your camera just can’t handle lighting like that. Even if your camera is ok in low light you’ll need a tri-pod to get ok photos. If you want those professional low light photos you’d have to spend about $1000 on a camera, buy a tri-pod, take a class on SLR photography, and then practice until your fingers bleed. If you know what your camera can do you can push its boundaries and have fun instead of getting upset.


8 – Your computer is your friend – Both Windows and Mac OSX have some stock editing software. I am not saying you have to learn it inside and out but you do need to use it. Both of these programs have an adjust button. All you need to do is open your photo and click that adjust button. Most of the time, your photo will benefit greatly from that.

9 – It’s not the camera, it’s you – Most of the time crappy photos are the result of someone who doesn’t know about composition or how to take photos. I’m telling you this for a reason. Running out and buying a more expensive camera is not going to get you better photos. It might improve your photos a little but if you really want better photos then read, ask questions, and practice. Knowing how to take a photo is more important that the camera you use.

 
If you are wondering: What do I use or recommend? I currently use an Fuji S200EXR.  However, you've never seen the photos I taken with that. Most of the photos on my blog were taken with a Fuji F100. Below are also the monopod I use and my camera bag.