ADDING SOME MORE PHOTOGRAPHY GEAR

Thursday, September 28, 2006

It has been a year since I have added anything to my list of photography gears. I spent big time money last year when I went digital and bought my 350D, and subsequently a 17-40L and 100-400L. Now I am ready to add some more stuff again. I am hoping to spend some time this winter trying to shoot landscapes, and while at it, do as much as possible to improve the quality of the photographs. I have just acquired two plates of 2 stop GND filters(yes, I did not have them!!) and now it is time to look for a tripod.

I have decided on going for a ballhead, which would probably be useful in photographing birds. Manfrotto 322RC2 seems to be the obvious choice for the head. I haven't decided on the tripod leg yet, and am looking at my options. Not expensive ones - something that would cost around $200 to $250. My current equipment(100-400L on a 350D) would be less than 3kg, but I intend to buy a tripod that can support 5kg(if I ever set my hands on one of those huge prime barrels!). Any inputs or suggestions?

DSLRs FROM "OTHER" MANUFACTURERS... ANY TAKERS?

Monday, September 25, 2006

By 'other', I meant companies other than Canon and Nikon. Looking at the market share that Sony is capturing in Japan, I may have to make it Canon, Nikon and Sony.

The question occurred to me when I read about Fuji releasing a new DSLR - Finepix S5 Pro. There are other players in the DSLR market, which includes Olympus, Sigma, Pentax and even Samsung. I sometimes wonder how much success they can achieve in the digital SLR market. Canon and Nikon have traditionally ruled the market, and as it looks today, Sony seems to be the only other company that can garner some decent share in the market. But with DSLRs selling more than point and shoot cameras lately, camera makers have no choice but to enter the DSLR market. At the same time, they will be long way from reaching the standards that Canon and Nikon have set for DSLRs, and I wonder if they can succeed at all. It will be good for the consumers to have many choices, which would improve competition and reduce prices, but my take is that there will always be a big gap between what is offered by tier I and tier II DSLR makers. Kodak has already stopped making DSLRs and Konica Minolta exited from digital camera business altogether. I wonder how long will others hold on!

I WAS THERE TOO...

Thursday, September 21, 2006

The image needs no identification. The Taj Mahal looks pinkish at sunrise and slowly turns white. Nothing special about the image, but always good to have one in the hard disk..



Exif: Canon EOS 350D, 17-40L at 40mm, 1/1000sec, f/4.0, ISO 200, handheld

KENNETH PARKER'S PHOTOGRAPHS

Monday, September 18, 2006

He shoots medium format, and his images are incredible. See some of his near perfect photographs on his website.

Time and again, I am impressed by the effort and dedication that people like Kenneth Parker and Galen Rowell put on getting great images. Here is something I read about Parker's dedication to taking pictures:

"Unlike many photographers, Kenneth Parker doesn't take tons of photos hoping that one will ultimately work out. Instead, he waits for days until the timing is right and takes the one photo he knows will work."

And in his words:

"..I go out for five to 10 days, all over the world.. ..So I'm lugging about 80 pounds in large-format-view camera equipment and then all the essentials for backpacking on top of that - you know, tents and food and clothing and equipment and everything.

WEBSITE FOR SELLING PHOTOGRAPHS

Saturday, September 16, 2006

In the last few days, I was reviewing websites that aid in selling photographs, and help photographers move their workflow online. What I was looking for was sites where a photographer can upload photographs, put them up for sale and promote them, and rest of the job - like accepting orders and payment to printing and delivering is taken care by them. There are many of them in business, but only a few seem to be worth the mention. Here is the list.

1. smugmug.com - Excellent and friendly user interface with many good reviews. Also expensive at $149.95 a year. Unlimited space.
2. printroom.com - Priced at $99.00 per year for 300MB. Fees are waved off if you sell photos worth more than $3000.
3. photoshelter.com - Much more affordable at $5.99 per month for 10GB, but there are some additional setup costs.

There are many more companies in the market. Fotki could do for a more casual photographer at just $30 per year for unlimited storage, but their user interface is not very appealing. Also see a comprehensive listing of many sites.

WILL 10MP BE THE STANDARD?

Wednesday, September 13, 2006

Last 3-4 months have seen three major D-SLR launches, all at entry level. The three cameras - Sony Alpha, Nikon D80 and Canon 400D are all bundled with 10 mega pixel sensors. Even Nikon's prosumer body - D200 comes with a 10mp sensor. 30D, Canon's equivalent prosumer camera has even less pixels at 8mp, though an upgrade might happen someday not far.

Looking at the sensors of these cameras, I wonder if 10mp will remain for sometime as the standard for entry level DSLRs and high-end point and shoot cameras. Of course, technology will improve quickly and more pixels can be packed within the same sensor. Over time, it will be affordable also to bring in sensors with more mps. But now the time has probably come to say we have enough megapixels. A 10mp image can be printed to a size that is sufficient for most needs of a consumer or professional. Besides, more than necessary megapixels means fewer images can be filled into your card, and your computer takes longer to process the images. There are other problems such as likely increase in noise, more power consumed, slower in-camera processing speed etc that have to be taken care with increased megapixels. All this should prompt the users also to prefer a 10mp camera than something loaded with pixels. There are already remarks like this one I have read somewhere on the web - "now we have enough megapixels, let's focus on taking pictures." Sensor size standards may still slowly increase in future, but unlikely in the same pace as it has happened in the last few years.

With number of megapixels being sufficient, next improvements in DSLRs could come in other factors, keeping the megapixels constant. Some of the likely areas I think where research could improve the cameras in future are -

1. Reducing noise levels and improve the sensitivity of the sensors, which could make ISO 400 to 800 as the standard shooting base instead of ISO 100.
2. Improve the processors and other components, which allow near zero delays in all areas of data transfer. Like transfer from sensor to buffer, buffer to CF card. We will require faster CF cards too.
3. Increase sensor size to be of the same size as 35mm film. This helps in cost saving for buyers with an array of 35mm lenses. It also saves money for camera makers
who need not invest in research for making new lenses
4. Eliminate small annoyances like dust on sensor.
5. In a few years, I expect that the need for a physical shutter will be eliminated. Absence of a shutter will greatly improve the camera life. And we can also think of an absurd 100fps continuous shooting speed to become reality, at least in pro bodies!

What do you think will be the sensor size standard in the near future? What do you think are the feature needs that would drive the research in the days to come?

PHOTOGRAPHING CHILDREN

Sunday, September 10, 2006

This is the summary of the four series post on photographing children. For more details and some more photographs, see the link to individual article of the series at the end of this.

Children being lively and active, make great subjects for photography. Their good company makes the whole activity of photographing them an enjoyable exercise. Like in most areas for photography, getting familiar with the subject, looking for the right composition, good lighting and many other factors play important role in photographing children too.

GET THE RIGHT EQUIPMENT

A 50mm lens will do fine for studio photographs, or when you are shooting up close with a kid familiar to you, or when you make the kid pose for you. But when you want to catch them in a group, when playing or in any activity, it is important to stay away and not disturb them. This requires a telephoto lens. A 70-200mm lens would do just fine.


(Image from Canon website)

GET FAMILIAR WITH THE CHIDREN


Children can be shy at first

You can start photographing children you know very well. It could be your own kid, niece or a friend's daughter. Familiar children make good learning subjects. Even when you are shooting outside, it is important to talk to them and make them comfortable with you if you are looking for portraits. Take plenty of sample shots and make them get used to the camera. Eventually they may start ignoring the camera aimed at them and be their natural self. This is when you get your best photographs.

CATCH THEM SMILING


Catch them laughing or smiling

Children have great smile, even when they have broken teeth. They smile and laugh naturally, without any inhibitions that make the photographs very lively. Again, talk to them and get them to smile. Show them their photographs on the LCD that could make them happy. Or catch them smiling when they are playing, when they see something or when they are in a group of their own kind.


Catch them laughing or smiling

CATCH THEM IN ACTION


Catch them involved in some activity

Look for children playing or involved in some activity. When they are playing, they are usually completely immersed in their game and are hardly bothered about anything else. But make sure you are at a distance and your presence doesn’t disturb them. Also catch them in other activities. For example, children in Buddhist countries look great when they are praying.

CATCH THEM WITH THEIR COMPANIONS


Catch them having a good time with friends

Shoot them when they are with others, like their friends, siblings, mother, grand parents or someone close to them. You can often catch the intimate moments when the child is with elders. If they are with friends or siblings, look for an enthusiastic moment, or if not, even a fight will do just fine!

LOOK FOR THE RIGHT MOMENT

Always wait for the right moment, like a good smile(or even a frown), an intimate moment, an expression of curiosity or other expressions you can frequently see in a kid. And when you find it, it is important to be ready to shoot. Have your camera aimed and ready. Take your time and never hurry to take a picture and get moving. Best shots will take time and effort, but they are worth it.

LINKS

Below are the individual entries of the four part series on photographing children. You can see more pictures and details in each of these posts. You can also see a few larger sized photographs in my image gallery's portraits section.

1. Photographing children - I
2. Photographing children - II
3. Photographing children - III
4. Photographing children - IV

PHOTOGRAPHING CHILDREN - IV CATCH THEM WITH COMPANIONS

Saturday, September 09, 2006

Go to beginning of the series

Another good way to shoot children is when they are with others, like their friends, siblings, mother, grand parents or someone close to them. You can often catch the intimate moments when the child is with elders. If they are with friends or siblings, look for an enthusiastic moment, or if not, even a fight will do just fine! Here is an image of a bunch of young lads having a good time.



Exif: Canon EOS 350D, 100-400L at 340mm, 1/90sec, f/5.6, ISO 100

And below is an image of three siblings looking at the photographer with curiosity.



Exif: Canon EOS 350D, 100-400L at 150mm, 1/180sec, f/4.5, ISO 100

PHOTOGRAPHING CHILDREN - III CATCH THEM IN ACTION

Friday, September 08, 2006

+ Go to beginning of the series
+ Continued at Photographing Children - IV, catch them with companions

When they are in activity, children usually involve them completely in it. Catch them when they are in the middle of a game, playing alone with a toy or when something interesting catches their eye. If you are in a Buddhist country, children in prayer make great subjects. The best thing about shooting children doing something is that their faces genuinely reflect the mood. Below is an image of a kid in the middle of prayer, taken at Rishikesh, India.



Exif: Canon EOS 350D, 100-400L at 400mm, f/5.6, 1/10sec ISO 800

You can see the kid's involvement in prayer. Below is an image of a couple of children laughing and enjoying a game at Hampi, India. Even in this picture, you can see that each of them is completely immersed in their game, oblivious to anything else.



This image was shot on Ilford pan B&W film, using Canon 75-300 kit lens.

While taking such pictures, getting close to them can disturb them and break them from whatever they have been doing. They may stop and look at you or get curious about the camera, which will spoil the moment. A telephoto lens comes handy in such cases, so that all the action can be captured while not getting too close to them.

PHOTOGRAPHING CHILDREN - II CATCH THEM SMILING

Thursday, September 07, 2006

+ Go to beginning of the series
+ Continued at Photographing Children - III, catch them in action

The best way to photograph children is to catch them smiling. A smiling kid easily adds plenty of liveliness to the photograph. And it is easy to get them to smile. All that one needs to do is have a small chat, start playing with them, or may be take a couple of funny pictures of them and show it to them on the view finder. It helps to get them comfortable with the camera, which may take some time. Once they become lively and start responding, it is important to keep looking for the right moment and start clicking, while ensuring not to break the flow of interaction with the kid.



Exif: Canon EOS 350D, 100-400L at 100mm, f/5.6, 1/125sec, ISO 200

PHOTOGRAPHING CHILDREN - I

Wednesday, September 06, 2006

I wrote this article sometime ago before this blog existed. This was posted elsewhere in this website and am merging it to this blog now. This is an account of my attempt to photograph a bunch of kids hanging around during a traditional Indian marriage. I shall be extending this into a small series depicting my various attempts at photographing children, things to look for and keep in mind when shooting kids

Continued at Photographing Children - II, Catch them smiling

Sometime back, I spent some time trying to photograph kids at a marriage ceremony. I knew all these kids in person and some of them were very good pals of mine. So I could get them to pose comfortably and without any hesitation or reluctance. At the same time, I was not really looking for good pictures but passing time playing with them. I was probably looking at making post card prints and give it to their families. So since the lighting was low, I did not hesitate much and set the ISO to 1600 and generously used flash. I still got some decent pictures.


I took a lot of pictures of my little cousin below.



Initially she was quite thrilled about being photographed and posed happily. But as I kept shooting her repeatedly, she started growing conscious and started resisting. Even when she became shy and put her hand around the face, she made a good subject. In the picture below, you can see that she is shying away. But curious as she is, she could not resist peeping out to see what am I trying to do. She did that two or three time in equal intervals. Next time she was about to lookout, I was ready to shoot!





Later, as a reward for playing model, I let her play with the camera and take some pictures herself.


This was the first time ever that I had seen my cute little niece here below. She seemed to know better than me about how to make a perfect picture!




A little later, she pulled in her little bro(below) who seemed to be quite curious about the little black thing pointing at him!



I got talking to these kids while I aimed and made them comfortable first with the camera. And when I found the right moment, I clicked without breaking the conversation, so they wont become conscious.

Below is a heavily cropped portion picture where one of the kids is seen cuddling with her elder sister. I wish I had noticed them in time so I could have made a better picture of them.




And the last one - baby and the grandfather. The little one was uneasy but became comfortable after some coaxing from grampa!



I took all these pictures in a very short span of around 2 hours. When I started, I started it as 'just for fun' thing to play with the kids but soon got addicted to it. But low lighting and need for spontaneity meant that I still had to stick to ISO 1600 and use of flash wherever needed. My Canon EOS 350D did not seem to loose out much on quality with the increasing ISO - something that a lot of people had told me earlier. These pictures were shot as jpeg. The exercise was double fun - some good time spent playing with these kids, and an opportunity for photographing them. But I had to be really careful - at some point, I had to hide my camera from some of these folks who were getting really curious about it.

CAMERA COMES SECOND...

Tuesday, September 05, 2006

Sometimes when I am travelling, I decide to leave the camera behind and just spend time relishing the beauty of the place instead. And occasionally, I carry the camera just to take casual pictures without spending much time and effort on photography. I went on one such trip last weekend. We spent two days walking around in the green and beautiful hills of Shayadri where the receding rains had brought alive many streams and waterfalls. Here is one image from the trip. Using a good tripod and spending some more time and effort would have got me some better images, but I won't regret not doing it, as I had a good time at the hills anyway.