Finding a Niche or One Trick Pony?

With the improved weather (and some simultaneous exciting and destructive weather at that), I’ve dusted off my camera and plugged into the joy I get from clicking way.

I also surf flickr quite a bit, and I’ve asked a few questions of myself:

Should I find a niche where I can focus and really improve my photography? There’s a lot to choose from: Nature, portraiture, and macro to name a few.

What type of photography do I draw the most inspiration from?

Truth is, I can’t narrow it down. It all depends on what I see at the moment. Sometimes it’s a skyscape, others it’s a strange looking bug.

I’ve also studied other people’s photostreams, and I found a few disheartening things as a viewer. Those who concentrate on one subject end up boring me. I can only look at one or two before I leave to find something else.Their photos are outstanding, there’s not doubt about that. Because they focused on one niche, they have set up their equipment to get the best shot possible, but it ends up monotone after a while.

As a writer also, the last thing I want is to make someone leave my creations because there are no surprises.

As a photographer, I want to accomplish the same thing. I want to inspire emotion in viewers the same as my readers, and how can I really do that if all my pictures contain the same general subject?

Now I admit I concentrate largely on nature photography, but around here in North Dakota, it’s easy. But If I see an interesting car or building, I’m so there with my camera.

So can I wow viewers by keeping a mix of subjects and techniques? I think so. I also write fiction and non-fiction. With enough practice and knowing my equipment’s capabilities without a second thought, I can excel at all of it.

Is that an audacious statement? Maybe, but nothing great can be accomplished without great ambition.

Oh, and here are my most recent favorite shots:

Storm Cloud

End of Streak & Still Photography

I’m disappointed but not surprised that my photo didn’t win the contest. Oh well. Looks like I won’t receive the prize which was a new camera (like I need another one anyway).

The problem with the contest was it was based entirely on the number of votes the contestants received, and not on the merits of the photograph. In other words, it was a popularity contest and nothing more.

Thanks to all who voted, though.

Photo Taken from Amazon.com

Since winter is about to breeze in soon, I need to find other ways to use my camera, preferably indoors. A few months ago I purchased a light box so I could do still life photography.

So far I’ve used it only once when my mom needed some pictures taken for a painting she was working on.

I would like to not only use it for creative still-life, but selling miscellaneous stuff on ebay. For instance I have a substantial collection of hummingbird figurines that are sitting in their original boxes. I certainly don’t need them anymore.

I found an excellent article on how to take still-life photography with a focus on taking item photos for ebay. The higher the quality of the photograph, the greater the likelihood the item will sell. It’s written by Peter Lerman and can be found HERE. If you’re at all interested in still photography, whether intending to sell on ebay or not, it’s an excellent article. Some of the techniques include lighting and software and cheap if not free equipment such as backdrops.

Once I submit my manuscript to a publisher, I’ll have more time to concentrate on hopefully getting some figurines sold, as well as for the shear pleasure of making mundane objects appear interesting. How’s that for a challenge?

One more day . . .

to vote for my photograph!

I want my current winning streak to continue. If you have no idea what I’m talking about and/or haven’t voted yet see “A bit off topic, but . . .“

Can you tell I’m a fan of ellipses?

The contest ends tomorrow, September 30.

Thanks bunches!

Presenting North Dakota

Every year, the North Dakota Governor holds a photography contest partnered with ND Tourism and AAA. They seek out each year for the best photos that represent North Dakota. There are several categories such as Adventure, Attractions, Events, People, Scenery and Wildlife.

I’ve known about the contest since May, thanks to my husband cutting out an article for me. The challenge came in taking pictures I thought best represented North Dakota, especially to those who’ve never been here. There is so much to this state, it’s hard to break it down to a single snap-shot. At the same time, what do I take a picture of that screams North Dakota and not something generic that can be found in almost every other state.

I ended up submitting three:

This one I chose because of the colors and background. As for the subject, eh. But the nice thing about this contest is it cost me nothing but time to submit.

Photo number two:

This is of my son and our dog. I wanted to show the variety of activities available to people of all ages along the Missouri River. Plus my son is so darn cute in that hat!

Photo number three:

North Dakota is teeming with all kinds of wildlife, this white pelican being one of my favorites. To me they are the most graceful bird in flight. I like this one because of the movement and the Canada Geese looking on in the background.

This afternoon I found out the last photo won in the Wildlife category! Yippee! I guess I succeeded at least with the last one that North Dakota is well-represented. And it looks like I owe my husband a portion of the $200 prize as a finder’s fee.

A Request

Panasonic is holding a photography contest until September 30th, and I decided to submit this one to start:

In order to win, I need your vote! You can submit your vote here: Panasonic Contest. My Flickr username is almarquardt and the title of the photo is Fractalius Sunflower.

If I decide to submit others, I’ll let you know.

Thanks bunches!

“Exceed Your Vision”

Not long after I purchased my Canon Powershot SX10 superzoom, I posted many of my best photos on Flickr. My original motivation was for friends and family to see them. Within days I was getting comments from other “Flickrites” and learned about participating in group discussions.

One complaint I’ve seen a few times is how we see so many flower shots, moon shots and sunsets. As lovely as they are, they’re — for lack of a better word — boring. As one who’s taken a slew of all three, I can say even as the person behind the camera as well as the viewer, I heartily agree.

So, for the last few days, I asked myself what kind of pictures can I take that are not only beautiful but interesting.

I was stumped.

Until I glanced at the box of inkjet cartridges for my Epson printer. In bold letters it read, “Exceed Your Vision.”

That’s what I need to do. Take what I know, or want to know, about the world I live in, and take it a step further. How I will do that, I don’t know yet. Part of it is no longer waiting for photo opportunities (such as that astounding sunset), but seek them out.

One starting point is using the light box I purchased a few weeks ago. It’s a white, cloth box with two bright lamps and four colored swatches designed for small still-life photography. All I need to do is see how far I can take it.

And ask myself: “How can I make the mundane look interesting, and unique?” A tough order to be sure, but I always did like a challenge.

When to Leave the Camera at Home

Short answer: Never!

A few weeks ago my husband’s parents visited. One night after supper at a new restaurant, my husband suggested we go play at one of the local lakes.

“Can we stop at home first?” I asked. “I want to grab my camera.” I didn’t have it with originally because we were merely going out to eat, and I didn’t want to drag my monstrous camera bag along.

Home was a few miles out of our way, but since we weren’t on any schedule he agreed.

As we soaked in the view of the lake and watched the birds cavort on the still pond, we noticed a huge storm cloud bearing down.

Edge of the Storm

This is the front of the storm as it blocked out the afternoon sun.

We then decided perhaps we need to start home so we didn’t get caught in it. We stopped at the top of a hill to get a better view of the darkening clouds:

Ominous Clouds

The wind soon picked up, and then we high-tailed it out of there. Unfortunately, instead of going around it like we planned, we hit it head-on. The hail hit and we were forced to pull over and wait it out. Luckily the hail was only pea-sized, so no damage.

The best part was how the now setting sun shone on the receding storm:

Reflections of a Setting Sun

And how the clouds and the reflection of the sun off the clouds changed the landscape:

Field after the Storm

What’s interesting about this photo is how the sun is actually over my right shoulder. The orange glow on the field and hay bale is from the clouds themselves.

I wish I could have taken a shot of the entire storm system, but even with a wide-angle lens, it would have taken easily 20-30 shots.

So even if you don’t think you’ll need a camera, take one anyway! If you don’t want to drag along a DSLR with a bunch of lenses, take along a small point-and-shoot.

You never know what you’ll run into — figuratively or literally.

Messing with EV

EV or Exposure compensation is usually set for 0. The human eye sees (or tries to see) in 18% gray. Cameras, then are set to shoot in 18% gray when using any of the automatic modes. Note: EV adjustment is only available in Program, Tv (shutter priority) and Av (Aperture priority) modes. Manual and all automatic settings don’t the adjustment available.

Sometimes, however, trying to achieve the norm can cause too much grain in darker photos, blur in action shots (such as chasing a small child), or blown out/too dark details in portions of the photo.

As in my previous entry, I set the EV settings to the negative to achieve two things simultaneously: 1. to increase my shutter speed so I wouldn’t need a tripod, and 2. to show the gray/dark day it really was. Setting the mood can be just as important as the subject.

For instance, to capture the smoke of a candle, my shutter speed needed to be between 1/25 – 1/50.  I set my Canon Rebel XTi with the 18mm-55mm kit lens to Shutter Priority, 1/30 sec, EV to -2, ISO 100 and let the camera decide the rest. The candle picture below is the result.

Are there times when over-exposure can be useful? Absolutely! Sometimes you may want to see only some detail in the photo, and the rest be washed out. For instance, for portraits, it can give the subject an angelic look.

I gave this a try with my son while he took a bath. I wanted the blue of his eyes and the red of his lips to pop while everything else fell into the background (second photo below). I took this with my Canon Powershot SX10 using Program mode (didn’t care about either shutter or aperture, only my EV setting set at +2). The camera chose 1/60sec and f5.0 aperture. ISO set at 80 for no reason in particular except I’m fond of lower ISO. Less noise that way, although it can be limiting in darker settings. Zoom (focal length): 32mm.

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While there are better examples out there from true professional photographers, I hope mine at least show what a camera with EV settings available can do. The wonders of photography, especially digital, is the many ways a person can experiment. It also helps to have a willing subject, which my son is quite happy (so far) to oblige.

Gray Days

Light is everything. Without light, it’s impossible to take pictures.

When skies are gray — as is the weekend forecast for my area, darn it, the chances of taking excellent outdoor pictures are greatly reduced.

I certainly don’t want to traipse around in cold, rainy weather. But that’s a choice of comfort, not because there won’t be excellent opportunities for great photographs.

For instance, breaks in the clouds can yield interesting cloud formations as in this photograph I took last night.

A Break in the Clouds

Gray days can also make certain colors pop, especially flowers:

A Dandelion

In my next entry I’ll talk about taking advantage of your camera’s EV (Exposure bias) settings. With these two (taken with my Canon Powershot SX10) I had it set for -1/3 and -1 respectively. If I set it to 0, the white portions of the clouds would have blown out and washed over much of the detail of the clouds. The yellow and green of the second photo would have also looked more washed out.

I’ll also give some examples of the differences in EV settings, and how increasing or decreasing the exposure can make a difference in an okay photo verses an excellent one.

A Better Monitor

For editing photographs, I use almost exclusively my 15″ Toshiba laptop.  Overall, it works, but I was thinking the other day, “Is what I see on that little screen what others see when I upload them? Are the colors saturated enough? Too saturated? Are the colors true or do they contain too much red, yellow, blue or some combination thereof?

Heck, can I even trust my own eyes?

So I decided to buy a new monitor. I at first considered buying a new desktop computer, but figured I didn’t really need it (or desire to spend the four hours reloading all my software, etc).

What monitor to buy? When it comes to monitors and the best for the price I was willing to spend I know little to nothing.

I certainly didn’t want to buy online. For one, I would have to wait for it to arrive, pay at least $20 in shipping, and who knew exact the quality of the screen?

Last weekend I went to Best Buy. I really liked their monitor display. They had about two dozen set up and they all displayed the same graphics.

I ended up picking a 20in Samsung for $160. I chose that over the other brands, because the white was more “true” than the rest. Why white? Because I figured the whites would show if the monitor leaned more towards a red, yellow or blue.

When I told the salesman what I wanted he said, “Good choice. The Samsungs and LGs are the best on the market right now.” The LG 20in was actually my first choice, but they were all out. The Samsung they had one left.

I set up the monitor with my laptop, and compared the Samsung with my Toshiba monitor. What a difference! In comparison, the colors seemed fairly close with the Samsung, except a slight leaning toward green. The biggest difference was clarity. My little Toshiba was washed out by comparison.

The best part is the size. I can now see more of my photo on the screen without squinting or having to zoom in so close to check the saturation, sharpness and clarity.

So if you like to edit your pictures, and want true wysiwyg (what you see is what you get) photos, the monitor is key more so than the computer, software or even home printer. It’s important to know that the photos you print at home — or send out to a printing company — will look exactly how you see it on your monitor.

Whether or not I’ve succeeded I don’t yet know. I need to test it both with my little Epson printer and sending it out to a professional printer. I’m confident based on what I saw with the other monitors and the Best Buy employee. (Note: I trust what the employee said, because they don’t get any commission on sales, and I bought one of the cheapest ones there).

My eyes, however, are thanking me now.