Easter Break

My Easter break was filled with family and pets. It wasn't a very climactic break if you eliminate the strep-throat from the equation but it was what a break is all about. In college I believe any vacation that you can go home and see your family is one that should be spent just living life with your family. There is no need for frills or huge events. So for my break that is what I did, I went home and spent time with my family. Above is a picture of my brother and our dog. All of these shots were taken with my Canon Rebel set at ISO 100. The above picture used a flash since there wasn't much natural light on the cloudy day. To edit this I darkened the exposure of the distracting elements in the back ground and sharpened a bit. My break was about God's gift of family and creation. Indiana offers a completely different setting than Montana and they are both beautiful in their own ways. 

The above picture was taken while we were driving into Chicago. I did not use a flash on this shot. The clouds were making awesome formations and colors which was really fun to capture. 

The above picture was taken on the drive as well. I liked the effect of the blurred trees and then ominous clouds. I sharpened this a bit and used a gradient tool on the sky but that was all the editing. 

This was a fun picture. Again my brother was my model and I was going for an angle that made him look like a little kid again. I used the flash on this one as well because of the limited light sources of the apartment. It was fun just to mess around with various angles. I wish the couch was out of the way but I didn't have too much room to work with. 

Night Photography and Painting with Light

After spending the weekend in Indiana and being reminded of the wonderful cloud cover I was unable to use the moon in my pictures of Indiana. When I got back to Montana I headed out to take some shots with moonlight but alas the moon had not risen by 11pm when I went out. Thankfully I used the city glow around this subject of the tree and I think it turned out really nicely. I loved how the only part of the tree picking up the light was the smaller branches because they were the only things tall enough. To focus I had someone shine a maglight on the tree and I used live view. My ISO was set at 100 on my Canon Rebel and I held down the shutter on bulb mode for a minute to get this shot. There is some movement among the stars but it was a toss up between clear stars or a visible tree. 

The next series of shots were taken at the park where I used the maglight to paint the subject. The swing shot didn't really turn out the way I would have hoped but it still looked pretty cool. I will have to go out and try again maybe when the moon is actually up. 

For this swing shot I used the Canon Rebel at ISO 100 and a 30s. shutter. In Photoshop I turned the shot black and white then adjusted the opacity of that layer. Before it was far too saturated for my liking of a night shot. 

This shot was taken with the same camera and settings as the swing set. Here I used the maglight to light up my subject again. To edit I cropped in and sharpened but that was all. I was disappointed that I didn't light up my subjects face fast enough at the bottom of the slide to be able to have it clear. Yet another thing that I need to keep in mind when I shoot night shots again. It takes a lot of practice!

Medical Photography

http://www.pfoto.com/medical_photography.htm

Medical photography is an increasingly popular field. It began when cameras first came about. During the civil war photos were taken of injuries and are now preserved in Washington, DC. 

Medical photography is nearly in another realm of the photography that we practice. There are portraits that need to be taken in medical photography, yet there are other various things that need to be captured. There is macro in medical photography that includes bacteria and various viruses. In addition photographs need to be taken of various organs and even rooms in the hospital. 

Another aspect of medical photography is the lighting. When photographing various organs or a surgery specific lighting is needed. This requires intricate care and planning. In order to photograph a surgery or anything in a clean room all equipment and tools must be sanitized. In addition communication between the doctors, nurses, and the photographer needs to happen in order to set up lighting. 

Other things that go into becoming a medical photographer include having a strong stomach and a considerable background in medical things. 

Medical photography is a very interesting field to enter into. It has opened another realm of photography that is sure to be increasing and expanding as the years go on and as technology increases. 

http://encyclopedia.jrank.org/articles/pages/1156/Medical-Photography.html

Photo Opportunities in Africa

In anticipation for Rocky's trip to Africa I have gone on a little search of the photo opportunities that may arise. Below is a link to Michael Francis' gallery of Africa. I enjoy seeing the young animals with their mothers and various interactions between the animals native to the country. I am looking forward to seeing wildlife apart from buffalo, elk, and squirrels. Though I do enjoy them it will be nice to have a change in subject matter. 

http://www.michaelfrancisphoto.com/favorites.html

For equipment on the trip it is very necessary to have a bean bag to hold your camera still. After my recent trip to Yellowstone it has come to my attention that photo bean bags are wonderful creations. And the are easy to tote along. The bean bags can be emptied and flattened into a suitcase to take up very little space at all then they can be re-stuffed when you arrive at your destination. Then you will be prepared for the quick unexpected shots that come up when you don't have time to set up your tripod. 

http://www.vertexphoto.com/BeanBag.aspx

Next it is important to have a good camera bag. Most photographers would like to carry their camera equipment with them when they go on a plane. So it is important to find a bag that will be accepted as a carry on and protective enough to cushion your equipment on the flight. Below is a link that seems to be promising as far as gear. It is also important to take into consideration all weather conditions. If your equipment isn't waterproof you may want to make sure you have a rain flap for your bag at least. 

http://www.thinktankphoto.com/

Taking Photography Wherever You Go

Many of us have different passions apart from photography, be it biking, hiking, various sports or just random adventures. But many times we forget to carry a camera with us and we miss so much. Even if we lean far towards nature photography it is still important to carry a camera with us. The article that I found for this week is about the cricket player Anil Kumble. At a young age his brother introduced him to photography and he has been hooked ever since. Though he has also been became very good at cricket. So how does he balance it? He started out by brining a small camera along with him to all of his games and everywhere he traveled. Soon he upgraded and has been taking pictures of many of the places he been and the things he has seen on his cricket travels. In addition he is a Canon user! He has only used Canon from the beginning and now they sponsor him and his endeavors. 

The lesson learned is we shouldn't sacrifice various hobbies because they take time away from our photography. We just need to balance our photography with our hobbies and get the shots that others aren't able to capture. 

http://www.expressbuzz.com/edition/story.aspx?Title=A+cricketer’s+safari&artid=KcYtdNYoHD0=&SectionID=Qz/kHVp9tEs=&MainSectionID=Qz/kHVp9tEs=&SEO=&SectionName=UOaHCPTTmuP3XGzZRCAUTQ==

Creating a Watermark

I have been trying to figure a watermark out for quite a while. I figured it was this really secret unattainable thing that only the professional photographers knew how to use. Well turns out!!! I"M GOING PRO! 

I have finally discovered how to make a watermark for photos. Smugmug was helpful in guiding me. 

-First you open a blank document in Photoshop. Before you press ok to open you must pick the correct dimensions for the document, then you must make sure the layer is set on transparent. 

- Secondly you add a text box onto a new layer on your transparent document.

- Next you choose your font. 

-Finally you type out what you would like your watermark to be and change the opacity. 

I was always making it harder than it really was. Oh the things we could do if we didn't defeat ourselves before we began. 

Below is my watermark that I came up with. Who knows it might change but now that I know how to make it I can change it to whatever I would like. 

*My font came from a free download. Downloading free fonts is another new experience for me. It was quite exciting! I found my fonts at: www.urbanfonts.com

LESSON OF THE DAY: Don't defeat your ventures before you start, it tends to be three thousand times easier than one would have expected. 

Cow Shoot

This past week of spring break I was able to get out and get a lot of shooting done. On top of the mid-term photos I made a trip down to my grandparent's house to see the cows. Since it is calving season I was really excited to get some pictures of the little ones. I was especially excited because one of the cows had had twins. In addition on the way to their house I passed a Golden Eagle which was pretty cool, yet it made m really wish I had a zoom lens. Until then I will have to work on becoming very friendly with animals and gaining their trust since I can't stalk them with a zoom lens :) 

I love the one above because I find cow's tongues very funny. And below I was thrilled with all that was going on in the photo. It may not be considered a prize winning photo but I found it amusing that there was so much going on. There is a story going on with each cow in the picture. 

These are the twins and the mom. I just focused on one of the twins. One was black and the other red which was really cute. 

For more of my photos of the cows and other ones click the link below:

http://maggiej.smugmug.com/Animals/Grandpas-Cattle/11470442_KCWB4#806871232_FXK2M