Underwater Photography - Fish

Taking pictures underwater, is a totally different photography experience. First, one has to deal with water movements or currents. Second, one has to deal with moving targets...as in fish. Fish like to move fast, darting in and out of coral. Just when you think you're going to capture the Kodak moment, the fish is gone. Sometimes you have to anticipate it's next movement, but that's a true guessing game. Sometimes, it just requires taking the picture and hoping for the best.

Here's what we saw while snorkeling in the Caribbean:









The pictures above were taken using the Canon S90 point and shoot camera with a Canon underwater housing. The camera was set to "underwater" mode and the included flash diffuser was attached to the housing. I don't recall the flash going off as we were snorkeling in bright sunshine most of the time.

I have to admit that most photography guidelines are not used while photographing underwater. Creative composition is key meaning if you see something you like, snap away. I admire folks that can take a clear picture of fish or marine life, centered or not. It's not that easy.

More pictures to come...

Learning to Use a Fixed/Prime Lens

When I teach my "how to take better pictures" photography class, I suggest to the students to "zoom" with their feet. Meaning to move closer to your subject using your feet. Chances are they have Point and Shoot cameras with limited lens capability. If they want to get a close up of their subject, they need to move closer.

Naturally, I should practice what I preach. I grabbed my trusty D40 and my 35mm prime lens and went outside to capture a few floral shots as the sun started to disappear. This Nikon 35mm/f1.8 lens is known for it's low light capabilities. I put it through it's first outdoor test.

It's funny how old habits are hard to break. I kept reaching for the "ring" around the lens, hoping to zoom a bit closer to the flowers. Slap my silly hand, I can't do that with a fixed lens. I learned to lean in closer.

I was able to catch this beauty...Milkweed flower complete with ants:




Here's one of the first hydrangea flowers in bloom:




Both floral pictures were taken in Aperture Priority mode. I still need to take many more pictures and get the feel for this lens. Looking forward to taking some indoor shots and sharing the results. This is a small but sweet lens.



Camera: Nikon D40
Lens: 35mm
F-stop: 2.8
ISO: 200
Flash: None

Another Peony and "to Crop or Not to Crop a Picture"

Many of our peony bushes are exhausted. A few are still blooming. The late bloomers I call them. I managed to find a beautiful peony flower for my vase.

Today was a mostly cloudy and rainy day. The sun did manage to poke its head out for a few minutes. Not enough time for me to go on a photo adventure. So, I made do with what I had.

Today's topic is "to crop or not to crop". Most of us, will typically take a horizontal picture or landscape mode I call it. It feels natural to hold a camera that way. Rarely do we hold the camera sideways and take a vertical shot (portrait). I've gotten in the habit of taking a picture both ways. Two different shots can give two completely different feelings.

Here, you can see I've held my camera sideways (portrait) in order to capture the flower sitting in its vase.




This picture was taken in normal or landscape of the flower without the full view of its vase. The original picture showed too much "space" to the left and right of the flower. I ended up cropping the sides. The flower appears bigger and looks like it's floating in space. I wanted the flower to be the subject of my picture.



There are times when you should crop your photo to remove "empty space" or to give your photo balance. Sometimes, I'm in a hurry to get that Kodak shot and my subject is off-center. That would be a good time to crop the photo, so the subject is in the center of my picture.

Many of the new cameras have the crop feature built into the camera. Also, there are many photo editing software that have that capability too. I've made it a personal mission to take great pictures and do very little editing. After all, I'd rather be taking pictures than spending time in front of my computer.

Remember after you take your first shot, see if it makes sense to turn your camera sideways to capture a different feeling or even a different subject. When you start thinking that way and start taking portrait shots, you essentially are cropping your photo as your taking the picture.


Camera: Nikon D5000
Lens: 18mm-200mm
ISO: 800
Flash: SB-600 with GF Lightsphere

In the Garden and Learning About Aperture

I came home from work just in time to catch the last of the late evening light. With camera in hand, I snapped away at the flowers and plants that were blooming in our garden.

Peonies are my favorite flowers to photograph

After so many years of blooming, this is the first time we've had an abundance of blooms from this Clematis

This clematis doesn't like to climb our mailbox


This is a rogue Geranium that seeded itself amongst the ground covering. I would have liked to have seen three purple flowers in this pic, but will settle for whatever I can get.




Believe or not, this is a really small plant (Columbine) that grows along the edge of our walkway. I had to get really low on the ground to capture this shot.





** How-to-Series: Learning About Aperture **

I started this blog last year with the intent of sharing my picture taking experiences and what I see through my lens. I haven't been doing a great job of providing any insight on how I take pictures. So, I thought I would take a moment and share a "learning" experience.

Here, I am playing with the Aperture on my camera. It's the large "A" on my DSLR dial. No, it doesn't stand for "automatic". "A" is for Aperture. A small aperture number (large opening) produces this type of picture with the main flower in focus and the background out of focus.

Taken @ f/5.6. Extreme fuzzy background


Taken @ f/8


A large aperture number (small opening) produces this picture with the background somewhat coming into focus along with the flowers.

Taken @ f/22

I will be back with more "how-to" posts. In the meantime, grab your camera and start taking some pictures.

Camera: Nikon D5000
Lens: 18mm-200mm
Flash: None

Taking Pictures Without Flash

I'm making an effort to get out and take pictures each weekend. I have the Nikon D5000 which is touted for its low light picture taking capabilities. I have been putting it to the test...without flash of course. It's taken me awhile to learn how to use this DSLR with all the settings and features. I'm learning a lot about what to do and what not to do. What to set and what not to set. So far, I've owned the camera for a month and I've taken over 800 pictures. With lots of practice, I think I'm getting a handle on it. On to my adventure for the day.

I believe we broke a record today. It felt like it...90 degrees and hot! I decided to visit someplace colorful and would keep me out of the heat. My assignment today took me to Merrifield Garden Center.

Here I am in the greenhouse. It was a nice steamy hot area to be taking pictures. I hurried along, snapping away.







I enjoy roaming the garden center. You never know what you might find laying around.










There many areas decorated at MGC. I feel like I walk into different living areas. Different themes with different arrangements.






















** How-To Series: Adjusting the ISO levels **


All of these pictures were taken indoors with no flash and a steady hand. I've managed to find the setup range on the camera that will automatically set the highest ISO level at 1600 and the lowest shutter speed at 1/30 sec. My ISO is currently set at 200 automatically. I couldn't figure out why the camera kept defaulting to ISO 200 whenever I was taking low light pictures. Not good when people are in movement and the results are blurred images. So by setting the camera range to an ISO 1600, this allows the camera to adjust the ISO from 200 to 1600 in relation to the amount of light that is available. By setting the lowest shutter speed at 1/30 sec, the camera will automatically adjust (go no lower) to get the best possible picture.

This D5000 is a true winner in my book.

Camera: Nikon D5000
Lens: 18mm-200mm
ISO: 200-320
Flash: None