Psssh... Routines Shmoutines

As I am preparing for my first final in photography school. I decided to sit back for a minute and think a little bit about the last 2 months.

My life has changed SO much. I used to have simple routines while working in the business world - Monday thru Friday work 8am-6pm, Starbucks everyday (yes, they knew me by name), squeezed in a happy hour here or there and perhaps even a soccer game and pretty much did whatever I wanted on the weekends (which meant two full days of playtime with the love of my life).

Today, it's a little different. The closest things I have to a routine these days are sleeping in my bed, watching The Bachelorette every Monday night (which has now ended) and walking my dog. I'm either in class or at work and when I am not doing either of those I am doing assignments for class, working on my blog or post-processing my bajillion photo's that I have taken - And no, there is no rhyme or reason to the madness. My schedule is different every week so I basically just hang out on my toes, ready for whatever. Weekends don't exist. That's probably the hardest part of all of this, I miss my precious free-time with my honey. But don't get me wrong, he's 150% supportive and we figure it out. I am the luckiest girl the world to have him.

I've learned a lot about the art and business of photography over this time period too. I've spent hours upon hours sitting behind my camera and my computer figuring out different techniques to make my pictures look the way I want them to look. I've had some frustrations, some major headaches, a couple *light-bulb* moments and many many moments of.... hmmm... (how do I explain this?)... Well, moments of 100% joy and excitement, feelings of fulfillment... times where I take a picture and it turns out exactly how I wanted it to and it's beautiful and it's perfect and I literally can feel little elfs in purple and gold jumpsuits prancing for joy inside my belly - and that giant, child-like smile on my face, yeah, I can't help it. Those moments, that happen time and time again, those are the moments that assure me I have made the right choice.

So to finish this post up I want to pass on some of my biggest lessons from this semester:

• The first is that if you're thinking about taking photography more seriously, know that it is a HUGE commitment. Everything about it takes time and patience so be prepared to really dedicate the time to it that it deserves.
• Figure out a process for downloading and editing your images. Without a process you will find yourself losing photo's that you so desperately need. The first thing I always do with a new set of pictures is copy the raw, original images directly to a DVD to store in a safe place. That way if anything happens to my computer of the files on my computer, I still have the source files to fall back on.
• A tri-pod can be very helpful. My teacher goes as far as to say that it's the most important purchase after you get set up with a camera. So far, I love working with my tri-pod... what I don't like about it is dragging it around everywhere. You can get a shoulder strap or a carrying case for it though so I highly suggest taking that route. It's amazing how much a tri-pod can improve your photo's.
• Take time to fully understand resolution and pixels and how they effect each other and your image. It's a major headache at first but it's imperative to your success as a photographer.
• Always return your camera settings to their starting point when you're done shooting for the day. It's inevitable that one day you will forget that they still need to be adjusted and will end up doing something like taking a whole batch of photos with your ISO set at 1400.  Wah waah.
• Adobe TV is a great (free) resource for learning tips and tricks on editing your photo's in Photoshop
• It's ok to buy an off label lens - I've never really been a brand girl anyways... Why spend more on a name when you can get the same thing somewhere else for a much cheaper price? I'm sure plenty would be happy to debate on this topic but I bought my first professional grade lens for 1/3 the cost of the equivalent Nikon lens and you know what, I love it.
• This one is from my dad - "It takes money to make money." Between school and equipment, I'm in the 'taking' money stage and more broke then I have ever been in my adult life. But that just motivates me even more to keep working hard - I know one day it will pay off and I will be a successful entrepreneur like my pops. :)

Lesson 3: Aperture, The Sunny 16 Rule, and Your Exposure Indicator

I've been shooting so much lately that it's been awhile since I've posted anything informative. So today I am going to give you some helpful tips and tricks for working with aperture, plus a few other helpful tidbits.

As a quick review, aperture is the hole/opening through which light travels into your camera. A small aperture lets in less light, a big aperture lets in more light. A small aperture is represented by a larger f number and a large aperture is represented by a smaller f number. Why? Just to keep all of us photogs on our toes.

The Sunny 16 Rule
The 'Sunny 16 Rule' helps to give you a baseline of where to start with your camera settings if you're a bit unsure. Always remember that on a sunny clear day, generally speaking, you should be able to put your camera settings at an f# of 16, shutter speed of 1/100 or 1/125 and an ISO of 100 and get a pretty good shot. If it's a little gray out or very bright, start with these settings and adjust accordingly.  Or, keep the below guidelines in mind:

f22 - Snow/sand
f16 - Sunny
f11 - Slightly overcast
f8 - Overcast
f5.6 - Heavy overcast
f4 - Open shade/ sunset

As a reminder, here is what an aperture with an f# of 16 looks like (bigger f number, smaller aperture):

And for an example of what a shutter speed of 1/125 looks like, check out this snazzy animation: Photocourse.com

Great Resource, Shortcourses.com
Speaking of Photocourse.com. This is another GREAT resource for anyone and everyone who wants to learn more about digital photography. Most of the stuff has to be paid for but if you go to Shortcourses.com, they usually have some free books and animations posted, I highly suggest you check them out!

Using Your Exposure Indicator
Most digital SLR cameras these days have an exposure indicator and once you find it, your life will never be the same. Check out your user's manual and see if you have one.

It should look something like this:

This handy-dandy little tool will tell you if your aperture and shutter speed are lined up to make a well-exposed picture. On my camera, this doesn't only show-up on my monitor but when I look through my viewfinder, I can see it there too. It makes adjusting your aperture and shutter-speed settings so freaking easy! Keep in mind that depending on your lighting you may not always want to line up your exposure perfectly at zero, you may want to over-expose or under-expose depending on what works best for your settings and how you want your picture to turn out.

Something To Think About 
A large part of being a good photographer means being prepared.

"Being prepared involves understanding your camera well enough to capture what you see the way you want to interpret it."
-Dennis P. Curtain

Photography is not just about taking a picture of what we see... it's about taking what we see, interpreting it in our own individual way and portraying it to others, exactly as we want them to see it - To do this we must first understand how to use our tools in order to create the interpretation that we desire.

Understanding the in's and out's of our camera's isn't always fun and sometimes it can be quite complicated but taking the time to understand now will, in the end, lead us to our nirvana.

I'm off to another shoot for class. Today we are shooting at the Phoenix Airport, it should be an awesomely creative time!

Adios and stay inspired.

Phoenix Art Museum

Last week our class visited the Phoenix Art Museum. I had an incredible time shooting the museum. I think maybe too much fun considering I came home with almost 400 photo's, which made cutting down and editing a B. I. T. C. ... well, quite difficult.

While at the museum our teacher asked us to focus not just on shooting the art but also the facilities and the cool architecture. He also asked us to find a unique way to take a self-portrait of ourselves.

Here are some of my favorites from the shoot, however, I have many more I would like to post too... That is, if I had more time.

Enjoy the photo's, I am off to class!

The Japanese Gardens

This week in class we went to our first location shoot at the Japanese Gardens in Phoenix and I had WAY too much fun.

Since there are many waterfalls at The Gardens, our instructor asked us to focus on shutter speed and discover the effect it has on the appearance of moving water. I did plenty of that, as you will see below, but considering we got there at 5:30am to get the good light, I couldn't help but take some shots of the sunrise as well. :)

Here are some of my favorites from the day.

f3.5 SS 1/4000 ISO 100


f16 SS 1/8 ISO Exposure +0.67


f5.6 SS 1/40 ISO 100


f18 SS 1/4 ISO 800 - The high ISO explains the fuzziness of the picture. Next time I will focus on not moving ISO away from 100 if I don't have to.


f5 SS 1/100 ISO 1600


f7.1 SS 1/200 ISO 100 Exposure +0.67


f32 SS 1/4 ISO 1600 (again, the high ISO is causing my shot to come out a bit fuzzy, I need to work on this) Exposure +0.33


And here are some great examples of the effect that shutter speed has on moving water:

f10 SS .3 (very slow) ISO 100


f5.3 SS 1/13 (a little faster) ISO 100


F5.3 SS 1/80 (pretty fast) ISO 800


f5.3 SS 1/125 (fast) ISO 800

Lesson 2: The Camera, Framing and Visualizing

Last week, we focused a lot on getting to know our cameras. I am pretty familiar with all the different aspects and functions of my camera, however, I did learn that I have manual focus ring on the lens of my camera, which I was unaware of. I am so glad that I discovered that little ring, because now I never have to worry about the auto-focus not focusing on what I need to it to focus on ever again!

Our teacher also told us about an awesomely resourceful website: www.photoanswers.co.uk. They give a ton of tips and tricks and it's all for FREE! I highly suggest you check it out!

Our assignment last week was on framing and visualizing. We were tasked with finding and shooting all 26 letters of the alphabet but here's the catch, it couldn't be something that was meant to be a letter (i.e. you can't find a 'E' on a sign and use that) AND, you can't use the same object twice.

Here are a few of my favorite finds:
B:


E:


i:


Q:


Z: (This shot was taken at night with a shutter speed of 1.6 seconds and an f # of 4, without a flash)

Lesson 1: The Photo Four

Wow. Just got done with my first class and I am even more excited now then I was before....

Class today was pretty chill. First we went over our syllabus and that's when we were told that we will be going on five location shoots over the next month - We will be going to the Japanese Friendship Garden, the Phoenix Art Museum, Sky Harbor Airport, Arizona Falls and The Desert Botanical Gardens. I am so excited to have the opportunity to explore, shoot and learn at locations that are so full of inspiration and beauty.

After we reviewed the syllabus, our teacher covered "The Photo Four." I am familiar with the concepts of The Photo Four but I am not totally comfortable with them when it comes to actually applying them in practice.

Below is an outline of Lesson 1.

The Photo Four

1. Aperture

>Aperture is the opening in the lens through which light passes to expose the film or digital image sensor. Aperture is also referred to as f/stop. The more open the aperture is, the more light it allows in.

> In combination with shutter speed, aperture is your cameras primary way of regulating the exposure of your photos.

>Aperture can be confusing because a smaller f number represents a larger opening in the lens. For example f4 is much more open then f32. This is because all f numbers are assumed to be fractions therefore, when you are working with f4, you are really working with f 1/4 which is equal to .25 versus f 1/32 which is equal to a very small number, .03125, to be exact. So when working with an f number, always make it into a fraction by putting a 1 on top of it and that will help you remember whether or not it makes the lens opening bigger or smaller.

> Aperture has a direct relationship with depth of field (DOF). DOF is the distance in front of and behind your subject that's still in focus. A large aperture such as f4 (think 1/4) equals a smaller depth of field because the lens is wide open. A small aperture such as f32 (think 1/32) equals a bigger depth of field because the lens opening is much smaller.

>Generally speaking in low light you will want to use a larger aperture in order to let more light in.

>Aperture priority is a great way to shoot when you really want to focus on a particular subject.

2. Shutter Speed

> Shutter speed is how long the shutter remains open when taking a picture. This also effects how much light is exposed to the image sensor. Shutter speed is equal to exposure time.

>Adjustments to shutter speed will effect aperture and vice versa, therefore in manual settings if you change one, you will most likely need to adjust the other.

>Typically a larger aperture requires a faster shutter speed, otherwise too much light will get in and your picture will become over-exposed.

>Having too slow of a shutter speed can cause fuzziness.

>Shutter priority is typically used for fast action shots.

3. ISO

>ISO is the sensitivity of the image sensor. The lower the ISO number, the less sensitive your camera is to light. An ISO of 100 is a typical ISO level that, in a well lighted area, results in little or no noise.

> A higher ISO, allows your camera to be sensitive to more light but it can also create more noise in your photo, so it's important to take your pictures at the lowest possible ISO that you can, depending on the lighting.

>A lower ISO will result in a sharper image.

4. Focus

> Focus is the clarity or distinctness of an image.

>As photographers we can control what is in focus in our pictures and what is out of focus.

>Eye's will always be more attracted to the sharpest point of an image - we tend not to look at things that are out of focus.

>Today, many cameras allow us to manually control the focus of our camera.

>If you are trying to take a picture and the Auto-focus isn't allowing you to shoot what you are trying to shoot, simply switch over to manual focus and you will be able to get your shot.

Random tips learned throughout the lecture:

-Using a tri-pod and a longer shutter speed can help with shots in dark settings (that is, as long as the subject is still).

-Photomark on McDowell and 22nd street gives student discounts.

-Bigger photosites in your lens allow for sharper images - but lenses with larger photosites also cost more :)

-Lingo: if someone says, "stop down" that means close your aperture a bit... If someone says, "open up" that means use a larger aperture.

-Always have your camera manual with you.... You never know when you'll need it, no matter how long you have had your camera.

-And lastly, don't get into the habit of shooting imperfect shots with thought in mind that you can fix it later in photoshop. You'll save time and frustration by just taking the shot right the first time.

That's all I have for you today folks. Life is good.

My First Day of School!

After 8 straight (great) days of work at The Montelucia, I can finally get excited about my first day of school. Oh, and yeah, it's today!!!

So, in order to keep my family happy I, of course, took the traditional first day of school photo. As you can see the pig tails have been replaced by sun glasses and the lunch box with a digital camera. :)

I have NEVER been so excited for school in my life!!

Photography School Application Essay

Taking the Road Not Taken

I have always envied the people I came across in my life who knew exactly what they wanted to do with their future. I, until recently, always felt conflicted on the topic.

I knew the things that I was passionate about but my passions didn’t seem to coincide with what I perceived to be a practical career. I suppose this could be partly due to the fact that I have always wanted to follow in the footsteps of my incredibly successful yet very sensible sisters. From as far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be just like them, even though, I am very different from both. I yearned for a career that I could be passionate about, but my appetite to be just like my two older sisters blurred my perspective a bit. So, when I graduated from college, I did what I thought was the right thing. I followed in my two older sisters footsteps and I joined corporate America.

I’ve worked at Terralever for almost 3 years now. I interviewed for the job directly out of college and despite my lack of experience they felt confident in my abilities. Since the day I set up camp behind that desk, I’ve thought about doing something I could be more passionate about. Unfortunately, the thought of leaving my comfortable, stable job in economic times such as these left me feeling guilty -- Who do I think I am to be able to just up and leave a good job at a great company, when so many people would feel lucky just to have a job, any job? ...That’s how I used to feel.

Not that long ago I had this friend. This friend had an enthusiasm for life like I had never experienced. He was young, motivated, successful and passionate. I spent almost everyday for over 2 years with him, after-all, this friend was my boss. He was an amazing boss. He celebrated my successes, helped me through my failures and pushed me to be better, to learn more, to work harder. Seven months ago, he killed himself.

There’s this other man in my life who has impacted my world incredibly from the day I was born to this very second. He’s comforted me in times of hardship, he’s supported me even when we didn’t necessarily see eye to eye and he has given me nothing but unconditional love for my entire life. I am lucky to have him as my father. It sounds simple enough, but I know very few people in this life are lucky enough to have a father like I do. For the last year my father's will and strength has been tested as he's battled it out with not one, but two different kinds of cancer.

It’s easy to see why my perspective has changed a bit over the last year. Recent events such as these have opened my eye’s and my heart to a more fulfilling life. We never know what our fate has in store for us -- why should I spend another second in a job that's not a perfect fit? Why should I spend another sleepless night stressing over work that doesn’t make my heart pound? The days at Terralever are long, the work is tough and I pour every ounce of passion that I have into it. I have established a reputation for myself, not only in the company but within the marketing industry. I do my job beyond well and I am respected. So whats the problem? Well, a couple things. The first is that I’ve found that being an extraverted idealist and being chained to a desk all day is a combination that results in a first-class ticket to the cuckoo’s nest, and the second is that I’m wasting all my passion on something that I am not very passionate about. Please don't get me wrong, it’s an incredible job, at an incredible company and the knowledge and experience I have gained there will undoubtedly be beneficial to my future career. Terralever will always be close to my heart, I owe so much to that company. But, I am ready to pursue a career that fit's me better -- a career in the photography industry.

I’m not scared anymore to veer away from my sisters and make my own footsteps. I see clearer now that it’s important for me to do something that makes me holistically happy. I may not get to have a say in my fate, but I won’t go another day being a victim of my own trepidation. I’m confident that this is the right choice for me and I know I will be successful because I know I will do whatever it takes.