Messy backgrounds bug me!!
There, I’ve said it – blunt and to the point.
I see some amazing photos through our students but there’s nothing like an eye-catching background to make a good photo plummet from excellence.
In this month’s Exposed! photo newsletter we look at the beauty of a blurred background to save your photo from crashing!
Read this month’s photo newsletter!
Beautiful Blurred Background!
Today is the deadline for photo submissions for our online photo program‘s critique coming out later this week.
Slow Photos
This month’s challenge was “slow photos” where we instructed members to:
1. Slow down, creatively, and take time to consume the possibilities.
2. Slow down the shutter speed to ONE second or slower.
… That’s a tough challenge – especially for daytime shooting.
Waterfalls?
And I thought I would see tons of silky waterfalls. We have received some beautiful waterfalls but am happy to see the creative ideas coming through (stay tuned for photos.)
‘Point & Click’ to ‘Beautiful’
Last week’s lesson included a video to members with some last minute ideas and the process of creative photography. We showed the process from “point & click” to “beautiful” – see two photos from the same waterfall below.
Point and click...
Comments this month:
• “Thank you very much for last week’s video. It was just what I needed to hear!”
• “Once again a fun challenge with lots of learnings.”
• “Thank you Harry. It has been a very fun and inspiring challenge… now I can think about it and set the camera up properly for the shot! From waterfalls to night shots, they are lots of fun.”
... or beautiful slow photos.
Join us for next month for a new, faster challenge.
Almost a year ago we started posting photo tips on our Photo Facebook page. Below are some recent tips to help your spring shooting!
Photo Tip #151 – Add a hint of motion to make your photos soar.
Below are two photos. Which photo do you prefer?
Frozen Motion - fast shutter speed
Photo Tip #149 – Your camera is secondary to your photo skills and vision. Invest wisely!
Photo Tip #148 Keep your eye on the sky. What kind of lighting do you want for your photos?
• Full sun vibrancy
• Beautifully soft diffused light from clouds or
• The contrast of diffused light from the shade of a tree with a blown out background from the effects of full sun.
Be aware of the quality of light – it’ll make a huge difference to your photos!
Hint of Motion - slow shutter speed and tripod
Photo Tip #144 – Embed keywords in your photos to avoid:
“Who’s that friend (in the photo) we skied with way back in 2013?!”
Photo Tip #143 – Create photos in your mind as you walk. It’ll help your creative process.
Photo Tip #141 – Never delete bad photos.
Why?
1. There may be some value discovered later (ask about the first photos of Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky and the only photog who didn’t (couldn’t) delete the photos because he was still shooting on film.)
2. Memory is cheaper than time. When you are in the field it’s better to spend your time looking for what you can shoot – missed moments are expensive.
3. You can often learn from the mistakes if you investigate what went wrong!
Want more tips?
Like our Facebook page!
It’s back. We had to.
Last spring we offered the first Blair Gable On-Location Lighting workshop.
It sold out quickly.
Blair Gable - lighting course, Ottawa
Blair offers his vast expertise on setting up, quick, simple, effective lighting scenarios for portraits (or other subjects) when time, space and other commodities are limited.
“You say ‘Blair & vast expertise.’ Who is Blair Gable?!”
Blair is one of Canada’s leading photojournalists shooting & supplying photos to mainstream news media. He’s been assigned to shoot, oh, just about everybody prominent you hear about in the news – President Obama, Queen Elizabeth, Ottawa Senators, Toronto Blue Jays, etc…
Soak up Blair’s offerings while spaces are available. Comes up in October, 2013.
I’m gonna leak a little bit of info…
Coming up in June we’re arranging another Music photography show.
Remember last year’s show?
Or 2011’s music exhibition?
We will be showing the work of John Rowlands.
John Rowlands?
He’s shot just about every important music act… ever!
David Bowie, James Brown, Stones, Beatles, Bob Dylan?
Yep.
June 8th, 2013.
Stay tuned for details…
© John Rowlands music photography - - Elvis Presley
Here is some photo news from the web:
Lightpainting and Wakeboarding?
Yep. This video shows how an inventive team of technicians, photographers and wake boarders are pumping up the night! Thanks to reader Chris P for the tip!
PhotoKibitz.com
I did mention PhotoKibitz last week but Michael Vukovic has offered another photog interview this week and, erm, it features me! Neat to hear myself in an interview!
Photo Club
I found a new (to me) Facebook group called Photography Club. Very fun, huge following and lots of photo community! Worth a visit.
Car Streak Photo
Photo Facebook Page
And talking about Facebook, we started a Facebook Page for HarryNowell.com last year. It’s growing in people and photo tips!
Why’d we do that?
We wanted to separate photo from personal and offer a photo-only outlet with photo tips, links and photo community questions. ‘Like’ the fun!
Work for Free … but for Pay
I met with Justin Van Leeuwen last week and we talked about the business of photography and his innovative approach to building clients and a portfolio. I found the link to his related post.
Elmwood Art Exhibition at Ottawa Studio Works
Last year we hosted the 2012 Elmwood School’s art student’s annual show highlighting their hard work throughout the year. Looking at the work I would not have expected it to be from high school art students!! They consumed all that their art teacher, Heawon Chun, had to offer.
And they are back for another year! Budding artists from Elmwood School invite you to see their work in May at our photo studio – Ottawa Studio Works!
Details:
Vernissage – Friday, May 3rd; 7-9pm
May 3rd-12th, 2013.
Hours:
Wednesday-Friday: 12-6pm.
Saturday, Sunday: 10-4pm.
Monday, Tuesday: Closed.
Ottawa Studio Works
160 Preston St. Ottawa
2012 Elmwood Art Exhibition at Ottawa Studio Works
“The Annual Elmwood Spring Art Show 2013 is a showcase of selected works from the Grade 9-12 programs, presented at Ottawa Studio Works to give the aspiring art students their first experience in the art world.
Heawon Chun at 2012's Elmwood Art Exhibition at Ottawa Studio Works
The standards for the show are high, and the resulting caliber of the works is impressive.
Among the variety of works, the show includes plaster orbs conveying natural and surreal elements all at once.
Grade 9 students began with observational studies of nature to compose original designs, which were transposed into plaster using the ‘reductive process’. In another project, they were challenged to reflect on their inner personal strengths and represent those in symbols, invented or researched, and rendered as a Watercolour Mandala composition.
The show’s works range from diminutive to very large, and include:
• Sculpture
• Painting
• Drawing
• Mixed Media
• Installation
Elmwood Art Exhibition at Ottawa Studio Works
Using the Mix Media, Installation, grade 10 – 12 students were led through various mark making exercises, and found-object sculpting to free them from conventional and potentially restrictive modes of drawing and sculpture.
Elmwood Art Exhibition at Ottawa Studio Works
Older students were opened to an understanding of the relevance and acceptance of mark making as a drawing in the contemporary framework of art. Student’s experiments fashioned breathtaking drawings and found-object sculptures with their personal artistic signatures.
The show is open to the public.”
Elmwood School Art Exhibition
iPhone photography safari
Loving your smartphone (or iOS device)?
Want better photos?
It’s your lucky day! We have booked one of Canada’s leading photojournalists and iPhone-ographers to bring you up to speed.
Who is Blair Gable?
• Award-winning wedding photographer.
• Leading Canadian photojournalist – Blair has photographed Obama, Princess Kate, the Queen, Stephen Harper, Ottawa Senators and the Toronto Blue Jays among a long list of well known names.
• Confessed iPhone junkie.
This workshop/safari/seminar will explore:
• photo device’s built-in cameras
• camera apps
• post production apps
• photo sharing and
• social media apps
• practical shooting.
iphone photography safari/seminar/workshop
Online photo class - candid portraits - no viewfinder! © Ruben Vroegop
In March we challenged our Online photo members to some more creative and technical fun.
They were asked to spend the month exploring candid portraits… with a catch. They were not allowed to look through the viewfinder (or live view.)
“That’s crazy!!”
Yes, it is.
Online photo class - candid portraits with a story! © Danielle Donders
There’s value in the month’s challenge. We gave tips and creative support to help members produce some amazing candid portraits. See for yourself…
What members said this month:
“I am having fun with this and it is a good, positive group! Looking forward to April’s challenge.”
“Thanks, this was a fun assignment!”
“I found this assignment much easier to do with my point & shoot than my DSLR. This assignment didn’t come naturally to me, I think I will make it a recurring task (monthly) to shoot a subject this way.”
“Thanks for another fun challenge.”
“I really enjoyed the assignment and as I have had a tiny bit of practice shooting from the hip I knew how hard the technique would be. Also I was uncomfortable shooting my subjects at the start of each shoot and I got over that. Maybe some growth? I hope I was successful!”
There was a lot of success this month – based on comments, emails, and the private Facebook group, I saw people getting ahead, photographically. Member’s photos get better because they are exposed to new photo ideas and practice – on their own time – every week!
Online photo class - Candid Portraits shot on a dog friendly ski trail in BC, Canada! © Liz Ruddick
What’s the Online Photo Program?
Fun!
It’s a monthly photo challenge designed to take photographers to a new level with a video lesson, weekly tips, support, and a private Facebook group for members to share ideas and photos.
That’s all.
Join the fun…
Online photo class - Candid Portraits - © Al Garner
New photo courses are coming up.
Some basics and something more advanced.
Want better photos?
Interested in just a few quick tips on exposure and/or composition?
We’re offering some quick & dirty basics in either exposure or compositional elements.
Join our Basics Seminar!
Basics photo class - Ottawa
Want something a little more challenging?
We’ve launched our Waterfall Photo Safari for those people looking for the next challenge.
Take the plunge – join Waterfalls!
Waterfall Photo Class