Landscape's page

We will be adding  a landscape page to this blog.

Will be posting some of my landscape shots here and I'm hoping to get contributions from our readers who want to show their landscapes photos.

Sometimes we became so engaged with our goals that we fail to stop and notice our environment.

Take the time to absorb the beauty of nature, breathe-in the moment and fill yourself with fresh energy from nature.

I took this shot inside the Christian University of Thailand minutes after it rained.

A very tranquil sight that I can't resist to capture.

Shot with a 35mm on a Nikon D3100.

Cheers!

Of dragonflies, bees and flowers

From time to time, we will be posting some of our macro photos paired with our favorite quotes. We will try to minimize technical discussions here, only beautiful photos and reflections about life and the beauty of nature.







The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science. (Albert Einstein)










A flower cannot blossom without sunshine, and man cannot live without love.(Max Muller)










Love is the flower you've got to let grow. (John Lennon)




All photos are taken by Lyn using the Fujifilm HS20EXR.

Using the pop-up flash outdoors

Last time, we talked about taming our harsh pop-up flash using different methods.

If you haven't read it yet, please click here before proceeding.

When shooting outdoors,we sometimes have a bright sky at the background that causes our subjects to be dark underexposed.

This is because the camera is metering the entire scene, it avoids over exposing the sky, but it makes our subjects dark.

Of course, we could spot meter our subject.But that would make the sky so unpleasantly bright.

Common sense tells us to use our flash. (Duh?) 

Here`s a sample shot with a direct flash.

Now, we have a well exposed subject and background that is pleasant to the eyes.

But see the harsh light and the unpleasant shadows?

We can then apply what we have learned in taming the harsh flash.

There you go, the shadows are gone. We also properly exposed our subject and the background. 

No super bright skies, not a dark subject.

Another example.

Our pop-up flash can be a very handy tool in situations like these.

It can help eliminate shadows in our subject's face when under the bright sun or shooting with the sun at the background.

Of course, there are other ways to do this.

i.e using reflectors or make our subject face the light source.

All shots are taken using my Fujifilm HS20EXR in manual mode. Shot in a hurry, so forgive the quality and composition.

Cheers.

Alex

Featured photographer: Stephan Conrad

Stephan Conrad is a street photographer from the Lower Saxony, Germany. He is the very first street photographer we will feature here in Shutterbugs Hub. Let's get to know more about him.




1. Firstly, tell us a little something about yourself.

My name is Stephan Conrad. I was born in 1973 in Nordhorn. Nordhorn is a nice little town in the Lower Saxony Germany not far away from the Netherlands.

2. What is your background in photography and how long have you been doing this?

I can´t remember when I started taking photos. As a child I had a lot of pocket cameras and the quality of the pics was not really good. My first "better" Camera was a Fuji HS20EXR bought in 2011. That was the beginning. The photography-virus infected me.

3. What camera equipment do you use to shoot? 

My favorite camera at the moment is a Canon 650D with lenses for every Situation ( EF 35mm, 50mm, 17-85mm, 70-300mm, EFS18-55mm). A Canon Speedlite 430EXII, different filters, remote control ,etc. I also use a Fuji S100FS. It´s one of the best bridge camera that you can buy for little money

4.What are your favorite subjects to shoot? And why?

At the moment I spent most of my time for street photography. It fascinates me, to take pics of unknown persons or situations. That is the truest way to show faces, how they really are. 




5. What software are you using to process your photos?Adobe Photoshop CS6, nothing else.

6. Can you show us some of your most favorite work and tell us a little bit of something about them?

These at the moment are three of my favorite and latest pics. No comment from me, I hope the pics telling you enough.











7. Lastly, if we want to see more of your work, where are you posting them and how can we contact you?

You can email me at stephanconrad@arcor.de or check out my Facebook Page.

Thank you

Stephan Conrad

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Stephan Conrad from Nordhorn, we are very glad you agreed to be featured here in Shutterbugs hub. We hope to see more of your work here someday. Thank you very much.

New here? Please check all our featured photographers here. 

And check out our other topics here. 

Cheers!

Portrait #4

Mr. Ariel is a basketball coach from one of the university here inThailand.

We agreed to meet yesterday inside the campus to take some photos and play some hoops.

Shot with my D3100, 35mm prime and an off camera flash.

Exposure data: iso 100, 1/200 shutter speed and an aperture of f4.

Another photo, this time at the University's outdoor basketball court.

Thank you for your time coach.

Cheers!

Alex

The quirky little pop-up flash

Pop-up flashes are crappy! I am not using my camera's built in pop-up flash ever again. It simply just sucks!

(Are you serious?)

Not really. I actually believe that there are many uses for the pop-up flash. We will talk about those uses later.

But let's forget about that for a while.

First, let me tell you that these little harsh flashes are causing a lot of unpleasant photos.

To clearly illustrate my point, I grabbed a random guy outside, shoved him in our chair and took photos of him with my pop-up flash activated.

This is just so  unattractive!

No, I'm not talking about the guy. I am referring to the quality of the light.

Look at his face, it's all washed out. Unpleasant to the eyes! (Again, I'm talking about the light here)

The light is harsh and the photo looks flat. And don't get me started about how ugly those shadows are. (Hint: At the wall, just below his ears) It looks creepy. And the red eyes...ugh.


If you think that photo above looks okay, then you can go on with your lives and keep using that little pop-up flash of yours.

                                        Nuke 'em till they glow brotha!

                                   

But if you agree with me that pop-up flashes sucks produces unpleasant photos, let's then agree to not ever again use our pop-up flashes.

Let's create an anti pop-up flashers club, then make it our sole purpose to discourage others against using their pop-up flashes.

Nah...That's too much work.

Keep reading. We will try to discuss and solve the problems that pop-up flashes produce.

The problem is...

Pop-up flash is a very small light source and it produces harsh direct light.

So how do we improve the quality of the light from our pop-up flashes?

Let's try to fix it...

Since our random guy don't want to pose for me anymore (he did put up a good fight the last time I tried),this time I decided to shoot inanimate objects.

They seem not to care being shoved around and didn't even hit me back when I tried nuking them with flashes.

Let's start by digging up why we need to use flash in the first place. 

Do you know why? Here's a clue...

 Genius!

Simply because it's dark. (Don't be too happy, my 5 year old nephew could have guessed it too.)

For the sake of argument, I took this shot and purposely underexpose our subjects to demonstrate the need for flash.

Let the camera think for itself...

We can use our camera's TTL flash setting. TTL means through the lens, and it lets your camera determine the right flash power output to use in different shooting conditions.

For instructions how to use your camera's flash TTL settings, refer to your owner's manual. Don't be lazy.

Let's try to use my Nikon's TTL flash.

Now, the photo is bright. But we can see the unpleasant shadows and washed out parts of the photo.

This is what we want to avoid.

Let's try setting the flash manually...

Most cameras also offers you the capacity to adjust flash power output to your own liking. To be able to do that, you need to check your owner's manual again.

I found out, through trial and error, that setting at the least power (1/32) give us the most pleasant output. But it really depends on the distance of your subject and how bright your environment is.

Quite good. But I'm not happy yet. Look at the shadows. I still don't like it.

Let's try to make the light source bigger and spread the light...

Great. Now we're making sense! 

Our problem is that the pop-up flash produces small and harsh light source, so we should make it spread evenly and make it softer.

There are two ways to do this.  The cheap way and the cheaper than cheap way. 

Let's start with the cheap way. 

In camera shops one can usually find a pop-up diffuser like the photos below for about $10.

It helps diffuse the harsh light, spread it a little bit more and makes the light source a little bit bigger. Above pictured attached on my D3100.

                                                  Photo result

Now, it looks good isn't it? We have tamed the harsh light and made the shadows a little bit pleasant. 

If you always depends on your pop-up flash, I highly recommend you buy this one. 

Your $10 is worth it. 

Want a more cheaper alternative?

Use this precious material.

Yes, a paper.

Cut a piece of paper and cover your pop up flash like what I did above. It's almost free and you can always find one anywhere. 

You can also use a white cloth, tissue paper(unused ones please) or whatever white material you want to use. 

                                                         Result

There you go, white paper as a cheaper diffuser. Photo looks okay now, although it is still not perfect. 

Conclusion...

I don't hate using pop-up flash.

But honestly, I rarely do use it.

And if I do, I make sure I use my diffuser or head out to steal some paper or tissue to use. Make sense to carry one in your camera bag all the time.

That's all for now. Next time, we will talk about using your pop-up flash outdoor.

Any other alternatives you are using to make your pop-up flash photos looks good, please share it with us in the comment section below. 

Cheers!

Alex

Portrait #3

My third portrait is Ernest, a teacher based in Thailand.

Strolling around Silom area yesterday, we took a quick break and had some cool drinks, then took some photos.

                                                                  click to enlarge

Took this quickie shot using a D3100, 35mm lens and one off camera flash hand held by my wife at camera left. Hard light, bare flash. Working time was around 5 minutes.

Exposure data: iso 100, 1/125, f2.

Thanks Ernest for your time.


Cheers!

Alex

Featured photographer: Naser Eid

Our featured photographer today came all the way from the State of Qatar. He loves to shoot mostly landscapes and portraits.

 I know this guy for quite a long time now, I met him at the Fujifilm HS20EXR page. Over the years I am watching his photographs, and they're getting better and better.

Since he came all the way from the State of Qatar, let's not waste any more of his time and let's start asking him some questions.








1.First, tell us something about yourself.

So my name is Naser Eid, of Jordan Nationality and been living in the State of Qatar for the past 15 years. I'm an Accounting Management student at Qatar University.

2. What is your background in photography and how long have you been doing it?

My actual first step into professional photography was around 5 years ago. I had a video camera in my car, as I was about to do an interview and was waiting in my car around sunset time for my evening lecture. Then I saw a view that was so beautiful. So I grabbed my camera and took this picture.




From there on, my friends have been encouraging me to be more involved into photography.




3. What camera and equipment you use to shoot?

I first started with; video camera, standard nikon coolpix digital camera..then I moved into the DSLR world as I took a photography class. Started with canon 400d, sony alpha 200, 100, 300, moving to the Fujifilm HS20exr and finally with a canon t4i 650D.




4. What are your favorite subjects and why?

My Favorite subject are Landscapes because with landscapes you have still subjects and the equipment used are very basic. But with time, I am evolving to like portrait photography since it requires less movements from different locations, the shots can be endless and a huge field for creativity.




5.What software are you using to process your photos?

I still love using this Picmonkey website because it's basic and I mainly play with exposures and lighting but as I moved to portraits, Photoshop became my main source.



6.Can you show us some of your favorite works and tell us a little something about it?

This is my favorite Landscape shot.




This picture is what boosted my gallery, I was going out photo hunting with the canon 400D and I decided to have a seat on the bus stop bench. the Paint on the bench was still new and had a bit of shine in it, so I decided to try and see what happens when I leave the camera on the bench, adjust the angle and press the shutter and BAM! It helped me win my first photography contest.

My Favorite indoor high-speed picture.




The effort I put to this one is HUGE since I was working by myself and was only using the built in flash of my Fujifilm HS20 and almost 2 packets of balloons.



Favorite Portrait:



This is my favorite portrait because I believe that everything just went 100% from the pose, to the angle, framing, lighting and texture.

7.Lastly, if we want to see more of your work where can we check it out and how do we contact you?


Finally, you can view my work on my Facebook page Nasor-3eid-Photography , Pixoto Profile or even at my Flickr.

You can always add me on my personal Facebook Account. 

You can also send me emails at nasor3eid@gmail.com

Thank you.

Naser Eid

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wow, thank you very much for your time Naser. I am very glad to feature you here. I hope your experience and photos will inspire more aspiring photographers. 

There you go. Another great photographer as our guest.

For those who wants to be our guest here too, please contact me. 

Also, please check out our other featured photographers at the topic section. 

Thank you.

Alex

Portrait#2

Portrait #2 is Itthipol and his bicycle Bummer B. Itthipol works in one of the best university in Bangkok.

Everyday, after work and every weekend, he loves to travel and have some adventure with Bummer B.

 He gave us some opportunity to shoot portrait of himself and his beloved bicycle.

click to enlarge

Shot with my D3100 with a 35mm prime and two off camera flashes. Shoot around after 5 PM, went to two locations inside the University to find a nice background. Looks like Itthipol and Bummer B loves to be around lakes.

Here's my set up diagram for the photo above.

Other photos we took of him and Bummer B.

click to enlarge

click to enlarge

click to enlarge

Thank you very much Itthipol for giving us some of your time.

And kudos to Bummer B for being patience enough, without going Transformers on us, during the entire session.


Hit the comment section for questions and suggestions.

Alex

Portrait #1

Very first photo is a portrait of my wife shot in Lumpini park, Bangkok.

It is the very first time I have to shoot with a shoot through umbrella on an off camera flash, so it took me a little while to get the look I want.

Total working time, that resulted in a few good photos, is around 30 minutes.

Good thing my wife was patient that afternoon. 

                                                          click image to enalrge

Exposure data: 1/200, iso 100 , f8

Shot using a D3100 with a 35mm prime lens. Lighted by a single flash in a shoot through umbrella positioned at camera left. Below is the diagram of my set up. 

Thanks to Kevin Kertz for this free lighting set up file you can use in Photoshop. It's free and is very useful. Kudos to the guy.

Hit the comment section for questions and discussions.

Cheers!

Alex

Project: Portraits portfolio

I finally decided to jump-start a project that I have been planning for the last few weeks. I decided to create a portfolio of portraits, composed of  different persons.. I will be documenting my progress in this blog,  and I hope you join me in this journey. I'll be discussing my experience while doing the project. I would love to welcome questions, criticism (positive ones hopefully) and suggestions.  Please bear in mind that I am still a trying-hard learning when it comes to photography, so please be gentle when you criticize.

I will be updating this blog, every time I have a new photo.

Thank you.

Cheers!

Alex

Featured photographer Q&A: Aditya Bhardwaj

Our guest photographer today is based in Chandigarh, India. He is a hobbyist who just love to take photographs of nature. He will prove to us that everyone can enjoy photography without spending a lot of money. Let's now start asking him some questions.






1. Firstly, tell us a little something about yourself.

My name is Aditya Bhardwaj. I am from Chandigarh, India. Right now I'm just about to complete my studies.I'm pursuing Management Studies.




2. What is your background in photography and how long have you been doing this?

I started photography in 2011. Earlier, I was not at all interested in taking pictures, but later on I found out that I can be good at this too. I'm not taking any kind of studying in this field, so I just keep on practicing it and trying to be good at it.

3. What camera and equipment do you use to shoot?

I'm using Fujifilm HS20EXR Bridge Camera and a couple of filters and a Tripod.



4.What are your favorite subjects to shoot? And why?

If you see my work then you can easily guess that I'm into nature photography. Everything emerges from nature that is why it keeps on attracting me. I love it's colors, it's simplicity as well as it's complications, I love taking photos of green things and stuff . . . . Another thing I am interested in are photos of old buildings. I hardly took portraits. 

5. What software are you using to process your photos?

I use software like Adobe Photoshop CS5, Adobe Lightroom 4.7 , picasa and Photomatrix pro for HDR.



6. Can you show us some of your favorite works and tell us a little bit of something about them?


Photo#1


I took this photo from the walking path of Sukhna Lake which is the place of attraction for tourists . This is the end most point of the lake where you get to see beautiful reflections of green bushes and the sky . It was a beautiful day so how could i miss going to that place. And yes I did get wet that day.



Photo#2


This 2nd picture I took at my place only . It was a random picture for me but photography is not about taking photos of good things only but it is all about making things look good. So, I decided to process this picture and this is the result. It's not a Honey Bee but just another specie of a bee. I had to apply HDR to get more details in this picture.




Photo#3


This picture is of an old Catholic church which is located in Kasauli, Himachal Pradesh. It is a small town not too far from my place. This church was built in a shape of a cross by the Britishers in 1877. Now this church is known as the Anglican Church.




7. Lastly, if we want to see more of your work, where are you posting them and how can we contact you?

People can contact me at adianshu2006@gmail.com
And you can see my work on my Facebook photography Page Aditya Bhardwaj Photography.

Thank you very much.

Aditya Bhardwaj

END

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Thank you Aditya for giving us your time. You proved to us that everybody can enjoy photography without robbing the cash registers. As a student and as a self taught enthusiast of photography, I hope you can inspire a lot of people to join our bandwagon and enjoy photography too. We hope to someday feature your photographs again.


Please check out other featured photographers:
Alex
Lewis Mann

For those enthusiast, amateurs and pros that wants to be featured here please send me a message.




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