Story: Easter Protest

Unnamed man protests an Easter gathering of many faiths at the Cathedral of the Madeleine. Salt Lake City, Utah.

Man preaches from his bible with family by his side.  Salt Lake City, Utah.

I shot these back in April around Easter weekend and found them in my library again.  Gotta love the new 500 GB internal hard drive! 

Beginner Tips: Aperture

Image courtesy of Photoluminary

To continue with some beginner tips I wanted to talk about aperture.  If you know what aperture does and how to use it your photography will improve and be even more enjoyable.  There is a setting on most cameras to control aperture only leaving all other settings in auto, called aperture priority mode (Av: Canon, A: Nikon, see manual for other).  First, you need to understand what the aperture does.  In every lens there is a fan-like circle that controls how much light comes into the sensor, which is called the aperture.  With a small number like 1.8 the hole is very large and let's in a lot of light, making it easier to shoot in low light with a faster shutter speed.  A high number like 22 makes the hole rather small and allows very little light to reach the sensor, making your shutter speed longer.  Now, there is another factor that is in play and that is Depth of Field (DOF).  When you use an aperture of 1.8 you're going to have a very shallow DOF and most everything, besides what you've focused on in that plane, is going to be out of focus.  This is very effective when shooting portraits or when the background is distracting.  If you want everything to be in focus from near to far, an aperture above 8.0 is usually effective.  Many photographers have found the "sweet spot" in each lens as to not lose quality and still have a deep DOF, and it's usually around 8.0-10.  If you want to slow the shutter speed on purpose, using an aperture of 22 will do just that.  I like to play around with the apertures from 8-22 and see if there is much difference in a certain scene.

In addition to talking about aperture, lenses are also tied in to the subject.  Lenses with really low aperture numbers are referred to as fast lenses and usually carry a high price tag.  For example, a 70-200 mm lens with image stabilization and a constant aperture of 2.8 is a very fast lens and is about $2,500.  Whereas a similar featured 70-200 mm lens at a constant aperture of 4 (still a pretty fast lens) is priced around $1,200.  Both pretty expensive lenses, but you get the idea.  If you're looking for a really fast lens at a low price I would strongly recommend a prime lens like the 50 mm f/1.8 (The number after the f is the lowest aperture possible).  This lens is by far the best bang for your buck at around $100.  If you ever shoot indoors or in low light this lens is a must.  Also, a great lens for portraits as the distance is how our eyes see and won't distort any part of the image.

As I've said before, the best way to learn is to go out and experiment on your own.  The best way to see the difference in aperture is to focus on something around two feet in front of you with the background further away, take the picture at different apertures and compare. 

Story: The Bridge

Story: Street Dancing

A dance group enjoys a warm summer night at Library Square (Salt Lake City).  June 13, 2011.

Location: Yosemite

Canon 1Ds Mark II 17-40 mm f/4L

ISO 100 40mm f/22 1/4 sec

Favorite shot of the trip.

Yosemite.  Words such as grandeur, breathtaking, dramatic come to my mind.  A photographer's Mecca.  Ansel Adams' playground.  Rainy.  Crowded.  Snowed in.  On Memorial Day weekend?  Yes.  Unfortunately, everyone else decided to go to Yosemite for their three day weekend, too.  And the weather was good and bad, but mostly bad.  At first, the white cloudy skies were ruining great pictures of falls and El Capitan.  Being a little discouraged of the skies, I turned to the ground.  The mossy trees glowed green and water shots could be captured with a slow shutter speed without using a ND filter.

ISO 100 40mm f/7.1 3.2 sec

Long exposures give water a milky look often resulting in a more pleasing photo.  Note: a tripod is a must for long exposures.  

ISO 100 40mm f/4 1/8 sec

Using a low f number (large aperture) allowed me to really focus on the mossy tree in the center and leave the other layers of trees slightly out of focus, giving the photo depth and focus.

After a painful two hours of traffic, a hike to the nearest falls looked promising, and after a much needed pep talk, sledging through the rain ended up paying off.  The skies were breaking just enough to get some definition in the clouds.  Some clouds hugged the cliffs and skirted around the top just enough to give photos some drama.  Then the sun was gone and the rain poured on.  To be honest, Yosemite is the kind of place where anyone can take good photographs, even if only graced in it's presence for a few hours.

ISO 100 17mm f/10 1.6 sec

3 stop reverse graduated ND Singh-Ray filter

The 3 stop reverse graduated ND Singh-Ray filter holds back the bright clouds and actually gives them definition, the way they were meant to be seen in this magical scene.

ISO 100 17mm f/8 1/30 sec

I love how the clouds look like they are bursting out of the top of this peak.  The clouds bring an emphasis to the grand mountain peak and the trees keep it grounded.

More unfortunate events presented themselves the next morning when snow fall forced anyone without chains to turn back.  You never know what an adventure might bring, whether it's weather, traffic, or incident.  All we can do is roll with the punches and make the best out of what we get.

ISO 100 40mm f/7.1 1/6 sec 

A fresh dusting of snow on the Sequoias in Mariposa Grove.