Equipment Review Page

It's coming, the equipment review page on our getthepicture.tv website. "Gearing Up"

Often I am asked, "What equipment should I buy?" Having the proper equipment for the specific photo assignment does make life easier. When purchasing a camera, lens, lights, tripods, and software it's important to keep in mind what kind of photography that it will be used for. There will always be those unusual jobs but what kind of photography do you do most of the time? Answering that determines what is best.

In today's digital world there are so many choices of equipment some of which is really good and some not. Some built to withstand use and abuse and some built to give you a headache.

I do have my share of equipment. The photo above shows me with about 60% of the equipment that I have.

We are now putting together the newest page on our website http://www.getthepicture.tv/. I will review the "stuff" that I think makes our job easier. There is nothing so frustrating as spending your money on something that just doesn't measure up for the task at hand. So get ready for "Gearing Up"

A Day In New York City and B & H

No trip into New Jersey would be complete without crossing the Hudson River and taking in the sites of the Big Apple, a.k.a. New York City.

I took my Canon 5D, a 15mm Fisheye lens,the 24 to 70 Zoom, and the 70 to 200 Zoom lens with me. What is great about the 5D is it has a full size sensor.

Unlike most digital cameras that crop the image the 5D gives you the full viewing angle of the lens. No where is this difference more noticeable than when using the 15mm fisheye.

Look at the photo on the left and note how wide the angle is. The photo on the right is cropped because of the smaller size sensor found on most other cameras. It's just not the same. Two words to describe New York City are "tall" and "busy". All the buildings are tall and the streets are very busy. These are two things you don't want to crop out.

I especially like the busy streets. Where I live in Florida is great but people stay indoors. When we need to go to a store we get into our cars and go into the store. Then, we get back into the car and go back home. In a city like New York everyone walks everywhere because everything is fairly close at hand. You don't have to walk very far to find what you are looking for. In addition, there is something interesting on every block so even a long walk becomes pleasant.

For instance, look at some of the nice people I met on my way to B and H Photo. New York is truly the melting pot. As you can see in the photo on the left. These to guys owned an English pub of some kind and wanted me to go in for a drink. I think I upset them when I told them I didn't have time. Oh well.

When I got to B and H Photo I had to stand across the street to get the whole store in the photo. Wow! They occupy 4 floors in this building, 6 floors in a building across the street and 1 million square feet of warehouse in Brooklyn. Yeah, 1 million!

They have a doorman to open the door and greet you. When you go inside They have everything you can think of and things you would not have thought of.

The store is called B & H Photo Video. However, they also have everything in audio, surveillance, telescopes, binoculars, projectors, computers, screens, and more. If they don't have it here chances are it hasn't been invented yet.

They also have the Event Space. This is a meeting room that holds about 100 people. Free seminars are conducted here. Some really big names have and will lecture on every topic related to every product they sell. All FREE to the public.

As a matter of fact, they have scheduled me for a speaking engagement on Monday, September 14. Be there or you will miss out.

Their philosophy is that they are here to "inform" . Each rep is an expert dedicated to a specific section. They don't pull someone from audio to help a customer with a camera. This means that the person that is helping you really can help you.

I could write so much more because I was totally blown away with my whole experience. I have bought many things from them in the past and have no dought that I will by many things from them in the future.

Gotta love the Fisheye. I went outside and got a photo in front of the store with the 15mm lens.

What is New York City without the pigeons? These birds are afraid of no one. Don't mess with them cause they are tough. The one on the right kept giving me a dirty look. The one on the left kept saying something about giving me the "drop".

I didn't know what he was talking about but I figured I better leave.

Your probably wondering why I have this photo in twice. I mistakenly loaded it twice and can't figure out how to erase it. Oh well.

What's the next blog going to be about? Get tready for Boston!

Posing

How should you pose a subject?

There are specific poses that I can show you and I could show you how posing works. Weight distribution and body language are important.

Rather than trying to describe something that is better left to a live demo let me give you a few ideas.

Learn to be a really good observer. The best photographers are just that. Great observers, and then they translate what they "see" on paper. It's no different when it comes to posing. Most people pose themselves really well by just being there. However, the moment you point a camera at them they become self conscious and "break" the pose.

After I take a photo where I have posed someone I tell them to "relax" while I set up the next shot. As I move the camera or tripod I keep on eye on the subject. Without fail they will relax into a really terrific pose. If at that point I tell them I am going to take a photo they will freeze up and break the pose. So I simply tell them, "don't move that looks great" or " do what you just did a second ago".

You will be surprised how many poses your subject will give you if you just observe.

A mistake I often see is the photographer asking the subject to pose. This will only give you awkward poses that look fake because you are asking the person to perform making them self conscious.

Lastly I look for poses that the subject looks good photographed as a full length (head to toe). If he or she looks good full length I can also take some from the waist up and head and shoulders without making the person move. This way you can create extra photos from the same pose.

If you look at these three photos you'll see that I started with a full length pose. Then I took a photo from the waist up and finally a head and shoulder. All within a matter of seconds. If you repeat this 10 times you'll have 30 photos.

All this by just observing how someone is seated or standing

Understanding more important than memorizing

Understanding why something works is paramount if you are going to master it.

I read an article in the local newspaper about a high school graduate that received a $250,000 scholarship from Microsoft to continue his education in computer science. I can't imaging how many applied and did not get it. So why him? What could he have possibly done or said to come up on top?

I believe that many others who applied had similar talents and resumes. Something however made him unique in the eyes of the judges.

He was quoted as saying this; "A lot of people like to memorize formulas, I like to understand the logic part of formulas and how they work."

This statement is so profound that I believe it is the major reason he was chosen instead of other applicants.

This statement explains why some people do the status quo and others excel. Why some are miles ahead in a given field.

Photography is no different. I tell the story of a fellow photographer that I have not seen in at least 15 years. We went to the same workshops, attended the same seminars, and conventions.

We even had similar equipment but our photographs were different. Mine told a story and had impact. Mine quietly lured you in emotionally. His were sharp, high end snapshots. The lighting

and composition on mine were different. When we entered prints in competition mine would hang with ribbons on display and his would not. The funny part is he knew more rules on lighting and composition and camera technique than I did. He was in photography longer than I and had more experience.

One day I figured it out. He had memorized more than me but understood less. Memorizing a rule is one thing but understanding why and how it works is what separates you from the pack.

Memorizing a formula is simply the ability to regurgitate information. It is the status quo. Understanding is having a firm grip and command of the formula. It is how you excel.

When learning photography techniques it is important that you learn not just the rules but why and how they work. This is what will make you excel way beyond your piers.

Memorizing the rules allows you to copy someone

elses work. Understanding the rules lets you create your own and establish your own style.

I encourage all to learn not only the rules but why they work. This is what my seminars, DVD's and classes are all about.

Buying a camera?

In my photography classes I always emphasize the fact the the camera doesn't matter. It is, after all, the photographer that creates the photo. If you end up with a bad photo it's not the cameras fault. It only did what it was programmed to do, record. It cannot create.

If I truly believe that why not tell everyone to buy the least expensive camera.

I just bought a new camera and I chose one with a price tag of $3,000. That did not include the lens, just the body.

The reason I tell my students to buy the biggest and the baddest is because like any major investment you don't want to short change yourself. It is an investment and not something you'll replace in a month. Your camera will last for years so purchase something that you won't outgrow in 6 months. Plus, the higher end cameras are built tougher and can go through the paces and take a slight beating.

Having a more expensive camera doesn't mean you'll get better photos but you'll have a reliable piece of equipment always ready when you need it. Higher end cameras allow you to change lenses for different effects so they usually have a couple of extra bells and whistles.

My real message in telling people it doesn't matter what camera you have is this; if you have a camera, any camera, learn what to do to create great photos and then go out and have fun with it.

There will always be a new lens and a new camera. Camera companies are pushing out several new models a year. If you stop and think there are photos hanging in art galleries and museums that are 40 or more years old. Why are those photos so great? They where taken with antiquated cameras and not the modern marvels that we have today. The only difference is that those photographers invested in themselves and learned the steps to creating great photos.

So, go and pick up some books on photography, watch videos and go to seminars, sign up for my emails (they are free). The more you immerse yourself in photography the better and faster you will succeed in becoming a really good photographer. The more you understand photography the you'll realize it's not the camera