How I Shot That - Rivoli Theater Building BW

How I Shot That - Rivoli Theatre Building BW

Purchase this photo
Shot with Minolta 70-210 F4 Lens - http://amzn.to/2sNQSGy
Camera is Sony a6000 - http://amzn.to/2ELLKIr

A photographer I admire has said many times, "Clouds are cool!  I won't shot if I can't see clouds."  

While I am not 100% sure that is true for every situation, clouds did make this photo better. 

Besides the obvious clouds in view on this photo, there is something else that the clouds did that day.  Normally during an afternoon walk, I am exercising futility in my photography.  Broad daylight with the sun coming almost directly overhead is actually not a very good thing.  Light coming almost directly down would have made the shadow from that little ledge at the top of the Rivoli building too much.  But Wisconsin if full of weather changes.  Cold, hot, windy, calm rain/sleet/snow (many times all at once) and of course sunny.  

Since there is so much of this changing weather, I keep reminding myself, even if your walk doesn't provide a fruitful set of photos one day, does not mean another day won't provide something awesome.  Just like this awesome September afternoon did.

Now, normally, a straight on photo of a building doesn't do it for me.  But since the wind was blowing this flag around I really wanted to make it part of the photo.  Funny thing, this flag is in a Bank parking lot across the street, it doesn't belong to the theatre at all.  But for many here in La Crosse, WI, we love this theatre just as we love America.  It only has two movie screens, a main one and a 'showing room'.  You can order a pizza, get beer, essentially have a movie type dinner here.  The main theatre even has a section in front that has tables.  When you have a child's movie playing, it is the most family friendly place.  When you are there for fright night type of a showing, it is the most fun.  And when they decide to show an old movie (that they do frequently) you have a great date with the one you love.

So I had to include this flag.  Like the movies, America is full of drama.  Just as much as the sky was showing that day.

On this walk through town, I was trying something different.  Normally, street photography makes you want to have a short lense. Most use a 20mm.  Many times you will see me with the 50mm.  But this day I used what many in the Sony/Minolta world call 'The Beer Can" lens.  We call it that because it is the 70-210 f4 Minolta lens that has no optical stabilization and is just a straight and tall can shape.  Almost the size of large beer kans from back in the day.  

From where I saw this, I had walked through an alley from another block away, letting me see across this parking lot of a bank to have this reveal itself to me.  Obviously, if I was zoomed in all the way, I would have been looking at the sign of the building, and forgetting about everything else.  So this was most of the way out at the 70mm zoom.  And I was using f4.  After making sure my shutter speed was really high at 1/2000 of a second.  This gave me the clouds a pop in shape, froze the flag in motion while giving me enough light on the building.

To show this place some love, visit them at http://www.rivoli.net/

How I Shot That - Figure Skating Bullfighter

How I Shot That - Figure Skating Bullfighter

Sony 70-200 f4 OSS G: http://amzn.to/2F3YYR2
Camera is Sony a6000 - http://amzn.to/2ELLKIr

Back in the late summer of 2017, I was at an event called State Games of America (SGA).  This is an Olympic style of athletic competition open to competitors in all 50 states.  I found that SGA had a photography competition, and that they would give you all access to the sporting events.  You then get introduced to all sort of people all across the nation.

One of the most attended sports is figure skating.  I've been around this sport for a long time, nearly as long as I've known my wife (the coach in this sport).  She had 5 kids participating in various levels and events.  This kid, Daren, started with her and now lives on the east coast.  

But back to what I had to do in figuring out the event and getting the best possible photos of these participants.  I knew that my current lense wasn't going to be enough.  The lense I had been using for skating up till now was a 50mm f 1.8 OSS.  It is great for when the kids are pretty close.  But it makes for a lot of work down the line.  I needed to rent something nice.

I went to Lens Rentals .com and was able to reserve the 70-200mm f4 OSS G (probably should have gotten the f2.8 GM, but that was too much money for what I wanted at the time).  This along with my crop sensor a6000 would give me an effective focal length of 300mm at the farthest reach.  In other words, If I had to shoot photos all the way down at one corner of the rink, I could still fill most of the frame with the skater all the way down at the other end of the ice.  

When I first got to the rink, I had to get my media packet and find my places.  I wasn't going to photo 'everything' so I needed to get situated for when I was going to be there.  I quickly found one of the nicest things at this event, where these rinks usually have glass set up for hockey, they had places in the corners with the glass removed.  These were photographer hot spots!  But I needed to make sure I had access, it wasn't a reserved place.  There is a lot to be said for having presence in any job you are performing.  And that is what I did, didn't take up too much space, but when I moved, I made my moves seem precise and required. This way, other parents, or unauthorized Photographers wouldn't get in the way.  I must say, the other event authorized photogs knew how to find a close spot, but not get in the way.
 

The day I shot Darren (pictured above) was the 2nd day of competition.  These skaters at these levels were much faster.  To get the motion blur as reduced as possible, I had to get the shutter speed up to 1/800 a second.  The lighting was pretty good, but I still needed to go as high as ISO 2000 and my f-stop was as wide as it could be at f-4. 

Another way to prepare is to get some shots off during the warm up session.  I was able to get the group of skaters before their program in a few practice shots.  Thankfully, this let me know Darren jumps high.  I was able to keep the camera steady, and maybe move a little bit to account for the jump, but still get everything.  Thankfully, my camera can go as high as 11 frames a second, so getting him in front wasn't so hard.  I have many other photos of the man and my favorites from that event.  https://lifeexposure.smugmug.com/State-Games-of-America-2017/Favorite-of-SGA2017/

It really makes me want that lens.  I was, however, happy with renting it for now.

How I shot that - Baby Owls with a Beginners Camera

How I shot that - Baby Owls with a Beginners Camera

I used the Nikon Coolpix p510 http://amzn.to/2GQZXR8
Current version of this camera: Coolpix p900 http://amzn.to/2F132gM



When I was starting out with my photography, I had what people called a Bridge Camera.  There was one lens that had an effective focal length ranging all the way from 24 mm all the way out to 1000mm equivalent of a 35mm sensor.  Just starting out, I didn't know what to photograph.  That meant I was taking pictures of everything. 

Maybe that was a little much for a starting new photographer, but it was fun.  Some of that fun came from living in an area of western Wisconsin that had easy access to some great wildlife and birding areas.  So many times, it is as simple as walking around.  But for this shot, I had to talk to some people before I knew where to look.

Specifically, I was walking in this city park that is a part of a marsh to the La Crosse River that feeds into the Mississippi River. The city park system has taken ownership of a wetlands area that keeps people in appreciation of the Great River wild life, and has made it mostly enjoyable (minus the summer and fall mosquitos). 

That day, I had my camera on shutter priority.  I wanted to control the speed of the shutter and let this thing think about the ISO and aperture.  I was still relatively new back in September 2015.  For fun, I was walking around this park called Myrick Park Marsh.

It just so happened, that the area Audubon Society was meeting at the shelter here.  I popped in for a little bit and realized every one was way more serious than I was.  I just wasn't prepared and I was here for fun.  But walking outside, I realized most people in the park (even though they weren't at the meeting in the shelter) were birders.  I had to talk to some of them and got a couple of ideas for the day.

But then there was the prize, baby owls.  This marsh was a fantastic place for the owls, because no one was able to get in their face or walk up to the tree they were in.  The tree was surrounded by water.  But I just sat there for a good 20 minutes and found them inside this broken trunk of a tree. 

What a reward.

Talk to people, find a spot, sit there.

Using a point and shoot Nikon P510 bridge camera.

I still feel great about that shot.

How I Shot That - Skating in Riedell Boots

How I Shot That - Skating in Riedell Boots

Similar Riedell Motion Boots - http://amzn.to/2CGzq6s
Shot with Sony 50mm f/1.8 - http://amzn.to/2FmZ82E
Camera is Sony a6000 - http://amzn.to/2ELLKIr
Buy this photo here

Figure skating is in general a difficult sport to photograph.  You will have fast moving people travelling in a low light environment. If that isn't enough to make you think twice about shooting professionally, then the ice is going to mess with your light meter.  If you don't know better, then your meter will tell you there is enough light, when in fact, there isn't.

Product photography hasn't been what I was after, but I do like to get the details.  A few great photographers have always said, "Get your wides, the mediums, your close ups, and your details."  I find this to be great advise.  As a photographer, you need to be considering the entire canvas... then remove what you don't want (I think that goes against those 360 Virtual cameras, but I digress).  Figure skating and sports in general is no different.

This is an exercise in finding that detail shot.  It is also an exercise in finding out how to be different, or to stand out.  So often, I find photos online of figure skaters twirling, jumping, being tossed by a pairs partner and so forth.  But ask any skater what item they care about the most, and you will undoubtedly find it being their skates. I know, duh!  To underscore this, my wife has ornament upon ornament of ice skates for a Christmas tree.

That is what inspired me to get down low while at a high school figure skating team practice.  I wanted that product type of photo of one of the skater's skates.  Obviously, this was melding two types of photo styles: Product and Action.  Normal product photography gets everything in a controlled environment.  People get together to have lights just right, place the products ever so still, and make sure that the smoothest and most detailed photo possible could be made.

Action on an ice rink makes that impossible, unless you have rented the rink and no one else is skating.  Nonetheless, my goal was to have some movement.  I wanted that skate to show it was in use.  My plan was to wait by the coach near the boards.  Eventually one of these kids were going to come near by to talk to her.  

Let the waiting game start.

But while I was waiting, I needed to find what settings would work.  Usually, I photograph a skater at 1/500 or 1/750 a second.  While fast, even at this shutter speed, you can find motion blur with a figure skater.  My ISO was lowered from 1600 down to 1000 while increasing my aperture from 1.8 to 2.4. The 1.8 to 2.4 was needed so that I had a better depth of field.  Normally, with the 50mm on a figure skater, they are far enough that f1.8  isn't a problem.  Actually, normally, that lets in all that more light so the photo doesn't need to be higher than 1600 iso (it makes for a less grainy photo, compared to higher ISO numbers).  

I found I had the frame speed I needed at 350th a second.  Enough to freeze the photo of a slower moving skate of a subject talking to the coach.  I probably took about 10 shots trying to get this one that I liked the most.  The skater was stopped, but they had just barely put their right boot and blade on the ice.  You can tell this skate is used.  You can also tell it isn't damaged, so it is cared for.

How I shot that - LAX WI Blue Bridges over the Mississippi

How I shot that - LAX WI Blue Bridges over the Mississippi

Shot with Sony 50mm f/1.8 - http://amzn.to/2FmZ82E
Camera is Sony a6000 - http://amzn.to/2ELLKIr
Similar aluminum Camera Tripod - http://amzn.to/2opfBw3
Purchase this photo

La Crosse, WI (#laxwi in my tags) sits on the shores of the Mississippi River running between western Wisconsin and southeast Minnesota.  Between the two states (and in the middle of the river) sits Pettibon Park.  Pettibone Park was an island originally governed by Minnesota but was given to Wisconsin at the start of the 20th century.  

Originally, this island was mostly owned by a sole investor who's idea was to make a magnificent city on the river.  To say the least, that idea didn't pan out.  The river flooded so high and so often, that any structures would have to withstand such high water levels that would never allow for year round living.  But eventually it was realized that open structures open to a surrounding of water from the river would work out nicely as a park.

Given that the island would be part of La Crosse, WI that meant building a bridge over this mighty river wouldn't be a problem as you have one less jurisdiction to worry about (one less state).  

Fast forward almost 100 years, LAXWI is a thriving city with good river traffic sitting between the bluffs of WI and MN.  As it happens, I found that it was almost the time of a 'super moon', but the Upper Midwest has a lot of weather.  So, sometimes weather looks good in the afternoon, but clouds all up at night... and then there is the reverse.  July 19, 2016 was a long day on top of that, as my wife and I were driving all over the area.

But driving home, this park was on the way.  The river had relaxed to an almost normal stage. And not only did I have my a6000, but also my tripod too.  On my camera, I had the 50mm f1.8 lens and I took nearly 28 photos to stitch this together.  I was thinking, everything is farther away, but I didn't want to leave it at 1.8, and so I changed the aperture to 5.6.  I had a 1/45 shutter speed and 1000 iso.  

I came away with the tops of the bridges and the buildings on the other side of the river being a little distorted, but to me that was fine.  The river is larger than life.  Oh, heck, this river IS life to most of the country.  So if you need to make buildings to challenge it, they too need to behave this way.

Business of My Photography

New focus on my business of my photography.

Something I have had people inform me about is that my photography reminds them of product photography.  Not the original thought I had when pressing the shutter.

Youth Football Cleats
Shot with Sony 20mm F2.8 wide-angle http://amzn.to/2GFfmn9
Camera is Sony a6000 - http://amzn.to/2ELLKIr

But after time, I thought it over.  It wasn't easy, because I have dreams that take me far beyond product shots.  But dreams don't pay the bills.  And people that you want as clients (People with a huge sum of money) may want to see that what you do actually can pull some weight.

Charmant Hotel, Hotel .com gift card - http://amzn.to/2BMnAe0
Shot with Minolta 70-210 F4 Lens - http://amzn.to/2sNQSGy
Camera is Sony a6000 - http://amzn.to/2ELLKIr

So if much of what I have is like product photography, I will get some use of it somehow.  A friend at work mentioned Amazon and their affiliate program.  I read it over, and it seems good.  Descent returns, and rewards you get even beyond the initial item you linked to.

Similar Edea Skates - http://amzn.to/2GFvllt
Shot with Sony 70-200 F4 OSS G - http://amzn.to/2sRzSPM
Camera is Sony a6000 - http://amzn.to/2ELLKIr

So here is to a growing economy that they say is booming.  You know all I need are a few sheckles.  I want the photos to speak for themselves, but if there is something about the photo that can drive a persons to Amazon and pick something up, all the better!

GGOOLLD Band http://amzn.to/2CCw2cM
Shot with Sony 50mm f/1.8 - http://amzn.to/2FmZ82E
Camera is Sony a6000 - http://amzn.to/2ELLKIr

SGA2017 Only Waiting the Upload

What a trip!

I didn't get to do other sports like I originally thought I was going to do.  However, thanks to a proper lens I rented from LensRentals.com, all I had to do was a series of mass edits in light room.  I even posted one section of photos right off from the camera (Opening Ceremony).

So, right now, I'm posting everything to my LifeExposure.smugmug.com account.  I did have some priorities for certain western Wisconsin area competitors, and the photos are sorted according to the time of day I shot them.  So I can't say I got everyone, but I usually got entire competing groups.  However, after they are uploaded, I will be going through and removing the ones that aren't in focus or don't have a promising crop that you can do when you select a photo for purchase.

In short, I will thin it out.

But what is different about my photos versus the ones of the main photographers that were there?  The photographers selected by the figure skating organization hosting the competition have a primary style required by such a position.  First, they will have mostly full body shots.  And that will be about it.  And that is what you have to do when doing photos for a competition.  Those can be good photos.

I, however, wasn't there on behalf of the figure skating competition.  I'm there as a freelance photographer with permission on behalf of State Games of America.  A copy of all my photos at SGA events are going to SGA and Michigan State Games.  So this means I could be free to try somethings out.  Free to wonder the area, and get something interesting.

You will find some photos where I zoom in a lot.  On of the points of interest are the feet.  For figure skating athletes, you can find the feet in very interesting positions, helping them move, jump, and glide around the surface.

Attempted head shots.  The expressions fascinate me.  From determination, concentration, to out right enjoyment, everyone will have their own look.

Even challenging circumstances.  A fall, or unseen injury, and for figure skaters... failure of your music.  Like in the following photo, the music stopped playing, but you never knew it by just looking at her.  Julia Iovino continued on with a fantastic skate, along with a display of fantastic sportsmanship.

So take a look!  Some photos are still uploading (I really need a faster upload speed).  I so far have August 2nd through 4th up.  Opening Ceremony is already up. Then the 5th and 6th will be much faster.  If you are looking for the ISI events, I have photos from August 3rd, South Side arena up there too.