Remember that post awhile back about the cool trick you could do by knowing a little bit about shutter speed, aka how to write your name in lights? If you didn’t read it, check it out here. Well, I recently came across a site that has some AMAZING examples of things you can do with a tripod and a little knowledge about shutter speed. And a bit of patience and the drive to do a lot of experimenting.

So let’s call today’s post a Tuesday Inspiration…..check it out: http://abduzeedo.com/amazing-light-paintings

If you decide to do some experimenting yourself, send me a pic or two–I’d love to see ‘em!!

Happy shooting from your San Diego wedding photographers at Vantage!

Related posts:

1. Tuesday Tidbit: Understanding Aperture and Shutter Speed
2. Tuesday Tidbit (on Wednesday): The wonders of shutter speed (and a cool trick!)
3. Tuesday Tidbit: Improving your low light images with a point and shoot camera

Related posts:

1. Tuesday Tidbit: Meet Your Friend, the Color Wheel
2. Do you know someone who deserves an amazing wedding?
3. Photoshoot: Hippie Love

(This week’s topic was suggested by a Tuesday Tidbit reader! Do you have a suggestion? Email me at info@weddingsbvyantage.com).

Make sure you have the right tool for the job

Improving your action shots (shots of people or objects in action, whether running, spinning, jumping, etc) can be tricky depending on the type of camera you have. For many non-action situations, you can do a lot even with a simple point and shoot camera; with action shots, however, your creative vision can be severely limited if you don’t have the proper equipment for the job. Most well-executed action shots require you to be able to do one or more of the following things: a) keep the shutter open an extended amount of time and pop the flash at some point; b) focus quickly and/or snap the shutter as soon as your finger hits the release button; c) click the shutter several times in a row in a short amount of time and/or d) set a very fast shutter speed to “freeze” moments in time.

For those of us who use point and shoot cameras (definition here), we know that the whole “in-out-in-out….wait….ok….nope, wait….ok, got it” way point-and-shoot cameras have of focusing makes quick focusing and quick shutter releases practically impossible. Not completely impossible….but difficult to be sure.

Example: Levitating Baby

This image was achieved by dragging the shutter (explanation and examples here) to properly expose the large room and then popping the flash at the end to freeze the moment. However, the same effect can be had by simply having a fast shutter speed (say, 1/250 of a second) and enough light to properly expose the subject without flash. The final ingredient was good timing…and a camera quick enough to respond to the press of the button.

In general, SLR cameras are going to give you much more flexibility than point-and-shoot cameras when it comes to action shots. However, if you’re not so lucky to have regular access to an SLR, do some experimenting with your point-and-shoot–each one comes with a variety of settings and you may find one that works for your own action shots. (Our point-and-shoot, for example, comes with a “kids and pets” pre-set, implying that one would use it for objects that just won’t sit still…ahem, action shots.)

Happy shooting from Vantage!

Related posts:

1. Tuesday Tidbit (on Wednesday): The wonders of shutter speed (and a cool trick!)
2. Tuesday Tidbit: Point-and-shoot and SLR cameras. Say what??
3. Tuesday Tidbit: Improving your low light images with a point and shoot camera

Well, first things first, a point and shoot and an SLR are two different types of cameras. The main difference between a point and shoot and an SLR camera is in what you see when you take a picture. Using an SLR, what you see through the viewfinder is what you get; using a point and shoot, what you see through the viewfinder is…almost what you get. Now, to the average user, the difference in the point and shoot is going to be so small as to not even warrant conversation. But to a photographer, it matters. I’ll explain…read on.

Point and Shoot Cameras: A point and shoot camera is what most people associate with a regular ol’ consumer camera, the type that most of us have and bring with us to parties, family gatherings, etc. You know what I’m talking about…a small silver/black/whatever rectangular body, wrist band on the side, one lens on the front that zooms in and out…

This type of camera gets its name from the fact that,  well, you can simply point and shoot: aim the camera at your subject, press a button, and bam you’ve got a picture (and then everyone comes running up saying “Can I see it??”). The camera might have some settings like “nighttime” or “macro” or “party”, but the settings are in the end still controlled by the camera (a glorified tiny computer) instead of the user. The camera takes a light reading, decides what the aperature and shutter speed should be, etc.

The other difference (as I mentioned earlier) is that a point and shoot uses one lens to show the image through the viewfinder and another to record the image on the viewfinder, meaning what you see isn’t what you get. To the average eye, the difference in the images won’t be noticeable…UNLESS you have your finger in front of the lens but don’t see it through the viewfinder. It happens to me all the time… But for the most part, this isn’t really an issue for a basic photo.

SLR (Single Lens Reflex): SLRs get their name from the viewing system they have. Every SLR system is created so that what you see through the viewfinder is what you get on film even though the viewfinder is not in direct line with the lens. This is achieved by use of a light prism and a mirror. When looking through the viewfinder, the light enters the lens, hits a mirror lined up with the lens at the back of the camera, and shoots up into the prism at the top of the camera which in turn sends the light out of the viewfinder so you are, in fact, seeing the light as it’s reflected off the subject. When the shutter button is pressed, the mirror retracts, allowing the light to travel straight ahead onto the film/sensor and be recorded.

The other major factor with SLRs is the amount of control a user has. Yes, a user can just throw the camera into automatic mode (which essentially just creates a really fancy looking point and shoot) but a user also has an huge amount of creative control over the final image by manipulating the aperture and shutter speed (see my posts about aperture and shutter speed and how they work together).

So……now that you know all this, you can now make other people’s faces go blank by asking “Do you know the difference between a point and shoot and SLR camera?” :) Isn’t that fun??

Related posts:

1. Tuesday Tidbit: Understanding Aperture and Shutter Speed
2. Tuesday Tidbit (on Wednesday): The wonders of shutter speed (and a cool trick!)
3. Tuesday Tidbit: Improving your low light images with a point and shoot camera