My first HDR

HDR - This is my very first HDR photo ever...I'm stoked! For those of you that don't know what an HDR photo is, it stands for High Dynamic Range. Basically you take different exposures of the same scene to make a single photo that has both defined highlights and shadows. A result like this is usually impossible with only a single photo due to the limitations of the cameras themselves. For those that know HDR, I know it's not Chromasia quality, but it's a start. I haven't really been a fan of HDR because most of the time people go overboard and the results look too cartoonish. Although, I appreciate HDR because there are a lot of times when the camera just doesn't have the dynamic range needed to make a clean photo. So here it is...

Storke Tower - This is the main tower and the symbol for UCSB (University of California Santa Barbara). This was a combination of 5 photos all taken on a tripod...I've never HDR'd before so I kept it simple...I brought it all into Photomatix and let it do its magic. It's an easy program...just slap in the jpegs and you're good...it has a lot of options to change the "cartoonishness" of the photo...I tried to keep this shot dynamic but not too cartoonish...any thoughts...well hope you like this pic and I'd definitely recommend trying HDR if you have a tripod. Photomatix is cheap too...

(Update) - Some people have asked to see what the pics looked like before I did the HDR conversion. Well here they are...

Click the image to see a larger version. These were not post-processed in anyway other than putting them together in a jpeg. As you can see i took 5 different pics, each at a different exposure. Each exposure was exactly 1EV above the previous image. There was no way to get the clouds exposed properly and the tower exposed properly all in one shot. This is why HDR is so cool. You can combine all the different pics together and the software figures out what to keep and what to discard to make a balanced photo. I hope this helps and if anyone has any other questions, let me know.

I did it...I got a 5D!

The Canon 5d...what more can I say...It's awesome. And I couldn't resist. For the past few months I've been ogling at the new Canon 5d Mark II, but I just couldn't justify making that kind of investment. I'm not a pro and I definitely know I'm still learning. For me, the Mark II seems like more of a pro camera. Okay, so I'm justifying my purchase, but still, the original 5D is still great. I've been shooting with it for the last week or so and I'm really impressed.

What a deal!!!...Price was one of my big concerns when I was researching the purchase of a new camera body. I've been using a Canon XT for the last 5 years and I really felt like it was holding me back. The Mark II is just too expensive for me. Body only is around $2700 everywhere I look. So I started looking for alternative and found a great deal at Samy's Camera. It turns out some rich guy decided that he really didn't need a 5D and traded it in at my local Samy's store here in Santa Barbara (we're lucky here, lots of big spenders with no clue). The body was super clean and most of the packaging wasn't even opened. To make things better, Samy's said they would fully backup the camera if anything went wrong. Drum roll please...so nearly mint 5D used for $1400!!! out the door! I'm stoked...I know there are some selling even cheaper online, but I don't know if i would trust random camera gear on craiglist or ebay. With the release of the Mark II the price point of the original 5D has gone down considerably, but it's still a great camera that is capable of making some awesome pics. If you can find one at a local retailer or online store I would jump on it!

This is not a review...I'm not going to get into all the details about the camera, but if you want a full review check out The Digital Picture. This site is really good if you want to read comprehensive reviews of canon camera bodies and lenses. You can even compare lenses for sharpness and vignetting at all major apertures. The pic of the 5D above was taken from their site. Definitely check them out...

Taking Photos at the Aquarium

Recently I visited the Monterrey Aquarium with my girlfriend. It was an awesome trip and I had loads of fun but taking photos in the aquarium is hard. Maybe not hard, but it takes some getting used to and I wish I had better gear to take advantage of the great exhibits. Here's some things I learned...

1) It's dark in there! - And i mean really dark. Here's a shot of some corrals. This was probably one of the brightest exhibits i saw there. To show you how dark it was, here are some figures for you. This shot was taken at 85mm at f/5.6 ISO 800 and 1/30th of a second (my 17-85 can't go any faster than that at 85mm : ( ). If I didn't have image stabilization on my lens, I think the shot would have been worse. Image stabilization or IS is good for these low light situations when you subject ISN'T moving. Luckily these corrals were moving very slowly and I was able to get a fairly sharp shot. If your subject is moving Image Stabilization doesn't do a thing...You need either a fast lens or you need to bump the ISO to get a faster shutter speed. Unfortunately my camera can't do anything higher than ISO 1600, but even at that speed there's too much noise. So I had to work with what I had.

Here's another shot that was taken at low speeds. I think the jellyfish tanks are great, but there are loads of people around and I felt bad for hogging the glass.

2)Flashes - Some exhibits allow flashes. Some don't. I actually didn't flash at all during my trip. I found that just the ambient lights were enough to cause annoying reflections in the glass. I would think with a flash it would be even worse, but I didn't try it. If you do use flash, I think it would be best to put the flash and camera as close to the exhibit glass as possible to cut down on reflections. Almost the whole time I was there I was glued to the glass with my lens...kinda felt like one of those sucker fish. The fish must of thought I was crazy :P

3) Slow shutter - When all else fails be creative...at least that's what I tried to do. Considering I couldn't freeze the motion of most of the fish with the equipment I had, I went for a more abstract look. In this pic, there were lots of fish going in the same direction. They were going fairly quick, so I went for a slow shutter speed (.6 secs) and kept the camera steady. This made a cool blur effect.

4) Panning - Another technique that I tried was panning. This is very hard, but with some practice I was getting some fairly decent shots. I know this shark photo isn't tack sharp, but the blur from panning creates a nice sense of motion IMO. This shot was taken at 1/2 sec.

5) Metering - Metering for the right light source is key in the aquarium, but it's hard with the contrasting light sources. In this pic my camera was metering for the whole shot and I was getting some weird results. I wanted the corral to be exposed properly and I wanted everything else to go black. In this case I changed my metering mode to center weighted and aimed at the corral. I locked in my exposure and recomposed. This was my result.

Ideal equipment? - I'd say a camera body with good high ISO plus fast lens are key. I was shooting ISO 800 most of the time and I could have gone higher if my camera could do it. I think either of the 5Ds, Nikon D700 or any pro body would work well. As for lenses, there are some very small things like corrals and some very big stuff like shark tanks. If I could do it again, I'd bring a 5D with one fast wide...maybe the 24mm 1.4 II and a fast telephoto...maybe the 85mm 1.8 or 100 macro.

I hope this helps anyone going to the aquarium to take photos. Anyone have good shots at the aquarium? I'd love to see other photos and see what I did right and what I did wrong. Any help appreciated...

Utah Pano

I haven't blogged in a while, but it's been a crazy few months. I recently updated my portfolio with this image that was taken in Utah. I've been getting into panoramic photography and I've learned a bunch. Here are some tips and some questions if anyone can help out.

1)Hardware - first things first...what equipment do you need for a good pano?

1. Lens - I use either a prime 24mm or a wide zoom with my Canon XT. You want to use a lens that doesn't have a lot of distortion so I find that primes do the best job, but zooms will work too. The main thing is to go wide!
   
2. Filters - I hate taking pics and the ground is exposed properly and the sky is all white or you expose for the sky and the ground is all black. You can fix this with neutral density grads, but you'll need a holder to attach the filters to your lens. I have a Cokin P holder that I use with neutral density grads to balance to exposure.

2)Technique -

1. Orientation - When I shoot panos I always shoot vertically to get more of the foreground and sky. I find that when I shoot in landscape orientation it doesn't give me enough space to work with once i stitch the pics in Photoshop.
2. Exposure - I set my camera to Manaul mode. Don't use Av or Tv modes or you will get different exposures for each pic in the scene. I usually start by scanning the entire scene to find the brightest and darkest areas. Once I have these two points, I choose an exposure in the middle. I take a test shot somewhere in the middle of the scene and check the exposure. I rely on my in-camera histogram to make adjustments to the exposure if needed. Once you get a good exposure you're ready to go.
3. Focus - Manual focus...kinda. Let's say you have a cool mountain range way off in the distance or a really cool building. It may be tempting to focus on that, but don't! Focus on the foreground and use hyperfocal apertures to get a clean result. If you want more info on hyperfocal distances check out this site. I usually autofocus on the foreground first. Once I get autofocus lock I'll switch to manual focus on my lens and shoot the rest of my sequence. With my 24mm I usually try to focus on something ~10ft away. With my aperture set to f/8 or f/11, everything ~5ft and farther will be in focus. This is key to get everything in the frame in focus. I usually don't use apertures smaller than f/11 (say f/16 or f/22) because you will get softer images due to diffraction.
   
4. Sequencing - My camera doesn't have a "Pano" mode, but I've seen it on some cameras. If you have it, use it. If you don't have that option you'll need to eye ball it. Once I get my exposure and focus spot on, I'll start my sequence usually from left to right. In my first shot I'll try to look for an object on the right side of the frame that I can easily identify, for argument sake let's say a rock. I use that rock as a marker so I know when to stop in my next shot. In the second shot I try to put that rock on the left of the frame, but not to close to the edge. You want some overlap so photoshop can easily stitch the images. After I take the second shot I look for another object in that frame, once again on the right side that can be a good marker for the next shot. Repeat until the sequence is finished. Of course this takes some practice, but it can be done handheld.
   
5. Post-production - this is where you keep your fingers crossed and pray your pano comes out okay. I've used both Photoshop CS3 and CS4 and both work well. Just open all your pics in photoshop and go to File ->Automate -> Photomerge. It will ask you which layout you want ( I usually use auto), what files you'd like to use and some extra options. If you already have all your photos in photoshop just click "Add Open Files" and then Okay. Make sure the "blend images together" box is checked. Photoshop will do its voodoo on the pics and stitch them together for you.
   

3)Questions? - There are some things I still haven't figured on with panos. Can anyone help?

• Moving objects - How do you account for moving objects like waves? Is there a particular way to make these panos better, or do you just need to clone out the mess.
• Filters - Has anyone compared Cokin and Singh-ray filters? The Singh-ray filters are nearly 3 times expensive and I'm wondering if they make that much difference.
  

Surfing Photography

Two weeks ago I had the chance to shoot the 2009 Rincon Classic. Luckily Rincon isn't far from me and during that weekend we had a very nice swell. You need a few things in order to get a good surf shot. I'm no pro at this, but these are the things that I found helped when shooting this great sport.

1st) Equipment - Rent a long lens - Preferably a 300mm or longer. For the 2009 Rincon Classic I used a Canon 400mm 5.6L. You can rent a lens like this from Samy's for cheap, so it's good to rent when you need specialized glass rather than buying it for $1000+. If this is going to be your profession, I'd say go 400mm or above.

2nd) Equipment - Tripod - You'll need a solid tripod or monopod to support that big lens you rented. They may not seem very heavy, but after a few hours, you'll be happy you brought the tripod. I like Manfrotto gear, but that's just me. As for tripod vs monopod, I'm glad I brought my tripod. With a monopod you always need to hold on to it. With my tripod, i could take a break and my gear was ready for the next shot. Just get a good ball head for the the tripod and you have the flexibility you'll need for surfing.

3rd) Camera Settings - AI Servo Focus - This focus type tracks your subject as they are moving. Even using this setting, focus on my little Canon Rebel XT was stugglin'. You should be using a 30D,40D,50D or a pro body if you want better focusing and speed.

4th) Camera Settings - Continuous Shooting - Most cameras will have a continuous shooting setting that lets you hold down the shutter and it will fire rapidly. I'd say this is a good option because the action is so fast you just can't react fast enough to catch the action (at least I can't).

5th) Camera Settings - ISO - You need to shoot at 1/1000 sec or faster in order to freeze the action. If you don't do this all your shots will be blurry. I learned this the hard way during the first day of the competition. Depending on the weather, I'd say use ISO 200 or 400 so you can get a faster shutter speed. Use whichever setting that allows you to shoot 1/1000 sec or faster in your lighting conditions.

Lastly, I wouldn't even think about trying to use a point n' shoot for this kind of photography. They just don't have the reach needed and they aren't fast enough to catch the action. I'd say this is one style that you'll need an SLR to get good results. Sorry Point N' Shooters :(

To check out more of my surfing pics, visit my portfolio at www.morganmessina.com

What is ISO?

The other day a buddy of mine asked me about iso. I don't want to go too in depth about iso considering there are a bunch of resources online, but here are a few key things to know.

1) Sensitivity - ISO is the sensitivity of your film or your digital sensor. It's easy to think about...the higher the ISO # the more sensitive the sensor is to light (ie ISO 100 is less sensitive than ISO 1600).

So why would I want to change ISO?

2)Lighting conditions - During a bright sunny day there will be a lot of light hitting your sensor. In this case you can use a lower ISO because there is lots of light. If you were to go inside though, you don't have as much ambient light. Therefore you would want your sensor to be more sensitive to light and you would increase your ISO.

3)Noise - The problem with ISO is that as you increase your ISO the more visible noise you will get in your pictures. Easy rule; Higher ISO=More Noise. Noise appears as little dots on your pics. Not cool! This is especially true with point n' shoots where you will be limited to using lower ISO to get clean images. Here are some examples (thank you www.cameralabs.com for these images):In this example the left pic was taken with a point n' shoot (Canon G10) and an SLR (Canon 450D) on the right. Even at ISO 100 you can notice that the 450D pic is cleaner, with less dots than the G10.

In this example the pics were now taken at ISO 400. On the left, the point and shoot is starting to show a lot of visible noise (click the image to see higher res). The SLR on the right is still clean with little additional noise.
...and finally ISO 1600. The point and shoot on the left is stugglin'. Many cameras will try to fight noise with software, but this noise reduction "smears" the image making it less sharp. The SLR on the right is now showing some noise, but the detail is still there and usable.

NOTE: the G10 is the top of the line point and shoot from Canon going for ~$500!!! Lower end cameras will probably display even greater noise at high ISOs. The 450D is the bottom of line DSLR. It goes for ~$560...check out B and H for camera prices. You can even find used equipment there. Here's a good deal on a base DSLR (Canon XTi). Only $329 used!!!

I don't like noise!!! If you have a point and shoot you're probably getting a lot of noisy pics...well buy a digital SLR...they're cheap now!! These cameras allow you to use higher ISOs without nearly as much visible noise as point n' shoots. If you really like your point and shoot, and don't want to make the switch to an SLR, then here's your rule of thumb:

Use the lowest ISO possible for the conditions you're shooting in.

This is the key rule whether or not you have a point and shoot to get the cleanest images possible. Some newer cameras now even have an "Auto ISO" setting that does this for you. The camera senses how much light there is in the picture and then automatically chooses the lowest ISO possible to accomplish the best exposure. Use it if you have it!

Here are some more resources on ISO if you really want to learn all the intricacies:

http://www.photoxels.com/tutorial_iso.html

http://www.cameratown.com/guides/iso.cfm

Sunset Portrait Basics

Sunset/Sunrise Portrait Basics - Over the holiday break a few friends and I went up to Lake Tahoe to go snowboarding. On the way we encountered a beautiful sunrise. What a great backdrop for a portrait shot!!! It's actually really easy to make a good sunset shot. Here are the steps...(keep in mind, this is for people with point and shoots or any camera for that matter that has a built in flash; you could get really elaborate with off camera flash if you had the time/equipment. Check out Strobist if you want to learn more about off camera flash techniques)

1st - Flash!!!
Make sure your flash is on or you're going to get silhouettes. If you're going for the silhouette look don't flash, but in every other case you need to flash if you want to expose correctly for the people and the sunset.

2nd - Focus!!!
Focus on the subject not the sunset!!! A lot of times the auto-focus in the camera will want to focus on the sunset and not your subject. This will result in the sunset being in focus but your subjects are blurry. Many cameras allow you to pick your focus point. Be sure to choose a focus point that will accurately focus on your subjects and not the background.

3rd - Compose!!!
Try to stay away from putting your subject's head in the middle of the picture; put their head on the upper or lower third of the frame. This rule also applies if you were going to take a picture of the landscape alone. Be sure to put the horizon line on a third and not directly in the middle of the frame.

4th - Exposure (Advanced)
Expose for the sunset first without the flash! Once you get the sunset exposed properly then turn on your flash and adjust it to expose your subjects properly. Most cameras will use built in auto-flash exposure for this (aka ETTL) but you could do it manually too if you had an external flash.

I hope this helps with your sunset shots. These rules can also be applied to pictures taken during the day. The basic idea is Use your Flash!