Proud Photography Blog

So you’ve just seen the most wonderful photo opportunity jump right out in front of you and scream to have it’s picture taken. The baby is just so cute, and it’s got this HUGE smile, and even has a little grin on it’s face. You grab your trusty camera, flip it on and start to snap away happily, getting in nice and close. You hear a sudden CLICK from your camera’s flash, and look to the back of the camera only to see a bleached and almost white outline of what looks like a head.

If you’ve been taking pictures for any length of time, you’ve probably run in to a situation like this. Or perhaps you’ve used flash at a time when it seems like you would need it, only to find that it produced oily-looking highlights on people’s skin, and made them into red-eyed demons from the underworld.

The thing about using a flash is you have to know when and how to use it! For any photograph you have a few options to choose between when it comes to light. Mind you, there are a large variety of options within these, but these are the main place to start from when choosing a type of lighting. Read the rest of this entry »

Regardless of the manufacturer you prefer, if you’ve been in the market for a new camera lately I’m sure you’ve had to sit down and ponder this question; point-and-shoot or DSLR? If you’re living in the United States like I am right now, you’ve probably got a little tax reimbursement burning a hole in your pocket and would just LOVE to make it turn into a slick, shiny new camera that would make you the envy of all who know you. But the question still remains do you want small and convenient, or high quality with bulk?

The decision doesn’t get any easier even if you’ve finally picked one or the other, cause then you have to pick which model, features, and yada-yada-yada. But today I want to focus on the pros and cons of that first over-arching question.

Is it all about size?

For many people it comes down to convenience. Though they can see that DSLR’s just produce better looking photos, they’re many times not as inclined to having to carry a large brick over their shoulder when they go out for a night with friends. Some do, but for a vast majority I’d say they want something that they can throw in their pocket and not worry about. With the advent of better and better technology the point and shoot cameras have definitely come a long way as far as quality, but their top feature is really the convenient size. And honestly, the cell phone companies wouldn’t have all rushed to put cameras in their phones if people weren’t enamored with the idea of small cameras that fit in pockets.

But what do you sacrifice for all this convenience? Primarily, you still sacrifice quality, and versatility. A DSLR, though large and somewhat ungainly, will always produce better photos due to the quality of the lens and the speed at which you can shoot. If you’ve ever tried taking photos of fast-moving objects with a

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Do-It-Yourself, or DIY, is usually a term reserved for people who want to improve their home or avoid calling the plumber to fix the leaky faucet. But more and more, the term is used to refer to avid enthusiasts in a variety of fields who want to play with the big boys (or the professionals) without spending big bucks. This is just as true in photography as in the home improvement field, and with a little surfing you’d be surprised how many do-it-yourself tutorials are out there just begging you to try them out.

For example, perhaps you’ve always admired those super up-close photos of insects where you can actually see the little hairs on legs of the fly. Well, instead of spending hundreds of dollars on an expensive Macro lens, why not use a body-cap and some PVC pipe, and turn your lens around? This simple technique has a lot Read the rest of this entry »

The world is full of so many cameras in so many forms these days that there are bound to be those who misuse the technology. With the proliferation of camera phones and smaller and smaller point and shoot type cameras it is almost a guarantee that in any public gathering place there will be dozens of cameras present. Here in the states a few months ago there was a major bridge collapse in the state of Minnesota that happened right in the middle of the evening rush hour. In a matter of minutes after the collapse people were already sending in on-the-scene photos of the disaster from their cars and the surrounding apartments. The abundance of photographic tools is so great that the major news organizations of the day like CNN, and MSNBC routinely ask their viewers to send in any photos they might have of newsworthy events to their websites. This makes a lot of sense, especially from a news company standpoint, because they not only get more up-to-date photos but they also don’t have to pay anyone to do it, it’s all on a volunteer basis. And people love the idea of having their blurry little camera phone photo flashing around on CNN all hours of the day!

But this abundance of cameras also has a down-side to it because of the heightened threat of terrorist attacks throughout the world. Government agencies, corporations, and people in general have become more and more suspicious of photographers. You already have to have written permission to take photos in most public buildings like museums or offices (and even then, you can’t shoot with a tripod while in the building). But more and more people are reporting being harassed by security officials while taking

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Infrared Photography

Ever seen those eerie looking photographs that look like regular black and white shots, but something just isn’t quite right? Or have you looked at Ansel Adams’ work before and wondered how he managed to capture such surreal and super contrasted photos? Welcome to the strange world
of Infrared Photography.

Infrared (IR) photography is the same as regular photography except for the fact that it doesn’t record visible light, it records invisible light in the near-infrared spectrum (as opposed to the far-infrared portion of the spectrum which only applies to thermal imaging). The rules regarding this
type of photography are fairly similar to those for visible light with a few exceptions or adjustments.

The only way to capture light in the infrared spectrum is to use special infrared film or a digital camera that is sensitive to this kind of light. Most digital cameras these days are actually sensitive to infrared light, though they usually have small infrared blocking pieces of glass directly in front of the sensor to help the camera correctly expose and focus images in the visible spectrum. Even though this piece of glass blocks most of the infrared light, with longer exposure settings it is possible to take infrared photos with the aid of special filters that block out visible light and allow only infrared light to enter the camera. There are a variety of infrared filters on the market, all with different opacities. One of the more common filters used is the Hoya R72. This comes in lots of different filter thread sizes, and I’ve tested it on the original Rebel, and the 20D with pretty good results. There are others out there, and they usually run between $50-$85, depending on the brand and the opacity. Read the rest of this entry »