Your Photo: Our Critique

Charley Adrisano submitted this image taken with a Canon 40D, with an exposure of 1/80sec at f/11, ISO 100. The opportunity was there for a great photograph, unfortunately the flags are not as vibrant on both sides and they appear to be washed out and somewhat overexposed on the side that was photographed. Placing the building behind the flags was a good idea but it almost gets lost. Consider cropping this image one of two ways, either crop some off across the bottom of the frame or crop out the top flag. Despite its brighter colors, cropping out the top flag tightens up the photo. 

—Melissa Macatee
Contributing Blogger

This photo gets three stars on the PopPhoto Flash rating system.

The PopPhoto Flash rating system.
*= This part of the camera is called the lens
**= Don’t quit your day job
***= Good, but not yet great
****=So close you can taste it
*****= Yes, a thousand times yes!

Want us to critique your shots? Send 'em to us!

Tip of the Day: Capturing character in animals

To capture internal qualities when shooting animals:

• Move in close.

• Position yourself at the animal's level.

• Wait for eye contact or interesting facial expressions.

• Include the animal's environment.

• Try to get a shot with multiple animals to show interaction.

Adapted from The Betterphoto Guide to Digital Nature Photography by Jim Miotke. (Watson-Guptill Publications, 2007; $25)

Your Photo: Our Critique

Michael Lerner submitted this image taken with a Panosonic DMC LX3, with an exposure of 1/64sec at f/3.2, ISO 200. This photo has some great elements, the diagonal ramp, the bright boats, the curved rope holding the boats to the main dock and the reflection in the water. It is a little on the dark side but the important parts of the photo are fine. The darker background plays a supporting role to the foreground elements. I would suggest cropping off a little across the bottom and the left side of the frame moving the boats and their reflection down a bit. This photo has a great mood to it and the bright boats add tension to the scene. Well done.

—Melissa Macatee
Contributing Blogger

This photo gets four and a half stars on the PopPhoto Flash rating system.

The PopPhoto Flash rating system.
*= This part of the camera is called the lens
**= Don’t quit your day job
***= Good, but not yet great
****=So close you can taste it
*****= Yes, a thousand times yes!

Want us to critique your shots? Send 'em to us!   

Tip of the Day: Shooting powerful landscape pictures

A few key techniques to keep in mind when shooting nature landscapes:

• Keep your compositions simple and avoid clutter to make your images more powerful.

• Avoid putting the horizon in the middle of the frame. Decide if you want the sky or land to dominate the picture.

• Shoot before 9 a.m. and after 5 p.m. to avoid harsh midday light and end up with better pictures.

• Alternate dark and light tones within your frame to add visual interest.

Adapted from Digital Photography by Derrick Story. (O'Reilly Media, Incorporated, 2003; $15)

Last Photo of Michael Jackson Reportedly Fetched $500k

PDN is reporting that the last picture of the late Michael Jackson cost OK! magazine $500,000. They're using it on the cover of their, "tribute" issue, which seems counter-intuitive, but that's where I'll bite my editorial tongue. The hastily taken photo is blurry and just plain unpleasant to look at, but that's not really the point. I refuse to post the thing here on the blog, but a quick Google search will find it for you no problem. Or, just wait a day or two and you won't be able to stand in the supermarket checkout line without being assaulted by it.

You Can Now Twitter Your Flickr

If you're a fan of Internet services with crazy names, or you're sick of messing around with TwitPic, you'll be elated to know that Flickr and Twitter now officially play nice together. Flickr has posted a how-to on their site and we have to admit that it's looking pretty good. And for those of you that have no idea what's going on in this post: Twitter updates can only be 160 characters long, making Flickr links out of the question until now. So, go forth and bombard your Twitter friends with your photos. Seriously, it'll be better than telling them all what you're having for lunch! Oh, and while you're over there, follow PopPhoto on Twitter, too. It's worth it.

Your Photo: Our Critique

Jeff Lawler submitted this image taken with a Sony A300, with an exposure of 1/40sec at f/22, ISO 400.  This image has great perspective, the depth of field from the aperture of f/22 keeps everything from the car to the house in focus. The antenna in front of the house being cut off across the top is distracting and could have been included with a little more slant upwards. The light coming in through the door of the car does a great job showing detail in the dashboard. The placement of the car in the corner makes this a strong image as it creates a diagonal line to the house. Also the black and white works beautifully. 

—Melissa Macatee
Contributing Blogger

This photo gets four and a half stars on the PopPhoto Flash rating system.

The PopPhoto Flash rating system.
*= This part of the camera is called the lens
**= Don’t quit your day job
***= Good, but not yet great
****=So close you can taste it
*****= Yes, a thousand times yes!

Want us to critique your shots? Send 'em to us!

A Front-Row Seat At The International Space Station

Fireworks won’t be the only things flying around the sky this weekend that you will want to point your camera at. On America’s 233rd birthday the International Space Station will be viewable at many locations across the country for as long as five minutes. (To see the approximate time in your area check out NASA’s sighting calculator.) And for the best tips on getting a picture that you will want to show off on your Flickr page, here’s a look back at our “Shooting the Stars” feature. Unfortunately for some areas, the station will move out of your view too quickly to use the telescope to enhance your photography, so make sure you check NASA’s Web site before you spend too much time setting up your equipment. But no matter what, this is one of those rare opportunities (for those people not named Richard Branson) to spot one of Man’s largest and complex inventions at work.

Photo Courtesy of NASA. Check out more news on the space station at NASA.gov

Tip of the Day: 3 Ways to Shoot Fireworks

Photos of a fireworks display that draw as many oohs and ahhhs as the show itself take skill and planning. Here are three tips for explosive images.

1) Choose your site carefully. Look for a location where you can include landmarks or reflections on water. Plant your tripod in a spot that will give you a clear view of the fireworks in front of you, not overhead. It should be free of lights, moon, branches, wires, and people’s heads. But don’t isolate yourself entirely—you may want to include a human element.

2) Figure out framing and focus. Flip your camera vertically, but be ready to switch to horizontal for the finale, when the fireworks will take up more of the sky. If you’re including a foreground element, make sure the horizon is level. Use manual focus to ensure sharpness. When the first blast goes off, check to make sure you got the focus right, then check again occasionally during the show.

3) Experiment with exposure. Use manual mode. Longer shutter speeds will record bigger radiating trails, so try shutter speeds of 2–8 sec with apertures between f/8 and f/16 at ISO 100. If your camera allows, auto bracket your exposure and shoot RAW files to give you more to work with later. And play with super-long shutter speeds (30 sec or more) to capture multiple explosions in a single frame: Use the Bulb setting with a remote release to keep the shutter open, cover the lens with black cloth after a shell bursts, then uncover it when you hear another shell going off.
—Kathleen Davis
Assistant Editor

A Video Tour of Yuri Arcur's Incredible Studio

You may not be familiar with Yuri Arcur's name, but there's a good chance you've seen his images. According to his site, he sells more then 1.1-million individual licenses for his stock photos a year. With output like that, you'd expect him to have an incredible studio and, according to this video, you would definitely be right. The five minute tour is guided by the man himself and encompasses everything from his numerous sets to his lust-worthy gear rack, which contains his Hasselblad H3D-II 39 and a whole pile of lenses many of us have only seen in the B&H catalog.

It's an interesting way to spend five minutes, for sure. But, there's still something to be said for all of the make-shift DIY set-ups out there. Those who can make something great out of their own living room will always have a special place in our collective hearts.