BetterPhoto Instructor Insights

Velcro

by Jim Zuckerman

I used an electron microscope last week for the first time in many years. This fascinating instrument allows us to see very tiny things in great detail, and the depth of field is utterly incredible.  The image that you see here is velcro magnified 30 times.  The SEM (scanning electron microscope) only renders images in black and white because it works by bombarding a subject with electrons and not with visible light.

Sean Arbabi's Photo of the Week

I'm starting a "Photo of the Week" section of my blog, to display an image, describe how I shot it, and what my thought process start to finish - here's my first:

USA: Nevada: Clark County: Las Vegas: Visitors watch the amazing Bellagio water show at night along Las Vegas Boulevard

This image was part of a week-long assignment to capture Las Vegas for a photo essay for Endless Vacation magazine. I prepared the job by contacting dozens of casinos and resorts, acquiring permission to photograph on various properties, submitting my million dollar liability insurance (which is required for many different types of photo shoots, especially resorts, casinos, and large corporations), then driving from the San Francisco Bay Area to Las Vegas (just to lug more gear without the airport hassle since I was on my own for the week).

This evening I went out with my Fuji 680 III camera, a bulky medium format beast that I love, with a large tripod and walked along the Strip. I shot many angles of the Bellagio water show but this one was one of my favorites. The first thought I had while finding a spot to shoot was incorporating all the elements of the show- the water, the glow at night, Bellagio Hotel and Casino, and the visitors gathering around to watch it. I backlit the entire scene using the tree to help frame my composition hoping it would be outlined by some of the high shooting water. I metered the front facade of the building to get a reference, took other meter readings around the scene, and used my best guestimate for the shot (shooting film, I wouldn't see my results until a week later).

Once I receiving the film and picked my top selects, I scanned them in my with Nikon CoolScan 8000 (not available any more- today they make the CoolScan 9000, they turned digital in a 300MB file, and a tiny bit more detail was pulled out to stretch the contrast ratio to fit what I saw - for the most part, 99% of what you see is in the film.

My editors thankfully loved the shots I captured that week. It ran as a cover story and feature spread, and some of the work now rests in my files as well as my stock agency's files. I'll be back in Vegas in March to capture new images of the ever-changing resort city.

When it comes to digital photography, exposure, technical details, and photographer theories, many feel you simply can't lose your highlights in the shot - you can't cut them off on your histogram, have 'blinkies' (showing you in your digital image where the detail is lost) etc, etc. I don't necessarily believe for all instances. To me, photography is also about capturing mood, a feel, a glow, a moment, the heart of something - that's when technical aspects are important but throw out a bit- it's about the final image.

Radio interviews, news profiles, and the life of a working photographer

Wanted to update everyone on all the happenings around the release of my new book, The BetterPhoto Guide to Exposure (out in bookstores around the world).

Lots of fun highlights, but anyone who's a working photographer knows, we love talking a good game, but our job is not nearly glamorous. It's hard work, frustration, long hours, feast or famine, tons of marketing trying to land new jobs, consistently reinventing yourself, and so on - and that's after 19 years in the game. Regardless, my book is out, it was many months of work, and I'm gonna take the fact that the light is shining on me just a bit.

Inside Digital Photo Radio: Had an interview with Scott Sheppard last Friday on my book and career- it went great. If you're not familiar with them, they produce this show (80,000 listeners) along with: Inside Analog Photo Radio, Inside Mac Radio, Inside Mac TV, and more. They have a large audience bringing thoughtful interviews and information on new gear, photographer profiles, and trade show news to the listener. My interview will be out on their site and iTunes Podcast soon.

(an ABC News affiliate broadcasting to East Tennessee, Southwest Virginia, & Western North Carolina via AM 1400, AM1490, AM 1590, FM 94.3, FM 97.7, and FM 97.9) will interview me on Tuesday, February 3rd, at 10am Eastern Standard Time for their popular mid-morning talk show, "AM Tri-Cities".

Bay Area News Group: The largest media publisher in California (4th in the nation) will be interviewing me for their Career Profile section, an in-depth Q&A feature on a successful professional. The piece will appear Sunday March 8th in all of their publications including The Contra Costa Times, The San Jose Mercury News, The Marin Independent Journal, and The Oakland Tribune.

The View on the Bay: ABC's San Francisco affiliate station KGO Channel 7 will be interviewing me for their Bay Area tv show Wednesday February 11th.

The Modesto Bee: One of the bigger newspapers serving California's Central Valley will feature my book in their book reviews page this Sunday (January 25th)

JainLemos.com: Ran a nice blurb on my work, my book, our recent conversation, and my goals in photography- check it out!

Zoom Street: An online magazine covering the world of digital photography will be profiling my Exposure book in their March issue. For more info on monthly happenings, go to our This Month page on our site: http://www.seanarbabi.com/thismonth.html or our Lecture & Workshop page: http://www.seanarbabi.com/workshops.html

Enough self promotion! Next blog, back to photo gear, software, tips & tricks, and more!

Photoshop in Nature Photography

by Jim Zuckerman

Sometimes photographers are reluctant to use Photoshop to manipulate nature photography.  They often feel it's 'cheating' or misrepresenting what actually occurred.  There are times, though, where Photoshop's magic can overcome the fact that the laws of optics (which really mean the laws of physics, which represents the make up of our Universe) fail us.  For example, the attached image was taken with a 500mm f/4 telephoto.  The depth of field with these lenses is extremely shallow when you fill the frame with a subject like I did here.  The large tree branch below the leopard was about 6 feet closer to me than the cat was, and therefore it was impossible to get both the animal and the branch in focus.  A very small lens aperture might have done it, but shooting from a vehicle without a tripod made a long exposure unfeasible. 

Therefore, since f/4 didn't give me enough depth of field, I took two photos. For the first picture I focused on the branch, and for the second I focused on the leopard.  Then, in Photoshop, I put the two images together.  The attached picture is exactly what I saw with my eyes, but the lens couldn't do it.