BetterPhoto Instructor Insights

Join me on a nature shoot- December in the Sierras

For anyone interested, I'm planning to capture winter scenes in Yosemite National Park, the Alabama Hills (outside of Lone Pine) and in Death Valley sometime in December - creating new images and research for a few upcoming books and workshops.

If you are interested in joining me for three days of shooting, sunrises and sunsets, for a small fee ($250/person - 10 person limit) contact me via email.

This isn't a planned event or workshop with a specific agenda. I'll simply share my thoughts on photographing the outdoors while we shoot, talk about equipment tips, and so on. We'll capture images together, you can watch how I work if you wish, see the gear I carry, and talk all about photography. I'll also sign my Exposure book (if you bought one of my books, bring it along & I'll sign it- and I'll have copies with me).

We'll have a great time in some beautiful locations.

This is something I did last January. I invited a group to join me in Yosemite to photograph for a day while I captured images for my new book on nature photography. They paid a $100 fee to join me that day, I had eight people, and they all loved the experience (thankfully)- said it was well worth it. I shared a ton on photography, but it's a bit different since I'm shooting images (instead of a workshop where I would focus more on students and their equipment and needs).

So here's the plan this time around. I envisioned a 3-day road trip photo shoot - first in Yosemite, then off to Lone Pine (Alabama Hills), then finally in Death Valley - one day in each (and some travel of course between locations). We could all shoot together and learn from me, just as long as the group knows I'll be shooting as well most of the time (I reiterate this only because some think I'm solely there for them). It's actually a great way to learn, and a way preferred by many, but again different from my normal workshops.

SCHEDULE (somewhat flexible depending on weather & how tired we all might be)

Day 1: We'd meet in Yosemite on the first day at sunrise, shoot all day 'til sunset, have dinner together & spend the night, then head off to Lone Pine (probably the next morning).

Day 2: Shoot sunrise again, drive to Lone Pine/ Alabama Hills, shoot sunset in Lone Pine/ Alabama Hills, spend the night.

Day 3: Shoot sunrise in Lone Pine/ Alabama Hills, then head off to Death Valley, shoot sunset

Day 4: Shoot sunrise, drive home

COST:

$250 per person (not including travel/ gas/ food/ car, etc) and I'd need a group of at least eight, ideally ten.

DATES:

 Haven't decided on specific dates yet, but thinking sometime around December 15th. I'm flexible - if dates worked for the majority of the group, then I'd try to work around that.

If you're interested, contact me at:

workshops@seanarbabi.com

Thank you and Happy early Thanksgiving!

A veteran I met in my travels

A few years ago while on assignment in Southwest Florida, I wandered around Sanibel Island and J. N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge one morning, in search of some images, and met an older gentlemen fishing. I thought he might make a nice subject fishing in the mangrove-lined refuge, and approached him.

Lee McMichen was in his early eighties, open to chat since he had been fishing for three days, casting his net without a catch. We talked a bit as I tried to figure out how I could capture a decent image in the harsh mid-day light. My first thoughts were all about creating an image, but as we spoke more, he shared a few stories of his life, and it became more about our personal interaction instead of producing a photograph.

Sometimes, even when I'm on assignment, you have to stop, put down the camera, and listen. Although I might not capture images at those moments, and maybe miss memorable scenes, I believe it brings me closer to the area I'm documenting, and in an indirect way helps me produce better overall images.

Then he began to tell me about his experiences in war, and his time stationed in Pearl Harbor. You see he was on one of the four battleships that was bombed that morning, deep in the hull when the explosions crippled the ships and the alarms to abandon ship sounded. He described his rush to escape from down below only to have the only hatch be closed off in front of him and three others. Panic ensued as all four seamen realized the fate had been sealed, yet only seconds after the hatch closed, it reopened, and they were able to escape.

After sharing this information, he didn't talk of the joy he had at that moment, his life saved. He only spoke of all the others who weren't able to get out. Yet because of the few seconds in his life where one sailor saved four others, he was given over sixty more years on this earth.

As we stood along Wildlife Drive, me fumbling through my camera bag, I heard him yell out - he had caught a large mullet, the first of his trip. "Looks like you are my good luck charm young man", he said to me. I smiled yet could only think of who his real good luck charm had been years before. You see, it's not always the locations you dream of visiting, the adventures you hope to take, or even the images you capture as a travel photographer - it's really about the people you meet.

Here's to the men and women who served our country in all of our wars on Veteran's Day. Although I prefer to follow the non-war beliefs of many leaders such as the Daila Lama or Mahatma Gandhi, and will always honor and support our troops who do a job where so many lives are lost. Rest in peace, and thank you for your ultimate sacrifice.

Travel Photography Tips - Getting Creative in Morocco

By Brenda Tharp

Mosque Window in Casablanca - photo (c) Brenda Tharp

On a recent trip to Morocco, we visited the relatively new (1960s) Mosque in Casablanca. It houses 25,000 people inside for prayer, another 80,000 in the courtyard, to give you some idea of size.

Many of the windows and doors inside allowed light in, and this gave me the wonderful graphic pattern that reflected off the highly polished floor (see photo above). Beyond those doors and windows lie the Atlantic Ocean and America, feeling very far away in this moment. We all learned the value of our cameras' high ISO in there, since no tripods were allowed.

Outside, there were wonderful details and arches (see below). We focused on using those arches as framing elements in our compositions. Then we waited for interesting things to happen, like this woman in a fuschia-colored jelaba, the customary robes of Morocco, to walk through.

Arch at Casablanca mosque - photo (c) Brenda Tharp

Editor's notes: Top pro Brenda Tharp teaches at the BetterPhoto online digital photography school. Find out more about Brenda and her online photo workshops in her pro photography bio.

Environmental Portraits: Travel Photography Tips

By Deborah Sandidge

photo copyright by Deborah Sandidge

One of the marvelous features of the camera is that it's a great conversation piece. People stop to talk about photography, compare notes, point out locations - it's a great ice breaker. It's also a wonderful way to gain local knowledge, and to get to know more about the people that you meet.

I met this gentleman in Cuba who is a photographer and runs a small gallery. He volunteered to have his picture taken, and this was one of my favorites. He's surrounded by photos, and I liked taking his picture in context with what he does. This created an environmental portrait that is more interesting and memorable.

Travel photography tips: Let your photos tell a story, capture a sense of place with your subjects, and always have your camera ready. Last but not least, don't be shy. Get to know a little about the people you meet, and you'll come away with better pictures.

Additional notes: Deborah Sandidge teaches two excellent online photo courses: Photoshop - Enhancing Digital Images and Creating Works of Art and Digital Infrared Photography. Also, BetterPhoto's photography school online offers many great courses on people photography, including environmental portraits.

Wildlife Photography: Close Encounter with Cheetahs

By Jim Zuckerman

One of the points that I feel is important in photographing wildlife - and I stress this in my Wildlife Photography online photo course - is that shooting from a low perspective gives greater stature to animals. At the same time, it creates an intimate and compelling portrait.

One of the frustrations in going on an African safari is that you are forced to shoot from a vehicle (for safety reasons, obviously), and this means that the shooting perspective is higher than what I feel is desirable. Even two or three feet can mean the difference between a stunning image and one that is only mediocre.

On the Namibia photo tour, we visited a cheetah foundation devoted to ensuring the survival of this very special cat. The organization houses many cheetahs that can't be released back into the wild (usually because they were abandoned by their mothers - or their mothers were killed by farmers - and the cubs never learned to hunt), and we were allowed to shoot from ground level in certain places on the compound.

The snarling cat you see in the photos below was behind a fence, but it was a "photographer friendly" fence with large openings for camera lenses. This particular cat is known for an aggressive disposition, and that allowed each person in the group to get outstanding images. I shot this from ground level, and you can see how dynamic the shots are simply because I was three or four feet below where most other photographers are forced to take pictures of wildlife in Africa.

At the end of this wildlife photography shoot, each of us was breathless with excitement over this remarkable opportunity. Even if we could have taken pictures on the ground, cheetahs would never permit an approach this close. They have been hunted for too long, and they are extremely wary of people.

NOTE:
Jim Zuckerman is a top professional wildlife photographer. See his wildlife photos in his website for photographers. Also check out Jim's and other excellent courses at BetterPhoto's online photography school.

All photos copyright by Jim Zuckerman