My 4- week and 8-week on-Line courses began again the first Wednesday of August, the 6th.
Do you want to make money in photography? Want to feel more confident in exposure? Learn how to expose correctly when you shoot into the sun like the photo below. Interested in learning more about Photoshop (like putting fireworks in the sky or removing lens flare). Are you insecure about your compositional skills?
I teach several 8-week and 4-week courses on-line for Betterphoto.com
The way the courses work is this. Every Wednesday, you receive a lesson that consists of text and photos, explaining various principles in either photography or digitral manipulation. At the end of each lesson there is an assignment, and you have plenty of time to take pictures and upload them for my critique. You can use photos you did specifically for the assignment or images that you have taken previously.
On-line photo courses are like virtual classrooms but not in real time. Other students can see your pictures, read my critiques, and comment on your work. Similarly, you can comment on the pictures of other students.
One of the wonderful things about these on-line courses is that students participate from all over the world. In a single lesson's uploads, you may see pictures from Bryce Canyon or Brazil, or from Singapore or South Carolina. It's a very simulating environment as well as a learning experience, and it will help you become the photographer or digital artist that you want to be.
On the Betterphoto.com website, you can read the lesson outline of each course and see sample photos. In addition to going to Betterphoto.com, you can also access the courses I teach drectly by going to my website, jimzuckerman.com, and clicking on the link 'Courses'. at the top of the home page.
|
|
NO TRIPODS ALLOWED! NOW WHAT DO WE DO?
It is continually frustrating to be prohibited from using a tripod all over the world. From a sidewalk in Beverly Hills, California to a museum in Cairo, from a cathedral in Italy to a football stadium in Nashville, 'photo cops' are always on my case (and I'm sure yours, too) about not using tripods. This makes getting good pictures in low light situations very difficult at best and impossible in all too many places. Sometimes the reasons are valid, such as in a crowded museum.
 Understandably, no one wants to acciddently bump into a tripod leg and have the camera fall over and damage a priceless work of art. Similarly, in a crowded environment it would be very easy for someone to knock over a camera and tripod and then the situation could get ugly.
On the other hand, what about photographing outdoors at the Taj Mahal? There are no tripods allowed on the grounds or at any other historical or archeological site in India? Why? I don't have a clue. You can obtain permission months in advance, but I can't figure out what the Indian government is thinking in prohibiting tourists from getting sharp pictures in reduced light situtions.
Sometimes for a fee you can use a tripod. This happened to me (of all places) in a huge cave in Malaysian Borneo, and it also happens at some of the Egyptian temples. Ok, so we pay $10 or so to use a tripod. It's worth it, even though it's very annoying. Too often, though, tripods are just not allowed.
Since I make a living with my pictures, and since I hate the thought of returning home after spending thousands of dollars and lots of time to travel to a far away place and not get the pictures I want, I have come up with a number of tricks to circumvent the no tripod policy.
 The first thing that you can do is remove the ballhead from your tripod. No one has ever said you can't use a ballhead by itself. The flat surface on the bottom of the head can be placed on the ground, a railing, or a table and, with continuous downward pressure to add stability, you can get sharp pictures even with long exposures. You can use the self-timer and the mirror lockup feature, and the results are exactly the same as if you had the use of a tripod. It's not as convenient, to be sure, but it works.
Case in point: the row of columns in the underground 1500 year old Byzantine cistern in Istanbul (seen at right) was hopelessly dark. In order to use a small lens aperture for depth of field (I wanted all the columns to be sharp), I needed a four second exposure. I rested the ballhead on the concrete floor and laid down to compose the shot. Guards watched me in amusement but said nothing because I wasn't breaking any rules. In the same place, I photographed the head of Medusa (below) from a floor position. Because I was using a ballhead, I could angle the camera to create the type of compostion I wanted. I am leading a photo tour to Turkey next year, and if you join me you'll get these same amazing images.
The ballhead can also be pressed against a wall or even a column for stability and you can get the same kind of results. No tripods are allowed in the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC, and I used this technique to get complete depth of field in the dim light. My pictures were tack sharp.
Sometimes it's impossible to use a ballhead, such as when I was in the Palace of Versailles in France. I wanted to photograph the ceiling of the theater that King Louis XIV built, and to underscore the symmetry the camera had to be in the middle of the room aiming straight up. I placed my camera on one of the theater seats and, thanks to the immediate feedback of the LCD monitor, I was able to shoot several images until I took one that was perfectly centered (below). I couldn't look through the camera because the viewfinder was in contact with the seat cushion.
When I was in the Cairo Museum in Egypt, my number one goal was to photograph the spectacular gold mask found in King Tut's tomb. The mask was beautifully displayed, but of course the lighting was dim for photography. This was before I discovered the technique of using a ballhead, so I placed my wallet on a display case opposite the mask and nestled my camera on the wallet so it was angled correctly. At this time, I was shooting film so I used a cable release and the mirror lockup feature to get the shot.
|
One other option that you should be aware of is you can carry a very fast lens. They aren't cheap, but they can save the day in certain circumstances. For example, Canon makes a 50mm f/1.2 as well as an 85mm f/1.2, and both of these lenses are ideal for shooting in low light when tripods are not allowed.
|
|
Self Critique
I haven't taken many urban scenes like this, but I wanted to document a lovely evening in an outdoor restaurant in Istanbul on my last photo tour to Turkey. I encouraged my group to take pictures of the restaurant and the outdoor seating because it was a beautiful and peaceful street (no cars were allowed) and it shows a typical evening here. The patrons were mostly locals, not tourists. We waited until twilight when the cobalt sky contrasted nicely with the tungsten lighting and then we interupted our delicious meal to take some excellent pictures.
In this picture, I like the exaggerated wide angle perspective that I got from my 16-35mm lens (this was taken at the widest focal length), and I like the colors. I used a tripod, of course, so I could use a low ISO and minimize digital noise. I like that the diners were not in the immediate foreground so our attention was more focused on the scene as opposed to a few people close to the camera. What I don't like about this shot are the cables and wires on the left side and especially at the top of the picture right of center. Those annoy me and I find them distracting. With patience and some Photoshop finesse, it wouldn't take me long to get rid of all them -- I'd say not more than 15 minutes including the illuminated lines left of center. Actually, the lines on the left don't bother me as much as the ones on the right, but still... I think the illuminated architecture is very attractive and those lines are not necessary.
|
UPCOMING PHOTO TOURS/WORKSHOPS
Heart of Europe Photo Tour, July 26 - August 4: SOLD OUT
Frog/Reptile Workshop, August 23, 24: SOLD OUT
Carnival in Venice Photo Workshop Feb. 19 - 25, 2009: SOLD OUT
My photo tour to Kenya just had one cancellation, so there is now one space left. Those dates are: Sept. 21 to Oct. 7. Here is a link in case you might be interested:
http://www.rennerimages.com/safaris/KenyaSept21Oct62008.htm
Other trips I'm leading can be found at jimzuckermanworkshops.com
Here are a couple of highlights.
Photo Tour to Turkey, Oct. 9 to 21, 2009. Turkey is a fantastic destination to a country that loves Americans and every person you'll meet will be friendly and welcoming. You will photograph the history from several great civilizations, and at the same time learn a tremendous amount from our wonderful local guide. And -- you'll have the best view in the city of the Blue Mosque right from your hotel room!
Blue Mosque from our hotel rooms, Istanbul, India
Photo Tour to India, March 1 to 14, 2009. India has photo opportunities around every corner -- literally. This tour focuses on Rajasthan, famous for it's outrageous color, spectacular architecture, and remarkable faces. In India especially, I arrange to photograph models in exotic locations, and your images are guaranteed to be among the best you've ever taken. Send me a note (photos@jimzuckerman.com) if you are interested in this tour.
Camel train, Jaiselmer, Rajasthan, India
Another Frog workshop coming. Because of the success of the poison dart frog and reptile workshop next month, I will be doing another one in January. The location will be the same -- St. Louis, Missouri -- but the dates haven't been confirmed yet. It will probably be in the middle of the month. If you would like to participate, let me know and I'll send you an email note as soon as the dates are decided upon. The frog you see below was the size of a dime!
|
|
|
