ON-LINE PHOTO INSTRUCTION-- with detailed critiques of your work
My new 4-week and 8-week on-line photo courses begin again today, May 5. It's not too late to sign up. To improve your compositional skills, for example, click here to check out the outline course to see if you feel this material is exactly what you need.
I have a new photoshop course called Photoshop: Thinking Outside the
Box.
You can click here to see the outline of the course. It is very different from my other Photoshop courses in the types of techniques I demonstrate, and it's a heck of a lot of fun.
Do you want to make money in photography? Want to feel more confident in using natural light outdoors? Interested in learning more about Photoshop (like putting fireworks in the sky or removing lens flare). Are you insecure about your exposure skills?
The way the courses work is this. Every Wednesday, you receive a lesson that consists of text and photos, explaining various principles in photography, marketing your work, digital manipulation, or whatever subject you are studying. 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. It is a unique and wonderful learning experience.
One of the great 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 stimulating environment, and it will help you become the photographer or digital artist that you would like to be.
On the Betterphoto.com website, you can read the lesson outline of each course and see sample photos. In addition, you can also access the courses I teach directly by going to my website, jimzuckerman.com, and clicking on the link 'On-line Photo Courses'. at the top of the home page.
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Controlling Exposure with FLASH and FILL FLASH
Most photographers, amateur and pro alike, are intimidated by flash. The reason is because it's impossible to assess how the light falls on your subject in a brief instant, and at the same time you can't study how the shadows fall. In the past when we all shot film, professional photographers used a Polaroid test print to examine the exposure and the shadows, and then we would adjust our strobe(s) accordingly.
Of course, now we have the LCD monitor. This allows us to have immediate feedback on our flash pictures. Don't think professional photographers use flash without trial and error. Just like everyone else, first we take a shot and then we tweak it based on what we see on the LCD monitor.
Fill flash is a term used when the light from the flash adds a subtle glow to the subject. In other words, the ambient light predominates while the fill flash is only a fraction as strong., It is intended to blend with the ambient light to fill in shadows or to add some life to a foreground subject. It is not designed to be the primary light source or to blast the foreground element with light. Ideally, fill flash should be so subtle that it is hardly noticed. The portrait I made of a Huli tribesman in Papua New Guinea, above, makes this point There are very subtle catchlights in the man's eyes, and his face has been lightened by the flash. But the artificial light is not overwhelming or dominant at all. By contrast, the three models I photographed during my annual Carnival in Venice workshop, below, is not considered fill flash because the flash is the only light source for the foreground.
 The question when using flash in these situations is how to control the exposure on both the foreground and the background. Most people just shoot and hope for the best, but this isn't the ideal approach, obviously.
There are two controls you should become very familiar with. First, you have an exposure compensation feature on the camera, and second, there is a flash exposure compensation dial or button on the flash. If you don't know where this is located on either your camera or flash, check the manual and find out. Both exposure compensation controls allow you to adjust the exposure plus and minus in 1/3 f/stop increments. The exposure compensation on the camera works with the ambient light -- such as the background jungle behind the Huli tribesman and the sunset sky behind the Venetian models -- while the flash exposure compensation works on the flash output. No matter if the camera is used on-camera or off-camera, such as when I photographed an albino red eye tree frog in my semi-annual frog and reptile workshop in St. Louis, the method of controlling flash exposure is the same.
When you take a flash picture and either the foreground or background is too light or too dark based on what you see in the LCD monitor, it's a simple matter to tweak the flash output or the ambient light exposure using these controls. I consider them among the most important functions to learn.
The photo of the giraffe making a grand entrance at an estate near Nairobi, Kenya, was taken with on-camera flash. The interior was much darker than the sunlight on the grounds of the manor, and I had to balance the exposure on both the foreground and the background. In this kind of situation, time is of the essence. Knowing how to tweak the exposure on both the flash and the camera is critical in getting the picture. Fiddling with the controls is a guarantee that the special moment will probably come and go without you getting the shot.
If you have a camera with a built-in pop-up flash, you may not have these controls. It just depends on the camera.
For the past year and a half, I have been writing the entire issue of Petersen's Photographic Magazine. It is published quarterly, and the September issue, due out in August, is all about flash.
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CIVIL WAR BATTLE REENACTMENTS
 During the summer months, there are many reenactments of battles fought in the American Civil War. It's a great way to make history come alive, it's educational for kids, and it offers wonderful photographic opportunities. I prefer to convert the color digital images to black and white because it makes the photography seem more authentic. We never see original Civil War photos in color because Kodachrome wasn't invented for another 75 years.
There are many types of pictures you can take. Telephoto shots compress distance, making the fighting seem more intense. Closeups of the combatants also make great images, and many of the men involved in the battle very much look the part of tough, battle-hardened veterans of pain, deprivation, and survival.
 There are often several battles per day, and between these clashes you can tour the encampments of the Union and Confederate armies to take individual portraits, details of implements, and get a history lesson on many aspects of life in the 1860's.
If you do a search on Google, you will find many websites devoted to this subject. Here is one to start with:
http://www.reenactmenthq.com/eventlist.asp
You can probably find a battle within driving distance of your home.
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Self Critique
This photo was taken during a horse performance in an indoor arena. It was shot at 1250 ISO and a shutter speed of 1/125. I knew the speed wasn't as fast as it needed to be to freeze the movement of the horse, but I didn't want to go above 1250 ISO because of the degradation of image qualty. Even though the Canon 5D Mark II handles digital noise well at the upper limits, there is no comparison with the quality of a low ISO image. So, this was a balancing act between shutter and ISO.
The lens aperture was f/2.8, and that worked to my advantage. Had my 70-200mm lens had a maximum aperture of f/4, I wouldn't have been happy with a higher ISO. This is where a large maximum lens aperture is worth its weight in gold.
The background, of course, is terrible. All of the spectators were on my side of the area, but even if the stands had been full, this is not the kind of background I wanted. I had no choice, obviously, because this was only an indoor event. I like the body position of the horse, and the posture and pose of the young lady are excellent. The lighting came from overhead mercury vapor lamps which are not attractive at all, and again I had no choice in the matter. The highlight on the girl's nose is not good (no matter how beautiful a nose may be, it should never be highlighted). I couldn't use flash for fear of spooking the horse.
The best I could do was replace the background. Cutting around hair in Photoshop is almost impossible to do and make it look 100% perfect as it blends with a new background. Nevertheless, you can see in the image at the top of this newsletter that the result isn't bad. I'd say it's about 85% successful. The trailing edge of the tail and the long hair under the neck aren't perfect if you could enlarge this and examine it closely. Still -- I was surprised and pleased that I was able to do it this well. I used a layer mask to blend the two images, painting away the background of the arena as the forest scene became the new environment.
This is the kind of technique I teach during the Photoshop weekend seminar I conduct in my home. The next scheduled workshop is July 17, 18. The best way to learn to use layer masks is to see the technique demonstrated. Just reading a lesson doesn't give you the feel of it, the finesse you need to make it work as well as possible. In the next workshop, I will begin teaching Photoshop CS5, although if you have an earlier version you are still welcome to participate. See below.
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PHOTO TOUR to NAMIBIA
October 17 - 31, 2010
Namibia is one of the world's great travel destinations. Nowhere else on Earth can you photograph such spectacular orange sand dunes -- the largest in the world -- and then have close encounters with cheetahs, lions, and leopards (and I mean really close!). We visit two organizations that rehabilitate injured cats as well as protect them from being killed by local farmers. The most remarkable image of a leopard I've ever taken was shot at one of these facilities (see below).
The
photography is unparalleled because unlike everywhere else in Africa,
you can actually shoot predators from a low position -- on the ground -- for
intimate and compelling portraits unobtainable when shooting from a
vehicle.
Photographing the primitive Himba people is also an amazing experience. It's like going back in time thousands of years to the stone age. It's a warm and friendly experience, and the images you get will be amazing.
If this trip inspires you, here is
a link (click here) to my website where you can read the itinerary and get pricing information. Visit the photo gallery there for more images. This will be one of the most memorable photo tours you've ever taken. Let me know if you have any questions. My direct email is: photos@jimzuckerman.com.
The photo below of a snarling leopard was taken with a 24mm wide angle lens as I was lying on the ground shooting through a photographer-friendly electric fence. You can't get this kind of shot from a van or land rover in Kenya!
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PHOTO TOUR to
EASTERN EUROPE
August 27 to Sept. 9, 2010
My Heart of Europe trip was very successful in 2008, and I spent this past summer in Europe planning a Heart of Eastern Europe trip. As usual, I find the best vantage points, the most stunning cathedral interiors, and the best locations for twilight photography, and you will return home with images you will cherish. The countries we will visit include The Czech Republic, Slovenia, Poland, Hungary, Croatia, and Austria.
On my trips, I spend a lot of time talking about exposure, composition, Photoshop, and many other aspects of photography. The experience will not only be visually and culturally exciting, but it will be a learning experience as well.
For a full description, pricing, and
more photos, please check out this link on my website here.
 The stunning Lake Bled at left is one of the beautiful settings you'll see in Slovenia. It's a magical place.
The
photo below was also taken at Lake Bled in the early morning. The medieval castle rises above the lake majestically, and it looks great in any kind of light. These are examples of the wonderful subjects you can find everywhere in Eastern Europe. If you have any questions about the trip, my direct email
is: photos@jimzuckerman.com.
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PHOTOSHOP WORKSHOP in my HOME
Sat. & Sun., July 17, 18, 2010
Photoshop is a photographer's best friend, and the creative possibilities are absolutely endless. In this personal and 'homey' environment, I start at the beginning -- assuming you know nothing -- but I quickly get into layers, cutting and pasting, plug-ins, and a lot more. I promise to fill your head with so many cool techniques that you won't believe what you'll be able to do.
Photoshop instructors approach teaching this program from different points of view. In addition to showing you how to use the various tools, pull down menus, layers, and so on, I spend a lot of time giving you creative ideas that will inspire you to produce amazing images with the pictures you've already taken.
A lot of people, once they learn what the tools and commands do, still need help in deciding what images to work with, what composites look good, and how to be artistic within Photoshop. This is one of the main things I address in this workshop.
I live in the Nashville, Tennessee area, and if you fly into the airport (BNA) I will pick you up. If you drive, I'll give you my address and you can find it on Mapquest. For the $450 fee, I include one dinner in my home (prepared by my wife who is an amazing cook and hostess) and two lunches, plus shuttling you back and forth from my home to your nearby hotel.
Contact me if you would like to participate. All you need is a laptop. If you don't have one, I have two laptops (they are Macs) I can loan out. photos@jimzuckerman.com
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 MY SEMI-ANNUAL FROG & REPTILE WORKSHOP
September 18, 19, 2010
This is the third year I've conducted a workshop to photograph exotic poison dart frogs (they are not poisonous in captivity) and reptiles. The workshop is held in St. Louis, Missouri, and everyone who has participated has come away with truly remarkable images. It's hard not to -- it's like shooting sitting ducks, but in this case it's sitting frogs, geckos, chameleons, snakes, a juvenile alligator, and more. There are about 50 species of creatures, and the natural backgrounds I set up make the pictures look like they were taken in the wild.
This workshop is really about flash because that's what is required to get the pictures you see here. I give a half hour presentation on using flash for macro photography, and then the rest of the time is spent shooting. The best pictures are taken with either a ring flash or a twin-flash macro setup. If you don't have your own, I have units to loan out for both Nikon and Canon. I explain everything you need to know about exposure, eliminating any unwanted reflections from eyes and shiny amphibian bodies, and I help you get the best macro images ever.
 The price of the workshop is $895. This includes the workshop itself and does not include the transportation to St. Louis or lodging/meals. The hotel we use is 5 minutes from the airport, and they have a free shuttle service. On Saturday evening, we drive down to the Gateway Arch to photograph this spectacular structure in the evening light.
Here is a link (click here) to my website with more photos. If this workshop interests you, contact me by email (photos@jimzuckerman.com) and I'll tell you how to sign up.
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