ON-LINE PHOTO INSTRUCTION-- with detailed critiques of your work
My new 4-week courses begin again next week on Wednesday, August 4. 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 (include 3-D), 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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HOW TO PHOTOGRAPH BUTTERFLIES
Let me apologize in advance if this article annoys or disappoints you. Some people think of nature as sacrosanct, and any kind of manipulation of it for photographic purposes is offensive. They feel that serious nature photographers should only take pictures as they see them in the wild.
I am not of that thinking. I photograph natural subjects without manipulation when possible, but there are many instances when it is necessary to manipulate a situation to show a subject in an artistic and beautiful light. Indeed, many times it is necessary to control a subject specifically to make it look natural in the photo. Technical and practical issues are often present that make it virtually impossible to take the kinds of pictures we really want to take.
For example, macro photography is extremely challenging with respect to lighting, depth of field, maintaining sharp focus with a moving subject, and finding attractive backgrounds. This is particularly true when shooting butterflies. Many of these beautiful insects never seem to rest, and to use a fast enough shutter speed to freeze their movements plus a small lens aperture to get sufficiently good depth of field is impossible. If the insect positions itself so you can get a shot with an attractive background, the opportunity may last a second or two at the most. As soon as the butterfly senses your movement as you get within shooting range, it's gone.
 Another problem is that butterflies often nectar with their wings held in a dihedral angle -- a V shape. This means that to get both wings completely in focus plus the head and antennae sharp also ... well, let's just say this is next to impossible to do in the wild.
How, then, did I get the shots you see in this newsletter?
I used the fact that butterflies (and other insects as well) can be controlled with temperature. What I do is catch a butterfly in a butterfly net (I bought one recently on ebay for $16), and then I place it in a Tupperware container. When the insect is in the net, I simply hold the closed end up toward the sky and the butterfly flies up into it. I can slide the small plastic container into the end of the net to capture the fluttering insect. Then I place the closed container in my refrigerator. (When I have been in tropical countries and didn't have the convenience of a refrigerator, I placed the Tupperware container in front of an air conditioner unit.)
In the cold, dark environment, the butterfly rests and then, in a few minutes, it becomes lethargic and then falls over as if it's passed out. It looks dead, but it's not. As soon as this happens, I take the insect out of the Tupperware container and place it on a leaf or flower in my kitchen. Butterflies need about 55 to 60 degrees to fly, and they use their open wings as solar panels to gather heat to warm their wing muscles. I place a lamp, minus the shade, close to the butterfly, and it responds in a minute or two by opening its wings as if the light bulb were the sun (some species of butterflies almost never open their wings when resting, but most of them will oblige us by opening the wings fully when they are warming their muscles).
In this way, I can capture the beauty of the wings, and by using a flash and a small lens aperture, I can have complete depth of field. I prefer to use a ring flash because it provides even light throughout the composition, simulating soft and diffused light from an overcast sky. Other types of flash setups can work as well, such as a twin macro flash setup. I set the camera on manual exposure mode and the flash on ETTL. All of the pictures you see here were taken with a 50mm macro lens at f/32. If the butterfly is quite small, I will add an extension tube placed between the lens and camera body to allow me to move in closer and fill the frame more.
In the photo of the tiger swallowtail at the top of this article, the out of focus background is simply a 13 x 19 inch print of out of focus foliage that I mounted on foam core. By using a print as the background, I can use the smallest aperture on the lens and the background remains completely out of focus and complementary to the insect.
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RECOMMENDED WHITE BALANCE SETTINGSWhen shooting outdoors, I always recommend using daylight white balance. This includes capturing a diversity of subject matter: landscapes, people, architecture, macro work, and everything else. This is especially important when shooting sunrises and sunsets. Do not use AWB (auto white balance) when the sun is close to the horizon or you will eliminate the beautiful golden tones we love about this time of day. The dunes below were photographed from a small plane in Namibia at sunset, and the golden color was assured because I used a daylight WB.
When shooting indoors with tungsten lighting, such as the lamps in your living room, you should be using tungsten white balance. Some cameras permit you to set the Kelvin temperature, and for this type of a light source the setting should be 3200K. I also recommend using the tungsten WB setting when shooting cities and architecture at twilight. The colors are beautiful as you can see below in the photo of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin.
For florescent lighting, auto white balance (AWB) is the best choice. In the past when we shot film, a special filter was required to prevent the pictures from becoming too blue/green which is how film captured florescent lights. In the digital world, AWB corrects this unwanted color bias perfectly. A shop I photographed in the amazing bazarre in Istanbul was completely lit by florescent lights, and you can see that the color is perfect because I used AWB.
Flash gives off the same color of light as the mid-day sun, which is 5500 degrees Kelvin. I always use daylight white balance for flash, but you will get the same results if you use AWB. The katydid below was photographed in my garden with a ring flash.
If you shoot in RAW mode (which is what I always recommend) as opposed to Jpegs, you can tweak the color temperature in Adobe Camera Raw (ACR) or Lightroom simply by moving the 'temperature' slider see below).
 If you find that you used the wrong white balance by mistake, or if you want to tweak the color balance in any way, this is a great tool. For example, if you shoot in deep shade with a daylight white balance, and the image turns out too blue for your taste, you can warm the photo up by using this slider. However, if you shoot in Jpeg mode, you can't bring the color back to the correct color based on what you saw with your eyes.
Don't be so quick to get rid of a blue color bias, though. The photo below was taken of the Rogue River in Oregon about 10 minutes before dark. It is a 20 second exposure and it turned out extremely blue. I never corrected it because I happen to like it a lot.
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Self Critique
In the online courses I teach for Betterphoto.com, I see a lot of abstract images. I also see a lot of pictures that are mediocre -- they aren't terrible and they aren't great. They are boring... like the photo below. I wanted to use this picture for this month's self-critique because it is important to distinguish between images that are 'nice' and images that are outstanding. I know there are many artistic tastes, and some people may actually like this image very much, but to me it's ho-hum. It doesn't hold my attention, it isn't inspiring or intriguing in any way, and I would never include it in a portfolio of my work. If this picture has any future in the marketplace, it's the kind of image a hotel might use to fill a large wall because the person who chose it was clueless (I can obviously be harsh in my criticism since it's my picture). I'
 Why do I say this is boring and uninteresting? It's true that the color is nice and the texture isn't bad, but what this lacks in my opinion is a strong graphic design. There isn't a strong sense of artistry or beauty. No one looks at this image and says 'Wow, that's incredible.' I am always pursuing the 'wow' factor.
The photo below is in a different category altogether. It's exciting, it grabs your attention, and most people will say 'Wow' when they see it. Why? The oil and water mixture has wonderful shapes, i.e. bold graphic design, and that's what makes it such a strong image. The neon-like colors don't hurt, either.
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The closeup photograph of rocks, below, also has a dynamic and compelling artistry. The lines, colors, and graphic forms are amazing. I photographed this next to a river in New Jersey, and although I've enhanced the color and contrast a little to bring out the detail, this is a much more exciting image than the peeling paint. Few people would look at this picture and think it's boring!
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PHOTO TOUR to NAMIBIA
October 17 - 31, 2010
Last chance.
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 .
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. The intimate shot of a lion, above, is an example.
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 above of a Namaqua chameleon is one of the unique creatures seen in the Namib desert. It is remarkable how close you can get to it.
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PHOTOSHOP TIP
Photoshop has multiple undos. We all know that if you hit Command/Ctrl Z, Photoshop will undo the last action only. Beside that, in the history palette you can delete each action you've applied by dragging it to the mini trash can at the bottom of that palette.
 However, there is a very easy multiple undo -- just hold down the Command + Option key on a Mac (or Ctrl + Alt key on a PC) and hit the 'Z' repeatedly. One by one, the previous commands you've applied to the photo will be deleted.
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PHOTOSHOP WORKSHOP in my HOME
Sat. & Sun., Dec. 4 & 5, 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. The person I hire to supply the animals brings 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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TIP OF THE MONTH
 When using a tripod, like I did when I shot this stunning 1932 Bucciali at the annual Concourse d'Elegance at Meadowbrook in Rochester, Michigan, it's important that you turn off the image stabilizing feature on the lens (IS in Canon and VR in Nikon). If you don't, you will most likely get pictures that are less than sharp. Some of these lenses are supposed to work just fine on a tripod with the image stabilized feature turned on, but most of them don't. When I use my 24-105mm, 70-200mm, 300mm, and 500mm lenses (all Canon), I must turn the IS off or else my images will be blurred.
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NEW PHOTO TOURS ANNOUNCED FOR 2011
I am now offering some new photo tours for the first time. A brief description follows, and if you would like more information about them, you can either drop me a note (photos@jimzuckerman.com) or you can click here.
ETHIOPIA, JAN. 17 to FEB. 5, 2011. This photo tour includes both the Christian north of the country with its unique rock-cut churches and amazing religious art as well as the tribal south. Some of the most amazing tribes in Africa inhabit this region, including the Surma, Mursi, and Hamer. The first few nights in Lalibela will be in a hotel, but in the tribal south we sleep in a mobile tented camp because there are no lodges available in the primitive areas we visit. The photography is unparalleled.
 
INDONESIA, JULY 24 - 29, 2011. My wife is from Indonesia, and I have been there 20 times. It's a fantastic photo destination, and this tour includes exotic Bali, two active volcanic areas, an unbelievable fashion show, and 1000-year old Hindu and Buddhist ruins. In Bali, we photograph the amazing stylized dancing this island is famous for, a bat cave used as a temple, sculpted rice terraces, and we will have a private model shoot of Balinese dancers. On Java, we will photograph a Javanese bride.
As an aside, the shopping in Bali is amazing. My wife, whose bargaining skills can only be described as brutal, will help get the best prices on anything you want to buy.
 
VERMONT, OCT. 2 - 8, 2011. Autumn in Vermont is so beautiful that I remember the first time I photographed it. I was glad when it was night because I couldn't take any more beauty! I was visually overloaded. On this photo workshop, we visit classic New England churches, cemeteries, covered bridges, quaint villages, round barns, and all of this is set in the most glorious natural color imaginable. Bring more flash cards than you think you'll need because this is a photographer's paradise.
 
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For a listing of other photo tours and workshops I'm leading,
please use this link: http://www.jimzuckermanworkshops.com/
To see the body of my photographic work, use this link: jimzuckerman.com
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Missed a newsletter? You can see all of my past newsletters (starting with the February, 2008 issue) if you paste this link into your browser:
http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs031/1101654139463/archive/1102299763866.html
For AOL users have difficulty at times seeing the pictures in my newsletters, this feature is especially helpful.
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