Cooler Than Cool - HDR

Ever notice that after you've been on a big vacation, taken lots of really awesome pictures, and get home to discover that the pictures looked nothing like what you actually saw?  Well, they aren't what you actually saw.  The eye is so much more capable of seeing than the camera. The camera simply can't account for the eye's ability to adjust to different light in situations which present a high dynamic range of dark and light areas.

But we have learned to fake it. And we can make some images really come to life!

High Dynamic Range (HDR) is a photographic process that involves combining three or more exposures into one final image bringing out the best in the lighter parts of a picture as well as the best of the darker parts of the shot. This process is best and most reliably used on landscapes or architecture. If you are planning to sell your home or you have commercial property you'd like to advertise, consider asking your photographer if they can create HDR images. Your realtor should know how to obtain these types of images as well. As a realtor, myself, I know that often times what you are selling people is a feeling.  Initial imagery can be an essential part of how a buyer feels about a purchase before ever having seen the property.

B.A.

That's what the cool people who fly South America all the time call Buenos Aires.  I am not one of those people.  I am lucky, at best, to even touch such a slick international GIG. (Airport code for Rio de Janeiro, or just Rio, if you're cool.)  Anyway, there was some strange mass exodus of senior people last week, and we junior folks were able to pick up this swank trip.

I had big ideas on what I was going to shoot on this trip because B.A. (feeling a little cool here) is rife with photo ops.  With my limited time, I chose the cemetery at La Recoleta.  The cemetery is full of very detailed and intimately unique mausoleums.  I used a very wide angle lens, 10mm-24mm at f11, with the idea I would get more in the frame at short range, but I found myself gravitating towards the details instead.

The finished photos are posted on Facebook for your viewing enjoyment.  Click "like" on your favorite!

On Loving Your Headshots

Being the object of a photo shoot proves awkward for many people.  For me, my mental soundtrack sounds something like this, "Ok, I feel weird. What do I do with my hands, how do I stand?  Maybe I should sit?  No, hate sitting, stand straight. How about my smile, ok that looked dumb too. Maybe I shouldn't smile. Ok, this isn't fun anymore."

My advice in a photo shoot is bring it.  Seriously.  Gimme blue steel, give me sexy, chances are that even though you feel over the top, you are not coming anywhere close to over the top.  Since a camera by nature can never truly show us what the eye actually sees, when you pose for a camera, you need to turn on a little extra expression.  I don't mean act silly, of course.  I mean, act like a model, and you will look amazing, and feel silly.

Speaking of models, Peter Hurley is a renowned celebrity photographer who began his career as an olympic sailor and model for Ralph Lauren.  His experience of being in front of and behind the camera gives him a unique perspective.  I have shared this video on Facebook before, but I can't help but repost it because I think it is so incredibly valuable for everyone who wants to look good in photos.  We are all certainly our own worst critics, so I think any advice we can get to make us happy with how we see ourselves is very welcome.

A Biker Bar and a Tryst

This image was taken in Amsterdam where bikes are absolutely everywhere, by the hundreds. After seeing so many in such varied ways, their quirky arrangements began to take on a personification.  I began to see the bikes as vehicular personalities. Given that state of mind, the above shot seemed a tad voyeuristic.  A bit like a lover's tryst, these two bikes were isolated from the others and tucked off to the side in secret.

I chose to use a little spot color to highlight the tail lights. Simply create a black and white conversion, then bring back a spot of color as a highlight.  Spot color can be generated very easily using Adobe Photoshop, and even easier with certain other computer and mobile apps.  Although this technique tends to get overused, there are places where its application is just perfect.

I called this shot "One Too Many" because it looked like the middle one got too "tipsy" at the "biker bar."  It made me think of my dad's old expression, "drunk as a bicycle."  This image was taken at 2:00 in the afternoon, the worst possible time to be out shooting.  Sometimes you don't have the luxury of choosing the right time of day, so you have to make the most of what you have.  Through proper positioning to get the light right in-camera, then adding a little post-processing magic, we can create interest in a routine mid-day snapshot.

Snapshottery

Photography has always been a passion for me, but it's just been since I had children that I have really ramped up the time I have spent in study.  One of the most inspiring things for any parent to photograph is their best works of art, their babies.  Who doesn't love the shot of the seven-month-old eating her toes?

I saw this iconic moment of discovery and grabbed the camera.  All too often that moment is gone the second I sit down with the camera. Therefore, the first order of business is to get the shot.

Seeing that I still had some good stuff going on, I took a moment to move the clutter such that the baby looked neatly placed on a beautiful bright blue background.  (Yeah, you knew I meant to do that, didn't you?)  I also arranged the baby in the camera in an interesting way such that she was laying corner to corner and filled the frame.  Then I just shot away.

This is definitely one of my favorite pre-pro pictures.  If this were actually a planned shoot and not a snapshot, I would have dressed her in a more neutral outfit, such that the focus is on the baby and not the fabric.  The clothes you choose are an inherent part of what makes images you will love.  Midtone colors work best such as a medium to light blue, pink, or light to medium green or if you are shooting for black and white conversion.  Tans, khakis, charcoal and textured ivory or white are great for color shots or black and white.  What you don't want is large blocks of heavy color that distract the eye from the most important part of a portrait, the face.

In other words, less is more when it comes to clothes!  And no, I'm not talking about a swimwear shoot.  I'm talking about patterns, lines, logos, words, clutter of any sort.  This rule is a pretty basic one in the world of photography, which means there are times when it should be broken....

Black and White

I'm a huge fan of black and white photography. For me as the viewer of the image, I find that black and white removes clutter so that I can actually see what is being presented to me. In this case, I want to see the child's beautiful little face. I don't want to be distracted by buttons or bows or blocks of color. Black and white brings the eye exactly where you want it to go.

Another good reason for printing in black and white is that it can be very unifying if you want to group images. Say that you have a particular wall where you want to display family photos, but you have several photos that may be from different venues or have different people in them. If you use black and white versions, these different images instantly become compatible. AND they don't compete with other interior design choices.

We have so many reasons to love black and white. But don't forget there are options such as different sepia tones, and other variations on the two-tone concept that can be sort of edgy or gritty depending on the look you are trying to achieve. In the world of digital photography, we have choices to suit every taste.

Why, thank you for visiting! Do come in!

This is an image I created when my children were small, but Ann Nagle Photography wasn't yet a twinkle in my eye. I have always loved art of every kind, but seem to gravitate to photography every time. Over the last year and a half, my photography has developed in part by numerous hours (and money, sorry Mr. Nagle *cringe*) in self-education to take my passion of photography to the next level. I'm proud of my progress, and in the spirit of a new website, new blog, and new career, I think I will post images I created simply for the love of photography.

I hope you will visit me here often. To me this is the place where you truly get to know me. Most of the posts will be photography related, but don't be surprised if I go off topic. I have a tendency to get inspired in many ways, winding up way down a path even I never expected.

Thanks for joining me!