How to take beautiful images of the moon

Since the beginning of time, through myth and legend, science, fact and fiction, poetry and dreams, mankind has been fascinated by the moon.

Many people think they need an expensive telescope/camera set-up to get great close ups of the moon, not true.
 With todays high zoom digital cameras, a clear night, and a tripod, you can get exceptional images of that mystifying orb above us.

Here are some examples:

Rocket moon I took this one from my back yard and when i reviewed it on my computer, I was amazed at the way the clouds looked as if the moon was passing through them. Sheer luck but cool.

 Setting your camera to black and white or sepia brings out amazing details.

I think moon shots are much more interesting with some foreground in the image as in the following shots:

I hope you've enjoyed these few moon shots as much as I enjoyed capturing them.
Until the next time, look around, there's beauty everywhere, and keep shooting.

Florida Sunrise 4-24-2012

Another beautiful sunrise taken this morning

Creating Striking Black And White Images By Selectively Replacing Color

 Here is a picture of the beautiful Anita Hayes that I transformed into a black and white with a few extras.

Here's how it's done:

Open the image in photoshop then add a hue saturation adjustment layer

Slide the saturation all the way to the left. Note: You can also adjust the lightness darkness to suit your taste.

Choose the brush tool making sure that both the brush tool and the foreground color are set to black.This will allow
the original colors of the image to come back.

Brush in the areas you want the original color to come back. Note: You can adjust the size of the brush using the bracket [] keys on your keyboard.

Here are some other examples:

Chrissy with a grunge background and with selective coloring.

These are from my red hat series for Sweenys

Evelyn

Omara Vasquez

Until the next time, have fun and keep shooting.

Working around harsh lighting in Photoshop

 My wife and I went to the Boys Toys exhibition at Hard Rock yesterday. It ran from 12 to 5 which is a rough time for photography due to the sun being directly overhead creating harsh shadows. I had not brought a flash unit which would have helped ( I'll cover using flash as fill light in bright sunlight in a future blog). I was, however, able to compensate most of the time by adjusting in - camera settings. There were some shots that I thought were good compositions upon review that had too many shadows. Luckily there is Photoshop!

 Here is a before and after of my wife posing with the Miami Dolphins mascot and two cheerleaders:














 This was a simple fix. I merely had to adjust the exposure settings for the entire image and we were set.

 The next one is a little more complicated.These girls passing out ice tea samples had hats that created harsh shadows across their faces:

 In this case, I used the quick selection tool and selected around each one of their faces, then added a new exposure adjustment layer and adjusted just their faces.

Here is another example where, using the same technique of selection and adjusting exposure, I adjusted these two ladies whole bodies while leaving the rest of the image untouched.

 There are times when bright overhead sunlight is helpful as in the following shots:

 And, finally, Here is a shot of the beautiful Lauren of the Miami Dolphins Cheerleaders.
 No photoshop needed.

Until the next time, remember it's another day in paradise and keep shooting.

Do I Need A DSLR Camera?

Do I Need A DSLR Camera?

                                            My Canon 5D Mark 2 with 24-105L lens



 Many people observing me shooting at an event or around town have asked this question repeatedly. There is no short answer.
 If you want the highest quality images you can get (especially in low light situations) and you have deep pockets, then yes, I would say buy one. I have never regretted using DSLR cameras. On the other hand, if you mostly take snapshots to show on the web with little or no cropping, you may be better off with a good point and shoot camera.


Learning:
 Todays DSLR cameras have become much more user friendly for the casual photographer with many presets and automatic settings akin to their lower priced point and shoot little brothers.But to get the most out of your DSLR camera, you're going to have to get a little knowledge.
 Learning about f stops, composition, focus points, white balance, shutter speeds, depth of field, flash compensation, and the myriad other things you need to know to get the most out of your DSLR, at first, can be daunting.
 Fortunately, there is an amazing abundance of information on the internet to help you gain the knowledge you need to explore your cameras fullest potential. (remember; the more you know, the better photographer you'll become.)
 If you don't want to take the time and effort to investigate and learn these things, then a point and shoot is the right answer for you.


Cost:
 Another factor to consider is cost. As a rule, DSLR cameras are much more expensive than point and shoots. On top of this, you should consider many added costs that you might not think of at the time of purchase.These include memory cards (cards for DSLRs are ridiculously more expensive than standard SD cards used in most point and shoots.)
External flash units- between $300.00 to $500.00. Extra batteries- $100.00.
 Most importantly, lenses. Some lenses can cost many times more than your actual camera. I own a variety of lenses for different situations and I can tell you they are quite an investment. That being said, I advise to never go cheap on lenses. It all starts with the glass.(note: be sure of the camera you buy for as you add more lenses to your collection, you'll, of course, be locked in to that camera brand unless you're filthy rich.)


Weight:
 DSLRs are heavier and bulkier than point and shoots, they won't fit in your pocket.


 All these things being said, I believe using a high end DSLR to be the best way to take high quality, professional grade images.


But, on the other hand,


 I believe the best camera you own is the one you have with you when that perfect photo op presents itself.


 With phones now having up to 8mp cameras and digital point and shoots providing ever greater advantages in both features and resolution, I personally believe the advantages of these types of cameras are numerous. I don't think anyone should rely on a phone to take all your pictures (look at all the crappy, blurred images you see on Facebook), but with all the great point and shoots out there, I'm sure you'll find one that suits your needs.


 In the long run, the choice is yours: DSLR,point and shoot, phone, or if you're like me, all of the above.


The main thing is to keep shooting and to have fun with it , Enjoy!