[Fuji X-E2, 18-55mm, ISO 400, ƒ/5, 1/100]

It has been over a week since I returned from the Balkans. I have been reviewing my photos and reflecting on my time there.

I was not there to shoot photos and come away with a story for myself. I was there teaching a workshop with three other instructors on multimedia storytelling.

This is a photo of the three instructors: James Dockery, Pat Davison, Jeff Raymond, and one of the students, Allison Basye.

We spent our time helping the students with their stories.

I ended up making a lot of snapshots. This is what we call the Balkan Harley. They made a lot of noise driving down the street.

These were photos for me to jog my memory. I couldn’t take the time to get the best picture of each situation. I did feel like I was able to get good photos of the setups and a few shots of the other instructors teaching. Here is one of James working with Meghan Duncan.

We navigated, telling the stories through all the politics of the area. That took a lot of time to talk through the levels a few times compared to doing an account where you can be free to say whatever you need.

There were a few “moments” that I liked from the trip. Seeing these boys react to James Dockery was one of those moments.

After I got that photo of the kids laughing, James went back to show them some of his shots.

I thought it was fun just watching people as the locals were on the bike versus our group walking on the left.

While walking the streets and taking photos is fun in different places worldwide, they still don’t compare to being inside the homes and businesses and having them share their stories.

Go here if you are interested in joining us next year. storytellersabroad.com We don’t have dates or locations yet, so stay tuned.

[Fuji X-E2, 55-200mm, ISO 4000, ƒ/4.5, 1/200]

My daughter is helping teach a summer camp theatre class. This past week the camp was about what in the theatre they call the Triple Threat: Act, Sing, and Dance.

This energetic session focused on popular Broadway musicals and plays from Mary Poppins to Matilda and Pippin to Wicked. It included a dance/choreography class and a song component in the voice class.

Compare just these two photos. The main difference between the two is the actors in a peak performance moment and just standing there.

Over and over, way too many people take the last photo than the first. The reason is pretty simple. They need a picture of their kid on the stage. Both images do the same thing for those parents. They see a photo showing their kid on stage.

Theatre people are some of the most talented artists on the planet. To be considered a strong artist in the field of theatre, you must be able to act, sing and dance excellently. Not only must you be able to memorize lines, but you must also learn a routine, hit all the right notes in a song, and maintain that audience’s interest at all times. As opposed to other art forms, theatre happens entirely live, so there are no re-dos. It would help if you were on it at all times.

If you pick the right moment in a musical or play, you can capture the peak performance showing this talent.

For me, theatre is simple to shoot. I believe playwrights have compacted the best moments in a storyline that is quite compelling. Capturing these moments in real life would take days or years compared to a 2-hour show.

This photo of the lady taking a selfie of her friends and the ladies walking by looks to me like the beginning of a song in a musical. I can picture the people on the bench breaking into song and the ladies walking by also responding. The words would give us insights into people’s thoughts in real life.

If you are learning photography, go to the theater and look for moments. The playwright has assembled the best moments of a story for you.

[Fuji X-E2, 18-55mm, ISO 6400, ƒ/4, 1/25]

This young boy and his friends were hanging out on a bumper car ride in the Balkans. The boy is looking at me through a reflection of mirrors in the passage. There is a curiosity in his eyes about who is this American with a camera.

His look and the fact I didn’t have the time to get to know him reminded me that listening to others takes a lot of things.

We had just finished showing our projects to the Storytellers Abroad Multimedia Workshop on Friday night, and we all took a break and walked downtown.

Saturday, we put the finishing touches on the stories to show that evening to all the Global Workers and subjects of the stories during our Storytellers Abroad Multimedia Workshop.

Here is Pat Davison working with Hannah Dunlap, a student at Cedarville University. Beside them is Meghan Duncan, who just graduated High School working with James Dockery on putting those finishing touches on their stories to show Saturday night.

Pat and Hannah are celebrating because they just started exporting the finished project. Meghan and James are getting close, and I was working with Juliana Spicer, a Liberty University student, on fixing a corrupt sequence in her Adobe Premier Pro project. We got it fixed, and she showed her show as well.

This is Korinna Duke, a Cedarville University grad with her subject. Korinna told me later that she was watching him while showing the story she did for his reaction. When he gasped at part of the story, she was distraught. She wanted to tell his story as accurately as she could.

Did I offend him? Was her question? In the end, he not only loved the multimedia package, he asked to get a copy to show all his friends and family.

This week has taught me a lot about “Getting it Right.” We were in the Balkans telling stories of people whom we didn’t speak their native language and whose English lacked some of the polish necessary to get to the heart of the story.

Most of the students read what the global workers had said about the person they were doing a story on and did little on that first interview to peel beyond what was written on the page. They had taken the story at face value.

Some of the subjects had been persecuted based on ethnicity before the Balkan wars for many years, but after the war, that hasn’t disappeared. During the war, they had guns pointed at their heads instead of insults and lost their jobs just for being ethnically different. They watched as the soldiers executed their parents in front of them by cutting off their heads.

The main reason we were there was due to one global worker who, during the Balkans war, went to Europe from the United States to help refugees in a camp. The war was over much sooner than expected, and she was asked to work with all the children that were either orphans or had lost their fathers.

She created a school to love these kids and help them during their rebuilding of the country.

Many of the subjects were very guarded about telling their stories. It required the workshop’s students to build trust and listen with more than just their ears. They had to attend with their eyes. They had to be more observant than in their everyday life.

Teddy Roosevelt said, “People won’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” This is the core skill necessary for the storyteller. Their subjects don’t care how much you know about them; they want to know how much you care about them before they allow you into their lives.

This week each instructor would ask questions of the students about their subjects. The common question was, “did you ask the subject?”

The key to getting the story right and having the information necessary to produce a compelling story relies solely on the storyteller’s curiosity and character. Do they care more about the person than the story? If you do, then the subject will let you into their lives. Only when the subject opens the door to their heart can the storyteller take the rest of the world with them on that journey.

Korinna Duke interviews the founder of a Leadership Academy in the Balkans. [Fuji X-E2, 18-55mm, ISO 200, ƒ/9, 1/280]

Today is our time. We will show everyone in the class each of the student projects. The students have enjoyed hearing the stories of Global Workers taking the time to develop relationships with the people of the Balkans to improve their lives.

It has been about 17 years since the war ended, and they haven’t fully recovered.

So many of the youth lost families during this time. They are looking to the future and starting their families.

Today, each student is working on their computers, putting all the interviews, videos, and stills, and picking music to help tell the story of the subject they have been working with since this past Sunday.

Today, the other teachers, Pat Davison, James Dockery, Jeff Raymond, and I, will go to each of the twelve students to review their stories and offer advice on improving their edits.

The biggest thing we have been doing in the first edit is getting their stories short. Now we are polishing the videos.

Come back sometime in the next couple of weeks to see some of the finished multimedia packages.

This is one of the largest Mosques in the Balkans, where we lead our Storytellers Abroad Multimedia Workshop. [Fuji X-E2, 18-55mm, ISO 200, ƒ/4, 1/15]

Today is hump day and is also our midway point for our Storytellers Abroad Multimedia Workshop we are doing for 12 students in the Balkans.

Last night we introduced the software Adobe Premier Pro to the students. We had them install a workspace and shortcut keys into the software that James Dockery designed for our workshop.

James explains that while they can set up their workspace and create their shortcuts, for the teaching team to sit down with them and help with editing, we need to have a shared workspace to see what we are looking for as instructors.

We have a schedule we are working from, and each student has a workbook that fits into a pocket with the deadlines they are working to meet each day.

We have a chart of their deadlines up on a wall so we can see where each student is in the process.

Today each student is to have finished putting their interviews into the timeline of Adobe Premier Pro and let one of the instructors listen to their audio story. Then they and the instructor can see all the scenes they need to have B-roll to use as the visuals to complement the audio.

To be productive, we have to all be awake, so James and I have been drinking those Macchiatos to keep awake and alert.

Tonight we will export all the projects, look at them in the morning, and assess what is missing and needs to be shot to help us make all the projects compelling stories.

When I talk about a product and have been given any compensation, I must inform you about that relationship. This is called full disclosure. It is best that I start the conversation with you upfront, not at the message’s end.

Sadly, many photographers whom camera manufacturers or software companies compensate for are not fully disclosing their relationship with their audience. Therefore too many customers do not recognize them as the hawkers, peddlers, or costermongers for these brands. Because they are biased, you need to know.

When a photographer talks about switching from camera brand A to camera brand B, I think you need to know if they were compensated.

I would go so far as to say that some photographers, if not for their endorsement deals, would not be a working pros. They are pretty much full-time spokespersons for the brand. Many of them are great photographers, but I would still be great no matter their brand.

Zack Arias, who reveals his relationship with vendors, stopped speaking as much as he was because he realized he wanted his examples to be what he was doing on jobs other than the sponsor. He told me he learned when he first started speaking that he would pull up an example and say last week when I did this shoot was getting replaced by a couple of years ago when I did this for a client.

I have always loved Zack for his honesty and his passion for creativity.

MOVIES

One of the most prominent places you see advertising is movie product placement.

According to a Priceonomics analysis, products placed into storylines can be much more successful for brands than traditional advertisements, like TV ads. It’s easier to sell a viewer the value of a product if they’re emotionally invested in the storyline in which it’s presented, rather than a viewer who’s watching an ad totally out of context. Plus, it’s far too easy to skip ads and zone out during ads nowadays.

When a brand picks up a photographer with a great eye and is highly creative, it is the same as product placement in a movie. E. T. could have used M&M’s instead of Reese’s Pieces, and the storyline wouldn’t have been significantly impacted, but the product used benefitted from a 65% jump in sales due to the movie placement. Is one candy better than the other?

My disclosures

I am an Amazon Affiliate and a Cradoc foto software Affiliate. I get a small percentage of sales for Amazon links and a little more if you buy Cradoc foot quote, fotoBiz, or their keyword software.

Every time I start a blog post about a product, I am doing my best to disclose my connection up front and not at the end. I would love for every blog to start with disclosure because I am earning more than I do now from writing this blog.

Now I wish I were a Nikon Ambassador, but I am not. If I were and I was at a conference speaking, I would want to be sure when I am introduced that this is said that I am a Nikon Ambassador. This way, you know that it is in my best interest for people to go out and buy Nikon gear after I speak. The reason is simple then Nikon will continue this relationship. If sales do not materialize from my work for Nikon, they will terminate that relationship and find someone who does help sell their gear.

Dave Black, a Nikon Ambassador, puts his relationship on the main page of his website http://www.daveblackphotography.com/.

TIP for you!

If you are a fan boy or fan girl of specific photographers and listen to them for what gear and software they recommend, take the time and find out if they are compensated in any way at all by those products.

You need to know when a photographer is talking about stuff you can purchase, which can be gear, software, or services if that brand compensates them.

There are a few photographers who get compensation like free gear or discounts for them and then will write in a blog post quite misleading comments that say these are their own words and the company didn’t pay them to write that review.

The word BUT negates or cancels everything that goes before it. Therefore, they are misleading when a sponsored photographer says; I wasn’t paid directly for these comments. They are making the water murky.

If a photographer isn’t giving you full disclosure, can you trust their comments?

For the most part, the six inches behind the eye determine the greatness of the photo more than the six inches in front of the eye.

When do you have to make the disclosure?

The FTC guidelines for endorsements and testimonials in advertising say if there is a connection between the endorser and the seller of the product or service, full disclosure is required.

Penalties for noncompliance can range from a written warning and request to provide full disclosure to the maximum of an $11,000 civil fine (per incident).

Chelle enjoys the rainbow after all the rain the past couple days at Ocean Isle Beach, NC. [Nikon D5, Nikon 14-24mm ƒ/2.8, ISO 8000, ƒ/22, 1/100]

Sometimes, you must compose a photo in photography because God has taken care of the light for you. Here is an excellent example of my daughter at the beach last week. At the end of a full day of rain, we had a gorgeous rainbow pop up at sunset.

I quickly realized that my 24mm wasn’t getting the entire rainbow, so I reached into the camera bag and pulled out the Nikon 14-24mm ƒ/2.8 lens. With a 114º view, it was able to get the rainbow.

Next, I ran to the beach and started to take photos of just the rainbow.

While shooting this, my daughter walked into the frame. I quickly realized I needed her to come closer to the camera and put the rainbow behind her.

It was sprinkling so that you could see raindrops on my lens. But I was thrilled with this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

I often have to use artificial light with the existing light to make the photo work.

Here is what I often do with photos where I must improve the conditions.

Our family tradition at a family reunion is getting a photo of the family. I have been doing this photo for 30+ years.

Since it had been raining most of the day, we still had some cloud cover. Using the flashes, I could help get a better color since the flashes are daylight balanced, and the overcast sky would have dulled the colors.

A second benefit of using the flash is avoiding those raccoon eyes where the sun from above can create shadows around the eyes.

While I had everything with me, I also took some photos of my nephew for his senior pictures. For these photos, I used my Nikon 85mm ƒ/1.8G so I could shoot wide open, get the really soft background, and make him pop out more.

Tips

1. Use fill flash for exterior photos.
   1. At the beach, you might think you don’t need it, but it can improve the color and eliminate the raccoon eyes.
   2. Put the flash off the camera at 45º
2. For group photos, shoot at ƒ/5.6 or ƒ/8 to be sure everyone is in focus.
3. For individuals using a telephoto lens like my 85mm ƒ/1.8. Shoot wide open to get that silky out-of-focus background.
4. Use a tripod for groups
   1. It helps keep the horizon straight
   2. If one person blinks, you can clone them from another frame. Sometimes you cannot get the best expressions of everyone in one frame, and having everything shot on a tripod makes it easier to cut and paste.
   3. If needed, you can use a slower shutter speed. However, be careful that people are still if you do.

Here is one of my favorites from the photoshoot of our family.

Chelle enjoys the rainbow after all the rain the past couple days at Ocean Isle Beach, NC. [Nikon D5, 14-24mm, ISO 8000, ƒ/22, 1/100]

There are times for photographers when you happen to be in the right place at the right time. Last night was one of those times for me. It had been raining all day, and we washed our day at the beach.

Now to get this photo, you cannot use your smartphone. It would help if you had a super wide-angle lens. For this photo, I used my Nikon 14-24mm ƒ/2.8 lens to be able to capture the complete rainbow. The lens captures 114º of view, enough to capture the whole rainbow for my photo.

After shooting some shots up at the house we are renting, I realized that if I go to the beach, I can eliminate all the foreground that wasn’t as pleasing.

By going to the beach, I could clean up the foreground. Now I started to want something else in the photo other than just the rainbow.

So I waited as birds flew into the frame and shot a few of them. But then my daughter wanting to get closer to see what I was seeing, walked into the frame. I asked her to walk to me, and the top photo was one of the best frames.

Because your back will be towards the sun when photographing a rainbow, the light at the end of the day was on my daughter’s face, so there was no need to improve the already wonderful light.

This is an excellent example of taking your camera gear and not just relying on your smartphone.

Travel photography often catches those elements that create a desire for the place. Often people put photos and paintings of these places in their homes and offices as a way for them to escape for a moment by just soaking in the image.

The key to capturing these moments of solitude is they have first to impact you. It would help if you first were moved and relaxed. Then from this experience, you frame the situation to help capture that feeling which brings peace into your life.

For me, a bird in flight captures total freedom and the ability to soar. I often think about how the dove was used to symbolize the Holy Spirit in the Bible.

You often see artists who will put scripture with their work. It is how they are often moved not just to a peaceful moment but one that has a deeper meaning for them. It was a spiritual moment.

Raindrops on windows remind me of the musical Sound of Music.

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles and warm woollen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with strings
These are a few of my favorite things.

Travel photography is capturing “My Favorite Things” that I hope will also be yours. If I do my job well, you will also want to vacation at Ocean Isle, North Carolina.

May 2015, Adobe added to PhotoShop and Lightroom the Dehaze slider. The Dehaze tool helps you quickly reduce or remove haze, joint in many outdoor photos like landscapes.

Here is the above photo with the Dehaze at 0

Same photo settings but now Dehaze at +73

Now, if you were like me, you had an editing workflow, and when Adobe introduced a new tool, you may not even be aware of it. Well, I have been using it for about a year now. It works great.

Like all tools, you need to try it and see if it works for a photo or not.

This tool in Lightroom is at the bottom of the devices, just about Camera Calibration in the Effects module.

Here is a photo without the Dehaze applied

Here it is at +36

I recommend trying out this tool on your photos. You will be glad you did.

PhotoShop CC Instructions

Here is how you access it in PhotoShop CC. Go to Filter>Camera Raw Filter in the menu.

Then when in the RAW Filter, click on the ƒx tab. Then you will see the Dehaze slider on top.