Category: Photography

Fujifilm X-E2’s Six Inches Behind The Viewfinder

by Stanley LearyPhotography

Fujifilm X-E2. Fujinon XF 55-200mm, ISO 400, ƒ/4.8, 1/750

Our family has been waiting to be able to come to Orlando, Florida, to take in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter–Diagon Alley at Universal Studios.

J. K. Rowling is the writer of the Harry Potter literary series, which the books have gained worldwide attention, won multiple awards, and sold more than 400 million copies. They have become the best-selling book series in history.

Fujifilm X-E2, Fujinon XF 18-55mm, ISO 1250, ƒ/8, 1/500

While being the most prolific writer ever, her books were transformed into a series of films that became the highest-grossing film series in history.

One of her virtual gifts is her ability to create an entirely visual fantasy world. The movies captured much of those elements, and Universal Studios Theme Park allowed her fans to enter her world through the Harry Potter World.

Rowling consulted on the details for the theme park. There are many details that those who have read the books will appreciate because some of those elements were not in the movies.

Seeing Visually

It is a photographer’s paradise for seeing visual cues that cross over cultures and currently unite more than 65 languages.

Tips while visiting Universal Studios

Fujifilm X-E2, Fujinon XF 18-55mm, ISO 1250, ƒ/2.8, 1/500

Take photos no matter the time of day, but remember that you might want to redo some of these as I did here of my wife and daughter on Diagon Alley. I just used the on-camera flash to reveal their faces on the street, which otherwise would have been silhouetted. Now you can see the road behind them better than during the daytime.

Fujifilm X-E2, Fujinon XF 18-55mm, ISO 6400, ƒ/2.8, 1/40–Fill Flash -1EV

Here is another example for you

Fujifilm X-E2, Fujinon XF 18-55mm, ISO 500, ƒ/3.2, 1/500

We visited the Nite Bus a couple of times. During the daytime, it is harder to see the shrunken head hanging. However, this is a significant part of this attraction. The director talks to you and even turns its head towards you.

Fujifilm X-E2, Fujinon XF 18-55mm, ISO 6400, ƒ/2.8, 1/60

Notice how much more the Nite-Bus looks like you would expect in the book or movie when shot at night. What a concept, but you have to think about this to be sure you don’t miss a better mood shot. Also, notice how the light on the shrunken head helps it be easily seen at night.

Fujifilm X-E2, Fujinon XF 18-55mm, ISO 6400, ƒ/3.6, 1/55

Incorporate Available Light

I also chose to stay with available light and not use the pop-up flash. The light behind me from the street lamp was lighting the scene just fine.

Fujifilm X-E2, Fujinon XF 18-55mm, ISO 400, ƒ/5, 1/600– -1.7EV

My daughter has fair skin and wanted to be photographed with the theater production cases. To keep detail on her face, I dialed the EV to -1.7EV

Same as above but unretouched

Here are the Lightroom setting I used to take the untouched RAW file and turn it into the JPEG:

However, the more straightforward and pleasing photo moved my daughter out of the direct sunlight to the other side.

Fujifilm X-E2, Fujinon XF 18-55mm, ISO 800, ƒ/5, 1/500

This, too, has been retouched in Adobe Lightroom with these settings:

Also, I dodged her face just a little +0.61:

Street Photography Style Using Minimal Gear

I am trying to do all this like a street photographer and not carrying extra off-camera strobes through the theme park on our family vacation.

Fujifilm X-E2, Fujinon XF 18-55mm, ISO 6400, ƒ/5.6, 1/10

One thing I love about the Fujifilm X-E2 is taking photos at slow shutter speeds. The image stabilization works well.

Fujifilm X-E2, Fujinon XF 18-55mm, ISO 6400, ƒ/3.2, 1/200

I think capturing photos of the family at the different attractions is essential. It will be a memory jogger as we age, look at these photos, and remember the fun times we had as a family.

Fujifilm X-E2, Fujinon XF 55-200mm, ISO 6400, ƒ/4.8, 1/340

Second Lens Gives More Variety

Honestly, I think the Fujinon 18-55mm kit lens will suffice most of the time, but here I wanted to capture the puppeteer, so I needed more than the 55mm. I used the Fujinon XF 55-200mm, which I had in a coat pocket, to take this photo and the first photo of the sunset.

Fujifilm X-E2, Fujinon XF 18-55mm, ISO 6400, ƒ/3.2, 1/13–Shot at -1.7EV

I could have just shot details around the park. I loved how they created a dark part of Diagon Alley. I felt like I was in the book walking with Harry Potter.

Fujifilm X-E2, Fujinon XF 18-55mm, ISO 6400, ƒ/2.8, 1/10

I just hung outside the shop Borgin Burkes while my wife and daughter shopped. I then captured the moment my daughter came out to look for me. This is better than all the posed photos, but I still take those and compliment them with pictures like this one.

Fujifilm X-E2, Fujinon XF 18-55mm, ISO 1600, ƒ/4.5, 1/500
Fujifilm X-E2, Fujinon XF 18-55mm, ISO 3200, ƒ/4.5, 1/500

My Fujifilm X-E2 settings for while at Universal Studios

  • ISO–AUTO 
    • 200–6400
    • 1/500 shutter-speed
  • Auto Focus
    • Single
    • AF MODE [AREA]
    • Face Detection ON
  • WB-AUTO
  • RAW+N – This was so that I could link to my phone using the Camera Remote APP and upload photos as I shot them to Facebook for my friends. It would help if you had a JPEG to do this.
  • NR -2
  • Color STD
  • H–Tone -1
  • S–Tone 0
  • Color 0
  • Sharp -2
  • Flash-SLOW
  • Flash Compensation -1
Fujifilm X-E2, Fujinon XF 18-55mm, ISO 6400, ƒ/2.8, 1/70, -1.3EV

Six Inches Behind The Viewfinder

I hope you figured it out by now, but more than the camera, it is your brain that will determine the success of your photos. There is a lot of thinking going on to get these photos. If you randomly point your camera and expect it to do all the work, you could have bought the cheapest camera and obtained similar results.

The high-end cameras will let you do more, but the key ingredient to their success is your knowledge of how to use the camera.

“The most important thing in photography is the six inches behind the viewfinder.”

Stanley Leary

The Holy Grail Camera

by Stanley LearyPhotography
 

“If the photographer is interested in the people in front of his lens, and if he is compassionate, it’s already a lot. The instrument is not the camera but the photographer.” — Eve Arnold

There are many comments by many pro photographers throughout history reminding us that it is the six inches behind the eye that is more important than the six inches in front of it when taking photos.

I wanted to be sure everyone understands that I not only believe this but spend most of my time thinking about what I have done, will do, and am doing compared to the time I think about my camera gear.

If you want to make better pictures, for the most part, you will do better investing in a class to learn something than spending that money on more camera gear.

To take photos, you must have a camera. When you buy your first camera, the odds are excellent that if you pursue this later as a profession, this will not be the last one you buy.

Things to consider when buying a camera

Subject – Audience

These two things drive almost every decision regarding the best camera. You can find the perfect camera to own as long as these stay singular. However, the problem that typically happens is when you have:

Subject(s) – Audience(s)

The Holy Grail Camera that does it all is usually a compromise camera that will let a photographer get the images, but if they had the funds would most likely buy specialty cameras for some subjects or audiences.

Audience(s)

When we think of an audience, there are two things we should focus on that impacts what gear we purchase. First, the people and the channel will see those visuals.

If your client sells high-end vehicles like a Lamborghini, they will be more interested in the finer details than the community seeing a photo of the fire in their local paper or online. Therefore, you will be more likely to see vast prints of your images in dealerships on their walls where the customer could walk up to the print to examine it closely. People can walk up to large photographs when an extreme megapixel camera would be the best choice.

If you are shooting photos that you plan to put in a show in a museum or gallery, then the size of those prints will also demand a higher pixel and will be appreciated.

The need for super size prints is why there are 80 MP camera backs for medium format cameras. You can go even higher with the view cameras.

On the other hand, many bloggers shoot all their photos with their smartphones. Using a smartphone is because the pictures are good enough for their audience, who might absorb most of the content on their smartphone.

Subject(s)

When shooting sports like soccer, you must have a long glass due to the distance between the photographer and the action on the field. A camera like the Nikon 4s shoots 11 frames a second, and lenses like the Nikkor 600mm ƒ/4 is pretty much the standard for a sports action shooter.

Wedding photographers often need to shoot in low light and need a camera with ISO higher than ISO 1600. They also will shoot with a fast glass of ƒ/1.4 to ƒ/2.8 many times during ceremonies. Most wedding photographers must cover 28mm – 200mm for most of their work. However, they occasionally have a few photos using specialty glass to offer something different.

Portrait photographers often shoot with cameras with high megapixels for the same reason the photographer shooting a Lamborghini needs it–large prints.

Street shooters tend to want a small camera that will make them look more like a tourist than professional photographers to be able to blend in and not draw attention to themselves.

Conclusion

If you are one of those people trying to tell everyone why you own the “BEST” camera ever–please know you only show your ignorance when you open your mouth. I see these people on almost every camera forum trying to argue why they know it all, and everyone should listen to them and their wisdom.

If you are shooting one type of subject, then you can easily find out what most photographers covering this subject are using and why they choose those cameras and lenses.

If you are shooting a wide variety of images for many different outlets, you most likely will find a camera that does a pretty good covering the bases. However, many will find they need to rent or buy gear for some of their niches.

Most of all, we need to go back to where I started this blog that the photographer’s knowledge will let them do more with a simple box camera than a $45,000 camera in a novice’s hands.

You may hear that many people say invest in the excellent glass more than the camera–I say invest in yourself more than the gear, and you will be the better for it.

IMHO–most cameras today are so good that almost any camera could work in the right hands.

What I own and use

Photo Story on Russian Pastor by Don Rutledge

by Stanley LearyPhotography
 
© Don Rutledge

I returned today to look at Don Rutledge’s coverage in Russia in the 1980s. Don, more than anyone I ever knew, could tap into the audience’s subconscious through symbolism.

© Don Rutledge

I love the photo of one of the pastors in Russia with the kids. What makes the image even more, is the artwork of “The Last Supper” by Leonardo da Vinci on the wall behind them.

© Don Rutledge

I remember sitting with Don as he projected each Kodachrome slide on the wall.

The Berlin Wall was still up at the time, and most Americans’ perceptions of the Russians were not reality. Don wanted to show how much we have in common with the people.

© Don Rutledge

Once the audience can relate to the subject, then the message can come through. You can see how Don starts by first establishing the father’s role as a pastor. Then he shows the part of the mother cooking and taking care of the family, just as many women do here in our country.

© Don Rutledge

I was fascinated by how Don talked about just showing the teenagers’ room. He demonstrated how this would look like many teenagers in the state’s rooms might look.

© Don Rutledge

Here he shows how while dad is working on his sermon, his son is working on his homework.

© Don Rutledge

Here we see the family as curious as anyone would be about what is inside the box.

© Don Rutledge

Here the kids are playing follow the leader. What is important to me was hearing how excited Don was about how similar the families were to Americans. Don’s excitement was genuinely childlike.

© Don Rutledge

I felt a father’s love for his family as the photos continued. Here the children play tag with their dad.

© Don Rutledge

Here we see the children being mischievous in plotting something against their dad.

Lesson from Don Rutledge

  • Give your subjects honor, dignity, and respect
  • Look for visuals that you can include in the frame to drive home a message
  • Leave things out of the distracting frame
  • Keep a child’s perspective and excitement
  • Look for visuals that have cross-cultural and language barriers to connect the subject and audience.
  • Know your gear well enough to capture moments as they happen with natural light
  • Be genuine and authentic with your subjects, so they permit you to capture them in any setting because of the trust you have established and honor.
© Don Rutledge

Slide show of the complete coverage:

Nikon NPS 2015 Calendar came in, and time to reflect once again.

by Stanley LearyPhotography
 

This afternoon my Nikon NPS pocket calendar arrived. I have been able to put the 2014 calendar in my collection since 1983.

I enjoy looking back, seeing what I did in the past, and counting my blessings. This is the time for reflection at the end of the year.

In the spring of 1984, after I was offered my first job at The Hickory Daily Record, I had to get some new camera gear. Here are the two pages I used to research all the prices at the time.

My parents got me my first gear as my graduation present from East Carolina University. It was a blessing to have my parents help me with college and my gear. I went to my first job debt free–no college loans, car loans, or credit card debt from having to buy equipment.

Here is my first week of work hours at The Hickory Daily Record, with my first day being May 21, 1984.

September 3, 1985, Don Rutledge called me about a job in Richmond, VA. I would drive up that Sunday, September 8, and interview the following day with Warren Johnson. They offered me the job on September 13.

Little did I know how huge of an impact The Hickory Daily Record and working on The Commission Magazine would be in my life. What a blessing it was for me.

On May 7, 1993, I was offered the job work at Georgia Tech in the communications office.

As you can see, after turning the pages, I would graduate the following week with my M.A. in communications from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Then, I would pack the next day and start my drive to Atlanta, where I have lived ever since.

Sometimes you have to look back, celebrate the milestones, and remind yourself of all you have gone through. Looking back reminds me of how God has provided opportunities for my family through the years.

I leave you with this scripture verse:

Matthew 6:25-34 

[ Do Not Worry ] “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? …

Education and Journalism have a lot in common.

by Stanley LearyPhotography

There are a lot of similarities between education and journalism. Just take the storyline and the learning curve, for example. Above is the storyline, and below is the typical learning curve.

I believe the connection between the two is people find themselves in crisis and looking for solutions. Education and a good story both have problems and answers given. How the main character responds in a story can be either a comedy or tragedy.

Storyteller & Educator

The storyteller and teacher must master their content before creating content for their audiences.

 

I have always liked this illustration for helping me to grasp how learning takes place. While working on my master’s in the education department, the school taught these stages.

I learned that when you teach if you don’t know what level your students are in and what class you are teaching, you will create a problem for the learning environment.

The storyteller and teacher must master the subject. Then, they must be able to go to the highest level of learning, which is a synthesis or the ability to create something new.

The storyteller and the teacher must be able to look at their audience and know how to lead them through the crisis to understand eventually.

Nikon D4, 28-300mm, ISO 7200, ƒ/6.3, 1/250

Great teachers and storytellers have three things in common:

  1. Know their subject as an expert
  2. Know their audience
  3. Know their craft to connect the audience with the subject
If you are a teacher or storyteller and find yourself struggling, it is with one of these three things most often.
 
When I was in the education classes, I noticed we spent a lot of time learning about our audience. We learned educational psychology, which helped me learn how we know and what we can learn depending on the audience’s age.
 
In my communication classes, we worked on the craft of telling the story. Either we were learning how to write, use visuals, or design to help get across the message of the subject.
 
Both education and communications emphasized our need to know the subject well, but both education and communications classes were weak in one of the other two areas.
 
Recommendations
 
Teachers and storytellers, you both need to dedicate your life to learning more about all three of these areas. Your subject will evolve as well as the audience.
 
There are endless ways to engage your audience. It would help if you mixed things up, or your style can get in the form of learning or storytelling. You become predictable and boring.
 
Most of all, keep the passion and curiosity vibrant.

Photographers may need a class in IMPROV

by Stanley LearyPhotography
 
Nikon D750, Sigma VR Zoom 120-300mm  ƒ/2.8 IF-ED, ISO 4500, ƒ/2.8, 1/640

All these photos were taken at Roswell High School’s Improv Troupe “What’s the Buzz?” performance on December 5, 2014. That’s my daughter in the blue shirt on the left above. I guess you can tell I am proud of her.

In business today, it pays more than ever to be able to think on your feet. So what better way to train yourself than to learn how to do IMPROV?

Tina Fey is an alumnus of The Second City, an improvisational comedy enterprise in Chicago.

Tina Fey boils down the rules here in her book Bossypants.

The first rule of improvisation is AGREE. Always agree and SAY YES. When you’re improvising, this means you are required to agree with whatever your partner has created.

Now, obviously in real life you’re not always going to agree with everything everyone says. But the Rule of Agreement reminds you to “respect what your partner has created” and to at least start from an open-minded place. Start with a YES and see where that takes you.

Nikon D750, Sigma VR Zoom 120-300mm  ƒ/2.8 IF-ED, ISO 4500, ƒ/2.8, 1/640

Robert Kulhan is an adjunct assistant professor at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business and said to CNN, “Improvisation isn’t about comedy, it’s about reacting — being focused and present at the moment at a very high level.” So the first rule of improv is a Worldview perspective that lets you join the client where they are at the moment.

In business, you don’t have control over what happens. IMPROV teaches you how to work as a team and learn to go with the flow.

Tina Fey says the second rule of improvisation is not only to say yes, but YES, AND.

The YES, AND principle in performance improvisation means listening to what someone else says, accepting what they say, and then building on that. In business terms, it means getting any idea brought to the table and then taking that idea further.

Nikon D750, Sigma VR Zoom 120-300mm  ƒ/2.8 IF-ED, Sigma 2X, ISO 4500, ƒ/2.8, 1/640

Critical Thinking

The problem with many people in business is they put Critical Thinking often in front of brainstorming and creative thinking. It would help if you had an unconditional acceptance atmosphere for new ideas to come forward. The analysis paralysis occurs if you jump too quickly to critical thinking.

Tina Fey says, “Always ensure you’re adding something to the discussion.”

The third rule Fey talks about is one I get tripped up on in business situations.

Third Rule is MAKE STATEMENTS. This is a positive way of saying “Don’t ask questions all the time.” If we’re in a scene and I say, “Who are you? Where are we? What are we doing here? What’s in that box?” I’m putting pressure on you to come up with all the answers.

In other words: Whatever the problem, be part of the solution. Don’t just sit around raising questions and pointing out obstacles.

Try and be the fly on the wall in your business situations. Listen to yourself and self-audit your comments and body language.

Rule four–THERE ARE NO MISTAKES, only opportunities.

Nikon D750, Sigma VR Zoom 120-300mm  ƒ/2.8 IF-ED, Sigma 2X, ISO 4500, ƒ/2.8, 1/640

Better Listener

You will not know how to respond to others when they finish if you have not listened to them. For example, how often do you talk to someone that is just waiting for you to finish speaking so they can say what they already are planning on saying? Improv teaches us to listen attentively, not just for words but for emotion, intention, point of view, and much more.

Saying yes to things you would typically sabotage will help you believe in yourself and your ability.

IMPROV also teaches you to embrace your emotions. These emotions in business help to connect with others.

“Some people misunderstand improv….It seems that improv is all about being funny. But it is not. Improv is about being spontaneous. It is about being imaginative. It is about taking the unexpected and then doing something unexpected with it….The key is to be open to crazy ideas and building on them. And funnily enough, this is exactly what is needed if we are going to make our enterprises more creative and agile.”

– Paul Sloane

The Leaders Guide to Lateral Thinking Skills

Rules of Improv

1. Always Agree and Say Yes–You are required to react to whatever your partner has created. In real life, you will not agree to everything, but this helps remind us to respect whatever our partner has created. At least start from an open-minded place. Start with a yes and see where that takes you.
2. Yes AND–Add something of your own. Don’t be afraid to contribute. Always make sure you are adding something to the discussion.
3. Make Statements–Asking questions always make your partner have to come up with all the answers. Statements are your way of being part of the solutions. Don’t stand around pointing your finger at obstacles. Make statements with your ACTIONS and your VOICE.
4. There are no MISTAKES, just OPPORTUNITIES–In improvement, there are no mistakes, only beautiful happy accidents.

Nikon D750–Wreaths Across America

by Stanley LearyPhotography
 
Nikon D750, 28-300mm, ISO 125, ƒ/8, 1/125

Today is National Wreaths Across America Day. Owner of Worcester Wreath Company formed this organization in 1992 to:

REMEMBER the fallen
HONOR those that serve and their families and,
TEACH our children the value of freedom.
– See more at: http://www.wreathsacrossamerica.org

Nikon D750, 14-24mm, ISO 320, ƒ/9, 1/30

These are the ceremonial wreaths. The ceremonial wreaths represent each branch of the military service, including the POW/MIA and Merchant Marines. The one closest to the camera is the MIA, which I had the honor of presenting.

The letter sent to my grandparents stated that the U S Marine Corps “regretted to inform that 2nd Lt. James Stanley Leary, Jr., 2-G-23 Fourth Marine Division..had been declared Missing in Action while engaged against the enemy on the Island of Saipan, Marianas, in the Pacific.”

[To get this photo, I used the tilting Vari-angle LCD to put the camera way low and look through the LCD to compose on the back of the camera. I love this feature and used it again in the photo below.]

Nikon D750, 28-300mm, ISO 100, ƒ/8, 1/125

I shot the photo in RAW and recovered the shadows and highlights in Lightroom. Here is what it looked like before I adjusted the image:

While Nikon has many settings that will get some pretty great JPEGs out of the camera, they still do not compare to shooting RAW and then working on the image to tweak and fine-tune your vision.

Nikon D750, 28-300mm, ISO 360, ƒ/8, 1/500

I didn’t use a flash in this photo because I was too far away. This photo is 250mm full-framed but put me a good 20 or more feet away. However, with the dynamic range that the camera caught, I was able to again open up the shadows and tone the highlights for a good photo.

Nikon D750, 28-300mm, ISO 140, ƒ/8, 1/250

I did increase the saturation using Adobe Lightroom’s vibrance and set all the photos to +27.

Nikon D750, 28-300mm, ISO 100, ƒ/8, 1/125

After ingesting the photos into Adobe Lightroom, one more thing I do first enable profile corrections.

Lens Corrections is a tool within Lightroom’s Develop Module that allows fixing such lens problems as distortion, chromatic aberration, vignetting, and perspective correction “non-destructively” without leaving Lightroom. Note that lens correction is not a simple fix that applies to any lens – corrections are lens-specific. In addition, since each lens model design has a unique optical formula, you must uniquely customize lens corrections for each model.

Nikon D750, 28-300mm, ISO 100, ƒ/8, 1/200–Popup flash used 0 EV

One family asked for a photo, and when I saw the man’s hat, I took the lens shade off the 28-300mm, popped the flash up on the Nikon D750, and filled in the shadows. Unfortunately, while I could have done an OK job using Adobe Lightroom to open the shadows, the flash added a catch light in their eyes.

Making the most of your Fuji X system

by Stanley LearyPhotography
 
 

If you are reading this because you saw this might apply to the Fuji X system, then you need to invest in Bill Fortney’s A User’s Guide to the Fuji X-System ebook. If you are thinking about the Fuji system, this is the best $9.95 you will spend. It will help you navigate all their cameras and lenses. The best part is Bill speaks as a pro, and his words of wisdom may help you from purchasing something that you might regret, and then he gives you tips on things you might need.

Most people who write this kind of book have drunk the Kool-Aid of the company and oversold the brand. Bill Fortney loved Nikon, and I never felt like he was overselling Nikon.

If you have ever been to photo shows, you may have met Bill. I often remember standing at a trade show across the table, talking to Bill about the latest cameras and lenses.

The book A User’s Guide to the Fuji X-System is the same voice I have listened to for many years.

“Nope, not yet!” is one of the quotes about the system. Honest that the camera doesn’t do all that his Nikon System does.

Fortney even says, “What kinds of photography is the X-System not my first choice for Heavy duty sports shooting Birds in flight – extreme wildlife action. I didn’t say you can’t do this; I think there are better systems for it!”

He is honest, and his advice will save you lots of time and money in figuring out how to get the most out of the Fuji System.

He goes on and tells you all the great reasons Fuji is worth the investment and how it saves his back for one.

With Bill’s permission, here is one of the pages to give you a sneak peek into the ebook.

 

There are a lot of examples of everything he talks about in his illustrations.

Bill’s Nikon Gear

By the way, Bill still owns his Nikons. He just wrote a blog to ensure you understand how the Fuji system is a tool and not the only one he uses. Here is that blog link [http://billfortney.com/?p=12572]

Nikon D750 available light ISO 12800, 25600 & 51200 @ Wedding

by Stanley LearyPhotography
Nikon D750, AF-S NIKKOR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 51200, ƒ/4.5, 1/100

I attended a wedding for a friend yesterday as a guest. I thought I would take some photos and give those to the bride and groom from the day. I stayed out of the way of the hired photographers and just shot photos I saw.

Nikon D750, AF-S NIKKOR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 12800, ƒ/5.6, 1/50

The service occurred at the Ritz Carlton Hotel Buckhead in Atlanta, GA. The room for the wedding was pretty dark. I used ExpoDisc to get a custom white balance, and then the settings on the camera were ISO 12800, ƒ/5.6 @ 1/50.

Nikon D750, AF-S NIKKOR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 12800, ƒ/5.6, 1/60

After the service, we moved to the hallway between the two rooms they had reserved for the wedding and the reception for a formal receiving line. The light here was about the same at the wedding. Now, the canned spotlights in the ceiling occasionally would make the quality of the light suffer and sometimes help. Here, the bridesmaids weren’t thrilled with the hot light in the background.

Nikon D750, AF-S NIKKOR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 12800, ƒ5.6, 1/40

Sometimes, the light was just fine on the subjects’ faces, as my wife and the bride’s parents for this photograph.

Nikon D750, AF-S NIKKOR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 12800, ƒ/5.3, 1/15

I took just a few photos of the bride and groom on their first dance when I realized the AUTO ISO I had set up to peak at ISO 12800 would not cut it. When shooting at 1/15 shutter speed, I also realized that raising this one ƒ-stop wasn’t enough. Thankfully, the Nikon D750 let me raise the ISO to 51200.

Nikon D750, AF-S NIKKOR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 51200, ƒ/5.6 1/60

The cool thing is while the ISO 51200 noise is noticeable, this is far superior to the film days when you shot above ISO 800.

Nikon D750, AF-S NIKKOR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 51200, ƒ/5.6, 1/60

At the highest ISO, I noticed the noise in the shadows, and there, you could see the grid pattern of the pixels.

Nikon D750, AF-S NIKKOR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 28735, ƒ/3.8, 1/80

Since I had the camera’s ISO set on AUTO, the camera ISO of 28735 while taking this couple’s photo, there was a carving station to my back. I intentionally put the couple there to take advantage of the extra light in that dark room.

Nikon D750, AF-S NIKKOR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 32254, ƒ/3.8, 1/80

Then, another couple joined them, and they stepped back just a bit. This raised the ISO to 32254, and I got another excellent photo without using Flash.

Nikon D750, AF-S NIKKOR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 51200, ƒ/4.5, 1/100

Then, when my wife asked for a photo with some friends, I knew that the lack of that carving station behind me and the stage behind them wasn’t the best lighting. So I took a photo first, looked at it, and decided for the first time that day to use the pop-up Flash at a slow shutter speed.

Nikon D750, AF-S NIKKOR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 28735, ƒ/4.5, 1/100

Notice how the noise almost disappears with the added Flash. This is because the camera change was only less than a stop.

You would think I could have done this all night, but remember, I am not the official photographer. So, I do not want to go around flashing and drawing more attention than I was doing.

I think the ISO 51200 on the Nikon D750 is excellent when you need a high ISO in that range. You will be able to get photos that you wouldn’t be able to do without high ISO.

I would say the noise wasn’t just due to high ISO but rather to the quality of the light and the dynamic range of that light. The Flash illustrated that the noise disappears when used at high ISO.

The direction of the light has more to do with the noise than just high ISO.

By the way, I posted these photos on social media throughout the wedding. The Nikon App on my Android phone lets me sync using the Wi-Fi on the Nikon D750.

I was shooting just RAW files, so the app would create a smaller JPEG that was big enough for Social Media as the recommended size to transfer to the phone.

The guests enjoyed seeing photos just a few minutes after I shot them on Facebook. Then, I would tag the bride, and all her friends could see the images.

When I tried to set the custom white balance, what I would do for the Nikon D4 wasn’t working with the Nikon D750. Well, I also put the Nikon Manual Viewer App on my phone. It has the Nikon D750 manual and the Nikon D4 manual. So you can search and find whatever you need.

I think searching makes this more straightforward to use than the printed manual.

I typed in White Balance and found the instructions. I was doing everything just as recommended, but the blinking pre was only viewable on the top LCD closest to the shutter release and not blinking on the big LCD on the back.

Tips Summary:

  • Use AUTO ISO. I keep it maxed to ISO 12800, but if needed, then adjust it to 25600 or even 51200
  • Use ExpoDisc for custom white balance. http://www.expoimaging.com/product-overview.php?cat_id=1
  • Use Slow Sync Flash–To avoid the background going completely black when using Flash.
  • Watch light direction–Move people to take advantage of the existing light on their faces.
  • Carry the camera manual on your smartphone
  • Use Wi-Fi and Camera App to post photos on social media while shooting.

Storytellers need a high Curiosity Quotient more than Intelligence Quotient

by Stanley LearyPhotography

Nikon D4, 14-24mm, ISO 1600, ƒ/6.3, 1/100

You may know about I.Q. [Intelligence Quotient] and E.Q. [Emotional Quotient], but there is a third C.Q. [Curiosity Quotient] that also plays into our success. I argue that the most important of these three for the entrepreneur and storyteller is C.Q.

C.Q. is the ultimate tool for producing simple solutions to complex problems. Curiosity is what a journalist does when they investigate a story and then distill it down to those digestible nuggets by their audience.

Albert Einstein famously said, “I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious.”

“People with high C.Q. are more curious and open to new experiences. They find novelty exciting and are quickly bored with routine. As a result, they tend to generate many more original ideas and are counter-conformists,” says Dr. Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic. He is an international authority in personality profiling and psychometric testing.

Last year, Thomas Friedman wrote an Op-Ed piece in the New York Times called It’s P.Q. and C.Q., as Well as I.Q. Friedman says, “…the skill required for every decent job is rising as is the necessity of lifelong learning… those with more P.Q. (passion quotient) and C.Q. (curiosity quotient) to leverage all the new digital tools not just to find a job, but to invent one or reinvent one, and not just to learn but to relearn for a lifetime.”

Did you know that for every job opening, three people are unemployed? When finding your dream job, this isn’t the best news for job seekers. However, this does present an opportunity: to create a job that doesn’t exist yet.

Seeing opportunity is a new way of thinking for those entering the job market today. Curiosity should lead the way all storytellers think. They must think about pitching ideas rather than waiting for editors to give them an assignment.

Fuji X-E2, 55-200mm, ISO 25600, ƒ/4.6, 1/60

Amy Toensing has been a regular contributor to National Geographic magazine for over a decade and was one of the keynote speakers for the Atlanta Photojournalism Seminar just a couple of weeks ago.

Listen to her in this interview:

Getting out of your comfort zone is what those with high C.Q. motivate daily. For example, Toensing shared how her curiosity about the artists who drew hieroglyphics on the rocks in Australia thousands of years ago had piqued her interest. So she started to ask questions, which led to a lifelong journey of a story about the Aborigines for National Geographic Magazine.

My mentor, Don Rutledge, talked about how photographers must approach their work like a child, asking, “Why is the sky blue?”

We are all born with curiosity. Curiosity causes us to use our senses to touch, smell, and explore the world. Unfortunately, sometimes adults discourage this curiosity. But without interest, there is little motivation to discover and explore. As a result, apathy can set in for us, and we can become depressed.

Curiosity is the key to learning. Curiosity also involves risk-taking.

If you find yourself in depression and apathy, maybe the key is rekindling your curiosity. So take some risks today, explore your world, and ask why.

Found my Kodak Master Photoguide

by Stanley LearyPhotography

Found this in the drawer today, and it took me down memory lane. What is it, you might ask?

Well, while this Kodak Master Photoguide has been gathering dust, the book’s insides are burned into my brain from years of using this book over and over to help me learn the principles of photography.

Here is what is on the first page of the book to tell you how to use it and what I did:

You can carry this Photoguide with you when you take pictures so it will be handy when you need it. It’s just the right size to fit in your pocket, purse, or camera bag. The Master Photoguide contains in compact form a great deal of information normally found in photo books. You’ll find it useful whether or not you have an exposure meter or an automatic camera. This Photoguide will help you set your camera for the correct exposure, select filters, use supplementary lenses for close-ups, determine depth of field and much more.
In addition, the Photoguide is especially helpful for planning purposes to show you in advance what the photographic requirements will be for the pictures you want to take.

The “Sunny 16 Rule” is on the Daylight Exposure Dial. I often used this dial because my earliest camera didn’t have a meter. You lined up your ISO with one of these:

  • Daylight or Hazy Sun
    • On light sand or snow
    • Average
  • Weak, Hazy Sun
  • Cloudy Bright
  • Heavy Overcast
  • Open Shade
On light sand or snow, dial your ISO, and the corresponding ƒ/16 would be the exposure, and the shutter speed would be the closest to 1/ISO.
 
 
I would often pull this little book out when planning a new adventure, find the tap, and then flip to the page. The text says, “the Photoguide is especially helpful for planning purposes.”
 
 
Click on the photo to see it larger.

Click on the photo above to see the existing light choices.

Click on the photo to see it larger.

The little book even helped you figure out your depth of field. Say you were to put a lens on the backboard in a basketball game. What ƒ-the number will you need to be sure the rim to the player’s faces is in focus. The calculator for depth of field would help you in planning. Back then, you would have to buy the proper ISO film for such a situation. The Kodak book helped you preplan.

Even planning on doing some macro work with extension tubes or bellows would help you figure out the proper exposure because we couldn’t take the photo and adjust immediately. Instead, you would have to go and process the film and then see the results.

For those of you starting, you need to know for most of us; we had to work at understanding the principles because the learning curve over time was longer with film. You didn’t click and look at an LCD to see your results. Sometimes it would be weeks after you got back from traveling for coverage for a month or so on the road.

While this book isn’t as necessary to the photographer’s bag, it is still relevant for those wanting to see principles of exposure on a dial. In addition, it is great for planning what you might need on your next assignment.

The best part is this book was like a cheat sheet for photography.

Fuji X-E2 helped me to capture memories in Hawaii

by Stanley LearyPhotography
 
Fuji X-E2, 18-55mm, ISO 1600, ƒ/3.2, 1/500

Back in June this year, I was in Hawaii teaching 30+ students who were going to travel the world using photography as a way to engage with people.

I had my Fuji X-E2 on me at all times. The Fuji X-E2 helped me to capture moments like this when, on the last night of the classes before they departed for Panama, Turkey, and Thailand, they captured moments with each other.

Fuji X-E2, 18-55mm, ISO 6400, ƒ/4, 1/500

While I also own the Fuji XF 55-200mm, I found many times that the 18-55mm inside was a long enough lens for many situations.

Fuji X-E2, 55-200mm, ISO 3200, ƒ/4.4, 1/500

I used the Fuji XF 55-200mm when I needed the longer lens as here with the people on the stage.

Fuji X-E2, 55-200mm, ISO 200, ƒ/5.6, 1/500

I also used it to compress the scene here in Kona, Hawaii. I love using the lenses with the OIS turned on because I usually hand-held these when making most photos.

Fuji X-E2, 18-55mm, ISO 6400, ƒ/3.6, 1/210

The dynamic range of the sensor is also excellent. Here you can see that the people are well exposed, but the curtains and the TV are good exposure. I was able to hold the details from the highlights to the shadows.

Fuji X-E2, 18-55mm, ISO 6400, ƒ/2.8, 1/6

This moment was my favorite photo from my entire trip. Getting this photo is just not going to happen with your smartphone. Again I am holding together from the exceptionally bright screens of the computers to the shadows of the chairs where they are sitting.

I love the Fuji X-E2 because it is small enough, yet I am not giving up the ability in low light that many other cameras do that are this small.