Category: Photography

The LCD: The Ides of March

by Stanley LearyPhotography

The LCD has become the best friend for way too many photographers. Today we are reminded to be aware of those closest to us. It wasn’t good for Julius Caesar — he got stabbed 23 times by his trusted friends on this day in 44 B.C.

Those who rely solely on the LCD will most likely die a terrible death when they pull these same incredible photos into their computer and enlarge them on their much larger computer screens.

There are a couple of things that the LCD will consistently let you down on, and you need to know what they are, or you will be burned.

Focus can appear sharp on the small LCD on the back of the camera. This is especially true if you never zoom in on the photo to check the image at 100%.

I can tell you from experience that even zooming in on the LCD may not be accurate regarding the final image.

Camera movement may not show up either on this small LCD.

Not seeing details on the camera’s LCD is why they have a computer on location on significant advertising photo shoots. They pull the images up on the larger screens so the creative and art directors can approve the photos.

What are you to do in the field?

Professional photographers have always used some benchmarks to set the camera for camera movement.

First, they consider the focal length lens they are using. Depending on the focal length as w ll, you should consider your shutter speed. For longer focal lengths, you will probably need faster shutter speeds. Without image stabilization, you are best to use a shutter speed denominator larger than the length. So, your ideal rate for a 200mm lens would be 1/250 for a good-quality photograph.

Today many people are shooting with long focal length lenses like 500mm and 800mm due to the popularity of those bridges. Bridge cameras fill the niche between the single-lens reflex cameras (SLRs) and the point-and-shoot camera.

The other thing affecting the focal length is crop factors due to the size of the smaller sensors.

You may need to shoot 1/2000 of a building just because of the focal length.

Nikon D4, ISO 12800, ƒ/5.6, 1/1250, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 with 1.4 converter

Second, you need to consider the movement of the subj ct. Athletes in sports are not standing still. My rule is to shoot sports whenever possible at 1/2 00. If you can shoot faster, you will increase the likelihood that the photo is razor sharp.

Do use the histogram on the  CD. It will help you. If it doesn’t look sharp on the LCD, it will only look worse when you enlarge the image.

Your LCD can help, but realize that you cannot depend on it to give 100% accuracy. Do zoom in on your images to check for sharpness, but know you may be close, but it could be sharper due to camera movement or focus.

Hopefully, you are now aware of the LCD being potential “The Ides of March” for the photographer.

Found my solution to sync Macbook Pro, iPad, and Android phones on Maverick OS

by Stanley LearyPhotography
I need all of these to sync in addition to another backup Macbook Pro [Fuji X-E2, 55-200mm, ISO 2000, ƒ/4, 1/500]

Having my email, contacts, and calendar on my Macbook Pro, iPad, and Android phone was at one time working, then Apple introduced Mavericks OS.

I learned from one of my clients that Microsoft Exchange works great doing this. I had an account with the client, and everything synced great, no matter which device I was on.
When Apple stopped supporting syncing of their calendar and Contacts with Outlook 2011 with their Mavericks OS, I had to find something.
The solution was simple, find an exchange hosting solution. Since I was already using Godaddy, I checked out their Office 365.
Watch the video here, and you will get a basic idea of what it does for you.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvK76H9olXM]

One more thing I am now doing that I could not do before using my backup Macbook Pro running Outlook. Now I can use my backup Macbook Pro without fear of screwing up my email, contacts, or calendar.

Since I already had an account with Godaddy, the additional cost was only $3.99 a month. So I went ahead and paid for two years for $95.

I use Outlook as my assistant. It keeps me organized.

Photographers: Daylight Savings Time—More Than Clocks

by Stanley LearyPhotography
Menu for resetting the Fujifilm X-E2

Saturday’s Headline—Daylight Saving Time: Set Your Clocks Ahead Tonight

Did you get all your clocks set forward? I know it usually takes a couple of weeks to remember all the watches around me.

One that many photographers forget is the ones on their cameras. So be sure you take the time today to adjust your camera’s clock.

My Nikon D4 lets you even set the Time Zone you are in. Using the Time Zone is excellent when traveling; you need to show the time zone you are shooting in.

Many people use this time each fall and spring to remind them to do more than change their clocks. Therefore, I recommend everyone add to the list of things to do around clock changes each spring and fall.

Every so often, here is something for photographers to check on, not something you must do all the time.

  1. Firmware Updates
    1. For your camera
    2. For your lenses
    3. For your flashes
  2. Software updates
Here are two links to check if you have a Nikon or Fujifilm camera.
The reason you want to get everything updated is to get the best performance out of your gear.

Fuji X-E2 with the XF 55-200mm is a great combination for shooting speakers

by Stanley LearyPhotography
Fuji X-E2 18-55mm, ISO 6400, ƒ/4.5, 1/90 photo by Greg Schneider

I spent much time talking to students and pros this past weekend. So many were asking for my advice on their career path. I ended up asking them many questions and hopefully helped some get better traction for their journey.

Fuji X-E2 55-200mm @ 200mm, ISO 6400, ƒ/4.8, 1/20

Here is Larry McCormick, a photojournalist for The Tennessean who was one of the speakers at the Southwestern Photojournalism Conference. He inspired us to love every assignment and treat every one of our subjects with honor, dignity, and respect.

Fuji X-E2 55-200mm @ 200mm, ISO 6400, ƒ/4.8, 1/10

James Gregg, Staff Photographer, San Diego Union-Tribune, was another speaker who walked us through many of his assignments. He is working predominately as a multimedia producer these days.

Fuji X-E2 55-200mm @ 200mm, ISO 6400, ƒ/4.8, 1/30

Greg Thompson, Sr Director, Corporate Communications, Chick-fil-A, challenged us to be more client and audience-focused. The story is not yours, it is the subjects, and you share it with an audience.

Fuji X-E2 55-200mm @ 200mm, ISO 6400, ƒ/4.8, 1/40

Ron Londen, Chief Creative Strategist, Journey Group, opened up the weekend by telling stories. First, he started with stories where he made mistakes. Then, he challenged us to connect with people and tell stories.

Fuji X-E2 55-200mm @ 60mm, ISO 6400, ƒ/4, 1/20

All weekend I shot with the new Fuji X-E2, and when the speakers were on, I mainly shot with the XF 55-200mm lens. I think it is incredibly sharp, and the image stabilization is the best I have ever used. Look at those shutter speeds shooting from the back of the room. Shooting zoomed to 200mm is the same as shooting with my Nikon full-frame camera with 300mm. These are all handheld and sharp.

Fuji X-E2 18-55mm, ISO 400, ƒ/2.8, 1/125

We did have some good Chick-fil-A sandwiches at the meeting, and the Cow visited. Most everyone was getting their photo made with the Cow.

Fuji X-E2 18-55mm, ISO 2000, ƒ/2.8, 1/500

I was capturing fun moments with everyone enjoying themselves.

Fuji X-E2 18-55mm, ISO 1600, ƒ/2.8, 1/500
Fuji X-E2 18-55mm, ISO 6400, ƒ/3.2, 1/480
Fuji X-E2 18-55mm, ISO 6400, ƒ/4, 1/210
Fuji X-E2 18-55mm, ISO 6400, ƒ/4, 1/170

Storytellers: Who’s Your Audience—NO REALLY!!!

by Stanley LearyPhotography
James Gregg, Staff Photographer, San Diego Union-Tribune [Fuji X-E2, XF 55-200mm, ISO 6400, ƒ/4.8, 1/10]

All photos from the Southwestern Photojournalism Conference

At every conference I attend today, I am passionate about “Storytelling” and “Giving a Voice to the Voiceless.”

I don’t think this is all that new, but what is new is the focus on moving from bullet lists on a PowerPoint presentation to telling a story instead.

We have always done this, but now we are more aware of the power of an authentic story.

However, with all this emphasis, I am still not feeling the stories that people are sharing. The reason I am not feeling it all that well is pretty simple. The storyteller forgot all about me.

I can tell they got lost in the story and the subject and forgot all about the audience.

I am sure there are many ways to connect with the audience, but let me talk about one that I believe is the most powerful way to connect your audience and subject in a truly engaging way.

Andrew Silk, lecturer at California Baptist University [Fuji X-E2, XF 18-55mm, ISO 6400, ƒ/3.2, 1/200]

Authenticity

Preaching to me turns me off, primarily lecturing about what I need to do.

Here are what I think are three elements you need in storytelling to engage an audience.

Tension—You need to have the audience asking the question about the outcome of the subject. The narrative of your story must incite the audience to want an answer. Many a screenwriter talks when an account is not moving you along that you need a “dead cat.” You are missing the tension, and then there is no need for the audience to need to read the story.

Unpredictable—I think of Disney’s latest movie, Frozen, and how the ending has a twist so different than all the other princess movies I have seen. This twist has people talking and loving this movie. As a visual storyteller, I sometimes use visuals to help create the unpredictable. The unpredictability should be full of suggestion, foreshadowing, and recall. Not gimmicky shots and tricks; instead, One should design the video to tell a story in a not predictably sequential way.

Personality—The salesperson sells himself before they can sell the product. The narrative must have a warm and inviting style, not boring and dull.

Mike Martin, pastor [Nikon D4, 14-24mm, ISO 2800, ƒ/10, 1/2000]

The last one on personality is often where the subject reveals their flaws. The best stories are where the main issue is flawed and not a perfect Barbie Doll or Ken Doll.

Too many people will go to a church revival, and the testimony of someone who had a terrible life moves them. They were on drugs, beaten, or even raped, and the power of their story about how awful their life was.

I often hear people say I wish I had a story like that. They even may jokingly say they wish they had a drug addiction. But, they feel like they don’t have an account because they don’t have a “dead cat” in their story.

I know of people who are the most attractive people you could imagine that appeared to have it all who attempted suicide. The key is not that they tried or thought of suicide, but the power of the story comes in the authenticity of why they thought their life was not worth living.

Giraffes at Fossil Rim Wildlife Center [Fuji X-E2, XF 55-200mm, ISO 200, ƒ/4.5, 1/200]

You see, they compared themselves to their siblings or someone else who had what they thought was a successful life. They maybe had older siblings that were star athletes or straight “A” students. In their eyes, they are a failure.

The key to this person telling their story is not in how bad they thought they had it; the power tells the story of how they are a broken vessel.

I think great leaders are the ones who do share a little of their humanity and do not try to appear that they have it all together.

Every person feels adequate. They all feel they are not as good as those around them at some level—even those who are the most successful in life struggle sometime during their day as missing the mark. Learn to connect to the audience on how this story you want to tell is similar to their account.

When we tap into the audience and where they are in life, we will have a better time engaging them in the story. Nonprofits can tell their story as long as they connect to the subject’s struggles and how the audience can make a difference. But to do this, they must establish how and why the subject cannot do it alone.

They must show how the audience can make a difference and connect the emotional part of the story to the message.

[Fuji X-E2, XF 18-55mm, ISO 6400, ƒ/7.1, 1/25]

Knowing more about the audience before you work on the story can help you find those emotional connections between the two. Appealing to an entrepreneur to help support microloans or even macro loans to help another entrepreneur achieve their dream changes the world. But, first, they must establish why they cannot get a traditional loan.

If your organization is struggling, I would guess that one of the primary reasons is they forgot about their audience.

Fuji X-E2 shots at the Southwestern Photojournalism Seminar

by Stanley LearyPhotography
Fuji X-E2, 18-55mm ISO 200, ƒ/5.6, 1/1300

These are all JPEGs right out of the camera from my time here in Fort Worth, Texas, at the Southwestern Photojournalism Conference.

Tonight was the start of the student workshop.

Fuji X-E2, 18-55mm ISO 6400, ƒ/5.6, 1/85

These are some photos of my friends trying out the Fuji X-E2. My friends Bob Carey and Ron Londen both had the X-E2 and had just bought the new X-T1 camera. Unfortunately, I have only been able to play with their cameras.

Fuji X-E2, 18-55mm ISO 6400, ƒ/5.6, 1/60

Enjoy the photos and see how great the camera does on Auto-White Balance and shooting JPEGs.

By the way, I also have a RAW file for each of these.

Fuji X-E2, 18-55mm ISO 6400, ƒ/2.8, 1/110
Fuji X-E2, 18-55mm ISO 6400, ƒ/2.8, 1/240
Fuji X-E2, 18-55mm ISO 6400, ƒ/3.2, 1/210
Fuji X-E2, 18-55mm ISO 6400, ƒ/3.6, 1/220
Fuji X-E2, 18-55mm ISO 6400, ƒ/3.2, 1/220
Fuji X-E2, 18-55mm ISO 6400, ƒ/3.2, 1/200
Fuji X-E2, 18-55mm ISO 6400, ƒ/3.2, 1/210
Fuji X-E2, 18-55mm ISO 6400, ƒ/2.8, 1/280
Fuji X-E2, 18-55mm ISO 6400, ƒ/4, 1/170
Fuji X-E2, 18-55mm ISO 6400, ƒ/2.8, 1/160
Fuji X-E2, 18-55mm ISO 6400, ƒ/2.8, 1/150

Fuji X-E2 is excellent for meetings

by Stanley LearyPhotography
 
Fuji X-E2, 18-55mm, ISO 4000, ƒ/3.2, 1/500

I am on my feet for the second day of a four-day meeting. The day starts around 6 am and goes past midnight every day.

Walking around from place to place with gear for this many hours can take its toll on you.

Fuji X-E2, 18-55mm, ISO 6400, ƒ/4, 1/105

The Fujifilm X-E2 holds together the dynamic range I regularly see at this meeting. I love the color and the detail it captures.

Fuji X-E2, 18-55mm, ISO 2000, ƒ/4, 1/500

I only regret this meeting because I only have one Fuji X-E2. If I had two, I could run around with just two lenses and get everything I needed with the cameras. I would keep the 18-55mm on one camera and the 55-200mm on the second camera.

Of course, the only downside I see with the camera compared to my Nikon D4 cameras for this event is the battery life. So, I am going through about three batteries a day.

The best part of carrying the cameras all day long would be the simple fact of the weight and size. I feel so much better if I all had two cameras and two primary lenses. As soon as the 10-24mm comes out, I would add this to the other two and have everything I need to cover meetings.

Photographers: How to turn a “Cold Call” into a “Warm Welcome.”

by Stanley LearyPhotography

No matter if you are using a phone or meeting someone in person who you do not know, you are “Cold Calling.” If you play it right, this could be a “Warm Welcome.”

COLD CALLING is the sales process of approaching prospective customers or clients—typically via telephone, by email or through making a connection on a social network—who were not expecting such an interaction. The word “cold” is used because the person receiving the call is not expecting a call or has not specifically asked to be contacted by a sales person. A cold call is usually the start of a sales process generally known as telemarketing.

WARM WELCOME is a hearty, hospitable reception or greeting, as in We got a very warm welcome when we finally arrived.

My friend and I have met with a few photographers struggling these days. Today we had lunch with another newspaper photographer who lost their job. Sadly this is happening a lot these days.

First, this feels like crap for anyone going through this, and I have been through it two times. From the get-go, we wanted to let the person know that this has nothing to do with their skills but was most likely a numbers game. When that happens, you often will see some folks who kept their jobs while you lost yours, and it is hard to see the logic.

The great thing about these photographers is they are taking their time to asses their situation. They are also not sitting still either. This photographer had already created categories he will put on his website later. Personally, this photographer’s work was excellent. I wish I had all those images in my portfolio.

The photographer had some names of folks he was going to call. The plan is excellent that he had a portfolio just moments from being on his website and had some contacts already.

My friend and I had about 70 years of experience. However, this tip we shared with him didn’t exist for us until later in our careers.

What to avoid

The surest way to hit a dead end with a potential client is to ask them questions that are simple “Yes” or “No” answers.

Do you have any photography jobs that I can do? The answer is “Yes” or “No.”

What to do

Ask open-ended questions, more about the person and less about you and your photography. For example, someone just laid off can call someone and ask if they would meet with them. They explain that they were just laid off and would like to pick their brain.

Ask questions from your experience. If you could go back and start over, what would you recommend to someone like me? People like being asked for their expertise and will most likely talk to you.

Asking them for guidance and suggestions creates a sense of you seeking advice which is much different than asking for a job.

Some of the best folks to talk to are those who also went through a layoff. Surprisingly you will find many folks have been through this before. Most have a great deal of empathy and will offer some words of their wisdom.

Ask them before you leave if there is someone else that they recommend you talk to that could help them. Also, ask if they tell the new person that they referred them; most of the time, they will, which will help you get that next appointment.

Asking someone to look through your work and recommend how they might arrange it is a great way to get your work seen and keep the dialogue open with them.

You are starting a relationship.

It is much easier to follow up with them and say you listened to them and took their advice. You have done some things, and I wanted to review the changes you have made with you. Again, no need to ask for work.

The best advice I could ever give here is a simple observation. Those who are genuinely interested in building lasting relationships with people and not just using them are the ones who are the most successful in life.

If you ask for all this advice and never follow up to show the person how you listened and would like them to see what you have done, they know you were there only for a job and not a relationship.

Tom Kennedy, the director of photography at the time for National Geographic, had Don Rutledge, my mentor, contact him and ask to take him to lunch. Don continued to stop by every few months and enjoy lunch with Tom. Tom would also do the same thing with Don after a while.

One day Tom asked Don why Don had never asked for work from Tom. Tom then said that Don was the only photographer he had ever met that ever done this. Tom discovered that Don was genuinely interested in just having a friend.

Many people through the years had done the same to Don that photographers had done with Tom. They were not interested in a friendship; they just wanted a job.

My long-term goal for my career is to one day work with my friends. Guess what–that day is now for me. The reason is I did want a relationship with people and not just their money.

12 week photography workshop for those who believe photography to be a calling

by Stanley LearyPhotography / workshops

Dennis Fahringer has been leading a photography program in Kona, Hawaii for more than 25 years. I first heard of the program back in the 1980’s from my friend and mentor Don Rutledge.

Don was leaving on a trip to do work in Hawaii and at the time Don worked for the International Mission Board for the Southern Baptist. I joked with Don and asked what Hawaii had to do with international missions since it was a state.

This is when Don told me he was just teaching at the Youth With A Mission’s University of the Nations campus in Kona, Hawaii.

Dennis Fahringer teaching in SOP 1 [Fuji X-E2, 55-200mm, ISO 6400, ƒ4.8, 1/250]

Some of the past guest speakers that Dennis brings in for every class have included Gary S Chapman, Louis Deluca, Joanna Pinneo, Don Rutledge, Patrick Murphy-Racey, Gary Russ, Anacleto Rapping, Ron Londen and many, many more.

Most of the students are just starting out. The ages range in the class from 17 to 69 for the class I am presently teaching. Most of the classes I have taught the majority are from 18 to 30.

Fuji X-E2, 18-55mm, ISO 6400, ƒ/6.4, 1/25

Dennis has collected a large selection of books and videos for the students.

Dennis shares with his students many of his notes he has collected through the years on photography using Evernote app.  Dennis has shared some 3,700+ notes with the class that he has in Evernote: just short of 30,000(!) Just this alone is worth the price of admission.

If you are really wanting an intense photography program for twelve weeks then this is it. Before you can take this class you must do a DTS.  This is a 12 weeks lecture phase, plus 10-12 weeks outreach phase, thus 6 months total.  This is a Discipleship Training School where for part of your time will be a cross cultural experience. Many of these DTS groups go all over the world.

In my present class we have nine different nations represented. Those perspectives are great when learning photography.

Here is the YWAM Kona webpage for you to learn more about the program here.

Many who take the class go into business as photographers, other may use this in missions and even some just keep it as a hobby.

Why travel with other photographers and a pro?

by Stanley LearyPhotography
 
Fuji X-E2, 18-55mm, ISO 200, ƒ/9, 20 sec

If you want to be a better tennis player, you play with better players. If you want to grow as a photographer, then surround yourself with other photographers and better photographers.

Fuji X-E2, 18-55mm, ISO 400, ƒ/7.1, 1/640

This past weekend I traveled around The Big Island of Hawaii with 8 of the 16 students in the School of Photography class at Youth With A Mission. We were sightseeing together some of the sights of the Island.

The top photo is of the Volcano National Park during the evening. Here most of us were using tripods. This advantage was that you could see each other’s work and ask what they were doing. Again, this helped people learn how to capture such a problematic situation.

Fuji X-E2, 18-55mm, ISO 400, ƒ/6.4, 1/500

Now when you are on these trips, take the time to find those who are better than you or at least have more experience. Ask them questions and learn what you can.

 
 
Fuji X-E2, 18-55mm, ISO 5000, ƒ/11, 1/500

Karen Walker is one of the students in the workshop I am teaching this week. She would find me and ask great questions. “What are you looking for here?” might be one of the questions Karen would ask. She was just a sponge and sought me out as much as possible.

She then wanted to be sure she wasn’t annoying. So I told her this is why I am here to help teach.

Fuji X-E2, 55-200mm, ISO 200, ƒ/5, 1.1 sec
Fuji X-E2, 18-55mm, ISO 200, ƒ/5.6, 2.3 sec
Fuji X-E2, 18-55mm, ISO 200, ƒ/5.6, 5 sec

What surprised me was how many students never asked me a question about photography. Every year this happens. I come as a visiting guest speaker, but the students often will not take advantage of my presence to grab me and ask questions.

My recommendations:

  • Find a group to do some photography
  • Find a professional to take a class with
  • Ask questions beyond the lecture time
Remember, why take a class in person or buy a video if you don’t ask questions? Take advantage of the instructors and people around you. Ask why they are doing what they are doing. Ask how they are getting the photo. Clarify how they knew to do that. Sometimes they don’t know, and if it was just luck.
 
You learn from being engaged with others.

Winter Storm and Epic Traffic for Metro Atlanta 2014

by Stanley LearyPhotography

Winter Storm and Epic Traffic of 2014
[X-E2, XF18-55mmF2.8-4 R LM OIS, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 6400, 1/12, ƒ/5.6, (35mm = 27)]

Note: All photos were shot on the Fuji X-E2 and while I was sitting still I would use the Wifi connection and upload these to my Facebook page.

While many people want to judge the south as not knowing how to handle snow, this was not just a snow storm. The main reason for the traffic standing still in the south is the ice.

In the photo above you can see the ice all over this semi-truck and on the road. this is on Georgia 400 around exit 7a.  The truck continued to spin its wheels and slide toward me.

Fuji X-E2, 18-55mm, ISO 6400, ƒ/5.6, 1/15

The guy in the red KIA Sportage was spinning his wheels so much that if he did get traction would have rammed the people in front of him.  Most of the cars with front wheel drive and good tires were moving slowly and taking their time. The front wheels had enough weight from the engines to keep traction.

My trip started with excitement.

Fuji X-E2, 18-55mm, ISO 320, ƒ/5, 1/500 TIME 12:51 pm

I was doing some work down at Chick-fil-A’s corporate office. As I went out the door at 12:50 pm I took a photo of their billboard that is on their tour. Many people get up on the platform and get their photo taken with the cows.

Fuji X-E2, 18-55mm, ISO 800, ƒ/5, 1/500 TIME 12:51 pm

Many people also like to have their photo taken with Truett Cathy, the statue that is. If he is at the office he will meet with folks in his office. Well as you can see the cows and Truett had a light dusting of snow.

Fuji X-E2, 18-55mm, ISO 1000, ƒ/5.6, 1/500 TIME 12:54 pm

As soon as I drove out the the parking deck and got on the road I called the office and told them to leave now.  The roads already were slick. I could tell the snow was melting and turning to ice almost instantaneous.

Fuji X-E2, 18-55mm, ISO 6400, ƒ/5.6, 1/80 TIME 15:03 pm

This firetruck is going in the opposite direction to get to wrecks.  This was about halfway through my 11 hour commute.

Fuji X-E2, 18-55mm, ISO 6400, ƒ/5.6, 1/8 TIME 8:48 pm

I am assuming the sign had some lights burned out, but this should say:

JACKKNIFED TRUCK  

PAST HAYNES BRIDGE 

ALL LANES BLOCKED

Fuji X-E2, 18-55mm, ISO 6400, ƒ/5.6, 1/8 TIME 10:45 pm

This photo here is on Holcomb Bridge Road, Roswell between Old Roswell Road and Warsaw Road at 10:45 pm or less than 1.5 miles from my house. It would take me another hour and half to drive that. When I approached Alpharetta Hwy I knew the road would go down a hill and back up. Knowing this was where most problems would be for vehicles, I turned right and no traffic at all for me to go north to Houze Way and take that road through the back of our neighborhood.

I got home at 12:05 am today. There is now color back in my knuckles from them gripping the steering wheel for 11 hours.  Seeing a semi-truck sliding towards you and you cannot do anything is enough to give someone a cardiac arrest.  Thankfully all those trips to the gym are paying off.

Fuji X-E2, 18-55mm, ISO 6400, ƒ/8, 1/500 TIME 9:10 am

Sitting at home now enjoying my coffee and I can say relaxing as I see this out my front door. There are still many people still on the road stuck until the ice either melts away or DOT clears the roads.

Keep those affected in your prayers until the roads are all cleared.

The use of color is essential to the overall look of a project.

by Stanley LearyPhotography

If you want your portfolio to go to a new level, maybe you should pay attention to color pallets [color schemes].

One thing that sets professional work apart from home videos is control of the color scheme. The color scheme is simply the collection of colors in the film or video: the clothes, the backgrounds, the props, the makeup, the locations, etc.

Deciding on a color palette before you shoot and sticking to it in production will work wonders for the production value of your project.

When you dress daily, you coordinate your outfits, or at least I hope you do, so they work together. For example, when you go to the office, you may have a color pallet that is quite different from what you might wear if you go to the town at night to a theater or clubbing.

You are creating a mood around you just by what you wear. Now, if you were in control of more than just your clothes, you could impact people’s attitudes as they come into contact with you. But unfortunately, this is what Hollywood does for the big screen and TV.

Besides using music to create a mood, they use color pallets. For example, watch this clip from Parenthood. See how close I came to picking the color pallet below it for what colors you see in each scene. Pay attention to the floors, walls, outside-the-window colors, and what each actor is wearing, and you will notice every little color is part of a theme.

When Hollywood goes back in time, I noticed they like to use a lot of blue. Take a look at the Lincoln movie trailer. See the colors below and see how close these match.

https://youtu.be/qiSAbAuLhqs

Another TV show that exaggerates the color palette is CSI Miami.

If you want to see a large selection of color pallets like above, go to https://kuler.adobe.com Click on Explore to see all types of themes, and they will even let you sort them from the most popular.

Traveling worldwide, I find specific locations with a more consistent color pallet, as in this photo from West Africa. I guess that when they make many of their clothes, they use the natural colors they can find, whereas, in the US, we import from all over the world, making things more eclectic.

In this scene above, it is like Hollywood coordinated the color pallet, but what is happening in Hollywood knows that they are just duplicating natural settings.

The most significant difference between what Hollywood is doing and what we might find in everyday life is being sure they control where the subject’s eyes go in a scene. For example, if one person walked into a set and was not part of the color pallet and everyone else was, then your eye goes to them immediately.

For example, the purple shirt is so different that your eye goes to that person.

In the photo of the two boys, they are both wearing blue, and the blue is also on the wall and the floor. Then you have the green and a touch of red in the boy’s pants, base, and flowers. So we have three colors in this photo that play off each other. Interior designers try to use three colors when decorating and what Hollywood does to help create a mood.

Sometimes you have to move a step to the right or left to recompose a photograph; that will help simplify the color pallet and make the photo stronger.

A color pallet is why going to the home of a family you plan to do a family portrait of and help pick out all the clothes and location before you show up later to do the shoot. If you do, you are managing the color pallet, which will make for a better photo.

The use of color is essential to the overall look of a project; like most other things, although the viewer may not be discussing the color palette after watching your work, you can rest assured that the color scheme – or lack thereof – most certainly affected their perception of it. For example, in big-budget Hollywood movies, a lot of attention is given to the color of even the finest detail, and with good reason!