Tip of the Month
Take our
Digital Complete Nature Photo Course
June 2012
We've been running our Digital Complete Nature Photo Course, or its predecessor, the Complete NPC, for over twenty years. When digital came about, I worried that with the ease of looking at a histogram and a 'finished product' on a camera's LCD monitor, my services, via the CNPC, would not be needed. We built our digital lab so that we could jump into the Photoshop world, teaching that program if, or when, photography skills were no longer necessary. I needn't have bothered.
Ten years into the digital age we're finding the D CNPC as relevant now as it ever was, as the basics of photography simply have not changed. In fact, what we have found is that photographers who were once competent shooters now felt that they had lost their skills over the years as they increasing relied on a camera's automatic features. Eventually, they came to the realization that they were now less a shooter than they were before, and they were ready to get back into photography and so they take our course.
Honestly, I think the idea of this Tip came about because of the comment of one of our participants who had just attended one year of photography school, and several months of an on-line course from a well-known school. The comment was that the photographer learned more on the first day of the D CNPC than the photographer had learned in the year of schooling, or from the on-line course. While that had to be something of an exaggeration, it may not have been by much.
On our last trip to Antarctica, I was stunned, absolutely stunned, when one of the co-leaders on the trip addressed an exposure dilemna in the most shocking way. We were photographing black-browed albatrosses flying around a sea cliff. The albatrosses have blackish wings but a white head, tail, and underbelly, and the birds were flying in front of a black cliff, as the rocks were in deep shade.
This photographer was shooting on Aperture Priority, and he had adjusted his exposure to compensate for the bird against a dark background. Most likely, this required placing exposure compensation down to a negative, like -1 or -1.7, as the dark background would cause a meter to overexpose the bird. Once this is done, and an LCD monitor and histogram consulted, a great exposure for those conditions can be expected.
However, the albatrosses not only flew in front of the black sea cliff but also flew out across the open sea where, frequently, the birds were framed against a sparkling sea where spectular highlights from the sun would influence an Aperture Priority exposure. I asked the photographer what he did when the birds flew into those areas and his answer was .....
"I don't shoot it then." This, from a really, really good shooter! But on Aperture Priority, he realized that it was impractical or impossible to adjust an exposure compensation fast enough as a bird flew from a black background to a bright background. However, had he used Manual Mode, he would have had the same exposure for the bird -- the important aspect of the scene -- regardless of the background.
On a previous trip, I had a similar conversation with another pro and Aperture Priority advocate. He was giving me a friendly hard-time about my antiquated advocation of manual mode, so I asked him what he did with birds like this petrel that, one second, is flying low and against the sea and the next second may have sailed high and would be framed against a bright sky. On Aperture Priority the exposures would vary widely, as the black sea would bias an exposure one way and a bright sky would bias the exposure in the opposite direction. His answer was not quite honest, I felt, as he said he would instantly adjust using the exposure compensation dial, adjusting as a bird flips and darts and soars, so fast that even getting it within the frame, and then in focus, is a real challenge. I think the other pro was far more sincere when he said he just doesn't shoot when that happens.
I am not trying to bash any professional as both these guys are great shooters, but they are hampered by now relying on a program mode that has disadvantages. On our D CNPC we teach manual exposure, where these types of photographs can be made without worry by using techneques that work. No tricks, no bracketing, just sound logic, repeatable methodologies that mimick the scientific method, in that a procedure can be repeated and the results anticipated to be the same each time, and they are.
Additionally people learn TTL flash, and learn how flash works, and how to control light, both flash and ambient light, like they never believed possible. There is more, of course, including workflow, the RAW converter, and understanding Layers and Masking in Photoshop.
We have one more course next summer, July 14-20, 2013, but we'll probably offer two next summer if our travel schedule permits it. We'll certainly have one, but if you can fit in this year's course, there's is no better time than right now -- get it done, and get it done right!
For some more motivation, check our June 2012 participants' best images from our weeklong shooting assignment.
Previous Tips, July 2009 onward
GPS and Home Security
Range IR Camera Remote
Gitzo Monopod 5561T Monopod
Easy Macro with Extension Tubes and Zoom Lenses
FotoSharp Camou Rain Covers
Canon 17mm T/S Lens
Locking Button for the Canon 7D
NIK HDR Program
Silver Efex Pro for Black and White Images
Beware the DELL Software Solution Rip Off
How and What We Pack for Trips
Canon Digital Learning Center
The Movie Mode with the Canon Mark IV
Batch Renaming in Bridge and CS5
Alternate Uses of some Bogen Products
Hoodman Products
Using High ISO and Live View for Focusing in Dim Light
Art Print Scams for Hungry Photographers
Hungry Vultures ruin vehicles in the Everglades
Use a Short Lens for Depth of Field
Get Professional Help!
Mini-Molar Bag
Access America Trip Insurance
Bogen Base for Macro Work
Archived Tips of the Month
prior to July 2009
Most of my original Tips of the Month for the last several
years are available through this link. The 'look' is from my
original web site, although if I ever have enough time I might redo these pages to match the new web site But that's not a high priority.
Check out our latest website,
mcdonaldwildlifephotos.com
where we'll be adding portfolios and eventually building up
a searchable data base for photo buyers. We've just started,
and the selection is limited, but it is still worth a visit!
Office Phone: (717) 543-6423
Or FAX us at: (717) 543-5342
Previous Tips, July 2009 onward
Extension Tubes and Zoom Lenses for easy Macro
FotoSharp Camou Rain Covers
Canon 17mm T/S Lens
Locking Button for the Canon 7D
NIK HDR Program
Silver Efex Pro for Black and White Images
Beware the DELL Software Solution Rip Off
How and What We Pack for Trips
Canon Digital Learning Center
The Movie Mode with the Canon Mark IV
Batch Renaming in Bridge and CS5
Alternate Uses of some Bogen Products
Hoodman Products
Using High ISO and Live View for Focusing in Dim Light
Art Print Scams for Hungry Photographers
Hungry Vultures ruin vehicles in the Everglades
Use a Short Lens for Depth of Field
Get Professional Help!
Mini-Molar Bag
Access America Trip Insurance
Bogen Base for Macro Work
Archived Tips of the Month
prior to July 2009
Most of my original Tips of the Month for the last several
years are available through this link. The 'look' is from my
original web site, although if I ever have enough time I might redo these pages to match the new web site But that's not a high priority.
Tip of the Month
Take our
Digital Complete Nature Photo Course
June 2012
We've been running our Digital Complete Nature Photo Course, or its predecessor, the Complete NPC, for over twenty years. When digital came about, I worried that with the ease of looking at a histogram and a 'finished product' on a camera's LCD monitor, my services, via the CNPC, would not be needed. We built our digital lab so that we could jump into the Photoshop world, teaching that program if, or when, photography skills were no longer necessary. I needn't have bothered.
Ten years into the digital age we're finding the D CNPC as relevant now as it ever was, as the basics of photography simply have not changed. In fact, what we have found is that photographers who were once competent shooters now felt that they had lost their skills over the years as they increasing relied on a camera's automatic features. Eventually, they came to the realization that they were now less a shooter than they were before, and they were ready to get back into photography and so they take our course.
Honestly, I think the idea of this Tip came about because of the comment of one of our participants who had just attended one year of photography school, and several months of an on-line course from a well-known school. The comment was that the photographer learned more on the first day of the D CNPC than the photographer had learned in the year of schooling, or from the on-line course. While that had to be something of an exaggeration, it may not have been by much.
On our last trip to Antarctica, I was stunned, absolutely stunned, when one of the co-leaders on the trip addressed an exposure dilemna in the most shocking way. We were photographing black-browed albatrosses flying around a sea cliff. The albatrosses have blackish wings but a white head, tail, and underbelly, and the birds were flying in front of a black cliff, as the rocks were in deep shade.
This photographer was shooting on Aperture Priority, and he had adjusted his exposure to compensate for the bird against a dark background. Most likely, this required placing exposure compensation down to a negative, like -1 or -1.7, as the dark background would cause a meter to overexpose the bird. Once this is done, and an LCD monitor and histogram consulted, a great exposure for those conditions can be expected.
However, the albatrosses not only flew in front of the black sea cliff but also flew out across the open sea where, frequently, the birds were framed against a sparkling sea where spectular highlights from the sun would influence an Aperture Priority exposure. I asked the photographer what he did when the birds flew into those areas and his answer was .....
"I don't shoot it then." This, from a really, really good shooter! But on Aperture Priority, he realized that it was impractical or impossible to adjust an exposure compensation fast enough as a bird flew from a black background to a bright background. However, had he used Manual Mode, he would have had the same exposure for the bird -- the important aspect of the scene -- regardless of the background.
On a previous trip, I had a similar conversation with another pro and Aperture Priority advocate. He was giving me a friendly hard-time about my antiquated advocation of manual mode, so I asked him what he did with birds like this petrel that, one second, is flying low and against the sea and the next second may have sailed high and would be framed against a bright sky. On Aperture Priority the exposures would vary widely, as the black sea would bias an exposure one way and a bright sky would bias the exposure in the opposite direction. His answer was not quite honest, I felt, as he said he would instantly adjust using the exposure compensation dial, adjusting as a bird flips and darts and soars, so fast that even getting it within the frame, and then in focus, is a real challenge. I think the other pro was far more sincere when he said he just doesn't shoot when that happens.
I am not trying to bash any professional as both these guys are great shooters, but they are hampered by now relying on a program mode that has disadvantages. On our D CNPC we teach manual exposure, where these types of photographs can be made without worry by using techneques that work. No tricks, no bracketing, just sound logic, repeatable methodologies that mimick the scientific method, in that a procedure can be repeated and the results anticipated to be the same each time, and they are.
Additionally people learn TTL flash, and learn how flash works, and how to control light, both flash and ambient light, like they never believed possible. There is more, of course, including workflow, the RAW converter, and understanding Layers and Masking in Photoshop.
We have one more course next summer, July 14-20, 2013, but we'll probably offer two next summer if our travel schedule permits it. We'll certainly have one, but if you can fit in this year's course, there's is no better time than right now -- get it done, and get it done right!
For some more motivation, check our June 2012 participants' best images from our weeklong shooting assignment.
Previous Tips, July 2009 onward
GPS and Home Security
Range IR Camera Remote
Gitzo Monopod 5561T Monopod
Easy Macro with Extension Tubes and Zoom Lenses
FotoSharp Camou Rain Covers
Canon 17mm T/S Lens
Locking Button for the Canon 7D
NIK HDR Program
Silver Efex Pro for Black and White Images
Beware the DELL Software Solution Rip Off
How and What We Pack for Trips
Canon Digital Learning Center
The Movie Mode with the Canon Mark IV
Batch Renaming in Bridge and CS5
Alternate Uses of some Bogen Products
Hoodman Products
Using High ISO and Live View for Focusing in Dim Light
Art Print Scams for Hungry Photographers
Hungry Vultures ruin vehicles in the Everglades
Use a Short Lens for Depth of Field
Get Professional Help!
Mini-Molar Bag
Access America Trip Insurance
Bogen Base for Macro Work
Archived Tips of the Month
prior to July 2009
Most of my original Tips of the Month for the last several
years are available through this link. The 'look' is from my
original web site, although if I ever have enough time I might redo these pages to match the new web site But that's not a high priority.
Check out our latest website,
mcdonaldwildlifephotos.com
where we'll be adding portfolios and eventually building up
a searchable data base for photo buyers. We've just started,
and the selection is limited, but it is still worth a visit!
Office Phone: (717) 543-6423
Or FAX us at: (717) 543-5342
Previous Tips, July 2009 onward
Extension Tubes and Zoom Lenses for easy Macro
FotoSharp Camou Rain Covers
Canon 17mm T/S Lens
Locking Button for the Canon 7D
NIK HDR Program
Silver Efex Pro for Black and White Images
Beware the DELL Software Solution Rip Off
How and What We Pack for Trips
Canon Digital Learning Center
The Movie Mode with the Canon Mark IV
Batch Renaming in Bridge and CS5
Alternate Uses of some Bogen Products
Hoodman Products
Using High ISO and Live View for Focusing in Dim Light
Art Print Scams for Hungry Photographers
Hungry Vultures ruin vehicles in the Everglades
Use a Short Lens for Depth of Field
Get Professional Help!
Mini-Molar Bag
Access America Trip Insurance
Bogen Base for Macro Work
Archived Tips of the Month
prior to July 2009
Most of my original Tips of the Month for the last several
years are available through this link. The 'look' is from my
original web site, although if I ever have enough time I might redo these pages to match the new web site But that's not a high priority.
Tip of the Month
Take our
Digital Complete Nature Photo Course
June 2012
We've been running our Digital Complete Nature Photo Course, or its predecessor, the Complete NPC, for over twenty years. When digital came about, I worried that with the ease of looking at a histogram and a 'finished product' on a camera's LCD monitor, my services, via the CNPC, would not be needed. We built our digital lab so that we could jump into the Photoshop world, teaching that program if, or when, photography skills were no longer necessary. I needn't have bothered.
Ten years into the digital age we're finding the D CNPC as relevant now as it ever was, as the basics of photography simply have not changed. In fact, what we have found is that photographers who were once competent shooters now felt that they had lost their skills over the years as they increasing relied on a camera's automatic features. Eventually, they came to the realization that they were now less a shooter than they were before, and they were ready to get back into photography and so they take our course.
Honestly, I think the idea of this Tip came about because of the comment of one of our participants who had just attended one year of photography school, and several months of an on-line course from a well-known school. The comment was that the photographer learned more on the first day of the D CNPC than the photographer had learned in the year of schooling, or from the on-line course. While that had to be something of an exaggeration, it may not have been by much.
On our last trip to Antarctica, I was stunned, absolutely stunned, when one of the co-leaders on the trip addressed an exposure dilemna in the most shocking way. We were photographing black-browed albatrosses flying around a sea cliff. The albatrosses have blackish wings but a white head, tail, and underbelly, and the birds were flying in front of a black cliff, as the rocks were in deep shade.
This photographer was shooting on Aperture Priority, and he had adjusted his exposure to compensate for the bird against a dark background. Most likely, this required placing exposure compensation down to a negative, like -1 or -1.7, as the dark background would cause a meter to overexpose the bird. Once this is done, and an LCD monitor and histogram consulted, a great exposure for those conditions can be expected.
However, the albatrosses not only flew in front of the black sea cliff but also flew out across the open sea where, frequently, the birds were framed against a sparkling sea where spectular highlights from the sun would influence an Aperture Priority exposure. I asked the photographer what he did when the birds flew into those areas and his answer was .....
"I don't shoot it then." This, from a really, really good shooter! But on Aperture Priority, he realized that it was impractical or impossible to adjust an exposure compensation fast enough as a bird flew from a black background to a bright background. However, had he used Manual Mode, he would have had the same exposure for the bird -- the important aspect of the scene -- regardless of the background.
On a previous trip, I had a similar conversation with another pro and Aperture Priority advocate. He was giving me a friendly hard-time about my antiquated advocation of manual mode, so I asked him what he did with birds like this petrel that, one second, is flying low and against the sea and the next second may have sailed high and would be framed against a bright sky. On Aperture Priority the exposures would vary widely, as the black sea would bias an exposure one way and a bright sky would bias the exposure in the opposite direction. His answer was not quite honest, I felt, as he said he would instantly adjust using the exposure compensation dial, adjusting as a bird flips and darts and soars, so fast that even getting it within the frame, and then in focus, is a real challenge. I think the other pro was far more sincere when he said he just doesn't shoot when that happens.
I am not trying to bash any professional as both these guys are great shooters, but they are hampered by now relying on a program mode that has disadvantages. On our D CNPC we teach manual exposure, where these types of photographs can be made without worry by using techneques that work. No tricks, no bracketing, just sound logic, repeatable methodologies that mimick the scientific method, in that a procedure can be repeated and the results anticipated to be the same each time, and they are.
Additionally people learn TTL flash, and learn how flash works, and how to control light, both flash and ambient light, like they never believed possible. There is more, of course, including workflow, the RAW converter, and understanding Layers and Masking in Photoshop.
We have one more course next summer, July 14-20, 2013, but we'll probably offer two next summer if our travel schedule permits it. We'll certainly have one, but if you can fit in this year's course, there's is no better time than right now -- get it done, and get it done right!
For some more motivation, check our June 2012 participants' best images from our weeklong shooting assignment.
Previous Tips, July 2009 onward
GPS and Home Security
Range IR Camera Remote
Gitzo Monopod 5561T Monopod
Easy Macro with Extension Tubes and Zoom Lenses
FotoSharp Camou Rain Covers
Canon 17mm T/S Lens
Locking Button for the Canon 7D
NIK HDR Program
Silver Efex Pro for Black and White Images
Beware the DELL Software Solution Rip Off
How and What We Pack for Trips
Canon Digital Learning Center
The Movie Mode with the Canon Mark IV
Batch Renaming in Bridge and CS5
Alternate Uses of some Bogen Products
Hoodman Products
Using High ISO and Live View for Focusing in Dim Light
Art Print Scams for Hungry Photographers
Hungry Vultures ruin vehicles in the Everglades
Use a Short Lens for Depth of Field
Get Professional Help!
Mini-Molar Bag
Access America Trip Insurance
Bogen Base for Macro Work
Archived Tips of the Month
prior to July 2009
Most of my original Tips of the Month for the last several
years are available through this link. The 'look' is from my
original web site, although if I ever have enough time I might redo these pages to match the new web site But that's not a high priority.
Check out our latest website,
mcdonaldwildlifephotos.com
where we'll be adding portfolios and eventually building up
a searchable data base for photo buyers. We've just started,
and the selection is limited, but it is still worth a visit!
Office Phone: (717) 543-6423
Or FAX us at: (717) 543-5342
Previous Tips, July 2009 onward
Extension Tubes and Zoom Lenses for easy Macro
FotoSharp Camou Rain Covers
Canon 17mm T/S Lens
Locking Button for the Canon 7D
NIK HDR Program
Silver Efex Pro for Black and White Images
Beware the DELL Software Solution Rip Off
How and What We Pack for Trips
Canon Digital Learning Center
The Movie Mode with the Canon Mark IV
Batch Renaming in Bridge and CS5
Alternate Uses of some Bogen Products
Hoodman Products
Using High ISO and Live View for Focusing in Dim Light
Art Print Scams for Hungry Photographers
Hungry Vultures ruin vehicles in the Everglades
Use a Short Lens for Depth of Field
Get Professional Help!
Mini-Molar Bag
Access America Trip Insurance
Bogen Base for Macro Work
Archived Tips of the Month
prior to July 2009
Most of my original Tips of the Month for the last several
years are available through this link. The 'look' is from my
original web site, although if I ever have enough time I might redo these pages to match the new web site But that's not a high priority.
Tip of the Month
Take our
Digital Complete Nature Photo Course
June 2012
We've been running our Digital Complete Nature Photo Course, or its predecessor, the Complete NPC, for over twenty years. When digital came about, I worried that with the ease of looking at a histogram and a 'finished product' on a camera's LCD monitor, my services, via the CNPC, would not be needed. We built our digital lab so that we could jump into the Photoshop world, teaching that program if, or when, photography skills were no longer necessary. I needn't have bothered.
Ten years into the digital age we're finding the D CNPC as relevant now as it ever was, as the basics of photography simply have not changed. In fact, what we have found is that photographers who were once competent shooters now felt that they had lost their skills over the years as they increasing relied on a camera's automatic features. Eventually, they came to the realization that they were now less a shooter than they were before, and they were ready to get back into photography and so they take our course.
Honestly, I think the idea of this Tip came about because of the comment of one of our participants who had just attended one year of photography school, and several months of an on-line course from a well-known school. The comment was that the photographer learned more on the first day of the D CNPC than the photographer had learned in the year of schooling, or from the on-line course. While that had to be something of an exaggeration, it may not have been by much.
On our last trip to Antarctica, I was stunned, absolutely stunned, when one of the co-leaders on the trip addressed an exposure dilemna in the most shocking way. We were photographing black-browed albatrosses flying around a sea cliff. The albatrosses have blackish wings but a white head, tail, and underbelly, and the birds were flying in front of a black cliff, as the rocks were in deep shade.
This photographer was shooting on Aperture Priority, and he had adjusted his exposure to compensate for the bird against a dark background. Most likely, this required placing exposure compensation down to a negative, like -1 or -1.7, as the dark background would cause a meter to overexpose the bird. Once this is done, and an LCD monitor and histogram consulted, a great exposure for those conditions can be expected.
However, the albatrosses not only flew in front of the black sea cliff but also flew out across the open sea where, frequently, the birds were framed against a sparkling sea where spectular highlights from the sun would influence an Aperture Priority exposure. I asked the photographer what he did when the birds flew into those areas and his answer was .....
"I don't shoot it then." This, from a really, really good shooter! But on Aperture Priority, he realized that it was impractical or impossible to adjust an exposure compensation fast enough as a bird flew from a black background to a bright background. However, had he used Manual Mode, he would have had the same exposure for the bird -- the important aspect of the scene -- regardless of the background.
On a previous trip, I had a similar conversation with another pro and Aperture Priority advocate. He was giving me a friendly hard-time about my antiquated advocation of manual mode, so I asked him what he did with birds like this petrel that, one second, is flying low and against the sea and the next second may have sailed high and would be framed against a bright sky. On Aperture Priority the exposures would vary widely, as the black sea would bias an exposure one way and a bright sky would bias the exposure in the opposite direction. His answer was not quite honest, I felt, as he said he would instantly adjust using the exposure compensation dial, adjusting as a bird flips and darts and soars, so fast that even getting it within the frame, and then in focus, is a real challenge. I think the other pro was far more sincere when he said he just doesn't shoot when that happens.
I am not trying to bash any professional as both these guys are great shooters, but they are hampered by now relying on a program mode that has disadvantages. On our D CNPC we teach manual exposure, where these types of photographs can be made without worry by using techneques that work. No tricks, no bracketing, just sound logic, repeatable methodologies that mimick the scientific method, in that a procedure can be repeated and the results anticipated to be the same each time, and they are.
Additionally people learn TTL flash, and learn how flash works, and how to control light, both flash and ambient light, like they never believed possible. There is more, of course, including workflow, the RAW converter, and understanding Layers and Masking in Photoshop.
We have one more course next summer, July 14-20, 2013, but we'll probably offer two next summer if our travel schedule permits it. We'll certainly have one, but if you can fit in this year's course, there's is no better time than right now -- get it done, and get it done right!
For some more motivation, check our June 2012 participants' best images from our weeklong shooting assignment.
Previous Tips, July 2009 onward
GPS and Home Security
Range IR Camera Remote
Gitzo Monopod 5561T Monopod
Easy Macro with Extension Tubes and Zoom Lenses
FotoSharp Camou Rain Covers
Canon 17mm T/S Lens
Locking Button for the Canon 7D
NIK HDR Program
Silver Efex Pro for Black and White Images
Beware the DELL Software Solution Rip Off
How and What We Pack for Trips
Canon Digital Learning Center
The Movie Mode with the Canon Mark IV
Batch Renaming in Bridge and CS5
Alternate Uses of some Bogen Products
Hoodman Products
Using High ISO and Live View for Focusing in Dim Light
Art Print Scams for Hungry Photographers
Hungry Vultures ruin vehicles in the Everglades
Use a Short Lens for Depth of Field
Get Professional Help!
Mini-Molar Bag
Access America Trip Insurance
Bogen Base for Macro Work
Archived Tips of the Month
prior to July 2009
Most of my original Tips of the Month for the last several
years are available through this link. The 'look' is from my
original web site, although if I ever have enough time I might redo these pages to match the new web site But that's not a high priority.
Check out our latest website,
mcdonaldwildlifephotos.com
where we'll be adding portfolios and eventually building up
a searchable data base for photo buyers. We've just started,
and the selection is limited, but it is still worth a visit!
Office Phone: (717) 543-6423
Or FAX us at: (717) 543-5342
Previous Tips, July 2009 onward
Extension Tubes and Zoom Lenses for easy Macro
FotoSharp Camou Rain Covers
Canon 17mm T/S Lens
Locking Button for the Canon 7D
NIK HDR Program
Silver Efex Pro for Black and White Images
Beware the DELL Software Solution Rip Off
How and What We Pack for Trips
Canon Digital Learning Center
The Movie Mode with the Canon Mark IV
Batch Renaming in Bridge and CS5
Alternate Uses of some Bogen Products
Hoodman Products
Using High ISO and Live View for Focusing in Dim Light
Art Print Scams for Hungry Photographers
Hungry Vultures ruin vehicles in the Everglades
Use a Short Lens for Depth of Field
Get Professional Help!
Mini-Molar Bag
Access America Trip Insurance
Bogen Base for Macro Work
Archived Tips of the Month
prior to July 2009
Most of my original Tips of the Month for the last several
years are available through this link. The 'look' is from my
original web site, although if I ever have enough time I might redo these pages to match the new web site But that's not a high priority.
Tip of the Month
Take our
Digital Complete Nature Photo Course
June 2012
We've been running our Digital Complete Nature Photo Course, or its predecessor, the Complete NPC, for over twenty years. When digital came about, I worried that with the ease of looking at a histogram and a 'finished product' on a camera's LCD monitor, my services, via the CNPC, would not be needed. We built our digital lab so that we could jump into the Photoshop world, teaching that program if, or when, photography skills were no longer necessary. I needn't have bothered.
Ten years into the digital age we're finding the D CNPC as relevant now as it ever was, as the basics of photography simply have not changed. In fact, what we have found is that photographers who were once competent shooters now felt that they had lost their skills over the years as they increasing relied on a camera's automatic features. Eventually, they came to the realization that they were now less a shooter than they were before, and they were ready to get back into photography and so they take our course.
Honestly, I think the idea of this Tip came about because of the comment of one of our participants who had just attended one year of photography school, and several months of an on-line course from a well-known school. The comment was that the photographer learned more on the first day of the D CNPC than the photographer had learned in the year of schooling, or from the on-line course. While that had to be something of an exaggeration, it may not have been by much.
On our last trip to Antarctica, I was stunned, absolutely stunned, when one of the co-leaders on the trip addressed an exposure dilemna in the most shocking way. We were photographing black-browed albatrosses flying around a sea cliff. The albatrosses have blackish wings but a white head, tail, and underbelly, and the birds were flying in front of a black cliff, as the rocks were in deep shade.
This photographer was shooting on Aperture Priority, and he had adjusted his exposure to compensate for the bird against a dark background. Most likely, this required placing exposure compensation down to a negative, like -1 or -1.7, as the dark background would cause a meter to overexpose the bird. Once this is done, and an LCD monitor and histogram consulted, a great exposure for those conditions can be expected.
However, the albatrosses not only flew in front of the black sea cliff but also flew out across the open sea where, frequently, the birds were framed against a sparkling sea where spectular highlights from the sun would influence an Aperture Priority exposure. I asked the photographer what he did when the birds flew into those areas and his answer was .....
"I don't shoot it then." This, from a really, really good shooter! But on Aperture Priority, he realized that it was impractical or impossible to adjust an exposure compensation fast enough as a bird flew from a black background to a bright background. However, had he used Manual Mode, he would have had the same exposure for the bird -- the important aspect of the scene -- regardless of the background.
On a previous trip, I had a similar conversation with another pro and Aperture Priority advocate. He was giving me a friendly hard-time about my antiquated advocation of manual mode, so I asked him what he did with birds like this petrel that, one second, is flying low and against the sea and the next second may have sailed high and would be framed against a bright sky. On Aperture Priority the exposures would vary widely, as the black sea would bias an exposure one way and a bright sky would bias the exposure in the opposite direction. His answer was not quite honest, I felt, as he said he would instantly adjust using the exposure compensation dial, adjusting as a bird flips and darts and soars, so fast that even getting it within the frame, and then in focus, is a real challenge. I think the other pro was far more sincere when he said he just doesn't shoot when that happens.
I am not trying to bash any professional as both these guys are great shooters, but they are hampered by now relying on a program mode that has disadvantages. On our D CNPC we teach manual exposure, where these types of photographs can be made without worry by using techneques that work. No tricks, no bracketing, just sound logic, repeatable methodologies that mimick the scientific method, in that a procedure can be repeated and the results anticipated to be the same each time, and they are.
Additionally people learn TTL flash, and learn how flash works, and how to control light, both flash and ambient light, like they never believed possible. There is more, of course, including workflow, the RAW converter, and understanding Layers and Masking in Photoshop.
We have one more course next summer, July 14-20, 2013, but we'll probably offer two next summer if our travel schedule permits it. We'll certainly have one, but if you can fit in this year's course, there's is no better time than right now -- get it done, and get it done right!
For some more motivation, check our June 2012 participants' best images from our weeklong shooting assignment.
Previous Tips, July 2009 onward
GPS and Home Security
Range IR Camera Remote
Gitzo Monopod 5561T Monopod
Easy Macro with Extension Tubes and Zoom Lenses
FotoSharp Camou Rain Covers
Canon 17mm T/S Lens
Locking Button for the Canon 7D
NIK HDR Program
Silver Efex Pro for Black and White Images
Beware the DELL Software Solution Rip Off
How and What We Pack for Trips
Canon Digital Learning Center
The Movie Mode with the Canon Mark IV
Batch Renaming in Bridge and CS5
Alternate Uses of some Bogen Products
Hoodman Products
Using High ISO and Live View for Focusing in Dim Light
Art Print Scams for Hungry Photographers
Hungry Vultures ruin vehicles in the Everglades
Use a Short Lens for Depth of Field
Get Professional Help!
Mini-Molar Bag
Access America Trip Insurance
Bogen Base for Macro Work
Archived Tips of the Month
prior to July 2009
Most of my original Tips of the Month for the last several
years are available through this link. The 'look' is from my
original web site, although if I ever have enough time I might redo these pages to match the new web site But that's not a high priority.
Check out our latest website,
mcdonaldwildlifephotos.com
where we'll be adding portfolios and eventually building up
a searchable data base for photo buyers. We've just started,
and the selection is limited, but it is still worth a visit!
Office Phone: (717) 543-6423
Or FAX us at: (717) 543-5342
Previous Tips, July 2009 onward
Extension Tubes and Zoom Lenses for easy Macro
FotoSharp Camou Rain Covers
Canon 17mm T/S Lens
Locking Button for the Canon 7D
NIK HDR Program
Silver Efex Pro for Black and White Images
Beware the DELL Software Solution Rip Off
How and What We Pack for Trips
Canon Digital Learning Center
The Movie Mode with the Canon Mark IV
Batch Renaming in Bridge and CS5
Alternate Uses of some Bogen Products
Hoodman Products
Using High ISO and Live View for Focusing in Dim Light
Art Print Scams for Hungry Photographers
Hungry Vultures ruin vehicles in the Everglades
Use a Short Lens for Depth of Field
Get Professional Help!
Mini-Molar Bag
Access America Trip Insurance
Bogen Base for Macro Work
Archived Tips of the Month
prior to July 2009
Most of my original Tips of the Month for the last several
years are available through this link. The 'look' is from my
original web site, although if I ever have enough time I might redo these pages to match the new web site But that's not a high priority.
Tip of the Month
Take our
Digital Complete Nature Photo Course
June 2012
We've been running our Digital Complete Nature Photo Course, or its predecessor, the Complete NPC, for over twenty years. When digital came about, I worried that with the ease of looking at a histogram and a 'finished product' on a camera's LCD monitor, my services, via the CNPC, would not be needed. We built our digital lab so that we could jump into the Photoshop world, teaching that program if, or when, photography skills were no longer necessary. I needn't have bothered.
Ten years into the digital age we're finding the D CNPC as relevant now as it ever was, as the basics of photography simply have not changed. In fact, what we have found is that photographers who were once competent shooters now felt that they had lost their skills over the years as they increasing relied on a camera's automatic features. Eventually, they came to the realization that they were now less a shooter than they were before, and they were ready to get back into photography and so they take our course.
Honestly, I think the idea of this Tip came about because of the comment of one of our participants who had just attended one year of photography school, and several months of an on-line course from a well-known school. The comment was that the photographer learned more on the first day of the D CNPC than the photographer had learned in the year of schooling, or from the on-line course. While that had to be something of an exaggeration, it may not have been by much.
On our last trip to Antarctica, I was stunned, absolutely stunned, when one of the co-leaders on the trip addressed an exposure dilemna in the most shocking way. We were photographing black-browed albatrosses flying around a sea cliff. The albatrosses have blackish wings but a white head, tail, and underbelly, and the birds were flying in front of a black cliff, as the rocks were in deep shade.
This photographer was shooting on Aperture Priority, and he had adjusted his exposure to compensate for the bird against a dark background. Most likely, this required placing exposure compensation down to a negative, like -1 or -1.7, as the dark background would cause a meter to overexpose the bird. Once this is done, and an LCD monitor and histogram consulted, a great exposure for those conditions can be expected.
However, the albatrosses not only flew in front of the black sea cliff but also flew out across the open sea where, frequently, the birds were framed against a sparkling sea where spectular highlights from the sun would influence an Aperture Priority exposure. I asked the photographer what he did when the birds flew into those areas and his answer was .....
"I don't shoot it then." This, from a really, really good shooter! But on Aperture Priority, he realized that it was impractical or impossible to adjust an exposure compensation fast enough as a bird flew from a black background to a bright background. However, had he used Manual Mode, he would have had the same exposure for the bird -- the important aspect of the scene -- regardless of the background.
On a previous trip, I had a similar conversation with another pro and Aperture Priority advocate. He was giving me a friendly hard-time about my antiquated advocation of manual mode, so I asked him what he did with birds like this petrel that, one second, is flying low and against the sea and the next second may have sailed high and would be framed against a bright sky. On Aperture Priority the exposures would vary widely, as the black sea would bias an exposure one way and a bright sky would bias the exposure in the opposite direction. His answer was not quite honest, I felt, as he said he would instantly adjust using the exposure compensation dial, adjusting as a bird flips and darts and soars, so fast that even getting it within the frame, and then in focus, is a real challenge. I think the other pro was far more sincere when he said he just doesn't shoot when that happens.
I am not trying to bash any professional as both these guys are great shooters, but they are hampered by now relying on a program mode that has disadvantages. On our D CNPC we teach manual exposure, where these types of photographs can be made without worry by using techneques that work. No tricks, no bracketing, just sound logic, repeatable methodologies that mimick the scientific method, in that a procedure can be repeated and the results anticipated to be the same each time, and they are.
Additionally people learn TTL flash, and learn how flash works, and how to control light, both flash and ambient light, like they never believed possible. There is more, of course, including workflow, the RAW converter, and understanding Layers and Masking in Photoshop.
We have one more course next summer, July 14-20, 2013, but we'll probably offer two next summer if our travel schedule permits it. We'll certainly have one, but if you can fit in this year's course, there's is no better time than right now -- get it done, and get it done right!
For some more motivation, check our June 2012 participants' best images from our weeklong shooting assignment.
Tip of the Month
Take our
Digital Complete Nature Photo Course
June 2012
We've been running our Digital Complete Nature Photo Course, or its predecessor, the Complete NPC, for over twenty years. When digital came about, I worried that with the ease of looking at a histogram and a 'finished product' on a camera's LCD monitor, my services, via the CNPC, would not be needed. We built our digital lab so that we could jump into the Photoshop world, teaching that program if, or when, photography skills were no longer necessary. I needn't have bothered.
Ten years into the digital age we're finding the D CNPC as relevant now as it ever was, as the basics of photography simply have not changed. In fact, what we have found is that photographers who were once competent shooters now felt that they had lost their skills over the years as they increasing relied on a camera's automatic features. Eventually, they came to the realization that they were now less a shooter than they were before, and they were ready to get back into photography and so they take our course.
Honestly, I think the idea of this Tip came about because of the comment of one of our participants who had just attended one year of photography school, and several months of an on-line course from a well-known school. The comment was that the photographer learned more on the first day of the D CNPC than the photographer had learned in the year of schooling, or from the on-line course. While that had to be something of an exaggeration, it may not have been by much.
On our last trip to Antarctica, I was stunned, absolutely stunned, when one of the co-leaders on the trip addressed an exposure dilemna in the most shocking way. We were photographing black-browed albatrosses flying around a sea cliff. The albatrosses have blackish wings but a white head, tail, and underbelly, and the birds were flying in front of a black cliff, as the rocks were in deep shade.
This photographer was shooting on Aperture Priority, and he had adjusted his exposure to compensate for the bird against a dark background. Most likely, this required placing exposure compensation down to a negative, like -1 or -1.7, as the dark background would cause a meter to overexpose the bird. Once this is done, and an LCD monitor and histogram consulted, a great exposure for those conditions can be expected.
However, the albatrosses not only flew in front of the black sea cliff but also flew out across the open sea where, frequently, the birds were framed against a sparkling sea where spectular highlights from the sun would influence an Aperture Priority exposure. I asked the photographer what he did when the birds flew into those areas and his answer was .....
"I don't shoot it then." This, from a really, really good shooter! But on Aperture Priority, he realized that it was impractical or impossible to adjust an exposure compensation fast enough as a bird flew from a black background to a bright background. However, had he used Manual Mode, he would have had the same exposure for the bird -- the important aspect of the scene -- regardless of the background.
On a previous trip, I had a similar conversation with another pro and Aperture Priority advocate. He was giving me a friendly hard-time about my antiquated advocation of manual mode, so I asked him what he did with birds like this petrel that, one second, is flying low and against the sea and the next second may have sailed high and would be framed against a bright sky. On Aperture Priority the exposures would vary widely, as the black sea would bias an exposure one way and a bright sky would bias the exposure in the opposite direction. His answer was not quite honest, I felt, as he said he would instantly adjust using the exposure compensation dial, adjusting as a bird flips and darts and soars, so fast that even getting it within the frame, and then in focus, is a real challenge. I think the other pro was far more sincere when he said he just doesn't shoot when that happens.
I am not trying to bash any professional as both these guys are great shooters, but they are hampered by now relying on a program mode that has disadvantages. On our D CNPC we teach manual exposure, where these types of photographs can be made without worry by using techneques that work. No tricks, no bracketing, just sound logic, repeatable methodologies that mimick the scientific method, in that a procedure can be repeated and the results anticipated to be the same each time, and they are.
Additionally people learn TTL flash, and learn how flash works, and how to control light, both flash and ambient light, like they never believed possible. There is more, of course, including workflow, the RAW converter, and understanding Layers and Masking in Photoshop.
We have one more course next summer, July 14-20, 2013, but we'll probably offer two next summer if our travel schedule permits it. We'll certainly have one, but if you can fit in this year's course, there's is no better time than right now -- get it done, and get it done right!
For some more motivation, check our June 2012 participants' best images from our weeklong shooting assignment.
Previous Tips, July 2009 onward
GPS and Home Security
Range IR Camera Remote
Gitzo Monopod 5561T Monopod
Easy Macro with Extension Tubes and Zoom Lenses
FotoSharp Camou Rain Covers
Canon 17mm T/S Lens
Locking Button for the Canon 7D
NIK HDR Program
Silver Efex Pro for Black and White Images
Beware the DELL Software Solution Rip Off
How and What We Pack for Trips
Canon Digital Learning Center
The Movie Mode with the Canon Mark IV
Batch Renaming in Bridge and CS5
Alternate Uses of some Bogen Products
Hoodman Products
Using High ISO and Live View for Focusing in Dim Light
Art Print Scams for Hungry Photographers
Hungry Vultures ruin vehicles in the Everglades
Use a Short Lens for Depth of Field
Get Professional Help!
Mini-Molar Bag
Access America Trip Insurance
Bogen Base for Macro Work
Archived Tips of the Month
prior to July 2009
Most of my original Tips of the Month for the last several
years are available through this link. The 'look' is from my
original web site, although if I ever have enough time I might redo these pages to match the new web site But that's not a high priority.
Check out our latest website,
mcdonaldwildlifephotos.com
where we'll be adding portfolios and eventually building up
a searchable data base for photo buyers. We've just started,
and the selection is limited, but it is still worth a visit!
Office Phone: (717) 543-6423
Or FAX us at: (717) 543-5342
Previous Tips, July 2009 onward
Extension Tubes and Zoom Lenses for easy Macro
FotoSharp Camou Rain Covers
Canon 17mm T/S Lens
Locking Button for the Canon 7D
NIK HDR Program
Silver Efex Pro for Black and White Images
Beware the DELL Software Solution Rip Off
How and What We Pack for Trips
Canon Digital Learning Center
The Movie Mode with the Canon Mark IV
Batch Renaming in Bridge and CS5
Alternate Uses of some Bogen Products
Hoodman Products
Using High ISO and Live View for Focusing in Dim Light
Art Print Scams for Hungry Photographers
Hungry Vultures ruin vehicles in the Everglades
Use a Short Lens for Depth of Field
Get Professional Help!
Mini-Molar Bag
Access America Trip Insurance
Bogen Base for Macro Work
Archived Tips of the Month
prior to July 2009
Most of my original Tips of the Month for the last several
years are available through this link. The 'look' is from my
original web site, although if I ever have enough time I might redo these pages to match the new web site But that's not a high priority.
