The other day I just could not resist. A few people have asked about sunset shots, especially being in California. I wanted to show that by adjusting your cameras color settings, setting up the shot and cropping it differently can all create unique photos. I had Braden drive me up to a good spot so I could get some shots of the sunset. To me, sunset shots can be so cliche but you can get so many different looks depending on how you use your camera. All the shots below were taken during the same sunset. I played around with my camera and voila, I got some “hot, warm and cold” photos. I also threw one of Braden in, I just had to…Call it revenge;) Enjoy.

By tweaking the saturation and hues on my camera I was able to cool the shot down. I also exposed it differently to get a “bigger sun”

Sometimes its cool to have no focal point at all. I “unfocused” my lens and just shot the pretty orange glow of the sunset.

I also think cropping can have a big part in capturing a cool shot. I just wanted to get these people conversing and I wanted them to be dark.

And here is the shot of Braden. I was able to sneak it in….I wanted to get a profile pic and I wanted the sun pointing towards him. I was able to get both.

Finally questions are answered about your first camera to which brand and so on…….

This is NOT a visual post so those who hate to read sorry …..For the past year I have been asked a few dozen times the same question “What is a good camera to get? Nikon or Canon?” While opinions differ, I am going to start off by saying that I AM biased towards Canon, however, Nikon makes cameras that are a close second;). The reason I bring up Canon and Nikon is because they are always in the race to at the top spot in the SLR market. Other companies such as Olympus, Sony and Pentax make great cameras but fall further behind in technology and quantity.

ENTRY LEVEL CAMERAS

Ok so many people ask me if they should whip out the big bills and strike for the top full frame digital SLR. I tell them NO! Why not? I tell presume to tell them that it is NOT worth the money for them at the moment. While they might look big, bad and super professional, they are complicated, have a lot going on and unless you know how to use all the super high tech buttons you are basically spending 3-7k on a camera that should of cost you 600-1500 dollars. Get it?

However, if you have oodles of money and just want to look super snazzy then go for it and once you realize that you are sick of lugging around a big camera and would rather opt for a simpler (yet still takes AMAZING images) you can pass the other camera onto meJ Honestly the entry level cameras take incredible images and unless you need to blow photos up to billboard size then you really don’t need the “big dog”. So What are the two comparable Nikon and Canon entry level cameras??

The canon is the Canon T3 1100D.

The Nikon is the Nikon D3100

They are both amazing cameras and are pretty darn comparable in quality and price. The major difference is that the Nikon is NOT 100 percent compatible with the older Nikon lenses while you do not have that problem with the Canon lenses. The canon is also a little more affordable.  I might mention you just look cooler all around with a Canon.

INTERMEDIATE CAMERA

The next camera section is a slight upgrade from the entry-level cameras. You will have a few more functions and once your skill level advances you can make it a little more manual to your liking. The difference between theses next to cameras is very little but again the lens issue remains with the Nikon. It is really all about the overall aesthetic and “feel” when working with your camera. Something I highly recommend is checking out a camera for the day and trying it out. Most camera stores will allow this in order to decide which camera you like to shoot with more.

The canon is the Canon T3i 600D

The Nikon is the Nikon D5100

You also have what most people call the Pro-sumer camera. These shoppers are looking for more speed in their shots. They might be soccer moms capturing there kids game or dance junkies that want sweet shots of their moves. What ever the reason cameras in this category have a shutter speed that takes 5 photos per second. They are just a bit more sophisticated then the other classes.

The canon is the Canon 60D

The Nikon is the Nikon D7000

These cameras are incredible and you get quite the bang for your buck. They have intelligent lighting systems and a wide range of lens choice. The next category is the Professional DLSR, which I will talk about later. However, hopefully this answers all those questions about great entry level cameras-prosumers choice.

I will be doing a lens post sometime soon as I get a lot of questions asking what lenses to get with your new shiny SLR…A great idea is to talk to the camera pros at the shop. If you are in Utah I HIGHLY recommend going to Pictureline and if you are in Southern California I suggest Cals Camera or Sammys. Feel free to email, call, text, snail mail me any other questions you have!

Cheers

So this technique can be super simple or supppperrr complex. It can be done with the 4th of July sparkler or with multiple crazy blinking intense colored lights…Anyone can do it….quite frankly, it is really super fun to do and a unique art form in itself. I am going to tell you how to do it with the basics…I decided to whip out my camera and make a few sample shots for you….To get this look you will need

1- A tripod (or a counter, which I used)…basically something to rest your camera on.

2-Set your camera to RAW settings (if you have them) if not dont worry about it. The RAW settings just allows you to manipulate your image afterwards.

3- Use a LOW ISO setting…I used 100 for this snap shot.

4-Set your camera to AV or TV setting…which is aperture priority or shutter priority. I think shutter priority is easiest for this shot. I set mine to 30” (thirty seconds). I shoot with a Canon…if this lingo doesnt make sense…google it or look at your user manual to find these settings.

5-You need a light source. I used the flash on my I-phone…Super smart right ?? hint…make sure it is ALWAYS pointed at the camera…you dont want the light to hit you…unless you want to appear in the image…

6-You dont have to wear dark cloths and the background doesnt have to be black…However, you dont want it to be very bright either….

The first image is of my name…You can see trace images of me…this is because I was not moving around very much when I took it and the background is not super dark…

to compensate I took the next one of the heart with me jittering around a bit…this erased me out of the background….pretty cool right?? Get creative…..

If you enjoy these posts let me know and I will keep em coming!! Also, if you have a specific question or want to learn a technique feel free to ask! Send a facebook comment, email or phone call! Happy wednesday everyone

Cheers

The clone stamp just may be the best tool that photoshop has to offer. The clone stamp allows you to duplicate objects, cover up mistakes and (in my opinion) its the easiest “skin repair” tool. I pulled this picture of my friends kid up because this is a very common skin issue with little ones. They get red spots around there chin, lips and cheeks. This technique also goes for adults who have zits, dark tired under eyes and heaven for big AGE SPOTS…as my mother would say:) In essence it works on EVERY type of skin….Now for the fun part!!! Lets begin…..scroll down

First, open a picture of a face that does not have flawless skin….so no Glamour magazine images….

Next….select the clone stamp which is in the tool bar about 9 tools down and it looks like a stamp

Then….you need to take a sample of what you are cloning (a good clean part of the skin)…to do this hold the “ALT/option” key down and click the mouse

Now….you have your sample move the mouse to the zit, age spot, wrinkle, red mark or whatever you want to cover up and click….Watch it magically disappear

Remember…there is an opacity  setting at the top of the photoshop tool bar…lower it to about 35-50%…this gives a more “realistic” look…if you want to entirely cover something up then just keep clicking away. However for wrinkles under and around the eyes and mouth I suggest to just lighten them….no one has perfect skin!

Also….keep in mind that you can adjust the brush size to fit the needs of your cloning…to enlarge the brush press the right square bracket key “]” that one…to make the brush smaller click on the left square bracket key “[” that one.

Another…trick I do is to use the color picker tool and select the skin tone I like on the face..I lower the opacity and paint over the skin to smooth any blemishes….

So there you have it…better…but not PERFECT skin!

Email with any questions or leave a facebook comment at the bottom if there is something PARTICULAR you want to learn!