GRAND MANAN PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP JULY 12-15 2012

Finally set the date for this summer’s Grand Manan Photography Workshop!
I had an amazing time last year, and it’s only going to get better!
Details are below, please forward them on to anyone you think may be interested.

Year in Review....

Kennebecasis Valley firefighters George Cole, left, and Grant Graham, carry a cage with two dogs that were rescued along with their owner from a car that ended up partially submerged in the Renforth Bog along Highway 1 in Rothesay on Sunday morning. The vehicle hydroplaned, striking and going over the guardrail, hitting the embankment, flipping over completely before landing in the water. The driver was taken to hospital with non life threatening injuries.

So it's been a really interesting year...February saw my return to taking photographs for the Telegraph-Journal after over a year of slapping together text and photos on pages....
It was weird picking up the camera again...hadn't caressed a Canon in a long time...

I thought I'd share some of my favourite photos from the past year.  

New Years Eve Party Photo Tips!!!

I'm hoping you all have a Happy New Year! If you are going out to celebrate and want to get some great shots, here are some tips!

LENS

Most likely you will be close to the subjects, so you should use your wide angle to normal lens (18-55, 17-55, 17-85, etc)

CAMERA SETTINGS:

1. Use MANUAL(M) mode.
2. Choose ISO 400
3. Set the shutter speed to 1/60th of a second or 1/125th of a second if people are moving quickly or dancing.
4. Set the aperture to F8. Yes, by doing this your camera meter isn't zeroed, it's in the minus. That's fine. You are going to light them up with the flash.
5. Pop up or turn on your flash and set it to TTL mode.
6. Take a test shot.

Most likely the flash might put out too much power, so if the image is too bright, use your FLASH EXPOSURE COMPENSATION( LIGHTNING BOLT SYMBOL+/-, found on the camera or under the functions menu) to turn the flash power down. Take another shot, and if the image is still too bright, turn it down more.

If the image is too dark, use the FEC to turn the flash power up. Take another shot, and if the image is still too dark, turn it up more.

If you have an external flash, you can try bouncing the flash off the ceiling if it's low enough. You may have to turn the power up a bit, or use Manual flash mode and adjust the power until it gives you the right amount of light.

By using these settings, you should get sharp images of your loved ones as they bring on the holiday cheer! Just make sure they don't spill beer and wine on your camera!!!

FOR THOSE WITHOUT MANUAL MODE
If you don't have manual mode and just have a basic point and shoot, probably going with the AUTO/PROGRAM/PARTY mode will be the setting to choose.

FUNKY SHOTS

If you want to try to get some more background exposure so it doesn't go completely black, or you would like to create some blur effects, try some slower shutter speeds like 1/15th-1/4th.
If you have a basic point and shoot, you could try the night photography mode with the flash on.

And if you have the chance, nab all those great embarassing and funny shots too!

Sorry Kerry! :)

HAVE A SAFE AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!

Noel's Camera Buying Guide for 2011

Here's a quick of options for those looking to buy a camera to get into photography, or treat themselvesfor being good this year by upgrading!

CAMERAS

What brand should I choose?
I am a Nikon or Canon guy...not saying that Pentax, Sony, or Olympus make bad cameras, but I know that Nikon and Canon will always be making cameras...the others may drop their SLR's if they aren't profitable, and then you are stuck with useless equipment.

If you force me to choose, I will say go NIKON. Their flash system is much better than Canon's. And before you say I'm only saying that because I shoot Nikon, the fact is I've shot with Canon's for years with the Telegraph. I've used both systems extensively, so I think I can bring an unbiased opinion.

I will list the various models, some info on them for comparison (megapixels, lens included, price) Prices are taken from www.henrys.com as of November 12th. Not that prices will most likely get better the close you get to Christmas.

I have to break the cameras up into two levels-Consumer and Pro-sumer.

CONSUMER:

For those just getting into photography and want to photo general subjects, these are a good starting point. They are lower in price that should fit most people's budget, and the money you save can be spent on other lenses, flashes, etc...
If you want to get into more serious photography, you can always upgrade!

NIKON

Nikon D3000 $450 10.2mp 18-55(non VR)

Really great starter camera, but doesnt do video.

CONSUMER WITH VIDEO
NIKON
Nikon D3100 $600 14.2mp, 18-55 VR Full HD

Nikon D5100 $850 16mp, 18-55 VR Full HD

Canon
Canon T3 $550 12.2mp, 18-55 IS Full HD video

Canon T2I $650 15.1mp, 18-55 IS Full HD

Canon T3I $900 18.0mp, 18-55 IS Full HD video

For Nikonions, for the extra bit I would be more tempted to go for pro-sumer Nikon D90 over the D3100/D5100...not as many megapixels, but a much better camera.

PRO-SUMER
You need a pro-sumer model camera if you shoot lots of sports, action, outdoors, as the cameras are more rugged, have faster autofocus and continuous drive. They also have TWO dials, one for shutter speed, one for aperture...a MUST as far as I am concerned!

If you want to make money shooting weddings, portraits, etc, you should have one of these models.

NIKON

Nikon D90 $850 12.3mp, 18-55 VR, 720p HD

although I would go for the upgrade to the 18-105mm for another $200.

Nikon D7000 $1500 16.2MP, 18-105 VR, FULL HD

Nikon D300s $1600 12.3mp, 18-105 VR 720p HD

The D90 is older, but still a great camera, and you can't beat that price. But I have to say, my D300(now the D300s) is by far the best camera I've every owned...

CANON

Canon 60D $1700 18mp, 15-85 IS, FULL HD

Canon 7D $2000 18mp, 15-85 IS, FULL HD

Both cameras are great upgrades from the T2/T3. Especially if you do a lot of flash photography, as Canon has finally wised up and made the pop up flash a COMMANDER! (so you can use it to control a flash off-camera...took em long enough...)

PRO
Nikon D700 $2500 (body only) 12.1mp, FULL FRAME (FX) Sensor

-This camera is FULL FRAME, meaning if you have a DX lens, it will be vignetted if you use it on this camera. So if you buy it, you will have to replace any DX lenses.

Canon
Canon 5D MkII $2800 21mp 24-105 IS, FULL FRAME

-This camera is FULL FRAME, meaning if you have a lens from a crop sensor canon, it will be vignetted if you use it on this camera. So if you buy it, you will have to replace those lenses

LENS UPGRADES
Most of those cameras comes with an 18-55, but if you can get a 16-85(nikon) 18-105(Nikon) or 17-85(canon), that will give you the perfect portrait lens as well!

That's just a bit of an overview of your options, for more in-depth analysis, head to www.dpreview.com.

WHERE TO BUY
I am a big fan of buying local when possible, for a few reasons.

1) You are supporting a local business
2) If you have any problems, the local people are usually easier to deal with. Buying from an out of province/country dealer, if there is a problem, you will most likely have to pay to ship it back to them. There could also be warranty issues if buying from another country.

if you are in Saint John, go to Appleby's, in Fredericton, head to Harvey Studios. Tell them Noel sent you!

If you want to buy online, Henrys in Toronto(also Halifax) is a great store that I've dealt with personally and for the Telegraph and had no issues with.

Avoid buying from ebay, unless it is from a reputable dealer. I've seen lots of "great deals" where you seem like you are getting a whole lot of extras...but in reality, it's a bunch of extra crap. bad lenses, crappy tripods, no name brand memory cards...not worth it.

Once you've bought a new camera, check out some of my photography courses so you can use it to it's fullest potential! More info can be found at www.learnphoto.ca, on contact Noel at nchenier@nbnet.nb.ca

Christmas Concert Season Is Upon Us...Here are some tips to get great pix!

With Christmas concert season upon us, time to yet again recycle an oldie but a goodie! Here's some tips on getting the great concert photos!

1. GET CLOSE!!!!
If you stand and take pictures from the back of the crowd, your image will look like the one above. Dark and underexposed, because the light from the flash can't reach that distance.
If you are lucky enough to arrive early to get a front row seat or in the first few rows, you are fine. If you didn't, you still want to get a close as you can. Most places have a center aisle, just make your way down to the front, staying as low as possible so you don't block anyone's view. Pop up to take a shot, then pop back down. Once you've got a few good shots, feel free to go back to your seat.


2. Light and Exposure

TRYING TO SHOOT WITHOUT FLASH
Unless the concert is at a real theatre with proper stage lighting, there most likely there will not be enough light to get a handholdable shutter speed. One option is to turn the ISO up to 1600, but that is going to make the images very noisy and soft. You could try putting the camera on a tripod, but if the subject moves at all, they will be blurred.
So most likely to get any sharp pictures, you will have to use flash.

SHOOTING WITH FLASH
Again, you want to GET CLOSE. Standing from the back and using the flash will not get you good shots. The problem with flash of course is that it is very harsh. If you have a ceiling that is low enough, try to bounce the flash. This is what I did in the picture below, and you can see how nice a soft the light is!


WHAT MODE/EXPOSURE TO USE?

1. Use MANUAL(M) mode. Chances are the automatic modes like shutter/aperture priority are not going to give you proper exposure or they will use too slow shutter speeds giving lots of blur. That's not what you want!
2. Choose ISO 400
3. Set the shutter speed to 1/60th of a second or 1/125th of a second.
4. Set the aperture to F5.6. Yes, by doing this your camera meter isn't zeroed, it's in the minus. That's fine.
5. Pop up or turn on your flash and set it to TTL mode.
6. Take a test shot.

If the image is too bright, use your FLASH EXPOSURE COMPENSATION( LIGHTNING BOLT SYMBOL+/- , found on the camera or under the functions menu) to turn the flash power down. Take another shot, and if the image is still too bright, turn it down more. If you are already at the lowest setting, turn your aperture to a higher number(ex-F8 to F11)

If the image is too dark, use the FEC to turn the flash power up. Take another shot, and if the image is still too dark, turn it up more. If you are already at the highest power setting, turn your aperture to a smaller number(ex-F8 to F5.6) to let in more light. If it's still too dark, turn up the ISO...or GET CLOSER!

By using these settings, you should get sharp images of your loved ones as they bring on the holiday cheer!

Any questions, send me an email!

Happy shooting!

Noel

What to buy FOR your photographer for Christmas!

This blog post is for anyone who has a PHOTOGRAPHER to buy for and want to get them something fun and quirky...or useful! Some of this stuff can be found locally, but some you'll have to order from Toronto or the states...but c'mon, your photographer is worth it!

FUN AND QUIRKY STUFF!

CAMERA LENSES YOU CAN DRINK FROM

No, that's not a typo...recently a variety of mugs, thermos bottles, and other beverage containers that look exactly like camera lenses have come on the market. Most of these items may be hard to find in Canada...most of these I've found from Photojojo.


Shot Glasses Canon only...I guess Nikon shooters dont hit the hard stuff? :)


Thermos and Coffee Mugs in Nikon and Canon versions


USB DRIVES AND OTHER GADGETS!

Mini SLR camera USB drive Nikon, Canon AND Pentax!


For your old school film type, a film cannister USB drive!


SLR camera bank

USEFUL STUFF!


LENS BABY
These are cool lenses that allow the photographer to do funky depth of field/focus effects! Lots of examples here.

Website here. They do have them at Henrys.com

FUNKY CAMERA STRAPS


One of my former students, Randi Gallant, along with being an amazing photographer, also makes custom camera straps! Check out the selection here. You'll find something there that matches the style of your photog!

TOY CAMERAS

For anyone who has a photographer who used to shoot film...or is one of those hipster types, a toy camera can be a great gift.

Two of the most popular are the HOLGA and the DIANA
Both are cameras with plastic lenses and shoot 120 film.
Or for those who don't shot film you can get lenses that go on your Digital SLR to get a similar effect!

Here is an image by Cole Burston taken witha Holga:


You see more examples here.

I have found some Canada based suppliers, The Camera Store in Calgary, and Downtown Camera in Toronto to get them.

GIFT CERTIFICATES FOR CAMERA EQUIPMENT OR FRAMING
It can be hard to buy actual equipment for your photographer when you yourself know absolutely nothing about cameras....so instead, buy them a gift certificate from your local camera store Appleby's in Saint John, Harvey Studios in Fredericton, Ivan's in Moncton, so they can buy exactly what they want!
Most photographers usually like to frame their work, so another option is to get certificates for framing/mounting! If you are in the Saint John area, I'd recommend Pictures Plus at 88 King Street, 652-7587. Go see Diana Alexander and tell her Noel sent you.

BOOKS/MAGAZINES/SOFTWARE

PHOTO LIFE
Why not get them a subscription to the only Canadian based photo magazine for photographers?


A gift certificate from your local bookstore or chain store will let them pick the books they want!

Your photographer's interests will determine what kind of book they would like...
If they love photoshop, any of the Photoshop for Photographers by Scott Kelby are great! (make sure you have the one for their version of photoshop)

Speaking of photoshop, if your photographer doesn't have it...buy it for them!
Adobe Photoshop Elements 10 is now out, and can be bought for $80 at Costco or downloaded for the same price from Adobe.com. With it, they will be able to crop, reszie, color correct, sharpen, and do lots of creative things to their photographs. Combine it with my 2 day photoshop course and your photographer will have a great christmas!!!
And if you are looking for some more "you time", having photoshop will mean they will spend more time on the computer...

A PHOTOGRAPHY COURSE!
Why not enroll them in one of my many photography courses? I have an eight week beginner digital SLR course starting in early January, along with some 2 day photoshop courses, and will be setting more dates as the weather gets better for my one day SLR courses, workshops, and field trips (including another epic Grand Manan field trip!) You can find lots of info about my courses on my site here.

Those are some ideas, if you have any questions, don't hesitate to send me an email!
Merry Christmas!

Noel's Camera Accessory Buying Guide for Christmas!

This posting will be about what accessories Santa should bring you for your camera!

1) TRIPODS
2) FILTERS
3) ACCESSORIES

1) BUYING A TRIPOD
You've spent hundreds or thousands of dollars on camera equipment, so it's not a good idea to go cheap with what you're going to use to support it.

The brand that I recommend is MANFROTTO. They are well built, sturdy, and easy to use. They are not the cheapest, but are worth the extra money. You will also need to buy a tripod head. These are the models I recommend:

MANFROTTO 055PRO $240
MANFROTTO 190 PRO $180

The 055 is sturdier, heavy, and taller than the 190PRO. Both models allow you to remove the middle pole and mount it upside down or horizontally.
If money is not a factor, look at the same models made from CARBON(055 CXor the 190 CX). They are twice as expensive but since they are made from carbon they are lighter weight and just as sturdy.

TRIPOD HEAD


There are a variety of options for tripods heads. The one to AVOID is the panning head...that is for shooting video, sucks for taking photographs!!

Manfrotto 494RC2 Quick Release Ball Head $100
Manfrotto 494 Ball Head $80
Manfrotto 222 Joystick(with quick release) $140
Manfrotto 327 Grip Action head $230
For the extra $15, buy the 494RC2, which has a plate that stays on your camera and allows you to quickly attach and detach it from the tripod.
The joystick is the coolest head available. To move it, you grip the joystick and let it go when it's positioned where you want. The 327 is similar but is a bit more compact.

If you decide to go with a cheaper brand, here's what you should look for:

NO PLASTIC-buy metal or carbon, plastic isn't heavy enough.
SEPARATE LEGS-if the legs are attached, tripod cannot go very low
PORTABILITY-make sure it's not too heavy or long to carry easily
HEIGHT-you want it to reach at least eye level without using the middle
column
EASE OF USE-it should be easy to set up and adjust
TRIPOD HEAD-don't get the panning heads, they are made for smooth panning
with video cameras and are terrible for photography

A newer brand that some of my students have used is Vanguard Tracker. It's a nice tripod for the price, but I would try to switch the head the comes with it for a ballhead...the one it comes with doesn't work very well on the vertical axis...

DO NOT GET SUCKERED INTO BUYING A MONOPOD!!!! Monopods are only good for supporting large lenses, not keeping the camera steady! If you have a big 100-400 or 200-500, by all means, get the monopod!

2) FILTERS

Everyone should have a POLARIZER. It makes your skies look blue instead of a washed out cyan mess; improves overall color and contrast; gets rid of glare and reflections.

Just take a look at the photo comparisons below...if you still don't think you need a polarizer, you need your head examined!! :)

Obviously you don't want to buy a polarizer for every lens you own, so buy the size to fit the largest one, then get adapters to make them fit the smaller lenses.

Other useful filters include a neutral density, which cut out light and will allow you to get photos like this under lower light:


There is a really cool one out there that allows you to adjust the darkness in one filter instead of having to get a set of different strengths.

3) OTHER STUFF

Remote Controls



Having a remote is a must for your camera. It will allow you to
1) Take family or travel pictures and get in the photo. Most photographers have lots of photos of their friends and family, but are never in the photos.
2) Ensure sharp photos at all times, as you won't have to touch the camera to take the photograph. Even being on a super heavy duty expensive manfrotto tripod won't guarantee you won't get shake from pushing down on the button.

You'll have to check your manual to see what models are available for your camera. There are two types, wired and wireless. Wireless is the preferred, as you can usually stand anywhere and trigger the camera. But they can be more expensive than the regular wired one.

WHERE TO BUY
I am a big fan of buying local when possible, for a few reasons.

1) You are supporting a local business
2) If you have any problems, the local people are usually easier to deal with. Buying from an out of province/country dealer, if there is a problem, you will most likely have to pay to ship it back to them. There could also be warranty issues if buying from another country

if you are in Saint John, go to Appleby's, in Fredericton, head to Harvey Studios. Tell them Noel sent you!

If you want to buy online, Henrys in Toronto(also Halifax) is a great store that I've dealt with personally and for the Telegraph and had no issues with.

Avoid buying from ebay, unless it is from a reputable dealer. I've seen lots of "great deals" where you seem like you are getting a whole lot of extras...but in reality, it's a bunch of extra crap. bad lenses, crappy tripods, no name brand memory cards...not worth it.

If buying something off Kijiji or craiglist, make sure you try it out. If the seller won't let you try it out, that's a good warning sign...




Noel Chenier