Lightening

Available at; http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5283/5262377700_87e0cbdb20.jpg

Lightening at the beach; for me only one word can describe it. Amazing. I love the way the light flashes onto the water. As Amy Renfrey says it is a real challenge to catch something that moves as fast as lightenining.

The fact is that lightning photos are both very challenging to capture and very engaging to viewers. A real challenge in photography is capturing fast moving subjects. When it comes to either traditional or digital photography, catching electrifying fork lightning is just too much of a enticement to see if we can “win” the challenge.

 The first thing Amy says to do is make sure your shutter is open, in the country side you can leave it open for up to sixty seconds. However, in the city you can not leave it open for as long. You need to find a good place to set up, somewhere you know lightening will be and make sure you have your camera, tripod, and shutter release cable.

Amy also says, DO NOT jeopardize your safety for a shot. It just isn't worth it. As beautiful as it may be, your life is better. Lightening photos come fast, and they're hard to capture. It's possible if you do it at exactly the right time, just be safe and don't give up fast.

Compare & Contrast

Black & White vs. Color Pictures

Photo available at; http://thediscerningphotographer.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/BW_Color_Lead1.jpg

I personally like black and white pictures better than color. Some photographers like Darren Rowse say black and white pictures have more versatility and you can take pictures of different landscapes. Truthfully, color pictures are better for night I think, you can really capture the night.

This photo available at;  http://www.photoble.com/photo-inspiration/black-and-white-vs-color-photographs 

For most people, black and white pictures are the way to go for weddings. However, whenever capturing flowers color is the way to go. Elizabeth Anderson says babies are best captured in black and white. 

Photographs of people are beautiful either way, whether in black and white or color. She says it all depends on mood and location. 

You can also do a mixture of your photos between black and white, and color. It is called color splash. 

Photo available at; http://www.instructables.com/image/FTMCNQBG145RTCD/How-to-make-a-Color-Splash-Image.jpg

I love this photo and think it is a great way to blend both monochrome and color together.

Interview

I interviewed my mother Christina Shaw, on May 7^th, 2012 about photography; asking her questions about her favorite type of camera and what photography is to her. My Mom isn’t a photographer but she can take some amazing pictures.  She works at Holy Angels with autistic children and is thirty-two years old.

1    What comes to mind when you think of photography?

I think of amazing pictures, people taking them. Wishing I could do exactly what they do.

2    Do you have a camera of your own? If so, which brand?

I do, and I have a Kodak EasyShare camera.

3    Do you know any professional photographers?

Not personally, but I know of a few. My sister Donna isn’t a professional but she should be, you should see the pictures she takes.

4    What in your opinion is the best type of camera?

Probably a Nikon, but one of the better types. Like this one;   

Photo available at; http://cdn-4.nikon-cdn.com/en_INC/IMG/Assets/Digital-SLR/2010/25472-Nikon-D3100/Views/25472_D3100_left.png?targetMedia=/en_INC/IMG/Assets/Digital-SLR/2010/25472-Nikon-D3100/Views/353_25472_D3100_left.png

5    What are your favorite landscapes to capture?
I enjoy taking pictures at the beach, especially at the sunset. Or my kids, I love capturing them in their best moments, or even their worst and being able to look back.

6    Is that your favorite thing about pictures? That you can capture all the memories?
Yes, I love that. I love knowing that even when my kids grow up that the pictures won’t change, they’ll stay the same. We can look back and laugh or remember the moment.

7    Who got you interested in photography?
Myself, honestly. I just remember looking at sunsets and wanting to capture them, but knowing I couldn’t.

8     If you could, would you become a professional and make your own studio?
I would love too, but honestly I don’t think I have the talent. As amazing as that would be, there are much better out there.

I thanked my Mom and let her go. I think the interview went well, I found out things I didn’t know before. The fact that my Mom is interested in photography to a minimum still fascinates me, I’ve seen the pictures she takes, and I think she could do it.

Beach Photography

Beach photography is very difficult, it's hard to capture the picture you want at the exact right time. I'm going to give you six tips coming from Darren Rowse

Photo available at; http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4021/4441806859_86fdaa9c64.jpg

1. Look for focal points, don't just try to capture the ocean. Try to capture a picture that tells a story, something that means something to you, and maybe someone else looking at it.
2. Timing is important. If you want to capture a wave breaking or the horizon, you can't wait. You capture it right when it's happening or before it does if possible. Waiting until last minute gives the possibility of losing your shot.
3. Watch the Horizon. The horizon is very important in any beach shot, because it's basically the background. Don't just capture a line in the back, try waiting until the horizon looks amazing over the water. When it is multi-colored and looks beautiful hanging off the ocean.
4. Head to the beach when others avoid it. I myself have gotten a great picture but someone may have walked in front of me and now the whole picture is ruined. Go when it isn't packed, when it's about to storm is a great time because instead of coming most are leaving.
5. Black and white. Black and white pictures of the beach can come out amazing. The one at the top of my post, for example. The beach isn't packed, it's in black and white. It isn't right up on him and it's still an amazing picture of two people. 

Not every beach picture has to be of the beach, it can be of anything. Broaden your views, take pictures of everything. It's usually the things we don't think will make good pictures that come out to be our favorite. Sunsets make for good pictures too, but you have to be careful when turning your camera straight to the sun because you don't want to capture a big circle. I hope these tips have helped you, and when you go to the beach you remember them. Submit any good pictures you have here in the comment box. :)

How to edit your pictures.

This is my how to piece; there are many ways to edit pictures and many different websites as well. One of the most well known websites is Photoshop, Picnik was a big one but it closed down April 19^th because Google bought it. The things you can do are endless; there is Orton, cross process, dusk, & intrepid and that is just switching around the colors. You can boost the picture, soften it, change it to black and white and it isn’t hard at all. There are lots of websites cheaper than Photoshop such as http://www.picmonkey.com/, https://picasaweb.google.com/home, http://fotoflexer.com/, and http://www.lunapic.com/editor/. All these picture editing websites have some of the same things but they are also different.


When you go to any of these four websites or any others you first upload the picture, and then go through all the effects you want, the possibilities are endless. You can upload one picture and in the end it will look completely different from when you first put it on there.


 You can make yourself smaller, or bigger depending on what you’re using the picture for. You can crop the picture, rotate it, and take the picture from all different angles to make it look better. Some people like to customize their pictures so that they don’t get stolen. To do this, you usually make a watermark or put your name somewhere into the picture where it doesn’t stick out to much but it can’t be taken out either. You can fix up your pictures as well! If you have token a very good picture but you have acne in the picture you can fix that, easily. You can remove wrinkles, whiten your teeth, make your eyes different colors; you can make that picture into anything you want it to be all with a click of a button.