Found a great site for an image today and I wanted to share the process.
I was on assignment at the Garden Walk in Anaheim. It’s an outdoor mall across from Disneyland with restaurants, a movie theater, shops and a bowling alley.
I saw this mural and knew I wanted to capture it.
Here was my first view:

I knew that I needed a human element to show, 1) how large the mural was and 2) to give it that human element.
Of course, when I was approaching the scene there were at least a half dozen people wandering around the mural.
By the time I got my gear ready, I was able to make this last exposure with the family walking in front of the mural.
No one else came by for the next 15 minutes!!!
Typical.
I had to report for my assignment, so I had to settle for the first and only exposure with humans.
That’s why it’s good to be ready all the time.
Be inspired!

Michael is the author of, “Take Better Photos Now,” and, “Mommie Pics,” ebooks that help everyone become better photographers through tips and secrets that he has learned during his more than 25 years of experience as a professional photographer and photography teacher. He currently is an adjunct professor at Cal Baptist University in Riverside, California. To purchase either ebook, click the links. CLICK HERE FOR “TakeBetterPhotosNow!
CLICK HERE FOR MOMMIE PICS

I was out looking for some Mother’s Day presents today and a birthday present, too.
That means I’ve got a lot of presents to buy and not a lot of time to do it.
I always head to an antique store that has a lot of consignment stalls.
It’s great and there’s always a bunch of great things for me to choose from that usually matches my mom, sisters and my wife’s tastes.
I was pumped and hoping to get this all done quickly, but I showed up about 45 minutes too early.
I headed over to the Starbuck’s around the corner to kill some time, but I got antsy and thought I might look for something to photograph while I was waiting.
There was some great light pouring through one of the many windows and it was creating some really interesting shadows on a dress form.
I couldn’t figure out which letters were making these cool designs, so I just shot it and ran it though a grunge filter that I found to make the image look older.
Bam!
One cool looking image and I was able to find quite a few presents, too!
Be inspired!

Michael is the author of, “Take Better Photos Now,” and, “Mommie Pics,” ebooks that help everyone become better photographers through tips and secrets that he has learned during his more than 25 years of experience as a professional photographer and photography teacher. He currently is an adjunct professor at Cal Baptist University in Riverside, California. To purchase either ebook, click the links. CLICK HERE FOR “TakeBetterPhotosNow!
CLICK HERE FOR MOMMIE PICS

Some provacative images from 2011.
Take a look and be inspired!
Oh Click anywhere on the type!

Michael is the author of, “Take Better Photos Now,” and, “Mommie Pics,” ebooks that help everyone become better photographers through tips and secrets that he has learned during his more than 25 years of experience as a professional photographer and photography teacher. He currently is an adjunct professor at Cal Baptist University in Riverside, California. To purchase either ebook, click the links. CLICK HERE FOR “TakeBetterPhotosNow!
CLICK HERE FOR MOMMIE PICS

A quick tip today about adding context to your photos.
What?
Well, a lot of images suffer from no context.
How large is that thing in the photo is probably the most common.
This is especially helpful in travel photography, where the setting might not be too familiar to a lot of people.
For example, in our lead image today, there’s a painting of what looks like Ghandi’s head on a wall.
Without the human form that is blurred and walking through this frame, the viewer has no idea how large this photo is.
It could be very small, yet the bricks could give us a clue or it could be massive.
That’s why including a human in your frame gives great context to your images.
Here’s the scene without our “friend.”

Sometimes, waiting for a very long time to include your human is part of the process.
Yet, when done right, it’s worth every minute.
Be inspired!

Michael is the author of, “Take Better Photos Now,” and, “Mommie Pics,” ebooks that help everyone become better photographers through tips and secrets that he has learned during his more than 25 years of experience as a professional photographer and photography teacher. He currently is an adjunct professor at Cal Baptist University in Riverside, California. To purchase either ebook, click the links. CLICK HERE FOR “TakeBetterPhotosNow!
CLICK HERE FOR MOMMIE PICS

I was having fun on a trip up the road a bit to Los Angeles.
I shot a quick photo of the skyline as the sun was setting.
It gives me a chance to share again about the landscape rule.
Place your horizon no higher than the 1/3rd line of your frame, otherwise you’ll have a center-focused horizon.
It also allows you to emphasize either the land or the sky, depending on the majority that is left after the placement of the horizon.
In this example the sky with the interesting cloud formations gets to be the majority of the frame.
The darkness of the buildings and the street support, but don’t takeaway from the sky because of the placement of the horizon.
Easy, right?
This shot was taken from the Little Tokyo portion in LA looking towards the west.
Be inspired!

Michael is the author of, “Take Better Photos Now,” and, “Mommie Pics,” ebooks that help everyone become better photographers through tips and secrets that he has learned during his more than 25 years of experience as a professional photographer and photography teacher. He currently is an adjunct professor at Cal Baptist University in Riverside, California. To purchase either ebook, click the links. CLICK HERE FOR “TakeBetterPhotosNow!
CLICK HERE FOR MOMMIE PICS

Driving to church really early, means that I might stumble upon a scene like this every now and again.
I’ve been photographing for over 30 years in my hometown and I can’t recall too many times that I have captured a beam of light that was so intense.
I saw it and quickly pulled over in a no parking zone, whipped out my camera and shot of 4 frames.
Then I had to jump back into my car and head off to my responsibilities.
It was fun!
Anytime I find a great photograph, my day is that much better.
Dramatic light that looks like something out of a Spielberg movie is always enough reason to risk a ticket or at the very least to stop and try to capture the moment.
I placed the top of the beam in the upper right area of convergence and let the shaft of light move towards the lower left area of convergence to draw the viewers’ eye toward the heavenly beam.
There’s also some nice repetition in the telephone poles on the left side of the frame as well as the road making another diagonal as it leads off into the frame.
The only thing I wish I could have changed, was the horizon line.
It’s a bit too much in the middle of the frame, but I don’t think I could have altered it too much and still kept the shaft of light exactly where I wanted it.
Be inspired!

Michael is the author of, “Take Better Photos Now,” and, “Mommie Pics,” ebooks that help everyone become better photographers through tips and secrets that he has learned during his more than 25 years of experience as a professional photographer and photography teacher. He currently is an adjunct professor at Cal Baptist University in Riverside, California. To purchase either ebook, click the links. CLICK HERE FOR “TakeBetterPhotosNow!
CLICK HERE FOR MOMMIE PICS

I have photographed this building before, but tonight I it drew my attention due to the lovely silhouettes the setting sun was creating.
There’s a lot going on in this image:
1. Silhouettes
Classic case of the light falling on the palm trees being darker than the light falling on the background. Creating silhouettes!
2. The reflection of the sunset in the mirrored panels of the windows of the building. Another perspective.
3. Strong diagonals
The roofline of the building creates a very strong and dramatic diagonal which gives movement and power to this image. Diagonals are a photographers friend. Look for them and use them whenever possible.
4. The light is so smooth.
It seems to envelope each subject as it slowly slips beneath the horizon and gives way to the night. The last minutes of light are referred to as the golden light. This is why.

A very nice image from a church parking lot that I’ve been to hundreds of times and yet it never looks quite the same.
Be inspired!

Michael is the author of, “Take Better Photos Now,” and, “Mommie Pics,” ebooks that help everyone become better photographers through tips and secrets that he has learned during his more than 25 years of experience as a professional photographer and photography teacher. Her currently is an adjunct professor at Cal Baptist University in Riverside, California. To purchase either ebook, click the links. CLICK HERE FOR “TakeBetterPhotosNow!
CLICK HERE FOR MOMMIE PICS

Not really sure why a beam from 9/11 is on display at the Reagan Library, but it was inspiring and a solemn monument to one of the worst days in our country’s history.
I wanted to capture it well.
Here’s what I was thinking as I approached it. It is long, about 20 feet and sitting in a dim room.
I punched up my ISO (the light sensitivity for my digital sensor) and dialed my shutter speed way down to around 1/15 of a second.
I waited until a few people were stopped looking at the beam to freeze them due to the slow shutter speed, there was some movement at each end, but I figured most viewers would be looking at the center of the beam.

Then I nabbed a nice detail shot to give the viewer more information.
FDNY 343 had been stenciled onto the beam, signifying the number of firefighters who died that fateful day.
Putting the beam parallel to my camera helped to keep as much of it in focus as possible, along with the bystanders. The slow shutter speed allowed more light to illuminated my sensor for the best possible exposure and lastly the detail of the stencil helps to give the viewer’s more information about the image.
Try these techniques next time you head out on vacation.
Be inspired!

I found one more image that illustrates visual complexity.
This is a great technique for vacation photography or travel photography.
It adds the human element, without being too blatant about having a person in the photo. It also adds motion with the slow shutter speed which blurs the subject as they walk through the image.
I noticed these giant photos of “bad guys” who Reagan had to deal with in the 80’s, I knew I needed a human element and waited just a moment for this young woman to walk through the image. I set my camera for a relatively slow shutter speed and just waited for the subject to walk.
The result?
The subject walking is slightly blurred and thus, doesn’t draw too much attention away from the portraits on the wall.
Try this next time you want to show off a static element and you have people walking through the image.
Setting the shutter speed to below 1/15 of a second or slower will probably give the best results, just be careful that your final shutter speed isn’t so slow that you can’t hold the entire image still.
Be inspired!

I have a quick photo taking tip today.
It involves two things, silhouettes and space.
This image utilizes both things. The mystery of a silhouette creates drama and intrigue, but notice how each of the people has their own space in the image?
A lot of photogs forget or don’t notice this and things become jumbled.
Waiting and being intentional will cause your image to be some much more different and unique.
The moment before this image was taken the people were all mushed together, waiting just a beat, helped to separate them as two of them walked towards the steps and the lone figure walked parallel to the camera. That created just enough space between each figure for separation and cleanliness for the image.
This step, especially in a silhouette really takes your photos to the next level.
Be intentional and be inspired!