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

This post will document a recent shoot that was a test for another idea that I’m planning on shooting in a couple of weeks.
There are three lights in this set-up.
1. The main light which is illuminating the subjects’ face.
2. A side light that is illuminating the right side of the subject and the ground.
3. And finally the sun which has set which is illuminating the incredible clouds on this evenings sunset.
Balance of the light is key.

There’s a snoot on the main light on the right and a full amber gel over the side light on the left.
The main light is set on manual at 1/8th power, while the side light is set on manual at 1/2 power.
The ratio worked out well to capture the sunset at f/9.0 at 1/100th of a second.
Here’s one more shot with a 16-35mm.

My main goal was to light a subject at night, but only to light the subject partially. To sculpt the light so it would only illuminate the face and part of the instrument that he was holding.
The side light served to separate my subject from the background.
The wide angle really shows that I achieved most of that.
I wish that the small bush on the left wasn’t so lit, but in the heat of the moment as the sun set, it was a low priority.

The last image is taken with a 70-200mm 2.8 and shows a more compressed view.
Although the sky had darkened noticeably, I think that the wide angle lens gives a better view and a more saturated view, so that the most dramatic effect is produced with that lens.
Still there are benefits to be considered with the telephoto view.
The subject pops more from the background, he really stands out against the sky.
Also, the foliage blends more into the background and is less of a distraction than in the wide angle view.
The sky is incredibly dramatic and outshines the sky in the telephoto version.
I’m looking forward to my next shoot with this set-up.
Be inspired!

Michael worked as a photojournalist in southern California for 20 plus years and has taught photojournalism at UCLA. He currently is an adjunct professor at Cal Baptist University in Riverside, CA where he teaches photography. He is the author of, “Take Better Photos Now!”
click here for “TakeBetterPhotosNow!

I wanted to quickly touch on a landscape photography tip.
To review, the horizon should be placed in no greater than a 1/3 rd area of the total composition.
For example, our first image today has a horizon line that is marked by the tops of the trees, the building and the chimney-type stacks.
The horizon line that they create is about 1/8th of the total canvas when viewed from top to bottom.
Thus, the horizon is in an area less than 1/3rd.
It makes for a far more interesting image for the viewer, rather than an image where the horizon is near the 1/2 line of the image.
In our first image, I love the diagonal that the smoke plume is creating. It moves diagonally from the lower right area of convergence to the upper left area of convergence.
Environmentally, I’m not so sure that I’m all that excited about all the burn off hitting the atmosphere.
Here’s another example:

The pier makes a very obvious horizon line for the viewer which also emphasizes the beautiful cloud formations.
Just like the rule of thirds, stay away from the middle, our eyes seem to find that boring, at least the majority of the time.
Be inspired!

I was hired to photograph a 5k fun run last weekend.
Visual story telling is the answer to informing our friends where, who and what we did recently.
Here’s a few tips.
1. Think like a reporter.
The 5 W’s of reporting will help you to frame your photos. The Who, What, Where, When and Why, will tell you what to communicate for your story.
In the first photo, we have the What. Looks like a race and that’s exactly what it was, a 5k charity race.
You can photograph a sign or the runner’s numbers or as I have here, a human interest story.
The winner of the race ran back to find his sister and finish the race with her holding hands.
Some of that information is needed in a caption, but there’s lots of clues in this image. The boy already has a medal and their numbers are in sequence and they are running around a track.

2. Did something interesting happen at the event?
It rained like cats and dogs!
These friends gathered under an umbrella to have their photo taken. I focused with my long lens and made an image as they were being photographed.
3. Interesting or humorous event?

These boys gave up running early in the event and popped up their umbrellas and kept walking.
It tells the story quickly, but also gives us more information about the event, too.
Like it was raining hard!
4. Establishing shots help ground the viewer.

I always try to make a quick shot that tells where we are or what’s going on to include in the story to help the viewer.
In this set of images the beginning of the race shows the mayhem that occurred and also establishes that there was a race with quite a few people involved.
I’ve always wondered why more children aren’t trampled during these starts?
5. Details! They move the story along.Detail shots give information that is quick and concise. Visually it helps to move the story, without taking too much space.
Each of the racers were given snacks at the end of the race. Bananas!

Grab a hold of these quick tips and try them out at your next event that you want to share with friends.
In only a few images you can tell an entire story without being redundant or more importantly boring.
Be effective and concise.
Be inspired!

I’m currently working on a sunset project and ran across this image.
I wanted to talk about photography composition basics in today’s post.
My rule is that as a photographer, you need to be as prepared as possible and then you’ll be ready for those wonderful surprises.
A lot of folks like to call that being lucky, I call it, “The best prepared, make their own luck.” Well, at least in photography.
All my settings were arranged for this silhouette of the pier, when I noticed a lone figure strolling down the beach.
I quickly positioned the pier in along the top horizontal of my compositional grid, the buildings in the upper left area of the grid and waited for the person to walk right into the lower right area. Perfect!
I was ready and didn’t have to mess with the composition once she arrived in the perfect spot.
Also, I had been tweaking my exposure and previewing it to make sure the tones were just right, too!
Practice makes perfect, so continue to work on your composition. If every frame you snap, you work on your craft, then when the chaos hits, you’ll have the basics just happen and you will be able to concentrate on other things.
Like capturing the moment.
Be inspired!

I was on assignment at Huntington Beach and storm clouds were coming straight at us. The rain that never really materialized, looked like it was going to slam directly into us.
That’s when I saw the pier out of the corner of my eye.
The roof of the restaurant was red and was almost impossible to not be drawn to.
The clouds, the water and the pier were a very monochromatic color palette and the red roof was a nice addition that broke the pattern of color.
I arranged the composition to place the red roof in the extreme lower left area of convergence to balance out all of the clouds and sky.

Try color as a continuous pattern that can be broken with a contrasting color.
Be inspired!

Extreme composition is our topic for today.
It’s not just about placing your subject on the edge of the frame, but looking for a background that will compliment this type of technique best.
Let’s take a look:
Our first image is just a lamp post at my school. I’ve decided to compose the image with just the barest minimum of the lamp showing in the lower left part of the frame and the background being nothing but a clear blue sky. The sky is essentially negative space that balances out my extreme composition and gives it the ability/power to hold it’s own in that small space.
Does this make sense?
Hopefully it does and inspires you to try this technique.

Next up is a humorous look at one of my students’ feet.
It’s all alone in the far upper right of the frame and surrounded by a sea of pavers that are creating a type of pattern that escapes me right now.
Isolating the foot, makes an image that is both a visual surprise and hopefully, a delight for our viewers.

Next up is the beloved Lady Fortuna fountain at Cal Baptist University in Riverside, CA.
I’ve placed her at the extreme lower right to emphasize the sky and force the viewer to “see” the rest of the frame before being lead to the statue due to it being the lightest and brightest part of the frame.
The tree tops at the bottom of the frame aren’t too distracting and also anchor the image, due to their darkness which is visually heavy and serves as a foundation for the image. See?

Finally, at the end of another photo shoot, I looked up in old town Orange and noticed all the different logos and adverts on the buildings.
You could drive by these buildings and fail to notice them.
They are every where, but they tend to blend into the overall look of the area.
I chose to highlight just a piece of a word, the co., for company.
It’s in the extreme lower left and for me makes me wonder what the rest of the word says and what the rest of the building looks like.
I like that mystery.
I think it adds another dimension to the photo and gives more power and life to what could be just another image.
Add the extreme composition in and you have an image that speaks to the viewer.
Be inspired!

I was headed into work today, I work part-time at my church, and I just happened to look up at the sign at the entrance.
The sky was beautiful, especially since it has been raining last week.

I pulled out my trusty iPhone and accessed my hipstamatic app.
The cloud formation that was passing over the building was ethereal and added some mystical properties to the image.

Technically, I placed the signage in the lower left area of convergence and the building in the bottom third of the image.
The resulting photo turned out exactly how I wanted.
A dramatic and eye-catching image that gives a feeling to the viewer and makes the viewer look and hopefully think.
Be inspired!

I’ve talked extensively about the rule of thirds for composition. It’s a great guide for creating images that viewers will actually look at.

Landscapes have their own rule, too.

It’s the 1/3rd 2/3rds rule!

This photo was taken a bit ago, when construction was near completion on the Concert Hall in Costa Mesa.

The sky was beautiful as was the shape of the front of the building.

The entire front of the building is curved glass.

I exposed for the sky to capture the clouds and to let the building go dark, so it anchors the composition.

Now for the landscape rule.

Essentially, you want to keep the horizon line away from the center. At least 1/3 rd is the rule. If, as is the case in this image, you want to emphasize something, make it more. In this example, it’s more like 25% v. 75%. So, the sky and clouds are emphasized by the simple tool of where I placed the horizon.

Here’s an image I’ve shown before, but not in this context.

1/3rd sky and 2/3rd’s land. It really snaps up the composition.

The hard or difficult part of this is to remember the horizon when shooting a portrait.

That’s when this rule is especially important.

Hint* Consider trees and buildings as part of the landscape.

Have a great day and…

Be inspired!

I was photographing a couple at one of my favorite spots, Huntington Beach at sunset. I had to post a couple of the sunsets, just to let all my friends on the east coast see how our weather is. Landscape composition varies depending on what part of the ’scape you want to emphasize.

Our first frame shows a classic 1/3rd land and a 2/3rds sky of a beautiful sunset.

Our other images show a version where we have about 4/5ths sky and 1/5th water, while we also have a 2/3rds water and a 1/3rd sky.

My last frame is actually a bit of a rulebreaker. Why? I’ve placed the surfer walking in the lower right area of convergence, but he is walking out of the frame. Normally, you want to leave space for our subject to walk or run or even look into. Why? Because it helps our viewers eyes to remain engaged and not stop viewing our image. It also emphasizes the ocean over the sky.

Lastly, we can’t forget our friends on the east coast who encountered one of the largest snow storms to hit in a number of years.  Looks like a white Christmas for them and we will just have to suffer through another wonderful sunset. BTW, that’s Catalina Island in the background.