TakeBetterPhotosNow.com » sunset

Landscape Silhouettes

Michael Kitada — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 08:00:36 +0000

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

Vanishing Point

Michael Kitada — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 08:00:45 +0000

I have to admit that wandering around school before my classes has been a real inspiration for my photography lately.
I saw this scene which I must have passed a hundred times, but never stopped before.
I briefly thought about waiting for a person to enter, so I could talk about patience, but then I noticed the sheer beauty of the starkness of this image.
I love how the arches draw my eye deeper into the image.
A figure might have stopped that lovely visual experience.
Placing the end of the passageway in the upper left area completes the visual journey.
The lighting adds mystery and sculpts each archway to give more dimensionality to the image, too.
Another example of being aware of your surroundings as you walk through your day, even when you pass by familiar areas.
Be inspired!

Sunrise Photos

Michael Kitada — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 08:00:37 +0000

Great way to start any morning is to look up and see a beautiful and colorful sunrise.
Here’s a few things to keep in mind.
1. Highlight the sky.
Remember, it’s the sky that you want to feature, so let the sky take up at least 2/3rds of the canvas, even more if possible.
In this example, just a tiny piece of the ground is even included.
2. Utilize the elements that you have.
I noticed electrical wires and a random telephone pole. I placed the wires in areas that created different zones and made diagonals which give movement to the image.
3. Enjoy the beauty.
Sometimes photos are just beautiful. Even in an urban setting, the glory of this sunrise can’t be contained.
Sit back and enjoy and be inspired!

Bucket List

Michael Kitada — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 08:00:07 +0000

The past couple of days I’ve had a mission.
Help my daughter buy a car.
She has been very specific about her wants, it’s been a bit stressful.
Well, today we were headed to check out another car and I realize that our trip will be taking us by something that I’ve always wanted to photograph.
It’s a sign.
An old restaurant sign from my past.
It was heart-shaped and the words have been busted out for years, but the sign remains like a silent sentry.
The sky was showing signs of setting up for a beautiful and colorful sunset.
I decided that I was going to get to shoot one of my photo bucket list items.

Unfortunately, the best place to see the fiery sunset through the sign would have been standing in the middle of the freeway.
So, I decided to photograph a few different variations.
In each frame, I was able to feature this heart sign and the gorgeously gradated sky.
Another photo bucket list to scratch off.

Finally, the last image was as I was ducking back into my car.
If you look closely, you’ll see a plane in the upper right area of convergence.
It was a fitting image.
Moral of the story?
When you have a chance to shoot something, do it.
Don’t wait for tomorrow. Do it now.
Be inspired!

Negative Space

Michael Kitada — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 08:00:00 +0000

In the past, I wondered what my style of photography would be.
I’ve looked and studied the work of most of the masters and some who aren’t masters yet.
Last year, a photographer whom I respect, made an off-handed remark about my photos.
He remarked, “You’re really good at negative space.”
I smiled and thanked him and continued my lecture.
Later, when I had more time to think about his statement, I was floored.
I realized that my style had started to show through, when I hadn’t even been trying.
Negative space.
I’ve found myself drawn to shooting images with the subjects in the extreme edges of the canvas for sometime.
I didn’t realize that I was doing it more and more.
Extreme composition means placing subjects outside the center of the grid and in the outside edges or boxes of the tic-tac-toe grid.
That’s exactly what I’ve been doing.
Take your photography to a different level by looking at as many different photographers as possible.
Try their various styles, learn their techniques and see what you are drawn to.
Become the photographer that you were meant to be.
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!

Sunset Photo

Michael Kitada — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 08:00:17 +0000

One of my colleagues at the Orange County Register, captured an amazing image on the last day of 1999.
Remember the fears of Y2K?
How the embedded computer chips were going to shut the world down and leave us all in chaos?
The entire news staff was scheduled.
No one had the night off.
We were ready for anything, except nothing happened.
My fellow photographer was cruising Huntington Beach and saw a woman saying goodbye to the millennium.
I always thought about that image.
I was never able to get down to the beach on the last day of the year.
This year was no different.
In fact, my wife sent me to the store at the last minute, just as the sun was setting.
Fortunately, my son went with me and we put together a quick shoot as the last rays of the final sunset of 2011 shone down.
A couple of technical details:
1. The horizon is extremely low to emphasize the sky.
2. The sun is near the lower right area of convergence
3. My subject is in the left vertical and his head is near the upper left area of convergence.

Not quite the beach, but a significant image for myself and my son as we said goodbye to 2011.
Capture the moments of your families life.
Be inspired!

The Shadow Knows…

Michael Kitada — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 08:00:25 +0000

I kept my word and was on the lookout for more shadows.
I was quickly rewarded this morning when I walked into my office and was rewarded with super cool shadows.
I felt the window shadow needed and utilized one of the young men that work for facilities.
The human figure adds humanity and scale to the image and spices up the shadow.
Interestingly the composition of this image is very similar to yesterday’s glass of water image.
I enjoy that type of kismet.
Again, I’m challenging you to be on the lookout for shadows and the awesome images they can make.
Be inspired!

Refreshing Moment

Michael Kitada — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 08:00:18 +0000

I’ve been noticing shadows lately and been looking at them a lot more than ever.
Ever noticed how when you looking to buy a new car, once you have decided on a certain make or model, that is all you seem to see.
I’ve been considering getting a new Scion xB and for weeks now, it seems they are everywhere.
Neighbors have them, they drive by me in packs and park nearby, no matter where I go.
Let’s start doing that with shadows and the images they create.
I’ve been doing this exercise for a bit and here’s an image I came up with.
This is just a glass after I had had a long drink of water.
The sun was just out of reach, as I was sitting under my patio I noticed the shadow that it cast was amazing.
I love the different variations that the light creates after passing through the glass and casting a very unique shadow.
I had to make an image.
I composed the image with the glass in the upper left area of convergence and the strong diagonal created gives great movement and power to the image for the viewer.
Commit to looking for shadows and the role they might have in your photography over the next couple of days or weeks and see how it changes your vision.
Be inspired!

Michael Kitada was a staff photographer for the Orange County Register for 17 years, has served as an adjunct at UCLA and currently is an adjunct teaching beginning, intermediate and advanced photography at Cal Baptist University in southern California. He is also an author, speaker and blogger on photography. He is the owner of Michael Kitada Photography and his clients include, The Irvine Company, Forbes, People magazine, TV Guide, Newsweek, CURE magazine, and newspapers nation-wide. www.michaelkitada.com

Seeing Dramatic Light

Michael Kitada — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 08:00:55 +0000

As I was leaving school recently, the light from the setting sun was so brilliant in a tunnel that I just had to stop and make a few images.
The image is rather center-focused, but the symmetry of the image really lent itself to that type of composition.
The dramatic shadow really helps the image, too!
I made a few images like this and then decided to crop into the scene a bit to see if that might yield a different type of dramatic image.

This image focuses on just the shadows of the students walking towards the setting sun.
I tried to compose them so that the shadows were just on the edges of the frame.
Symmetry but with a twist or more of an angle and less center-focused.
Again, be on the look out for dramatic light and you will find it more often.
Be inspired!

Black & White vs. Color

Michael Kitada — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 08:00:32 +0000

A bit more from the past weekend’s wedding.
What about the difference between color and black & white?
In the old days of film, you switched from color to black & white or had two camera bodies loaded with the different films.
You could print on special paper that was made to convert, but it was never the same and looked funky.
Today, you shoot in color and make the switch in Lightroom or PhotoShop. Easy peasy!
I think too many photographers tend to forget about this easy alternative.
The first image has beautiful colors in the vineyards, but check out this alternative image from the same situation.

In this image, I’ve desaturated the colors and added a few other things to snap up the image in black & white and I think it’s a totally different and unique look from this event.
Black & white photography makes us work differently as composition and sharpness of focus really come to a head, as color isn’t a factor in the image.
In the last image, we just have a light and a dark subject against the rows of vines which are gray and recede into the background as supporting elements rather than main subjects.
On your next shoot, try a few black & white images and see how they spice up your shoot.
Be inspired!