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Shoot First Ask Questions Later?

Gordon Campbell — Thu, 02 May 2013 10:00:53 +0000

Overcome distracting foregrounds & adjust depth of field AFTER you shoot with this new technology. Naples Zoo lion by Gordon Campbell www.swfloutdoorphotography.com.

That old time saying now applies to your photography. From time to time I like to post on new technology and here’s something I’ve had my eye on for awhile that’s not only become affordable but is truly amazing. How’d you like especially when in a rush to shoot first and focus later at home? Now possible thanks to the Lytro camera. What’s so great about this? Well worrying about depth of field or overcoming distracting foreground objects that your auto focus might grab may be a thing of the past. There’s software availabletoo that may prime your current DSLR to do the same thing. I’ll link below…

A question came in this week about flash photography when it’s super bright like on the beach. Without revealing all the tricks the basic idea is to shoot in manual exposing for the background then using an external flash to fill in the shaded subject. Interested in learning more about this as well as other outdoor photography tips? Email me.

You can learn more about the Lytro camera here and read tons more posts on everything from wildlife photography, HDR, camera settings and more here.

Enjoy the weekend and as always send in your questions- Gordon.

Professional Photography from Ft. Meyers & Sanibel to Naples, Marco Island and the Everglades.

gordon@SWFLOutdoorPhotography.com

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Upcoming Photography Events…

Gordon Campbell — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 10:00:13 +0000

The great thing about Southwest Florida for the shutterbug is that there is always something going on. Whether it’s a learning situation like formal photography classes or fun shoots with group outings, something’s always on the calendar. Looking ahead, there’s lots of excitement about Balloons Over Paradise out at in Immokolee. Like last year I plan to attend with the DPI-SIG camera club. FAA regs dictate that the winds must be under 8 mph for the early morning liftoff. Last year they exceeded that but we still got lots of great photos, many in the dark. Tip: get there early with a tripod & fast lens.

Balloons Over Paradise is a great photographic opportunity. This shot taken last year on the DPI-SIG.org outing. Gordon Campbell www.swfloutdoorphotography.com.

Looking to nature, as temps rise with more Summer like conditions wildlife photography slows but remains more than viable in the right areas. For those with an interest in birds, alligators, orchids and other life found in the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, I’ll be leading a small group on Monday the 22nd through Understand Photography. Corkscrew offers a wealth of opportunities but the uneven lighting makes it tricky so we’ll cover metering, manual vs. autofocus, composition and more. You can find out more about the trip here.

Black Crowned Night Heron photographed at the Corkscrew during a photography workshop at the Sanctuary. Gordon Campbell www.swfloutdoorphotography.com.

As usual, send your questions in for an answer in upcoming posts- Gordon.

Professional Photography from Ft. Meyers & Sanibel to Naples, Marco Island and the Everglades.

gordon@SWFLOutdoorPhotography.com

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Camera Deals Abound &…..

Gordon Campbell — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 10:00:18 +0000

The price of digital camera technology continues to fall especially within the “consumer” models and products. Meanwhile the capabilities and picture quality of even pocket cameras continues to impress. Just a hundred bucks or so gets you something worth toting around whether over to the beach or away on vacation. Over the last week I spotted an interesting offer from Nikon for those with an interest in DSLRs. Basically for $350.00 you can step into a refurbished body and lens along with a few key accessories. The perfect starter or even backup kit. As usual Canon continues to push the offerings in their Powershot line with prices cracking the eighty dollar level. I’d consider something like that as a great kids’s gift. People often ask me where I shop and the answer is usually B&H but I also keep an eye on these manufacturer specials.

This Week’s Photography Tip:

Use your aperture setting to nicely reduce depth of field. Wildflower at f5.6 by Gordon Campbell www.swfloutdoorphotography.com.

A question came in along the lines of “making the background blurry.” On the polar extremes there is a noticeable by product of both your speed and aperture settings and that’s the essence here. In addressing this case, widening your aperture (small number, big hole) let’s in more light and nicely throws the background out of focus. Known as reduced depth of field. While portrait photographers have practiced this for decades it also applies to wildlife and nature photography.

Good shooting this weekend. If today’s post helped do share it and remember there is a huge archive right here. Next week- upcoming classes and more….

Professional Photography from Ft. Meyers & Sanibel to Naples, Marco Island and the Everglades.

gordon@SWFLOutdoorPhotography.com

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Corkscrew Santuary Offers Photography Class

Gordon Campbell — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 15:39:35 +0000

Would you like to sharpen your nature photography skills right in one of Southwest Florida’s most pristine “classrooms”? The season is winding down but there still opportunities for workshops featuring both classroom time & guided in the field shooting.

There is room for a couple more in this weekend's nature photography class at the Corkscrew Sanctuary. Photos by Gordon Campbell www.swfloutdoorphotography.com.

The Corkscrew offers a chance to photography everything from the boardwalk itself to the age old Cypress trees plus a bevvy of birds, reptiles, the occasional large mammal and array of interesting plant life. To learn more and register visit the Corkscrew Sanctuary’s site . Hope to see you there- Gordon.

If you can’t make the class there are still lots of related articles in the archives here.

Professional Photography from Ft. Meyers & Sanibel to Naples, Marco Island and the Everglades.

gordon@SWFLOutdoorPhotography.com

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Gordon Campbell

Learn The Basics of Photoshop Elements

Gordon Campbell — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 11:00:33 +0000

During a seminar I conducted this week at the South Collier Regional Library on how to effectively edit, enhance & correctly save photos with various versions of Elements I was surprised to find how many people had experience with the program but who were unaware of some of the most basic actions and work flow. No one’s fault, for most people the program doesn’t become intuitive without initial instruction then regular practice. Based on questions I received, below are some ideas to help get started with Elements:

Photos taken by day & night can be quickly edited and finished with a working knowledge of Photoshop Elements. 5th Ave Naples at night by Gordon Campbell www.swfloutdoorphotography.com.

1- Digital processing software is designed to help you finish or optimize good images. There is a huge mis- conception that truly poor exposures or compositions can become masterpieces with the push of a few buttons. Not so, start with a quality shot.

2- Learn to read the histogram both on your camera monitor which will help with proper exposures in the field and and when making levels adjustments in Elements which should be your first operation when processing. Basically you’re correcting your exposure to get started.

3- You’ll then go on to further lighting adjustments under Enhance, Lighting Adjustments where a drop down box will give you several options. You may care to make color adjustments found under Enhance, Adjust Color too.

4- General & localized sharpening are a must too. The latter is completed via the Sharpen Tool and the former under Enhance, Adjust Sharpness.

5- On top of all the lighting adjustments there are also a bevvy of artistic filters you can add to create a mild or extreme painterly look. Start under Filter.

6- Get your cropping right. Understand the term aspect ratio and complete your crops to the right dimensions especially if you’ll be printing.

This is a getting started primer, a scratch of the surface. If you have a question or need help deciphering the program and its many many features, email me. In the meantime take some good shots and put that finishing touch to them- Gordon.

Professional Photography from Ft. Meyers & Sanibel to Naples, Marco Island and the Everglades.

gordon@SWFLOutdoorPhotography.com

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A RAW Deal…

Gordon Campbell — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 11:00:25 +0000

During a recent seminar and often in photography classes I get questions about shooting RAW files. Some folks even ask with a sense of trepidation. The answer and associated benefits of setting your camera to shoot in RAW are as beneficial as they are easy to understand. Here’s the basic thought process-

1- When you take a shot in RAW you are getting a totally non compressed unedited file. When you shoot a jpeg file your digital camera both compresses and “decides” what data to save or not. Therefore the file you produce may not be exactly what the sensor recorded although the difference may be small.

2- Regular readers know I’m a big proponent of saving your original file, making a set of copies to edit. The great thing about RAW files is that you can’t accidentally damage or destroy the original via your editing since only after your work is done do you save the finished product typically as a jpeg with the original intact.

3- The pros & cons: The pros far outweigh the latter. Greater editing options especially with white balance favor RAW in addition to the described traits above. The only cons are that they do require professional editing software like Photoshop, Elements or Lightroom and will occupy more space on your memory card. Since most enthusiasts move up to buying editing programs and since even larger memory cards are cheap, it’s a no brainer.

Shooting in RAW gives you extra editing abilities with both artificial and natural light while preserving your original file. Photo by Gordon Campbell www.swfloutdoorphotography.com.

That’s what you need to know to get started. Email me with questions and always browse the archives for more helpful articles. I’ll be teaching photo editing at Rookery Bay, The Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary and privately too. Thanks for reading- Gordon.

Professional Photography from Ft. Meyers & Sanibel to Naples, Marco Island and the Everglades.

gordon@SWFLOutdoorPhotography.com

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Photographing Burrowing Owls

Gordon Campbell — Sat, 19 Jan 2013 17:58:07 +0000

We had a small but great trip for burrowing owls today. Big thanks to Peggy Farren of Understand Photography for booking the trip & to Sherry & Joe who were thrilled with our subjects. After photographing several nest sites we got the best pose & a gopher tortoise at our last spot. Let us know if this might be for you- Gordon.

Burrowing Owls photographed during an instructional workshop booked through Understand Photography here in Naples. Photo collage by Gordon Campbell www.swfloutdoorphotography.com.

Great New Camera Gear For 2013

Gordon Campbell — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 11:00:58 +0000

Hopefully everyone’s holiday season went well complete with lots of photography and maybe even a few new gadgets. According to several blogs I read myself & will link to, new technology is focusing more and more on the consumer markets and smaller digicams or hybrid DSLRs. Basically many non traditional cameras are coming with interchangeable lenses, higher megapixel counts and other built in features that aid the photographer’s creativity. And it’s not just Nikon & Canon though both have lots of strong offerings at the entry level. I’ve noticed when guiding participants on everything from wildlife & Everglades excursions to night time photography here in Naples that Pentax & Samsung are coming on too.

Whether your subject is a family member, nature scene, something downtown or just along the beach, there's lots of camera gear out there to help, just be sure how to use it. Photo by Gordon Campbell www.swfloutdoorphotography.com.

So remember as I’ve always said, photography is still light through a hole and great photos basically require the use of form & light- good composition is a must as is working the camera’s menu. Today’s cameras just add lots of flexibility in creating images that you’ll find pleasing.

So without further adieu, here’s some news from around the universe:

New Products

Hot New DSLRs & More

From Nikon

“Canon Users Stay Tuned”

Hope this helps. There are archives full of material on all aspects of photography here and if can help, drop me a line- Gordon.

Professional Photography from Ft. Meyers & Sanibel to Naples, Marco Island and the Everglades.

gordon@SWFLOutdoorPhotography.com

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Gordon Campbell

Holiday Camera Sales, Photography Workshops & More…

Gordon Campbell — Sun, 25 Nov 2012 14:08:56 +0000

With the official holiday shopping season underway, I keep seeing great sales & specials at Canon & Nikon. Browse around, there’s usually more than just the headline. When more interesting promotions pop up I’ll post them here & on my Facebook page (linked). As digital technology advances manufacturers are in a race to present it first so prices remain competitive. And remember you don’t need to invest like a pro to produce great photos. One of the best values around now is Photoshop Elements 10 now that 11 has been launched. Check around Amazon.com, Hunts, B&H for your best buys. Essentially the same program (10) can be picked up for half price.

Make sure you and your gear are ready for taking great photos. Family beach silhouette by Gordon Campbell www.swfloutdoorphotography.com.

At this time of year I’m often asked if I’ve got any upcoming photography classes scheduled. Of course they’re always available privately but Rookery Bay is offering a great lineup right through the Winter including everything from in class nature photography technique & digital processing lessons to field trips targeting top spots like Tiger Tail Beach, Marco Island For Burrowing Owls and the Everglades. Check their site or email me to learn more. For those who are members of the Understand Photography meetup group there are “Successful Bird Photography” & “Holidays on Fifth Ave” offerings both scheduled and covering different photography applications and techniques & both annually popular.

Hopefully this is a fact filled post with news you can use. Would you share it if you agree? In the meantime contact me with any questions that will help this season. Best & thanks for reading- Gordon.

Professional Photography from Ft. Meyers & Sanibel to Naples, Marco Island and the Everglades.

gordon@SWFLOutdoorPhotography.com

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Winter Means Wildlife Photography…

Gordon Campbell — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 23:04:33 +0000

Bring home close, well composed shots of burrowing owls from our Marco Island guided field trips sponsored through Rookery Bay.

… and one of our most approachable & photogenic species is the burrowing owl. For those who know where to find them, cool mornings and warm sunny afternoons bring the owls from their hidden burrows out to daylight where they make the perfect target for a DSLR and 300mm zoom. The trick to great pictures here is understanding how to set your camera to expose the birds right while managing what can often be distracting backgrounds. That’s just what we cover in class and more.

On that note I’ll once again be leading guided photo trips to Marco Island’s most active nest sites knowing just when and where to show up. A number of the workshops are through Rookery Bay and we have dates available as follows for the owls and Everglades trips too as follows:

Burrowing Owls: Tuesday November 13th and Thursday December 20th.

Everglades: Alligators, Birds & Landscapes: Tuesday November 20th, Thursday December 27th. We’ll add dates by demand throughout the season.

2 Day Digital Photography for Nature Photographers: 1 Classroom day followed by a morning a Tiger Tail Lagoon for waders, shorebirds, ospreys and more. Classes are scheduled as follows: December 1-2, January !2th & 13th, February 25th & 26th plus March 27th & 28th. Additionally 1 day digital processing courses are offered for those who want to Photoshop Elements to optimize their best shots. Again contact Rookery Bay to register or learn more.

We keep the field trips small assuring lots of individual attention and instruction. Be sure to reserve a spot if that sounds like it might be for you.

Professional Photography from Ft. Meyers & Sanibel to Naples, Marco Island and the Everglades.

gordon@SWFLOutdoorPhotography.com

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Gordon Campbell