Yes, you read that right, up to ISO 204800—that is practically shooting in the dark.

Now my current camera is definitely out of date. I shoot with a D300, which was outstanding 5 years ago, but when the ISO goes above 800 gets really, really grainy.  It is also only a ¾ frame, which means I don’t get the full advantage from the lenses I like to shoot best.  All this leads you to believe that I am ready to sign up for the D4 as well.  Well, not so fast—I actually am not planning on buying it because I don’t believe my photography skills will make use of it.  I never have been one to go out and purchase the latest technology just because it is the latest, and that is especially true with camera equipment. When I get to the point where the equipment gets in the way of what I want to do, it is time to get new equipment.  I have reached that point with my current camera body so, don’t get me wrong, I am going to get a new camera, and soon, but am waiting for the D800.

The D800 shares a lot of the technology found in the D4, but things like a solid, nearly watertight magnesium frame are not that big a deal for me.  I don’t shoot a lot of pro sports events so the ability to shoot a sustained 11 frames per second is interesting, but not what I need.  The low light capability is something I want, and guess what?  The D800 will have close to that. Besides with the money I save, I can also buy that 14-24 lens I still want for shooting more landscapes.

Cameras are an extremely personal choice, and there is no right answer.  It is a tool, albeit a powerful one, which helps you hopefully capture the vision you have in your head. Don’t be swayed by hype, but match your needs versus the range of capabilities the manufacturers are building.

Are you ready for the winter weather?  This is a great time for photography.  You’ll find lots of interesting scenes for your camera.   The snow covers the ground clutter and simplifies the scene.  On clear days, the sky seems crisp and saturated with color.

You need to take care to cover your camera and lens when the snow is blowing.  A common problem is the fogging of the lens from large temperature differences as you take the camera in and out of the weather.  You should give yourself some extra time to for the camera’s temperature to slowly equalize to the cold outside or the warmth of your home.  If you wrap your camera in a clean towel and insert it into a plastic bag, you can reduce condensation while the camera’s temperature is changing.  When you’re done for the day and the camera has warmed, dry everything.  Your lens will be ruined if you get moisture inside.

With all the light reflecting off the snow, your camera’s meter will react by reducing exposure to average out the scene.  This will give you gray snow, instead of the white you’re seeing.  Adjust your camera by increasing the exposure 1-2 stops.  On an SLR, you can do that in the menus.  If you have a camera with scene settings, be sure to use the snow or beach setting.  You want to keep your whites nice and clean.  Yes, you can do some work in post-processing, but proper exposure is much better than punishing pixels in software.

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This year, I’ve got a special trip planned to guarantee snow.  I’m heading back to Alaska for the snow and, hopefully, clear skies filled with the northern lights.  I’ve seen them many times, but I was in the field with the 6th Infantry Division.  They had other plans for me, and they did not include running around with a camera.  I’ll also get a chance at photographing a newborn grandson.  Guess I better take a flash with me…

There is one last thing to remember when you’re out there in the cold: batteries hate cold weather.  Make sure you keep a couple spares handy in your jacket.  You don’t want to be forced into quitting before you get all that goodness captured.

If you prepare now, you’ll be ready when the first flakes start falling.  Don’t forget to try to shoot from some unconventional angles to make some interesting shots.  It’s more fun that way.

The beginning of the trip was for family history purposes.  My mother wanted some photos of places she lived when she left Wisconsin.  New London, CT, had changed quite a bit, but we found a couple of the houses, including the one I spent my first months in.  It isn’t a special image, but, since the genealogy programs of today allow you to import photos, it will find a purpose.

The photo theme of the trip became buildings.

As you can tell from the image, the clouds were gray and low.  If you get into this situation, you want to minimize the amounts of sky included in the photo.  This can be a good time to focus on parts of the building you find interesting.

We moved up the coast to Cape Cod for a couple of days.  The Cape has lots of scenery to keep a camera busy and mine was.  I enjoyed both sunrises and sunsets, and the good thing about Cape Cod is you catch both with beautiful water scenes.  We found one of the famous beach houses facing due East towards Martha’s Vineyard.  A small spit of land allowed me to catch a shot without getting wet.

One evening, I was out by Yarmouth as the sun was setting.  There are lots of small inlets that shelter the boats.  The warm light from the golden hour gave the scene a great look.  The photo may seem cliché to some, but I really like this one since it captured the light the way I saw it.

Of course, when we got up to Boston, my buildings theme got more difficult.  Those are some big buildings!  How do you capture those?  Skylines are always nice.  You can take vertical panoramas, like the church I posted in Tuesday’s blog.  Or just shoot part of the building….how about a photo of a building, reflected in another building?

All in all, it was a good workout for me.  We had a great time, and I got lots of buildings.  Of course, that isn’t the only subject my camera found.  I ended up with hundreds of photos that weren’t buildings, including this cute, little girl having fun on her trike.  You need to get out there, too.

A simple way to get a different look is to change your position to the subject.

The first flower is taken standing upright, the way most would take the picture.  The second is much closer to the level of the flowers.

The lower angle can make such a small difference, the viewer won’t even think about why your photo looks different.  Or you can make it obvious that you’ve taken the photo at an unusual angle.

Break a rule of thirds, and put a subject in the dead center of the frame.  It helps if the subject is symmetrical and strong enough to catch the viewer’s eye.  What could be more powerful than a battleship?

Put some kind of framing element around the edges.  This can be almost anything to direct your viewer’s eye into the key element of the photo.  It doesn’t have to be a complete frame; a partial frame will still direct your viewer’s eyes.   I like to find something that seems natural to whatever scene your shooting – stage lights in a concert; buildings in an urban scene; or rocks in a park to frame the distant glacier.

Instead of trying to capture the whole subject, focus on just a portion of it.  Bring in enough of the subject, and your viewer will create the rest of the image with his imagination.   It’s a subconscious reaction for most folks.  I very rarely get questioned about why I didn’t shoot the whole flower or car.

We’ve talked in other blogs about the joys of abstract photos.  Concentrate on shapes and patterns.  Again, you may want to just take part of the whole subject.  You can leave viewers guessing as to the identity of the real object.  A carefully placed interruption to the patterns can also make an interesting shot.

So, get out there and change your approach.  It can help you take more compelling shots that look different than most.  The more you practice with your photos, the more automatic it becomes.  And, you’ll have more fun making them.

Symmetry is one aspect that can add interest to an image.

The contrast between light and shadows is another.

Finally, my two favorite images from that day used other colors to really make the green feel more vibrant.

All in all, the challenge is in pushing yourself to look at something differently.  Take that challenge and show us the results of your own efforts by posting your 3 best images and your theme on our facebook page.