Grace, my oldest grandchild, often comes into my library when I’m importing the day’s photographs in Lightroom and makes comments on the ones she likes best.  We always talk about why she likes the photo, and after 10 minutes or so, she goes off to play.  She has seen Daddy and Grandpa taking pictures her whole life, so the camera is nothing strange, but she has never asked to try it.   

A couple of weeks ago, she asked if she could borrow my Nikon point and shoot.  The P6000 is a little thicker than most point and shoots, but it fits easily in her little hands.  (And it shoots in RAW and has GPS!)  She went off with Grandma, and I stayed far away, so I didn’t overwhelm her with my enthusiasm and destroy her desire to take photos.  I set the camera to P mode – for pre-schooler in this case.     She shot about 150 pictures and had a blast.

You might think it’s crazy to let a five-year-old have a camera, but, really, what could happen?  She isn’t going to toss it to the ground or throw it in the sprinkler.  As long as she is pointing and shooting, there really is no way to hurt the camera.  Take a chance with your kids, and let them have fun.  It gives them a opportunity to expand their vision. Try not to “help” them decide what to shoot.  Let them make their own decisions and feel grown up.  If they ask a question, just answer the question and avoid going into long dissertations (especially hard for me).  Avoid making judgmental opinions on their art, or they’ll lose interest quickly.  If you play it right, they’ll have fun; learn a new skill; and you may gain a new photo-buddy.

When Grace showed me her pictures, I was very pleased with the outcome.  The photos were naturally properly focused, with an acceptable exposure – that’s what “P mode” is designed to do.  She did a great job with the subject framing, all on her own.  She explained what she liked about the pictures as we imported them into Lightroom and chose her favorites to put up on the internet.  These photographs have not been touched by Photoshop; two were cropped, with her approval, to remove stuff in the background.  I put her comments down because I wanted to know why she chose her topics.  I know what you’re saying: “All grandparents think their grandkids are great.”  I am aware of this tendency, and have, therefore, conducted a highly objective evaluation.  The results were irrefutable – my grandkids are, indeed, perfect.  I hope she continues, and, someday, we’ll go out together to play with our cameras.  But I won’t push; I won’t push; repeat after me, I will not push her.    Here are her shots and comments.  If you like them half as much as I do, then she did a good job.

Rebecca was making a funny face on the screen.

Rebecca's shirt has pretty flowers on it.

I like the diamond on your table.

The purple flowers by the fence are pretty.

That's my grandma, and I love her.

My brother, Drew, has a cookie face.

This is my Toothless. (I needed help here - isn't that a hammock? Turns out that she is pretending this is the dragon, Toothless, from the movie, How to Train Your Dragon).

Hmmm…I guess that doesn’t really answer the mail.  I have taken some photos of animals through the years, and my approach is to photograph them with techniques very similar to portraits of people.  Some simple rules that work for both: keep the eyes in sharp focus; the face is the most interesting feature to most viewers; try to photograph them while they are comfortable and relaxed.

Most people have access their own or friends’ pets with which to practice.  You can start with these critters without any major expense and in relative safety.  Take lots of shots, varying the background and your shooting position.  As always, you should fill the frame with your subject.  A good technique is to get down to the animal’s level.  You don’t want all your photos to be looking down at the animal.  Those kind of shots quickly get boring.  You’ll find ardent pet owners very dedicated to their “babies,” and there are plenty of pet photographers out there who fill this niche and make a good living.  They are always happy to have new photos of them.  Here is one of my mother’s farm cats that found a nice place to pose for me.

Already got the pet photography merit badge?  Well, the next logical step is to head to the zoo.  The zoo provides more exotic animals in a safe environment for you.  Take your long lenses and tripod.  The long lenses get images that feel like you are nearby your subjects, since you usually can’t get very close to these animals.  The long lens allows you to zoom in and crop out the enclosure.  If you can, use a large f stop (the lower numbers on your lens) to allow in lots of light and narrow the depth of field, blurring the background and focusing your viewer’s attention to the animal.  I am lucky enough to have grandchildren who love to go see the animals with me at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C.  The National Zoo does a great job of building enclosures that are as pleasant as they can make them, with a minimum of bars and cages.  I take the tripod for stability for my long lenses, and it has the added advantage of making my camera very obvious to the other visitors.  People seem to, politely, give me a little more room when I’m looking through my camera’s viewfinder sitting on a tripod.

When you’re ready to go out into the wild, look for places near home, maybe even your backyard.  If you put a feeder in your yard, the birds will bring themselves to your lens.  Most yards can produce quite a variety of species.  “Real” bird photographers go out into the woods to find birds in the wild, but don’t let that keep you from practicing in your yard.  You can still get many agreeable shots there.

Ready to challenge the real wilderness?  You can find lots of local, state, or national parks with wildlife.  The rangers can tell you the best locations for viewing and the times most likely to produce animals.  They know their subject, and you should make sure you do, too.  Read books about your animals of choice to understand their normal patterns and environments.  The more you know, the more likely you’ll find success. You have to be patient and very quiet.  Find a spot that allows you to be comfortable; blend in as much as possible; and break up your silhouette, so the animals will relax.  I’ve been told that it takes about 30 minutes of quiet before the animals relax enough to resume their normal activities after some noisy human goes crashing through the woods.  Early morning and evening gives you good light and fewer harsh shadows.

Remember to be animal-friendly and safe out there.  Never put an animal into a stressful situation or yourself in danger.  Don’t ruin the experience for others by damaging the area or leaving your litter.  Most ardent nature photographers operate on very strict principles.  They don’t want to see “the hand of man” anywhere in their photos.  They also take a very dim view of photographers who misrepresent their wildlife photos – don’t shoot animals in zoos or wildlife parks and claim them as “natural” photos.  Besides being dishonest, photographers have been stripped of prizes and awards for this infraction.  But you already knew better than that, right?

You can have fun with animal photography and get some interesting shots.  One of my favorite images is the ferocious bull frog I shot at the National Zoo.  He was ready to hop out and chomp me to death!

Now, I’m off to Orlando for a week of Photoshop World.  Hope to see you there!

Although NASCAR tracks are probably the least restrictive of all the sporting venues, there are some rules.  You can bring in a backpack, but it is size-restricted and must be see-through.  You can buy these very fashionable backpacks from vendors outside the track for about $20.  I hang my camera around my neck and fill the backpack with a couple of lenses, batteries, and additional memory cards.  I carry in a monopod with my seatpad (no metal on the seatpads).  I get lots of looks from the security staff, but have never had any problems getting through.

Each track has seats where you can see the track unimpeded by the catch fence, but you’ll probably be up high and farther away than you’d like.  Bring the longest, fastest lenses you can get, so you can get photos down into the action.  The picture below is an official pointing to a missed lugnut.  This mistake cost Carl Edwards dearly.  My long lens caught it all.  This picture was published on a racing website.

If you are at a track the day before the race, you can get into see the sessions.  Since the drivers are in and out of the garage, adjusting their cars, you can get individual drivers by themselves on the track.  Many of the tracks have distinctive features that can tell your viewer exactly where the picture was taken.  Here’s an easy one since I lined up the car with the Martinsville sign between turns 3 and 4.

Last year, through a special arrangement, I got a press pass at Martinsville and went into the pit area.  The pass allowed me into the garage area for a different view of the race teams.  This is why we carry multiple lenses!  Switch to a wider angle lens and shoot away for photos that most fans can’t get.  Martinsville is a great track for photos because you can capture the entire track in your viewfinder.  The fans are friendly at every track I’ve visited, but especially at Martinsville.

If you go to a race, NASCAR or otherwise, make sure to set the fastest shutter speed possible to freeze the action.  Then use a slower speed to capture motion.  Try panning to keep the car in focus with a motion-blurred background.  And, generally, try all kinds of different techniques. See what I mean – there are pictures everywhere at the track.  Go, Tony Stewart!

You can quickly get into religious arguments about tripod materials and manufacturers (akin to the Nikon/Canon debates), so I won’t recommend a specific brand.  I do think you should buy the best tripod that fits your requirements.  People tend to buy cheap tripods, only to replace them with increasingly expensive replacements.  I say buy quality early and bypass the extra costs trying to avoid the expense of a good tripod, especially since you’re probably going to buy it down the road anyway.

Let’s leave the complaints for another day and talk about why you need a tripod and some tips on a good one.  A good tripod reduces or eliminates any camera shake.  Camera movement, even if it’s slight, can cause problems when absolute sharpness is required.  If you’re a fan of soft-focus, dreamy shots, this may not matter to you.  I, however, think it’s silly to pay lots of money for top quality lenses just to negate their sharpness with camera movement, and, without support, there will always be some movement.  Here is an 8 second exposure inside Bolton Abbey (Yorkshire, England).  This shot uses only available light and would be impossible to hand-hold.

Tripods are essential if you need precision framing of your image.  Several of my photog buds are fanatics about precision framing.  The tripod enables you to get everything just perfect and keep that composition intact for as long as needed.  This type of shooting can also slow your pace as you try to take in everything around you, ensuring that you don’t just snap off a couple of frames without thinking through the image.  We could all benefit from slowing down once in a while.

Monopods are the less-stable cousins of the tripod, but they have several advantages.  Many locations – downtown Washington, D.C., museums and monuments, for example – will not allow you to use tripods, but monopods are acceptable.  Monopods give you extra stability but can be easily moved.  They allow the photographer to follow subjects in motion.  You’ll see lots of action sport photographers with monopods.  They’re much easier to carry with you on a photowalk due to their compactness and lighter weight.

There are many work-arounds for you if you neglected to bring your camera supports.  I’ve tried just about all of them.  You can lean against a building or tree or balance the camera on a wall.  Although not as good as a firm support, with practice, you can hand-hold down to very slow shutter speeds.  It comes down to posture and breathing.

Joe McNally did a funny blog on his technique (here) a while back.  (Caution: Joe is a New Yorker with a salty style of writing his fans love, and I’m a big fan.  If you’re easily offended, you probably don’t want to hit the link.)  For slow shutter speeds, you want to hold your camera and arms close to your body; take a stable and comfortable stance; and shoot quickly after a slow exhale.  My military and shooting buddies will immediately recognize this as the basic requirements for good marksmanship, as well.  We’re talking about a different “shooting” here, but those techniques do come in handy for more than just high marksmanship scores.

How slow can you go?  Well, the picture below is hand-held at 1/6 of a second.  I’ve zoomed in to 100% to show all its flaws, but it is still sharp enough to read the label.  (It would be more impressive if it was a great photo, too, but it was, truly, just a test of low shutter speed technique.)

Like all endeavors, knowing your tools and their proper use will get you the best results.

Sorry we’ve been slow in posting lately.  Our real jobs are interfering with our free time.  Our hopes are high for the new year.

One way to simplify this confusing litany of photographic rules?  Eliminate some of the distractions by going in close.  The face of your subject holds the viewer’s interest and conveys the most expression.  It can tell its own story.

A close-up portrait, however, has pitfalls to avoid.    Focus is critical.  Unless you are trying to create some special effect, you need to keep the eyes sharp.  People naturally look there first.    Generally, you want to use the fastest shutter speed possible, eliminating any camera or subject movement.  Vibration reduction in the latest cameras is a great feature, but don’t tempt fate – use shutter speed to your advantage.

Pay attention to your depth of field to keep the important parts of the face in focus.  One of the easiest ways to increase your shutter speed is to open the aperture wide, but this narrows your depth of field.  If you are using a lens that requires you to get close to fill the frame, you are also narrowing your depth of field.  It is better to use a lens with a longer focal length to fill the frame, but these lenses require plenty of light.  Long lenses that don’t require more light are available for all digital SLRs, but they can be more expensive than the camera you’re using.  Longer lenses also help you avoid the distortion that occurs when you get in very close with a wide-angle lens.

The human face has fine details and textures that give us our unique appearance.  However, some your subjects will not want you to capture all those in a close-up view.  Babies and young children obviously have the smoothest skin, but lines and wrinkles can convey character and evoke emotions of their own in your work.   Don’t avoid close-ups of grandpa and grandma, but avoid harsh lighting that will emphasize the wrinkles and lines.

Close-ups are a good place to practice your retouching skills, so that you can erase blemishes that might embarrass your subject.  Retouching with a light hand can enhance even the beautiful, young model.  But use caution here.  Smoothing out all the wrinkles from an older person may turn the portrait into an image that looks completely unnatural.  Some people are offended by retouching, so make sure you don’t do so much touch-up that you change someone’s natural appearance.  If the retouching is immediately apparent, you’ve overdone it.

Facial expressions change at a rapid pace.  Shoot as many photos as you can to capture a wide variety, especially with children.  Since we no longer have to worry about the price of film, there is no reason to purposely limit your shots.  Go have fun shooting close-up portraits.

Have a happy Thanksgiving holiday.  We’ll be back with more next week.