Photo Effects - Who Knew?

I’ve blogged before about Wiley author Erin Manning and how I learned more about how to get the most out of my point and shoot camera through talking to her and reading her book.  So this is going to be another one of those name dropping posts…beware.  But you might get some useful photography tips out of it, so don’t run away so fast.  Net net, you have camera with automatic settings.  But through some knowledge and very little fiddling, you can select custom settings that will give you way cooler photos. 

When I was with Erin last year, she was showing me some great pictures she had taken on her camera.  This was in the context of a discussion about adjusting the white balance, which she pointed to as the cause of my neighbor looking yellow in pictures taken in and not adjusted for fluorescent lighting.

She had taken a picture off the balcony of her cruise ship, and the water and sky were a beautiful but not true shade of blue.  This was because she didn’t adjust the white balance for outside.  It was incredibly gorgeous, and I wanted to remember that effect for when I had the opportunity to take a picture of a beautiful seaside.

Flash forward to last month in Florida.  I’m playing around with my Canon Powershot, and I notice a setting called VIVID.  After taking some pictures of the Intracoastal Waterway outside my father-in-law’s condo, I take some more using VIVID selected to vivid blue. 

Before, no vivid:

After, with vivid:

Same day, an hour or two apart, but notice the difference.  Sure, the first one was more true to life, but if you are going for artistry with your photography, bring out the blues!

I noticed a couple of sections of Erin’s book that talk about these kind of photo effects and using the color wheel to select the right colors to enhance.  I may go back to these.  I fear the color wheel, but again, a little bit of knowledge is going to give me better pictures.  The next IT vacation is for spring break next month, so I have to be ready!

What I learned from Erin Manning

Erin Manning, who I mentioned in an earlier post referring to her new book Portrait and Candid Photography Photoworkshop, is my photography hero. No, seriously, I may be biased, but 5 minutes with her convinced me of several things…

1. My new digital camera (a Canon PowerShot A630) was not engaged in a conspiracy to make everyone look like they had orange skin. There’s such as thing as WHITE BALANCE, and these cameras can adjust the white balance for different lighting conditions.

2. It is possible to take pictures in low to no light and not make everyone look like Casper the Friendly Ghost.  Slow sync flash…who knew? It allows ambient light to come into your pictures. Without it, would I be rocking amazing pictures like these (taken at Legend Weekend at Philipsberg Manor in Sleepy Hollow, NY)?

I honestly have no idea why a pirate is included in Legend Weekend.  Ichabod Crane, the Headless Horseman, and a pirate guy.  Whatever.  He was cute and entertaining, and made for a spooky ghostly picture.

What about this one?

Now we’re rocking some historically correct action.  It was hard to take this shot, as the friggin horse kept bouncing all over the place.  He really didn’t understand the concept of “stand still, the tourists need to record you digitally.  Plus there wasn’t low light, there was NO light, so the flash could have overwhelmed.  Next time, I’d like to see more horse and less fence, but I’m a rookie, so be gentle with me.

This is my favorite….spooky and ghost like:

I love that she looks so ghostly.  Really cool.  I was amazed by how great my ghost shots came out.  Casper who?

And all this from 5 minutes talkin’ digital with Erin.  Imagine how great my shots are going to be after I finish reading her book!

Picture this

News flash - I am working at the Wiley booth at at trade show this week.  This is a news flash because one of the things I thought I was past having to do as an elder stateswoman of marketing is trade shows.  On the plus side, you get to meet your customers in person, find out about their wants and needs, and get instant feedback on marketing ideas.  On the minus side, you get to meet your customers in person, find out about their wants and needs, and…you get the point.  It’s great, except when it isn’t.  It’s exhausting, and exhilarating at the same time.  I used to do a lot of trade shows.  I had a job many years ago, when I was single and childless, at a scientific institution that served as an umbrella organization for 10 member societies and many other affiliated groups.  Somehow, my boss decided that since we were launching a service that pre-dated AOL and the Web and provided computer access for members, that we needed to be at EVERY member and affiliate meeting.  When you totaled it up, it equaled about 60 meetings per year.  I split them with one other woman, and our admin was able to take some of them, but it was insanity.   I was a road warrior, traveling at least every other week, for two years.  Mr. IT was working for a cruise line at the time, so he had a bit of travel too.  It was crazy, and thank heavens I was young and had stamina, and no kids.  There is no way I could keep up that pace now.  

So, every once in a while, I work at a trade show.  I’m selfish, and I try do to ones that interest me, like eBay Live!, or are in good locations (that would be Orlando and Orlando).  But if something happens in NYC, my backyard, I’m in regardless of like or dislike.   I totally hate the Javits center, so I’m usually a little bitter and jaded.

PhotoPlus is at least one I’m sorta happy about.  The photography marketplace is new to me, and we’re launching some amazing products here, such as this one:

Erin Manning is a true rock star in the photography world.  “Portrait and Candid Photography” is her first, but hopefully not last book, and it’s a great guide to taking better pictures of your friends and family.  Look out IT boy, momma’s got a camera!

And our new training DVD from Rick Sammon -

I have access to a Rebel, and I’m eager to take advantage of all its features.  I used to use a point and shoot, so it’s a whole new world, and I’m ready to rumble. 

OK, so I’m ready to push these items tomorrow.  Let’s see what the customers want!  Here’s to short lines at the ladies room and the Starbucks at the Javits!