Photo Gear Talk

I finally broke down and now I'm going to talk about the photo equipment I use. Some people are more interested in gear more than others like me, who like looking at and talking about the photos more.

So here's what I own and use:

Nikon D70s
18-70mm 3.5-4.5 (came with my camera)
50mm 1.4
17-35mm 2.8
SB600 flash
SB800 flash
Flash diffuser
Photoflex softbox
Manfrotto light stand (not pictured)

I also use Photoshop for retouching - on a PC running Vista. As said earlier, if you own a dSLR, you probably have a better camera than I do. The D70s is a few years old and is by no means a "professional" camera. Part of the reason why I don't like focusing too much on the equipment is that it really doesn't matter too much what you use as long as it's fast and reliable and does what you want. Having a better camera won't make your pictures look great overnight, it takes a little bit of practice and having a good feel for what the final pics will look like. Here are some things I've learned so far:

- Go light: Carry what you need in a small bag and don't lug around all your equipment if it's not necessary. I have a "murse" I carry 1 lens and a extra battery and a couple of small things. The bigger the bag, the more cumbersome and heavy.
- People look good smiling: "say cheese" is very cliche but smiling is still great especially when it's a genuine smile.
- Light first: Before the background, always check out the lighting - if it's harsh, etc. Don't mix harsh sun with shadow because you'll get some really dark areas and areas that are too bright, especially if there are bits of sun in people's faces. Just be in all shade or all sun.
- Don't be self conscious about your equipment: I've had big lenses on my camera, I've had small cheapy lenses on my camera. Heck, I could've been shooting with a shoebox with a hole cut out, no one ever asked me about it. They're only interested in the pictures.
- Tripods are a pain: I've tried it once when I was shooting in Dana Point and it was the most cumbersome, slow, and ineffective device for shooting people. Instead, use high ISO and fast lenses.
- Lens caps and camera straps are a pain: I can't count how many times I've tried to take a picture with the cap still on. The straps seem to always be in the way but if you must, neoprene ones make things seem lighter.
- Use flash sparingly: It's a pain to get the lighting just right and it makes people look not so good. I always prefer natural lighting.

- Prime lenses rule them all: You can't zoom but the pictures are incredible when used right.
- Stuff looks awesome printed: Don't forget to print your pictures and blow them up. Even pictures that look a little blurry and grainy come out great in print.
- Ditch the inkjet: Go to Target, order your prints at a kiosk, walk around for 15 minutes and pick up your photos. Buying ink is a ripoff and it doesn't look as nice.
- Photography equipment is expensive: Duh.
- Learn from others: Choose some pictures you really like and mimic them to learn how they were shot. Then apply those techniques to your own style of shooting. Or just ask around or use Google.
- Get up close: Don't be shy, get up close. Get on your knees...get on your stomach. Try new angles. Stuff like this makes it more interesting.

Almost everyone I know either has a Nikon or Canon. It's quite divided - more on this later.

Slow Period ... Old Photos

I haven't updated this blog in a while and well...I haven't been taking any pictures lately. So, the next best thing is to dig up some old ones and fix them up. Here are a couple of pictures of me (top) and AC (bottom) taking pictures during our trip to Lake Tahoe last year. Seeing these pictures makes me miss the fresh air and relaxation.

Let's see...what else is new in my photo world. I bought a new flash bounce card which I haven't tried out yet. I am looking to buy at 70-200 lens - I was so impressed at Lynn's wedding and if I have the money, a new camera. I know it's not the camera that produces the nice pictures but the person taking it but I've outgrown my little camera. I'm looking for something with better low-light capabilities and faster/more reliable focusing. If you are reading this blog and have a DSLR camera, chances are your camera is > than mine...but that's ok :) What I will buy first is a little point and shoot camera. I'm deciding between the soon to be released Canon SD1100 or the Nikon S600. Personally I hate using the little cameras because they're so slow. What to do???

If I don't take any more interesting pictures soon I'm going to post a 'What Gear do I Use' post.

Before and After

Out of camera picture resized for the blog.


Picture processed with Photoshop - brighten, sharpened, contrast.

The trick to using Photoshop or any other type of photo processing program is simply starting with a good photo. I don't mean good looking photo, but good in terms of lighting, focus, color balance etc. A great smile doesn't hurt either. This way, all you have to do is tweak it a little bit. The key is a little bit, you definitely don't want to go overboard and make it look unnatural and weird (unless that's the style you're going for). If you do it right, it's like those Claritin D commercials where the cloudy film is lifted off revealing a vibrant picture. It's actually pretty fun, but you have to have a good photo to begin with. If you want to do it the simple way, use Photoshop Lightroom with the presets and just turn it down a little bit. Here's a picture of Sienna and you can see the differences are subtle, which means that the picture was taken with proper exposure.

A more dramatic example can be found HERE (which is what I have as my desktop background, that's how much I like it).

A Day in the Life of Sienna...Part 2

This wasn't a posed shot, she's just a curious little girl.

Here are a few more pictures from Sienna's day out. What's funny about her is one minute she's all business (like Dad) and the next she's got a silly grin or smile. She likes to point at things and say Papa. It's pretty amazing to see someone grow up before your very eyes.

A Day in the Life of Sienna...

Dr. Summers checking out Sienna's cough. Haha that expression.


Susy and Sienna


They referred to her as "Eyelash girl" at the doctor's office. They're real.




File this one under Johnny's Favorites.

If you haven't noticed by now, Sienna is pretty much the star of this blog. This shoot is for the invitations for Sienna's upcoming first birthday party and part of a photo book. Unfortunately she has had a little cough so we went to the doctor's office (she's perfectly fine) then off to UCI for some pictures. I knew it was going to be a cute shoot but this is ridiculous - this is up there with my first post with Silas.

Update for the photo geeks: This was all shot with my 50mm 1.4 (my favorite) lens with no cropping. I used Photoshop to give it a little more spunk by boosting the contrast and color/B&W.