Tangents

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Exposure metering: Photographing in snow

March 19, 2010 Neil vN 18 Comments

Exposure metering: Photographing in snow

I had the pleasure challenge of photographing this super-cute Jack Russell terrier, Sundae. She just loves snow! After one of the heavy snowstorms, we went to a park where I could photograph her acrobatically snatching at bits of snow hurled at her. The exposure metering for the snow was the least of the challenges here. It might have been the easiest part of photographing this fast-moving dog. This is a white dog on white snow.  Fortunately, it was overcast, so the light was very even / flat.  (One man's meat / even light, is another man's  Read more inside...

Should you use a filter on your lens?

February 27, 2010 Neil vN 29 Comments

Should you use a filter on your lenses?

It's a constant debate whether it is a good idea to use a UV / skylight filter on your lens for protection.  There are viable arguments for either choice. During this recent shoot with Jeannie Dee, I immediately noticed that with these heavily backlit portraits, I was getting an unusual amount of flare … and removing the filter on front of the lens immediately helped. Noticeably so! Shooting towards a bright light source or a bright background, is one time where NOT using a filter makes absolute sense. You risk getting lens flare, no matter  Read more inside...

NYC photo sessions – Sarah & Mark

July 7, 2009 Neil vN 41 Comments

New York photo session - Sarah & Mark

I have already posted several images from the extended photo session with Sarah and Mark - but here is the epic video.   The intention with these photo sessions was to expand Sarah's portfolio as much as we could. We started off at Coney Island, doing a session with Sarah and Mark at the edge of the beach with Sarah in swimwear .. and from there it went into more of a lifestyle shoot with the two of them on the boardwalk.  Later on we had Sarah run towards the camera in sportswear.  But we rained out with a massive thunderstorm rolling in  Read more inside...

the progression of an idea ..

July 3, 2009 Neil vN 22 Comments

[ click on photo to see a larger image ]

the progression of an idea during a photo shoot; incl the use of off camera flash

Because of the positive comments I've had to the recent addition of video clips that show a glimpse of how I work, I thought I'd show the progression of an idea.  Not just how the actual image was made, but how the idea progressed. The photo above of Sarah and Mark at Coney Island, is from the day-long photo session where we went to different locations in New York.  Where this image above started, was in a previous sequence ..  Read more inside...

3 NYC photo sessions

June 30, 2009 Neil vN 20 Comments

NYC photo sessions with models

I met up with 3 models in New York recently for a photo session with each.  The intention was to try out different lighting techniques, different equipment .. and just to have fun and see what we can come up with. First we roamed the Meat-packing District and Greenwich with Aleona and Laura Lee, and then later on met up with Sasha in Brooklyn.  This video clip will be a glimpse of working with three gorgeous models in an ever-fascinating city. Enjoy! I think what might be interesting with this video, is to see the wider view in relation to the  Read more inside...

how much depth-of-field? just enough!

April 8, 2009 Neil vN 31 Comments

choosing the necessary aperture for depth of field (DoF)

Depth of Field (DoF) is one of those elementary factors in photography which seem to mystify most (new) photographers.  A question that I'm often asked is, "How do you know how much depth of field you need?"  Now anyone who has delved into the topic and has done some research knows that you soon stagger back .. your head spinning trying to tie together all the concepts:   circle of confusion, focal length, subject distance, size of enlargement, format size, hyper focal distance, and so on. But a working approach might just  Read more inside...

Faster shutter speeds for sharper photos

October 5, 2008 Neil vN 26 Comments

Using faster shutter speeds for sharper photos

If your images are too soft, chances are it is because your chosen shutter speeds are too slow. A frequent complaint I see on the photography forums, is where the photographer say they used a shutter speed of 1/60th but still have blurry images. Somewhere along the way the urban legend seem to have arisen where 1/60th is that magic shutter speed where we will be assured of sharp images. But of course things are a little more complex than that. There is a rule of thumb which has it that the inverse of your focal length should give  Read more inside...

Photography basics you need to know

October 5, 2006 Neil vN 2 Comments

Photography basics you need to know

I would say that 90% of emails that I get where people are unhappy with their cameras, have to do with not understanding the basics of exposure metering. This also means they don't quite understand how shutter speed, aperture and ISO settings inter-relate.   "What general words of advice do you have for new photographers ?" The first steps in getting to understand photography would be: Know how to use your camera's light-meter more effectively. Your camera's meter is accurate, but do need to be interpreted some times. Get  Read more inside...

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