The Bigger Picture

The following photos were taken using various apertures, which controls the opening of the camera shutter. A smaller opening, or a larger aperture, gives your photo deep focus and sharp imagery in the foreground and background. A larger opening, or smaller aperture, gives your photo a shallow focus and only sharp imagery in the foreground, the rest will appear blurred.

For The Beauty Of The Earth

14 May 2019, 10:38am @ Caribou-Targhee National Forest; FL – 55mm; f/22; 1/15″; Canon Rebel t5

Give Said The Little Stream

14 May 2019, 9:43am @ Caribou-Targhee National Forest; FL – 109mm; f/9; 1/6″; Canon Rebel t5

I Wonder As I Wander

12 May 2019, 3:43am @ Mesa Falls Scenic Byway; FL – 18mm; f/3.5; 30″; Canon Rebel t5

tripod; flashlight

The Morning Breaks

8 May 2019, 1:24pm @ BYU-Idaho; FL – 50mm; f/3.5; 1/4000″; Canon Rebel t5

Life In Motion

These photos were taken using varying shutter speeds in order to capture objects in motion. The first two have a very short shutter speed, thousandths of a second, and create a frozen-in-time effect. The second two take place anywhere between 1/15 of a second to 5 seconds, creating a blurred motion-through-time effect

Rings & Crowns
May 7, 2019 @ 1:04pm, Rexburg, ID; FL – 55mm; f/5.7; 1/2500″; Canon Rebel t5
tripod; remote-shutter; backdrop; water bowl; ring

Grace From Gravity
May 7, 2019 @ 1:05pm, Rexburg, ID; FL – 55mm; f/5.6; 1/2500″; Canon Rebel t5
tripod; remote-shutter; backdrop; waterbowl; rings

Music Of Life
May 7, 2019 @ 10:40am, Rexburg, ID; FL – 109mm; f/22; 1/15″; Canon Rebel t5

blurred background a result of panning along with subject

On My Way
May 7, 2019 @ 10:13pm, Rexburg, ID; FL – 109mm; f/14; 5″; Canon Rebel t5
tripod; remote-shutter

Ad Dissection

Let’s look at the fundamentals of what makes a good advertisement by cutting out and discussing the parts of an ad for Hawaii Tourism Oceania.

Here is an ad for Hawaii Tourism: Oceania
The photo was taken by Clarke Little Photography

https://clarklittlephotography.com/blogs/news/19078468-hawaii-tourism-authority-magazine

Contrast

The use of diversity and opposites among components to draw attention and personality. Here, marked by the red drawing, we see a two-in-one example of contrast with the use of drastically different colors and fonts in the same title.

Repetition

The use of repeating elements or themes, helps to keep the ad appearance clean and professional. In this ad, the information groups are all patterned the same, with the dotted lines along the left side, and large, capitalized letters for the topics.

Alignment

The use of linear arrangement is appealing to the eye and adds an extra sense of organization. In this Hawaii Tourism ad, the main title is aligned flush left along the same vertical line as the first information gorup at the bottom. The main title is also horizontally aligned with company title. Each information group at the bottom of the add is also horizontally aligned.

Proximity

The use of spacing to add visual appeal and decrease business. We see constant, even spacing between each text grouping and the one(s) next to it. This helps to make the ad appear organized, professional and simple.

Color

The use of colors, similar or varying, to add visual character and appeal to the advertisement. In this add, the main title and the background on the bottom are the same color as the water above the turtle. Having the same color at the top, middle and bottom of the ad brings balance and regularity to the piece, and the color choice refers and points clearly toward the purpose of the ad, which is to invite and persuade viewers to tour Hawaii via their company offers.

The five principles briefly discussed above are fundamental to effective and professional visual communication. Being able to use each one efficiently and dynamically will automatically bless your finished product with quality and personality that will attract customers and followers abroad.

I give all creative credit to Clarke Little Photography for the image and Hawaii Tourism Oceania for the ad design. My only input was the red marks to emphasize the parts of ad design specifically mentioned. To view this add, and more of Clarke Little’s work, visit his site at https://clarklittlephotography.com/blogs/news/19078468-hawaii-tourism-authority-magazine

The Right Lighting, The Right Way

Over the past few days, I have pored over videos, blogs and articles about aperture and shutter speed. Now, after learning a great deal about the importance of these two features, I want to share some examples of their effects using stock photos from pexels.com

Slow Shutter Speed

This setting leaves the physical camera shutter open for a longer duration of time, causing the camera to take in light for that same time frame. This feature helps the photographer to take photos in a dark setting, while still capturing the theme or focus clearly. Using a slow shutter speed also allows for blurred action shots, as seen above in the streaked car lights on the road, and plane lights in the sky. The car lights also provide exemplary light painting on the hillside along the road, allowing the viewer to witness and enjoy the landscape along with the stars.

Fast Shutter Speed

This setting allows the photographer to capture a split-second event in an image. When the shutter is open only for a fraction of a second you can catch a quick moment, like the fishing eagle seen above, in one picture while maintaining correct lighting and image clarity. Notice the sharpness of the image; the eagle, though moving fast, is not blurry, and the splash from the water is seen clearly as well.

Narrow Aperture

This setting allows the photographer to seize a scene in its entirety. A narrow aperture means that the iris of the lens opens only slightly, therefore taking in little light from all field depths. This is noticeable in the above image as we see that every part of the image is in focus, from the dock (the foreground) to the distant mountains (the background).

Wide Aperture

This setting puts an intentional emphasis on the foreground while still allowing the aspects of the background to influence and affect the overall image. A narrow aperture means the iris of the lens more, therefore taking in more light but focusing primarily on the object or event close to and in front of the camera. We can see this clearly with the image above; the pineapple is focused on, you can see very explicit detail in part of it, while the rocks, ocean and sky in the background are blurred, yet still add dynamics and visual appeal to the end product.

Astrophotography

As I have learned about aperture and shutter speed over the past few days, a desire of mine has been rekindled for capturing the stars. I have always been fascinated by the night sky, and look forward now to experimenting with astrophotography, in hopes to encapsulate the grandeur and majesty of nature at night.

Welcome

We all reminisce on good times, but over the years some moments are harder to picture in our minds, and I hope to solve that issue for you. My priority in every project is to capture a memory in its essence. My goal is for the finished piece to portray the meaning, depth, personality and emotions of the moment it pictures. From loving reunions to climatic adventures, I hope to be able to bring your memory to life in a series of dynamic photographs.

Below I have shared with you some of my captured memories. Please enjoy, and feel free to comment if you have the inclination.