Tag Archives: Canon

How Can This Photo be Improved Without Using Photoshop?

04 Thursday May 2017

Posted by in Costa Rica, Creatures

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I took this photograph of the spider about 7 years ago in Costa Rico.  I was shooting with a Fuji Digital FinePix S100FS camera.  I bought this camera because at the time it was a cheaper alternative instead of getting a digital SLR camera.  It is a bridge between a compact and a DSLR camera.  It was a good camera for the price.

When my wife asked me about posting this photograph, I was accessing the quality of the pictures I took on this trip with this camera.  I was reminded about the limitations of this camera which confirmed my later decision to finally purchase a regular DSLR.  There is a limit in the resolution of the pictures taken with this Fuji camera, and I was not satisfied with this quality.  When I did purchase my DSLR, I was satisfied the higher price had included more features. So I felt I was getting more for my money versus if I had purchased this camera at an earlier time.

Since I have been shooting with my Canon DSLR and my many different lenses, I realized how my photography has improved.  I am shooting faster and the quality of the photographs are better due to my adaptation to the newer camera.  Also the resolution is so much better with my current DSLR.  Since I am now able to shoot faster and with greater frequency, I can see the progression and improvement of my photography.  Practice does lead to better photos.

Here are 4 simple guidelines to help you to evaluate and improve your pictures:

  1. Review your old photos – Are you satisfied with the resolution and sharpness of the image?  Do you like the colors?
  2. If you are not satisfied, do you want to move on to a better camera – perhaps a DSLR?
  3. Evaluate your budget to see how much you would like to spend to determine your next camera and/or lens.  Evaluate the camera package to get the most features for your money.
  4. After you purchase your new camera, practice and shoot.  Practice will help your photography to improve.  Challenge yourself to take photos which do not need to be altered via software.

Lastly this was a huge spider – about 3 1/2 inches in size.  It was interesting to see this huge spider in it’s web environment.  Go and look at your old photos and reflect to see if you like the quality of your photos.

If you have questions about cameras and lenses, feel free to comment or send an inquiry to me.  I will answer your questions about camera equipment.

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Diversity with the end of Fall Foliage & Winter Approaching

24 Thursday Nov 2016

Posted by in Fall Foliage, Rocky Mountains

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I took this photograph since I loved the different multi layers from the top down.

Wonderful view of the snow capped Colorado Rocky Mountains from the Trapper’s Run trail in Vail, Colorado.  The Fall Foliage had ended with the bare Aspen Trees on the mountainside.  But there are a few evergreen trees in spots.

Look for diversity as you compose your photograph.

 

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How I shot at Sunset on Booth Creek Trail?

07 Monday Nov 2016

Posted by in Colorado Fall Foliage, Fall Foliage, Rocky Mountains

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kw6a2254-copyWe enjoyed a wonderful hike at Booth Creek Trail in Vail, Colorado.  Make sure to go earlier or you may not find a place to park the car.  The parking lot is small and street parking is not available.  The parking lot is not large.  The best strategy is to wait until hikers return and move the car.  There is a 3 hour limit for parking in the lot.

It is a steep trail with rocks.  You need to walk a brisk pace or you will not complete the hike within the 3 hour limit.

We took longer since we were shooting various pictures and enjoyed the scenery.  This was taken in the 3rd week of October.  Even though we missed the peak of fall foliage, we still enjoyed the scenery.

This shot was taken at sunset on our way back close to the end of the hike.  I took a bracket of 3 different exposures.  When you shoot with the sun behind, this makes the exposure tricky.  Maybe you are like my wife who did not understand what I was saying about taking the bracket with 3 different exposures – this is photography lingo.  In other words, I took 3 pictures using 3 different exposure settings to see which would give me the best photograph.  I wanted to get the long shadows with the right light.  I tried to frame the sun to partially block it with the tree so sun rays would be seen.  If I did not do this, then you would just see brightness without seeing the rays of the sun.

 

Beautiful Late Afternoon Light in the Mountains of Vail, Colorado

02 Wednesday Nov 2016

Posted by in Colorado Fall Foliage, Rocky Mountains

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kw6a2270-copyWonderful hike on the Booth Creek Trail late afternoon on Tuesday, October 25, 2016.  The afternoon shadows and reflections of the sky cast a cool blue light on the white trunks of the Aspen trees in the foreground while the sunlight illuminated the bare Aspen trees on the mountain side in the background.  This juxtaposition of light was very striking as I witnessed it and had to take some photographs of it.

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The Cold Aftermath of Fall Foliage

31 Monday Oct 2016

Posted by in Colorado Fall Foliage, Fall Foliage, Rocky Mountains

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kw6a1696-copyI photographed this the week of October 16 at Trapper’s Run in Vail, Colorado.  We were fortunate the sun came out.  It snowed during the previous night.  We missed the fall foliage by 2 to 3 weeks.

At first I was disappointed I missed seeing the peak of fall foliage with these Aspen trees.   But then I became enamored with the bare look.  I love the feathered look of the these trees.  I also love the closeness of all the trees in this forest area.

I used a EF 8-15mm f/4L Fisheye USM lens which caused the trees to look a little curved in this image.

During this trip, I learned there is always beauty in nature which needs to be discovered and appreciated.

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In Search of Fall Foliage

29 Saturday Oct 2016

Posted by in Colorado Fall Foliage, Fall Foliage, Leaves

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nn5a6562-copyWe went hiking at Matthews/Winters Park near Denver, Colorado looking for fall foliage.  We walked towards William Frederick Hayden Park on Green Mountain and traveled off on a trail up the mountain with a gulch.  It was a wonderful sunny fall day, and I was looking for a changing tree.  These leaves are in the process of changing to the fall colors.  Down towards Denver, it was still warm during the day but cool in the evenings and early mornings.  I love the shadows and the varying colors of green, yellow and a little orange.

Up towards Vail, Colorado, the fall foliage scenery is gone, and the Aspen trees are bare.  So we went down towards Denver in search of leaves.

I will be showing more photographs of the unique aftermath of fall foliage in the Rocky Mountain Range.  Even though, we missed the peak of the fall foliage in Vail, we still saw the beauty of the barren Aspen forests.  We learned there is still beauty in all stages of the seasons.  Stay tune to see my next series of photographs.

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Old Cars Parked at Candlestick Park

21 Friday Oct 2016

Posted by in 49ers, Baseball, Candlestick Park, Football, Former home of the San Francisco 49'ers, Former Home of the San Francisco Giants, niners, San Francisco 49'ers, San Francisco Giants, sf 49'ers, SF Giants

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img005-kodachrome-5-88-dust-removed-copyThis is the parking lot of Candlestick Park with stadium profile.  It is cool to see the old cars in the lot.  The big American sedans, station wagons, and trucks are representative of 1988.  Do you see the Mazda RX 7?  This is before our current SUV, Mini Cooper or Tesla craze.

I previously posted a black and white version of the same photo. I love to take multiple versions of a scene such as color and black & white photographs.  When we capture an image, remember that exact image or moment may never happen again.  Each minute lost cannot be regained.  A moment lost is gone forever.  Precious moments matter!  Preserve those moments with lots of pictures.

At Home base in Candlestick Park

20 Thursday Oct 2016

Posted by in Baseball, Candlestick Park, Former Home of the San Francisco Giants, San Francisco Giants, SF Giants

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img004-kodachrome-5-88-dust-removed-copyI took this photo on the field at Candlestick Park.  I love being on the well groomed field where the baseball players hit balls and run thru the bases.  I love feeling the grass.  I love a smooth field with no pot holes.

I also love being behind home base.   It represents victory despite opposition.   It represents success based on diligence and hard work.  It represents excellent performance based on a deep passion.

The fresh chalk marks around home plate only last a short time after they start to play ball.  I love this old tradition to apply these chalk marks at the beginning of each game.  These chalk marks give the boundaries for the batter box and fade after a few innings.  It reminds me how we need a daily reminder of the guidelines and life rules to obtain and strive for the homeruns we need in our personal life.  Striving for our home run success should be our goal too.

 

Two Sides

20 Thursday Oct 2016

Posted by in Fall Foliage, Leaves, Ontario Fall Foliage 2014, Ontario in the Fall

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img_1415-copyThis sugar maple bright leaf is interesting with the curved tips.  Autumn is wonderful. I love the bright red and orange colors.

It is interesting the back side of this leaf is not bright orange red.  It is a dull gray color.  As I was shooting, I had to make sure I took the good side of the leaf.

Photos of nature can teach us lessons in life.  We all have our good and bad sides as individuals.  One reason I love photography is it allows me to focus on beauty around us.  Focusing on Creation’s Beauty brings out my “better” side.  Take photographs that speak to you.  Print them to display in your home to focus on nature to bring out your “better”self.  I have a tag on Twitter – Bring Outside Inside!

How to take Better Photos in the Fall?

07 Friday Oct 2016

Posted by in Leaves, Ontario Fall Foliage 2014, Ontario in the Fall

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img_1880-copy-1This photograph was taken 2 years ago in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada.  It is a border town between Ontario, Canada and Michigan.  I never saw such a beautiful display of autumn than during that one week we visited.  Being from California, we do not see the full array of autumn colors.

I love autumn because of the vibrant colors during the changing of the leaves.  No other time during the year can we see such bright and vibrant colors.  The scenery comes alive with autumn.

As a photographer, this is the best time to shoot outdoors and capture the bright colors.

This is a sugar maple leaf photographed during the peak fall season.  The leaf was backlit with the sunlight coming from behind which made the colors more vivid.  I positioned myself so the sun came behind the leaf to draw out the colors.  Positioning is important to get the true colors to show in your photo.

I took the photograph with my Canon EOS 70D camera using EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II lens.  This is a very sharp lens which produces excellent bokeh effect in the background.

What is bokeh?  Bokeh is the visual quality of the out-of-focus areas of a photograph rendered by a particular lens.

Hope you can appreciate Autumn like I do.  Try to take photographs with this type of backlit positioning to improve your Fall photos to show off the bright colors of the season.

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