Photo Walks Today

 Despite the Jetty Island fire – the ferry took a record number of picnic parties and bird watchers to the island. A wonder day trip, the ferry takes people to and from the island all summer long – for FREE.

The Jetty Island Ferry only runs for the 8 weeks of summer, ending on Labor Day.

Next year I hope to visit more than once!

More information about Jetty Island can be found here

Artists are some of the coolest people to photograph! If you like character studies – this weekend is a perfect chance for a photowalk.

The entire length of the Everett Marina Promenade will be filled with more artists - turning the Everett Marina into a huge outdoor studio and sidewalk gallery.

Ask anything you want to know about art, making art, and what it is like to be an artist. And this year the Hot Shop comes to us from the Tacoma Museum of Glass.

 If there’s one really cool subject to photograph it’s the making of glass!

I hope to see you there.

For more details visit the Fresh Paint website

*Before you snap those photos – be sure and ask permission. Understand, also that most artists feel like photographing their work is very close to stealing it, especially photographers and painters. If you ask permission you’ll most likely get a ‘yes’ and have the opportunity to pose your subject a little. Don’t forget to show them the results in your LCD display before you go. Exchange emails so you can send them the finished photo – you never know they may ask to use it later on.

Electric Theme Gazebo In Newhalem

I haven’t been out much this summer – darn, I’m not living up to one of my New Years Goals. I resolved this year to spend more time traveling and photographing this summer. Oh well, the summer isn’t completely over – with a little planning maybe I can get out…..

But, enough about me and my woes – I did make it out to Newhalem the other day and can hardly wait to go back with a tripod in hand. Newhalem is the perfect place to practice bracketing exposures and testing out HDR techniques. The Gazebo above is a perfect example of what I mean - on this trip I didn’t have a tripod – but I think the retro look would perfectly lend itself to HDR. I’m going back soon!

Newhalemwas built as a support town/community for the Seattle Ciry Light Hydroelectric projects that brought electricity to Seattle. Originally thought of as overkill- when it was developed in 1918 because there wasn’t enough need for so much electricity in Seattle, the dams now only provide a fraction of the needed electrical demand in Seattle. However the dams are still owned by Seattle City Light and the town is a lovely little place with quirky sculpture, nature paths, the ladder falls and the Gorge Powerhouse (which visitors are still allowed to tour).

Engine Number Six

 

You can join a world wide photo walk right here in your own back yard.

Share your photos after the event and enjoy the company of other photographers this Saturday July 18th. The event is free – and there will be prizes awarded.

So, if you want more information go to the official Scot Kelby Blog – here’s a link to the FAQ:

http://worldwidephotowalk.com/about/

Here’s the list of events taking place this Saturday:

http://worldwidephotowalk.com/listing-of-all-photo-walks/

Maybe I’ll see you there?

Guest Post by:

DeeDee Dobson adores the color pink. On her blog, she writes about pink digital cameras and pink gadgets to go along with them.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=DeeDee_Dobson

I personally don’t like to drag a lot of equipment with me when I’m out shooting, but there are a few things I simply can’t do without. I have listed my top 5 pieces of equipment that every photographer (amateur or not) should consider adding to their camera bag.

Epson’s Multimedia Photo Viewers
These small, portable backup/storage/display devices can truly save the day if you are out shooting and find yourself with filled up memory cards and lots left to see. You can transfer photos (as well as video and music) straight from your camera or through the built in card slots. The viewers come in three different configurations: the P-3000 has a 40GB hard drive, the P-6000 80GB, and the P-7000 160GB. All measure 3.5×5.9×1.3 ” and weigh 1lb, and some of the features include 4″ screens, long life rechargeable batteries, and A/V output. $299-$699.

Gorilla pod
These flexible, funky looking tripods are amazing little gadgets. Sturdy and durable, their legs twist and bend so that they are able to attach to almost anything (your bike, a car, a pole, a branch, etc.). They come in 5 sizes to suit everything from cell phones to heavy video cameras, and are really lightweight: 1.6oz (the “Go-Go”) to 1.1 lbs (the “Focus”). The SLR model weighs in at 5.8oz and costs $44.95, and the Original model (for point and shoots) weighs 1.6 oz and sells for $24.95.

Homemade Flash diffuser
On-camera flashes usually produce some pretty horrible results, and not everyone wants to spend money on an external flash (and take the time to perfect using it). I have found two homemade remedies that work really well:

For popup flashes, use an old film canister (not the black ones obviously, the hazy white ones). Take the lid off, cut a strip out of it from top to bottom, just wide enough so that it fits snugly over your flash, and just slide it in place so that the flash is being fired through the canister. You’ll have to play around with the camera settings a little bit to get the exposure to where you want it. If you don’t have any old canisters lying about, ask at a photo printing shop if you can have one.

For point and shoot flashes, I use a small piece of tape, regular Scotch Magic Tape (not the totally clear kind). Put one piece over the flash, test and see what you think. If it’s still too strong, just put another piece over it. Weight: negligible. Cost: Around $2 for the tape.

Collapsible Reflector
It might seem like an unnecessary expense, but these small, lightweight disks are invaluable for adding light to the shaded part of a person or object, both indoors and out. I use the 22″ Photoflex disk in Silver/White for just about everything, but they come in several different colors. Give it a try yourself: place a person parallel to a window and take a head shot without the reflector. Then take one with your subject holding the reflector (outside of the picture of course) so that it bounces the light from the window into the shaded side of their face, and look at the difference. If you want to do the test shots before investing, try it with a white piece of cardboard. It works just as well, but it’s not as easy to pack in a bag. Weight: 1.75 oz. (22″ Photoflex) Cost: Around $25.

Rain Protection
The Shutter Hat is like a raincoat for your camera (SLR) so you don’t have to pass up shooting outside just because it’s raining or snowing. It’s held in place by Velcro and a rubber piece that fits into the flash hot shoe, and covers lenses up to 8″ long. It also has two slits for the strap, so you can still carry it around your neck with the Hat on. It folds up really small, so you can carry it with you and have it on hand all the time in case of a sudden downpour. Weight: 2.28 oz. Cost: $39.95

For point and shoot cameras, your best bet is to invest in a waterproof case such as Aquapac or DiCAPac. Not only will they protect your camera in the rain, you can also take it snorkeling or diving. 2.7oz, $29.95-$49.95. For a land-only low cost alternative, use a shower cap or a ziplock bag with a hole cut out for the lens.
Guest Post by:

DeeDee Dobson adores the color pink. On her blog, she writes about pink digital cameras and pink gadgets to go along with them.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=DeeDee_Dobson

If you took lots of photographs this holiday you may want to sign up to Get 50 Free Digital Camera Prints at Snapfish by HP! - plus between now and the end of December they’re offering 20 percent off their normal photo processing, including photo books. (use the code BESTSELLERS2008 when you checkout).

OK, enough advertising – come back later for my report on the New Years Party happening at the Space Needle.

The camera exposure meter suggested F/4.5 at 20 Seconds. To properly expose this I used F/5.6 at 8 Seconds

The holiday lights are out – and if you live in the Puget Sound area, we are having an early snow. It looks like we might even have a White Christmas… something that happens once in a blue moon. But we’ll talk about photographing moons some other time.

The subject of this blog post is to help you photograph those wonderful holiday lights, from you own house, to Candy Cane Lane, to the Point Defiance Zoo Lights. With the snow on the ground – next years holiday card may be just a shot away.

What To Watch Out For

There are a few things to be aware of when taking photos are night.

The first, is noise. The long exposures are sure to bring out the small grain like artifacts in the dark areas. There are two main culprits that cause noise; high ISO speeds and sensors that over heat with long exposures. You can reduce the noise by turning on your cameras ‘noise reduction’ for long exposures setting.

You can also prevent noise by choosing to use a lower ISO. The photos taken here were done using ISO speed of 100.

Of course, the best solution is to buy the best camera available, generally the more expensive, newer DSLR cameras have almost no noise problem at longer shutter speeds.

For the rest of us, expect a little noise is part of the charm of nights shots.

This was f/4.5 at 1/30 of a second

Snow gives it that holiday feeling

Here’s the deal:

2008 Pacific Northwest Memory Walk: 8:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

I’m thinking about creating a PhotoWalking team to raise money for the Alzheimer’s Association. We can bring our cameras, share our tips and walk along Lake Washington.

If you are interested please reply in the comments section or email me. Let me know if you’re up to a one or three mile photowalk. I’d love to have the company. Oh, and when you reply let me know what the team name should be.

Below is the announcement:

2008 Pacific Northwest Memory Walk: 8:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Sept. 14. All ages welcome to participate in 1-mile or 3-mile fundraising walk along Lake Washington. Event will also feature a live band, food, prizes and more. Proceeds benefit the Alzheimer’s Association. Sand Point Magnuson Park, 7400 Sand Point Way N.E., Seattle. www.alzwa.org or www.2008PacificNorthwest.kintera.org/alzwa.