Connecting the Path - It's Good to Be Back

It's been a LONG time, but I figured since I'm so heavily involved with my camera, I should be writing about it! It's been a wild road, and I promise to have some good stuff in here for you. Live vicariously with me!

Since beginning really exploring photography as a hobby in a professional manner almost five years ago, I have learned and progressed over and over again. You'd think that in five years anyone would be pretty damn good at it. Truth is, I personally wear too many hats. Between graphic design, photography, videography, all the editing that fits between the three, blogging, work, school, travel... I had no choice but to learn as I went, learn as I used. Looking back on the last post here back in 2009, I can say with confidence that a true master will always be the student. That last post was about shooting photos with no flash.

Silhouette 

All That Blur

Getting Close is a Good Thing

This is STILL something I strive to do with the highest quality possible on the equipment I use. Between the time of that post being written and now, I threw myself into the live music scene. The majority of the shows I went to were indoors, at night, and with a pretty large and rowdy crowd. In the beginning these were live bands, sometimes indie rock and sometimes heavy metal. No matter the genre playing, I had to take into account how to use the lighting provided. This isn't always the easiest thing to do. Lights literally move, constantly allowing the camera to recognize different textures and lighting up the room in different colors. There are also lasers, smoke and bubble machines... lots of different effects are happening that will effect the photos. Taking a picture sans flash needs a little slyness to pull off.

Nicely detailed chart. Thanks LearnFoodPhotography.com!

Fast forward to the Winter of 2011 and I'm walking into raves and writing about them on a new website I created. It was at a Christmas rave when Tiffany Reptar (Reptar Photography) literally handed me her DSLR, a Nikon 40D, in exchange of letting her borrow my gloves. She let me run around taking some pictures for her at that party and then again at others. I was blessed with pieces of her knowledge of photography, and then even more so when she let me borrow that 40D when she got a new camera herself. This is where my fun really began. Taking pictures with no flash was part of the art and how I wanted to show the parties to people looking at my coverage. I could lower the shutter speed to capture led skill toys, lasers shooting across the crowds, and cool ghostly affects on my subjects. Only problem was I relied on the shutter speed and not other component like aperture and ISO.

First 'Selfie' Ever

OK! I Got Light Trails, and a Ton of Blur...

Now, people tend to refer to ISO as what gives your photos noise. The quick answer is high ISO, more noise, low ISO, less noise. This is true! However, I began to think about ISO in a different fashion while shooting these pictures. A low ISO will be a darker picture, but it will also capture motion better (I found generally around 400 is awesome for capturing motion). You can play with that and the shutter speed to bring light and detail into low light scenarios. Of course the ISO is only one other component to taking the picture you want... aperture plays a role in this, shutter speed, exposure, white balance, and your own motions while holding the camera all affect what the camera's sensors record.

All About Timing

Use The Lighting To Your Advantage

Use Motion To Create 

It Won't Always Be Perfect, Keep Practicing

Up in Smoke

Low light scenarios are some of my favorites now. Even the cliché sun rises and sets. There is just so much more creative leverage for a more creative shot, and personally I love photography for the artistic and expressive sides of it. Have you shot any cool low light scenes or advice on shooting in low light? I'm always learning...and well, although trial and error has always worked, getting someone else's perspective usually proves more valuable.

Space Will Always be Awesome