Photoshoot near Quirianopolis, Goias, Brasil

I managed to take a week off while in Sao Paulo to go visit the Fazenda Engenho São Francisco near Quirianopolis. Here are my tips and mistakes made while shooting pictures in a farm.

Here is the equipment taken

• Olympus E3
• Olympus E30
• Olympus Flash FL-50R (Very useful while inside a Barn)
• Sigma 30mm 1.4
• Zuiko 8mm 3.5 (great for cow and calf close-ups)
• Zuiko 50-200mm 2.8
• Zuiko Teleconverter 2X EC-20
• Zuiko 11-22mm 2.8
• ND Filters
• Small Table top tripod
• Hoya Polarizer Filters

Here was my journey:

	Ireland to Brasil
	then to Goiania and Quirinopolis in Goias State
	Fazenda Engenho São Francisco  (click on the link and zoom in you can actually see the cattle)

BTW for Olympus RAW file usage with GPS I recently discovered GeoSetter, great tool that can work with the .ORF files, write the .xmp card or directly into the file to accommodate GPS data. Highly recommended.

 

Most Important tip…

Always talk to the person that runs the place day in and day out. They will give you good tips around the behavior of some of animals, which ones are approachable, and which ones to be careful (I managed to piss off a cow with her calf and it wasn't pretty)

Learn beforehand what kind of animals will you get to see (in my case was mostly cattle but managed a nice surprise to see exotic animals.

For cattle, learn what type of cattle it is you will be seeing, behavior will change depending on the breed and how is managed by the ranch.

If you want cattle to get close to you, as I wanted a very low close-up shot of some grown cows or bulls you need to get into the containment area, get down or sit down on the floor and wait. Cattle can be very curious and only takes one to come closer, for the other ones to follow. Be very careful once they are close, sudden moves can make them jump (very high) and you don't want to get stomped or worse your equipment be crushed

Clothes: depending on where you are going, will vary your clothing, but regardless of weather bring very old dirty jeans. If you can manage some cheap boots do as well, as you have to be ready to step, kneel and sit on cow dong, piss and milk and dirt. Same goes for your camera bag, be ready for it to get dirty and gnawed by curious calves

Bring your equipment for landscape photography, either on hills or flat land ranches tend to be in open spaces and you can capture great sunsets, sunrises and cloud formations.

Get up early, not only because of the great light during that time, farm work starts at 5am the animals are quite awake and is the time before a lot of the cattle is being driven to eat at the grass lands. Also in the case of Brasil is when you can manage best to carry all your equipment with the sun.

If you get to ride a horse: Taking pictures on top of a horse is not so hard if you: a) Have IS on your lense or the camera 2) Shoot either using manual or at least shutter priority mode. The faster the horse, the faster the shutter speed if you want sharp images.

Find out what other ranches around the area you are visiting. We managed to visit a neighboring ranch that sells and raises exotic animals and manage to get great shots. They were very nice and let us walk inside the containment area and take our time on getting to know the animals and wait for the best shots.(So here is a free commercial  :) )

Also depending on where you are you might manage to view animals not very common to your area, I was very intrigued by Pipoca a cateto pork which tend to be very mean, except him.

Missed opportunities:

Some of the shots or things missed:

Not all the cattle behaves the same, while buying and marking some recently purchased cattle, a bull wouldn't come into the containment area, 4 workers chase after him but he managed to jump a fence of at least 1.5 meters, it would have been a great shot.

I should have brought my Manfrotto tripod I missed some good sunset and late opportunities because of not bring it. I have the 190X which is not too heavy but maybe I should invest on a gorillapod or at the very least a smaller tripod I can travel easier

I was so concentrated on the cattle, that I missed some good opportunities for portraits with the workers at the ranches. Brasilians tend to be very open on getting their picture taken and the clothes they wear are very distinct and interesting and could make great portrait subjects.

Same as above, make sure to take pictures for remembering the trip, take pictures with family and friends, not everything is about getting the best shot.

See the rest of the shots here

Macro Photography

Macro Photography

Fruit and Veg

With a vast array of wonderful colors available, fruit and veg can make a great macro subject. Arrange to create attractive graphical shapes and experiment with over and underexposed images

Know your settings

The quality of your close up photography will only be as good as your technical capabilities, so mastering these skills should be top priority. For more amateur shooters get acquainted with your cameras macro mode.

Avoid cliches

Use tour imagination and take note only the obvious shot but a range of images that show your subject in a new light. Changing your angle is the quickest way to avoid  an unimaginative shot

World in focus

The defining characteristic of a successful macro shot is razor sharp focus. A handy trick recommended by professionals is to try and compose your shot so that the camera boy is parallel to the length of the subject, This ensures all areas are of equal distance to the lens.

Color

If you want to achieve a level of deep saturation of the colors, use front lighting if you would like to bring out the texture of your subject, side lighting is the way to go

In a flash

Be careful when using flash for macro work. Most on board flash systems are too harsh for close up photography and you will bleach out your subject or cause glare. However when used carefully flash will enable you yo use a smaller aperture for greater depth of field and create shots with greater clarity.

Light and color

its easy to get carried away wit ha subjects form when looking for a close up opportunity and forget about light and color as compositional tools. You can find beautiful tones in the most unlikely of places

Fill the frame

When shooting macro you will need to decide upon the technique that will enable your subject to fill the frame adequately. Choose the right lens, zoom, wide angle, or macro. then think about composition

Some simple rules

Sharp focus is a mist. Shoot from the different angles to get more unique images. Think about color, composition and lighting always

Dont rely on autofocusing, always try manual focusing. If you have Live View capabilities, its perfect here for macro work

It is vital to get lighting exact when photographing in macro. If you want to avoid using a flash and are instead going to stick to ambient light sources, the opt for natural lighting first. This will involve the least amount of fuss. Its possible to setup a simple studio environment using your artificial lighting sources around  the hime, but you need to avoid using harsh light lamps that are difficult to angle in order to avoid unsightly shadows. One false move may result in an image needing hefty image editing post capture.

Using your camera flash is a no-no

More tips

Lenses

Its worth looking into purchasing a macro lens, if you own a DSLR.

Steady shots

If you are capturing macro images you will need to make sure that a sturdy tripod supports your camera. A minitripod might be a good idea that you can put on top of your table as a regular size tripod will push your camera away from the object

Exposure tricks

In order to achieve great exposure its a good trick to bracket your shots, Make sure that you take note of which image looks good and what setting you used

Focus

When using creative DOF take a good look at your subject. Pick an area that you want to highlight and concentrate your focus to this point If you are using a large aperture this will throw the rest out of focus

Macro Subjects

Everybody photographs flowers when trying out macro photography. A rose may look beautiful up close but so can everyday objects Be different and try to snap up ordinary in terms in a creative way

Lighting

Bring conditions will cast heavy shadows on your subject. Get rid of this by diffusing the light with tracing paper or a Last olite diffuser. If shooting outdoors you will get the best effects when its overcast

Composition

Try and be creative with your shooting angles. It will give you more scope for a macro shots with punch. If you can place your objects on a glass surface, you can capture your shot from underneath

Out of the ordinary

Concentrate on making your object look out of the ordinary. If you can take a common subject and capture it making your audience look twice, then you know you have succeeded

Lens shift

Don't get addicted to using the same lens and the same setup. Change your setup now and see if you can capture the same object with a different effect

Experiment

Some of the best images come from experimentation. You might want to tweak your composition, exposure and lighting to capture a shot with a macro pizzazz

The kitchen is a good place to start, as there is so much scope for interesting textures and shapes. Take a look at the latest supermarket advertising campaigns or sit in a high street coffee bar and you will see that is  very fashionable  to capture close ups of food and in your home. The key to creating a great macros till life is to keep your shots simple. Try out macro effects on unusual objects such as cross sections of fruit or cutlery/ Don’t try and capture elaborate images, as you will detract the attention away from your subject. Remember its important to keep background as clean cut and fuss free as possible, by using a white cloth or piece of card in the background. You will then be able to clean up your shots easily in your image editing software program.

Visit my pictures at http://www.flickr.com/a207001392

 

 

del.icio.us Tags: macro,shoot,studio,lighting,ideas,home,food,object,household

Visit my pictures at http://www.flickr.com/a207001392

Closer to Home (Macro)

Closer to Home (Macro)

Everyday objects around the home offer plenty of potential for interesting close ups, the key is to keep your eyes open for the possibilities of colors, textures and shapes. Even if you run out of ideas for photographing objects in your home, it is possible to bring interesting objects from outdoors for still life shooting

Consider investing on a mini tripod that will allow you to get closer to your objects, a larger tripod my interfere with the table

Creating a table top studio

• A sturdy table
• A white sheet or selection of large colored cards
• A minimum of two, but ideally three or four separate lamps
• Small pieces of card
• Tin foil
• Two objects large enough to prop up the card or sheets
• A tripod

Setting up your studio

• Lay a well ironed sheet or large piece of card over a table and prop the rear end up so it falls in a curve. Position the object you want photograph in the center of the table and change your lamps in such a position to eliminate any unruly shadows.
• If you have more than 2 lamps this should be easier In a professional studio darker shadows are field with the use of reflectors.
• You can use your cards wrapped with tin foils to create reflectors.

Try using a water spray bottle to add fine droplets to the petals and leaves. By photographing at such a close proximity to the subject you may capture some nice reflections.

The most everyday or mundane subjects can turn into  inspirational photos if you capture their details in abstract.

By learning to view the world around you in terms of its various patterns, colours and textures rather than the nature of the subject matter itself, you will undoubtedly discover a whole new world of photographic opportunities lurking in even the most unexpected places

Visit my pictures at http://www.flickr.com/a207001392

 

 

del.icio.us Tags: macro,photo,studio,home

Visit my pictures at http://www.flickr.com/a207001392

Tips on...<Travel>

Travel Photography tips

Is good to go to a location and have a them around the photoshoot. Get an assignment

• Working hands
• Colorful
• Street names
• Vivid Colors
• Close up Local architecture
• Children

• Keep it friendly when approaching people
• Know when to back down. dont be upset by a refusal, just try somebody else
• Learn the lingo:: learn a few basic words from the language of the country you are visiting, at least please and thanks
• Understand the culture: research into local customs
• Fill the frame: get in as close as possible to the subject
• Research your destination thoroughly, if you get some research done it will tell you what kit to bring
• Make the light work for you. Bring a reflector/diffuser kit and a flash with a diffuser. Controlling the light is key for a good portrait
• Know the best time to shoot: Avoid harsh sunlight if possible move the subject to the shade
• When shooting wildlife, preparation is key: Bring the longest lens you have
• Consider composition carefully. Dead Center is deadly. Position the subject off-centerfor a more interesting composition
• Experiment with filters: Use a polarizing filter, to reduce glare on water and foliage
• Ask permission to take pictures of people:
• Change your perspective, tell more of the story by using wider lenses.
• For more marketable pictures, try writing, it helps selling a set for a certain location
• Create a diary of your travels, this will help tell a story of your set

Checklist before you go...

• Do your research: read upon the area for things to shoot where to go and where not to
• Check your documents
• Equipment list
• Clean Equipment
• Check equipment (take a few test shots)
• Charge batteries
• Power (dont forget a travel adapter)
• Check airline restrictions for carry-on on passport and electronics
• Storage; enough memory cards and back up units in case those cards fill up

Think Kit

Make sure you pack the right equipment. Think about these filters, lenses and cameras to suit all the photographic situations you might encounter. A circular polarizer is a most

Outside the box

Capture not only buildings and locations but the locals while on your travels and you will have some outstanding shots

Add context

Although some shots look like they could have been taken anywhere in the world, make sure your shots dont. Add subtle touches like a local language sign pr native animal to your shot to give a little context

Zoom In

Great travel shots arent just sweeping vistas and huge buildings. Get up close and shoot individual hieroglyphs, single crucifixes or sained glass windows

Colour composition

Take advantage of local dress, landmarks and culture to take striking photos.. The rules of composition still apply, but you could try to vary your viewpoint to get more exciting frames

After dark

Wait until the lights go down brefore you get your camera outm Dusk and sunset hours are beautiful by the water. Look out for reflections, slow your shutter speed.

Local people

Landscapes may be the most common travel shots, but the ones if local people are often the shots that speak the loudest. Make sure you ask permission to take their photo

In the wild

Invest in a good telephoto lens as well as abean bag. Its essential for a safari

Do your research

Find out everything you can before travel. What events are going while yuou are there. Are there any high vantage points to shoot from?.

Research what your destination has to offer and what makes it unique. Research travel brochures it can give you a good indication of whats been shot, so you dont repeat it, but it also is a good start

Find out of any festivals as well as where the local markets are, this creates a huge opportunity. If you want to add some portraits to the mix, learning some of the local language helps

Ideally you should carry 2 DSLR bodies and with them a collection of overlapping lenses a telephoto, tele-zoom and two wide-angle. Keeping lenses to a minimum will mean less switching and less risk to your sensor getting dirty or damaged.

For shooting on the move a good back up unit is essential, there are several at different prices, I personally own this one. Some extras to pack on your bag are a tripod (carbon fiber would be ideal), cable release, USB cables and spare memory cards. Graduated filers could be consider a luxury if you want to travel light as some of this effect can be recreated in Photoshop

del.icio.us Tags: travel,photography,sunsets,checklist,equipment,tips,suggestions

Tips on...<Birds>

Practice your stand

• Legs parallel to shoulders
• Elbows tucked on the side
• Rotate Upper Body
• Use sequence shooting
• Predictive autofocus
• Study the behavior of the bird if possible
• Give it space to fly into the frame
• Select one AF Dot change it depending on where to frame subject
• Afternoon shots are better
• If against a bright sky increase the exposure level
• Dont be afraid to increasr the ISO
• Dont forget to rotate the polarizer filter to see perspective

Become and observer then a photographer

• Get field guide for your area, learn about bird migrations and season in your area
• Learn their behavior, birds are creatures of habit, you will be able to anticipate their moves after a while

Start with larger, slower moving birds

• Start with sea gulls and herons, master this and then you will capture smaller faster birds

Use the right gear

• Start witth a small lense 400mm 5.6, Get a fast focusing SLR and as you get more into it, spend the money on better lenses
• Dont use a tripod, or get a tripod with a special head specifically design for bird photography (runs around $400.00)
• Shoulder stock can help steady the camera
• Image Stabilization either on camera or lense will go a long way

Get in position

• Spread your feet at least at sholder width to give freedom of movement to follow trough the viewfinder
• Hold the camera firm but relaxed grip
• While panning avoid sudden, erratic movement. Keep it smooth and dont stop even when the shutter releases

Follow the birds flight patter with your eye not the viewfinder.

• Oftem aim slightly ahead of the subject, depending on speed
• Always have the camera turned on and in position, a fly-by can happen any time

Set your exposure

• FOr birds in motion the best is manual expisure
• Meter for the subject and it will be exposed properly. For begginers start with Program mode and bracket until you get the hang of it
• In Manual mode use partial or evaluative metering to get a light reading from the subject.
• Shutter speed is vital, go for 1/1250 or faster with ISO of 320 or 400

Use autofocus wisely

• Most high-end DSLR have a continuos autofocus. With this function you press the shutter half way and the camera continually calculates where the sub ject wull be adjusting the focus as long as the subject sytays in the autofocus area of the viewfinder. This is by far the best way to focus when you are shooting birds in flight
• Use the center AF only this is the fastest and best way to obtain focus on the bird's eye, specially for larger birds. For smaller, faster mioving bird you can use multiple focus pointsm this will allow the camera to choose an AF point from an array covering a wide area of the frame. Multipoint focus works well on solid backgrounds such as blue skies but doesnt work effectively on varied backgrounds like grasses and trees

Consider the sun and wind

• Sunlight is crucial. Later afternoon an early morning are good times to shoot.
• Have the sun behind you at all times with the subject in front of you.

del.icio.us Tags: birds,wildlife,photography

Tips on...<Dragonflies>

• Monitor how a dragonflie behave, they stop once in a while to catch sun rays, so check weather to see if it will be sunny that day
• Dragonflies react to movement, look for a sunny spot on a flower and wait motionless, they will get close to the camera that way.
• Late afternoon is the best time, as well as an abscence of wind
• Use a macro lense makes sense but also an extension tube could be necesary
• Manual focus is the way to go.
• Pre-focus manually and move the camera to and from the subject.
• Shutter Speeds at 1/80 with a 50 mm lense and ISO 400
• Bring insect repellent for mosquitoes
• Infrared beams can help to cut down on the wait
• Set the camera to burst mode as well.Expect a low success rate, a professional gets 1 out of 30 shots.

del.icio.us Tags: dragonflies,insects,macro,photography,shooting ideas

Tips On..<Animals at Zoo>

• Bring a long telephoto lense, and a tripod. If you have Stabilization on the camera or lense could let u get away from the tripod
• Remember that if you bring a tripod turn off Stabilization
• There are 3 types of shots
  • Wide angle shots that show the animal with the environment
  • An animal portrait that fills the frame with the animal's head
  • And a single animal aspect, like a paw
• Try to get animals showing movement, are more interesting than the animal doing nothing
• Also, try and find a position where it doesnt give away that you are on a zoo, such as fences, people, posts, etc
• Getting ready of cage wires
  • Select Aperture priority in combination with a wide aperture
  • Move as close to the fence as u can
  • If any parts of the wire show up in a way of "fogging" increase the contrast in post production and this should fix the problem
• Shooting trough glass
  • Eliminate reflection if you are using flash angle tis at 45 degrees to minimize the amount of light that will bounce back at you
  • Take the lens hood off if u are not using flash and shoot with the front of the lense pressed against the glass, reflections should disappear, make sure to have your UV filter on to protect the lense
• Focus on the eyes of the animal, if the animal is interested on something and following with its eyes you can get a great show of its eyes when is targeting something
• Talk to zookepers, they will give you great information o when an animal is most likely to be moving or in action.
• Understand animal behavior it will give you a heads start on movements that the animal will make. (i.e walking around a cage, drinking water, etc)

Get close to the animals.. even the scary ones:

Try to make your shot as close to wildlife as possible, avoiding posts, fences, and wire

Tips On...<Domesticated Animals>

Horses

• Take advantage of a horse's elegant curves
  
• A focal length of 50mm is ideal to a avoid distortion at close quarters
  
• For a portrait style shot its better to photograph the horse's head in profile rather than head on, as its very hard to keep all of it in focus due to the size
  
• Practice shooting a trotting or galloing horse using a smooth panning technique to blur the background. Remember to leave some space in the frame for your subject to move into

Action

To avoid camera shake you will need a shutter speed faster than 1/250.

Animal Farm

Always make sure that the animal's eye are in focus and allow sufficient DOF to ensure the nose is sharp too

Take advantage that you can take several shots of the same animal due to their confinement, so try different options

Do some research on your animals, investigate the best time to pay a visit. For example, most farm animals are most active close to feeding time, while excessive heat will force them to stay indoors or in the shade

Be prepared

Pets will get bored much faster than you think, dont put them infront of the lense until you are ready

Pick a suitable location with an uncluttered background.

Fish

If shooting gold fish on a pond, bringa polarizer to avoid reflections

Mount your camera on a tripod and bring some ND filters and try to capture some abstract images with long exposures

In aquariums bring a macro lense to focus on fish close to the glass using a rubber lens hood to shield from abient light

In AV mode set a wide aperture to allow your lense to gather as much light as possible, aiming to generate a fast shutter speed (1//250) A higher ISO sensitivity might be required to achieve sharp shots

Dim the lights in the room and turn off flash

Dogs

For shooting dogs or wolfs wait until its ears picked up and eyes open to catch it looking its best.

Tips on... <Fire>

del.icio.us Tags: assignment,fire,ideas,light,sparks

Basic Settings

Focus can be very tricky, one trick is to use an item close to the flame and focus on that

Use a small aperture to widen DOF and capture as much detail as possible

You can get away doing that hand holding the camera, but is much easier using a tripod

Keep it simple

In terms of composition its best to keep things uncluttered. The shadows cast by flames ca be a little difficult to counteract., and more objects in your shot will create more shadoes

The glow from candles and log fires can be invitating, so enhance this with a few props.

Including candles on a shot convey warmth, home feelings.Make sure to enhance this feeling with eartly materials like fruits, colors,etc

A good setting for this type of environment is f 5.6 and a shutter of 1./200 to begin with

Reflectors

Look for natuarally relflective materials in your surrounding environment. For example if you are taking a portrait of somebody on a table with a candle, adding a white tablecloth will increase the light that bounces back, difussing the hard shadows that can sometimes happen

Temperature

When shooting photos by candleliht be aware of the color temperatyre of the light they yield, so you can end up with the most accurate WB. A match flame burns at 1,700 degrees Kelvin, candlelight at 1,850.

Include night skies

If you are shooting outside using a wide angle lense to include some sky can yield interesting results. If you are workign 1hr before sunset you will see a good contrast of the deep blue sky and the orange of the flame. If you are doing late at night, this can cause an interesting red fiery sky.

Adding more light

If your setup looks a little bit dim, introduce artifical light, but try to avoud flash as it could ruin the warmth feeling of yout fire source. Try adding a small lamp that can be dimmed or a torch lioght that can be focused to certain areas of the exposure

Fire placement

Unless you want to create silhouttes you will need to place your source close to your camera, but putting it below the eye line it will create a spooky scene. Moving the light source close to the face at eye level will create a more smooth soften even light on the face

Occupational fire photos

A good opportunity to take advantage of fire, are jobs that work wih fire, such s a blacksmith or welder.

If you want to get shots of welding , setup the shoot before the welding commences, prefocusing on the work area, use a tripod.

Tips on...<Motorcycle racing>

• Get a map of the race track and scout a location, get a program this will also tell you where fences are, corner names, overtaking curves, etc
• Attend qualifying rounds, less people more freedom of movement
• As raiders accelerate out of a corner bikes often lift the front wheel making for great shots
• Fences along the trail can be problematic a good suggestion is
• Set Aperture Priority an F8 or 10 on a 600mm lense and move the ISO to get the shutter speed sloe enough to capture movement in tires and disk brakes
• Wait for the bike to arrive at the spot you have selected.
• Try a different spot on the track so shots dont get boring and repetitive
• Try your panning skills
  • Go to shutter priority
  • 1/125 and 1/250 secs shutter speed
• Equipment
  • 600 mm lens
  • 70-200 mm lens (in case you are close to the action in the curves)
  • 1.4X teleconverter in case is needed
  • Monopod could be useful for added stabilization

del.icio.us Tags: bikes,motor,motorcycles,panning,races,shooting ideas,speed,suggested settings

Tips on...<Classic Cars>

What to take

• Camera and a 70-200 telephoto lense (or close to that range)
• Walking boots and hat
• Food and Water
• Sun block
• Get a program to assess the circuit

Tips

• Approach static classic car as you would human portraits. Use a zoom lens and an aperture of around 5.6 or 8 to throw the background out of focus and keep the car the focal point
• Shooting from a low angle adds impact
• Soft clouds make give smoother shadows and texture to the metal shapes and curves while early lighting is much more flattering than the light of midday
• The small details on a classic car are often exquisite. Bonnet mascots, dashboards, lights and bodywork curves are all great reasons to bring a macro lense. Use an aperture of f/8 at close quarters to give a smooth out-of-focus background, while keeping the main subject sharp.
• Be aware of people wondering in the shot, unwanted reflections can ruin a great composition
• If there are some racing involved, get early to the pits to get shots of mechanics these make for great B&W shots,
• Also on racing, get to the circuit early and keep an eye on the sun direction (be prepared to move around as the sun does)
• Pack enough memory cards to really practice that panning technique and vary shutter speeds between 1/1250 secs and 1/500 secs depending on the speed of the car.
• For dealing with crowds a good trick is to work with them, bring a tripod with a shutter speed of 2 secs and at f/22 will make the car stand out from the blur of the crowd
• Ensure you take pictures of clean cars, they are much more photogenic that even the midly dirty ones.
• Shoot details early in the day before dust and fingerprints appear
• Get to know the owner they might be open to the idea of a separate photo shoot later, outside of the event
• Understand what you are shooting, do your homework and get to know the famous or historically important cars seek out rare cars as your pictures can make it part of historical records
• Work with available light, early morning light is very flattering for the metal on the car.
• A cloudy day with a touch of fill-in flash is preferable to direct sunshine.
• Fill in the frame with color and detail. Simple frame filling shots are often the most striking. Concentrate on one detail, color or shape, with classic cars most details are exquisite and well worth a shot)
• Take care when shooting reflections -look for shapes and textures reflected in shiny paintwork and mirrors

Be aware of reflections

Focus on the details