Archive for November, 2009

By Ruba Guest Blogger Connie Motz

Travel Photo Tip of the Week™ with David Huffman

Tip No. 104: Better Fountain Photos

Ruba is happy to continue with our fourth instalment of our interview with world traveler and photographer, David Huffman, who has graciously agreed to enlighten readers of Ruba with his photography expertise.

Formerly with Kodak for over 20 years, Mr. Huffman now photographs the world as he travels, most recently teaching photography classes on cruise ships. Without further adieu, here is latest Travel Photo Tip of the Week™, Better Fountain Photos.

Ruba: Once again, we appreciate you sharing your insider photography secrets.

Huffman: “You’re welcome.”

Ruba: As always, we have a question before we start. With so many different settings on today’s cameras, which settings provide the highest photo quality?

Huffman: “Good question, and because manufacturers may vary in their terminology, I’ll offer some “generic” settings that will help. Most amateur photographers prefer to have their images compressed by the camera so that they require less storage space. The most popular (and well known) compression is referred to as JPEG (sometimes also called JPG.) This is an industry-standard compression format created by a group of manufacturers and users named the Joint Pictures Expert Group, hence the abbreviation JPEG. Compression, although convenient, introduces some very slight degradation into the image; in most instances it will be undetectable. To make the highest quality images, the photographer should use the highest quality JPG settings, which will retain more of the original image information. Highest quality JPG settings will make the largest file sizes, so this trade off is one to be considered if storage space (such as room on a memory card) is become scarce. Set the camera to the high quality JPG setting, then transfer the images to your computer or hard drive. You can always open the image for editing, and choose a lower quality setting for SAVE-AS later (be sure to change the name of the file) if you want a smaller file size for email, for example.
Advanced photographers may choose to file images in the camera using a RAW format that introduces no compression, for the maximum quality images. These file sizes can become very large, however, so be prepared for both slower write-speed in the camera and large storage space requirements. These factors and others are covered in my new book, David Huffman’s Travel Photo Tips, Vol. 2. I invite readers to write me if they have specific questions, as this is a large topic with many different considerations.”

Ruba: This is our favorite photograph so far. Where was it taken?

Huffman: “Barcelona, Spain, in the courtyard of a church. It is actually quite small—only about 3 feet square.”

Ruba: What type of camera were you using?

Huffman: “A digital SLR with a moderate zoom lens, 28mm to 135mm focal length.”

Ruba: Explain how your ‘Better Fountain Photos” concept works.

Huffman: “If the photographer chooses to make the water appear flowing, since it is a moving subject, you can introduce a slight amount of blur by using a slower shutter speed. Depending on the distance from the subject and the speed of the water, the shutter speed can be from 1/30th second to several seconds long. Long speeds may require some camera support, and of course, an adjustment to a slower ISO and perhaps a smaller aperture for the proper exposure.”

Ruba: Tell our readers how you did that.

Huffman: “Water flowing can be dramatic and romantic. Make the water appear to flow by using a slower shutter speed, in the range of 1/30th of a second. If you can’t manually set your camera, choose a lower ISO speed setting, like ISO 50, to make the camera use an automatic exposure with a slower shutter speed. Your camera may even have a ‘fountain’ setting, look at your instruction book or for scene settings.”

In our final installment of our interview with David Huffman, photographer extraordinaire, we’ll learn how to ‘Use Natural Signs’ to take better photos.

In the meantime, if you have questions, you can contact David Huffman through his website or by email. David Huffman’s books, Travel Photo Tips: Know Before You Go and Travel Photo Tips: Volume II, are available exclusively from Amazon.com.

Picture and text © DWHuffman. Visit www.HuffmanPhotoArt.com

Check out Ruba’s Guest Blogger, Connie Motz, on her blog: Travel Writing

By Ruba Guest Blogger Connie Motz

Travel Photo Tip of the Week™ with David Huffman

Tip No. 103:  Make Your Own Sunset

This is our third installment of our interview with photographer, David Huffman, who has graciously agreed to enlighten readers of Ruba with his photography expertise.  Formerly with Kodak for over 20 years, Mr. Huffman now photographs the world as he travels, most recently teaching photography classes on cruise ships.  Let’s talk about Today’s Travel Photo Tip of the Week™, Make Your Own Sunset.

Ruba: We appreciate you sharing your insider photography secrets.

Huffman: I’m glad to be of help to Ruba readers.

Ruba: As always, we have a question before we start.  What general suggestion do you have for travel photographers?

Huffman: Don’t forget to take photos of people as they go about their everyday activities.  You need to be respectful of them and sometimes ask permission, but most often they will permit you to take the picture.  Having local people in your photographs adds a new dimension to the “places and things” you generally see.

Ruba: Tell us about this photograph, where was it taken?

Huffman:  Early in the morning, just pre-sunup is a terrific time to see cloud formations anywhere, especially in the Caribbean.  This is off the coast of Belize, where the water and sky have terrific blue-green shades that are constantly changing.

Ruba: What type of camera were you using?

Huffman:  This was actually taken with a camera I refer to as a “pro-sumer” compact.  It has 15 megapixel sensor and a very useful zoom lens with an equivalent range from 28mm to 135mm.  These cameras are great for travel because they are relatively light and small to carry, yet offer a full range of control and great image quality.  These are covered in my new book, David Huffman’s Travel Photo Tips, Vol. II, available on Amazon.com now.

Ruba: This is a great concept for a photo.  Explain how ‘Make Your Own Sunset’ works.

Huffman: If the weather isn’t cooperating with dramatic color for your sunset or sunrise, look for other elements you can include to make the photo more interesting.

Ruba: Tell our readers how you did that.

Huffman: In this example the tungsten lights photographed in a beautiful amber color against the blue sky and water, and the life preserver helped communicate we were aboard the ship, not just on a pier.

Ruba: Very cool.  Another general question, is it okay for a digital camera to go through airport x-ray security?

Huffman:  No problem, from the perspective of radiation, because unlike film cameras, the electronics are not sensitive to radiation.  However, I do recommend putting the camera in a bag or tray and not directly on the moving belt, because sometimes the strap could catch in the mechanism.

In part four of our interview with David Huffman, photographer extraordinaire, we’ll learn how to take Better Fountain Photos.  In the meantime, if you have questions, you can contact David Huffman through his website or by email.  David Huffman’s books, Travel Photo Tips: Know Before You Go and Travel Photo Tips: Volume II, are available from Amazon.com.

Picture and text © DWHuffman.  Visit www.HuffmanPhotoArt.com

Check out Ruba’s Guest Blogger, Connie Motz, on her blog: Travel Writing