Over- and Underexposure Are Not Always Wrong

Yes, you should definitely know first hand how to properly expose a photograph. If you don't, then your photography will be a hit-and-miss affair. So, whether you are using Av (Aperture Priority), Tv (Shutter Priority) or Manual, you should definitely know when your photographs are properly set. (Yes, I am a Canon shooter...)


However, when you already know the ropes when it comes to proper exposure, then you can certainly break from the rules and produce photographs that aren't exactly "normal". This was what I did with the following photos. I under- and overexposed the photos to provide a different feel for my respective subjects.

So, next time you hold on to your precious camera, then try to do the same, just for kicks and see what you will get. :)


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Both photos made at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Shot made with a Canon 5D Mark II with a Canon EF 24-105 f/4L IS USM lens. Want a great backpack for your DSLR? Check out my review of my favorite bag, the Lowepro Versapack 200 AW, here and here. Photos post-processed in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3.

Fireworks at the Blue Hour

According to widipedia, Blue Hour is "the period of twilight each morning and evening where there is neither full daylight nor complete darkness." I've always wanted to try this on my own and I am always looking for a really good opportunity to do it. One opportunity came on July 1, when Princeton held its annual 4th-of-July-weekend fireworks. Since it's summer time, the night sky was not yet completely dark even after 8pm. I took that opportunity to make my own fireworks photos during the blue hour.


This is one of the shots I took during that event.

I would like to try some more blue hour photography in the future. I am hopeful that I get a chance to make some pictures of Princeton during the blue hour while the wife and I are still here.


[I am happy to say that one of the people who serves as inspiration is Yen Baet, a Filipino photographer who specializes in blue-hour photography. She won a National Geographic contest and she travels to different locations around the world to produce really beautiful photos, whether taken during the blue hour or at some other times.]


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Photo made with a Canon 7D and a Canon EF 24-105 f/4L lens. This was made at f/11, 8 seconds and ISO100. Want to know how to shoots fireworks? Check out my blog post here.

Shoot Against the Light

This is categorized under the heading "I thought I was doing it correctly...". Well, I just invented that category on the fly, but it is a good category for those things you, well, thought you were doing right.


The common misconception is to put your subjects in front of a glaring light source, say the sun, so that their faces will be lit. Well, yes, your subjects will be well-lit but, since the sun is glaring down on them, they would be squinting big time. Yes, I've seen it happen and it's not pretty...


So, instead, what you should do is put the sun behind and expose for your subject. Cameras these days are so intelligent, especially those with face detection, that when a face is detected, they'd adjust the exposure for the person right away. (Note, though, that, for a fully-automatic point-and-shoot, the camera might jack up the ISO setting and this will add noise to your photo. I'd write another post on how to go around this.)


If you are an owner of a spanking-brand new DSLR, then dig down into the menu and use Spot Metering and put the "spot" on your subject. Then, you will be sure that the exposure setting is for your subject and not the average for the entire scene.


Another advantage of putting the light source behind: the light source can act as a rim light, as you can see on the shoulders, head and visor of the wife.

Shoot against the light - you'll make better photos and your subjects will be thanking you for not ruining their eyes. :)

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Shot made with a Canon 5D Mark II. Want a great backpack for your DSLR? Check out my review of my favorite bag, the Lowepro Versapack 200 AW, here and here.

Happy 4th of July from Princeton, NJ

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Shots made with a Canon 7D and a Canon EF 24-105 f/4L lens. Both shots made at f/11, 8 seconds and ISO100. Want to know how to shoots fireworks? Check out my blog post here.

Shooting Fireworks - Happy 4th of July!

Want to shoot the Independence Day fireworks in your locale? Then this post would be, I hope, of great help. :)


First, you need a sturdy tripod and ballhead. I am using the Benro A158-EX together with the Benro BH-1-M ballhead (my review here). Another piece of equipment that you will need is a remote control release. For this purpose, I have a Canon Remote switch RS-80N3. These equipment will make sure that you have shake-free images.

The tripod is necessary because you will be shooting pictures with the aperture open for a long time, so using a tripod will make sure that you will have shake-free pictures. The remote control will prevent you from touching your camera when you take your shots, thus further eliminating vibrations when you press the shutter release on the camera. (Bonus tips: if your camera has mirror lock-up, then you can use this also because the movement of the mirror before the shot can also cause vibrations in the camera. Take note that with the mirror lock up activated, the first press of the shutter flips the mirror up, then the second press of the shutter will actually take the picture. Also, if your camera has a Long Exposure Noise Reduction feature, then you can use this also.)

Now, what are the settings that you need to make very nice fireworks pictures?

If your lens comes with a lens hood, then use that to prevent any stray light from streaming into the lens. Turn off the Image Stabilization of your lens if it has one then set your ISO to 100 so that the noise from your shots will be minimal. Set your camera to Manual and start with an aperture value of f/11 and a shutter speed of 4 seconds. Set your lens to manual focus and focus at infinity. The f/11 aperture will ensure that most of the objects in your picture will be in focus while the 4 second shutter speed will enable you to catch the light trails from the fireworks. Usually, the pyrotechnic guys make a trial run of the fireworks so you will know where to point your camera for the big event. You can either use a wide angle lens to get most of the view around the fireworks or you can zoom in and focus solely on the fireworks.

You can change the shutter speed if ever your shots over- or under-expose.

Hope these tips will help your own fireworks photos. And Happy Independence Day! :)

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All fireworks shots made with the Canon 5D Mark II with a Canon EF 24-105 f/4L lens. The camera was mounted on a Benro Tripod and Ballhead. Check out my review of my favorite bag for my Canon 5D Mark II, the Lowepro Versapack 200AW,  here.

Side Lighting is the Best Portrait Lighting

I may get into some trouble for saying that but it is a statement I am willing to defend.

When I look at the lighting in my favorite shows, like House, Fringe, etc, I always see side lighting on the faces of the actors. It adds more drama and defines the faces of the actors. The lines on the face are clearly more visible, more edgy, and, as I've said, more dramatic. I actually don't know if I've already seen an actor lit from the front. I see it in fashion shows, but I can't recall seeing it from the more dramatic and/or suspenseful shows. Or, I may have already seen some but they didn't register to me; not compelling enough?

I made this photo of the wife with a Canon 5D Mark II and a Canon 430-EX II speedlite. There is a white wall on camera-right and I bounced the light from the speedlite towards the wall. The light then travelled from the wall towards my subject's face. What was produced was a nicely-lit photo of the wife (@PinayObserver). (Well, of course, I am biased...)

So, after you got that shiny, new DSLR, what's next on your list should be an external flash. Movie makers know it, professional photographers know it, even Renaissance painters knew it: side lighting is best for portrait lighting.

Coincidentally, if you wanna know about those Renaissance paintings, I wrote about Rembrandt Lighting here.


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Want the best bag for your DSLR? I reviewed my most favorite camera backpack, the Lowepro Versapack 200 AW, here and here.

Another Year, Another Page...

I was supposed to post this on my birthday but I got sick and I didn't feel like doing anything except watch baseball and shows from the Netflix instant queue. Anyway, I was mulling about the great changes that will happen to our lives that I decided to make a post about it.


The wife (@PinayObserver) and I, right before my birthday, went to Chicago to look for a place to live. That effort was the mark that really said that our time here in Princeton was about to end. That made me really sad. I had come to love this place. I really don't know if anyone wouldn't. Having lived my whole life in cities in the Philippines, living in the suburb was one pleasant change that I didn't expect. The quiet and the peace that came with living here in Princeton was something that greatly appealed to me. There is also the added benefit of living just an hour away from the Greatest City in the World, New York.


But, alas, we must move on. Chicago is a beautiful city and living in the city has its advantages and disadvantages.


First off, there would more people on the streets. Second, it would be significantly noisier, though the place we looked at wasn't that bad. And, as I've said, I spent my whole life in the Philippines in different cities so I know that there are some kind of danger associated in living in one. I just hope that the wife and I won't experience any of those in the time that we will spend in Chicago. (Oh, additionally, a Nature article says that living in the city can cause undue stress...)


But, the city, with its diversity, has a greater number of food choices. There is also public transport, taxi cabs and lots of shops. The Magnificent Mile in downtown Chicago is really magnificent; it is easily accessed by buses and subways. I still had to try the Chicago Dog but the Chicago pizza has a certain appeal that makes it really interesting. I absolutely love a NY-style pizza but I wouldn't say no to the Chicago-influenced one. If only for the food choices, I am looking forward to living there.


There is always a trade off.


I absolutely love Princeton but I am looking forward to moving into the Second City. And yes, there is always a place where you can find your own heaven. I may have found mine there.

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Photo made with a Canon Powershot G12 and post-processed in Adobe Lightroom 3. My review of the G12 can be found here. Want the best bag for your G12? Check out my review of the BlackRapid SNapR here.