Motor sports photography can be one of the most technically challenging types of photography there is. Even when you know the theory behind the right technique, that award winning photo is, many of the times, just impossible to get. Add to that the high speed action and danger of motor sports photography and you have a recipe, not only for photos coming out badly, but also possibly a quick trip to the hospital. Continue reading »
Buffalo near Punda Maria camp in Kruger Park
The Cape Buffalo has the reputation of being the most dangerous animal in Africa as they have apparently killed more people than any other animal. The buffalo is a placid animal but if cornered or wounded its first instinct is to attack. Buffalo are common throughout the Kruger Park, are a very rare sighting in the Pilanesberg and are not found in Etosha or the Kgalagadi. The biggest herd we saw was at the Mlondozi dam from the picnic site. This herd was huge and numbered at least 2000. We watched them coming down to drink and they just kept coming – the whole area was covered with black dots that looked like ants.
I first saw this video over at the Strobist website. Its an amazing video that takes you through a rather complicated and amazing lighting setup of a shoot by photography Jay P. Morgan. You would do well to check it out.
This egret was over 30m from shore, too far to easily capture without a boat
The first time I brought my camera on my kayak with me, I was a nervous wreck. I was worried about getting my camera wet, dropping it in the water, dumping myself in the water AND getting the shots I wanted.
Yes, taking pictures from a kayak can be a worrisome task, but there are a few steps a person can take to relieve some of that tension so that she is able to enjoy her trip to the fullest.
Decide how you want to keep your camera safe, when it is not in use- an underwater housing, a dry bag, a hard case with built in o-ring (like Pelican cases,) or a simple zippered plastic bag (like a ziploc. )They all have their pros and cons, which I will be addressing in future articles. (I myself generally use a dry bag, because it fits my style.)
Male Lion in Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park
For most visitors to African national parks, the big cats are the most desired game viewing subjects and photographic trophies, with lions being at the top of the list.
The male lion has a mane that is very impressive and tends to make the lion the symbol of power and of the African wilderness.
The lion is the only social cat living in family groups called prides, made up mainly of females with their cubs and anything from one to maybe three or four males. One dominant male has the privilege of mating with the females.
Professional nature photographers make it look easy don’t they! A giraffe silhouetted against the setting sun; savannah landscapes of acacia trees under deep blue skies and the action sequence of a hungry cheetah catching a terrified springbok.
Yet wildlife photography, which sits next to bird, landscape and macro photography the umbrella of ‘nature photography’, is extremely challenging. Unlike studio photography there is very little that is under your control. To obtain good images you need to have the right equipment, know how to use the various items and have photographic vision. Basically you need to apply what is commonly known as the Five-P’s of photography. I’ll briefly list them here:
It is finally here! Due to some technical problems this issue was unable to go live in August as it should
have. We have taken the extra time to get some more great content to bring you a great issue of PhotoComment Magazine. Our apologies for the delay.
In this issue:
The Feature this month is Mental Resolution. We have been following the adventures of fancyblithe as she has embarked on a Photography course as a complete novice, in this article she wraps up with her overall impressions of the course and photography and we get to she some of the work she has produced.
We feature Cas Pretorious from Camera Club as our Reader’s Portfolio.
We report back on the Worldwide Photo Walk.
We review the Nikon S8000, Nikons Ultra zoom Compact Digital Camera.
Lisa Solonynko teaches us how to take great photographs of Smoke.
We also have our regular features including Scoop, Editors Comment and Final Comment.
Click here to read this issue.
We love to here from you, please leave your comments below or mail us on magazine@photocomment.net
The Gary Fong Lightsphere Cloud is a diffuser that fits onto almost any camera flash, and is an item that no event or wedding photographer should be without. Other diffusers on the market merely direct the light, whereas the Gary Fong Lightsphere Cloud illuminates the entire room, mimicking ambient lighting, and produces soft, flattering light.
So how does it work?
Bouncing your flash off the ceiling produces diffused light, but sometimes, depending on your surroundings, this is not always possible. This is where the Gary Fong Lightsphere Cloud makes all the difference…
The majority of the light goes towards the ceiling, however, the bowl (the Tupperware-looking part) is also illuminated, creating an additional light source. Together, this creates a combination of bounce flash, with the benefits of fill in flash.
Welcome to a new feature here on PhotoComment – Photo Tip Tuesdays. The idea that you can only improve your photography by spending lots of money on new gear may be a great sales tactic but there is a lot of little tips that can spark new inspiration or add a little something to your images that you may not have thought of before. With that in mind we are bringing you this Photo Tip feature each Tuesday.
Be sure to catch our first tip tomorrow. You will need to register on the site to get the full details of each tip, which will also open you up to enjoying all the features of PhotoComment like the new Forums where you can also post your tips or tutorials and ideas.
The College Of Digital Photography has a fantastic website and informative newsletter that goes out monthly. I noted with interest and article on their site about Still Life Photography by Frank Krummacher that is a must read.
Apart from some fantastic pictures, Frank also goes on to explain how taking Still Life photographs need not require complicated of expensive equipment. He also goes through some of the lighting techniques used. The tips he shares are great whether you are a complete novice to this genre or just need some inspiration. Check out the article and just maybe you will find yourself wanting to learn a bit more like I did.
So four weeks have raced past since I last made mention my new adventure into studio photography. In that time I have been sick (but I still attended the class each Tuesday evening) and I have had to travel to Cape Town and Durban to conduct training. Its been busy.
So finally on Saturday afternoon I was able to arrange to borrow some light and spent so time yesterday shooting odd object in the house and just generally trying to apply some of the things I have learnt. The gallery below has some of the images I took yesterday.
Tomorrow night is the final class. As a group we will have to work out and shoot Still Life, Commercial and Portrait images while the lecturers look on. It is a tad nerve racking. I will say though, that this has been well work the time and effort. I have read a lot of photography books but some things are just beast learnt in person. If you are based in Johannesburg and want to give the course a go, head on over to The College of Digital Photography website for further info.
Here is hoping for the best for tomorrow. In the meantime I think the picture above best describes by experiences so far.
Recycle Reuse & Repurpose
Glass Jar Photo Frames
In South Africa, recycling is a way of life that not very many people incorporate into their daily routine. Partly because we do not have the facilities or many places that offer this service, but mainly because most people are too lazy to think about what happens to their rubbish once they toss it in the bin.
So instead of carelessly dumping your trash, one of the ways you can help give used things a second life, is to reuse your glass jars, and use them as novelty photo frames.
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