David Hood Photography

After visiting family in Florida (previous post) we rented a car and drove to the Georgetown area of South Carolina.  We shared a beach house there with our grandson’s extended family.  Our grandsons got to know their cousins and a good time was had by all.  I especially enjoyed walking the beach in the early morning at sunrise – so quiet and peaceful, and I hope my photos give justice to the unsurpassed beauty of the sunrises.

If you enjoyed sharing these memories, please share with your friends and family on social media. Any comments you may wish to share (below) would also be appreciated – especially those dealing with the photographs, EXIF data, or post processing techniques.

Capture the Wonders Found in Travel and Life                                Email:  d300dave@gmail.com

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This is my first test of a photo of the moon using my new Nikon 18-300 mm f 3.5-6.3 zoom lens. I’m pleased with the results.  This was taken with my Nikon D7100 camera at f16 aperture, 1/100th second shutter speed, ISO 100, and manual focus using a tripod and remote shutter release to minimize camera shake.  Slight tonal adjustment and sharpening in Photoshop CS6.  Please feel free to comment and share.

Capture the Wonders Found in Travel and Life                       Email: d300dave@gmail.com

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Much has been written about the importance of selecting the appropriate aperture, shutter speed and ISO setting for the best quality picture given the subject matter and available light.  In this post I’d like to share some insights that I’ve discovered through research and plenty of trial and error practice that might be helpful to you.

This landscape photo of the Sandia Mountains was taken through glass at the 9th floor restaurant of a nearby resort.  My camera is a Nikon D7100; I used a Nikon f/ 3.5-5.6 18-200 mm zoom lens at 31 mm and used manual mode with aperture set at f/4, shutter speed at 1/80th second, and “auto” ISO which my camera’s meter set at 560.

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Lighting.  Some of the best landscape photos are taken at the “golden hour” just after sunrise and just before sunset the time when the sun’s light is not so strong that that there is a harshness to the photo, but is sufficient to show detail and add shadow and dimension. Timing is everything – I took several photos just before this one, but by comparison they lack the definition and dimension that this shot contains.  Shooting through glass can be tricky because of reflections and glare.  When I took this photo I did my best to reduce these effects by using a circular polarizer filter and by getting the lens close to the glass and using part of the wall structure to shade the reflections from the overhead restaurant lights.

Aperture.  I recently read an article that hit home with me.  I used to believe that a small aperture (or high f stop number like f/22) was important for increasing the depth of field, thus keeping everything from the foreground to the horizon in focus.  However, generally accepted principle may be modified when distance away from the subject is considered.  Depending upon the focal length of the lens used, if you are far enough away from the subject then everything in the field of view will be in focus regardless  of the aperture selected.  Many good sources are available to explain how hyperfocal distance is computed, and yes – there is an app for that!  For this photo I was several hundred yards away from the foreground in the field of view, so I selected the largest aperture (smallest number f stop) available for the lens and focal length that I was using.

Shutter Speed.  At the f/4 wide open aperture selected, my camera meter indicated that I could set the shutter speed at 1/80th second without resorting to a high ISO setting which would have introduced undesirable increased “noise” or grain to the photo.  I probably could have reduced shutter speed to 1/60th second and lowered the ISO further, but opted for 1/80th second to ensure that I didn’t introduce any blurriness due to camera shake (photo was taken hand held).  My camera’s sensor produces photos with negligible noise at ISO settings below 400, and only minimal noise at ISO settings in the 800 to 1200 range.

ISO Speed.  As explained above, I put my ISO setting on “auto” and let the camera select the correct ISO for the aperture and shutter speed that I selected.  I frequently use this option to reduce the time required to select the best camera settings for the proper exposure as it reduces the variables for three to two settings.  Thus, I can more quickly frame, focus, and select my aperture and shutter speed by quickly dialing the front and rear wheels near the shutter release button.  A quick look in the viewfinder tells me the camera’s selected ISO for the aperture and shutter speed that I selected.  If the ISO is too high, I can quickly reduce it provided that I can reduce shutter speed without introducing the risk of camera shake blurriness.  If I had been using one of my faster lenses with an aperture opens as wide as f/1.8, then I could have opened the selected aperture another one or two stops to reduce the ISO as well.

I hope that my discussion of these techniques may be helpful to you – happy shooting!  Please feel free to leave a reply or share my website on social media with your friends.  Please contact me if you would like to purchase a print of this photo.

Capture the Wonders Found in Travel and Life                                 Email: d300dave@gmail.com

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On May 18th, Barbara and I volunteered to serve as chaperons for grandson Jim’s 7th grade field trip to the Albuquerque Bio Park Aquarium and Botanic Garden.  I knew that my duties as a chaperon would prevent me from taking the time necessary for capturing properly composed quality photos, but I took my Nikon D7100 DSLR camera and Nikon 18-200mm zoom lens anyway.  I rationalized that I’d capture what I could and treat the visit as a scouting mission for a subsequent visit.  I’m glad that I did, and will share what I observed and what learned about capturing photographs there in the following paragraphs.  Let me add that I heartily recommend that you visit this attraction, and that you take your camera!

Jim’s teacher organized the visit for all 21st Century Public Academy 7th grade classes.  We used to call these type events “field trips”, but 21st CPA calls them Out of School Instruction (OSI) and they make these off campus visits about 20 times per year.  What’s different about my experience with field trips and the OSI is that 21st CPA students are given specific learning objectives for each OSI, and they are required to submit written reports after each visit that demonstrate the achievement of those objectives.  The OSI began with a guided tour of the aquarium which included the shark tank, aquatic life in the Rio Grande River below the Central Avenue Bridge in Albuquerque, a trout stream, salt marsh and gulf coast, coral reef, eel cave, jelly fish, South Pacific gallery, and a shrimp boat.  Shown here is the teacher and the tour leader, together with the class, getting ready to enter the aquarium.  Also shown (click on the first photo to see other photo) is the class sitting in the aquarium as they write information in their work sheets.

Next are several photos taken of fish viewed through the glass walled aquariums.  In hindsight, I chose the wrong lens.  Due to the low light conditions, I could have captured better quality photos using my faster (larger aperture and thus more light) f2.8 17-55mm lens.  I chose my f3.5/5.6 zoom because I have a circular polarizer filter that fits this lens, whereas I don’t have a CP filter that fits my f2.8 lens.  What I learned is that for these type of photos, a faster lens is more important than reducing the glare and reflections that sometimes occur when shooting through glass.  This is true because a slower lens (smaller aperture and therefore less light) requires slower shutter speeds and or higher ISO settings – thus greatly increasing the odds of reducing sharpness and increasing “noise” or adding a “grainy” look to the photo.  Of course, if I spend some money on a good CP filter that fits my f2.8 lens, then I’ll have the best of both worlds!  Here are the results of some of my photos; most are shot with an ISO setting of 6400 – acceptable quality for small print size, but not an enlargement.

                                                            After exiting the aquarium we proceeded to the beautiful botanic gardens with sunshine, pretty blue sky, but increasing wind (read faster shutter speed, and therefore the likelihood of a moderately higher ISO speed).  Here are some photos taken in and around the Botanic Garden.

                           Please feel free to leave a reply and share my website with your friends.

Capture the Wonders Found in Travel and Life                     Email: d300dave@gmail.com

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I just entered this photo in a contest featuring sea creatures.  The photo was captured in January 2008 with a Nikon D300 camera and Nikon 18-200 mm zoom lens set at focal length 65 mm, aperture f/10, shutter speed 1/400 second, and ISO speed 800.  If you would like a print or canvas of this photo, please contact me.

Capture the Wonders Found in Travel and Life                             Email: d300dave@gmail.com

Sea Turtle

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