Twilight and Dusk

Fire of Light

Springtime approaches and this means it is nearly time to head back outdoors! Normally the cold does not bother me so much, but this winter seemed to be exceptionally frigid with temperatures often below 20 f. Maybe it is just because this out of shape body does not tolerate sub 20 degree f temps any more. The past few days have given me spring fever, the kind of fever that makes me want to get outside and shoot.

Spring is filled with warm days and cool nights and that means it is time to unwrap the fire pit. Last fall I started a personal project I call the “Fire Pit Portraits”. Simply, portraits by the light of a fire pit.

This is actually a bit challenging. Tripod is a must as shutter speed is slow and aperture is wide open. I think the bigger challenge may be for my subjects who need to get really close to the fire. Not so much for the heat and flames which they are well protected from but for the sudden change in the direction of smoke. Yes, I am kind enough to make sure they are positioned accordingly…

Color cast of course bleeds a bit on the orange/red side, but why wouldn’t it? I am still a bit torn how much to correct that, if at all. I think it adds to the meaning of the image so I have been tending to leave most of it in.

I really like how these images turn out, they certainly have a different feel to them than what I am used to. But, this is why I love photography so much, each situation is unique, each person different and when you are playing with light like this you never know what you are going to get. Need to increase the power? Throw some wood in. Decrease it? Sit back, relax and wait.

Focusing can be a bit of a challenge as well so it is a great time to work on those manual focus skills. Most of the images are shot at around 0.5 seconds, f1.8, this next one of my daughter was at 2.8, 1.6 seconds. Ever try to get a teen to be still for 1.6 seconds in a setting like this? Very difficult indeed.

I am a bit envious of this next young lady as she is soon to be off to Hawaii for her first semester of college. Way to go!

This was my first in the series and the one that created the inspiration for the project. My Sparkplug does it again.

The kicker in all of this? Snow is on its way for one more day. Hmmm, snow, a great big reflector. Plus a full moon…Time to go set the fire pit up!

Thanks for stopping by!

Phil

Competition Time!

It is that time of year for us once again. After six months of rehearsals, sans quite a few snow days, the competition team from Alice’s Dancin’ Corner is on it’s way to it’s first performance of the season. The team just had it’s dress rehearsal and other than some normal minor quirks, they are ready to go!

The team decided to expand a bit this year with the inclusion of what I refer to as the mini’s category. Holy Cuteness! In previous years the team has been broken down into juniors and seniors. With the inclusion of the minis we can add a third classification to that and bring the teams size to 41 dancers! In relation to the dances, historically in order to emphasize a team concept there has been a very limited number of solos and duets. But with so many graduating seniors as well as an increase in the talent level of this years team we will be entering dancers into those categories as well this year. For me, as a photographer, this is incredibly exciting…..no extra arms or legs in the frame!

That last statement may be a bit selfish sounding and rightly so. Having the ability to capture images at these competitions is challenging enough without prime real estate available, heads of judges in the way and the need to use a long lens. A long lens does much better with one or two dancers than it does with 15. Just the nature of the beast. But I love every second of it. This is probably the main reason I go short, for the most part during dress rehearsals, I do not get that opportunity during the actual competitions.

Each year there seems to be a few dances that really stand out for me, this year that number is much more.

Best of luck to the team this week, Dance like no one is watching!

If you are a resident of Ocean or Monmouth County and would like to see the excitement this team generates keep May 3rd and 4th open! Details to follow.

Thanks for stopping by!

Cheering some 12,800 iso…

Cheering some 12,800 iso...

Killing time after my sparkplug performed, decided to see exactly what an iso of 12800 would look like. f4, 1/640, 24-105 at 50mm.

And included in the fun, going in reverse order, a shot at 6400, f4, 1/400, 95mm

As long as I do not have to print anything and all things considered not to bad to look at….just do not zoom in….

See ya soon!

A Winter’s Growth

For almost a week I have been documenting the bloom of an Amaryllis we received as a gift. The main reason I did this was to gain confidence when utilizing a high iso on my 7D. This camera is not know for it’s high iso capability so for the past year with that fact in my head I was guilty of underexposing images due to the fact that I was scared to go above a setting of 1600. Many times I am unable to use flash and find myself fighting for light.

For those who do not know what iso is, it is an integral part of the exposure triangle which allows more light to reach the cameras sensor. The main drawback is an image that turns out dirty. By this I mean it may have noise or grain showing. Until recently consumer model cameras were incapable of producing acceptable images if the iso was raised. I have been shooting a lot of studio stuff the past few months and dance season is right around the corner. I need to try and establish some further confidence when I need a shutter speed of 1/500 and the only way I can get there is with an iso of 2500+.

So, I set my iso to 2500, aperture to f4 on the trusty 24-105 and varied the shutter speed based on lighting conditions. The only constant light I had was the heating lamp pointing into the dragon tank. Indirect at best. Normally I would turn on the room light, and sometimes the sun came in through the windows.

We had the plant almost three weeks before it began blooming and once it started it was quite cool watching it open. The first hint appeared on Dec 23. I tried to capture an image every 12 hours or so.

During the 26th growth was rapid!

LR4 Noise reduction was used to clean them up a bit, but overall I am very happy with the results. If this is any indication then I have been missing out on some very good captures exposure wise. I remember one thing from my boy scout days,sitting around a fire repeating these words until it was figured it out…

o-wa-tana-siam

Mr. 7D you have restored my faith, if you need to raise the iso to get a good exposure, go for it. It’s OK……I should have listened to Jared Polin a long time ago….

Happy New Year!

Thanks for stopping by! Till next time….

A White Christmas

This winters production from Toms River’s Exit 82 Theater Company is now underway. The selection of Irving Berlin’s White Christmas marks a return to the stage for one of the Company’s founding members and current Artistic Director, Sean Openshaw.

This show marks the companies 7th production since it became a not for profit organization in 2009. With a cast and crew comprised solely of volunteers their passion and love for the performing arts shines in this years adaptation of White Christmas. I continue to be in awe of the talent of all the performers and I am thoroughly impressed by the dedication each one holds to their craft.

If you are a New Jersey resident, get in the spirit, take the time to support the arts and go experience the sights and sounds of Exit 82 Theater Company’s rendition of White Christmas. Tickets available here or at the door.