Blogged by: Brian Bruner

Are you tired of wasting time and money on good (not great) prints at your local drug store or superstore photo lab? Have you ever wanted to simply do it yourself at home and create extremely high quality prints? Well, a couple years ago, that was my problem. I did not like the quality and service I got. I was unhappy with having to drive to town, wait in line at the self-serve print station, and realize that the prints just didn’t convey what I had personally seen through the camera viewfinder. So I made it a goal to find the best printer, paper, and ink. These 3 items, along with simply having a nice photo to print, are the keys to creating your own perfect prints.

After failing at buying a few printers that simply didn’t do the job, I finally discovered a model that exceeds the quality I look for in a print. And since that day, I am now on my 3rd version of this model. The Epson Stylus Photo RX680 Photo All-in-One Printer is a fantastic machine. In fact, I really dislike referring it as a “printer”. I consider it my own professional photo lab!

The best part - you can buy this printer for what you probably paid for your past printer. At the time of writing this, Epson is selling it directly through their website for only $129.99! Amazon also sells it for the same price. Without trying to sound like a late night paid advertisement on TV, you really do get free shipping on this printer from Epson! The printer also includes a full set of ink cartridges. If you try buying it at your local electronics store, expect to pay almost $200…plus tax!

Epson Stylus Photo RX680 Photo All-in-One Printer - Click to buy through Amazon.com

This printer uses Claria Hi-Definition Inks. Don’t let the name scare you to think that this is expensive ink! In fact, it’s very reasonably priced. CAUTION - never buy off-brands or try refill your cartridges. This can ruin your printer from ever printing to it’s fullest abilities.

Here are some of the added features you get with the RX680:

• Borderless printing
• Two paper trays (keep your regular paper in one and photo paper in the other)
• Flatbed scanner
• Print directly on printable CDs and DVDs
• Extra USB port for connecting your camera directly
• Built-in memory card reader
• LCD screen to preview your photo before printing
• Scan-to-PDF for archiving and easy emailing
• Restore your old worn out photos
• Prints are instantly dry!

I consider myself old-fashioned. I still enjoy printing photos and putting them into photo albums to show my friends and family. So you need a good quality paper that will show off that new Epson printer you will be getting for your family:-) I have tried buying paper over-the-counter and have had some success. But the best I have found is called Ilford Galerie Smooth Pearl photo paper. When you go to the store, most of the photo paper on the shelf is glossy. After using Ilford’s Smooth Pearl paper, I really don’t see myself using glossy paper again. My issue with glossy paper is that when you are looking at it, you are constantly turning it to try removing the glare from your view! The Smooth Pearl paper has a brilliant satin finish. You won’t find yourself being distracting by that annoying glare.

The easiest way to buy the paper is through Amazon. Below are links to two sizes that I commonly use…4″ x 6″ and 8 1/2″ x 11″. I buy the 4″ x 6″ paper quite frequently since I enjoy creating albums and giving the prints away.

4″ x 6″ Smooth Pearl Paper - Click to buy through Amazon.

8 1/2″ x 11″ Ilford Galerie Smooth Pearl Inkjet Photo Paper - Click to buy through Amazon

After getting my feet wet with my own photography, I started paying attention to what other people were doing for a little inspiration.  One of the most interesting styles I have discovered along the way is square photography.   

Classic square format cameras are making a comeback in popularity.  While I would love to own film cameras, the truth is I really do not have the time or money to devote to getting into true square format photography with film.  My inexpensive and fun trick: crop it!

Cropping into square format will do many things for your photos.  First of all, circumstances happen and it is not out of the ordinary for photos to end up with a lot of stuff visually that is distracting from the subject.  A quick adjustment by cropping into a square shape can give you more control in creating the appropriate focal point of your photo with less distraction. 

Another perk of square photography is its capacity to make something simple that you may not even consider a photo subject look so interesting.  For example, I threw a stack of dominoes into a pile and took some pictures.  In the ordinary rectangular format, the photos seemed dull.  Cropped into square format, they caught your attention.

My favorite thing about square photography is the instant modern change that can happen to a photograph with a simple crop.  I am not one of those naturally creative or artistic people, so I surprise myself sometimes at what happens when I create a square image.  In the photo strip at the beginning of my post, I modernized a rural scene with the simplicity of a square crop.

When it comes to finishing your square photos, square frames (even matted) are fairly easy to find.  I have found them at many national retail stores and specialty shops.  Framing your square photos will make a very artistic impression in your home, so prepare to receive lots of compliments for your creative masterpieces.

If you are thinking this is easy, you are right.  Sometimes it is the simplest things you can do to make your photos have a fresh, new look.  It’s hip to be square…in artistic photography.

Blogged by: Saumil Shah

In Part 1, I touched upon some examples of artistic photos through patterns occuring in nature. I shall now discuss how to get more creative with patterns in nature. The previous example with the palm fronds was very well illuminated and had bright, vivid and pleasing colours. Sometimes, the subject exhibiting the pattern itself may not carry pretty colours or may be poorly lit. But the pattern itself may be gorgeous. The photographs discussed in this post are examples of patterns formed by silhouettes.

The photograph below is of another palm leaf which was quite poorly illuminated. The tips of its fronds were beginning to wither away and it wasn’t brighly coloured either. However, the pattern formed by its leaves was beautiful.

I stood close to the palm leaf and focussed on the fronds so that the shape formed by the pattern is very sharp. Behind the palm plant was a lawn, and having it out of focus yielded the green colour filling in the spaces between the fronds.

The spine of the leaf is straight, slanted slightly. I used this to my advantage for applying the Rule of Thirds to this photograph. Think of the photograph divided into three columns. The eye is led from the top to the bottom, with the diagonal line slicing through the centre column. The diagonal separates the picture into two regions. As opposed to the previous example, these regions exhibit bilateral symmetry and similarity.

The beauty of the pattern is brought out by the silhouette.

Continue onwards to see my best shot of the day when hunting for patterns in nature.

The photograph below shows patterns formed by the leaves of the Gulmohar tree, which flowers during the hot Indian summers. The leaves of the Gulmohar are like ferns.

I chose to fill up the entire frame with these tiny little leaves. Observe once again how I have used the Rule of Thirds with the diagonal line slicing the picture into two symmetric regions. The leaves are very dense. The pattern formed creates a very interesting contrast between the positive and negative spaces. An almost equal part of the picture is taken up by the leaves as is taken up by the sky. This adds intrigue to the pattern.

I stood directly under the tree and pointed the lens straight up. Actually I was lying flat on the ground to hold my camera steady. Indian summers tend to overexpose the sky, but this worked to my advantage by rendering all the leaves as silhouettes.

So you see, keep looking for patterns and you never know which little corner may turn into an artistic photograph! As William Blake wrote:

To see a world in a grain of sand

And a heaven in a wild flower

Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand

And Eternity in an hour.

Blogged by: Saumil Shah

Patterns occuring in nature make for extremely artistic photos. And for seeking out patterns you do not need to travel to the far corners of the Earth. It would be great if I got the opportunity to fly over the Sahara and photograph the uniform ripples in the sand dunes, but looking at objects closely in my own back yard can bring out quite a few beautiful subjects!

Nature is always aesthetic and therefore photographing objects occuring in nature will almost always lend themselves to be pleasing to the eye. What makes a beautiful artistic photograph depends on how you compose the photograph, how the subject is illuminated and some basic camera settings.

Let us see a few examples. The photograph below is a close up of a palm leaf. I have chosen to capture only a small section of the palm plant. What is left out is as important as what is captured. I do not want the viewer to think about anything other than the beautiful symmetry of the fronds of the palm leaf. These fronds remind me of calligraphic strokes. Simple, straight and uniform.

I spent a couple of minutes properly composing this photograph. The photograph is based on the famous Rule of Thirds. The spine of the leaf forms a graceful curve beginning from about 1/3rd photo height down from the top left corner and ending almost near the bottom right corner. The curve divides the photograph into two regions. The top region is filled with dense green strokes formed by the fronds. The eye of the observer is led from the bottom right corner to the top left part of the photograph. The bottom region could have been empty but I chose to zoom in on this particular area of the palm plant where I could fill up part of the bottom region with tips of fronds from another palm leaf below this one. The aperture is set to f/5.6 which gives an average shallow depth of field, conveniently blurring out the background.

Last but not the least, I chose to illuminate the subject in the best possible manner. Leaves and flowers are translucent. Having the sun or the light source shine through them makes their colours vivid and bright. The risk here is that you would be taking photographs either against the sun or in blazing sunlight which may cause problems in exposure. These can be avoided by careful positioning. If you cannot change the orientation of the subject, simply walk around it until you get an angle you like. In the photograph above, the light shining through the palm fronds gives them a bright green colour.

Let us see how you analyse the next photograph. The subject in the photo below is the same palm plant, photographed from a different angle.

Continue onwards for my thoughts behind taking this photograph and see whether your observation is in line with mine. It doesn’t have to be, though.

For the second photograph, the Rule of Thirds is applied by dividing the photo into three columns. The curve formed by the spine extends from the bottom edge, 1/3rd of the width from the left all the way to the top edge, 2/3rd of the width from the left. The right hand side column is taken up by another palm leaf. The center sail shaped section is thinly filled with the edges of the fronds in graceful curved strokes. As you can see, I adore symmetry and natural curves (no pun intended).

As with the previous example, the light is shining through the fronds. I was squatting on the ground while taking this picture. The afternoon sun was just right and I had to use my hand to make a small shade on top of my lens to avoid lens flares. I also chose to sit a little further from the plant and use a zoom lens with 300mm zoom to close in on the fronds. The zoom, coupled with the f/5.6 aperture makes for a nice blurry background. I like choosing a dark background and leaving it out of focus, directing all attention to the close up subject in the foreground.

In part 2 of The Art of Patterns, we shall look at more patterns in nature from my afternoon stroll. I shall confess, these palm plants were not in my own back yard, but at the garden at the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, where I was participating in a workshop on Calligraphy.

Blogged by: Brian Bruner

Although visiting places I have never seen is one of my favorite things to do, it is the people I encounter along the way that make my trips special. The candid photos of these perfect strangers are what complete my photo albums. People make your photos more natural and alive. The tough part - everything is spontaneous. In fact, more often than not, my photos with the highest level of spontaneity are my favorites.

However, we should always be mindful of the individual’s privacy. When taking candid photos of people living their everyday lives, always place yourself into their shoes. If the person does not seem to want their photo taken, then do not take their picture. But if you show common courtesy or simply pass along a smile, many people will be more accomodating to let you take their photo.

The great thing about the picture above is that I hardly remember taking it. It has become one of my favorite photos I have ever taken. The colors are consistent, there are a few background and foreground items that add to the image (the swamp, the trees, and the temple ruins), and the man resting and thinking tell a small story about his life.

One of the great challenges of taking candid photos is patience. It is easy to take a photo of someone with a silly expression on their face. The greater challenge is getting everything right - the facial expression, the colors, the background, etc. The photo needs to tell a story. And when everything comes together, it will tell a fantastic story!

Many times while taking candid photos, you are really trying to capture a special moment. Always be ready to shoot, because that perfect moment can come and go in a split second. Take plenty of photos. You never know when perfect timing will happen. You can never create “perfect timing”.

Natural outdoor lighting always makes your candid photos turn out better than indoor lighting. Avoid using a flash whenever possible. However, don’t always believe that the sun has to be shining brightly for your pictures to be perfect. Soft shadows can be a great effect to your photo. Sunlight brings out the bright colors, but it also causes people to squint. It can also cast unwanted heavy shadows on your subject’s face.

Another key is to make sure your subject stays occupied with what they are doing. Make them forget there is someone aiming a camera at them. If that happens, your subject could try to “act” instead of being natural. Most of the time, this will show in your photo. The story you are hoping to see will not be there.

Sometimes I think candid photography is a walking contradiction. It’s difficult to get a great shot, but it’s simple to accidentally get the perfect storyteller. Be aggressive, but don’t get in your subject’s face. And enjoy it, even when you get frustrated!

Go out and give it a shot. Whether you are a world traveler or a small town local, you can take beautiful candid photos. Whether it’s your local barber in Loogootee, Indiana or a traditional folk dancer in Bali, Indonesia, your picture will tell a wonderful tale!

For more examples, visit my flickr page.

Sometimes artistic photos can be created from everyday objects, like peepholes! 

Peepholes are not just for doors.  You cannot deny it.  Peepholes are fun—the kind of mindless amusement that comes from playing with simple toys like a Slinky or silly putty. 

When I found an old peephole sitting in my junk drawer, I instinctively picked it up and began to play.  I loved how the peephole distorted the world around me.  I realized I had to try taking pictures through my newly rediscovered do-it-yourself fisheye lens. 

This was the beginning of my “through the peephole” photography.  This first peephole I used had a small viewing area and made it difficult to get a good focused shot.  After a quick trip to a local hardware store, I found a peephole with a one inch viewing area.  It was perfect for getting the focused shots with that fisheye look that I was going for.

For a peephole like I found (with the larger viewing area), you can expect to pay around $10-a small price to pay for artistic images and hours of fun. 

When you have your peephole and you are ready to begin, just hold the peephole in front of your lens and see if your automatic focus setting picks up a clear image through the peephole.  With my SLR and using manual focus, I hold the peephole between two fingers (like a cigarette) an inch or so in front of the lens, which still gives me the flexibility to focus manually with the same hand. 

If you are worried about scratching your expensive camera lens, just use common sense.  I have taken a lot of pictures through the peephole and it has never been an issue.   If you want to be extra cautious, use your camera’s lens hood for added protection.

Sure, playing with a peephole is far from rocket science.  But hey–rocket science is boring!  Enjoy being creative with photography.  Artistic photos are just a junk drawer treasure hunt away!

Blogged by: Brian Bruner

Have you ever seen an impressive panoramic photo and thought, “I wish I had a camera that would take photos like that?” Fortunately, if you have a camera–you can take panoramics! This type of photography is easier than you think. All you need are a consistent series of photos and a process called “stitching”. There are several software programs available that include this tool. I prefer to use Microsoft Digital Image Suite.

Start out by setting up a tripod. A tripod is not required, but it does help in keeping your camera steady. Make sure the camera is mounted level to the ground or horizon and zoom out slightly more than you expect the image to appear. The reason for this is because stitching the photos together will require you to slightly crop the image as a final step.

Begin taking your photos from the left (or the right if you are from Europe!) Your first photo should target the extreme end of the scene you are trying capture. For the remaining photos, the thing to remember is to overlap the previous photo by about 30%. Later on when you stitch these together, the software will automatically piece the series of images by detecting that overlap. The example below shows each photo taken with the necessary overlap to create the final panoramic photo.

 Click on the image below to see how to overlap your photos.

This photo was taken at the top of Twin Peaks in San Francisco. As you can see, I was able to capture many of the great city landmarks: The Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, Coit Tower, The Oakland Bay Bridge, The TransAmerica Pyramid, and downtown San Francisco.

After taking the series of photos, it’s time to let the software do its job! The process will ask you to select the photos you wish to stitch. After selecting the series of photos, the program will automatically detect the overlap and line up all of your images! The stitched image will have a “fish eye” appearance when completed. The final step is to simply crop the rough “fish eye” edges of the photo and you are finished!

Below is an unfinished panoramic I took at Mt. Abu, India. This is a great example as to why you should use a tripod. Notice the unlevel range of images I took. This photo also shows the “fish eye” effect you get before you crop your stitched image.

I was able to salvage the photo, but I did have to lose some detail of the rock at the bottom of the image. 

If creating panoramics is something you would like to try, here are a few hints:

• Make sure not to adjust the zoom while snapping the series of photos. 
• Focus each shot exactly the same as the previous shot.
• Use a tripod to make sure your photos are steady, level, and consistent with the horizon.
• Avoid capturing a close moving object such as a person or car.
• Refrain from using a polarized filter. This could affect the color of the sky across your final image.
• Be consistent in the overlap of your photos.
• Crop the final stitched image for a finished look.

For more examples, visit my Flickr page…

Sometimes an artistic photo can come from taking a “bad photo.” In fact, I often take bad photos intentionally by overexposing my digital images.

Overexposing simply means that you are letting more light into your photograph. It whitens your photos and can be an interesting and easy technique for you to make one-of-a-kind images. Often times, the edges of the subject you are photographing will have a softened glow, especially with backlighting. (Yes, ladies, with the right lighting overexposed images of yourself can make you look slimmer!)

Before you try this on your own, you should be aware that overexposed photos usually take minor photo editing. I prefer to use software that allows you to adjust the midtones. Without editing, your photo may appear washed out. But after a quick increase of midtones, prepare to be surprised at what jumps out at you.

Shown above are some pictures I took with different levels of exposure.  The top picture, Photo A, shows the type of picture my camera took on the automatic exposure setting.  The sky has its natural color and all of the details of the trees are visible.  In the middle, Photo B shows a photo that is intentionally overexposed.  Notice the sky is no longer blue and everything has a whitened appearance, almost as though it has a thin layer of haze.  The bottom photo is also Photo B–with one difference.  Using my photo editing program, I quickly adjusted the midtones to reveal the exciting image that was hiding within my overexposed photo.

If you are looking for a way to make your photographs have a clean, edgy look—forget the rules of photography! Try changing your exposure setting to make a strong artistic impression.