Crop

Cropping...there are a few different thoughts on cropping a photo. "Don't do it", "Sure, crop away", "Meh"

I always try to get the shot right in the camera and not crop a photo in post production but sometimes you have to. When I do crop in post it is usually minimal. Also, when you crop an image you loose those pixels you cropped out therefore loosing detail. Today, with the sensors in most new DSLRs the loss is minimal but if you crop heavily and than print a large photo you might see the loss.

You must remember that most DSLR cameras capture the image in a 2:3 ratio where as an 8 x 10 photo is a 4:5 ratio. That doesn't work. When you print a picture from your camera, most likely it doesn't look exactly like what you see on either your camera screen or computer screen, some of the image gets cropped off. 

One way to fight the crop is to shoot "loose". Don't fill the entire frame with your subject. Leave some room around your subject to anticipate the crop. Another way to fight the crop is to simply print the photo in a different size. (4×6″, 6×9″, 8×12″, 12×18″) 

Now there are times when you have a project that you have to shoot for the crop. For example; I have a potential project where I need square image blocks for the photos. When I shoot the images I have to remember that the image will be cropped to a square and I have to compose the photo properly. So in this particular instance I will shoot "loose".

This here is how I want the shot to be printed;

This is how I took the shot

I composed the shot in a way to get exactly what I wanted when the image was cropped. This is a way to "cheat" the size constraints of the print.

As I said, I always try to get it right i the camera but there are always exceptions.

Thanks again for your support,

E

Kappy's Keepers

Adapting

Adapting.

In photography you are forever adapting to many, many things and if you can't, well you need to learn.

Lighting is the biggest thing you need to be able to adapt to. Bright light, low light, no light, sunny skies, cloudy skies, shadows, reflections, surrounding colors and I could go on and on with light. You need to be able to figure out what to do in any given lighting situation to get the proper exposure. Do I need to limit the light? Do I need to manipulate the light? Do I need to create light? Do I need to add light? Again, adapting correctly to the lighting will get you the right exposure. There are many different ways to deal with light. Shutter speed, aperture, ISO settings, f stop, light modifiers, reflectors etc. Adapting the right technique for the right situation will result in a quality product.

Every photographer has a "style". When you look at some of my images you might say, "That's a Kappy's Keepers shot". Yes, I do have a certain style to my photography but one must learn how to adapt to the client's style.

Perfect example, I recently started shooting an extremely talented magician, Nick Blais. (who absolutely blows me away I might add) He has a certain "style" to his magic and his look. The key is to adapt to his style and not intrude with my own. Nick has a darker, down and dirty, up close style of magic and I wanted to bring that through with my photos. Here are a few examples from Nick's rehearsals;

For the shots of Nick, I chose to shoot from the side as it creates shadows on him and adapts to Nick.s style.

Adapting to your surroundings is another one. Are you in an area or situation that does not allow flash photography? Are you in a tight location that does not allow you to move much? Is the ceiling so high you cannot properly bounce your flash? Again, I could go on an on. 

Basically, photography is all about adapting. I feel I am fortunate enough to be able to adapt and work through any situations I come across. In order for you to get a good shot you need to get the shot. If you don't shoot A LOT, and practice A LOT, you won't know how adapt to get the shot when a different situation arises.

I found I also need to adapt in various art shows. I had some of my work in a Pop Up Shop in Springfield over the Christmas Holiday and after the fact learned that most of the items that sold were in a certain price range. Next time I am in that situation I will adapt my pieces to fit the shop.

There is just so much that one has to adapt to in photography, I can't mention it all here. If you are shooting just keep adapting to your specific situation and get the shot.

Again, thanks for reading,

E

Kappy's Keepers

Sigma 70-200mm f2.8 Review

I have been using the Sigma APO 70-200mm f2.8 EX DG OS HSM large aperature, telephoto lens for quite a while now so I felt I could give you guys an honest real world review of this awesome lens.

This lens is basically my go to lens. It is a bit of a beast at 3.15 lbs but it is well worth it's weight.

I will start with some tech stuff. It has an Optical Stabilization (OS) system built in which helps with lens shake and also has Sigma's HSM (Hyper-Sonic Motor) auto focus. The minimum focus distance is 55.1 inches and it has a large 77mm filter size. It's about 3 1/4 inches wide and close to 8 inches long, it's big! It is designed for a full frame sensor and will work with a crop sensor but will translate to roughly 112-320mm.

This lens as I said earlier is basically always on one of my camera bodies. I have shot weddings, concerts, events, wildlife, action sports, portraits, well, just about everything with the Sigma 70-200. It has a very crisp focus in every type of lighting but really shines around f4. It does hunt for focus in very low light, but so do other lenses. The focus is fast and the motor is very quiet. This thing is a fantastic addition to my bag and I do not leave the house without it.

One of the things about using this lens is, I love to get the genuine reactions. This lens allows me to be far enough from the subject for me not to be seen and get the genuine emotion, not a posed shot.

So if you are looking for a good zoom, this is it.

I hope you found this review helpful.


As always, thanks for playing along,


E

Kappy's Keepers

Travelling

When I travel, I usually like to travel as lightly as possible. With camera gear that is not so easy.

I carry all my camera gear in a backpack, for now, with the possible exceptions being battery chargers and the GoPro mounts. I would suggest not to pack any camera bodies or lenses in stowed luggage as they might get broken or vanish. It really helps to have quality camera carrying equipment as it is specifically designed to do it's job

My gear usually consists of; Nikon D5300 body, Nikon D90 body, GoPro Hero 3+ Black, GoPro Hero 4 Silver, Sigma 24-70mm f2.8 lens, Sigma 70-200mm f2.8 lens, Nikon 50mm f1.8 lens and possibly a few other lenses, a QuikPod Selfie Extreme stick, 6 battery chargers, 2 Yongnuo Speedlights with diffusers, about a dozen AA batteries, 5 Nikon and 6 GoPro batteries, 6 Micro SD cards, 6 SD cards, both a Single and a double BackRapid camera sling, a Manfrotto tripod and cleaning supplies.

Believe it or not, most of this gear fits into a LowePro 400AW backpack. This pack is specifically designed to carry camera gear and has adjustable dividers to accommodate many different items..

Now for a family vacation, I will cull my gear down a bit to 2 bodies, both Sigma Lenses, both GoPros and the mounts, a single BlackRapid camera sling and the appropriate batteries. The theory behind the 2 camera bodies and 2 GoPros is if you need 1 take 2. If you have one body or 1 GoPro and it breaks down, you have none so as the Boy Scouts say "Be Prepared".

I know it sounds like a lot to tote around, but when I want/need quality images, that is what I have to do.

Well, that is all for now.

Thanks for stopping by,

E

Kappy's Keepers