muthphotography.blogspot.com
Slow day today so after digging out I took a quick ride downtown to Goat Island. The winter wonderland spectacular of Niagara is in full force. The trees are covered with snow and ice. Everywhere you look is a scenic picture. I shot this couple holding hands and enjoying a walk together on a winter day. I can only wonder what their story is. Maybe lovers, maybe on their honeymoon, maybe married, or just tourists visiting Niagara for the first time. Almost all the attractions are closed in the winter months ( cave of the winds, maid of the mist, etc. ) but winter at the Falls is worth the trip.
My latest creation. Anyone who has ever been to a casino knows there is no photography inside.I have been working on this concept with dice and I needed more than a photograph of just a pair of dice. So I started with some wire and a glue gun and glued the dice to a thin wire and photographed then looking like they are flying thru air. Then later removing the wires in photoshop. The image was well lit and looked good but I wanted something more. So I meticulously constructed the craps table in photoshop. Complete with the rubberized looking back board, mirrors, and chips. Now I had a better image but I needed a reason for the dice flying thru air. So I went into the studio and photographed my hand in a simulated dice throwing motion and added it too. The final image was then stroked and border added and will be submitted for gallery print competition. Lets hope all the work and planning pays off. Click on image to enlarge.
We did engagement portraits for Tonia Hillman and John Itzo today. A wonderful couple who plan to wed this summer on Saturday, July 25, 2009. John and Tonia relaxed and were very comfortable in front of the lens. We got plenty of great images for them to enjoy. I will add some of these to their album after the wedding. 
Contrary to popular belief, good macro photography is very difficult to achieve. The equipment used is very different from what standard portrait photographers use. I am just a beginner in this field so I have started out easy with a diopter lens which fits easily to most of the lenses I already have. Once I master this I will probably progress into reversal rings and maybe a high quality macro lens. The diopter gets me in the range of some good macro photography like I am interested in but as I continually tell you...it's all about the light. Properly lighting a subject you can barely see is very tricky and takes lots and lots of illumination to light your scene. Not only is light a major issue but your subject needs to be in focus and if your subject is an insect...yikes they move fast and depth of field is also a problem. Then there is the background to consider. And to make matters worse there is a dust issue to think about too. Way more skill and thought goes into a good shot than I ever imagined. The image above is a really close up view of broccoli sprouts. As you can see I am just a beginner but I plan on getting better.
Close up image of a pencil tip. I can not emphasize the importance of lighting. It makes no difference what camera brand you use. Lighting is the language of photography. Learn all you can about it. Learn to read it, see it and understand it. Without it you have no image. This macro was made better because it was lit properly. The subject is lit well with shape and dimension and it stands out from the background for separation. Learn and practice your lighting skills as often as you can and your photography will improve tremendously.
I started doing some macro photography. I am using a Raynox 250 video lens on a nikkor 28-105 mm lens. When shooting macros it is very important to light your subject properly. The raynox lets me be far enough away from my subject ( 6 in. ) to get light on it. The images above of some Irish coins ( 20 pence, 50 pence, one shilling )were lit with one sb-800 speedlight from camera right.
