Troll around Flickr, 500PX, Tumblr, and other various aggregators of photography and you’ll find that just when you think you understand what classifies as “street”, someone else gives you an entirely unique spin on the genre.

And that’s where I believe that I come in.

You see, there is school of thought that edgy street photography must come from midtown Manhattan, Los Angeles, London, or Tokyo. And while I spend a great deal of time within the epicenter that is Manhattan, I prefer to explore the unseen parts of “The World’s Greatest City” (like “Washington Heights” and the Bronx). In addition, I have the audacity to explore urban New Jersey such as the ungentrified parts of Jersey City, Paterson, Newark, and Plainfield. By no means does this give me credibility amongst hipper photographers, but it allows for me to tell the story of oft-ignored cities. These are cities which were left behind from America’s industrial past. The attitudes of its citizens provide insight to a word that rarely sees The Shore and is a train ride away from the hope of New York City.
What I dislike are “voyeurs” who see urban America as some sort of zoo. People will come with their dSLRs, their daypacks, a bottle of water and trek around “safe” areas snapping away. It strikes me as if they are saying to themselves, “Ooh, look at how they’re living!” Not only is this paternalistic, but devalues the surroundings. I think that it is best to shoot areas which you know or have a general interest in.

As an adjunct professor, my students laugh at the fact that I actually walk the streets of Paterson, Union City, Newark and Jersey City. I believe their minds have been trained to see their towns as ugly. Yet, their eyes are aglow when they see some of the shots. They can’t believe that this is Their Town. Photographers, especially street photographers, should see this as their mission whether it’s their own neighborhood, their favorite part of town, or a new city.

I think that it is important that I reference these cities, because I’ve seen a lot of street photographers make a name for themselves by putting the camera in the face of a random person. While that may be the modus operandi in larger cities, where I shoot, that style is a license to kill. The streets of urban New Jersey is a mixture of hardened veterans from The Glory Years and recent immigrants. The former isn’t keen to “tourists” and the latter may have even greater concerns when their identity is revealed. I have to make sure to use a bit of common sense on what to shoot and walk to avoid. Some areas have a vibrant “underground economy”, obviously those transactions are never documented by my lens.

I enjoy being part of the environment. I talk to the residents, I go to the stories, I interact with store owners. This places everyone at ease with me, shows that I genuinely care, and allows my camera to capture intimate moments. By being an active player in the community, I am in sync with the rhythm of the neighborhood. Conversely, when not in full view, not only does the photographer look as if they’re prying in an intimate moment, but they lose “feel” of situation. Look at any great photograph. The essence of that moment is captured because the photographer knew when it was time for the shutter to click. Basically, they knew The People.

There are times which I rethink whether I need to leave my point-and-shoot and “graduate” to the dSLR. Right now, though, the point-and-shoot fits my needs. I do use manual settings, but I do not have to worry some of the concerns that come with a dSLR. Often, I find that people are less intimidated with the point-and-shoot as, in their minds, it looks “less professional”. I’m thrilled with the results.

Only a year into street photography, I like the direction my work is going in. I think that I’m able to catch beauty in what the “average” eye may simply walk past. I hope that my shots capture an identifiable moment like the lyrics to your favorite song. And if any picture can do that, then the photographer has reached their goal.

Post submitted by Street Photographer, Brian Charles Lorio. You can view more of Brian’s brilliant photographs on Flickr or read his Blog.

Simply put, exposure is the difference between a photograph being to dark or to light, the result being you can’t clearly see the details of the image.

When starting out with a Point and Shoot compact camera, you don’t have to worry to much about exposure because your camera will do the job for you but if you want to start experimenting and pushing your camera to the limit, then in my opinion, understanding exposure is the first thing you need to get your head around.

A few years ago I took a photograph overlooking Cape Point with my old Olympus Trip 35 camera. This was of course still a film camera, a beautiful fully automatic 35mm. What it did not have was a live view, so sometimes the results were a little surprising.

Cape Point, South Africa, 2000

On this particular day, I had taken a photograph of the sun peeking through the clouds. What I expected to see was beautiful clouds, a lovely blue ocean and green hills. When I developed the film, I was astonished to see the silhouettes and moody ocean.

Only years later do I understand what happened. The camera had exposed the capture correctly for the sky, which was pretty bright and as a result the foreground hills and ocean where in shadow creating the result seen above.

Although the picture of Cape Point is a little different to what I expected, it does make for quite a dramatic image and understanding even a little about exposure allows me recreate the effect.

In simple terms, if you want the foreground in silhouette, focus on the sky so that the camera measures the exposure for the brighter sky which will throw the darker foreground into shadow.

Using this “technique” I took the following photograph:

Duck on Struben Dam

Exposure is determined by how how much light reaches the cameras sensor. There are three components which in combination determine this, namely:

• aperture,
• shutter speed and
• iso.

Aperture is the term used to describe the size of the opening in the lens and is measured in f-stops.

Here we can see the little shutters on the lens are pulled right back to let in a maximum amount of light

This image shows how the shutters covers much of the lens, allowing only a small amount of light in

The smaller the f-stop number, the bigger the opening. Compact cameras normally have a range between f2.8 to about f8, although this can vary immensely depending on specific models and the type of lens used.

Shutter speed determines the amount of time the camera’s shutter will be opened. Logically, the longer the shutter is open, the more light the camera’s sensor will capture. Shutter speed is measures in seconds. A point and shoot may have a range of anything from 15″ (which means the shutter will be open for 15 seconds) to 1/4000 (the shutter will only be open for one four-thousandth of a second).

The last aspect, ISO, determines the degree of sensitivity the camera’s sensor will have to light. This may range from 80 to more than 3200. In general, on a compact camera you would to keep this as low as possible.

Your compact camera will then combine these three components to give you an optimum amount of light, depending on the situation you are in.

Over the next few weeks we are going to look at how we can use this knowledge to bend the point and shoot to our will.

This article forms part two of a series of underwater photography articles submitted by Flickr member and diving enthusiast, choppyRocks. If you have not already read part one, you may want to first read “My big grin shot 15 meters underwater“.

Tip One

I only shoot in RAW and use Canon’s Underwater mode for White Balance whilst shooting. Sometimes I white balance using bottom sand underwater. This is fine-tuned in post processing using Canon’s software DPP. White balance used to drive me crazy when I was shooting with film but with the G12, this is no longer a headache. It’s still a good practise to achieve natural colours as much as possible underwater and fine tune this further, post processing.

Tip Two

I use my external strobe for almost all close up shots, unless I get good natural light at shallow depth. This is set to low because I can brighten darker shots easily but I can’t rescue overexposed shots.

Tip Three

At Sipadan, where I’m going to be shooting fast swimming fishes in strong current, I tend to set my camera on shutter speed priority mode (Tv) almost all the time because the accuracy of the shot is most important to me and I know I’m not experienced enough yet to take it speedily on manual as I can with Tv when I come across my favourite fish. My shutter speed is set normally around 1/250 and when I spot a potential subject,  I tweak this, exposure compensation and the ISO.

Barracudas shot with f/4.0 at 1/250sec

Tip Four

For macro shots or if I’m lucky to have a “still” subject, like turtle or shark resting, I turn to manual mode if possible.

Tip Five

I try to get as close as possible to the subject without spooking it. The less water there is between the camera and the subject, the higher my chance of a great shot. Also, unlike land photography,  I find zooming underwater can deteriorate image quality. I use low or no zoom, if possible.

Tip Six

I try to be at the same level or below my subject for a better portrait…be careful though of touching coral, or even worse, scorpion or stone fishes lurking around.

Snapper portrait shot with f /2.8 at 1/250sec

Tip Seven

Another habit which I do almost automatically is as my depth changes, I re-check the exposure and adjust the settings accordingly. You can do this easily by half pressing the shutter or take test shots. Again, this is to ensure my camera is always ready.

Tip Eight

The more I dive, the more I tend to understand behaviour of different fishes and also where fishes tend to hang out…..I find this really helps me in getting “lucky”.

Just clowning around

Take this shot for example. These clown fishes were an aggressive bunch, they keep coming at the camera and I know if I stay long enough, I will get one eventually in the right pose. On the other hand, there are other clownfishes who just dive straight into the anemone when they see you coming, and I know I’d rather spend 10 minutes searching for my next subject rather than getting a crick in my neck waiting for it to re-appear…..unless I’m desperate…..grin.

Tip Nine

I always line my underwater housing with tissue paper to minimise fogging when the camera heats up.

Tip Ten

And most importantly….buoyancy control! If you find your photos are blurred, nothing is going to save it until you get your buoyancy perfect. You will find that once you take up underwater photography, you will be more aware of how you dive, your buoyancy improves significantly and you’re able to stay down longer because you’re breathing more efficiently…yes, you will become a better diver. And nothing is more rewarding, when you see the results in your photos!

Underwater Set-up

My basic underwater set-up

~ Dive safely and good luck in capturing your “big grin shot”~

Post submitted by Flickr member and diving enthusiast, choppyRocks. Visit choppyRocks’ photostream

This article forms part one of a series of underwater photography articles submitted by Flickr member and diving enthusiast, choppyRocks. Once you have read part one, you may want to read “Photography tips that work for me underwater“.

My story begins in a little oceanic island called Sipadan, located in the Celebes Sea off the coast of East Malaysia. Sipadan is both my husband’s and my favourite dive destination and this was our 5th dive trip back.

On our first day diving, we headed for Barracuda Point, the most exciting dive site here, notorious for its strong current which naturally attracts large schools of pelagic fishes like barracudas, jacks and sharks. Apart from the frenzied schools of fishes here, the coral life here is quite barren so it didn’t take me long to spot this unusual white blob on a rock which I’ve never noticed on our previous trips.

When I came up close, I couldn’t believe my eyes….it was a white anemone! I’ve seen many different coloured anemones, but in my entire 12 years of diving, this was my first time, and to find it occupied by a family of clownfishes, I was completely ecstatic. I scrambled for my camera and briefly checked my settings and took a few quick test shots. I then hurried back to my group who were trailing the big schools. I knew the clownfishes would still be there when I return later.

When I checked my test shots on land, I noticed my settings were fairly accurate to get the clarity I wanted but I was worried if the white anemone would be overexposed. So after downloading it onto my computer and did a manual white balance check, I was pleased to see the result.

That afternoon, when we went back to Barracuda Point….I had my camera settings ready and as the group occupied themselves with the big schools, I went straight to the anemone and prepared to take a few portrait shots I had in mind. It was fairly easy because I had most of the settings right, and all I did was to slow down the shutter speed to 1/40 and got this shot.

Clownfish in white sea anemone; Mode : Shutter speed priority; White balance mode: Underwater; External Strobe(Flash) : Low; Shutter speed : 1/40; Aperture set by camera: 8; Camera: Canon PowerShot G12

Post submitted by Flickr member and diving enthusiast, choppyRocks. Visit choppyRocks’ photostream

I wanted to get back to having fun with my photography again and the freedom of just a compact gives me that.

Now there are times when we all need a bit more support and carrying a tripod around can be a pain in more ways than one, so I for one normally fix a small lightweight monopod to my bag or even if the grounds a bit uneven use it as a “walking stick”.

I always thought you simply extended the legs to the height needed, put the camera on top and snapped away, but no, there are ways to hold a monopod that will make it even more steady.

This link (How to use A Monopod) may help you improve the use of your monopod.

Facing in an easterly direction we catch the sun as it makes its first appearance for the day

My first attempts at sunrises were not particularly successful as can be seen in the shots below.

As the sun rose on this crispy cold morning, I managed to capture the amazing colours to a degree, but the foreground is much to dark

The above photograph illustrates what happens when we expose the photograph for the sky, the result is an under exposed foreground.

In this photograph I managed to capture the dry bushveld leading down to the city of Pretoria, however the sky looks washed out

In this photograph, the opposite has occurred, the photograph has been correctly exposed for the foreground but as a result, the sky is over exposed resulting in the washed out look.

Having seen far to many photographs of sunrises that are neither over or under exposed, I determined it most be possible to capture a sunrise where you can see both the colours of the sky and include details of the foreground, however I would need to do a little research.

Having combed the internet, looking for articles detailing the art of sunrise photography I came to the following conclusion, those amazing photographs of sunrises you see in magazines are possible but require a little more work.

Based on my research you either need a combination of filters attached to your camera, or you can create an HDR image using computer software.

As most compact cameras do not allow for the attachment of filters or at the very least expensive adapters need to be purchased I decided to attempt an HDR photograph.

As I understand it, HDR (High Dynamic Range) involves taking at least three photos of the same scene, each at different shutter speeds. The result is a bright, medium, and dark photo. A software process then combines all the photos so that detail is visible in both the shadows and highlights of the scene resulting in a final image which displays a closer representation of what we actually see when looking at a landscape.

As an HDR photograph requires at least three snaps of the exact same scene I packed my tripod and went in search of a good spot to catch the sunrise. Luckily I arrived at my destination, just before sunrise so I had time to find a good spot and set up the camera and tripod.

As you need to take three photographs at different exposures, you will need to read your camera’s manual to determine if your model allows any control in this area. I currently use a Canon PowerShot G11 which makes this task simple as it offers the functionality of bracketing when in AV mode. When set to bracketing mode, the camera will automatically take three shots, the first with the exposure bias (EV) set to 0, then second set to -2 and the last set to +2.

Photograph of the landscape set to an exposure bias of 0, the result being a compromise of capturing the oranges of the sunrise and the silhouettes of the foreground

Photograph of the landscape set to an exposure bias of -2, the result displaying the wonderful reds of the rising sun, but the foreground is totally in shadow

Photograph of the landscape set to an exposure bias of +2 so that we can now clearly see the details of the reflections and reeds but the sky is totally over exposed

While not all compact cameras will have a bracketing function, many of the newer models do allow you to set the exposure bias or EV in certain modes so provided you have a tripod or something to set your camera on, you should be able to get the required shots. Canon PowerShot owners can also look at CHDK which unlocks extra functionality like bracketing when installed on the cameras SD card.

Armed now with the three images I needed to look towards software. I decided to use an application called Picturenaut. My decision was influenced by three factors:

1. Picturenaut is free
2. Easy to use
3. Accurately aligns the images

The best of three worlds

At close range, cameras and lenses have a limited ability to focus in the Z axis (front to rear).  So if you desire good focus across the entire surface of your subject, then it is best to have the camera perpendicular to (square with) the part of your subject you wish to display.

In this first photo, the camera is perpendicular with the scale, the camera is in macro mode and positioned 2 inches away from the scale.  We find a fairly good focus all the way across the image, except for some fuzziness at the extreme left and right edges of the frame.  (this is common)

Camera held perpendicular to object

If, however, we have the camera at a 45 degree angle to the scale, suddenly we find that the focus across the scale is limited to an area of about an inch.  So, the depth of field (which is probably better defined as the depth of focus) is about one inch.

Camera held at 45 degree angle to object

If you use Little BigShot macro lens, as you magnify the view, you decrease the depth of field. Here is a macro lens image of the scale, again from 2″ away, but as you can see the scale is greatly magnified by the macro lens. Even so, the camera is perpendicular to the scale and we have a fairly good focus across the entire frame.

Macro lens image of the scale

But when we have the camera at a 45 degree angle to the scale using the macro lens, we find that the depth of focus is only about 1/4″

Camera at a 45 degree angle to the oject using the macro lens

So, as you can see, when you take macro images of your items, whether you are in macro mode, or using a macro lens, have your camera perpendicular to your item for best focus across the frame.

Initially I assumed they had been taken using DSLR, but as clicked through his stream, I realised that he actually uses a Canon PowerShot A1000 IS (a compact camera) with an attached macro lens he has developed. David calls this lens the Little BigShot and it is capable of your turning your point and shoot compact camera into an excellent macro photography tool!

Intrigued by his photographs, I decided I wanted such a lens, so I clicked over to his Little BigShot P&S macro lens site to find out more.

The lens costs $19.99 and you can pay using pay pal. Alternatively David provides an eBay link or gives the option to pay via mail order.

On his site, David claims that his lens will work with any compact camera, and provides explanations and tutorials on using the lens. A little concerned that the lens may be a gimmick, I decided to take the risk (with shipping the total cost is only $24.99, about R180) anyway and place an order using pay pal.

The process was really very simple, and after receiving all the normal confirmations I got an additional email from David:

Hello Cara and thank you for your order.

Kindly inform me which camera make and model you use and which color carabiner is your preference.

Also, how did you learn about this lens?

Thank You,
David Runyan

I informed him that I use Canon PowerShot G11, but I was a little worried that the lens would not be big enough. Within hours I received the following reply:

Your camera is similar to my Canon SX130, and so you would use the 2″ aspheric lens.

I will ship your kit Monday morning.  I have no clue how long it will take to arrive in South Africa because I haven’t yet shipped to that location.  However, recent shipments to India and Malaysia took about 12 days.

At this stage I started feeling rather excited about my purchase and hoped that the snail mail would not take too long.

15 days later (not bad considering I live in South Africa and the parcel was sent from the States) my package arrived.

Little BigShot Point & Shoot Macro Lens

The aspheric lens is simply attached to the camera lens using dual lock (a bit like velcro) sticker tabs which I attached following the instructions David provides on his blog.

The Little BigShot attached to the Canon PowerShot G11

The good news is, the dual locks in no way damage your camera, and should you wish to remove them at a later stage, they simply peel off. In addition, the Little BigShot lens can be easily removed or attached to your camera so you need only attach the lens when you want to get that snap of the little bug, the rest of the time you can store it away in the little case provided.

Now with everything set up, I was ready to indulge in some serious macro photography. As Murphy’s law would decree, no ugly bugs were around to practise shooting so I settled for some flowers.

Using the lens takes a little getting used to and practise. Again David provides a good video tutorial on his blog entitled “Macro Photography Technique” which is well worth watching.

Using the Little BigShot, I imagine, is similar to taking a photograph through a magnifying glass.

I have found the best way to get that “perfect focus” is to first decide how much of the object you want to fill the frame, zoom accordingly, then move the camera back or forward until the image comes into focus, then it is a case of focusing the camera and taking the shot.

Of course the other challenge is not to shake, as the slightest movement is also magnified!

One of my first attempts at using the Little BigShot Macro lens

I sent David an email asking him for some tips, here is his reply:

If you set your camera to ISO 400, this will give you a faster shutter speed and reduce shake.

Hand held macros take a bit of practice.  When you push half way to the focus detente, hold it there and recompose until you have the focus you desire, then push to shoot.

It is a fact that when you push to shoot, there is some camera movement when the shutter button is going all the way down.  So I keep myself cognizant of that tendency and I have learned to stabilize the camera at that moment.

On your yellow flower, the petals in the lower part of the frame have a soft focus and the center of the flower and the upper petals have a good focus.  If your intention was a soft focus, then you were successful.  If not, then you would have the camera more perpendicular to the flower to get all the petals in focus.  Another option is to zoom a bit tighter and crop those lower petals out.

Many of my shots of large flowers have regions with a soft focus.  I find it artistic to do so at times.  And some flowers are simply so bulky that soft focus can’t be avoided.  This lens has a shallow dof  (as do DSLR macro lenses) so this is common, and we simply have to experiment with composition to achieve the best result.

So far I am very pleased with this little macro lens. I believe it represents excellent value for money and the concept is simply brilliant as it allows us little compact users to produce some very big shots.

Macro Photograph Gallery[AFG_gallery id='2']

The sun goes down at Looe

I took the shot in programme mode with bracketed exposures set to -1. 0 and +1.  I was lucky that there were several places that I could rest the camera as I rarely carry a tripod especially with my compact.

This shot was featured in a local paper, used by a card company and was runner up in the South West Coast Path competition for 2011, to be featured in the 2012 calendar.  This was very encouraging as I was sometimes frustrated with some of my G10 photo due to the noisiness  in some shots. I think Canon have improved on this in later cameras a little but obviously this is always a problem with the small sensor in low light.

I also use an SLR now and a lot of my shots are taken with that but my compact will often travel with me when I have less time and do not want to miss any good photos.

P&S set on Flickr

Post submitted by Rosie Spooner, administrator of the Flickr Digital P&S Camera Club.