In Vietnam I did exactly that.  We had found these wonderful workers in a field who were happy to be photographed.  What more could you ask for?  I jumped in fully committed to getting a great portrait.  It was a pretty sunny day with big puffy clouds rolling in every now and then.  My flash started acting up and decided not to fire correctly.  I started to feel like I was overstaying my welcome and did not want that to happen.

I detached myself from my subjects by taking a few steps back to actually observe what they were doing.  There was definitely a rhythm; kind of like a mini assembly line going on in the field.  Each person was at a different stage in the production process.  One man happened to be walking back and forth at pretty predictable times.

I framed up a nice composition of the workers.  As the worker walked into my pre-framed photograph each time at a nice rule of thirds location I would shoot away on my D800 in continuous mode.  I was happy with the portraits that I took that day but this ended up being my favorite shot.  To me the flow of their hats, placement of the workers, and even the color scheme all went together well.

“Five”, Vietnam 2013

In China last year I was very fortunate to be in a remote area for a festival.  At first, I was drawn to the colorfully dressed locals and photographed them.  After wandering around for a while, though, I noticed this makeshift bridge extending over the water.  A few of its boards had fallen into the water.  For a while, nobody was on the bridge.  I got to thinking about what people would do once they did get there.  It would definitely make for an interesting photograph at some point.

I planted myself in a prime spot to observe and just waited.  Sure enough people both old and young crossed the bridge at some point.  You can guess who shrugged their shoulders and went back the way they came and who was up for the challenge.  These two colorfully dressed girls came up to the break in the bridge and the it became a fun game for them: pulling each other, lending helping hands, and leaping back and forth.  As they jumped from side to side, I shot away with my camera on continuous mode, trying to time it right to capture peak moments in the action.  In all, I shot about 50 photos of these girls using a 70-200mm lens on my D800.

While I was visiting I had an entire day of driving in a car for over eight hours.  Luckily, I was with a wonderful guide and driver to whom I had to convey what a “drive-by” was.  The language barrier made it a bit challenging, but ultimately, I was successful as is evidenced by the fact that a few hours later I heard them call out, “Is this a good drive by?”

As I looked up ahead I saw the back of a motorbike full of very green pomelos with a white duck riding on top.  Oh yes, I would say that is a good drive by!  As we passed the man on the bike, he turned to look back.  Was he making sure his duck was still there?  Was the duck a hitchhiker?  Whatever was it doing back there?  I will always wonder.  All I know is that it made me smile then, now, and probably always will.

Drive-by tips:

1. Part of it is luck.  The side of the vehicle you are on obviously needs to be the same side as your subject.
2. Dirty windows.  Unless you bring along window cleaner and a paper towel, you are at the mercy of the current state of the windows.  If you are in a car you are good – just roll down the windows.
3. Watch those reflections – both your own and those of others.
4. I use a 24-120mm lens.
5. I usually have the camera ready at f/9 as sometimes focusing on exactly what you want while moving can be difficult.  I make sure to take a few test shots along the way to confirm that the shutter speed is high enough to get sharp drive-by.  I try for 1/500 or higher.
6. Shoot in continuous-high mode.
7. Don’t get discouraged.  I have to fight the little voice in the back of my head telling me that this will never work.  It certainly won’t if you do not even try.
8. Keep your eyes open and happy shooting!

A trip to Italy last fall caused me to consider that very topic.

I have been to Italy numerous times, sometimes for vacation and sometimes for photography.  Trips in 2006 and 2012 were for the sole purpose of photography.   Small villages in Tuscany are my favorite because I love the character of both the people and the villages.

For my 2006 trip to Italy, I was a new photographer using my first DSLR – a Nikon D70.  My ambition back then was modest: set to automatic mode, hit the shutter button many times, and hope for a sharp photo.

When I went back in 2012, the bar was raised considerably.  I wanted more than just a sharp photo.  I wanted a photo that told a story, showed good use of color, had nice composition, showed depth, was properly exposed, etc.  The list went on and on.  A lot had changed in 6 years.

Before I left for my 2012 trip, I imported all of my “good” photos from the 2006 trip into Aperture because I wanted to make sure I got something different on this venture.  One afternoon in Tuscany on the 2012 trip I happily photographed a woman in a red sweater with her friends, portraits of her alone, and finally with her dog.  When we got back to the hotel that night it hit me – I had photographed the same woman 6 years ago!  I even remembered her dog.  Sure enough I put the two photos side-by-side on the computer and, yep, the same woman and dog

Although the subject of the photo drew me back to her, the stark contrast in quality between the photographs was a pleasant affirmation that my skills had indeed improved over time.

I have this problem that I think is common amongst photographers: I carry a LOT of stuff in my photo backpack.  I am like some weird Girl Scout photographer: I want to be prepared for anything!  My psyche could not handle finding myself in an amazing situation without the right equipment.  I usually carry two bodies with a 24-120mm lens on one and a 70-200mm lens on the second.   Of course I still need a flash, a few 1.4 lenses, and a teleconverter in that backpack.  I copied the two-body/two-lens technique off a good friend of mine and I have to say it works well.  Alas, sometimes your back and neck have to be taken into consideration.  After five weeks it was screaming “no more!” and I had to listen.  I have a healthy back and want to keep it that way.

The day I took this photo I went out with one body and an easy, lightweight, 50mm lens.  My body was thanking me, but my mind was in a panic: “What if <fill in the blank> happens and I don’t have my <fill in the blank>?”  Flirting with hyperventilation, single camera in hand, I ventured out into the city with my family.  I will be the first to admit that I took a lot of crappy photos that day.  As I was waiting to cross a street, I looked over and saw this amazing scene that I immediately visualized would make a great black and white photo.  A girl in a white dress was talking on her cell phone on the other side of the crosswalk.  The stripes of the crosswalk were leading right into her.  I prayed for my 50mm and me to make it work.

Upon editing, I was elated to see that the 50mm worked perfectly.  I was surprised that only a bit of cropping was needed.  I selectively dodged the areas I wanted the viewer to linger a little longer on, such as the girl, and burned the areas that did not add to the story.  The end result is what you see.  I doubt that street photography will become my norm, but for one day my back joined in on the family vacation.

Photo Info: Nikon D4, 50mm, ISO 800, f/4, 1/6400, -0.33ev.

Thousands of people go through the airport on a daily basis so it has been great exposure for me and I am so thankful for the opportunity and the extended stay.  Thank you CPS and thank you Cleveland Hopkins Airport!  If you are at the airport, please check them out.

This year I submitted ten images for consideration in the “Furs, Fins and Feathered Friends “ Call for Artists through Cleveland Hopkins Airport.  Eight of the ten photographs that I submitted were accepted into the show.  The photographs consist of critters that I have photographed in New Zealand, Patagonia, Baja-California Mexico, and the Galapagos Islands.  The show runs April 1, 2013 through July 31, 2013.

Wildlife photography is new to me.  I am amazed and appreciative that my photos have been accepted into this show.

For one of the trips, we flew to Quito, Ecuador with the ultimate destination of the Galapagos Islands.  Upon landing in the Galapagos two of my children and myself were in agony fighting sinus and ear infections coupled with high fevers.  I’d like to thank Disney World for that departing gift from a few days prior.   We were a miserable bunch.  Shortly after we got settled in our cabin on the ship it was time for our first zodiac excursion to the islands.  We debated going or not going.  Miserable as we were, we decided to go because “we are only here once and we don’t want to miss anything”.

On the way back to the ship, there was a call to our zodiac that a pod of dolphins were frolicking in the water a little past the ship.  The guide hustled the zodiac over and we were met with a breathtaking experience.  There were around 20 dolphins zooming under our zodiac and doing flips beside us.  Often times they were too close for even my 70-200.  And let me tell you – they are fast.  You cannot truly appreciate how fast and unpredictable they are from a distance.  It’s mind-boggling.  I love the D4: 10 fps.  Sure, I got lots of empty water photos, lots of dolphin “after-splashes”, and many blurry midsections of dolphins almost touching my 70-200.  There were, however, some gems, including this one.  Thank goodness we decided to go on this excursion, for it was by far the highlight of the entire trip.

It was a gray day and approaching evening so it was definitely a high ISO moment (again, thanks D4).  I adjusted levels, mid-level contrast, white balance, and cropped in Aperture.  In Photoshop I did some minor cloning.  I used Noiseware Professional to reduce a bit of grain.  At first I tried just converting it to black and white but the result was pretty boring.  After adding one of the graduated filters from Nik Color Efex Pro, I was smitten.

I reduced the opacity of the filter, although truthfully I didn’t want to!  If you are a child of the 70’s and 80’s like me and especially if you are a girl you’ll remember all those dolphin posters that we use to plaster our rooms with.  You know the ones: dolphins flipping out of the water, frozen in mid-air, with smiles on their faces.  The sky and water would be full of amazing in-your-face colors: blues, greens, purples, and pinks.  Those colors added to the magical, dreamy feeling of the posters.  Many nights I would fall asleep with colorful dolphin scenes being the last thing that I saw.  Being out there with my family in the midst of the exciting dolphin action was a magical, dreamy moment that my children and I will never forget.  The scene came from the camera.  The color, however, came from my heart.

Photo Info: Nikon D4, 70-200mm w/2X teleconverter (ended at 140mm,) ISO 3200, f/5.6, 1/8000^th, -0.67ev.

I could have spent days photographing everyone there, however we only had a few hours between the notoriously difficult photography hours of 10 am and 3 pm. I guess if you are having a festival, being courteous to visiting photographers and starting the party at 6 am is probably asking for too much. I needed a game plan. I could have used on-camera flash to compensate for the grueling midday sun, but I didn’t want photos with that flashed/flat look. Off camera flash was an option, but interrupting people and continuously sticking my arm out with a flash seemed pretty rude. I like to be a bit less conspicuous. The day was mostly sunny, but every now and then some clouds would roll in. I decided that patience was the key and bided my time with a bit of people watching, opportunistically taking my photos when the clouds transformed the sunlight into a giant soft-box!

These beautifully clothed women were lined up in a row singing with their backs to me. Being foreigners we had access to go anywhere, so I could have walked around to the front to get my shots. If I did that, however, they would either be singing with their mouths open or posing for the over-abundance of Chinese media organizations. I really wanted to capture a more meaningful moment than that, so I waited and watched. At times, the women would turn around to either search the crowd behind me or simply relax for a brief moment. Whatever the reason, the expressions were much better away from all of the action.

After a while I picked out a few of my favorite faces and just stood ready for when they turned around. This exotic, beautiful woman was my favorite. Her features were breathtaking as was her honest, open expression. She reminded me of Native Americans or even Mongolians. She was simply unreal. She made eye contact with me and was unbothered as I captured several frames of her.

In Aperture I cropped and adjusted levels, highlights, sharpened, and added a vignette. In Photoshop I added an Exposure 4 Kodak Kodachrome 25 (sharp) filter and reduced the opacity of it. I liked the way the Kodak filter made the colors in the photo pop and how it also added a little more texture to her face.

Photo Info: Nikon D800E, 70-200 at 200mm, ISO 320, f/5.6, 1/640, -.67ev.