Monthly Archives: January 2011

Slowlighter?

Posted on January 31, 2011 by Michael Willems

Well, you do not always have to use additional lighting, of course. Remember that image yesterday? That was shot in the dark – yes, in a room where I had turned the lights down to almost zero visibility. Just to … Continue reading →

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It’s all about viewpoint

Posted on January 30, 2011 by Michael Willems

One trick to make your images more interesting is to avoid shooting them from the “Uncle Fred” 5.5-feet-above-the-ground position. I demonstrated this the other day to a group of students during a “Composition” class I taught at Henrys School of … Continue reading →

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Posted in Composition, Technique | Leave a comment

One fifteenth

Posted on January 29, 2011 by Michael Willems

When you want to show motion, one fifteenth of a second is the kind of time you need to think about. Of course this depends on: focal length of the lens how fast the subject is moving how close you … Continue reading →

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Framed

Posted on January 28, 2011 by Michael Willems

In the series of “and yet another composition tip today”, I would like to talk for a moment about framing. We do this often. Why? Why do we frame subjects? In photos, we do it just like we do on … Continue reading →

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About colour in photos

Posted on January 27, 2011 by Michael Willems

In my series of “travel tips”, here’s a thought or two about colour. Colour is often nice when used very deliberately. And the good news: there are tricks to doing that. Like using single colours. Whenever you see a strong … Continue reading →

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Posted in Light | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Flash Outdoors?

Posted on January 26, 2011 by Michael Willems

Another quick travel photography tip for you all today. My cold is still getting ever so slightly better every day – soon, longer posts. Until then I concentrate on useful! Flash. Use it outdoors. When it’s sunny. Yes, you need … Continue reading →

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Posted in Light, Technique | Tagged | 2 Comments

Negative space

Posted on January 25, 2011 by Michael Willems

Since I am still getting over my sinus cold, just a quick tip today: When you shoot a subject and want to show it in isolation, use “negative space”. Negative space has “no information” in it – it is not … Continue reading →

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Low contrast – now what?

Posted on January 24, 2011 by Michael Willems

So you have a low-contrast, hazy image like this. Yup, it is a hazy morning in Shanghai. Now what? You have several options. Live with it. Haze is not always bad! Sometimes (“foggy mornings” come to mind) you want this … Continue reading →

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Posted in Composition, Digital Darkroom, Technique | Leave a comment

Summer sports

Posted on January 23, 2011 by Michael Willems

So on warm sunny days, when you shoot summer outdoor sports…. hey wait. It is -23.5 C outside, here in Mono, Ontario. But yes, I thought this would be a nice time to give you a walk-through of an outside … Continue reading →

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Posted in Technique | Tagged | 2 Comments

Checklist: Aye Aye

Posted on January 22, 2011 by Michael Willems

Back when I spent a lot of time flying airplanes, I would never have dreamt of leaving without going step by step through a detailed checklist. Much as you know, without the checklist you’ll forget that fuel tank selector once … Continue reading →

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Posted in Gear, Learning, Technique | 1 Comment