Spring Is Coming

March 10, 2015 Robert Smith

Growing up in Arizona, winter has been a bit of an interesting phenomenon for me. Over the last 3 years of living in Louisville, I have encountered a number of different winter experiences. One winter was incredibly mild, with only a few snowstorms that came as I was out of town. The last two have been brutal (by my standards at least). In the last few months, I have also encountered some of the coldest temperatures I have ever personally seen.

While the winter brings a beauty of its own, I gained a new appreciation for spring and summer through the last few winters here. The sun seems to shine brighter, and warm days are that much more enjoyable. This week my wife and I took a walk in our neighborhood to enjoy some sunshine and warm. There was still snow on the ground, but the warm sun was making quick work out of that. The resulting images were what came from the spring sun that is just around the corner.

Take Your Camera

November 15, 2014 Robert Smith

Ansel Adams is known for the quote “The best camera is the one you have with you”. The implications of this statement are incredibly wide ranging. However, it is important to note that Adams shot with mostly 4x5 cameras. This camera format was large, heavy, and required a great amount of additional equipment. Yet Adams did not let this hinder him from shooting in some of the most desolate locations across the nation.

Why is this important? Because far too often I find myself somewhere without a camera when I eye a great photo opportunity. The very nature of photography recognizes that the moments captured (or not captured) will never return again.

Unfortunately, I let excuses of gear size, convenience, or the need for lens options get in the way of me carrying my camera on a regular basis. To help combat this, one day I stripped my Canon 7D down to the basics with no battery grip or any other add-ons, and installed the smallest lens I own: the Canon 40mm f/2.8mm STM “Pancake”. I then vowed to carry my camera to and from work and anywhere else I went.

The result of this experiment was fulfilled when I spotted a great opportunity just as I was leaving work one day. If I had to run home to get a camera, the moment would have most definitely been gone. Instead I had my camera ready and available to get what is now my favorite image from the campus of my school.

So make it a point to carry a camera with you even when you are not on a ‘shoot’, you never know what you are going to see.

An Ode to the Professionals

August 23, 2014 Robert Smith

Most people who know me well know that I love motorcycles, and most forms of motorcycle racing. I grew up riding dirtbikes in the Arizona desert, and watching my childhood heros Jeremy McGrath and Ricky Carmichael battle for Motocross and Supercross wins on TV. As you may have guessed, I also really love photography.

When I got the chance to photograph an AMA National with an official photo pass, I was ecstatic. I love the sport and I love photography, and I really love when two of my hobbies can intersect in a way like this.

After sorting through the details, renting and borrowing gear, and securing lodging, it dawned on me that I had no idea what I was about to get myself into. I had no idea what the assumptions were, what the rules were, or what it would take to cover an event like an AMA Motocross race. Granted, there was a mandatory media meeting the morning of the race to sort those things out, but I still felt like I was in over my head; because I was.

To compound my feeling of being in over my head, in the day prior to the race, the area received a massive rain storm that continued into race day. Motocross does not have rain days, rain delays, rain checks, or any other type of weather provisions that I am aware of. That meant that it would be go-time no matter what the weather was like.

As I went to the track to shoot the practice sessions, it was clear that staying dry or mud-free was out of the question. Instead, I had to embrace the mud and work through the rain if I was going to get any decent shots. After all, that is what all the professionals were doing.

Thankfully the sky cleared for the second set of Moto’s late in the afternoon, but not before thoroughly soaking the track and surrounding areas. What I saw from the riders that day was truly amazing. They overcame conditions that were brutal to both body and bike, and showed the results of years of careful training and development.

But what I saw from the imaging professionals that day was equally impressive. They spent the entire morning in mud, puddles, and rain shooting the practice sessions, and then all afternoon shooting the first and second moto’s; all while traversing wet, muddy hills and embankments with large amounts of equipment.

Next time you see a great image on your favorite website or print outlet from a difficult weather situation at a game or race, remember to give some credit to the imaging professional, who endured the elements as much as the athlete to allow you to experience that moment. As for me, I will tip my hat to the professionals, who make this look all too easy.

Pre-Scouting Locations

August 2, 2014 Robert Smith

We have been living in Louisville for about 2 years now, and at least 5 times a week I pass under a bridge that crosses over the I-64 highway. Being someone who loves to shoot long exposure work, I regularly thought about how and when to shoot this location. I would envision shooting it in the middle of the night, at sunset, and even during the day with a heavy neutral density filter.

Recently, I was able to devote an evening to shooting this location and capture the images that I had been envisioning for the last 2 years. This process taught be quite a bit about shooting and scouting locations:

1. Look for shots even when you don’t have a camera
I recently heard a photographer talk about the need to take ‘mental photos’ when you are out and about. This process makes you realize that the great shots are not all in exotic locations; there are great sights all around you. It will also help train your photographic mind and vision as you think ahead and carefully evaluate how you would go about photographing a certain setting or scene.

2. Pre-scouting locations leads to greater photographic success.
There is something about looking at a location multiple times before actually shooting it. You begin to notice the small details of the scene, you understand the mood of the scene, and you really understand the area you are going to be capturing. So visit a location multiple times, look at it on Google Earth, and really get to know the scene.

3. Be open to change
When I came to this scene, I was expecting to shoot facing west into the sunset. I started shooting as the sun was setting as I worked on framing and exposure time, I just wasn’t all that satisfied with the result. Granted, I liked the shot, but after a while, I turned around, crossed the bridge, and started shooting east. When I did this, I started to get shots that excited me and made the evening worth it (opening shot). When you are at a sight, don’t get too focused on what you predicted that you miss the great shot that is behind you.

Let this post move you to start looking around at the sights and locations that you pass by every day. That road, that building, that park that you overlook each day may be a fantastic location to shoot. Also, start scouting your locations ahead of time and start developing a vision for what you seek to achieve, but remember to be open to something different at that scene.

Lessons on Landmarks

August 4, 2012 Robert Smith

Approaching any landmark or tourism location has the difficulty of finding new and unique ways to photograph it. While it may be that even a ‘creative’ approach has been done by someone at some point, you don’t necessarily want to have your images look like every other photo you have seen of that landmark.

This is the situation I was in when I visited the Gateway Arch in St. Louis. To compound this issue, I visited the Arch while I was passing through, moving to Kentucky, which limited my choice of time-of-day, and I also had limited gear available at the time which further limited my options. This visit taught me a lot about approaching landmarks and tourism spots:

1. Isolate or Integrate the landmark.
Each landmark will be different, but in this case, I found that isolating the landmark from anything around it really created a unique photo. By shooting from directly underneath into the slightly cloudy sky created a wonderful contrast between nature and the Arch. In other settings, finding angles that bury the landmark in the midst of ‘everyday life’ can create a great photo.

2. Look for details and unique attributes.
Part of capturing a scene is finding the details and character that make it unique. I learned to get up close to the item, and really look for textures, shapes, colors, or any other thing that is unique. In this case, I found that the shape of the base as it moved upward provided a very unique shape,

3. Remember to take the typical shots.
In the process of capturing great images that spark your creative side, don’t forget to capture the stereotypical photos of that site. You will want these not only for the family and friends back home who want to be able to see that site, but also for yourself as you think back about the trip.

Approaching a well-shot scene doesn’t mean you have to take away a group of postcard shots, but it takes time, a little creativity, and sometimes a little finesse with composition. Don’t forget to get those postcard shots though!