How-To Guide: Picking a Tripod

Another great how-to article from award-winning photographer and Aperture Academy instructor, Brian Rueb.

Stability helps us sleep at night, and makes life easier. Considering how important stability is to our everyday lives, it amazes me how often people overlook it when it comes to their photography, opting to go with inexpensive tripods, if they even use a tripod at all.


A good tripod makes all the difference to photography. We get calls at the gallery, e-mails, and people ask us more questions in regards to tripods than any other piece of equipment. To better understand the importance of the tripod to photography, we'll look at a few of the reasons landscape photographers don't leave home without one. Then we'll go over what to look for when buying your own tripod.


Stability


First and foremost, tripods provide stability. Believe it or not, you can't hold a camera dead still when trying to photograph a scene. At the very least, there will be some vibration introduced to the camera in the process of taking your photo.

• With a normal mid-sized lens, say 50mm, the typical saying is that it becomes VERY difficult to handhold a shot at anything below 1/60 of a second.
• If you're photographing wildlife with a larger lens (say 100-400), the rule of thumb is that your shutter speed should be double your focal length in order to minimize vibrations.
• If you're shooting at 200mm, you will need 1/400 of a second to hopefully capture a nice sharp image.

In low or limited light, stability becomes more and more difficult. Seasoned pros can usually handhold about 2 stops lower than normal and achieve decent results...but this usually requires contorting into an abnormal position, locking elbows, using a knee as a resting point, or some other kind of bodily interpretation of a tripod.

Many newer lenses put in vibration reduction functions to help alleviate the issue. This works great, but expect to pay a great deal more for lenses that have this function over those that don't. For example, the Canon 70-200 f2.8 lens without image stabilization will be priced in the $1300-1400 price range. The same lens with image stabilization runs about $2300. You're paying in the neighborhood of $1,000 for this feature. I hate to say it, but that extra money would buy a pretty nice tripod. Think about the fact that you turn OFF the image stabilization feature when you shoot from a tripod, and it becomes a no brainer.

Tripods allow you to take sharp images without the fear of the camera vibration that is likely to occur when trying to handhold. Who wants slightly blurry images? It means you screwed up. "Yeah, I like this image a lot...but I'd like it more if it weren't blurry." Or, "Yeah it is a bit blurry...but it was getting dark, and I had no other choice...the sunset was just awesome." How many times do you want to explain why your photos are "off"?


Stop making excuses and start taking better photographs! 


Creativity


Did you ever see one of those silky waterfall images in a magazine and wonder, "How the heck did they do THAT?!" Actually, it's easy. The main ingredient is not technical skill. There is a bit of that, sure, but the main component of getting those types of images is a tripod. 


Once you place your camera on a tripod, the choices of how you want your images to look is up to you. You're no longer bound by the limits of your shutter. If you want to capture an image of the sea over hours, you just need to pick the right time of day, set up your camera, trip the shutter, and wait. If there isn't a strong breeze blowing or a pesky 5 year old shaking your tripod, you're good to go.


The advantages of a tripod don't end with moving water. Many of the images you see these days have been captured ON a tripod.

• Star trails -- tripod
• Nighttime city skylines -- tripod
• Architecture interiors -- tripod
• Portrait work -- tripod
• Product photography -- tripod

I could go on, but there isn't a type of photography that doesn't benefit from using the tripod in order to maximize one's ability to think creatively and take control of light and time.

[This is just the beginning! Continue reading this article HERE.]

How-To: The Basics on White Balance

Following is an excerpt of a new "how-to" article from Aperture Academy master instructor, Brian Rueb.

The subject of white balance not only causes confusion for newer photographers, but for many who have had a camera in their hands for years as well. At the Aperture Academy, we hear it all when it comes to white balance.

"I just leave it in auto." 
"I can use everything else in manual BUT that...." 
"I've been meaning to ask someone about that...." 
"I have no idea what it is...."

It's a crazy part of our cameras that most people ignore, or will often just figure they'll adjust it when they get into Photoshop.

"You can just adjust that in Photoshop, right? I don't NEED to mess with it in the field, do I?" 

The simple answer is, no. The more detailed answer is, if you shoot in RAW, you have an opportunity to adjust your white balance at home, on the computer...BUT you're missing out on a valuable tool, and let's face it, by choosing computer adjustments over in camera, you won't understand what white balance actually is. 

Let's take some of the mystery out of the subject, shall we? 

To put it plainly, white balance is your camera trying to figure out where white is in your scene so it can properly adjust the rest of the colors and make your photograph look normal. 

The problem is, white behaves differently in different lighting situations. To help remedy this problem, the camera uses the Kelvin scale. This scale runs from about 2500 to 10,000 degrees. (Different cameras have different ranges, but most land somewhere in this range.)

At different times of day and in different light, white is located at a different temperature on this scale. This is why sometimes when you take a photo it looks yellow or blue, even though that's not how the scene presented itself to you.

It's important to know that every color of light has a different wavelength, and this coordinates with a different temperature, which your camera sensor is able to pick up. Warmer tones are in one range, and cooler tones are in another. Once the camera has established where white is, then it can place these other values on the chart. The lower the number is on the Kelvin scale, the cooler the tones, and vice versa. 

[To learn more about the Kelvin scale, see photo examples, and get more information on how easy it is to use the white balance settings on your camera, continue reading the full article here.]

What to Bring to a Photography Workshop

One of our master instructors, Brian Rueb, wrote up a great guide for anyone looking to join one of our photography workshops (or any outdoor photography workshop or photo shoot). We hope you get a lot of use from this guide...



WHAT TO BRING TO AN APERTURE ACADEMY PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP (or most any workshop)
By Brian Rueb

We get asked this question ALL the time, and while conditions change from location to location, and even from day to day, there are a few pointers we like to give our students to help ensure they have the best experience, and get the most productive time as possible on our in-field workshops.

1 - Bring your camera.  If you have two bodies, bring both. We shoot digital, and all our instruction is based on digital SLR cameras. However, if you have a favorite point-and-shoot or old film camera you like, go ahead and bring it along. If time permits, you can use it as well.

2 - Bring lenses. The goal is to cover a range from very wide (17-20mm)  to zoom (100-400mm).  While most of our workshops deal primarily with landscape images that cover the 17-70mm range, it's not uncommon for people to see wildlife on outdoor workshops (even those not specifically planned towards wildlife). When that happens, having a lens that covers the 200-400mm range is very handy.

We also encourage you to bring other lenses you own, like a macro, or a fish-eye, if you have them. There are always endless creative possibilities to be found on an Aperture Academy workshop...and we have the space to hold all your gear...so why not bring it? If you think you can ONLY bring two lenses, then cover as much of the 17-200mm range as possible with your lens choices.

3 - Bring a tripod.  A tripod is a necessity for ALL our workshops.  It can be windy in many of the areas we visit, so the sturdier the tripod, the better.  If you haven't purchased one yet, you can e-mail our instructors and ask for recommendations. We would be very happy to assist you in selecting a tripod that is perfect for you. 

4 - Bring filters.  We do a great deal of work with filters in our workshops, so, if you have them, bring them, and we will show you how to get the best results from using them. We do have a few extras that can be loaned out, but we're so sure that you'll love what you see that you'll want to have your own!

The filters we use most on our workshops are a circular polarizer and a (3 or 4) soft-step graduated neutral density (GND) filter. We also use filters such as straight neutral density filters, which will help us get longer exposures in all times of day. However, if you can only buy two filters, get a GND filter (soft step is preferable) and a circular polarizer. 

5 - Bring extra batteries.  At least 1 or 2 extra batteries. Cold temps and long exposures can drain batteries very quickly (some camera models more than others). There is no worse feeling than arriving at the last spot of the night for sunset and having a dead battery! 

6 - Bring extra memory cards.  Our instructors will show you the benefits of shooting in RAW format, which many photography students haven't done. RAW is a better format method for photography, but it takes up more space on a memory card, so having multiple memory cards will be to your benefit and allow you to shoot a lot more.

7 - Bring layers, and good shoes.  We can't control the weather, which is a bummer. But we want to make sure you stay comfortable, so bringing layers of clothing you can add when temperatures and wind conditions turn chilly is a good idea...as well as having layers you can take off if it gets hot. And don't forget to wear good, comfortable walking shoes!

8 - Bring a lunch, or money for lunch. On our 2- and 3-day workshops, we will provide one lunch and one dinner for the class (check out our infamous Crockpot Legend to see how this got started).  On our 1-day workshops, we stop for lunch at a local eating establishment where you can purchase food or eat any food you have brought for yourself.

Even if you plan on purchasing lunch, having a few snacks to eat throughout the day will keep your energy levels up...which will be important. Trust me, you will shoot ALL day, and snacks will help!

9 - Bring your sense of adventure. Our goal is to teach you more about photography. We want to tailor it as best as we can to what it is YOU want to learn. Our other goal is to help you come away with some good images, as well.

Since, as stated previously, we can't control weather conditions, sometimes the itinerary may need to be suddenly updated. On the flip side, sometimes we can add things to the itinerary that weren't originally planned because of great conditions, or an eager group. The point is, come ready for anything.  We plan everything as best as possible with 1st, 2nd and even 3rd options...and will do everything possible to ensure you're in the best places at the best times to get amazing images.

10 - Bring your brain. You are definitely going to learn, so come ready for it!  You might even want to write down the questions you want to ask our instructors, so you don't forget them in all the excitement. Another good tip: make sure you read the workshop details before you arrive on location, so you know what to expect, and what to bring. Also, don't forget to check the weather forecast so you're aware of a possible storm or temperature increase. If you show up with a brain ready for learning, we promise we'll fill it up with as much information as you desire!

It's not easy getting "The Shot"

Post written by Brian Rueb, Photography Instructor for Aperture Academy

Often times, when we see an image in a magazine, online, or in a gallery, we’re impressed at the beauty, composition, or presentation of the shot. Most of the time we don’t stop to think of all that goes into actually getting "The Shot."

After completing seven days of photography in Southern Utah and Northern Nevada, I decided to give you a brief recap of exactly how hard photographers work to come away with a few images they can be proud of. 

The goal of any landscape and wildlife photographer is to be in a position that allows them to spend as much time during the day shooting as possible. This means putting in hours and hours of research ahead of time so that we have a general idea of the layout, sun position, weather and composition possibilities before we even get to a scene.

With a good 50 hours worth of research already under my belt, I set off for the Southwest United States on a Tuesday afternoon.  

Over the following days I endured:  

1. Six nights sleeping in the back of a Toyota Prius. Photographers need to adhere to a budget in order to maximize the time we spend in the field, and to save cost, and put myself closer to the areas I want to photograph I’ve chosen to sleep in my vehicle. This saves cash…but the rest I get isn’t the best.  



2. One shower. During the middle of the trip we broke down and got a proper hotel one night to clean and get a good night sleep. A shower does amazing things to rejuvenate you after five days of hiking grime has built up.



3. I hiked nearly 50 miles over the week. About half of that was in water that required special equipment to keep me warm, safe, and my gear dry.  



4. I watched as rain began to fall while I was in the middle of a slot canyon. Slot Canyons are amazing places for photography, but during a storm they can be deadly. Watching rain drops keep fallin’ on my head while I was in the middle of one of these canyons was quite nerve wracking. Luckily, the sun came back out, and I was treated to a canyon all to myself for photography. Which is rare.



5. I drove over 2300 miles in seven days. A lot of photography is being in the right place at the right time. This means constant watching of weather reports, and changing plans on the fly to give yourself the best opportunity to be where the photography is hopefully great. 



6. I was in a different location for sunrise and sunset every day….and spent the afternoons in still different areas. Being in the right place for sunrise photography requires that you get up at least an hour or two before, usually hike somewhere in the dark…and this is all before you really know whether or not you’re going to have conditions worthy of photographing. Over those seven days, I had only two sunsets that were worth photographing (one was amazing…which made up for the others).  I had only one sunrise that was even decent…the rest were bland, but still required that I get up, break down camp, and get to my location before there was light to see.

This is hard work for only a couple of images, but these trips serve another purpose, too. They allow us to get out and experience places firsthand…so that when we’re conducting a workshop, we know where to be and the time of day to be there. We’re familiar with the types of issues students are going to come in contact with, because we’ve lived through them ourselves.  

When you sign up for a workshop with us, you’re getting that experience and research working for you…so all you have to do is show up and shoot.  It’s just up to you whether you sleep in your car or not.

There was a party going on...and it was a great success!

Wow - what an event! We had over 500 people attend the grand open house celebration of the Aperture Academy.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words and we have over 200 photos from the event to share. FYI, in the gallery, we are offering 10% off prints and 15% off classes through the end of 2009...and we now have gift certificates! (Call 408-369-8585 to learn more.)

Take a look through the party photos (taken by our official event photographer, Steven Davis).

[To see the Old Crystal Mill larger, click here]
[Read about the party and see all the photos here]

The party was a great way for us to show the public what we're all about. Our in-field instructors, Brian Rueb and Jim Patterson, were available to talk to the public, answer questions about workshops, and share stories from their photographic experiences. Classroom instructors, Jeanette Smith and Scott Donschikowski, were there as well, offering some tips and tutorials on Photoshop and Lightroom. Stephen Oachs, the gallery founder and the gala's host, answered questions regarding his photographs and gave away over $5000 worth of prints and certificates as prizes in the raffle.

We sincerely wish to thank everyone who was able to attend; for those of you far away, thank you for all your kind wishes. Have a safe holiday and a new year!