Jim Frazier Photography

Upcoming Photography Classes

2012-01-18T15:25:00.000-08:00

These are classes I'll be teaching in the coming months at the St. Charles Park District

The Basics of Photography Next session in the spring

Intermediate Photography Four sessions beginning on February 28

Getting better pictures of your kids, friends and family One session on March 15

Travel Photography One session on March 22

More information on our classes at jimfrazier.com

Best Spring and Summer Pictures from Cantigny

2012-01-18T13:01:00.000-08:00

Someone is interested in buying a picture from Cantigny showing spring or summer, so I put these together.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jimfrazier/sets/72157628930260391/

Swords

2012-01-18T10:29:00.000-08:00

At the Cantigny Greenhouse

2012-01-14T14:14:00.000-08:00

Happy Winter Solstice

2011-12-21T08:51:00.001-08:00

From the Christmas Bird Count
Cantigny Park, Wheaton, Illinois

December 17, 2011 (uploaded on the Winter Solstice - 12/21/11)

Looks better bigger (just click on the picture)

COPYRIGHT 2011 by JimFrazier All Rights Reserved. This may NOT be used for ANY reason without written consent.

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What can I say, I like Mums

2011-11-04T19:34:00.000-07:00

Sunflowers

2011-10-31T11:02:00.000-07:00

Is there a formula for taking a good picture?

2011-10-28T06:00:00.000-07:00

Nope. The most important thing is that the picture "sings" to me. Others will use different terms (eg. "beauty is in the eye of the beholder"), but "singing" is my metaphor, and I'm sticking with it. Some pictures will sing to one or two people; other pictures will sing to thousands. There's no predetermined formula. It also means that there are many good pictures. All any picture has to do is sing to a few people and it's a success. It's just more of a success if it sings to thousands.

But there are rules of composition, like the rule of thirds, leading lines, vertical vs. horizontal formats, contrast, etc. Following these rules doesn't automatically make a good picture. But I HAVE noticed that most pictures that "sing" to me will incorporate at least a couple of the basic principles. Deconstruct your favorite photographs, and you'll start seeing those concepts over and over again.

When you write, you don't have to use every word in your vocabulary. You choose the words that will work for what you're trying to say. For photography, choose the concepts that will help to build the picture you're going for. You don't have to use all of them; just a couple. And just like using the wrong word can ruin the point you're trying to make, some pictures are ruined by not choosing the right compositional rule - or using it incorrectly.

So, my advice would be to build that vocabulary of compositional concepts and try to make your pictures using a few of them.

But there is no formula. That's what make this so interesting.

Here's a test. The picture above is my all-time most popular picture on Flickr. And I consider it one of my best. There are several compositional rules that this picture follows. It doesn't follow ALL of them. But it does have a few. Can you spot them?

Some Autumn Pictures

2011-10-26T08:03:00.000-07:00

Steam Punk at Bristol Renaissance Faire

2011-10-23T14:59:00.000-07:00

Looking North on the Fox River

2011-10-11T19:47:00.000-07:00

Fabyan Forest Preserve
Geneva, Illinois

October 8, 2011

COPYRIGHT 2011 by JimFrazier All Rights Reserved. This may NOT be used for ANY reason without written consent.

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The Maple

2011-10-09T18:47:00.000-07:00

St. James Farm
www.dupageforest.com/Conservation/ForestPreserves/St__Jam...
near sunset on October 9, 2011

Warrenville, Illinois

COPYRIGHT 2011 by JimFrazier All Rights Reserved. This may NOT be used for ANY reason without written consent.

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Kate's "I seek dead people" tour

2011-07-03T19:30:00.001-07:00

[click on each picture to see more details about it]

Kate and I took a trip up to Minnesota on Kate's "I seek dead people" tour. She has a great, grandfather, along with some other relatives, who are buried at the Woodlawn Cemetery. My job was to take pictures of the tombstones. And I thought I might get to photograph some trains as well as work on my Mississippi Bridges project.

June 30 - We drove to Sparta, WI for the night.

July 1 - On to Winona, MN to visit the cemetery. We inspected and photographed the markers and Kate planted a flag at her great grandfather's grave (he was a Civil War vet).

You can see all of the gravesite pictures here.

Some antiquing was also involved along with my photographing the Winona bridge. Then we drove down to Trempeauleau, WI to stay the night.

July 2 - Trempeauleau is cool. We stayed at the "Inn on the River" where the trains run by about 100 feet from the room. The scenery is beautiful and the trains are fast. I decided I would get up early in the morning to try to take some pictures since the lighting would be best at this time. Maybe it was the holiday weekend, but for whatever reason, they weren't passing in review as I had hoped. I did manage to catch this one after about two hours of waiting, so I'm happy.

Kate also discovered that another relative was also a Civil War vet. We figured it out by decoding the letters on his seriously eroded monument (see the top picture). So we headed back up to Winona to put a flag by his grave too.

We drove along the river road down to Lansing, Iowa.

Then we drove up to La Crosse, WI where we took an evening dinner cruise.

This took us past another Mississippi bridge (the swing railroad bridge).

We also "locked through" the dam, which was a first time experience.

July 3 - We headed down to Praire du Chein to photograph THEIR Mississippi Bridge and did a tiny about of wandering around in McGregor, Iowa.

Then we headed home, past Kate's old home in southeastern Wisconsin and finishing with a fine repast at the Lena Drive-In.

I'll be adding pictures to this article as the editing is done. So keep an eye out.

Rose Garden Fountain at Cantigny

2011-06-28T05:31:00.000-07:00

Some Railroad Pictures

2011-06-10T19:57:00.000-07:00

Cropping - an example

2011-05-27T11:06:00.000-07:00

Kate is currently reading "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" which is a non-fiction book about Savannah, Georgia. It's very good and I have been suggesting that Kate read it for years. This way, if we ever go to Savannah, she'll be prepared.

I came across the book the first time I was there doing a seminar. Just about everyone in the class recommended I read it. It's funny how people in Fargo weren't that enthusiastic about their movie.

Anyway, I sent her a link to my Savannah pictures and she asked about the above picture: "…is there some artistic reason why you didn’t crop off the partial one on the right side of the frame?"

Great, everyone's a critic.

Here's my response: "I don't remember, but I'd do the same now. Sometimes, cropping like that implies there are more items in the pattern that continue out of the frame. Which there were in this case. If I recall correctly, there was about 50 feet of wall with these tombstones attached. If I hadn't left that partial one in there, the viewer might have the vague impression that they're seeing all there is."

Here's another way to look at it: if I had cropped it so that only the whole markers were visible, the viewer would have a sense of closure. By leaving the right one cropped, the viewer does NOT have a sense of closure. Which is the desired result.

Or it could be that I was just too lazy to crop that day. I don't know.

Jim Frazier

Take one of my photography classes

COPYRIGHT 2011 by Jim Frazier All Rights Reserved. This may NOT be used for ANY reason without consent. See www.jimfrazier.com for more information.

Graveyards

2011-05-24T11:18:00.000-07:00

Garden Photography Tip Sheet

2011-05-18T12:57:00.000-07:00

I put this information together for some photowalks that I'm leading at Cantigny, and I thought I'd share it with you.

Things to Photograph in the Garden

Don’t just think flowers and trees. There are lots of other things to point your camera at: containers and planters, bridges and streams, trellises and fences, pergolas and gazebos, buildings and greenhouses, sculptures and fountains, and in Cantigny - tanks.

What did I photograph???

Save maps and brochures so that you can identify the things in your photos later. And take a picture of the plant’s label, sign, plaque or tag.

Light

Sunny - You often want light that is warm (kind of orange) and has longer shadows. This means the ideal time is early in the morning or late in the afternoon. Dawn has extra moisture in the air, making for misty shots, but who wants to get up that early? Midday sun can be OK, but only for close-ups, and usually not for landscape shots. Midday sun, particularly in the warmer part of the year, can be really boring.

Cloudy - Cloudy days can be ideal for photographing people and flowers. There are either no shadows or much softer shadows. The colors are more saturated. And you can shoot during the middle of the day. If it’s a sunny day, a shady spot gives you similar light.

Weather Challenges

Rain - Not good. But after it’s rained you get water on flowers and leaves, which is a very nice effect. And if it’s sunny where you are, but there are still storm clouds in the sky, the lighting can be wonderful. It’s called “storm light”

Wind - Also not good if you’re planning on shooting close ups. You need your subject to not move so that you can focus critically and use lower shutter speeds. See “depth of field” below. If the wind is more than 10 or 15 miles an hour, it’s going to be tough unless you’re shooting in a relatively sheltered location.

Composition

Crooked Horizons - A horizon that isn’t straight ruins your pictures. It’s easily fixed, either by being more careful when you take the picture, or by fixing it later using software. Just about all picture editing packages have tools to level horizons.

Rule of Thirds - It’s not so much a rule, but a guideline. Avoid having your subject in the center of the image. Try positioning it 1/3 of the way from the edge and see what happens.

Cropping - If some part of the image doesn’t contribute, crop it out. You may have to do this later using software. If you photograph a close-up of a flower, for example, ask yourself why you should leave all that other stuff in the picture

Leading Lines - You want to draw your viewers’ eyes into the picture. Leading lines do that. Paths, streams, bridges and dirt roads work great.

Layers - Look for three layers in your pictures - the foreground, middle, and background. This gives your images some depth.

Avoid intruders - These are things that appear in your pictures that you weren’t counting on. In gardens, that will include bright spots in the background, webs, blemishes and dirt on flowers, odd branches and leaves, and people and equipment in the background.

Avoid distracting backgrounds - Generally, the simpler the picture, the better. So consider choosing a clean background, like a hedge or a stone wall. But, particularly in gardens, beware of bright spots in that simple background. Some folks will actually carry a piece of black cardboard to put behind a flower as the background.

Watch your “depth of field” - When you’re taking pictures, you’ll find that the subjects will go out of focus depending on the distance of the lens from the subject. If you’re shooting a close up of a flower, this is a serious problem. The petals in front and in back may be out of focus. You can help control this by using a higher f/stop. That means you’ll need a slower shutter speed, which creates other problems. See “wind” above and “tripod” below.

Change your point of view - Look up. Look down. Get underneath. Get above. See “angle viewer” below.

People

One of the best times to photograph people is on a cloudy day. This avoids the high contrast of mid-day sunlight and there are no unflattering shadows. If it’s sunny, shoot early or late in the day to take advantage of the warmer color and more interesting light. Or find a shady spot. If you absolutely have to shoot in bright mid-day sun, position your subjects so the sun is at their backs and use your flash to light up their faces. Avoid having your subjects face the sun - you may get lots of squinting. A well backlit shot with fill flash looks very professional. Check out your camera’s manual to figure out how to control the output of the flash to get just the right balance.

Cool Tools

Hoodman Loupe - It’s expensive (about $80 hoodmanusa.com), but it lets you get actually see your camera’s LCD when you’re outside on a bright day.

Lens hood - This is the thing that probably came with your lens and you’re not sure what to do with it. Even worse, you put it on your lens backwards. Put it on so that it shades the front of the lens. This helps prevent glare and pictures that look washed out. And, it’ll provide a little protection to your lens.

Angle viewer - You can often purchase an angle viewer from your camera’s manufacturer or third parties (Hoodman again). These attach to the eyepiece to allow you to look down and take pictures from a much lower perspective. This is particular good for getting better angles on flowers. If you have a camera that has a fold out and tilting LCD screen, that’s even better!

Tripod - If you’re planning on shooting close-ups or macros, you’ll need a tripod. They help with critical focusing and carefully composing your shot. And they give you the ability to shoot at longer shutter speeds. This allows you to shoot at higher f/stops to get deeper depth of field.

Air blower - Use a bulb type air blower when you’re taking pictures of flowers and other plant close-ups. The blower takes care of little specks of dirt and spider webs (see “intruders” above) that you won’t spot until you see your picture on the big screen of your computer. And it keeps your equipment clean.

Macro lens - If you have an SLR, you’ll need to invest in a macro lens to get really close shots of flowers, plants, etc. Some point and shoot cameras have the feature built in.

Shoe-mount flashes - These flashes give you more light, plus they can be, with the right equipment, mounted off the camera resulting in more interesting shadows and light.

Jim Frazier

COPYRIGHT 2011 by Jim Frazier All Rights Reserved. This may NOT be used for ANY reason without consent. See

href="http://www.jimfrazier.com">www.jimfrazier.com for more information.

Bridges Over the Chicago River

2011-05-15T17:29:00.000-07:00

Helicopters

2011-04-26T19:34:00.000-07:00

Some Butterflies

2011-04-07T17:45:00.000-07:00

A Green Heron Stands Watch

2011-03-27T18:51:00.000-07:00

A Green Heron at Brewster Creek Marsh at sunset. This is actually looking east - the light you see is reflected.

Pratt's Wayne Woods Forest Preserve www.dupageforest.com/Conservation/ForestPreserves/Pratt__...

Wayne, Illinois
September 2003

COPYRIGHT 2003 by JimFrazier All Rights Reserved. This may NOT be used for ANY reason without written consent.
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Owls

2011-03-17T16:56:00.000-07:00

These were taken at a special event in Houston, Minnesota. Click on each picture to see more information on Flickr.

COPYRIGHT 2011 by Jim Frazier All Rights Reserved. This may NOT be used for ANY reason without consent. See JimFrazier.com for more information.

Some of my better pictures

2011-03-09T15:46:00.000-08:00

Please click on the picture to see more details on Flickr

COPYRIGHT 2011 by Jim Frazier All Rights Reserved. This may NOT be used for ANY reason without consent. See JimFrazier.com for more information.

Recent Winter Pictures

2011-02-09T16:10:00.000-08:00

As usual, click on the picture to see more details

COPYRIGHT 2010 by JimFrazier All Rights Reserved. These may NOT be used for ANY reason without written consent.

The Snow Fire God

2011-01-25T11:56:00.000-08:00

from the Geneva Snow Sculpting Exhibition at Geneva Commons.

I missed this last year and was reminded of it by Robert Inglesby's shot
www.flickr.com/photos/inglesby/5378970662/

So I spent some time there this morning.

Technical: SB600 on lightstand camera right, SB600 inside mouth with orange gel, both triggered by CLS. I believe I have established a new Strobist rule for myself: if there's a hole in the subject big enough for a flash, put one in there.

I had originally shot this with an ungelled flash, and just as I had finished packing things up, it occurred to me that this could be a "fire god." In which case, the flash in the mouth would need to be orange. So I unpacked everything and trudged back over and set everything up again.

It's pretty cool (get it - cool) that they let you walk around and touch the sculptures. They're coated with ice so they're a little durable.

If you'd like to see this on Flickr and see some context shots, click here.

Geneva Commons
Geneva, Illinois
January 25, 2011

COPYRIGHT 2011 by JimFrazier All Rights Reserved. This may NOT be used for ANY reason without written consent. If you are the sculptor (or know they're name, please let me know so I can give credit.
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Yellow Muuuummmmmsssss

2011-01-11T07:22:00.000-08:00

Frazier Studio - Batavia, Illinois
October 2010

COPYRIGHT 2010 by JimFrazier All Rights Reserved. This may NOT be used for ANY reason without written consent.

Some of my better pictures

2011-01-05T15:34:00.000-08:00

You can see details on Flickr

These are from a Civil War Reenactment at Cantigny Park in Wheaton, Illinois
October 3, 2010

COPYRIGHT 2010 by JimFrazier All Rights Reserved. This may NOT be used for ANY reason without written consent.

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What camera to buy?

2010-12-12T07:49:00.000-08:00

I got this question this morning: I’m replacing my stolen Kodak that cost about $100. I liked the controls on it, the zoom was 3x, with about 10 megapixels. After doing some research, I was going to spend $50 to $70 more and get higher zoom and pixels. But I found Casio and others several others recommended were discontinued (I am still looking on Internet). A [big retailer] salesperson who seemed to know cameras said they don't sell Casio for good reason, she wouldn't buy Samsung and recommended models of Sony and Canon. Do you have any recommendation regarding manufacturers? I am also wondering about Lithium re-chargeable vs. triple A batteries. My experience with Kodak was that it exhausted triple A’s quickly. I also don't like the very thin, small, light cameras I am seeing. I preferred the Kodak's heft.

Firstly the person at [big retailer] is not reliable. I don't think I've ever gotten good, smart, comprehensive advice at [big retailer]. These salespeople are usually not hired for their photographic knowledge.

Generally recommendations are not based on brand, but on individual models. The quality and features of cameras variy across a brand's entire line, so you really can't say that a particular company is good or bad. Sometimes a company will go be getting out of the business, and then you'd want to stay away. But in general, when a sales rep makes brand recommendations, it's either what they were told to say, what they heard from some other uninformed sales rep, or it happens to be the brands that the retailer makes the most money on (I've sat in a lot of sales meetings in my time...I know). They may also be over-simplifying just to get you to buy something. And they hate review sites like Consumer Reports.

You should figure out what features you want, determine your price range and then check these sites for reviews:

CNET.com
www.dpreview.com
consumerreports.org

You'll probably change the features you want as you look through the reviews, but that's OK. I've found these web pages to be highly useful in whittling down the choices.

The following sites offer user reviews which will give you real life experiences. Be wary of the worst comments though. Frequently they are offered by people who had bad purchasing experiences, but not necessarily problems with the cameras themselves.

Adorama.com
Amazon.com
CNET.com

The "point and shoot" cameras ARE getting thinner in some cases. That's not a bad thing - it's just the way they arrange things inside. Lots of people like it because the camera is more easily stowable - even pocketable. And there are some more substantial cameras on the market as well.

I'm noticing, as I read reviews and see cameras, that the heavier a camera is, the more expensive it is. I'd almost think that the manufacturers put some lead in the camera just to make it feel better. I'd hate to think that, but I'm cynical. I've got an old point and shoot that is on its last legs. It's heavy as a brick (all metal construction), but I've never been impressed by the build quality. So weight isn’t a big factor for me.

As for batteries, the problem with the proprietary rechargeables is that they need to be...well...recharged. If you're in a remote area or simply taking a lot of pictures, the battery may die and you won't have the ability to recharge it. Which means no more pictures. You can buy extra batteries, but they're usually pretty expensive. I prefer the standard double and triple a's. You can buy them anywhere. And you can use rechargeable ones as well, with some disposables as extras. You have more options.

A little more zoom is always good (but beware of models offering more than 8 x), but don't get hung up on megapixels. The manufacturers are leveling off in terms of the number of pixels they're squeezing into the camera. If you're at about 10 MP, that should be enough. Don't spend money for more of those things.

Jim Frazier

Links to Common Photographic Mistakes

2010-12-11T14:39:00.000-08:00

Here are a few articles discussing common photographic mistakes. You can find LOTS of ways you're doing it wrong!!! All of these articles will point out mistakes and give you ideas about how to fix them.

Mistakes

Common Photography Mistakes and How to Fix Them

Tips for taking better photos

The Ten Most Common Photographic Mistakes

Correcting Common Photography Errors

Common photography mistakes from beginner photographer

Common photography mistakes and how to avoid them

10 Common Photo Mistakes

Seven photo killing flaws

5 Common Mistakes Aspiring Travel Photographers Make (+ How to Avoid Them)

Avoid Common Photo Mistakes

My own collection of mistakes (which will get longer in the future)

And a whole bunch of articles from Google

More of my better pictures

2010-12-08T16:13:00.000-08:00

For more details, click on any image to be taken to the Flickr page

COPYRIGHT 2010 by JimFrazier All Rights Reserved. This may NOT be used for ANY reason without written consent.

A few final pictures from Bristol for 2010

2010-12-07T10:05:00.000-08:00

You can see more details on each photo by clicking on it. And if you want to see even more pictures from Bristol, click here.

Fixing the Background

2010-10-30T13:09:00.000-07:00

I took this picture of a member of the Fantastikals troupe at the Bristol Renaissance Fair in Kenosha, Wisconsin back in July.

While I like the picture of "Flower", the background was really terrible. On the left is a jarring image of a guy in khaki shorts carrying two blue coolers and that whitish intruder along the edge. Then there's that blue thing wrapped around the tree on the other side. The background is pretty much ruining the shot for me.

I tried darkening the background, but that didn't really remove the guy on the left, nor did it get rid of the blue. Then I thought, "Blur! I'll blur 'em out!"

So using Paintshop Pro and masks, I blurred the background, did some cloning of the remaining blue patches, adjusted the contrast and colors, and did some selective sharpening.

Better.

When you're dealing with a difficult background, sometimes you can salvage it. Not just by darkening, but maybe by blurring.

COPYRIGHT 2010 by JimFrazier All Rights Reserved. This may NOT be used for ANY reason without written consent.

Red Admiral

2010-10-27T20:13:00.000-07:00

Vanessa atalanta
Pottawatomie Park in St. Charles, Illinois
from my photography class field trip
June 2010

COPYRIGHT 2010 by JimFrazier All Rights Reserved. This may NOT be used for ANY reason without written consent.
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Would you like a Peaz?

2010-10-24T20:12:00.000-07:00

Part of The Peas Project

Frazier Studio
Batavia, Illinois
October 2010

COPYRIGHT 2010 by JimFrazier All Rights Reserved. This may NOT be used for ANY reason without consent.
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Polarizing Filters

2010-10-22T08:38:00.001-07:00

I was on a meetup with a Flickr group that I belong to (West Suburban Chicago Flickrers) and I walked away from the site we were at (The Old Rusty Cadillac West of Rochelle Illinois) to get a environment/establishing shot. The day was bright and sunny, and we were there in the mid-afternoon. While, at this time of year, the sun was getting lower, it was still pretty high and blue, as you can see from this first shot.

This is exactly the kind of situation where I like to put the polarizer on my lens. The sun was almost perfectly placed, perpendicular to the line from me to the subject, and the resulting shot below shows the effect.

If you ever want to see how a polarizing filter can improve your shots, this should help.

Here’s a good overview of how polarizing filters work, along with some additional examples. But to summarize, a polarizing filter reduces the reflection and glare off of the surface of your subject. Fishermen wear polarizing sunglasses to reduce the glare from the water. And you can use it to reduce the glare coming from your subjects.

As you can see in the second picture, some of the colors are richer because of the reduction of the glare. And that sky went a much more deeper blue. The general contrast is improved as well. It’s not a great picture, but I thought it was a good example to share.

Jim Frazier

COPYRIGHT 2010 by Jim Frazier All Rights Reserved. This may NOT be used for ANY reason without consent. See www.jimfrazier.com for more information.

"Officer, I don’t know what happened. I rolled out of the barn and they were just lying there. The tire tracks? Uh, I don’t know anything about those."

2010-10-18T20:20:00.001-07:00

The Old Rusty Cadillac West of Rochelle, Illinois (TORCWORI)
October 2010

COPYRIGHT 2010 by JimFrazier All Rights Reserved. This may NOT be used for ANY reason without written consent.
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New Blog

2010-10-18T12:08:00.000-07:00

Like I don't have enough already http://natureandgardenphotography.blogspot.com/

Summer 2010 WSCF Trip to TORCWORI

2010-10-17T20:04:00.000-07:00

WSCF trip to the TORCWORI

October 2010

COPYRIGHT 2010 by JimFrazier All Rights Reserved. This may NOT be used for ANY reason without written consent.

July Vacation Set

2010-10-16T21:13:00.000-07:00

Finally finished editing the pics from our July vacation out east (I'm way behind). Anyway, here they all are. http://www.flickr.com/photos/jimfrazier/sets/72157624525034044/

More of my better pictures

2010-10-15T19:37:00.000-07:00

Click on the image to see the details on Flickr.

More of my better pictures

2010-09-30T11:45:00.000-07:00

All of these taken at the North West Territory Alliance Revolutionary War Reenactment
Cantigny Park, Wheaton, Illinois
September 12, 2010
www.nwta.com/

More of my better pictures

2010-09-27T19:16:00.000-07:00

Click on the pictures to see more detail on Flickr.

New Posts on City Illustrated Blogs

2010-09-13T13:04:00.001-07:00

New Pictures on Batavia Illustrated, Geneva Illustrated , and St. Charles Illustrated posted today.

More of my better pictures

2010-09-08T12:47:00.000-07:00

More of my recent better pictures

2010-09-07T12:45:00.000-07:00

Click on the pictures to see more detail on Flickr.

Some Recent Pretty Good Pictures

2010-09-06T12:35:00.000-07:00

Fall Photography Class Schedule

2010-08-30T11:00:00.001-07:00

St. Charles has scheduled lots of classes through the end of the year
http://www.jimfrazier.com/photography-classes/index.htm

New Posts on City Illustrated Blogs

2010-08-30T10:24:00.000-07:00

New Pictures on Batavia Illustrated, Geneva Illustrated , and St. Charles Illustrated posted today.

Pictures from the walk around St. Charles with the advanced photography class

2010-08-28T18:08:00.000-07:00

http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=20100828classinstcharles&w=41315423%40N00

New Posts on City Blogs

2010-08-19T09:22:00.000-07:00

New Pictures on Batavia Illustrated, Geneva Illustrated , and St. Charles Illustrated posted today.

A couple of more shots from the Strasburg Railroad

2010-08-02T18:07:00.000-07:00

We took a ride on the train Sunday evening.
Strasburg, Pennsylvania
Sunday, July 18, 2010

www.strasburgrailroad.com

COPYRIGHT 2010 by JimFrazier All Rights Reserved. This may NOT be used for ANY reason without consent.

Some of my recent better pictures

2010-07-28T12:37:00.000-07:00

Please click on the pictures to see the details on Flickr....

COPYRIGHT 2010 by Jim Frazier All Rights Reserved. See JimFrazier.com for more information.

Dawn and a cup of coffee along the river...

2010-06-29T08:52:00.000-07:00

...can't beat it.

Clark Island Recreation Area
Batavia, Illinois
June 28, 2010

www.bataviaparks.org/park05.htm

I now offer photography classes! http://www.jimfrazier.com/photography-classes/

COPYRIGHT 2010 by Jim Frazier All Rights Reserved. This may NOT be used for ANY reason without consent. See JimFrazier.com for more information.

Two Levels

2010-06-29T08:50:00.000-07:00

Pottawatomie Park in St. Charles, Illinois
June 2010

I now offer photography classes! http://www.jimfrazier.com/photography-classes/

COPYRIGHT 2010 by Jim Frazier All Rights Reserved. This may NOT be used for ANY reason without consent. See JimFrazier.com for more information.

Pissed Goose

2010-06-29T08:49:00.000-07:00

The trick is to get close enough to them that they start hissing, but not so close that they attack. But then, who cares if a goose attacks? I mean, it's a goose.

Pottawatomie Park in St. Charles, Illinois
June 2010

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COPYRIGHT 2010 by Jim Frazier All Rights Reserved. This may NOT be used for ANY reason without consent. See JimFrazier.com for more information.

Pewee Was Here

2010-06-29T08:47:00.000-07:00

Frazier Studio
Batavia, Illinois

June 2010

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Shorelines

2010-06-21T09:07:00.000-07:00

Gold Pond
Cantigny Park, Wheaton, Illinois
June 2010

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Cantigny Fountain in Black and White

2010-06-10T04:20:00.000-07:00

I was asked to take some pictures of the fountain at Cantigny and went over there last night. My guess was that late afternoon would be a pretty good time and I was right. The only problem is that, for some reason, the fountain presents a photographic challenge to me. I have a tough time finding the right perspective. How to get the entire fountain in the shot is tough. And individual jets are also tough to compose. It's going to be an interesting project.

In this shot, I went for the entire fountain. But when I looked at the image, I felt that it was too green. There was some color from the containers, but not enough. Whenever I have a picture that is monochromatic, I check to see how it looks in black and white, and this one (at least to me) looked better, particularly with a little application of a "red" filter.

I also played with neutral density filters from Cokin. Those jets look nice and smooth (look at a larger version of the picture here) because the exposure was nice and long (f/22 at 1 second). But I noticed the catch in long-exposure water shots...the leaves move around. The day was kind of windy and all of those trees kept moving. I didn't notice it until later. Luckily I took a lot of shots and found this one where the wind must have let up for a few moments.

So now I have to factor in not only the light, but also need to do this on a calm day. Because yes, I found a shot that I was excited about. But right as I was getting ready to shoot, the fountain turned off. I looked at my watch - it was 7 pm. Time to go home.

OK, Cantigny fountain. You won this time. But I'll be back.

Coal for the Train

2010-06-07T16:01:00.000-07:00

"Anzio Express"
Illinois Railway Museum
Union, Illinois
May 29, 2010

Illinois Railway Museum

All of my pictures from this event

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Flower Celebration

2010-06-06T15:57:00.000-07:00

The Flower Celebration is one of my favorite services at the Unitarian Universalist Society of Geneva. It celebrates community and fellowship. An alternate name, and one I like, is the Flower Communion.

The service was started by Rev. Norbert Capek in Prague in 1923 and has since been adopted by many UU churches.

Consecration of the flowers:

Infinite Spirit of Life, we ask thy blessing on these, they messengers of fellowship and love.

May they remind us, amid all diversities of knowledge and of gifts, to be one in desire and affection and devotion to they holy will.

May they also remind us of the value of community and companionship, of doing and sharing alike.

May we cherish friendship as one of life's most precious gifts.

May we not let awareness of another's talents discourage us, but may we instead realize that whatever we can do, be it great or small, the efforts of all of us are needed to do thy work in this world. Amen.

Recent Pictures

2010-06-02T12:52:00.000-07:00

Please click on the pictures to see the description on Flickr.

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COPYRIGHT 2010 by Jim Frazier All Rights Reserved. This may NOT be used for ANY reason without consent. See JimFrazier.com for more information.

Pink Peony

2010-05-28T08:53:00.000-07:00

from Kate's Garden
Batavia, Illinois
May 2010

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Getting Model Releases from Strangers

2010-05-26T10:12:00.000-07:00

While I only do this sporadically (since I don't do a lot of street photography), here's my suggestion for the problem of model releases...and it's a problem most people photographers have.

Whenever I photograph someone I don't know, I ask them to write their email address ( and sometimes phone number) in my notebook, with a promise to email them the picture if it looks good. I then photograph the notebook page so that, when I'm looking at the pictures, the email address for the person will be right after any pictures I've taken. I can then easily send them the image and I can also contact them if I find myself in a situation where I need a release. I also give them my card when I'm talking with them - might as well do a little self-promotion.

Getting releases from everyone is time consuming, and unnecessary if the picture doesn't get used. But by getting email addresses, the interruption is short and not particularly threatening. Asking them to sign a model release full of legal jargon is intimidating both for you and for them. I know I wouldn't sign one. Why should I expect anyone else to sign one.

For some photographers, getting a signed release is probably easy. But I'll bet it's not a really transparent and honest situation. I'm a believer that anyone who signs a contract shouldn't be tricked and should know what they're signing. If you actually told people that what they're signing gives you the right to sell their picture for any use whatsoever, without further authorization from them, and with no compensation to them, who'd sign something like that? People do, but probably because they really don't understand what they're signing, or they, for some absurd reason, trust the photographer. ;-)

Finally, I have found that the act of photographing the notebook page with the email address always impresses people with my ingenuity. Because it is, after all, brilliant.

Jim Frazier

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The Face of TORCWORI

2010-05-23T19:29:00.000-07:00

Hood ornament on The Old Rusty Cadillac West of Rochelle, Illinois (TORCWORI)
May 2010

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Don't dump too many pictures at once on Flickr

2010-05-23T13:28:00.000-07:00

This is something that a few of my contacts and friends do, and it frustrates me because I don't give their pictures the time they deserve. If you want your contacts and friends to see your pictures, don't post 20 at a time. Even if they're great images, most folks get overwhelmed really fast by such volume. Remember, most of them aren't just looking at your pictures. They've got other contacts too.

My rule of thumb is to post about three pictures per day. Sometimes, if it's related to a special event, I may post a few more, but rarely more than 6. And I almost never post more than 10 at once. If I do post that many, I don't expect views or comments because they're usually not my best photographs.

Do your self a favor. By posting fewer pictures at once...you'll get more views and comments. But you'll also give your contacts a helping hand by not dumping a whole pile of pictures on them.

Here's a suggestion. If you want to unload a whole bunch of pictures to Flickr, only show a few of the pictures as public...the very best. Then, set up a private set with all of the other pictures. With private sets, you can "share" a link to them. Put that URL in the descriptions of the pictures you're making public. You can show the pictures you think are the best, and give people the option of seeing the rest of the pictures.

Jim Frazier

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COPYRIGHT 2010 by Jim Frazier All Rights Reserved. This may NOT be used for ANY reason without consent. See www.jimfrazier.com for more information.

Some shots from a foggy morning

2010-05-22T20:50:00.000-07:00

Cantigny Park, Wheaton, Illinois
May 2010

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The WSCF Meetup

2010-05-17T20:09:00.000-07:00

WSCF had a meetup on Sunday in Geneva. It was one of our "Portrait Jams" where a bunch of us get together with lights and cameras and photograph whoever volunteers to be a model. Ashley, Laura and Ashley again were kind enough to pose in these shots.

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Beware when entering photo contests

2010-05-14T08:19:00.001-07:00

This bugs me whenever I see it happening. There was another instance today that I heard about via the Photo Attorney's Twitter feed. I haven't updated this blog in a while, so I was inspired.

This company is running a contest that illustrates some legal issues that you should know.

Here are the terms you agree to when you enter this particular contest:

... By entering [1]... or otherwise infringe upon the rights of any third party [2], and..., Entrant grants to The Client an exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to edit, publish, promote, produce, and republish at any time in the future [3]...

Terms like these are not unusual.

1. You grant these rights to the sponsor regardless of whether you win or not. The prize might be pretty swell, but even if you don't win it, they still get to use your image for zero compensation, other than the remote chance of winning the contest. You'd think that the least they would do is only impose these conditions on people who win.

2. You warrant that you have all of the necessary model and property releases for this photo to be used in any way by the sponsor. So you've got all the paper, right? And did you even know about the possible need of a property release? It's YOUR problem if the owner of the building in the background decides that he doesn't like the way the sponsor used the picture. You are taking on legal responsibility here.

3. You grant an exclusive right to the sponsor to use the picture. Note that exclusive means you can't sell that picture to anyone else. Ever. This is kind of unusual. Most contests use the term non-exclusive, which lets you continue to use it. But not in this contest.

Another organization ran a contest in 2009. Here's the relevant bit:

Submission of any entry further constitutes the entrant’s consent to irrevocably assign and transfer to the Sponsor any and all rights, title and interest in the entry including, without limitation, all copyrights and moral rights.

You give up ALL rights and ownership of the picture. You can't use it, publish it, sell it, enter another contest, etc. It's no longer your picture. And the link to these terms was almost invisible, so it's unlikely that most people even looked at them, let alone read them carefully.

They're sneaky

There was a contest last year run by a local TV station and they said, on their website, that they were being clean and simple and weren't grabbing rights. In other words, "no need to read our terms and conditions." I found the almost invisible link and read that they were going to use the picture in a fairly reasonable way, but they still put the legal responsibility for releases on the photographer.

Look for the link to the "real" terms and conditions. Not just the junk the marketing people write.

The defense that the marketing people will make is that they don't really mean it. It's just "boilerplate" or something that their lawyers made them put in.

Bull. If you don't mean it, don't put it in the terms.

Organizations run contests all of the time. It's a great, if sneaky, way of getting free photography. And most people who enter a contest expect that. But it's not just giving the organization a right to use your photography for free. It's also about imposing legal liability on you that the sponsor's use of the photograph doesn't infringe on anyone's rights.

There are better terms

I do volunteer photography for a local non-profit organization and they run a contest too. But their terms are much more friendly.

1. Here's their wording regarding the rights you give up..."I hereby authorize [the sponsor] to publish my photograph for use in marketing, publicity or display at its discretion, without compensation."

In other words, you grant them the non-exclusive right to use the picture to market their organization. Simple. And pretty much expected.

2. They ask for a model release. They don't put the legal liability on the photographer, they simply ask for a signed model release. Since all of the photographs are to be on the property of the organization, there's no worry about a property release.

This would be one contest that I might consider entering if it weren't for the fact that I already volunteer there.

To wrap up

If you're thinking about entering a contest, consider:

1. What rights are being "grabbed" by the sponsor?
2. Is giving up those rights worth the chance of winning a prize?
3. Are you OK with your image being used to advertise just about any possible thing?
4. Are you OK with possibly not being able to use that image ever again?
5. What legal liability do you have for how the image will be used? Do you have releases?
6. How sneaky was the organization about hiding the real terms of the contest.

The real reason I don't enter contests? I don't seem to win contests.

Blue Jay

2010-05-10T19:53:00.000-07:00

Kate's Garden
Batavia, Illinois
May 2010

Jim Frazier

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COPYRIGHT 2010 by Jim Frazier All Rights Reserved. This may NOT be used for ANY reason without consent. See www.jimfrazier.com for more information.

Metra 103

2010-05-10T06:44:00.000-07:00

Taken during Amtrak's National Train Day

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_Station_(Chicago)

In case you're curious, the ISO was 3200

May 2010

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Illinois Central at Chicago Union Station

2010-05-08T18:22:00.000-07:00

Taken during Amtrak's National Train Day

May 2010

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COPYRIGHT 2010 by Jim Frazier All Rights Reserved. This may NOT be used for ANY reason without consent. See JimFrazier.com for more information.

Redbuds in Late Afternoon

2010-05-07T15:55:00.000-07:00

Island Park
Geneva, Illinois
April 2010

Jan.Crites posted this picture which inspired me to visit the same place in my quest for perfect redbud shots. Thanks, Jan.
www.flickr.com/photos/janny4jc/4544460899/

COPYRIGHT 2010 by Jim Frazier All Rights Reserved. This may NOT be used for ANY reason without consent. See JimFrazier.com for more information.

I now offer photography classes! http://www.jimfrazier.com/photography-classes/

Exposure: Light, Aperture, Shutter Speed, and ISO - Part 3 - ISO

2010-04-21T09:02:00.000-07:00

In the previous articles, we talked about aperture (f/stops) and shutter speed. We're now going to finish the basics of exposure by talking about ISO.

What we're really talking about is the sensor in the digital camera. It's make up of millions of microscopic pixels crowded into a couple of square centimeters of space, if that.

ISO (at least in a photography context) is the measurement of how sensitive the sensor is to light. The higher the number, the more sensitive.

And happily, that measurement actually goes in the right direction, as opposed to the confusing f/stops and shutter speeds that we talked about in the previous articles. The ISO actually increases with the sensor's sensitivity. You'll see digital cameras starting with an ISO as low as 50 and increasing from there.

50
100
200
400
800
1600
3200
6400
12800
25,600
51,200
102,400

As with f/stops and shutter speeds, the doubling of the number indicates one full f/stop change in the exposure. So going from ISO 400 to 800 would be the equivalent of increasing the exposure by one f/stop - just like going from f/8 to f/5.6

In other words, by lowering the f/stop, we let more light through the aperture. Or, we can simply double the sensitivity of the sensor by raising the ISO.

There are some problems though. As you increase the ISO and raise the sensitivity of the sensor, you get more "noise." Think of it as grain or visual static.

This image was taken at an ISO of 200

This was taken at 6400

Notice that the second one shows more noise, particularly in the center along the edge of the tape. If you want to see it even more clearly, click through the pictures and look at the larger versions on Flickr.

What causes noise? There are some technical explanations, but allow me to use a metaphor. When you raise the ISO of a sensor, you're making all of those individual little pixels work harder to capture the light. Just like any crowded group of workers, they're bumping into each other more, jostling, yelling, getting into fights, etc. In other words, as they work harder, they make more noise. As you make the sensor work harder by making it more sensitive to light, it makes more noise.

Noise means that you need to consider whether increasing the ISO and getting more noise is worth it for the picture you're trying to take. Happily with today's cameras, the manufacturers are getting better and better of controlling that noise problem.

So there you have it. There are basically three elements that control your exposure.

The aperture controls the amount of light passed through the lens. It's measured in f/stops which increase as the amount of light let through is decreased.

The shutter opens to allow the light from the aperture to pass to the sensor. It controls the exposure by only letting the light in for a specific amount of time. It's measured in fractions of a second.

And the sensor's sensitivity to light is measured by its ISO. As the ISO goes up, the sensor becomes more sensitive.

Correctly balancing these three elements leads to the right exposure for your picture.

By the way, ISO is the short name of the for the International Organization for Standardization, in case you're vaguely interested.

Exposure: Light, Aperture, Shutter Speed, and ISO - Part 2 - Shutter Speed

2010-04-20T06:00:00.000-07:00

In this previous article, we showed you this picture. And we talked about the aperture and f/stops. Now let's talk about more of the puzzle.

You'll remember that we described the aperture as controlling the volume of light coming through the lens and hitting the sensor. But we can also control how much time that light gets through to the sensor. That's the job of the shutter.

Shutter speeds (the amount of time the shutter is open) are shown in fractions of a second and measure the amount of time that the sensor is exposed to the light coming through the aperture. 1/100th exposes the sensor to light for half as much as 1/50th. And 1/200th is half of 1/100th. Notice that we're talking about doubling or halving the exposure time, just as we did when we talked about the full f/stops.

Let's say you set your camera to an f/stop of f2.8 at 1/100th of a second. But you want to have a faster shutter speed. So you change the shutter speed to 1/200th of a second, which is halving the amount of time the shutter is open. To compensate, you would double the amount of light coming through the aperture by changing the f/stop to f2.0. So you've halved the shutter speed, but doubled the aperture. The same amount of light will come in.

Another example

F/5.6 and 1/1000

f/8 and 1/500th (we've decreased the aperture, but increased the amount of time the shutter is open

f/11 and 1/250th (again, we've halved the aperture, but doubled the amount of time the shutter is open.

As you can see, the exposure is the same. So f/stops and shutter speed are inter-related. If you halve the amount of light coming through the aperture, and double the time the shutter is open, you've got the same exposure.

To continue the confusion, you probably noticed that, with both aperture (f/stops) and shutter speed, the higher the number, the less light is hitting the sensor. Hey, if we didn't make it complicated, any old schlub could do this!

Finally, this is a really neat extremely slow motion video of a Nikon DSLR firing. You can see the aperture stopping down on the left, and the mirror flipping up and the shutter exposing the sensor on the right. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6CFkTCEP5o

In our last article on this topic, we'll talk ISO - the sensitivity of the sensor.

Three Pictures

2010-04-19T19:43:00.000-07:00

UP 4437 Westbound

Rochelle Railroad Park www.rochellerailroadpark.org/
Rochelle, Illinois
April 2010

Japanese Tree Lilac

Syringa reticulata
Cantigny Park, Wheaton, Illinois
April 2010

Cantigny Park, Wheaton, Illinois
April 2010

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COPYRIGHT 2010 by Jim Frazier All Rights Reserved. This may NOT be used for ANY reason without consent. See www.jimfrazier.com for more information.

Sunset Through The Window

2010-04-16T19:05:00.000-07:00

I drove past this building (the old Challenge plant) and noticed that the sunset was shining right through the building from one window to the other window. I had to stop. That's a phenomenon you just don't see very often.

Batavia, Illinois
April 2010

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COPYRIGHT 2010 by Jim Frazier All Rights Reserved. This may NOT be used for ANY reason without consent. See www.jimfrazier.com for more information.

Exposure: Light, Aperture, Shutter Speed, and ISO - Part 1 - Aperture

2010-04-13T11:00:00.000-07:00

In the next couple of posts, I'm going to try to explain how light, aperture, shutter and ISO combine to give you the right exposure for your pictures.

Here's how the system works:

Light comes into your lens, reflected from the surface of your subject.

Your lens focuses the light.

Inside the lens is a diaphragm.

Picture by Mohylek (Creative Commons License)

The diaphragm is adjustable allowing you to control the aperture that the light passes through. Can you see that the aperture is bigger in the top picture? That means that more light is passing through the diaphragm on its way to the sensor.

When we're talking about the size of that aperture, we use the term f/stop. The number is the ratio of the diameter of the aperture to the focal length of the lens. For example, if we had a lens that had a focal length of 100mm, and the aperture had a diameter of 50mm, then the ratio would be 1/2. The f/stop would be f/2.

If the f/stop was f/8 on that 100 mm lens, then the diameter of the aperture would be 1/8 of the focal length.

(By the way, "focal length" means the optical length of the lens. In the old days, you actually could measure a lens with a ruler and come pretty close to knowing its "focal length".)

So the confusing part is that, as the f/stops values go up, it means that the size of the aperture gets smaller and the amount of light getting through goes down.

picture by Chris Buckley (Creative Commons License)

This sequence shows, in photographs, how an aperture that is decreasing in size results in less light getting through.

For mathematical reasons that are beyond me, the volume of light passed through is halved every time you go "up" one full f/stop. So, f/2.8 allows half of the light as f/2.0. We went "up" a full f/stop when we went from f/2.0 to f/2.8.

This chart shows how the amount of light is decreased as the f/stops increase in "full" f/stops.

This is known, by the way, as "stopping down." The f/stop numbers are going up, but you're reducing the amount of light passing through the lens.

To complete the confusion, if I'm going from f/2.8 to f/2.0, I'm doubling the amount of light that is passing through the lens. The f/stop numbers went down, but the amount of light went up. This is known as "opening up."

Here's the summary:

Aperture, which is measured by f/stops, controls the volume of light passing through your lens.

As the f/stop number increases, the aperture gets smaller and the volume of light is reduced.

As the f/stop number decreases, the aperture gets bigger and the volume of light is increased.

And the f/stop number is really a fraction showing the ratio of the aperture to the focal length of the lens.

That's really all you need to remember about aperture for now.

Next, we'll talk about shutter speeds.

It came from outer space....

2010-04-12T18:36:00.000-07:00

found in Wheatfield, Indiana
April 2010

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COPYRIGHT 2010 by Jim Frazier All Rights Reserved. This may NOT be used for ANY reason without consent. See www.jimfrazier.com for more information.

Oh, dear. It's the paparazzi again. Now I know how George Clooney feels. ;-)

2010-04-09T15:49:00.000-07:00

These guys from the local newspaper were taking pictures to illustrate a story about me that was supposed to run yesterday. It may run next week, but who knows. At least I got a shot of THEM.

Fabyan Forest Preserve
Geneva, Illinois
April 2010
frazier-jim-100401e-DSC_9944a-wb

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Cantigny on Fire

2010-04-06T12:02:00.000-07:00

The annual spring prairie burn at Cantigny Park, Wheaton, Illinois on April 1, 2010.
frazier-jim-100401c-DSC_9799a-wb

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Fresh Magnolia

2010-04-06T11:58:00.000-07:00

These babies had just come out. It seems to me that Magnolias practically bloom with brown edges, so I was thrilled to not only get really fresh ones, but also find a couple with beautiful centers.

Cantigny Park, Wheaton, Illinois
April 2, 2010
frazier-jim-100402d-DSC_0012b-wb

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TEB Takes Five

2010-04-03T13:47:00.000-07:00

The Easter Bunny (or as we called him - "the") takes a short break from posing for pictures at Cantigny's "Breakfast with the Easter Bunny" and the Easter Egg Hunt.

I photographed 147 different groups of really cute kids (and some adults) between 9am and 12:30 pm. It was a blast.

Some of the kids were terrified of the big white rodent, others couldn't get enough of him. There was one little girl that was literally trembling with excitement. She would stand away from him, then edge a little closer, then TEB would hug her. It was just adorable.

Lighting: SB600 through large umbrella high and camera right at 1/2 power. SB600 in Lastolite Ezybox directly in front of camera and below at 1/8 power. Both triggered by CLS. This configuration solved a problem I was having in previous events where one child would cast a shadow on another kid. The umbrella camera right was 46 inches, so it threw some big light, but the softbox filled in any problem shadows. It even dealt with a few kids (and dads) wearing hats. I love it when a plan comes together.

Cantigny Park, Wheaton, Illinois
April 3, 2010

frazier-jim-100403c-DSC_0359a-wb

Which is better?

2010-03-28T07:21:00.000-07:00

I originally thought that this was the better of the two pictures of this fishing pier at Ferson Creek Park in St. Charles, Illinois.

I thought the ice was more interesting and the colors were warmer.

But as I flipped back and forth between the two pictures, I decided this one was better.

The color isn't as warm, and you don't see as much of the ice, but the lines really lead you into the picture. In the previous picture, the leading lines are a little more confused with the verticals, and they take you right out of the picture again. In this one, the diagonal runs from lower right and takes you to a clear terminus, right in the upper third of the picture. There are other lines, but they are clearly secondary to the main diagonal.

That's my take - what do you think.

Where can I take pictures?

2010-03-12T19:58:00.000-08:00

This question comes up a lot. Here is my summary. Take it for what it's worth (which means I'm not a lawyer).

You can pretty much take photographs of anything or anyone visible from a public place while you're in a public place. Public places typically include parks, roads, sidewalks, etc. But there are sometimes restrictions if you block access, create a safety problem, are engaged in taking pictures for commercial purposes (eg. parks may require a permit), you're trying to photograph classified facilities, etc.

Even if you're in a public place, you can never take photographs of people who have a reasonable expectation privacy. You can't, for example, take a picture of someone through a window when they're in their home. Even if you are shooting from the public sidewalk. Ditto for photographing someone entering their PIN at an ATM. You get the picture.

And even if you are in a public place, and they're not in private, don't be a jerk. Don't be intimidating, threatening, or unpleasant. If they ask you to stop, stop. The law may not require it, but remember that anyone can sue. Whether they win or not is a different thing. But do you really want to spend time with lawyers?

If you're on private property (in other words, not in a public place), the property owner can restrict your ability to take pictures on their property (eg. a building), but they cannot prevent you from photographing that building from public property. A manager at a Starbucks might ask you to not take pictures inside the store, but they can't stop you from stepping outside to the sidewalk and taking pictures of the building.

No one, other than a law officer making an arrest or executing a warrant or subpoena has the right or authority to confiscate your film, memory cards, camera, or equipment. They also can't make you erase any pictures either. If they're a security guard, they're not a law officer and have nothing even vaguely resembling that kind of authority.

If you get hassled, it's likely to be by a security guard or employee on a power trip. Get their name and number, and the name of their employer. They're probably very badly informed about your rights and their authority. It's a very good bet that you will not win the argument. And they might be right. There might be some little known law or regulation that says you can't take pictures inside a Post Office. Which, ironically, is NOT a public place.

If someone asks you what you're doing, that doesn't mean they're bad people. They just don't understand. They might be responding to a call from a concerned citizen and they have to ask questions. Maybe you're acting in a way that's "suspicious." So make yourself less suspicious by explaining it to them. Try to deal with these situations by seeing things from their perspective.

Finally, here are two important resources from Bert P Krages II. He's an attorney specializing in this stuff and has written a nice, one page summary that you can tuck in your camera bag called The Photographer's Right. I also strongly recommend his book, Legal Handbook for Photographers. It's got a lot more important information that you'll find useful.

More of Dave

2010-03-11T12:50:00.000-08:00

from the WSCF portrait jam
www.flickr.com/groups/wscf/
March 7, 2010
Geneva, Illinois
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Photos from Our Portrait Jam

2010-03-07T19:59:00.000-08:00

Nice Juicy Buds

2010-03-06T10:22:00.000-08:00

The sign on a nearby and similar tree said
European Horse Chestnut
Aesculus hippocastanum

But Cantigny has several varieties of Horse Chestnuts, so we'll just leave it at that.

Cantigny Park, Wheaton, Illinois
March 6, 2010
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Blue in Geneva

2010-03-05T08:36:00.000-08:00

Geneva, Illinois
February 2010
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New Camera Checklists

2010-03-03T19:39:00.000-08:00

Here's a checklist for other stuff you're going to need when you buy that new camera - assuming it's a point and shoot. If you're getting a DSLR, then this list is just a fraction of the wonderful toys you'll need.

Must haves

Get a case of some sort, either for the camera itself, or for the other stuff you're going to buy

You're going to need memory cards - the cards that usually come with the cameras are small and will not be enough. You'll need a couple more.

Cleaning equipment including an air blower, lens cleaning fluid, and cloth is a must. There are plenty of kits out there. But I'd make sure you get the blower...I use that more than anything else.

Unless there is a matching slot that is already built into your computer, you'll need a memory card reader. Make sure that whatever reader you buy will work with the memory card your camera uses. And don't spend too much. I don't think you need to spend more than $25 for this.

You need to make sure that your pictures are stored in at least two places. Here's what I recommend. Copy the pictures to your computer using that card reader. Then back them up to an external hard drive, which you can purchase for around $100. Now, when your computer's hard drive crashes, or you accidentally erase some pictures from your computer, you've got a backup. Noticed I didn't say "if."

Good ideas if you've got some extra cash

When you want to take a picture of you and your sweetie in front of the White House, you'll be happy you bought that tripod. You might even find a monopod useful.

An extra battery for your camera is expensive, but it's worth it to have a fully charged backup. Of course, if your camera just uses standard batteries, have a some extras in that bag you bought.

The built in flash on your camera does one thing well - throw really ugly light on your subjects. Being able to mount a hot-shoe flash on the camera allows you to do things like bounce the flash, separate it from the camera, etc.

I don't care what your brother-in-law says, you need the stuff on the first list. The extras are in the second. Hey! Who's writing the blog here!

Yellow Leaves at the Arboretum

2010-03-03T19:29:00.000-08:00

The West Suburban Chicago Flickrers met up at the Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Illinois on Wednesday, October 21, 2009.

Here are more pictures from this meetup.

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Ansel Adams

2010-03-03T07:25:00.000-08:00

Ansel Adams is my all time photographic hero. He doesn't know it, but he's my mentor. I've read his stuff, and am always stunned anew by his photography. He made photographs that make my stomach hurt. And that is, most assuredly, a good thing.

Here are some links I've come across.

The Ansel Adams Gallery

What Adams Saw Through His Lens (NY Times)
A short discussion about Ansel and his connection with Yosemite.

What Adams Saw Through His Lens (NY Times)
This shows nine of his pictures with audio commentary by his assistant from the 1970's.

Wikipedia entry

Some of Ansel's glorious pictures...

The Tetons and the Snake River

Leaf in Glacier National Park

Mount Williamson, Sierra Nevada, from Manzanar, California

Clearing Winter Storm

Aspens, Northern New Mexico

Moonrise, Hernandez New Mexico

Monolith, The Face of Half Dome

Georgia O'Keefe and Orville Cox

This particular site seems to have the most comprehensive selection of pictures, and the best scans. Someday, when I win the lottery, I'll buy a few originals, printed by Ansel himself.

Unexpected Reflections

2010-03-01T19:17:00.000-08:00

I was taking some pictures of the pianist at our church. I saw this picture, was inspired by it and wanted to give the idea a try. But it didn't work out. There are a couple of major problems with this picture.

1. Note the glare on the front of the piano on the left side of the picture. Not only did I not notice it during the session, but the fingerprints? Who would have thought to bring a can of Pledge along with all of my camera equipment?

Moral: When working with highly reflective materials, be very careful about the reflections. People usually think of glass and metal. But we obviously should include polished wood as well.

2. I had envisioned the pianist being more silhouetted. By using a high shutter speed, there was no ambient light that would have lit him up on my side. But I forgot about the big white wall and curtain right behind me that acted as a big reflector for my flash.

Moral: If you're trying to control your lighting, watch for walls and other accidental reflectors.

Jim Frazier

Take one of my photography classes
http://www.jimfrazier.com/photography-classes/index.htm

COPYRIGHT 2010 by Jim Frazier All Rights Reserved. This may NOT be used for ANY reason without consent. See www.jimfrazier.com for more information.

Crowded Path

2010-02-27T09:05:00.000-08:00

The West Suburban Chicago Flickrers met up at the Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Illinois on Wednesday, October 21, 2009.

Here are more pictures from this meetup.
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COPYRIGHT 2010 by Jim Frazier All Rights Reserved. This may NOT be used for ANY reason without consent. See JimFrazier.com for more information.

I now offer photography classes! http://www.jimfrazier.com/photography-classes/

Fabyan Forest Preserve

2010-02-25T19:08:00.001-08:00

Geneva, Illinois
February, 2010
www.kaneforest.com/ForestPreserveView.aspx?ID=18

COPYRIGHT 2010 by Jim Frazier All Rights Reserved. This may NOT be used for ANY reason without consent. See JimFrazier.com for more information.

I now offer photography classes! http://www.jimfrazier.com/photography-classes/

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Back up your pictures!

2010-02-24T19:25:00.000-08:00

I had an email from a friend yesterday. You know, the one who had the schmear on her camera lens. The gist of the email was that she could not take any more pictures because the memory card was full, but she couldn't find the pictures on the card. We're talking about all of the pictures from her vacation. All of them.

Uh oh.

My suggestion was to try to copy whatever was on her card to her computer and then see what was there. I haven't heard back from her yet, so I don't know what has happened.

But then I realized that she really was failing to do something that is a common problem. She wasn't backing up her pictures! She had all of these vacation photos sitting on the memory card in her camera. If something happens, those pictures are gone.

This is so easy to solve. Simply copy the images to your computer. Then back them up to a separate hard drive (like the one shown above). After you've got the pictures in these two locations, you can delete them from your memory card. Your pictures are now safe and you can take more pictures. Separate hard drives are getting cheaper all of the time. I saw an ad recently where you can get a TERABYTE hard drive for less than $200! That's just amazing.

So back up your pictures!

What do you need? Check the manual for your camera to see if there's a way to directly transfer the pictures to your computer. There may have been a disk and cable in the box with software that you need. Or you can just pick up a card reader (they sell them at Walgreens, so there's no excuse). Then you can insert the memory card into the reader and transfer the files to your computer.

So do your backups. I don't want to get emails from any of you saying that your pictures were on the card and the dog ate it!

The First True Sign of Spring

2010-02-23T12:50:00.000-08:00

Batavia, Illinois
February 23, 2010

COPYRIGHT 2010 by Jim Frazier All Rights Reserved. This may NOT be used for ANY reason without consent. See JimFrazier.com for more information.
I now offer photography classes! http://www.jimfrazier.com/photography-classes/

Les Arends Forest Preserve

2010-02-22T20:20:00.000-08:00

February 22, 2010
Batavia, Illinois
Les Arends Forest Preserve, Batavia, Illinois
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COPYRIGHT 2010 by Jim Frazier All Rights Reserved. This may NOT be used for ANY reason without consent. See JimFrazier.com for more information.

The Impact of Changing Your F/Stops

2010-02-21T13:07:00.000-08:00

How do f/stops work? I thought that, since I'm a photographer, you would enjoy seeing a photographic demonstration of what happens as you change the exposure.

The following are eight pictures that vary in full stop increments from f/1.4 to f/16. The lighting was consistent throughout the series - it was a fully overcast day. The shutter and the focus didn't change. The only setting that did vary was the f/stop.

These are screen shots from the Nikon browser, View NX. This way, you can see the settings in the upper left corner, and the histogram in the right corner. We'll talk about histograms in another post. But for extra credit, compare those graphs to the brightness of the image. And if you'd like to see larger sizes, click on the photo.

f1.4

f2

f2.8

f4

f5.6

f/8

f/11

f/16

As you can see, every time the f/stop increases, the amount of light hitting the sensor is reduced. When you increase the f/stop in full steps, you reduce the exposure by half. So f/2 if half the exposure of f/1.4 and and f4 is half the exposure of f2.8. When you pile them all up, f/16 is letting only 1/128th of the light hit the sensor as f/1.4.

Here's more of a discussion about f/stops.

Red Berries

2010-02-19T18:15:00.000-08:00

On the east side of Lake Ellyn
Glen Ellyn, Illinois
October, 2009

COPYRIGHT 2010 by Jim Frazier All Rights Reserved. This may NOT be used for ANY reason without consent. See JimFrazier.com for more information.