Category Archives: Photography Tips

Tips on being a Better Photographer

Our Always Changing Office

Posted on by
Reply

Our office for Bluebonnet Memories and DFW Fine Art Photography and Printing is always a work in progress. Here are some of our latest images.

Printing Your Images and Art Work are a Passion and Expertise for Us.

Let us refine and print your images for you. We are able to print up to 40″ plus on the short side. The long side is only limited to the length of our media. Rolls are usually 20 to 100 feet.

The size of work we can do for you depends in the resolution of your native image.

There are many ways to display your art work. Please come by our office to see ideas on how to show off your art.

Images Natural or Manipulated

Posted on by
3

Natural or Assisted Images have long been a topic of often heated discussion. Some enjoy images that relatively untouched. Others relish images that fit their taste for vibrant color and contrasts. Some want images that compliment their decor in office or home.

From my perspective their are no right or wrong answers. Just as we are diverse in natures, art form is expressed in many ways.

We do a lot or art shows. We have heard some say the they would like pictures just the way they were, just like Ansel would have taken. Those who are into photography know that a large part of Adam’s creativity was what he did in the darkroom after the shot. What we see appeals to our eye but not necessarily to the original view.

The big question is what images we enjoy most. What do we want in our homes or offices.

Depth of Field, When You Want It and When You Don’t

Posted on by
1

In simple terms Depth of Field is how much you want in focus in a scene.

In most cases you will use a high FStop (a smaller aperture) number for landscape photos getting both foreground and background in focus.

When taking close up shots you may want to highlight your subject and limit the Depth of Field which blurs the background. You will use a lower FStop Number (a larger aperture).

However there are always exceptions based on what you want the viewer to see. There may be good reasons to use more or less Depth of Field in any situation.

I was taught the the higher the Fstop number always gave a more pleasing landscape shot. But not truly so. Most cameras give the most pleasing shot at around f14. The actual number varies a bit with each camera.

Sometimes we must use a different fstop than we might desire. The ambient light has a practical bearing on what fStop we use. Less light the more we will need to open our aperture. Remember the fStop number is inverse to opening of the lens or aperture. So for lower light we will use smaller fStop numbers which open our shutter allowing more light into the camera. With brighter light we will us higher fStop Number narrowing our shutter.

In most cases we most often use higher fStop numbers for landscapes and lower for close up subjects like flowers or portraits.

For Illustration you will see that I used a low FStop (about the f4 range) for the Pomegranate to blur the background and highlight the plant. In the case of the landscape picture I used about a f14 to give more focus throughout the image.

New Lens and Macro Techniques

Posted on by
2

Playing with new 1:1 Macro Lens and Zerene Software using Tripod and Focusing Rail. Light was a Floor Standing Ottlite we use for art projects.

The Zerene software takes all images taken with focus from near to far perspective then massages them into one image.

Each image comprised of about 15 or more shots each positioned about a millimeter and a half apart to give extended depth of field. I’m a novice at this but practice makes perfect, right?

 

I’ve included pics of the hardware used in the setup.

A remote shutter resease is essential! I achieve the results you desire you do not want to move the camera!

A focusing rail is also a must. The rail allows you to move the camera very short distances at a time with precision.

 

 

 

Of course a sturdy TriPod is a Key Element.

I use a 100mm Tokina 1:1 Macro lens. A good macro lens is expensive so you may find ways to do the job other ways. Extension Tubes and/or a close lens that attaches to your lens like a filter. This is often called a diopter.

 

 

 

I used a art light because when I was shooting I lacked enough natural day light.

In this case my subject was flowers but many objects around your house may become unique macro opportunities. Let you imagination run wild. You never know what you might create photographically.

Why Canvas For Art and Photography?

Posted on by
Reply

Today Canvas is the often the First Choice for Portrait and Scenic Art and Photography

  • Canvas Provides an Appealing Texture of Art/Painting
  • Canvas is Light and requires no Glass Protection
  • Inkjet Inks used to Print on Canvas are Far Longer Lasting than most Photo Processes
  • Canvas offers many Choices of Finishes, Mat, Semi-Gloss and Glossy
  • Canvas can be pulled around Stretcher Bars Like a Painting
  • Canvas Printed around Stretcher Bars is called a Gallery Wrap and Can be hung as is!
  • Canvas can be framed for your personal decor.
  • High Resolution InkJet Printing on Canvas is Called a “Giclee” Print
  • Most Canvas Prints are sprayed with a Special Varnish to add Protection and Contrast to the Print.

All of us have Cherished Photographs of Family Members, Special Friends or Special Times. Just imagine showing Canvas Prints of your Favorite Photographs.

At Bluebonnet Memories we can transform your Photography into a Work of Art.

  • We use Epson and Canon Printers – Our largest can print up to 44″ on the short side
  • We capture images via Professional Scanning or High Resolution Photography
  • We Spray your Masterpiece with Glamor II Coating with HVLP Spray Guns
  • We Stretch your Canvas on Stretcher Bars or Mount on a Variety of Surfaces

Two Filters You Must Carry

Posted on by
Reply

Today many filters can be recreated in Post Processing Software such as Adobe Photoshop and others. The cost factor of better filters may be a determining factor. Having to carry extra gear may be another.

However two filters should always always be in your possession.

  • UV filter. Safety is the issue! It’s a lot cheaper to replace a UV Filter than a lens if you should drop one.
  • Circular Polorizer – This Filter can ofter darken and add contrast to sky shots. It also works to reduce glare when shooting thru water.

That said, some professionals refuse to use any filters for the reasons.

  • All filters reduce light. So you will have to adjust exposure accordingly.
  • All Filters a affect to quality of an image is some respect.

Why I use one or the other, never both!

  • UV Filter – It affects my image my little. I appreciate the safety it offers in protecting my lens.
  • Circular Polarizer – I use this filter especially shooting in bright sun. It makes clouds and sky look great. It is essential when shooting water shots. In essence it shoots thru the water to give you great visibility of fish, plants or reflection without glare. It’s also almost impossible to replicate in software.

I suggest you pack each filter for every size lens you intend to carry.

Wildflowers in Front of ColorDynamics in Allen TX

Posted on by
Reply

ColorDynamics doesn’t only print dynamic colors, they “grow” dynamic colors.

Just a short drive North of Dallas in Allen Texas you can find a lovely display of Texas Wildflowers of magnificent colors.

If you love taking pics of Wildflowers you will enjoy this colorful display.

Just exit Hwy 75 (Central Expsy) and go East on Bethany in Allen, TX. about a half mile on the Right. If you get hungry go back West, cross 75, and find Waters Creek on you left. Enjoy yourself at The Cheesecake Factory, The Brio, Grimalidi’s Pizza, The Blue Fish, the Londoner and more great places. Waters Creek is a great venue for shopping a leisurely stroll.

Oh Yes! If you are taking pics try early morning or late in the day near sunset. Don’t forget your tripod. It will help you stop motion. North Texas usually has gusting winds in the Spring and a good tripod and cable release will help you to not add to the problem. Get down and shoot across the flowers. It will make them look much fuller.

Capturing Memories that Last

Posted on by
Reply

Anyone can take a normal snap shot and many do just that. We all have photos that we find in the attic and have faded much as our memories. Some become important milestones in someones life. But most capture little that excites our interest.

How much better to hone the skill of capturing emotion, candid glances into a persons soul. Maybe the picture tells of a day in time that captures both the beauty of the moment as well as the heart of our subject. Maybe the composition catches the special event in a special way, an interesting angle or a unique use of light. The awareness of the world in which the image was taken if often forgot. Our memories may need a connection to a meaning event or experience.

How many photos are left with out notations of who is in the photograph, the date and location of the event.

Good photographs tell stories and are created by the mind of the creative photographer. Good photographs seldom just happen. They are a developed skill and carefully planned. Anyone can be lucky but a good photographer succeeds often. “Awareness” is a great tool. Be on the lookout true emotion! Be thinking of a pleasant and unique way of capture a great image.

Go to galleries, read books, check out photographs in magazines and journals. All in all, think and plan and be looking for says to capture the heart! It makes a difference.

Gardening and Photography – A Wonderful Compliment

Posted on by
3

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Being outdoor and scenic photographers we love beauty. And that beauty can be as close as our garden. Flowers both domestic and wild plants are our subjects and objects of great enjoyment for us. I’ve included a couple photographs around our place.

Of Course we love to travel all over our great United States and across the oceans. Our major focus is the beauty of nature.  Since flowers are a passion for us, I have included a few of these for your enjoyment.

Our desire is two fold. If you aren’t already taken with the “photobug” we would like to encourage you to enjoy this very complimentary hobby. Second, we are always ready to capture the beauty of gardens. If you have a beautiful garden please let us know if you would let us capture your garden in our lenses. We would be happy to share those wonderful images with you. Our free service is to provide electronic images for you. At a modest cost we can print on photo paper, canvas or even in personal books for your coffee table.

Simply let know us of your desires.