What the eye doth not see

Og-What the eye doth not see.

We walk past things every moment of our lives but we do not see them. We glance at things and think we notice them, but we never truly see them and their detail escapes us.

Have you ever look at a flower and really looked into it. Did you notice the inner parts of the flower? Did you see the stamen, the pollen, the real inside of the flower? This is what macro photography brings into our lives.

The innards of a flower

Have you ever seen the death throes of a bee as a preying mantis starts to eat it? The mantis starts with the head and you can see the bee struggling and its stinger reaches out hopelessly trying to sting its attacker. A part of life that we think is horrible but yet it is the way of nature. Every moment of life something has to die for something else to exist. Whether it is the meats that we eat, for which countless animals, fowl, and fish must die. In the end we are just as carnivorous as the creatures that we condemn for their habit of existence.

Preying mantis eating a bee

The camera when used for macro photography opens so many opportunities to learn and understand the things around us. It also gives us an opportunity to see a beauty that is normally hidden from us because we look at things too many times from afar. We must in a way learn from children, who in their quest and thirst for knowledge are not afraid to approach something unknown and examine it closely. Theirs is a gift that we seem to lose as we grow older and get involved in the routines of daily life.

The flower below is an example of the beauty and endless patterns that we see when we look at things close up instead of just beholding them briefly and just walking away.

As we look at objects close up we see things that we never noticed before and we get a greater appreciation for the things all around us.

Closeup of the inside of a Lily

Look at the picture of a crystal vase and the crystal roses in it. Notice all the detail that went into making the object of art.

Macro photography does not need a lot of expensive equipment. Most of the pictures taken in this article were shot with a Nikon D300 and an 18-200 mm Tamron lens. There are many point and shoot cameras that could have taken the same picture in their closeup mode. A little bit of experimentation and getting accustomed to the limitations of whatever equipment you own can go a long way. Closeup lenses can be attached to the front of many cameras that have a fixed lens and you can enjoy the benefits of closeup photography. So grab your camera, open your eyes and start enjoying the wondrous things about you. You might also be surprised how many new interests you might acquire as you get accustomed to investigating the world around you.

Douglas John Vergara

What to Do with a Broken Camera

Last month we covered how to determine if your camera is truly broken or if there is simply a minor issue that you can address on your own.  If you pick up your camera and hear a random part rolling around, we can surmise that the camera needs to be in the hands of a professional.  Here’s what to consider next:

Check the Manufacturer’s Website:  Camera manufacturers will sometimes issue ‘service advisories,’ which are formal statements outlining a particular issue for certain cameras.  If your camera falls under one of these advisories, it will be repaired at no charge.  Just make sure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions for return and repair.

Find a Specialist: Bring your camera into our store for a free evaluation.  We will give you a professional recommendation so you can decide what steps need to be taken.  It might be a minor problem that can be addressed with minimum expense and time required.
However, more serious repairs can cost anywhere between 25-50% of the original purchase price, so if this is the case, we will need to evaluate how to get you up and running again in a way that gives you the most for your money.
We want to make sure you’re ready for this holiday season so stop by if you have a damaged camera and we’ll see what we can do to get you back behind the lens!

Blog Store Back

It seems as though the blog store is back up and running.  If you experience any problems please let us know!

Captivating Candids

by Laura Oles, author of Digital Photography for Busy Women

Few things spark the imagination like the holiday season. Families coming together from across the country—or even across the ocean—to connect and celebrate is an event that needs to be remembered in photos for years to come. Taking great candid shots is a bit like being a sports referee—you’re doing your job well when people don’t even realize you’re there. Learning to be invisible is a powerful photographic tool to keep at the ready.

This is the perfect time to take a break from shooting all posed photos, and instead, use your camera to capture the true spirit and experiences of the holiday. Here are a few tips to help you create truly captivating candids:

Be an Observer…: Keep your camera under wraps for a bit and just watch the interaction between your loved ones. This will allow you to recognize meaningful moments and important stories to share through photography. For example, do you have a great-grandparent or two in your presence? If so, consider taking pictures of her telling your children a story or of a little one sitting in her lap. Resist the urge to come close with your camera and ask for a posed shot. Instead, stay off to the side and zoom in closely to capture the interaction. The goal is to show the moment as it happened.

…But Have Your Camera Ready: Make sure your camera is close by and ready to shoot when the opportunity arises. You’ll know when that perfect moment is at hand, and by having your camera set properly, you’ll be far more successful in getting the moment exactly as you intended.

Take the Long Road: You can keep your distance and still capture intimate shots with the help of a long zoom or telephoto lens. This lens will help you respect your subjects’ boundaries and keep you from interfering with the moment while still allowing you to get close enough to keep your images intimate. You can learn about the high quality lenses we offer here: http://tinyurl.com/6egpd3

Go Flash-Free: Nothing can break up a moment faster than a flash lighting up a room. If you have enough natural light in the room or outdoors, nix the flash to keep the moment protected. If you’re shooting in a dark area, try using your low-light setting on your camera or increase your ISO setting to help adapt to the environment.

Anticipate Traditions: If your family has standing traditions during the holiday season, make it a tradition to photograph the event. Make sure you’re ready before the activity starts by having your camera set properly, a tripod ready if needed or any other considerations. This will help keep the focus on the event itself rather than the photography of the event.
Your end result will be a photo library that chronicles your entire holiday happenings in a way that will bring a smile to your face every time you look at them.