Taking The Little Camera Seriously

The little one that can!

I learned how to shoot with a 4x5 camera, so anything smaller was always considered, well smaller! 35mm format created a tiny slide when laid down on a light table, especially next to a 6x7cm or 4x5” sheet of film. When viewing 35mm slides I was constantly wishing I had taken the shot on a larger format. I even recall continually looking for the loupe, which was always misplaced.

In spite of my personal bias for larger formats, I was forced to shoot with a 35mm camera to capture downhill skiing and rock climbing. For everything else, not requiring a motor drive or super quick auto focus, I did eventually manage to take some interesting images with smaller cameras. In fact, I ended up purchasing one of my very favorite cameras of all time the Contax G2. This was a little range finder with several very high quality lenses. I only used this camera for two years before I went digital. The irony for me was that just when I discovered a great film camera — and Fuji and Kodak had created their very best emulsions EVER — I no longer needed them. No worries, this is not a post about film vs. digital but rather large vs. small.

I believe that small point and shoot cameras fall into a dangerous category for most, where due to the number of bells and whistles included, our intimidation meter spikes. Since they are neither large or tiny, we have next to no respect for them as an object of reverence. However, what I want to point out in this post is just how effective this size camera can be if a few potential misconceptions are cleared up and a few simple steps are taken.

My personal bias for larger formats has completely changed over the past six years. All of my large format equipment is in the very same place it has been for the past six years — in my office. I have come to realize several very interesting points about using different size cameras because of the number of different shaped and sized cameras I have used over the past decade.

The very first point I would like to stress is that it just seems to be human nature to take larger items more seriously. Because of this one single factor, it is rare to see anyone taking anything other than snap shots with their point and shoot cameras.

The other interesting point about size is when a camera becomes tiny, that is smaller than a pocket sized point and shoot, people begin to lose all inhibitions. A great example is the iPhone!

It's is not simply size that impacts our respect, but also our perception of the camera's sophistication. The more sophisticated an object appears the more intimidated we are by it and the more we respect it.

It's fun to watch kids take pictures with iPhones. They simply take pictures of what captivates them at that moment. There is no hesitation because of focus, light, focal length or anything! The creativity seems to flow, and it flows as fast as the camera can keep up.

So where does this leave us with the point and shoot camera?

I believe it is all about the way you perceive that little box in your hands.

The beauty of the point and shoot is in its versatility. You can use it to replace most shots taken with a SLR or use it to replace an iPhone with no techno gadget impediments between you and your creative thoughts, its all how you set it up and use it!

First, consider what you can do with it to replace a SLR that you have been using for several years. The issue most have with a point and shoot is its lack of quality. This can be true, but with recent developments in technology there are several point and shoot cameras that can kick some major &^*! The Canon S90 is one that I recommend because of its pocket size and large sensor. The sensor is larger than most point and shoots, but contained within a camera that fits into your pocket. The lens has an adequate range to capture most scenes.

I have been using a Canon G9 and G10 prior to the s90 for the purpose of understanding more about how the equipment I use affects my work. What I have discovered, is that the work I create with the smaller cameras depends entirely on the type of image I choose to shoot. At first I did not attempt any particular type or style of image, but just went out to shoot, knowing I wanted to use the camera I had in my hands.

When shooting a landscape image, I compose in the same manner and using as many of the manual overrides as I can to match the settings on my SLR. Here are a few tips to creating images with a small point and shoot that make the results look similar to a SLR.

• Use a tripod! This is the number one factor in beginning to take this little guy seriously. By simply placing the camera on a tripod you will begin to study the composition more carefully just as you do with your SLR.
  
  I use a Really Right Stuff (small Bi-directional plate) and small BH25 ball head, that allows me to place the camera very quickly on the tripod, so there are fewer excuses for not using the tripod. The tripod I recommend is the little Slik Sprint Pro 3way. I love to flip all the clamps open on one leg and watch it fall to the ground with gravity. I also have taken out the bottom of the center column to lose even more weight. With it gone I can get even closer to the ground, as well.
  

• Set the file format to RAW. This will allow you to maximize the file in post or photoshop if you have it.
  
  
• Use the manual meter mode with the histogram displayed. This is the very best way to meter, even on a SLR. Because the histogram is not as sensitive as on most SLRs you will need to compensate a bit. For example, when viewing this histogram for clipped highlights, I usually underexpose by an additional 1/3 of a stop just in case. 


• Shoot with some of the same practices you might with your SLR. Take multiple bracketed exposures for HDR. Take multiple exposures for different focus points to create sharp detail in the foreground as well as the back ground, (to be combined later in post).

Ok, those are some examples of how to use a point and shoot with respect. This ought to satisfy your sophistication requirements for it as well. Next, consider it an iPhone. It is now a toy!

• Set the camera to fully auto and simply shoot. Don’t worry about setting the resolution to RAW file format or manual meter, just fully auto and shoot.
  
• Shoot with the camera at different angles, such as over your head, under your feet, or better yet, under your dog's feet. Well, you get the idea! If you want to make the camera go a bit faster, there is one manual tweak, turn off the flash. The single most important tip for taking these kinds of moment by moment inspired images is to have the camera with you. Get yourself a pouch for it to hang from your belt, or find a location in your purse. The point is for this type of photography, it needs to be considered a toy, not a sophisticated camera. Think, there are no manual overrides. JUST SHOOT!

The image of my son was taken at the spur of the moment while riding in the back of a pickup way up high in the Colorado Rockies after a long hike. The flower image was taken hand held as well. There is so much to do with a pocket camera it just depends on how you perceive it! My friend Andy Williams carries two point and shoots, one for IR and the other for color. What ever it takes for you to change your perception of the point and shoot, try it!

Life is so very short. Take pictures of it.

Canon Tilt-Shift Lenses for Landscape Photography

I have used a Canon 24mm tilt/shift lens for five years now. I first purchased one 15 years ago for the rare moment when I felt like only caring my 35mm film camera instead of my large format 4x5. When that theory failed, I sold it for $400 to a friend, woops! Then after the Canon 1ds M11 arrived I quickly snatched one up and began utilizing it in several different ways.

I take this lens with me everywhere. Now there are two new Canon Tilt/Shift lenses, which I will be taking with me everywhere. The reason, they are much sharper and the image circle is much larger. The image below shows the corners of an image taken with a 17-40mm Canon lens compared to the corners of the very same image taken with the very same camera, but with the new 17mm Tilt Shift. I have not tested the new 24mm yet but have been assured by Canon that the design is very similar.

What I am so excited about is how sharp this lens really is. So I took it with me high into the Sierra Nevada Mountains and put it through the paces. Yes, it withstood my special shoving technique of placing it in and out of my climbing pack! The new design is far better, making it easy to lock into place and loosen when needed. All the movements are far easier to make due to the better and tighter design. I don’t know the exact reason for the dramatic increase in sharpness but I can imagine it has something to do with its resolving capabilities. I have been staring at digital files for 10 years now, from all kinds of cameras costing as much as a nice BMW. I have never seen anything as nice as a drum scanned piece of 4x5 film, until now! I believe Canon has made a significant leap in image quality by introducing these two new lenses. I have since used the 17mm on a 1ds M3, 5D M2 and even a 1Ds. Yes, even tested it with my friends original 1Ds and realized how tremendous that camera still is today. The resolving power of the new design inspired me so much that I wanted to make some large prints. If any of you are visiting me at the next print workshop be sure to ask me to view these new prints.

This image above, was made from two shots stitched together after shifting the lens side to side while the camera was in portrait orientation. And, a 100% enlargement from the file above:

I hope to post more about all the creative and cool ways to use a tilt/shift lens in the coming months.

Life is so very short. Take pictures of it.

Freedom

The airport security guards, all five of them stood behind the counter just shaking their heads at the request before them, “Please, give me my jewelry back?” she said for the fourth time when tears began flowing down here cheeks. She had to get on her plane as another airport security personnel was making the last call, because this was her one and only chance of leaving the country, Iran. It was not only a bracelet or necklace but all of it in gold and her wedding ring too that she had placed in a small bowl to get through the X-ray machine.

Her jewelry, or her freedom!

I was one of only a handful of people in the small waiting room watching the drama unfold. However, I had been in this airport for four hours waiting in lines, sweating at every step as family members in line next to me were denied permission to leave because of some detail on their visa that was not just so. This room was the last in a long line of humiliating and demoralizing steps to get through customs. So the drama was only an extension of what had transpired for hours, and yet this final act was no less difficult to watch. Suddenly a little old lady who had been quietly sitting next to me got up wandered over to the guards and fired off the most emotionally powerful Persian I had heard during my entire life. What ever she said worked! Just then with only seconds left, the guards reluctantly handed the jewelry back, while the young lady wrapped her arms around the little lady and stormed off through the gate to her freedom, with her jewerly.

I certainly don’t face such challenges to my freedom while living here in the US, but since that early morning experience in the gates of the Tehran airport in the spring of 1996, I am thankful every day for where and when I live.



I was working for Ski Magazine on a story about a ski resort called Dizin, built by the Shaw of Iran back in the 60’s. The writer Michael Finkel and I were the second American journalist allowed into the country since the revolution. I expected the experience to be much worse than it turned out to be. At 2:AM in the morning prior to leaving the country we had a scheduled meeting with the Minister of Tourism. He was the only one able to wrap up my 60 rolls of film and give it the one and only government stamp that would allow it to go through customs and not be opened. To go that far out of his way at that time of the morning was spectacular. All my suspicions and preconceived sentiments had been slowly eroded away during the ten day trip. One by one, each person we encountered had heartfelt welcomes topped of with sincere invitations to come back. Iran really was a fascinating country and the majority of its citizens that I met knew it. The conundrum they live in though is their biggest challenge.

Usually my ski images are depicting ideal conditions with adventurous, skilled skiers gliding through spectacular conditions. Iran was different. I needed to address the unusual two sides of a country torn. The image below is of a lady skiing in her Chador. All women are required to wear them in public, even while skiing!

As photographers we have the freedom to tell our stories and share our impressions of a place as we see fit. Since my visit to Iran I always consider this freedom first when making images. If there is one issue I feel strong about when making images anywhere it will always be freedom. I feel very fortunate to have witnessed such strength and power in the people of Iran. The little old lady who saved the day will always be my hero.

Life is so very short. Take pictures of it.

Return of Wild Utah

There is a part of every state that few see. However, in the state of Utah there is an entire section the size of most states few folks ever see, and that is where I enjoy going. Two years ago, Muench Workshops spent five days bouncing around through the outback starting in Goblin Valley and venturing out into Capitol Reef National Park. We photographed sunset in the Cathedral Valley fallowing one of the best meals ever assembled in the field. Hondo Guides have spent a lifetime catering to folks in the outback and it really showed. What we discovered that night was how long our batteries lasted in the gazillion candle watt flashlights we used, how long our camera batteries would last during multiple long exposures and what apertures to use for stars to show. We set our cameras up on tripods about a quarter mile away from the Temple of the Sun, set the mode to bulb, the ISO to the lowest possible and the lenses to their optimal apertures. For most of us, the shutter times were very similar so we could synchronize our exposures and take turns lighting up the monument. This year we plan on finding more equally dramatic locations to paint with light. What is exciting about doing it all over again is that the cameras are much better at high ISO’s giving us the opportunity to take night images with shorter exposure times, while getting much brighter stars. This makes a huge difference since we were taking 20 min exposures back than, just to get enough light in the sky at 200 ISO. Now with a useable 800 and 1600 ISO we can shoot many more compositions.

We also visited some very remote rock art. In fact the panels we photographed are 60 miles from the closest gas station. We used fisheye lenses to capture the entire arc of the mesa walls that the rock art was painted on. While lying on our backs in the cool desert sand and composing the shots others were painting the walls with flash lights.

We enjoyed the experience so much last time, that for this Fall trip we have decided to spend the entire night out under the stars rather than rushing back to a hotel. This will give us the chance to not only take pictures all night but drink more of the greatest cowboy coffee in the West. I have many great memories of the last trip but what stands out the most is the chance to look at such exclusive landscapes in the company of people that really live for the adventure. This year a third pro David Porter will be joining us. David will be demonstrating his fill flash technique that can be used in the middle of the day. I call the technique Night for Day. One of my favorite movies is Clint Eastwood's “The Eiger Sanction”. If you watch the film carefully you will notice that this technique was used frequently to emulate night climbing.

Life is so very short. Take pictures of it.

Down Time

There is a belief that creativity and greatness is inherited, as if your parents and lineage dictate whether you will be a successful photographer or not. Yes it is true, there are some folks who pick up a camera and begin snapping very cool images. This, however, was not my experience, and my father and grandfather were both landscape photographers!

So why has it been difficult for me to create interesting images? I believe It all comes down to the amount of time you devote to your interests. For me time spent clearing my mind became helpful to make way for creativity. This was definitely not inherited and I only realized it in hindsight.

I believe down time is necessary. Time when there are few distractions, time when your mind can dump the baggage of the day and catch a rhythm of creativity, time when your basic needs become forgotten and you find yourself hopefully at rest. This time is what gives us the ability to refuel, store away what is not important and get to what is.

Making this time can be difficult, though. I certainly don’t find it every day. I have discovered that running, biking, walking or even driving can become my down time, at least time to clear the busy thoughts from my mind and let my mind begin to wonder. It is during these times that I can focus on nothing and by doing so allow the creative juice to flow.

Occasionally I’ll even go on a early morning run, not for the exercise, but to reach that state of meditation. If I have the choice between driving or flying, I will drive. Countless hours behind the wheel on the open highway has become one of my treasured pastimes: down time! The smell of diesel, mixed with some sage and wet pavement becomes the icing on the cake.



Back before auto focus I set out to photograph skiing. When I added the fact I would try it with a 4x5, everyone said, "Good luck!" Thankfully I had a long drive to Salt Lake City from Santa Barbara and I had a lot of time to ponder exactly what I could concoct during my first attempt. Using a large format camera is always tricky but in the cold while on skis in the back country: that is extra special! I knew I could never expect to stop the action so I wanted an additional element to create some action and excitement. The peak of a skiers day can be the drop in. I figured this would be a great way to create some anticipation, then adding the sun star to become that little extra element adding some action in an other wise stagnant scene. The image I produced was the only ski image I took with a large format camera, and maybe the first sun star! I look back on this image and have learned in hindsight how valuable the time to contemplate my problem was. In such a busy world don’t forget about good down time.

Life is so very short. Take pictures of it!

Stick to your guns!

Last night I was at a graduation party for a friend's daughter, when a casual conversation with someone turned into an in-depth discussion of the rock band Boston. You know, that little band out of Boston! We had been swapping stories about amazing talent in new musicians when he brought up the famous story of Boston's Tom Scholz and Brad Delp.

What I learned from this well-versed new acquaintance was, Tom Scholz had utilized vintage tube circuits to record the guitar tracks. These particular amps give a unique sound different from any other, even those that were available at that time. As you will read in the story about Tom, he was not satisfied with the results from the fancy and expensive recording studios because they did not satisfy his personal vision. It's what he did next that earned the respect of millions of listeners around the world; he turned his basement into his very own studio, using those tube amplifiers to give birth to his own sound. He was able to build his studio with skills he had learned in a totally different field -- which also just happened to be how he earned his living. His technical knowledge came from his day job at, of all places, Polaroid!

No I don't know for certain what the precise technology was that Tom used, but that is really not my point. What impressed me so much was his persistence to develop his vision. In my mind, that is the definition of an artist. The album which he created, with the help of the other members of the band, was the single most commercially successful debut album from any band -- period.

Do you have a vision? If you read the whole story you will see just how long it took for Boston to succeed. It was not an overnight success. There was rejection, there was a learning curve, but what demanded Tom's attention was his personal vision. I believe if we allow our vision to guide us, we will make it through all the rejection and technological walls, and eventually succeed.

We have all heard how the struggle makes us stronger. I believe this is true.

When we first learn to take photos we are overwhelmed with the technical learning curve. As time goes by, most of us begin to consider more advanced techniques and more advanced equipment. What usually ends up last on the list is more advanced thinking -- more conceptual thinking. It is only when thinking conceptually that the photographer begins to consider the subject more than the technique. Of course, the technology learned along the way must not be forgotten and is, in fact, the foundation for portraying the subject. But when we approach photography conceptually, we are more alert. And when we are more alert we are more challenged -- challenged to think beyond what someone else tells us. It is when I have been challenged that I have created my most successful work.

For example, whenever I am struggling with photographing a particular location, I consider what my impression of the place is, not what I have been shown in other images nor what others have described. Sure, I take it all into consideration, but I stay true to my own personal vision. Oftentimes it is this personal perception of reality that I seek to find, even if it takes me much longer. This pre-visualization, or seeing conceptually before I capture an image in the camera, is what I will be covering in my next workshop in Santa Barbara.
This image of Anguilla was my fourth attempt in over five years to capture what, in my mind, is the Caribbean.

Even though there are hurdles, stick to your guns. If I can help by lowering the photographic hurdles at a workshop, great. But in the end it will be your journey that tells the best stories. Just like Tom Scholz and that little band out of Boston did, make the technology work for you.

Life is so very short. Take pictures of it!

Photography demands attention

So you can take photos! Now what?

Photography is about ideas, concepts and emotions. Clicking the shutter takes about as much cognitive power as there is in my dog's left ear flap. What makes a photo is us. So, when you consider bringing your camera to take pictures, don't forget yourself!

Photography began when an artist wanted to recreate reality. What a great idea! Reality is so rich, so full of concepts, so overflowing with emotions, so totally covered with beauty. And on the contrary, lots of nasty crap as well. We all experience this plethora of reality in our own ways. Therefore, there is no shortage of images to take and no lack of places to take them. Oh, and lots of time to plan on taking new photos (if you are thinking ahead, that is), which brings me to the reason for this blog post.

I have been taking pictures for over 20 years as a professional photographer. The most important lesson I have learned in all this time is this: Successful images tell stories. Yes, the light is important, composition is wonderful, focus is always helpful, and some contrast is nice, but the most important part of the image will always be the subject! It is the subject that you need to frame in emotion, wrap up in light and compose with the right angle. It is the subject that needs to be in focus to engage the viewer.

I say if you really want to take great images, don't get bogged down in technique. Instead, spend your time studying your favorite subjects. Become familiar with what you love to do in a new way. When you are excited about your subject, your images will reveal it. You and your reality are what interest your viewers. For me the Southwest is like my backyard. I have logged more miles on the highways between Flagstaff and Santa Barbara than President Carter has peanuts. After spending days on end exploring for unusual vantage points, different geological features and ancient rock art, this image is what that exploration looks like, in my memories.

It is for this reason I enjoy sharing with others that amazing feeling of exploring the Southwest. In past workshops to Utah we have done just that.

During the past 20 years I have taught over 60 workshops, each filled with amazing participants, many of whom I have kept in contact with and who have become friends. The best part has been how thrilling it has been to experience photography through others' eyes, share concepts, techniques, and most importantly experience some reality. Life is so very short. Take pictures of it!