Photography Tips- Out of Focus can be Good in a Photograph.

Photography Tips- Out of Focus can be Good in a Photograph

You are probably thinking I am crazy. Right. I will admit it. I am. Everyone know is. Here's the thing. I do think that having an image that is out if focus can be good sometimes. Notice I said sometimes. I had a session with a lovely lady the other day and I was shooting with a lens that has really shallow depth of field.  I decided to see what would happen if i experimented with having her out of focus, but still the main subject. I shot ditigal because I still have a hard time affording to shoot film for something like this and because it was experimental and digital is cheaper and I could see it right away, why would I shoot film for this. So. I shot and shot and shot, Cause that's what I do. Here are a few examples of what I mean. I like them out of focus. What do you think? Really, I want to know.
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I am in a hotel room in Bozeman Montana and it is about 7:15am and I will leave soon but since I will be staying in Hotels for a while I will make the best of the time and do more posts. I hope you enjoy my blog and my photos. Do you know that I own a photography school in Missoula Montana and I teach workshops? You do know. Visit my Facebook page for Missoula Photography School to learn more about my workshops and how you can attend!
Click here for the link!

Brian Johnson is the owner and main writer for Buffaloz Photography Training. He is a bit weird at times but is always a fun likable guy. He also owns Missoula Photography School and Ayres Photography. 

Photography Training: Why it is Important to Touch Up Your Photographs.

Photography Training: Why it is Important to Touch Up Your Photographs.

I have worked for over 20 years as a professional photographer. Everyday that I have taken photos I have learned something new Even though I write this blog and I shoot almost every day I still get a big surprise once in a while. 

I have touched up my images myself since the beginning of my career. I used to develop and print my own film and now I use computer programs which make it a lot easier. 

The other day I had an awakening. I wouldn't say it was rude because it came from a good friend. I had photographed her son a few weeks ago for his senior portrait. As most boys his age do, he had a small problem with acne. I did not remove them and sent her and gave her the images. Well, she called me yesterday and asked me if I could take care if it. 

It was at that moment that I had a paradigm shift. I had become lazy. I was putting my name out into the public and I wasn't putting my best foot forward.  When she got off the phone with me I will have to admit I was kind of embarrassed. I have made to new promise to myself that I will only sell, and post( on my various sites) my best work. This principle is the same with any job. Always do your best and don't do  half @%#@#  work.

Here is an example of an image that is touched up correctly and one that is does half @#$^.

The Image below is good(at least I think it is. I took it)

This Image is better. It took me 5 minutes to do this.

Not touched up but still nice right?

Much better don't you think?

So, if you don't have programs to touch up your images then you are missing out. The program that I used to touch up these images cost me $50. That's it. Anyone can afford it.

Also, you should check out this e-book. 

The Easiest Way to Start a Photography Business Book Click Here! Only $97 dollars!
-If you are interested in starting a photography business, this is a great resource!
All kinds of great info to get you started!!

AND

Portrait Photography Guide Click Here! Only $47 dollars!
Any excellent resource if you are interested in learning the art of Portrait Photography!

If you want to make money at photography they will really help you out. I recommend them. 

As Always thanks for reading this blog and if you have questions please get hold of me or leave a comment.

Buffaloz Photography Training: Free Online Photography Tips, Training and Tutorials.

Excellent Tips. Check this out!!!!

Yes, I know. I have posted a lot of videos. The reason? I am in the middle of a move. So, to not leave you hanging, I am posting videos. They are great videos though, Enjoy.

An Idea for Christmas

I don't know about you, but I am pretty happy with some of my photos.  My friends and family like them too. So, Why not give a photograph to them for Christmas?  The only problem I have with this is deciding what type of frame to use.  Does it fit with the other frames on the wall?  Is it always best to go with a basic white matte and black frame? Why not make it something different? I found this site online called Fotoflot . This is pretty cool. It solves the dilemma of which frame to use because there is no frame.  Check it out and let me know if you like it.

How Do I Begin and What is the Best Way to Start a Photography Business?

Recently I have been asked what is the best way to start a photography business?  Well, there are several ways. 
Here is the thing: you need to know what you are doing to a certain extent before you to out and get paid for a job. 
So, read this blog and practice. I am serious when I say I will answer questions that I am given. So if you have a question let me know.
After you are comfortable with your camera, go out and get some experience. Build up a portfolio. Go to a wedding as a guest and just shoot away, and give the newlyweds the photos as a present (but don't get in the way of the pro photographer there).
Take photos of your kids or hubby, or the families in the neighborhood.  Do it for free and use the photos to build your portfolio.  
Start to shoot stock photography (if you don't know what this is, ask me).
Take photos of the local businesses around town. Then take them to the owner and offer to sell them the photo of their business. Go out and shoot soccer games just to get experience.  Sell the photos to the parents if you like.
Doing these things will not only build the portfolio, but will also give you more confidence.  
After you have learned how to use your camera and are more confident, go out and find some business. Put an ad on craigslist, or hand out cards. Go to bridal shops and florists. Put up posters around town, or put an ad in the high school newspaper. If you live near a college, go to the drama department and offer to do head shots for the students. 
There are lots of ways to start a photography business (I started a blog)  People are always saying they would love to own a photo business but never get around to doing it. Are you afraid of failing? If you are, that's o.k. Most people are. Remember, the first step in succeeding is to start.  


Here is a photo of a future photographer, my daughter!

Travel Photography Without Traveling? I'm Serious!

Here's a good idea. You want to get into travel photography but don't have the money or time?  Well, do it from home.  You don't need to travel to sell your photos. Here is an example. I live in Southern Utah. I want to do travel photos but can't afford a trip to Japan (I really would like to take a few weeks off and visit there). But, where I live, there several national parks that are within a hundred mile radius. I could visit Zion's or Bryce Canyon.  You say you don't have any national parks near you?  Photograph your town. Now you say it is too small? Come one. I lived in Malad, Idaho, population under 3000 and I still found tons of stuff to shoot. So, there is no excuse not do travel photography. After you get a few good ones, go out and sell them. You can use the money you get from them to buy more photo equipment.  Have fun and don't forget to bookmark this site and visit often. Thanks and enjoy!

Here are a few of my "local" travel shots.

Where and What to Buy For My Next Camera?

I have had several questions in the last month on where and what to buy for equipment. Well, you should buy from me at very high prices so I can become a millionaire.  No really, don't buy from me. I have never been able to offer discount prices.  Here is the deal.  I always buy local, from a small camera shop. If I can't find it there I alway buy from B and H out of New York City.
When I lived in Missoula, MT, I got to know Mike and the other employees at The Dark Room on Higgins St. I even sold my Hasselblad through them. It is always nice to have friends who will help you out and I consider them my friends.
If you do not have a local camera shop, use B and H. I have worked with several other online sources and the experience left me sour.  With B and H you get a good price and great service.  I trust them.  So, buy from me at double the price, or use local, or B and H.
Now you want to know what kind of camera to buy to get started?  Hmmmm. What I would buy and what you should buy are going to be two different things. I want the Leica S2, and I really think Santa should get that for my Christmas gift. Realistically I probably won't be getting that for Xmas ( I will be lucky if I get coal).
What should you buy to get started?  I was a Canon guy and still believe that you get the best bang for your buck from getting a Canon Rebel with the kit lens and then go and buy a 50mm 1.8 lens and a 70-200 l series lens.  The Canon system is a good one to start out on.  But what about Nikon?  They are good too.  I just don't know a lot about the Nikon system since I have always used Canon.
 I now use a Panasonic Lumix DMC-L1K. The reason is because I am a camera snob.
Not really, I just really like Leica lenses the camera I use comes in a package with one.
I hope that answers some of your questions. Let me know if you have any questions and please leave comments and bookmark this page.  Thanks:)

Oh  here is the camera I want. It costs $23,000 for the body(then you have to buy the lenses). What a screaming deal!

My Favorite Time of Day to Shoot in Autumn

So, most of the time when you ask a professional how to get the most of your photos in autumn, you will hear two things:
1. On an overcast day, shoot in the woods.
2. On a sunny day shoot landscapes, or out of the woods.

Well, I am going to say something a little different.
Shoot at night, or right after the sun goes down.

I know, it takes more effort, and you have to drive home in the dark and, well there are a lot of other excuses.
I think that when you shoot at night, there is a whole other world you get to be a part of.  You really should try it.
I think you will be pleasantly surprised.
Oh, and make sure you use a tripod.
Here is one of my shots I took at night.
It was taken at F/11 at 60 seconds

Mystic Forest

I took this photo about 2 years ago.  The fog was pretty thick and it was very pretty. It was taken in Montana, near Missoula. This is one of those shots where I happened to have my camera with me.  I always carry my camera now because you never know if you will miss a good shot. Luckily for me, I had my camera on me that day.

Flashing Yourself! (What?)

Well, here is my first photography lesson for all of you out there.  This lesson will teach you how to get a better protrait with a basic lighting set up.  You can get the equipment to do this for about 100 dollars.  For your info, I get almost all of my equipment from B and H Photo out of New York.  They are great to work with and I recommend checking them out.  Also, check Ebay for great used photo gear. I guess I better explain what a strobe is for those of you who don’t know.  A strobe is simply a flash.  Some cameras have flashes built into the top of them. To take a photo like this you need to have a flash unit that is seperate from the camera body.   For the photo below I use a single strobe (flash unit) on a light stand with a remote trigger unit attached to it.  A remote trigger unit is also know as a slave unit. A remote trigger sets off the flash when light hits it.  When I took this photo I used the small flash that is on the top of my camera to set off  the remote trigger which set off the flash unit and lit me from the side.  The flash unit was about 10 feet from me and the camera was placed on a tripod. I was about 15 feet away from the tripod.  I used a flash meter for this shot, but I have since sold it. I have gotten pretty good at guessing the exposure, but if you have one it will help.  Please feel free to ask questions about this post. I will answer them in a timely manner.  Now it’s time to go out and have some fun.  Thanks for reading! (click on the photos below to see them larger)

10 Tips for Better Photography!

1.Don’t have a tripod?

Set your camera on a bean bag.

2.Shooting in Rain?

To avoid getting your camera wet use a ziplock plastic bag.

3.Want to shoot close-ups but don’t want to spend the money on a new macro lens?

Buy a reversal ring. They cost anywhere from $10 to $30.

4.Do you have old lenses that do not fit on your new camera?

There are adaptor rings out there now that will make it so you can put almost any lens on any camera. I have one that allows me to but a Hasselblad lens on a Canon digital camera (Don’t know what a Hasselblad is? Google it.).

5.Need a reflector for a photo shoot?

Wear a white t-shirt and use yourself as a reflector. Or  aluminum foil on a peice of cardboard works great. A small one can be used to lighten the shadows of a flower.

6.Speaking of flowers, do you have an ugly background behind the flower?  Take a piece of colored paper and place it on the background, or use an 8x10 print of a photo you have taken to liven it up a bit!

7. Do you worry that you are going to scratch up a nice lens when putting it in a back pack or bag?  Wrap it in a sock.

8.Want to create a soft focus look?

Use an old pair of pantyhose over the lens. White will look diffent than black or nude so have fun experimenting.

9. Need some software to edit photos?

Download Picassa 3 for free and start to experiment.

10. Want to become a better photographer?

Be patient, go out and do it, and keep on learning!  You will never get good if you just wish for it :)

Aperture: What is it?

Every profession has its own lingo. It is the same with photography.  Photographers say things like, “Use a wider aperture,” or, “What f-stop are you using?”  So, What is an f-stop?  It is a term for a measurable expression of how much light is entering a camera lens. Aperture is the same thing as an f-stop.

All cameras have a lens which light passes through to help record the image. However, to get a proper exposure so you do not have underexposure or overexposure, light must come in through the lens in the  amount needed.   That is, the photo should be neither too light nor too dark. The f-stop on a camera helps control the exposure.

The “F” in f-stop stands for focal length.  The focal length divided by the diameter of the pupil , or the amount of light entering the lens is how the f-stop is determined. The numbers f/2 or f/16 are expressions of  f-stops.   The number denotes how wide  the opening in the aperture is.  The aperture  is an opening behind the camera lens. The aperture works like the pupil of the eye. It gets wider when there is not a lot of light and smaller when there is more light. Test this out. Get a flashlight and go to a mirror. First look into the mirror at the black part or pupil of your eye. Notice the size. Now turn on the flashligtht and point it at your eye.  While looking in the mirror you will notice that your pupil gets smaller. This is exactly how an apeture works.  The more light, the smaller the pupil of your eye, the less light the wider the pupil of your eye.  Now here is the weird part. When you apeture is open wider, the f-stop will be a small number like f/5.6 or f/2(if you have a fast lens).  If the apeture is smaller, you will have a number like f/16 or f/22.

Now that we have learned a little about apertures and f/stops we need to know about shutter speeds.  To get the proper exposure we need to have an apeture and a shutter speed that correspond.  For instance, you can use a wide apeture or f/stop (which will have a small number) and fast shutter speed, or a narrow f-stop (larger number) and a slower shutter speed. When these correspond the result is a properly exposed photograph. Shutter speeds are measured in amounts of time. For example, you can have 6th of a second or a longer exposure of 1 second.  1 second will let in more light than 6th of a second. To get the proper exposure you will balance the f-stop and the shutter speed.

Now, when you’re out shooting and you hear another person say, “What f/stop are you using?” you will know what to say.

If you need clarification or more help understanding this let me know. Thanks, Brian.

My Favorite Place for Family Photos!!!!

You are going to think I am crazy and the truth is that I am a little bit. When it comes to photographing my family, the best place I have found is the kitchen table.  What the? Yes, I am serious and I will tell you why.  It’s easy, and the kids can’t run away. LOL. Seriously, I love to get shots of my fam at the kitchen table. There are always fun photos like kids with pudding or spaghetti all over them. Then they get a little older and they look at you so tenderly.  My daughter is at the stage where she looks and me and says “I love you Daddy”. It melts my heart. Anyway, next time you are sitting down for a good meal at the table, break out your camera and have some fun. Thanks for visiting, don’t forget to bookmark this blog and if you have questions or want to know about something, let me know. Frank, don’t worry. I’m getting ready to do a post for you on which f-stop to use in which situation.

Being a Bad Weather Friend!

Tonight I was out in a rain storm having fun.  A few posts ago I told you that bad weather is your friend.  This is what I got from the storm. Hope you enjoy!

Getting Up Early, Staying up Late and Being a Bad Weather Friend!

Here is the question: when is the best time to shoot?  This is easy for me: morning, evening or when there is a rainstorm or blizzard.  Seriously, I love bad weather.  These photos below were taken in bad weather (snowstorms, thunderstorms, or soon after).  I think the biggest reason that so many photos look boring or bland is because of the time of day that they were taken. Here is a challenge for you. Take a photo at noon, and then go back to the same spot about 30 minutes before the sun goes down and take some more photos. Look at what you have taken and decide for yourself. Good luck and have fun:)

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Family Photos Without Freakin' out the Kids (Tips on Photographing Children)

This was taken off my old blog. Hope you enjoy!

Almost everyone wants better photos of their families.  So here are a few tips on how to get those shots that only professionals get (not really, anyone can get them!).

1. When you want someone on the other side of the camera to smile, smile!!!!!!  Right now your thinking I am crazy right?  Well, I might be a little but it takes a lot of practice to get to serious crazy.  What I mean is the photographer (you) need to smile at your subject if you want them to smile.

2. The best thing you can do when trying to get you kids to pose for you is to not pose them. Let them do what they usually do.  And don’t get impatient and yell or threaten them. Think about it. Would you be happy if your mom said, "Stop crying or I’m gonna give you something to cry about!" With kids you have to be really patient.  I know. It’s hard not to yell at your kids when it’s so much fun. (kidding again )

3. This is a great way to get kids' attention.  Do you have a cell phone? When you want a kid to look at the camera, make your cell phone ring!  They always look at it. Make sure it is by the camera when it rings.

4. With digital you can take multiple shots without charging up a huge bill for film and printing. So shoot away. Take a lot of shots. This way when you get a blink or bad expression, you will at least get a lot of  them. Ha Ha. What I meant to say was that you have a better chance of getting a good shot when you take a whole bunch of shots.  You might hit the lottery and get an awsome one.

Now that I have given you some advice, here are a few shots of my fam.

This is the most important thing to remember when shooting family and kids. Have fun. Because if you are not having fun, no one is!

Let me know if you need any clarification on this and thanks for visiting my blog.  Hey, if you like the blog, please bookmark it so you can return often :)

First Lesson on How to use Depth of Field

This post is for Frank.

Here is what he wrote:

"Mr Johnson, good stuff here. I found myself taking some notes to take with me the next time I go out to shoot. You make some excellent points and you made me realize some things that I was doing wrong. Filling the frame lesson was actually an “a ha” moment for me.

I learned about your site from “notshootingonauto”. I have just moved from auto mode to aperture priority. Still trying to figure out what fstops to use for what situation but I see you

have outlined some good guidelines.

Pls don’t stop your training, it is helping me bigtime."

Well, here is the answer to help you out. I will be breaking it into a few posts so that it is easier to follow.

I will first tackle the fstop you would use to photograph landscapes. So, you ask, which fstop should I use when photographing a landscape?

I would use f/22 or f/16 in a landscape. In a landscape I usually want everything in the photograph in focus. Using a small aperture will help to acomplish this. If you have questions on depth of field or what depth of field is, please read the post above. I have included a photo (below) that I took for an example of when you should use f/22 or f/16. Also keep in mind that with a small aperture, you will have to use a longer shutter speed. You might need to put your camera on a tripod if your shutter speed is too low. Thanks for visiting my blog and if you have any questions let me know. thanks:)

Fill'er Up Man!!!!

My goal here is to help others become better photographers. What I do is offer free lessons (and you can request a topic) on photography. For the first lesson on this blog I have chosen to talk about filling the frame. I have another blog, http://buffaloz.wordpress.com/ that I do the same thing on. Sometimes the lessons will overlap and I will post the lesson on both blogs. Her is my first lesson on Blogger. I took this photo about 2 years ago and it fits for the lesson so here it goes, my first photo lesson on Blogger. It is really not the best example but I know that you guys who read this stuff are smart and will understand what I am pointing out.

Filling the frame is the name of the game (LOL). Lets first discuss the photo below.

As you can see, I did not fill the frame in this photo. A lot of photographers will take a photo of a person and will leave a lot of room at the top and will put the head of the person in the middle of the photo. That is bad. Next time, for a more pleasing result put the head of the person near the top of the frame. Don’t believe me? I dare you. Just try it. Anyway, as you can see there is a lot of dead space at the top of the photo above. Now look at the photograph below.

In this photograph I have filled the frame. This is more pleasing to the eye and also draws the eye to the subject. Also, notice how the background is very bright in the first photo? Not good. Usually in a photograph the eye will go to the brightest spot in a photo. I don’t want the eye to look at the background, I want the viewer to look at the mushrooms. So, if you want a good assignment for the next week or so, work on filling the frame. It is best to do it while you are taking the picture. You might need to move in closer to the subject or zoom in, but do it and you will see the difference. I promise. If you do forget to do it while you are taking the shot, then fix it afterwards by cropping the photo. Let me know if you have any questions and good luck :)