Sunday, August 8, 2010

Varriation on a Theme




Painters aren't like regular photographers. Maybe I shouldn't speak for all painters but generally we're looking for something different. If the photo itself is already perfect than there's not much point in painting it. Anyway, I use one camera and only use a tripod when I'm photographing artwork. Over the years I've developed a few "techniques." (Photographers should stop reading now these are things you don't want to know.)

The first "technique" I developed was Not Breathing. I use Not Breathing in churches and other dark interiors where you either can't use a flash or don't want to. (I never want to use the flash.) Not Breathing is generally used in conjunction with Lock Elbows And Hold Very Still. However, Lock Elbows And Hold Very Still is not as good as Set Camera On Solid Object And Don't Move but solid objects are not always placed where you want them.

My favorite technique, only developed within the last five years or so, is most often used in Aquariums. It's called Move The Camera At The Same Speed As The Fish and is used, as you might guess, to photograph moving fish without a flash in dark aquariums. I LOVE this technique. It's really a sport. And like soccer, or hockey, or baseball, but not at all like basketball, you only score a few times per game. (ie. one interesting if not actually in focus image per 100 images.)

Ha ha. Now that I've written this and searched through my blog (because I'm trying to clean today and those messy, digital, blog files are messing up the entire house...um...cough) I realize I've already written this blog. Just goes to show that my techniques haven't changed much. But like an artist painting the same subject I'm just going to consider this post variations on a theme.

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