Photographic Technique

I have been fascinated by the night sky since I was a child. Living in New Jersey, I really wasn't able to see that many stars because of all the light pollution. My parents had a place in the Catskills, and I spent my childhood summers there with my brothers and extended family. That is where I first gazed at a star filled sky and marveled at its wonder. Once I took up photography, I made it my goal to try and capture that beauty on film. I had decent success with star trail photography but wasn't able to capture the Milky Way or star filled sky like I had always dreamed. That all changed when I got my first digital camera from Hunt's Photo and Video in December of 2008 - the Canon 1D Mark lll.

Macro photography, defined loosely, is the photography of small things. In temperate zones, where habitats tend to be more open and blessed with nice morning and afternoon light, macro photographers often use tripods, small apertures, and natural light. This approach can produce wonderful images.

In tropical rainforests and cloud forests, however, light is at a premium, particularly in the deep forest where the interesting plants and creatures live. Costa Rica, where I live and work, originally was 99.5% forest. That number is a lot smaller these days but the areas outside of forest are cities, towns, agricultural fields, and cow pastures. To photograph the abundant macro subjects here, you have to get into the forest!

Before photography went digital, filters were a regular part of every serious photographer's kit. In the film days, photographic filters were necessary to help control exposure, saturate and color correct scenes, and add special effects. Now with digital, many of these filters are no longer necessary; the look they produce can easily be duplicated in Photoshop. However, there is one filter that digital has not been able to replace: the polarizer.

If you have ever had a chance to see a performance by the singer Lady Gaga, you would be amazed by some of the elaborate costumes she wears in concert. It is part of her shock and awe style that she brings to the stage. I have heard many comments by those who have seen her perform, and the common phase is "she’s quite a character."

We all know of a family member, friend, co-worker, or acquaintance who may be a little quirky or unusual, someone we might consider to be a “character”. Photographic portraits often reveal a person’s individual character in the irregular features of their face and body or in their flamboyant style of dress and attitude.