Photography Course

Different pictures can be made of the same subject simply by adjusting the zoom. For a refresher on the concepts behind this, check out our lesson on Exposure: Lenses, Aperture and Shutter Settings.

Go outside with a friend, get some distance between you, use your camera and zoom in as far as you can taking a closeup of her face.

Now slowly move closer, zooming out and keeping her face the same size in each picture you take.

Repeat with a full length shot of your friend.

How did the relationship between the background and foreground change?

You are looking at one of the most famous portraits ever made by one of THE greatest portrait photographers ever. Josef Karsh, also known as Karsh of Ottawa. Over his lifetime he made over 15,000 portraits.

But this portrait of Sir Winston Churchill stands out. Churchill was a bulldog of a Prime Minister (England) known for his surliness and determination and this picture captures it all.

It didn’t just happen. This quick, true story spells out exactly how this world-famous portrait was accomplished and will teach A LOT about how to be a successful photographer.

Karsh was hired to do this portrait and knew he would have very little time to make the picture. He began by researching Churchill, taking notes on all of the Minister’s habits, quirks, attitudes and tendencies.

When he finally got Churchill seated in the chair, with lights blazing, Churchill snapped “You have two minutes. And that’s it,
two minutes.”

Karsh asked the man to remove the cigar in his mouth. Churchill didn’t budge. Karsh knew he wouldn’t and, with a shutter release cable in hand, he walked up to the side of Churchill and yanked the cigar from his mouth.

Church stiffened and growled SNAPwent the shutter and Karsh knew he had the portrait he wanted. Soon it became world famous.

Karsh was successful because he researched his subject matter, knew his equipment (lights, camera, etc.) and knew what he wanted.

Karsh’s portraits where renouned, amongst photographers, for his amazing lighting and few have duplicated his style. I tried in my studio, and like to believe I came close, but I couldn’t resist placing a “hair light” (coming from behind left) so I cannot claim I mastered Karsh’s style. But I do like the photo and so did the subject and that is all that matters.

Notice that his eyes are not centered on the picture. You should try to avoid making the eyes centered - from top to bottom. It simply makes the viewer uncomfortable. See more about this below.

This portrait was made using standard studio lighting except I used “umbrella” lighting (the flash is aimed into a silverized umbrella which is pointed at the subject. The main light came from my right, while the fill was at my left.

If you like the “hair light” effect and don’t have studio lights (like I had for the above B&W) then just make sure your subject is seated next to a lamp. Here the light source is from the ceiling lamp. Notice how it highlights my daughter’s hair and puts a nice sheen on grand daughter Ivy.

If I had used flash it would have overpowered the 75watt bulb and you would see nothing in the background but harsh shadows. Thus, even though the color balance is “off” this is a very warm, pleasing portrait of two warm and pleasant family members.

Generally our “eye” feels most comfortable with a portrait if the subjects eyes are NOT centered in the photo. Try to frame the subject so that their eyes are above center. Also, make sure that you do not crop of the top of the head. Unless you are deliberately cropping just on the eyes (for impact) you should leave a little space on the top.

Here are two acceptable exceptions to the rule:

The long reason for why these two portraits are acceptable would take volumes in explanation. The short reason is … they work.
They are pleasing and interesting.

I love candid (un-posed) portraits but have, on occasion had to pose folks and use studio lighting. There are volumes of pages on studio lighting which I don’t have room or time for. Here is the basic, standard lighting used in a studio. (Pardon the crude illustration but it is accurate and does get the job done). Notice that the subject (in the center) is facing the lens but the shoulders are turned. This is to reduce the shoulder width a tad.

The main light is at the bottom left, with the fill light at the right. The fill light should be one to two stops less bright, it’s purpose is just to fill in the shadow created by the main light.

The hair light (upper left) is elevated above the subjects head, shining downward so as not to cast any light on the subjects face, just the hair.

To see the results of this lighting, see the B&W head shot of the bearded fellow above.

Fact is it takes a good studio photographer years to become accomplished. If you wish to pursue studio lighting I would suggest
you head out to a good library or book store.

Personally I think most studio portraits are rather wooden and “posed” and they only work when they offer a real insight into the person’s true nature.

And their are some instances when they are a MUST. This is a portrait of Chief John Big Tree who is believed to be the original model for the Indian Head Nickel. (When this was taken he was 101 years old). I made a point of finding out if he had a poster of
the nickel so I could compare his profile to the nickel. It seems to lend credibility to his claim of being the model. Numismatists (coin collectors) around the world still talk about this photograph.

And, in this instance, my friend Harley Sorensen - proud as heck about becoming a new father (thru adoption process) wanted a pic that spoke to that. He had spotted the sign and I lined him up; complete with caption.

But, generally, spontaneous, candid (un-posed) portraits are much more preferable and interesting.

Nearly all 35mm point-and-shoot film cameras have now been discontinued in favor of digital cameras. However, for those who prefer the familiarity of film, there are still a couple of models available out there. Though film point-and-shoot cameras haven’t been tested by consumer reports since 2003, film SLR cameras are still popular.

Camera Accessories for 35mm SLR Film Cameras include Light Meters, Camera Lenses, Filters, Flashes, Batteries, Bags & Cases, Tripods, Film, and Darkroom Supplies.

NATURE …. CLOSE UP
by Skip Heine, Photography by John Kirchner

You are seeing this butterfly about twice it’s normal size. John took this beautiful image with a 100mm macro (close-up) lens and Kodak 800 Max film. Exposure was f11 at 1/500th, hand-held! See how this self-proclaimed “serious amateur” manages to generate these marvelous, first-rate images.

I met John at the local drugstore where he was looking over his latest “take” of nature photos. On one roll of Kodak Max 800 film he had captured an astounding variety of beautiful macro photographs, including a praying mantis, a bee (full-frame), the buckeye butterfly (top of the page) and others. He is totally self-motivated, shooting for the love of photography and constantly challenging himself to improve. His “eye” is excellent and his photographs are well composed. Whenever possible he tries to capture that “moment” that tells you something about the subject. He knows his subjects… “Praying mantis are fun to shoot,” he observes, “they will just sit there and stare at you.”.

A painted-lady butterfly taken with Kodak Gold 100 film, with a 100mm macro lens hand-held

His favorite “hunting ground” is a small garden maintained by the City of North Wildwood (NJ). He approaches his photography much like those wildlife photographers who stalk grizzlies and tigers. He knows their habits, is patient and quiet, sometimes even building blinds to camouflage himself in order to capture his subjects. If you wish to become an accomplished wildlife photographer this is an excellent training lesson for you. It can be done simply, with a minimum of equipment, and the cost is low. John uses an older Minolta X7000 SLR camera with two lenses - a 100mm macro and a 500mm mirror. He does not use special filters, ring lights, reflectors or flashes. He keeps it simple, insisting that “more shots are messed up due to camera shake than anything else”. All of his shots are hand-held.

For this shot John built a “blind”, completely covering his bedroom window except for a small hole to poke the lens through. He pressed his 100mm macro (adding a 2X tele-extender) against the glass (to avoid camera shake) and made a few exposures.

John captured this dragonfly with his 500mm mirror lens, which he usually uses for shooting egrets and other birds of the wetlands.. “It’s kind of tricky because you cannot change the aperture (it is fixed at f8) and the 500mm is hard to hold still. But I was intrigued by the dragonfly’s wings, the markings are different and I wanted to show the detail. Depth of field is so shallow that the wings on the left start to blur.

Like most true photographers John prefers his anonymity - wants to be the proverbial “fly-on-the-wall”. He makes these marvelous images for himself. He makes no claims at being an expert and has shown little interest in selling them nor does he ask for recognition. He would, of course, be thrilled to see his works published so, If you are interested in publishing any photos from his vast “Nature Up Close” collection, you may contact him by writing to:

John Kirchner
303 E. Nashville Ave.
Wildwood Crest, NJ 08260

Simply an incredible close-up of a common fly. John made this image with his trusty Minolta X7000 SLR camera with a 100mm macro lens. Exposure was f11 at 1/500th with Kodak Max 800 film, hand-held.

Wildlife Photography - A Primer
By Marv Binegar

Alaska Brown Bear

Nikon F4s, Nikkor 400mm/3.5, Fujichrome 100

While hiking the trail to Brooks Falls in Katmai National Park, I heard what sounded like an Olympic sprinter in bedroom slippers behind me. I managed to get a few feet off the trail before a large brown bear with a salmon flopping in its mouth ran past. A few seconds later, an even larger bear ran past in hot pursuit. The bears were so intent on the salmon that they paid no attention to me.

First Things First

Success as a wildlife photographer starts with a natural affinity for the outdoors and the creatures which inhabit it. Most serious wildlife photographers, while not formally trained biologists, are astute observers of wildlife. They spend far more time reading about and watching animals than they do actually making photographs. Today there are many more sources of information about animals than at any previous time. Local libraries have access to books on just about every species known to exist. An incredible source of information about animals is the internet. There are literally hundreds of sites with information on wildlife behavior. Not to be overlooked are outstanding animal videos such as the National Geographic productions, which can be rented or purchased from any number of sources.

The quality of your wildlife images depends upon capturing the most interesting behavior of the animals you wish to photograph. The first and foremost rule of wildlife photography is that a photographer must never do anything which endangers or unduly stresses an animal. It is the animals natural behavior that provides opportunities for interesting photographs, and you should do nothing to alter that behavior. For instance the antics of the fall breeding season (rut) are of great interest to the photographers of elk. In order to record this behavior, you have to know where to find a large number of fairly cooperative elk, and you need to know exactly when the breeding season occurs in that particular location.

Bugling Rocky Mountain Elk

Canon EOS-1V, Canon EF 600mm/4 IS, Ektachrome 100vs

This bugling elk put on a magnificent display of rutting behavior. Knowing something about elk behavior made it possible to be in the right place at the right time in order to create this image.

Alaskan brown bear photographers, on the other hand, will want to capture the concentration of bears as they feed on a run of salmon. They’ll need to know when and where the salmon are running, and how the bears are likely to behave as they’re feeding. Now if you want to capture the pageantry of a caribou migration, you’ll need to identify a location where you can photograph the herd just after the calves are born. You’ll also need to know how you can get close enough to this phenomena to create quality photos. Photographing wolves in the wild is best accomplished at their denning area. Knowing where a pack has established their den, whether pups are present, when they are active, and how the pack is likely to react to the presence of a photographer are essential pieces of information. Even photographing a squirrel in your backyard requires some understanding of the animal’s behavior patterns and tolerance of humans in order to record effective images.

Equipped with some basic knowledge about a species’ behavior, the photographer’s next step is to find a population of animals which is accessible.

Caribou

Nikon FM-2, Nikkor 300mm/4.5, Fujichrome 100

Migrating caribou demonstrate some of the most interesting behavior that I have observed.
Sometimes they’ll break into a run when they spot a patch of snow on the arctic plain. Led
by the new calves, a group of animals will repeatedly run to the top of the snow field and
slide down. Sometimes the cows get involved, but I’ve never seen a bull sliding. I’m not
sure of why they do this, but it looks like they’re having a wonderful time, sliding
hell-bent-for-leather with their long legs askew.

Depending upon which species you want to photograph and
where you live, this could be as close as your own backyard or as distant as another
continent. The excellent national parks and wildlife refuges of the United States and
Canada are home to most of North America’s species. These animals are usually not
hunted and are more tolerant of humans than those living outside of parks and refuges.
Some wildlife photographers take advantage of the opportunities to photograph captive or
semi-tame creatures in zoos or on game farms. Others refuse to do this on ethical grounds,
insisting upon photographing only wild and free animals.

Equally as important as gathering information about various
wildlife species is the acquisition of basic photographic knowledge. Successful wildlife
photographers all started by photographing things which didn’t try to run away!
Photography is one of those endeavors nobody knows everything about. It is a matter of
life-long learning. Beginning and intermediate photographers need to take every workshop,
class, and photo tour that they can afford. They also need to read every photo book and
magazine available. Photographic artistry comes from years of study and practice,
practice, and more practice.

Camera/Lens Support

Perhaps the most important piece of equipment for wildlife photographers is a high quality, heavy-duty tripod. Although there are many brands available, the ultimate tripods are manufactured by Gitzo although Manfrotto, Slik, Benbo, and other companies also produce excellent tripods. Today, the photographer can choose between traditional metal styles and the newer carbon fiber construction. No matter which material you chose, it is essential that the tripod be sturdy enough to support your longest lens at slow shutter speeds, but not so heavy or unwieldy as to keep you from using it. Depending upon your physical strength and the focal length and weight of your longest lens, the best choices are probably Gitzo’s 3 and 4 series or other maker’s tripods of comparable size. The lighter weight of the carbon fiber legs allows the photographer to use models with larger diameter legs.

Bull Moose

Nikon F3, Nikon 400mm/3.5, Fujichrome 100

This resident of Denali National Park was not crazy about my photographing him. When I saw
his hackles go up and his ears lay back, I knew it was time to back off. Moose can be
aggressive and dangerous photo subjects. Knowing a bit about wildlife behavior can prevent photographers from injury.

The most popular tripod heads with wildlife photographers fall into two categories. First are the traditional large, precision ballheads such as those made by Arca-Swiss, Studioball, and Kirk Enterprises. These heads have the great advantage of movement in all directions being controlled by one knob. The second type of head is the gimbal style head such as the Wimberly head or Kirk Enterprises Cobra. The gimbal style is excellent for the fast action of wildlife photography with a long, heavy lens because its design suspends the lens at its balancing point, allowing it to swing easily from side to side and up and down. My favorite example of this style is the Wimberly Sidekick which fits into a traditional ballhead, converting it to a gimbal head. By adding the Sidekick to your arsenal you can have the advantages of both styles at your fingertips.

One other camera/lens support that every wildlife photographer needs is a good window pod. Many of the subjects that you’ll want to photograph are tolerant of vehicles, but will not stay around for a photographer on foot. Kirk Enterprises and L.L. Rue both sell excellent window pods.

Film

Today’s successful wildlife photographers still use the 35mm film format. Digital imaging can’t approach the quality and convenience of film at this time, and other film formats have never really caught on with serious wildlife photographers.

The quality of films available in both transparency and print varieties is amazing. The most popular films are made by Kodak and Fuji. Although, print film is becoming more popular among professionals, most still rely on transparency film. The most utilized films are the slower, fine-grained films such as Fujichrome’s Velvia (ISO 50) and Provia (ISO 100) and Kodak’s Ektachrome 100VS (ISO 100). Generally, wildlife photographers are likely to avoid faster films because they know that they will be sacrificing resolution and saturation by using them. When faster film is needed, they are more likely to push one of the ISO 100 films one stop, exposing it at ISO 200.

Cameras and Lenses

Wildlife photographers buy a camera system. In other words they add pieces of equipment as they need them, and so they choose a manufacturer that produces a wide array of cameras, lenses, and accessories. Many serious wildlife photographers use either Canon or Nikon equipment. Both companies manufacture professional quality cameras and lenses, and they lead the industry in bringing innovations to the market.

Both Canon and Nikon produce a number of cameras in different price ranges that are more than adequate for most wildlife photographers. The flagships are currently the Canon EOS 1V and the Nikon F5. These are amazing instruments, with capabilities that most photographers won’t utilize. Even Nikon’s and Canon’s lowest cost cameras are light year’s more advanced than the best cameras made only a few years ago. Some features are more important than others. Autofocus, a fast motor drive, several exposure modes, depth of field preview, and a choice of metering modes are very important features. Whatever models you choose, be sure you have a second camera body. That way a malfunction in one camera won’t put you out of business.

Columbian White-tailed Deer

Canon EOS-1, Canon EF 500mm/4.5, Fuji Provia

Becoming familiar with a tolerant population of a particular species is helpful. There is
a refuge which protects the endangered Columbian white-tailed deer a couple of hours away from my home. Many hours of observation has helped me anticipate when and where the animals may be photographed.

Most wildlife images are made with telephoto lenses. The ultimate wildlife lenses are the 500mm f4 or 600mm f4 models made by several manufacturers. Also popular are zoom lenses which extend to 300mm or 400mm. Some newer lenses by Canon and Nikon feature image stabilization or vibration reduction technology, a great advancement for wildlife photographers. At a minimum, an aspiring wildlife photographer needs at least a 300mm telephoto. Faster lenses (those with larger maximum apertures) are much more expensive than slower ones, but they are also much smaller and lighter. Serious photographers should buy the fastest long lenses that they can afford (discounted prices can approach five figures for some Canon and Nikon lenses). It is also advisable to buy the same brand of lenses as your cameras. Or, if you can’t afford Canon’s or Nikon’s latest, to buy all of your lenses from the same reputable lens manufacturer such as Tamron, Tokina, or Sigma. Useful accessories include 1.4x (or 1.5x) and 2.0x teleconverters which extend the useful range of your lenses. They should be made by the same manufacturer as your lenses.

Copyright 2000/ Marv Binegar

Marv Binegar is a freelance photographer and writer specializing in the American West. His work has appeared in publications such as OUTDOOR PHOTOGRAPHER, NATURE PHOTOGRAPHY, BACKPACKER, OUTSIDE, NATURE AND TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELER, and many regional magazines. In addition, his photographs are utilized by publishers of calendars, greeting cards, and books.

If you would like to purchase any of Marv’s great photos you may contact him by clicking HERE