In Focus Blog

Focus sessions are free and take place in the Westwood store from 9:30 am - 10 am and our Englewood location from 10:30 am – 11:00 am. All sessions will allow for questions and answers. Please bring your camera and any images along that you have questions about.

Here’s the schedule for August 13 – October 1, 2011

August 13 – All About Camcorders – How To Choose

August 20 – What’s in Your Camera Bag or Should Be

August 27 – Sensor Cleaning

September 3 – Labor Day – No Session

September 10 – Tripods & Monopods

September 17 – How to Photograph at a Vineyard

September 24 – New Jersey Photo Expo tomorrow – No Session

October 1 – Millbrook Winery Trip Review

These are free events - bring a friend along if you’d like. Share with your friends on Facebook – Click the Like button below.

Where to photograph fireworks
Bergen Record guide to Independence Day Celebrations

Star Ledger guide to Independence Day Celebrations

Here are some basic starting points

If you have any questions, stop by the store, email or call. We’re here to help. Please let us know if you get some great shots we’d love to see!
Please feel free to leave your comments and suggestions. Have a great 4th of July Holiday weekend from all of us at BCC.

Find a fireworks display on NJ.com’s July 4th events page

Tripod
Electronic release (available for most cameras at BCC) or 2 second self timer to eliminate the motion caused by pressing the shutter button.
Manually set your camera ISO to 100 (You do not want Auto ISO)
Lens Choice – Wide Angle Zoom to frame what you’d like to capture
Auto White Balance or Daylight
Set your lens to manual focus then focus to infinity (take a test image and make sure things are sharp)
Set your camera to Manual exposure – Try 5 seconds at f/ 16
Carefully release the shutter if not using a release to capture from one to several bursts
Evaluate your exposure – Shorter exposures (or smaller apertures ) will darken the image and capture shorter trails, Longer exposures (or larger apertures ) will lighten the image and capture longer trails.
Evaluate sharpness by zooming in on your image – adjust as needed

If you are using a point a shoot, check your camera’s manual for fireworks mode.

Improving Fireworks photos
Shoot with a tripod – it will give a more natural cascade of light

Shooting the Finale!
The finale is many times brighter than rest of the show. Be ready to choose a shorter exposure or smaller aperture to prevent overexposure. The exposure you need is dependent on the number of simultaneous bursts. In some really incredible finales I’ve found myself shooting at 1/4 or 1/8th of a second. Experiment for best results.

Why use a tripod?

Hand-held image above shows motion from camera shake in the burst of light.

The image below is steadied by a tripod, 5 seconds, f16 at 100 ISO

Other Techniques
Set your camera to B and lock open your shutter – keep the lens covered with a dark hat and remove the hat to capture a burst then recover and repeat to capture several bursts. Just be careful not to bump your camera.
You can even zoom the lens during exposure for some interesting effects

Experiment and best of all have fun

Gallery images below shot mainly at 5 seconds, f16 at 100 ISO

Focus sessions are free and take place in the Westwood store from 9:30 am - 10 am and our Englewood location from 10:30 am – 11:00 am. All sessions will allow for question and answers. Please bring your camera and any images along that you have questions about.

Here’s the schedule for July 2 – August 13, 2011

July 2 – Fireworks Photography

July 9 – Vacation Photography

July 16 – Get Steady – Monopods and Tripods

July 23 – Lenses – From wide and to telephoto – how to select and use.

July 30 - Getting better flash pictures

August 6 – Critique your photos – please bring two prints to discuss what you are doing right and get suggestions to improve

August 13 - Choosing the perfect camcorder

These are free events - bring a friend along if you’d like. Share with your friends on Facebook – Click the Like button below.

Focus sessions are free and take place in the Westwood store from 9:30 – 10 am and our Englewood location from 10:30 am – 11:00 am. All sessions will allow for question and answers. Please bring your camera and any images along that you have questions about.

Here’s the schedule for May 21 – July 2, 2011

May 21 – Sensor Cleaning How to – Learn what’s needed to clean your sensor. This is a great skill to have as dust always happens when your are least prepared!

May 28 – Get Steady – Monopods and Tripods

June 4 – How to photograph at the zoo – great preparation for our June 5 Bronx Zoo trip

June 11 – Longwood Gardens Trip – discussion, critique and suggestions for next steps

June 18 – Online Photofinishing – Books – Albums – Photo Mugs and more!

June 25 -

Westwood – Bronx Zoo trip discussion, critique and suggestions
Englewood Concert Photography

July 2 – Fireworks Photography

These are free events – be sure to bring a friend along if you’d like. Share with your friends on Facebook – Click the Like button below.

Focus sessions are free and take place in the Westwood store from 9:30 – 10 am and our Englewood location from 10:30 am – 11:00 am. All sessions will allow for question and answers. Please bring your camera and any images along that you have questions about.

Here’s the schedule for April and May

April 9 – Learn all about Micro 4/3s cameras then visit us for Olympus demo day in Westwood from 10 am – 4 pm

April 16 – Show us your Photos – Critique – please bring 2 – 3 images for an honest appraisal of your images and how to make them better. (printed photos only – no digital files please)

April 23 – Portraits with your Flash

April 30 – Landscape Photography

May 7 – Outdoor Sports Photography

May 14 – Photography at a Botanical Garden – a great preparation for our Longwood Gardens Trip on May 15

May 21 – Sensor Cleaning How to – Learn what’s needed to clean your sensor. This is a great skill to have as dust always happens when your are least prepared!

May 28 – Get Steady – Monopods and Tripods

These are free events – be sure to bring a friend along if you’d like.

Focus sessions are Free and will take place in the Westwood store from 9:30 – 10 am and our Englewood location from 10:30 am – 11:00 am (except social media profile session).  All sessions will allow for question and answers. Please bring your camera and any images along that you have questions about.

February 26 – Westwood Only – How to get a great LinkedIn or social media profile picture. With the growth of social networking and its growing importance in business, it has become important to make a good first impression online . . .  this starts with a great profile picture. During our 30 minute session, we’ll talk about lighting, posing, flash, studio lights, backgrounds and more. We’ll also talk about shooting pictures with the proper audience in mind – a LinkedIn profile picture may look nothing like your Facebook, MySpace or Twitter profile picture depending on how you use each.

Not ready to go shoot your own portrait? For $50 a professional photographer will take your portrait and provide about 8 images on a CD for you to use. If you are planning to have your photograph taken, please be sure to dress for the type of portrait you are seeking – social networking, professional networking etc. Please call the store if you have any questions – 201-664-4113.

Here’s the schedule going forward
Mar 5 – Digital Video with your DSLR
Mar 12 – Great Party Photos
Mar 19 – Sensor Cleaning – howto
Mar 26 -Night Time Photography – Time Exposures
Apr 2 – What you need for Flower Photography
Apr 9 – Micro 4/3′s cameras what’s it all about

These are free events – be sure to bring a friend along if you’d like.

Thanks to everyone who contributed to our list of greatest holiday photo challenges. Please feel free to post a comment if you have any thoughts or additional questions!

Happy Holidays!

General Lighting Suggestions

• Balance daylight, flash and Christmas lights
• Indoor Photography – Proper Flash Technique

For those of us looking to get a nice balanced exposure when using flash here’s a few things to try. If you camera has a flash compensation (not exposure compensation), try dialing back the power to – 0.7 or -0.5 to moderate the impact the intense flash will have in your image. Turn up your ISO to 400 or 800, this will brighten the backgrounds up and make your pictures look more natural. Not sure how to proceed, check your manual or stop by for a quick tutorial. To balance daylight, flash and Christmas lights in the same image can be a challenge that in some cases goes beyond what your camera may be capable in a single image. For those who are interested, High Dynamic Range (HDR) photography takes the best highlights, shadows and overall exposure for different image elements from two or more images. If you are using an external flash, you can buy various diffusers that help smooth and even out the light put out by the flash. Look on our calendar of events soon for our list of January free “Focus Sessions” that may include Flash Photography and Flash Diffusion. Focus Session take place on various Saturdays at 9:30 am in Westwood and 10:30 am in Englewood and last about 30 minutes.

For indoor shots be sure to remove your polarizer filter – just leave your protective UV on your lens – never stack filters.

Nighttime Photography of Holiday Lights

Photo: Gerri Facchine

To get nighttime photographs of Christmas lights here are some recommended items – warm gloves, hand warmers, hat, an extra battery in a warm pocket, tripod & camera shutter release. The self timer can be used to trigger the shutter in a pinch without shaking the camera. Just set it to two seconds, gently trigger the shutter and make sure you are clear of the camera when the shutter trips (this minimizes any potential shake). It’s also a good idea to bracket your exposures. This means take a variety of exposures so that you will be able to choose the best one. You can easily make these adjustments using the exposure compensation ( the +/- button) on your camera. Take the normal exposure (if too dark – try +1, +2 or +3) (if too light try -1, -2 or -3 ).  With this approach you should be able to capture just the right exposure. If you are doing extended night photography on a really cold night, or you left your camera in a cold car for an extended period, the battery life will be shortened – that’s why you keep a backup in a warm pocket so that you can keep shooting.

Even a point and shoot camera can capture nighttime images (see Rockefeller Center above) just as long as the camera is steadied on a mini tripod or solid surface.

If you have a subject in the foreground, you can use your camera’s slow synch feature with the flash to illuminate the foreground and background. Don’t forget to put your flash back to the normal mode when you are done. Not sure how to set your camera – check your manual or stop by either Bergen County Camera location for a quick tutorial.

Getting Better People Shots

• Making sure everyone looks good
• Kids Opening Presents
• How to photograph children so they look natural – lots of pictures my kid turning or running away from the camera
• Catching good candid shots of people without food or drink in the way

One of the first suggestions you will hear our store manager Paul Carretta suggesting is be ready for the shot. This means your camera is on, your lens cap is off, and your camera is zoomed to the widest setting so you a ready to go at a seconds notice. How many times have you or have you seen someone pick up a camera to take a picture with a lens cap on or the camera turned off! If you have a red-eye reduction mode on your camera that produces a barrage of flash and lights, turn if off – especially with large groups. With red-eye flash modes, most people are uncertain which flash is the real flash and tend to be in many states of preparedness – this hurts your candid photography. A little preparation goes a long way to getting candid uncluttered images. When setting up, be aware of your background, watch for plants behind people heads, do some quick cleanup of anything that may clutter up your image.

Use your high speed setting to take a rapid sequence of images – just be sure to pick the best one. Choosing the best image can be a challenge, so if you are having a tough time, stop by the store we’ll be glad to help.

When it comes to opening presents, candid photography in this situation is usually the best mixed in with a few attempts to pose the shot. Often with kids the more you can blend in the smoother this whole process will go. Experiment with flash and existing light – no flash – high ISO which will help you blend in more to capture those candid moments. Always take a few test shots to make sure your settings work. Take lots of shots and review your results, get a critique and modify your technique as you learn what works and what doesn’t”

How to capture a performance – plays and ballet

An adjustable SLR camera with a fast lens, tripod or monopod, with a powerful add on flash is your best bet to capture performance photography. Always check the venue to be sure what type of photography and whether flash is allowed. A very important reminder is your built in flash on Point and Shoot and SLR cameras reach no further than 10 feet! If you attempt pictures further away, you capture a very dark image and the brightly illuminated seat back just in front of you. A hot shoe mounted flash can boost your flash range to over 50 feet.

With an add on flash or with built in flash closer than 12′

A monopod is great for taking the weight off and allowing your camera to be in a ready position. Shoot with your camera on program to start and make adjustments with your +/- (exposure compensation) depending on whether your pictures are looking too bright or too dark. If you are using your built in flash try raising your ISO – with a powerful shoe mounted flash try ISO 800 or higher.

Without flash

A monopod, fast (low f number lens) this is where a 50mm f1.4 lens can greatly enhance your existing light photography in combination with a higher ISO – ( 800, 1600 or 3200). Just be aware that the higher you raise your ISO the more noise (like film grain) your image will have. Raise the ISO only high enough to capture your subject. The example above was photographed with a 85mm lens at ISO 400 at 1/125th at f2.8.  If you lens is a f5.6 you would need to set your ISO to 1600 to achieve the same f-stop and shutter speed. Another tip is to shoot at the peak of action (i.e. someone is neither going up or going down for a brief instant) or to wait for a lull in the action.

Filters

For digital there is really only one “must have” filter to bring along for great fall foliage pictures – a polarizer. A polarizer creates dramatic fall foliage pictures by darkening the sky, increasing contrast and deepening colors and removing the sheen from the leaves. Most other filter effects such as, enhancing reds and oranges, sepia and graduated effects can be easily created in Photoshop. Your standard protective UV filter should be removed before putting your polarizer on – never stack filters. Also, don’t forget to remove your polarizer when you move back inside as it reduces light by one to two f-stops.

A second type of filter is an enhancing filter which does just what the name implies – enhances – especially the bright primary colors of autumn (reds, oranges and browns).  A third filter is a Color / Neutral Graduated filter which utilizes a color (or gray) that gradually diminishes from dark to light across the filter. These filters are often used to deepen the sky or to balance the exposure between foreground and background, which helps you keep the sky blue rather than blown out.

Tips

Fall Foliage Websites

The Foliage Network

Fall Foliage Hotlines – click on a state below

New Jersey 

mid to late October 

Connecticut

 Late Sep - mid October 

Maine 

Early Sep - mid October

Massachusetts

October 

New Hampshire 

Late Sep - mid October

New York

Late Sep - late Oct

Pennsylvania 

Early October

Vermont 

Early Sep-Late October

Virginia 

Sep - Late Nov

Delaware 

Late October

Maryland 

Late Sep Late October

Rhode Island 

Late Sep - mid October

Full Seminar information

Visit – Bergen County Camera’s NJ Photo Expo website

NJ PHOTO EXPO SLATED FOR SUNDAY, OCTOBER 3.
Highlighted by demos, seminars, world-class photographers.

The NJ Photo Expo is expected to draw large crowds to the Park Ridge Marriott on Sunday, October 3, 2010 as snapshooters, hobbyists and serious photographers gather to learn, listen and explore the latest and greatest in photography.

Attendance at the NJ Photo Expo is free with advance registration at www.NJPhotoExpo.com. The Expo is open from 10 am – 6 pm.  Seminar registration will be announced shortly to everyone registered for the Expo.

Demonstrations, exhibitions and seminars will give Expo visitors opportunities to:

• Learn how to shoot live models, portraits, close-ups, landscapes and more.
• Listen and learn from world-class photographers including Baron Wolman (Rolling Stone’s first staff photographer), Harry Benson (World famous photographer)  and Tom Franklin (whose 9/11 World Trade Center photo for The Record won accolades worldwide). More speakers will be announced shortly.
• See and try the newest and coolest camera equipment
• Learn how to shoot video with your camera
• Shop early for the upcoming holidays, with expert guidance
• Enjoy collectible photographic art from masters and up-and-coming photographers featured at galleries worldwide.

Launched by Bergen County Camera of Westwood and Englewood in celebration of the store’s 30^th anniversary, the NJ Photo Expo is presented by Canon Cameras and Video, and Nikon Cameras.

More than 20 leading photo brands will be represented at the Expo.