The weekend’s precipitous frozen flurry presented a wondrous opportunity to capture the majesty of winter’s cloak. Armored in boots, cap and gloves, I marched into the white of Sunday morning’s golden light with my Nikon D-SLR and a spare battery, of course, warm and snug in the pocket of my Gortex jacket!

Strong diagonal rays and shadows accentuate a classic winter scene.

©Franklin Viola

IPTC Data: Nikon D2Xs, Nikon 12-24 at 12mm, ISO 200, f/8 at 1/125sec (Manual mode), Tripod

Emphasizing powder coating with ‘close-focus wide-angle’ imaging

©Franklin Viola

IPTC Data: Nikon D2Xs, Nikon 12-24 at 22mm, ISO 200, f/5.6 at 1/250sec (Manual mode)

Recently on assignment in Panama, I used my Nikon 200-400 VR AF-S lens and Nikon D300 camera to capture this image of a Female Black-Chinned Hummingbird (Archilochus alexandri) drinking nectar from a Hibiscus flower.

©Franklin Viola

IPTC Data: Nikon D300, Nikon 200-400 VR AF-S f/4 at 400mm (effective 600mm on DX body), ISO 640, f/8 at 1/200sec, iTTL fill-flash with Nikon SB800 (EV-2.0), Tripod

Observing the tiny birds ‘routine flight path’ to specific flowers for over an hour, I pre-set focus in AF, then switched to Manual focus to ‘lock’ my composition. Using a Nikon wired shutter-release, Bogen carbon-fiber tripod and Wimberly gimbal-head, the 200-400mm never flinched even in my excitement as the ‘hummer’ flew into position. iTTL fill-flash from a Nikon SB800 (hand-held via SC17 cable) applied just the right  ’stop-action’ to complement the gyrating wing-blur. This artificial ‘light’ also added color ‘pop’, an often under-used tool in outdoor photography!

Nikon’s 200-400mm VR f/4 AF-S lens works with all Nikon ‘full-frame’, as well as Nikon APS-size sensor (DX) D-SLRs. You too can ‘reach out’ with this lens through BCC’s rental department. Call 201.664.4113 or come by the Westwood store for more details.

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.

Hit the “Like Button” to let your friends know. Have suggestions for future focus sessions? Feel free to leave a comment.

Here’s the schedule for January and February:

January 7 – Great Portraits With Your Flash

January 14 – Great Winter Landscape Photos

January 21 – Online Photo Services – How to Use etc.

January 28 – Show Us Your Photos / Critique – All photos in print form

February 4 – Sensor Cleanings

February 11 – Indoor Sports Photography

February 18 – Getting Started with Photo Books

February 25 – Tripods and Monopods

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

Filters

A polarizing filter is really the only “must have” filter to bring along for great digital fall foliage pictures. 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. This filter is especially effective with 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 washed out.

Tips

Fall foliage websites and hotlines

The Foliage Network

New Jersey 

mid to late October 

Connecticut

 Late September - mid October 

Maine 

Early September - mid October

Massachusetts

October 

New Hampshire 

Late September - mid October

New York

Late September - late October

Pennsylvania 

Early October

Vermont 

Early September - Late October

Virginia 

September - Late November

Delaware 

Late October

Maryland 

Late September - Late October

Rhode Island 

Late September - mid October

Remember to visit Bergen County Camera in Englewood or Westwood, NJ for filters, tripods, lenses, cameras and prints.

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 October and November

October 1 – Millbrook Winery Trip Review

October 8 – Show us your Photos – Please bring no more than 2 prints for review

October 15 – Outdoor Sports Photography

October 22 – What’s in Your Camera Bag or Should Be

October 29 – Halloween Photos

November 5 – How to Shoot a Great Holiday Card Photo

November 12 – Getting Better Flash Photos

November 19 – How to Shoot Great Party Photos

November 26 – Thanksgiving Weekend – No Focus Session in Either Location

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

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.

In a brief period of time, HD video capability has exploded into the digital SLR world, adding impressive imaging capabilities to today’s Canon EOS SLR cameras.

Join Bergen County Camera at the Park Ridge Marriott on Wednesday, May 25, 2011 from 7 – 9 pm – tickets are $25 per person

If you are a first-time SLR user, or a long-time SLR enthusiast who has shot still images for years, and wonder how to really begin to use these new features to expand your image-making, Canon’s newest two-hour EOS Discovery Day class may be just what you’re looking for.

During this course you will:

• Understand the foundation of video camera operations.
• Discover how the video process works from pre-visualizing before shooting through editing and creating a finished product that’s ready for anything from the web to a high-definition DVD disk.
• Learn the different camera settings and their impact of video such as frames per second, different resolution choices and even discuss optimum memory cards for video use.

Unlock your visual potential between you and your Canon EOS Camera with The World of HD Video with EOS digital SLRs. Attendees will receive at no extra cost a printed 77-page guide, covering the material we’ll discuss in this two-hour presentation.