Bergen County Camera news, events, products, helpful photographic tips and suggestions
On Wednesday, July 16th from 11:00 am until 6:00 pm Nikon representatives will be joining us in store for your opportunity to learn about and try out the new Nikon D810. Presentations on the features and benefits of the D810 will be given at 11:00 am and 2:00 pm in the store.
This is your chance to get the new D810 in your hands before it arrive in stores!
You can pre-order your D810 at the event or right now by calling or visiting Bergen County Camera in Westwood.
We’re excited to announce the next Your Point of View Show! Strap yourself in because this show’s theme is “Motion”.
Entrees are limited to one image per photographer. Multiple submissions will result in disqualification.
All submitted images should be color corrected and cropped to an 11×14 aspect ratio.
All entrees must be sent to customerservice@bergencountycamera.com by 6 pm on August 10th, 2014.
A panel of judges will select sixteen finalists.
All images will be shown on Bergen County Camera’s Facebook page and BergenCountyCamera.com and the 16 finalists images will be framed and hung in the gallery for the show.
The finalists will need to submit their own 11×14 print or purchase an 11×14 print through Bergen County Camera. Finalists will be offered a Special Price for images printed through Bergen County Camera. We will mat and frame all finalist images.
The opening will be on Thursday, September 4th from 7-9 pm in Westwood.
A sale price of $200 will be placed on all finalist art. You are welcome to refuse to sell your photo during the show.
Bergen County Camera shall be entitled to a 20% commission for any featured art sold during this show.
We look forward to seeing some fascinating work. Good luck!
Nikon has announced a new upgrade to their popular D800 series, the D810. Featuring a 36.3 megapixel sensor with no Optical Low Pass Filter, similar to the D800E and a brand new Expeed 4 Processor which is 30% faster, provides less noise, supports 1080p 60fps video, and allows up to 1,200 shots or 40 minutes of video per battery charge. The ISO range has been increased with a minimum ISO of 32 (was 50) and a maximum of 51,200 (was 25,600). A brand new highlight metering mode has been added which should help with shooting spot lit environments, such as a play or concert. The biggest advancement on the D810 though is in its video features. The D810 features an internal stereo microphone with optional preset frequency ranges for better audio. It is both compatible with external recorders and allows for dual recording to both the memory card slot and the external recorder. The rear LCD screen has also been enlarged from 3 to 3.2 inches.
Pre-order your Nikon D810 now at Bergen County Camera by stopping in, messaging us on facebook, or giving us a call.
Bergen County Camera employee and photography expert Alan Schwab recently hosted our focus session on fireworks photography and created this tip sheet!
Bergen Record – July 4th Celebrations List Check bestofnj.com for a list of upcoming fireworks shows
How to Shoot Fireworks
1. Set your camera to Bulb Mode. If there is no Bulb mode on your mode dial, check in Manual Mode. Change the shutter speed to the longest possible (Often switches from 30 seconds to “Bulb”). In Bulb Mode, the shutter will stay open as long as you hold down the shutter release.
2. Use a Low ISO. (100 or 200)
3. No Long Exposure Noise Reduction, high ISO NR can stay on but is not needed.
4. Set your Aperture between f/8 and f/11
5.Set your White Balance to Auto
6. No Mirror Lock Up
7. Focus your lens manually on infinity. Test where infinity is by focusing on the furthest possible object your lens can resolve sharply.
8. No Dynamic Lighting or Auto Light Optimizer
9. Vivid color mode, leave saturation at normal, landscape (picture style) for Canon users.
10. Turn the Image Stabilizer (IS or VR) off
11. Metering – Matrix or evaluative
12. You will not need to meter anything while shooting. (f/11, Bulb mode, ISO 100)
13. Tripod, short zoom lens 18-70, 24-70, 18-105, 18-140, 24-105, cable release (No need to lock)
14. Tripod will possibly need to be re-positioned (tilt etc.) once show starts. I’ll shoot vertical more often then horizontal.
15. Vary your focal length for composition
16. Fire Shutter (Cable Release) hold rather then lock. Hold for multiple bursts. (2-up to 8 maybe more) Check monitor, exposures should average 2-4 seconds although exposures can last up to 15 seconds. Disregard the histogram.
17. Finale shots need to happen quicker then the rest of the show. These shots can become over exposed quickly due to the number of fireworks exploding. Shutter speeds during the finale can range between 1 second and – 1/30th of a second.
18. JPEG or RAW format. RAW is not necessary unless you feel the need to recover highlights. Shoot JPEG or RAW together or just JPEG. Use a fast card for recovery of write speed times. Raw will offer more color bit information.
19. Bring extra cards, batteries, mini flashlight. The show may be 30 minutes to an hour long. Be careful inserting a memory card in the dark.
20. Add an element of scenic interest to your pictures. Look for a location which has a bridge, skyline, or crowd.
Check out our earlier blog post on Fireworks Photography
As always, if you have any questions about this or any other photographic subject, feel free to stop by, give us a call, message us on facebook, or comment below.
Out most popular trip is coming around again. Join Bergen County Camera and Tamron on October 12, 2014 as we return to the Lakota Wolf Preserve.
Featuring numerous opportunities to get unobstructed pictures of the wolves in their natural settings. Since you will be photographing the wolves where they live, in a stress free environment, you will get the best possible photo opportunities. Come as close as 3-4 feet of the wolves during our private photography session. We will end our morning at the Brook Hollow Winery for a wrap up session and complimentary wine tasting.
There will be a pre-trip lecture on Creating Great Images at Lakota Wolf in our Westwood store, the date is October 9th. The lecture will cover the layout and rules of Lakota, what to expect, what lenses are best suited, and how to get that great shot! The lecture will be presented by Tamron.
Tamron will be providing free loaner lenses for Nikon, Canon, Sony, and even Pentax cameras. Bonus rebates on all current Tamron lenses will also be offered.
BCC will open a half hour before our 6:00 am bus departure for coffee, bagels and any last minute photography needs. Tickets are $250.00 each and include round trip bus transportation and admission. The bus will depart around 11:00am with a scheduled arrival of 1:00 pm back at the store. This trip is limited to 30 people so be sure to reserve early.
Tickets are available now on Eventbrite.
Congratulations to the sixteen finalists for our second Your Point of View show!
This Thursday, June 26th from 6 pm until 8 pm, Bergen County Camera is hosting a Canon Dads and Grads Printer Event. Bring in your favorite image of your dad or graduate and we will print out a 13×19 of your image for free using a Canon Pixma Pro Printer! There will also be specials on Canon Printers limited to Thursday night only. Refreshments will be served.
Amazing photos, everyone! Thank you again to everyone who participated in our second “Your Point of View” show. Information about our third show is coming soon!
The Sony RX100 Mark III is now in stock. Featuring an impressive combination of a pop up viewfinder, a 24-70 f/1.8-2.8 Zeiss lens, and a 21 Megapixel 1 inch BSI-CMOS sensor. Stop in this week to try out Sony’s newest camera.
Looking to take a great photo of Dad? Indoors or outdoors, we’ve got some tips to improve your images.
Outdoors portraits require attention to light. Watch for irregular shadows on your subjects. Remember to use your flash to fill in the shadows, even if you’re outside in daylight. This is especially important if Dad is wearing a hat.
Use Aperture Priority on your camera to blur out the background in your images. This creates a less distracting and pleasant background for your subject. The lower your f-stop, the more background blur. But pay attention to your shutter speed. Adjust ISO to keep your shutter speed between 1/60th and 1/2000th of a second.
Indoor flash photography is tricky. Harsh shadows can become distractions in flash photography. Use a flash diffuser. Diffusers soften the light produced by flashes and create visually pleasing images. Also try bouncing your flash off the ceiling. This will move the shadows closer to the ground and usually out of your images.
Remember that some of the best photos you will take of your family is of them acting naturally. Don’t wait for everyone to get together and post to take your photo. Take some photos throughout the day.
Outdoors or indoors, the right lenses go a long way. Indoors use a lens with a low aperture. We rent several 70-200mm f/2.8 lenses for both Nikon and Canon cameras. This lens is ideal for indoor, low light shooting. When shooting outdoors, aperture is less of a factor. You’d be better with a lens giving you more distance. We rent a Canon 100-400mm and a Tamron 200-500mm lens for Nikon which would be ideal for outdoor graduation ceremonies.
If you’re taking blurry photos, raise your ISO. ISO is the sensitivity of your camera’s sensor to light. Make sure your shutter speed is at least 1/60th of a second. The higher the shutter speed, the less motion blur in your photos.
Practice makes perfect. Prepare yourself for the diploma transfer photo by practicing taking photos of earlier students making their walk.
Take your time. The leading cause of bad photos is panic and excitement. Take your time, focus your self, focus your camera, and take the right photo. Yes, burst mode is wonderful, but one great photo is better then a dozen blurry.
Have questions? Stop in to Bergen County Camera and let us help you become the photographer you want to be.