Bergen County Camera news, events, products, helpful photographic tips and suggestions
We are happy to fulfill one of our top customer requests — stay open late on Thursday Night. A recent customer survey showed nearly 70% wanted our pre-pandemic late night reinstated. We will be rolling this our starting June 1, 2023. Our store hours are Monday – Saturday 10 am – 5 pm and Thursday evening’s until 9 pm
Each Spring, as the temperatures rise, songbirds return to their breeding ranges in North America. Many find their way to the Northeastern U.S. where birders and photographers alike flock to city parks to catch a glimpse of these colorful birds. While these locations make for easier sightings, they’re not always ideal for photography. The birds at these parks are merely stopping by to rest and forage before continuing their journey. They don’t sit still for long, and they seldom come down from the canopy. If they do, they usually visit a water source or feeder. Whatever it is they do, it’s also usually brief.
That is why you wants to find these birds in their preferred nesting habitat. Here, these birds are more consistent and active. Males lay claim to territory by singing from select perches to attract mates and thwart other males. When they hear an intruder, they investigate. When they see an intruder, they take action. They do all of this in a fairly confined area, where they’re movements and behaviors can become predictable to the observational birder. This is where I photograph them.
If you’d like to try your hand at songbird photography, why not do so with a little guidance. This Spring, join me, Matt Malwitz, for an in-the-field songbird photography workshop. This won’t be your typical “point and shoot” type of workshop either. I want to teach you a thing or two. During this outing, we’ll cover my process of find and photographing these birds. We’ll discuss how to find and identify songbirds, how to approach and move around wildlife, and different photographic techniques, all while photographing birds in the field.
Our goal will be to capture stunning images of two or three species, prioritizing quality shots over quantity of birds. We won’t get good looks at everything, and some birds are trickier than others, but that’s all part of the fun. As the saying goes, “if it were easy, everyone would do it”. So, why not give bird photography a chance.
Spaces are limited, so choose your date soon.
For more information on songbird photography, why not check out our webinar here.
All the best,
Matt
Below you will find the images along with the photographer’s name. Below all the photos is the assignments that were chosen. Lots of great images with many pushing to learn new techniques in the process. Great assignment everyone! As always, let us know if you have any questions about anything photographic. We’ll have our new assignment ready to go in about a month — details to follow.
Read moreNewly arrived in our used equipment department. Contax T3 camera includes case , strap, and original manual in mint condition. If you are interested, please give us a call 201-664-4113 or email CustomerService@bergencountycamera.com
Thursday July 28, 2022 – 6pm talk – 7-9 book signing
Learn more by watching the preview video below or reading below. Hope you can join us!
Both the talk and book signing are Free – Please RSVP either or both these events
Jean Fruth will be visiting Bergen County Camera in Westwood, NJ on Thursday, July 28th from 6 pm – 9 pm for a talk and book signing. At the center of this event is her new book “Grassroots baseball – photographs by Jean Fruth” You can meet Jean Fruth and have your book[s] personalized at this free event. No purchase is required to attend either of these events.
6 pm – 7 pm – Jean will present a short talk on the book
7 pm – 9 pm – Book signing with Jean Fruth
We hope you can join us for Jean Fruth’s Grassroots Baseball – Route 66 edition.
About the book: Grassroots baseball – photographs by Jean Fruth
Hardcover – 256 pages – $70 Purchase is not required to attend this free event.
“I’ve learned that the game is more than just a sport – it is dreams and aspirations for so many youngsters wherever I go. The culture of baseball is so much bigger than just what happens on the field.”
Jean Fruth Bio
Sports Photographer Jean Fruth does more than take pictures. She tells stories — of vibrant personalities, local cultures, and distinctive communities. From a small darkroom to the most iconic stadiums flooded with lights, Jean’s trajectory as one of photography’s preeminent visual storytellers has taken her on a round-the-horn tour of the world’s most indelible landmarks – from the world of baseball to the world at large. Sports have always been Jean’s most compelling subject, and from her earliest days in sports photography, she covered everything from wrestling to sailing to basketball — and on any given Friday, she could be found taking full advantage of those Friday night lights, shooting northern California’s storied football rivalries.
Soon Jean was called up to the big leagues herself, as she spent nearly a decade shooting the crown jewels of Bay Area sports — the Giants, the A’s, the 49ers. Her portfolio quickly expanded when she was invited to Cooperstown and the National Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum, where she helped build the museum’s archive and bring to life the story of baseball. America’s most eminent historical institutions – including the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum and the Smithsonian — have featured her work.
What drives Jean now is to serve communities through her storytelling – as the co-founder of Grassroots Baseball, a non-profit that promotes participation in baseball at the youngest levels, and as a traveling photographer for La Vida Baseball and La Vida Sports, digital media companies that shares the stories of Latino sports around the globe. As one of Sony’s select Artisans of Imagery, and through her popular workshops, she shares her techniques, her insights, and her love of images — both the power of pictures and the stories they tell.
Jean’s first book, Grassroots Baseball: Where Legends Begin, was released in 2019. Her latest, Grassroots Baseball: Route 66, was just released in June 2022, with proceeds benefitting the non-profit program.
Creators, meet the camera you’ve been looking for. The Z 30 is packed with the features you need, like a front-facing screen, crisp 4K video, crystal-clear audio and worry-free autofocus. Designed to inspire your best work with easy operation, smart connectivity and convenience.
Read morePhoto Assignment: Water Details of the assignment and discussion during our online webinar. We hope you join the fun.
Experience Level: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced.
Due Date: Images emailed to focus@bergencountycamera.com by July 15th. Be sure to include you name and brief description of image
Follow the instructions, get your shot and submit to our email. We’ll have a online Focus Session on July 23rd to review and discuss all the submissions. Sign up for the July 23 review webinar – 9:30 am
Watch the Assignment Webinar and learn about the assignment
Assignment instructions handout
As always we are here to help with any questions you have about your photography.
Special thanks to Matt Malwitz for sharing the “water” images below.
The Tulips are finally going to peak and we’ll be there on Friday April 15 from Noon until 5 pm.
Please purchase your tickets online on Holland Ridge Farm’s website before departing. Holland Ride Farm is located about 2 hours from Bergen County. Google Maps
Suggestions for this meetup
Paul Carretta will be on location from 12 pm – 5 pm to help guide you through taking great shots of the tulip fields.
Please purchase your tickets online in advance on the Holland Ridge Farm website
Macro and wide angle lenses recommended
You may be shooting at very low angles to make great photographs so do not wear dress clothes or shoes.
Low angle tripods, diffusors, and reflectors are also a good idea to bring along but not necessary
You are responsible for tickets to enter and getting yourself to the meetup
Questions? Please give the store a call.
Join us Saturday April 9, at 9:30 a.m. for a one hour webinar presented by Sigma’s Marc Farb.
Chasing Light: Learn how to choose the right lens for the task at hand. Join photographer and Sigma tech rep, Marc Farb for a lesson on going past the kit lens and picking the next lens to make more impactful images. He will explain depth of field, bokeh and how to get the most out of your tools to make great images.
Signup on our Bergen County Camera Summit for this free webinar.