Father’s Day and Graduation Photo Tips

Alfred Hess

Father’s Day:

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.

Graduation Photos:

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.

Canon Father’s Day Lens Rebates

Brendan Rahl

Visit Our Canon Store   Visit our Homepage   View our Current Rebates

For personalized help and assistance call 201-664-4113

CanonGenius.com/bergen

Dealer prices may vary. Instant rebates and mail-in rebates available on select products only. Eligible product(s) must be purchased by an end user customer from a participating authorized Canon U.S.A. dealer in the 50 United States, the District of Columbia or Puerto Rico between the start date of the respective promotion through the end date of the respective promotion, or while supplies last, whichever is earlier. Used or refurbished products are not eligible. Limit one instant or mail-in rebate per eligible product purchased during the promotion period. Purchases made from a dealer are subject to the dealer’s shopping terms and restrictions and return policies. In the event of questions regarding claims, program or policy, Canon will review all documentation and make the final determination of claim eligibility. All decisions made by Canon and/or its agents are final. Void where prohibited, taxed or restricted by law. Prices shown are estimated retail prices and are subject to change without notice. Actual prices are set by individual dealers and may vary. Certain images and effects simulated. Products not shown to scale. Specifications and availability subject to change without notice. Not responsible for typographical errors. ©2014 Canon U.S.A., Inc. Canon, ELPH, EOS, EOS Rebel, SELPHY, PIXMA, PowerShot and VIXIA are registered trademarks of Canon Inc. in the United States.

Your Point of View: Red, White, or Blue Gallery Opening

Alfred Hess

YPOVopeningYou’re invited to join us at Bergen County Camera on Thursday, June 19th fron 7 pm – 9 pm for the opening of “Your Point of View: Red, White, or Blue”. This is our second Your Point of View show featuring sixteen photographs by sixteen different photographers. We received nearly 90 submissions this time and our judges, featuring Melchior DiGiacomo, have made their picks. Stop in to celebrate not only the selected artists, but the love of photography. Refreshments will be served.

Didn’t make it into this “Your Point of View” show? News about our next open show is coming soon!

Upcoming BCC Employee Events

Alfred Hess
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A selection from Keli Dougherty’s project, entitled “Chairs”.

Keli Dougherty, a BCC staffer, Rosemary Iannone and Virginia Grieco Demario, BCC customers, will be exhibiting their photography as part of the 6th Annual Paterson Art Walk, which begins at 11:00 A.M. June 14 and ends at 4:00 P.M. on June 15 in the historic district.

The exhibitions and music events are centered around the Art Factory, a former textile mill complex that is now gallery spaces and artist studios, located at 70 Spruce Street in Paterson, N.J.The three met as students at William Paterson University and have been exhibiting together for several years, including past Paterson Art Walks, Art on the Avenue in Caldwell and group shows in Lyndhurst.

 

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Alfred Hess’ “Who Watches”

Also, this Sunday, June 8th from 1 pm – 4 pm, BCC Employee Alfred Hess is hosting an opening at Biddy O’Malley’s in Northvale, NJ. The show, entitled “Broken Places” is a selection of photos of local abandoned or ageing locations.

Biddy O’Malley’s is located at 191 Paris Ave. in Northvale, NJ. If you can’t make it in Sunday, the show will be up until the end of June.

Free Saturday Focus Sessions – June and July

Alfred Hess

Focus sessions are free and take place in the Westwood store from 9:30 am – 10 am. All sessions will allow for questions and answers. Please bring your camera and any images along that you have questions about. Feel free to use the comment option to make suggestions for future focus sessions.

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Hit the “Like Button” to let your friends know. Have suggestions for future focus sessions? Feel free to leave a comment. (Comments actually work now!)

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Here’s our upcoming Focus Sessions:

June 7 – Video With Your SLR

June 14 – Rockland Boulders Trip Review

June 21 – Bronx Zoo Trip Review

June 28 – How to Shoot Fireworks

July 5 – Raw vs. JPEG

July 12 – Beach Photography

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!

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Leica T Photo Walk

Alfred Hess

LeicaCome join us for a unique hands on experience with the new Leica T on Saturday, June 7, 2014. Leica representative, Jim Wagner, will be on hand to answer questions and distribute loaner cameras for a photo walk in downtown Westwood. Space is limited and advanced registration is required.

Don’t miss the opportunity to shoot with this wonderful new camera that offers Leica quality with advanced features in a small package. While you’re here, please take a moment to look at the complete line of fine quality Leica products at the Leica Boutique Bergen County.

Anyone attending the walk about should bring a current driver’s license and credit card along with an SD card to use that can be formatted.

Eventbrite - Leica T Walk About - June 7

Visit our blog for more Leica news and information.

Bronx Zoo Trip

Alfred Hess

Join Bergen County Camera on Sunday, June 1, 2014, for a bus excursion from our store in Westwood to the world famous Bronx Zoo. The Bronx Zoo is the largest metropolitan zoo in the nation, with more than 6,000 animals and many award-winning exhibits. You’ll have plenty of opportunity to capture some stunning images of the large array of wild creatures. BCC staff will be available to assist you with your photography throughout the day.

BCC will open for a half hour before the 9:00am bus departure for coffee, bagels and any last minute photography needs. Tickets are $129.99 each and cover a pre-trip class on wildlife photography, round trip bus transportation, admission and lunch. The bus will leave about 4:30pm with a scheduled arrival of 6:00pm back at the store.

There will be a pre-trip lecture on wildlife photography in our Westwood store on Monday, May 19, 2014 from 7-8pm. The lecture will cover the layout and rules of the Bronx Zoo, tips for getting the best photos through glass, the best times to visit each exhibit and lots of other helpful information to get the most out of your time at the zoo.

Special Note: Tripods are not permitted in the Butterfly Zone and the Children’s Zoo. In Congo Gorilla Forest, tripods are not permitted in the Gorilla Tunnel area and in the front area of the Great Gorilla Gallery. Tripods may also be restricted in other Zoo exhibits, at the discretion of Zoo staff.

Eventbrite - Bergen County Camera Photo Trips 2014

Rockland Boulders Dug Out Meet-Up Trip

Alfred Hess

Join Bergen County Camera and Canon USA for an exciting opportunity to photograph a Rockland Boulders baseball game from the Dugout! We have reserved Thursday, May 29, 2014 at 6:30PM. This is a meet-up trip and does not include transportation.  Parking is $5 per vehicle. Ballpark food and refreshments will be served in the Dugout before the start of the game at 7PM.  Our group will have exclusive access to the Dugout right next to the Boulders dugout. Canon will have camera bodies and lenses for you to try out during the event. Representatives from Canon will be on hand to answer questions and help you get the best shots at the game. We will have a Canon printer set-up in the dugout to make a high quality print from you favorite image of the night!

A pre-trip lecture will be held in our Westwood store on Tuesday, May 27, 2014 from 7pm to 8pm. The pre-trip lecture will cover what you should expect, what to bring, and how to get the best shots! Tickets are $50 each and include access to the Dugout and ballpark refreshments. Tickets will be distributed at the Tuesday night class.  If you can’t make it please make arrangements to pick up your tickets at Bergen County Camera in Westwood before the trip. Tripods and monopods are recommended for this trip.

Canon has confirmed that we will have several telephoto lenses including the 400mm /5.6 L USM, 300mm /2.8L I.S. II USM, 200mm /2L IS USM, 70-200mm /2.8L I.S. II USM, 100-400mm /4.5-5.6L I.S. USM, 70-300mm /4-5.6L IS USM, 14mm /2.8L II USM, as well at the Canon 1DX, 6D, 5D Mark III, and 70D,  Rebel T5i all available to try out!

Eventbrite - Bergen County Camera Photo Trips 2014

 

Advanced Registration is Required.