Fill Flash

When people ask me, "What's the one thing I can do to improve my pictures?"

I answer: "Fill flash."

I've been thinking a lot about this technique lately. Mainly, because I don't know if I would have survived the last couple weeks without it.

I've mentioned on the TDS podcast that I'm in the middle of a big project with a local credit union. It's a series of outdoor portraits in various locations throughout Northern California.

I've faced two major challenges, and one has led to the other. The first is balancing a variety of schedules for the photo shoots. Since the subjects are not professional models, we have to squeeze our sessions in to what little time is available for them.

As it's turned out, we're shooting in mid-to-late afternoon light. In August, that's some pretty contrasty stuff. Which leads me to my second challenge, getting great portraits in harsh light.

I've depended on my trusty friend, fill flash, to survive. If you want to see the rig I'm using, take a look at this article that I just published on c't Digital Photography Magazine, The Low-Tech Solution to Wireless Fill Flash.

The thing about using flash is that it's counter-intuitive for beginning photographers. I turn off the flash when the light is low (going with fast lenses and ambient illumination), and I turn it on outdoors for portraits when it's incredibly bright. Nuts, right?

Not really. The flash evens out those terrible facial shadows when the sun is high. My other favorite scenario is for sunset portraits. A little pop of light on the subject with a colorful sky is truly magical. 

So if someone asks you, what is the one thing they can do to improve their photography?

You know what to say.

-Derrick

The Castaway Cafe

A photocopied menu for the Castaway Cafe fell out of my shoe this morning. 

It was 6am, and I was looking down the sight of a 12-hour day, most of it challenging. I'm not sure how this memory from Maui got in my shoe. But there it was. 

And it made me smile.  

We had breakfast there. It was a perfect morning seasoned with  light breezes and blue skies. We enjoyed our food outside, beneath a couple palm trees. I remember saying, "I never want to leave this place." 

But of course I had to. 

This has been a tough week. But this morning made it just a little better.  

Thanks to a folded menu that slid out of my shoe, 

from the Castaway Cafe.  

 -Derrick

Taking the Picture Is the Easiest Part

What a life! Just taking pictures all day. Doesn't everyone want to be a photographer?

That's true if you don't need money. But if you want to be paid for your work, photography isn't that much different than any other business.

For example, here are the highlights from my current ToDo list for a corporate project:

• Schedule meetings to define parameters and responsibilities
• Negotiate agreements for the different aspects of the project
• Corral approvals for the desired locations and find out the requirements
• Apply for permits and request liability insurance endorsements for each
• Assemble production team, define their responsibilities and negotiate pay
• Collect signed W4 forms from each team member
• Coordinate schedules for shooting locations, participants, client, and production team
• Prepare and test equipment used for the project
• Organize model releases and shot lists
• Find props, purchase snacks, and approve wardrobe
• Secure backup locations for each shoot
• Figure out what you've forgotten to do, then do it at the last minute

And when everything is in place, take the picture.

I like the last step best.

-Derrick

Insatiable Instagram

I'm not 22 years old with a curvy figure and long, flowing hair.

And yet, I'm still having a blast sharing my photos on Instagram. Over the last two years, the ritual of finding an image for my daily post has made me a better photographer. And to be honest, I'm having more fun than ever.

I've tried to figure out what the hook is. The more I think about it, the more Instagram reminds me of photography as an 12-year old kid with an Instamatic. I would shoot anything that looked interesting: friends, pets, home, vacation, cars, bikes, toys, food, family - everything was fair game.

Then photography got serious. It had to have meaning.

Those were probably my worst images. They were analogous to adolescent poetry, feigning profundity, yet transparently superficial.

Blech!

Let's, instead, take a picture of the cat chasing its tail. Now that's life. And that's the joy that Instagram has returned to my images. Not only can I shoot and share anything I want, so can everyone else.

My Instagram page ranges from alcoholic beverages, to silly signs, to colorful sunsets, to yes, my cat. No apologies for any of it.

And when it's time for serious photography (these days thankfully the paying kind with clients), I feel more creative, spontaneous, and yes... free.

You won't see many selfies on my page. Quite honestly, I'm a bit too old for that. But you'll see practically everything else.

And that's why I just can't get enough of it.

-Derrick

After All That

I have been all over the world with my iPhone.

I've sailed the English Channel, hopped out of British cabs, endured numerous buses, snorkeled off the coast of Maui, lounged around a pool sipping lava flows, and even dropped my iOS device from the top row of high school gym bleachers. And through all of this, the 5S survived.

That charmed life ended abruptly earlier this week.

The inocoulous task of cleaning diving gear led to an accidental, and extended, submersion under water. The iPhone was dead.

The 5S was my fourth iPhone, and my first fatality. I still use unlocked 3GS and 4S models as international travel communicators. The original iPhone is a dedicated music player at the house. Oh sure, it has a few bumps and scratches, but it's alive.

Not the 5S. 

After a little research, I learned that Apple will replace my iPhone for $269. I simply submitted a service request online, Apple transmitted my shipping information to UPS, and the next day I walked into a UPS store with phone in hand and said, "here."

24 hours later, I received an email from Apple stating they have received my device. The day after that they shipped me a replacement.

I hate the $269 non-budged expense. But the demise of the 5S was my own doing. And I think that Apple replacing a $800 mobile phone for $269, no questions asked, is reasonable. Plus the process was pain-free.

I will probably never, ever, drop my iPhone in water again. But I have to admit...

I wish all companies would cover my mistakes so gracefully.

-Derrick