Author Archives: Kurt Eckley

Taking Great Pictures of Food

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A true photographer doesn’t limit himself to just one subject. In a more general sense, the focus of his lense is “life”. But that doesn’t mean you can specialize or narrow down on one particular subject. After all, not everyone enjoys taking black and white photos of antiques, or photographing protesters on the verge of chaos. The great thing about photography is there are lots of subjects to choose from, and there is no one right way to go. It depends on your personality, your equipment, and whenever it is available to you.

food

In recent times, food has become an increasingly popular subject for many photographers around the world. There was a time in the 80s and 90s when people wanted to focus on “more important” subjects. That’s when things like political figures or moments in time where the most sought after subjects. But with new technology and a whole new fan base, photography has changed for the better. It’s not as hoity-toity as it once was, and there are fun everyday things that people turn into art. One of the best examples happens to be food, a can be an extremely exciting subject if you’re new to photography.

The great thing about food as a subject is there are so many things within this topic where you can make your own personal adjustments. For example, you might want to focus on desserts only. And in this pursuit, you might just find another hobby if you choose to make the food yourself. There are many examples of people going out and buying the best ice cream maker to take a few pictures and then becoming hooked on making dessert for the entire family. In many cases these two hobbies come together with wonderful results that are pleasing both visually and taste-wise.

The great thing about photography is you use technology to get the job done, but it’s always going to involve your heart. Whatever inspires you will guide your eye to interesting things that you want to focus on. If it happens to be food, you’ll find a way of relating everyday things that can inspire a variety of emotions. You might just make your viewer drool with anticipation or actually feel like they’re about to eat something. So if you’re looking for a new subject that’s different than anything else, it might be time to turn to food for your next round of photos.

Does Technology Make Us Worse Photographers?

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Today’s portrait photography is not the same as it was 20 or even 10 years ago. Magazine covers are plastered with pictures of women who look only slightly like they would in real life, and photoshop is capable of removing wrinkles and lines, enhancing bust and reducing dress size.

What would take 8 weeks to accomplish with a wrinkle cream can all be erased in a few moments with the burn or smudge tool inside a photo post production suite.

The questions that arises is, are we better off? Has all this new technology made us better photographers? Or are we now more software users with cameras?

My wife who is a professional photographer believes that all of this post production software has allowed photographers to get lazy. They no longer have to know exactly how to expose a photo properly, since they can adjust the exposure afterwards. They don’t need to be able to perfectly frame the image since they can quickly crop that image into perfect thirds.

I feel that this is only going to become even more of a debate as technology progresses and we move further and further away from film photography and photographers having to think about the images they’re shooting to ensure that what they capture is what they see.

 

Forget Film, Go Digital?

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I don’t know how many times I’ve been asked about going digital. I don’t know why folks even bother asking in this day and age. In all honesty, it’s basically irrelevant what media you use from the photographic stand point. The skills and abilities used to create a good photo is still the same.

For ordinary uses of photography, such as family gatherings and snapshot opportunities, the digital format is the obvious choice. However, professional landscape shots required being photographed with film to allow the photographer to make larger prints. The technology of digital just didn’t allow for such large prints. But now that has changed. Digital cameras are quickly gaining ground among professionals.

Most if not all modern digital camera are more than capable of matching the quality of 35 mm film (35 mm is the current standard for professional photography, especially landscapes). But can digital cameras match the print quality that large format film provides? It’s quite the conundrum for photographers today.

Digital cameras also provide the benefit of an instant display of the image that was just taken on a LCD screen. The photographer is able to check the balance and composition of the image nearly instantly. This is a huge advantage, but the photographer must still spend hours in front of a computer editing the pictures that he or she took. A photographer’s time is best spent taking photographs, not editing them.

Even though the pros and cons of digital photography are mostly settled, some photography enthusiasts still swear by film. In all honesty, the digital camera won’t allow the user to take better pictures. The exact same tricks used for film must be applied with digital to ensure a perfect picture.

Capturing a breathtaking image is just as elusive and hard to do as it ever was. The leap to digital doesn’t change this fact or make taking great photos any easier. The slew of technical advantages with digital are great, but most of the techniques stay the same even if the quality of the camera as well as quality camera accessories may help. Like a songwriter creating the perfect lyrics, it still remains up to the photographer to get the perfect shot.

If you’re still undecided about which way to go, here’s a few reasons to stick with film:

  • Digital cameras sometimes call in to question the authenticity of the photo. Many assume the picture was edited to look great.
  • You may find yourself spending too much time in front of your computer editing photos
  • Film tends to produce the purest colors over digital (though with ever increasing rises in technology, this may not always be the case)

I personally have made the leap to digital and love it. I enjoy being able to take more shots than I would have with film because I no longer have to worry about wasting money on film and developing. I also enjoy editing the pictures after a long day of filling up memory cards. The only way to truly decide for yourself, is to go out there and try them both and see what’s the right fit for you. You may find that digital is better after all.

Florida Fishing: Mangroves

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These saltwater fishing tips are about fishing mangroves. One of the best parts of Florida fishing is mangrove angling – fishing around mangrove plants. Mangroves grow along many coastal waters in Florida, including islands, canals, backwater, and estuaries. The roots of the plants grown down into the water, creating a tangled haven for baitfish. And where the baitfish can be found, larger fish won’t be far away.

The best way to fish around mangroves is with a small boat or kayak. You’ll need a small vessel in order to put it where you want it. Also, sometimes mangroves are in shallow water or along narrow passages, where it would be hard to put a larger boat.

Obviously, the toughest part of fishing the mangroves is getting caught in the roots. You probably can’t see them, so it’s easy to get foul-ups. I’ve found the best remedy for this is to suspend a bait under a float. That way, you can put the bait right in among the roots with a lot less chance of getting caught on the plants.

Another good way to fish around mangroves is to cast parallel to the plants. Casting and retrieving as close to the mangroves as you can without any foul-ups might take a little practice, however. Be sure to have extra line, extra hooks, and extra weights with you. You’ll most likely loose several.