First of all you are going to have to invest some money in these items:
Fisheye Lense – I recommend the 180º that creates a circle image. I have the Sigma Fisheye 8mm f/3.5 EX DG Circular Fisheye Autofocus Lens for Nikon AF $899.00
Panorama Image Stitching Software – I use Panoweaver 9 which runs for $299.00
Good tripod to put panoramic head on
Release cable – I use a infrared remote with my Nikon D750
Adobe PhotoShop – While you can use the panoramic so you can fix the floor if you don't want a logo there. $600
Click on to see larger version
So here is my camera with my nodal panoramic head on a tripod.
Here is a side view
Now the other side
You will take 4 photos and then stitch them together with the software. I create a Cubic Panorama, which is the 6 sides of a cube.
Use a remote to keep the camera very still.
I then export that image to PhotoShop. This is where I will remove the tripod as seen in this photograph.
To get rid of the tripod [why I use PhotoShop] I go to filter and select vanishing point
Next I select the cloning tool and hold the option key and select the area that I want to clone from to fill over the tripod.
Because I chose the vanishing point the cloning will keep all the dots in perspective and makes for easy patching. Great for floors where you have tiles and other patterns that are not always squared but more often slightly askew.
Now the main reason I am using the more expensive Panoweaver is to have something that works on mobile devices like the iPad and iPhone. There are two versions created and one is flash based and has the little planet view that you see at the top and here below. I have you fly down into the panoramic creating a video like feel to the panoramic.
Now if that were all there is to this then it would be super easy. I have found that after doing this for about ten years that the knowledge of stitching helps you pick better locations. For that reason if you just enjoy them and would like me to create them for your place of work or something else give me a shout.
This is the same photo but I am showing it to you 4 different ways. The top photo is what we call the Little Planet view.
You need special software to do all these photos. Some Apps exist to help you create photos similar to these with your phone–just not as consistent and precise as the way I did it with a tripod, fisheye lens and special nodal head on the tripod.
This is the same photo but stretched to a large horizontal photo. Often this is cropped with less sky and ground to give a more strip print. This would then be like the inside of a cylinder.
Cubed 360º Panoramic
This is the same photo but instead of how it would appear inside a ball this is how it would appear inside a box. The first four panels are the sides then the top and bottom are the last two.
This last one is an interactive 360º panoramic. You can just watch it and it will just rotate and let you see the 360º cylinder or you can click on the menu arrows to go up and down or change direction. You can also just put your mouse and while clicking and holding drag the image up, down, sideways to control it yourself.
Nikon D750, AF-S NIKKOR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 220, ƒ/14, 1/30
Today I decided just to go and have some fun covering The Roswell Criterium for a wonderful Sunday sunny day after a lot of rain in our town.
I thought I would just play with panning and let me say it is hard to just play with panning. That is hard to get a good photo with bicyclist blazing by you are about 45 mph.
Nikon D750, AF-S NIKKOR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 280, ƒ/14, 1/30
I tried with the 14-24mm, but felt that I needed to be closer and the Nikon 28-300mm at 28mm on the curve was just perfect.
Nikon D4, AF-S NIKKOR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 800, ƒ/5.6, 1/2000
The pack of bicyclist would come by at such a clip that you had a really hard to unless you had decided before they came into view your next course of action. Will you pan or shoot tight? Who will you focus on? Will it be the leader or someone else in the pack?
Technical choices like with panning require you to shoot a slow shutter speed and freezing the action like I did of the pack was shot at 1/2000.
Nikon D4, AF-S NIKKOR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 900, ƒ/6.3, 1/2000
I preferred shooting at a greater depth-of-field since I hadn't shot tons of bicycling and wanted at least a few in focus photos. This gave the camera a little room front to back to play with on focus sharpness.
Here you can see I used my ultra wide-angle lens the Nikon 14-24mm @ 14mm. Unless you shoot this wide you might not realize how close I was to the action, but the rider came by me less than a foot from me.
Now I didn't like the power-lines in the background, but I couldn't move to an angle and get rid of them for this type of a photo.
Nikon Dr, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S, Sigma TC-2001 2x, ISO 1800, ƒ/8, 1/2000
I did pull out the long glass and shot this photo at 600mm to pull in the start and finish lines.
Nikon Dr, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S, Sigma TC-2001 2x, ISO 3200, ƒ/8, 1/2000
When they are coming up a hill it looks like I am on the ground, but actually was standing for this photo to shoot over the fence.
Nikon Dr, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S, Sigma TC-2001 2x, ISO 640, ƒ/6.3, 1/2000
For this last photo I decided to clean up my background and make it "A Classy Clutter" for a background.
We have bicycle races pretty often in Roswell, so look for them in the news and come and shoot it for yourself. No press pass needed for all access. Here is another group to follow that will tell you about the next events http://www.bikeroswell.com/.
Don Rutledge took this in 1967 inside the Arctic Circle. People are so comfortable with Don that he is able to be apart of the woodwork.
Don Rutledge was the speaker on the second day of the Atlanta Photojournalism Conference in 1975. The night before William Albert Allard had blown away the group with his work on the American Cowboy. First time anyone had spoked to the group and gotten a standing ovation.
Following Don Rutledge would be Eugene Smith. Don admired Smith's work more than any other photographer at the time. Eugene Smith is sitting right in front of Don during this talk.
photo by: Ken Touchton
Listen to Don't talk here:
Here are my notes from Don's talk:
There are three types of photographers
Snap Shooter
Gimmick Shooter
Fullness of Photography Shooter
The Snap Shooter is one who enjoys taking pictures. The Gimmick Shooter uses tricks to keep your interest. The Fullness of Photography shooter uses his eyes, brain and heart to shoot.
Don got those three elements from Ernest Haas.
The Fullness of Photography Shooter I will call the concerned photographer. They identify where people are in this world.
Now all of us can drift away from being a concerned photographer uses excuses. Many photographers use excuses like lack of time to dominate situations.
The concerned photographer listens and looks. They put it all together and stand flat footed in this world. We are tuned into the moments, in the zone, and able to anticipate those peak moments.
1) We need to learn to turn handicaps into advantages.
SIDE NOTE
I used to travel with Don doing stories for Black Star photo agency. These would be features that he could take at his own pace. Later I understood how this was Don's way of training himself to have muscle memory in those times when he was having to rush.
Don pointed out that all photos are taken at a fraction of a second, so it isn't a lack of time–it is a lack of discipline we lack in these times of having to work quickly.
2) We complain about photo editors who just don't understand. To update this a bit it is anyone you are shooting for today.
Our problem is often our ego. We think we are a great photographer. We often are saying or wanting to say to our clients if you only gave me a chance. "This is where a picture is worth a thousand words," says Don with the audience laughter following.
Don's advice is to shoot the photo the way you want to and show it to them when they crop it poorly. Talk to them about what you were trying to say.
IMPORTANT!!!!!! Don said you most likely will not be heard the first time or even the second time. You are educating people over time.
I personally watched and wrote about how long it took Don to turn around organizations in my thesis. Here are a links to it.
Bottom line Don is telling us we need to prepared for some "Show and Tell."
Next Don warns us to have our Ego and Abilities in check with each other. We need to know our real abilities and not have our Ego way out and in front.
Now Don also mentions that being apart of an institution like LOOK Magazine helps a photographer. It will open doors for you and give you a budget to work with. There is a downside to an institution for a creative. You will find that they want to stop you and make you fit their system.
Just know that being a creative photographer and wanting to change the world sometimes will take time. Time for you to educate those around you with work you are producing. You must be able to articulate your vision to help them see it.
I downloaded Adobe Lightroom 6 and just fell in love with Face Recognition feature. Open a collection and then click on the little face [red arrow pointing to it] and it will bring up all the faces just like happens in Facebook when you upload images and it asks you if you want to tag people.
It takes time to explore new or upgraded software, so all I writing about is just what I discovered and loved immediately with the latest Lightroom upgrade. As I discover all the new bells and whistles in Lightroom 6 I will right about them if I see something worth my time.
Click on image to see larger
Throughout my career I have shot large projects and had to go through and identify everyone in the photo. Now I can at least scan a complete shoot and put the names that Lightroom sees into every photos metadata.
Now when you go to each photo you can check to see the names of people. If the face isn't recognized you can still click on box at bottom as I have done here and then create a box and then type in the person's name.
Click on image to see larger
Here it missed Philip Lin and I went back and then typed his name into the photo.
Click on image to see larger
It puts all the names in alphabetical order based on the first letter in the name. Now while the photo isn't captioned left to right as you would have in the caption–to have all the names from a large 3,000 + images in each photo is a huge time saver.
It put the names in two IPTC fields: 1) Keywords & 2) People Shown.
When you export you can remove all the names or add them with just a click. The names are all saved in your RAW files.
I can see most all my friends who are photojournalists and need to have names with all their photos being thrilled with this feature. The other group of photographers that will benefit is anyone who keeps a database of photos and needs to search them to find people.
I know of one client I have that this feature could possibly improve their image archive system almost overnight.
AF Activation - Auto Focus only: use back focus button to focus and shutter release only controls the shutter
Release Mode–Continuous High Speed
Nikon D4, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S, Sigma TC-2001 2x, ISO 1000, ƒ/8, 1/2000
I like to stand in the endzone of the goal that the team I am covering is trying to score.
Getting on your knees is even better than standing.
Nikon D4, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S, Sigma TC-2001 2x, ISO 1100, ƒ/8, 1/2000
The level of play of the athletes will determine how good of photos you will get. The better the game the more opportunities for great action photos will increase.
Nikon D750, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S, Sigma TC-2001 2x, ISO 12800, ƒ/5.6, 1/200
If you were on the front row of the theater you would not see this photo. The reason is simple. The actor is laying down on the stage just above the orchestra pit area.
This is why I like to go to the very back of the auditorium to shoot photos of theater productions at my daughter's high school. If I need to I can even stand because no one is behind me.
Fuji X-E2, Fuji XF 55-200mm, ISO 6400, ƒ/6.4, 1/55
This is another photo of the same theater. You can see how people in the front few rows are actually below the stage.
Fuji X-E2, Fuji XF 55-200mm, ISO 6400, ƒ/4.4, 1/400
Now the downside to being all the way in the back of the room means you will need longer glass than a kit lens.
Nikon D750, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S, Sigma TC-2001 2x, ISO 9000, ƒ/5.6, 1/500 [600mm]
I love shooting with the Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S and the Sigma TC-2001 2X converter. It lets me get pretty close like in this photo from the play Little Shop of Horrors at Roswell High School.
Most of the photos I take are between 200mm to 600mm.
Nikon D750, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S, ISO 2200, ƒ/2.8, 1/500 [300mm]
Here I took the 2X converter off and zoomed all the way in to get this photo.
I highly recommend shooting with a monopod so as to keep the camera steady and also that is one big beast with a Nikon D4, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S and the Sigma TC-2001 2x.
This lens combination is great with a lot of events and situations other than sports or wildlife.
Nikon D750, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S, Sigma TC-2001 2x, ISO 2000, ƒ/5.6, 1/100 [550mm]
Theater Camera Gear Recommendations:
Nikon 28-300mm ƒ/3.5–5.6
Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S
Sigma TC-2001 2X
Sigma TC-1401 1.4X
Nikon D750
Manfrotto 294 Aluminum 4 Section Monopod
Manfrotto by Bogen Imaging 323 RC2 System Quick Release Adapter w/200PL-14
Mirrorless Camera System Recommendations:
Fuji X-E2
Fuji XF 18-55mm
Fuji XF 55-200mm
Nikon D750, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S, Sigma TC-2001 2x, ISO 7200, ƒ/5.6, 1/500 [550mm]
Camera Settings Tips:
Auto ISO – when shooting check the LCD and to compensate use the EV dial to under or overexpose.
Check Histogram for accuracy.
Use Blinking Highlights to let you know what has no details. Be sure faces always have detail.
Custom White balance for "White Light" if possible. Many theater lighting schemes use a lot of color, be careful that you are balancing to the lights without gels.
Tungsten is often the correct white balance for theater lighting–but not always. Don't try and color correct every scene when the lights are often intentionally giving a color cast.
Scene brightness will change the color temperature as well. A dimmer set at 10% will make the light more orange than at 100% brightness.
Try to use shutter speed that is closest to the focal length. If 200mm use 1/200 and if 500mm then use 1/500. This is why having a monopod will let you shoot darker scenes to help keep the camera steady.
An environmental portrait is not something that has to be setup and formal. Here I captured Philip Newberry who had lost both legs and arms to spinal meningitis. Little Philip just jumped up on the merry-go-round and was having fun and smiling at his parents. I just composed and I had a great "environmental portrait." of Philip.
This also could be used as an "environmental portrait" and may work better since here I know a little more about Philip's loss of feet and hands. It helps tell the story. Again this is not a "Posed Portrait."
Sometimes you may have to set up a portrait, as I did here in the man's kitchen. I added a light to help see his face better.
Think of setting up the photo without the man and then having the man sit down into the photo. This is what i did here.
This is often the mistake made by new photographers when they have been asked to make an environmental portrait. Too often young new photographers think portrait is the orientation.
They must think of their computer and when they go to setup their page or print it they remember there is a "Portrait" choice and a "Landscape" choice. These are referring to vertical and horizontal and not a style of photography. You can have a vertical environmental portrait, but it would not be this photo. Here I have eliminated most of the environment so that the surroundings tells us very little about the subject.
By composing the image so tightly around the subject you have "eliminated" the environment.
Environmental Portrait Tips
Think first of composing for the environment first. Find the angle that best captures the space for which the subject either: works, plays or lives for example.
The environment should be enough to communicate something about the subject.
Let the subject move in the environment as naturally as they normally will do if you are not there. Just sit and wait and take photos until you have a selection of different places where the subject has moved in the frame.
Look for the "moment" and not just the location of the subject in the frame. This is more subtle. They may turn their head ever so slightly to the light that the light just makes their face glow or their is an expression that best captures their personality.
Just remember people have many traits to their character and the more you shoot the better the chances you will have more options to choose from to capture the very best of the person.
Use off camera flash, or turn on a desk lamp or do something to help be sure you have the best light to help communicate more effectively. You don't want a silhouette of the subject for an environmental portrait.
Here I believe the "expression" of the young boy is the strength of the photo. The environment tells a little and I would have preferred more surrounding than I have.
Here I have a father with his children and wife in the background of his kitchen. This tells a little about the man that had I cropped in tight would have been left out.
I had very little time at this home and so hanging out in the room with this teenage until I could find a natural moment was just not going to happen. However, I have traveled from Atlanta to Chiapas Mexico and so I had to get what I could.
As you can see the window behind the teenager would have made him a silhouette and therefore I am using an off camera flash to the far left pointed to his face.
Here I had him stand and I moved the off camera flash on a light stand to the right of me, his left, and then took more photos to show what a typical teenager's room would look like in Mexico.
This is a new pastor who is starting work in the medical center area of Houston, TX. Most all the photos I had of him were inside a hotel meeting room. Nothing in the room said "Houston." I wanted to be sure I had something of him showing that he is working in Houston.
This was my intro shot of Ben telling his story in in Houston in a slideshow. Here you can see how I used the photo as a way to introduce Ben Hays in a package.
Often in print the space is so scarce that the environmental portrait is the only photo they will use. So you need to capture as much as you can in one photo to help tell a little about the person's story and introduce them to the audience.
Here is a photo of Philip and Matt Moulthrop who learned how to turn bowls from Philip's dad Ed. I wanted to capture photos of them with their bowls in addition to photos of them making them.
This is how they used my photos in the article. As you can see sometimes they just need to introduce the person to the audience. Here the bowls were as just as important, but this was an Alumni magazine package, so the people were the hook for the story.
Sometimes they do use your photo as a vertical shot as they did here for a magazine cover. Notice how this too is an environmental portrait.
Here are just a few more examples for you and see where I used artificial light sometimes to help the photo.
While this appears to be natural light is is actually not. Here is the lighting setup for the man at the desk:
My last suggestion is the think of using layers in the photograph when possible. Have things in front and behind the subject to create depth.
