Sorry to away from the blog I’ve had a few major projects at the paper to deal with. One of which was the “Day in the Life” project with Channel 5’s Chronicle. The response was much greater than I had expected. That’s a good thing. You folks sent some fantastic images. Given that the day was gray and rainy I was very surprised with the imagination and technical quality of the shots. As soon as I get a date for broadcast and publication I will post it here. I think I edited nearly five hundred images from readers and staff photographers from our Massachusetts papers.
 
I was glad to get out this week and start making pictures again. The snow in the sunshine this morning was a treat. I took some time to head down to Manomet Point in Plymouth at low tide to find some seals. I got to one of my favorite spots a little late on the rising tide. Only a few seals were still on the rocks, but it worked for a feature photo for tomorrow’s paper. I made the shot with a 300 2.8 and a 2X extender on a Canon 1D MkII. The sun was in and out so I had to be patient for some sun to highlight the seals faces against the dark background.
 
If the weather holds I hope to get some slow shutter shots of an area stream. The water is high after last weeks rain; maybe I’ll get lucky with some ice.
 

The newly formed Duxbury Camera Club has asked me to come and speak, which I will do once I work out my schedule. (Plymouth folks I have not forgotten you)

Calling all photographers. On Monday January 25th I invite you to take part in "A Day in the Life of Massachusetts" This a photo project co produced by WCVB's Chronicle show to celebrate their 35th year and Wickedlocal.Com . Feel free to send me your images taken on the 25th.You may see them on TV or on the web.   JPEG files can be sent to  oneday@wickedlocal.com.  Please include where the image was taken and what time of day, along with your name and a brief description of the shot.  Greg

 
Shutter speed changes eveything. In most cases the camera shutter captures a fraction of a second which allows us to "see" things that may escape the human eye. The beat of a humingbird wing, the impact of a water balloon, a hockey puck in mid flight.
 
These are all things that a fast shutter speed will show. But what about a slow shutter speed? Slowing down the shutter can show just as many wonderful things. Like the blur of a dancers skirt in mid twirl, water spilling over rocks in a stream. It can also be used to add visual interest to images.
 
Take the above image of the father and daughter sledding. A fast shutter speed would work to freeze the action and show some happy faces. But a slower shutter speed selection adds a sense of action or excitement to the image. Do we agree?
 
In the good old days of film to get an image like this I would have to shoot maybe two rolls of 36 exposure film and hope I got the shot when I got back to the lab later in the day. Today with digital, I get instant results. With instant results it’s easier to try new things, you can be sure you “have it” before moving on to something else.
 
How to do it:
 
First I need a moving subject. It is best to have a moving subject that repeats it. Like the sledding hill. Kids go up and down all the time. Next I need them moving in a constant path. This needs to be left to right or right to left. If they are moving toward the camera or away you will lose focus. So I focus on the subject and don’t change the focus as the subjects “path” moves in front of me. Now a shutter speed. I like to start at 1/30th of a second, take a few shots. I like to preview my shots on the camera LCD then make exposure adjustments then shoot some more. I may go slower or faster depending on the outcome of the test shots.
 
Panning. This is the technique of moving or swinging the camera at the same rate the subject is passing. What this means is that I keep the subject still in the viewfinder as the camera moves. This gives the effect I want. Some parts of the image sharp and in focus, the others a blur. The blur shows speed. The sharp in focus portion provides something to relate to that speed. I take my time panning; it’s easy to move too fast. For lenses I like a short telephoto maybe 135mm. The longer the lens the more difficult it is to keep the subject centered and in focus. One by-product of the slow shutter speed is a greater depth of field, which helps. Give it a try.

The dead of winter is full of life. Much of the local wildlife that we never see all year can be found in winter. Without trees for cover many animals like deer and coyotes suddenly appear. This image of a coyote I took a few years ago as it ran along Duxbury Bay early in the morning. I saw the coyote from a distance. Coyotes are very cautious, I tried to get in a position upwind of the animal in the hopes of getting a shot. I drove ahead and positioned myself in a spot that I though the animal would pass. Using a Nikon D1 and a 300mm lens, I waited. The coyote kept coming and I was able to get a few frames. I liked this one the best due to the composition and positions of all the legs.

 
 
 
 
 
Lots of other wildlife makes our area home for the winter, snowy owls along Duxbury Beach, seals can be found along the coast. Backyard bird feeders are good too. Try to position your feeder close to a window that you can shoot through. If you shoot through class, get your lens as close to the window as you can.. I get some very cool looking woodpeckers in the winter at my feeder. If you like birds take a look at   www.massbird.org for a list of local and rare visitors.
 
For seals I like Manomet Point near the Manomet Lobster Pound in Plymouth. The seals can be seen on sunny days at low tide soaking up the sun on rocks. You can get some shots from the beach with a long lens. Try to walk quietly as you move closer. I like to shoot a little move a little, this way I have at least an image or two. Someone told me that seals can’t see to well but have good hearing so be walk slowly.
 
The Mass Audubon Daniel Webster sanctuary has some great observation blinds to photograph winter waterfowl on a pond. It is also home to many birds of prey like barred owls and northern harriers. Worlds End in Hingham has resident deer and a family of great horned owls.
 

We have snow due this weekend and it looks like it may last on the ground for a while. I can’t wait.

 
Capture the season.
 Everyone shoots pictures for the holidays, if you’re like me, some shots you have to take. My wife has the cloths already laid out for the kids to wear for our Christmas card. You now the kids in front of the tree in winter sweaters. I try to turn it up a notch with strobe lighting and maybe some ambient tree lights but regardless of the work that goes into the lighting the kids better be smiling.
 
I like houses decorated with lights, nothing like driving around with the family looking for the coolest neighborhood with the wildest lights. At the Ledger we will run a page of pictures of the wildest houses. Shooting pictures of Christmas lights has its challenges. One challenge is color balance. Christmas lights come in a wide variety of colors and types, you have incandescent, LED, and fluorescent as well as tungsten lights. If you start shooting you will find that many lights will not record either on film or file in the real color they were at the time you shot the image.

 
 
 
That’s OK there is very little you can do about it. If you select the “Auto White Balance” on your digital camera you may get the best results. I like to shoot lights with some ambient light in the sky, not total darkness. This allows for better detail on the house, trees and more depth in the overall image. If you can, get the homeowner to put the lights on early, just before sunset. Using a tripod is a must since you need to shoot at longer exposures than you can hold the camera steady. Some places like Edaville Railroad in Carver and LaSalette Shrine in Attleboro give you plenty of opportunity for night shots. The Kingston luminaries on Christmas Eve are also very nice to photograph. Snow covered ground can add another great element to outdoor light displays.
 

I’ve gotten a few emails about talking at camera clubs. I am happy to talks with photo groups. Once I’m back from vacation after the holidays I’ll start to schedule them. If you have an idea for a blog topic feel free to post a comment.