San Diego Photographer

We have recently been very motivated to give out equipment recommendations that are geared to protecting your investment. Last week, we did a rain cover to protect your camera from hard rain and dusty winds and today we are recommending a quality bag to store your camera, lenses, flashes, tri-pod, and more. You name it, this bag can snuggle it in (within reason of course). When building your collection of camera equipment it is easy to lose a memory card here or a lens there if you do not have one safe place to store them; therefore, we are recommending the Think Tank Streetwalker bag. This series of camera bags are incredible with durable material, quality construction, reasonable price, and plenty of support on your back and shoulders, which can be the hardest part about lugging around all of your equipment. While Jason has recently received the Streetwalker pro to load up his equipment for the tough terrain of Iceland, he suggests the smallest streetwalker bag because it is a little more compact, convenient, and still fits all of your equipment well. 

Check out the full blog and links here

By: Lauren Lopez
San Diego Photographer

There is always difficulty becoming completely pro at the countless list of different aspect of photography. If we could, we would devote 3 hours to every aspect on that list, but for now we have added two more to the list of outdoors, headshots, portraits, studio lighting, low lights, etc. Due to suggestions and requests, we have added these two new classes to the Right Light Photography Class schedule.  


The two classes are Controlling Action & Motion Photography and Learning the Basics of Editing in Adobe Lightroom. 

Check out our full blog and links to the classes here 

By: Lauren Lopez
San Diego Photographer

It is that time of year again when the holidays approach and everyone is asking you what you want as a gift. Well, if you are anything like me, you usually say “I’m sure whatever you get me will be amazing!” But, I think this is the year as an adult I officially make a Christmas list. The reason for this list is that I can’t always count of my significant others and family to buy me what I would use more than once. (Or never like the case of the razor scooter, my aunt got me thinking it was the cool way young professionals got around their office- Oh boy!).  So, get ready for an array of suggestions from big to small, super expensive to low budget. A present for all of your needs waiting to be unwrapped and used every day! This list is both for you to suggest and for you to consider when getting a gift for another photography enthusiast.

I am going to start with the expensive gifts to get the best ones out of the way! Nowadays, actual cameras are expensive, but most come in these kits that are complete with all the basics to start in photography. So, asking for a camera is an amazing present and can jump start your passion for photography. We have written an equipment recommendation on good deals and everything to look for in buying a camera, so if you are looking to buy one for a loved one or friends we describe what features make a camera worth buying. 

Another expensive gift option to get someone who is passionate about photography is to get them a new lens. We have recommended a few, but having more than one lens can really take your photography to the next level. With so many lenses out on the market, we wanted to give you a hint on the lenses that really improve and expand your photography and are worth buying. The best lenses to get someone would be the 70-200mm (Not a lot of people have this one and it is an incredible lens for shallow depth of field, close-up, just about everything [Find it here] ), 50mm (Check out our Blog), and a 85mm [Canon here- Nikon here]. These are all great lenses to have and if anyone who is passionate about photography doesn’t have one of these, it could be an incredible gift. A gift of a new lens is a gift to a new perspective and world of photography.

Now, for the less expensive stuff. A lot of us do not have the financial means or  the want to blow over $500 on a friend, family member, or significant other. (Sorry, babe!) But, there are equally important gifts relating to photography that give your wallet a break. These gifts are practical and have great value! So, we all know the joke about getting tube socks from your grandma, but some things we hate buying but always need in photography are batteries and memory cards! I know, I know, the important part is that you call it a stocking stuffer because no one wants just batteries or memory card for Christmas.(Check out our Memory Card Blog) The gift, that most people don’t think of, that are awesome practical gifts for photography is a camera bag or strap. 

In most camera kits, the camera comes with the company brand embroidered on a thin strap. Anyone who enjoys taking photos or carrying around their camera around on trips and vacations knows how strenuous this can be on your neck and back. So, a great thing to invest in or give as a gift in this case is a new camera strap! We recommend giving them Sun Sniper Pro Strap [Find it Here]. This one gives incredible support with Shock Absorbers and relieves the strain that comes from having your camera strap around your neck.

In bags, a great practical bag to get your loved ones is a travel camera bag. Your camera is most susceptible to damage when you are out and about and a strong and great quality camera bag can be more important than the ever day camera bag. We recommend the Tamrac Velocity Series Travel Bag. (Check out or Travel Bag Blog) This bag is comfortable and practical for any photographer! It is aesthetically basic and sleek and does not draw attention to the fact you have expensive equipment in it. It also carries all things necessary for a trip out to shoot and does so in an organized and protected fashion with easy access to your supplies.

In the midst of being a photographer and especially in this era of computers and internet, the amazing photos taken are usually only available online or on a computer album. A great present to get any photographer is one of their photos printed to be admired. A passionate photographer is always looking to take new and interesting photos and has a handful or more of favorites and it is nice to show just how beautiful those photos are off the computer and on a wall or ledge. There is simply printing and making a photo album or putting them in picture frame option. This is cheap and is always meaningful for a photographer. Another slightly more expensive, but even more satisfying is getting the photo printed onto a canvas. This option is both fulfilling and creates a professional accomplishment feel for that photographer. CHECK IT OUT HERE There are also always amazing deals to print photos onto canvas on deal sites like groupon and livingsocial, so keep your eyes peeled. 

Finally, like me, I have everything material I need to survive and I like gaining experiences and memories in my gifts. For example, I was recently gifted a culinary tour of Coronado and got to experience it with my significant other. This was an amazing memory and turned out to be one of the most memorable and best gifts I have ever gotten because of the experience and I learned about the history of Coronado as well as amazing places to eat. Therefore, a great gift to get someone is something they would want to do, but wouldn’t think of scheduling it or paying for it in their busy schedules. The gift of learning! And not in the way you are thinking with homework and deadlines. I am talking about classes for cooking, dancing, yoga, or in our case, photography! A photography class can truly be priceless because it teaches valuable techniques and information and gives hands on experience to bring confidence to any skill level photographer. (Check our our gift certificates here). At the Right Light Photography, we have amazing value, hands-on time, handouts, and the chance to become a part of a photography community. This community shares photos and experiences, critiques, teaches, gives equipment recommendation and is there to enjoy photography with each other. Join our photography community today!

So, whether asking for a gift or trying to think of a gift to get someone, the gifts noted in this blog are all great options for any photography enthusiast. The gift of photography is both for the photographer and those around them. It documents memories and experiences in such an amazing way and brings people together.

Have an amazing holiday season enjoying being surrounded by family and friends and being grateful for everything you have. Love- The Right Light Photography Family

By: Lauren Lopez
San Diego Photographer

Building a photography community has brought the need to acknowledge photographers in their early stages of photography as a business who show exceptional work. Therefore, we have the ‘Photographer of the Month’ chosen by the Right Light Photography giving the spotlight to those in our photography community that deserve acknowledgement for their contribution, photography style, and business. Once a month, we will be sharing a BIO, interview, and everything that is special about our chosen photographer! On that note, we are introducing December’s Photographer of the Month. Congratulations Dan Graham!

Photographer of the Month:
Dan Graham
Dan was born in Manhattan, New York and began his life in the big city. But, he has spent most of his time in our amazing hometown of San Diego. After high school, Dan decided to go to a local community college where he began his interest in photography and went on to study at San Diego State. While studying journalism he began getting assignments that involved taking his own pictures to accompany his writing. At that time, Dan started to notice photography was an important element of journalism, and his interest in photography began to be an important element of his life. He got caught in the world of photography and from then on he always kept it close to his heart. However, it was time to pay the bills and unfortunately photography wasn’t a financially stable job and there were no job opportunities in that field at the time. Throughout Dan’s life, he has had a successful job, is married to his lovely wife, and recently retired, which gave him the time and desire to pick up his old love of photography. 
And the rest is history...

Type of photography: Modeling, Weddings and Events

View entire profile here

Website: http://dpgphotos.com/
FlickR: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dpgsgi/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/groups/335110009837946/
Email: DanGraham@dpgphotos.com
Phone Number: 858-602-9583 

An Interview to Learn a little more about Dan Graham:

After recently retiring, Dan had extra time on his hands and had to take a moment to figure out what he wanted to do with the rest of his life. Such a serious life question! And it didn’t take him long to remember just how much he loved photography. He jumped on his computer and searched for photography classes (to refresh him on the art) and found an array of classes being taught at The Right Light Photography. While he started with some basic courses from Jason, he became interested in developing his photography even more. The classes were the perfect balance of informal and informative, which attracted Dan to the idea of joining the PIT program. “From then I took the might leap! Just a hobby? Or a business?” Dan exudes passion as he describes the decisions he had to go through to get where he is today. Deciding to join the PIT program, Dan describes has helped him find his niche and “find the worth in his photography”. He is proud to say he is always moving forward and improving his business, DPG Photography.

When asked what type of photography is his favorite, he is quick and sure to say he loves shooting modeling and head shots. “I like taking simple, clear, and succinct shots for modeling photography.” Dan has a clear idea of his modeling style and to check out some of his beautiful photos CLICK HERE. Dan describes how, “Whatever is in the eyes is what I am shooting for. My focus always is in the eyes”. And after the attention goes to the eyes, “everything that supports the eyes gets my support.” It is clear to see that Dan loves focusing on the natural magnificence the human eyes can exude and finds that beauty in modeling photography. However, other than that he does love shooting head shots, weddings and events because he loves catching a moment and memory in photography. His favorite part of photography overall? “Creating and capturing moods through my photography...”

Following his passionate answer for his favorite photography, I asked the simple question of whether he uses Canon or Nikon. Chuckling at the question, he says he uses neither! He uses and loves his high-end Alpha 850 Sony DSLR Camera. I was slightly embarrassed for assuming, but was interested in finding out why he used this camera when the industry highlighted Nikon and Canon so much. He went on to explain how he had actually worked for Sony in a different branch and his wife actually worked there also. What he loved about the brand was the reliability in their product. “The quality is there.” We went on to discuss the recent buy out and improvement of Sony. I enjoyed this question more than the simple answer of Canon or Nikon, because I learned something new! Sony is in the running and produces just as strong and crisp photos as the other leading brands.

I went on to ask about his favorite piece of equipment for his Sony Camera and he was glad to respond with his Karl Zeiss 24-70mm lens. “95% of the time that’s what I am shooting with, especially with low light. The focusing is phenomenal and the colors are vivid.” As if he hadn’t convinced me enough about the great aspects of Sony, he delves deeper describing how the image stabilization is inside the Sony camera body and not the lens, like other brands, giving him the ability to use his old lenses, which he enjoys using also.

Finally, I asked Dan the ultimate question: Where he saw himself in the future of his photography business? “That’s a good question,” he responds. He goes on to tell me about how he would like to at least be financially viable enough to still be in photography doing head shots and events. However, the most important thing to him is that he does not want lose his desire for modeling photography. Overall, he is not focused on becoming the next billionare photographer, only on enjoying and sharing his extreme passion for photography. To continue buying equipment and growing, he understands he needs to make profit for his profession, but his true focus is on modeling and capturing the moments and memories for his clients. He ends with a fitting line, “Photography is a medium. It captures the essence of that person or that moment in a beautiful way.”

Thanks again Dan for an amazing insight into your obvious passion and love for photography and congratulations again on being this month’s Photographer of the Month!

By: Lauren Lopez
San Diego Photographer

When it comes to editing your photos there are so many different types of editing programs that are offered it is hard to tell which to get. But, on the top of everyone’s possible choices are the dominant Adobe Lightroom and Adobe Photoshop. So, which is better? Well, both being made by Adobe, they are not by any means the exact same program and actually have unique features in each that are for different aspects of photography editing. Therefore, this week we will be recommending Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3.

While both programs are beneficial, Lightroom 3 is specifically designed to feature and fulfill all of the day to day need of a photographer. Photoshop on the other hand was designed for visual artists, such as graphic designers. This is shown in the tools in Photoshop that are engineered for extreme editing and things like animation, 3D, typography, and other tools a photographer would not use on a regular basis or even at all. Even this basic description should prove just how independent each program is and how they were developed for their own specific niches.

The pros of Photoshop are that it is the world’s leading pixel manipulator, giving you the ability to control the overall feel of your image and gives you the opportunity to do artistic and creative things to your photos. However, for a regular photographer that needs basic and organized editing, Lightroom 3 is incomparable. It cannot only help you search, sort, and organize all of your image files, but it is extremely successful in organizing an efficient digital imaging workflow. Lightroom is programed to help you through the entire process of editing. Once you learn to use Lightroom you can easily and quickly empty your memory card, sort through your files, set your initial raw file conversion, alter aspects of the photo and finally send that new and improved photo to the web or your printer. Lightroom takes you through the entire editing process with speed and grace whereas Photoshop only functions as an image enhancer.

Some of the other advantages of Lightroom are that Lightroom uses something called non-destructive editing, which means you always have the original. On the other hand, in Photoshop you have to work on a duplicate of the original photo or else you will permanently alter the photo and will never be able to work off of the original again. This is really important when you want to alter images in different ways, but want to always work easily off of the original. 

“By eliminating the need for duplicate images, Lightroom offers several important advantages over Photoshop:

1. Your hard drive won’t fill up so fast.

2. You can make as many versions of your original as you want without taking up much space. Lightroom calls these alternate versions virtual copies.

3. You won’t have several separate image files representing different versions of your photos to keep track of.

4. You can re-process the image – or instantly reset the image to remove all adjustments – at any time without any loss of quality” (Haynes, 2010, Photocitizen.com).

Lightroom 3 gives you a program that is simple and easy to use with all of the most advanced features available. These features include, but are not limited to: Cropping (rotation and leveling of horizons), develop module, spot and red-eye removal, white balance, sharpening, noise reduction, exposure (auto-exposure), and color (adjusting saturation, vibrance, saturation, luminance, and hue of individual colors). These are basic to the everyday photographer and are not all that it can do. 

Lightroom 3 can, also, add alterations to your photos that can usually only be done by equipment. This program can give the effect of a gradient filter similar to your lens, but much more powerful. This program also has local adjustments via the adjustment brush. This feature lets you manually make adjustments to small areas of your image including exposure, saturation, and more. It also allows split toning, which has become very popular in editing photos and lets you apply one color to shadows and another to highlights for a duotone effect. The features this program offers are endless and simple to use.  Lightroom 3 includes over a dozen presets allowing you to play with all sorts of color and black and white effects. They also allow you to create and save your own personal presets! 

Another awesome feature of Lightroom that sets it high and above is the fact that it is painless exporting files into the program and the application feature. This application feature means when you have a bunch of images that all need the same processing (For instance, the lighting on location made a chunck of your images too dark), you can alter one photo and apply that same correction to all of the other images with a simple click of the mouse! 

Overall, Adobe Lightroom 3 has many slight differences from Photoshop and some very big ones that makes it overall the best editing program for the day to day photographer. It is easy to use, contains all the features you will need and more, organizes and creates an incredibly efficient workflow, and makes every photo look amazing! And on top of that, it has an incredible value and is substantially cheaper than Photoshop.

Find it on Amazon.com here

ENJOY!

By: Lauren Lopez
San Diego Photographer

Recently, The Right Light Photography’s very own, Jason Kirby, took a trip to the beautiful city of Vancouver, Canada. When thinking of vacations Vancouver is not always on the top of the list, but there is so much to do and many opportunities for some great photography. Vancouver is best known for the adventure, culture, being bike friendly, Eco friendly, entertainment, culinary, and shopping. According to Frommer’s guide, the best times to travel are December through February and April to October. Jason decided to go in the risky time of October and the best tip he could give for this is “pack for wet weather”. 

Though not his first time, he always finds something new and interesting to do in Vancouver. Vancouver is ringed by snow-capped, forested mountains (great for skiing or snowboarding) leading down to miles of sandy beaches (perfect for tanning and relaxing). It is a playground for residents and visitors including assortments of activities, culture, and food. Against the stunning scenic backdrop of the city there are infinite varieties of sophisticated restaurants and vast and fertile parks. “Cosmopolitan Vancouver is “young”--- just over 100 years old—and its outdoorsy energy complement its easygoing West Coast style.” (Frommer).

Jason has traveled all over the United States and the World, but there are some unique and beautiful parts of Vancouver that left a lasting memory. All of these places are key points of interest in Vancouver and their beauty is perfect for photography and capturing effortless and memorable photos. The places suggested by Jason included Stanley Park, Chinatown, BC place Stadium and the town of Victoria nearby.   

Stanley Park is Vancouver's first park and one of the city's main tourist attractions. It is an evergreen oasis of 1,000 acres at the edge of the bay. This park is covered by fresh and majestic variety of trees including cedars, hemlock, and fir trees. This park is full of amazing trails and offers a tranquil piece of nature very near to downtown. The park is full of an array of wildlife and it features appeal to the naturalist, the plant lover or one who would do nothing more than relax in beautiful surroundings. Stanley Park also includes the famous Seawall! This seawall goes over 5.5 miles in Stanley park and stretches a total of 13.7 miles long around Vancouver’s waterfront, from the convention center on Burrard Inlet (Coal Harbour), around Stanley Park and False Creek, past Granville Island ending at Kitsilano Beach Park. This seawall has incredible views and is a great activity to do with family or friends. If you want to find a way to experience the full beauty of Vancouver, the Seawall captures the city at its best and is ideal for a walk or bike ride. Jason found a spot about ½ mile from Stanley park on the Seawall to rent bikes and bike rode the entire seawall and truly fell in love with the beauty of Vancouver. Also a part of Stanley Park is its divine restaurants, a train, an aquarium, swimming, and golfing. Overall, there are plenty of things to do in Stanley Park that bring family and friends together for exploration and photography of Vancouver. 

A place many bypass is the Chinatown in Vancouver. Chinatown’s span all across North America including in San Francisco, New York, and many other places. However, Vancouver’s Chinatown tops the list as one of North America’s cleanest modern day Chinatowns. Founded in the late 1800’s, the popular Canton Alley was created in 1904 as a Chinese style courtyard. The Alleys were the convergence of vibrant nightlife, opera music, shopping, political and cultural activities. Today, Chinatown is an amazing place to find traditional food, shopping and cultural bonding. Jason walked through Chinatown admiring the beautiful art and decorations that filled the windows of the stores. It was also hard for him not to feel his stomach growl with the smell of amazing cuisine filling the street outside of each restaurant. With beautiful gardens and incredible little shops, the feel of Chinatown brings a truly unique experience.    

Before its remodel, BC Place Stadium was an emblem for over 25 years. It was and still is the largest event facility of its kind in the province and has hosted over 26 million people since opening in 1983. The BC Place stadium was recently rebuilt to include a new retractable roof. This roof now reveals over 7500 square meters of clear blue sky and has become a new architectural signature for Vancouver. This new cable-supported roof is the biggest of its kind in the world, and creates the atmosphere for any event, from summer festivals to football, from indoor exhibitions to trade and consumer shows. The BC Place stadium is beautiful and brings you right down to the life of Vancouver, by the water and in the midst of downtown for some great memories. Jason walked through the BC Place Stadium, but could not get tickets to an actual game. While hearing about the depth of beauty of the venue and how the spirit of the fans creates a great atmosphere, he put it on his MUST do list when returning.

Nearby Vancouver just a drive and ferry ride away, Victoria sits as a quaint beautiful city with loads of colonial history and activities. While they have nice paths to hike and a variety of restaurants, Jason decided to take his activities to the next level. He chose to go zip lining with Adrenaline, Zip line Adventure Tours. This experience is a way to get your heart pounding and get deep into nature. This experience takes you through two draw bridges and 8 zip lines that take you 150 feet off the ground at speeds close to 38 miles per hours. These zip lines range in length from 150 feet to an incredible 1000 foot long zip line that sends you flying! Zip lining is a priceless experience that should be done at least once in your life.


(<- Jason Kirby Ziplining)

Overall, Vancouver is an amazing place to go for a weekend or two weeks with plenty of activities, food entertainment, nature, and with just overall serene atmosphere. Not only is it a great place to visit, but all of these features lend themselves to great opportunities for street and architectural photography to add to your scrapbook. 

So, the next time you are trying to decide a new place to go on a single, couple, friends, or family trip, don't forget about the beautiful city of Vancouver.

Something we promote in our photography community is being able to capture everything around you from all types of perspectives. This is carried over when you travel! We want to see your amazing travel photos and want to hear where you go. We have added a new photo album to our Facebook Fanpage called Show us where you go! And we want you to share a photo of new places you have visited and an activity or tip about the place. To include your picture and experience CLICK HERE.

By: Lauren Lopez
San Diego Photographer

When spending a good amount of money on the equipment for photography, it is just as important to take care of and store your equipment correctly. The extra price for an exceptionally padded bag is truly worth it compared to the cost of repairing a lens or camera body damaged by banging it on the ground or hitting something up against it without the proper protection.

Now when it comes to storing all of your camera equipment, it is really up to you whether you prefer a backpack, sling bag, or duffel bag to carry your camera, lenses, flashes, and any stands, umbrellas or reflectors. However, we will be recommending an ideal traveling bag for all of you who travel and don’t want to lug around all of your equipment all of the time.

Our camera travel bag recommendation is the Tamrac Velocity Series Bags, which are optimal for traveling because of their masterful organization, padding, size, and easy accessibility. 
This series of bags are very practical and organized expertly to hold all of the equipment you need in a compact and easily reachable way. The specific Tamrac Velocity Bag we are recommending is the 7x, but the other versions are just as worthwhile only adding or taking away slightly more room for a larger or smaller lens. However, the 7x is the mid-range and holds what we think is everything you will need in the lightest and smallest way. The 7x comes in two different colors (Black & Brown/Tan) and truly looks like a sling bag that could have anything in it. This idea of a universal looking bag is important because when traveling it does not bring a lot of attention to the fact that there is obviously expensive equipment in it. Honestly, a personal traveling tip is to be very careful with showing off your equipment especially in other countries because many locals target tourists to attempt to steal these expensive things. This Tamrac Velocity bag holds your equipment close to your body and disguises it as just another traveling bag.

The bag itself is padded professionally and is very light in weight only weighing 1 lb. 9 oz. This is a solid frame without the added weight that combined with your camera and lens can become very heavy. The Velocity 7x sling bag is unique and ultra-functional and can be carried like a backpack, but swings around to the front for quick access to your SLR with a 6" lens attached and a couple additional lenses. The inside of this bag has a divided compartment that holds your camera with its lens attached facing out for easy access and protected by foam padded dividers. In the front pocket of the bag there are organizer compartments that could hold cell phones, batteries, or other photography accessories. There are pockets inside the top that stores filters and lens caps. Altogether, the bag can hold two smaller lenses, a camera with the 6 inch lens and a flash with all of these accessories at hand. Something that is used in this bag, but it often overlooked is having the zipper of the bag open away from the body for convenient and quick access to all of the equipment. The sling strap is firmly padded, evenly distributing the weight of your camera and allowing quick maneuvering to bring equipment to the front of the body. For those traveling and doing extreme activities like hiking, rock climbing, or other active sports, the Velocity series bag has an optional waist belt that can be wrapped around your waist for that extra support.

Overall, when traveling it is good to have a specific bag where you don’t have to carry all of your equipment around, but it is protected and compact. Whether you choose this Tamrac bag or not, it is important to have enough room for your camera body with a lens, an extra lens, small accessories, and a flash (or second lens). Your traveling bag should be comfortable to carry and have easy accessibility for times when you need to catch a moment quickly.

Enjoy this stellar traveling bag for your camera and accessories for exceptional protection and at an amazing price too! Happy and safe travels photographers in training!

Find it on Amazon.com

By: Lauren Lopez
San Diego Photographer

This week we have decided to tell you about the amazing ability and range of the 50mm lens!

The 50mm lens is called a "normal" lens because of the way it renders perspective that closely matches that of the human eye. Therefore, these images made with a 50mm lens have a natural look and create a clear and crisp picture. The 50mm lens is also referred to as standard, because when this lens is used it can make the viewer of your photos feel like they were actually there in the moment you capture.

 The 50mm lens is a must in a photographers array of lenses creating such a genuine perspective that really takes your photography to the next level. Because it delivers this natural, unforced perspective, it is used a lot in headshots and portraits, especially for weddings when that special moment needs to be captured as honestly as possible. Its high speed makes it very vital when shooting with available light.

With this great speed of the 50 mm lens, it gives your camera the ability to gather light quickly. The lowest aperture of the 50mm is usually f/1.8 compared to f/3.5 that is the typical maximum for the kit lens. This is a huge difference in creating fast shutter speeds, which creates an amazing depth of field. This extra speed gives one the ability to shoot candid pictures in dim lighting without using on-camera flash as your light source and can truly gather any light offered to create an attractively lit photo. This lighting can be anything from the natural light of the sun to a single candle lit in a room. That is why a 50mm lens can be used to shoot in low-light. Even if it isn’t your primary lens, your 50mm should be your backup as it can do almost anything you need to create amazing pictures.

With a 50mm, your pictures will look more professional using available-light techniques. This gives you the ability to create those beautiful portraits with backgrounds slightly out of focus behind the subject. This look is artistically pleasing to the eye and really brings that pop to your focus in the picture. This lens truly is amazing when it comes to taking photos of people, especially candids because of its speed to capture a moment in time.

Because this lens doesn’t have such an extreme zoom, it has a greater compactness and lighter weight than the other lens.  A 50mm prime lens is smaller and usually lighter than the other lenses. Therefore, it does not add too much weight to your bag when traveling and is easy to take along with you wherever you go. 

When using a typical kit zoom lens, you, as the photographer, will stand in one place and compose your work from usually a stationary distance from your subject. When using a 50mm lens you will learn that to get the most amazing pictures you must either get closer to your subject or move your subject closer to you. By having this interactive way of shooting, it is up to you to eliminate distracting background, or include more detail and gives you the control to capture the best angle and photo possible. 

Time and time again, when asked what their favorite lens is, the passionate photographer will answer with their 50mm lens at the top of the list. This lens comes in breathtaking range of speeds, focusing options, and prices. With this range in pricing, you can usually get the 50mm relatively cheap compared to a lot of the other lenses. And it is sure to become one of the sharpest and most useful lenses you own for your camera. So in choosing which 50mm lens, there is really only one option that is adaptable to your camera. We have included the links to the Canon 50mm 1.8 and the Nikon 50mm 1.8G & D. The main difference between the Nikon G and Nikon D 50mm lens is that the 50mm F1.8G has an internal focusing motor, therefore making it compatible with all Nikon DSLR cameras - whereas the F1.8D lens only works on Nikon cameras with a focusing motor built into the body. Therefore, the type of lens you choose depends on whether the auto focus is built in the body or needs to be on the lens itself.

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 - Find it here on Amazon.com

Nikon 50mm f/1.8 D- Find it here on Amazon.com

Nikon 50mm 1.8 G- Find it here on Amazon.com

By: Lauren Lopez
San Diego Photographer

Equipment Recommendation: Canon T3 & Nikon D3100

Both of these cameras take into account the new photographer that wants to get started in photography and/or anyone who is on a budget but wants to get the best camera for the lowest price.

Canon EOS Rebel T3 (EOS 1100D)

Description:  Perfect for photographers ready to make the move to digital SLR photography, the EOS Rebel T3 delivers beautiful photos and video, speed, simplicity and fun.

Compact and lightweight, the EOS Rebel is a highly versatile DSLR that’s easy to carry with you while traveling or those long days at the park and allows you to capture any moment in stunning quality. It also uses SD cards, which are cheap and easy to find and can be removed and plugged in directly to your computer to upload pictures almost instantly. [Helpful Hint: Always have more than one SD card so that if you fill one up, you aren’t forced to delete precious pictures from your camera]. Another amazing feature that helps share, critique and enjoy your photos with others is the option to connect the EOS Rebel directly to an HDTV, using the TV remote control to scroll through images and enjoy the high quality, the next time you are at your relative’s house.

An impressive feature that is often not considered is that it has a very efficient energy saving system that uses low amounts of power and results in a longer battery life. This is beneficial in those times when you forget to charge your camera or are traveling and just want to pick up and go. It allows you the wiggle room to not charge your camera after ever use and be assured to get the picture every time.

The Canon T3 Rebel is a very fast camera with 3 frames per second. This means you will be able to capture the moving shots with speed and won’t ever miss the chance for a beautiful picture. It also has an ISO sensitivity range of 100-6400, which is a wide range that can be manipulated to take amazing pictures in lowlight and outside.

Included is a Kit lense is an EF-S 18-55mm, which gives an amazing range to shoot everything from landscapes to portraits. This lense also features Canon’s Optical Image Stabilizer Technology that minimizes the amount of blur when your hand gets a little shaky.

We recommend this camera for beginners because it is user friendly, powerful, and is an exceptional entry-level DSLR at a great price.

Find it here at Amazon.com

Nikon D3100

Description:  A great deal for an exceptional camera that is lightweight, fast, and fun to use. This camera is ideal for beginners with the capabilities to become the camera you use as a pro.

The Nikon D3100 is a very competent and ultra-lightweight DSLR. It is small and light, but doesn't feel it is going to fall apart either. This is very convenient when bringing your camera along to almost anywhere. It won’t make your neck ache after a day at Disneyland and won’t feel like an encyclopedia in your bag. This lightweight structure is always beneficial to travelers and those who want to always have their camera on hand. The D3100 is Nikon's lightest SLR, ever, and probably their smallest, too. It also uses SD cards, which is convenient seeing as SD cards are plentiful and always at a good price. This means you can store all your photos on the card and move them straight to the printer or to upload on your computer with ease.

Nikon D3100 has incredible HD video abilities, which cuts down the bulk and cost of buying a video camera and DSLR camera and carrying them both around. The HD video capabilities are very advanced in their image quality and minimizes outside noise making sure you catch everything said on those fun home videos. The videos are also easy to view and on the preview of this camera you even have the ability to edit the beginning and end of your videos! This gives you the chance to only save what’s important right away and leaves room for more video or photos to be stored as you go.

The Nikon D3100 has an exceptional ISO sensitivity range from 100-3200, which creates less blur in dimly lit setting. The ISO connects with shutter speed and they can both be manipulated so that you can get the best pictures possible no matter how bad the lighting is! It also captures 3 frames per second, which keeps up with those running children or fast moving shots.

The kit lense included is a razor sharp Nikon 18-55mm lense that has the range to take almost anything from incredible headshots to a macro or micro landscape shots. This lense is a necessity in photography! This lense also has a built in image stabilizer that steadies every shot and helps capture the moving moment’s in life in great detail. This is very important when trying to catch a great action shot either at a sports game or on the dance floor of a party!

Overall, a stellar camera with a great range to get every picture you want. A beginner's priced camera with the capabilities to be the camera you use for year to come. Enjoy its lightweight and great quality and do so without breaking the bank! 

Find it here at Amazon.com

By: Lauren Lopez
The San Diego Photographer

The time has come for you to show off your photographic skills and share it with your friends, family and network. 

It is that time for the second photo contest. This time the prizes are better, there are more of them AND two ways you can win. I got a lot of feedback from the last contest and I wanted to accommodate more people and giveaway more prizes. Read the details below to learn more about how the contest will work and how to enter your photo.

Theme: Life is Better in Black & White

It’s unanimous, people love black & white photography. It captures the true emotion in photos that color just doesn’t always get. It stops time in a single frame. This is why this contest is about submitting your best black & white photograph. It can be a photo that was taken with black & white film or a digital photo that was once in color and found better to be in black and white. Need some tips on shooting black and white photos check this article out http://www.digital-photography-school.com/5-black-and-white-photography-tips.

How to Enter: 
1. Decide on a black and white photo that you want to enter in the contest (it must be black and white or else it will not be accepted).
2. Use the “Enter Contest” button below and submit your information along with your photo.
3. It will be reviewed and if approved it will be uploaded to the photo album on the Facebook page (http://facebook.com/sandiegophotography)

How to Win:
Once your photo has been uploaded there will two ways you can win.

         1st way you can win – Like last time, 3 winners will be selected based on the total number of ‘likes’ they receive for their photo. There will be 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners (see prizes below). It will be your responsibility to tell your network and Facebook friends about your photo and to have them like it. In order for them to ‘like’ your photo they must first ‘like’ the page (I got a lot of questions about this last time, so make it clear to your friends so they understand). The three people with the most ‘likes’ will win.

         2nd way you can win – Because not everyone has a million Facebook friends, but may have a great photograph it is not fair to only grant prizes to the most popular and determined people on Facebook. Therefore, there will be 3 winners whose photographs will be selected by three professional photographers. The judging criteria will be based on composition, black & white contrast (exposure), and the overall appeal of the photo. Everyone’s photos that are submitted will be judged and three winners will be selected based on the results from the judges. However, there is one requirement for photos to be judged, you must obtain at least 5 ‘likes.’ The purpose of these contests is to promote sharing and critiquing of photos to help improve your photography skills, however if you put no effort into sharing your photos then it goes against the purpose of the contest. Anyone can easily get at least 5 ‘likes’ (one from yourself, one from your dog, your mom, and then find 2 more friends, easy enough, right?).

The Prizes
Prizes for the most ‘likes’ –

     -       First Place will receive a 16x20 canvas print of a photo of their choice, up to 3 free classes of their choice.*
     -       Second Place will receive credit of up to 2 free classes of their choice.*
     -       Third Place will receive credit of up to 1 free class of their choice.*

Prizes for best judged photos –

     -       First place will receive a free ThinkTank Photo bag from www.ThinkTankPhoto.com (a big thanks to our sponsor) and up to 3 free classes of their choice.*
     -       Second Place will receive credit of up to 2 free classes of their choice.*
     -       Third Place will receive credit of up to 1 free class of their choice.*

Also, all winners will receive a $25 gift certificate from www.NationsPhotoLab.com and a free gift with purchase from www.ThinkTankPhoto.com (value of $20).
*Classes available in San Diego, CA, Dallas, TX and Vancouver, BC.

This is over $1,000 in free giveaways! So what are you waiting for….enter the contest now!

Entries will be accepted from September 1st through September 21st. Winners will be notified by September 28th.

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