Smalltown rodeos are great for photography. Because they are smaller, you can get closer to the action more easily than at a larger rodeo. I went to a rodeo on a late August Sunday afternoon in St-Albert, a short drive outside Ottawa Ontario. This event was scheduled through the Rawhide Rodeo Company and was part of the St-Albert Curd Festival.

Although the shooting conditions looked less than ideal because it was a bit rainy.  The overcast sky actually provided good even lighting as opposed to the harsh/contrasty lighting conditions of a sunny day. Less light however means shooting at higher ISOs than on a sunny day. All photos were shot with a Canon 40D with a 100-300 5.6L lens. Most photos were shot at ISOs ranging between 400-800 in order to be able to shoot at acceptable shutter speeds for this slow lens. In order to help with stability, I used a monopod.  The monopod helps to get better panned shots as some of the included shots

In order to protect the camera and lens I made myself a protective cover using a large Ziploc bag and an elastic band. This worked well because the rain was quite light. As with any rain cover however, it works better when your lens is an internally focusing lens. In this case, the lens was not an internally focusing lens, so focusing caused the plastic bag to twist with focus which can prevent achieving the right focus…

One of the problems with shooting this type of event is getting a good backgroud. Using a fast shutter speed and freezing the action would mostly yield photos with a subject having very little definition with respect with the background.  The subject would blend in with the background.   In order to prevent having clear views of spectators as a background, I like to use a panning technique to get a relatively clear image with a blurred background.

Here are some examples.  The first three photos were shot using parallel panning where you follow the subject’s motion while using a slower shutter speed.  Because of the relatively fast speed of the running horses, a slow shutter speed in this case means 1/125 sec.

Cowgirl on the run

Cowboy on the run

For more information on panning techniques refer to my article on ‘Slow shutter panning bike race photos‘

(continue reading…)

I had the chance to spend a few days in PEI last weekend and took the opportunity to take a few photos. I was traveling light so I only brought my Canon PowerShot S90 point and shoot camera.

Canon PowerShot S90

A few words on the PowerShot S90; I really like this little camera. While many photographers rave about the Canon Gxx series of cameras, I find that they are compact but not truly pocket cameras as the S90 is.

Here are some of the nice features of the Canon PowerShot S90:

Being a small compact camera it is expectedly not fast enough to shoot action, flash is not powerful, etc.

The only feature that I am disappointed with is the macro focusing abilities which keeps hunting for focus.

Overall I would highly recommend this camera for someone wanting a true pocket camera with advanced features. It won’t give you the photo quality of a DSLR, but because you can carry it in your pocket at all times, it will allow you to get some shots you would otherwise miss! This is the ideal bring everywhere pocket camera for times you are not bringing along your camera bag with DSLR and lenses with you.

Here are a few sample pictures taken with the PowerShot S90 and some Photoshop/ACR processing descriptions. Unless indicated otherwise all photos captured at ISO 80:
(continue reading…)

You can save a few dollars on some photography magazine subscriptions through Zinio.
Zinio allows you to subscribe to magazines in electronic format and save compared to regular magazine subscription prices.

Popular Photography regular subscription price: $12.95 / Zinio $10.00 for 6 issues.

(continue reading…)

This weekend, the Ottawa Bonsai Society was holding it’s annual display. The event was held at the Japanese embassy in Ottawa, Ontario. You can visit their website at: www.ottawabonsai.org

There were some beautiful specimens on display. Here are some samples.

Photos captured with the iPhone 3Gs and processed with the iPhone PhotoForge application.

Bonsai tree at Ottawa Bonsai Society Display

Bonsai tree at Ottawa Bonsai Society Display

Photo captured with the iPhone 3Gs and processed with the iPhone PhotoForge application.

Photo of blueberries in small bowl shot against white background

Photo captured withe the iPhone 3Gs and processed with the iPhone PhotoForge application.

Photo taken at Ottawa Arboretum (Experimental Farm)

Before Photo:

Photo of statue of frog in pond at Ottawa Experimental Farm

After Photo:

After iPhone PhotoForge Adjustments:
- Curves to saturate greens and block out blacks
- Dreamy filter
- Eraser to remove changes from frog

Post-processed photo of statue of frog in pond at Ottawa Experimental Farm

Photo captured withe the iPhone 3Gs and processed with the iPhone PhotoForge application.

Before:

Morning cup of coffee on table before post-processing

After iPhone PhotoForge Adjustments:
- bump up exposure
- increase contrast using curves
- Remove line in sidewalk using clone tool

Morning cup of coffee on table after post-processing

After:

Photo captured withe the iPhone 3Gs and processed with the iPhone PhotoForge application.

Photo taken at Ottawa Arboretum (Experimental Farm)

Before:

iPhone 3GS photo of Echinecia against blue sky before post-processing

After:

After iPhone PhotoForge Adjustments:
-Used curves to add some light in the flower which was too dark.
- Sky color saturation enhanced

iPhone 3GS photo of Echinecia against blue sky after post-processing

Review of ‘TWIP – This Week In Photography’ and ’7 Photography Questions’ Photography related podcasts.
(continue reading…)

Visit the photopreneur blog. This blog will give you ideas and provide tips on the many ways to make money from your photography and suggest ways to improve your chances at being successful.
It may provide you with some of the information you need if you’re thinking of getting into the business and it may help you determine if you’ve got what it takes!