I hope you are enjoying a day off today! The Labor Day holiday means the end of summer for many, and signifying new starts for schools, seasons, and (sometimes) weather. The slowly shorter days means more time for photos outside just after it is too warm and before it is too cold. The sun rising and lowering at less extreme times means instantly better photos for most.
I cannot wait to try more cool things to blog about this Fall. I have some ideas floating around and will start to try them this week. If any of your reading the blog have some ideas, please reach out! I cannot create dynamic new images especially without collaborating with some of you. That can obviously be seen with all of our event photography. Moreover, you have ideas that I have not even considered.
Now, maybe I’ll take a walk to recharge, eat outside while I still have the chance, and maybe take a road trip since the roads may be clearer than the summer. Lots of possibilities –
Body Fit DC is the creation of Orlando, a certified personal fitness trainer. He is committed to encouraging others to make fitness a part of their life. Especially as we get older, it is important to make exercise a regular part of our routine. It helps to avoid health problems associated with lowered mobility and gained weight. If you have one conversation with Orlando, you can feel the drive he has to help people. He has an especially positive message to help the people he trains, and he will be supportive of your fitness goals.
In my own push to expand my athletic portraiture portfolio, I took some photos of Orlando. At this time we met at the beautiful Meridian Hill Park in the heart of Washington, DC. Following our trip to Jones Point where the first boundary for DC was placed, Meridian Hill is on a line directly north of that point. The original marker on this hill was made directly from the White House which was made from Jones Point – clearly where the name “Meridian Hill” originated.
The park has a large flat field at the top and descends with cascading fountains in the center. On either side of the large fountain are steps and stairs of differing lengths which gives runners a changing elevation to challenge them on their runs. At this time, this is a great spot for getting outside to do some exercise – Orlando picked a perfect spot. At the bottom of the fountain, he stood on the last ledge which made for a nice background for him to show off his boot camp venue. Visit his web page and contact him to get more information on his on-going programs.
Just a reminder there is a contest going on from this post. The prize is a $50 coupon from the proofing website to the best guess as to how the below photo was made. If you have any other need for environmental portraits, or updated headshots, please contact me! My email address is: rassi @ timelinedc.com
Earlier this week, I needed to bring my uncle to the airport for an early morning departure. With a 6:30 departure time, it was a VERY early morning for us. With the days being so long in the summer, I have not had the inspiration to get up before the sun. This is the best time to get landscape or architecture photos. Unfortunately this time was a little TOO early since the sky was still black as night, but I took advantage of the beautiful Main Terminal at Dulles International Airport to make photos of another landmark of the Washington, DC area. I tried making images with both the iPhone and my DSLR for comparison.
My father, an architect that had a great appreciation for clean, contemporary design, would always start to lecture as we approached this building. Designed by Finnish-American architect Eero Saarinen, the main terminal at Dulles is a panoramic structure of concrete and glass that echoes the air supporting the planes coming into and out of the airport. My dad would talk about the open concept interior, the rain management system that you do not even notice in the center of the airport, and the overall design that still looks modern even though it was designed in the 1950’s. The airport was just starting to wake up. There was minimal activity and traffic going into the terminal at 5AM in the morning. I found a nice spot in the Daily Garage closest to the main terminal. Walking to the top level to provides a nice clear view of the main terminal. Here is are the completely images from both uncropped, out of the camera:
I was a little surprised at the results. The iPhone did remarkably well considering what I was asking it to do. I had put the exposure measurement cursor right in the middle of the terminal. The default image would have made the terminal overexposed without any detail. In this case the camera compensates for the large portion of the frame that was dark, or completely black. This image would be sufficient for using on Instagram or Facebook if you are just establishing where you were travelling.
Comparing DSLR Imaging
When I setup the DSLR, I put the camera right on the edge of the wall of the garage to stabilize the camera, and manually set the exposure. I wanted it to be similar – with the terminal not over exposed. With the controls that are available on the DSLR, I set the aperture down to f/11 so that the exposure time is increased to 5 seconds. This makes for some really cool light trails from the cars coming into the terminal! This is really the main difference between these two photos when zoomed out to their default views.
As expected, though, the iPhone image really loses when you zoom in to see any detail in the photo. These conditions are really pushing the limits of the tiny sensor in this camera which is best when used in bright conditions. When you zoom into the DSLR photo, you can also see some nice star-like flares in the lights on the tarmac behind the terminal. These are a result of the aperture of f/11 which is a much smaller opening than f/2.4 that the iPhone was using to try to get as much light into the camera. This example clearly shows a few of the features that a camera with full controls can get for you compared to point-and-shoot or smartphone cameras.
