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Archive of ‘Photography’ category

Ballroom Dance, Event, Photography | 0 comment

Showcase Ready!

Arthur Murray Fall Showcase photos expiring - ©TimeLine Media

This is the weekend! We are ready to photograph the Arthur Murray Summer Showcase this Sunday, June 1. It does not seem that long since our last ballroom dance event. It has been only 2 weeks since we were on the sidelines at the dance floor! Additionally, it has also been a short time since the Spring Freestyles. We have been so busy, the time just flew!

Arthur Murray Fall Showcase photos expiring - ©TimeLine Media
Arthur Murray Fall Showcase photos expiring – ©TimeLine Media

Tysons, Virginia

We know that the dancers have been hard at work in the studios with their coaches and instructors to get their routines ready for the judges. I am personally excited about hearing some great music to go along with these routines! With the opportunity to choose your own music to go along with the choreography, it is a great time to find some new music to add to your practice playlist. I will have my iPhone on me with the music identification app on the ready!

Arthur Murray Fall Showcase - ©TimeLine Media
Arthur Murray Fall Showcase – ©TimeLine Media

Even though you have been working for many weeks, maybe months for these routines, we know that there can be some hiccups. In the photos, if you hide it well, and continue to have a good time, it will still be a success! The judges know the amount of time you put into these, and a little slip will not sink your score. Even the best dancers do not hit all their lines every time – I photograph a lot of these, and I have seen it firsthand. If they continue and finish like nothing happened, it will almost be a nonfactor in how the judges score. Showcase, like all the other events, should be a fun day to come together with your dance friends to catch up, show off some new steps in your social dancing, and inspire others to dance better at the next event. I’ll be there to hopefully catch some nice images! The photos will be posted at the proofing site by the following weekend at the latest.

Arthur Murray Summer Showcase - ©TimeLine Media
Arthur Murray Summer Showcase – ©TimeLine Media

TimeLine Media – www.timelinedc.com
703-864-8208

Event, Photography, Technology | 0 comment

Rename Photos – Tech Thursday

Flowers in Bon Air Park - ©TimeLine Media

Photo Processing

This is a simple idea for a blog post, but one that I think is very important for many reasons. Digital cameras are small, very advanced computers that specialize in making images. The computers run an operating system that conforms to the Design Rule for Camera File Systems or DCF. This is the reason that in any digital camera, your images are stored in a file folder named “DCIM”. After that level, camera manufacturers can change the default naming conventions for images captured by your camera. For Nikon, Fuji and Sony cameras, the default is “DSCXXXX.jpg” while for Canon cameras, the default is “IMGXXXX.jpg”.

Flowers in Bon Air Park - ©TimeLine Media
Flowers in Bon Air Park – ©TimeLine Media

In the menus for your cameras, you can change the default name for your images. When I am setting up a new camera body, this is one of the first things I change for two reasons. The first is so that I can easily identify which images are from which camera, or photographer if I am covering an event with multiple photographers. The second is that in post-processing, I can more easily keep track of photos that I am editing.

Rename Photos

For example, I rename all my images W2A for one camera, W2B for another camera, etc. When at an event with other photographers where we are collecting all the images on one workstation, I can almost ensure that there will not be any accidental rewriting of images since the filenames will likely be different. If I kept the default DSC names, there is a danger that copying files from 2 different Nikon bodies will be overwritten if the user is not careful in copying images. During a busy event, something like this can definitely happen!

Field of Buttercups - ©TimeLine Media
Field of Buttercups – rename example – ©TimeLine Media

Before posting images online, it is also important to rename your images. This makes it easier for search engines to find your images when people search. It is much more likely that someone online will find my image of the “Washington_Monument.jpg” when searching for images of DC when it is renamed rather than if it was posted as “W2A7879.jpg” as it was named straight out of camera. Come up with some naming conventions for your images. Especially as your image collection grows, it helps to keep organized and will help you to recall the images later if/when they are needed. Perfect for #TBT Throwback Thursdays!

Washington Monument at night - ©TimeLine Media
Washington Monument at night – ©TimeLine Media

TimeLine Media – www.timelinedc.com
703-864-8208

Personal, Photography, Technology | 0 comment

Photography Practice

I am a medium sports fan. Overall, there are teams that I follow closely, and some sports that I follow as they get into their playoffs or get ready to crown their new champions. On the sporting-related channels, there is no shortage of behind the scenes shows that tell the story of the athletes and coaches away from the playing field. They detail their preparation, work, and practice that they do long before the games.

Dachshund laying in grass - ©TimeLine Media
Dachshund laying in grass – ©TimeLine Media

Honing Skills

Practice is what separates the professionals from the enthusiasts. The same is true in photography. The value of the equipment can only be fully realized by those that have taken the time to experiment. Emphatically, you need to test, and repetitively work the action until it becomes natural. In looking through my portfolio, it is easy to see how you progress as you work.

Storm clouds - ©TimeLine Media
Storm clouds – ©TimeLine Media

This also applies to when you do the practice. Doing this on a paying job is not recommended! You need to practice this before you are in front of a client. You can really test the limits of your equipment, and see what is possible with different setups. If you are at a wedding, or you have a corporate client waiting for you to make an exposure, you need to have all the technical details worked out. They do not have the time, nor are they interested in waiting for you to test when they have guests to see, or work that needs their attention.

Cupcake photographs - ©TimeLine Media
Cupcake photographs – ©TimeLine Media

Any opportunity that you have your camera can be a time to test. You do not have to have a personal project in mind, but have a piece of equipment, or a specific technique in mind. This will make your effort to “take your camera with your wherever you go” more productive. You already have the basic, automatic settings down after a few shoots with your gear, so push yourself to try something different. It has made me better prepared when faced with different shooting situations.

Pet portrait - ©TimeLine Media
Pet portrait – ©TimeLine Media

TimeLine Media – www.timelinedc.com
703-864-8208

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