The Pixels in Pete's World

The explosion of digital cameras on to every imaginable handheld device has empowered the masses but debate continues as to who is the pretender & who is the real photographer.

A lot has been said about fauxtographers

In fact whole websites have been devoted to putting down want-to-be photographers.

Momarazzis, a play on the word paparazzi, is another term that has been used a lot too.

A post I wrote asking pros and amateurs photographers to call for a truce on Rising Black Star a while back showed me this labeling and making denigrating remarks about other photographers is an exercise in frivolity.

In the film days, having darkroom experience might have been a criteria to separate the want-to-be from the ones who are not as serious about their photography.

That is not to say that all hobbyists shooting film back then don’t know how to work in darkrooms.

I exposed miles and miles of transparency film before I went to school to formally learn how to develop film, work in the darkroom and learn how to use lighting in photography.

Mind you, the formal degree in photography doesn’t even make you a photographer.

Remember, everyone has to start somewhere. Continue reading Pretender or real, thanks to technology, we’re all photographers

As much as our surroundings have been photographed, documented and uploaded by Google, I am surprised I have yet to spot Google Maps Streetview’s camera-equipped vehicle.

The odds of spotting this vehicle is surprisingly low.

So I was naturally curious when my buddy Ted shared with me this clip from his iPhone.

The vehicle itself is rather high profile from its markings.

Interestingly, the driver’s window has one of those sun shields to hide its occupant’s face.

Not very sporting if I may say so here.

Sure they blur out faces, license plates and so on when they go by, but it doesn’t mean those face, license plates are not captured.

They are removed or blurred out in post-production.
Peter Phun Photography

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Nice job by Jose Sandoval capturing this image. I have to say, I'm pretty good as the 'talent' in this image. Of course, the Dalmatian puppy helped

It’s been one of my favorite field trip with students but the success of it depends a lot of the kind of weather we get.

Not a whole lot can be done when the day is overcast.

When there is insufficient contrast, silhouettes are tough.

I counted "1, 2...3" They jumped on '3'. Jann Smallwood captured this image.

Continue reading Barely enough contrast for a silhouette

Wendy Mayberry's picture taken at about mid-morning looks like it was taken at dusk because she was able to use one Speedlight using a shutter speed of 1/800 sec f5.6 ISO 100 Canon 60D 35mm setting on 18-200 zoom. I added more warmth in the color in post production to create the illusion that the picture was taken at dusk.

Rainy or cold weather should never discourage photographers from leaving the house.

Some of the more unusual and interesting pictures happen when the sun is not dominant in the heavens.

Landscapes have a different feel when clouds appear in the sky.

Compare the picture that Wendy took with what the scene was like in the picture on the left. Her models brought a change of outfits which made her pictures even better.

As with my previous field trips, weather threatened the field trip for my Digital Wedding Photography class. Continue reading Using daylight one flash for a different mood