Harmann Quality

Have you been wondering about the quality and customer service that Harmann’s Creative Photo Lounge provides?  Just this past week, we received an email saying:

“Just wanted you to know that BOTH the truck image and the 8 x 10 of the Dubrovnik wall made it in to the Hardy !  I’m so excited, it’s the first exhibit of this caliber that I’ve been juried into  !  Thanks ever so much for your attention to detail in getting this done in time —- I really do realize that I asked a LOT, and I appreciate your help !”  ~Nancy P.

Congratulations Nancy, and thank you for your kind words!

Winter Scene Camera Adjustments

Just thought you might a photo tip of the week if you are brave enough to go out into the cold tundra of Wisconsin.

If you have a point and shoot.   Please see if your camera has a scene mode with a “Snowman” on it.  This will help your images turn out totally awesome compared to leaving it in auto mode that will result in an image on the right.  Some point and shoots don’t have scene modes but do have exposure compensation modes.  For Point and Shoot cameras this would be in your menu with usually a “+/-” symbol by it.  You usually can’t adjust this unless you are in the “P” mode of the camera.  Put the exposure compensation to +1, then leave it in “P” mode and take all your images in the snow in this mode.

DSLR camera users would need to put the camera in the “P” mode as well but use the “+/-” button, usually located on top of the camera.  While pushing the “+/-” button use the dial by your thumb or index finger until it reads +1.

Having the right expsure really will bring out the dark subject matter with a lot more detail using these setting on your camera.  For example, a black dog on white snow.  This is an extreme case but will really bring out the  strands of hair on a dark dog like this if  you use these settings.

Be sure to charge all your batteries up before going out into the cold or bring some extras.  Alkaline and NimH batteries don’t do so well in the cold but lithium rocks as far as longevity.
I am still looking for subject to teach at my first camera class so please go to Creative Photo Lounges Facebook page and drop me some suggestions or just email me at facebook@harmann.com

John Harmann-Professional Photographer and Owner of Harmann Studios and Harmann’s Creative Photo Lounge located in Sturgeon Bay, Luxemburg, and De Pere, WI.

GREAT FIND for users using speedlights Nikon SB-800 and SB-900, and Canon 550EX

I everyone.  Went to ImagingUSA in Nashville and I found this great piece of equipment that can make using Nikon or Canon Speedlights more reliable in high speed sync mode.

If you don’t know what high speed sync is,  you have to try it!!  We used it  last year with some of our portraits because we wanted to do some photos in the bright sun.  This is when you need to fill shadows in with a flash.  We still wanted a deep blue sky and expose the subject correctly.  High speed sync can do this.  AWESOME!!  To have high speed sync work correctly you had to have one speed light on a light stand near the subject which was any where from 8 to 12 feet away from the camera.

Here comes the problem.  The on camera speed light needs to communicate with the off camera speedlight that is closer to the subject.  The bright sun and the distance interrupted the communication of the infrared beam for both speedlights to communicate resulted in more than not the speedlight closest to the subject not to fire.  I thought this was very poor for both Canon and Nikon not to think  of this before introducing high speed sync to the world.

Well here comes Radio Poppers to the rescue. Finallllly!!!  This system converts the infrared pulses created by the speedlights for high speed sync or just regular flash sync mode to fire without worrying if they will sync.  What a great high tech solution.

I have one coming to me and I will give you my findings on how well they work.  Listening to others at the convention it works well and I am very optimistic.

One thing I am not looking for is that this investment will be shot down quickly because I am sure Canon and Nikon will be coming out with a new speedlight that will have this type of radio sync rather than the inferior infrared beam that both Nikon SB-800 and SB-900, and the Canon 550EX are currently using.

Also, please fire us your best photos to win free prints in our Photo of The Week at www.creativephotolounge.com.  See past winners as well.

ONE MORE THING.  PHOTO CLASSES  Please jump onto our facebook page and become a fan.  We are looking to start photo classes but we need your input on what we should talk about.  Click here to jump so we can hear from you.