Tamron Blog: Angle of View

A Photowalk in Annapolis

By Roger Moore, Jr.

Annapolis is a city rich in history and pride. This beautiful bay-side city offers many typical shots of boats in the water. With the Naval Academy nearby, many patriotic images are available as well. However, if one has the time, you can find hidden gems within the historic neighborhoods.

I participated in a photo walk and it was a great opportunity to interact with other kindred spirits, exchange ideas, methods, and experiences. Using my 18-270 lens, I could isolate details in the neighborhood.

 

This antique doorknocker attached to the weather-beaten door is a detail representative of this historic neighborhood.

This front door scene with the vibrant yellow door surrounded by the red brick and flowers explodes with color.

A wide-angle lens does not always require us to add more elements into the photo. I shot this potted plant at the wide end of my lens at 18mm. This lens challenged me to get as close as possible without adding anything extra in the shot instead of zooming from afar.

One of the most famous landscapes in Annapolis is the old Capitol building. It stands prominently in many photos of the city. I captured it by framing the leaves around the peak structure.

Approximately a mile from the neighborhood is the Annapolis Yacht Club (AYC). I typically look for ways to feature patterns in my images. By rotating the camera, I lined the bottom of the photo with the covered boats.

Whether you’re searching for a serene image of a boat on the water during sunset, a family enjoying their time together, patriotic symbols of our country, abstracts, etc., Annapolis has it all within a few square miles. I find it one of my most interesting yet challenging locations because of all the images competing for your attention. During my next trip, I will select a theme, color, or some other type of criteria and tailor my images accordingly. Nevertheless, there will be ample opportunities awaiting.

Macro Flowers Part 2, Keep it Simple

By Ken Hubbard

 

Some orchids can be very complex flowers with curving lines overlapping one another and colors galore. Having so much to work with, in such a small flower, sometimes it can be difficult to find a point of focus. So I am going to keep this blog nice and short with a simple technique I use to keep myself from getting frustrated.

Keep it simple

We all go through periods where we look at something we want to photograph but just don't know where to start. When I have a tough time finding an interesting image with the more complex orchids, I turn to the very simple ones. A perfect example is the image above, what caught my eye was the perfect curve of the fuzzy stem leading to the slightly opened bud which revealed just a little bit of pink color. That's it, nothing more, so I framed the flower nice and tight accentuating the curve and size of the bud.

I captured this image using Tamron's SP 180mm 1:1 Macro lens with the following settings: ISO 400, F/32 at a 1/2 sec. shutter speed. This was shot in one of Parkside Orchids (Ottsville, PA) greenhouses, so the sunlight was nicely diffused by its translucent roof. I placed a yellow piece of craft paper about 24" behind the flower to add some color and a white panel reflector to bring in a touch more light.

Great American Scrapbook Convention

By Rob Moody

Attention photographers who scrapbook: The Great American Scrap book Convention is almost upon us. May 30- June 2, in Arlington, Texas will be the first of two huge scrapping events held by GASC this year. I am honored to be one of the class presenters for Tamron during these events. I wanted to let you know a little more about the class, “Simple Secrets to better pictures”.

I’ve been fortunate, in my line of work, that my mother is a scrapping addict! I can remember her scrapping pages for grandchildren that weren’t even born yet… Seriously, my mother has so many pairs of scissors, my father had to make a huge custom wooden rack just to organize them. Over time, I have watched my mom evolve into a very experienced scrapper. This insight has helped me to create this class for you. One of the most important aspects of scrapping is photography. Better photography will create better scrap books. This is why I am passionate about teaching you the skills to achieve your complete scrapping vision.

We will discuss light and how to see it, use it, change it and add it to your pictures. We will cover everything from existing light to adding flash to the equation. We will discuss compositional elements that will not only help your photos look better, but will also influence your scrap page layout as well. You will learn how to set your camera for maximum crop-ability and image quality. You will discover the potential offered by various different lenses and why professional photographers choose them. There will be a valuable section on accessories and filters that will help you fine tune your creative potential for maximum benefit, as well as, a question and answer period at the conclusion of the presentation. Also, I will be available to answer any additional questions or provide help at the Tamron booth between classes. I love to teach photography and I know this class will have you instantly taking better pictures. I can’t wait to see you there!